Ford is slowly revealing details on the refreshed Edge lineup for 2019. After debuting the ST version earlier this year, the automaker is showing off a new Titanium Elite appearance package.The 2019 Ford Edge Titanium Elite features unique 20-inch wheels, full body color sides, and a premium rear skid plate. The model makes its official debut at the Chicago auto show this week.With the Titanium Elite, Ford is looking to capitalize on the increasing popularity of higher-end SUVs. Sales of higher-trim SUVs for the Ford brand rose 6 percent over the past four years.During this same time, Ford experienced an 8-percent bump in sales of higher-trim Edge models, including the Titanium and Sport. The Sport model has been replaced with the ST for the 2019 model year, and it features a sport-tuned suspension along with a 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6 making 335 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque.Recently, Ford CEO Jim Hackett said the company was looking to reallocate $7 billion away from cars to SUVs … [Read more...] about 2019 Ford Edge Titanium Elite Package Debuts in Chicago
Chicago
F Yeah! Special Edition Lexus GS F and RC F Models Chicago Bound
Lexus’ “F” performance brand turns 10 this year and the company is bringing two special anniversary edition 2018 GS F and RC F models to the Chicago auto show.These limited editions made their global debut at the Tokyo show last year and both are scheduled to arrive at dealerships in the summer—only 240 RC F and 100 GS F models are slated for the U.S.The RC F coupe and GS F sedan both pack a 5.0-liter V-8 engine that delivers 467 hp and 389 lb-ft of torque. The pair sends power to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and the GS F sedan features a standard torque vectoring rear differential.Both sport a fresh coat of matte finish Nebula Gray paint and roll on polished black multi-spoke 19-inch wheels with blue brake calipers, and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires.Like blue? Inside gets plenty of blue carbon-fiber trim with blue leather accents on the window panel and dashboard. Fancy engraved plaques alert passengers to the car’s … [Read more...] about F Yeah! Special Edition Lexus GS F and RC F Models Chicago Bound
Nissan turns a 370Z into the perfect winter toy for Chicago
Like all good sports car owners should, most Nissan Z-car owners will put away their summer-rubber-equipped 370Z Roadsters the minute the temps drop, opting instead for winter beaters -- that is, unless you have Nissan’s Chicago Auto Show toy, the 370Zki. The aptly named show car replaces its fickle summer tires for snow-ready skis up front and tracks out back.If you’re thinking about doing this to your own 370Z, you might think again. To make room for the rear tracks, Nissan had to have a custom lift kit developed for the 370Z to raise its suspension enough to clear the tracks. Even with the extra ride height, Nissan had to modify the rear wheel wells to add clearance for the tracks. Nissan also had to remount the rear springs and reroute the brake lines. Custom spacers were made to attach the tracks to the factory rear hubs.Up front, it’s a similar story. Nissan massaged the front suspension to get a level ride height. Custom spacers were also made to attach the … [Read more...] about Nissan turns a 370Z into the perfect winter toy for Chicago
Nissan 370Z Snowmobile Ready to Ski into Chicago
Nissan hasn’t redesigned the 370Z in about a decade, and it will soldier on essentially unchanged for the near future. But lest we forget about the model, Nissan built this insane snowmobile version. In roadster form. The project vehicle, dubbed the 370Zki, is debuting at the Chicago auto show alongside a special, snow-ready Armada.Following in the tracks of the Pathfinder, Murano, and Rogue Winter Warrior concepts, the Nissan 370Zki gets enormous Dominator rear snow tracks from American Track Truck, but also dons front skis that are 56 inches long and 12 inches wide. To make room for the tracks, Nissan first had to take the entire drivetrain out of the stock 370Z. Eventually, the seven-speed automatic and 3.7-liter V-6 were put back in, and the car still makes 332 hp like the normal model. It also retains its rear-drive setup.The sporty snowmobile also features a custom lift kit that raises the car by 3 inches. Nissan modified the front … [Read more...] about Nissan 370Z Snowmobile Ready to Ski into Chicago
Nissan Unveils 370Zki and Armada Snow Patrol Concepts at Chicago
SOMEWHERE WEST OF JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming – Nissan 370Zki concept builder Randy Johnson suggests keeping the roadster’s seven-speed automatic shifter in “D”, though after several runs down a short course here, it’s clear the paddle shifters are well-suited for helping the car grab onto the packed snow and ice.Mash the throttle to the floor and the tachometer bumps off the redline through first and second. The rear tracks catch full traction in third as the 370Zki’s 332 horses make the engine buzz like an angry V-6 snowmobile breathing through dual exhausts.American Track Truck front skis and Dominator Tracks rear tracks make the Nissan 370Zki a quick, fast, audacious snowmobile that can handle the esses of our course—which is probably between a quarter- and half-mile—like a proper sports car. Nissan has done this sort of thing before, with the ’17 Rogue Warrior at the New York International Auto Show, and in 2016 with a Murano, … [Read more...] about Nissan Unveils 370Zki and Armada Snow Patrol Concepts at Chicago
Nissan 370Zki concept teased for Chicago Auto Show
The Chicago Auto Show will play host to, among others, the Nissan 370Zki (pronounced ‘ski’) concept car, and despite the vehicle’s own conspicuous absence in the teaser video shown, it does seem to be capable of kicking up some snow. As the name suggests, the 370Zki concept is based on the Nissan 370Z, and though no technical details were present in this teaser footage, Carscoops suggests that the 370Zki could be a tracked vehicle, owing to its name. Beyond that, the 370Zki’s snow-traversing specification and appearance is left mostly to one’s imagination.In 2018-model year guise, the base production 370Z continues to be powered by a 3.7 litre naturally aspirated V6 engine, producing 332 hp and 366 Nm of torque. Transmission is to the rear wheels, via either a six-speed manual with downshift rev-matching or a seven-speed automatic. The sportier, 350 hp Nismo version also continues to soldier on for this model year. Concept the snow-tracking 370Zki may be, … [Read more...] about Nissan 370Zki concept teased for Chicago Auto Show
Toyota Teases New Off-Road Truck Variants for Chicago
Toyota is teasing its “next batch of trail-ready four-wheelers” ahead of their debut at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show. Do you see them? They’re those tiny white specs way in the distance. We don’t know much yet, but we can tell they’re variants of the Tundra, Tacoma, and 4Runner—possibly new TRD Pro models.Toyota has historically used the Chicago Auto Show to debut its latest truck offerings. Last year, the brand unveiled refreshed versions of the Tundra and Sequoia, along with the lifted RAV4 Adventure. The year before that, it brought out the 2017 Tacoma TRD Pro to the Windy City.Though the vehicles are in full view, this teaser doesn’t tell us much because they’re so far away. We can see they’re finished in white and wear black wheels and grilles (like the current TRD Pro models), but other than that there’s not much we can glean from this photo. The Tundra and 4Runner TRD Pro haven’t been changed much since they were … [Read more...] about Toyota Teases New Off-Road Truck Variants for Chicago
Ford Shelby GT500 could debut next month in Chicago – UPDATE
Update — The organizer of the Chicago Auto Show said the reveal listing was an error and that the car will not be at the show next month.Just last week, Ford gave us a brief teaser of the 700-plus-horsepower Shelby GT500, the big bad Hellcat-eating sibling of the GT350. There's been no official word about when we might see the car, but Mustang 6G.com earlier reported that the GT500 will make its debut next month at the Chicago Auto Show. That link has since been pulled down, but the forum has been been fairly accurate in the past. Unless Ford — like Dodge with the Demon — has several months worth of teasers planned out, Chicago seems like a good bet to us, too.We don't really know more than we did last week, but watching the teaser above will give us a few good clues. The car will be powered by a supercharged version of the 5.2-liter V8 that's under the hood of the GT350. In that guise, the engine makes 526 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. It also uses a … [Read more...] about Ford Shelby GT500 could debut next month in Chicago – UPDATE
Ford Shelby GT500 could debut next month in Chicago
Ford gave us a brief teaser of the 700-plus-horsepower Shelby GT500, the big bad Hellcat-eating sibling of the GT350. There's been no official word about when we might see the car, but Mustang 6G.com earlier reported that the GT500 will make its debut next month at the Chicago Auto Show. That link has since been pulled down, but the forum has been been fairly accurate in the past. Unless Ford — like Dodge with the Demon — has several months worth of teasers planned out, Chicago seems like a good bet to us, too.We don't really know more than we did last week, but watching the teaser above will give us a few good clues. The car will be powered by a supercharged version of the 5.2-liter V8 that's under the hood of the GT350. In that guise, the engine makes 526 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. It also uses a flat-plane crank, helping the engine reach a sky-high 8,200 rpm redline.The video shows a more aggressive aero package, but it's difficult to tell what's just … [Read more...] about Ford Shelby GT500 could debut next month in Chicago
Remember when: Soldier Field in Chicago once hosted a NASCAR Cup race
Soldier Field, located hard on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, only blocks from the iconic skyscrapers of Chicago, will forever be known primarily as the home of the Chicago Bears and one of the National Football League’s landmark stadiums. It comes as a surprise to many, however, that Soldier Field also has a long and strong history in auto racing. Yes, auto racing. A cinder track was built inside the stadium in the 1930s. It later was paved, and several varieties of motorsports were contested on the surface until the 1960s. Included was one visit by what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series — on July 21, 1956, 15 years before the Bears moved into Soldier Field. Photos shot in the 1950s show stock cars circling the track with the stadium’s huge grandstands and columns in the background — a weird sight for those whose perspective of Soldier Field is limited to football. It seems almost impossible to imagine today, but back in that … [Read more...] about Remember when: Soldier Field in Chicago once hosted a NASCAR Cup race