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2015 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra heavy duty trucks unveiled

Proving just how important trucks are in the Lone Star State, General Motors has chosen the State Fair of Texas to reveal its new heavy-duty trucks from Chevrolet and GMC. Looking to take some of the wind out of the sails of the 2014 Ram HD and 2015 Ford F-Series Super Duty, the 2015 Chevy Silverado HD and 2015 GMC Sierra HD will have plenty to brag about when they go on sale in the first quarter of next year.
The bragging starts right up front with two available engines. The standard engine is a Vortec 6.0-liter V8 that produces 360 horsepower in the 2500HD and 322 hp in the 3500HD to go along with 380 pound-feet of torque in all applications. The true benefit of this powerplant is that buyers can opt for it to run on straight gasoline, E85 FlexFuel or even compressed natural gas (CNG). For maximum towing and even more flexibility, the 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel B20-capable V8 is the way to go, with its carryover 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque. Though the max towing abilities of 23,200 pounds (with a fifth-wheel trailer) are less than the 30,000-pound rating of the new Ram, the GM HD trucks offer better conventional trailer towing (19,600 pounds) and payload (7,374 pounds) than rival heavy-duty trucks...for now. The Duramax is paired with a six-speed Allison automatic transmission, while the gas engine gets GM's six-speed Hydra-Matic - no manual transmissions are offered.
Including the engines, GM continues to offer a broad range of configurations (more than 150, to be exact) including three cabs, two cargo bed lengths, numerous trim levels and, of course, the choice of single- or dual-rear wheels on the 3500. The HD trucks have faces that are similar to their half-ton counterparts, with the exception of a larger grille and bigger for improved air flow, and like the current HD offerings, the new Silverado HD and Sierra HD DRW models feature a one-piece bed design incorporating the fender extensions.

Google Earth helps sheriff's department find stolen car [w/video]

A stolen-vehicle case opened back in March was recently solved with the help of a property owner using Google Earth, a virtual globe and mapping service similar to Google Maps, ABC News reports. The man, who remains anonymous, found the stolen GMC Yukon while he was surveying his property in George County, Mississippi, using the map service and, judging by the top-down satellite image, thought he found a "shooting house" on his hunting grounds.
When he drove out to the suspicious structure, he realized it actually was a sport utility vehicle wedged in thick brush about 70 yards from the nearest road, so he called the police.
Law enforcement officers had arrested a female suspect in the case earlier based on eyewitness accounts, but didn't prosecute her because the stolen SUV hadn't been found. Ben Brown, a lieutenant detective with the George County Sheriff's Department, says that he ran the plates and confirmed the SUV was the stolen vehicle the department had been looking for.

Roadkill pits every project car against each other

The guys behind Motor Trend's monthly Roadkill series have collected nine of their favorite project cars from their videos and pitted them against each other in a battle royale to determine a winner. It's 44 minutes long, but it's completely worth the investment of time.
The cars run the gamut from a 1973 Chevrolet Ramp Truck, a 1975 AMC Pacer and a legitimately impressive 1967 Chevy Camaro, and they are pitted against each other to see which is the fastest around an autocross course. The drivers include Roadkill's two hosts and Motor Trend's Johnny Lieberman and Carlos Lago. It's reminiscent of the best episodes of Top Gear and worth a watch.
So it's the weekend - the perfect time to relax. Grab your preferred beverage, get comfortable and enjoy 44 minutes of some seriously ratty but utterly cool project cars as they are throttled within an inch of their lives (or past it). Scroll down to check out the video.