Filed under: Car Buying , Government/Legal In what might turn out to be one of the biggest games of “he said, she said,” in the history of the world, Maritz Research, an automotive market research company, is claiming that the government’s Cash for Clunkers program actually boosted auto sales by much more than previously thought. Maritz is crediting the program with 765,000 new vehicle sales, higher than the 677,000 claimed by the government, and much, much higher than the 125,000 sales that Edmunds.com famously quoted . In fact, it’s more than double the Department of Transportation’s own estimate of 346,000 sales

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Cash for Clunkers more than twice as effective as first thought?

Filed under: Classics , Technology , Audi , Chrysler Unintended acceleration didn’t start with Toyota , nor did it start with the Audi 5000 - it’s probably been around since the first man put a leg over what he thought was a tamed horse. Automobile Magazine takes a look at the phenomenon of accidentally wide-open throttles circa 1957, when Chrysler began the process of putting Bendix Electrojet fuel injectors into four of its models.

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Automobile takes a look at the early history of ’sudden acceleration’

At Witz’ End - It’s the Battery, Stupid! And we need better ones. Mitsubishi and PSA finalize deal for 100,000 electric vehicles Europe, get ready. BMW: Actually, we’re planning on more than 200 ActiveE units for the U.S.

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AutoblogGreen for 03.09.10

Filed under: Truck , Work , Ford , First Drive , Off-Road 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty - Click above for high-res image gallery It’s a guy thing. Tim Allen understands.

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First Drive: 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty brings the biggest tools

Filed under: Performance , SUV , GM , Saab , Spyker , Luxury Spyker D12 Peking-to-Paris concept - Click above for high-res image gallery We’re all well aware that the recently sealed deal between Spyker and General Motors means good things for the ailing Saab brand - in fact, without Spyker’s eleventh-hour intervention, the Swedish automaker would have been lost to the annals of history. Apparently, though, the Saab tie-up means good things for Spyker, too

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Report: Saab deal helps put Spyker D12 Peking-to-Paris back on track

Episode 3 started off casually enough with the teams still at Eagle Air Base. Last week if you remember Team Corvette got the boot because of a bit too much show boating in the challenge

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Bullrun Season 3, Episode 3: Rail Yard

Filed under: Etc. , Buick , Cadillac , Chevrolet , GMC , Canada They won’t make you ski, skate or snowboard with any additional talent or zest, but the “official” Olympic-branded vehicles used during the 2010 Winter Games are going up for sale in Canada later this month. Each of the General Motors supplied cars and trucks spent time in Vancouver and Whistler shuttling athletes, officials, VIPs and dignitaries to and from the competitions and related events.

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GM Olympic fleet vehicles will all find their way to Canadian dealers

Early funny cars were evil tempered, ill-handling deathtraps that were as likely to blow up as make it down the 1/4 mile. The above vid is AHRA drag racing history at its finest: Danny Ongais, best known for his exploits behind the wheel of an Indy car, pilots a 1,500 horsepower Mustang funny car as it hops and bounces down the track at Bristol.

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Vintage Drag Racing: Danny Ongais Drives Mickey Thompson’s 1969 Mustang

We’ve all been caught in the act at one time or another, haven’t we? No matter how careful you are to check under the car seats, delete the call log on your phone or wipe out the cookies on your computer before the significant other asks, “Why were you at a website called tinytrannyhookers.com?”, sooner or later we all get busted. It’s like that for gear heads, too.

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10 Cars You’re Embarrassed To Lust For

Filed under: Motorsports , Classics , Sedan , Geneva Motor Show , Europe , Saab 1957 Saab 93 rally car replica - Click above for high-res image gallery As car guys, we want to see Saab succeed at the hands of its new owners, Spyker Cars. And while the brand faces an uphill battle to reach profitability, its new masters are at least showing signs of understanding the Swedish automaker’s rich past

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Geneva 2010: 1957 Saab 93 rally headed for Mille Miglia with Spyker and Saab CEOs at the wheel

Filed under: Concept Cars , Hybrid , Sedan , Geneva Motor Show , MISC I.DE.A Institute Sofia - Click above for high-res image gallery What’s the one thing that would fix the automotive industry today? Fresh ideas, you say?

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Geneva 2010: I.DE.A Institute Sofia concept inspired by the female form

Filed under: Concept Cars , Hybrid , Sedan , Geneva Motor Show , MISC I.DE.A Institute Sofia - Click above for high-res image gallery What’s the one thing that would fix the automotive industry today? Fresh ideas, you say

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Geneva 2010: I.DE.A Institute Sofia concept inspired by the female form

Filed under: Concept Cars , Geneva Motor Show , Europe , Crossover , Citroën Citroen DS High Rider - Click above for high-res image gallery The French can do style. But their automakers don’t do much in the premium market this side of the Veyron . Citroen , however, is bent on bridging that divide with its new DS range

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Geneva 2010: Citroen DS High Rider rides in on its high horse

Filed under: Motorsports , Performance , Motorcycle , Racing 2009 KTM RC8 R - Click above for high-res image gallery When the first brave competitors sought glory on the Isle of Man in 1907, winning brands went by names like Matchless, Peugeot and Norton. Over one hundred years later, Austrian manufacturer KTM will take a chance to add its name to that prestigious list. Known around the world as one of the most challenging venues on two wheels, the Isle of Man TT (tourist trophy) race is not only rich in history and heritage but also entertainment value.

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Isle of Man Austrian style: KTM joins the TT for 2010

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing , Ford 2011 Ford Mustang V6 - Click above for high-res image gallery There was a time in the illustrious history of the Ford Mustang when having an engine from the Cleveland Engine Plant meant that you were sporting a 351 cubic-inch V8 underhood. Times have changed quite a bit over the past 35 years, as Ohio’s newest Mustang engine contains but six cylinders yet produces an impressive 305 horsepower and an even more brow-raising 30 miles per gallon highway

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Ford is Hiring! 3.7-liter V6 for Mustang means 60 new jobs in Cleveland

Filed under: SUV , Government/Legal , GM , Hummer , Off-Road According to a report by the Wall Street Journal , General Motors is taking a second look at two previous offers for Hummer after the deal to sell the ailing sports utility brand finally succumbed to a slow death yesterday . The WSJ doesn’t divulge which companies are in the offing to purchase Hummer, only saying that GM had rejected offers from the two firms last year

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Report: General Motors looking at two previous Hummer offers

Filed under: Motorsports , Classics , Etc.

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Over the top on a Harley-Davidson XR750: Take two for Bubba Blackwell’s record-breaking leap

Filed under: SUV , GM , Hummer , Earnings/Financials , Off-Road Although it has been evident for some time that General Motors ‘ sale of its Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd., we didn’t expect for word to come down today that the negotiations are dead and the brand will be wound down. Unfortunately, judging by a press release just issued by GM, that’s exactly what will be happening

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BREAKING: GM announces Hummer sale cannot be concluded, brand to be wound down

People who have had a heart attack are likely to report having been in traffic shortly before their symptoms began, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. Driving a car was the most common source of traffic exposure, but taking public transportation or riding a bicycle were other forms of exposure to traffic. Overall, time spent in any mode of transportation in traffic was associated with a 3.2 times higher risk than time spent away from this trigger.

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Traffic Exposure Linked to Heart Attacks

MSNBC reports that the Harley Davidson Museum has opened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Harley Davidson Museum Opens

A London court has found former design student Guy Lloyd-Parker guilty of blackmailing US car designers.

The London College of Fashion graduate had claimed that 95 car design sketches were stolen from him by two college lecturers in 1994, eventually resurfacing as final designs in the form of the Audi TT, BMW Z3, Mazda RX-8 and the Volvo XC90.

Lloyd-Parker, having failed to successfully sue the college, began sending menacing letters to California-based Volvo Design Director Geza Loczi, former BMW and Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker, and ex-Mazda designer Tsutomu Matano demanding £90,000.

The letters, allegedly entitled ‘The Truth’, called the designers ‘liars, thieves and cheats’ and threatened to expose the ‘whole truth’ to the world media if the demands were not met. Prosecuting attorney Ian Hope said all three victims had been facing smear campaigns after having reached high positions in their careers.

Lloyd-Parker, of Blackheath, south-east London, is scheduled to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.

The head of Emirates Auction, Abdulla al Mannaie, poses with the no. 1 license plate that sold for a record $14.3 million.

No, it’s not made of solid gold — just ordinary materials, evidently. But it does come with the swagger of being labeled no. “1.” And that’s evidently worth a record $14.3 million.

Today, a businessman named Said Abdul Ghafour Khouri was willing to pay 52.2 dirham — the equivalent of $14.3 million — for the local license plate labeled “1″ at an auction at the 7-star Emirates Palace Hotel here, making it the world’s most expensive license plate.