Auto Industry News: Barbie Jeep Competition, King of the Hammers, Aston Martin & More

It takes the perfect combination of newsworthy and pure stupidity to snag a top spot in our weekly auto industry news collection. Look no further than the Second-Annual Barbie Jeep Race at King of the Hammers.

What exactly is Barbie Jeep Racing, you ask? Well, it’s the kind of event likely conceived as a result of too much testosterone and excessive alcohol consumption. Yet onlookers are tickled pink, no pun intended. And as it turns out, there’s quite the interest in two guys duking it out as they tumble down a hill in a toy car. In fact, prizes were given out this year. “Barbie Jeeps, grown men, unforgiving gravity and hilarious crashes,” said Justin Banner of JK Forum. What more can someone possibly want?

King of the Hammers

For those more interested in hardcore off-road competition, Shannon Campbell took home his third Nitto King of the Hammers trophy. This event brings “the titans of off-road racing together for a grueling, marathon competition that takes no prisoners,” said Four Wheeler Network. And it serves as one helluva show for spectators!

“Shannon’s son Wayland trailed his father by a mere 28 seconds, for a father-son 1-2 victory. Third Place was won by Jason Scherer, the 2009 KOH champion. Bailey Campbell, daughter of Shannon, placed 26th with a time of 10:40:36. One of only 50 vehicles that finished out of a starting field of 122,” said Four Wheeler Network.

2017 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon RECON

We continue on the off-road front with Jeep’s announcement of the 2017 Wrangler Rubicon Recon. Those itching to get their paws on a new JL will have to wait a little longer. JK sales remain the focus with this special edition release. Aside from fancy decals and a nice paint job, the Recon actually features some real-deal upgrades.

“The front Dana 44 axle receives strengthened axle tubes with heavy-duty end forgings and heavy-duty cast front and rear differential covers. The unique rock rails are specially designed to accommodate 35” tires, a popular upgrade among JK enthusiasts. As with other Rubicons, the Recon features Jeep’s Rock-Trac transfer case with a 4:1 low-range. In addition to the axle and drivetrain upgrades, the Recon has a 1/2″ lift and 32″ BF Goodrich KM tires, available body-color fender flares, a dual-vent Power Dome hood and 17″ low-gloss Granite Crystal painted alloy wheels,” said Four Wheeler Network.

Those willing to pull the trigger on a $40,000+ price tag will enjoy an eight-speaker audio system, black leather seats with signature Rubicon embroidery and red accents throughout. Pretty snazzy for a king of the offbeat path.

Chicago Auto Show

The Chicago Auto Show is the talk of the town this week. And why shouldn’t it be? It’s the nation’s largest of its kind for consumer shopping, according to Autoblog. And it certainly rolled out the red carpet for stunning eye candy and big debuts.

Nissan opted for the less refined but highly coveted Star Wars theme with its X-Wing-inspired Rogue. “In addition to the droid-equipped Rogue-Wing, there’s a massive inflatable Death Star hanging from the rafters; scale-replica models of the Y-Wing Starfighter, TIE Striker, AT-ACT and X-Wing Starfighter; and Stormtroopers. Yes, actual Stormtroopers, or at least actors dressed up like them,” continued Autoblog.

In addition, Mazda is looking to up its game in the luxury market. And the CX-5 appears to be inspiration for the evolution. “One of the themes of our discussion was the company’s desire to move its lineup toward a more premium, upscale feel and image, both in terms of vehicle design and powertrains,” said Autoblog.

“Mazda’s upcoming diesel engines are another piece to the premium puzzle. The company will finally offer a diesel on the CX-5. While Mazda planned not to use urea-injection, it finally resorted to the system so the engine could both meet performance benchmarks and emissions standards,” continued Autoblog.

And the number of new and/or special edition trucks captured attendee attention as well. The highly anticipated Nissan Titan, 2018 Toyota Tundra TRD, 2017 Ram Trucks 1500 Copper Sport Special Edition, 2017 Ram Trucks Heavy Duty Night Edition and Chevy Silverado Double Cab LT Z71 were front and center.

Aston Martin

In the area of alternate power, look no further than the Aston Martin AM-RB 001 Hybrid. It features a lightweight hybrid battery system supplied by Rimac, the Croatian company behind the all-electric Concept One supercar.

“Last summer, Aston Martin dropped its AM-RB 001 hypercar on the automotive world,” said Super Street. And the automaker promised Formula 1 levels of performance, for which we simply can’t wait.

“The Aston Martin AM-RB 001 will be powered by a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 designed and built by high-performance engineering firm Cosworth. That engine will be mated to a seven-speed paddle-shift transmission developed by Ricardo Engineering. Exact power output remains unknown, but Aston says the AM-RB 001 will have a power-to-weight ratio of 1:1 that’s one horsepower for every kilogram of weight. Curb weight for the carbon-fiber-intensive car is estimated to be between 2,200 and 2,400 pounds, so figure somewhere in the realm of 1,000 hp,” continued Super Street. Long story short, start saving your pennies. That is if you’re even fortunate enough to snag one!

(Check out another expensive ride below!)

Electric Movement

And for those of us that can only aspire to own an Aston Martin, God made the more affordable Chevy Bolt EV. This bad boy is getting ready to join Maven’s fleet, GM’s car-sharing service. Autoblog announced, “According to GM representative, Stefan Cross, GM will add Bolt EVs to the service within the month. They should be a nice complement to the service’s existing fleet of Volts”

But here’s the catch. The cars will only be available in California, specifically Los Angeles and San Francisco. “It isn’t particularly surprising that GM is planning to launch shared Bolts in the electric hot-spots of San Francisco and Los Angeles. But the location of San Francisco is interesting for other reasons as well,” said Autoblog.

“Just recently, video was released of an autonomous Bolt EV picking up a GM executive and dropping him off. It clearly was being tested for use as a car-sharing vehicle, and GM confirmed that San Francisco is one of the test sites for its autonomous Bolt program. However, Cross wouldn’t say anything more about when self-driving Bolts may end up in car-sharing fleets. The only thing he would say was that the Bolt would be an ideal platform for an autonomous vehicle considering its long electric range.”

Know of a wild vehicle build in your neighborhood that could use a little extra exposure? Shoot us a message and we’ll see if it’s Engine Block material! Until next week’s auto industry news, folks!