Aurelia Butler

Jeep customers have been known, a time or two, to modify their vehicles. As the brand adds EVs to its lineup, this isn’t expected to change. At least, not if the Electromod CJ Surge concept for the 2022 SEMA show has anything to say about it. The big deal here is an Electric Drive Module that provides energy through battery modules and power through a 200-kW motor. The customizers of tomorrow could also opt for the CJ Surge’s four-wheel-drive system and two-speed transfer case.Visually, the CJ Surge combines Copper Canyon body paint with gloss black and Surf Blue accents, with a sprinkling of EV touches here and there.As the Jeep brand moves deeper into electric vehicles in the real world, Mopar is bringing an “[exploration of] an efficient battery-electric propulsion system of the future” called the Electromod CJ Surge concept to the SEMA show this year. The EV hints at the tremendous options that Jeep thinks enthusiasts will want as they customize their future cars. StellantisBasic and blocky in black and orange, the CJ Surge combines classic Jeep design with next-level EV do-it-yourself thinking. Unsurprising, since this is coming from Mopar, Stellantis’s parts and accessories arm. Across the Jeep UniverseMost exciting here is the powertrain. A scalable 400-volt, 200-kW Electric Drive Module sits at the heart of a modular system that could be installed in classic Jeeps. In the CJ Surge, the customized four-wheel-drive system uses a two-speed Jeep transfer case with selectable gearing. Mounted in the rear of the passenger cabin sit 24 lithium-ion battery modules of unspecified capacity, but we’re not worried about made-up potential range numbers for a one-off concept like this. StellantisStellantisInstead, the CJ Surge is about the pieces that were used to make it. On the visual front, that includes the Copper Canyon body, gloss black and Surf Blue Surge graphics, and oversize concept fender flares, all of which make for an appealing Jeep EV you could easily imagine driving along the ocean. All-terrain 35-inch BFGoodrich tires with 18-by-9.0-inch Black Rhino Solid wheels have plenty of travel room thanks to a two-inch lift kit. Other exterior design features of note include a Jeep Performance Parts Wrangler JK Rubicon Bumper Kit with a front winch, Surf Blue tow hooks, and amber LED fog lamps. EV-specific items include a custom charge port and a Mopar gauge that shows the battery’s state of charge.StellantisThat gauge sits above a Wrangler JK center console with a rotary shifter knob. The two seats—custom, of course, with black Sedoso cloth, houndstooth fabric inserts and Surf Blue stitching—sit on top of concept seat risers for elevated viewing. The driver gets to control a custom steering wheel with a unique JPP horn pad badge. The roll cage and fabric top are both custom-made for this concept. Much More MoparSEMA runs November 1–4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Aside from the Surge concept, Mopar is bringing another 10 concepts or modified vehicles including the Ram 1500 Backcountry X and TRX Gold Shot, along with eight Jeep custom vehicles that are making their SEMA debut this year. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

If you’re interested in sprucing up what Mopar considers the “most powerful pickup truck in the world,” consider some bold graphics and high-contrast interior stitching.That’s the message the Ram 1500 TRX Gold Shot concept sends out from the SEMA show this year as a showcase for Mopar accessories.If the visual upgrades aren’t enough, you can enjoy the pair of matching motorcycles in the bed.There is no such thing as too much at SEMA. Case in point: this Ram 1500 TRX Gold Shot concept.Mopar started with a 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX, which it modestly called “the apex predator of the production-truck world” and the “quickest, fastest, and most powerful pickup truck in the world.” Then it added side-spanning TRX graphics in Satin Bitter Yellow and Satin Black, custom Vintage Bronze 18-by-9.5-inch Black Rhino Chamber wheels, and 37-inch BFGoodrich tires.StellantisAs is suitable for a Mopar vehicle, the TRX Gold Shot concept serves as a truck-sized showcase for official accessories. In back, it’s got both a retractable bed step and dual five-inch black Mopar exhaust tips. The RamBar accessory bar behind the cab holds two bright, 14-inch LED concept lights from TYRI that can blast the scene with up to 4300 lumens. Up front and in the back, custom metal skid plates with laser-etched Mopar lettering protect the underside, while Mopar rock rails protect the side sills. The front skid plate increases the approach angle by 2.3 degrees, to 32.5 degrees. Much More on the TRXThe dashboard and console are stock items from the Ram 1500 TRX production mode, but that’s not the case with the seats or the cabin’s fabrics. The whole thing is well done without being overdone, in black with stitching and accents in yellow variants Gold Spinneybeck and Alaska Gold. The sport seats are wrapped with Capri leather and have perforated Alcantara inner bolsters. StellantisStellantis To highlight the Gold Shot’s adventure vibe, the bed holds a pair of matching gold and black motorcycles, and the interior has a vinyl floor, taken from the Ram 1500 Tradesman, for easier cleaning.StellantisAside from the TRX Gold Shot, Mopar is bringing another 10 concepts or modified vehicles. The Jeep CJ Surge and eight other Jeep custom vehicles plus the Ram 1500 Backcountry X concept are also making their SEMA debuts this year. SEMA runs November 1–4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Practical, custom storage and work spaces are the focus of the Ram 1500 Backcountry X concept, which Mopar is bringing to SEMA this week.New storage concepts for the RamBox cargo management system add 12.3 cubic feet of storage, and the telescoping storage-rack system from the Ram 1500 Outdoorsman concept is reworked here.Two desk or work surfaces are built in, one between the front bucket seats and another in the tailgate. There’s even a vacuum cleaner under the rear bench seats.Adding tons of cargo space and customized storage options to the standard Ram 1500 truck, Mopar’s Ram 1500 Backcountry X concept vehicle makes its debut at SEMA this week. The concepts explored here involve work, practical storage, and a bit of style. StellantisUp first are new ways to use the RamBox cargo management system. The Ram 1500 Backcountry X concept features newly designed storage compartments for the RamPack that are located above the standard RamBox on each side of the bed. Mopar said the design doesn’t compromise the functionality of the truck’s bed. The compartments include shelves, vertical bin dividers, and tie-down loops to contain whatever you’ve put into the 12.3 cubic feet of extra space.Rams from All AnglesMopar said the Ram 1500 Backcountry X uses a telescoping storage-rack system that was first shown on the Ram 1500 Outdoorsman concept at last year’s SEMA show. There is also a custom RamGate task-bench insert designed for woodworkers on the inside panel of the tailgate. There are extra Thule crossrails above the bed and two-inch TYRI LED lights on the corners of the RamRack.StellantisThe Backcountry X isn’t just about hauling more gear. The exterior two-tone exterior blends Matte Iced Silver Titanium and matte black. The truck also has a two-inch lift kit with Fox shocks and four Mopar 5-inch LED off-road lights on a tubular grille guard. The wheels are 20-by-9.0-inch matte black Fuel Heater units with 37-inch BFGoodrich tires. Tube steps on the side rails and a rear bed step help people get up into the truck.The interior features front-row bucket seats in neutral green, with orange accent stitching that matches the anodized orange air vents. Envisioned as a working vehicle, the Backcountry X Concept has a 12-by-14-inch deployable work surface between the two front seats. There’s even a concept RamVac onboard vacuum cleaner under the second-row bench seat.Mopar at SEMAAside from the Backcountry X, Mopar is bringing another 10 concepts or modified vehicles. The Jeep CJ Surge, the TRX Gold Shot, and eight Jeep custom vehicles are also making their SEMA debuts this year. SEMA runs November 1–4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Yeah, Jonathan Ward gets plenty of ink, video views, and time with Jay Leno. Why? Because his shop, Icon, keeps producing nasty things like this: a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL powered by a GM LS9 supercharged 6.2-liter V-8. The LS9 is the engine installed in the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and is rated at 638 horsepower in the GM Performance Parts catalog as a crated unit. The engine is backed by a massaged GM 4L85E four-speed automatic transmission. The car will make its debut at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this week.Here’s a clip of this warped transatlantic conglomeration through a nearby tunnel and along a few roads. It doesn’t sound much like an old Mercedes.This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.ICON Derelict Mercedes 300 SEL, MODIFIED with an LS9 SUPERCHARGED!!Watch onWard has produced this thing as part of his “Derelict” line of customs that retains the weathered appearance of older vehicles while stuffing them full of modern performance pieces and adding the luxury plucks to go with their $450,000 (to start) price tags.From the C/D ArchiveEven though the W108 and W109 series of large Mercedes sedans (built between 1965 and 1972) are renowned as the base for the epic 300SEL 6.3, it’s not a structure with the strength to handle this much thump. After all, the 6.3’s M100 big 6.3-liter V-8 was only rated at 247 horsepower when the car went on sale for 1968. So the LS9 has it beat by almost 400 horsey powers.Icon 4x4So, as Icon does with many Derelicts, it has been fitted with a custom ladder frame produced by Art Morrison Enterprises in Fife, Washington, that is fitted with an all-independent suspension system, rack-and-pinion steering, massive Brembo brakes, and loads of expensive stainless steel fittings. The new frame meant re-engineering the entire structure of the vehicle, originally built as a unibody, including a new floor.Perhaps the tastiest element of the car’s appearance is the one-piece billet aluminum wheels fitted with tires that squeeze under the fenders almost erotically. Yeah, that’s right, erotically.Icon 4x4Ward is known for his obsessive attention to intricate details, and the 300SEL is filled with them. New wood trim, some sort of super stealthy mega-sound system, heated this, ventilated that, it’s all carefully here and carefully hidden.How fast is this thing? Let’s go to Jonathan Ward’s shop in verdant Chatsworth, California, and find out. Soon.This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

The FIA WEC Endurance Championship Hypercar class continues to grow, now with the addition of a newly developed Ferrari race car. After announcing in February 2021 that it would join the class that replaced LMP1, Ferrari has revealed its entry, the 499P. The 499P will enter competition as a Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) type and represents Ferrari’s return to the top tier of endurance racing some 50 years after the 312P’s last run. Ferrari tooks the wraps off its newly developed Le Mans Hypercar racer at Imola today, signaling its return to top-class endurance racing, and we were there as the automaker revealed the 499P. The public will see it in action in a matter of months, as it will contest the 1000 Miles of Sebring, which takes place in mid-March 2023. Since it’s an LMH type, Ferrari was able to develop its own chassis for the 499P, as opposed to the LMDh types in the same class whose chassis must come from either Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier, or Oreca. The 499P meets the class’s balance of performance standards by topping out at a combined 670 horsepower, and though LMH type rules do not mandate a hybrid system like those for LMDh, it does have one. And unlike LMDh cars, the 499P is allowed to be four-wheel drive, with an Xtrac seven-speed sequential transmission sending power from the gas engine to the rear wheels while a differential splits torque from the single ratio electric motor up front. The 499P derives its name in the Ferrari racing tradition, referencing the displacement of its 2992-cc twin-turbocharged V-6, which shares the architecture of that found in the 296GT3 but has been reworked not only to reduce weight but to fulfill its unique role as a load-bearing piece of the 499P’s structure. The electric motor at the front axle is powered by a 900-volt battery pack, charged by Ferrari’s Energy Recovery System (ERS), which recharges during deceleration and braking and requires no external power source. The hybrid system in the 499P is purpose-built for the car but was heavily influenced by technology used in Ferrari’s Formula 1 program. Speaking to the assembled press, the head of GT racing car design and development, Ferdinando Cannizzo, laid out how the various Ferrari racing programs contributed to the 499P’s development; that while technically it’s much more of an F1 car in the design of its chassis and aero, it was the GT side that had the heaviest impact on the final car—that they’re essentially from “the same book.”Intensive Regimen of TestingCannizzo also spoke of the intense testing regimen that has brought the 499P along so quickly—or not so quickly, as the case may be. While it was just over a year between the February 2021 announcement of Ferrari’s LMH program and initial track testing, Cannizzo said the team had its initial concept running in the simulator some three months earlier, in December 2020. Lots of simulator time—before and after each track test, a full season’s worth of virtual lap time, as well as bringing two prototypes to track days focusing on performance and reliability—helped get the 499P where it is so quickly. So did testing along Ferrari’s GT teams, as well as a 488 (presumably either a GT3 or GTE) running alongside as a reference. While dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June is undoubtedly a priority, the 499P is slated to make its racing debut on this side of the Atlantic first, with the 2023 1000 Miles of Sebring this coming March.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Established in 1967, Flex Automotive has a chain of 50 dealerships across Japan, taking modern Toyotas and giving them retro looks. Now the company is coming stateside.Launching in San Diego, Flex will offer 1990s and 2000s Toyota Land Cruisers backdated to look like the FJ60 of the 1980s. There will also be a new U.S.-only offering based on the Tacoma pickup.The creations are called “Renocas,” an appealing blend of up-to-date underpinnings and nostalgia.Nobody does nostalgia quite like the Japanese. At first, it was Nissan with its quirky little Pike Factory cars. Then it was Japanese dealerships keeping the original Rover Mini on sale until 2000. Oddball coachbuilder Mitsuoka currently has a full order list for its Buddy, a Toyota RAV4 gussied up like a 1980s K5 Blazer. Now, a bit of that blend of old and new is headed to this side of the Pacific. Flex AutomotiveFounded in the late 1960s, Flex Automotive now runs a large chain of dealerships in Japan, each one specializing in either the Toyota Land Cruiser or the Toyota Hiace (a minivan not sold here). These are boutique shops, where customers come in and spec their Toyota carefully, creating something that looks old but drives new.Flex AutomotiveYou can obliterate the day’s productivity with the company’s online car configurator. It’s endless fun, although, sadly, the likes of the friendly-looking Euro Box are not available in the U.S. But the Land Cruiser options will be.Flex is opening up its first U.S. dealership in San Diego this winter, where it will be perfectly situated to part tech workers from their cash. What could better suit a 20-year-old with a six-figure salary than a weekend adventure machine that looks like a 1980s Land Cruiser, but is essentially brand-new underneath?The conversions—called Renoca for “car renovation”—are high-quality affairs, using steel rather than fiberglass. Flex’s Wonder evokes the details of the 1980s Land Cruiser models based on a 1990s platform, while its 106 applies that same ethos to a 1999 to 2007 Land Cruiser. The centerpiece for both is the front fascia, with its simple grille and round headlights.Flex AutomotiveThe company has also announced an upcoming Tacoma-based offering, which will be its first U.S.-only vehicle. No details yet, but based on Flex’s established recipe, expect the elements of Marty McFly’s black Toyota pickup applied to a more modern truck.Cult FollowingToyota pulled the Land Cruiser from the U.S. market, with the last run being the 2021 model year. Prices for used ones are through the roof already, which makes Flex’s boutique offering well timed. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but it should be in the range of $20,000 plus the cost of a donor car. It’s not quite the Singer of Land Cruisers, but it is a really cool way to get the brand-new golden-era Toyota truck of your dreams.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Unlike most states, which have a department or committee that approves custom plates, Maine has no approval process. Drivers took advantage, printing out plates with any and all obscenities you could think of. That’s about to change, according to the Associated Press. Maine has begun to issue recall notices to people with obscene or offensive plates in an effort to clean up the streets, AP reports. The notices are going out to enforce a new set of rules established by the state’s DMV last year. Plate SpecialsThe rules ban derogatory references to age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, or disability. They also ban language that’s considered profane or obscene, and language that could incite violence. To give you an idea of just how obscene some of these plates can be, there is currently a license plate on a car in Maine that simply reads “F*** Y0U,” except on the plate, it’s spelled out in its entirety, according to Autoblog. A committee has been set up at the Maine DMV to review any custom plate requests going forward. The committee will also be responsible for handling complaints from the public on current plates. AP reports there are roughly 124,000 custom plates on the road in Maine right now, though only about 400 of those could be subject to recall by the state. So if you live in Maine and have an offensive license plate, don’t be surprised if you see a letter in the mail asking to give it up. This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More