2005 Chevrolet Express 2500 Automatic 3-door Van on 2040-cars

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Experimental mid-engine XP-819 Corvette going up for auction

It seems to be commonplace that when a new Corvette is in development, rumors swirl about a possible mid-engine layout. As is the case of Chevy's most recent C7 Corvette, these rumors never pan out.
In any case, the idea for a 'Vette with an engine mounted behind the driver can probably all be traced back to a single car, the 1964 XP-819 prototype. Built as an "engineering exercise" back in 1964, the prototype was designed with a rear-mounted engine. History tells us that the idea of a rear-engine Corvette fizzled, and the XP-819 was eventually cut up into pieces and stored at a shop in Daytona Beach, FL.
After sitting for untold years, a restoration project started on the car, and while it isn't yet fully completed, the current owner of the car, Mid America Motorworks, will have the car on display at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance as a "driveable chassis" with hopes of having a fully completed car ready to bring to next year's show.

2016 Chevy Volt will have more EV range, bigger battery

Meet the new Volt, not the same as the old Volt. That appears to be the story when General Motors introduces the 2016 Chevy Volt at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Today we're getting some more details on the guts of the new plug-in hybrid, and it turns out they're going to be much improved from the current Volt, which first went on sale at the end of 2010. Sure, the first-gen Volt did get some improvements along the way (a slightly larger battery pack, lane departure warnings) but the new Volt – which will go on sale in the second half of 2015 – marks the first time GM has been able to return to the drawing board and really make the improvements that its customers want. That's how Larry Nitz, GM's executive director of vehicle electrification explained it to AutoblogGreen today when explaining the all-new Voltec extended range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrain. "In the Gen 2 is we gave the engine a little more power, a little more torque, a little more displacement, more capability." – Larry Nitz Nitz said that the new Volt will be better in almost every sense: a bigger battery, longer EV-only range, 20 percent better acceleration in the low speed range and higher overall efficiency. This is due, in part, to the Volt's two motors being able to both act as generators and power the car. As we noted this morning, the 2016 Volt will use a larger, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a version of which is already used in the Chinese-market Cruze. Nitz said that this has a number of benefits, including more power and quieter operation. "Some people would say, why did you make [the first-gen engine] so big. I would say, why did you make it so small?" he said. "It works good, our customers love it, but the reality is that if you go a little bit off and use the car a little harder, you can get the engine to need to operate at a higher speed. In an EV, that's quite noticeable. So, what we did in the Gen 2 is we gave the engine a little more power, a little more torque, a little more displacement, more capability and what it has marginally enabled is not only is it more efficient but it's also quieter." Nitz wouldn't talk about how the new powertrain might affect the two other products that use the Volt's underpinnings – the Cadillac ELR and the Opel Ampera – but if you've got a quieter option, we assume that's something ELR drivers would enjoy. But that's a story for another day.

Malcolm Butler gets the MVP's Chevy Colorado

In the wake of the Super Bowl last week, we reported that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady intended to give the Chevy Colorado awarded to him as the game's most valuable player to Malcolm Butler instead. In our informal poll (to say nothing of the hundred-plus comments that ensued), an overwhelming 86.7 percent of you, our loyal readers, agreed that it was the right thing to do. And now that's precisely what's happened. "After consulting Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady," the automaker said in the press release below, "Chevrolet presented an all-new Colorado pickup to New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler." The rookie, as you may have seen in between the commercials, made the game-saving interception that handed his team the victory, propelling Butler to stardom. "I am ecstatic that Chevrolet has chosen to reward me with a Colorado," said Butler upon taking delivery of his new red pickup. "It is just another unreal event in what has been an incredible week." We can only imagine. Enjoy the truck, Malcolm; you've earned it. Related Video: Upon Further Review, Chevrolet Awards Super Bowl MVP Colorado to Malcolm Butler 2015-02-10 DETROIT – After consulting Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, Chevrolet presented an all-new Colorado pickup to New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, whose end zone interception preserved the Patriots' victory in Super Bowl XLIX. The Colorado was intended to be awarded to Brady, the Patriots' quarterback, in recognition of his Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award. However, Brady and Chevrolet huddled on Monday and Chevrolet determined Butler deserved recognition for his game-saving interception. "I've seen several game-changing moments in big games, and Malcom's interception last Sunday ranks up there as one of the biggest," said Brady. "I appreciate Chevrolet wanting to honor the Super Bowl's top performer, and I'm glad they have agreed to award the Colorado to Malcolm." Said Butler: "I am ecstatic that Chevrolet has chosen to reward me with a Colorado. It is just another unreal event in what has been an incredible week." The Chevrolet Colorado, 2015 Motor Trend Truck of the Year®, was engineered to be the most capable, most versatile and most technologically advanced midsize truck in the market. With class-leading horsepower and fuel economy along with a 4G LTE built-in Wi-Fi hotspot, the Colorado adds a new dimension to the Chevy truck line.