Volvo's Hotrod Concept

When you think “hotrod,” your mind naturally wanders to the wilds of Sweden. That’s where Volvo cooked up this amazingly authentic hotrod concept for SEMA. The Caresto V8 Speedster is pure California-custom, even though the V-8 engine is a Volvo unit that runs on ethanol and the designer’s name is Leif Tufvesson.

Leif is a custom-car builder who went to town for Volvo on the Speedster. We don’t see why this aluminum and carbon composite baby couldn’t be made for production, other than the projected $300,000+ price tag. We’ll just thank Leif for letting us soak in his beautiful work. Click below for more images.

Jay Leno's EcoJet Concept: 650 hp on BioDiesel

Jay Leno likes cars. He really likes cars. So much so that GM actually allowed him to develop an original concept for the SEMA show this week in Vegas. The concept is called the EcoJet, and it’s powered by a turbine engine more akin to what submarines use than the standard combustion engines found in most cars. The “eco” part of the name comes from the fact that the 650 horses the engine produces are fueled by BioDiesel and not regular gas. The mid-engine layout is built around a Corvette Z06 aluminum frame and the entire body is made of carbon fiber and Kevlar. 

This concept is extreme but we think the EcoJet already looks a bit dated and the Cadillac cues seem like an afterthought. We’ll give Leno a break though since the idea supposedly germinated on the back of a napkin.

The Boss is Back: Boss 302 Mustang debuts at SEMA

It’s just an engine, but a famously named engine. The Boss 302 is not the name of a new Mustang model – although it probably will be – it’s the name of Ford’s new V-8 crate engine for hot-rodders. The 5.0-liter powerplant was originally developed under the name “Hurricane” and was set to take on Chrysler’s resurrected Hemi line of engines . The name and entire project were scrapped -- the name because of the devastation of Katrina last year and the project itself because of cost cuts. Now, Ford has revived the concept and fans should expect the Boss 302 to find its way into the next generation of F-150 trucks and the redesigned Mustang when it debuts in 2009.

For now, gearheads will have to wait until early next year when just the engine will be made available through Ford Racing dealers. Then they can customize their own Boss 302 Mustang like the concept shown here.

[Source: Ford via Autoblog]

SEMA 2006: GM's Parade of Trucks

There are more than a dozen GM trucks and SUVs hitting SEMA this year. Most are either gussied-up models with an array of GM accessories bolted on or fanciful one-offs with little to no impact on consumers. Here are a few of the GM trucks that we found blogworthy.

SEMA 2006: Chrysler's Concepts

We’re going to try to keep the SEMA coverage light around here and just tackle the big stuff from the big manufacturers that may or may not make it to a dealership near you. First up is a handful of concepts from the Chrysler Group.