By William C. Montgomery | The Truth About Cars | Results after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

An SUV Worth Its Salt

Lets turn back a little over one decade ago to 1997. A year when men were mired in news about Princess Diana’s passing, cloned sheep, and photos beamed from Mars. Oh, and Land Rover would be forced to stop selling the Land Rover Defender due to airbag regulations.

Most of us remember the Defender 90, the British 4×4 that men gazed upon with unabashed lust - looking past its spotty reliability on-road yet ridiculous prowess, off. California (and the movies) were peppered with Defender 90’s in hues like AA Yellow and Portofino Red while the rest of the U.S. opted for colors such as Beluga Black, Coniston Green and Alpine White (no, I’m not insinuating anything about Gear Patrol’s California based writers/readers).

But do you remember the Defender 90’s bigger brother, the Defender 110 - the four-door-best-case-ever-for-an-SUV? The restoration specialists at East Coast Rover do. East Coast Rover is a team of specialists dedicated to the art of Land Rover restoration, where many-a-men’s dreams are brought to life in ECR’s 10,000 square foot Rockland, Maine facilities.

Here, ECR has restored a 1997 Defender 110 from the ground up with: galvanized frame, 275 horsepower Pursuit Rover v8 engine, automatic gearbox, CD changer, 4 wheel disc brakes, ARB winch bumper with Warn winch, side rock guards, Hella 400 lights and a security system. Unlike other restorations, ECR is reknown for their painstaking restoration process ensuring your restored classic will remain just that. [additional photo after the jump]

Inquire for Price

Also See: 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer | Hannibal Rooftop Rack and Tent

Read the rest of this entry »

“This Car Can Drive Across Denmark In About 18 Minutes”

Image & Quote Courtesy: The Truth About Cars

Economic downturn be damned, I want 1,104 horsepower. I want it delivered through a manual gearbox to a pair of rear wheels that will vault me to 60 in about as long as it takes to say the word “3 seconds”. I want it to go to 233 mph limited only by (in)sanity. Oh, and I want it to look like it was etched by the devil himself from a block of sinful aluminum with Louise Glover as his muse.

If it happens to be hand-built by insane Danish men then I’m okay with that. If it also happens to cost an amount that cannot be disclosed then so be it.

[As Seen On The Truth About Cars and Acquire]

Click on any thumbnail to see more

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jay Shoemaker | The Truth About Cars

The CC stood out like a swan amidst a gaggle of homely Jetta ducklings on the VW dealer’s lot, its aesthetic appeal undeniable. In contrast with the company’s marketing approach with the Phaeton, the CC is virtually badge-less and, at first blush, hard to identify as part of the VW family. I suppose it still looks vaguely Germanic since it shamelessly cribs from the Mercedes CLS it aspires to be. Comfort Coupe or Caustic Copy?

Review: Volkswagen Passat CC continued »

Porsche Discovers Rear Doors

Courtesy: Porsche North America

Porsche (pour-sha) is calling the Panamera a “Four-Door Grand Touring Sports Car.” We suppose they deserve the right to call it whatever they want, but we’ll fondly refer to it as a Porsche for the unselfish father.

Throw in a couple of child seats in the rear, a beautiful woman in the front seat or both, ignite the engine and relish in the moment. The Porsche Panamera will undoubtedly cause stir amongst the rabid Porsche fans, but I think the Paneram is a natural iteration in the Porsche lineup. (Ed: Definitely less jarring than the eyesore Porsche Cayanne SUV)

The Panamera will come equipped with a range of engines from 300 horspower V6’s to a 500 horsepower turbo V8 with six-speed manual gearboxes or seven-speed dual clutch auto-manual. Look for all-wheel drive variations to come sometime in 2011.

The inevitable question about what the Porsche’ Cayman’s rear looks like can be seen after the jump. [As Seen On TTAC]
Read the rest of this entry »

We Grab The Keys To The 2009 Toyota Matrix And Head To Hoover Dam To Take Photographs. Let Us Tell You Why.

Let us start by telling you a story about a guy who, a few years ago, was relegated to driving a Toyota Matrix for a business trip. The drive was a 6 hour run from Washington D.C. to Boston and the washboard seats, rental-car ride and dismal stereo managed to be utter joys compared to the ultimate mishap: hitting a pothole greeted this poor man with a dashboard that literally fell off. Glove compartment on floor, instrument cluster hanging by wires and an A/C vent in lap. Loads of fun.

Then again, this poor fellow wasn’t driving a 2009 Toyota Matrix. A car, that besides its namesake couldn’t be more different than the aforementioned rental car. We suppose Toyota wasn’t aware of our story when they handed us the keys to copper orange (of course) and blue 2009 Matrix(ices) while we were in Las Vegas for SEMA. A show best described as a car modifier’s mecca.

We decided to take a break from the debauchery and tear down to the Hoover Dam. Why? For some dam pictures and a surprisingly damn fun ride. Read on…
Read the rest of this entry »