An Oak Lawn car dealership has started a new and unusual promotion: Buy one 2008 Chrysler Pacifica and get a second car, a 2008 PT Cruiser, for $1.

Frank Mancari started the deal on Saturday as a way to get people calling, booking appointments and visiting his Oak Lawn car lot at a time when many car dealerships are struggling to draw in customers.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Mancari said today, with an enthusiasm only a car salesman can muster. “There’s no secret: the industry is slow right now. We’re trying to generate activity with a great deal.”

It works like this: Mancari said he wants to move the 2008 Pacificas off his lot. Those in stock are priced at $37,000 to $40,000, he said. The vehicles are larger, SUV-style, family luxury cars, he said. The PT Cruiser is also new but has low-mileage, and would give the buyer a more economical vehicle too.

“It’s a great deal,” Mancari said. “These are two great cars.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Euro NCAP moves closer to its vision “for safer cars” with the release of details about the scoring behind the organisation’s new car safety rating. With the implementation of the new rating scheduled for 2009, vehicles tested by Euro NCAP from this date will undergo a much tougher and more comprehensive assessment. Euro NCAP also reveals its high ambitions for manufacturers: without ESC, the achievement of five stars will no longer be possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Kumho is launching the world’s first ultra low profile 15 Series tyre at the 2008 SEMA (Speciality Equipment Market Association) Show in Las Vegas this week (November 4-7).

The 385/15ZR22 size ECSTA SPT KU31 has been developed as a conversion option for such exotic sports cars as the Ferrari F430, Dodge Viper, and Corvette Z06. Read the rest of this entry »

An immaculate McLaren F1 sold for £2.5 million last night at RM Auction’s flagship sale in Battersea, London.

The 1997 example of the iconic McLaren – an ex-Park Lane showroom car with just 270 miles on the clock - fetched £1.1 million more than its estimated value. Money experts described it as a sound investment in times when even the banks seem unsafe.

via Autocar

The new TECHART Aerokit I for the new Porsche 911 model is characterised by its unrivalled exterior design and its inner values: optimal aerodynamic values, confirmed by wind tunnel tests and high quality polyurethane RIM throughout. And, of course, all produced at the company’s manufacturing site in Germany.

TECHART is presenting its programme for the new Porsche 911 models at the Essen Motor Show from 28 November to 7 December 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

A Polish driver who was too sure of his GPS road navigation device ended up neck-deep in a lake after ignoring road signs warning of a dead-end ahead, Polish police said Friday.

“The man took a road that was closed a year ago when the area was flooded to make an artificial lake serving as a water reservoir — he ignored three road signs warning of a dead-end,” Piotr Smolen, police spokesman in Glubczyce, southern Poland, told AFP Friday. Read the rest of this entry »