News Service

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Leonardo DiCaprio, Fisker announce equity marriage for plug-in hybrid

Leonardo DiCaprio, the three-time Oscar nominated actor and celebrity environmentalist, has become an equity investor and brand ambassador for Fisker Automotive, the manufacturer of the Karma plug-in hybrid. The timing of DiCaprio's involement is curious since the California-based carmaker recently expanded its recall of its $103,000 Karma because of the incorrectly positioned hose clamps. The recall represents more than 25 percent of the estimated number of Karma's sold. "DiCaprio will work closely with marketing and promotional initiatives to bring attention to sustainability and environmental issues around the world,” Fisker Automotive said in a press release. “In turn, Fisker will support the work of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.” Fisker Automotive didn't specify how much DiCaprio invested in the company, nor how

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Jerry Seinfeld's back taking funny friends to coffee in vintage car show about nothing

It's no secret Jerry Seinfeld is a car collector. But beginning July 19, he's mixing his comedic talents and passion for vintage cars and he's sharing both with friends as they take the cars to coffee shops — or at least that's how it's being promoted. The show is appropriately called "Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. It's scheduled to debut at 9 p.m. Thursday July 19 on Crackle. In the promo for the show, Seinfeld drives around in brief snippets with Michael Richards, Ricky Gervais, Larry David, and Alec Baldwin, among others. According to its web site, www.crackle.com: "Crackle is the place to experience pure entertainment: full-length movies, TV shows, and original series from genres that embody cool — all

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Chevrolet Cruze recalled as GM fixes potential flammage liquid issue

General Motors is recalling nearly a half-million Chevrolet Cruze compacts sedans from 2011 and 2012 to modify the under-engine shield so flammable liquids are not trapped in the engine compartment. The recall covers 2011 and 2012 Cruze sedans built at GM's Lordstown, Ohio plant from September 2010 through May 2012. The recall affects 413,418 vehicles sold in the United States, 61,299 in Canada and 701 in Israel. The engine shield on the models affected has the potential to trap engine fluids and raise the risk of a fire, GM said. Cruze models sold around the world made at plants other than in Lordstown, Ohio, do not have the same design and are not believed to have the same issue, a

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Fiat 500 Abarth, 2012: Italian, sexy mini car has Ferrari relatives

The sexiest cars arguably long have come from Italy, and the new Abarth version of the 2012 Fiat 500 is such a car. The 500 Abarth follows the colorful tradition of the very small, low-volume race-winning “Double Bubble” Fiat Abarths of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Those cars are valued at $135,000—if you can find one that wasn’t thrashed in races. (They had nifty twin roof humps—or “bubbles”—to clear race driver helmets.) The early Abarths were standard Fiats cleverly modified by Karl Abarth, who made a fortune selling hot rod exhaust systems, mainly for sports cars. If you wanted the greatest sports car sound around and higher performance, it seemed mandatory that you get an Abarth catalog-available exhaust system.

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Rare Ferrari sells for $35 million, assumes most expensive car record

A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO made for race driver Stirling Moss and one of 39 of the rare vehicles manufactured during its three-year run, has become the world’s most expensive car. It sold in a private transaction in May for $35 million. Bloomberg News reports the apple-green Ferrari is listed among May’s high-end sales on the classic car dealers website, anamera.com. The sale was confirmed, according to Bloomberg, by two sources. The car was sold by the Dutch-born businessman Eric Heerema, owner of the Nyetimber vineyard in Sussex, southern England. American collector Craig McCaw is the new owner. Neither seller nor buyer could be reached for comment. The green GTO was acquired by Heerema a decade ago for about $8.5

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Dario Franchitti wins Indy 500 for third time, honors Dan Wheldon

Dario Franchitti, 39, of Scotland, who May 27 won the Indianapolis 500, joined a select fraternity of the drivers who've won the event three times. With his third winner in yellow-flag circumstances, Franchitti joins Louis Meyer, Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Unser and Helio Castroneves as triple winners. "Thank all the fans for saluting our Dan (Wheldon) today," said Franchitti, who was one of deceased driver's closest friends. "What a race. What a race. I was side by side with Takuma (Sato). We hit and I managed to keep it out of trouble." Franchitti's third win occurrred on a record-beaking day with more lead changes in the race than in any previous Indy 500 race. The victory also

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Carroll Shelby's life celebration planned at Rolex Motorsports Reunion in Monterey

The life of Carroll Shelby, a veteran who flew B-29s, an oil roughneck, a chicken farmer and automotive legend, will be celebrated August 17-9 at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Raceway. The connection between Shelby and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has long been intertwined. Shelby was a frequent participant in the formative years of the raceway, then named Laguna Seca. On Oct. 20, 1960, Shelby drove the No. 98 Tipo 61 Maserati “Birdcage” in the final race of his legendary driving career. Despite taking nitroglycerin pills to ease chest pains, he finished second after leading much of the race. That position, however, earned enough points for Shelby to clinch the 1960 USAC Sports Car Championship. Plans

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Baboons frolic in Hyundai Elantra just for the fun of it

Baboons likely don't know one car from another, but a dozen of the monkey seemed to have a good time recently when turned loose to frolic in a Hyundai i30 park in Britian's Knowsley Safari park. Hyundai used the keen marketing approach to test the durability of the car known as the Hyundai Elantra wagon. The baboons acted liked . . . baboons. "At Hyundai, we believe in thinking differently, so we decided to give a new approach to this test of durability," said Felicity Wood, product manager at Hyundai i30. Many of the monkeys chose to play in the trunk, and most of them dirtied the interior and scratched exterior paint. "The fact that the car survived with only

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Ferrari recall: faulty crankshaft could cause no-so-good vibrations

Even the esteemed Ferrari, specifically the 458 and California, apparently aren't perfect. But a crankshaft issue? As odd as it may sound, Ferrari is recalling a combined 206 Califiornia and 458 models worldwide. The problem is caused by an incorrect finish to the models' crankshaft. As a result, unwanted vibrations can damage the engine "We are writing to all clients affected now, asking them to return the car to a dealer for the work to be done,"Ferrari spokesman said. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The

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Kia Rio, 2012: Sleek, improved mpg, efficient sedan/hatchback

The 2011 Kia Rio looked plain, but was fairly lively, economical and backed with a long warranty. You either bought it — or maybe a used car. The redone 2012 model has slicker, European-inspired styling, more power, a better automatic transmission and improved fuel economy — besides keeping Kia’s 10-year/100,00-mile powertrain warranty. The front-wheel-drive Rio comes in base LX, mid-range EX and top-line SX trim. It’s sold as a sedan or hatchback. List prices range from $13,400 to $17.700, excluding a $750 destination charge. Standard for the LX are air conditioning, AM/FM stereo, CD Player, satellite radio, adjustable steering wheel with audio controls and large power mirrors. A six-speed manual transmission is standard in the LX sedan and hatchback, but

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Tour of California, stage 1: Sacramento to Santa Rosa via 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

The start of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California is in Santa Rosa, about two hours from my Sacramento home, and it was my first freeway driving with 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. My weekly driver edition is the Korean manufacturer's 348-hp 3.8L V6 sports car with stealth looks and surprisingly quick acceleration — and an under $30,000 price tag. Like other high-powered sports cars, the Genesis Coupe does certain things quite well. It's nimble and fast, which affords impressive lane changes and bolting along freeway ramps to merge into traffic with little effort. The Genesis Coupe has a six-speed manual transmission and it shifts through gears adequately, but not smoothly. One frustration: Shifting into reserve is a struggle, although at

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2012 Honda Fit video review

The 2012 Honda Fit sport model features a 1.5-liter, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine with 117 horsepower and a five-speed automatic transmission. The sport model also includes 16-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler keenly integrated into the hatchback and an optional navigation system. The Fit’s interior is space efficiency defined. There's 20.6 cubic feet of cargo space, as much as some compact SUVs. With all seats down, cargo space expands to 57.3 cubic feet. Although numerous subcompacts and compacts are averaging more than 40 mpg, the Fit doesn't fare as well, with averaged of 27 mph in city driving and 33 mpg in highway driving. The MSRP is $19,690.00 Videographer Bruce Aldrich, publisher of www.tahoetruckeeoutdoor.com, produced the video below. James RaiaA sports,

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Dodge Dart, 2013: Pricing announced for return of iconic sedan

The 2013 Dodge Dart, which will be available in five trims when it debuts in the summer of 2012, will be priced from $15,995 to $22,495, according to Chrysler. The entry level price for the Dodge is lower than some of its main competition in the compact market, which accounts for about 15 percent of new car sales. “The all-new Dodge Dart is a groundbreaking car, offering features and benefits never before found in a compact car,” said Reid Bigland, Dodge President and CEO. With class-leading style, customization, safety, technology, and interior levels of roominess, the all-new Dart perfectly blends Alfa Romeo DNA and Dodge passion and style into one all-new car that customers will be proud to own and

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2012 Scion tC with Five Axis Designs Aero Kit and TRD Performance Parts

I have always been skeptical of aftermarket performance parts simply because changing anything from factory spec affects reliability and most often the fit and finish are not up to OEM standards. There are a few notable exceptions that have earned the trust and respect of carmakers – AMG, Shelby, and Mugen are a few names that quickly come to mind. For Toyota performance products, Five Axis Design (Five:AD), the Southern California-based design house responsible for putting together the Lexus  LF-LC Concept and creating the FR-S Concept car which toured the nation, builds an aero kit for the 2011-12 Scion tC that integrates marvelously with the current design and fits like it came from the factory in Japan. tC owners looking

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Two Fords, Two Chevys among 10 worst cars ever sold in America

It's not the first time the Pontiac Aztek has been named the worst car in history. But Jerry Hirsch, the long-time auto reviewer for the Los Angeles Times, has a lot of fun revisiting his list and calling it the "Ten Worst Cars Sold in America." The Aztec is again No. 1. The current list spans more than 85 years and includes four vehicles from the 1970s as well as two Fords and two Chevrolets. Each vehicle on the list is feature with a picture, and the axiom that one picture is worthg one thousand words certainly holds true by the looks of some of the beasts. But each vehicle is also followed by a brief description of why it's

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Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, 2012: Compact SUV keenly appointed, needs power

Now in its third generation and more than 20 years old, the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is the compact version of the larger and older Outlander. Specifically, it’s 14 inches shorter, 2 inches lower about 700 pounds lighter than its sibling. The current generation debuted in 2010 and for 2012 there are only minor changes — the available of a rearview camera for the base SE trim, additional sound insulation for models with a continuously variable transmission and a recalibration of the transmission to improve response and acceleration. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Available in two trims, I test drove the SE all-wheel drive model, but the Outlander Sport is also available in two-wheel drive. Both models have automatic transmissions. Standard

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