Guy Buys Bedliner And Wins Sweet Off-Road Vehicle
Phil Grant of Blue Jay, California, has won the Rhino Linings Climbing the Hills of Hazzard Sweepstakes. Grant, an avid rock climber for the last 10 years, wins the grand prize of a Rhino RTV (Rough Terrain Vehicle) from Rhino Off-Road Industries, valued at $25,000. The RTV, a hybrid ATV/Monster truck off-road performance machine, is designed to perform in any environment, including desert, bush, sand, snow, dirt, mud, and rocky terrains.
Grant, who got into the sport of off-road rock climbing 10 years ago, travels frequently around Southern California and Baja Mexico to search out uncharted terrain. In fact, out of nearly 19,500 entries, Grant was a perfect match for the RTV. "This is right up my ally," commented Grant. "Up until now, I have used Jeeps to rock climb, but with my new RTV, I can climb rocks I could have never attempted with my Jeeps. The RTV is a natural progression."
This past summer, Grant was having his second vehicle in less than a year sprayed with Rhino Linings at Rhino Linings of Corona and Norco, California, when he entered into the sweepstakes. "You hear about people winning all the time, but you never expect it to happen to you," shared Grant. "It was a great surprise and I still can't believe it!"
The Rhino Linings Climbing the Hills of Hazzard Sweepstakes ran July 11 through September 12, 2005. Entrants had a chance to win the Rhino Off-Road RTV (as seen in The Dukes of Hazzard), a trip to Hawaii, and other great prizes, including three free Rhino Linings bedliners. For a complete list of official sweepstakes winners, visit our website at www.rhino linings.com.
The sweepstakes was part of Rhino Linings USA's partnership with Warner Brothers Pictures and its feature film, The Dukes of Hazzard, in a multi-million dollar promotional, media, and ad campaign. The campaign also featured the Rhino Linings General Lee Tour which took off July 26, 2005, from San Diego and made its way cross-country, ending August 7, 2005, at the big weekend race in Indianapolis. The touring caravan featured the General Lee, two Rhino Linings Pit Crew trucks, and a Rhino Off-Road RTV.
Bridgestone Offers Unique Guarantee On Its TiresIn a world where little is for certain and there are few guarantees, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) company will take the fear out of buying tires by offering a very special type of guarantee.
"The Buy & Try 30-Day Guarantee puts consumers in the driver seat," said Phil Pacsi, executive director, consumer tire brand marketing, BFNT. "If after 30 days or less you are not satisfied with the performance of our tires, we will refund your money."
"We know that tires are a necessity and not a commodity," Pacsi continued. "In fact, the consumer is often swayed by price or what meets the eye because they cannot see the technology that lies within each tire."
Pacsi added, "The Buy & Try 30-Day Guarantee is evidence that as a tire company, BFNT is not just trying to hook consumers with a typical promotion. We are committed to the integrity of our brands and their performance in the real world. And, we back that commitment with our guarantee."
So, as Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire makes the offer: Seize the moment and the day-test new tires your way-they are guaranteed!
The Buy & Try 30-Day Guarantee does not apply to tires supplied as original equipment on new vehicles or a select number of performance or run-flat specialty tires.
Is This The Next-Generation Factory-Built Sport Truck?
It makes you wonder what's in the water at the DaimlerChrysler design office in Auburn Hills. At the recent 2006 Chicago Auto Show, partially upstaging the introduction of the all-new Toyota Tundra, Dodge took the wraps off of its Rampage Concept truck. Think of it as a Honda Ridgeline injected with a dose of high-potency steroids, a design that stretches the envelope as to how a modern sport truck can be defined.
As long as a Dakota, as wide as a Ram, part pickup, part SUV, and God forbid, part minivan, the Rampage takes the best functional elements of all three and mixes the brew into a unique hybrid. Fabricated on a purpose-built unitized platform, the Rampage is equipped with a 6.1L Hemi driving just the front wheels, the first time the Hemi has been applied in a FWD application. (The concept could feature electric motors at the rear for all-wheel-drive capabilities.) This allows the interior designers the opportunity to integrate a full five-passenger stow-'n'-go seating package with all but the driver seat folding flat into the floor, giving the truck the ability to cart home from Best Buy a 60-inch plasma monitor within its cab that features sliding rear doors.
A retractable backlight (rear window) moves down into the motorized bulkhead separating the passenger compartment from the cargo bed, giving a flat load floor that can extend all the way back from the front seat to the motorized tailgate/ramp, great for driving your ATV right up into the bed. If that's not enough versatility for you, drop the rear bumper fascia, and there's a hidden compartment for hauling 4x8 sheets of plywood or sheetrock from Lowe's, a functional benefit coming from the elimination of a conventional rear differential and axle.
While currently just a concept, there's some speculation as to how the Rampage can be integrated into the future Dodge product portfolio. Our best guess? It could be spun off of the next generation minivan/Pacifica platform due in the next 12 to 18 months. Certainly, expect to see such innovative and versatile packaging in both the minivans and an updated Pacifica sports tourer, all which share a unitized, rather than body-on-frame, architecture. While here at Sport Truck we believe that real trucks are body-on-frame, the designers and engineers at DaimlerChrysler must be applauded for bringing this level of fresh thinking to a genre in dire need of innovation.