Saturday, July 08, 2006

muscle cars dodge challenger highway patrol
UHP Unveils New "Muscle" Patrol Car

Good luck...to anyone who tries to out run a cop. The Utah Highway Patrol will soon be traveling 0-60 mph in just six seconds, thanks to the 2006 Dodge Charger.

It used to be an old-fashioned muscle car, but now newly remolded and loaded with a V-8 Hemi, it will be the new law enforcement vehicle of Utah, reaching up to speeds of 160 miles per hour. Making the change will offer more benefits in safety, speed and fuel efficiency.

The Charger is projected to get 17 miles per gallon in the city, and 25 mpg on the highway, compared to the Crown Victoria getting only 16 miles per gallon in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. Davis County will be the first to test out the new vehicle starting this Monday.

But the goal for UHP will be to eventually replace the majority of the old Ford Crown Victorias with the new Dodge Chargers, allowing law enforcement to hold power not only with their badge but also now with their cars.

Watch Video Here. Go to;
http://www.abc4.com/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=47316

By Chris Vanocur
ABC4.com

Muscle Cars USA

muscle cars police dodge challenger
Couple Takes Hot Rod Power Tour

By JOSHUA CHANEY
COSHOCTON

Greg and Sue Catrow describe their recent trip to Florida and back as a 3,000 mile adventure they soon won't forget. The trip was not by plane or ordinary vehicle but in their homemade hot rod.
And they plan to do it again.

The Catrows own a 1931 black Ford hot rod and put it to the test in the 12th Annual Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour from June 3-12.

The hot rod sits on a 1932 frame and is powered by a 1977 Corvette 350 engine with a license plate that reads "DRIVE 'EM." "It rides a little rough and (is) cramped but we still really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun," Greg said of his ride and the trip.

In addition to the 10 days on the tour, the Catrows tacked on an additional 16-hour drive in two days to get to the tour's starting point in Kissimmee, Fla.

The couple decided to run the tour after hearing of the event from fellow hot rodders and friends, Carl and Cindy Roeger. They had taken the tour in previous years, and now they are hooked.

The tour traveled 300 to 500 miles each day, and made stops in different cities including Gainsville, Fla., Perry, Ga., Columbia, S.C., Roanoke, Va., and Harrisburg, Pa., and finished in Englishtown, N.J. Three of the stops included a chance to test the power of each machine at a drag strip.

"We had a drivers' meeting at 9 every morning and went from there," he said.
Catrow said he didn't want to risk breaking his ride at the drag strip but he did end up having small problems despite all the spare parts and tools he brought along.

"On the way home I had a bolt on the trailing arm break and I had to wait for a rollback to come and get us," he said. "It took about three hours to fix. We stopped at 1 (p.m.) and at 4 (p.m.) we were back on the road again."

The tour consisted of thousands of cars including hot rods, muscle cars, and late model performance vehicles.

Each city featured vendors and a car show, where each machine would rest for the night. People in some of the cities lined the sidewalks with lawn chairs and cameras to see all the different cars in the tour.

More cars joined the tour at each city and some cars dropped out, but those who complete the tour, the aka "long haulers," were honored at the end of the event in an awards ceremony.
"There were probably about 2,000 (long haulers)," Greg said.

One thing the Catrows appreciated was the fact that most of the tour led participants on the back roads of each state. Catrow said it was neat to see each state from a view different from what they normally see on the interstate.

"We really enjoyed it (the back roads) because of the sights along the way," he said. "Everybody drives the interstate and knows what is on it and the small towns along the way (on the route we took) had some small diners and things that really made a difference in the trip. Besides sometimes you don't want to run 70 miles an hour."

Among the highlights of the tour, getting to know all the other hot rodders and making new friends were at the top of his list. At the different hotels they stayed in, they got to see many different cars, and meet many new people all with similar interests.

"I like being around the kind of people that are into hot rodding," he said.
The Catrows plan on attending next years tour also along with the Roegers.
"We are both going to run the tour next year," Greg said.

Greg and Sue actually met as hot rodders and currently own six hot rods that they work on together.
"She drove a black '71 Camero SS and I drove a '61 corvette and we passed each other on Main Street a few times before I finally got up the nerve to follow her home one day and ask her out on a date," he said.

"Our dream is to take the old rod out Route 66. We kind of want to run that someday," he said.
As for Greg, he has been around cars all of his life, and has been working at car dealerships since right after high school.

"My dad always loved cars and worked in a dealership back in the '40s and he was always working on a car in the drive," he said. "The old joke is we (hot rodders) have oil in our blood. It's a hobby that we enjoy."

The Catrows have also passed the hobby down to their children. They purchased a "basket-case" 1968 Camero for their daughter Wendy on her 16th birthday, which she still owns and drives today.

"I told her never to get rid of it if she doesn't have to," Catrow said.
Now in her 30s, Wendy and her husband, Mike Moats of Coshocton, met in the same tradition as her parents - as hot rodders.

"They met each other driving their cars too," Catrow said.
Mike owns a 1969 Chevelle, which he has owned since their marriage.
As far as the father hot rodder goes, he drives his Ford everyday in the Summer and even in the colder months.

"I keep insurance on it all year round and on the days when there is no snow on the ground we take it out and drive it. Weather permitting, we take it out all year round even in January and December once a month," Catrow said.

Most of all, he says, he enjoys driving his cars.
"The driving is my favorite part about hot rodding," he said. "It is a cool feeling to drive something that you built."

As far as the saying on Catrow's license plate goes, "DRIVE 'EM" is very literal.
"Some people like to build cars for shows and things and haul them on trailers everywhere," Catrow said. "My wife and I like to 'DRIVE 'EM.'"


Muscle Cars USA Camero Corvette Hot Rod

Chrysler to produce Dodge Challenger muscle car


mmmmmmmmmm......lovely! What do you think of the new kids on the block? Just cashing in on the nostalgic baby boomers or is it a labor of love? Instant classic or would you rather find the original? Pete


muscle cars new dodge challengerChrysler Group on Saturday said it will resume production of the Dodge Challenger in 2008 after more than three decades as it takes aim at nostalgia for the U.S. muscle car era.

The Challenger would join the Dodge Charger in the brewing stable of modern U.S. muscle cars such as Ford Motor Co.'s redesigned iconic Mustang -- homage to 1960s and 1970s designs built on up-to-date platforms.

"It's a modern take on one of the most iconic muscle cars," Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Tom LaSorda said.

Muscle cars, typically two-doored with massive eight-cylinder engines, bring back memories of a U.S. era of cheap gas, drive-in theaters and cruising main street.

However, the Challenger comes along when $3 per gallon gasoline has the broad market increasingly looking for less thirsty compact cars.

Chrysler did not say how many of the cars it expected to build per year or the targeted retail price. Dodge sold about 188,600 Challengers in its original run and the new car will be produced for the 2008 model year in 2008, Chrysler said.

Chrysler aimed directly at its potential target customers, announcing its decision to produce the Challenger at Daytona International Speedway in Florida, where the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race was to start later.

The DaimlerChrysler AG unit unveiled a Challenger concept car at the auto show in Detroit in January, featuring a long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe body style reminiscent of the car's run in the 1970 to 1974 model years.

"Chrysler Group production vehicles tend to bear a striking resemblance to the concept cars they follow," Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour said. "It's not just a re-creation, it is a reinterpretation and a tasty one at that."

The car had a 425-horsepower Hemi engine, six-speed manual transmission and a listed top speed of 174 miles per hour.

General Motors Corp. also is thought to be likely to bring back its Chevrolet Camaro after a prototype inspired by the 1969 version of the legendary muscle car received a very warm reception at the auto show in Detroit as well.

The new Camaro would be priced at about the same level as the Ford Mustang, which has suggested retail prices from about $19,100 to $26,000, and produced in similar volume.

Reuters Sat Jul 1 2006