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The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
 |  Oct 25, 10:04 AM

Chrysler‘s Mopar division will unveil a new slate of vehicles at the 2010 SEMA show, with an updated Dodge Challenger SRT-8 as the brand’s star debut.

The updated Challenger SRT-8 will feature an all-new 6.4L V8 with 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy will get a 15-20 percent bump on the highway, thanks to a multi-displacement system (that allows for deactivation of cylinders at highway speeds), variable valve timing and a variable intake manifold.

A limited run of Inaugural Edition vehicles will ship after Thanksgiving in a run of 1,492 cars that will kick off the car’s production. The Inaugural Edition will feature special paint and stripe packages and other special accouterments. Pricing will be announced shortly, and Autoguide will have full coverage of the car’s debut at the SEMA show starting November 1.

[Source: Chrysler]

 |  Oct 16, 10:34 PM

SEMA has teamed up with WD-40 to produce a one-of-a-kind 2011 Ford Mustang GT that will be auctioned off at an upcoming Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Show and Auction two months after its debut at this year’s SEMA Show. The proceeds of the sale will go to Childhelp and The Victory Junction Gang Camp.

“The WD-40/SEMA Cares Mustang pays tribute to the mechanics, aftermarket professionals and auto enthusiasts who have used WD-40 for more than 50 years to get the job done,“ said Tim Lesmeister, vice president of marketing at WD-40 Company. “This is such a fun and meaningful project for us. We’re proud that all proceeds from the sale of the vehicle will continue to support two great charities, but we know it would not be possible without the time, energy, dedication and resources of our build partners.”

From the looks of the vehicle, this Mustang is pretty complete from bumper to bumper and will garner quite the attention on the SEMA show floor. Modifications include Stillen’s AP Racing 6-piston brake kit, Paxton supercharger system and a set of Forgeline wheels on each corner of the car. A full body kit courtesy of Street Scene Equipment gives the Mustang a much more aggressive profile.

The vehicle will also be seen in Nitto 1320 Legends, a virtual online drag racing game.

Official press release available after the break.

Continue Reading…

 |  Sep 14, 8:54 PM

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We’ve been hearing through the rumor mill that Tjin Edition would be pulling off a trifecta of vehicles this year and so far we have seen the Fortune Motorsports / Tjin Edition Honda CR-Z and the Universal Technical Institute / Tjin Edition Ford Fiesta. Rounding off their SEMA projects is a brand new 2011 Ford Mustang 5.0 GT with an impressive list of modifications to really showcase what the potential of the new Mustang. Teaming up with Real Auto Works in Long Beach, California, the Tjin Edition team has their work cut out for them the upcoming months.

Once again Tjin has only released a teaser of what the finished project will look like, but Neil Tjin was nice enough to disclose some info on it. Under the hood, the Mustang will get a Vortech supercharger. But the power adders don’t stop there with a MagnaFlow exhaust and a set of American Racing headers. And for when the going gets tough, Nitrous Express will only be a tap away.

DuPont’s Cromax paint line will cover the exterior of the car, which will sport a completely custom kit designed by Gurnade and Tjin Edition and produced by Extreme Dimensions.

Air Lift will develop a full digital air suspension kit, allowing Tjin to give the Mustang GT a proper stance no matter where it is or what it’s doing. Under each fender will be a 20-inch Forgestar CF5 wheels, sporting a mean concave design and wrapped with Falken tires.

Last but not least, the interior will be completely revamped with Status Racing seats, Auto Meter gauges and a STACK cluster. And don’t worry, Tjin Edition has the in car electronics handled too thanks to Scosche, Metra, Pioneer and Image Dynamics.

This year’s SEMA seems to be shaping up to be an exciting one, so stay tuned as AutoGuide.com will have tons of coverage from this year’s show which takes place in early November.

Continue Reading…

 |  Sep 11, 9:33 AM

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So you’ve gotten yourself a 2010 Ford Mustang and the 2011 Ford Mustang has been announced and you’re a little… disappointed. Your first thoughts are to trade in your 2010, but then you realize it’s not a wise investment. Your second thought is to hit the Internet to scour the web to make your 2010 Mustang cooler than ever before. Well, it’s a good thing Cervini’s has your back and at this year’s SEMA show they’ll be showing off their Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (aka Eleanor from Gone in 60 Seconds) styled body kit for the 2010 Ford Mustang.

It’s a shame the kit won’t come with an Angelina Jolie replica, but for the right price you’ll be getting yourself a urethane hood, front bumper, side skirts, side scoops, rear valence, spoiler, front billet grills, fog lights and a side-exit exhaust system. It may be a little over the top for some Mustang owners looking for something conservative, but we’ve gotta say, it’s pretty cool that Cervini not only manufactures the kit in high quality urethane, but found a way to blend the nostalgic Shelby styling to the new-age Ford Mustang.

No pricing has been released yet and only the hood and side scoops are available for purchase now. But Cervini has stated that the full kit will be available to the general public within two months.

AutoGuide.com will make sure to snap some live shots of the ‘Stang at SEMA 2010.

 |  Sep 08, 8:28 PM

There’s no questioning that SEMA is the number one aftermarket automotive show of the year, but there’s also no denying that it has lost a lot of its luster the last couple of years. We can probably blame the economy’s downturn for most of it, but at least now we know that SEMA is trying to work harder to get the automotive manufacturers involved with the aftermarket.

This year SEMA is introducing the Hottest Vehicles awards for the most popular vehicle in the pickup truck, 4×4 and car categories. But judging and selecting the winner isn’t exactly based on what you think it would be. Instead of just finding the coolest car of the show, SEMA officials will count the number of registrations per vehicle and the vehicle with the most registrations will be awarded the Hottest Vehicle of their respective category.

Get it yet? It’s more like a popularity contest in order to get the vehicle manufacturers more involved with the aftermarket companies. It’ll be interesting to see if this has any impact to the show as a whole. How much would you value a SEMA hottest vehicle award when choosing which car to buy?

See the official release (including which vehicles have been nominated for the first ever Hottest Vehicles Awards) after the jump:

Continue Reading…

 |  Sep 02, 8:24 PM

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RJ De Vera and Hondas have become synonymous with streetable performance for over the past decade. De Vera is one of Honda’s most avid enthusiasts, building some of the cleanest, daily-driven projects we’ve seen over the years. So it’s no surprise that Honda has partnered up with RJ yet again for their newest and greatest creation, the Honda CR-Z.

We’ve been preaching since the Tokyo Auto Salon that the hybrid tuning craze is inevitably going to take off in America. While it may never reach the heights of what Japan has done in the last couple of years, the release of Honda’s CR-Z could help shape the new trend.

For SEMA this year, Honda has given away several Honda CR-Zs to car builders around the nation to show off what can be done to the fun, hot hatch. We’ve already teased the Fortune Motorsports and Tjin Edition’s build, and now we’re getting a sneak preview of what RJ De Vera has planned for his CR-Z build.

We spoke to RJ briefly and he stressed to us the focus of the CR-Z is to be a clean and fully functional street car that is fun, hence the name CR-Z Type-F. Naturally the CR-Z wouldn’t quite pull its own weight (for now) as a Type-R model, and naming it as such would just be foolish and downright silly. De Vera told us that he wants it to be fully functional so it can compete in the Source Interlink Super Lap Battle shortly after the show.

The CR-Z will be showcasing Wraptivo’s brand of products, a new division of Meguiar’s that focuses on custom car wraps. On the outside will be a matte black wrap with glossy black accents to contrast. Carbon fiber film wrap will be used on the roof, hood and part of the center section of the front bumper to show off just what Wraptivo can do for you.

Naturally a clean aero kit will be utilized along with a set of lightweight Volk Racing TE-37s in an awesome F-Zero Red color. Suspension looks like it’ll come from TEIN while Brembo will be handling the aftermarket brakes. De Vera disclosed to us that he is working closely with HKS on getting a supercharger for the hybrid, while Hondata has been working hard on cracking the ECU to eke out every bit of power.

As always, AutoGuide will be on hand at the 2010 SEMA Show in early November to bring you complete coverage.

Get more Honda CR-Z News and Info at CR-ZCraze.com

Official press release available after the break.

Continue Reading…

 |  Aug 19, 8:19 PM

Back towards the end of May, we were teased with renders of a 1969 Ford Mustang that Vaughn Gittin Jr. would be building for SEMA 2010. Now the RTR-X is taking clear form and Speedhunters.com has revealed even more photos of the build. We have to say we’re quite impressed and can’t wait to see the finished project. This is undoubtedly one of the coolest cars we’ll set our eyes on… ever.

Almost all of the chassis work has been done on the car, and it’s on the ground and rolling, looking absolutely killer. Steen Chassis has done a fantastic job executing the project from bottom-up and the custom metal work is of impeccable quality.

The car is now off to Twins Turbo for all of the finishing touches and StitchCraft Interiors have already met with Gittin Jr. himself to go over the interior modifications. The post reveals the widebody being fitted on and it looks like they’ve got quite a bit to go in the engine bay.

We have to applaud the team in executing the project in a timely fashion. SEMA is still a couple of months away, but for anyone that has ever been involved with a build for SEMA, two months is not a lot of time. Given the level of detail and quality that is being put into this RTR-X, we expect them to finish without a single flaw and the car to be a true masterpiece once it touches ground on the show floor. This will be at the top of our list when we head over to SEMA to check out in person!

Make sure to hit the source for all the new pics.

[Source: Speedhunters]

 |  Aug 17, 10:40 AM

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The Universal Technical Institute (UTI) has teamed up with Tjin Edition to design a one-of-a-kind 2011 Ford Fiesta that will debut at SEMA 2010. Best of all, the Ford Fiesta will be built as a giveaway in a sweepstakes that opens up on November 2nd, 2010, the first day of SEMA.

Not many details have been revealed about the project, but given Tjin Edition’s past history we’re anticipating that it’ll be a killer car. Prior to be given away, it’ll tour numerous UTI campuses and other automotive events, showing off what can be done with a little creativity and experience.

Several partners are already on board with the project giving us a good idea of what the car will look like. Peeking underneath the car cover in the render is clearly a site of wheels from FIVE:AD with Air Lift Suspension ensuring the car has the profile it needs no matter the situation. Baer brakes will be peeking between the spokes while Yokohama tires will be wrapping the wheels. Exterior goodies will be coming from DuPont paint, 3dCarbon and StreetGlow while interior will receive goods from Trent’s Trick Upholstery, Autometer, Status Racing, Image Dynamics and Scosche. Performance looks to be contributed by MagnaFlow, SPEC and Nitrous Express.

Official press release available after the break.

Continue Reading…

 |  Aug 06, 11:29 AM

Design-house Gurnade has just teased us with another of its 2010 SEMA projects. This time it’s a Chevrolet Camaro built by Gene Marcel on behalf of aLL STaR Performance. This won’t be Gene’s first stab at building a SEMA project, having done successful ones in the past including a Volvo S40 that we saw ourselves in the Status Racing booth back in 2006 and a Honda Fit recently in 2009.

His 2011 Chevrolet Camaro will truly have an all star cast of products starting with a supercharger from Lysholm under the hood. The exterior will receive plenty of toys from Extreme Dimensions, Air Lift Suspension, Forgestar Wheels and Falken Tires. On the inside it looks like Gene will be gearing up with Status Racing again, STACK, Autometer and custom interior from Trent’s Trick Upholstery. On the outside the Camaro will be painted with a custom blend from Dupont.

We’re sure more exciting SEMA 2010 leaks will be coming soon and we’ll be sure to be one of the first to report them.

Press release available after the break.

Continue Reading…

 |  Aug 03, 9:44 AM

Hybrid tuning is about to take on a whole new face now that Honda‘s CR-Z has hit the market. Tjin Edition has been building plenty of SEMA showpieces including their most recent Chevrolet Camaro, and this year they have teamed up with Fortune Motorsports out of Miami, Florida and American Honda Motor Corporation for this year’s SEMA show.

Proving that Honda is adamant in pushing CR-Z sales to the masses, including tuners and builders, Fortune Motorsports and Tjin Edition have already teased their upcoming project well in advance of November’s SEMA Show. From what we can gather, the CR-Z will be sporting ADV1 wheels with Falken Tires, Status Racing seats and Air Lift suspension. With how successful the Prius and Insight are doing in Japan, we can only imagine the potential of the CR-Z. Will this generation of tuning catch on in America? We sure hope so, it’s always refreshing to see something new and exciting.

Official press release available after the break.

Continue Reading…

 |  Jul 19, 8:14 PM

It’s that time of the year again, when car’s are handed out like candy bars to select companies and builders for the 2010 SEMA Show. Last year Chevrolet made a huge splash with a massive display of Camaros, having a diverse variety of builders designing and creating their own unique creations. And this year it looks like Chevy isn’t stopping, with some Camaro build previews already being released for SEMA.

First on our list is intake and exhaust manufacturer CGS Performance Products. Having done several Fords and GMs in years past, CGS is no stranger to building beautiful, high quality show cars. This Camaro however will be sticking to its true roots with a custom paint job, ACS body kit and a ZR1-influenced hood. From CGS themselves will be custom handmade chrome moldings and their signature exhaust system, while Whipple Industries will be supplying their twin-screw supercharger in order to pump out 500-hp.

A rendering of the Camaro show car has some serious hot rod-influenced, with a staggered set of 22- and 24-inch Genuine Boyd wheels. The rear rollers will be a ridiculous 15-inches wide wheel with Pirelli’s all new 405/25/24 tire – that’s a lot of rubber! CGS claims they’ll be stuffing these without any fender modifications, but merely by swapping out the rear suspension with Chris Alston’s Fab 9 rear end with a latter bar and coil over suspension. We are definitely curious on the finished product and will be sure to report back, with extensive SEMA coverage when the show takes place in early November.