Zane Merva | autoinsane

Locked out of cloud 9 – How one day in a Dodge Viper went so wrong yet turned out so right

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

The plan for the day was simple. My brother Josh and I would take the extraordinary opportunity of being loaned a Dodge Viper and turn it into an epic driving day trip. We would leave our small office in central New Hampshire on an early September morning and barnstorm north towards the White Mountains. During our mission we’d hit two key attractions well known to the northeast motorist; the Kancamagus Highway and the Mt. Washington auto road.

Toyota calls shenanigans on ABC news segment, claims test was “artificially manipulated” and “unrealistic”

Monday, March 8, 2010

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Just when you thought you’d heard the last word on Toyota’s acceleration problems, the company is fighting back. Today the company stated that it had comprehensively tested claims made by ABC News andProfessor David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University and found those claims not only wrong, but “artificially manipulated” and “unrealistic”. Read on for a link to the original testing by ABC and Toyota’s full statement.

Mazda 3, Chevy Camaro and Equinox win big in Internet Car and Truck of the year awards

Monday, March 1, 2010

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Awards handed out in the automotive industry are as easy to come by as penny on the sidewalk. Some, such as Car and Driver’s “10-Best” and Motor Trends “Car and Truck of the Year” are merely automaker sponsored advertising packages passed off as reputable achievements. That’s why when an actual honest award comes around, we think you should know about it.

2010 Superbowl Ads – Hyundai promotes 2011 Sonata using Brett Farve

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

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The big game is still a few days away but we’ve got copies of the two commercials that Hyundai plans to run during the 2010 Superbowl.

2010 NAIAS: The booth babes of Detroit

Thursday, January 14, 2010

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You didn’t think we were going to go and let NAIAS coverage pass without a good old-fashioned booth babes article, did you?

By the way, we resisted adding a picture of Nancy Pelosi just for kicks. You can thank us later.

Mind-blowing animated CGI Corvette ZR1 LS9 supercharged engine “build” video

Thursday, January 14, 2010

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Ever wondered how the supercharged LS9 engine from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 looks while running and assembling itself- from the inside out? Here’s your chance to get a pretty damn cool view of just that.

First look at production Camaro Synergy Special Edition

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

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Chevy is on a roll with the Camaro and it’s currently outselling Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. That makes it just about the right time to introduce a limited edition run, wouldn’t you think? So, starting in February and ending in May, Chevy will allow customers to order the lime green “Synergy Special Edition” Package in limited quantities.

The Synergy Edition Camaro will run based on the 1LT package, featuring the 304-horsepower V-6 engine. Buyers can choose between a manual or automatic and the car also features a standard rear spoiler, Cyber Grey rally stripes, and 19-inch sterling silver painted wheels. The interior hue is also updated with Synergy Green trim.

“Synergy Green continues a long tradition of dramatic Camaro colors,” says Camaro historian Scott Settlemire. “Some of the most sought-after Camaros are first generation cars – those from 1967 to 1969 – in Hugger Orange, Daytona Yellow, and Rallye Green. Just as those colors helped make the first generation Camaro an icon, modern colors like Inferno Orange, Rallye Yellow Transformers Edition and Synergy Green will define the 2010 Camaro.” Read on for more pictures and the full release.

2010 NAIAS: GMC Granite Concept previews future small utility vehicle

Monday, January 11, 2010

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“If brought to market…” That’s all you need to read to know that General Motors is seriously considering building what would be the smallest GMC ever. A full 2 feet shorter than the already compact GMC Terrain, the Granite concept vehicle, which will be introduced during the 2010 Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS), would be a great addition to brand notoriously known for large trucks and SUVs.

The Granite Concept features a turbocharged 1.4L four-cylinder engine matched to a six-speed automatic transmission and plenty of brushed aluminum and metal. There is no chrome on the exterior Granite whatsoever. GMC calls it a Urban Utility Vehicle. We call it pretty sexy looking.

Here’s some photos of the concept and the full press release follows. Check back tomorrow for some real like impressions and more photos of the GMC Granite.

Genii Capital rumored to rival Spyker bid in last minute faceoff for Saab

Thursday, January 7, 2010

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It’s the final day of the bidding process for the beloved Saab brand and despite GM CEO Ed Whitacre being pessimistic about the brands future, rumors have it that Genii Capital is readying a last minute rival bid.

Insane automotive photography, Part II: Hillbilly HDR, Corvette Z06, Ford GT Burnout, and rigshots

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

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We’ve re-invented our insane automotive photography feature as a weekly format of the best and most amazing automotive related pictures posted to our Insane Automotive Photography Group on Flickr.

This week we have hillbilly HDR, Corvette Z06, a Ford GT Burnout, and some amazing rigshots.