Continue reading Chevy turns to aliens to pitch Volt in Super Bowl ad

Chevy turns to aliens to pitch Volt in Super Bowl ad originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When NASCAR driver A. J. Allmendinger took the checkered flag by a slim margin of 5.198 seconds on Sunday afternoon, it ended a week of festivities dedicated to celebrating the golden anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

Since 1962, drivers and manufacturers from around the world have journeyed to one of the meccas of American motorsport to compete on Daytona’s storied road course. The sanctioning bodies and technical specifications may have changed over the years, but many of the names have not: Porsche, Lola, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, and Chevrolet; Gurney, Haywood, Donohue, Pruett, and Rahal. These are but a few of the celebrated marques and legendary drivers that have in one way or another made an indelible mark at Daytona in the last 50 years.

To celebrate their legacy, the powers that be at Grand-Am and Daytona took upon themselves the Herculean task of assembling as many of the former winning drivers and cars as they could locate for a 50-year class reunion and a pair of ceremonial laps around the celebrated circuit.  By the time the event kicked off, nearly thirty cars and close to forty champion drivers had been gathered.

Just a few hours before commencement of the Rolex 24 on Saturday, the vintage machinery took to the track, shaking out cobwebs and blowing out carbon, creating a spine-tingling sight for fans of racing history. The once-in-a-lifetime event was enjoyed by all ages, but the old timers’ grins were by far the widest.

Peruse the photo gallery and check out the video below, which features Bobby Rahal talking  about climbing in to his 1981 Rolex-winning Porsche 935K3 for the first time in thirty years.

When NASCAR driver A. J. Allmendinger took the checkered flag by a slim margin of 5.198 seconds on Sunday afternoon, it ended a week of festivities dedicated to celebrating the golden anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

Since 1962, drivers and manufacturers from around the world have journeyed to one of the meccas of American motorsport to compete on Daytona’s storied road course. The sanctioning bodies and technical specifications may have changed over the years, but many of the names have not: Porsche, Lola, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, and Chevrolet; Gurney, Haywood, Donohue, Pruett, and Rahal. These are but a few of the celebrated marques and legendary drivers that have in one way or another made an indelible mark at Daytona in the last 50 years.

To celebrate their legacy, the powers that be at Grand-Am and Daytona took upon themselves the Herculean task of assembling as many of the former winning drivers and cars as they could locate for a 50-year class reunion and a pair of ceremonial laps around the celebrated circuit.  By the time the event kicked off, nearly thirty cars and close to forty champion drivers had been gathered.

Just a few hours before commencement of the Rolex 24 on Saturday, the vintage machinery took to the track, shaking out cobwebs and blowing out carbon, creating a spine-tingling sight for fans of racing history. The once-in-a-lifetime event was enjoyed by all ages, but the old timers’ grins were by far the widest.

Peruse the photo gallery and check out the video below, which features Bobby Rahal talking  about climbing in to his 1981 Rolex-winning Porsche 935K3 for the first time in thirty years.

Rolex 24: Pruett was one of the drivers in the No. 01 BMW Riley

Even the most logistically challenged individuals would have a hard time getting lost on the storied tri-oval Daytona superspeedway; keep turning left, and eventually you’ll get back to the strip of checkered pavement that marks the start/finish line.

But a few times a year, the oval folds back in on itself between the front stretch and first corner to create a suitably challenging road circuit for the Grand-Am series. The twisting diversion winds its way through the infield, transforming the 2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval into a 3.56-mile road course. Follow it long enough and you’ll still find your way home, but only after navigating several additional (left and right) corners to get there. Sounds like fun, no?

To find out the most expedient way around the circuit, we went right to the top, recruiting four-time Daytona champion Scott Pruett and BMW Performance Driving School instructor Mike Renner as our personal tour guides. Renner slides us around the wet track and Pruett hammers the dry course, both in M3s. Ride along with us in the clips below.

Rolex 24: Pruett was one of the drivers in the No. 01 BMW Riley

Even the most logistically challenged individuals would have a hard time getting lost on the storied tri-oval Daytona superspeedway; keep turning left, and eventually you’ll get back to the strip of checkered pavement that marks the start/finish line.

But a few times a year, the oval folds back in on itself between the front stretch and first corner to create a suitably challenging road circuit for the Grand-Am series. The twisting diversion winds its way through the infield, transforming the 2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval into a 3.56-mile road course. Follow it long enough and you’ll still find your way home, but only after navigating several additional (left and right) corners to get there. Sounds like fun, no?

To find out the most expedient way around the circuit, we went right to the top, recruiting four-time Daytona champion Scott Pruett and BMW Performance Driving School instructor Mike Renner as our personal tour guides. Renner slides us around the wet track and Pruett hammers the dry course, both in M3s. Ride along with us in the clips below.

While spending three days at last weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, we learned two important things: First, the Grand-Am series appeared to be absolutely viable as a spectator-driven form of motorsport, and, second, skinny jeans have never been more in style. Particularly for the less-than-skinny.

Indeed, the growing popularity of sports-car racing was evident from the moment we arrived. It was clear not only in the total amount of tickets sold (reportedly the highest total ever for a Grand-Am event at Daytona), but also by the sheer number of people who ponied up extra cash for garage-access privileges, in hopes of a chance encounter with their favorite driver.

Still, there is an argument that racing is best enjoyed on television. There are no parking hassles and you get up-to-the-second coverage and replays—plus an absence of pathogen-incubating Porta Potties. But we joined the sunburned hordes shuffling through the humanity-clogged paddock and managed to capture a few items that illustrate why there’s no substitute for being there. Equipped with a simple point-and-shoot camera and no media pass, we interacted with the stars as anybody would, and emerged with the video and photo gallery below.

Oh—we tried some skinny jeans, too, but switched back to shorts after developing a nasty rash from the chafing.

Continue reading Infiniti M35h is world's "fastest" hybrid

Infiniti M35h is world's "fastest" hybrid originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Infiniti M35h is world's "fastest" hybrid

Infiniti M35h is world's "fastest" hybrid originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.