A little about the show-
The basic idea is to blend a gearhead tech show with skits and comedy parodies that make it entertaining and fun to watch. We won’t have a bunch of American Chopper drama, we will have fun! The first 5 episodes will each take on a small project and show the viewers how to complete the task and there will be a lot laughs along the way. Think about Saturday Night Live mixed with Good Eats (it’s a cooking show). I think this will be a really great series and I am excited to bring it to you guys.

Click the tab above to view the Kickstarter and pledge!

Then I drove the new ATS. First off, this car is like a spaceship. The sharp, dramatic lines are stunning, The interior is flatout incredible, and driving it, oh man, this car is so much fun to drive.

The ATS is a real car, meaning it is rear-wheel drive, and seeing as how it tips the scales at less thn 3400 pounds, the ATS is a a lightweight speed demon. Under the hood are 3 options- a 2-liter turbo making 272 hp (same engine as the Buick GS), a 2.5 liter I4 with 202 ponies, and the 3.6 liter V6 that pumps out 321 horsepower, one of the most powerful production V6 engines on the market. This potent 6-banger builds 11.5 compression, but it is rated for regular-grade gasoline. When coupled with the 6L45 6-speed automatic in paddle-shift mode, the ATS is pure fun to drive. 5th gear is an overdrive at .85:1, 6th gear drops the revs significantly with its .67:1 ratio. The manual 6-speed gearbox is a single overdrive, at .80:1 in 6th. Weight distribution is a near perfect 51.5/48.5 bias, and drifting the ATS through the corners is easy as can be.

The rear suspension is an IRS design with an optional limited slip. One of the coolest technologies to come out of GM in a long time is the magnetic shock control, and the ATS puts it to good use. We put the Caddy through the ringer and it just begged for more. As crazy as it sounds, you don’t need a V8, the 321 horsepower V6 has more than enough power to haul the ATS into the 150-MPH range with ease. While we would certainly not balk at an LSA-powered ATS, it would be overkill on a collosal scale. I might actually leave the traction control on if it had a V8…

The upper-end models get Brembo brakes, and if you want to drive hard, you need them. Most Cadillac buyers are not after the ultimate driving machine, but Cadillac has finally reinvented itself. The CTS-V platform has been extremely popular, the new ATS continues that performance heritage to the masses with a more affordable model that can still fit a family of four comfortably.

On that note, however, 5 people do not fit. Even putting a small 8 year-old in the middle seat is no fun. The problem here is the driveline tunnel, it takes up all the leg roo for the rear center passenger. But that only effects those that need to haul 5 at a time.

If you watched a television in the last 6 months, you have likely seen the ATS vs. the World campaign. This series of commercials took the ATS around the world to some of the coolest and craziest roads in the world, and took the ATS to the edge and beyond. This is serious driving machine, one that will give anything else on the road a run for its money.

We're gonna need a bigger winch....

So Ford gave me a 2013 Raptor to play with for a week. I have been waiting for a while to get my greasy hands on one of these bad boys and finally I get one. We had plans to take it out to the sand dunes at Little Sahara in Waynoka, OK, but an ill-timed stomach virus derailed my plans (though I did shave 10 pounds in 3 days, so that was nice). I had to get some cool GoPro shots of the Raptor off road, and since the weather gods had been kind enough to soak the ground over the last week with 6 inches of snow that quickly melted, there was plenty of mud. We took the Raptor out and had some fun times doing high-speed donuts around Lone Chimney Lake in Glencoe, OK. We even managed to get the 434-hp SVT dirt demon airborne, it handled that quite well (unlike those other guys).

Hauling ass through the mud and brush is the most fun you can have in a Raptor, period. Getting stuck, however, sucks. On the way out of the area, we thought it would be cool to splash through the water. There were recent tracks going through the same spot, so it looked safe. Wrong. Apparently, this was actually really soft clay and the 6,000-pound sank. To the frame. It pretty much just came to grinding halt in the thick clay. We tried diggin it out, no dice. We broke a 10,ooo-pound winch off its mounts on Jeep. This sucker was plain buried and it was not coming out. With a massive snow storm on the way, we knew the clock was ticking. With a 4×4 tractor on the way, we had one last opportunity to get the Raptor out- a 1-ton dually 4×4 diesel with 5.32 gears and lockers on the both ends. Using a snatch block and a heavy cable, we were finally able to get the Raptor out of the mud and back in the action. Luckily we caught the action on the GoPro. Classic Redneck.

By the way, the Raptor is my favorite new truck. This thing has the most room of any big truck I have driven, ever. My three kids were actually comfortable in the back seat, with tons of leg room. Who cares if it only gets 13 MPGs, it’s a hell of lot of fun.

Here is how I suggest we solve this dilemma Top Gear America-  Have me on the show for a viral video gearhead challenge. Make sure we both have access to the same vehicles and production facilities and then we will let America decide which is better. What do you say?

My video:

Top Gear America’s:

Anybody should be able to see the similarities. I am throwing down the gauntlet Top Gear America. Will you pick it up?

Sunday:
01-13-13: The reveal of the 2013 Corvette
As a gearhead, the Corvette represents 2 things- the epitome of American performance and sport, and to many musclecar freaks, the bastard that hogs all the factory go-fast goodies for itself. A lot of horsepower junkies hate the Corvette for its gold-chain and sansabelt slacks-wearing owners who bitch and moan when they see a ‘vette with a wrong colored bolt on the alternator. The problem is that these guys make so much noise, the rest of the Corvette enthusiasts get overshadowed. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of the modern Corvettes; the C7 however may just change my mind. At first look, it is a Corvette, but then you start to see the different styling cues that take this plastic fantastic to a new place, particularly a certain southern European locale. The slow slope of the rear window and the high peak of the rear quarters scream “Ferrari” to me, and that is a good thing. Up front, the grill fascia feels very much like an Aston Martin, also a very good thing. The new Corvette Stingray is an all-American sports car that has a very exotic feel, and I like that. A lot. Not to mention all of the technology that is inside the C7- reactive shifting, electric power steering and some really cool aerodynamic engineering.

At the reveal, we got to hear from CEO Mark Reuss about how the Corvette is the reason he works at GM. Corvette is the true American sports car, and the passion it breeds inside the world’s largest automaker is inspiring. Nobody gets excited like this over a Corolla.

Monday:
Have shoes, will travel
I am not a big suit and tie person, I am usually found wearing shorts and T-shirt, so dressing up for the most formal auto show in America was a little uncomfortable. I may be wearing slacks and a button-down, but I still have on my Sketchers because there was a lot of floor plan to cover. The GM booth alone was 48,000 (yes, thousand) square feet. Unlike the SEMA show, the booths here are huge, with just about every automaker in the US market represented. Every hour there was a different reveal or press conference, it is impossible to catch them all, not that I would want to. I really don’t care about the new Toyota anything, unless it was being shot up by a mini-gun with Kari Byron in a bikini at the trigger. Now that I would be willing to wait in line for…..

I did manage to get a good spot for the Mercedes-Benz E-class reveal. The E-class lineup isn’t all new, just a facelift, but that didn’t stop Merc CEO Dieter Zetsche from bringing out Bruce Hornsby and The Range to soothe our ears with classic tunes while the cars were being driven on stage. I mean seriously, Bruce Hornsby, a Steinway and the “Way It Is”. Damn near went out and bought an SLK after that one!

The Cadillac ATS won North American Car of The Year, and having driven one last week, I can honestly say they got it right. The ATS is a stellar achievement for Cadillac- rear-wheel drive, 321 hp V6 and some of the coolest soft-touch buttons I have ever seen. The ATS has potential to be considered a luxury muscle car, and I mean that in the realest possible way. The pair of black stripes it leaves at every stoplight are a testament to its potential.

After the show, I got to have dinner with the Buick social media group, and as the biggest Buick fan on the planet, it was a highlight. I won’t go into too much detail here, but Buick, Cuban Mojitos, and bongos came into play…

Tuesday:
CEOs and Engineers
Mark Reuss, the CEO of General Motors is a passionate car guy. You have to be in order to take control of a company in a downward spiral desperate for smart decision making. You can’t bring the greatest automaker on the face of the planet out of a tail spin with econoboxes and pretentious hybrids. You need excitement, enthusiasm and innovation. You also can’t win the market with a competitive attitude. If you go into a fight saying “I’m going to be competitive”, you are going to lose. Reuss said “You need a winning approach in order to win”, which makes complete sense to me. You either dominate or you get rolled over. The new C7 Corvette is the first win for GM since the bankruptcy and GM is extremely proud of it, as well they should be. The Cadillac ATS is a stellar achievement as well, and the new Caddy ELR is yet another win for the greatest automaker in the world. GM is back.

At the new Cadillac ELR reveal, it was asses and elbows, I had to fight my way to get a good spot. While it looks like a typical Caddy, it is anything but. This is the first EV (electric vehicle) from Cadillac, (the Escalade hybrid doesn’t count), based on the Volt platform, but with technology and style that only the Telsa can compete with, and at a far better price point. The ELR is aggressive in interior styling, using cut and sewn upholstery on everything, innovating controls and unparalleled comfort. While I am not yet on the EV bandwagon (I like the idea, but have not yet whole-heartedly embraced it), the ELR goes a long way to combine luxury and style with EV technology. If you don’t think electric vehicles will eventually dominate the market, you are living under a large rock with blinders on, listening to Kenny G. In other words you are crazy. It’s happening.

GM gave me a tour around the new GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado trucks. Being from Oklahoma, I have been a truck guy my whole life, I have owned many classic Chevy trucks over the years, I currently have 3 in my stable as a matter of fact. The new Sierra has aggressive looks that I really like, a new direct-injection all-aluminum V8 and all the technology on the inside that you could possibly want. It has me seriously thinking about hitting the dealership in a couple of months and buying one, and I don’t say that lightly, I need a new truck and the Sierra has everything I want in one.

Anytime a manufacturer allows journalists to actually speak with engineers is especially precious. Engineers have a bad habit of letting secrets spill because they are excited about what they are working on, so they don’t get let out that often. Cadillac took a few of us to dinner and brought some engineers along, particularly in the Electrification arena. I enjoyed discussing the merits and drawbacks of EV in rural areas and overall I came away with good impressions of things to come. Expect something in the near future in the truck market that will revolutionize the industry. I wish I could say what it is, but I don’t know either, I just know that something is coming very soon and it is going to be impressive. World changing even.
The auto show was fun; I learned a lot and will be sharing more over the next few days. Until then, please enjoy the gallery below of some the coolest new cars and concepts. I may have even thrown in a few duds to rag on too.

The video will begin at 7PM