*In reaction to the club's Web site and its message that Hummers "threaten the planet in a whole new way," Hummer spokesman Pete Ternes told the New York Times, "If you look at what Hummer is, in terms of its impact on the fuel emissions that vehicles put out, its sales are 0.5 of 1 percent of the U.S. vehicle market. So if you consider that little factoid, what they're trying to do is use the popular image of Hummer to promote their cause, which is a P.R. tactic. There are much bigger fish to fry."
*In a more positive vein, the Mars Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to the future exploration of the red planet, has outfitted a Hummer H1 ambulance with tanklike tracks and is testing the vehicle in the Canadian High Arctic. The terrain there gives the researchers Marslike conditions so they can determine how to design a vehicle for extraterrestrial exploration.
*A report we saw from SEMA said Ford is planning to replace most of its automatic transmissions by 2008-including the brand-new TorqShift-with continuously variable trannies (CVTs). Front- and rear-drive versions will be made, and Ford hopes that using the new gearboxes will improve fuel economy while providing better launch performance.
Fast Trucks On Pavement, Part 1SVT Lightning Makes the Guinness Book of RecordsThe Guinness World Records folks-the same people who keep records on everything from the largest object removed from a human skull (an 8-inch survival knife) to the loudest burp (118.1 decibels)-recently certified Ford's SVT Lightning the "World's Fastest Production Pickup Truck."
During tests on a 5-mile, high-banked oval track at Ford's Michigan Proving Grounds, a stock '03 Lightning (with its mirrors folded back and the radio antenna removed) reached 147.974 mph going clockwise on the track, and 147.454 mph running counter-clockwise. The two fastest laps were averaged for the record speed of 147.714 mph.
"This may seem like fun and games, but high-speed stability is critical for a performance vehicle, even a pickup truck," said Tom Chapman, Ford SVT chassis systems supervisor and driver for the record-setting run. "The Lightning is just as stable and planted at 147 mph as it is at 55 mph; only the scenery's going by faster."
Bestop's 50th Anniversary CelebrationColorado-based Bestop turns 50 in 2004, and the top maker will celebrate the anniversary with a year-long series of special events. A new Web site will launch in January, where visitors can register to win a CJ-7 that's been upfitted with a bunch of Bestop products as well as other accessories. There's also a road-going party called the Bestop-alooza Tour that will travel to a number of off-roading events, including the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, and the Southern California Off-Road Expo. The company also plans to release some special Limited Edition products to commemorate the golden anniversary. For more information, visit www.bestop.com.
Fast Trucks On Pavement, Part 2GM Develops Gas/Electric HybridOK, usually news about hybrid vehicles is a total snooze. So is anything on pavement, right? Well, check this out: At a recent demonstration of a new kind of GM gas/hybrid drivetrain that was mounted in a Chevy S-10, the pickup spanked a Camaro on the dragstrip.
What's its secret? Electric motors in the wheel hubs. By putting the motor directly in the hub, no torque is lost through the powertrain. So power is available immediately. That's why the S-10 hole-shot the Camaro coming out of the lights at Southern California's Irwindale Dragstrip, where the demonstration took place.
GM Vice President for Research and Development Larry Burns said GM plans to produce all-wheel-drive gasoline-electric hybrid pickups-with the gas engine powering the rear wheels and electric hub motors in the fronts-by 2010.