In Honor of the pending merger between Chrysler and Fiat, I though it was time to showcase other Italianate Chrysler's that have been built and sold. The brainchild of Eugene Casaroll, the Italian-American hybrid known as the Dual-Ghia was largely based on the Ghia-designed Chrysler Firearrow, a concept car for which he acquired the production rights. Luxurious and extravagant, it had the longest production line in the world—from Detroit to Milan and back—as it utilized an American drivetrain and Italian coachwork. The health of Casaroll, the Dual-Ghia's originator, began to fail and he wanted to concentrate on his shipping business. So Dual Motors Chief Engineer, Paul Farago, teamed up with Ghia to produce the second-generation Dual-Ghia. The car continued to use a Chrysler V8 engine but

In a report from Automotive News, Takeo Fukui, Honda Motor Company President has confirmed that a new hybrid powertrain is being developed for large cars that will negate the need for a clean diesel engine, which was originally planned. Fukui cites the cost of clearing tough emissions regulations in the United States and Japan as the main reason for the change in direction. The more cost-effective solution will be a modified or possibly new hybrid drive system which will instead become the future green drivetrain for big vehicles. Honda has not said when it will begin to offer a hybrid powertrain in its larger vehicles. Meanwhile, the hybrid sales face-off will take place next month when the 2010 Insight (which reached U.S. dealers last month) will

In Honor of the pending merger between Chrysler and Fiat, I though it was time to showcase other Italianate Chrysler's that have been built and sold. The idea of having Italian Craftsmen merge with Yankee engineering is really nothing new. Many of the American Automakers sought out Italian Design houses to produce stunning prototypes, and produce them at far lower costs than they could have been here in the states. While Nash utilized Pinninfarina to design their production vehicles, Chrysler commissioned Carrozzeria Ghia. The Dual-Ghia was a favorite car of entertainment personalities during the 1950s. The A-list of owners included popular celebrities such as Debbie Reynolds, Lucille Ball, and Frank Sinatra. Each owned one of these cars at one time or another, and so

The 1970 was the beginning of the end as far as Detroit based Muscle Cars. With the ever increasing Insurance Rates for "Big Block" Muscle, and the pending government regulations regarding emissions, bumper, and roll over standards, the car companies were spending millions trying to comply, while still trying to sell "performance". Horsepower ratings were being adjusted to take advantage of unleaded gasoline, the first electronic engine management computers were just coming on line, and the era of fire breathing muscle was coming to a close. However, while the cars didn't have the out and out acceleration numbers they once had, they were now able to handle better, brake better, and become safer than ever. Welcome to the new Muscle Car, 70's style. The Oldsmobile Cutlass

The 1960's is regarded as the peak of the performance and muscle car era. It is often referred as the time in which the horsepower wars were raging between General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. It was a time in which GM introduced the formula that defined the modern Muscle Car, to take the lightest car available, and stuff as much engine into it as possible. General Motors Pontiac Division is often given the credit for making the "first" muscle car, the G-T-O. However, performance was available even before this iconic car ever came into being. And, performance was still available in the full sized cars of the day. So take a look at these often misunderstood performance cars from the 1960's. The 1963 - 1965 Buick

Offbeat or Obscure Muscle Cars are a growing phenomena. For all those articles that you read about the Hemi powered Plymouths or Dodges, or the Big Block Chevys, Pontiacs, or Oldsmobiles, there is a plethora of performance available to the collector of muscle, and at reasonable prices. This is part one of this series that will be run here at Car Throttle, and it's a collection of postings that I have done over at CarDomain. Part 1 will deal with the pre-dawn of the classic Muscle Car era (which is generally thought of as the 1960's), from about 1950 to 1959. The Fabulous Hudson Hornet: Reaching back to the dawn of the 50’s, when most cars has less than 100 HP under the hood, handling was

On the week of April 6th of this year, I will be covering the New York International Auto Show, with laptop, and camera in hand. And so, I wanted to ask, which vehicles would you want to see? The list is almost endless, and of course there is certainly some time limitations, but I will do my best. It looks like the entire day for both Wednesday, and Thursday are packed end to end with product introductions, or product reviews, from 8:00 right through 15:15 on Wednesday, and through 14:45 on Thursday. And according to the newsletter, there will be at least 33 vehicles scheduled for press conferences. That's going to be quite a few to try and cover, so I'll only go after the

As of Monday March 23rd, Pre-orders for the Tata Nano are being accepted, at a starting MSRP of 100,000 Rupees, or roughly $2,000. This makes this the least expensive new car offered in the world. The 5 seater is powered by a 624cc rear mounted gasoline engine, but the basic version doesn't offer safety or comfort items we seem to take for granted, like airbags, air conditioning, or electric windows. Demand for this car will be very strong, and Tata is not expected to keep up with demand for the first three to four years. According to an article in the Financial Times, Tata Motors has started work on plans to launch the Nano in the US in a change of strategy made possible by the

Welcome to the Car Throttle Parting Shot, where we take a look at a production vehicle that has been recently discontinued, and ask “Was it really that bad?”. The Jaguar S-Type was always a bit of a throwback. The S-Type's exterior design showed shades of the '60s Jaguar saloons, and it was always posh and comfortable. The distinct styling also differentiates the S-Type from other luxury sedans that were available on the market, which typically feature sharp edges and flame surfacing. It has been replaced recently by the new XF, so it's now time to take a Parting Shot at the retro styled Jaguar S-Type. At its debut for 2000, the Jaguar S-Type signified the first real fruit of the Ford-Jaguar partnership. Utilizing the same chassis

Welcome to Derailed Design, and yes once again, I'm using a feature that was started by another writer here at Car Throttle, James. This particular feature will illustrate the top 10 Reasons why Pontiac Failed as a car company. Yes we all know Pontiac isn't dead yet. However, it is no longer a GM Division, just a "niche" brand, according to General Motors executives. Most of the failures at Pontiac happened within the decade, but there were at least a couple of real stinkers that happened earlier. Counting backwards from 10 to 1, here's why Pontiac Failed. 10 - Badge Engineering: The Excitement division of General Motors was doing quite well throughout the 80's, even with a questionable product line. Advertising of the period showcased the