White 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500 Utility Body Pickup on 2040-cars

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Leno drives Ringbrothers' latest, 1966 Chevy Chevelle Recoil

Jay Leno has been checking out quite a few older rides in his garage as of late, but has mixed things up a little this week. Ringbrothers took home an award at the 2014 SEMA Show for the 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle it named Recoil, and now the car has proven it can do more than just look good on Jay Leno's Garage. While the latest guest might look vintage, underneath those classic lines is a thoroughly modern muscle car sporting a claimed 980 horsepower. The heart of this beast is a supercharged LS7 V8 from Wegner Motorsports and a six-speed Tremec manual gearbox. Even with so much power, it can still run on 91-octane pump gas, and when Jay gets on the throttle the result is a wall of sound from the wailing supercharger. Despite the muscle, the Recoil doesn't really scream about its performance aesthetically. The color is a surprisingly plain beige, but the carbon fiber touches and side exhaust certainly indicate that there's something special here. The owner's sole request for the car was to include metal seats, and Ringbrothers provided them with a few bits of leather offering a touch of comfort. After checking the Recoil out from stem to stern, Leno finally gets behind the wheel and treats our ears to pull after pull from that big, supercharged V8.

Corvette owner finds stolen car, but can't get it back [w/video]

It's not too uncommon to hear about owners being reunited with their stolen cars decades after reporting them missing. The story of Terry Dietrich in Georgia starts that way with police finding her lost 1972 Chevrolet Corvette after over 40 years. However, this case takes a different turn because unless she wants to bid on it, Dietrich's likely not getting the 'Vette back. Just six months after purchasing it in 1972, Dietrich's blue Corvette was stolen in Georgia, and in 1975 the sports car found its way to a man in North Carolina. He kept the car right up until his death just a few months ago, and that's when restorer Gary Green bought the 'Vette from his widow, according to Yahoo Autos. Unfortunately, after acquiring the Corvette, Green found some major discrepancies. For one thing, the listed VIN pointed to a '69 convertible, and there was a different serial number on the frame. Green reported the problem to the local police, and they figured out it was the 'Vette Dietrich lost over four decades ago. Consequently, the cops impounded it. The issue now arises that while Dietrich is the victim of the theft, she isn't technically the car's last legal owner. After the Corvette was stolen, she reported the crime to her insurance company, and it paid on the claim, which essentially forfeited her ownership. To make matters slightly more confusing the company can't find the title on the 'Vette either, according to Yahoo Autos. That leaves the well preserved 'Vette sitting in a police impound lot. It will likely go to auction.

OnStar to offer 90-day driving assessment, possible insurance discount

General Motors has announced a brace of new features for OnStar, two of which could help you save money assuming you're willing to sign over some (more) personal details. The first is a driving assessment program in which OnStar takes note of certain driving parameters for 90 days, then provides the driver feedback on their driving, both individually and when compared to other drivers in the program, as well as driving tips. Think of it as OnStar's ICE version of the Nissan Leaf's CARWING feature that compares how efficient your electric driving is compared to other BEV drivers. In this case, though, certain drivers will have the chance to share their assessment with Progressive Insurance, and if the numbers are right they might get a "driving-based" discount from the insurance company. The assessment program is voluntary, and requires opting in. It will be available this summer on all new GM cars and some GM vehicles back to 2013. In case this sounds like Big Brother, let's not forget that Big Brother is already here and moved in so long ago that he's a member of the Kiwanis club and is hosting neighborhood block parties. Progressive already has a million enrollees in a program called Snapshot that tracks OBD II data to offer usage-based insurance to provide annual pricing based on how much you drive your car, with discounts of up to 30 percent. The OnStar effort is just another way to do that. The second feature is proximity offers through AtYourService, which notifies drivers to deals and information on their driving route and provides coupons from RetailMeNot and Entertainment Book. Beyond that, a deal with Priceline will let OnStar agents book hotels for you starting this year, there's a tie-in with Dunkin' Donuts, too, but we're fuzzy on those benefits, and third new feature lets Chevrolet owners know when certain parts need replacing. News Source: Detroit NewsImage Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio Chevrolet GM Technology