Archive for March 2008

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Buying (25)

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  2008 Ford F-350 SuperDuty FX4, Part Three

  Why you should buy this car: You go to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo every year, not for the filet mignon chili or Brooks & Dunn, but rather for the actual livestock. On your weekly checklist is the item "pick up feed." There's a long, broken road out to your property and your kids won't roll without Spongebob. You're an energy trader. Why you shouldn't buy this car: You skipped the Rodeo for an Arcade Fire concert. You don't have $60,000. On your weekly checklist is the item "pick up yoga

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2008 Ford F-350 SuperDuty FX4, Part Two

  Exterior Design:** Whereas the previous generation had a distinct and attractive profile and front fascia, the current version is merely distinct. There are those that love it and those that hate it, but I think most people look at it as a Tonka Truck. However, if we gave points based on badge size the F-350 would get 4,000 stars. Interior Design:**** The inside of this particular model wasn't a bad place to be for the lengthy trips around Houston. Roomy? Oh yes. The leather seats are comfortab

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2009 Hummer H3T Alpha, Part Three

  Why you should buy this car: You’ve always wanted a Hummer but have thus far been put off by their lack of practicality. You want a pickup bed, but not a pickup. You find tribal tattoos strangely appealing. Why you shouldn’t: Your ultimate goal is turning it into a lowrider. You’ve got a set of 35" dubs sitting around, waiting for a project; just stick with the H2. You live East of the Mississippi. You wish there was a Humbrid version. You want a work truck that can haul a load of drywall. You

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  2008 Ford F-350 SuperDuty FX4, Part One

  The big, red 2008 Ford F-350 SuperDuty makes me think of a Terry Allen song called "Amarillo Highway." It features the line: I don't wear no Stetson, but I'm willing to bet son / that I'm as big a Texan as you are. When people find out where I'm from, they often say, "You don't sound like you're from Texas." I correct them by pointing out that I'm from Texas, not a cartoon about Texas. But, driving this big honkin F-350 around the Lone Star State, there wasn't any confusion.

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2009 Hummer H3T Alpha, Part Two

  Exterior Design: ** Let’s face it, it’s a Hummer H3, and that means boxy and kinda cute like a GI Joe toy. The grille on the hood has no function, nor do the air breathers by the windshield. But, with 10.2" of ground clearance and huge knobbly tires, it does carry a certain air of purpose about it. Interior Design: *** An extra star for not using chrome plastics. The seats are perfection. With all the legroom in the backseat, it’s a nice vehicle for passengers as well. The instrument panel ligh

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  2009 Hummer H3T Alpha, Part One

  The H3T Alpha, despite sharing DNA with the S-10, is more than a spruced up mid-size truck. The five-foot bed is separate from the cab (unlike an Avalanche or H2) and can accommodate a load up to a 1/2 ton, so that means a pair of dirtbikes are no problem with the tailgate down. Most important, though, are the upgrades to the drivetrain, including e-locker differentials from Eaton, and a high- and low-range transfer case.

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  2009 Acura TSX, Reviewed

  As I said in my TSX-tease at midnight the other night, the four words I'd use to describe the new 2009 Acura TSX, would be "competent yet remarkably boring." But let's be clear, that's not to say the new TSX is bad — it's just, you know, not the best foot forward for the Acura brand. But there's a bit of a problem as the TSX is, and always has been, the entrée to Honda's luxe brand — a means to move buyers from those high-volume Accords to lesser-volumed, but higher profit Acuras.

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Jalopnik Drives Hybrid Technologies Lithium-Powered Super Car

  Hardigree and I drove our respective red supercars at roughly the same time yesterday. While he went for the flashy Audi R8 V12 LeMans TDI Prototype and was escorted through traffic like a Russian Oil Baron by a phalanx of Audi Q7s, I hopped into the Hybrid Technologies Lithium Powered Super Car with the guy who built it. There was no top, so I enjoyed the welcome good weather—at last!—in NYC. OK, maybe the name needs a little work, but the car itself was a hoot to drive.

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans Diesel Prototype

  Our auto show coverage slogan is "always say yes." This time we said yes to a first drive of the Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans concept car, which looks ravishing in the same brilliant red paint scheme it wore to Geneva. But who really cares about paint? We were looking forward to stretching this one-of-a-kind vehicle to the limits. And by stretching it out we mean doing our best not to destroying this invaluable prototype by propelling it into a pot hole.

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2009 Acura TSX

  You already saw the official live reveal of the new 2009 TSX, and as I told you earlier, there'd be more coming tonight. The "more" is I've already had the chance to drive the 2009 Acura TSX, but we'll get to that tomorrow at our regularly scheduled noon review time. First, let's take a moment to talk about the whole business of writing an entertaining review about a car. A vehicle on the extremes of terrible and amazing is much easier to write about than reviewing a car sitting smack-dab in the

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  2008 GMC Yukon Denali, Part Three

  Why you should buy this car: You believe you are, in fact, "Professional Grade." You've got a taste for honeycombed chrome, but not enough to go straight to the level of Cadillac Escalade. Your job requires you to drive around with at least five large men (or women) daily at a time, their various instruments of work with them. Why you shouldn't: You are a soccer mom looking for "something with room" or you happen to be anyone else on the face of this earth not included in the description above.

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  2008 GMC Yukon Denali, Part Two

  Exterior Design: *** The GMC Yukon Denali's front looks kind of like a Chevy Tahoe with the grille lopped off and replaced with a chrome chain-link fence. But don't worry, the back looks exactly like the Yukon's GMT-900 platformed sibling. Maybe it's because they share most of the body panels. And can it get any more chrome accents? Actually, no. Still, it's big and muscular. We like big and muscular. Of course so is the Tahoe. Interior Design: **** I feel as though I've seen this interior befo

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  2008 GMC Yukon Denali, Part One

  I first became acquainted with the 2008 GMC Yukon Denali when I called up the folks at the General in January and said "Hey, we need a mobile command center for the Detroit Auto Show...and oh yeah, it's got to seat six plus gear." GM's media fleet people claimed they had the right vehicle for us. I was skeptical, but from the moment this GMT-900-bodied beast of burden showed up at my front step I found there to be one truism about the Yukon Denali. And that is this — with all the different blank

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

  Why you should buy this car: You are sickened by the sight of Chevy Suburban. You are a vegan who just loves Home Depot. You would sooner saw your right arm off with a rusty tree saw than vote Republican. Your wardrobe consists almost entirely of stuff made by Patagonia and The North Face. You are in an unconventional relationship. You are, deep down, a good person with a family of four who is unsure about minivans. Why you shouldn't: You are pathologically afraid of your neighbors' take on you

  By Matthew DeBord Read More
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  2009 Subaru Forester, Part Two

  Exterior Design: *** The original Forester design sought to stuff an SUV into downscaled packaging more palatable to the food co-op set. The 2009 model abandons its predecessors' upright, boxy vibe for something closer to a streamlined crossover approach. Sleeker, yet still oozing functionality. And, of course, the STI-like hood scoop on the turbocharged trim level just hollers "Subaru." Interior Design: ** Some aspects of the interior, such as the available perforated leather seats and the

  By Matthew DeBord Read More
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  2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Part Three

  Why you should buy this car: You're a fast driver looking for a car you can wring the last drop of performance from, rewarding your mad skills. You want to be a fast driver and improve your not-yet-mad skills in a truly capable, but friendly car. You want to embarrass owners of fine, exotic automobiles. You have no shame. You read Jalopnik. Why you shouldn't: Style is more important to you than substance. You have "EVO" tattooed across your shoulders in flaming, tribal letters. You think your 1

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  2009 Subaru Forester, Part One

  Is it kismet? I suspect so, as over a few short weeks, a couple of themes have begun to emerge in our Jalopnik Reviews. First, Hardigree gets his hands on a Dodge Caliber SRT4 and loses a tire. Not two weeks later, I voyage to sublime Laguna Beach, and then to Catalina Island for some hoontastic off-roadin' in the 2009 Subaru Forester, and I kill not one, but two Yokohamas. Then Siler, too, visits the Golden West and lays down rubber in a Subaru Impreza WRX STI, only to discover that the definit

  By Matthew DeBord Read More
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  2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Part Two

  Exterior Design: *** The 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI isn't what you'd call traditionally handsome. But with the wildly flared arches, huge hood scoop and restrained rear wing, it caries an air of purposeful muscularity. We prefer it to the old version, but would order ours in either black or white. Red does not flatter this shape. Interior Design: **** Wait, wait; hear me out. Sure, the interior's all swoopy and odd, but the minimalist instrument cluster is positively refreshing after driving a

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Part One

  I drove the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI backwards. Not in the reverse gear sense, but leaving Palm Springs it's only a very short climb up a straight, steep highway before you get to the kind of roads we car guys can usually only dream about. As state route 74 climbs up to Pinyon Crest, overlooking the Anza-Borrego state park, the road twists and turns, looping back on itself over and over again as it forms tight hairpins. Cliffs rise dramatically on one side and drop thousands of feet on the ot

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4, Part Three

  Why you should buy this car: You'd never be caught dead in a foreign car but you're still drawn to the versatility of a hatchback. Your friends all drive Preludes with ridiculous body kits and faux carbon fiber hoods and you want to give them something to think about at stop lights. You're Mopar through and through but the Charger is too big and the Challenger is too far out of your price range. You like the bold exterior. Why you shouldn't buy this car: You've got no problem buying any of the

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2007 Audi A6 3.2L, Part Three

  Why you should buy this car: Buy this car if you want a large luxury sedan with impeccable fit and finish, cool toys and one of the smoothest powertrains you'll ever have the pleasure of piloting. When you order one, be very careful picking your color and wheels. There's a tan A6 with the base model wheels around where I live and it looks terrible. It was hard to believe we were driving the same car at first. The phantom black pearl effect paint job is the cream of the crop. Silver and Night Blu

  By Chris Doane Read More
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  2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4, Part Two

  Exterior Design:** Though not quite designed for the city, the SRT4's looks are architectural. Instead of taking the truck-like exterior of the Caliber RT and making it appear sporting, Dodge's design team has embraced what they were stuck with and given the vehicle a unique, rough, look that isn't completely unlikable. Interior Design:** The interior of the SRT4 is still a bit too much like the interior of the stock Caliber to be enjoyed as a sports car, especially with the inclusion of the ex

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2007 Audi A6 3.2L, Part Two

  Exterior Design: *** It works and it doesn't. While this luxury sedan has nice, though moderately conservative, styling on the front and rear end, the A6's profile is something Ingolstadt must fix. It is this car's Achilles heel. Interior Design: **** The spot you conduct your asphalt assault from is a really nice place to be. The leather interior in the amaretto-and-black color scheme is highly recommended. The seats have several power adjustments, and six levels of heating help you settle in

  By Chris Doane Read More
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  2007 Audi A6 3.2L, Part One

  Within the first five minutes of my week-long test-drive of the 3.2-liter 2007 Audi A6, I was pretty sure a speeding ticket was on the way. Turns out I was almost right. Tearing down a road at a rate somewhat above the posted limit, I came around a bend to see a sheriff approaching me in the other lane. I knew I was screwed. But rather than pulling me over, he just motioned out his window for me to slow down. If you're reading this Mr. Understanding Sheriff Guy, remind me to buy you a beer.

  By Chris Doane Read More
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  2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4, Part One

  The Dodge Caliber SRT4 has six forward gears, but I never once felt the need to use all of them. Was there more mileage to be gained? Sure. But it was a lot more fun to shift down to second and feel the car pull forward. I was driving like a 17-year-old, which is the only way to drive if you're going to enjoy this car. Try driving it like an adult and you're going to hate it.

  By Matt Hardigree Read More

Culture (1)

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  Traffic Jam Torment: Physics Proves That Bottlenecks Are Bulls**t

  Traffic jams stand no chance under the onslaught of giant throbbing Japanese physicist brains! Well, to be accurate, physicists from the Land of the Rising Sun haven't exactly cracked the traffic-jam conundrum. But they have figured out why it took me four mother!@#$ing hours to crawl up the mother!@#$ing I-5 from San Diego to L.A. last week.

  By Matthew DeBord Read More

Entertainment (2)

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  Read yesterday's Achewood yet? No? You should. Pay particular attention to the mouseover on Clarkson. (Hat tip to Chris!) [Achewood]

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Clarkson Settles Down, Purchases Sensible Family Sedan

  Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has finally acknowledged that his Lamborghini Gallardo and TVR-engined Land Rover may not be the most practical way to transport his family of five. So he's purchased a 38-year old Grosser Mercedes 600, noting that it's quite a bit less boring than cars like the BMW 5-series or Lexus LS600h.

  By Wes Siler Read More

News (280)

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  It is a Dodge Charger! We don't care what one of us says.

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Project Car Hell, Limo Edition: 1957 Chrysler Or 1981 Ferrari?

  Can an American car- even a 60-year-old American car made by a long-defunct manufacturer- compete with an entry PCH Superpower Italy? Not according to our most recent Choose Your Eternity poll, in which the '38 Studebaker Dictator lost out to the '68 OTAS 820. That might have something to do with the fact that most of the OTAS now resides in the belly of the Rust Monster, but it also points out just how tough it is to beat a PCH Superpower. However, Project Car Hell is all about beating your un

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  The Prince Of Darkness Claims Another Victim

  Now, we can't say for certain that electrical-system woes sent this 1990 Jaguar XJ-S down the road that ends at the cold steel jaws of The Crusher, because a 99% likelihood is still not certainty. However, when you see an 18-year-old V-12 Jag sitting in the wrecking yard with a straight body and good interior... well, the diabolical laughter of Joe Lucas can be heard somewhere in the distance. It's too bad that photographs really can't do justice to the incredible bulk of that engine (which can

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  2009 Lincoln MKS Already Busted Up

  When out and about this weekend, we stumbled across the new hotness from the Dearborn gang: the 2009 Lincoln MKS. Too bad it's already old and busted. Somebody made a boo-boo on the lower intake of the pretty-in-pearl M-plated car and for some reason attached a tow bar in the wound. In any case, this is the first one we've seen running around full-monty on the streets of Detroit so we'll assume this is one of those mules that get whipped right before production ramp-up starts.

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  AC Schnitzer Brings Gourmet To Customization

  I don't know about you, but every time we're getting one of our cars tuned by a high-end German company we always say to ourselves, "Sure, the extra 300bhp from the V12 they're shoehorning into our E30 is going to be nice, but what we really want is a gourmet dinner." Wish no more, friends; AC Schnitzer is here to help. By installing a rooftop fine dining experience at their facility in Aachen, they're ensuring fast car loving foodies needn't go unfed.

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Inside The Inside Line Ultimate GT-R Road Trip

  There are two questions in life you always answer yes to. First, if someone asks if you are a God, say yes. Second, if the folks at Nissan offer you one of the seven U.S.-spec 2009 Nissan GT-R pre-production testers in the US and give you carte blanche to drive it wherever and however so long as you get it to Reno in one piece, give a similar response. That's just what Inside Line did, covering 2,000 miles of highways, byways, racetrack, dry lake beds and drag strips. Below we take you behind th

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Does Off-Track Behaviour Matter?

  Today's racing news cycle is being dominated by the Max Mosley scandal, which, except in some comment-on-management way, has absolutely nothing to do with racing. There are more than a few racers out there who, despite their racing glory, have bad attitudes. Most wouldn't want to end up on the wrong side of an argument with A.J. Foyt. On the other hand, any sane racing fan would love to end up on the right side of a car with Foyt. What about reversing that? Dale Earnhardt Jr. is clearly a capabl

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  1971 Chevrolet K5 Blazer

  We've seen an early Bronco in this series, so it's only fair that we have a DOTS Truck Monday featuring the Bronco's competitor from The General. This '71 Blazer parks on one of Alameda's major thoroughfares, not far from the Unimog and the '63 VW Transporter, and it's clearly someone's daily driver.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  "Solara" Is The New Genesis?

  It always sucks for us when auto-lovers wants something so badly and so blindly they end up seeing things that just aren't there. It's even harder for us when we have to break the hearts of our beloved forum fan-boys — like in the case of the so-called third generation Solara spy photos from Friday. Sorry Solara-lovers, that ain't what you think it is. If there is a "new Solara" coming out, these shots aren't it.

  By The Auto Insider Read More
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  F1 Boss Max Mosley Caught With Five Hookers In "Nazi Orgy" Video Scandal

  FIA President Max Mosley has been caught on film allegedly taking part in what UK tabloid News of the World has characterized as a "Nazi orgy." Although we initially thought it was the world's zaniest April Fool's joke, we were wrong. Sick and wrong. During the five-hour video, which the tabloid also has in possession (and which we have had a quick clip from up top*) Mosley appears to be both dominated and submitting to the five hookers, who NOTW alleges were dressed both as Nazis and concentr

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Volkswagen Robust Pickup Truck Photos Show The Germans Are Closetotrücken

  That's right folks, this is the first photo of the upcoming Volkswagen Robust — VW's pickup truck pants party gate crasher. Although the segment was once dominated by the 'mericans, it seems everyone's checking their coat at the door in exchange for a pair of steel-toes. But those boots'll be sitting in a double-cab that'll have some 4x4 capabilities. And it'll have to, because In addition to the Robust, we're also expecting to see a full-size SUV built on the same platform to sit smack dab in t

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Toyota Solara Not Dead Yet, Resurrected As A Four Door?

  Someone claiming insider knowledge at the Solara Guy forums has announced that the Solara, which some had assumed was dead, is going to see a third generation. According to this source, the car is going to be produced in Japan and come as a four-door similar to the Lexus IS and equipped with FWD and a 3.5-Liter V6 tied to a six-speed automatic. If this person knows what he or she claims to know, prototypes are out testing now and he's got a picture of it from a Toyota employee in Toyota City, Ja

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Commenter Of The Day: Asymptotic Admiration Edition

  You do a bit of writin' for a living, you fall into some patterns, habits, etc. Like, you see certain words, you grow acquainted with them, but you never really think about using them. Because, friends. they are intimidating, or you just don't quite know how to work the gears and levers. So, when you see one of these words deployed confidently, and within a composition that is lively and balanced and smacks home its point boldly, you pay attention. Obviously, such a thing happened today among th

  By Matthew DeBord Read More
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  Industry Group Attempts To Prompt Fears Over Maritime Diesel Switch

  The International Maritime Organization is considering switching to low-sulphur diesel fuel — just like you use in your Audi — in an effort to help the environment. This sounds like a good thing, right? Cargo ships will pollute a little less, Pandas will have a little more sex, overall oil usage probably won't change that much. Everyone wins. Especially the Pandas. Not according to the Technology for Sustainable Future Shipping Group, they've just issued a press release claiming the result of a

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Project Car Hell: Studebaker Dictator Or Otas 820?

  Yesterday, we had what may be our closest Project Car Hell vote yet, with the '91 Jaguar XJ-S holding a 199 to 194 lead over the Toronado-ized Dune Buggy in yesterday's Legends of LeMons Choose Your Eternity poll. I'd say that counts as a tie, and- try to follow the logic here- that means we need to do away with the unifying theme for today's entrants. You want a project that's so cool you wake up in the middle of the night just feeling happy that you own it, yet wake up screaming an hour later

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Infiniti G35X Practicing Bait And Switch Pricing?

  Looks like Nissan's Infiniti brand has some splainin' to do with regard to their online pricing. Tipster Steve D pointed us to a bit of pricing which we agree seems a bit odd. Seems the online car builder on the Infiniti website says the price of the "Sport Package" is included in the price of the G35X at no charge. After a quick ring to the local area Infiniti dealer, this was confirmed as a situation which is less than true. Actually the salesman on the other end of the line had to stifle a gu

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Tata Now Owns Jaguar, Land Rover, Rover, Daimler And Lanchester

  Apparently, we were more prescient (or slow) than we thought when we asked "Who Should Tata Buy Next?" It turns out that, as part of the Ford-Tata deal, Tata ended up owning not only the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, but also Daimler, Rover and Lanchester. Someone is going to have to re-do that chart. The story of how the names have transfered is kind of hilarious and featured under the jump. It also may have played into the mysterious $300 million that evaporated from the big deal this week.

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  For Sale: Turbonique Rocket Drag Axle Equipped 1964 Ford Galaxie 500

  Turbonique. Just saying the name brings shivers of excitement. Purveyor of all things speed and insane, the now defunct Turbonique is most famous for their Rocket Drag Axle. An absolutely bonkers system which mechanically attached a liquid fuel rocket to a solid axle and dumped an additional 1000 HP to the rear wheels at the touch of a button. This system was so powerful an otherwise unmodified VW Beetle with one walked away from the four engined Showboat in a 1966 race. At the behest of RJ Reyn

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Franken M3 To Warp Space And Time When Complete

  Imagine for a moment what would happen if you took the 500 HP V10 power train and suspension out of a 2008 BMW M5 and put it into a 1988 BMW M3. Stop salivating. This is exactly what the lunatics at Piper Motorsports are doing.The car is being outfitted with all the fun stuff from the M5 and none of the porky excess which bogs the super sedan down. When complete it will have all of the subframes, suspension, engine power and countless custom components. I will also probably have it's owners brea

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  We now have a septuagenarian hamster on the wheel and our comment system is back up and running. Please commence getting your funny on again.

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  1970 Dodge Dart, With Bonus A-Body Poll

  Is it really possible that it's been two months since our last Mopar A-body in this series? Like air-cooled VWs, Chrysler A-bodies are so plentiful in Alameda that I tend to lose track of when the last time I DOTS-ized one (also like air-cooled VWs, I've owned a few Slant Six A-bodies and feel much affection for them). So here comes a nice solid 4-door Dart, which lives on the same block as the Mercedes-Benz 280SEL that came in second in yesterdays DOTS Benz poll.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  If you're receiving an error message when trying to post comments, don't worry — it's not you, it's us. We'll let you know when your brilliant observations will be allowed to go back up as soon as our overlords let us know they've replaced the octogenarian hamster running the wheel that is our commenting system.

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Unique Performance Auction Nets More Than $1,000,000 Dollars, But That's Not Enough

  Because Unique Performance declared bankruptcy and had debts outstanding, what was left in the UP warehouse was auctioned off this weekend. The hope was that, after the $900K went to the government there would be some left over for the 140 individuals with claims (including 40 employees owed back-pay). According to our source and records on the auction company's website, the auction netted approximately $1.037 million, leaving $137K after the IRS took their cut, which means $978 per person...

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Commenter Of The Day: Reversal Of Fortune Edition

  Try this on for size: Between the wars, at its pinnacle in the 20th century, Britain exerted dominion over almost half a billion people. Yes, yes, it would all go completely to crap in less than 50 years and leave us associating the UK with the likes of the Spice Girls, Simon Cowell and Amy Winehouse. Imperialists all, in their own ways, but not exactly the same thing. Anyway, the sheer global vastness of the Pax Britannica is not something that exits collectively memory all that quickly, even a

  By Matthew DeBord Read More
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  PCH, Legends Of LeMons Edition: V12 Jaguar Or V8 Dune Buggy?

  The 429 Mustang II put up a good fight in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, but only a French or Italian car really stands a chance against a Triumph GT6 when it comes to true Project Car Hell. Still, every so often you need to let a PCH underdog take on one of the superpowers. We're going to try it again today, with a British machine squaring off against a German-American mashup, only this time the theme is much different. One thing I've noticed with the cheaper PCH cars is the Super LeMon

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Is That A Sondergard In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

  It's not often that we get unsolicited emails from Danish carmakers. Even rarer, still, are the carmakers advertising Caterham-esque two-seaters. What your looking at is the Sondergard concept, which is powered by what we think is the Opel GT's turbo I4. According to the email, this concept from "little Denmark" is capable of squeezing 265 horsepower out of said engine, good enough for a 0-62 mph time under 5.0 seconds. Of course, the email also says the top speed is "over 220 bhp/h." This conce

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Conflicting Reports On Future Design Home Of Ford RWD Platform

  The webs, they are a churning. On Monday The Detroit News published an article stating that Ford would be taking advantage of the weak dollar and moving development work of its next generation rear wheel drive platform from Australia to the United States. That's all well and good but then Carpoint of Australia went and asked Ford of Australias Manager of PR Sinead McAlary about it. Her response of "It's too early to speculate on that" has set off a flurry of speculation that there's a turf war r

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Pretty Soon, Brake Lights May Get A Whole Lot Smarter

  The problem of brake lights not distinguishing between gingerly slowing down and rapidly stopping is now being addressed. Researchers at Virginia Tech University are developing smart brake lights. The intelligent braking lights will have a series of LEDs that will distinguish when someone is easing off the speed or slamming on the brakes. How the system works is surprisingly simple.

  By Travis Hudson Read More
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  The Problem With The Pontiac G8 El Camino

  We love the idea of the 2010 Pontiac G8 El Camino, this much goes without saying, but there's been a lot of hemming and hawing about the long term viability of the product from a business perspective. Motor City Blog Man Todd Lassa has a theory on the General's strategy and it kind of makes sense to us. Remember when we all went a little batty at the prospect of a G8 Wagon and then it got canned — kind of? Well Todd got to thinking about the wagon and the El Camino, and mixed in a little marketi

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  2009 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Gets Facelift, Still Not For America

  Want a premium brand city car? How about a Mercedes A-Class? Of course, you'll have to be in one of the markets that actually gets the car (not the US). But we're not too disappointed. This here is the new 2009 version that will be released later year, but even with freshened styling and a cleaner engine lineup, we're not sure if we'd actually want one.

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Octogenarian Drivers Rejoice: 15 MPH Limit In British "Eco Towns"

  From the Ministry of Brilliant Ideas comes this doozy of a whopper of a notion: build ten new English "Eco Towns" to combat climate change. These town would provide 20,000 homes and—here's the rub—be largely devoid of automobiles. Let's set aside for a moment some of the obvious political footballs: building additional developments creates urban sprawl, which loads up strain on the underlying infrastructure which leads to higher taxes and so on. What we're really interested in is how this is goi

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  Union Pacific Rail Hops On Green Train Like Some Treehugging Hobo

  Sometimes we're astonished by the kinds of spin we witness around Green issues. Take Union Pacific, for example. They just dropped a press release that touts their contribution to the environment—because they ferry around hybrid cars and are expanding their rail network, to the tune of a cool billion, so that they can better serve the American ethanol heartland. Are we questioning their motives? Yeah, kinda.

  By Matthew DeBord Read More
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  Daihatsu Creates 3D Holographic Dashboard, Apparently

  Daihatsu has been working with a supplier to create a 3D holographic display for the dashboard of its futuristic cars. The idea is to have a 2D setup similar to a traditional dashboard that can then project a 3D image into space to create driver awareness of impending safety issues. While it sounds as if using this tech could actually be more dangerous than whatever issue it's alerting the driver to, Daihatsu plans on incorporating the display into its advanced safety system for market in cars a

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  2009 BMW 7-Series Flowbee Package Both Sucks And Cuts

  Although readers to the site have long known BMW and Flowbee International were working on a partnership, with these spy photos we can finally show you definitive proof. That's right — the new 2009 BMW 7-series sedan will come with an exclusive optional Flowbee package. Yes, although driving and haircuts at the same time may seem like magic or something out of a dream — it's real and here's proof it's coming soon. No word yet on whether it will include the rumored "underbrush volumizer," "pet co

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  Delahaye USA Recreating Famous Cabriolet

  Our initial reaction to the idea of recreated Delahayes was one of reservation. How does one capture lightning in a bottle twice — and over fifty years after the original company went out of business? The original coachbuilt Delahayes are some of the most beautifully crafted automobiles of all time, so setting your sights on reproducing them is a tough target to aim for. This is exactly what Delahaye USA is undertaking, and so far we're impressed with the results. Currently under commission is a

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  1966 Mercedes-Benz 250S, With Bonus Benz Poll

  After almost a month since we last saw an Alameda Mercedes-Benz in this series, we're due again. Old Mercedes sedans are all over town (and, most likely, all over half the towns in the world), and they're so ageless that I often go right past them when eyeballing for potential DOTS cars. It's just that they've always been around; not in huge numbers, but present in the background.

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  And Now, Your Jalopnik Moment Of Zen...

  That's not a picture of which car companies own which brands, this is a picture of which car companies own which brands. Don't believe us? Think it's something from Tron or perhaps an engineer gone mad diagramming the Tokyo subway system? Fine, see the high-resolution version here. (Hat tip to BlackIce_GTS!)

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Commenter Of The Day: DB Cooper Edition

  We were all set to hand out the Commenter of the Day prize this afternoon. Seriously — all ready to go. We were pleased with our choice, but not overly so — but we hit publish anyway. And it was just as we hit the big red button sending the award straight to the front page that we saw the true grail, teasing us from the bottom of today's Question of the Day all about our man DB Cooper and the money he took. It was calling out to us, teasing us like a white piece of fabric stuck in the pebble sto

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Welcome To America, Land Of The Skyhawk!

  My grandfather recently sent me some of his old rally and ice-racing photos, and I'll get around to scanning and posting them one of these weeks. But looking at those yellowing shots of Saab 93s and oval-window Beetles sliding around on frozen Lake Minnetonka got me to thinking about all those millions of family photographs out there showing interesting old cars from Back In The Day, and how maybe I should ask our readers to start sharing theirs... and, as if on cue, here comes this email from B

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Project Car Hell, South Carolina Edition: GT6 Or 429 Mustang II?

  The completely indecipherable photograph and PCH Superpower heritage of the '48 Morris Minor truck were the winning combination when it came to beating the 89-year-old Dodge in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll. Today we're going with a regional theme, because the last time we had two vehicles from the same American region was when we had the PCH Philadelphia Edition, and that's just too long. Today we're looking at some high-quality project material from the state where the Civil War began:

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  Convertible Or Not, This Oldsmobile Delmont 88 Faces The Crusher's Jaws

  After seeing a Peugeot, a Triumph, and a BMW down on the junkyard, we're going to return to good ol' Detroit Iron today. This '68 Olds Delmont 88 convertible still has plenty of good parts, including the no-doubt-hard-to-find convertible-top gear, which probably fits many other full-sized GM convertibles. The Delmont was made for only two years, and its claim to fame was as the car Teddy Kennedy drove off the Chappaquiddick Bridge. Make the jump for an additional gallery.

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  Mazda Announces Beijing Motor Show Lineup Including Taiki Concept, Mazda6

  Mazda has announced its duds for the Beijing Motor Show that will be taking place towards the latter half of April. To be unveiled at the show is the new revision of the Mazda6, which will be known as the Mazda Atenza in Japan. Also set to be shown off is the Taiki Concept, which looks like something even Batman wouldn't drive.

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  2009 Acura TL: What To Expect From The New TL, TL Type-S

  Some say he has a tattoo of a Saleen S7 on his rear end. Others tell us he was born with a penchant for oil rather than his mum's milk. All we know is he's called the Auto Insider and he's always ready to provide the scoop from the other side of Eight Mile. UPDATE: More details on the 2009 TL are seeing the light of day, including spy photos of the new Acura TL. Despite having absolutely no idea on exactly what day the 2009 Acura TL will break loose from it's embargoed chains, some details are

  By The Auto Insider Read More
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  Ricardo Cracks Barrier Between Two- And Four-Cycle Engines

  Motorheads have been dreaming about an electromagnetic valve train for years now. A virtual cam profile, in concert with the elimination of floating valves, opens up endless possibilities for engine tuning. The dream is inching closer to reality, as power electronics shrink and the manufacture of rare-earth magnets gets continually better. A closed-loop valve system could be here sooner rather later (I know, I know, but please contain your urge to drool). In fact, Ricardo engineering seems to be

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Geely GT Photos Leak Ahead Of Beijing Auto Show

  Wow, it looks like the Geeley GT could mean that China's finally found a design language all its own. These photos have leaked out ahead of April's Beijing motor Show without any related information. So we'll speculate.

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  March Madness, Jalopnik Style

  Interested in all the March madness tournament bracketry, but not really into college hoops? Maybe you're looking for a way to redeem yourself after penciling-in Duke to go all the way? Whatever the case, we've decided to throw our own Jalopnik-style bracket-madness party! Instead of basketball, we've got cars! And don't think this isn't some randomly-selected field of Consumer Reports top choices. What we have is a 32-car selection from one of the coolest car movies ever made: the original Gone

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Self Inflating Tire Could End Under-Inflation

  The Self Inflating Tire is simpler than it sounds, consisting of just two components: a peristaltic pump and a valve that stops over-inflation. Basically, a round tube embedded in the tire's sidewall is compressed at the bottom as the tire rolls, forcing air into the tire. Once it's inflated to the proper pressure the valve — which can be electric or mechanical — shuts off. That's it. Wish you'd thought of it?

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  The Ten Strangest Special Edition Cars

  What do Frank Sinatra, Levi's Jeans and Don Knotts have in common? Special edition cars. When a trend gets too popular and a car company gets too desperate, they find ways to merge the two into a steaming pile of car crap — otherwise known as a trendy special edition. We thought we knew them all, but when we asked you about your favorite trendy special edition car we got quite the mix. Below are the ten weirdest responses we received, complete with a poll so you can help us select the stranges

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Who Owns Who?

  Today's official announcement of the sale of Ford luxe brands Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata got us thinking about the big picture. Yes, we were trying to map out in our minds what the global auto industry looks like these days. The only problem is the past few years have seen more brand swapping than a key party. For a while, the folks who run Cars! Cars! Cars! kept a page on each brands owned by each automaker — but that page hasn't been updated recently. Luckily we found a nice graph over at

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Now You, Too, Can Own Your Very Own Professional Drifter

  There's not much history to drifting in America... yet. Here's a chance to get in on the ground floor of automobilia by purchasing Takahiro Ueno's D1GP USA-spec Toyota Soarer (aka Lexus SC 400). With no drifting series for 2008 there is suddenly a need to sell the drift machines, making it one of the fastest ways to get into highly-tuned JDM metal. There's no word on price, but we're guessing it won't be cheap, especially after looking at the parts list. Better description below the jump.

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  1974 Ford Maverick

  It turns out that this Maverick wasn't the only one on the island, though today's car is nearly identical to the last one. Yes, another gold '74 two-door Maverick! What are the odds? I discovered this car just around the corner from the Killer Whale Transporter, which reminds me that air-cooled VWs seem to have a better survival rate than Mavericks.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Ford Officially Selling Jaguar, Land Rover To Tata For $2.3 Billion, Song And Dance

  While many decided yesterday to report "officially" that Ford was shaking Jaguar and Land Rover free to the Indian subcontinent for $2.6 billion we knew it was prudent to wait and report it as merely rumor because that number just didn't sound right. That's because here at Jalopnik, we "get" the US auto industry and we knew that when an 'merican automaker (German automakers too — that's right Daimler, we're looking straight at you) spends billions of dollars to bring a brand back to solvency, yo

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  LS3 Goes Down Under: HSV To Build Higher Horsepower Hooning Machines

  It's not even Australia Day, but we're hearing GM's giving their high-performance team down under a gift of power. Holden's Special Vehicles team announced last night they'll be fitting the US-built LS3 engine across their range of E-Series and WM Grange vehicles. That's the same engine found in the base model of the new Corvette as well as the one found in the Australian-built Pontiac G8 GXP. So that means the new ClubSport R8, GTS, Senator Signature, Maloo R8 and WM Granges will see a power bo

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  New A-Team Movie Given Green Light, Status Of GMC Van Unknown

  A little part of our inner child just leapt for joy as we've just found out the long rumored movie adaptation of a new A-Team movie has been given the official go ahead. The new movie will have a speculative release date sometime in summer of 2009 and the entire cast of colorful characters is completely open for casting. The only things we know for sure are that John Singleton's in the directors chair, and Michael Bandt and Derek Haas have been tasked with the writing. All portend good signs so

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  PCH, Mysterious But Cheap Edition: 1919 Dodge Or 1948 Morris?

  The Itchy Fiberglass Hell that is the '57 Devin managed to beat out the Dodgy Deal Hell of the Hemi Bantam in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll. Of course, we all want basket-case old race car projects against which to dash our hopes and empty our bank accounts, but there's a lot to be said for cheap projects that you can't even identify in their ads. See, there's the "how bad can it be?" lure that suckers you in when the gatekeeper to Hell only charges you a few hundred bucks... but those

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  Ford Shows Us How To Create Virtual Cars To Gain Virtual Market Share

  Today I took a trip over to Ford's Manufacturing Development Center in Dearborn to check out the latest and greatest in building imaginary things. The amusing twist here is that one of the first jobs I got while in college was with Ford's Advanced Manufacturing Group at the Dearborn Engine and Fuel Tank Plant in the Rouge. One of my assignments was to mock up a planned manufacturing line with carboard boxes and lift tables — oh how far things have come. Using a bevy of software suites and quite

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  Murcie Me, Premier4509 Tweaks The Lamborghini Murcielago

  Though Lamborghini's Murcielago isn't exactly an automobile that needs much improvement, that hasn't stopped people from trying. Japan-based Premier4509 has launched a limited edition body kit for the Murcielago, for those who have $28,000 to spend on what in essence is a carbon fiber bumper, sidepods and adjustable rear spoiler. Wheels and exhaust tips are "coming soon." For a carbon fiber body addition, the touches are nice, avoiding the usual excesses. Of course, if you want to stand out you

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  After 40 Years, Peugeot 404 Calls It Quits

  We saw a 1970s Peugeot in an East Bay self-service wrecking yard last week, and now it's time for us to see a Peugeot from the 1960s as it offers up its components for other, still running Peugeots. Of course, I can't tell you where these other 404s might be, since I haven't seen one on an American street since... uh... ever. But someone has purchased the trunk off this one, which means there's at least one more example out there! Make the jump for additional junkyardly gallery goodness.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Chrysler To Include In-Car Internet Access

  Chrysler claims it will begin offering in-car Internet access later this year. It's a little more complicated and confusing than just magically putting a chip into a car that gets Internet access anywhere, unfortunately. Chrysler said that the service will work by utilizing a broadband connection from cell phone towers. Thus, a partnership would have to be reached between Chrysler and one of the major cell phone carriers to get this to work correctly, and such a partnership is unknown at this ti

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  Sapporo Brings Touch Of Mitsu-Malaise To Oregon

  The streets of Eugene, Oregon (and PaulN's camera) gave us the '68 Saab 96 few weeks ago, and now PaulN has found us another interesting old Eugenemobile. The Plymouth Sapporo was yet another of Chrysler's attempts to fend off Malaise collapse by slapping its nameplates on various Mitsubishis, but (unlike the Colt) they're just about impossible to find nowadays. Make the jump for an additional gallery and PaulN's description.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Hot Hatch Showdown

  With auto show season officially, mercilessly and thankfully over, the Jalopnik Fantasy Garage stands to be full in just six weeks. A short time by any standard, but especially so when distilling over a hundred years of automotive excellence into just 50 vehicles. Two weeks ago saw the induction of the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, a car so finely crafted only a communist would disapprove. In this week's edition, we switch gears entirely. Compact, lightweight automobile construction, responsive su

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Wards Ignores Jalopnik At Epicenter Of El Camino Campaign

  Seems Wards Auto noticed our little campaign to resurrect the El Camino moniker for the 2010 Pontiac G8 sport truck, even going to far as to quote Bob Lutz's response to our question at the New York Auto Show. But when it came time to assign a location from which the hootin', hollerin' and shoutin' was emanating from, the best they could come up with was a vague pointing in a direction other than them. Although they were able to see the tens of dozens of press walking through the show wearing ou

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  Renault Asks Why Only Movie Stars Get Ecological Cars

  Here's another creative ad from Renault that's just as the funny Renault Megane GT commercial, though with less big-bottomed girls on bikes. It involves talking leaves, dancing stars and one bewildered Production Assistant named Willy. Is this what a car commercial directed by Luis Bunuel would look like? Even better, we have a translation from M0L0TOV below the jump for those who do not speak Spanish.

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  NASA Putting Mars Rover To Sleep To Save Money

  Although it might seem like a headline from The Onion, the story's actually true. NASA's being forced to cut four million dollars from the Mars rover project. In order to meet that requirement, they'll have to put one rover, Spirit, to sleep — a "hibernation" period. The team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) will also have to put the other rover, Opportunity, on a diminished work cycle. But in actuality, they won't be cutting what Opportunity's doing — they'll just be spreading it out over a l

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  1981 Fiat Strada

  Some of our sharper-eyed readers may have noticed the car backed up against yesterday's Scout and said to yourselves, "Wait a minute... there's something odd about that Malaise econobox!" Well, that's exactly what I said about 10 seconds after I saw the Scout and started gearing up to take photographs; I think it was the crazy door handles that first tipped me off about the possibility of a Super Double DOTS Potential situation, and then I just about dropped the camera when I caught sight of the

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Increased Road Privatization On The Way, According To The Washington Post

  "Everything they're doing is designed to drive things to privatization," Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure highways and transit subcommittee told the Washington Post. He was speaking about the Bush administration and its appointees at the Department of Transportation, who the paper says, are doing everything possible to move the national transportation infrastructure towards privatization and therefore pay-per-use charging.

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  PCH, Priceless Race Car Edition: Hemi Bantam Or Buick Devin?

  We learned on Friday that Dante Alighieri would prefer to drive a '58 Fiat 600 Multipla in Hell, and that's an important lesson. Another lesson that all those sentenced to eternity in Project Car Hell should learn is the joys associated with buying a Hell Project without a price. Yes, literally priceless cars await us today, and not just any priceless cars. Old race cars! See, this way you can negotiate endlessly with some hardball seller, drag your newly-acquired dilapidated carcass diamond in

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  Malaise Spitfire Attempts To Hide Embarrassing Bumpers In Junkyard, Fails

  We don't hold with those who hate all Triumph Spitfires across the board, although their unreliability was legendary even by British Leyland standards. No, the only ones that really deserve the "Shitfire" label are the ones hauling around 900 pounds of Malaise crash bumpers with an engine rated at... well, it's too depressing to get into. I found this fairly complete example located a few rows down from the '76 Peugeot 504, and the sight of those horrible bumpers- even more horrible than those o

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  Sirius, XM Finalize Merger, Make Sweet Music

  Remember that Sirius and XM merger that was announced well over a year ago? Well, it FINALLY was approved by the Department of Justice. Basically this means everything went through and all that is approval from the Federal Communications Commission that should be easier than the DOJ, presumably. This was the biggest hurdle of the entire ordeal and I am happy to see it finally take a giant step forward. The next step is to get the approval from the Federal Communications Commission, get the paper

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  Sony Showcases Ford Flex Deal In NYC

  Ford is taking a page out of Subaru's book and will be partnering with Sony for a factory-installed in-car entertainment system. The first model will be a Ford Flex, much like the one we received the chauffeur treatment in, and it will be on display at the Sony Style store on Madison Avenue in New York City.

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  Play With It: Top Seven Examples Of Automaker-Video Game Industry Love-Making In New York

  There's a trend I'm beginning to notice around the massive halls of auto shows: scattered among the sheet metal, booth babes and PR flacks, there's a hell of a lot of video games — both your standard issue Xbox-PlayStation3 setups as well as the more elaborate simulators. Taking a look at just a few of the many examples that appeared at the New York Auto Show this past week, I think this is more than just a way of giving journalists something to do between press conferences — it's representati

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  Ford Shows Off Demolished Taurus As Safety Movie Theater?

  What to do with all of those cars smashed in federal and IIHS crash testing? In theory, you could take them back for further study to help improve safety for future vehicles. Of course, that would mean wasting an advertising opportunity. And while we prefer the RoboCop Taurus, we'll admit that showing a wrecked version of your car isn't the worst way to show off that the only major hazard that comes with driving a new Taurus is death-by-boredom. Press release after the jump.

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  2010 Chevy Camaro Caught Wearing Velocity Yellow

  It may work on the new 2008 Corvette, but on the 2010 Chevy Camaro, we're not so sure Canary "Velocity Yellow" works for the new muscular mullet-mobile. Maybe if it had a couple of black go-faster stripes on the hood. Then we'd have a Bumblebee edition — and yes, we'd be all over that one. But plain yellow? Umm, no. So — we've now seen the new Camaro in black, white and zebra — and now "Velocity Yellow." By the way — we'd like to point out that "Velocity" yellow is like "P***y Magnet" yellow, ex

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  New Nissan GT-R Gets Crumpled In Malaysia, We Cry

  The folks over at NAGTROC snagged some shots of a new 2009 Nissan GT-R R35 in a slight state of disrepair this morning. And by "slight state of disrepair" we mean crumpled, crunched and crap-kicked. It's sad seeing a speed demon like this all busted up — it's like watching Godzilla getting the scales kicked off of him by Mothra. OK, that's not true. In reality this is worse for us to look at — because everyone knows this here Godzilla ain't imaginary. Pardon us while we spend a moment wiping awa

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  The Iconic GTR Roadster: All About The Details

  At a glance, the Iconic GTR looks like just another Cobra replica. But taking a closer look you realize it's the bespoke details that make it special. Shiny toggle switches, plush leather, jewel-like gauges, a roll-bar that conceals LED turn signals with a full spectrum of color adjustment; it all makes the GTR feel like a creation made for winning the Riddler Award. But don't think that it's all show and no go — the body is all carbon-fiber with ground effects that help make over 500 pounds of

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  1976 International Harvester Scout II

  We've only seen two trucks from our favorite farm equipment maker so far in this series (the '48 KB-2 and the '80 Scout), but those aren't the only International Harvesters on the island. Here's a '76 Scout II (equipped with a warlord-style camouflage paint job) that I spotted in the same East End neighborhood as the '84 Plymouth Reliant.

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  Mustang Aussie: Ford To Focus On The Falcon, Not So Much Mercury

  We hear this AM that Ford's taking a page directly from GM's Aussie-loving playbook. Bryce Hoffman of the Detroit News, who's never met a job he couldn't hand-le when it comes to Ford, is reporting they're looking at bringing the rear-wheel-drive Falcon platform up from down under to provide the basis for the next Ford Mustang. In addition to the muscular two-door, it'll also be used for new sedans from the Ford and Lincoln brands — replacements for the Crown Vic and Lincoln Town Car — both sche

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  PCH, Impossible Fiats Edition: Ghia 1500GT Or '58 Multipla?

  The 6.9 Mercedes-Benz used its JFG status as a knotted club to pound the bratwurst out of the BMW L6 in yesterday's Hell Über Alles PCH poll, winning by one of the most lopsided margins we've ever seen. Today I'm so inspired by the San Francisco daily-driven 1970 Fiat 500 that I've started shopping for potential Fiat projects. Yes, I've suppressed all those childhood memories of my mom's '73 Fiat 128, which was the source of so many "family outing derailed by car trouble" episodes that they all

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Redesign The Scion Hako Concept - Win Some Scion Hats

  To say the Scion Hako Concept went over poorly with the Jalopnik staff would be something of an understatement. Every time we checked the front page we'd recoil in horror as the Hako scrolled past on the screen. It became the generic stake by which other cars were measured. "At least it's not the Hako" was heard more than once. Now, considering the depth of photochopping skill we see from Chrysler here on a daily basis, we're betting you guys can do better than the awkward and boxy "American vin

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  SkyMall Backup Camera Is Apparently Useless?

  Don't you just hate it when you run out of things to do during a plane ride? Sure you could strike up a conversation with the stranger next to you, but who wants to have contact with actual people these days? No, best just to reach for that Sky Mall catalog and browse through all those wacky gadgets. That's what we did during our New York Auto Show travels, and check out what we found!

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Jalopnik Plays Midnight Club Los Angeles

  After checking out the new S5S Raptor and the Dan Gurney Mustang at the Saleen stand, we decided to get behind the wheel controller and a have a test drive of a DUB-customized S302 Extreme— in the upcoming Midnight Club Los Angeles video game. We thought it was a good opportunity let our oldest most life-experienced Jalop, Matt DeBord, have a hand at the game. He knows LA pretty well, so we figured he'd have an advantage driving through the virtual city of angels. We soon found that while Matt m

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  2009 Dodge Challenger S/E: A Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name

  I was wandering around the floor of the New York auto show yesterday afternoon, trying to find a free scone. No, I was looking for automotive inspiration to break the second-day malaise. I never did find the scone, but I did stumble on the 2009 Dodge Challenger S/E up on its dais. I've been thinking of nothing else for 24 hours.

  By Mike Spinelli Read More
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  Original General Lee Up For Auction, Time To Sell The Meth Lab

  There were roughly 300 authentic General Lee Chargers used in the original Dukes of Hazzard and we assume that, eventually, all the ones that aren't completely trashed will end up going for sale at an auction. And while everyone seems to have a story like "it was used in episode #76 in which Bo and Luke accidentally kill a hobo," there's only one original General Lee. The 01 of 01. The car from the original jump in the credits and the one to feature the famous "dual flag" design has been fully r

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Performance Art And The Automobile: A 1963 LeSabre, A Typewriter And 90MPH Worth Of Destruction

  What is it about wildly influential California artists and their romance with the automobile? Heck, if cars had never come to Cali (perish the thought), Cal Arts would barely have any faculty! Our last installment of Performance Art and the Automobile brought us Chris Burden's hyper-mile'n car-bike. This time around, we've got "Fast" Eddie Ruscha (Roo-Shay) and the violence he did do to a Royal Typewriter. His accomplice? A 1963 Buick LeSabre.

  By Matthew DeBord Read More
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  Nissan Cube Coming To US, Electric Version Still A Concept

  The Nissan Denki Cube Concept is something you've probably already seen. In fact, you probably saw it this morning when we caught the electric Nissan Cube sunning itself in advance of its press conference. What did we learn at the press conference? Fleet-use electric vehicles by 2010 and commercial vehicles by 2012. The big news is that the LA Auto Show this fall will see the introduction of the next generation Cube for the North American market. Press release, pictures of the Denki Cube and sho

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2009 Cadillac XLR-V

  We were the first to show you shots of the new 2009 Cadillac XLR, now we've taken a jump to ludicrous speed with the first photographic evidence of the 2009 Cadillac XLR-V. The new hotness from Cadillac is getting the same wire-mesh grille we expect from the V-Series, and what looks to be a gigantic Cadillac badge smack-dab in the center of it. And oh yes, did we mention the "supercharged" logo on the side of the new stylin' Caddy? The only question is whether that super-ed-up engine will be the

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  New Ford Ka To Be Shaken, Not Stirred In New Bond Film "Quantum Of Solace?"

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  1984 Jaguar XJ6

  Considering how many Jaguar XJ6s I see in the junkyard, they're not so common on the streets of Alameda. My guess is that dead Jags languish in back yards, garages, and driveways for year after year (it just needs a few "minor repairs," really!), until an enraged wife or landlord dispatches them to The Crusher. Whatever the reason, it's been quite a while since we last saw a Jaguar in this series, so I was pleased to spot this decent-looking '84, not far from yesterday's DOTS Porsche 912. Close

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  How Many Guys Does It Take To Park A Mercedes McLaren SLR 722 GTR?

  What do you do with an SLR 722 GTR? Yes, its a race car; but there's no real competitive series for it to race in. And you can't drive the GTR on the public street. So the only thing it's really good for is showing off, which apparently it isn't very good at either. Check out the video and you'll see just how many guys it takes to park a SLR 722 GTR at the NY Auto Show. Oh and also, they broke it. Epic fail.

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Commenter Of The Day: Fake Covert U.S. Federal Government Space Aliens Edition

  We all love the mythology of Area 51 and all, but when it comes to great exercises in pop-cultural paranoia, secret bases in the desert and under ground skunkworks lose out to... New York City. Our home for the past few days, as we take in the New York Auto Show. Whenever we're here and thinking about, you know, black-helicopter/freelance army-type conspiracies, we're reminded of Three Days of the Condor, Marathon Man, and of course, Men in Black. The Jalopnik commenters, who have been working o

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  PCH, Hell Uber Alles Edition: Mercedes 6.9 Or BMW L7?

  On Monday, we headed over to Frozen Finnish Car Hell and watched the '61 Ford Taunus wagon beat the '72 Opel Kadett in the Choose Your Eternity poll. Today we're in the mood for Very Expensive German Luxury, which is always an excellent Project Car Hell theme. You see, high-end German cars have always been chock-full of leading-edge technology, which means that the passage a decade or three can really knock down the purchase price of a nice example... well, that is, if you don't mind a car that

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  What Bentley Believes: 17-Page CO2 Manifesto Has Been Read

  Bentley is refreshing. Their ultra-luxe, mega-horsepower sleds, favored rides of autocrats, royalty and rap tycoons, are such a specialized product that the Craftsmen of Crewe can pretty much reduce their whole climate-change/fuel-scarcity strategy to a question of customer relations. I promised I'd read the white paper on global warming etc. the company handed out at their New York Auto Show press conference yesterday—also available on Bentley's website—and now I have. Dry? To be sure. Wonky? Y

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  Hooked On Photoshop Works For Dodge?

  Eagle-eyed reader Eywolf noticed something peculiar yesterday morning when we ran the new 2009 Dodge Challenger images and press release. After our fearless leader was lambasted by Chrysler PR for what seemed like hours over our suggestion the press images for the Chicago Auto Show unveil of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 had been massaged to enhance reality, it seems there may be further p-chopping on the latest batch of images in an apparent attempt to deceive the muscle-loving public into bel

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  Progressive Automotive X Prize Officially Announced

  Today in the Javits Center during the 2008 New York Auto Show, X Prize Foundation President Dr. Peter Diamandis, along with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced Progressive will be the corporate sponsor of the long stewing Automotive X prize. The Progressive Automotive X Prize will award $10 million to the winning team after a head-to-head competition scheduled to happen sometime in 2009. The entries must be safe, production capable, and deliver at least 100 mpg. The teams will compe

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  Pontiac In New York: We Build Excitement...Finally

  I'm writing this from the back seat of the Pontiac G8 GT. That's a midlevel-performance version of the sedan GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz asserts will return to Pontiac its long-absent dignity. Judging from the comfortable back seats and legroom, not to mention the reportedly solid platform, potent V8 and tight packaging, there's little doubt it will.

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  Subaru R1e Re-Unveiled Live

  Subaru's press event was nothing short of spectacular and I say that in a fully sarcastic manner. The R1e that we already took many a peek at was officially unveiled by Subaru's head honchos. If you're wondering, the R1e will not be making it stateside, at least not anytime soon. However, it was announced that Subaru will be working with the New York Power Authority, which happily accepted two R1e's. They will now drive them around and allow Subaru to monitor their performance, as well as potent

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  Ford Transit Connect Taxi Is Bursting With Tech

  We're well aware that the Ford Transit Connect is here and available in a lot of variations, but I'm still a bit confused by the taxi-model version that we spied last week and witnessed the official unveil of yesterday. The interior of this thing includes the mandatory glass panel that separates the driver and passengers. And that's where the confusion begins. The glass includes a LCD display much like we've already seen, but there also seems to be a sort of a map etched into the glass.

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  Suzuki Kizashi 3 Concept Debuts, Actual Kizashi To Go On Sale In 2010

  Today in New York, Suzuki unveiled the third, and seemingly last, Kizashi: the Kizashi 3 Concept. Whereas Kizashi was a low-slung GT and the Kizashi 2 was a hatchback/crossover, the Kizashi 3 is a true sports sedan that's supposed to be close to production. Similar to the other Kisashis, power comes from a 300-horsepower V6 mated to a six speed automatic. Press release and photos below.

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  Saleen Debuts Dan Gurney Signature Edition Mustang

  It's a double reveal at the Saleen stand this year. In addition to the Saleen S5S Raptor, the boutique builder also rolled out the Saleen Dan Gurney Signature Edition Mustang. The car was created in partnership with Dan Gurney to develop the blue and white homage to Gurney's 1969 Trans Am Mustang. The 465 HP supercharged 281 cubic inch engine, short throw shifter, 3.73:1 gearing out back, sticky tires and Watts linkage suspension do their part to provide a healthy race feel. Only 300 of the spec

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  Rust Didn't Kill This 2002, But The Crusher Surely Will

  After seeing a Jeep Gladiator and a Peugeot 504 in East Bay junkyards so far this week, we should probably take a look at an old BMW giving its life that other 2002s might live. It looks like something heavy was dropped on this car's roof at some point (evidence of a rollover collision seems absent), but otherwise this car is fairly solid.

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  Saleen S5S Raptor Concept Unveiled At New York Auto Show

  All the folks we shook hands with at the Saleen Sterling Edition S302E reveal a couple of months ago were in attendance and happy to give us a look at their new Saleen S5S Raptor Concept. The ground up design starts with an all aluminum frame and a 5.0 L supercharged V8 good for 650 HP and 630 lb.ft. of torque. Those are some scrappy figures and the S5S Concept is said to make the run to 60 in a mere 3.2 seconds all while sipping on cellulosic ethanol. That's right folks, the S5S Raptor is a psu

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  2009 Kia Optima Gets Mid-Cycle Refreshment, Auto World Shocked

  You know the Kia Optima? Not really, no? The Optima is what you would buy because you just didn't like the Suzuki Forenza. Though a mid-cycle refreshment, it's a definite improvement over the "only as a rental car" original design. There's also more power for the four-cylinder engine, which is now nearly as powerful as the V6. Features such as leather sports seats and turn signal lights integrated into the mirrors raise the vehicle's profile to nearly 1998 Honda Accord levels. At a wooden, scrip

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  Another Show, Another Mitsubishi I MiEV Electric

  The electric Mitsubishi electric i MIEV continues to evolve and this year it is no different at the New York Auto Show. The i MIEV has made some changes since our last visit with the concept. Now MIEV means Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle, rather than Mitsubishi In-Wheel Electric Vehicle. This concept has a 16 kW lithium-ion battery with a 100-mile range that recharges overnight from a standard home outlet or dryer-style outlet. A 63 HP motor churns the vehicle along. There is also two mo

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  Kia Koup Concept Astounds, Konfounds

  Part coupe and part notchback, the new Kia Koup concept car hints at a design language to come. This new direction includes ditching the friendly, rounded edges of the old Kia and replacing them with a crisper and more angular look that borrows heavily from Acura. The Koup also points towards performance aspirations with its tweaked version of the company's 2.0-Liter Theta II four-cylinder engine, which produces 289 lb.-ft. of torque and 290 HP thanks to twin-scroll turbochargers and a new direc

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  Volvo XC60 Unveiled At New York, Looks The Same As At Geneva

  Remember the Volvo XC60 we showed you at the Geneva Motor Show? This new Sport Utility Crossover (SUX) is here in the states, but with some major differences. First, it'll be sold in North American. Second, no diesels. The end. The global version has two turbodiesels (the D5 producing 185 HP and the 2.4D with 163 HP), but we'll merely be getting the 285 HP turbocharged T6 V6. This is a big model for Volvo, with the company planning to sell as much as half of the 50,000 initially built in the Uni

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  2010 Cadillac CTC Is The New 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe?

  Brenda Priddy's cagey Chris Doane's caught the 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe on camera. The new Cadillac style is speculated to be actually named the 2010 Cadillac CTC when it officially reaches production in Spring of 2009. Set to be built in Lansing at GM's Grand River Plant, the new coupe will spin out alongside the larger and more in-charge sedan from the General's luxe brand. Otherwise — there's not much more to say other than the remainder of Priddy's spy report below the jump. Check out the hig

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Porsche 912

  It's been way too long since the last DOTS Porsche 912, and I must admit I'd been sitting on these photos until I could find some clue to tell me the year of the car... which has proved to be beyond my abilities. Those damn Germans and their reluctance to make yearly design changes for the sake of change! The yellow-on-black license plate is from '68 or '69, which tells us virtually nothing- the car may be a '65 with later plates or a '69 with the only plates it's ever had. The car is in a very

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  2008 New York Auto Show: Jalopnik Does Day Two!

  The team's all here at the Javits Center and ready to go. If you've read all our coverage so far, feel free to skip right over this post. However, if you've not yet had a chance to check out our full taste of the big, red and juicy autogasmic apple — then this post is for you. Remember, you can follow along today at the New York Auto Show tag as we continue to bring you the best coverage this side of Edward R. Murrow. 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: The Epic Reveal, Live!We Get Exclusive Ride In 20

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  2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: The Epic Reveal, Live!

  Wow. Ok, so we were pretty excited about the new 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but we had no idea just how awesome the reveal would be. None of that crap about pulling a sheet off a semi-functional prototype. No, these Hoondais were blatantly fully functional. That's thanks to either a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 making 223 HP, or a 3.8-liter V6 that pumps out 310 HP. Hyundai is promising that this will be the cheapest 300+ HP coupe in the world. Full press release after the jump.

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Scion Hako Coupe Concept Live Unveil

  Scion is known for trying to be hip with the kids, but I have a feeling its latest concept, the Hako, is a couple steps too far, even for the spikey haired, angsty kids of America. Hako means box and this is very boxy, even more boxy than the xB. If you remember, Scion originally teased the Hako Coupe concept two weeks ago, but here she is in all of her ugly glory. Original speculation suggested that this could take the place of the xA, but something tells me that wouldn't fly too well.

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  Bentley Brings 17-Page Emissions-Reduction Plan To NYC, Also Some Dang Expensive Cars

  Let's just get this out of the way up front so you can come back later: Bentley brought no new luxurious nor mega-costly glistening sheet metal hand-rubbed to a burnished sheen by ambidextrous master craft-rubbers at their lush production palace factory in Crewe, England. Instead, at this New York Auto Show they touted their new partnership with an atmospheric molecule of fraught reputation: CO2. They thoughtfully provided me with a 17-page outline of how they're going to change the relationship

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  2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: A Mustang-Killer Revealed

  So what's the one complaint most often levied against the Ford Mustang? How about the lack of Independent Rear Suspension? Guess what? The 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe has it. Here's the rest of the details — 212 HP 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine or a range-topping all-aluminum 306 HP DOHC 3.8-liter V6 engine. It'll be available starting in the spring of 2009. We'll have many more details shortly and our full gallery of the event in a moment — but yes, it's just been revealed.

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  2009 Honda Fit Is Go, Again

  The 2009 Honda Fit has just been launched at the New York Auto Show. Aside from the irritatingly average, Gap-clad models cheerily driving it on stage, notable features are the 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine mated to either a 5-speed manual or automatic transmission - the Fit Sport comes with paddle shifter - the six airbags that come as standard, the ACE body structure - it's strong and light to boost safety - and the one-touch fold rear seats. The full press release follows the jump.

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  This Gladiator Has Fought Its Last Battle

  Big, heavy-duty trucks usually manage to evade The Crusher's jaws for more years than most cars, but eventually some expensive problem or accumulation of parking tickets catches up with the best of them. Such is the case with this 1968 Jeep Gladiator J-3000 pickup, which I photographed at a local wrecking yard last weekend. The junkyard marked it as a 1968 model (and an "AMC Commando" as well), but I believe it's actually a '66. Check out that AMC 327 engine, which is not to be confused with th

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  Mercedes-Benz Makes Mockery Of United States Democracy Unveiling BlueTEC SUVs

  There's good news for those getting bored of strolling around town in the Bluetec E-Class because Mercedes-Benz is announcing the U.S. availability of the 2009 GL320 BlueTEC, ML320 BlueTEC and R320 BlueTEC. In an effort to be hip and trendy with the U.S. market, Mercedes-Benz faked a campaign speech, but in all reality it looked more like a riot. As the two BlueTEC ML320s rolled onto the stage along came with it a nice sample pool of a typical campaign supporters who really, really care about Bl

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  Most Liked Ad: Hummer For The Win!

  Just prior to Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli's New York Auto Show keynote speech this morning, some guy who works for The Dark Lord of All Media Rupert Murdoch conducted a none-too-brief awards ceremony for carmkers, their marketing muckety-mucks, and their ad agencies. IAG Research, an advertising-effectiveness-measuring outfit, handed out the hardware, an example of which is pictured at left.

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  Live From New York, It's The 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP

  The curtain just lifted here at the New York Auto Show on the Pontiac that really is all about driving excitement, the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP. As you know G8 GXP gets the goods from our favorite fiberglass sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette, complete with 6.2 L, 361 HP V8 and a 6 speed manual transmission. The fresh new cog-swapping GXP will be scooting to sixty in a scant 4.7 seconds with the quarter mile coming in at 13.0 seconds and 108 mph. All we're looking for is that traction control defeat

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  2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe Revealed Live In New York

  We saw it in the flesh a couple weeks ago and were sworn to secrecy, we revealed the explosion of pics and press release at midnight today, but now we've got live and in the flesh shots of the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe. The targa-topped coupe sure is sleek in its fine new enclosed coupe styling, and there was a bit of the swoon on in the room when it was unveiled. The coupe gets the same Ecotec powertrain options from the original style 2.4L with 173 HP as well as the GXP hoontastic 260 HP 2

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  2009 Nissan Maxima Is Here, F'real This Time With Details

  The 2009 Nissan Maxima hasn't exactly been a well kept secret. For instance, we already saw the new Nissan Maxima unofficially prepping itself for its moment in the sun. The big news with the new Maxima, other than it's drastic styling change, is the new "sporty" direction. What does this actually mean? Shorter track and wheel-base than it's rather bloated predecessor. A refined 290-hp VQ V6 and a new Xtroonic CVT with paddle shifting. The new Maxima will arrive this summer with the two trim mod

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  Keynote! Chrysler CEO Nardelli Heralds New Era Of "Globality" At Struggling Carmaker

  Did you know that Bob Nardelli is a "car guy?" He is, baby. Of course, that didn't stop him from trotting out something that most legit car guys would rather drink used motor oil than sit through: the dreaded pie-in-the-sky biz-speak PowerPoint presentation. Post-breakfast, as a roomful of eyes slowly glazed, Nardellli walked the automotive press and assorted onlookers through Chrysler's plan to pursue "globality." It was the mighty New York Auto Show keynote, and we were there.

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  2009 Acura TSX, Officially Revealed!

  We first showed you the teaser shot a few weeks back, then the press release accidentally went live a short time later. But now here it is in the flesh for all you Honda-headed fan boys — the all-new 2009 Acura TSX — powerful double plenum grille (same as that found on the new 2009 Acura RL) and all. The new TSeXiness is supposedly "more agile and more powerful than ever before" and that seems to be the case given the DOHC i-VTEC in-line 4-cylinder producing 201 HP and 172 lb-ft of torque with t

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  1984 Plymouth Reliant

  OK, so maybe it wasn't fair that Uncle Sam bailed out Chrysler but told AMC to drop dead, back in the Malaise Era. It seemed like the Chrysler bailout worked out as hoped, though, once the K Car emerged from factories that had long created gas-swilling behemoths. With so many early Ks made, you'd think there would be more of them still on the street nowadays, but that's not the case; I went out looking for a non-beater example and it was tougher than I'd expected. Finally, I found this '84 Relia

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  Ford Transit Connect Taxi Live, Yellow And Clean

  Remember those grainy pictures of the NYC Ford Transit Connect Taxi? We can do you one better with live, colorful and shiny (thanks cleaning crew) shots of this latest iteration of the 2009 Ford Transit Connect. We think this is a smart move for Ford, as we think taxi service is more lucrative than guitar delivery service. Is this Ford's ultimate replacement for the aging Crown Victoria? Press release and more pics below the jump.

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  We Get Exclusive Ride In 2009 Ford Flex, Chauffeur To Hyundai Dinner

  Despite the news of the eminent demise of the Ford Taurus X, we're now not as concerned because we just got our first ride in the 2009 Ford Flex. A very hip Ford rep dropped by our extremely touristgasmic digs near Times Square to give us a ride over to dinner and get a little free press for Ford's new hauler. Despite a couple of syntax errors with the next-gen GPS system, which worked fine after we used the correct name of the city, the slab sided super wagon was off to the races a slow crawl t

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  2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe Brings Transformer Back To Life

  You knew him as Jazz before he was so handily destroyed — ripped asunder, really — by Megatron. You also knew him as the Pontiac Solstice. But that never quite fit, did it — because he wasn't a convertible in the movie. Well, now he's been truly revealed as a production model, and most importantly as a coupe — the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe to be exact. Yes, that's right, the absolutely gorgeous alt-mode of the Autobot recon man's been brought back to live in a fully production targa-topped c

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  Dodge Presents Its 2009 Challenger Lineup

  And just when you thought you have had enough of the 2008 Dodge Challenger, the 2009 models are here and even better, but I'm not really sure if you can get worn out of the Challenger since the 2008 model is only a month old. Still being touted as the happy middle between the Chrysler 300 and Charger is the Challenger. All models of this beaut includes the HEMI engine, MyGIG system, best-in-class trunk space and more. There will be three different models of the Dodge Challenger available includi

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  PCH, German Hellwagons Of Finland Edition: Taunus Or Turbo Kadett?

  In a not very shocking development, the Lincoln Mark VIIchero outclassed and out-helled the drag-racing '73 El Camino in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, and we're sure everyone needs a breather from cartrucks after yesterday's madness. So what do we need? Station wagons, of course! And not just any station wagons- we're looking at old German station wagons... from Finland. You want umlauts? Wë'll gïvë ÿöü ümläüts! Finland must be the most umlaut-happy nation on the face of the earth. And

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  Is New York City The Last Bastion Of Body On Frame?

  It sure is. Maybe we're just unusually attuned, having been rendered all self-reliant by SoCal life, where being ferried around by somebody else is a sign of weakness. But as soon as we hit the outerboroughs this morning on our way into the City That Never Sleeps, en route to cover the New York Auto Show, we were reminded of the absolute importance of the Crown Vic and the awh-mighty Lincoln Town Car to the both the local economy and the urban psyche.

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  1976 Peugeot 504 Wonders How It Came To This

  While we don't see many French cars still on the North American streets, they do show up every so often at junkyards; we saw a '69 Renault 16 not long ago, and I stopped by the same junkyard last weekend and found this '76 Peugeot 504. The 504 is the only French car I've ever actually driven and worked on for any amount of time, and I recall thinking it was a very pleasant car to drive, when it ran... which was seldom. Most of my quality time with my Peugeot was spent staring at befuddlement at

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  Buick Drops Invicta Concept Teaser Ahead Of Beijing Motor Show

  Buick is planning to unveil their new Invicta concept at the Beijing Motor Show on April 19th, calling it, "a premium vehicle with international appeal." It'll be an evolution of design concepts first introduced on last year's Riviera concept and could herald a new full-size luxury car from the ailing brand. Buick has found a level of popularity in China currently unthinkable on these shores. The full press release follows the jump.

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  Was It Savvy Or Stupid For Chrysler To Close Its Cali Design Studio?

  Beware the Ides of March. By now, Chrysler's Pacifica Design Center in Carlsbad, CA should be a warren of ghost-cubicles, with perhaps a few shreds of jettisoned sketches for futurecars scattered on the industrial carpeting, reduced to janitorial found art. The Pentastar has shut it down and concentrated "blue sky" conceptualizing under the gray skies of Detroit. The studio, which focused on advanced design, had been part of Chrysler's master plan since the early 1980s, according to various publ

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  1950 Ford

  This is the 24th 1950s vehicle we've seen so far in this series, and it seemed right to follow up the '58 Mercedes-Benz 220S with something from Detroit. You can't get much more Detroit than an old Ford, so here comes a car from a two-time DOTS owner (as far as I know, WhatWouldJesseDo is the only three-time DOTS honoree).

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  Nissan To Unveil All Electric Denki Cube At New York Auto Show

  Nissan is planning on sticking a finger in the eye of every fuel cell and hybrid toting automaker at next weeks' New York Auto Show when they unveil the Nissan Denki Cube. The all-electric Denki is named for the Japanese word for electric and will be trumping the other manufacturers in its earth friendly marketing campaigning. Nissan has already claimed they will bring an EV to market by 2010 and if the Cube is the candidate, we'll welcome it. The ones we saw while abroad during the Tokyo Auto S

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  PCH, Maximum Cartruck Edition: Dragamino Or Mark VIIchero?

  As most of you know by now, the Shorty Chopped Corvair was judged to be cooler/more hellish than the T-Bird-esque Auto Union 1000SP by the voters in Friday's Choose Your Eternity poll. With all the G8amino excitement today, we're going to turn away from two-strokers and groovy customs and get straight to some car-with-truck-bed goodness.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  New Methanol Fuel Cell Unveiled, No, It's Not Fart Powered

  Sleeplessly cramming hour after hour for organic chemistry in college has proven to have been a complete waste of time, cause we can't understand how the newly unveiled Oorja Protonics Methanol Fuel Cell works. "Methanol you say?" Yes, the alcohol with one less carbon atom is now making news as a possible fuel of the future. Seems these new fuel cells are two to tentimes more powerful than previous methanol fuel cells, and it's only a matter of time before the Envirocrats start using "Methanol F

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  Florida Passes HB 137, Speeders Face Vehicle Confiscation, Prison Time

  As of October 1st, anyone caught doing 30mph over the speed limit in Florida faces vehicle confiscation, five to ten years in prison and a ten-year license suspension. Bill HB 137, which was signed into law earlier today, was originally targeted at motorcyclists, but was amended at the last minute to include all vehicles. The full text of the bill follows the jump. Photography credit: Roger Jones

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  Porsche Coming To New York, Bringing Three "World Premiere" Vehicles

  Porsche just dropped a presser on us which has us scratching our heads. Any time we read words like "Porsche" and "First" and "Shown" in a press release, we expect the things contained therein to be, you know, Porsches being shown for the first time. In this case, that's maybe only partially true. In breathless verbiage, we're told all about the amazing new Porsche Cayenne GTS, Porsche 911 GT2, Porsche Boxster RS60 Spyder and the racing Porsche RS Spyder. Problem is we've already seen the Porsch

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  926 HP Holden Ute: Blueprint For An Epic Pontiac G8 El Camino

  Considering everything under the skin of the new Pontiac G8 El Camino sport truck is basically a Holden Ute, it stands to reason all the modifications done to this truck-car could be done to our sport truck. How would you feel about a 926 HP El Camino? We would feel pretty good about it, all seven seconds we drove it before planting it into a wall somewhere. The mega-hoons at C.A.P.A. Performance who build this baby really understand the idea of Maximum El Camino Day - it's every day of their li

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  Nissan S13-Amino Likes To Drift-O

  Even the Japanese have camino envy. Some even want one so much they convert their old Nissans into car-trucks. This guy took an S13 180SX and made it into a "Driftomino." Sure the ride height is too low to go drive through a field, and the bed is only big enough to carry a mini scooter, but it makes up for it with those powerslide kudos. Though we kinda wish those Japanese guys had grown matching mullets. But what's that? You think it's not macho enough? Well then check out the Skyline Camino be

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Biggest El Camino Ever? Aces High Monster Truck-Car

  Woo hooo! 11,000 lbs, supercharged, alcohol injected 383 cubic inch V8 good for 1250 horsepower, two and a half ton Rockwell transfer case, and 66" Goodyears. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Aces High. An all steel bodied 1972 El Camino SS which has been transformed in a wheel standing, car crushing, fire breathing (no really, it shoots fire) monster. It holds the record for the longest monster truck freestanding wheelie at 700 feet going 45 miles per hour. While an all fiberglass, higher performance

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  1975 Chevrolet El Camino

  Even though Alameda is home to numerous street-parked Chevy El Caminos, I've been guilty of overlooking examples of GM's truckcars so far in this series, with just this '72 so far. That's probably because I consider the 1959-60 and 1964-67 models to be the only "true" El Caminos, for reasons that don't stand up under any serious scrutiny. So, with Maximum El Camino Day as inspiration, I'm going to make sure that we see more of the island's Elcos in the future, starting today!

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe Revealed Early On Pontiac Web Site

  Maybe they'll be changing the name of the "GM display" at the New York Auto Show this week to the "Pontiac display." All we know is they'll be doing a lot of driving excitement at the show. We've already revealed the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP and more importantly, the 2010 Pontiac G8 "El Camino" sport truck. Now they've accidentally revealed the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe in an ad button on the official Pontiac site — further confirming what we'd already told you about the targa-topped Solstice coupe

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck: The El Camino Is Back!

  A few weeks ago we, along with our friends at PickupTruck.com, were given exclusive access to a vehicle whose return we've been anticipating for what seems like forever. Today our prayers to the General have been answered — the El Camino is back! In January we reported this re-bodied Holden Ute would be called the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST, and like a Phoenix rising screamin' from the ashes of a bygone era of car-platformed trucks, this new heir to the truck-car throne would emerge from the over-buil

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  2009 Pontiac G8 GXP Revealed, Gets Corvette LS3 Power And A Manual Transmission

  Wow, how prescient were we to know to repeat the prescience of High Performance Pontiac magazine? Hmm, probably about as prescient as they were to have posted on the new 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP to begin with. But we digress as we're now officially able to tell you all the details on "the flagship" of Pontiac's GXP performance series, the G8 GXP. So what makes this four-door the tip-top of the Pontiac pinnacle of performance? How about the 6.2-liter LS3 engine from the 2008 Corvette? No, that doesn't

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  And Now, Your Jalopnik Moment Of Zen...

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Watch Bullitt At The Redford Theatre Tomorrow Night

  Look at what the Redford Theatre has done, they've gone and put "Bullitt" front and center on the marquee. Guess that means tomorrow we should go out and see it. Yes indeed folks, after you picked out the date and we shot off the announcement, this is the last reminder you'll get to start showing up at the Redford Theatre at 7 PM tomorrow night for the 8 PM showing. You'll get to see Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Duvall and many more up on the big screen in this 1968 P

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  Project Car Hell: Auto Union 1000 Or Shorty Corvair Van?

  In a rare upset, a French car actually lost a Choose Your Eternity challenge! Not only that, front-wheel-drive triumphed over a rear-engined machine. Yes, the Fiat 128 Rally beat the Simca 1000GL in our last Project Car Hell! Today we're going to look at a pair of vehicles that do interesting things with the concept of scale: a tiny German Thunderbird or a huge Seattle Hot Wheels car.

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  Moving Car Struck By Meteorite, Flying Pigs Pending

  "Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's A plane! Oh crap, it's space junk hitting my car!" This has been a fictionalized reenactment of one miss Leah's car getting thwacked with what was apparently a meteorite. We're thinking of calling up our physics major friends, the ones who are mostly unemployed now, and asking them to calculate what the odds are of a moving car being struck by a meteorite. We're betting it's low. BoingBoing ran a post earlier today recounting the tale of the interstellar in

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  UK Budget Disses Petrol Hogs, Will Age Of Scarcity And Gloomy Poetry Make Comeback?

  Is socialism staging a resurgence in Britain? We wonder sometimes. With a Labour government back in power, and gas nearing $6 a gallon, conservation may be giving way to regulatory miserliness across the pond, sold to the public with a tinge of green.

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  "Mr. Mom" Turns 25, Now Seems Like Quaint Malaise Era Fantasia

  Oh, how the time flies! It seems like just yesterday... yeah, like hell it does. It was 1983. Stagflation, the Iranian hostage crisis, and the early Reagan recession were still fresh on the American mind. In a portent of doom, Toyota introduced the Camry to the U.S. market. Was it the high-water mark of the Malaise Era? Quite possibly. And now we can celebrate one of its its most lasting cultural documents, on its 25th anniversary. That's right, Mr. Mom has hit the quarter-century mark.

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  1957 Chevrolet Corvette Airbox Car

  Now this is very cool. Three brothers and Corvette enthusiasts scooped up a messy old 1957 Corvette race car and have brought back from the rough. It all starts out like many car stories - at a bar talking cars - where Kevin Hussey was shooting the breeze with a friend and the topic of Vette restoration came up. The friend asked Kevin how much it would cost to fully restore an old Vette he owned. After viewing the car, Hussey answered honestly with a high number, but if the friend ever wanted to

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  2009 Pontiac G8 GXP Coming Soon? High Performance Pontiac Magazine Gives Us Their Wish List

  The Pontiac G8 GT commercial we showed you very early this morning was good at tightening the pants of any auto lover with a joy for recreating classic 80's Midway games. But there's still been some criticism of the arrow-headed brand over their neglect of the stick as well as some who believe the General's "performance brand" may not be driving excitement as much as they'd wish it to be. Well, the rumor on the street — and by street we mean the web pages of High Performance Pontiac magazine — i

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Alfa Romeo Mi.To: A Furiosa Mini-Fighter From Italy

  After the success of BMW's Mini Cooper ("you got them to pay what for that?") many companies have been anxious to offer their own alternatives to the pseudo-British hatch. Alfa Romeo is now one of the first to get in with the decidedly un-retro Mi.To., which looks more like an 8C Competizione than any hatch historically offered by the company. This sexy little beast is set to come with four diesel and gas engines with power ranging from 90 to 155 horsepower, though they promise much better perfo

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  1989 Chevrolet Camaro RS

  When I posted the DOTS Bonus Edition Abandoned Oakland Camaro, I wasn't prepared for all the emails I got pleading with me to add third-gen GM F-bodies to the Eligible For DOTS list. I'm still not 100% convinced they belong in DOTS proper, because they're still pretty common even in rusty parts of the country, but we'll give it a shot for today (and those of you who wish to make your feelings known on this important issue can go ahead and vote in the poll below the gallery). I picked this '89 RS

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  New Pontiac G8 GT Commercial Gives "Spy Hunter" A Sweet-Ass Twist

  OMG, Pontiac finally has a decent rear-wheel drive sedan in the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT and now they've got a killer commercial to go along with it. The boys from the arrow-headed brand have mashed up "Spy Hunter," the classic Midway video game with the G8 GT playing the lead role. Finally, a commercial for a GM product that actually manages to evoke the few positives of the malaise era while at the same time making it clear it's a totally different beast. We love it. Unfortunately, we don't love the

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Commenter Of The Day: Little Buddha Edition

  Remember the great Bernardo Bertolucci's 1993 flick Little Buddha? It was way strange, like stranger even that the third reel of The Sheltering Sky and of course featured Keanu Reeves as Siddhartha well before he ascended to crypto-Jesus übermensch status in The Matrix. All of which is merely background for our mention of the Hindu/Buddhist concept of karma, which cropped up among the Jalopnik commenter today, and in fact distinguished COTD. Read on, to see how the wheel turns.

  By Matthew DeBord Read More
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  Could The Jaguar E-Type Be Making A Return?

  Despite the ongoing shenanigans between Ford and TATA over the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover, there are whispers emerging about the possible revival of the venerable Jaguar E-Type. Australia's Courier Mail is reporting Jag honchos are considering the revival of what many consider the most beautiful production car to have ever been built. This news has us torn. While we absolutely love the E-Type, so much so that it holds a position in the Jalopnik Fantasy Garage, we think on Jags history of revi

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Iconic GTR Roadster: Would You Pay $600K For A Cobra Replicar?

  Iconic Motors announced what they call "a truly groundbreaking automobile," which is pretty amazing given that it looks a lot like a certain other car that's already been recreated a few times. What does $600K get you? A lot of carbon fiber, a 420-cubic-inch V8 good for 800 horsepower, heated-and-cooled seats and a center display that utilizes bright-view technology "found in military fighters." With 18 pending U.S. patent applications this could be the ultimate modern realization of the 427 Cob

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Active Toe Control To Improve FWD Handling

  Prodrive has developed a system capable of altering the toe angle of a vehicle's rear wheels on the fly. Active Toe Control works with twist beam axles, offering the performance of more expensive multilink rear suspension at less than half the cost. By using a control rod to adjust the angle of the rear wheels relative to a vehicle's body, Active Toe Control can apply more toe-out at low speeds to boost maneuverability, while at high speeds it adjusts for more toe-in to improve stability. This m

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  We Visit Specter Werkes, See GTR In Progress

  After hearing about the pending unveil of the Specter Werkes GTR and since they're situated only a stones throw from the Jalopnik Detroit HQ, we decided to give 'em a ring and head out for a visit. President and founder Jeff Nowicki gave us a tour of the Troy, Michigan facility and gave us the low-down on what kind of hotness their rebodied Corvette C6 will be. The full scoop below the jump.

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  2009 Toyota Matrix Ad Campaign Prank Oriented

  We were lured to Toyota's 2009 Matrix website by way of flash video ad featuring an old lanky black man in a suit wearing tin foil shoes talking about aliens. That seems to have been sane for the marketing Toyota is using for online promotion of its new miniwagon. The site yourotheryou.com is based primarily around the pretense of 'pranking' a friend somehow but only if you hand over your and their personal contact information. We're sure it will only be used for the pranking, absolutely no targ

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Black Is In, Yellow Is Out When It Comes To Used Car Color Preferences

  According to a somewhat non-scientific report by used car retailer CarMax, Black was the most frequently searched color for used car buyers in February with 36% of all searches, followed by white with 17%, blue with 11% and red with 10%. The four least popular colors were silver with 9%, gray with 6%, green with 4% and yellow with 2%. Sorry about that Nick Hogan, apparently our "what's your favorite black car? QOTD is changing minds. Press release below the jump.

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Malaise Era Corvette Begins Long Journey To Czech Republic

  In a vivid demonstration of how this here internet thing has made the world shrink, BobAsh (our Czech Tatra 603 road-testin' friend) has arranged with me and Señor Loverman to inspect, buy, and deliver an East Bay 1981 Corvette to a shipping container bound from the Port of Los Angeles for the Land of Kafka. The Loverman's role was to handle the "buy and deliver" part, an adventure he covered in his usual style at his current place of employment. But before that Late Malaise machine could head

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Second Lamborghini Reventon For Sale By Innovation Cars

  Five months ago we told you about the owner of Innovation Cars and his attempt to sell his yet-to-be-delivered $1.5 million Lamborghini Reventon. One of the limited run of only 20 of the bull-branded budget-busters first revealed at the Frankfurt Auto Show, we wondered whatever happened to his attempted sale. Well, it looks like although Hugh McAuley was able to part with the LP640-derived and up-priced Lambo it sure wasn't easy for a variety of reasons which he's detailed below the jump. The im

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Transformers Mustang Cop Car Replica Not Police Approved

  A man by the name of Jesse Vigil has decked out a 2007 Mustang to look like Barricade the Saleen Mustang from Transformers and not surprisingly, the local cops don't approve. Much to the delight of Transformers fans everywhere, including Vigil's son and the inspiration for the mod, the cops can't do a damn thing as long as Vigil isn't impersonating the police.

  By Travis Hudson Read More
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  2008 Pontiac G8 Spotted, Decked Out In Racey Duds

  We're big fans of the Aussie import that is the Pontiac G8. If it's ever revealed, we' ll be even bigger fans of the Pontiac G8 ST. Then last night we saw this. On the way to happy hour we caught this Pontiac G8 in Royal Oak with all manner of lovely regalia. We can't confirm or deny the rad stripes, massive spoiler, and bitchin' wheels are part of some kind of appearance option package because the online build-a-G8 workshop isn't up and running. But, we're assuming if it is, it'll be very popul

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  1962 Ford Falcon

  Even though Alameda has plenty of 60s Mustangs, their Falcon siblings are very rare on the island. In fact, we've seen just one Falcon in this series so far. And it's not like the Mustang situation, where I have a huge stash of cars photographed and ready to go- this '62 is the only additional Alameda Falcon I've been able to find (well, unless you count the Falcon-based early-60s Ranchero cartruck I shot a while back). Here is that Falcon, which lives on a busy downtown street and serves as its

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  Mercedes Reveals Refreshed M-Class Lineup, Including 510 HP ML 63 AMG

  Daimler has dropped the hammer on its newly-refreshed Mercedes Benz M-Class lineup. There's actually not a whole lot of news here other than a restyled nose and tail, fresh interior materials, and two new safety features called "PRE-SAFE" and "NECK-PRO", which despite the capital letters sound pretty boring to us. What we are amused by is the insistence of the press release in calling the M-class an "off-roader". Look, we know it can go off-road, but the M-class has about as much chance at seein

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  America, Truck Yeah! Joint Light Tactical Vehicle

  Remember when we went into the current conflict abroad with, lets say, less than proper equipment for the guerrilla warfare situation our ground troops would find? Remember how the quick fix was to up-armor the existing Humvee's to protect the troops inside as best as could be managed? Well, this is a possible long term solution. Currently a contender in the bid phase for the contract to provide the next generation of light infantry and cargo support, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) is a

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  PCH, Superpower Econobox Edition: Simca 1000 Or Fiat 128?

  The '38 Graham-Paige did a number on the '38 Mercedes-Benz in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, similar to Marshal Zhukov's number on Berlin (and our poll would have been even more one-sided if we'd stacked a Pobeda against the Benz). Today I feel like returning to the perennial struggle between PCH Superpowers Italy and France, because a Project Car Hell without one of the Superpowers is like knuckles without fresh scabs.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  RG33L Mine Resistant Recovery And Maintenance Vehicle

  It's not often you get to play around with giant prototype military tow trucks, but then again, you don't get to drive robotic tanks every day either. The RG33L MRRMV is a platform modified version of the now in theater MRAP, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. Basically a big-ass truck with a V-shaped blast force dissipating hull. This particular model is equipped with all the goodies necessary to go out and drag home up to forty tons of disabled vehicle.The extending boom crane can is

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Stirling Moss Number One In List Of Top 100 F1 Drivers

  Stirling Moss has been named the greatest Formula One driver of all time in the new, predictably titled book, The Top 100 F1 Drivers of all time. The top four positions; Moss, Clark, Senna and Prost have a total of 133 wins between them. Writing in the book, its Author, Alan Henry, says, "Moss's versatility was astonishing, separated from the dynamic Clark by only a thin margin, but in the end it is Stirling who gets the nod; perhaps the nature of Jimmy's exclusive relationship with Lotus counts

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  35 Years In Canada? No Problem, Says '73 Mercedes 250C

  Windsor, Ontario-based Schweppes has given us the Volvo 240Chero and the Forward Control Land Rover, and now he's found what appears to be the least rusty 35-year-old street-driven car in all of Canada. Make the jump to read Schweppes' description of this 1973 Mercedes-Benz 250C.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Bullitt Charger Or Bluesmobile Monaco?

  We took a break from Star Car Shootout last week during all the Geneva coverage, but we're back today with another great matchup. The last shootout had two of Steve McQueen's silver screen rides go at it, and after two weeks of voting, the Mustang from Bullitt has beaten the Porsche 911 from Le Mans in another closely contested battle-o'-cool. Just to keep everyone excited for this Saturday's Bullitt screening Detroit meetup, we're pitting the '68 Dodge Charger from Bullitt against the '74 Dodg

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Dodge Nitro SRT8?!

  Chrysler can't seriously be thinking of bringing an SRT8-badged Dodge Nitro to market, can they? Well, if this latest batch of spy photos from the spy shooters at KGP are right, then they are. But they can't be! Seriously. It's inconceivable. We don't care where they found this manufacturer-plated madness (right outside of the Firehouse in downtown Detroit) or what it has slapped on the back (an SRT8 badge), but it's hard to argue with photographic evidence. We'll assume it's an engineer having

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Another Volvo Amazon Set To Become Scrap Steel

  I've been hitting the junkyard even more than usual lately, as the Black Metal V8olvo is always hungry for cheap parts. One particular East Bay self-service yard has a lot of old Volvos, including an Amazon... and now it has two Amazons at the same time! This '64 still has plenty of good parts, including those godawful SU carbs that made MGB ownership so much fun for me.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  1982 Toyota Corolla

  After reading Paul Niedermeyer's (aka PaulN's) recent essay about the Corolla's 40th anniversary, it seemed only right for me to go with a Late Malaise Corolla for today's DOTS car. After all, the last generation of rear-wheel-drive Corollas really cemented Toyota's now utterly dominant reputation for reliability among North American car buyers, and sightings of these machines on the street have (finally) started to get somewhat rare.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  2008 Detroit Autorama, We Hardly Knew Ye

  Well, the 2008 Detroit Autorama was a swell show this year, chock full of goodness for any hot rod persuasion. We saw all of the entrants for the Ridler award, a smattering of kit car action, and some very cool traditional hot rods. Hell, we even saw a Citroen 2CV stuffed with a small block Chevy mill. This show does nothing if not inspire its attendants to take on their own projects, push their own envelope, or build their personal dream car. Every year we go we see some new style take root, or

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Project Car Hell, 1938 Edition: Mercedes-Benz Or Graham-Paige

  Not surprisingly, the 219 beat the 450SL in our-first all-Mercedes-Benz Choose Your Eternity Poll. It's hard for a 70s SL to compete with a big curvaceous Ponton on either coolness or agony. And, really, parts are just too easy to find for the Pontons, since they last about a million miles and all. No, for true Mercedes-Benz Hell, you need to go back, back, way back- back to the era when most examples perished under a rain of RAF and USAAF bombs and Red Army artillery shells. And, just to make

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  GT5 Prologue Ferrari F40: First Look

  You saw the list of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue cars and features the other day. But now we've got pictures of the 1992 Ferrari F40, one of the hottest cars available for the game. I've played my fair share of the Gran Turismo series and I must say that this F40 is one of the most beautiful creations to become part of the game so far. So uh, stop reading and check out the high-resolution images below. Please be sure to keep your pants on, as well. [GT Planet]

  By Travis Hudson Read More
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  The Larson Engineering Special

  What do you call a handmade car built by a 20 something name Bob Larson and old enough to have been in the original Detroit Autorama? You call it the Larson Engineering special and it is a treasure trove of clever ideas and hellish ergonomics. We're not implying anything, but if this is the car responsible for the whole scissor doors thing, we're way less excited by it. Still the way they operate is pretty clever, sort of a pivot on a carrier mounted to a parallelogram hinge and secured with a s

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Newstalgia Wheels' Steampunk Chopper

  David Coker is an easy talking fellow from Tennessee with a passion for blending the old and the new. His company, Newstalgia Wheel, deals in all those classic style wheels you just gotta have for your hot rod. As a means of showing off those new old stock wheels, he's brought a just finished custom chopper up to the Autorama and it has a delicious steampunk style to it.

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  After 43 Years, Dodge Custom 880 Calls It Quits

  Big four-door 60s Chrysler products (such as the '66 Monaco we saw recently) aren't really worth a lot of money these days, so when that 318 or 383 finally gets a death rattle... well, that sound often means a one-way ride to the Final Parking Lot. This 1965 Dodge 880 hung in there longer than most, but now it's a parts donor (right next to a '79 Magnum) Make the jump for a second gallery.

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  Freakshow, The Custom Camino From Hello Kitty Hell

  Freakshow has our noodle in a bind. There's not much left of the original '64 Chevy C-10, but it definitely says "1964 Chevy Pickup" on the placard. By all rights it should be the absolute baddest truck/car in the show hands down with a blown 354 cubic inch hemi, six Stromberg 97 carbs, the sickest custom headers we've ever seen all running through a four speed Muncie to a 9 inch Ford rear with 4:11 gears. It has a beer keg and an in-cabin tap coming out a skull mounted under a gun rack. And yet

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  2009 Cadillac XLR Roadster

  It's nice to see these first spy photos of the 2009 Cadillac XLR mere minutes after we just dropped the hot load of Fierenzo. Essentially the Cadillac XLR is a re-skinned Corvette. A drop-dead gorgeous skin, but still a re-skin. So what have we got on the new hotness with two doors from Caddy? Not much unfortunately. Thanks to the Chicago Tribune, we know the 2009 Cadillac XLR will go public in July, but whether that means it'll be revealed or hit showrooms is anyone's guess. Despite some camouf

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Cadillac Eldorado Brougham

  Well, you've done it again - voted into the Jalopnik Fantasy Garage another glass-and-steel piece of history which some, but not all, agree would make for a great addition: the Lotus Eleven. Last week saw no progress towards filling the garage due to Geneva Motor Show shenanigans, but that just gave us some extra time to think about what to offer up this week. Sometimes it's hard to be objective when selecting nominees, this week's pick is a personal favorite from a bygone era of high rollers, b

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Fierenzo Makes Way To CraigsList, Get It Now For $7500

  Yes friends, while not quite as hot as the Fieroborghini, we've found the Coyote 3-kitted Fiero up on Tampa's Craigslist that gives our Enzo-saving hearts a warm and fuzzy feeling. Although the seller's doing a fine job, we've put together how our own ad would have read. Here goes:

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  We Like To Call This The Puppy Crusher

  We saw this mashup at Autorama in Detroit this weekend and immediately imagined a darker, more gory version of 101 Dalmatians. The villainess would beckon her automobile from its murky depths to carry on all manner of misdeed and the car would be known as Cruella's Puppy Crusher. We spent some time talking with the builder, one Mr. Brajkovich of Brajkovich Rods and Customs from Jonestown, PA. and found out some pretty neat stuff. First, even though it isn't quite done yet, what we do see came to

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  1978 Dodge Monaco Brougham

  What was it with Detroit and the word Brougham? GM, Ford, and Chrysler each slapped their share of "Brougham" emblems all over various crypto-upscale models of the 1960s and 1970s, apparently believing that buyers would feel that the elegance of 18th-century horse-drawn vehicles would rub off on their gasoline buggies. This '78 Dodge has all the Malaise Brougham features, from its vinyl top to its lo-po powerplant, and there's some puzzling Fury-ness to it to make things interesting.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Nascar Store Gives Employees Nascar Tchotchkes For Nothing, Gas For Free

  Racing USA's the self-proclaimed "most frequently shopped, independently owned Nascar store in the world." That's probably true considering Nascar's official store ain't so independently owned. But now the rubbin'-is-racin' store's gone and one-upped the "official store" by providing one helluva employee benefit given the ever-upwardly-moving price of gas. The company all about promoting the oval-track racers will now guarantee employees' gas at $2.85 per gallon when they come to work. Guess the

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Car, Feature Lists Now Available

  Remember Gran Turismo 5 Prologue? You know that glorified full-priced demo of GT5? The car and feature list is now available, and I am mighty impressed for the semi-real-game nature of GT5 Prologue. Some of the interesting features include a drift mode where drifting is judged based on multiple variables, in-depth car tuning, two-player split screen racing and a few new race events for online and offline play. Click through to see the full list of cars and check out the new trailer that is so be

  By Travis Hudson Read More
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  PCH, Beelzebub's Benz Edition: '58 219 Or '73 450SL?

  The '88 Bentley Mulsanne had its entourage of coked-up thugs stuff the MGC into The Crusher in Friday's Choose Your Eternity poll, with nearly 65% of voters preferring Bentley Hell to MG Hell. With all the British, Italian, and French machinery we've seen in this series recently, we tend to forget that the Germans are no slouches at providing us with Hell Projects. Oh, sure, the Germans do a pretty good job with engineering and quality control (and British Leyland-style labor strife was never a

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  2010 Chevy Camaro Is Better In Black

  UPDATE:New shots, more shots — yes, we're swimming in the Aussie muscle-love. Yup, just like the camo-heavy shots we've already seen, these new sans-camouflage shots of the upcoming production version of the Chevy Camaro show us the new mullet-mobile is definitely hotter dressed up in black. I don't even think we need to say anything more about it — well — except for maybe that interior's still looking pretty similar to the spy shots of the interior we've already shown you. So take that, Mr. Wel

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  1956 Chevrolet Handyman Wagon

  Lots of wagons among this years Great 8, here's another and this one wearing a bowtie and a lot of orange. The fairly rare '56 Chevy Handyman Wagon has undergone extensive modifications, and it shows. The bodywork amounts to over 100 modifications nad 1300 handmade parts, that's love. Under that custom engine cover is a LS1 V8 and a 4L60E transaxle. The interior is completely one off with hand formed dash and leather bits where it counts. This is a very nicely done rod, even if a bit over-done f

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  The Rumors Of The Imminent Demise Of The H2 Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, It's Actually Dying In 2014

  Our earlier story on the demise of the Hummer H2 earlier today has shaken loose a few more details from inside sources and it turns out we weren't quite spot on with the kill date. It's actually 2014, not 2011. Here are the new details our previous story has shaken loose from the tree of knowledge that is the tower o' power in Detroit:

  By The Auto Insider Read More
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  1941 Willys Coupe

  Hot rodders best be careful, or the once lusted after 1941 Willys Coupe will be the next '32 Ford of the rodding world. We know they've got a nice stout shape and wear fat racing slicks with a certain style few other cars can, but as often as we see them, you'd think they never went out of production. This particular '41Coupe is under the stewardship of Joseph Mouton Jr. who hails from New Orleans. After overlooking the massively supercharged 502 V8 mill, the car has got some real nice details t

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Help Wanted, Apply Within

  Your pleas have not gone unheard. This weekend's lack of posting has brought to light an obvious hole at Jalopnik we'd like to fill. If you think you're one of the few and proud with the "right stuff," then here's your chance to be a part of the team from the editorial side. Applicants should send nothing but the URL of their blog (or other body of writing, available online) to jobs@jalopnik.com. Also, you'll want to have read the conveniently leaked style guide of our sister site obsessed with

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Hummer H2 To Die By 2011, Take Cheap Gas With It

  UPDATE: Looks like FUH2 has a little bit more life left in it — we've now determined the Hummer H2 will die in 2014. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for not reversing the charges. The Hummer haters at FUH2 will get their wish faster than they'd ever hoped. It seems the death knell of the Hummer H2 has been sound. Yes, that's correct, we've just received word a decision came down within the last few weeks at the General to end production of the H2. But if you've been holding off on buying

  By The Auto Insider Read More
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  1932 Ford "Willet Special" Has Suprise Powerplant

  Instead of going with a top ten list like everybody and his brother, the Detroit Autorama narrows things down to 8 finalists in the hunt for the prized Ridler Award. This group of fresh hot rods live in what's called "the Great 8". We've already seen the winner of this years Ridler Award, the Ferrambo, but we're going to take a tour through the other selections for this years Great 8. This is the 1932 Ford "Willet Special". Styled after the racers of the late forties which were bodied and modifi

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  1956 Ford F-100

  Our last DOTS Ford truck was a month ago, so we're due for one today. In fact, today we're going to have a nice shiny non-beater Ford truck, with plenty of bright red paint and gleaming chrome. This '56 parks on the street every day, though usually it's under a cover, and its excellent condition makes for a nice contrast with the more weathered look of the '48 International Harvester I photographed a couple blocks away.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Audi Opens "Iron Man" R8 Micro-Site, Gives Us A Few More Seconds Of Hot Video Action

  After the big Super Bowl blitzkrieg, we all kind of knew the media marketing on Iron Man would muscle it's way beyond mere trailers, and it just has. The culprit? Audi, of course. The multi-ringed brand has spent some serious Deutsche-marks to set up a mini-site for the movie that shows off the R8, the rest of the Audi lineup, some historical background on the brand all about the Vorsprung durch Technik and about three whole seconds of all-new footage from the new movie with some Audi hand-job a

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  Ferrambo Wins 2008 Ridler Award At Detroit Autorama

  After the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, we needed a little recoup time, but yesterday we were back on the beat at the 2008 Detroit Autorama. We're just going to lay the smack down right away, the winner of the 2008 Detroit Autorama Ridler Award was a car we saw last year in the building stages - a Ferrari-engined Nash Rambler dubbed "Ferrambo". The bright red lightning rod of holy-shit-that's-crazy stood out pretty strong amidst this years Great 8 as the hands down, batshit craziest entry and we love

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  How Many Shaqs Can You Fit In A Honda Prelude?

  It's not a surprise that many professional athletes, especially basketball centers, choose means of transportation a few orders of magnitude larger than a Lotus Elise. And anyone who has driven a gigantic truck knows that parking it anywhere near a restaurant is sometimes tough. In those situations, why not bum a ride off of the guy in the Honda Prelude? According to a poster over at Inside Hoops, that's how he ended up chauffeuring one of Basketball's largest players in the small Japanese car.

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  Commenter Of The Day: Resurrection Day Edition

  Every since I took on Commenter Of The Day duty, I've marveled at the crazy cool exotic material created by a certain Jalop. But today that Jalop really took it to a new level and evidently underwent a metamorphosis at the same time. It was a rare and glorious thing to watch. And so, without further ado:

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  PCH, Rue Britannia Edition: MGC Or Bentley Mulsanne?

  Who would have thought a Volvo could ever out-PCH an early Mazda? That's what happened in our most recent Choose Your Eternity poll, with the IROC Bertone stomping on the unrotaried '73 Mazda like it was Horgh versus Hello Kitty (yes, yes, Horgh is a Norwegian, but Norway is still Volvo territory). Today we need to ensure that Italy's triumph over France in the PCH Superpower Showdown doesn't relegate Britain to second-rate PCH Superpower status in our hearts, so here we go on an all-British mat

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  Microsoft Has A Vision For Automotive Electronics: Advertising

  It's no secret that cars are becoming more connected to the virtual world (as drivers are becoming dangerously divorced from the real one), and the price of all that connection isn't going to be absorbed by automakers or the companies responsible for providing the technology. The current model for in-car services like OnStar and XM/Sirius is based on the cell phone business plan, which can offer the technology at little or no cost to most consumers while charging for the service. Microsoft, for

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  Dodge Is Doomed, And K-Mart Sucks Worse Than We Thought

  Ahhh, the rich and loamy waft of broadly speculative brand analysis. One of the principals at 24/7 Wall St., Douglas A. McIntyre, has tossed Dodge, around since 1914, on a prophetic scrap-heap of dying brands. As far as we can tell, 24/7 Wall St. engages in various forms of financial content creation. And if Dodge does go down the tubes, at least it's in good company.

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  Nissan GT-R Stacked Up To (And Over) The NSX

  Remember when we started referring to the Nissan GT-R as Godzilla? You probably thought it was just us making a clever commentary on the prospects of the new Nissan as a sales leader (though not everyone agrees that'll happen). Nope. We were talking about how freaking ginormous the thing is. Thanks to the folks over at i-club, we now can represent this idea visually.

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  Move Aside, LeMons Teams: Evil Genius On Board!

  So the official list of teams accepted for the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Altamont is out, and my team made the cut! So we'll be out there on the track with the Porcubimmer and some other Jalopnik-related teams you'll be hearing about over the coming weeks (including the Carpet Pissers, who were also accepted for Altamont). And, you know, I actually feel sorry for those other teams. By God, I do! You see, we've got a new guy on the team, and he knows a thing or two about racing...

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  Tastes Like Chicken? Or Tastes Like Sleepy Drivers?

  Tastes like chicken. You know the hidebound old adage well, and maybe even have humorously offered it in response to sampling extremely vile or creepy food. Now check this out. The brainiacs at Stanford University have used that saying to essentially describe the effects of sleepy driving. Confused yet? Well, you know how you'll eat a mystery meat at a cafeteria and say it "Tastes like chicken?" A Stanford study shows that driving while sleep-deprived "tastes" like drunk driving, when the levels

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  The Magnificent Seven: Neiman Marcus Catalog Gets Seven 700NM Venoms

  If the Lexus IS F was too common for you, Neiman Marcus will soon be offering seven 700NM Hennessey Venom Dodge Vipers for the low-low price of $179,500, which is approximately the cost of three handbags in their catalog. Unlike the very pedestrian blue-and-white of the previous Hennessey 650R, these precious snakes come in black with a matching black-and-red leather interior. For all that change you get 700 horsepower, 645 lb.-ft. of torque, a day of performance driving school at Lonestar Motor

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  2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe

  Unlike the last set of spy photos we saw of the 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe, these breaking like home run records in Major League Steroids Baseball shots of the new CTSexiness from the General's luxe brand show us a somewhat camo-clad front end. Also, we'll have more shots up momentarily. For the moment, feast your eyes on that Art & Science front end and check out the full spy report from the boys at KGP after the jump detailing all the design differences between the Cadillac CTS Coupe concept from

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  Tag Heuer Develops Night Driving Glasses

  Tag Heuer has announced a pair of glasses called "Night Vision," designed with the driver in mind. First off, these aren't night vision. Night vision is something worn by covert ops in badass espionage flicks. These are low-light glasses. The glasses have been optimized for driving at night thanks to some engineering that corrects low-light and short-sightedness situations that usually occur in evening driving.

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  1964 Chrysler 300

  I had a vague recollection of having posted a '64 big Chrysler in this series, but it turned out to be a DOTS Oakland Edition '64 Newport. So let's cross the Estuary from Oakland back to Alameda and scrutinize an oxidized-but-highly-original '64 Chrysler 300 today. This four-door hardtop, which lives in the vicinity of the '72 Capri, has survived many, many miles and yet still serves as everyday transportation.

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  Police Pull Over Opel Vectra, Find Fourteen Romanians On Holiday

  Police in the of German state of Bavaria didn't know what they'd find when they stopped a slow-moving Opel Vectra running at around 40 kmph on a snowy A6. But upon stopping the budget brand car, they found two men in the front seat, and in the back seat two women with two children on each lap and also a child between them. But wait, that doesn't sound like fourteen members of a Romanian family. That was because they'd yet to open the back hatch. That's where they found five more kids stuffed lik

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  Commenter Of The Day: We Get Crazy Biblical

  The Lord spoke unto us today and forbade us from choosing beercheck as today's COTD. Despite a desire on our part to give him the most prestigious daily award in all of automotive reader commenting for his creation of a new word — "Badassity" — to use when describing those driving vehicles wearing wet black paint. "Nay," said the Lord, "Whilst beercheck is a doer of good commenting deeds and is seen by the almighty as a positive influence who gets 'what it's all about' at my favorite media outle

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  Lightning GT Strikes The UK In CGI Glory

  The Lightning Car Company has stunned us with their release of the UK's first electric sportscar, the Lightning GT. Top speed is promised to be over 130 MPH, which isn't all that impressive, but Lightning is claiming the electric powertrain will deliver 700+ HP from its wheel-mounted electric motors charged by your home electric plugs. Acceleration from 0-60 is estimated to be about 4.0 seconds. That's enough to give any Aston Martin a run for its money. Though there's no word on price, you can

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Renault Megane Dragonfly Doors Would Make The Doc Proud

  While we're all eagerly awaiting the return of the Delorean, take a gander at Renault's Megane Coupe concept that introduces "dragonfly wing" doors that seems a hell of a lot like the gull-wing style doors of the Delorean DMC-12 that Marty McFly and the Doc drove right into my heart. It's alright, imiation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Regardless, these doors are only a minor part of what is known as the Renault Megane Coupe Concept.

  By Travis Hudson Read More
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  Orange County Fairlane, Now With Added '65 LTD!

  Many of you have been kind enough to send DOTS Bonus Edition photos my way, and you're all very good about not raking me over the coals for taking so damn long to get to some of them. Reader Vance, who dwells behind the Orange Curtain, shot this very clean 1955 Ford Fairlane on the streets of Tustin back in October. Now, most houses down in SoCal have garages, so you don't see quite as much old iron on the street... but that desert climate means you just don't get rust. When you're done checking

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  1979 Volkswagen Scirocco: Handles Better Than A Ferrari!

  Back in the Middle Malaise Era, when you were in a hurry to meet your cocaine dealer hot date at the dock, you could have taken a Ferrari or Maserati to ensure the quickest driving time. But when you also have a Scirocco in the garage... well, who's going to argue with 71 horsepower?

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  Suzuki Kizashi 3 Concept Coming To New York Auto Show

  Suzuki seems to be making a concerted effort to establish themselves in the increasingly competitive North American car market. At Chicago they introduced the Suzuki Equator, a Frontier-based entrant into the truck market. At that unveil they hinted at a four-door sports for the NY Auto Show, which is the concept you see above. How did we arrive at the Kizashi 3? Simple. Just add the Kizashi 1 to the Kizashi 2 and you get the Kizashi 3. Details are understandably scarce, but we'll be there at NY

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Ford Fiesta 3 And 5 Door Live And In Color, Retina-Searing Color

  Lord almighty these cars are bright in person. Ford went ahead and dropped the real deal Ford Fiesta on us and they went out of their way to slather then in colors the Joker would be very proud of. We're pretty excited by the idea of a compact Ford in the market again, though we don't have confirmation yet on the 5 door coming stateside yet. One thing the original (good) Focus was never faulted for was its handling, and it's something Ford has figured out which we're hoping transfers to a potent

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Chrysler Media Responds To Our Periodical Observations

  Yesterday, we made an observation about a picture of the new Challenger in certain magazine racks at the Memphis airport. Our take on the picture, which came from Chrysler's The Firehouse blog, was somewhat satirical. To their credit, Chrysler responded with their own commentary on the subject. That response below.

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  1960 Volkswagen Transporter

  One thing that's hard about this series is the glut of air-cooled Volkswagens on the island; I could easily do nothing but 60s Beetles and Transporters for a month straight and still not run out. These VWs are survivors and fully deserving of recognition, of course, but it wouldn't do to have them shove aside all the other cool machinery in this series. Rationing has been necessary, but it's been a while since our last Transporter (so far we've seen a '56, a '57, a '62, a '63, a '67, and a '70),

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  Geneva Motor Show: Jalopnik Takes No Prisoners, Day Two

  Well, our little Swiss adventure at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show is now drawing to a close. Spinelli and Ben have already hopped in bed for a good night's sleep that's been a long few days in the coming. We're excited to finally be able to wake up tomorrow at our normal un-godly hour for the first time this week. But, if you weren't able to catch today's wild weirdness, here's the entire day for you — all wrapped up in a shiny chocolate wrapper-like package. Enjoy. Booth Professionals Of The 2008

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  Project Car Hell: IROC Volvo Bertone Or Mazda 808?

  Stop the presses! Italy has just won the First Ever Jalopnik Project Car Hell Superpower Showdown, with the 1JZ-powered Portuguese Barn Find '59 Maserati beating the Subaru-powered 4CV in a 55-45 split. Today we're going to look at two cars that don't fit neatly into a common category, yet give off about the same number of counts per minute on the Jalopnik Coolness Geiger Counter™.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  European Honda Accord Sedan And Wagon

  European Honda Accord. What do you say? It sure is... Honda-like? Really, it's an appliance of a car, designed neither to be overtly offensive to some nor blandly dull to others. The eye is drawn to the aggressive front fascia, but the conservative profile calms your pulse right back down. This is like the car equivalent of taking uppers, then downers, in an effort to achieve an even effect and feel good later. That's something it does actually really well. The materials on the inside are bumpin

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  Learner's Permit + Dad's Car = Raging Deathmobile

  The most dangerous place on Earth for an American teenager? Not the battlefields of Afghanistan or the IED'd roadways of war-torn Iraq. Not the bucking deck of a crab boat plying the Bering Strait. No, according to the AP, the place you do not want to be as you complete your dewy youth is in a car with another teen behind the wheel.

  By Matthew DeBord Read More
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  Alfa Romeo 8C Spider Rears Its Extremely Pretty Head

  It's not often that I quickly look past blonde and presumably Italian (or maybe Swiss) "booth professionals," but the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider has that affect on a man. Yes, friends, the highly anticipated Geneva debut of the Spider is finally here. This car has the same 450 HP 4.7-liter V8 as its brother, the 8C Competizione, which earned its own Very Special Jalopnik Day and still makes Ray twitch nervously. If you haven't already noticed, the Spider features a fully automatic electro-hydraulic co

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  FIAT Gives Us A Nuanced Critique On The Auto Show Experience

  When one thinks of great Italian directors, artists like Rosselini, de Sica and Fellini immediately come to mind. To this list we must add the cinematic genius behind this subtle yet humorous take on the auto show. It combines the camera work of the neorealists with the carefully constructed mise en scene of the magical realists. At the surface, it's just an unnecessary closeup of someone from Fiat explaining the new Fiat Panda Aria. Delve deeper and you'll see the models unable to stay still, r

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  Mercedes GLK Hybrid Crossover Is A Double Compromise

  Compromises. Some see them as the rational decisions that are necessary to live a safe, comfortable, Western life. Others see them as the root of all evil. So what does that make a vehicle like the Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK Bluetec Hybrid? It's neither SUV or car, it's powered by diesel and/or electricity, and it sits somewhere between outright luxury and downright affordability. And this being a "Vision" model, it's also a compromise between flight of fancy show concept and down to earth product

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Mercedes C-Class Get Über-Efficient With BlueEFFICIENCY Techology

  Nobody was accusing Mercedes of being inefficient, but that didn't stop those German engineers from staying up late with their slide rules calculators supercomputers named Hans trying to squeeze more efficiency from the new C-Class. Apparently, some of that midnight oil was burned in ze vind tunnel, where the engineers decided to lower the suspension, add smooth underbody panels, and make some other boring tweaks, such sealing gaps and streamlining the side mirrors. To make the car even more dre

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  Saab 9-X Is A Hybrid Of Concept And Reality

  The Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept is allegedly more than just another far-fetched yet stylish show car. Actually, this vehicle is supposed to hint strongly at an upcoming 9-1. For now, GM claims the car is powered by a 200HP 1.4-liter turbo four-banger, with magical Swedish hippie hybrid trickery. GM also feels the need to tell us that the engine can run on E85— as if that's even newsworthy anymore. No word on where the ignition key will go. But you know how Saab loyalists are about that extra-spec

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  Mercedes-Benz CL500 4MATIC, For Those Ski Trips In The Swiss Alps

  No, 4MATIC does not mean that the CL500 has a 4-speed slushbox; it actually has Mercedes' 7-speed automatic. 4MATIC is Mercedes' all-wheel-drive system, which makes this the first time ever that the big CL coupe has been fitted with such a drivetrain. That means the V8 will send 55% of its 388 HP and 391 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels, and 45% to the front. The launch to 100 km/h (62mph) takes just 5.4 seconds, but this isn't really a machine intended for stoplight battles. With all that new

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  Opel Meriva Concept Revealed, Hooray For Suicide...Doors

  Some of us hold suicide doors closer to heart than others, and Opel seems to be becoming a brand seeking to embrace us in all sorts of suicidally sound door configurations. The Opel Meriva Concept is a heavy hint at the next generation of the mini-minivan offering from Opel and among many features, it's replete with some mighty well-crafted suicide portals. Oh sure, that's not what they are going to call them. We're sure they'll use some kind of excuse like "a negative connotation" or "could cau

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  2009 Mercedes-Benz CLC 220 CDI Revealed, We Applaud Diesel Goodness

  You know you wanted more diesel goodness, well, this is it. As part of the Mercedes march upon Geneva, they've revealed the latest version of the "Sports Coupé with fun factor," the 2009 CLC 220 CDI. Essentially, this is to the C-Class what the CLK is to the E-Class. Which is to say it's a bit confused because while the back of the car seems to have been truncated, it would be hard to call the CLC unanimously ugly. This particular model is probably the one C-Class or variant a buyer should want

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  Toyota IQ Is The Smartest Production Car At Geneva

  We're not making a statement on the overall intelligence of the latest Toyota microcar, the Toyota IQ, but rather a statement on its similarity to a certain other car. In addition to Toyota design and, hopefully, Toyota value, this smallest of cars has a serious advantage over that other intelligent ride: seating capacity. The IQ has a unique 3+1 seating arrangement which makes it suitable for three adults and one child (or two comfortable adults, one contortionist and a magical elf). Price and

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  1982 Datsun 280ZX Turbo

  We've seen 240Z and 280Z so far in this series, but how about the Late Malaise 280ZX? I see a few of them in my travels on the island, but this '82 280ZX Turbo kept catching my eye. It's been in the same spot in the West End for several months now and clearly hasn't moved for quite a while. However, it has 2008 tags, so I'm guessing it hasn't been abandoned.

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  Fab Design Takes Benzes To Eleven In Tastelessness, Your Bank Account To Zero

  Just like in the movie Spinal Tap, Fab Design, a tuning company with seemingly no ability to stop once it gets rolling, took something which in principle is a good idea, and ran down a dark and occasionally hilarious path with it. Customizing already high-end Mercedes Benzs seems like it would be pretty tough, and finding ways to out-luxe ze Germans must be one hell of a tall and cumbersome order not easily attainable. How do we know? Well, we're pretty sure these cars are not actually better th

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  Bugatti Veyron Fbg Par Hermès: For When A $1 Million Bugatti Veyron Isn't Exclusive Enough

  We're assuming the dime-a-dozen — or 120 million dimes-a-dozen given the $1 million-plus price tag — Bugatti Veyron left some buyers wanting a touch more exclusivity. We mean, what's a Manhattan I-Banker or hedge fund owner going to do to set himself apart from the rest of the masses of über-rich? They do the only reasonable thing, spend an extra $1.3 million on a Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès. Yes, you heard us right — a total price of over $2.3 million for a special Bugatti Veyron that doesn't

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Sportec SP600 Thinks It's So Funny, Plays Tricks On Cameras

  There should be a ten commandments for putting on a press reveal at an auto show. They can publish it for all automakers to heed and obey so they know exactly how to get a positive reaction out of their press conference. First and foremost, putting black wheels on a white car should be a hangin' offense. That's followed by a black car on a white surface, high intensity pinpoint lighting and putting barriers, posts, signs etc. close to and around the cars. We can continue with letting kids run ar

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  Pontiac Solstice Targa Coming To New York Auto Show

  We've heard the harder-than-a-rock-topped 2009 Pontiac Solstice Targa will be coming to the New York Auto Show later this month. Frankly, everyone's heard the new hard-top from Pontiac that sorta drops would be coming to New York. And although we'd like to tell you more, we just can't. Look, although it's not in our nature to be mysterious, we can't talk about it, and we can't talk about why. So just leave it at that. Oh, you want to know more?

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Spyker C8 Aileron Lifts Flaps In Geneva

  Considering Spyker nearly flushed itself into the abyss by way of a cash-draining F1 team (Now Force India), it's good to see the Dutch company brimming with optimism here in Geneva. Just a year ago the company arrived in Switzerland high on Saudi cash and ready to launch a spectacle supercar designed by Zagato. These days, it's a more sober Spyker that showed the C8 Aileron, a Grand Tourer powered by an Audi-sourced 4.2-liter V8 producing 400 horsepower. Set to be priced from around $350,000 le

  By Mike Spinelli Read More
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  Lotus Europa SE Revealed; Shows Off Pretty Smile, 222 Horsepower

  There's no doubt the late-model Lotus Europa is a touring car with neither the punch nor the tautness of an Exige or Elise. But if you've got more than a slice of salami to transport, the Europa is your bastard. Here in Geneva, the company introduced a more upscale model, the SE (you go, 1984 naming conventions, you). It's the Lotus Europa SE and it comes with a more powerful two-liter turbocharged engine, upclocked to 222 horsepower and with 221 lb-ft. That's good for a zero-to-60 time of 5.5 s

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  Lumeneo Smera: 80 MPH EV Gets Geneva Started Down Path Of Weird

  Tucked into a lightly trafficked back corner of the show is this awesome little scooter-sized concept car called the Lumeneo Smera. The Smera is a single seat two seat (!), super-narrow electric car that fits into the same footprint as most of the scooters Europe's more suicidal drivers use as daily drivers. With those huge windows and Buck Rogers steering wheel, the cabin doesn't feel quite like the claustrophobe's nightmare it should, and while cargo space is tight, it's also not as bad as we'

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  2009 Infiniti FX50 Revealed At Poorly-Lit Function

  We were told the 2009 Infiniti FX was revealed last night at a swank cocktail function in Geneva. We were told we'd get to see the range-topping 2009 Infiniti FX50 drop deus ex machina-like from the heavens, ready to solve all our problematic desires for a new luxe Car-UV with a phallic-shaped front end. We were told we could gaze upon the curvaceous site-lines and peek at the 380-plus HP 5.0-liter 32-valve DOHC V8 in the FX50 (or dream about the upcoming 2009 Infiniti EX37 and G37 and their low

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Webasto LigHT Concept Has Light Top, Accurate Name

  We were confused and astounded at the claim of a soft top on the Webasto LigHT Concept weighing in at a mere 28 lb., so we decided to go check it out for ourselves. Seems the innovators at Webasto made the simple into reality. They just took everything out of the top that wasn't needed. All the rollover protection is transferred to the integrated headrest roll hoops and the latches are mounted on either the windscreen or the trunk. The roof itself works sort of like one of those wood-cut snakes

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  Fiat 500 Abarth Revealed: Still Small, Now With Added "Wicked"

  While we feel as if we're no stranger to the new Abarth-tuned Fiat 500 — we've seen all the press shots, seen all the leaked specs and even seen a gigantic Fiat-pooping 500 — it doesn't compare to seeing it in person. Here's our first glimpse at the tarted-up Abarth 500, and although not as cute as the cinquecento, it's still as adorable as the base model. And now there's even 33% more power to love as the folks at the Turin-founded and now Fiat-owned Abarth have turbo'ed that 1.4-liter gas engi

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  Geneva Motor Show: Jalopnik Takes No Prisoners, Day One

  It always hurts the first time. That axiom's true of a lot of things, the Geneva Motor Show included. Luckily, it's not our first time, but maybe that axiom's true on the first day as well because we hurt. A lot. Maybe it's just because our two fearless heroes braving the Swiss snow did such an amazing job tracking down so much of the show to share. So while Spinelli and Ben get in bed for a good night's a few fitful hours of sleep, we'll take an Ambien and conk out over here in the good ol' Eas

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  2009 Mercedes-Benz CLS With New Photos

  For 2009, Mercedes will be freshening the CLS sedan "coupe". Honestly, we still really can't tell the difference in the changes. The one change that's hard to miss is the addition of a new entry-level model, the CLS 280. But don't be misled by the numbers on the badge; the V6 will actually be a 3.0-liter unit. Peak output is 231 HP, which will bring the CLS to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.7 seconds. We're not sure if those are decent numbers or not, mainly because we're not exactly sure what the CLS 280

  By Mark Arnold Read More
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  PCH, Superpower Swap Showdown: Subaru'd Renault Or Toyota'd Maserati?

  With Italy edging out a narrow victory over Britain in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll and advancing to the first-ever Project Car Hell Superpower Showdown with France, I decided we needed to add an extra layer of Hell to each nation's entrant in order to honor this occasion with the solemnity it deserves. Not that we won't repeat the Superpower Showdown schtick over and over, of course, but this one is first! So, what we got here is PCH Superpower cars with Japanese engines. Now, you figu

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Intact British Corvair Nothing Short Of Miraculous

  You know how all the 30-year-old British Leyland vehicles in England dissolved into heaps of reddish powder long ago? That makes us wonder how in the hell it was possible for a 45-year-old Chevy Corvair- one of the all-time rustophilic cars ever built- to thumb its nose at the odds and remain all bright and shiny in Colchester, England. The aptly-named Rust-MyEnemy caught this '63 in a parking garage and had low-end phone camera at the ready; read his description after the jump.

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  Flatulent Cows Less Classy Than These Unofficial Prius Ads

  I'll get this out of the way right off the bat: These advertisements are not associated in any way with Toyota, they were done by an artist with a sense of humor. With that being said, remember the farting cow Prius commercial? If you thought that was one classy piece of marketing, take a look at these print-style advertisements for the Prius that demonstrate how owning The Mightiest Hybrid of Them ALL compensates, in a way, for other lifestyle choices.

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  Can You Tell The 1978 Granada From A $20,000 Mercedes 280SE?

  Somehow, the Ford Granada doesn't look quite as Mercedes-like in person as this ad claims, but maybe you need to get more into the Malaise spirit to really see it. Try looking at it through some Quaalude-tinted glasses, while imagining interest rates on that 280SE hovering around 18%. Granada... 280SE... Granada... 280SE...

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Geneva Motor Show: What You May Have Missed This Morning

  Day one of the Geneva Motor Show is almost half over. Some of us were hustling about the show floor. Others of us were sitting here busily working since 2:30 AM. Some of you were here to see it live. Others of you weren't. If you weren't, here's a handy guide to show you what you may have missed and to remind you to set your alarm clocks early after you get home from work tonight so you can see the hot Swiss-Miss action live tomorrow AM. But for the moment — here's the wrap-up of the goings-on i

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  Aston Martin Vantage RS Revealed At The Geneva Auto Show

  Ask not how many alcantaras were killed to fashion the interior of Aston Martin's Vantage RS. Merely ask why it's one of the sexiest cars in Geneva. Naturally, it just is. But the Vantage RS is not only a looker. It's also Aston's answer to the Porsche GT3. That's by way of a 4.3-liter V8 upclocked from 380 HP to 420 HP by way of variable valve timing. The company says it'll do zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in under 10. It's also been lightened to the tune of 330 pounds, which is wh

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  GM Debuts Second Generation Hybrid System, Slightly Less Mild

  Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman and Just For Men model, was on hand in Geneva to announce the second generation of GM's mild hybrid two-mode system currently found in trucks such as the 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid and, soon, in FWD vehicles like the Saturn Vue. The biggest change is the addition of a lithium-ion battery supplied by Hitachi, which is more powerful than the current 300-volt nickel-metal hydride energy storage system. Press release below the jump.

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  1970 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, With Bonus Beater Poll

  We've seen a pretty nice Cadillac and a fairly rough one, but we haven't seen a beater Caddy... until today! This '70 Coupe de Ville lacks a grille and rear bumper, but so what? It looks good! And, since we love beaters at El Jalop, that's an excuse for a poll. Vote early, vote often!

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  Volkswagen Scirocco, Live And In The Flesh

  We were more excited about the VW Scirocco coming back when we saw it in concept form as the "IROC" back at the Paris Motor Show two years ago. To be fair, that's really just because the prospect of a new car being called the "IROC" made us happy in so many way. Most of those ways involve sadism in some way, but happy nonetheless. Still, it's gone from concept to reality with so much changes, the only similarity between the concept and the production version are that the shape looks vaguely conc

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  Volvo XC60 In The Swissosphere

  What would the world be like if carmakers weren't apt to appear in every single segment, and their brands weren't defined solely on how soft the interior is or how much spongier than an apple cart the ride is? Why, we wouldn't have a small SUV from Volvo to go on about. It's the Volvo XC60, which debuted today in Geneva to adoring crowds of sweater-wearing men in casual shoes. The XC60 is built for "consumers who've grown up with the microchip as a natural supplement to their breakfast cereal."

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  Maserati GranTurismo S Revealed Live In Geneva

  What a difference 25 years makes. Maserati, once tainted by bad business deals and shoddy merchandise, not to mention an ill-fated tieup with Chrysler products, Maserati is a plain-out player these days. The Pininfarina-designed GranTurismo is a stunning car in any format, and with a 440-hp Ferrari-derived V8 and new MC-Shift dual-clutch tranny, it'll likely gain a few extra grains of road respect among the Aston-Martin-Uber-Alles set. Maserati reps assure us the automanual is a real achievement

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  Mitsubishi Lancer Prototype-S Revealed In Geneva

  We've already shown you video and sneakily released press shots of Mitsubishi's Lancer Prototype-S. Now that it's been revealed live here at the Geneva Motor Show, we can show you the whole shebang of live shots of this Mitsubishi concept car derived from the Lancer sports sedan. The Prototype-S is powered by a new 2.0-liter MIVEC 4-cylinder DOHC turbocharged and intercooled engine that makes a maximum of 237 HP and 35 kg-m. Full press release after the jump.

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  And now, for today's moment of zen...

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  Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans Revealed For Geneva!

  With the Geneva Motor Show mere hours away, the reveals are coming fast and furious. Here's the latest from the multi-ringed brand — the Audi R8 V12 TDI LeMans. If you'll remember, they first revealed this oil-burning bad-ass at the Detroit Auto Show back in January. But now it'll get ready for the track. That's because this is apparently the first 12-cylinder diesel engine in a high-performance roadgoing sports car. So with a 6.0-liter diesel under the hood, this R8 concept car will generate ar

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  Commenter Of The Day: On And Beneath The Waves Edition

  "I've sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber. I didn't want to do it. I felt I owed it to them." Who can forget Judge Smails from Caddyshack, or Ted Knight's immortal performance? Some hear, "yachting cap" and immediately think of Jim Backus and Thurston Howell III. We think Smails. However, a certain recently deceased fashion designer who was once asked to do a job for Ford can also come to mind, as well as the cinematic commander of an undersea boat. That's what happened today amon

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  BRABUS Bullit Black Arrow Is Blacker Than Ever

  BRABUS introduced the wicked Brabus Bullit V12-powered C-Class sleeper at Frankfurt last year and, not wanting to let floor space go to waste, has introduced the follow up Black Arrow. Like the previous Bullit, the sedan still sports the 6.3-Liter V12 Biturbo engine good for 720 horsepower and 974 ft.-lbs. of torque (though limited to just 811 ft.-lbs. to keep the car in one piece). It'll still jog to 62 mph in just 3.9 second. And it still has a top speed of 224 mph. The difference? It's freaki

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  PCH, Italy Versus Britain Redux: 1963 Alfa Romeo Or 1946 Triumph?

  Since the hanging chads hosed the polling mechanism in our previous attempt to determine whether Britain or Italy should challenge France in the Project Car Hell Superpower Showdown, we had to do an all-French Choose Your Eternity poll (which the Panhard won handily) on Friday. Today we're going to take another shot at the Britain-Italy matchup, with another Alfa for the Italians and a Triumph from the Brits.

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  Your PCH Tipster T-Shirts Are Important To Us

  Those Project Car Hell tipsters who didn't want XL T-shirts- hey, I got a good deal on that size, OK?- have been waiting for a few months to get their hard-earned PCH Tipster shirts. Your wait is almost over; I've finally bought some extraordinarily low-quality top-shelf blank shirts and just spent an afternoon overspraying the living hell out of them carefully applying the six stencils that make up a geniune, limited-edition PCH Tipster T-shirt. This round of shirts features different colors th

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  Lotus Exige 270E TriFuel Will Try Anything

  Lotus is one of those companies that, in addition to making world class sports cars, also spends a significant amount of time in developing technological solutions for other manufacturers. In this case, Lotus Engineering has taken on the task of designing an environmentally friendly vehicle that can run on three different fuels (gas, bioethanol and methanol). And because they're Lotus, said car isn't a boring sedan but rather the wicked Lotus Exige. While the gas and bioethanol Exige aren't news

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  Denver Bronco Ready For The Apocalypse

  What year Bronco are we looking at here? Well, there's a 302 emblem, and dual fuel tanks, and a blacked-out grille... but these clues don't mean a whole lot when they're on a vehicle that's probably had more than 50% of its components swapped from other trucks during its lifetime. 1970? 1975? You tell us! Kitt has added another well-traveled old truck to our collection of Down On The Denver Street entries; now we've got a Rampage, an IH Travelall, a Dodge Camper Special, and a Cherokee. Make the

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  Lotus Europa Gets More Power, Entry-Level Model

  The Lotus Europa is the Elise for people with bags to carry. Though not quite as light as the Elise, or as fast as the Exige, the Europa is a car you might be able to live with as your daily driver. Despite the addition of a bit of room and some creature comforts, the new Europa is still good for a 0-60 mph trot of 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 143 mph, thanks to a 25 horsepower boost to its 2.0 Liter turbocharged I4. The new base model comes in at a cheap $55,500 with the range topping Europa

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  Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept Revealed At Geneva

  Joining in on the small hybrid party, GM is showing off this Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept. The styling is familiar, and similar to the 9-4X BioPower. But what's underhood is new; a turbocharged 1.4-liter 4-cylinder engine that can run on either gasoline or ethanol, making 200 HP on the corn juice. This is mated to GM's next generation hybrid system, which we still don't know much about. Other interesting features are a solar panel on the roof used to help charge the batteries, and an active rear s

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  BRABUS SLR McLaren Roadster, Matching Smart ULTIMATE 112: Because Rich People Love Accessories

  Like Turner and Hootch, Tango and Cash, Gary Busey and a bottle of scotch, Mercedes-tuner BRABUS has put together a winning pair for the Geneva Motor Show. This time it's a Mercedes SLR McLaren and a Smart Fortwo. The SLR McLaren gets a new white carbon fiber bodykit, 20-inch alloy wheels, special interior and an upgrade to the 5.5 Liter supercharged V8 that boots power to 650 hp and helps propel the roadster to a top speed of 211 mph. The matching Smart becomes the ULTIMATE 112, referring to th

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  Don't Mess With The Nissan GT-R

  Just in case you've bought a new GT-R, but you lack any common sense when it comes to vehicular accessorization, Nissan has included these helpful illustrations in the owner's manual for the JDM version. We're guessing the big X means you're not supposed to put giant fender flares and oversized spoilers on the GT-R. Nissan apparently thinks they got it right on their own, thank you very much. Although someone better tell that to Mine's. The other illustrations have more helpful hints; like how t

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  1980 Plymouth Arrow Pickup Truck

  Plymouth might not be the first brand that comes to mind you when you think "pickup truck," but in fact there were plenty of Plymouth-branded trucks sold in the pre-World War II period, and you could get a badge-engineered Ramcharger called the Plymouth Trail Duster in the Early Malaise Era (yes, they just loved that Duster name at Chrysler). And you want to talk confusing branding, let's look at this '80 Arrow pickup. It's a Mitsubishi Forte with Plymouth Arrow badging... not to be confused wit

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  Virgin's Richard Branson Does GM In NYC?

  Anyone know why the General's doing a press conference in NYC right now with Virgin Atlantic's Richard Branson? We've got someone there who's got a few quick camera phone shots for us — but even he's unsure what it's all about. All we've been able to glean from searching with Google our sources is it's some sort of environmental initiative between the two companies. We've included that AP brief in all it's brevity below the jump. What we've determined, AP notwithstanding, is Branson's new fleet

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  Porsche Officially Buying Volkswagen

  We just received a flash message from Jalopnik tipster Brian, who we think spends his mornings in front of the Reuters wire just waiting for auto-related news to come in. But this one's an industry whopper as the wire company is now reporting it's official — Porsche has given the go-ahead for an increase of their stake in Volkswagen to more than 50%. But fear not lovers of the Knights of Teuton, Porsche has no desire to merge the two companies. Nope, all they want to do is ride the automaker for

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  Audi Q7 Coastline Concept Is A Real Land Yacht

  Just in case you thought the new Q7 V12 TDI wasn't ridiculous enough with its 757.5 lb-ft of torque, Audi has made this nautically-themed Q7 Coastline Concept. Though we've gotta say that while this thing certainly is a land yacht, Audi missed the boat by not fully capitalizing on the maritime theme. First off, any ego-stroking self-respecting yacht owner needs a captain's hat, and plainly there is none such haberdashery included. There's also a very embarrassing lack of a "tender" vehicle; you

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  So, You Want To See Bullitt As Intended?

  The Redford Theater is one of those places which breaks the mold of blandly nauseating suburban mega-theaters sporting 30 cookie-cutter, no personality movie holes. You go to Redford Michigan's oldest operational movie theater not because of the latest in high-test gee-whiz surround sound, nor do you go for the comfy seats or the fully digital projectors - it doesn't have any of that - you go to recapture the joy of the movies. Not too long ago, we noticed the theater would be showing a movie co

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  2009 Audi Q7 V12 TDI Revealed With Unbelievably Powerful Diesel Engine

  While we were playing with Audi's smaller V8-powered diesel Q7 (thanks to the folks at Honeywell), it looks like the multi-ringed brand was working on taking the rocket-powered powerhouse of an SUV to a whole new oil-burning level with the new Audi Q7 V12 TDI. With the new bigger, longer and more uncut diesel engine under the hood it officially makes the new Q7 the most powerful diesel-powered passenger vehicle around. That big 6.0-liter engine generates a whopping 500 HP and (wait for it) an as

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Technology (1)

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  Hood Scoop Adds Dignity, Top Fuel Power To LeMons Volvo

  Not long after I joined a 24 Hours of LeMons team, I attended a barbecue at a friend's house. Friend's husband, Darren, is a motorcycle mechanic, so naturally all the gearheady guys gravitated to the garage to look at grimy machinery and listen to The Atomic Bitchwax on the garage boombox... and then I saw it. Just lying there on top of a box of Honda pistons was an old battered Mr. Gasket Street Scoop. Yes!

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