I would like to see this on the street! Or, when will the Charger have my respect again?

I grew up closer to my brother than my sister. I hated the way dolls smelled of off-gassing plastic and favored plush fauna. It was always such a thrill to get picked up at school in his '70 GTO he bought from my aunt.

It was a base engine, no VOE, but he swapped in a nice, noisy exhaust in auto shop. He would shift the shit out of it to mimic a Christmas tree launch and it has just enough kick to snap my scrawny little kid sister neck. He went on to own several gorgeous rods, all in varying degrees of "work in progress." He was an NHRA guy. That influence naturally rubbed off on me, even though I rebelled later in high school, becoming an F1 fan. He forgave me. So it is with great enthusiasm that I come back into the fold.

Back in 2006 , Doug Schramm had the time and passion to design what I wish would have been the re-introduction of the venerable Charger. This one updates the heritage and respects the past. I do have some qualms about how it seems like the "New" designs take too much form the old, and it seems like the retro look of the Mustang, Challenger and Camaro are just classic designs rehashed. Old is new again.

That little qualm aside, I like these Charger concepts and hope Dodge will be emboldened by the success of the Mustang and Camaro and get rid of that LX platform that is such a snoozer. It just doesn't turn my head. In the review, unless it has a low profile LED mounted on top, I'll let it pass on the right.

As for Dodge actually producing this, I won't get my hopes up since they are producing the second generation starting last year, with just a few cosmetic changes, butch-ing up the fascia, tail lights will keep wishing every time I see the current one slither by and digress in my head to fondly remembering the menace that bullied Steve McQueen in Bullitt. No, I never saw it in the theater, but I get that it was pretty exciting - the if not first, the definitive car chase in a feature film. Exasperated breath, I digress, which is just about to the year 1969.


Xoxo,
Rockit

rockit's daily commute

Awesome Super Bowl spot for the 426 Horsepower Camaro SS. Which one was Rockit?



Sorry, I'm sworn to secrecy!

Troy

Santa's got a GTO

Okay, another Christmas season is upon us, so it's time to put a little ho-ho-ho in our horsepower. Most of you know I'm crazy about the Ramones, and that enthusiasm extends to some of their tribute bands as well. Today's stop on the tour of the truly unusual features the world's only all-female Ramones tribute band, the Ramonas, and their festive little holiday number called "Santa's Got a GTO". This video features original imagery including renderings by legendary advertising artist Art Fitzpatrick.

So put some Octane in your holiday and take a look:

Rockit's rides: LA 2010

Matte is a color, too. The Audi A8 GT. 'Cause a regular A8 isn't fast enough.













The stunning Camaro convertible. Looks good in topless.













And the long awaited A8 Spyder. But now I want the GT.

LA Auto Show: My two cents

I love Los Angeles. And I love autos. And auto shows. This year, not really a surprise - and I'm not going to rehash the current state of affairs - was light on substance, but hey, if you can't win them with substance, dazzle them with theater. Or shall I spell it theatre, just to be pompous?

A few standouts: yes, I like a car with a heart shaped ass, so the CTS-V coupe, paired with the delicious LSA is a full audacious boner. My inside head voice says the Rapide, but that might be because of a Daniel Craig backseat thing I have in my head if MGM can sort out there troubles... Love the styling of the Jag C-X75 and thank you for the departure on the styling away from Aston. GT-R and I'm a Godzilla fan too. Bravo, Fiat Cinquecento, welcome back. Go Buick, GO! Porsche, encore performance as usual.

A few WTF's? CODA, not. Saab, well, sort of like watching Ice melt. Dodge Ram Laramie: I didn't check to see if it had a chewing tobacco loogey compartment. Murano Cross Cabrio - that color is a glamour don't.

Wow, every back wall has multimedia with giant I mean, ginormous screens pounding you with evocative imagery - making the place a surreal live action car magazine slash action lifestyle made for tv movie with interactive 3D ads. The wood, the chrome, the giant ephemeral architecture. Doubling the usable floor space by making two tier lounges and more usable footprint was as inevitable as it is clever. Most marks had mid-model tweaks; pretty light for the most part. Lots of emphasis on personalization, making you car your own. A few things I expected to be there, were not. I guess they have to save something for Detroit...

My criteria for favorite cars: Pick one I can plausibly afford, and pick one that has a reservation in my dream garage.

One I will definitely put on the shopping list: The Chevrolet Camaro Convertible; has nice strokability in the 2SS turnout. I have a fondness for the unapologetic styling and RWD. I would upgrade the exhaust because I think I should reciprocate my neighbors kids noisy escapades that most often conflicts with my schedule. When will it come with a full screen navigation? Not a deal breaker, but it would sure help to ink it.

My intrepid car gossip partner, Troy, nabbed that Speedster for his fav, as I was completely dazzled by the 1955, took the number two on my list: The Audi R8 GT. Just as Troy pointed out, "just in case the standard R8 isn't fast enough," and about as attainable as the Speedster too. Limited production numbers (only about 100 coming to the states) and a MSRP tipping in at 198K. Dropping weight and bumping power, such a huge win. Being in the standard R8 is spectacular and memorable, I just love that they are taking a good thing and making it outrageous. Don't hate me because I'm an Autoslut. Or, you've let the terrorists win.

XOXO,

LA Auto Show: Troy's Best of Show

This one's hard, because the LA Show is frothing with Octane this year and horsepower is back in Vogue. The Supercharged Corvette Z06 is an awesome looking ride, the Mercedes CLS63AMG made its world debut and looked very Simon Bar Sinister next to the SLS AMG Gullwing, BMW showed their very sleek 6 Series Concept coupe (which seems to lack only production badging) and Cadillac brought the stunning CTS-V coupe to the party. But which one get the Troy Turbo award for outstanding contribution to octane?

I'm not a Porschephile per se, but in my book, the 2011 911 Speedster is the car of the show. First, it's a production car (so as much as I dug the Jaguar turbine-electric CX75, it wasn't eligible), its a great interpretation of the '89 Speedster which I loved, which is in itself based on the iconic Speedster of 1955. Lowered windshield, twin speedster bumps, limited production, high power- it's everything that makes a classic Porsche sports car. I'm not likely to have one, for two valid reasons- the limited availability (only 100 cars for the US market) and a price tag of $204,000 will likely stand between me and it's 400 horsepower, but it's a stunning creation and I hereby award it my Troy Turbo Most Coveted Award for 2010:

LA 2010: Rockin with Rockit

Spent the day rockin' the LA Auto Show with my sidekick Troy Turbo. Everyone knows that we're whores for horsepower, so we'll let the cubic inches speak for themselves and show you a few of our favorites. And yes, Troy was telling the truth when he said I never met a Porsche I didn't like. Plus, you don't have to worry about getting me the wrong size. But I also have a thing for LS-3 Camaros.
-Rockit