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Rare Dodge Shelby Dakota is a very '80s sport truck

The late-great Carroll Shelby built an incredibly successful career of making all sorts of cars faster, more often than not, with a bigger or more potent engine under the hood. The icons are well known—legends like the Shelby Cobra, GT350 Mustang, and the big GT500. But by the 1980s, Shelby was plying his trade over at Chrysler, at the behest of chairman Lee Iacocca, churning out special editions like the Dodge Shelby Charger, zippy CSX, rorty GLHS, and this—the 1989 Shelby Dakota muscle truck. 1,500 of these racy pickups were built for just one year and a whole two-and-a-half decades later they still turn heads. This one especially. The spotless pickup recently turned up for sale online , and its odometer reads a claimed 25,307 miles. So what makes these rarified work trucks special? As with most Shelbys, it starts under the hood. Up until 1989, the standard Dodge Dakota pickups were offered in only four-cylinder and V6 variants. But Dodge (and Shelby) wanted more, so the larger 5.2-liter Magnum V8 from Dodge's full-size pickup was shoehorned into the midsize Dakota, albeit not effortlessly. To fit, Dodge had to swap the V8's belt-driven fan for an electric unit mounted in front of the radiator. That did the trick, as well as earned the V8 a few extra ponies, pushing the special Dakota up to 175 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque. That performance may sound paltry by today's standards, but in 1989 it was seen as quite sporty, and netted a zero to 60 mph dash in 8.5 seconds. A four-speed automatic with lockup torque converter transmitted that power to the rear wheels. Additional Shelby performance goodies included a limited-slip differential, transmission cooler, along with a host of eye-catching body mods, including a unique air dam and bumpers, Shelby floor mats, monogramed seats and door panels, a "CS" steering wheel, 15-spoke hollow alloy wheels, and shouty body graphics. While the Shelby Dakota didn't return for 1990, its V8 legacy did continue, and in 1991 the 5.2-liter eight-cylinder became an option on new Dakotas. Of the 1,500 Shelby Dakota pickups built, 860 were dressed in red while a rarer 640 came adorned in Bright White. This '89 is said to be #245 of those white trucks, sold new to its original (and sole) owner in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, for $15,985 (the Shelby package cost $3,933 in its day). Currently, it's demanding bids north of $10,000 for its low-mileage originality. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.

2016 Dodge Viper ACR is ready to take a bite out of the Corvette Z06 [w/video]

The Dodge Viper ACR is back, and as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles tells it, it's the most venomous breed ever born. Before you get too excited, the 8.4-liter V10 produces 645 horsepower; five more than the standard Viper and five less than the supercharged Chevrolet Corvette Z06. It's unclear why Dodge didn't extract more from the huge engine, although we somehow imagine that certain people in Maranello, Italy had a say in the matter. Instead of blessing the ACR variant with bunches of extra output, Dodge instead turned to an aggressive aerodynamics package that it claims delivers nearly a ton of downforce at the Viper's maximum speed of 177 miles per hour. The total aero package includes an adjustable, twin-element, carbon-fiber rear wing, carbon-fiber diffuser, an extendable front splitter, and dive planes. Those big louvers on the hood? Yeah, they're removable, too. The "race-tuned" suspension uses coil-over Bilstein shocks that offer ten different settings and up to three inches of height adjustment. Kumho Ecsta V720 tires were built specifically for the Viper ACR, and come in 355/30 in back and 295/25 in front, with 19-inch wheels at all four corners. Along with the aero improvements, Dodge is claiming the Viper can pull a race-car-like 1.5Gs in higher-speed turns. Carbon-ceramic brakes with six-piston calipers add the stopping power that's greater or equal to the ACR's cornering performance. Dodge was also keen to reduce weight, taking some rather dramatic measures in the effort. The stereo has just three speakers, while the electric function was removed from the seats. Even the carpet has been replaced with a "lightweight" alternative. Finally, Dodge is offering up the innovative 1 of 1 customization it pioneered with the Viper GT earlier this year. That means that not only can you get the fastest Viper ever built, but it'll be entirely your own when you take delivery.

Chrysler investing $20M in Toledo plant to support 9-speed auto production

In 2011, Chrysler announced a $72-million investment in its Toledo Machining Plant to modernize production of the eight- and nine-speed torque-converters for automatic transmissions made there. That upgrade work won't be finished until Q3 of this year, but Chrysler has already announced a further $19.6-million investment to increase production capacity for the nine-speeders.
The extra units will be necessary because the nine-speed transmission they'll be mated to is going into three popular models: it will debut on the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, then go into the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart. The company predicted that this year alone it would sell 200,000 units equipped with the nine-speed tranny, and it is spending some $374 million in addition to the investment in Toledo to upgrade production capacity for it.
The work attached to this new investment won't begin until Q3 of 2014, and it will be finished by the end of that year. There's a press release below with all the details.