1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Solid Southern Vehicle 5 Speed Conversion on 2040-cars

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The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is the all-wheel-drive Hellcat you've been waiting for

If the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT was the venerable SUV cranked to 10, the new Trackhawk goes to 11. Actually, make that 707, because the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is a Hellcat by another name. Under the hood is the same 707-horsepower supercharged V8 from the sinister corporate cousins Charger and Challenger. The torque rating drops just a bit to 645 pound feet, versus the 650 of the Hellcats, but we don't think many people will be too upset. Especially since Jeep claims the Trackhawk is capable of a 3.5-second 0-60 mph run and a quarter-mile time of 11.6 seconds. The former is right in line with the Challenger Hellcat. View 24 Photos The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk also offers a unique difference to the Hellcats, and its not the SUV body style. The Trackhawk is all-wheel-drive. Power goes from the supercharged V8 to an 8-speed automatic and a single-speed transfer case. There's also an electronic limited slip differential at the back. Jeep beefed up the transfer case with a wider chain that features forged sprockets. The rear drive shaft and half shafts have been strengthened to handle the extra power. Power is split 40/60 front and rear in the default automatic setting, and becomes more rear biased in more aggressive driving modes. In the sportiest "Track" mode, power is split 30/70. In the least aggressive "Snow" mode, power is split 50/50. The sportier drive modes also firm up suspension and decreases shift times. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Helping manage all the power is a high-performance suspension with adaptive Bilstein shocks. The suspension lowers the SUV a full inch compared with normal Grand Cherokees. Wheels are 20 inches in diameter and 10 inches wide wrapped in 295-millimeter wide tires, either all-seasons or optional three-seasons. An optional forged set of wheels is available, too, which Jeep says will save 12 pounds of weight. The wheels are stopped by Brembo six-piston calipers and 15.75-inch rotors up front, and four-piston calipers and 13.73-inch rotors out back. Jeep says the front brakes are the largest ever fitted to one of its vehicles. Visually, you'll be hard-pressed to tell a Grand Cherokee Trackhawk from the current SRT variant. The bumpers and fender flares are roughly the same. But a tell-tale sign is the lack of fog lights.

What will Detroit do with the abandoned AMC headquarters?

As with so many other industrial and residential properties in Detroit, the former headquarters for the American Motors Corporation is having a hard time finding a reputable buyer. In October the Wayne County Treasurer held a tax foreclosure auction of 25,000 properties that included the AMC building, the starting bid being $500. Nicholas Casab won the building for $500, but the county voided the sale when Casab didn't pay the $232,000 in back property taxes. Detroit authorities haven't commented on the failed sale, but the city has until January 4 to decide if it wants to keep the building. If it doesn't want to hold onto it, the 1.5-million-square-foot property on 57 acres might be ceded to the Wayne County Land Bank Corporation. No matter who holds the deed come January 5, all anyone really wants is for someone to take possession of the building who will actually turn it into something useful and viable. The property opened in 1927 as a factory for the Kelvinator Corporation. Over the following decades, Kelvinator merged with the Nash Motor Company, and that merged entity merged with Hudson Motor Car Co, becoming American Motors. Chrysler took over the building in 1987 when it bought AMC, then shuttered it in 2009. The complex has produced refrigerators, Sikorsky helicopters, Jeeps, AMCs, and was used as an engineering center for Jeeps and other Chrysler products. Having been through several hands in the past six years, it is cited as part of the cycle of abandonment plaguing Detroit. Related Video: News Source: Detroit Free Press Government/Legal Chrysler Jeep Auctions Detroit amc

Autoblog Podcast #417

Episode #417 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, and Brandon Turkus talk about what we're expecting to see at the upcoming 2015 Chicago Auto Show that kicks off on February 12. Of course, the podcast starts with what's in the garage and finishes up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #417 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics 2015 Chicago Auto Show In The Autoblog Garage 2015 Bentley Continental GT Speed 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor Long-Term 2015 Volkswagen GTI Long-Term 2014 Jeep Cherokee Hosts: Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, Brandon Turkus Runtime: 01:25:53 Rundown Intro and Garage – 00:00 Chicago show – 27:37 Q&A – 47:27 Get The Podcast UStream – Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes