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Detroit Auto Show: Acura Puts Design in the Hands of the Consumer at 2008 Auto Shows

Maybe it says something about Acura's designers, but starting in two weeks at the Detroit Auto Show, Acura will be allowing Joe Six-Pack the opportunity to put their own personal touch on a 2008 model. More »

3:45 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Travis Hudson
1,562 views, 16 comments

Offbeat News

Bicycle Riding and GPS Receivers May Not Be the World's Best Idea

Some people just don't get it and I kind of can sympathize with them. A man was stopped on a bicycle in Amityville, New York by law enforcement officials with a number of items on his person and looking suspicious. Found on the man was a GPS receiver and that's where things started to go downhill. More »

3:30 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Travis Hudson
2,499 views, 12 comments

Latest by jimmythefly: GPS+any street bicycle that's not a recumbent=suspicious. more »

Blogging The Auto Bloggers

Scott Burgess of the Detroit News Wants to Have it All

Scott Burgess, the most cuddly of auto critics over at the Detroit News has come up with an interesting, one-man-focus-group pseudo-review of the best parts of cars this year. Deftly sidestepping the realities of engineering, Burgess asks for somebody, anybody to put parts of some of the most dissimilar cars around into a Frankenstein's monster of platform prostitution. Take the brain from Ford's Sync System and put it into an Audi R8 body, bring in a heart from GM (what?!) and eyes from Mercedes... okay that's where our body parts/car parts metaphor runs out, but it's still madness, madness we say! Mwah ha ha ha ha! We're totally loving the diabolicalness of it all.[detnews.com]

2:30 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By bwojdyla
441 views, 17 comments

Latest by Armand Bengle: @SMOKEYDOG001: What do you mean, "wait for wooden frames to make a comeback?" Why wait? [www.morgan-motor.co.uk] more »

New Cars

Chevy Celebrates 50 Years of the Impala (Minus 10 years)

The first Impala appeared as a special edition 1958 Bel Air. In 1959, after the popularity of the original Impala, Chevy introduced it as a stand alone model with a 335 horsepower 5.7L V8. To celebrate 50 years as a range topper, Chevy is introducing a new 50th Anniversary Impala with a 211 horsepower 3.5L V6. Progress! This fully loaded Impala comes with the FE3 Sport Suspension, ABS, 18 inch alloy wheels and enough 50th Anniversary badges to fill an HHR. Full press release and a history of the impala below the jump:

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2:00 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Matt Hardigree
4,084 views, 74 comments

Latest by z974647: Dreary styling makes it better than an Ambien CR for some winks. more »

Gossip

Could This Be The 2012 Mazda RX-9?

The illustrator's over at Winding Road have been having fun with a possible future RX-9 based on previous concepts such as the Mazda Nagare. Their guesstimation picks up some of the Nagare aft of the A-pillar, with a modernization of lines from the current generation RX-8 and last generation RX-7 in the rear. As for under the hood, guesses range from a modified Renesis to something as out-of-character as a V8. But before you rotorheads get up in arms, remember this is all just educated dart throwing. [WindingRoad]

1:30 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Matt Hardigree
5,795 views, 31 comments

Latest by crevans: How about we make a 2 stroke and burn MORE oil? 11,000 oil burning RPM would be a wonderous more »

Question of the Day

Your Favorite LeMon?

My head is still spinning from this weekend's hoontastic voyage. And by spinning I mean that after two straight days of TOTAL COVERAGE I drove straight back to Los Angeles and am now somehow awake before 8:00 am. Anyhow, if you weren't near a computer this weekend, here's what you missed. If you were, you now have that much more info to process. And no, sadly, you cannot count the Caddy Wagon as a LeMons car. You have to pick one of the $500 crap boxes. Me? My personal favorite was the Nissan Sentra SE-R. Not so much for the machine itself, but for the mad men behind it. Totally inspiring to be around. Only next time I hope they decorate their car with a few rattle cans. Hate to see this thing get cursed. But, that's me. What's abouts yous?

1:00 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
1,150 views, 38 comments

Latest by 02chuck: Being an old 02 fan, I have to go with the 2002. Slow but FUN to drive!!!!!!!! more »

Announcements

Happy New Year From Jalopnik

As we get ready to pass from one year to the next, those of us here who ~~slave away chained to their keyboards~~ happily provide you the great car-related content you see here each and every day will be taking a half-day today. But fear not, we'll still have some content coming to you throughout the rest of the day — just not as much as the torrent of stories you normally expect. We're also spending the day working on an uber-post you'll see go live here tomorrow cataloging some of the best of what we've seen here this year. It'll be our only post for tomorrow — so we hope you like it — and make it one of the highest trafficked and most commented on posts of next year. Oh, and — thanks for making this whole thing possible. It's been a fun year and we're all looking forward to more of the same for next year. Bring on the bubbly!

12:30 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
308 views, 27 comments

Latest by Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing: @POLAR: I am honored to be included, but if I paid a quarter for admission, I'm gonna get my money's more »

First Drive

2008 Fiat 500

A tour of Germany wouldn't be complete without test-driving some of Europe's forbidden fruits, now would it? In our case we just couldn't pass on the opportunity to sample Fiat's new retro mobile, the reborn Cinquecento. The Bamberg Fiat dealer was more than willing to let us grab the keys for a trip around the block given that we'd provide a little free publicity. So if you're ever in Germany and hankering for a Fiat, maybe think of Matthias Steinfurth at AutoHaus Wittig GmbH & Co. Let it never be said that we don't whore ourselves out to get behind a fancy steering wheel — we're just not cheap.

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12:00 PM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By bwojdyla
7,381 views, 24 comments

Latest by ZWECK: Just looking at the shifter makes me think it would be a fun drive. more »

Novelties

Beautiful Hand-Built Air-Cooled V12 Makes 68 HP Per Liter

68 horsepower per liter! Air-cooled? You betcha. This hand-built V12 engine, the fruit of hobbyist Ralf Drendel's labor, clocks in at a mere 87 cc's of displacement and cranks out a ~~whopping~~ mere 6 horsepower. That's three times the pistons of the worlds smallest 4 cylinder and probably three times the headaches. The little terror was designed with RC planes in mind, but it's so thirsty its creator is having second thoughts. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find pictures of the beast, but the video, as you can see above, is utterly glorious. Hit the jump for a picture of the mighty mini wonder. More »

11:45 AM on Mon Dec 31 2007
By bwojdyla
51,999 views, 48 comments

Latest by LaGrosse: I'm thinking 1/5 Scale Jaguar, myself!! more »

NYT: Chrysler In Merger Talks With GM

GM Will Go Bankrupt: Why That May Actually Be Good For The General

F1 Boss Bernie Ecclestone's Hot Daughter Poses Semi-Nude For PETA

What Will Mini Name Their New Crossover?

Reality-Defying Futurama Flying Car For Sale On Amazon For A Mere $50,000!

The Cars Automakers Need To Atone For

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