Truck of the Day:April 1, 2012

The truck for today is the ERTL '11 Ram 2500.




Edmunds.com

The Dodge Ram changed the truck world in 1994 when it showed that full-size pickups could be made to resemble something other than a cinder block. Like its half-ton brother, the heavy-duty 3/4-ton Dodge Ram 2500 boasted a muscular, rugged look that took heavy inspiration from big rigs -- specifically their "shouldered" fender design and prominent grille. This new look clearly resonated with America's truck-buying public, because Ram sales immediately doubled with the new model and would eventually double once again by 1999.

The most-recent-generation Ram had an even more muscular body and engine lineup, plus a versatile selection of cab styles. In addition to the regular cab, there was a four-door Crew Cab (replacing the long-running Quad Cab) and a Mega Cab that easily lived up to its prefix. Note that although the Dodge Ram technically ceased to be after the 2010 model year, it lives on as the founding member of Chrysler Group's new Ram brand: the Ram 2500.







The most-recent, fourth-generation Dodge Ram 2500 debuted for 2010. Compared to the previous Ram 2500, the most recent generation got revised styling, a more upscale interior, a retuned suspension and the new Crew Cab, which replaced the previous generation's Quad Cab body style.

This Dodge Ram 2500 heavy-duty pickup was available with two-wheel or four-wheel drive and came in a variety of body styles and trim configurations. A regular cab, Crew Cab (replacing the previous model's Quad Cab) and Mega Cab (really big crew cab) comprised the body styles. The Mega Cab was only available with the short bed, while the regular cab was only equipped with the long bed. The Crew Cab was offered with either.

Trim levels consisted of the basic ST, the volume-selling SLT and the luxurious Laramie. Higher trim levels offered standard and optional niceties like dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, Bluetooth and a hard-drive-based navigation system. Off-road-ready packages include the TRX and the Quad-Cab-only Power Wagon.

Standard on all Ram 2500 trucks was a 5.7-liter V8 that made 383 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. This hefty power plant came with a five-speed automatic transmission. For enhanced towing capability, there was a 6.7-liter inline six-cylinder Cummins turbodiesel that produced 350 horses and 650 lb-ft of torque. It was paired with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic.




To learn more on the '11 Ram 2500, check out http://www.edmunds.com/dodge/ram-pickup-2500/




ERTL released this Ram in an ERTL set with a Case IH tractor. Previously ERTL had did the earlier generation Dodge Ram 2500 in several colors. Believe that Johnny Lightning's Tom Z designed this casting. Hightlights include true 1/64 scaling, accurate wheels and an opening hood.




Towing a 5th wheeler trailer with a classic John Deere tractor on board.

Car Of The Day: March 31, 2012

Today's car of the day is Kidco's 1956 Ford Thunderbird.

The Thunderbird ("T-Bird"), is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005. When introduced, it created the market niche eventually known as the personal luxury car.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Ford Thunderbird

The trunk on this model opens, but this particular example doesn't want to stay open.

Ford unveiled the Thunderbird at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954. The first production car came off the line on September 9, 1954, and went on sale on October 22, 1954 as a 1955 model, and sold briskly; 3,500 orders were placed in the first ten days of sale. While only 10,000 were planned, 16,155 were sold in 1955.

As standard, the 1955 Ford Thunderbird included a removable fiberglass top; a fabric convertible top was an option, although commonly specified. The engine was a 292 Y-block V8, which got 18MPG. The car had fender skirts. The exhaust pipes exited through twin bumper guards, which are bolted to the rear bumper.

Created to act as a retort to the Chevrolet Corvette, it was also the first mass produced edition of all the Ford Thunderbird models. A total of 53,166 units were produced for the three model years 1955-1957. It was produced with a Fordomatic automatic or manual overdrive transmissions, and featured four-way powered seats and pushbutton interior door handles. Other unique features were a telescoping steering wheel and a tachometer.

Equipped with a V8 engine, the Thunderbird could hit 110-120 mph. It was a smaller two-seat "personal luxury car", compared to many other much larger cars that were on the road in the 1950s. It was designed to be a brisk luxury tourer, and not a sports car.

For the 1956 model, more trunk space was added, the spare wheel was mounted outside(which helped free up trunk space), the exhausts were moved to the ends of the bumper, and air vents were added behind the front wheels to improve cabin ventilation. To improve rear-quarter visibility with the removable hardtop in place, "porthole" windows were made available as a no-cost option. An optional 312 Y-block V8 was made available for those that wanted more performance. 1956 production was 15,631 units, the lowest of all three 2-seater Thunderbird model years.

For 1957 the front bumper was reshaped, the grille and tailfins were made larger, and larger tail-lights were fitted. The spare wheel moved back inside the trunk, which had been redesigned to allow it to be mounted vertically. The side "Thunderbird" script moved from the fins to the front fenders. A new option was "Dial-o-Matic" 4-way power seats that, when you turned off the ignition, the seat would move back to allow easier exiting. As well as the standard 292 and 312 engines, versions of the 312 were produced in higher states of tune, and even a few McCulloch supercharged versions, rated at 300 and 340 hp (254 kW) respectively. 1957 sales were 21,380, including three extra months of production because the 1958 models were late. The 1957 Thunderbird was the last two-seater Ford sold until the 1982 Ford EXP sport compact car.

Race Car Of The Day: March 30, 2012

Today's car of the day is Racing Champions' 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR stock car (Jimmie Johnson).

From 1972 until the cars end of production, the Monte Carlo was a solid success in NASCAR racing. The big (1973–1977) bodied cars were the dominant body style through the years until 1980, when NASCAR mandated the move to the smaller (110-inch-wheelbase) cars being built by Detroit. The 1981 and 82 stock (referred to as the "flat-nose") Monte Carlo was raced by very few teams and as such only won three races in those years. Starting in 1983 with the addition of the SS nose, the Monte Carlo SS became the dominant body style in NASCAR through the rest of the decade when the car went out of production. The car came back to racing in 1995 when Chevy brought the car back into production and it sparked a mild bit of controversy as NASCAR allowed the car to have wider rear fenders, and as such deviated from factory sheetmetal, that up until that time the race spec cars had to use. The car brought Chevy repeated NASCAR Manufacturers Cup awards until it again was discontinued from production, and was replaced by the Impala for racing.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Chevrolet Monte Carlo & Jimmie Johnson

This is one of the many cars I received as a Christmas RAOK from James (thank you!).  It's the only Jimmie Johnson car in my collection as I stopped collecting NASCAR before he started racing in the Cup series.

Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
Johnson was born in El Cajon, California, and began racing motorcycles at the age of five. After graduating from Granite Hills High School he competed in off-road series. He raced in Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG), Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA) and SCORE International, winning rookie of the year in each series. In 1998, Johnson and his team began stock car racing. He moved to the national American Speed Association (ASA) series for late model touring cars, and won another rookie of the year title. In 2000, he switched to the NASCAR Busch Series (now Nationwide Series).

He moved to Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series in 2002. After finishing fifth in the points in his first full season, he was second in 2003 and 2004 and fifth in 2005. Johnson won his first Cup series championship in 2006 and with further wins in 2007, 2008, 2009 and in 2010 became the only driver in NASCAR history to win five consecutive championships. During the 2011 season, Johnson finished sixth in points. Between 2002 and 2011, Johnson has recorded 55 wins, 228 top-tens, and 25 pole positions.
Johnson became the first racing driver to become Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (U.S.) in 2009, and has won Driver of the Year four times, most recently in 2010.

Car Of The Day: March 29, 2012

Today's car of the day is Matchbox's 1968 Ford Mustang California Special.

In mid-February 1968, the California Ford Dealers (Ford Dealer Advertising Fund) began to market a factory-built, limited-edition Mustang, called the GT/CS, or "California Special". The hope was for a targeted production run of 5,000, but actually, 4118 were made, which included 251 units that were remarketed in Denver, Colorado, as "High Country Special '68". Production ran for only 5.5 months from mid-February 1968 to early August 1968.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Ford Mustang California Special

A great casting, but it suffers from lack of detailing in the front end.  The grill needs a black tampo or it looks wrong.  Even the lack of headlight detailing isn't as bad as the shiny chrome grill.  Despite that, this casting is great, the color is beautiful, and the tampos are realistic.  The only other downside?  This is the ten pack exclusive version.

The Mustang GT/CS features included: Marchal or Lucas Fog Lights, twist-type DZUS hood pins, side scoops, pop-open gas cap, rear spoiler decklid with end caps, and taillight panel with 1965 Thunderbird taillights (non sequential). Side stripes with the "GT/CS" die-cut logo, along with a rear decklid stripe were included, and were available in white, black, red, and metallic medium blue only. It was available in all standard Mustang colors for 1968, all Ford engine and transmission combinations (except 427/C-6, which was dropped for all '68s).

Most produced were the small-block 289 two-barrel (2V) carburetor with C-4 automatic transmission. All regular production factory and dealer options for 1968 Mustang coupes were also available for the GT/CS, other than options that would conflict with the GT/CS package, such as fog lights or C-stripes. The GT option package was available on the GT/CS so some, but not all, GT/CSs are also GTs. The "GT" in GT/CS has nothing to do with the GT package.

Car Of The Day: March 28, 2012

Today's car of the day is Zylmex's 1988 Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 GR.

The Peugeot 405 is a large family car released by the French automaker Peugeot in July 1987 and which continues to be manufactured under licence outside France. It used TU/XU petrol and XUD diesel engines.
The 405 was voted European Car of the Year for 1988 by the largest number of votes in the history of the contest. About 2.5 million vehicles have been sold worldwide in left-hand and right-hand-drive versions, as a berline (saloon) and break (estate).

No coupé was offered to the public, unlike the 504 and 406, as only two examples of the purpose-built 405 Turbo-16 (not to be confused with 405 T16) were made.

The appearance of the car bears similarities to those of the Alfa Romeo 164, launched the same year and also styled by Pininfarina.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 GR

One of the definitive French rally racers.  This one was also done my Majorette.  Black doesn't photograph well- this car has better detail than what's shown.

The most famous motorsport version of the 405, the rallying 405 Turbo 16 GR, was very different from the road-going 405. It was built in a coupe body style in mid-engine configuration, had constant four wheel drive with electronically adjustable center differential like the 205 T16, as it was based on the same technology. At least four were produced, competing in hill climbs and the Paris-Dakar rally. Today, three are in the official Peugeot museum, and the other is in a private collection.

1988: Finnish driver Ari Vatanen set a new record in the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb (an award winning film of the drive titled Climb Dance was made by Jean Louis Mourey). Kankkunen and Piironen win the Paris-Dakar Rally in the 405 T16 GR.

1989: Victory in the Paris-Dakar rally by the Vatanen-Ickx team in a 405 T16 GR.

1990: Victory in the Paris-Dakar rally by the Vatanen-Berglund team in a 405 T16 GR.

Racing 405s much closer in specification to the road-going models were campaigned for several years in European touring car racing during the early to mid 1990s, most notably in the British Touring Car Championship and the French Supertourisme Championship. In Britain, the 405 did not achieve much success, but the car won the French series in both 1994 and 1995, in the hands of Laurent Aïello.

Car Of The Day: March 27, 2012

Today's car of the day is Johnny Lightning's 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt.

The Chevrolet Cobalt is a compact car introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The Cobalt replaced both the Cavalier and the Prizm as Chevrolet's compact car.
The Cobalt was available as both a coupe and sedan, and is based upon the GM Delta platform also shared with the Chevrolet HHR, Pontiac G5, Astra (Opel, Vauxhall, Holden, and Saturn marques), and the Opel Zafira (a seven seat MPV). Also available was a high performance, Super Sport variant. All Cobalts were manufactured at GM's Lordstown Assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The United States Environmental Protection Agency classifies the Cobalt as a subcompact car. Since its introduction in 2004, GM has sold 1,019,842 Cobalts through the 2010 model year.

In 2009, Chevrolet launched the Cobalt's eventual successor, the Chevrolet Cruze (based on the new Delta II platform), in Europe, with launches in other markets (including the US) following in 2010. The Cruze is built in multiple locations around the world including Lordstown Assembly. "The Cruze will build on the already successful Chevrolet Cobalt, Cobalt XFE and Cobalt SS, all of which are nearly sold out in dealer showrooms," said GMNA vice president of Chevrolet Ed Peper. The Cobalt ended production on June 23, 2010.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Chevrolet Cobalt

Former Racing Champions casting that still has the RC logo on the base.

2006: A non-supercharged Cobalt SS was added to the lineup. This car is equipped with a 2.4 L naturally aspirated Ecotec inline-4. The LS became the base model while the LT was marketed as a mid-range package; the top level trim was now the LTZ. In addition, as with most other GM vehicles that year, GM's Mark of Excellence symbol was added to both front fenders near the doors.

2007: Both engines were retuned for more power while retaining the same fuel economy. The 2.2 L Ecotec is now rated at 148 hp (110 kW) with the 2.4 L Ecotec rated at 173 hp (129 kW). Other changes include a new console, new steering wheel and new radio head unit that features an audio input jack. In addition, all models except the LS and LT1 now use a 5x110 wheel bolt pattern. The LS and LT1 retained the standard 4x100. In addition, the 2007 model year marked the introduction of a new 32-bit computer that replaced the 16-bit unit from 2006.

2008: The 2.4 L naturally aspirated, high-output SS coupe and SS sedan were renamed to just "Sport Coupe" and "Sport Sedan" respectively. The new Cobalt SS features a 260 hp (194 kW) turbocharged engine, replacing the Supercharged engine which was offered from 2005–2007. At mid-year, the fuel economy was increased to 25 mpg-US (9.4 L/100 km; 30 mpg-imp)5.5–7.5 km/lite city, 36 mpg-US (6.5 L/100 km; 43 mpg-imp)9–11 km/lite highway on the LS and 1LT, coupe and sedan models with manual transmission; now labeled with XFE badging (X-tra Fuel Economy). XM Radio, side-impact air bags for improved safety, and MP3 player are now standard instead of optional. StabiliTrak stability control system is introduced. Other changes include the adding and removal of several exterior and interior colors. The new SS (turbocharged) coupe launched near the end of May 2008, as it was a facelift from the 2005–2007 version.

2009: The 2.4 L naturally aspirated "Sport Coupe and "Sport Sedan" models have both been deleted, along with the 2.2 L L61 engine. Both are replaced by the 2.2 L LAP engine thus providing better fuel economy and more power, as well an SS sedan has been added to the lineup. Three exterior colors have been changed, and the neutral interior color deleted. Bluetooth capabilities have been added, as well as the option for a reconfigurable performance display. The RPD, only available on the SS coupe, can read out various engine output data and alter performance settings.

Car Of The Day: March 26, 2012

Today's car of the day is Hot Wheels' 1974 Porsche 911.

The Porsche 911 (pronounced as Nine Eleven, German: Neunelfer) is a luxury 2-door sports coupe / GT made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998. Since its introduction in 1963, it has undergone continuous development, though the basic concept has remained little changed.

Throughout its lifetime, the 911 has been modified by private teams and by the factory itself for racing, rallying and other forms of automotive competition. It is among the most successful competition cars ever. In the mid 1970s, normally aspirated 911 Carrera RSRs won major world championship sports car races such as Targa Florio, Daytona, Sebring and Nürburgring, even against prototypes. The 911-derived 935 turbo also won the coveted 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979.

In the 1999 international poll for the award of Car of the Century, the 911 came fifth. It is one of two in the top five that had remained continuously in production (the original Beetle remained in production until 2003), and was until 1998 the most successful surviving application of the air- (now water-) cooled opposed rear-engine layout pioneered by its original ancestor, the Volkswagen Beetle. It is one of the oldest sports coupe nameplates still in production.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Porsche 911

This one is a recent acquisition from Pegers (thanks Dan!) which replaces one that was torn up on the Speed Shift 500 in my younger days.

Model year 1974 saw three significant changes. First, the engine size was increased to 2687 cc giving an increase in torque. Second, was the introduction of impact bumpers to conform with low-speed protection requirements of US law, these bumpers being so successfully integrated into the design that they remained unchanged for 15 years. Thirdly, the use of K-Jetronic CIS Bosch fuel injection in two of the three models in the line up— the 911 and 911S models, retaining the narrow rear arches of the old 2.4, now had a detuned version of the RS engine producing 150 PS (110 kW; 150 hp) and 175 PS (129 kW; 173 hp), respectively.

Race Car Of The Day: March 25, 2012

Today's car of the day is Majorette's 1967 Porsche 907.

The 907 was introduced at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. As suggested by Ferdinand Piëch, the position of the driver was moved from the traditional left (as in German road cars) to the right as this gives advantages on the predominant clockwise race tracks.

With a new longtail body, the 907s reached 302 km/h (190 mph) on the straight even though they used the reliable 220 hp Porsche 910 2000cc 6-cyl rather than the more powerful 8-cyl. Also, vented brake disks were used as standard from now. The best Porsche 907 finished 5th, beaten only by Ford and Ferrari with their much bigger engines.

As the record-breaking performances of the 7.0L V8-powered Ford had triggered rumors about a future rule change, Porsche started to prepare themselves in summer of 1967. The 907 was equipped with the 270 hp 2200cc 8-cyl which was then modified for the rules of the new 3 litre prototype category that was announced in late 1967 to come in effect already in 1968. An engine with the full 3000cc would have to be developed first, though, to be introduced in the future Porsche 908.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Porsche 907

I don't normally collect LeMans style racers but this one was in such nice shape and the price was right.  And the cat sticker won me over.

From 1968, the big V8 and V12 prototypes of Ford and Ferrari were banned, and Porsche hoped to secure the World Sportscar Championship and maybe an overall win at Le Mans as the competition at Ford, Matra and Alfa Romeo was not prepared with suitable 3000cc prototypes yet, either. Ferrari even sat out the whole of 1968 as a protest against the rule change. Apart from the former 2000cc-class rivals Alfa Romeo T33/2 and Renault-powered Alpine, 5000cc sportscars were also permitted to enter if at least 50 of them had been built. This loophole was intended to fill the grid with cars dating mainly from 1965, like Ford GT40 and Lola T70.

Porsche was serious. Unlike during the rather modest earlier years, four cars were entered in the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona, supported by 20 mechanics and engineers. The pilots were fitted with cooling vests developed by NASA as the oil-cooler and the hot oil pipes caused heat in the closed cockpit.

After the #53 car of Gerhard Mitter had a big crash caused by tyre failure in the banking, his teammate Rolf Stommelen supported the #54 driven by Vic Elford/Jochen Neerpasch. When the #52 car of the longtime leaders Jo Siffert/Hans Herrmann dropped to second due to a technical problem, these two also drove on the #54 car in case theirs broke down. Due to this, five pilots won the race, and two of them scored also second. The #51 Jo Schlesser/Joe Buzzetta car completed the 1-2-3 side-by-side parade finish that the Ferrari prototypes had shown a year earlier at the banked finish line. The three Alfa Romeo T33/2's were even beaten by a Ford Mustang.