Archive for January 2007

Jalopnik Mid-Week Weekend: El Camino Real

This past Friday I drove 400 miles up to San Francisco and then drove back down to Los Angeles on Saturday just because. I figured after months of press cars the all too-dormant WRX needed a good workout. My freeway of choice was the King's Highway, the El Camino Real, U.S. Route 101, or as we in So-Cal enjoy saying, "the 101" (all freeways in Southern California are prefixed with a the, as in "Take the 5 to the 10 to the 210 in San Dimas." Whereas up in the Bay Area they simply say, "Go north o

By Jonny Lieberman Read More

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Skylark, Have You Anything To Sing To Me? The Joy And Pain Of Buick's A-Body

When pretty girls write prose poetry about your old car, the back roads of Contra Costa County and a comet that inspired mass suicide a decade after the fact, it might be worth revisiting said vehicle. Such a prose poem was sent to me today, and got me thinking. My 1970 Buick Skylark was both the best and the worst car I ever owned. The guy I bought it from was planning to make a GS clone out of it, so he installed a Turbo 400 trans with a fairly aggressive shift kit. Then he put orange reflecto

By Davey G. Johnson Read More

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Zagato-Tuned Spyker C12 La Turbie To Show In Geneva

Spyker always shakes up the Geneva auto show with some extreme craziness that leads to wild murmuring among assembled journos. Last year it was the Peking-to-Paris SUV, which looked like a Porsche Cayenne that fell in with a crowd of feral Jaguar XKEs. This year, however, the company's back to mother earth, with a special edition of its C12 La Turbie, created with Italian design house Zagato. Company CEO Victor Muller says that car will take its cues from the company's new F1 racers. Every one o

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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North America Is Not Enough: New York Throws Down The World Car Of The Year Cock-Block

New York's Auto Show will see your North American Car/Truck Of the Year award, Detroit — and they'll raise you the rest of the world. Wait — seriously? Yes, seriously. The auto show priding itself in being the "largest-attended" (haven't they been told yet size doesn't matter?) just issued a press release to make sure everyone now knows just how big they actually think they are with their second annual "World Car Of The Year" award. Guess that for them, a continent's just not big enough to hol

By Ray Wert Read More

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A Super Bowl Obsession For GM: Robots That Suck Less Than Male Fragrance Models

We now are beginning to feel like we know the plot-line for all of the Super Bowl XLI commercials way ahead of time. Or, as is the case with the General's new Super Bowl ad, four days ahead of time. The General's released a release boldly proclaiming its commercial will "reveal its obsession." That obsession, outlined in a commercial called "Robot," is apparently for quality. The 60-second spot is the next phase of the General's 100,000 mile/five-year powertrain limited warranty. It'll feature

By Ray Wert Read More

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Washington Wakes Up A Little: Senate, House Pissed At Bush Regime For Meddling With Climate Scientists

You ever stop and think how funny Republicans are? Their favorite president is an actor, their favorite scientist is a fiction writer and Rush Limbaugh is a big, fat, dope-addicted, impotent idiot. I mean hypocrite. Anyhow, turns out that Bush and his gang have been (gasp) pressuring federal scientists to "downplay" the threat of global warming. Well informed folks everywhere have known about this muzzling of science for a while, but now the Congress is actually fact finding. Aside from 43% of t

By Jonny Lieberman Read More

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Hybrid Technologies Launches Electric Mullen Sports Car

Electric-vehicles doohicky builder Hybrid Technologies is set to launch the previously announced all-electric version of the Mullen L1X-75 supercar. It's called the L1X-75 GT, and it's a carbon-fiber-bodied version of the V8 Mullen, called out by Forbes as the seventh fastest car in the US, a designation shared among the Saleen S7 and Dodge Viper. Hybrid Technologies's propulsion system, fed by a lithium battery — the company says — is "aimed at surpassing current electric sports cars," not ment

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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Would You Like To Buy Bill Ford's House?

The Freep's reporting former FoMoCo CEO Bill Ford Jr.'s selling his house on 17.1 acres of land in Ann Arbor, MI. The asking price is a mere $3.95 million for the David Osler-designed contemporary home built in 1980. And for those of you wondering — no, Bill Ford's not leaving Michigan. Rather, he and his family have moved down the street to another palatial home or mansion of some sort. Somehow we think what with the announcement of Pfizer shutting down operations in the city you might be abl

By Ray Wert Read More

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Embargo Games: GM Doesn't Care About Internet People

The week between Christmas and the New Year is the least productive for automakers. It's when factories enter shutdown mode and the offices of automotive power that dot the Metro Detroit area become a loosely arranged snoozeville. Inside, if you're not planning for the Detroit Auto Show you're as far from Detroit as is possible on a coach ticket. If you have an active role to play, you're doing so in a bathrobe and Nascar slippers. But for bloggers this year, there was a staggering amount of wor

By Ray Wert Read More

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Spyker C8 Spyder Gets Spiked In Belgium!

After yesterday's bird-on-Porsche incident and the falling ice ball we thought we were done with our weekly fill of hoontastic epic car smashes. Then Jalopnik reader Sacha brought to our attention the demise of one of only three Spyker Spyder's in Belgium last week. Here's what happened:

By Ray Wert Read More

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We Watch Charlie Gibson Come To Town And Charlie Watches Wagoner Lift Skirt On Pontiac G8

We've got to think it was some kind of bait and switch. We were in the Detroit ABC affiliate studio waiting and watching Charlie Gibson play footsie with seven local automotive "leaders" at what we thought was to be the evening eye candy. Little did we know we coulda had a G8 — because the real automotive eye candy had been shown earlier in the night to Charlie Gibson by GM CEO Rick Wagoner. Rick, while giving a tour of the General's design center to Charlie Gibson, reprised Bob Lutz's role in t

By Ray Wert Read More

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Zap, Lotus Team Up On Electric Crossover SUV

Back when Lotus Engineering showed off its Aluminum Performance Crossover (APX) concept car at the Geneva show last year, most assumed it was a showcase for the company's new, lightweight architecture, and nothing more. But news hit the wire this morning that Lotus will use that crossover SUV as the basis for a joint venture with ZAP, the company that came to prominence last year for federalizing Smart cars and selling them in the US, despite being disavowed by DaimlerChrysler. The companies say

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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Coop Weighs In On The Grand National Roadster Show, Johnson Weighs In On Hot Rodding

I have to admit, that I was a little dismissive of the GNRS in the post below. Maybe part of it's projection: as a NorCal to SoCal transplant, I realized that Northern California is where I like myself better. I'm more at home there; more at ease. Los Angeles is an amazing, wonderful place full of stuff you'll never find anywhere else, or at least not in the same combinations. What's more, it's the birthplace of hot rodding, low-buck land speed racing and drag racing. It gave us Hot Rod magazine

By Davey G. Johnson Read More

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Abt Pupil: The Audi TT-R Tuner

German Audi tweaker, Abt Sportsline, launched its new tuner last week, the TT-R — a hotted-up version of the company's latest coupe. The range-topping model's undergone various kittings that boost the 3.2-liter VR6's power to 355 hp (supercharger, engine chip), though the company offers lesser stages for the six (310 hp) and 2.0-liter four (270 / 240 hp). Body kit, suspension tunings and 19" wheels are part of the stuff list. Trophy wife not included.

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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Blog Hoonage: Fanaticism, Stupidity And Poorly-Formed Metaphors

• This very well may be the world's most perfect test drive circuit. [HotRod.com] • This guy "will quickly glance at the mirror and profile your sanity. If you don't look like some gun-carrying lunatic...immediately hit the breaks and drive as low as 15 mph to teach you a lesson." That's right before he insists deaths caused by cellphone-talking car drivers are much more tragic than the war in Iraq, lung cancer, and oh yeah...the Holocaust. Oy. [Marginalizing Morons] • God may be your copilot

By Ray Wert Read More

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Verdict In Porsche Boxster Versus Bird: Nobody's A Winner At 155 MPH

We can't verify the speed Carscoop's claiming this Porsche Boxster was going when it hit a bird traveling the opposite direction, but considering the level of damage it caused, we'd have to say they probably aren't too far off. All we know is that's more damage than even the bird turd kit can fix, so 155 mph sounds like it could be the right velocity to do this to either a laden or unladen swallow. Gallery's below and is not for the squeamish or the weak-of-stomach. We're going to go vomit now.

By Ray Wert Read More

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A New Icon: More On TLC's New Replica FJ40

Although we've talked about TLC's Replica Land Cruiser before, the company's released some new photos, and we're still impressed. You see, some thought the original FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser had character, simplicity and genuine utility, while others considered it a clear rip-off of Jeep's CJ series. Nonetheless, purists have few options these days, considering most SUVs are mere soccer-ball carriers with few of the rock-climbing capabilities of old. Most wouldn't be caught dead on backcountry sw

By Ray Wert Read More

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Early Rodders Saturday Morning Meet

Early Saturday mornings are a fine time for a car show. Meet early. Grab some coffee. Have a donut, or a bagel. Hob nob about cars. Here in Los Angeles there's always some manner of car show going on, sometimes right in the back yard. To that end we bring you a gallery of images from this morning's Early Rodders car show. When they say early they mean AM, and they're not kidding. The gathering takes place every Saturday from 7-9 AM at 1929 Verdugo Rd in La Canada, California. The Early Rodders w

By Mike Bumbeck Read More

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Ad Watch: Ford's Super (Duty) Bowl Commercial Teasers Are Techie Porn

We've gotten our hands on some cool-to-watch and tech-heavy 15-second teaser ads for the Super Bowl ad campaign launch of the 2008 Ford F-Whatever Super Duty. The one above is a CAD-based build of the new 6.4L Power Stroke diesel engine with dual turbos and the second teaser commercial, in the same out-of-thin-air fashion, highlights all the little parts that make up the new (and useful) tailgate step. There's also a third teaser which is nothing more than a jarring drop of the big metal "Ford"

By Ray Wert Read More

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Open Sesame: Warehouse Opening In Portugal Reveals Forgotten Collection

Imagine you're Ali Baba, stumbling on the 40 Thieves' treasure — only the thieves are long gone and the treasure is actually 180 European cars of various description. That's kind of what happened in this case, where inside a warehouse welded shut for years, a wealth of dusty cars — Jags, Porsches, Lancias, Alfas, Lotuses, Austin Minis, Renaults, open-wheel formula cars, and on and on — sat rusting for over 15 years. No word yet on who's claiming the cars, or what will become of them, but we'd i

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Parts: Using A Floor Jack And Jack Stands

The scissor or corkscrew jack in your trunk is somewhat adequate for emergency wheel and tire swaps. Drive-on ramps are good for oil changes and whatnot. When it comes time to blow apart the front end, swap out some brake pads, or replace some spent struts, a floor jack and two or more sturdy jack stands are the right tools for the job.

By Mike Bumbeck Read More

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Al Unser Jr Charged With DUI After Las Vegas Crash

Al Unser Jr's facing a slew of charges including a DUI after the two-time Indy 500 winner reportedly left the scene of a crash on a freeway on the outskirts of the Las Vegas strip. Unser was identified as the driver of a black Ford Excursion that sideswiped a Mazda on the Vegas Beltway shortly before 11 AM yesterday. Unser's vehicle took little damage in the rubbing, but the Mazda crashed into a cement center median. All accounts indicate the Mazda driver was not injured at the scene, but we'l

By Ray Wert Read More

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Question Of The Day: What Did You Pay For Gas Today?

With gas prices dropping the past two weeks, I was under the impression I'd be in for a similar treat when I hit up the local BP today. Sadly, it wasn't the case, as I've now seen gas prices pop higher by almost 10% since the last time I filled up. It turns out, according to AAA, prices are still trending lower in many areas of the country. The Midwest, however, ain't one of them, which is a conclusion I came to at the pump and well before I read the article posted on the Freep's website earlier

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Hopefuls: Honda Racing's 2007 F1 Car

Honda Racing rolled out its 2007 entry, the RA107 in Spain, yesterday, giving drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello a chance to pre-flog their hopeful sled. It's the second season since Honda bought out BAR to become sole owner of the team, which had a poky 2006 season despite a major comeback at The Hungarian Grand Prix at Hungaroring, which Button won. Will major Honda bux kick the team upstairs, such that they can parlay the second half of 2006 into a strong 2007? Seriously, I'm asking

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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Transformers Toys For Tots: Slot Cars And An Old And Busted Camaro Named Bumblebee

No, not our commenter — the Autobot named Bumblebee. Our fave fan site all about the 'formers hipped us to new pictures of a transformed 70's Camaro version of the yellow-n-black bot. I'm not yet thrilled as it's not the new concept Camaro version from later in the movie and we're actually curious as to where the rest of the car went post-transformation. But despite my lack of exuberance over this toy, there's some other news from TFW2005 that makes up for it. Unfortunately, it's only for olks

By Ray Wert Read More

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A PlayStation 3 Can Be Yours For The Price Of A Car Or Your Indentured Servitude

Despite the prevailing opinion on the interweb game sites that the PS3 is not the be-all and end-all of gaming (and don't even get them started on the current line-up of games!), there's probably a few folks out there who were unable to get their grubby little gamer fan-boy hands on one during the holiday shopping season. Thank god for craigslist. The net-nerd infested haven of selling shit for free has a classified ad just for you — especially if you're in the Seattle area and you've got eith

By Ray Wert Read More

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For The AMG E63 Buyer Who Has Everything: Performance Package

This March, buyers of the Mercedes-Benz AMG E63 will have a new portal through which to send unwanted cash in exchange for incremental performance improvements. As part of its new plan to create additional levels of tune and trim for buyers of its

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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Transport Revolution! The Great Hoverchair Of San Pedro!

Despite what y'all think, we at Jalopnik to do not spend our days tearing around in Torino Talladegas playing the Angry Samoans at high volume, outrunning the Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol, mowing down sidewalk fruit stands and supping on the finest lobster bisque at sunset on the beach with Jodie Kidd on one arm and Sabine Schmitz on the other as the sun drops behind Catalina. We haven't even illicitly airbrushed a Viking mural on the side of an Isuzu I-Mark in nig

By Davey G. Johnson Read More

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Breaking! GM To Restate Prior Results, Delay 2006 Year-End And Fourth Quarter Numbers

We don't know much else other than what is in the press release after the jump. We do know there will be a conference call in a few minutes starring the General's CFO, Fritz "Don't Hurt Me" Henderson and hopefully we'll have more to report back to you then. Until then, on to the words of the General!

By Ray Wert Read More

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Big Blue Oval Day: Didn't The Wall Street Journal Get The Memo?

Well, there's one big story on everyone in the auto industry's mind — what's up with FoMoCo's 2006 earnings? Although it was expected by all but the biggest Kool-Aid drinkers in and around the Glass House in Dearborn, one thing's true — almost everyone's sporting the blue oval on the front pages of their web sites. You already know we rock a stylized version here on the Jalop, but we thought we'd check out how other online sites were throwing down with the mortgaged-to-the-hilt logo. The Freep

By Ray Wert Read More

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Blog Hoonage: It Only Hurts The First Time

• The Chinese DMV requires only 90% quasi-intelligence in order to maim people with one's car. [Hard Drive Life] • Why maybe hippies shouldn't be allowed to drive. Or blog. Or breathe. [ThirdAge Blog] • Chin up, kid: you may be driving hookers strippers around now, but one day you too may grow up to impregnate Angelina Jolie. [Attention. Deficit. Disorder.] • Help spazeboy out — the dude's trying to save money to fix his mom's car. Seriously, how much more heterodorably pathetic can a plea get

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Jalopnik Question Of The Day: What Will Happen To Champ Car?

Just like that, in a slash of the accountant's broadpen, Ford has withdrawn its sponsorship of the Champ Car World Series, the open-wheel racing series once known as CART. Ford Racing Technology head, Dan Davis, said the company's sponsorship, "does not align with our current business objectives." Those objectives, we'd imagine, include clawing back toward profitability. So what will happen to the Champ? A merge with Indy or some other, less high-profile, fate? You call it, we listen.

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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GM Needs The Dues, Considers Sale Of Allison Transmission

Although the General claims

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The Red Badge Engineering Of Courage: The Opel GT

More cowbell! GM's Opel outfit released details and visuals on the Saturn Sky variant that will revive the Opel GT badge. Like the Sky Red Line, the GT will get GM's turbocharged 2.0-liter direct-injection four, producing 264 hp — good for a zero-to-60 time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 143 mph. It's been given the once-over by GM Europe's Design Studios in R sselsheim, which added a few Opelesque cues to highlight its association with the European brand's GTC sports line.

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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FoMoCo FUBAR! Ford Earnings Call Live-Blog!

Well, the gang's all here for a FoMoCo earnings conference call this morning that I expect to be lossgastic. We're expecting to hear from Alan "New Guy" Mulally, the man-with-a-plan hired in September to captain this plane with an engine fire. We'll also here from Don "What Me Worry?" LeClair, the Chief French Puff Pastry Financial Officer for FoMoCo. And then there's us — standing at the ready to live-blog the Dearborn-based automaker's 2006 earnings call. So refresh this page like mad kiddie

By Ray Wert Read More

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Breaking The Bank! Ford Leaks Money Like A Sieve In 2006, Reports Net Loss Of $12.7 Billion

The big press conference call isn't until 9:00 AM, so you're just going to have to suck it up and take what we know from the press release we've got in hand straight out of the glass house in Dearborn. What we know is FoMoCo is reporting a fourth-quarter loss of $5.8 billion dollars, pegging the 2006 full-year net loss at a much greater than expected $12.7 billion. That's a net loss of $6.79 per share for the full year. But hey, not everything's doom and gloom over at the glass house. For inst

By Ray Wert Read More

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More Replicas From Duesen Bayern

If you thought those Japanese Europhiles at Duesen Bayern stopped at Fiat 500s, you'd be missing out on the company's premier properties. Owners of BMW Z3s can choose from two retro-Teutonic guises, a modded Mercedes 190 SL (the Mystar) and a similar variant (Agnes). The body kits are made from reinforced plastic and fiberglass, and will fit on any of the BMW roadsters up to the 3.0i model. Goggles and tweed cap optional.

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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India Walks Walk, Talks Talk On Renewable Fuel

While D.C. fat cats here in the land of the free bluster on about the political bandwagon that is ethanol, several organizations in India actually seems to be doing real work on the subject of renewable fuels. Instead of playing into the hands of the "ethanol has super potential" crowd, the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), is working with some fungi and a plant called the Jatropha curcas to develop a self sustaining biodiesel industry. The best part? If you eat one of the nuts from the pla

By bwojdyla Read More

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Chariot Afire! SPACE WAGON AMUSEMENT! A Carstar!

Commenter pres just recently asked, "When did the Eagle Summit suddenly become en vogue again?" We understand if pres missed the boat, although the correct answer to his query is, "When did anything that was sold other another name as the Mitsubishi Space Wagon ever go out of vogue?" What's more, its antecedents, contemporaries and successors were also sold variously as the Colt Vista, the Mitsubishi Chariot (A Chariot, people — if that's not Super Great, we don't know what is), the Expo LRV and

By Davey G. Johnson Read More

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LUV That Pickup: Edag Prepares Truckish Concept For Geneva

We're plumb tuckered with Egad/Edag wordplay, so this one comes to you from our serious place. German design and engineering house Edag plans to show off a new concept truck at the Geneva show, dubbed LUV. But this concept is no Isuzu-built compact Chevrolet pickup from the 1970s; it's a maritime-themed hauler with a teak-covered loading platform. Maritime? According to the company, LUV means "luff" in German. Right, we had to look it up too — it's the act of sailing a ship nearer the wind, so t

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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CNN Web Site Serves Up Semi-Naughty Word To Describe Enzo-Busting Ex-Gizmondo Exec

We're known to drop an f-bomb or two on occasion on these pages, just for, you know, dramatic effect. Sometimes that drama even includes an s-bomb and a d-bomb, and although we've yet to drop the c-bomb, we've pretty much used every other four-lettered expletive we can think of. But unlike CNN.com, we've never used the r-bomb before. The r-bomb? Yes, the r-bomb — as in "ripshit." Some of you may be asking yourself, "Self, WTF is ripshit?" Others of you are asking "Self, since they've never use

By Ray Wert Read More

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State Of The Union Schadenfreude: Bush's Big Wood...Chips

With Bush talking in last night's State Of The Union about all sorts of car-related issues, we thought we'd take a moment to walk you through what some of the talking heads said about the speech's salient auto-related subjects. Mostly because it's sometimes funny, and well, we were too busy trying to figure out how many drinks "wood chips" gets us to care about silly things like policy analysis and ramifications.

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Cinquecento Bento: The Duesen Bayern Ritz

If you find yourself in Japan, bored with the look of your Nissan Micra, just call Duesen Bayern. Don't worry, it's a local call. The Japanese company builds replicas of European iron from other hardware. Such is the company's the Ritz model, for example, for which the company refits a Micra with sheetmetal add-ons to bring out its inner Fiat 500. Sure the dimensions aren't perfect, but they'd still be a hit at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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The Joy Of The T-Body!

We don't care if it sucked. We don't care if it seemed dumb to call a car a "Chevette" that wasn't branded as a Chevrolet. We don't care if it was even briefly sold as a "Buick-Opel." What we care about is that is that it was a rear-drive hatchback that could be had for cheap, and in Chevrolet guise was actually sold with a trim level called "Scooter," which did not include a back seat. The GM T-platform exhibited both what made GM completely dominant and what kicked them into the cesspool. And

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Clarkson On The M6 Convertible

Americans have been giving each other what-for since the beginning. After some fits and starts, a dash of Manifest Destiny here and there and some border clashes with unruly people of French descent and Spanish/Native ancestry, we mostly got on with the process of being annoyed with each other and banding together for a war on foreign soil now and then. Yeah, there was that conflict that inspired Across Five Aprils and now and then we shoot our presidents. But Europe's got a different issue.

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Jalopnik Does Math Good: A Corny State Of The Union Address?

Ok, so here's what we know. Earlier today FoMoCo issues a press release tauting six states receiving a test fleet of new E85-fueled hybrid Escape SUV's (gallery below). On top of that news, but wholly unrelated, there appears to be some kind of a run in stocks of companies involved in E85 production today. We've also heard unconfirmed reports the ethanol lobby plans to open up a bigger office in Washington, DC. How can these seemingly unrelated things all be happening today? To explain, let's

By Ray Wert Read More

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Michigan Company Snags Contract To Help Build Transformer's Little Brother

One of the cooler looking alt-vehicle modes for a Decepticon in the new Transformers movie is a baddie by the name of Bonecrusher. Boney's vehicular disguise is a Buffalo H mine-protection vehicle, designed by the folks over at Force Protection, Inc. to sift through the dirt and rubble to find little explosive devices and let them detonate safely on the bad-mutha-trucka's super-reinforced skin. Obviously, these things are selling like hotcakes to the US Armed Forces, but the company also has a c

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Ad Watch: Ford F-150 Eschews Amerigasm In Favor Of Killing A Cake

I've heard it's not possible to teach an old dog new tricks, and after watching years of Chevy and Ford truck ads, I was beginning to believe it was true. Especially after I saw the last round of amerigasmic ads from Chevrolet and Ford. Then FoMoCo dropped the above ad in our lap called "Cake." It's a commercial for the F-150 "celebrating" 30 years as the 'merican pickup truck sales leader — and lookie here — no Toby Keith, no "Ford Truck Man" song, no underlying message other than a truck drivi

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Time Warp Toys: Evel Knievel Daredevil Super Stunt Set

When I was a kid I would ask to go over to play at my older cousin's house in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak not because I loved my cousin so much, and not because he was five years older than me and therefore worlds cooler. Rather, it was because he had an Evel Knievel Stunt Set with a gyro-powered motorcycle and Knievel action figure. I'd play with that set every moment I could, setting it up and running the cycle into every conceivable object and barrier I could come up with. That is until I

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The Darn Thing's Got Carwings: Nissan's E-Hand Guides Fuel Efficiency In Japan

Right-pedal junkies in Japan, take heed. Nissan's offering a new electronic eco-nanny that monitors driving behavior, with an eye toward promoting fuel efficiency. Think of it as an onboard Acceleration Anonymous sponsor, who gently points out where bad habits cost you dearly (and ignores the other 11 steps). Its part of a new telematics system the company's offering in Japan, dubbed Carwings, created to foster less-consumptive habits with the help of gimmickry electronic devices. The system, av

By Mike Spinelli Read More

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Energy Policy: Ford Reveals HySeries Hybrid Edge Concept

Ford's showing off its HySeries fuel-cell hybrid in the nation's capital today, hoping to carve out a new direction in the ongoing battle of the research hybrids. As we mentioned yesterday, the Edge HySeries uses a hydrogen fuel-cell to top off the EV-car's batteries, which can also be charged via plug-in. Ford says the powertrain delivers a combined city/highway gasoline equivalent fuel economy rating of 41 mpg if the full range is used, and 85 mpg at a range of 50 miles per day (the first 25 a

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Paul Casey And Sergio Garcia Hoon Around In World's Biggest Sand Trap

When I was a kid, we had these huge sand dunes up north near Traverse City called the Great Sleeping Bear sand dunes. As a young whipper-snapper, I would play on those huge hills of sand wishing I were conquering the in my very own Power Wheels Jeep. Unfortunately, Michigan's DNR didn't allow any type of motorized vehicles to play in the sand there — and my parents were never going to buy me one of them kiddie death-traps anyway. It seems that PGA card-holders Paul Casey and Sergio Garcia appare

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Mustang, Redux: Foose Stallion Now Available At Ford Dealerships

We had some other things on our mind a couple of weeks ago, so we've got to apologize to the man, the myth, the marketing maven that is Chip Foose. Foose announced earlier this month his newest creation, the Mustang-derived Stallion, is now available for purchase at all sorts of local FoMoCo dealerships. The Stallion, distributed to dealers by way of Unique Performance, includes all sorts of "unique" performance enhancements like a Ford Racing exhaust, suspension and a "power pack" from Ford Rac

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Don't Shed Another Tear, Time: It's Not You, It's US Automakers

Time Inc., we know how much it hurts right now to be broken up, but you've got to know it wasn't you — it was all the fault of that little broke shit you've been dating, the US auto industry. I know you can't see it now through your tears, but the US auto industry isn't doing so well these days at work and they needed some space. I know it was so cruel for them to break off most of the ad relationship they've had with "You," not caring what kind of an effect it would have on your fragile P&L s

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Ad Watch: Do Asian-Americans Like To Live On The Edge, Make Bold Weddings Happen Every Day?

Yeah, we tried to mush in some more FoMoCo ad tag-lines into that headline, but we ran out of room. Regardless, we were actually kind of disappointed we hadn't yet seen this ad, called "Wedding Day," on the air as it's been running since the end of December. But since I guess we're not part of the "Asian-American" demographic Ford's targeting it towards — they must be doing it right. And since none of us are in that specific circle, we turned to our resident Asian-American expert obsessed with g

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Kiwis And Steak Sauce: Germany's Nico Hulkenberg Takes Double Win In New Zealand A1GP

Although you're probably more interested in the "grid girls" — Team Germany's Nico Hulkenberg took the double win in Taupo, New Zealand, running in first place from start to finish in both the morning Sprint race as well as the afternoon Feature race. The win times two puts Hulkenberg's highly precise team firmly in the top spot in the "World Cup of Motorsport" standings. The nation of Bruce now has 65 points going into the next race in Sydney, Australia on February 4th, firming up the lead over

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Barrett-Jackson: We Get A View Live From Stage, You See Shelby Give Away First-Born GT

Our insider snapping photos and videos out in Scottsdale at the big BJ auction managed to get themselves up on the stage and take some shots of Ford's newest Mustang derivative, the #001 serial-numbered Shelby Mustang GT. We've got the picture gallery below and according to the description from FoMoCo PR description from Shelby PR shit pulled off of Barrett-Jackson's website from god knows where:

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Pricing! Buick Enclave Breaks Out Of The Woods, Starts At $32,790

Lost amid important things like t-shirt slogans and a certain car exec's hairdo, we kind of missed the completion of the General's Lambda-platform trilogy. Rick Wagoner's blue-haired Buick brand has now allowed pricing on the Outlook Acadia Enclave to run free out of the Woods. The CX, the base-level FWD version of the Buick Enclave, will hit showroom floors at the jaw-dropping price of $32,790, with the AWD model of the base-level coming in at $34,790. Now if you want some options on that CUV,

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Jalopnik Weekend: Ten Best Driving Albums

We're blasting the Brawlers disk off Tom Waits's new audio triptych Orphans and we hear Tom cough out, "It's a big old Lincoln Continental with the suicide doors." Reflexively, instinctively, naturally we stabbed the go-pedal of this week's Dodge Nitro (super review potential — wait for it), causing the 4.0L V6 to burst into life. And we started thinking. Driving music matters. Fine, if you are rich enough to listen to the "mellifluousness symphony" of an F430's V8, have at it. But for most of t

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Octavia! Octavia! Inexplicable Inversion!

Our Dutch pal Jason Garber caned a Lincoln Navigator within mere millimeters of its life on last summer's Bullrun, prompting the best exchange on the rally between a participant and a civilian: "Where'd you learn to drive?" "Europe." And he now has sent us this video, which makes us sad for the poor Octivia, yet marvel at the sheer inpetitude of its pilot. Where'd she learn to drive? Oh, right. Europe!

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All Of Michigan's Cadillacs Are Belong To Will Ferrell And Woody Harrelson

From the Freep today:

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Barrett-Jackson's All About...Drifting?

To be honest, we've really got no idea what drifting has to do with the Barrett-Jackson auction out in Scottsdale, but for some reason it's part of FoMoCo's "Family Fun Day" party out west. Despite the lack of an understanding of "why," we do know the "what." That there is Tony Brakohiapa, a drifter born in West Africa and living in San Francisco. The dude's 28, and was a stunt driver in the most recent sucktastic "Fast & Furious" movie which I think was called "Tokyo Drift Like The Kids Are Doi

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Bold Mullets: They Happen Every Day?

Ok, so we've now determined the hair style most appropriately associated with Mark "Movie Star" Fields is in fact a mullet. I appreciate the hard work all of you have done, leaving no stone unturned, poring over the entire gallery of pictures doing your due diligence in determining the FoMoCo Prez's hair style. But now we must turn to to a more important question. I've received a number of phone calls and e-mails over the past few hours alerting me to another hair-related matter regarding Mark F

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Mark Fields Could Have Caught The Spirit Party In The Back In August

We were really glad to see Mark Fields taking one for the team. His decision no longer to accept flights on the company-provided jet for family weekend visits is one heckuva Bold Move(TM), and we're proud of him for leading by example in tough times. Hell, even the New York-based bastion of liberalism, the Times noted Fields' decision this morning. True, the Times did open with a dig on Fields potentially flying an Airbus product (Airbus is the competitor of Boeing, the company FoMoCo CEO Alan M

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Tata Taxi: India's First Stretch Limousine

India's Tata motors isn't hanging back while other carmakers are creating hyper-luxury limousines for the world's well-heeled maharajas. Well, maybe a little. But that's quite all right, because Tata's new Indigo XL is for the less-demonstrative playah — the kind who digs his DVDs, but who's looking to save some bling scrip, and isn't bothered by 1980s-era automotive technology. For around $16,000, said playah can roll home in the Indigo — propelled by a 1.4-liter four, in petrol or common-rail

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Forget Schadenfriday: Modded VW 1500 Rules The Divine!!

First of all, YES!!!! Second, just yesterday we were listening to comrade Scott kvetch about not wanting to paint his Type III black. How about black with a white roof we said. Yes, that's a factory option Scott replied, but he'd look like the fuzz. After we ran through all the OEM colors and Scott explained how red is the ultimate midlife crisis color for a Type III (which we still don't get), we suggested that since the car has such a unique front end a two-tone paint scheme is the way to go.

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Jalopnik Poll: How Low Can Gas Prices Go?

Ok, it may be a bit ridiculous when gas is cheaper than crappy bottled water. But whatever, I'm in fat city. That's because although I thought I was lucky to fill up at the pump earlier this week at the price of $1.99(9), this morning, not only did I beat that price — I killed it. I drove up to the local Speedway (Maple and Inkster, for those in the area) to top off a media fleet car and I saw a price that made me swoon — the just-above-insane price of $1.85(9) a gallon! Then, because I'm like t

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New Mercedes C-Class, Officially

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

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Why Bother Spending Time Reading Up On Things? A Quick Screed Against Suckdom

We were just down at Maria's. The dearth of free papers was abysmal today. No LA Times, not even a copy of the Daily Breeze in sight. So we sat down with our tamales and a copy of Random Lengths, Pedro's version of an alt-weekly. We read about how Gerald Ford sucked. We read about what Martin Luther King, Jr. would do if he were alive today. Despite our liberal proclivities, we felt batted about the head. Pedestrian writing, typical left-wing bias and general annoyingness abounded. And like true

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Official Car Pundit Drinking Game: Union Jack Daniels, Please!

Wert's been called back up to reprise his role as a member of the punditocracy, and guess what — you're invited to play along with him. That's right, it's time for some new rules in the only official car pundit drinking game in the entire world. So belly on up to the comment section below or e-mail us at tips @ jalopnik . com. However you do it, make sure to play so you too can watch and win. We've heard the subject of tonight's show (as per usual, it's On The Money on CNBC — 7:30 EST is the "

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Kids Of Today Must Defend Themselves Against The Hoons Of The 70s.

While it is very true that we are stoked to be alive at a time when 400hp, AWD and bacon saving computers are de rigeur, we have to admit that 70s-style hoonism looks like big, dumb fun. No, this is not a demolition derby. The footage is in fact being filmed at the Nurburgring Nordschleife — probably at the infamous Klostertal kink. Screw safety equipment. Just give us some skinny high-profile radials, swing-axels, German babes and cocaine. Lots and lots of cocaine. In the words of Spinelli, "Hi

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Air Fields, Grounded: Ford's Prez Gives Up Plane Perk

Looks like the pressure of Steve Wilson here at WXYZ in Detroit may finally have gotten to Mark Fields, FoMoCo's President of the Americas. Wilson's the guy who was the first ( followed closely through the breach by us, we might add) to go after Fields over his weekend commute to his Miami-based family in a Ford-owned corporate jet. The Detroit News is reporting the embattled Prez will be giving up the perk as it was "diverting attention away from his mullet more important issues." But don't e

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Cruisin' For A Bruisin': The Roush Roadster

The scriptwriters at Roush say the company's new tuner Mustang convertible will make "cruisin' fun again." We're not sure exactly when cruising — deapostrophized for your protection — stopped being fun, though we think it happened around the time we chose the receipt of paychecks over clearing some room to sleep behind a dumpster. Still, the company's 415-hp droptop should remind those in their peak earning years of a simpler time, when their cars had carburetors and their chicks weren't knockin

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Ford Design Chief Says Successful Vehicles Need "Secret Sauce"

Last night at the Automotive News World Congress in Dearborn, MI, FoMoCo global design chief J Mays outlined five must-have elements designers need to "figure out" when planning a new vehicle. They include looking at the customer, determination of brand aspiration, telling a story, choosing the appropriate vehicle platform and looking for "that thing" to make it stand out. According to Mays, "that thing" is some kind of a "secret sauce" that "surprises and delights you" and when you've

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Jalopnik Late-Nite: Best. Motorcycle. Movie. Ever.

We know Davey G just posted something from Coop's blog, the incomparably cool Positive Ape Index. And we know that it is gauche to steal our fellow writers' sources. Like, if Wert started blogging about odd Karmann Ghias and Gasgacinch we know we'd be bummed. But we also know that it was snowing today in Malibu. Based on that we've determined that the above film is too fantastic not to be shown here on Jalopnik.

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The Slowest Quarter-Mile In The World: Lombard Street!

When we were but a small Jalopnik, no higher than the fender badge on a Nova, no trip to San Francisco was complete without a ride down Lombard Street. When we were of age and living in the Bay Area ourselves, and at least as tall as the painted on "Brave" logo on a '78 Winnebago, we would attempt to drive down "The Crookedest Street in the World" as fast as humanly possible, first in our '75 El Camino, then in our '70 Skylark. We managed 15 mph down the eight-turn, 27-degree grade, thrice the r

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In An Orgasm Of Light And Sound, BMW Sauber And A Supercomputer Named "Albert2" Unveil A Highly Precise F1 Car

With the usual Sturm und Drang we expect from highly Bruce knights of Teuton, Bayerische Motoren Werke's wholly owned F1 race subsidiary, Sauber F1, just dropped a highly precise racing machine into the mix for the 2007 racing season. Featuring such innovative design elements as a more newish-looking nose, larger air ducts, a slimmer n' lower profile, and a huge-ass size increase in the rear crash-element. But what was most notable to us was the focus on precision so precise, they needed a press

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Hippy Dippy Do: Fin De Seventies Underground Bus Trip

Patron saint of San Pedro Mike Watt noted back in 1995, "The kids of today should defend themselves against the Seventies," which, as a 19-year-old, we took as gospel. A decade later, Watt said to us, "Peter Frampton sang 'Do you feel like I do?' No, I don't. You're wearing a kimono!" And while defending oneself against Peter Frampton and Mustang IIs seems like a very good idea, the '70s also gave us some great stuff like the Lamborghini Countach, the Ramones, the Ferrari 308, the Modern Lovers,

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Production Callaway C16 Debut At Montreal Auto Show

Six hundred and sixteen horses worth of Callaway Cars' C4 LeMans race car technology is now available with fine German leather. The first production version of the Callaway C16 platform debuted at Montreal's Palais des Congres for the 2007 Montreal Auto Show this week. (The pre-production version was announced at the LA Show last November.) The law of demand led the company to offer its C16, which clocks 200 mph, posts a 10-second quarter mile, and comes with a five-year/100,000 mile warranty ba

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Oh, Those Doors Again: JE Design Seat Leon

See, this is what's missing in the US — hatchbacks with scissor doors. (Can you even Imagine pulling up to some swank Miami nightclub in a Spanish-German hatchback without them?) Tuning and design shop JD Design, which makes its living making quick work of Volkswagen group products, is offering such kittage for the Seat Leon. In addition to the doors, the package includes a new grille, aero kit, rims and optional matte-finish roof. Performance-wise, the company chip-tunes the Leon's 2.0-liter TD

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Sign Us Up... Not! MINI Dropping Two New Diesel Cooper Bombs

This will probably get us fired, but so be it. We're more excited about dental floss than we are diesels. Seriously, just... no! We don't want one. We don't tow anything, we like high-reving mills and we just don't care that much about gas mileage. Before you start in, we don't hate the planet — it's just that shifting at 6,000rpm is our one vice (or is that one of our vices?). We are more than aware that lots of you, who do not exist in the form of us, spend part of your waking life pining for

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It's All Toyota's Fault: Everybody's Ancient Nowadays

My parents are retired. Both of them. Both worked until working became a rather annoying, frustrating proposition and both freaked out a bit at the prospect of retirement. And although they've both adapted to it pretty well and are having a good time, they've decided that they no longer need their K5 Blazer and are thinking that they'd like either a Honda CR-V, a Subaru Forester or a Toyota RAV 4. Meanwhile, back in 1999, I interviewed Joe Strummer. I was 23. I had a 19-year-old girlfriend and w

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Survey Says: Less-Educated, Less-Affluent, Distaff People More Likely See Cars As Feminine Anthromorphs

Yeesh. This thing made our brain spin with its litany of stats and demos. But apparently — if we're reading this right — low-income women without a college degree are more likely to see their cars as vaguely human than others are. We'd be interested to see a poll of poor, female tifose with a lack of education. We're betting the surveyors could knock 150% out of the park on that scale.

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World's Longest Scalectrix Track!

What goes down when you put a bit too much wonga in the pockets of a couple of yobs and then let 'em loose? Why, they drop 10,000 quid on building the world's longest Scalectrix track at Dunsfold Airfield (is there a more famous 747 in the world besides Air Force One or Pan Am 103?) and invite the people from Guinness to officiate. The racing action isn't exactly heart-in-throat-inducing, but what we wouldn't give for that amount of track and a couple of scantily-clad corner marshals. The mind?

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Super-Duper Hoonage Potential; Suzuki To Take On WRX & EVO

Talk about information that makes us happy. Here's the gist; Suzuki is going to have an entry in the 2008 WRC. Due to the rule that exists in the form of homologation, Japan's suddenly upstart automaker has to let us run what they brung. Details are both sketchy and speculative at the moment, but here's what we think we know. The new street rally car will be built off the already impressive SX4 chassis. Unlike the SX4, the new car will feature full-time AWD. The body will resemble the WRC entry

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It's Just Different Over There: Ford Europe Launches "Individual" Program

If you weren't already aware, Ford Europe is a vastly different animal than its stateside sibling. As a purely European construct, it's largely similar to VW, a fact sometimes lost on us Yanks until we happen to spot the blue oval on some wacky diesel minicar with EU plates (on a web site, of course). In fact, the FoMoCo division is following V-dub into one of its most successful margin-boosting strategies, that is, "individualization." Just as VW Individual adds millions to VW's bottom line by

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It's Official: The New BMW 1-Series Three Door

Last week, while some of the Jalops were taking in the Detroit landscape, almost literally (Wert, both hands on the wheel), Mr. Lieberman was writing pithy commentary about a small BMW with an extra door out back — comparing it to a proper English shooting brake. That car, the three-door BMW 1-Series, made its official multimedia debut ahead of its formal unveiling at the Geneva show next month. According to BMW, its litter's runt will get similar hybridlike fuel-saving gadgetry — just like the

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Geezer To Pull A Foreman: 72-Year-Old James Hylton To Attempt To Qualify For Daytona 500

Coincidently, we just got done reading a screed from Jezzo's, The World According to Clarkson: And Another Thing in which the great Jeremy admits that he thinks of little else since turning 40 save death. Obviously, he doesn't want to die with a tube up his nose. No, Clarkson thinks being blasted into space aboard one of Branson's Virgin rockets might be the ticket. Could it be that the 1966 NASCAR Rookie of the Year has been reading the Sunday Times? If Hylton is not in fact familiar with "that

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We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful: Barrett-Jackson Edition

We liked the days when we would be driving down College Avenue in Berkeley and would see Jade Puget of AFI strolling down the street and pull over for a chat. We also like hearing AFI on the radio, even if our musical tastes have diverged. But the band was so worried about a Green Day/Jawbreaker-style backlash, that there were all kinds of conflicting statements when the band left indie label Nitro for DreamWorks. But AFI worked hard, played their asses off, etc. We don't begrudge them a thing.

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Nothing On This World Left To Tune: Startech Takes On The Dodge Nitro

Must be why the Chrysler-tuning side of BRABUS decided to go underground to seek the next vehicle to Startech-stamp. Because oh look, they came up with the tunneling lack-o-cute, the Dodge Nitro. And really, you just know it's gonna be a killer tune job when the second paragraph of the press release touts the vehicle's new hotness as being "a more homogeneous transition between front and rear wheel houses." Nothing says cool to us like homogeneity. But hey, at the very least they've boosted the

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Maximum Bob Lutz To Make Final Exit In 2008?

We assumed the day would come when Maximum Bob Lutz would eventually have to leave the General and the automotive world he's called home for so long now. We knew at some point he'd have to retire again, and this time would more than likely be the last. As we're wont to do, we'd even tried to come up with some ideas on how we hoped he'd end his career (for the final time) here in the D. Our thoughts ran the gamut of possibilities, crystallizing around two fervent hopes for how Maximum Bob should

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Iron Chef, Detroit Auto Show Edition: Battle Of The Cutaway Displays

Use to be, carmakers would run an early prototype through the largest bandsaw they could find, file down the sharp edges and call it a cutaway. But like anything else, competition for consumers' eyes has forced display creators to be ever more clever, escalating the state of the art. I'm not afraid to say the trend accelerated significantly a couple of years ago, when Ford trotted out a bisected GT for all to walk through. It was quite a crowd-pleaser. Fast forward to now, and you'll see this tr

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What We Missed In Vienna: The Beck LM 800

We missed the Vienna motor show last week, but we hear it was lousy with supercars. Such like this little Swiss number, the Beck LM 800, created by a specialty manufacturer near Bern — that famous capital city where Albert Einstein devised the Special Theory of Relativity. According to the company, it's constructed from lightweight materials like aluminium, magnesium, titanium and composites like Kevlar, and powered by an unnamed (Audi?) 4.2-liter turbocharged V8 producing 650 hp. Unfortunately,

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Transformers Toys For Tots: Ratchet's A Whore Of A Hummer

One of the biggest reasons for the General to be involved in this upcoming summer's blockbuster movie about the cars that disguise themselves as robots (yes, we know it's "robots in disguise" but maybe we're projecting our allegiances here) is the merchandising. The folks in the RenCen's phallic towers of power are going to be able to get millions of kids across this great nation — nay, across this heckuva world — to play with products that share some remarkable visual similarities to products a

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Great Balls Of Lightning! Tesla Motors To Electrify Michigan On Tuesday?

It seems Michigan's Governor Granholm (In the interest of full disclosure, I worked for the "G" for three years prior to writing about my obsession with the cult of cars — so ignore any instances of breathless adoration of Michigan's CEO.) is seriously working the phones and the flesh-pressing in an attempt to woo investment dollars from Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard. As part of the Gov's wooing, she's tasked the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (NAMBLA) (Also, in the interest of f

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Shit. Dick Landy's Dead

"Dandy" Dick Landy, one of the most innovative men in drag racing history, has died of kidney failure at the age of 69. Proprietor of Dick Landy Industries, Landy kicked the 1/4 mile onto its ear with what was the predecessor to the Funny Car, rocked early Pro Stock, built a flathead that was good for 300mph at Bonneville and constructed the 440 for what is undoubtedly the most famous ambulance of all time: the Yates/Needham/McClure/Chaos TransCon Medevac. Dick, you passed too soon, but thank yo

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What The Hoot Page? Watt Has Righteous Bro Blog 'Bout Hydrogen Stations Near Reykjavik While Touring W/ Stooges

And then it it all comes full circle... There's little we enjoy more than reading Watt's (increasingly) unique Pedro-speak concerning all things that exist in the form of Watt. But, given the "energy diversity" that all the big carmakers are struggling to achieve, well, this is time and place appropriate to us car-blogging types. As the Stooge's Icelandic tour driver explains;

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Holy Crap! Hawaii Five-O Theme Song Lyrics

We love us some Don Ho, but we're a bit crestfallen to find out that not only were there lyrics penned to the greatest instrumental television theme song of all time, but they had nothing to do with McGarrett's hair or the fact that Herman Wedemeyer and one of Los Jalops are both graduates of Saint Mary's college of California. Instead, they are as follows:

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Jason Vines To Officially Take Over Marketing Efforts For The Chrysler Group?

The craziest man at the 'merican side of the German-American hybrid is rumored to be officially taking up the marketing efforts at the Chrysler Group. We've heard PR man Jason Vines has been unofficially running the show on the ad side of the business of selling the company and the company's vehicles since "Joltin'" Joe Eberhardt was moved out of the job of dealer ops after that whole "sales bank" thing. If you remember, that was the classification given to vehicles produced but which had nowh

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And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Parts: Check The Oil

The reason to check your oil begins with an understanding of the oiling system itself. Bolted up to the underside of the engine is an oil pan. At the bottom of the oil pan lives a pickup for the oil pump. The oil pump takes up oil through the pickup and circulates it through the engine. In this way the miraculous lubricating properties of oil stop friction and heat from destroying the engine. This miracle will continue unabated unless one neglects to check the oil level. Engine damage will vi

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To Infiniti And Beyond: New QX56 Revealed

One day, when gas is $437.45/9 a gallon, and the world's supply of alcantara collapses, sending the six commodities traders assigned to the luxe fabric into receivership, the large SUV may finally hit extinction. For now, Infiniti's on board with its new QX56 — its version of the Nissan Titan Armada — which it unveiled at the Detroit show earlier this week. Strangely, not one of us remembers Infiniti reps mentioning the facelift. Maybe we were enjoying some swag pastries at the time.

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Big In Japan: Fairlady Z Version Nismo

Effective immediately, there's a higher spec Nissan Fairlady Z (that's Japan's 350Z) tuned by Nissan Motorsports in the land of Nihon. Nismo's given the Z a few tweaks to provide extra body stiffness, better cornering and more downforce. Power's still the same, at 313 hp for the JDM model, which makes a seven-horsepower mockery of US-sold 350Zs. Now is that fair? I ask you.

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Vatican Condemns Dakar Rally!

This is somewhat tenuous at best, but isn't it rather fascinating that a theocratic government that holds sway over a large portion of religious people, whose head was once a member of a youth organization that pledged fealty to a regime that sent invasion forces to North Africa has now called the Dakar Rally "the bloody race of irresponsibility" in the wake of South African motorcycle racer Elmer Symons' death? An editorial in L'Osservatore Romano exhorts, "The Paris-Dakar, a race which many cl

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Jalopnik Exclusive: We Test GM's Patience And Personal Audio Link System For The iPod

The ability to run your iPod in your car through your head unit (either via the radio faceplate or the steering wheel) is kind of like the Holy Grail to auto-loving audiophiles with a hankering for digital audio. I already drive, eat, drink and e-mail all at the same time, so throwing the iPod into the mix doesn't help much. So any opportunity I've got to use the iPod via the radio interface makes me almost giddy. Given that, I have to say the General's Personal Audio Link system (PAL) is better

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The General Outlines Corporate Priorities For 2007, We Take A Nap

There's some kind of silly NAIAS Automotive Securities Analyst Event hosted by Citigroup today over in Dearborn at the Ritz. I've no idea what the hell it's all about, but we know the General's got a number of execs there including Rick "I'm The Boss" Wagoner, Bob "I'm With Boss" Lutz, Fritz "Money-Man" Henderson and Troy "NorAm's My Bitch" Clarke. No idea if there's going to be any news out of this thing, but we'll be listening in on the conference call to see if anything interesting happens.

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Detroit Auto Show: Speeding Volt-A-Motive

The Chevrolet Volt concept was not referred to as a hybrid at the big show. E-flex was the word in GM advanced plug-in technology propulsion. E-flex or not, the Volt contains both a gasoline engine and electric motor underneath its skin, but is not a hybrid like we now know. In parallel or combined hybrids such as the Prius, the electric motor and gasoline engine work together in an either-or-both-depending-on-what power delivery system. The drive wheels are spun by the gas engine, the electr

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One Down: Wolfgang Exits Stage Left At VW, Will Chrysler Group's LaSorda Be Next?

Reports are coming in Wolfgang Bernhard was just told he's no longer allowed to be representin' Deutschland and Ferdinand "Fergie" Piech has moved his buddy Winterkorn into the vacated spot. Bernhard, the main man for the VDub brand, and former DaimlerChrysler exec, is leaving Volkswagen at the end of this month, although we've yet to hear whether it was on his own terms or if the Supervisory Group's doing the canning. That distinction could be significant in coming months if Bernhard looks to j

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Choice Quotes From The Detroit Auto Show

Besides Thomas Weber's "Wee-Eight" comment, Mark Fields' description of Mercury as "Not Ford" and the apparent "I am going to cum all over you" line from Changfeng's Chairman Li, we only had Alan Mulally's "Ford blands" bit to keep us giggling. Let's just say Detroit didn't leave us with anything quite as golden as "ALUMINUM UND SHTEEL!" or "Your wife, my wife..." Regardless, there were a few gems that came to us away from the show floor. Transcribed verbal snapshots after the jump.

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Autoextremist On The Detroit Auto Show

According to Los Jalops who were actually allowed into the GM Style event, Sweet Peet D. was in the house. A couple of us can't personally verify that fact, as we were eating with Audi. We get the feeling that they saw two guys in jeans and Dickies/Red Kap gas station attendant jackets and thought, "That's not GM Style." Whatever. Hanging out with Europeans is generally more entertaining anyway, and they seem to enjoy our proletarian show-wear.

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Quite Sketchy: Infiniti's Next G35

Earlier today, Infiniti released a sketch of its next G35 coupe, which will incorporate cues from the company's Coupe concept — a prototype introduced at last year's Detroit show. The redesign will put the aging two-door in line with the latest G35 sedan, which received a makeover for the 2007 model year. The new coupe, which incorporates the sedan's new "katana blade" cut-in design — will join its extra-doored sibling on dealers' lots in 2008.

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More On The New BMW M5 Touring

At the risk of jeopardizing Loverman's health and well-being, we must say there's no information yet on whether the BMW M5 Touring is coming to the US. But it's most definitely coming to the UK, at a price starting at 49,805. For his sake, let's hope ambidexterity can be taught.

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Detroit Auto Show: No Funny Here — The 2008 Dodge Magnum R/T And SRT8

Yeah, we're all a bit mind-wiped right now in the media center. Therefore we're leaving the gags and humor behind on this one — mostly because we're not creative enough at the moment to come up with anything funny and unusual about the new-for-2008 Dodge Magnum. So, you know — the press release is after the jump and the photo gallery is below. We hear Chevy's got Coney dogs — so we're gonna try to hit some of that shit up.

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Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Dodge Viper Mopar Concept Coupe

Around the corner from the stage where Dodge introduced its latest Viper SRT-10, DaimlerChrysler's Mopar parts division displayed this 675-hp 2008 Viper concept. It's a megaskutch meaner than the happily striped reptile that graced the stage earlier today, numerals flying in its wake (i.e., 8.4-liter V10; zero to 60 in under 4 seconds; braking in under 100 feet; ). The concept's a tuner Viper, tweaked out with cold-air intake, adjustable coilover suspension kit, lightweight 19" alloys and a tub

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Dateline Dearborn, MI: Import Center

While in Detroit half-trying to locate the Ham Center we found instead the Chrysler Import Center. This well lit sign reminds us to not forget about Chrysler's long-term relationship with formerly beloved Mitsibishi. Right after this memory was served we found Miller's, and were served cheeseburgers. Another reminder is the that the Chrysler Conquest was in realty a rebadged Mitsubishi Starion. Not sold at your local Chrysler dealer since 1989.

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Detroit Auto Show Exclusive: We Talk To Mark Fields, Make Zero Mullet Jokes

Yeah, so every once in a while we get a little serious — and we guess this was one of those times. I sat down yesterday evening in front of the Ford Interceptor concept to talk with FoMoCo Prez of the Americas, Mark Fields. To his credit he didn't deck me — despite the ample opportunities I've provided him in my short tenure here at the Jalop. But this time instead of questioning the man's loyalties to his faith, his Miami-based family or his choices of hairstyle, I questioned him on a diverse s

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Detroit Auto Show: New Chevrolet Malibu Drops, Not Awful

Those of the Chevrolet persuasion rolled out a redesigned Malibu sedan this morning. Mostly everyone around here says it's a qualified looker — in the Saturn Aura mold — though there's dispute over the new fascia — a Chevrolet brand-DNA sandwich sprinkled with SSR and Silverado cues. Busy and bulbous or clean and aggressive? We're going out for a new set of eyes.

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Detroit Auto Show: A Suitable Sports Car? Toyota FT-HS Concept

Somehow, we're finding it really hard to get excited about the Toyota FT-HS hybrid concept, and the press release after the jump isn't helping any. However, if the terms "J-Factor" and "Vibrant Clarity" bust your crank and leave skidmarks on your soul, you can always click through for a mind-numbing discussion of perfect imbalance and freeform geometrics. Or you can just look at the pictures.

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German Godzilla: Volkswagen Auto Group Sales Up 9.3% In 2006

First, the news. VAG sold 5.73 million vehicles last year, solidifying its position as the world's number four automaker. Second, a bit of analysis. A guy named Erich Merkle is claiming that VeeDub's sales were temporarily boosted this year because of new model drops like the Jetta and Passat. He says, "I don't know if it is really sustainable." Jalopnik says, "The Jetta is unbuttered white toast on wheels, but that R36 Passat is indeed the hotness." Most remarkable though, once puny Audi manage

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Detroit Auto Show: Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Bows, Barons Rejoice

A late-'70s Lincoln for the experimental jet set, Eurotrash and stars, the Phantom Drophead Coup shed its tarp at the Detroit Auto Show. The chaps who brought the news from Crewe to Goodwood under the leadership of their Bavarian overlords call it such things as a "less formal interpretation of classic Rolls Royce design" and "sleek, streamlined." Yeah. Streamlined like a goddamn lavishly-appointed Freightliner, Herr von Richthofen. Press release happens post-jump.

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Ford CEO Alan Mulally's All About The Mercury Bland

Oops, was that a slip of the tongue made by the main-man at FoMoCo during the introduction of the new Ford Five Hundred yesterday Sunday? Was it signaling a serious shift in strategy for the automaker? Or — maybe he's just telling the truth. All we've got to ask is — What Would Jill Wagner Do?

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The Jalopnik Morning Shift

• Live from Detroit, it's a bunch of foreign accents! [NYT] • The Detroit News doesn't want you to see its auto blog. [Detroit News, Detroit News, Detroit News] • Tom LaSorda's older now but still running against the wind. [Freep] • Danny Howes thinks CHINA IS COMING all over you. [Detroit News] • If the CTS is no longer a Daddy's Caddy, then what Caddy's for your Daddy? [Freep]

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Detroit Auto Show: Jeep Experiments With Inbreeding: Trailhawk Concept

Time for a little "between the lines" style analysis. Jeep says, "[T]he Jeep Trailhawk is a more refined highway cruiser without sacrificing any of Jeep's legendary off-road capabilities." Jalopnik says, "Kill the Compass immediately." Jeep says, "The key to the look of the Trailhawk,' said Nick Vardis, Principal Exterior Designer, 'is the vehicle's distinctive proportions, due in part to its 116-inch wheelbase." Jalopnik says, "116-inch wheelbase? That is going to sacrifice a lot of Jeep's lege

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Detroit Auto Show: Chrysler Pays Homage To The Lexus IS250 Sport Wagon: Nassau Concept

Wert and I attempted to do a "He Said, He Said" about the Chrysler Sebring a few weeks back. It was an utter disaster that devolved into me calling him a fucking asshole, Ray smiling and saying, "So?" and the world's nicest man (Spinelli) being ticked off at the both of us. Epic behind the scenes good times. The lone thing Wert and I did absolutely agree on is the Sebring is the ugliest car Chrysler has ever barfed dreamed up. Channeling my inner-Clarkson, "Until now." What on earth is this thin

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Detroit Auto Show: Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept

New NSX or not new NSX? That's the question Acura posed with the latest in its new style concept series — the Advanced Sports Car Concept. Front-mounted V10, SUPER HANDLING ALL WHEEL DRIVE and carbon-ceramic brakes, quad exhaust and integrated rear diffusers all communicate its HIGH PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL. Seriously, read the press release.

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Detroit Auto Show: Rethinking The Box: Nissan Bevel Concept Car!

Oh Hell double-yeah! We were slightly worried that the computer enhanced shots of the Bevel we threw up yesterday were exactly that. But no, Ghosn and the gang did good and showed up with a concept car we'd like to see in production. Forget the soft-touch, over-rendered, Erector-set interior (Erector means "dildo" in German) and instead concentrate on the massive asymmetry of the exterior! One door on one side, two doors on the other, the license plate hole is off to the right and even the Nissa

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Detroit Auto Show: Honda Accord Coupe Concept

Earlier today, Honda pulled the silken tarp off its new Accord coupe concept, a pre-production model hearkening the company's next-generation Accord coupe. Looking like a shot of Audi TT with a Hyundai Tiburon chaser, and sporting a deep character line running the length of its flanks, the coupe will mark the model's eighth generation. It's powered by a new i-VTEC V6.

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Detroit Auto Show: Latest Toyota LF-A Concept

Lexus has "reshaped, redetailed and redefigned" its ongoing LF-A concept project, such that the latest model is closer to a market-ready vehicle, according to a press release that dropped out of the leaden Detroit skies this afternoon. That means the LF-A is edging ever closer toward the long-awaited, six-figure Lexus supercar projected to hit by century's end. No V8 in this boy — it's got a mid-mounted 500+ hp V10 and a probable top speed of 200 mph. In a bull market, that is.

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Bump N' Grind: Dieter And Tom Get The Man-Love On

While our main man from the West-side of the US of A brought you the product love from Mercedes, I'm here on this side of the 8 Mile line to get all obsessed with the industry insider stuff. So of course I was all over the man-love going on at the reveal for the more Bruce side of the German-American hybrid. Because given the sales banking of excess production going on over in Auburn Hills (and Detroit Metro Airport, the State Fairgrounds, lots and of course — empty trains behind the Best Wester

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Detroit Auto Show: Lexus IS-F In The Flesh

Our boy Bumbeck stuffed his meaty elbows into journo mugs all morning to nab some shots of the Lexus IS-F, as the company sent it into the entry-supercar ether. Set to arrive in early 2008, the 400+ hp, 5.0-liter V8-powered miniLex will get those Brembos (cross drilled) after all, along with 19" alloys and engine-oil and transmission-fluid coolers and a cylinder head-scavenging oil pump for high g-force driving. No word on price, but we hear ~$50,000 and a pair of Red Sox tickets.

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CTS And Violins: More On The 2008 Entry-Level Cadillac...Yawn

Ok, so maybe we've got too much up already on the CTS, but we couldn't ignore these on-the-ground shots of the reveal from our crack photographers. Especially since, as you can see above, there were violinists there. And nothing says Cadillac CTS to us like violins. But really, we've got little else other than that and the press release after the jump. Have at it.

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Aussie Media Czar Makes Bid For Aston Martin

Admittedly, when we first saw the headline we were thinking Brett Favre and the green & yellow gang were involved. I mean, they sure as hell ain't doing anything at the moment. But no, a certain Mr. James Packer, who just purchased a 38 million flat in London, is becoming a bit of an anglophile. He's also Australia's richest man, having made his fortune the old fashioned way, by inheriting it from his billionaire daddy. And he's only eight years older than us. Sigh... Anyhow, James is at the hea

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Detroit Auto Show Round-Up: What You May Have Missed On The Sabbath

The Detroit Auto Show's a weird one — the first day's on the day of rest of the Christian side of the Judeo-Christian weekend. So, if you weren't trapped in the office — or for some reason feel you had better shit to do yesterday, here's a round-up of all the pretty pictures you may have missed. So remember to keep refreshing our Detroit Auto Show mini-site or drop the RSS feed into your favorite reader. But for the time being, whet your whistle below with the galleries we've already got up fo

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The 2008 Cadillac CTS Hits The Wild, Giving Us One More Embargo Break For The Detroit Auto Show

This year in Detroit it's apparently not a real reveal unless it's a reveal that's real early — a bit of embargo breakage appears to be the talk of the day. If you're one of the inside-the-8-mile class, you've probably engaged in one of those magazines versus interwebs debates — but seriously, that's such a bore. Especially with Edmunds dropping the rest of the skirt Bob Lutz has already twice lifted. Yup, that's the full frontal of the new-for-2008 Cadillac CTS. The new CT-Scratch fever's got a

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Bill Goldberg Hearts Wrestling, Ford.

In his day, Bill Goldberg was a marketing and advertising monster the likes of which pro wrestling hadn't seen since the Hulkster power-bombed his way into our hearts. Now that he's retired, the former star does regular stuff, like getting into the Detroit Auto Show on press credentials and hanging out with Ford brass. This being my first encounter with a pro wrestler, I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed. I was neither afraid for my life, nor hoping for him to press pen to forehead and provid

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Microsoft And Ford Get N'Sync At The Detroit Auto Show And CES, We Get First Exclusive Hands-On: Part 1

As you can see from the video above (apologies on the size — we never know how big these things can get) we had the opportunity last week to head down to the super-secret FoMoCo testing and development lab to get an exclusive hands-on with Ford's new infotainment hotness, Sync. The system, created through a joint effort between FoMoCo and the evil geniuses in Redmond will, if you listen to FoMoCo Prez of the Americas, Mark Fields, "revolutionize the automotive industry." While we're not sure we

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Detroit Auto Show: Action On The Mercedes Ice Rink

There's action everywhere now; Journalists are pouring into the Cobo center like Canadian Club on Bobby Orr Day. The sneakier of us caught moving pictures of the already locally infamous Mercedes ice rink, during rehearsal. It's totally awesome to the max. The ice skating lads are all dapper in their American Eagle gear, and the lasses have lovely rosy cheeks (even though the stuff is synthetic real it's already hot in here). What any of this has to do with highly precise schteel, we have no ide

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Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Ford Five Hundred Finally Gets The Horbury Treatment

Yes, that's the new Ford Five Hundred for 2008 — and yes, it's exactly the look the five hun'ed shoulda had if Peter "Big Balls" Horbury had been able to lay his sweaty British palms on the clay of the first gen model. Because now it's got the "Hi, I'm Dave" Gillette-like front-end — which, as we all remember from one year ago — is the design direction that screams "I'm an American." And now, as you can see from the photo gallery below and the press conference after the jump, FoMoCo's finally go

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Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Ford Focus

Ford revealed its latest boldness ahead of the Detroit show. It's the 2008 Focus, which — as we saw from the spy shots last year — will come in new, non-hatch coupe. A new, two-bar "partial-Dave" grille and harlequin-eye headlamps mark the new model, which gets a rear deck (blaspheme!), like the sedan, and subsequent drag coefficient drop from 0.33 to 0.32. It also gets a new manner of suspension tune and customizable interior LEDs. Nope, no C1 platform goodness, but you didn't think that was fo

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GM's Personal Jesus: The Chevy Volt Electric Concept Car

In case you hadn't noticed, the General's rocking down to electric avenue, and not only have they rocked this way, they've also provided some generous CGI in the process. Here's the PR-tastic images of the new concept to be intro'ed here in Detroit. We're gonna go and grab some coffee — perhaps of the Caribou kind — while you take a look at the pretty pictures Chevy PR's provided us in the gallery below and the full press release after the jump.

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Double-Rad DAF TurboTwin X1 Video!

We're rue to post this clip as the weirdo editing almost makes it a snuff film, but the mind-boggling majestic-ness of the 2,400hp twin-engined DAF over-taking a Peugeot 205 in open-desert trumps all niggling concerns. Seriously, imagine you are an eleven-year-old Bedouin girl tending to the camels when suddenly one of these massive motherfuckers jumps the dune, belching black smoke. I mean... totally fricking amazing. Watch with respect. Apologies in advance for the crap 80s soundtrack. [Thanks

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And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Parts: Lift Support

The materials that comprise a hatchback or hood can add up to wicked heavy in a hurry. Heavy is the absolute last thing you need to knock you on the noggin while attempting to retrieve an errant can of pork n' beans or your favorite beverage out of the trunk or hatchback floor. Lift supports work in much the same way as shock absorbers. They also wear out just the same. If your hatchback has gone droopy or trunk stopped staying open, then a replacement lift support can limit future head knocki

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Detroit Auto Show Preview: Dodge Caravan, Our Wayward Son

Well, seeing as the cat's out of the bag on the Town & Country, the Caravan's like-platformed cousin, after we all saw it lose its virginity to the scary lawlessness that is the interwebs this week, it was only time before we'd see the Dodge version. And here it is — in all it's red-hued glory. Look at that aggressive front end, those features like a table and like, a conversation mirror and stuff. I mean, come on — doesn't it just scream SexyBack? Well, it certainly screams it to the 'merican s

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Movin' Very Slowly: Hypermiling

When we had our old Acura Legend, we were addicted to its fuel-economy display. We generally averaged around 21 mpg, which included a 33-mile Walnut Creek-to-San Francisco commute that was 2/3 open freeway and 1/3 brutal congestion (hello, MacArthur Maze and Bay Bridge). On a trip from Portland back down the East Bay, we were running low on gasoline coming down out of the Cascades. The meter showed that we were gaining miles to empty, prompting our friend Brett to exclaim, "This is the best car

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Kiddie Books Are Scary! Mustang Versus Camaro, Transformers Style

One of our fave fan sites was tipped off this week to pictures of cover art for a Japanese kiddie book tie-in to the quasi-auto-related movie at least one of us here is positively kvelling over. And let's just say if I were a child and I got the kiddie book up top, I'd be pissing my pants. I mean, you've got a picture right there of Barricade transformed from his Saleen-designed Mustang mode looking just about ready to turn a kid into child-slaw. That's totally going to cause a kid to wet thei

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Cobra Releases New Radar Detector With Speed Camera Database

Cobra Electronics has a new serpent on the road for all you snakes (like us) who need a little extra help to "see" the "man" when they've got a plan to catch your ass for speeding. It's their XRS line of radar detectors and Cobra's calling it the first "user-installable remote radar detector with GPS locator featuring Red Light and Speed Camera Location Database." In English we think it means you'll be able to mount the main detector unit in an out-of-the-way place, like behind the rearview mirr

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The Future Is Our Assignment

Concept cars were more exciting back when the future held promise of a supersonic jet-age modernity. Inspiration came from velocity itself, not a backpack. Case in point is the Firebird. Not the Firebird of muscle car era and Burt Reynolds fame, but rather the turbine-powered Firebird of the future. The Firebird XP-21 was the first of the line, and lit up the turbines for the 1954 General Motors Autorama. The Firebird II was next in 1959, with 1961 bringing the Firebird III roaring around the

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Ad Watch: Ford Will Challenge Your Mid-Size To A Duel And Pay Car & Driver To Make It Happen

FoMoCo's already showed off their buddy-buddy handjob relationship with Car and Driver's "exclusive" pre-embargo hand-off of the Lincoln MKR and Jaguar concept pics. The two not-so-independent lovebirds appear to be continuing the cuddling n' kissing with FoMoCo's newest ad campaign launching today for Car and Driver subscriptions the 2007 Ford Fusion FoMoCo Prez of the Americas, Mark Fields called "the 2007 version of 'Have You Driven A Ford Lately?'" In reality though, it's called the "Fusion

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A Jalopnik Contemplates Europe: Car-Related Ramblings From The Depths Of Jet Lag

England is car hell. Let's forget about the expensively obvious for a moment (insane taxes, equally insane gas prices, doubly insane speed cameras on every corner and under your bed) and the plain daf (Clarkson thinks the Jaguar XK is cooler than the upcoming Dodge Challenger) and look at the cars themselves. They suck! Nine out of ten cars in Old Blighty are 1.9-Liter French diesels. The rest are Korean brands you don't even want to know about. (SsangYong Rexton II, anyone?) Sure, you will see

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Detroit Auto Show Preview: Mercedes-Benz Vision GL 420 Bluetec Concept

Hey, here's one that's not on embargo — it's the Bluetec diesel concept GL 420 Vision, or is that Vision GL 420 Bluetec Concept diesel? Either way, Mercedes is continuing its cleaner-diesel strategy for the US by showing a version of its largest SUV, fitted with aqueous urea-spraying, emissions-scrubbing whatnots, in Detroit. The oil-burning proto-ute is a torque monster, producing enough foot-pounds to pull a grizzly bear out of hibernation, and with a stated miles-per-guzzle number of 24, it a

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Breaking! Chrysler Group Gets Aggressive On Incentives Sales Gains, Up One Whole Percent In December

The 'merican side of the German-American hybrid continues to steam past silly numbers of things like dealer inventory sitting at 538,438 units ( a 74-day supply) and terms like Eberhardt-ian "sales banks." That's because hey, the Chrysler Group saw a second month of sales increases, this time a 1% year-to-year December bump. True, that still means they've seen a 39% drop in sales of Grand Cherokees, a 7% drop in Jeep Commander sales, and a 39% drop in Jeep Liberty sales (people just don't know

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Fiat Panda Off To Dakar

We dig minicars. We also dig Italian cars. And we dig the Dakar Rally very much. Fiat, knowing this, has decided to enter two 4x4 Pandas in the Dakar Rally. They turned the diminutive hatch into a panel van, filled it full of goodies helpful for survival in the desert, and left the 105-horse 1.3L turbodiesel alone. We're interested to see how it fares. The understressed motor should be reliable in the desert, but raw speed won't exactly be the car's forte. An interesting entry in a race chock fu

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Super Sales Potential! Toyota's Godzilla-Like Streak Continues With A 16.6% Larger December To Remember

I almost feel like ToMoCo's the Juggernaut, bitch. Seriously — number one super best automaker from the land of the rising sun's got like a destiny to just roll on into the US, turning everything into vanilla. With 20%-plus increases in passenger car sales coming out of both the Toyota and Lexus brands — the automaker with 'merican-claiming ads continues to suck up more converts to the Toyota Way. But it would appear the big gains aren't going to be coming from ToMoCo car divisions. Instead, t

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Breaking! GM Sales Drop 9.6%, Lower Than Everyone But GM Expected

Paul Ballew, GM's sales stud, gave us a sales call quote of "Despite the top-line loss of around 9.5%, we're pretty pleased with the result..." — despite that cherry-sounding verbiage, the tone seemed more like one's got to think the General's probably really not too pleased with that big number drop. We're thinking the world's biggest automaker was hoping for more of a December to Remember on the positive side in the US market. But despite some pretty much terrible numbers from every single t

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Breaking And Falling! Ford December Sales Down 13%

FoMoCo starts off what we've heard will be one helluva lot of red ink on the sales side for 2006's farewell month. The boys n' girls in the glass house in Dearborn saw a sales decline of 13% for the month on year-to-year numbers of 233,621. That means full year sales hit a mere 2.9 million, down 8% from 2005's employee discounted numbers. The big killer's got to be the truck and SUV sales, with trucks sliding 14% and Explorer sales down 29.5% — but those numbers aren't helped by the cut n' run

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Detroit Auto Show Preview: Nevermind The Embargo Or The Bollocks, It's The Jaguar C-XF Concept Car!

Although it's got an embargo with more holes than that mesh front grille, the newly un-embargoed Jaguar C-XF concept car, according to Ian Callum, Jag's Director of Design, "evokes instant desire." While we dunno yet if we agree, we do know it's definitely showing a look or two that scream "classic classy" Jag (like the 1950 Mark VII and 1959 Mark 2 saloons) a look or two screaming "new hotness" Jag (like the current XK) and a couple design elements that scream "where the hell did you come from?

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Speedy Delivery: The Ford Transit Connect X-Press

When it absolutely, positively has to get from zero to 60 in under 7 seconds, think Ford Connect X-Press. And speaking of Europe-only vehicles we're coveting, Ford just revealed that very van. The X-Press incorporates the running gear of the Ford Focus RS WRC (yes, among the hottest of hatches) to make it possibly the fastest stock minivan in Blighty. Lowered by 70 mm and fitted with 18" OZ alloys and brembo four-pots, the X-Press, according to press quotage, "handles, steers and stops like a sp

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Hot Hatch Report: Opel Corsa OPC

Earlier this year, we got a glimpse of the new hot mini-hatch in the way from the General's Teutonic outpost at Opel. Now, the company's revealed the Corsa OPC, the latest Opel (oh sorry, blokes, and Vauxhall too, as the VXR) to be so lettered. As a hot hatch, the Corsa has all expected accouterments, including 192 hp from a 1.6-liter turbocharged four and and a listed zero-to-60 time of 7.2 seconds — specs competitive with similar Peugeots and Seats of the genre. What's more, an "overboost" fun

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Over The Back Fence: New Engine For The 2008 Corvette

With all the talk of the "Blue Devil," "Stingray," "LS9," or otherwise designated hyper Corvette reportedly coming in 2009, there's been little talk about improvements to the base model. Not quite. Frequent source of 'Vette secrets, CorvetteConti.com, apparently dished on the 2008 model. Aside from some new interior and exterior color choices (read the full account after the jump), optional Z06-style chrome wheels and some manner of performance rear axle, the big news is the engine. And that is,

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Better Know An Orphan: 1957 Dual-Ghia

Some automaking giants begin life as a glint in the eye of their founders, others conglomerate to become huge. Relatively few set out with an actual business plan. Strangely, those in the last group seem to have the highest rate of failure. Take Detroit-based Dual Motors Corporation. The company's objective was to build exclusive cars at a moderate price; no small feat considering to do so without economies of scale would normally tip an idea like this into the trash bin. Somehow, founder Eugene

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Japan-Only Transformers Trailer Throws Down JDM Exclusive Goodness!

Now Transformers live-action movie trailers can join the list of things like kei cars, sushi and manufacturing strategies that are better in Japan than here. The Japan-only version of the Transformers trailer just hit the web with some additional scenes not included in the US version. Plus, in addition to the scenes of Skorponok's ass, Spike "hanging around" and Bumblebee (not ours) looking good sans-Battle Mode fascia — you get a bit of Spielberg-san and Bay-san giving some encouraging words i

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Detroit Auto Show Preview: Poser Cities Run And Hide, The Big Show Is Coming And Secure In Its Masculinity

That's right — after all the little bitch-ass shows we've had to endure over the past few months, we're happy to finally have one up to our red, white and bold auto-loving standards. You know the shows we're talking about — there's the one put on by the effete Frenchies, and of course, who could forget the adorable effort by the little-show-that-could out in the city of elitist and equally effete angels. It's kinda cute for them to try, but I mean seriously — a man needs a show that's got some b

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Steve Fossett Buys Spirit Of America

He's a record-setting balloonist, sailor and pilot, and he's even run the 24 Heures du Mans. He's Steve Fossett, and he holds a fistful of records. And now, with the purchas of Spirit of America, he's going after the outright land speed record, hoping to take down the nearly-a-decade-old Thrust SSC record set by Andy Green, the first man to verifiably go supersonic on land. Back in 1997, Craig Breedlove was chasing the supersonic record as well, but a grenaded jet engine put an end to his attemp

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TVR In The Terlet?

Ooh 'eck. Things aren't looking so rosy in Blackpool right now. Blackpool Automotive, the arm of TVR which owns the factory where the sports cars are built has gone into receivership and no employees of the company are being allowed on the premises. According to a statement on TVR's site, "Our plans include appointing expert partners and outsourcing to more advanced facilities, which will ultimately mean a better product for everyone, both here in the domestic market and internationally." Does t

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Toyota Wants To Take It In The Ear Just Like US Automakers

ToMoCo's finally bowing down and taking it just like the domestics, by instituting the MoCo's first ever monthly sales call — just like the rest of the schmucks US automakers. The domestics have doled out quotes and spin by way of Ma Bell since she first invented the party line and conference call. It's high time Toyota left the ranks of the too-high-n-mighty and take lumps like the rest of them from the business geniuses hacks writers populating the pundit class. Now we'll finally get a chanc

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Dealing New Ponies Old Tricks

In the fine tradition of Mr. Norm's Grand-Spaulding Dodge and Yenko Chevrolet, Galpin Auto Sports is taking new Detroit iron and tossing around the factory options list. The new in this case is a 2007 Mustang. The old is a hi-po Ford 302, which is once again available in-a-box from the same folks that brought us the Mustang. Galpin took the 302, loaded it up with original factory go-fast parts, bolted it up to a Tremec TKO-600 5-speed, and stuffed it into the engine bay. We're not so sure abo

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That DAMD Dodge Van: SUPER A-100 POTENTIAL

In Japan, while owners of the country's tiny vans have been modding them to look like VW microbuses of the 1960s, tuning shop DAMD has already moved on. The company is offering a styling kit — dubbed Locoboy — that turns a Honda Vamos into a mid-60s Dodge A-100. Well, not exactly like an A-100. (Not having those round taillights is, unfortunately, a dealbreaker.) But you know it's just a matter of time before someone takes a hacksaw and some red paint, and creates one of these.

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I've Noticed This Peel P50 Can Also Be Worn As A Hat!

When, in the course of human events, a singular driving objective reaches its lunatic culmination in a product, a certain amount of respect must be paid to its creators. In the case of Peel Engineering Company, that driving force was fuel mileage — mileage the likes of which Prii and Insights the world over could only dream. So compete was this obsession that risking the lives and limbs of owners was a trade-off they seemed willing to make. The P50 was produced in 1962 and '63 followed by the bu

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Square Things Are Afoot At The Squircle Ford

Along with FoMoCo's release on the new Interceptor concept sedan we brought to you over the holiday weekend was a corollary release on a Ford design direction we'd thought gone the way of the dodo bird, those pigeons in London and of course, the 427 concept car from 2003. That thought-to-be extinct species would have to be the "squircle" — a made up word from Ford to show off the innovative and provocative design element consisting of a "partly square, professionally rounded circles." Ok, seri

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Detroit Auto Show Preview: Lincoln MKR Makes It To Embargo Release To Show Us MK-More

The concept car for the 2007 Detroit show that started the whole break-the-Mutha-KR-ing embargo system down was the Lincoln MKR concept car. And thanks to the folks at Car & Driver, although everyone and their mother had already gotten the skinny on the new rear-wheel drive, independent-rear suspended, new front fascia'ed Lincoln — nobody's seen it yet with such vivid colors, such breathtaking lighting, such beautiful plumage and with such ebullient verbiage. That's right — as the embargo finall

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Detroit Auto Show Non-Preview: Give RenCen Long Lasting Freshness With "Big Red"

Saturday morning I went out prowling the mean streets of downtown Detroit, primarily around Cobo, hoping to see something I wasn't supposed to. The only thing photographable was a truckload of Audi's lounge furniture that had been delivered to the lobby. Whoopee. (Forgive me for not posting pics of crates with the Auto Union rings.) After that total flop, I wondered down to the General's crib to take a peek at the eye candy they always have parked inside, get some seat time in the new models, an

By bwojdyla Read More

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Happy New Year From Jalopnik

Another year gone, and the Lamborghini Countach we pledged at age 15 would be in our possession by the mid-1990s has yet to turn up. Many years on from that flubbed deadline, we're still content just to wake up each day thinking about cars — like that Lambo, its flaws excused as character development — and retire many hours later wondering if we'd done enough for those like-minded souls who keep our awkward address prominent among bookmarks. (Maybe next year.)

By Mike Spinelli Read More

Archive for January 2007

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