Teton Motors' Jason Williams, a Spartan in the Making

Summer is a time for relaxing, enjoying the outdoors, spending time with friends and family…and, for some of our employees, for scrambling over rope courses, charging through water, dragging through mud, scaling walls, writhing under barbed wire, and leaping over pits of fire…all voluntarily.

Teton Motor’s very own Jason Williams, E-commerce manager extraordinaire, spent a full week in May in the Spartan Race in Colorado, the world’s leading obstacle race series known for its exhilarating but often brutal obstacles.

So what exactly is Spartan Race?



Jason says he first got interested in the race when his brother invited him to do some Special Forces training. This is the first year he’s participated.

When asked about the experience, he kept it simple: “It was awesome!” he says. He describes crawling through the mud under barbed wire with an M16 rifle in tow as the hardest part of the race. "We started out clean, by the end you and everyone else was brown," he laughs. Spartan Race isn't just about charging to glory alone, however. Jason describes the most satisfying part of the race as helping others get through the obstacles. He also got to finish the race with his younger brother. "That was very cool."

Would he participate again? “Without question,” he says. “Besides, I get to have a Mohawk for a week.”

Want to be a Spartan? Check out www.spartanrace.com for more information. Maybe you'll see Jason at the next race!

Subaru tells all in new BRZ documentary

The BRZ was built as a "driver’s car." It's got an affordable price point, exceptional handling, and great ride comfort. It introduces the absolute joy of driving to a new generation of car enthusiasts. Read on to see how much effort and detail went into making Subaru's fantastic new sports car!

Every so often, a car comes along that is different from anything else out there, and the 2013 Subaru BRZ is one of those cars. It may not be the fastest or have the most powerful engine, but for those who appreciate a well designed and engineered car, you’re going to love this car. It might not look too impressive on paper, but once you see this video from Subaru, you can see why it’s a special car.


Subaru set out to do something they have rarely done in the past, produce a rear-wheel-drive sports car and make it affordable for just about anyone. Subaru has been known for their legendary Symmetrical All-wheel-drive system and it's one of the best in the business. But building a rear-wheel-drive car is a departure from their recent lineup of cars.


Subaru accomplished their goal of introducing the joy of driving to a new generation of enthusiasts, and to design a car with exceptional handling and great ride comfort, all at an affordable price. They started by taking their already proven opposed-four “boxer” engine, with a low center of gravity, which is the ideal thing if you are designing a sports car. And then they reduced the weight wherever possible which helped in the performance and handling.


The Subaru 2.0-liter four is an all-new engine and features Toyota-sourced direct injection. The engine drives the rear wheels through a choice of two Aisin six-speed transmissions, one a manual, the other a conventional planetary automatic with manual actuation using steering wheel-mounted paddles. The transmission is the same one used in the Lexus IS 350. Front suspension is MacPherson strut, while the rear gets a complex multilink setup, with disc brakes on all four corners.


While Subaru has heard from their customers that they would like a turbocharged version, it isn’t likely to happen anytime soon. But the Japanese automaker is listening and is working on a faster version. But the BRZ was designed from the ground up as a driver’s car, built to an affordable price point, and Subaru has certainly accomplished their objective.


The videos put together by Subaru shows just how much effort and detail went into making the new sports car from Subaru. The Japanese automaker has put together 22 minutes of behind-the-scenes chats with the engineers who made the BRZ to show you how they did it, and how they designed all of the handling and safety features and still made it one of the sportiest cars to drive.


Unfortunately, the video is in Japanese with English subtitles, but it's worth the extra effort. It's in two parts and you'll find both below.






Read more at TorqueNews.com.

Six Lucky Bands are Cruze-ing to Vegas with Chevy and Billboard

The 2012 Billboard Music Awards are this month in Las Vegas, and guess who’s sponsoring the Battle of the Bands?

Cars and music just seem to go together. And when you’ve been mentioned in over 500 songs, who better than Chevrolet to sponsor Billboard’s Battle of the Bands?


This is one rockin’ good time: 18 hand-picked and up-and-coming bands from across the U.S. took a shot at national TV exposure, a career milestone to be determined by your vote, fan engagement and live performances through a contest aptly called “Cruze-ing to Vegas.”


During the contest, 18 bands were narrowed down to six. Now, Chevy has loaned each of the six finalist bands an all-new Chevrolet Cruze for a road trip that will take them from their home base to Las Vegas for the Battle of the Bands competition. It will be the ultimate road trip too, beginning on May 10, as film crews will document their every move.



Six Bands: Giggin’ for Gas in Their Chevy Cruze
The bands will have to be as inventive on the road as they are in their music. They’re not receiving any gas money. They will “gig for gas” whether it’s at local venues or playing on street corners. Maybe they’ll crank up the Pioneer® nine-speaker premium audio system2 and Sirius XMTM Satellite Radio3, open the doors, and stage outdoor karaoke, complete with air guitars. How they scrap for gas money is up to them. One thing is for sure - thanks to Cruze’s 36 MPG4 highway, they might not have to earn as much as they would with another car.


We’ll see how resourceful they are in packing their gear into Cruze’s cavernous interior and ample cargo space. And we’ll find how skillful they are at using the OnStar® Turn-by-Turn5 navigation to plan ahead and reach their destinations.

Follow Them on the Ultimate Road Trip
From playing gigs along the way, to tweeting and blogging their adventure with fans, to creating playlists, to the final Battle of the Bands on May 18 in Las Vegas, you can see the bands videos on www.billboard.com/battle.


You can also see the winning band get the ultimate prize: a chance to be honored as the “Dreamseeker Artist of the Year” at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards airing live on Sunday, May 22, on ABC.


Kevin Mayer, Chevrolet’s director of advertising and promotions said, “Chevrolet has long been associated with music. Partnering with Billboard.com on ‘Cruze-ing to Vegas’ is the next link in connecting our brand with music.”


Just visit www.billboard.com/battle, check out the videos, listen to the music and be a part of “Cruze-ing to Vegas.”


Read more: http://www.chevrolet.com/culture/article/billboard/

2013 Subaru Outback: Walkaround Video

Interested in the 2013 Subaru Outback? Here's a run down from The Car Connection on what the new model does differently and what features stay the same.



Subaru had a trio of new models on display at the recent 2012 New York Auto Show including the all-new Outback Sport as well as facelifted versions of the Legacy and Outback.


Today we’re looking at the Outback, which for the 2013 model year has been given refreshed styling, a more fuel-efficient engine and extra safety features.


Unless you’re a Subaru die-hard you’ll probably not notice the styling changes.


Visually setting the latest 2013 model apart from the previous Outback are new headlights, a revised grille and a sharper front bumper.


The base 2.5-liter engine also looks the same but it’s actually a brand new unit. It puts out 173 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque, with more torque at the low end of the range for better responsiveness. A six-speed manual is still standard but customers can now opt for a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which comes with paddle shifters behind the wheel to simulate manual mode when needed.


The EPA hasn't yet rated the 2013 Outback for gas mileage, but Subaru projects that the new engine with CVT will achieve 24/30 mpg city/highway and 26 mpg combined. The previous model rated in at 24 mpg combined, so the 2013 Outback already looks quite impressive on paper.


The Outback 3.6R is still available and its engine is largely unchanged for the 2013 model year. It still displaces 3.6 liters and is rated at 256 horsepower. Note, it’s only available with a five-speed automatic transmission. Gas mileage is around 20 mpg combined.


The other major addition on the 2013 Outback is Subaru’s latest EyeSight driver-assist system, which offers a host of safety features like pre-collision braking, lane-departure alerts, and adaptive cruise control. Combined with the vehicle’s surefooted all-wheel drive system, stability control and roster of airbags, the EyeSight system should ensure the 2013 model retains the Outback’s top marks in independent crash testing.


For a closer look at all that the 2013 Subaru Outback has to offer, check out our extensive preview.


Read more at thecarconnection.com/news/1075252_2013-subaru-outback-walkaround-video