One of Hollywood's most recognisable cars for sale

The Green Hornet Black Beauty car, with machine guns and missiles is to go for auction, writes Trish Whelan.

The screen-used Black Beauty hero car used in the 2011 film The Green Hornet, will be auctioned next week by Massachusetts based RR Auction.

The 1965 Chrysler Imperial, built by Dennis McCarthy of Vehicle Effects in California, is one of just two hero cars remaining from the production. It features its original 413 engine, has 71,421 miles on the clock, and is the only one built with its original headliner and black leather seats.

The exterior modifications to the car include: two hood-mounted Browning .30 cal machine guns (which when hooked up to a propane tank fired flames through the barrel to simulate gunfire), 12 Stinger missiles to the front and rear bumper, a flame-thrower mounted to the front grill, beanbag launchers and shotgun barrels to the front, a revolving rear license plate, and painted green headlights.

Twenty-nine cars were made for the film's production, most of which were either stripped down stunt models or were destroyed during filming, says Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction.

You can see the Black Beauty on Jay Leno's Garage website where Jay shows this exact car, interviews the builder, and takes a drive.

If we can, we'll let you know who buys the car.

Chrysler challenges with excellence

Although not going on general sale until year's end, the new generation Chrysler 300C is now available to order in Ireland at a starting price of €58,000, writes Brian Byrne.

With an exceptionally high level of equipment, the large E-segment car is targeting the upper levels of BMW's 5 Series, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi's A6, and the brand says that if these cars are specified to the same level as the Chrysler, the 300C offers substantially better value for money.

Power is provided by a 3.0 diesel from MV Motori, with 236hp and offering 0-100km/h times of 7.4 seconds. Fuel consumption is the equivalent of 40mpg with CO2 emissions of 185 g/km.

Chrysler has substantially improved the quality of the interior compared to the predecessor car, with much use of soft-touch materials as well as trimming in leather and walnut.

There are two grades, Limited and Executive. The more expensive grade at €62,500 adds a blind spot monitoring system, adaptive cruise control, forward collision monitoring, a double panoramic roof and 20" alloys.

Dinner under deadly war machines

So what do you do when a friend calls you and says he wants to give you a B52 bomber? writes Brian Byrne. One owner. High mileage with the Strategic Air Command from the mid-50s, followed by 200 combat bombing missions over Vietnam. Will deliver.

You think for a moment, recalls David Lee, then curator of the embryonic American Air Museum section of the Imperial War Museum at Duxford just outside Cambridge.

"Then I told him that we had 4,500 feet of runway at Duxford," David said at the UK launch of the new Chrysler 300C, held in that particular section yesterday. "And I asked him could he land it here?"

There was a longer silence at the American end of the transatlantic phone call. Then, "I'll get back to you."

Well, they did get back. And the fast forward to the end of that chapter was the arrival over Duxford of the B52 one Saturday morning in October of 1983, with the nearby M11 closed and a (just) favourable weather forecast.

"He did four trial runs, then came in and touched at the very start of the runway, and with the help of the brake 'chute he had come down to taxiing speed just at the end."



That B52 is now literally the centrepiece of a purpose built hangar at the Imperial War Museum, and looms massively against the many other planes and missiles which make up the very substantial collection of warplanes which range from a Mitchell bomber (above) through the B29 type that dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima, the U2 type (below) from which Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Russia in 1960, along with a copy of the Russian missile that actually shot him down (middle below), and a Lockheed SR71 'Blackbird' (bottom below) reconnaisance plane which could travel at more than three times the speed of sound.







And when you eat the launch dinner under the massive wing of the 8-engined B52, you marvel at the engineering ability that built these extraordinary machines, and the older but no less intriguing planes from WW2.  You admire the bravery of the fighting men who flew them often to their own deaths, but you also feel strongly for those many many more who died underneath their massive destructive power, anonymous to those who pulled the levers to release their deadly loads.

The car? That's a tomorrow's story. No less a story of American engineering and innovation, but a vehicle that you can drive with a much easier conscience than in those magnificent but incredibly deadly flying machines.

Chrysler to sponsor Inaugural Donadea Trophy

Chrysler Ireland is to sponsor the inaugural Donadea Trophy, the only Open Seniors Mixed Scotch Foursome golf tournament in Ireland, writes Trish Whelan.

The event will take place on 26 June at the Knockanally Golf Club in Donadea, Co Kildare, and will coincide with the opening of the new, all-brand dealership located adjacent to the Fiat Group headquarters on the Naas Road.

This unique tournament is limited to 18 teams of eight golfers from the Leinster region this year but will grow to accommodate 30 teams from all over Ireland in 2013. Chrysler Ireland will have its full range of luxury vehicles on display at the event - Ypsilon, Delta Grand Voyager and 300C.

Knockanally is an 18-hole parkland course, situated on a 120-acre estate just minutes from the M4/N4 between Kilcock and Enfield.

Pictured above are Eddie Kenny representing the new all-brand FGAI dealership; Pat McCormack, Knockanally Golf Club Lady Captain 2012; and Pat Kenny, Knockanally Golf Club Captain 2012.

Chrysler Australia Group to distribute Fiat, Alfa and Fiat vans

From the start of May this year, Chrysler Australia group will act as the distributor for Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Fiat Professional brands in Australia, writes Trish Whelan from Australia.

The new agreement will see the current Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealer group (17 passenger dealerships with 22 commercial vehicle outlets across the country) report into the Melbourne-based Chrysler Australia group.

Sales for the Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Fiat Professional brands in 2011 were at 2635 vehicles.

Models offered here include the Alfa Giulietta (pictured), Alfa 159 saloon and Alfa 159 Sportwagon. Fiat models are the Fiat 500, 500 Abarth, and Ducato and Scudo vans.

The Chrysler Australia group of companies, which currently manages the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands in the Australian market, has seen a remarkable surge in sales in the last twelve months, with combined sales up by 27.5 per cent, and 2012 January and February sales up 78 per cent on the same period last year.

Chrysler Ypsilon on sale in Ireland

Chrysler's first ever supermini, all-new Ypsilon, has gone on sale here priced from €14,245.

The car is aimed at those seeking luxury prestige in a compact and affordable package. It's been designed to be elegant and distinctive.

Three engines are offered: the 85hp two-cylinder TwinAir unit, an entry-level 69hp 1.2 petrol engine, and the 95hp 1.3 MultiJet II turbo-diesel engine. Each is frugal and eco-friendly, aided by Start & Stop, a gear shift indicator and low rolling-resistance tyres. As a result, every Ypsilon sold in Ireland will be in Tax/VRT Band A.

Three trim levels are offered, S, SE and Limited, with the entry-level S specification offering remote central locking, electric front windows, a height-adjustable steering wheel, height adjustable driver's seat, six airbags, and a rear spoiler all as standard.

The SE model adds air conditioning, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, front fogs with cornering lights, leather steering wheel and gearknob, height adjustable passenger seat and Blue&Me connectivity. The range-topping Limited model includes leather trim, dual zone climate control, electric rear windows, cruise control and 16-inch alloys.

Top price is €18,745 for the TwinAir. Options include 'Park Magic', ESP stability control (it's only standard on TwinAir versions), two-tone metallic paint and satellite navigation.

Road Test: Chrysler Voyager

In European car terms, Ford's Galaxy and VW's Sharan are large MPVs, writes Brian Byrne. Or people carriers or minivans, whatever's your favourite flavour of the genre.

But they're small in relation to Chrysler's fourth generation Voyager. At more than 5.1 metres it is rather a family bus.

Which is fair enough, because the car is essentially designed for just that purpose. Mom's Taxi. The family fleet manager. Shifting the siblings from one social or sports event to another. All that in the good ol' USA.

Voyager as a working idea goes back to the 1980s in the US. A Plymouth model, with a Dodge equivalent, it was an unstylish but practical vehicle. As a Chrysler it was for sale outside the States. It is arguable that the original spawned the whole MPV idea, but there are counter arguments and we're not going into them here.

This fourth generation has actually been around in Europe for a few years, but is only launched in Ireland this month. That it is here is a consequence of Fiat taking a majority stake in Chrysler after Daimler cast it adrift. And there is a consequence to its late arrival which I'll come to.

In honesty, the current Voyager retains the original's DNA in that it is an unstylish but practical vehicle. Just a bigger one. It is, though, imposing. A large front end, thanks to an engine compartment capable of taking a hefty V6 or even more in its homeland. That length I mentioned. No attempt at looking cool at the expense of space for a full adult complement.

The review car was the top of the range Limited edition. So it had other imposing stuff. Like electric side doors and an electrically operated rear door. Also, electric switches to raise and stow the rear seats into the deep boot space.

It also features the 'Stow 'n' Go' foldaway individual middle pair of seats. These have a complex construction including internal hydraulics and springs to make it 'easy' to have them in use or under the floor. It takes a little practice, and maybe they should have talked to Opel about the simpler system they've had for years. But it does work. And I still have fingers.

The style of the inside is, well, American. And there's no getting away from it, it doesn't hack it with European levels of interior design or finish. But it is tough, will probably handle the wear and tear of long-term family transportation.

The Limited specification includes leather seats and other bits, Bluetooth and Chrysler's own very effective Uconnect system for infotainment. There are a pair of drop-down video screens to stall the 'are we there yet?' questions, for playing videos and with personal headphones for the viewers.

The powertrain in all three grades is the same. An MV Motori 2.8 diesel with 160hp on tap and all with a 6-speed autobox.

The efficiency isn't brilliant, but given that it is such a big car the estimated 33mpg equivalent from the diesel is reasonable. Actually, the latest Jeep models have MV Motori's much newer 2.8 and 3.0 four- and six-cylinder diesel units respectively and this car would benefit enormously from having either. But that's an issue of the fact that it is actually a relatively old model just launched here.

This older 2.8 is gruff enough, and not well matched to the autobox if you give it any welly. It doesn't compare to the newer engines I have driven in other applications, especially the 3.0 V6 in the Grand Cherokee. But it will do reliable duty for the kind of business which the Voyager will be about.

Don't expect dynamic driving. It is a car built for the lower speed limits and calmer progress of the American road trip, and also to absorb the potholes of the American city environment. Post Celtic Tiger Ireland offers some similar experience.

Look, the large MPV business in Ireland is now gone to tiny proportions, not least because there is an excellent variety of really good compact family and medium minivans around. Voyager has always done quite well on continental Europe, and will probaby continue to fill a niche performance there. 

For Ireland? I guess the courtesy car for hotels is where it will do most business.



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2012 Chrysler Grand Voyager here in the Spring

The 2012 Chrysler Grand Voyager will arrive in Ireland in the spring. This is the latest iteration of the original people carrier which sold 13 million units in 120 countries over the past 27 years.

The 2.8 turbo-diesel engine with superior economy and lower emissions, means it will be the only power train offered to Irish buyers.

While the exterior of the 2012 model will look much the same, the interior is vastly different having been completely overhauled with new soft-touch dashboard that includes a relocated gear selector, new dials and switches and new, easier-to-use ventilation controls. Higher quality materials are also used throughout. Chrysler say the Grand Voyager continues to set new benchmarks for the large MPV segment.

All models now benefit from standard power-operated sliding doors; a power tailgate; cruise control; three-zone climate control; alloy wheels; fully-adjustable second-row captain's chairs, six airbags and Bluetooth connectivity.

Prices currently start at €45,995 and are not expected to increase much when the new model arrives.

The current model is pictured above.

First View: Chrysler Delta

I got a chance this week to spend a couple of days with the new Chrysler Delta, not yet launched in Ireland, writes Brian Byrne.

The car is born of the new Fiat-Chrysler alliance, and is a rebadged Lancia Delta. It is being sold as a Chrysler only on the UK and Ireland. Why, we don't know, but it may be that the Chrysler brand has more resonance and sales appeal in these markets because Lancia has been gone from them for most of two decades.

The Delta is a truly distinctive car, smart in style, and much bigger inside than it looks. The interior finish and trim in the car I drove was to high quality, and only a typical Lancia quirk in the driving position caused me thought. It wasn't really a problem, but might for shorter legged drivers.

A C segment offering, the Delta will come to market before the end of October as a niche option to the likes of VW's Golf and Ford's Focus.

The differences between it and the Lancia model sold across continental Europe are just badges, with the grille requiring a slightly more significant modification at the top.

The car I drove was powered by a 120hp 1.6 diesel, a powertrain we have experienced already in Alfa and Fiat models. It is a willing and plucky performer and is well chosen for the car. I enjoyed it particularly on some of the twistier roads around my County Kildare.

Prices haven't yet been revealed, and a competitive number here will be crucial for success in Ireland.

I'll be driving it properly in a few weeks and we'll engage with it more. But already I like it.

Rathdown Motors now Chrysler & Jeep Service Dealer

Rathdown Motors in Terenure, Dublin, has been appointed as a service and parts dealer for Chrysler and Jeep.

Rathdown Motors was established in 1984 and is still owned by the Turley family with James Hennessy at the helm as Dealer Principal.

Previously a Chrysler and Jeep main dealer from 1993 until 2010, it was at one time the largest Chrysler dealership in the country. It means they can offer a wealth of experience and expertise to Chrysler and Jeep customers in the Dublin area.

The appointment of Rathdown Motors is the latest step in the re-invigoration of the Chrysler and Jeep brands which have only been under the management ofFiat Group Automobiles Ireland since last month.

Chrysler introduce all-new Ypsilon

Chrysler's first ever supermini has been unveiled to motoring journalists in Turin, writes Trish Whelan.

Based on the all-new Lancia Ypsilon, one of the stars of the Geneva Motor Show in March, this is the first time the new model has been seen with its distinctive Chrysler identity.

The car is aimed at those who want luxury, elegance, quality and prestige. It is also packed with technologies like next-generation Park Magic; Blue&Me-TomTom Live; LED tail-lamps and a full-length sunroof.

The car goes on sale here in October with prices expected to start at well below €13,000.

Three engines are offered for Ireland. Lining up alongside the 85hp, 2-cylinder TwinAir version is the entry-level 69hp 1.2-litre petrol engine and the 95hp 1.3 MultiJet II turbo diesel engine. Every Ypsilon sold here will be in Tax/VRT Band A.

Three trim levels are offered, Argento, Oro and Platino but exact equipment specifications for the Irish models have yet to be finalised. It is likely, however, (subject to confirmation) that all will have ESP, six airbags and Hill-Holder, electric windows, remote central locking and a height adjustable drivers' seat; with air conditioning, electric mirrors and leather steering wheel as standard in the mid-range model; and alloy wheels, fog lights and rear electric windows as standard in the top version.

A favourable rating is expected when the car is eventually tested by Euro NCAP.

Fiat to sell Chryslers, Jeeps here

Chrysler and Jeep brands are to be distributed in Ireland by Fiat Group Automobiles Ireland from June of next year.

In the following months, a new Jeep Compass with a 2.2 diesel engine and a new Jeep Cherokee with a 3.0 diesel will go on sale in Ireland. The existing Wrangler and Patriot will continue to be sold, but not through the FGAI network.

Ireland will also get two Lancia models, the Delta and the Ypsilon, but they will be badged as Chryslers in RHD markets.

The Dodge Journey is being remodelled as a Fiat and will go on sale with a revised chassis and cabin, and Fiat engines, from the spring of next year. The Dodge brand will not be sold in Ireland.

A revised Chrysler Grand Voyager will also go on sale here from June 2011.

A revised version of the Chrysler 300 large sedan will be rebadged as a Lancia Thema in Europe, but there are no plans to build it in RHD form.

Jeeps to be built by Fiat

Fiat may well build Jeep vehicles in Turin if a plan presented to unions at the Mirafiori plant is accepted.

A new joint venture company of Fiat and Chrysler would produce large vehicles for Alfa Romeo and Jeep brands.

The cars and SUVs would be built on a derivative of the 'Compact' architecture which carries the new Giulietta, to be named 'Compact Wide'.

More than €1 billion will be invested in the programme, equally split between the two companies.

Chrysler rival to Mondeo, Passat mooted

A Chrysler competitor to Ford's Mondeo and VW's Passat may be coming to Ireland and the UK next year.

The Chrysler 200 goes on sale in the US before the end of the year, but according to Fiat's boss Sergio Marchionne there may be a case to bring it to European markets.

If it happens, the car would be sold as a Lancia in European markets outside of these islands.

Chrysler brand to disappear from Europe

Ireland and the UK will be the only markets in Europe where the Chrysler brand will remain after mid-2011.

This is the result of a restructuring of distribution by the Fiat-owned former US major carmaker which will see Chrysler based models in Europe sold as Fiat brands like Lancia, and Lancia models sold as Chryslers in the US.

Some 1,100 dealers of the two brands across Europe have been notified that their contracts will expire next May.

Lancia hasn't sold in the UK and Ireland since 1991. Chrysler products are imported to Ireland by the OHM Group.

It is believed that Jeep models will be retained within their own brand.

Fiat mulls new car company

Fiat is considering setting up a new car company which would incorporate its own car brands and the GM Europe ones, along with Chrysler.

The move, reported in Automotive News Europe, would hinge on the Italian company succeeding in buying in to the European GM brands, which the American giant wants to hive off in order to get US Government investment.

Fiat has already come to agreement with ailing Chrysler to take a 20 percent stake in the American carmaker, as part of a restructuring plan.

If Fiat succeeded in achieving a merger with GM Europe brands, which include Opel, Saab, and Korean-built Chevrolets, the combined annual sales could reach over 6m units, the figure that Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne says is needed for survival by car firms today.

That's a similar figure to VW's annual sales.

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Chrysler, Fiat, alliance agreement

Chrysler and Fiat have reached agreement on a global strategic alliance which will include platform, powertrains and technology sharing.

The talks have been in progress for about a year. The new agreement came after Chrysler and many of its stakeholders worked to agree upon concessions that will result in a significantly lower cost base.

The American carmaker, one of the 'Big Three', had been on the verge of bankruptcy, according to recent reports.

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Ireland moves on electric vehicles

The Irish Government's plan to have 10 percent of vehicles on Ireland's roads run on electricity by 2020 was apparently boosted last week by an agreement between the State, the ESB and Renault-Nissan.

The agreement underpins a promise to have such vehicles running in significant numbers within two years.

However, the much-hyped agreement is short on specifics, and as yet comes under the 'Memorandum of Understanding' status.

Although lauding Nissan-Renault for 'answering the call' of the Government to take part in its aspiration to the 10 percent target, Energy Minister Eamon Ryan said the State's intentions were 'not product specific'.

Nissan-Renault is already working on similar projects for the Israeli and Danish Governments under its participation in 'Project Better Place'.

Under this, it will provide Danish customers with 100 percent electric vehicles to European standards in 2011, providing zero-emission mobility while at the same time offering driving performance similar to a petrol engine.

Nissan, through its joint venture with NEC, has created an advanced lithium-ion battery pack that both meets the requirements of this electric vehicle and can be mass-produced.

For the ESB, Padraig McManus said the company will roll out a suitable charging network.

There was considerable reaction to the Irish Government announcement. Green Machines, one of the founders of the ETLG (Electric Transport Lobby Group), said the agreement 'removes one of the main barriers to the uptake of electric vehicles in Ireland'.

"Up to now many of the county managers we have approached have presented us with a chicken and egg answer," said company MD Robert Nolan. "Why should they put in points if there are no cars while potential purchasers would say why buy when there are no charging bays? Today this dilemma has been taken out of their hands."

Green Machines offers scooters, cars and vans operated by electricity rather than directly by fossil fuels.



Mitsubishi Motors Ireland is putting a small electric car prototype on test trials in Ireland at the end of this week for two months. The iMIEV (above) is based on Mitsubishi I city car, which normally has a 600cc petrol engine. meanwhile, Mitsubishi globally has doubled its production capacity for the iMiEV to 20,000 units a year by 2011.



Quick off the charging point was Green MEP candidate Senator Deirdre de Burca, who is driving out on the campaign trail with a Smith Edison van supplied by Electric Vehicles Ireland, of Tullamore, Co Offaly, which is the national distributor for Smith Electric Vehicles. MD David Mullen said Ireland has created the 'right environment and the right Government support' to be a global leader in electric vehicle adoption.



At a global level, the planned Chevrolet Volt, which will have an Opel equivalent in the recently shown Ampera concept car (above), is 'stil on track' despite GM's financial woes. These are so-called extended range vehicles, which will have a petrol engine on board to charge the battery for longer than commuter trips.

Chrysler, which is also working on extended range cars, has just signed an agreement with A123Systems, a US-based battery supplier, for advanced Nanophosphate lithium ion prismatic battery cells, and jointly developed battery modules and battery packs. If a proposed link between Chrysler and Fiat goes ahead, this could also see the technologies 'reversing' into Fiat in Europe. Brian Byrne.

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New Chrysler, Jeep, launched

Chrysler Jeep Ireland has officially launched two new models on the market, the Sebring saloon and the Jeep Patriot.



The Sebring will compete in the D segment dominated by Ford's Mondeo, Toyota's Avensis and VW's Passat.

It is powered by a 2.0 petrol engine or a 2.0 diesel, both on offer at the same price of 35,595 euros plus delivery and related charges.

A cabrio version is expected here in early summer.



The Patriot is a new entry point for the Jeep brand, with the same styling cues as its larger siblings and goes on sale in Ireland at 33,495 euros plus delivery.

It is powered by the same VW-sourced 2.0 diesel engine which is used in other models of the Chrysler and Dodge brands in European markets.

A commercial version is also available immediately priced at 24,995 including VAT. BB/TW