In our first segment, we told you how much fun the naughty soccer parent can have with the 2008 HHR SS on the road. Life is more than just quarter mile times and apexes though, so can the hyped up pie wagon make the rational parent as happy as the delinquent? In a word, yes.

Of course before we head to the utility side of things, we must address the duds the interior is sporting. Red, red, everywhere there is red. There are crimson inserts in the doors, around the seats and well…I’m not sure where else. The red is the first thing passengers see and it is guaranteed to make any teams’ soccer mom the most popular ride to hitch. The kids just love the funky interior. Oh yes, adults seem to dig it too. Couple the scarlet hue with a few well placed SS badges and the neighborhood takes notice.

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Once in a while you come across a statement that is so terribly funny that it can only be called EPIC. The following quote comes from the Cobalt SS Network, from a sadly misinformed enthusiast. One can only hope that he learns something from the 20 pages of comments.

So we all know that the supercharged engines need the intake bypass valve so they work in reverse. Otherwise the supercharger would just suck all the air out of the cylinder. So knowing that, how does the turbocharged version work in reverse? The engine is trying to suck air backwards, yet the turbo wants to spin forward so I don’t see how it works. Is there some sort of exhausting intake bypass valve on the turbo version? Also, if it does have the valve, does that also mean that it can make boost in reverse? Like how much boost? Like 5 psi or does it go over 20?

Can anyone help me sort this out?

Of course it gets even better when he pops up again on page 2

wow, lots of replies already, thanks guys

Real reason I’m asking because a friend is getting a 93 Corvette and he wants to race me. I said we can race to 30 mph because I think if I go from reverse I’ll get better weight transfer and beat him, but I’m concerned about making full boost since the turbocharger will be spinning backwards.

I damn near shot my KFC lunch across the room a second time after I read that one!

Via Los Jalops

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As we headed towards Mosport for the vintage festival last week, it seemed fitting that we were cruising in Chevy’s retro styled HHR. Fortunately, this was no plain Jane grocery getter either. We were headed for some twisties where the turbocharged 2008 HHR SS could get it’s boogie on. With pie wagon styling, substantial chrome wheels and pumping out 260 ponies this machine was just perfect for a dragging the cooler and cameras up for a day at the track, not to mention a few dance steps along the way.

Over the past years, we haven’t owned a car with overly sporting intentions. Reason? Kids. A herd of them. There hasn’t been too many vehicles conceived over the years that are capable of hauling a family of 5 and a bunch of their junk that can do double duty as a weekend warrior. The two jobs have distinctly different needs. Lately though, several automakers have managed to combine the needs of a parental taxi with the wants of an autocrosser.
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Even a good problem could be bad when it comes to the Detroit Three. Take for example the story of the highly successful Chevrolet, Malibu.

The good part of the equation for General Motors is that the retooled family sedan, which has won rave reviews, is basically out of stock. It seems like a good supply of the Malibu’s will not appear on showroom lots until we hear birds chirping and flowers blooming again in the spring.
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Start licking your chops and get ready to come in for the kill if you have been in the market recently for a full size pick-up. It appears that the Chevy Silverado is the injured prey waiting to be consumed.

I don’t get it. If you are just a casual viewer of current events, you saw the imminent collapse of the housing industry in America starting to unfold months and months ago. This means bad news for trucks used to make the construction industry move. It appears the Armani clad economists working for GM somehow missed the story.
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What could be cooler than a vintage Cheetah race car? How about a new Cheetah race car! This is a NEW Bill Thomas Cheetah, built under license by BTM in Arizona. The car is vintage legal and even comes with an HSR log book. The car has a 377 cube Chevy bowtie block and has been dyno’d at a whopping 523 ft-lbs of torque. No horsepower numbers are given, but with that much torque I doubt we need to ask.

Visit the auction site and the Cheetah site for more info

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When I think about vintage adds I remember many of them from watching the single TV station we had when I was growing up on my parent’s ranch. The ones that seem to stand out after all these years were the Kodak commercials that were always on during the Wonderful World of Disney show and the Chevrolet commercials that were on during every Bonanza. Both of those shows appeared every Sunday night and back in those days watching a TV show was a family affair. (Boy have things changed.) How many of you remember the Chevrolet theme song sung by Dinah Shore?

See the USA in your Chevrolet
America is asking you to call
Drive your Chevrolet through the USA
America’s the greatest land of all

On a highway, or a road along the levy
Performance is sweeter, nothing can beat her
Life is completer in a Chevy
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A few weeks back at SEMA Toyota gained fanfare when they unveiled the 2009 Matrix. I say fanfare because SEMA is not usually the venue to show off new OEM stock product. But Toyota did, and now Chevy unleashes the next salvo in LA, the 2009 Vibe, its head on challenger to the Matrix.
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The American International Auto Dealers Association has reported on findings by AutoPacific that studied which cars are more masculine or feminine by nature.

If you end up on the opposite end of the gender scale from your God given attributes, it might be time you traded in your current drive before neighbors start talking.

King of macho appears to be the testosterone laden Chevy Silverado heavy duty pick-up. Statistics show that 93% of truck buyers are men. The clincher for the Silverado lies in the stat the 9 out of 10 heavy duty pick-ups on the road are owned by manly men. And those dudes love the Silverado.

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