In an interview with PickupTrucks.com Tom Stephens made this statement about the new Duramax engines powering the 2011 Chevrolet and GMC Heavy Duty. According to the site’s editor, Stephens was asked three times and he remained serious.

Stephens told PickupTrucks.com that “You’re going to love our new diesel Duramax engine in the new Heavy Duty”.  “You know what I want to do to prove it? I want to take our truck and Ford’s [new Super Duty] and chain them together back -to-back. Then I want to have them pull against each other. I know our truck will beat theirs.”

As far as we know, PickupTrucks.com passed the challenge on to Ford but has yet to get a response, but we really would love to see such a tremendous “battle”.

Musclevehicles.com – The Ultimate Blog for American Muscle Cars and Muscle Vehicles

The muscle vehicles is goint to be auctioned on Friday, January 22 at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

SPX Corporation is a service provider for Ford Motor Company and was announced that a donation is going to be made. A Ford Mustang FR500S Challenge Race carrying the autographs of multiple race drivers will try to raise funds for ST. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“SPX is proud to again participate in the fundraising efforts that support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and their vital contributions toward the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases,” said SPX Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Kearney. “This race car, in addition to its tour on the race tracks, has made appearances at St. Jude fund raising events, and the lucky winning bidder will receive not only a truly unique car but have the satisfaction of knowing they are supporting one of the great children’s hospitals in the world.”

Official Press Release:
SCOTTSDALE – Jan. 18, 2010 – Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI:PK), will fulfill the dreams of enthusiasts by returning the legendary Shelby GT350 to its lineup of American performance cars. The Shelby team unveiled a supercharged concept version of the Mustang-based 2011 Shelby GT350 to the surprise of thousands gathered at the Barrett-Jackson Auction Opening Night Gala to honor the 45th anniversary of the first GT350 and first Shelby big block Cobra.

There is a rumor that says Chevrolet is taking into consideration building a Corvette sedan based on the Holden Commodore. We know that seems a little exaggerated, but the announcement was made apparently by Bob Lutz who said the four-door Corvette sedan will be a limited edition model which will be sold in the United states only. Lutz said a Corvette sedan is not impossible since a brand is not defined by a body shell, but by the engine, traction and transmission.

Most people know that GM is builds Australian models based on its US cars, but it has never based a North American model on an Aussie vehicle.

Musclevehicles.com – The Ultimate Blog for American Muscle Cars and Muscle Vehicles

A special one-of-a-kind 2011 Mustang GT will be prepared. It is  powered by the new 5.0-liter V-8 engine producing 412 horsepower. This car symbolizes the first time in 40 years a Ford Motor Company product has paced the field at the Daytona 500. The last Ford pace car at the Daytona 500 was the 1970 Torino GT convertible.

A special Daytona 500 race red paint job with blue and white stripes will be prepared. The “pony” is tuned with Ford racing suspension, strut tower brace, mufflers, unique painted wheels and special interior treatment including lighted sill plates. This Mustang will be among the first 2011 models available to the public.

What’s more – it will be offered for auction at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction on Saturday January 23rd. All incomes over MSRP will go to help cure childhood diabetes through a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Musclevehicles.com – The Ultimate Blog for American Muscle Cars and Muscle Vehicles

Some people use this car model like an everyday sedan-based pickup, but this 1975 Ford Ranchero is like nothing you have seen before. The massive rear tires and the dual nitrous bottles in the trunk gives this pickup an unique image.

Mike Miller is the owner of this monster vehicle – he has swapped the original Cleveland V8 with a 604ci (9,9 L) V8 specially build by JBA Engines. It generated 870 hp an 822 lb-ft torque on 91 octane. Another cool feature is the wood paneling along the side of the car. But wait for the coolest part – this 870 hp baby adds 250 more horses with a shot of nitrous. Make sure you check out the gallery below.

The car on the picture is the “personal” 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda of the Beach Boy singer Al Jardine. This muscle car was highly touted in the run-up to the auction block next week at the Barrett-Jackson event in Scottsdale, Ariz, but pulled from sale on Friday.

The reason is that the vehicle had been reported stolen in 1975, in St. Louis. A few hours later, however, Scottsdale police said it was all a misunderstanding, and Barrett-Jackson reinstated the car.

It seems that the problem was a ’71 Plymouth with that VIN had indeed been reported stolen, but after that it was recovered and there was no update in the police database. What’s more – such thing could happen when a less desirable version of a model is upgraded by customizers to the most sought-after version. For instance, a ‘71 Cuda with a 6-cylinder engine may have a Hemi V-8 swap. But this car customized in plum-and-white, had been advertised by Barrett-Jackson as “Al Jardine’s, of the original Beach Boys, personal Hemi ‘Cuda re-creation. It has been built for Jardine to his specifications and is titled in his name.

Musclevehicles.com – The Ultimate Blog for American Muscle Cars and Muscle Vehicles

A few years ago some of the European vehicles made their way to the Japan market and specially to the Japanese tuners. Now we can see some American vehicles making their way to the Land of the Rising Sun.

This Chevrolet Camaro was spotted at the Goodyear booth tuned with a body kit and a massive set of wheels. The funny side of the story is that a large car like Camaro looks simple enormous next to many of the subcompacts and MPVs at the Tokyo show.

Musclevehicles.com – The Ultimate Blog for American Muscle Cars and Muscle Vehicles

Some people call this car crash the most expensive one in history. What’s more – Tiger Woods has lost millions of dollars from sponsors who dropped or limited their use of his likeness in their marketing after news of his affairs. What’s next – General Motors has restricted their sponsorship.

After the accident in November in which he crashed a Cadillac Escalade, registered to G.M., outside his home in Florida his problems emerged. USA Today reported on Tuesday that General Motors ended the agreement with Tiger Woods two weeks ago. Dayna Hart, a spokeswoman for Buick, confirmed the news on Wednesday: “Our loan arrangement with him was contracted to end Dec. 31, 2009.”