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Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Truck, Europe, Chevrolet, Porsche, Specialty

If you like Porsche sportscars, may we suggest that you avert your eyes. Ironically, we’d still recommend the same if you aren’t a fan of Stuttgart’s Cayenne. Because if you thought that Porsche having an SUV was tough to swallow, that ain’t nothin’ compared to what’s been done to this Chevrolet SSR.

Outfitted with the wheels, brakes and what appears to be a number of interior pieces from the Porsche 911 GT3, this particular SSR seems to be suffering from something of an identity crisis. (We dare not ask what the donor Porsche came away looking like). But that’s not all: the owner appears to have made some unique modifications to the body as well, including a whale’s mouth (ostensibly in, um… “tribute” to the GT3’s whale tail spoiler, which rather surprisingly has not been fitted to the Chevy’s bed cover) and rather small (presumably high-intensity discharge) headlamps.

If you’re wondering when you might happen upon the unique creature, this mod job is far away from U.S. roads in Rügland, Germany, and comes to us via the magic of the internet. You’re welcome. However, it can actually be yours for one easy payment of $105,000. No, we’re not kidding. But if you’re actually contemplating dropping that much cash on something like this, perhaps you might consider letting us steer you towards greener pastures, like, perhaps a genuine Porsche?

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: Epic custom Chevy SSR thinks it’s a Porsche GT3 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, BMW

Click above to view the video after the jump

Question for BMW owners: Have you ever been so excited about your Bavarian beauty that you went all Tom Wopat and dove into the driver seat without opening the door? We’ve been in quite a few Bimmers ourselves, and while the driving experience is usually pretty damn good, we’ve always just opened the door.

After the jump, a new commercial gets creative by showing BMW owners of all walks of life getting physical with their German wheels. If a Golden Girl jumping through the X5’s moonroof and a guy leaping off a roof into a 1 Series makes you want to perform stupid stunts with your BMW, please reconsider, and if you still must, kindly make sure to have cameras rolling. We’re sure Tom Bergeron is anxiously awaiting your video.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading VIDEO: People get all jumpy when it comes to their new BMWs

VIDEO: People get all jumpy when it comes to their new BMWs originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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	Review: 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible is just right Bridging the gap between the base Corvette and the track-focused Z06, the Grand Sport - unlike the aluminum chassis Z06 and ZR1 - is available in both coupe and convertible form, giving ‘Vette lovers another way to enjoy motoring al fresco.		Review: Moto Guzzi V7 Classic is an Italian beauty you can live with With the V7 Classic, Moto Guzzi has created the most Italian UJM ever. And while that might be a contradiction in terms, its blend of power and comfort can’t be denied.
	Grassroots Motorsports’ Tim Suddard picks ten future Japanese collector carsk What if future collector cars weren’t limited to American muscle or exotic Europeans? What if relatively cheap and reliable Japanese cars were the new must-haves at auction? GRM’s Tim Suddard lists off the top ten Japanese vehicles bound for collectors’ garages, and we weigh in with our own take on his picks.	Other news of import Penske walks away from Saturn deal, brand to “wind down” Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo concept ready to move your eco-friendly goods Revamped for 2010 Nissan Altima says hello, gets priced from $19,900 Officially Official: Fernando Alonso signs with Ferrari F1 for three years Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV comes with a plug, extra cocochi

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 9.30.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Hyundai, Police/Emergency, Specialty, Luxury

By now, vehicles like the Genesis and Equus have convinced most of how far Hyundai’s come from bring the purveyors of punchline hatchbacks. But in case that wasn’t enough, Hyundai has dropped the bigger-than-the-average-bear Equus VL500 limousine on the home market. Still not enough? How about presidential-grade armored versions, then?

That’s precisely what Hyundai has built for Cheong Wa Dae, the seat of the South Korean president. Three of them were built and handed over to the Korean Presidential Security Service, and they’ll be used at the upcoming G20 summit scheduled to be held in South Korea next year. Few details have been released, but the trio of armored Hyundais are said to be capable of withstanding the blast of 15 kilograms of TNT, putting it around the sixth or seventh level of the police certification which Mercedes-Benz and BMW use for their armored vehicles. The armored Equus stretches may not measure up to President Obama’s Cadillac, but they are certainly a long way from the Getz, and they are apparently the nation’s first-ever homebuilt armored limos.

[Source: The Chosun Ilbo]

Trio of bulletproof presidential Hyundai Equus limos are first-ever armored stretches built in Korea originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Audi, BMW, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GM, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Saturn, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo

Although auto industry money is a bit tight at the moment, in order to sell vehicles, automakers have to buy advertising. Lots of advertising, in big, expensive campaigns with high production values and creative that’s at the vanguard of style. Advertising agencies that can handle the needs of giant clientele with international brands are still happy to welcome automotive accounts through the doors.

Advertising Age has taken a look at the still-big auto advertising business and what fifteen assorted manufacturers drop on advertising per year. Landing one of these big vehicular fishes would surely make an account executive smile, though AdAge rightly posits that some of are sexier than others. Toyota spends the most at more than $800 million, with Ford coming in second at nearly $700 million. The biggest accounts don’t seem to be in any danger of having their deals come up for review, however, so it may be easier to poach someone who’s already looking, like Chrysler or Volvo. Hit the link for all the figures.

[Source: Advertising Age]

What’s Worth What? AdAge looks at values of automakers’ marketing accounts originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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