1981 Firebird Trans-Am Coors Bandit Choppers

The effect of Smokey and the Bandit on the pop culture landscape went far beyond what could have been imagined back in 1977. After 30 years, multiple sequels, a made-for-TV spinoff, and the retirement of Pontiac, even non-movie car fans still associate the character "Bandit" with black & gold second generation Firebirds. In 2005, customizer Jesse James had achieved fame on the Discovery Channel's Monster Garage and was asked by the Coors brewing company (makers of the contraband featured in the first film) to build a special tribute car as the grand prize in a contest they were running. The result was the "Coors Bandit," a 1980 Firebird featuring combination scissor doors, a racing interior, West Coast Chopper 3-piece wheels, and a 700 horsepower engine with ProCharger induction. The contest was promoted through a series of limited edition 6-packs and a 1/24 scale replica of the car sold exclusively at Wal*Mart.

2006 Dodge Stratus Von Dutch NHRA Frank Pedregon Funny Car

Frank Pedregon was born into racing and has enjoyed tremendous success from youth kart racing to NHRA Mello Yello Championship Drag Racing, the fastest, most extreme form of motorsports. Frank’s father, “Flamin Frank Pedregon,” was the first Hispanic to break the diversity barrier in the 1960s and raced himself into racing immortality. Frank is an exceptional driver in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing professional class winning multiple events, the Famous Budweiser Shootout, and the Prestigious US Nationals at Indy. Franks is an engaging personality and known as a wonderful team owner and tremendous ambassador to the NHRA racing community.

Frank’s love of racing has generated a loyal following of fans from multiple generations stretching from Coast to Coast in more than 50 of the top USA markets. His unique ability to promote products ranging from auto-parts and coffee to clothing and motor-oil in two languages make him an exceptional marketing and advertising partner. Frank Pedregon continues to be an inspiration and motivating iconic personality to millions of fans and sports enthusiast and global corporations around the world.

Today Frank Pedregon is excited and motivated to create new partnerships and continue his dream of providing value to his sponsors and business partners. Frank personally enjoys family, his sons Connor and Cruz and watching his brothers succeed in the NHRA business of racing. Frank resides on the West Coast and appreciates music, the arts, and cinema.

F1 Lubrax Petrobras #5 Fórmula 1

The FIA F3000 scene will be without the distinctive Petrobras livery from next year, following decisions in the company's native Brazil to pull the plug on some motorsport sponsorship.

Petrobras has been linked to the Norfolk-based David Sears-run operation since 1999, primarily promoting Brazilian talent one step closer to Formula One. Antonio Pizzonia and Ricardo Sperafico formed the team's 2001-02 line-up, but it has also run the likes of CART race-winner Bruno Junqueira - who won the FIA title in 2000 - in recent years.

Whilst the company's deals with WilliamsF1 and Jordan are understood to be safe, funding for the David Sears-run Petrobras Junior team is thought to be under fire following the introduction of new tax laws relating to overseas sponsorship. Petrobras has cited economic reasons exacerbated by the newly introduced taxation programme which, it believes, will have an adverse effect on its funding schemes.

2006 Mercedes Benz SLK55 AMG

That AMG, the high-performance wing at Mercedes-Benz, has a pretty good handle on engine tweaking—just look at its spring catalog. AMG offers up 14 models, each packing no fewer than eight cylinders and outputs ranging from 355 horsepower to a mind-boggling 604 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque.

And although we've rarely knocked an AMG vehicle for lack of straight-line juice, neither have we been known to heap praise on the entire package, as it's been our experience that these souped-up cars are sometimes overweight and underperforming on the skidpad and during back-road boogies. Now, lest you think we're making excuses for this new SLK55, AMG's least-powerful car, let us introduce a previously unused AMG performance trick: Mercedes' seven-speed automatic. The German automaker introduced this transmission for 2004, but until now the most powerful engine it was bolted to was the company's 302-hp, 5.0-liter V-8, so all AMG models had to rely on the five-speed automatic. So what are a couple more gear ratios going to do? Let us explain.

The previous-generation car, the SLK32 AMG, had a supercharged and intercooled 3.2-liter V-6 putting down 349 horsepower and 322 pound-feet of torque. The last one we tested ["Topless Toys," C/D, August 2001] weighed 3265 pounds, scampered to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, and crossed the quarter-mile in 13.0 seconds at 110 mph. Now, the SLK55's 24-valve, 5.4-liter naturally aspirated

V-8 cranks out just six more horsepower—but an additional 54 pound-feet of torque. Still, the new car's weight is up 190 pounds to 3455, so the power-to-weight ratio has worsened slightly.

2002 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning Maisto Escala 1:21

The Ford SVT Lightning is a sports/performance version of the F-150, developed by the SVT (Special Vehicle Team) division of Ford. For 1999, the second generation of the Lightning was released using the PN96 platform, after a three-year hiatus of the model line. As with its 1993-1995 predecessor, the Lightning was based on the F-150; all versions were produced with a regular cab, rear-wheel drive, and a 6½-foot bed length. In sharp contrast to its predecessor, the 1999-2002 Lightning was given a payload of 800 pounds (half the payload of a Ranger); for 2003, the figure was raised to 1,350 pounds.

While the first-generation Lightning chassis was a hybrid of the F-150 and F-250, to save weight and lower its cost, the second-generation adopted the stock F-150 frame. To improve handling, while the stock short/long arm front suspension configuration was used, the Lightning was lowered one inch with a 31mm stabilizer bar; the rear solid axle with leaf springs was lowered two inches, using a 23mm stabilizer bar. Monroe shocks were used from 1999 to 2001; Bilstein shocks were used from 2002 to 2004. In place of the 17-inch wheels of its predecessor, the second-generation Lightning was given 18-inch wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 directional tires developed for the truck.

The second-generation Lightning was powered by a 5.4 L Triton SOHC V8 equipped with an Eaton M112 supercharger. At its launch, the Lightning produced 360 hp (268 kW; 365 PS) and 440 ft⋅lbf (597 N⋅m) of torque, increased to 380 hp (283 kW) and 450 ft⋅lbf (610 N⋅m) of torque in 2001. The supercharged V8 was paired with a 4-speed Ford 4R100 overdrive automatic transmission (shared with the 5.4L V8, 6.8L V10, and 7.3L diesel). From 1999 to 2000, the rear axle ratio was 3.55:1, shortened to 3.75:1 in 2001. The same year, a 4.5-inch aluminum driveshaft replaced a 3.5-inch steel unit.

Following the 2001 drivetrain revisions, Car and Driver magazine tested a Lightning, accelerating from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.2 seconds.

During its production, the 1999-2004 was offered in a limited variety of colors. Initially produced in Bright Red, Black, and White, for 2000, Silver was introduced. For 2002, True Blue (a very dark blue) was introduced, but was replaced by a lighter Sonic Blue for 2003, along with Dark Shadow Gray.