We're trying it again... if you can't read this message properly, please try http://www.allpar.com/i/weeklyz/9-21.html and write to me! So let me know if you love or hate the new formatted e-mails, please? Including whether the pictures showed up?
Mike Shatto has driven his 1998 Dodge Dakota to 623,000 miles, on the original block and automatic transmission. Unlike most people who make such a claim, Mike actually sent us a huge amount of supporting documentation, including receipts, official registration notices, and a big stack of fuel bills. Oh, and a photo of his odometer, though we know as well as anyone how easy those photos are to fake... unlike CarFax reports, a stack of gas receipts, and that sort of thing. It's pretty impressive. See Mike Shatto's 623,000-Mile Dodge Dakota.
Remember the Bluesmobile? Battered and in black and white, it wasn't a great endorsement for the Monaco. Want to see what a real New York State Police version of the same car would look like, complete with the 440 High Performance engine? I sure hope so, because Ted Kadala has spent a lot of time restoring his to be as authentic as possible -- which was made a little easier given that his car really was a State Police version. It's not Chicago, or even Illinois, but it shows you want a 1974 Monaco cruiser would look like... in 1974... in and out. That car is featured as part of our more extensive Dodge Monaco Police car page.
Next, we have an editorial based on a rumor and observation. The rumor: new cars floating down the line. The observation: Chrysler seems to have done nothing in recent weeks to counter an apparently widespread belief that the company is still in bankruptcy, or is at least moribund, with nothing going on other than waiting for Fiat to drop off new cars. Never mind that the Grand Cherokee and Durango are still scheduled to appear soon, along with the new LX series. Well, maybe the company is not countering public perception for a reason (a reason other than incompetence). Here's our reasoning.
Finally, Henri Kern filled in for Allpar at the Frankfurt Auto Show, catching numerous photos of Chrysler's exhibits, including branded bicycles, and writing up what he saw there. See our Frankfurt Auto Show coverage or just look at the pictures.
That's it until next week... so you then!