Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends family and customers.

From Chelsea R: I just became the mayor of ACI Auto Group on @foursquare! http://t.co/dh9rKbZQ

From : ACI I think  the new Mayor of ACI Auto Group on @foursquare deserves a free oil change. THanks for checking in on FourSquare Chelsea :)

Here's a wonderful story about a Dad's car being returned as a surprise years later.

Cumberland's Kirby Murphy still going strong at 48 August 3, 2011 By STEVE MAZZONE smazzone@woonsocketcall.com CUMBERLAND - It's always the same. For most of his 30-plus years playing softball, nothingâ??s changed for Kirby Murphy each time he faces an opposing pitcher. Before he approaches the on-deck circle, he takes three warm-up swings with three different bats. He then walks near the batterâ??s box with the bat that heâ??s going to use and swings that three times. He then signals for a time out and takes two more swings inside the batterâ??s box before heâ??s ready to go. â??I have been doing the same thing every time for at least 20 years,â?? Murphy said. â??Itâ??s to the point now that the umpires that do our games already have their hands up [for time out] before I even reach the box.â?? The 48-year-old Cumberland nativeâ??s game-day ritual may seem somewhat peculiar. During the course of a game, it might even stir up a few nerves from the opposition. But when youâ??ve been around the sport as long as Murphy, and have accomplished all that he has in his three-decade career, whoâ??s to stand in his way.

(AP) ? 1 day ago 

SACO, Maine (AP) ? A Maine man and his car are celebrating a million-mile milestone.

Joe LoCicero (luh-SISS'-er-oh) was given a 2012 Honda Accord at a parade in the city of Saco on Sunday after surpassing the million-mile mark on the odometer of his 1990 Accord. He reached the milestone last Thursday.

A Honda spokeswoman tells The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/otOqd1) it's the first time the manufacturer has documented an Accord reaching one million miles.

LoCicero says he bought the car in 1996 with 74,000 miles. The former mechanic did much of his own work. The secret he says is following maintenance schedules, using quality parts and driving safely.

He swears the transmission and engine are original.

Now that he has a new Accord, he's not sure what he'll do with the old one.

Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Europe, Videos, Volvo, Ferrari, Racing

It seems these days everyone wants a piece of Ferrari, with countless sports car-makers gunning for Maranello's territory. But Volvo? Volvo Trucks, no less?

Believe it or not, the latest drag race competition pitted a Volvo big-rig against a Ferrari 360 Spider. Of course it wasn't just any old run-of-the-mill tractor, but the Mean Green hybrid racing truck. The beast packs a 16-liter twin-turbo engine that cranks out 1,900 horsepower and is further boosted by a 200hp electric motor.

An even match? You'll have to follow the jump to watch the photo finish for yourself, but the result was closer than you might think.

Continue reading Volvo truck takes on a Ferrari in drag race [w/video]

Volvo truck takes on a Ferrari in drag race [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/23kdn09s9sg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Filed under: Spy Photos, Hatchback, Volvo

Don't let this test vehicle's proportions deceive you - there's stretched Volvo C30 architecture under all of that cladding. Yes, Volvo is working on expanding its C30 range with the addition of this, the upcoming V30, set to rival the Audi A3 and recently redone BMW 1 Series hatchback in Europe. There's also a high-riding crossover variant, tentatively dubbed XC30 (go figure) in the cards.

The V30 will launch along side or shortly after the next-generation C30 hatch, and this prototype previews the new 30 family's design. In front, we can see smaller, more angular headlamps that better mimic what we see on the S60, and around back, we can see a more shapely taillamp design, still incorporating Volvo's signature all-the-way-up-the-D-pillar lighting scheme.

Look for the V30 to officially debut in late 2012 or early 2013.

Four-door Volvo C30 spotted... call it V30? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Motorsports, Crossover, Infiniti, Nissan, Rumormill, Luxury

Running a luxury brand used to be simple. Tart up a few mass-market sedans with leather interiors and power accessories, slap on a big hood ornament, jack the price through the roof, then sit back and watch the gravy train flow. These days it couldn't be more different. You need dedicated luxury platforms and halo cars and marketing tie-ins. And if you really want to be taken seriously among the cognoscenti, you need an in-house performance tuner to craft your own AMG or M-series line of cars.

Which brings us to Infiniti, the formerly North American-only luxury brand. It has been going toe-to-toe with Mercedes and BMW in some product segments for years, but with aspirations of competing with the big two luxury marques globally, it needs to put some muscle behind its nascent Infiniti Performance Line brand. So that 414-horsepower Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version you saw at Frankfurt? Yep, it's coming, according to an interview with Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer on the company's corporate blog. And although it won't necessarily be branded an IPL car, Palmer says the Vettel FX will serve as a pilot, to prove that Infiniti can sell "low-volume, very special versions, and be able to charge a premium."

Vettel took his second straight Formula 1 title with a victory in Japan this weekend, and Infiniti might as well capitalize on its marketing partnership with Red Bull Racing. You don't spend upwards of $10 million on a racing deal if you're not going to use it to sell cars. Of course, Vettel is hardly a celebrity in the U.S., so we'll have to wait to hear some official word about North American plans. "Right now," Nissan PR told us, "it is still simply a concept."

Watch the entire interview with Palmer after the jump.

Continue reading Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version approved for production, may result in AMG-like tuning arm

Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version approved for production, may result in AMG-like tuning arm originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments