Galpin Auto Sports joins new Pimp My Ride on MTV

Galpin Auto Sports joins new Pimp My Ride on MTV
West Coast Customs is out and Galpin Auto Sports is in on MTV's new season of the Xzibit-driven car makeover show Pimp My Ride. Galpin is well known for customizing all manner of Ford product for decades and has a rich history as one of the Blue Oval's most colorful dealerships. In addition to the design talents provided by Galpin's own Beau Boeckmann, the new season of Pimp My Ride will also feature a familiar face in Mad Mike, who used to work for West Coast Customs and host the show shotgun style with Xzibit. Check out this page for some examples of Galpin's past work (like the above "deceased" themed F-150) before the new season airs on June 15th.

Novitec Rosso's twin-supercharger Ferrari F430

Novitec Rosso's twin-supercharger Ferrari F430

The newest creation of German Ferrari tuners Novitec Rosso is their interpretation of Ferrari's F430.

Wind tunnel-developed aero enhancements include a front splitter, side skirts, a new rear wing and an enhanced rear diffuser.

Underneath, various suspension options are offered, including a 1-inch lower suspension kit with double-adjustable shocks and stiffer anti-roll bars. The Novitec Rosso F430 rolls on 19- and 20-inch custom five-spoke wheels, available in conventional 5-stud or racer-style center-lock mounts and shod with 255/30 and 345/25 Pirellis. Tucked inside the alloys are a set of ceramic brakes made for Novitec by Brembo.

But the crowning touch is found in the engine compartment - a dual supercharger induction system that takes the F430 powerplant to 636 hp, good for a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds, en-route to a top speed well over 200 mph.

Novitec's interior treatment befits the car's performance orientation, with lightweight sport seats and a sport steering wheel.

Price? Well, if you have to ask... the twin supercharger conversion alone will run you over $70,000 by the time you throw in the matching exhaust system and carbon-fiber airbox upgrade. American shoppers can check out the U.S. distributor, Claus Ettensberger Corp. (of CEC Wheels fame), for full details.

Charting Detroit's decline on a Chevrolet Impala timeline

Charting Detroit's decline on a Chevrolet Impala timeline
In a New York Times piece penned today by Micheline Maynard, the author charts the decline of the Detroit and the rise of Asian automakers as seen through the lens and fortunes of the Chevrolet Impala. It's an interesting glimpse into how a top-tier, mainstream (read: non-automotive) publication reads the Big Three's conundrum. As one might reasonably expect for a piece designed to be read by non-enthusiasts, it's arguably oversimplified, but it remains a worthwhile read regardless, if only to see how mainstream media is portraying the issue.

New York Auto Show: Volkswagen Passat gets aggressive

New York Auto Show: Volkswagen Passat gets aggressive
Volkswagen of America is showing this racy Passat in New York, equipped with an appearance package derived from the Passat R GT concept that debuted at SEMA in November 2005. It seems that the concept got such rave reviews that VW decided to offer the aesthetics portion of package as a factory option, starting this fall.

Priced at $4,500, the VW-installed kit includes redesigned front and rear fascia, a honeycomb grille, side skirts, a "harmonically integrated tailgate lip," new exhaust tips, 18-inch titanium-colored alloy wheels, 225/45 Pirelli high-performance tires, and performance lowering springs. The components will also be available individually from any VW dealership.

Unfortunately, the option package doesn't include the 500 hp twin-turbo 3.2-liter V6 that nestled under the hood of the concept car - that's left up to you and your favorite tuner.

The Passat's aggressive treatment comes to us courtesy of the creative folks at VW's "Moonraker" U.S. project group - the people who dreamed up the GX-3 three-wheeler. Photos of the original SEMA-version R GT after the jump.

Nissan Versa getting Scion-like sport package and accessories

Nissan Versa getting Scion-like sport package and accessories
Nissan has announced that come January it will be offering Scion-like sport package for its Nissan Versa sedan and hatchback. While not going as far into the customizing scene as Scion, Nissan will offer items in the order of shift knobs, floor mats and the like in addition to body pieces that include a rear roof spoiler, side sills, a more aggressive front fascia and foglights. These items will likely be sourced from NISMO, and a special color may also be made available for this new sport package.

Apparently the name of NISMO doesn't carry as much cache as Scion's, otherwise Nissan wouldn't have felt the need to refer to these new optional items as "Scion-like" accessories. Toyota should take this compliment as proof positive it has made a mark in the econo-sport segment.

More fun with Photoshop at MonsterMonster

More fun with Photoshop at MonsterMonster
Judging from your positive comments on our post highlighting the digital designs of André Schaefer at CWW Designs, we thought we'd bring to your attention another site along the same lines. MonsterMonster is a monthly e-zine (remember those?) that features reader submitted Photoshop renderings of cars in various states of tune. Many of the photochop jobs even exhibit the original source picture as a comparison, like the Corvette Z06 shown above. We particularly enjoyed the "Competitions" section in which amateur artists throw their hats in the ring each month for nothing more than pride and the respect of their peers.

From cameras to Vision (software): How GPS companies map the world

From cameras to Vision (software): How GPS companies map the world
Currently two companies, Navteq and Tele Atlas, provide the data used by nearly all GPS manufacturers. But how do they assemble all that information? Analyst Craig Ellison recently had a chance to find out as he accompanied Tele Atlas data collectors on one of their mapping trip.

First, each team receives maps on what roads to survey as their assignment. One member drives the customized Toyota Sienna and stops every thirty feet. The other member then gathers data via the high-resolution cameras mounted on top of the van. Images range from restricted-speed zones, HOV lanes, to highway splits. Each image is geocoded (i.e., marked with its location) which is later assembled and analyzed by Tele Atlas. Another division, driving around in Honda CR-Vs, checks or updates the first fleet's information. We'd hate to be the team that checked out this cliff in Crockpot.

Our own Chris Paukert got to check out the Tele Atlas Sienna in person at this year's CES show, as well.