1970 Chevelle Malibu on 2040-cars

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Steve McQueen's last movie car, now Pawn Stars-owned, up for auction [w/video]

The last car Steve McQueen ever drove in a movie is officially up for auction. The 1951 Chevrolet Styline DeLuxe Convertible you see above is now owned by none other than Rick Harrison of Pawn Stars fame, but once ferried McQueen around the set of his last film, 1980's The Hunter. That flick saw the Bullit star play a bumbling bounty hunter and didn't exactly set the box office on fire. McQueen bought the car after production wrapped, and four years later it sold at his estate sale at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas.
Flash forward to 2003, and the convertible received a full restoration back to near-stock specifications. Hagerty Insurance estimates the car to be worth around $45,000 without the significant providence. Given its ties to one of film's most popular gearheads, the old Chevrolet could fetch up to 10 times that when it goes under the gavel in Ft Luaderdale, Florida on March 22. You can head over to the Auctions America site for more information. You can also check out the trailer for The Hunter below.

Former Fisker CEO has some advice for Tesla Motors

Former Fisker Automotive CEO and ex-Chevrolet Volt vehicle-line director Tony Posawatz has some words of caution for Tesla Motors. The long-time automaker executive questions the California automaker's long-term viability – and gives some praise – in a talk with Benzinga, which you can listen to below. While the all-wheel-drive D that Tesla unveiled earlier this month in Southern California wowed a packed crowd, Posawatz (starting at around minute 4:45 in the interview) says Tesla would've been better off taking the resources it expended toward that Model S upgrade and directed them towards speeding up the development of a more affordable plug-in. Perhaps a number of investors agreed, since the company's stock fell the day after the D was announced. Posawatz says Tesla has been over-reliant on the sale of ZEV credits. Posawatz also says that Tesla has been over-reliant on the sale of zero-emissions vehicle credits in California for its earnings and questions whether the automaker will ever work at a large enough scale to sufficiently drive down costs and make consistent profits. Tesla CEO Elon Musk would take issue with this characterization. Posawatz first made his mark in the plug-in vehicle world when he was the vehicle-line director at General Motors for the Volt extended-range plug-in from 2006 to 2012. Later that year, he joined extended-range plug-in maker Fisker Automotive as its CEO, though quit that job during the summer of 2013 as the company was descending into insolvency. He joined the Electrification Coalition this past March. News Source: Benzinga Green Chevrolet Fisker Tesla Electric PHEV Tony Posawatz

GM recalling over 40,000 Chevy, Pontiac and Saturn models over fuel pump woes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall for a number of General Motors cars and crossovers bought or currently registered in the hot-climate states of Arkansas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oklahoma and Texas. As many as 40,859 units consisting of the 2007 Chevrolet Equinox, Pontiac Torrent and Saturn Ion and the 2007-2009 Chevrolet Cobalt (shown) and its Pontiac G5 twin are being recalled for potential fuel leaks.
This recall is being issued due to potentially faulty fuel pump components that can crack and cause gasoline to leak from the return or supply ports and possibly cause a fire. NHTSA has not indicated how many fuel leaks or vehicle fires have been reported. As a fix, GM will replace the fuel pump modules on all affected vehicles free of charge. Since Pontiac and Saturn have been shuttered, owners will be able to go to another GM-brand dealership to have their vehicles repaired.
While the list of affected cars and crossovers varies by state and model year, if you own any of these models and live in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, Oklahoma or Texas, be sure to check the official notice below for more details.