cadillac

Geek's Guide to Route 66 tech wrap-up

I'm back in Albuquerque at my office, just five blocks away from where Route 66 runs through the center of town. I made the journey along the Mother Road up to Chicago with a memorable side trip over to Carbondale, Ill.

I've been inside a dome home, craned my neck up at a fiberglass giant, walked into the belly of a whale, raided a Dungeons & Dragons castle, and got tangled in the history of barbed wire at the Devil's Rope Museum.

Miles traveled: 3,221

MB of 3G data used: 346MB

Photos taken: 296

A good collection of gadgets is the icing on any road trip. Some of mine performed adequately and some performed admirably. Some managed to do both. Here are my Geek's Guide to Route 66 awards.

Best (and most frustrating) gadget: 32GB iPad 2 Verizon 3G I barely made a dent in the ambitious 3GB data plan that I bought for $35 before heading out. Running the GPS and constantly surfing for Route 66 information didn't add up to much. I was impressed with Verizon's coverage. I never found a place where it didn't work. The iPad's small size and versatile apps made it an ideal road companion.

But not all is roses in the world of iPad. The video camera coupled with iMovie is a great combination. The still-camera capabilities, however, fall short of acceptable. The image quality just isn't there (the iPad 2 provides a middling .7-megapixel resolution for still images. That's almost as retro as Route 66).… Read more

Cadillac Ranch: Texas-size lawn ornaments

TULSA, Okla.--Welcome to the second installment of the Geek's guide to Route 66. I've been giving a lot of thought to how this iconic highway ties in with CNET's Crave blog, and I keep coming back to the second part of our mission statement--that bit about "other crushworthy stuff." Well, I'm totally crushing on the kitschy paean to big American cars that is the Cadillac Ranch.

Located just outside Amarillo, Tex., the Cadillac Ranch features 10 classic Caddys buried nose into the ground and fins to the sky in the middle of a field. The cars are covered in thick layers of colorful graffiti. Visitors come from around the world to ogle this very American version of Stonehenge and add their names to the ever-evolving art project.

Usually, I grab a discarded paint can and add my own message. Today, however, gale force winds removed all of the debris from the area and made it hard to even stand up against the massive force. Perhaps on my way back I'll be able to tag "Crave wuz here" across a protruding fin. In the meantime, I'm still picking little bits of Texas out of my teeth and hair.

How does the Cadillac Ranch tie in with tech? You can talk about cars as one of the most impactful inventions ever created. You can sit back and muse about what the Cadillac Ranch says about our culture, our obsession with the road, and how that obsession sometimes leads to being stalled out, nose down in a field while the winds and plants continue on around you. … Read more

Use OnStar for a chance to win a new GM vehicle

General Motors is giving a vehicle each to 10 winners of the PushOn sweepstakes. Contestants need to register through OnStar by May 31, 2011, to win a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac models.

The sweepstakes rules allow anyone with a digital OnStar-equipped vehicle--regardless of whether they are a current OnStar subscribe--can enter to win by pressing the blue OnStar button. The eligibility doesn't include fleet vehicles (such as rental or media fleets), only personal vehicles, the company said.

An alternative way to register for the sweepstakes is to send in a hand-written postcard. Details of the contest rules, … Read more

Hennessey Cadillac CTS-V Wagon vs. Porsche 911 Twin Turbo (video)

Not exactly "The Tortoise and the Hare": This Web video shows a Cadillac CTS-V Wagon in a drag race with a Porsche 911 Twin Turbo

The CTS-V Wagon has been given a 650-horsepower Hennessey V650 upgrade and drag radial tires.

The upgrade includes a supercharger pulley and snout upgrade, stainless-steel long tube headers and midpipes, and a high-flow catalytic converter.

The Hennessey wagon offers 658 brake horsepower (bhp) at 6,200 rpm. And despite weighing almost 1,000 pounds more than the 911, the CTS-V Wagon bests the 480-horsepower Porsche.

Check it out for yourself.

Presidential rides of past and present

When you're the Commander-in-Chief, the head of state, and generally the top dog of the United States of America, there will be times when you're expected to arrive to a variety of appointments, appearances, and meetings with other top dogs. But the President of the United States can't simply hop into his Ford Taurus and drive himself to meetings with foreign dignitaries--although he may be tempted by the SHO. Rather, getting from point A to B when you're one of the most important people in the nation requires high levels of safety and reliability, as well … Read more

The language of automotive design: Nine brands

In recent years, automotive designers have become very aware that strong design language reinforces a brand. BMW and Cadillac pushed hard in the last decade to create a common look to all models under each brand. The result was that, when you see a Cadillac on the street, you know that it is a Cadillac. No other cars look quite like it.

Other companies quickly got on board. Automotive designers come up with phrases to help their teams focus when designing a new car or a model update. Design languages such as L-Finesse, Keen Edge, and Fluidic Sculpture encompass the … Read more

Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond Edition unveiled

"Black Diamond Edition" sounds more like ski equipment than a car, but the Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond Edition is one hot-looking automobile.

The CTS-V Black Diamond Edition is available in the CTS-V Sedan, Coupe, and Wagon models for about $4,850 over the CTS-V base price.

What sets the Black Diamond Edition apart is specialized tri-coat paint from California-based JDSU. A look of diamonds in the SpectraFlair pigment in the paint is created by using aluminum flakes encapsulated in a glass-like substance called magnesium fluoride, GM said.

The exterior of the Black Diamond Edition also includes satin graphite … Read more

Made in the USA Foundation says GM is stripping 'Made in' labels from show models

Just where is that Buick Regal made? Answer: Germany. But, according to the Made in the USA Foundation, you wouldn't know this from the label if you saw the car at an auto show.

The foundation has charged GM with violating the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA), which requires all new cars in the retail market to include country-of-origin information.

The AALA requires a window sticker on new cars that includes information such as where the car was assembled, where the engine was made, and where the transmission was made.

According to the foundation, these labels are left off … Read more

2010 Car Tech awards: And the winner is...

CNET Tech Car of the Year for 2010

2011 Nissan Leaf

Earlier this month we invited you to vote for the 2010 Tech Car of the Year from our five nominees. This year proved an upset, though, as our staff judges came down on the side of the 2011 Nissan Leaf, these votes overruling the general support for the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid and the Audi A8. The MKZ Hybrid is an excellent car, although its very close relative, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, won last year's award. Audi came out this year with a phenomenal flagship sedan in the new … Read more

Cadillac plans a return to racing with the CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac is known for its racy television commercials, but now, once again, it'll be known for racing.

Executives from General Motors today announced that a race-ready 2011 CTS-V Coupe will compete in the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge.

The CTS-V, which is being designed by engineers from GM and Pratt & Miller, in New Hudson, Mich., will debut at the SCCA race to be held March 25 to 27 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Cadillac hasn't raced competitively since 2007.

Johnny O'Connell, a three-time GT1 champion in the America Le Mans Series, and Andy Pilgrim, who … Read more