The Lambrecht Chevrolet Auction: Low-Mile Basket Cases Going Once, Going Twice, Going 50 Years Later

Car auctions tend to be flashy and a bit snooty. That is, of course, unless the car auction in question is being held in Pierce, Nebraska. Pierce is a small town in the state’s northeast, less than a square mile in area, which counted 1767 souls and, unofficially, hundreds of Chevrolets.

The story goes that the local Chevy dealer, Ray Lambrecht, figured that if a car or truck didn’t sell within the first year, he’d park it. Some vehicles were stashed in buildings, others in fields. Lambrecht opened the dealership in 1946 with his uncle, and retired in 1996—allowing for inventory to swell in the 50 years he was in business.

Lambrecht is now 95, his wife Mildred is 92, and the pair figured it was time for others to enjoy the inventory, so they put it up for auction. That’s the story of how Pierce grew to more than 10,000 last weekend, a number that included bidders from overseas. What they were looking over was an impressive list of the wonderfully ordinary. There were no Bugattis, no Ferraris, no former Grand Prix race cars, and nothing once owned by Steve McQueen—just Chevy after Chevy. The list of bow ties included Biscayne and Bel Air sedans, Impalas and Caprices, plenty of pickups, a slew of Corvairs, and a few non-Chevrolets—trade-ins that never left Lambrecht’s lot. Two of the cars, a 1959 Bel Air and a 1960 Corvair Monza, had just one mile on their odometers. It was a collection of pure, unadulterated Midwestern Americana.

A 1958 Cameo, Chevrolet’s stylish truck, left Nebraska with just 1.3 miles on the odometer after its new owner parted with $140,000—the highest price paid at the auction. An 11.4-miles-on-the-odo 1963 Impala finished in red and white—its original $3254.70 sticker price still hanging in the window—returned a bid of $97,500. A 1965 Impala two-door hardtop garnered $72,500, while a 1963 Corvair Monza coupe went at $40,000. These were the highlight prices from the lot, with the majority of listings selling in the $15,000 range.

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Come Sunday night, some $500,000 was in the Lambrecht’s till. We can’t help but wonder who bought the Chevette Scooter, which yielded an amazing $5500 even though the cheapest of the Chevettes came minus rear seats and a glove-box door to drive the original price down to $2899. We have similar questions regarding the owners of a $650 Pinto, or an $1800 Cavalier, and especially, to the mystery bidder who left with a $10,500 Vega.

But the biggest question we have is this: For those Chevys that were just bought brand new, are those warranties still valid?

Source: CarAndDriver

Ford reveals S-Max concept ahead of Frankfurt Motor Show

 

 

 

Here's another one that'll probably go straight into the “not bound for United States shores” file: the Ford S-Max concept, which will make its grand debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Ford says the S-Max previews a “future sport activity vehicle,” which may, in fact, be contemporary PR-speak for “mini-minivan.”

 

Look beyond the carbon-fiber interior detailing (and add some door handles) and you'll see a vehicle that looks more or less production-ready. The S-Max concept isn't too wildly sculpted, sharing styling cues with current Fords Fiesta, Escape/Kuga, C-Max and Fusion/Mondeo -- from the creases on the hood to the high, hexagonal grille to the stainless steel trim surrounding the greenhouse. Its overall proportions are in line with those of other European MPVs like the Citroën C4 Picasso.

 

What's under the S-Max's pleasing skin is likely to be far more relevant to North American shoppers than the concept vehicle itself. The concept is laden with advanced technology: Some of it, like pre-collision assist braking safety systems and park assist, is meant to help with driving; other systems, like built-in ECD heart rate monitoring and glucose level monitoring (meant to warn parents if a child enters diabetic shock) are intended to aid vehicle occupants.

 

Further, the S-Max gets Ford's new 1.5-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine. The turbocharged gasoline powerplant will reach our dealer lots under the hoods of 2014 Fusions, where it will replace the current (and slightly less efficient) 1.6-liter EcoBoost without sacrificing output.

 

--Graham Kozak

 

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Source: MSN

All dressed up for Halloween: Flickr photo of the day

For Halloween, it's only appropriate to note cars masquerading as other models, like this VW Bug caught by jwhanley posing as a Ford roadster.  This shot comes from the Motoramic group on Flickr; you can add your photos there, or send us a message via Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Source: Yahoo!

Proof that racing takes talent from a Ford GT40 in the rain

IndyCar fans know the name Kenny Bräck well, from his win of the 1999 Indianapolis 500 and his horrifying crash at Texas Motor Speedway that he barely survived and required 18 months of recovery. Bräck has since retired from open-wheel racing, but he runs a few laps here and there — and this video of his drive in a 1966 Ford GT40 at the wet Goodwood circuit in England last weekend has only served to remind the world just how good of a driver he was.

Controlling any race car in a hard rain takes skill; running a million-dollar classic whose steering wheel is twitching like a squirrel in a meth lab requires a rare amount of talent. Within the first five seconds of this qualifying lap at the Goodwood Revival, another GT40 runs off course, yet Brack never lets up. If only all 47-year-olds were so good behind the wheel. 

Source: Yahoo!

GM sees Tesla as 'big' threat

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson is known for taking the post-bankruptcy corporate behemoth to task for not innovating fast enough and for squandering research dollars on pie-in-the-sky patents.

Now the executive is reportedly looking over his shoulder at Tesla, the upstart electric-car company co-founded by maverick billionaire Elon Musk, as a potential threat to GM’s own business.

 

According to Bloomberg, Akerson recently warned employees that Tesla should be seen as a disruptive force in the automobile industry and that GM needs to pay attention to how Tesla operates and adapt accordingly. Akerson has even assigned a small team to study Tesla and how it could hurt the larger automaker, according to GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky.

 

“He thinks Tesla could be a big disrupter if we’re not careful,” Girsky told Bloomberg.

 

GM introduced the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid at the end of 2010 – and the ill-fated EV1 15 years earlier – but the Volt has underperformed the company's sales expectations, despite leading all plug-in cars in 2012. GM is working on the next-generation Volt, which could cost $10,000 less than its predecessor when introduced in 2015 or 2016. The current Volt starts at $35,995 with factory rebates, while the Tesla Model S starts at $69,900 – and outsold the Volt in the first quarter of 2013.

At the same time that Akerson is pushing innovation, he’s also pushing for accountability on patents. The CEO wants to shift research and development spending away from futuristic concepts and focus instead on commercial applications.

 

Under Akerson, GM cut R&D spending by 9.3 percent to $7.37 billion last year, and saw the departure of some of the company’s top R&D executives. And while Akerson wants GM to take more risks, the CEO expects R&D to focus on ideas that car buyers will actually want.

 

“The definition of success at R&D used to be: How many patents have you generated?” Girsky said. “We have a new definition of success: How much of your stuff actually goes into the car?”

 

Girsky acknowledged that GM is still struggling to believe in its own ability to pick up the pace of innovation. But he pointed to GM’s plan to implement 4G LTE in most U.S. vehicles starting next year and the debut of the diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze earlier this year as examples of GM’s ability to fast-track significant technologies to market. 

“At some point, the mindset … went from, ‘We can’t do it, we can’t do it, we can’t do it’ to ‘Wow, not only can we do it, but we’re going to win,’” Girsky said. To encourage employees’ efforts, Girsky has taken to awarding patches depicting Apollo 13, the 1970 NASA space mission often cited as a prime example of overcoming overwhelming odds to accomplish success.

 

And in a case of Tesla learning from GM and then vice-versa, Girsky noted that the underbody of the Model S is similar to a “skateboard-like” concept that GM came up with in 2002 for fuel-cell vehicles.

“In the old days, [GM] would’ve said, ‘It’s a bunch of laptop batteries and don’t worry about it,’” Girsky said.

He added that Akerson’s “view of the world is this kind of thing can change, can impact our organization. It may not be in his lifetime here," he added, "but it will be in somebody’s lifetime. And we need to be prepared."

[Source: Bloomberg]

Source: MSN

Did the Speed Channel Have to Die? We Examine the Economics

Did Speed have to die? Let’s jump back a few weeks, when freshly minted public company Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc.—a $28 billion global media behemoth spun off from Rupert Murdoch’s media holdings—hosted a session for Wall Street analysts.

Company president and COO Chase Carey, discussing the changing media landscape, said, “Weaker channels will, and should, get squeezed. Consumers have more than enough choice. The priority has shifted to quality not quantity. We want every one of our channels to strive to stand on its own two feet. We would rather have a bouquet of great channels than acres of mediocre ones making the same profit.”

That means looking for billions, rather than millions, of dollars from the same basic assets. And the easiest way to find those megabucks is through sports. Sports programming, says Carey, “is the content that drives new technologies, defies manipulation, and advertisers crave. It is the content that binds a community, that people talk about during the day. In an increasingly fragmented world, sports are the one strand that ties us together.”

And Fox has placed a huge bet on sports content. More than half of its $80 billion in long-term financial obligations are devoted to rights fees for the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, and a host of other sports.

The driving force to create Fox Sports 1 (FS1) from the ashes of Speed was “subscriber revenue.” Sports channels like FS1 can be big moneymakers. In 2012, Speed was reportedly collected $0.22 per month per subscriber, while ESPN was commanding $5.04 per month, according to SNL Kagan. FS1 is projected to charge $0.80 per month against 90 million subscribers (ESPN has 100 million). Forecasting out several years, this is the difference between Speed garnering $350 million from subscribers to FS1 amassing $1 billion from the same people, through rebranding and simply mixing up the programming. (For a more in-depth look at the numbers, check out the charts at the bottom of this story.)

And don’t forget the advertising revenue. Even though it accounted for only 23 percent of ESPN’s total take last year, that still meant $1.8 billion came from Madison Avenue. This was much to the dismay of one viewer we spoke to, who observed, “After I pay five bucks [per month], I still have to watch commercials?” To add insult to injury, using the low end of industry margins, it means that every subscriber, even the tens of millions who don’t watch ESPN, pours a minimum of $2.65 every month directly into the hands of the Worldwide Leader’s shareholders.

It would seem that inevitable that Speed would die, right? “No. I don’t think it was inevitable,” says Speedvision founder Roger Werner, who started the Outdoor Life Network (which has since morphed into the NBC Sports Network) at the same time.

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“We could still be running those channels as independent channels. They were both very commercially viable. They were profitable at the time we sold them (in 2001), and their profitability was only going to grow from there.

Still, Werner concedes that Fox’s strategy is “understandable. I can’t honestly say I would look at it differently, if I were sitting in their shoes. I’m disappointed obviously that my baby is disappearing, [and] being subsumed by a different kind of editorial agenda, but I guess I can’t tell you that what they’re doing is crazy. It makes a lot of sense to them.”

If you’re the Fox executive making the decision on whether Speed lives or dies, you look at the numbers.

You start with primetime ratings, and discover that your three sports networks for 2012 combined generated just 12 percent of the audience of ESPN:

= Households

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Then you look at what is being charged per subscriber per month at the end of 2012, and discover that your three sports networks only charge 11 percent of what ESPN commands:

= Price Per Month

Source: SNL Kagan

And that translates into the top line for 2012, where your three sports networks are produced only six percent of the revenues of ESPN:

Source: SNL Kagan and Car and Driver

So, you ask yourself: With Speed in 90 percent of the homes of ESPN, and Speed’s demographics being decidedly gray-haired, what happens if Speed is changed to a multisport format, and you more than triple the subscriber rate? Because you’re appealing to a much broader audience, what could the numbers say for 2014?

Source: SNL Kagan and Car and Driver

So by adding football, baseball, UFC, soccer, and Regis Philbin to Speed’s NASCAR programming, and rebranding the network as Fox Sports 1, you’ve doubled revenue to 12 percent of ESPN’s. Yes, there are additional programming costs and your staff has tripled, but even if you’ve insured Erin Andrews’s legs for $10 million, there’s plenty of room to make a boatload of money. Decision made.

Source: CarAndDriver

Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 201: 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series

On Tuesday, we posted an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note. To hear it again, listen to the recording embedded below. Only a handful of you commented this week, but of those, a few correctly identified the glorious sound in this week’s recording as belonging to the 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series. The 622-hp, DTM racer for the street doesn’t just sound good, either—with its flared fenders, giant rear wing, and available screaming yellow paint color, it commands attention no matter what.

Like that sound? Download the MP3 and quiz your friends, make your own ringtone, or just lull yourself to sleep with sweet, sweet vehicular ear candy.

2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series MP3 (Right-click to Save As . . . )

Source: CarAndDriver

Crazy Fiat 500 gets a 580-hp Lamborghini V-12

Most owners of the tiny Fiat 500 don't think, "Hey, you know what this car needs? A 580-hp V-12 from a Lamborghini Murcielago." In the same breath, most owners don't decide they need a more compact package - like a Fiat 500 - to house said engine. Most, however, is not all, as is showcased with this Oemmedi Meccanica modified Fiat 500. It once held a 3.2 liter Porsche six, a Ferrari V-8, and now it's home to the 6.2 liter Murcielago V-12.

In order to fit the monstrous lump, the little 500 underwent numerous transformations; most noticeably the insanely wide bodykit. These mutations appear to have created a multitude of handling deficiencies - documented in the video below as the driver wrestles to keep the car in a straight line. What it does well, however, is produce a sound that could wake a sleeping giant; a noise so great it could create tidal waves with each stab of the throttle.

Regardless of how ridiculously crazy this idea remains, it's crazies like this that resonate with our inner child. While most don't grasp the necessity of a creation like this, those that do provide the rest of us with a sliver of joy we ordinarily might have missed.

Source: Yahoo!

Mercedes-Benz “Chicken” Magic Body Control Commercial: A Pluckin’ Rip-Off [The Ad Section]

Just as it takes an engineering genius to create something as complex as Mercedes’ “Magic Body Control” (MBC) suspension, it also takes a marketing genius to explain it in a way that the common man can readily understand. Mercedes-Benz seemingly gets this. In its simplest terms, MBC uses a specialized camera to scan the road and transmit the data to the car’s Active Body Control system in time for it to compensate for imperfections such as speed bumps and potholes. On one of its websites, Mercedes describes the technology like this: “The control unit receives information on the current driving conditions from various acceleration sensors and compares it with the data from the pressure sensors in the spring struts and the level sensors on the control arms. Subsequently the system calculates control signals for the servo-hydraulic valves on the front and rear axle, in order to meter the flow of oil appropriately. All of this results in a magical combination of optimum comfort and impressive driving dynamics.” Mercedes could have, in predictable Teutonic fashion, used that exact and very complex copy to tout the new feature. Instead, it wisely used chickens.

The spot opens on a tight close up of a chicken’s head. We hear a short countdown to one of the single best songs of all time, Diana Ross’s “Upside Down”. As the beat comes up, the chicken gets down . . . this poulet definitely has her groove on, with soulful neck moves that are guaranteed to draw you in. With a little help from her friends, Chicken Little’s body gyrates up, down, inside out, and round ‘n’ round in sync with the song’s suggestive lyrics, but through it all her head remains level and her gaze stays true. There’s no copy, because none is needed. The closing supers say it all: “Stability at all times. Magic Body Control. Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive.”

Because this spot is simple, effective, and entertaining, some might argue that it’s brilliant, but as compelling and well-produced as it is, I must cry “fowl.” FujiFilm used this exact same concept earlier this year in a commercial for its stabilized X-S1 camera. See for yourself.

Granted, this is not the first time an agency has used a concept someone else came up with previously. But in the age of online research tools and global reach, a gaffe like this is inexcusable, especially since the agency that made the spot, Jung Von Matt, is based in Germany, which also is home to FujiFilm’s agency (Ogilvy Germany) and where the X-S1 commercial likely aired. I know from past posts that some of you don’t agree with me on this, but I firmly believe that when ad agencies sell a client their creative work, it should be their creative work, not someone else’s. Maybe JVM was somehow unaware of the FujiFilm spot, but if I could find it in less than five minutes without even trying, I’m sure they could have found it with similar ease.

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That critical issue aside, I think “Chicken” does a great job of explaining MBC in an entertaining way that’s easy to understand and it’s already generating tons of all-important social-media buzz. In that regard, Mercedes certainly will get its money’s worth from this ad, but in good conscience and out of respect for the sanctity of advertising creativity, I’m going to leave this one in neutral.

Award-winning ad man-cum-auto journalist Don Klein knows a good (or bad) car commercial when he sees one; the Ad Section is his space to tell you what he thinks of the latest spots. The ad’s rating is depicted via the shift pattern at the bottom, but everyone has an opinion when it comes to advertising, so hit Backfires below and tell us what you think, too.

Source: CarAndDriver

2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport priced at $63,020

We knew the 2014 XTS Vsport would get twin-turbo power, but now Cadillac has officially revealed the pricing and specs for the new high-powered XTS at a healthy $63,020, including destination.

 

The 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 delivers 410 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque and has an array of new features, including all-new cylinder block casting, strengthened connecting rods, more than 12 lbs. of boost from the two turbochargers and an all-new direct-injection fuel system.

 

The powerplant is the centerpiece of Cadillac's new Vsport series, which we got a taste of in the form of the CTS Vsport revealed this year. Don't fret though -- the automaker clearly states that this is not a replacement for the V-series, but sits just below Cadillac's high-performance lineup.

Exterior goodies include upgraded 20-inch wheels, a unique grille and Vsport badging all while allowing the buyer to customize their XTS to their taste.

“The addition of the new Cadillac Twin Turbo expands and elevates the XTS luxury sedan,” said Bob Ferguson, vice president of Global Cadillac. “This is a compelling enhancement to what is already one of the most technically advanced sedans in our history."

Cadillac hasn't officially stated whether AWD will be standard with the Vsport, but with this much power, it is a safe bet to assume so.

 

The XTS Vsport is slated to go on sale in August and will be offered only in the up-level premium and platinum collection trim levels.

-- Max Gilles

 

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Source: MSN

May 7: Daimler-Benz announces merger with Chrysler Corporation on this day in 1998

Chrysler's roller coaster started way before the most recent government bailout in early 2009; under new leadership by ex-Ford executive Lee Iacocca, the company received a government lifeline back in 1979. Cash in hand, Iacocca steered the troubled vessel into calmer, more prosperous waters in the 1980s, led in part by the success of its minivan sales. In 1998, Daimler-Benz — the German automobile company and maker of the luxury Mercedes-Benz — announced a whopping $36 billion merger with Chrysler Corporation; it was the largest purchase of a U.S. company by a foreign buyer in U.S. history. The deal lasted less than a decade before Daimler sold Chrysler to private equity; by then, much of the promise the initial merger held had been squandered.

Since its bankruptcy, Chrysler has come back strong under its new partnership with Italian automaker Fiat. With a focus on better quality and refreshed models — including a full Viper makeover and continued development of its successful Jeep — Chrysler remains firmly on the rise. But as we've seen in the past, the life of an automaker tends to roll more wildly than a ride at Busch Gardens.

Photo: AP

Source: Yahoo!

Recall: 176,000 BMWs for power braking failure

BMW is recalling 176,000 cars worldwide to fix power brake failures, according to wire reports and filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

On 2012-2014 BMW models with the company's new 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine -- including the Z4 sDrive28i, 320i and 328i, 528i, X1 sDrive28i and xDrive28i, and the X3 xDrive28i -- the engine vacuum pump can lose pressurized oil meant to drive the power brake mechanism.

Due to a poor fit of the intake camshaft's seal disk, oil may be blocked from leaving the engine to lubricate the vacuum pump, which could then cause the vacuum pump to fail and the loss of power-assist braking. While the brakes would still work, stopping distances would increase due to increased driver force needed on the brake pedal.

A total of 76,190 cars are affected in the U.S. The diesel-powered 328d is not affected.

BMW first discovered the issue from a U.S. dealer in October 2012 and while it initiated further quality checks at its factories and moved the seal disk deeper within the camshaft, the problems continued to mount throughout this year. By September, BMW said it received 105 warranty claims, 61 reports from dealers and 23 owner complaints regarding failed vacuum pumps and loss of braking. The issue typically occurred within the first hundred miles, BMW said.

In November BMW dealers will install a locking ring into the camshaft so the seal disk won't move anymore. Owners can call BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or by email at CustomerRelations@bm​​wusa.com.

In February BMW recalled V8-powered X5 models from 2007-2010 that had similar vacuum pump and power braking failures. A check valve in the brake vacuum pump connected to that engine -- a one-way valve that releases pressure and is supposed to keep an airtight seal -- can leak small amounts of lubricating oil into the vacuum hose that connects to the brake booster, which is responsible for providing power assist. Also in February, BMW recalled 570,000 cars, including the Z4 and previous-generation 3-Series, for power failures and engine stalling.

In May, BMW recalled 42,080 3-Series cars from 2002-2003 to replace frontal airbags that had inflators that could rupture and injure occupants during a crash.

[Source: NHTSA]


Source: MSN

Mercedes-Benz to Produce Limited Run of G63 AMG 6x6s—Just Not for America

Believe it or not, but the completely over-the-top Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 will actually be offered to real people—real people with piles of money serving as ottomans, but real people nonetheless. The brand has confirmed that “exclusive small-scale production” will commence, and a price has been set at a dizzying €379,000 (just about $513,000 at today’s exchange rates). That’s almost four times as much as the pedestrian-in-comparison four-wheeled G63 AMG.

Massively oversized and probably overpriced—at least when you consider you pay 300 percent more for only a 50-percent increase in the number of wheels—it is the perfect toy for your private collection of sand dunes on the Arabian Peninsula. The six-wheeled G-class is inspired by the far more frugal 6×6 G-wagen that Daimler engineered for the Australian armed forces. Powered by a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 making 536 horsepower and 561 lb-ft of torque, the G63 6×6 is claimed to reach 60 mph in seven seconds.

For those hoping that perhaps the Mojave would be suitable grounds to host Benz’s toy monster truck, that won’t be possible. Daimler executives tell us that there is no chance the G63 6×6 will be sold in the U.S.

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The ostentatiousness of the G63 AMG 6×6 probably is unsurpassed, at least as far as factory offers go. Yet we have a suggestion to improve it: We’d like to see the G65′s 603-hp, 6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12 shoehorned underhood. But hey, Daimler just extended its contract with Magna Steyr to continue building the G-wagen until 2019. That gives the skunkworks crew at AMG plenty of time to come up with more craziness.

Source: CarAndDriver

Mercedes-Benz to Produce Limited Run of G63 AMG 6x6s—Just Not for America

Believe it or not, but the completely over-the-top Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 will actually be offered to real people—real people with piles of money serving as ottomans, but real people nonetheless. The brand has confirmed that “exclusive small-scale production” will commence, and a price has been set at a dizzying €379,000 (just about $513,000 at today’s exchange rates). That’s almost four times as much as the pedestrian-in-comparison four-wheeled G63 AMG.

Massively oversized and probably overpriced—at least when you consider you pay 300 percent more for only a 50-percent increase in the number of wheels—it is the perfect toy for your private collection of sand dunes on the Arabian Peninsula. The six-wheeled G-class is inspired by the far more frugal 6×6 G-wagen that Daimler engineered for the Australian armed forces. Powered by a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 making 536 horsepower and 561 lb-ft of torque, the G63 6×6 is claimed to reach 60 mph in seven seconds.

For those hoping that perhaps the Mojave would be suitable grounds to host Benz’s toy monster truck, that won’t be possible. Daimler executives tell us that there is no chance the G63 6×6 will be sold in the U.S.

• Comparison Test: 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon vs. 2012 Mercedes-Benz G550
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• Instrumented Test: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG

The ostentatiousness of the G63 AMG 6×6 probably is unsurpassed, at least as far as factory offers go. Yet we have a suggestion to improve it: We’d like to see the G65′s 603-hp, 6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12 shoehorned underhood. But hey, Daimler just extended its contract with Magna Steyr to continue building the G-wagen until 2019. That gives the skunkworks crew at AMG plenty of time to come up with more craziness.

Source: CarAndDriver

The Jeep with the Dragon Tattoo: Jeep Announces Lizard-tastic 2014 Wrangler Dragon Edition

Last year’s Beijing auto show featured an almost-head-spinning cornucopia of dragon-themed concept and production cars, and Jeep was right there in the thick of the action with a special Wrangler concept. At the time, we assumed that the Jeep—like pretty much every other dragon-tastic ride in Beijing—was created solely to play up the Chinese year of the dragon, and that none would ever see the light of day outside of China. We were wrong, so very, very wrong. Jeep’s dragon tale was only just beginning, and now the brand has announced it is bringing a production version of the Beijing Wrangler concept to customers this fall as a 2014 model.

Jeep claims that after seeing the Beijing show car, customers stateside were clamoring for it. From our perspective, we’re not sure what all the fuss is about. Besides pushing the bounds of what we’d consider to be good taste, the Wrangler Dragon edition also seems somewhat random—after all, while Jeep is no stranger to special-edition models, it distinctly lacks a history of mythical-beast-themed efforts. Anyway, the production Dragon edition arrives on our shores wearing pretty much the same bronze-colored exterior trim pieces—grille slats, wheels, and headlight surrounds—and dragon dress-up gear that adorned the concept.

At its core, the Dragon edition is an uplevel Sahara-spec Wrangler, meaning it’s fairly well equipped. Every single one will be black with a matching black hardtop, and buyers will be able to get it only in four-door Unlimited guise. A bevy of dragon likenesses inside and out guarantee attention from brave medieval warriors bent on saving princesses—so we’d suggest leaving pretty girls at the curb should you find yourself near tall castle towers or in the 14th century. Outside, the dragon motif starts front and center—if you’ve ever wanted a face tattoo but lacked the stones to wear a permanent doodle on your mug, this might just be your ride. A long, sinuous, gray-colored dragon decal slithers over the driver’s side of the hood and onto the front door like a scale version of Mike Tyson’s temple candy. Tramp-stamp lovers aren’t left out, either, as Jeep slaps a similar decal onto the spare tire cover.

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Should you decide to enter the Dragon (edition), the cabin features the same bronze-over-black formula as the exterior. There are black Nappa leather seats with bronze dragon motifs on their backrests, as well as bronze trim on the steering wheel, gauge cluster, and door handles. Like a Bruce Lee fist to your face, more dragons dance along the passenger-side dashboard grab handle and gauge faces, and the seat bolster edges get a scaly, dragonhide-like pattern.

Disappointingly, the Wrangler lacks any fire-spitting or flying abilities, but on the upside, we think it might just be weird enough to snatch the Jeep Blasphemy Award from the newly “soft” Cherokee. Extroverts will be able to bring home the Wrangler Dragon edition this fall for $37,090, but they should act fast, since this will be a limited-production model.

Source: CarAndDriver