An Old Challenger Gets a New Look
By Johnny McDonald

The world-wide hunt is on for buried Volvo.

Fast forward 35 years and guess what? Reborn pony cars are taking off like race horses.

Ford and Chevrolet saddled up with concept cars at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, showing the Mustang and the Camaro.

Now, Dodge is ready to trot the Challenger from the show stand to the show room.

While the curvaceous Challenger looks like a re-issue, it boasts a modern edge with its Chrysler LX underpinnings.

Penske

The incomparable Roger Penske is a remarkable businessman. Maybe he should run for president.

I knew him well several years ago, talking to him at Riverside International Raceway in 1962 after he scored a controversial victory in a Canadian-American Challenge race.

The rules called for a two-seat body and his was more like a single-seat formula machine. He won that argument and has been winning somewhere ever since.

Most will identify him with his race cars, winners of 14 Indianapolis 500's. Away from the track, he is in partnership with General Electric and serves as chairman of United Auto Group Inc., a consortium of 173 U.S. car dealerships and 123 non-U.S. stores.

He tops all that off with a new venture, as an importer and U.S. sales chief for Daimler Chrysler's new two-seat Smart Car.

It's a far cry from his position along the Indy pit wall wearing headsets.

Porsche & Lexus

Porsche and Lexus are currently running No. 1 and No. 2 in the influential J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, which potentially boosts sales as consumers continue to focus on quality as a leading factor in buying decisions.

What a jump. Porsche ranked 32nd last year. Guess they got their act together.

The survey included 63,000 new car owners; each was asked 237 questions.

Hyundai, Toyota, Jaguar and Honda were bunched, third through sixth.

Merchandising

In its biggest tie-in with a major motion picture, Volvo Car Corp. supported its promotion of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" with a global, multi-media treasure hunt for a VolvoXC90 V8 that has been buried somewhere in the world.

Volvo retailers had the free treasure maps. Then, prospective hunters registered for the search. What will they think of next?

Auto Museum

Through Oct. 23, the San Diego Automotive Museum will display historic Chevrolets. The next show, which will run Oct. 27 through Jan. 29, 2007, will feature the 1935 California Pacific Expo.

Auto/Cycle Show

Qualcomm Stadium's parking lot will feature the San Diego Auto-Cycle Show and Swap Meet from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Labor Day, Sept. 4.