JULY 26, 2023

The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo. 

The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG 

(Stellantis)

The bad-assery continues out in Auburn Hills. For the first time, Mopar is producing two matching performance vehicles for its annual factory-vehicle customization program. The Mopar Custom Shop adds exclusive exterior and interior details to 2023 Dodge Challenger and Charger R/T Scat Pack Widebody models with a limited production run of 440 units – 220 of each model in the U.S., with20 of each for Canada. The Mopar ’23 owner kit includes a custom-made, personalized metal certificate of authenticity with serialized vehicle-build number and a special rendering of the vehicle by the Mopar design team. Both Mopar ‘23 models are available only in Pitch Black Clear Coat with unique matte-black graphics and Mopar Blue tracer stripes along the hood, roof and decklid. More custom touches include a bespoke Mopar Blue grille badge, Brembo six-piston front brake calipers (four-piston rear) painted in exclusive Mopar Blue, forged carbon-black wheels and Mopar valve stem caps. An exclusive all-new carbon-fiber decklid spoiler is being used for the first time and is available only on Mopar ‘23 models. Power comes from the 392 HEMI® V-8 with 485 naturally aspirated horsepower. Standard transmission on the Mopar ‘23 Challenger is a Tremec 6-speed manual. The proven TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission is available on the Mopar ‘23 Challenger and standard on the Mopar ‘23 Charger. Both Mopar ‘23 models feature Widebody competition suspension with Bilstein three-mode adaptive damping that is specially tuned by SRT engineers for maximum grip and speed out of corners. The U.S. manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the exclusive Mopar ’23 Special Edition Package is $3,995 (over and above the price of the car, of course), with production starting in September and deliveries expected to begin in October.

(BMW Group Images)
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Triumph Motor Company, Triumph returns with an all-electric sports car concept, the TR25. A collaboration between BMW (which owns the Triumph Motor Car name) and London-based automotive design house Makkina, the single-seat TR25 was inspired by the classic Triumph TR2, which launched in 1953 and was the first TR (Triumph Roadster) model. Specifically, the single-seat TR25 concept was based on the famous Jabbeke TR2 - the car that broke the world production car speed record in 1953. The TR25's chassis and body panels are made entirely from carbon fiber, but the vehicle shares the same layout as that of the Jabbeke TR2, to “emphasize the fact that this car is about pure driving pleasure,” according to the official announcement. Removing the top panel also reveals an additional flip-out jump seat. The exposed-carbon rear buttress contains a backup camera, and the car’s tiny fly screen serves as (very minimal) weather protection. The TR25 is built on BMW's i3S platform, which features a 42.2kWh battery pack and 184bhp electric motor. Weighing approximately 2414 pounds, it is considerably lighter than a standard i3S and thus considerably faster, too, going 0 to 62mph in 5.2 seconds, and boasting a maximum range of 190 miles. All reports indicate that the TR25 is strictly a concept car, with no plans for production, but it sure seems like a very cool way to bring back Triumph and ground it firmly in the electric future.

(Photo Couresty of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, Gaydon)

The Triumph Jabbeke TR2.

The AE Song of the Week:

It's all the same, only the names will change
Every day, it seems we're wastin' away
Another place where the faces are so cold
I'd drive all night just to get back home

I'm a cowboy
On a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted dead or alive
Wanted dead or alive

Sometimes I sleep, sometimes it's not for days
The people I meet always go their separate ways
Sometimes you tell the day by the bottle that you drink
And times when you're alone, well, all you do is think

I'm a cowboy
On a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted (wanted), dead or alive
Wanted (wanted), dead or alive

Oh, and I ride
Yeah

Oh, I'm a cowboy
On a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted (wanted), dead or alive

And I walk these streets, a loaded six-string on my back
I play for keeps 'cause I might not make it back
I've been everywhere, still I'm standing tall
I've seen a million faces and I've rocked them all

'Cause I'm a cowboy
On a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted (wanted), dead or alive
'Cause I'm a cowboy
I got the night on my side
And I'm wanted (wanted), dead or alive
And I ride (and I ride), dead or alive
I still drive (I still drive), dead or alive
Dead or alive
Dead or alive
Dead or alive


"Wanted Dead Or Alive" by Bon Jovi, from the album "Slippery When Wet" (1986).* Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richard S. Sambora. Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Watch the Kick-Ass Original Music Video here.

*This song uses Old West cowboy imagery to describe the lonely life of a rock star. At the time, starting with their debut album in 1984, Bon Jovi played about 300 shows a year, using the remaining time to work on albums. When it came time to write for their third album - Slippery When Wet - Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wrote this song about what they knew: performing to lots of people who all blended together after a while.This was the song that kickstarted the "Unplugged" craze. At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora performed this with just their acoustic guitars, giving the network the idea for the "Unplugged" series. The video was directed by Wayne Isham, who did most of the band's early videos. Shot in black-and-white (they didn't have color TV in the Old West), the band is shown not just performing, but going through the process of traveling from city to city. With lots of sweaty, slow-motion shots showing the band laying it out there for the fans, the video's forebear was Paul Young's "Everytime You Go Away," which had a similar look and theme. That video was directed by Nick Morris, who told us that Jon Bon Jovi asked him to submit a treatment for the "Wanted Dead Or Alive" video. "He said, 'We've got a song called 'Wanted' on our album, and that's going to be how we do the video: We're going to do it in slow motion, we're going to show how rock and roll is as exciting as it's exhausting,'" Morris said. Unfortunately, Bon Jovi's label convinced Morris that the band was looking for a more jovial video with the band larking about, and that's the treatment he submitted, which was rejected. Said Morris: "I learnt to my cost as I watched the Bon Jovi video that what they wanted was something a bit more like Jon had originally discussed. That taught me a lesson to go with your instincts and not necessarily the advice you get." The producers of Young Guns II (1990) wanted to use this in the movie, but Jon Bon Jovi didn't think it fit lyrically, since the song is not about a literal cowboy. He met with the movie executives and played some songs on acoustic guitar, one of them being "Blaze Of Glory," which was used in the film and released as his first single as a solo artist. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wrote this in the basement of Sambora's mother's house. They wrote it in one day - it came easily because it was about their actual experiences touring. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG