Autoblog

This past weekend we found ourselves attending a couple of automotive events, trying desperately to cling onto the last vestiges of summer. After getting a small taste of the wonderful combination of cars and planes last weekend in Chino, we thought it would be fun to throw some helicopters into the mix. We stopped by the seventh annual Wings, Wheels and Rotors Expo, which again took place at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California. As the name implies, the show features not only cars, but airplanes, jets and helicopters, as well. The Goodyear blimp even did a few flybys.

The first cars we saw when we got there were a collection of vehicles that had been Overhauled by Chip Foose on his hit TV series. After spending an hour or two checking out the 500 or so hot rods and muscle cars on display we also got to check out a couple dozen military aircraft. While the C-17 was by far the biggest thing around with a tail several stories tall, we spent more time in the shadows of the F-16, AH-1Cobra and Skyraider. As if that weren't enough, there were also dozens of vendors hawking everything from T-shirts to Tiki Totems. Visitors could even take a spin in one of several planes and copters for hire. It's a pretty incredible show not just for its enormous scope, but for the Fourth-of-July-like atmosphere. Thousands of families, all showing their American pride, reveling in supporting our military and savoring our very American pastime of cars.


Photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs Inc.

Another one bites the dust, and this time its International, that's decided to drop its line of non-commercial big rigs. Considering the tough times that automakers have been having moving traditional pickups off dealer lots and into driveways, you can imagine the problems that International must be having with its CXT, MXT and RXT consumer-grade semis. Current fuel prices alone may have been enough to bring the Internationals to a grinding halt, but the faltering economy, which has made luxury toy purchases much harder to justify, may have been the final nail in the XT's coffin. In any case, this isn't a death-blow to International, as the company didn't sell too many of these leviathans anyway, and their demise will allow the company to focus its attention back on the heavy-duty hauler segment that is its bread-and-butter, along with the military segment, which surely is more profitable than the others.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

It looks like the Fiat Group isn't quite done with reviving old nameplates for new models just yet, as its Iveco truck division has launched a new Campagnola. The original Fiat Campagnola – Italian for "country girl" – was a Jeep-style truck made between 1951 through 1988, by which time some 40,000 examples had been produced and deployed around the world. It even served as the basis for the Popemobile until replaced by a Mercedes G-wagen.

The new vehicle, which will wear the Iveco badge, unlike the original Fiat (accept in South America), is based on the Iveco Massif truck and rivals the likes of the Land Rover Defender 90, HUMMER H1 and Jeep JT concept for authentic paramilitary appeal. The minimalist bodywork, believe it or not, was designed by ItalDesign-Giugiaro, together with Fiat's own Centro Stile. It will only be offered in a three-door, four-seat body style with a 3.0-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel producing 176 hp and 295 lb.-ft. of torque driving through a six-speed gearbox and a selectable four-wheel-drive system. Customers can order one in any color as long as it's white or sage green, and the fist 499 will be specially-badged "Opening Edition" models. The new Campagnola will be built in Spain by Fiat's partner Santana and sold at a price of €29,800.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

Click above to enlarge this picture of the Jeep J8

Who doesn't get the Jeep J8? Um, that would be the United States, Home of Jeep. Hardly seems fair... considering that pretty much every other country in the world gets a crack at the ultra-Wrangler, which comes equipped with a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel with 158-horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Memo to Chrysler: The Wranger is screaming out for a small displacement diesel engine. No? Fine. We can understand the fact that this engine isn't certified for sale in the States and it would be expensive to make happen. At least the Pentastar brand could offer the J8's nearly 3,000-pound payload capacity via rear leaf springs and reinforced frame in its home market. Still no dice? Could we at least get the pickup bed as an option on the Unlimited chassis? Not likely, would be our best guess. Oh well, we can wish.


[Source: Allpar]

While General Motors looks over a stack of offers for its HUMMER brand, the fate of AM General hangs in the balance. The military contractor developed and built the original Humvee until the rights to the HUMMER name were bought by GM, who then contracted AM General to continue building the H1 (until it was discontinued) and then the Chevy Tahoe-based H2. (The Chevy Colorado-based H3, meanwhile, is built entirely by GM at its Shreveport, Louisiana plant.) With the future of its General Motors contracts uncertain, AM General has announced a new deal of another kind.

Starting in 2010, the Indiana-based company will begin producing a new series of wheelchair-accessible transit vehicles for the Vehicle Production Group, LLC. Although, as VPG points out, the usual development gestation period for such vehicles is two to three years, VPG and AM General intend to get the ramp-equipped para-transit vehicle to market in less than 24 months. Over 3,500 units have already been ordered, leading VPG to project that annual production will well exceed that number, while AM General intends to use the same workforce it currently employs for the new project. As for what the para-transit vehicle will look like, no one knows, but there was word of AM General developing a new version of the Standard Taxi (see above) with a low ride height and large doors that appears as if it could easily accommodate wheel chairs.

[Source: Detroit News]

It sure ain't pretty, though beauty, in this case, is likely in the eye of the beholder. A few years back, a new take on the taxi was provided by Standard Taxi, a company based in Troy, Michigan. The design for the purpose-built people hauler uses GM running gear and is able to haul four passengers in relative comfort. We hadn't heard a peep from the company until today when we learned that Standard is now working on negotiations with AM General to build the vehicle in its plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, where AM General builds the Hummer H2 SUV and SUT. So far, no announcements have been made regarding whether or not the plant would continue working full-time in the face of lagging Hummer sales, though we imagine that plenty of excess capacity is available. According to AM General, the deal would in no way impact the assembly of military Hummer models.

We can't say whether a production version of the Standard Taxi would feature the pushrod 4.3-liter V6 that the concept had underhood, though there are plenty of options from the GM parts-bin from which to pilfer. A Standard Taxi equipped with GM's 2-Mode hybrid system could prove to be extremely well-suited for taxi duty in some of the world's toughest environments.

[Source: Hummer Guy]

Click above for a photo gallery of the Jeep J8

Unless you're a foreign military, government, or humanitarian organization, you're not getting your hands on the Jeep J8, a vehicle we think a number of Jeepers would be all over in about two seconds if it were to be offered in neighborhood dealerships. Available as a two-door pickup (above) or a four-door (like the civilian Wrangler Unlimited), the J8 goes on sale this month and was officially revealed at Euro Camp Jeep '08 in Germany.

Power comes from a 150-horse turbodiesel with 295 lb-ft of torque, with that juice going to all four wheels via a five-speed auto and Jeep's Command-Trac 4WD. The J8's built to be a workhorse, with a Dana 60 rear, leaf springs in back, upgraded brakes, and a revamped intake that lets it ford 30 inches of water and handle a sandstorm lasting up to five hours. Its max payload is 2,750 pounds, and it has a towing capacity of over 7,700 pounds. Because the J8's duties will vary depending upon who's placing the order, a variety of cargo and seating configurations are offered, as is left- or right-hand-drive. All this, and no, you can't order one. Yes, that sucks.


[Source: Chrysler]

From Xinhua via our friends at China Car Times comes the above photo, showing Chinese counter-terrorism forces going through drills as they prepare to crush any dissent terror threat that might arise during next month's Olympic Games. The black ninja suits, fritz helmets, body armor, and submachine pistols all fit the profile of a specialized group like this. But... Segways?

UPDATE: Turns out, Engadget is having a caption contest. (Thanks, seoultrain.)

[Source: Xinhua via China Car Times]

In response to a ratcheting body-count in Iraq and Afghanistan, the UK Ministry of Defence has ordered a fleet of 157 Ridgback armored vehicles. The Ridgback, made in the United States, was unveiled last week at a military vehicles exhibition in Millbrook, Bedfordshire in the UK.

Pictured in the illustration above, the Ridgback offers increased protection for personnel against mines and roadside bombs and will replace the Land Rover Defenders which the British Army currently has deployed in the field. The order is part of a larger £150 million contract to upgrade the army's motor pool in the Middle East. The vehicles will be equipped with weapons and communications systems as well as beefed-up armor. It is capable of carrying 12 people and is equipped with run-flat tires allowing it to travel at speeds of up to 55 mph on punctured rolling stock.

[Source: 4Car]

Click on the above image for a Zetros photo gallery

Mercedes-Benz chose the International Defense Exhibition Eurosatory 2008 in Paris, a show we don't normally attend, to introduce their new Zetros truck. The model pictured above is the Zetros 2733 A 6x6, offering permanent all-wheel-drive to all three axles and the ability to haul nearly 10 tons of equipment and supplies. If you just don't have that much stuff, Mercedes also offers the Zetros 1833 A 4x4, a two-axle derivative with a reduced load capacity. Both versions offer go-anywhere capabilities with exemplary off-road manners and the ability to be upgraded with state-of-the art armor for protection against mine and ballistic attack. While you'd expect the Zetros to handle like a wet noodle, the German automaker insists the Zetros has been designed with the driver in mind, adding "...the ideal seating position behind the front axle delivers intuitive car-like handling." Since we don't have a Zetros planned for an "In the Autoblog Garage" review, we'll just have to take their word on that.

[Source: eMercedesBenz]