Not to be confused with Top Gear, the other British car show; Fifth Gear was a similar show that focused more on truly testing the cars and giving a fair analysis to the viewers, rather than Top Gears wacky (but better) format.

After 16 years and ratings coming in under the top 30 mark, it marked the end of an era.  In reply to an e-mail from AUSmotive.com’s editor, Channel Five stated, “Five is proud of Fifth Gear’s contribution to the channel but after 16 series, feels it’s time to try something new.”

Fifth Gear host Jonny Smith has already landed a gig as the host of Discovery Channels “Industrial Junkie” but there has been no word on the other hosts such as Tiff Needed or Jason Plato.

A Buick with 19 inch wheels, Brembo brakes, Haldex-all wheel drive and a turbocharged V6 just might be in the cards for North America if GM chooses to do with Buick, what they did with Pontiac.

GM just announced that they will indeed be selling the Opel Insignia based Buick Regal in North America and as it sits, it is a pretty nice car but we are more interested in the Opel Insignia OPC model that packs 325HP out of its turbocharged 2.8L V6 engine that is sold in Europe.

What we do know is that GM will power the normal Regal with 2.4L N/A and 2.0L Turbo 4cyl engines as well as the rumored 3.6L DOHC 280HP V6 that will see duty in the Regals bigger brother, the LaCrosse.

While nothing has been formally said about a performance version of the Regal, you cannot ignore what GM has already done to enhance previous brands (Cadillac CTS-V, Pontiac G8 GT, Corvette ZR1 etc) and that the same will have to happen on an even wider scale to get blue hairs and Buicks to quit sharing the same sentences.

Buick already did this in the 1980’s with the Grand National and GNX but don’t be so quick to think this car will revive one of those nameplates.  The GN was named as such because back then Buick actually raced NASCAR and GM CEO Fritz Henderson already shot down the use of the GNX title just last week during an interview.

Thanks to creative Allpar member “JackRatchett” we may be potentially looking at the closest 2011 Charger rendering on the net.

The rendering was created by listening to potential 2011 Charger styling tips by certain folks in the know, and I must say without the Dodge Ram cross hair grille, it looks fantastic.  This cross-hair-less-grille is potentially legit, because the recent split of trucks from cars in the Dodge brand would make any continuation of Ram grilles in cars pointless.

The most common statement that Chrysler Group LLC says about the 2011 Charger is that it will be “bolder” than  the current model and will enlist more retro flare from the gorgeous 1968-1970 model Dodge Chargers.

With Chryslers new Pentastar V6 engines in the tame models and the 6.4L 475-525 HP HEMI in the SRT8, I would say Dodge may have another hit on their hands.

Information pertaining to the 2011 Challenger has come from a reliable source. The SRT8 will shed the 6.1L HEMI for a larger, more powerful but more fuel efficient 6.4L HEMI with anywhere from 475-525 horsepower.   The car will also enlist a roof mounted fin-style antenna, a newer more attractive steering wheel and door handles to coincide with the new passive entry feature, that will allow you to enter the locked car as long as you have the key fob in your pocket.

As of now, it looks like Chrysler will have a nice line-up for the 2010 2011 auto show season, as this engine will be powering the newly designed 2011 Chrysler 300 SRT8 and Dodge Charger SRT8 as well as the Challenger.

03-25-2010 UPDATE. -  2011 Dodge Challenger is supposedly going to be updated in the looks department with an updated fascia.  The body of the car will still be the same except for subtle updates (possibly LED headlamps), so the car can debut as a fresh face along with the new 300 and Charger this coming November.  The floorpan of the car is also going to be tweaked so the SE model will be able to fit the new MultiAir and direct injection Pentastar V6 engine.

More updates will be posted as we get them.

Many drag strips have their annual “who can do the best wheelie” contest, but Byron Dragway in Illinois has made themselves the  premier venue for bumper-dragging action.

Byron pays out tens of thousands of dollars for their various classes of wheelstanding; such as most violent, longest distance, and most photogenic.  Each year cars get destroyed as each racer tries to grab as much cash as they can.  Last year a Chevette flipped right onto its roof in an effort to take home over ten thousand dollars in payouts.

This year the stand-out was crazy Canadian Rob Lacroix in his black Urban Hillbilly Action Video sponsored Pontiac Sunfire.

Make sure to check out this Urban Hillbilly supplied video, the real action starts around the 2:10 mark.

Wheelies

LaCroix