Everyone knows me for being head over heels in love with the Dodge Challenger. It is the most beautiful car to have ever existed. Well, so certain glasses wearing, mail carrying, car nuts say. So much emotion is drawn from this muscle car and has thus far enjoyed a warm welcome by even the simplist of car lovers. Playing the waiting game from concept to my garage was border line torture. Unfortunately, this reborn beauty may be short lived.

In 2006, Chrysler revealed their newest eye catching concept. Demand of a production model came quickly. Somewhere in the design process, an accountant decided that the best retro muscle car to hit the market in recent years did not deserve a new engine. So it got the standard SRT8 6.1L V8, producing 425 horsepower. Yes, the nostalgia was purposeful, remembering that the old 426 HEMI from the 1970′s had 425hp. But we…cough, cough……enthusiasts were screaming for the more unique 6.4L which would put the approximate horsepower above the coveted 500 mark. However, Chrysler opted for a quick concept-to-production run, which I must say was executed quite impressively, and went with the proven motor.

It came near the date to finally put an order on the first of the true second generation Challengers. No, I don’t count that piece of *** Mitsubishi Galant that ran from the late 70’s into the mid 80’s. Excitement grew, talk abounded all over the internet forums, and enthusiasts flocked into dealership showrooms to hand over their astronomical down payments. But when they arrived, found that ALL the 2008 models would be AUTOMATICS! I’m tearing up just thinking of that saddening night in December. Don’t get me wrong, this newly designed Dodge Challenger has a smooth and quite responsive 5-speed automatic. Obvious though, the real men who like to enjoy their obscene automotive purchases prefer the love and control that only a manual transmission can give. 6-speed in 2009! Holy Mosses, that means no numbered badge. Crap!

If you purchased a Dodge Challenger in 2008, you got the SRT8. I know, history shows that most manufactures begin pushing the setup that will often bring the most money: the cheaper, lesser equipped cars. I believe Chrysler knew that while the Challenger had unanimously won the hearts of enthusiasts, the common buyer still didn’t “get it”. Let’s be honest, it weighs over 4,000lbs, is larger than many sedans currently on the market, but with two fewer doors, and the concept car’s color was orange when the whole country seemingly wants green. So if Chrysler wanted to bring this reborn muscle car to fruition, the only way to sell it would be to build the enthusiast car, get it out on the street and let others know that Dodge performance is back! Neighbors of the enthusiasts would then go to the dealership, figure out they can’t afford neither the sticker price nor the fuel mileage of the thirsty V8, so they opt for the 3.5L V6 instead. For 2009, Chrysler only sold a meager 25,852 Challengers, compared to Ford’s 66,623 Mustangs that same model year. You may think that’s pretty good, but consider just 10 years earlier, Ford sold a total of 126,067 Mustangs for 1999. Perhaps this is just a sign of the times.

For 2010, the Challenger got updates! That’s right, color choices now include Plum Crazzy Purple and Detonator Yellow, replacing Hemi Orange. Before your favorite colorful finger comes shooting out, let us think about how many other cars out there get any major changes within a year and a half of its generational debut. Yes, the die-hard, mullet wearing Challenger lovers were keeping their fingers crossed once again that the coming model year would include that dreamy 6.4L HEMI, but it didn’t. In reality, the let down wasn’t just the absence of the larger HEMI, it was the absence of really anything new coming out of Chrysler for 2010. Ford debuted the redesigned Mustang, GM released the sexy new Camaro after taking an 8 year break, and Chrysler, well…….brought yellow. Hold on just a second, rumor once again has it that the 2011 model Challenger WILL come with updated powertrains across the board. Please don’t let it be a HEMI Hybrid!

With US demand growing for more fuel efficient vehicles and Fiat/UAW/US Government owned Chrysler soon producing cars like the Fiat 500 and electric models on the way, the Dodge Challenger has little chance of surviving past its Chrysler-announced 2013 production end, where it may or may not get a 3rd generation update (once again, the Galant can rot in hell before I acknowledge it as a Challenger). If it does, it may come with two extra doors. The second-time demise of the Challenger might not come from popular demand of certain vehicles pushing out the muscle car, but rather the direction, or lack thereof, that Chrysler is headed. Currently, Chrysler is losing money hand over fist. The typical car buyer wants a car that is reliable, fuel efficient, and appeals to women; attributes not typically synonymous with Chrysler products. Therefore, it is my opinion that the Dodge Challenger in my garage will never have many brothers out there on the street. Some may think that’s a bad thing, but I almost prefer it that way.

We’re back from our yearly Christmas / New Years / Uber Laziness hiatus for the kick off of Season 3. This week we’ve got some juicy tid bits from the NAIAS briefings like the Buick Regal GS Concept and the 2012 Ford Focus. Then we shift gears to talk about some sweet new Volt Tech courtesy of OnStar, and Ford’s new take on Sync the are calling myFord. Then we shock the industry with the announcement of the return of the vaunted 5.0 in the 2011 Mustang… no wait that was way back in episode 68, but it’s official now! But wait there’s more! GM also announced a new special edition color for the v6 Camaro on top of all that we heard tail of the new Ferrari 420 Dino.

Yup you read right. The guys from Expo Motors and Spyker agreed to let me drive one of their quarter million dollar super cars. And not just any old Spyker, the new production prototype Spyker C8 Aileron. It’s just to bad they wouldn’t let me take it home.  Believe me I tried. But before we get to that we’ll take you guys along for our 45 minute trip to the L.A. Auto Show where we got to see things like the Volvo S60 Concept.

Don’t forget to see the interview with Spyker’s Vinnie Russo and the image galleries below.

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Volvo, like most of the auto industry is in dire straights.They desperately need a flagship car for the future to bring in potential buyers. Because let’s face it, the only thing that stirs your pulse less than a Volvo is a Toyota Prius. In the past Volvo’s tended to be be at best beige and uninteresting and at worst down right coma inspiring. And so far only the Japanese and the Koreans have figured out how to coma inducing cars.

European cars need to have a sense of Euro-Sheik, a European flare if you will. We as American buyers want to be able to picture ourselves winding down and Alp, cruising across Millau Viaduct, or through the streets of Monaco.  Those things are decidedly un-Volvo… or are they?

“The all-new S60 will be one of the strongest players in a segment where the competition is razor-sharp,” says Volvo Cars President and CEO Stephen Odell. “Your damn right it is!”  is what I say. Provided it looks like the concept we saw at the 2009 L.A. Auto Show. I never thought I’d say this but, that is one sexy Volvo!

Sweet Jesus it looks like Volvo finally hired a designer! The panoramic glass roof, the killer chrome wheels, the elongated tear drop head lights and the knife thin tail lights, where in the hell did they come from? Not to mention the asymetrically split seat in the interior, the floating center console and did I mention the panoramic glass roof?! PANORAMIC GLASS ROOF!!!!!! It looks like the entire top of the car is glass. Look how they split the roof from the rear wind shield, it’s gorgeous!

I’m in love with the way the top of steering wheel’s hub slopes right in to the steering column and how they packaged all the controls, gauges, and screens to be driver centric thus creating an asymmetrical dash. That asymmetry is carried through out the interior.

Volvo claims this the S60 is inspired by Scandinavia with touches like Viking longboat inspired headlamps, and an open roof , continually flowing lines, and a shoulder line that has two separate and distinct curves. (Outside the long boat thing I’m not real sure what the rest of that has to do with Scandinavia but, hey if it works…)

One of the touches that really impressed me was the use of lighting as a design element something that seems to be becoming quite a trend in the auto industry. Volvo’s designers used something they are calling a DNA light on the front grill next to the head lights, and the transparent mounts for the rear view mirrors are also illuminated and work as part of the turn signal indicators.

This cars speaks of speed, but it’s not aggressive, loud, or overbearing. Hell they even painted it a lovely shade of beige, well they are calling it “Warm Liquid Copper” but we all know it’s beige. Strangely enough I like this car in beige. Here’s why. The world is full of boring cars and loud obnoxious cars. What we lack are beautiful, sexy, classy cars that are at the same time some how… understated. What surprises my is that Volvo, is the company poised to provide that classy yet understated luxury, that is if the S60′s style survives the engineers and accountants on it’s way to production.

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Well maybe not but it sure as hell should be able to! This week on Burnout Radio it’s ALL about the Corvette Grand Sport. 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds, and this car is so easy to launch your grandma could do it. We also found a BMW owner that’s a complete and total douche bag, and Low Flying Pelican strikes a Bugatti. Apple wants to ruin the automotive industry and we try to figure out just what in hades is an Arash?

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Now you guys know that I’m not the biggest fan of BMW’s. I got much respect for what they build but they are just not my cup of tea. A bit to techy for my tastes. And the designs tend to be pretty beige. But then I found this over at BMWBlog.com… and I fell in love. If BMW can design something like the M1 Homage pictured to the left then what to we keep getting the boring drivel they call the 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10 series? They may be decent looking super nice, super quick cars, but they just blend in with everything else on the road.

This M1 on the other hand, now that is a beauty. It’s just too bad it’s only a design exercise.

The purpose of the new M1 project is uncertain and the M1 Hommage is strictly a design exercise meant to celebrate the past of its supercar. The car displayed at the Villa d’Este Concours was  a non-functional prototype, with no engine and interior, but with working lights and steering. Of course, the speculations will start flowing now and many people will probably look forward to a future design similar to the M1 Hommage, but there are no clues on whether BMW will ever manufacture an M1.

- BMWBlog.com

Infiniti Essence look like a clone of the Fisker Karma design, but it’s still dead sexy. See the video after the jump.

“Web Exclusive: Nissan Infiniti design chief Shiro Nakamura on the Essence debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the future of the two global brands.” – Fox Business

It seems like everytime I read the news these days, automotive or otherwise,  there is something that has been cancelled.  Today, it’s the Lamborghini Estoque. I’ll be honest, it was not my favorite concept.  How many of you would tell me truethfully that if you had “lambo” money, that you’d purchase one with four doors?  The glorified Italian supercar manufacturer says they haven’t taken the steps toward producing the car beyond the concept, indicating two things: the Estoque may not have been scheduled for it’s production debut in 2011 as been reported, and this cancellation may potentially be short lived.