Video: Ernest Hemingway's Chrysler New Yorker restoration to be chronicled in documentary

The last car Ernest Hemingway ever owned was a 1955 Chrysler New Yorker Convertible. After the legendary writer shot himself in 1961, the car effectively vanished from public view. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, the convertible was in Cuba, getting passed around between the members of one family. Some 50 years after Hemingway died, a determined writer unearthed the car and began the laborious process of restoring it to its former glory. Here in the States, that would be as simple as calling up the local parts store and doing some quick ordering, but the US trade embargo against Cuba put a crimp in that plan.

The documentary Cuban Soul follows writer David Soul as he attempts to overcome the embargo and get the car back on the road with more than a little help from the ingenious craftsmen on the island. You can check out the trailer for the film below. The project is in need of generous supporters, so head over to the Red Earth Studio site to learn how you can lend a hand.

View the original article here

Report: Chrysler 200 replacement coming in January

Autoweek reports the next Chrysler 200 will bow early next year. CEO Sergio Marchionne has said the 2015 model will debut next January, and Chrysler plans to cut the 2014 200 model year short to make way for the model's successor. According to AW, internal documents reveal 2014 model production will start this July and run through early January, 2014. The memos don't specify whether its Dodge Avenger twin will also see a shortened model year (the latter was originally rumored for discontinuation, but a successor is apparently back on the table). Chrysler is investing some $1 billion to construct paint and body facilities at its Sterling Heights, Michigan plant for the next-generation 200.

From what we've heard so far, we can expect the 2015 200 to bring a new design language to the Chrysler brand that will eventually bleed into the automaker's other products. Early reports have also suggested the four door will boast a nine-speed automatic transmission and return up to 38 miles per gallon.

Chrysler executed a very successful facelift in 2011, turning the flailing Sebring into the newly minted 200. Buyers responded enthusiastically, with sales jumping 44 percent in 2012. That step up was enough to make the 200 the brand's best-selling car. The momentum hasn't slackened, either, with sales up 21 percent during the first two months of this year.

View the original article here