Shelby Previews 1100-HP Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Named “Shelby 1000″ [New York Auto Show] by Alexander Stoklosa

If you had asked us yesterday which New York auto show debut would be the wildest, we’d have probably said the2013 SRT Viper. We may have to amend that prediction, because Shelby American is bringing a new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500–based model to New York called the Shelby 1000, and it will pack between 950 and 1100 hp. This isn’t the first horsepower-laden Shelby to debut in New York; last year the outfit brought the 800-hp GT500 Super Snake to the same show. Created as a celebration of 50 years of Shelby cars, the legend of which began with the Cobra in the 1960s, the 1000 joins the 650-hp 2013 Shelby GT500 in the Mustangs-made-from-testosterone club.

According to Shelby, the standard car puts out 950 hp on normal pump gas. The bonkers “S/C” version—which is for track use use only—spits out 1100 hp when fed race fuel. Both versions are based on the 2012 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, which produces a measly 550 hp in stock form. In order to essentially double the output from Ford’s supercharged 5.4-liter V-8, Shelby completely tears down the engine and rebuilds it. The block is fitted with a new crankshaft, pistons, and rods; the heads are tweaked; cooling and exhaust systems are upgraded; and a new supercharger is fitted. A solid driveshaft and a nine-inch rear end are swapped in to beef up the driveline so it can handle the power bump, and the suspension and brakes are upgraded as well.

As you’d expect, the Shelby 1000 and 1000 S/C won’t be cheap and won’t be produced in large numbers. The standard 1000 treatment starts at $149,995, not including the donor GT500; the track-only 1000 S/C starts at $154,995 and also requires you to provide your own GT500. Shelby American will begin accepting reservations for examples of the limited-run cars in April.

Dodge Unveils 2013 Dart Rally Car for RallyCross Competition, Taps Travis Pastrana as Driver by Andrew Wendler

Dodge has revealed the first image and a few details regarding its latest motorsports entry, the 2013 DartRallyCross car. Powered by a turbocharged 16-valve 2.0-liter four-cylinder producing 600 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque, Dodge is claiming 0-to-60 times as low as 1.9 seconds. (The regular Dart’s max output of 184 hp will produce somewhat-less-scintillating acceleration.) Power is transmitted to all four wheels via a Sadev gearbox. The Dart rally car will make its official public debut at the 2012 New York auto show.

Additional details and specifications are for now scarce, but a Dodge spokesperson told C/D that “the entire car is built in Sweden.” That may end up being a wise decision on Dodge’s part, as the region essentially invented automotive rallying, writing the rulebook and honing the hardware along the way. It remains to be seen which companies lent expertise to the Dart rally car, but you can bet most of them will have Scandinavian accents.

Nitro Circus

To put all that power on the podium, Dodge and SRT Motorsports have inked a deal with four-time Rally America champion Travis Pastrana. The face of extreme sports for many, Pastrana’s involvement will be a key component in focusing the attention of the 30-and-under set on the new Dart; his near-maniacal devotion to placing himself in the middle of vehicular chaos should keep most of them riveted.

Entering its second season for 2012, the Global RallyCross series was created out of the popular X Games rally races; as such, Pastrana, a 17-time, multi-discipline X Games gold-medal winner, should feel right at home piloting the Dodge Dart across the 70-foot jumps that highlight many of the courses.

Although the 2012 driver roster hasn’t been finalized yet, the 28-year-old Pastrana is expected to compete against returning extreme sportsmen Dave Mirra (Subaru WRX STI), Brian Deegan (Ford Fiesta), and Tanner Foust (Ford Fiesta). Also confirmed for 2012 events are gymkhana fiend Ken Block (Ford Fiesta), Swedish rally legend Per Eklund (Saab 9-3), and two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm (Ford Fiesta), whose presence lends a touch of umlaut-laced credibility to the so-called “global” series.

Show and Go

Like NASCAR stock cars, the cars you see on various rally circuits are usually mere shells of their streetgoing counterparts, their mechanicals basically dictated by various class restrictions. Global RallyCross is split into two- and four-wheel-drive classes; cars are further separated by build level with a “Limited” class for close-to-stock cars and “Super” for the highest-spec vehicles in the series.

The 2012 RallyCross season begins May 26 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and concludes September 29 in Las Vegas, with the majority of events supporting IndyCar or NASCAR races. The June 30 and July 1 events will be held during the 2012 X Games in Los Angeles. Pastrana and Dodge are scheduled to campaign the Dart for the entire 2012 season, which will be broadcast live in its entirely by ESPN.

"That's Cold: Alaska has $6 - a Gallon Gas"

If the idea of $5 a gallon scares you, stay out of Alaska. Detroit Free Press reports the 49^th state has some of the most expensive gas in the country, with some areas charging more than $6 a gallon. Based on info from a gas-price-tracking site, Detroit Free Press says Alaska is ranked second-highest in gas prices, behind Hawaii and ahead of California.
Despite being one of the country’s largest oil-producing states, Alaska has four gas stations charging more than $6 a gallon. All of them are in Bethel, Ala., a town located near Alaska’s west coast. According to Detroit Free Press, the state’s most expensive gas stations are charging between $6.13 and $6.33 a gallon. After that, however, the next most expensive station in Cordova charges $4.79 a gallon.

Ref:  http://wot.motortrend.com/that%E2%80%99s-cold-alaska-has-6-a-gallon-gas-182531.html

Kelley Blue Book Used Compact Car Values on the Rise

Kelley Blue Book: Used Compact, Hybrid Car Values on the Rise, Could Repeat 20 Percent Gains of 2011

March Blue Book Market Report Advises Dealers to Stock Used Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Inventory Sooner Rather Than Later

IRVINE, Calif., March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new car and used car information, today reports that used compact-car values are on the rise and could reach the same 20 percent gains seen in 2011.  According to Kelley Blue Book's Book Market Report for March 2012 (http://mediaroom.kbb.com/blue-book-market-report/), values of used fuel-efficient compacts increased a modest 0.4 percent in February; however, values picked up significant momentum during the last weeks of the month.  In the last week of February, used compacts increased 1.3 percent, while hybrid cars increased a more substantial 3.6 percent.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111102/AQ99077LOGO)

Used Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Values Begin to Climb
	Change for Week Ending:				Auction Values
Segment	Feb 10	Feb 17	Feb 24	Mar 2	Feb 3	Mar 2	Total Change
Hybrid Car	-1.1%	1.8%	1.6%	3.6%	$16,014	$16,974	6.0%
Compact Car	-1.2%	0.1%	0.3%	1.3%	$12,229	$12,286	0.5%
Subcompact Car	-0.9%	-0.5%	0.2%	0.7%	$11,124	$11,071	-0.5%
Note: All changes reflect values of MY09-11 vehicles

"The 2010 Toyota Prius led in gains, increasing in value $1,370 through the month of February," said Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst of automotive insights for Kelley Blue Book.  "Dealers have been aggressively bidding on fuel-efficient vehicles at auction as consumer demand increases in response to rising gas prices.  If the past is any indication of things to come, Kelley Blue Book could see values of used fuel-efficient vehicles increase more than 20 percent during the course of the next few months."
In 2011, fuel-efficient vehicle values reached record levels in response to gas prices approaching $4.00 per gallon, and if fuel prices continue on their current trajectory, Kelley Blue Book expects to see a similar trend this year.  Values of fuel-efficient vehicles will only remain elevated as long as fuel prices remain high, so if fuel prices were to ease, expect values to return to normal levels.  Kelley Blue Book advises dealers to stock up on inventory sooner rather than later, since values likely will increase sharply during the next 30 to 60 days.





Ref:  http://mediaroom.kbb.com/kelley-blue-book-used-compact-hybrid-car-values-rise-could-repeat-20-percent-gains-2011

Let's Move - Prevent Childhood Obesity

The Let’s Move! Communities on the Move Video Challenge invites faith-based, community, and other non-profit organizations working with children to create short videos (one to three minutes long) highlighting their participation in Let’s Move! and efforts to reverse the trend of childhood obesity. Participating organizations are encouraged to create videos that showcase programs related to Let’s Move Faith and Communities that are creative, effective, sustainable, replicable, and inspirational. Videos should focus on at least one Let’s Move Faith and Communities focus area of activity, including efforts to promote healthy eating, physical activity, and access to healthy, affordable food for children. The goals of the challenge are to:

• Recognize community efforts to help reduce the trend of childhood obesity
• Encourage healthy eating through USDA’s MyPlate icon and nutrition information found on www.ChooseMyPlate.gov
• Highlight the work of Let’s Move Faith and Communities and participating organizations in promoting healthy lifestyles for kids
• Increase participation in faith- and community-based efforts to prevent childhood obesity.

Note: To participate, you must be a faith-based institution, community-based institution, or other non-profit organization, operating at the local or national level, and organized and domiciled in the United States. Each individual appearing in your video must provide a Video Image Release form and the person who created the video must complete a Video Copyright Resease form. For details on eligibility, please review the Official Rules.

Don't Forget St. Patrick's Day - Saturday March 17, 2012

St. Patrick's Day Around the World

Today, people of all backgrounds celebrate St. Patrick's Day, especially throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore and Russia.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day was traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use interest in St. Patrick's Day to drive tourism and showcase Ireland and Irish culture to the rest of the world. Today, approximately 1 million people annually take part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions and fireworks shows.






Ref:  http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day

Daylight Saving Time!

Daylight Saving Time (sometimes called Daylight Savings Time) starts at 2 a.m. on Sunday March 11, 2012.  This means the daylight will begin later in the morning and the sun will set later in the evening.
It's also a good time to check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. 











Ref: http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/Daylight-Saving-Time-2012-lgf-march-2012

Used Car Prices on the rise

Dealers say the prices of used vehicles will continue to soar as inventories of lower-priced and economy cars shrink. Japanese auto makers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have warned their production could be limited through year-end. U.S. dealers say they expect to exhaust existing inventories and face severe shortages of new Japanese cars by July.

The topsy-turvy market has dealers that once quickly dumped trade-ins to wholesalers now holding onto those vehicles to fill out their shrinking inventories. The move is raising the value of trade-ins.