Jalopnik
novelties
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2008 orphan car show
Davis 494X, For When A Jeep Has One Too Many Wheels
Do you think that four wheels are just too many for your bare-bones military vehicle? Well then, Mr. Secretary of Defense, may we interest you in contracting Davis Motorcar Company to build you this, the 494X? Unlike more conventional military vehicles, the 494X utilized Davis' existing three-wheel chassis. Sadly, this seems to be a one-off prototype, but could you imagine if it wasn't?
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down on the street
1943 International Harvester Truck
It's not only Truck Monday, it's Memorial Day! We haven't seen a street-parked vintage military vehicle since the Unimog of last fall, and we're due for another war wagon! I spotted this '43 IHC on the same block as the minister's '77 Camaro, and it was apparently surrounded by Soviet troops. Nothing I see on the street in Alameda surprises me any more, so I stopped to see what was going on.
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retro
Junkman's Porsche Jagdwagen-O-Rama!
Apparently unsatisfied with the rarity of his Honda Coupe 9, Junkman also keeps a pair of Porsche 597 Jagdwagens. With only 71 made, Porsche's off-road military machine is a rare site indeed. Make the jump for Junkman's description.
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novelties
Google Street View Banned from Military Bases
The US military has banned Google Street View from its bases after photography and video was posted of Fort Sam in Texas that potentially threatened security. According to the Inquirer, the Pentagon got "its knickers in a twist" after a vehicle carrying Street View equipment was allowed access to the base, capturing "where all the guards are, how the barriers go up and down, and how to get in and out of buildings." Information that the military is worried could aid the dreaded terrorist masterminds currently plotting our demise. More » -
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found on ebay
Test Your Driving The Army Way!
Can you read any portion of an eye chart? Can you tell a red light from a green one? Can you hit the brake pedal within minute or so of seeing a red light? Yes? Then you may be qualified to drive a great big truck loaded with Honest John missile warheads! This "Driver Training and Testing Device, Portable" can be yours for a Buy It Now of just $31.99, and it seems like a pretty cool- though admittedly useless- thing to have sitting in the garage. I recall using a device something like this one in driver training class in the early 80s; you watched a jittery 16mm movie of blurry kids running out into the 1948 street and stomped the brake pedal more or less at random. [eBay Motors] -
question of the day
What's Your All-Time Favorite Military Land Vehicle?
The standard-issue olive green 1942 Pontiac Torpedo from this morning's DOTS and the Post-Apocalyptic vehicle poll got us thinking about the vehicles that serve so bravely in war. On one hand there are the classic Jeeps of WWII. Then there is the modern and much safer International Maxxpro. Those are trucks. What about tanks? In Alamein to Zem Zem, the poet Keith Douglas describes his experience in the African desert in an Mk. III Crusader"To see these tanks crossing country at speed was a thrill which seemed inexhaustible — many times it encouraged us, and we were very proud of our Crusaders; though we often had cause to curse them."
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down on the street
1942 Pontiac Torpedo
There must be a long and complicated story behind this car, which I've seen around town for many years, but all I know for sure is that its owner once owned a 40s-memorabilia shop downtown and still drives the car regularly. You don't see many 1942 model American cars, since those pre-Starion Mitsubishis and their Pearl Harbor drive-by caused what few '42s were manufactured to be drafted for military service. This '42 sports full military regalia and lives full-time on the street in Alameda's East End.
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novelties
VW Touareg Gets Military Makeover
It looks like the German military have adopted the Volkswagen Touareg as a light reconnaissance vehicle. Our second favorite part, after the machine gun, is the matte green paint and blacked out fascia. It looks so good VW should offer this as an option. [Via CarScoop]
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chicago auto show
Chicago Auto Show: International MaxxPro
International didn't just bring it's supershreddersemi, the International LoneStar to the show. They also brought the US Military's latest wheeled transport, the International MaxxPro. The imposing vehicle is basically a purpose-built mobile bomb shelter, capable of taking a hit from any direction, as well as fording bodies of water as deep as 36 inches, just for the hell of it. When we opened the door—or more precisely, tried to open the door—we had to abandon all all our stuff and put our weight behind the effort. The thick armor plated doors were almost as heavy as the ones on an old Mark VIII. While the Humvee is impressive in its general-purpose skills, this thing is just a plain beast. We want a test drive of the take home version. Any vehicle with gun portals gets an "A" in our book.
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12:00 PM on Fri Feb 8 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
3,229 views, 23 commentsLatest by ipodwheels: Reminiscent of vehicles from mad MAXX. Could that be where the name was derived from. I think this more »
