Owners of the '07 Wrangler JK can now accessorize their 4x4s with "authentic" parts from Mopar, DaimlerChrysler's accessory arm. The catalog of Wrangler parts runs the gamut from floor mats and seat covers to navigation systems and iPod integration kits. Shown here are Mopar's off-road front bumper with an integrated Warn winch, and the Freedom Top Panel Carrier and Hard Top Storage Dolly, which mounts to the Wrangler's spare tire and holds the Jeep's roof panels. Also available are rock rails, wheels, auxiliary lights, towbars, and more.
What's special about the Mopar parts? For one thing, your dealer can install them (and probably incorporate them into your low, low monthly payment if you have them put on at time of purchase). They're also covered by DaimlerChrysler's three-year/36,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty or Mopar's 12-month/12,000-mile Limited Warranty, "whichever is more favorable to the customer," says DCX. Not every parts maker can make that claim.
Fans of short-course off-road racing are probably already aware that Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR) has relocated from Midwestern dirt tracks to West Coast venues in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, plus Dallas and Las Vegas. Filling the void in the Midwest, longtime home to this type of rock-'em, sock-'em racing, is the World Series of Off-Road Racing (WSORR), which recently opened its headquarters in Crandon, Wisconsin.
The six-race '07 WSORR season features two races at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway, including the granddaddy event on Labor Day. In the West, CORR is holding seven races this year. Lucas Oil and Toyo Tires are major sponsors of both series. For more information on CORR events, visit www.corracing.com; for the new WSORR, go to www.wsorr.com.
With just about everybody posting clips on YouTube and other online video sites, isn't it time you recorded some of your own 'wheeling adventures to show your buddies? It gets easier every day as cameras get lighter and more rugged. Case in point: The Viosport Adventure Cam 3. Weighing just 4 ounces, it's small enough to mount on a helmet or a hat (for those awesome in-cab shots) but sturdy enough to withstand harsh weather. "Broadcast-quality video at a consumer price," is what the company tells us. Check it out at www.viosport.com
Viewers of the Discovery Channel know him as the guy who tackles "Dirty Jobs," like roof retarring and artificially inseminating livestock. (I kid you not.) But Mike Rowe's newest job as spokesman for the F-150 is a little less grimy. Rowe is part of a "Dream Team" Ford has assembled to pitch the pickup, a team that includes country singer Toby Keith, plus members of NASCAR, Harley-Davidson, and Home Depot. TV ads with Rowe began airing in March.
That would have to be the Toyo Girls poster session, in which (from left) Jessica Hall, Mercedes Terrell, Christina Hall, Jessica Barrett, and Arianny Celeste couldn't quite keep their outfits buttoned. The Toyo Girls will be making appearances at racing and automotive lifestyle events around the country. They'll even sign a poster for you.
At the recent Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in Arizona, CNN auctioned Warrior One, a special H1 modified on the Overhaulin' TV show and used by the news agency in Iraq. The $1 million winning bid came from Dave Liniger, chairman of the board and co-founder of Re/Max International Inc. Proceeds went to the Fisher House Foundation, an organization that builds comfort homes for families of hospitalized military personnel.