Lone Star Throwdown 2023 – CarShowz Choice & Top 10

If you’ve followed our recaps of the Future Collector Car Show, you know that Tyler Hoover of Hoovie’s Garage fame attended the event with his 2004 Maybach 62. When the AutoHunter Cinema team attended the 2022 Barrett-Jackson Houston auction, they had a chance to check out another vehicle owned by him.

This 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren roadster was purchased at Barrett-Jackson by Tyler Hoover. The SLR was built by Mercedes-Benz in partnership with McLaren — they even brought designer Gordon Murray of Mclaren F1 fame on board. Power comes from a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 producing 617 horsepower and mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. That power helps the SLR achieve 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 207mph.

If you’ve followed our recaps of the Future Collector Car Show, you know that Tyler Hoover of Hoovie’s Garage fame attended the event with his 2004 Maybach 62. When the AutoHunter Cinema team attended the 2022 Barrett-Jackson Houston auction, they had a chance to check out another vehicle owned by him.

This 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren roadster was purchased at Barrett-Jackson by Tyler Hoover. The SLR was built by Mercedes-Benz in partnership with McLaren — they even brought designer Gordon Murray of Mclaren F1 fame on board. Power comes from a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 producing 617 horsepower and mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. That power helps the SLR achieve 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 207mph.

So what do you do when things don’t work out for you? You party in Vegas, of course. In this particular case, Dodge will be partying on March 20, 2023, as it announces the tardy-yet-final, worldwide reveal of its “Last Call” series. And guess what? You’re invited!

Yessir, Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas is the name of the extravaganza, but the cars aren’t the only stars — MotorTrend television personalities Dave Freiburger, Mike Finnegan, KT Jones, Chris Jacobs and Alex Taylor, plus automotive television host Mike “Mr. Angry” Musto and guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, will punctuate the festival.

Additionally, Grammy-winning DJ and producer Diplo will add to the vibes.

In addition to the reveal and the who’s whos, you’ll be able to experience Dodge Thrill Rides, Challenger SRT Demon simulators, a cruise-in, sponsor/vendor midway areas, a post-event concert and more. As you can see, drag racing and performance hi-jinks a-plenty not to be missed!

Of course, Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas will offer a glimpse into Dodge’s electric muscle car future with the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept, the car that will replace the Hemi-powered Charger and Challenger that we currently celebrate.

In addition to the seven “Last Call” special-edition models, Dodge is bringing back three heritage exterior colors for 2023: B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green, plus the modern Destroyer Grey. 2023 Charger and Challenger R/T models will also feature “345” fender badging and a callout to the 345-cubic-inch Hemi under the hood. Under the hood, all 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger models will carry a special commemorative “Last Call” plaque.

Dodge also has launched a new Horsepower Locator online tool to help Brotherhood of Muscle members make the “Last Call” for the model of their choice.

Event tickets, as well as drag racing and car show registration, are now available at www.Motortrend.com/DodgeLastCall. For those who will not be able to attend, you will be able to view the livestream feed at DodgeGarage.com, the Dodge YouTube channel, the MotorTrend YouTube channel and MT+.

So what do you do when things don’t work out for you? You party in Vegas, of course. In this particular case, Dodge will be partying on March 20, 2023, as it announces the tardy-yet-final, worldwide reveal of its “Last Call” series. And guess what? You’re invited!

Yessir, Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas is the name of the extravaganza, but the cars aren’t the only stars — MotorTrend television personalities Dave Freiburger, Mike Finnegan, KT Jones, Chris Jacobs and Alex Taylor, plus automotive television host Mike “Mr. Angry” Musto and guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, will punctuate the festival.

Additionally, Grammy-winning DJ and producer Diplo will add to the vibes.

In addition to the reveal and the who’s whos, you’ll be able to experience Dodge Thrill Rides, Challenger SRT Demon simulators, a cruise-in, sponsor/vendor midway areas, a post-event concert and more. As you can see, drag racing and performance hi-jinks a-plenty not to be missed!

Of course, Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas will offer a glimpse into Dodge’s electric muscle car future with the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept, the car that will replace the Hemi-powered Charger and Challenger that we currently celebrate.

In addition to the seven “Last Call” special-edition models, Dodge is bringing back three heritage exterior colors for 2023: B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green, plus the modern Destroyer Grey. 2023 Charger and Challenger R/T models will also feature “345” fender badging and a callout to the 345-cubic-inch Hemi under the hood. Under the hood, all 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger models will carry a special commemorative “Last Call” plaque.

Dodge also has launched a new Horsepower Locator online tool to help Brotherhood of Muscle members make the “Last Call” for the model of their choice.

Event tickets, as well as drag racing and car show registration, are now available at www.Motortrend.com/DodgeLastCall. For those who will not be able to attend, you will be able to view the livestream feed at DodgeGarage.com, the Dodge YouTube channel, the MotorTrend YouTube channel and MT+.

American Volkswagen executives still want a pickup truck for the U.S. market, and they don’t seem content to let the segment go unanswered.

On Tuesday, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Pablo Di Si told Motor Authority the automaker will look again at the pickup truck segment for America.

The timeline for a Volkswagen pickup to arrive in dealers isn’t clear, but the executive said the current plan is to bring a proposal to the board in Germany in the third quarter of 2023.

Should a pickup truck be approved it would be developed in America for America. Di Si noted that cars built in America for America are more successful as shown by the Atlas crossover SUV, which was designed and developed in America, and is built in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

VW’s potential pickup would leverage current platforms in the automaker’s portfolio, and would be electrified. Expect it to be a unibody vehicle, likely based on the Atlas’ platform.

The Atlas, which was introduced for the 2018 model year and refreshed for 2021, will debut an updated look for 2024 at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show. A next-generation Atlas could be years away.

Volkswagen’s North American Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Andrew Savvas told Motor Authority the next-generation Atlas could be electrified. Di Si noted that it could have a hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain, but a plug-in hybrid model makes more of an impact. “It’s not strategically wise to go into multiple directions for hybrids,” Di Si said.

Any future plug-in hybrid pickup truck or Atlas would not only need to be built in America, but also have its battery pack’s minerals and cells be sourced domestically to qualify for the recent Inflation Reduction Act incentives. If VW does that, however, its battery provider would qualify for up to $45 per kilowatt-hour of battery manufacturing incentives under a different part of the IRA. That could make an Atlas-based PHEV pickup considerably cheaper than any competitor without a plug.

Volkswagen revealed a Tanoak pickup truck concept based on the Atlas at the 2018 New York auto show. At the time executives said the concept was not intended for production and was meant to gauge consumer interest.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.

American Volkswagen executives still want a pickup truck for the U.S. market, and they don’t seem content to let the segment go unanswered.

On Tuesday, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Pablo Di Si told Motor Authority the automaker will look again at the pickup truck segment for America.

The timeline for a Volkswagen pickup to arrive in dealers isn’t clear, but the executive said the current plan is to bring a proposal to the board in Germany in the third quarter of 2023.

Should a pickup truck be approved it would be developed in America for America. Di Si noted that cars built in America for America are more successful as shown by the Atlas crossover SUV, which was designed and developed in America, and is built in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

VW’s potential pickup would leverage current platforms in the automaker’s portfolio, and would be electrified. Expect it to be a unibody vehicle, likely based on the Atlas’ platform.

The Atlas, which was introduced for the 2018 model year and refreshed for 2021, will debut an updated look for 2024 at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show. A next-generation Atlas could be years away.

Volkswagen’s North American Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Andrew Savvas told Motor Authority the next-generation Atlas could be electrified. Di Si noted that it could have a hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain, but a plug-in hybrid model makes more of an impact. “It’s not strategically wise to go into multiple directions for hybrids,” Di Si said.

Any future plug-in hybrid pickup truck or Atlas would not only need to be built in America, but also have its battery pack’s minerals and cells be sourced domestically to qualify for the recent Inflation Reduction Act incentives. If VW does that, however, its battery provider would qualify for up to $45 per kilowatt-hour of battery manufacturing incentives under a different part of the IRA. That could make an Atlas-based PHEV pickup considerably cheaper than any competitor without a plug.

Volkswagen revealed a Tanoak pickup truck concept based on the Atlas at the 2018 New York auto show. At the time executives said the concept was not intended for production and was meant to gauge consumer interest.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.

From this point forward Ram Truck’s first battery-electric pickup will be known as…Ram 1500 REV. This is a slight name change from the “Ram Revolution BEV Concept” that was unveiled last month at CES 2023 and this scribe appreciates the change to a shorter name to offset my poor typing skills.

Production of the Ram 1500 Rev is expected to begin next year and according to a recent Ram Truck press release more information about the electric truck will be available Sunday, February 12. The 12^th is Super Bowl Sunday and I expect a lovely esoteric commercial giving the viewing public some vague details of what to expect from the Ram 1500 REV.

“At Ram, we started a revolution last year as we invited consumers along on the beginning of our electrification journey, gathering their feedback on exactly what they are looking for in an electric pickup truck,” said Mike Koval Jr., Ram brand CEO. “We look forward to delivering our first EV pickup – the all-new Ram 1500 REV – to those consumers next year. We are confident the Ram 1500 REV will push past the competition, offering what will be the leading combination of attributes customers care about the most: range, payload, towing and charge time.”

The only details about the Ram 1500 REV are based on its forefather, Ram Revolution BEV Concept. As with many concept vehicles the final production version will be substantially toned down to make it practical for the market, but from the Ram Revolution BEV Concept at CES 2023 we might be able to get a vague sense of what going down with the Ram 1500 REV.

The Ram Revolution BEV Concept has a quad cab layout with grand saloon doors that open 90° to a B-pillarless cabin and third row jump seats. It has an extendable truck bed with enhanced storage from the reimagined RamBox Cargo Management System, and a 50/50 split multifunctional tailgate. I can foresee this same basic layout on the production version Ram 1500 Rev but the concept trucks might get a slight exterior redesign to tone down the Logan’s Run-style exterior and make it a little less futuristic.

At this point it’s all conjecture on what the Ram 1500 REV will look like and we’re going to have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday to see what Ram Truck has up its sleeve. I have my prediction on what we can expect from the Ram 1500 REV and I’m also predicting the Chiefs will win the Super Bowl. Hopefully I’m right about the Chiefs and I am good with being surprised by the Ram 1500 REV.

From this point forward Ram Truck’s first battery-electric pickup will be known as…Ram 1500 REV. This is a slight name change from the “Ram Revolution BEV Concept” that was unveiled last month at CES 2023 and this scribe appreciates the change to a shorter name to offset my poor typing skills.

Production of the Ram 1500 Rev is expected to begin next year and according to a recent Ram Truck press release more information about the electric truck will be available Sunday, February 12. The 12^th is Super Bowl Sunday and I expect a lovely esoteric commercial giving the viewing public some vague details of what to expect from the Ram 1500 REV.

“At Ram, we started a revolution last year as we invited consumers along on the beginning of our electrification journey, gathering their feedback on exactly what they are looking for in an electric pickup truck,” said Mike Koval Jr., Ram brand CEO. “We look forward to delivering our first EV pickup – the all-new Ram 1500 REV – to those consumers next year. We are confident the Ram 1500 REV will push past the competition, offering what will be the leading combination of attributes customers care about the most: range, payload, towing and charge time.”

The only details about the Ram 1500 REV are based on its forefather, Ram Revolution BEV Concept. As with many concept vehicles the final production version will be substantially toned down to make it practical for the market, but from the Ram Revolution BEV Concept at CES 2023 we might be able to get a vague sense of what going down with the Ram 1500 REV.

The Ram Revolution BEV Concept has a quad cab layout with grand saloon doors that open 90° to a B-pillarless cabin and third row jump seats. It has an extendable truck bed with enhanced storage from the reimagined RamBox Cargo Management System, and a 50/50 split multifunctional tailgate. I can foresee this same basic layout on the production version Ram 1500 Rev but the concept trucks might get a slight exterior redesign to tone down the Logan’s Run-style exterior and make it a little less futuristic.

At this point it’s all conjecture on what the Ram 1500 REV will look like and we’re going to have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday to see what Ram Truck has up its sleeve. I have my prediction on what we can expect from the Ram 1500 REV and I’m also predicting the Chiefs will win the Super Bowl. Hopefully I’m right about the Chiefs and I am good with being surprised by the Ram 1500 REV.