Archive for November 2008

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Buying (7)

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  2009 Pontiac G8 GXP, First Drive

  If I were to tell you GM is the new BMW you’d probably laugh at me. But driving the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP just a couple of months after the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V and Corvette ZR1, that’s exactly what I’m thinking. Equipped with a 6.3-liter, LS3 V8 making 415 HP and 415 lb-ft of torque, the G8 GXP isn’t just the fastest car Pontiac’s ever made, but based on GM’s new global rear wheel drive platform (the same one as the new Camaro) and fitted with lower, stiffer suspension and a six-speed manual gearb

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Jalopnik's 2009 Pickup Truck Comparison Head-To-Head Jubilee Event Challenge Spectacular!

  We've had an abnormally high number of pickup truck first drives recently — the 2009 Ford F-150, the 2008 Toyota Tundra, the 2009 Chevy Silverado and the 2009 Dodge Ram. Why? Because we've been working in conjunction with PickupTrucks.com to bring you a full blown comparison on the 2009 models of every half-ton truck currently for sale in the 'merican market and here it is. It's got all the numbers on towing, handling, braking and acceleration — everything a serious truck buyer could ever need.

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S, Part Three

  Why you should buy the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S: Volkswagen has taken some flack for saying the Tiguan is like the GTI of crossover SUVs. It isn't. At best, it's the GTI of people who go antiquing on the weekend, don't drive particularly fast and live in a college town. If you don't want a wagon, won't drive a Ford and can't afford a Lexus then maybe you should look at the Tiguan. Why you shouldn't buy this car: You don't think sitting up higher is a good thing. You think a crossover is Lil' Way

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S, Part Two

  Exterior Design: **** The 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan puts its best face forward, literally. The front fascia borrows more from the attractive Touareg and CC than its platform-mate, the bland Rabbit. The proportions look muscular enough to tackle harsh roads (it actually isn't), sporty enough to best the competition on the track (it won't) and roomy enough to stow your gear (it can't). Even from the back, the Tiguan is still attractive despite being a touch bland. Interior Design: ** The interior is

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Spoon Honda NSX-R GT, First Drive

  They say you should never meet your heroes. For the most part that's true, I've never been more disappointed than after my first drive in a DeLorean DMC-12, childhood dreams of time travel completely squashed. When I was eleven I picked out the colors for a friend's dad's new NSX - red with a black top - and even though I've never driven one, it's been on top of my supercar wish list ever since. So when the guys from 0-60 Magazine called and said they wanted to fly me out to Infineon to drive no

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S, Part One

  As legend has it, Abraham Lincoln walked three miles through the snow to return a book because it was the honorable thing to do. That's nothing. I drove 164 miles through Texas in a 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S to return a book because I've got a bad history of losing my best friend's books. I once loaned one to someone who took it to Spain and then loaned it to someone else who took it to San Francisco. I systematically destroyed another one with notes, dog-earing and misuse. Another one just disap

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor: First Ride

  Ford took us into the desert dirt outside of Las Vegas today to show us a new stock truck package for the 2010 F-150 that looks like it may set the off-road world ablaze. It's called the F-150 SVT Raptor. Thanks to upgrades like internal bypass FOX Racing Shox, a seven-inch wider track and an upgraded front suspension, the Raptor package appears to make this the world's first stock pickup that's fully off-road capable and most importantly, built for speed.

  By Ray Wert Read More

Entertainment (2)

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  British Mopar Enthusiast Earns Fame Three Seconds At A Time With Vintage Challenger

  If you watched yesterday's episode of Top Gear — specifically, the American muscle challenge you may have noticed a rather cherry vintage R/T Challenger in the background. The car belongs to Mark, an Englishman with a penchant for vintage Mopar muscle and a willingness to share the car with others. In addition to the most recent episode of Top Gear, Mark's Challenger was also featured in Motor Trend alongside the new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8. How, exactly, did a vintage Challenger end up in En

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Top Gear Reviews Dodge Challenger, Corvette ZR1, Cadillac CTS-V...And They Like Them!

  When pictures of the Top Gear team coming stateside hit the internet this summer, we were pretty sure we were in for something epic. Well, the episode just aired today, and yes, it was. From Hammond having to buy a Challenger (silly Chrysler PR team!), the boys not being allowed to be "entertaining," some kid wearing a Western Michigan t-shirt and Clarkson mistaking the ZR1 for a "muscle car" — it's a hoot. In the process, they came to the same conclusions we did in our reviews of the three newe

  By Ray Wert Read More

News (262)

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  Tata Motors Chairman, Owner Of Taj Mahal Hotel, Claims They "Had Warning" Ahead Of Attack

  Tata Motors parent company, Tata Group, owns the Taj Mahal Hotel at the center of the deadly attacks in Mumbai ending this morning. News the same company producing the Tata Nano, the cheapest car in the world, also owns one of the largest and nicest hotels in India shouldn't come as a surprise given the Tata Group owns almost 100 companies with operations in 85 countries. Ratan Tata, chairman of both Tata Group as well as Tata Motors, said the hotel had been warned of a possible attack and had i

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  PCH, Head Turner Edition: Stutz Blackhawk Or Backyard Lambo?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! The sporty Simca beat up on the magnificent Humber in our last Choose Your Eternity poll, meaning France gets the PCH Superpower trophy… once it's out of the shop, that is. Today we're going to look at the sort of cars that desperate motivated sellers often refer to as "head turners." You know, it's weird and sort of cool, but also sort of horrible… and wouldn't it be

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Subaru Fan-Boys Drive Impreza Into Living Room To Watch TV Up-Close

  As the Lions continued their glorious downward spiral yesterday, reinforcing their spot as the losingest team in the NFL at 0-12, we think one Subaru enthusiast thought his beloved Impreza would like to get in on some football watchin' action. With clearance coming in at just under an inch, the Subaru was driven up the porch and into the cozy disco-balled living room. We're mostly impressed it didn't fall into the basement.

  By Andrew Didorosi Read More
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  How Long Will Cheap Gas Last?

  Right now, gas is as cheap as it’s been since 2005: $1.97 on average across the country. I filled up a Pontiac G8 GXP two weeks ago for $40 and Wert's seeing less than $1.70 in Metro Detroit. So it’s easy to forget that as little as three month ago, a gallon of the go juice was over $4. But how long is this going to last? Long enough to make Pontiac’s new sub-20 MPG muscle car a practical purchase? The price of gas is a complicated formula, with variables including OPEC’s daily level of greed, t

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  2009 MINI Cooper, Cooper S Convertible Officially Reveal Whopping Price Jump

  We first saw the leaked press shots back in September, and today the 2009 MINI Cooper and Cooper S Convertible are now official. The big scoop? An almost 10% hike in the price tag. Why the giant jump?

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  1971 Evinrude Outboard

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Alameda has flotillas of trailered boats parked on the street, what with it being an island and all, but I haven't been paying much attention to them for this series. However, this old Evinrude- which has been parked for weeks on a particularly parking-challenged block on one of the busiest streets in town- has vintage charm that runs fathoms deep, so here

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  1987 Subaru Justy

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. I've been looking for a DOTS-worthy Subaru for a long time, but it seems that most of the 70s and 80s examples were crushed long ago. While I'd prefer a BRAT, we'll have to settle for this Justy. First, let's listen to the song I always hear in my head when contemplating a tiny Subaru from the days before mall parking lots were full of the things. Dr. Demen

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Cover Your Eyes: The Porsche Panamera Mega Gallery

  Since the Germans invented Schadenfreude, it seems only appropriate that the new Porsche Panamera is so awful that we just can’t quit looking at it. With that in mind, we bring you the Porsche Panamera Mega Gallery: 41 pictures of LongBruce, the four-seat Porsche.

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Commenter Of The Day: The End Of The Affair Edition

  High on our list of favorite novels is The End Of The Affair by Graham Greene, a strange but altogether fascinating example of a 20th century English Catholic novel. Anyone who doesn't own it should go out and grab a Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition that came out as part of the Greene Centennial. Today. On the surface, the book is about an affair between the novelist Maurice Bendrix and his neighbor's wife mixed with a discussion of jealousy and the nature of faith and miracles. Deeper within the

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Bay Area Lays Down Plans For Electric Vehicle Future

  The San Francisco bay area is moving forward with a multi-step plan to become the most EV friendly place in the United States. The plan calls for standardization of electric hookups, tax incentives for EV buyers, government programs for fleet buys and street side charging stations. Considering this is a classic case of a command economy at work, some company has to provide the electric cars the free market hasn't been able to on a large scale. Enter Better Place, a company offering the wholesale

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  This Is Not A Mercedes Benz SL 600. The Mercedes SLeBaron

  The Replica Audi R8 built on the Mercury Cougar was pretty impressive, but it was easy to see it was not actually a real R8. Take the attributes of the Replica R8 and amplify them and you get this: a Mercedes SL600 that's actually a Chrysler LeBaron underneath. The look is uncanny, and you'd have to be an SL 600 aficionado to know the difference from a distance. But pop the hood or look at the interior and there's no mistaking this is a K-Car contraption. Better body work, even worse automobile

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  What Car Would You Buy For $5,000?

  This is my little brother Logan and no, he's not auditioning for a bit part in the Futurama live-action movie. But, he needs our help. He needs a new daily driver and here are the specs. First, he needs to find something for $5,000 (maybe go as high as $6,000 — but $5,000 to be 100% sure he can afford it). Second, it needs to be safe (That means working seat belts and an airbag. Multiple airbags if possible). Third, it's got to be reliable. The little man's less handy with an impact wrench than

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ: Design, Dissected

  In case you may have missed it back in 2006, Ford released a trio of entries into the uber-boring mid-size sedan category. The just-right-sized triplets were built with the intention of targeting the best in the appliance segment. Alas, sales fell well short of the leaders of the pack — which is why you may not remember. Fast forward to this past week at the LA Auto Show, where Ford dropped cloth on three redesigns for the 2010 Ford Fusion, 2010 Mercury Milan and the 2010 Lincoln MKZ. While the

  By The Auto Insider Read More
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  Hyundai Accent Takes Back Title Of Cheapest Car In America At $9,970

  Nissan made some waves last month when they announced the Nissan Versa 1.6S, a car that would cost only $9,990 and snagged the unofficial title of "cheapest car in America" from Hyundai. The Korean automaker has struck back by dropping the price of their Hyundai Accent GS 3-door from $11,070 to $9,970, besting the Versa by an Andrew Jackson. That money will get you the same 1.6-liter, 110-horsepower engine and five-speed manual transmission found in the regular version. You'll also still get no

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  First Official Aston Martin Rapide "Image" Leaks

  According to CAR, this rendering shows the long-awaited production version of the Aston Martin Rapide. As expected and as indicated by multiple spy shots, the Rapide stays remarkably similar to the original concept, full-length glass roof and all. That’s a good thing, the Aston design language, as seen on the DB9, Vantage and Jaguar XK lends itself rather fetchingly to a four door shape, resulting in a much less awkward car than the Porsche Panamera and a much less confused shape than the Lambor

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Chevy Cruze WTCC Racer Fully Revealed

  Not happy with just taunting us with the new 2010 Chevy Cruze going on sale a year earlier in Europe than in the US, GM has now fully unveiled the World Touring Car Championship Chevy Cruze, all dolled up for serious action. The racing Cruze replaces the Chevrolet Lacetti as GM's WTCC corporate racer and will be driven by a 2.0 liter four cylinder and piloted by Brit racer Rob Huff, Swizerlander Alain Menu and Italian Nicola Larini. The rough part of this whole story is the pun-tastic headline G

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo To Be Fastest One-Make Series

  If you've got $260,000 in between the couch cushions then Lamborghini suggests you drop that money on the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo racing series set to launch on May 3 at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK. For that change you get a track-modified Lamobrghini LP 560-4 stripped down to 2,800 pounds and sporting 570 HP to race against 29 other similarly setup vehicles in the fastest one-make series in the world. That sum, sadly, does not cover fees or taxes. Act now because one of those v

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Manic Beattie Hill Climb Car With Turbine-Powered Turbocharger, 1.8-Second 0-To-60 Ford Puma

  Every once in a while, when looking at no holds barred race cars there comes the engineering equivalent of a facepalm moment. It's that second where we wonder 'Why didn't I think of that?' Like when we discovered how Nic Mann's record-breaking hill climb racer uses a turbine engine from a helicopter auxiliary power unit to drive a turbocharger feeding the 1.7-liter Cosworth four-cylinder a constant stream of boost. To eliminate turbo lag, Nic hooked the turbine to the impeller side of the remote

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Amazing Tilt-Shift Video From Monster Truck Rally

  Tilt-shift photography can be used for many things, but one of the more interesting is a technique used to trick the mind into thinking very large things are very small. Tilt-shift takes advantage of our familiarity with very close up images of small things, where the object of interest is in focus, but everything else is progressively blurred. Keith Loutit has applied this technique in video form to an indoor monster truck rally and demolition derby event with stunning and awesome results. Th

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  1988 Porsche 924 S

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. It's Porsche Day today, and we're getting our very first 924. So far we've seen one 356, a few 912s, a bunch of 911s, some 914s, a couple of 928s, and a pair of 944s (plus a faux Speedster), so it's about damn time I found one of these.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Honda Kills Detroit Auto Show Press Conference Dead, We Update Floor Map

  Just as soon as we published our very unofficial "Carpocalypse Now" edition floor map for January's Detroit Auto Show we saw what our sources told us would happen — the Chinese automakers are movin' on up to the main floor. Today comes more bad news for the nation's premiere international auto show that's caused us to update the floor map again below the jump — Honda's decided to forgo a press conference. Honda spokesman Kurt Antonius, says since Honda won't "be doing 'traditional' product unvei

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Chinese Automakers Invade The Main Floor Of Detroit Auto Show

  After years of skirmishing in the basement of the Cobo Center, the Chinese automakers will finally set up a base on the main floor of the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. Why were the two Chinese companies, BYD Auto and Brilliance Auto, honored with the presence among the big boys upstairs? It isn't because they're selling more cars in the US, because they still don't sell any here. The Chinese automakers are benefiting from the mass exodus of automakers from the Detroit show who are bailing to save

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  PCH, What The Hell IS That Thing Edition: Humber Sceptre Or Simca Aronde?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! We had as close to a tie as you're going to see in the Hell Garage, last time around, with the '77 911 Turbo just barely beating the '78 911 Turbo in the poll. Now it's time to return to some mano-a-mano PCH Superpower action, and not only that- it's time to look at crazy orphan cars from across the ocean, cars that will make passersby shun you like the freak you are a

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Ten Biggest Automotive Turkeys Of All Time

  A turkey is a special kind of car which, though no lemon, is out-of-date the second it rolls off the lot. Like the bird that gives it its name, it is an inferior creature that lacks an appeal to any superior automotive taste, even if enjoyed by the wealthiest consumer. Nevertheless, this is the week we can appreciate turkeys both in bird and car form. Below is our list of the ten greatest automotive turkeys, something to give thanks for — especially if you don't own one.

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2010 VW Beetle

  When Volkswagen released the New Beetle in 1998 it was a huge retro hit, but as all things do; it got stale. We're told VW is currently working on a replacement model due to be released in 2010 as either a 2010 or 2011 model year product. But what should we expect from this new New Beetle?

  By The Auto Insider Read More
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  LeMons Veteran SE-R Triumphs In NASA Performance Touring Race At Infineon

  Remember the SE-R that we saw at the Arse Freeze-A-Palooza '07 race, the one that placed 5th? Krider Racing (who won the LeMons SF '08 race, got their Chrysler Cordoba into the California State Demolition Derby Championship, and apparently plan to take on every form of racing the planet has to offer) spent a few more bucks on their SE-R and took it to the NASA Performance Touring race at Infineon. Make the jump for the whole batch of photos and the official Krider press release.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Pontiac G8 GXP Laps Nurburgring In 8:30

  Like seemingly every other GM product to be launched in the last year, the Pontiac G8 GXP’s handling was tuned on the Nurburgring. There, while being driven by development engineers (and not a professional race driver), it set a ring time of 8:30. That sounds pretty good, especially given the badge the G8 GXP wears on its nose and its price: expected to be just under $40,000 including gas guzzler tax and destination fee. But how good is it?

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Hoon Appointed UK Secretary Of State For Transport

  Well, Hoon by name if not by nature. Geoff Hoon, former Secretary of State for Defense, was appointed the United Kingdom’s Secretary Of State For Transport back in October. Could this be a good thing? Surely anyone named Hoon can’t be all evil, right? Well, he has called fixed speed cameras “arbitrary” and “unfair,” preferring instead the far less arbitrary and unfair average speed cameras. You know, the ones that record your speed over a large distance then send you a ticket in the mail should

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Heffner Performance And Camilo Pardo Special Edition Ford GT

  Everyone's favorite ponytail-ed Ford designer Camilo Pardo has teamed up with the twin-turboizing folks at Heffner Performance for a very special edition of the already special Ford GT. The Camilo Pardo Special Edition includes the typical Heffner Performance twin-turbo kit good for 900 HP and a 150 MPH quarter-mile speed. The differences come with the subtle interior and exterior tweaks that Pardo designed for the car, including concept-style rear bumper and aluminum seat grommets. Full details

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2009 Pirelli Calendar: Elephants And A Whole Load Of NSFW

  It's that time of year again, when Pirelli sends aspiring Playboy photographers out on calendar assignment, letting them dream up ridiculous ways to photograph nude or nearly nude models in exotic locations. What this has to do with the business of selling tires we have no idea. Whatever, nekkid ladies! Hit the jump for a large and VERY NSFW gallery from the 2009 Pirelli Calendar.

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  The GTS400: A Faster Farbio

  It must be time for another recession, because just like in the late 1980s the market is again awash with supercars. Like the Farbio GTS400. It's a lot like the regular Farbio GTS, but with a 400 after its name and an extra 148 HP (410 in total now, to be precise) thanks to a new induction and exhaust system and a big ol’ supercharger. But high power and low weight (just 2,300 lbs) aren’t the only story here. Farbio's built the GTS to be a Gentleman’s high-speed tourer, something that’s equally

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  1966 Ford Thunderbird

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. One car that's been pretty scarce in this series (given the numbers that were manufactured) is the pre-Fox Body Ford Thunderbird. We've seen a seriously mean-looking '61 and a very nice daily-driver '65, but that's been it. I haven't been able to find a great big Malaise Era '75 T-Bird for us, but I have got another clean mid-60s example.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Basement Lamborghini Donations Reach Goal

  A few weeks ago we dug up the amazing story of Ken Imhoff and his basement-built Lamborghini Countach then later regaled you with the exclusive backstory and an inside look at how it all went down. Then we realized we'd kind of run up Mr. Imhoff's web hosting bill by a dizzying amount so we felt obliged to pitch in an help him out, and so did you. Thanks to your generous donations Ken no longer has to foot a giant bill for our amusement and he's even gone out of his way to send us the thank you

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Top Ten Reveals Of The 2008 LA Auto Show

  Over last week's LA Auto Show, we saw plenty of new models throw their hats into the bloodied arena that is the current automotive market. So put on some R.E.M. and follow us on a jog down flashback lane as we relive all of the fond old memories we've fostered together this past week. Remember when the new Lexus RX came out and we all had a good laugh because of an explosion of vanilla? How about when a Mini E showed up with that totally hot Deputy Mayor? Man, those were the good old days. Hit

  By Andrew Didorosi Read More
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  Chevy Tahoe Messes With Texas Mini Cooper, Pays Price

  Some SUV buyers tend to feel that they're captaining the dreadnoughts of the road, impervious to all harm and thus free to futz with cupholders and electronic gadgetry rather than pay attention to traffic signals. In this incident in Texas- which, fortunately, did not result in any major injuries- a Chevy Tahoe was T-boned by a Mini Cooper and flipped right over. LeMons Neon racer and Enzo rejuvenator Matt Groner sends us these photos and a description of the wreck written by his friend, who w

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Commenter Of The Day: Man In The Box Edition

  Generally being a fan of the non-grunge music from the Grunge Era, Alice In Chains wasn't a band we listened to very often. There were a few good songs, but they never had the cool slacker chic of a Nirvana or the impressive musicianship of a Soundgarden. Not to mention, the lead singer's substance abuse problems were never quite as entertaining as Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland's stories (like forcing the head of his security to sleep outside his dressing room so he wouldn't sneak o

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  All-Wooden Speedball Special Roadster Built, For Sale In St. Louis

  In the September, 1956 issue of Mechanix Illustrated, directions for a lightweight, wooden speedster powered by a motorcycle engine caught the eye of some deranged boat builder on the west coast. Here's the result: a modified version of the Speedball Special. Best news? It's for sale. The car was originally built in 1959 and is equipped with an impossibly rare 1952 Ariel Square Four motorcycle engine, a smooth-running four-cylinder 1000 cc engine able to push out about 42 HP. That might not seem

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Nissan GT-R Toolbox, Just In Time For Godzillamas

  What do you get for the Nissan GT-R owner that has everything except a Snap-On toolbox customized with an image of their car printed on the side of it? A Snap-On toolbox customized with an image of their car printed on the side of it. We just got the flyer from Nissan advertising this toolbox, which proclaims the ten-drawer, double-bank drawers are being offered exclusively to GT-R owners, much to the disappointment of Nissan Rogue and Titan owners. There's no word on the cost for this accessory

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Unimog-Based RV Killed By Emissions Law, Only Two Post-Apocalyptic Land Rafts Left!

  The world’s toughest RV, built onto a Unimog U500 chassis by Global Expedition Vehicles, is being discontinued. But, there’s two left, so well-heeled survival enthusiasts had better hurry. We’re just relieved to see we can still get airbrushed graphics on the sides; no RV should be without them.

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  GM, Tiger Woods Limp Away From Endorsement Deal

  Tiger Woods and GM will part ways after five years, a reported $40 million and a lot of Buick Enclave commercials. The press release from GM goes out if its way to suggest any link to what's happening in Washington, D.C is "purely coincidental" so, you know, feel free to blame Tiger's knees instead. But it's weird to see GM claiming the decision came after a search for "budget efficiencies" yet having nothing to do with the lack-of-federal funding. We do have to admit, Tiger Woods was a valuable

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Porsche Panamera GT: In Love, Indifferent Or Incensed?

  The first official photos of the Porsche Panamera GT have caused quite a stir, though some would argue that stirring feeling is limited to the stomach area. With a growing four-door sports car market, Porsche clearly made an effort to differentiate the Panamera from production models like the Jaguar XF and concepts like the Lamborghini Estoque. From most angles there's no mistaking the production model from a Porsche, with the design picking up many of the brand's most important cues. Is that a

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  80s Nostalgia Comes To Rampaging Life On The Race Track: Huey Newis And The Lose!

  Not all the cars at next month's 24 Hours Of LeMons Arse Freeze-A-Palooza are as gloriously twisted as the CBR900RR-powered Geo Metro or Ghettocharged Frankenmiata, but even a run-of-the-mill Fox Mustang can show up with a great theme. That's exactly what's going on with Team Huey Newis And The Lose, who have painted their '85 Mustang in a painfully 80s pink-and-gray combo and are now assembling team uniforms comprised entirely of Members Only gear. Yes, these guys have a rich cultural vein to m

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  SNL Sketch Takes On Not-So-Big Three Congressional Hearing

  Saturday Night Live took on the not-so-Big Three's congressional testimony and "jetpooling" incident in this weekend's "cold open," and unfortunately fell into the trap of shamelessly mocking tired stereotypes. Which is sad, because we'd watched SNL take on a new level of relevancy as of late thanks to the uber-adorable Tina Fey and an election season devoid of real political commentary. That's not to say watching Will Forte as Rick Wagoner, Darrell Hammond as Bob "The Builder" Nardelli and Jaso

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Volvo S60 Concept Heading To Detroit

  This is the first image of the Volvo S60 Concept, set to debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Volvo is calling the concept a preview of the 2010 Volvo S60. Volvo had better be careful or people will completely forget about the nameplate's stodgy past as the S60 concept is almost beautiful beyond belief. It takes on one of the final remaining traditional Volvo design elements, those normally straight, strong shoulder lines running font to back are reinterpreted in a curvaceous, smooth, sinewy lin

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  1965 Volkswagen Transporter Walk-Through Panel Van

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. I know what many of you DOTS aficionados are saying now. You're saying "Hey, didn't we just have an old VW bus a mere two Truck Mondays ago? What about that '78 Power Wagon we still haven't seen?" However, the VW geeks out there are saying "Oooooh! The doors!" Yes, this here Alameda Transporter has the rare and sought-after "walk-through" double door setup,

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  VIDEO: Four-Door Porsche Panamera, Officially Official!

  This weekend we revealed the first photos of the Porsche Panamera, the German automaker's first four-door sedan. Now we've got the official press release from the new boys to the sedan block and now, even more excitingly below the jump, we're the first to reveal video of that big-rear end in action. Hit that jump for the hot rear action.

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  Porsche Panamera Official Photos, Details

  Photos of and details about the Porsche Panamera GT, the company's first modern effort at creating a four-door sedan, have officially leaked all over the web and it looks exactly how we expected it to look. From what we can gather from Google Translator and Auto Telegraaf, the Panamera will first hit the shores in Panamera S and Panamera Turbo trim, each fitted with a 4.8-liter V8 putting out 400 HP and 500 HP, respectively. Both will also get Porsche's PDK 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox.Though n

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  Man Builds Audi R8 Super Car Out Of A Mercury Cougar

  The Audi R8 is one of the most exclusive and beautiful supercars in the world, commanding auto-lust wherever it goes and wherever it's seen. But what if you want an R8 but don't have the $105,000+ to buy one yourself? You could go through the arduous process of designing and building the whole thing from the ground up in your basement, but that would take 17 years. Who has the time? Why not just design an approximation of the R8 around a 2001 Mercury Cougar, fabricate it from fiberglass, and cal

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  PCH, Cheap Turbo Porsche Edition: Mystery Turbo-Ized '77 911 Or Gutted '78 930?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! We saw the '49 Rolls Silver Wraith hold its own against the obviously unbeatable burn-victim Countach, gaining a respectable 41% of the vote in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll. Today we need to contemplate a couple of Porsche 911 projects; sure, we see 928s here on a regular basis (for obvious reasons), but it's pretty tough to find a real 911 for a PCH-worthy pr

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  Truck Trend, Sport Compact Car, Other Titles Axed By Source Interlink

  We've been able to confirm that both Truck Trend and Sport Compact Car magazines, august titles from the the sprawling Source Interlink automedia empire, have been killed by their publisher. Word is up to 115 employees were notified yesterday that their services would no longer be required. A former employee tells us that, if this is true, it would mean multiple titles were also canned. We've heard that many of these publications were profitable in recent years, but in a down economy it may be h

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  Being An Engineer At Honda Must Be Nice

  Speaking as someone who has done it, being an engineer for any of the not-so-Big Three is something of a soul-crushing endeavor. Deadlines are always too aggressive, budgets are always too small, management never grasps the true complexities of a system, and you inevitably have to deal with totally incompetent suppliers who over promise and under perform. It's a delightful job. That kind of experience makes the open letter from a Honda employee that arrived at the offices of BoingBoing seem like

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  Toyota Backs Down From Desktop Copyright Request

  Toyota has contacted Jalopnik and informed us their company's perplexing attempt to claim rights to desktop images uploaded by users and hosted at DesktopNexus was the result of an "internal miscommunication" and they they offered a sincere apology to those at the site involved in the fracas. This is a major reversal. As recently as Moday the company's lawyers were threatening to pursue legal action if any desktop image with any Toyota vehicle was left on DesktopNexus. To Toyota's credit, they r

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  Crazy Czechs Build Tatra V8-Powered Trabant Drift Car, Will Sell It To You!

  Since I've been helping BobAsh obtain American cars to ship to the Czech Republic, he's helping me find a nice Hell Project I can bring over here. Here's a car I seriously considered buying- it's priced at the equivalent of $1,500- but then I realized that the California DMV would most likely have me clapped in irons the moment I attempted to register a Trabant with a backyard-built chassis, Tatra V8, and what appears to be five foot pedals. Still, imagine having this thing as your track car! Ma

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  What Car Looks Best After Sunset?

  Most attractive cars are designed to stand out in the brightness of day or under an array of flashbulbs and klieg lights, but there are a few that stand out when it gets darker. Sometimes it's intentional, like the way the headlights of an Audi creates a pleasant shape around the nose or the way a well-designed taillight highlights a car's shoulders. Sometimes it's the way a waxed car can pick up the bright neon lights of a commercial strip, reflecting the bright colors of an active society. But

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  Congress Gives Not-So-Big Three An Ultimatum

  After some members of Congress excoriated the leaders of the not-so-Big Three for wasting money and not planning for their future, leadership from the Senate and House said they wouldn't give the automakers billions of dollars until they came up with a plan for not wasting money and setting up their own future. Welcome to Carpocalypse Now! It was basically the best solution that the lame duck Congress could come up with given that Turkey Day is around the corner and, like the UAW, Congress loves

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  1979 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Cadillacs sold pretty well, even after most of a decade of Malaise-y gas prices and general sense of diminished expectations, so you could still buy a great big angular slab of rear-wheel-drive Fleetwood as late as 1984. Here we've got a raggedy '79 Fleetwood that's been sitting on a major commercial strip for a couple of weeks now.

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  Car And Driver Announces 10 Best For 2009

  The crazy kids over at Car And Driver announced their annual "10BEST" cars for 2009 and, would you believe, they went out on a limb and put the Honda Accord on the list. Having sampled the best sub-$71,000 offerings the editors ranked all cars on a 1-100 scale to determine the best vehicles for sale next year. The Accord and the BMW 3-series made the list for the 23rd and 18th time, respectively. Eight of the cars on the list have been there before and two are brand new to the Top 10. What was c

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  Commenter Of The Day: Two For The Price Of One Edition

  We're not sure why "two for the price of one" is such a popular way to get people to buy things. If we didn't want one of something why would we suddenly want more than one of them? Though this is usually used on television to sell citrus-based cleaning products, it has spread to the auto market. You've probably heard about the dealership in Illinois selling a Chrysler Pacifica at MSRP ($39,000) and throwing in a lightly used 2008 PT Cruiser for $1. It looks like it worked because three people t

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  PCH, Benefits Of Positive Thinking Edition: Cooked Countach Or Rusty Rolls?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Yesterday, we saw a 6.9 Benz face defeat for the first time in Project Car Hell history, a feat that generally requires unholy intervention by the Prince Of Darkness himself, or at least the presence of Citroën badges. We've had a run of affordable Hell Projects lately, and that's fine… but sometimes we need to mainline some optimism and look at spending a few more buc

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  Hayabusa-Powered Geo Metro To Take On LeMons, Sneers At Ghettocharged Miata

  Did you think that the Ghettocharged FrankenMiata, Faster Farms Chickenmobile, pair of X1/9s, and other awesomeness meant that the upcoming 24 Hours Of LeMons Arse-Freeze-A-Palooza couldn't possibly get any better? Wrong! We've just received a few photos of the Team Metro-Gnome Geo Metro, which is powered by- hallelujah!- a Hayabusa CBR900RR engine! It's a front-wheel-drive setup, chain-driving the original Suzuki transaxle differential… and, yes, that is a toilet plunger being used as a grease

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  Eleven Ways The UAW Is Like Congress

  So we're sitting here in the press room of the LA Auto Show thinking about Carpocalypse Now, the fight for loans from Congress and thinking to ourselves — you know the UAW and Congress? They're really not so different from each other. It's almost like looking in a mirror. A freaky state fair carnival mirror, but a mirror nonetheless. Here's our list of the top eleven similarities between these two seemingly disparate groups. 1.) Both carry a bunch of signs at all their get-togethers. UAW worke

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  Adventures In Wikipedia Fiction: The Origins Of The Michelin Man

  The brilliance of Wikipedia is vigorous peer review on even the most minute detail and completely humorless administrators. That genius produces a fairly reliable and constantly evolving public encyclopedia. Unfortunately, it also manages to kill some absolutely brilliant fiction in favor of maintaining the "truth" about past events. Take for instance the origins of the Michelin Man, an advertising icon almost as old as the tire company it represents. In the real world Bibendum, the actual name

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  Mitt Romney Changes Tune When It Comes To Michigan

  If you hadn't noticed yet, Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle-how-stupid-are-you-to-take-a-fleet-of-jets and their scary Op-Eds haven't done anything to Save GM or either of the other not-so-Big Three. The Senate is not pleased with their behavior. But here comes Mitt Romney, "favorite son" of Michigan. The guy who took tons of auto-exec money and said this before the Michigan primary:

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  The Fast And The Furious Validated: You CAN Blow The Welds On Your Intake Manifold!

  Every denizen of the automotive intersphere is undoubtedly familiar with The Fast And The Furious which, even with all of it's gearhead faux pas, has become a sacred icon credited with starting the spo-com revolution many moons ago. It seems one of those cult statements just became a self-fulfilling prophesy as a Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX has blown the welds on it's intake manifold. Even though the series has become a sort of guilty pleasure, we know you're stoked for the The Fast And The Furious 4

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  2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Announced As 2009 Green Car Of The Year

  For all of you sitting on the edges of your seat waiting for the announcement of the 2009 Green Car of the Year awarded by Green Car Journal at the LA Auto Show, you'll be happy to know it went to the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The Jetta TDI is a fuel economy monster registering 50 MPG returns while avoiding environmentally dubious battery packs and high gravity snobbishness. The other contestants (the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, the BMW 335d, Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, and Smart Fortwo) will now ha

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  Are There Any Cars That Look Better Without A Roof?

  True to geography, the LA Auto Show has featured a number of convertible reveals. From the new 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible and Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder to the always open 2009 Porsche Boxster, this is one show that requires journalists to wear a strip of zinc oxide across the nose. All of these topless cars have us thinking about the vehicles throughout history that have traveled sans roof and whether or not they look better doing it. Are there any cars that look better as converti

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  2010 Nissan GT-R To Lose Troublesome Launch Control

  Nissan execs have apparently told the reporters over at Edmunds Straightline that the 2009 Nissan GT-R will be the first and last GT-R with the "launch control" system as the company is tired of dealing with the warranty nightmares that have convinced people they can't do GT-R donuts. Said one high-ranking exec:

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  2010 Honda Insight Ecological Drive Assist System Grows Leaves, Gets Other Features

  Details on the instrument panel and driver assist systems on the new 2010 Honda Insight have been released and it seems Honda is intent on training the new hybrid's drivers in much the same way other auto manufacturers have announced. The "Ecological Drive Assist System" uses a combination of color cues in the speedometer and "leaves which grow" to encourages economical driving behaviors. When you push the "Eco" mode button, the speedo turns green when you're being frugal or blue when you're hoo

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  1963 Chevrolet Chevy II Station Wagon

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Hooray for old Detroit station wagons! You don't see many small Detroit wagons these days, since the Vista Cruisers and Country Squires sold in such greater numbers back in the pre-SUV era, so I was very happy to spot this bright yellow, Moon disc-equipped Chevy II (or maybe it's a Nova- hard to say with the emblems removed) parked downtown.

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  Top Ten Reveals Of The 2008 LA Auto Show

  Hetero Life Mates Wert and Wes battled through the dregs of the press world at the LA Auto Show today to bring you the kind of prime autojourno content you've come to love and expect from Jalopnik, including a large helping of hybrids, diesels, exotics and convertibles. While the boys are out trying to do their best imitation of Don Draper AWOL in swinging 60s Los Angeles, throw back a few old fashioneds and hit rewind as we take you back through a first day filled with discoveries both overwhel

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  2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible Revealed

  The 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible will add the style of a hard top convertible to the venerable G-Series line. The new drop-top Infiniti is essentially an Infiniti G37 coupe with a folding lid, meaning that it'll get the same powerful 3.7-liter V6, good for 325 HP. In S trim the G37 will also get the same sport tuned steering and larger brakes. Both models have the choice of either a six-speed manual transmission or a paddle-controlled 7-speed gearbox. We like the looks of the regular G37 and th

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  Commenter Of The Day: W?adys?aw Podkowi?ski Edition

  When people think of Impressionist painting they tend to think of French dudes like Monet and Cezanne whose portraits and landscapes cover the walls of the Art Institute of Chicago. Though the French deserve credit for Impressionism, the rest of the world followed the style set forth by the near-sighted Frenchmen. The style spread from San Francisco to Istanbul, from Cairo to San Juan, and even to Warsaw, Poland, where painter W?adys?aw Podkowi?ski embraced the form. His most famous work is, arg

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  2009 Porsche Boxster Revealed Live

  Though the 2009 Porsche Boxster may appear to have received only a light visual refresh, limited to a few slightly tweaked lines and some LED lights from its big brother, the internals have received enough attention to launch the Boxster from hairdresser-chic to something the performance-minded could consider. The PDK double-clutch should provide a quick alternative for those unwilling or uninterested in doing the shifting themselves. Power also gets an upgrade to 255 and 310 HP in the base unit

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  2009 Porsche Cayman Comes To LA, Brings Optional Limited Slip Differential

  The LA Auto Show has birthed it's latest automotive revelation in the form of the 2009 Porsche Cayman. The Cayman, as we saw a bit earlier, gets upgrades to both the entry 2.9 liter engine and the Cayman S 3.4 liter mill, a new twin-clutch transmission able to work power conversion magic and maybe most importantly, an optional limited slip differential has been added, addressing one of the most common complaints of the original Cayman. The new LSD will further improve performance on the back roa

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  Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder Live Unveil, More Details

  We saw the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder a bit earlier today, but now we've got the official details and the live reveal photos from the LA Auto Show. The LP 560-4 Spyder boasts the same 560 HP, 5.3 liter V10 with 398 lb-ft of torque, all-wheel-drive, and slick shifting sequential manual transmission as the normal LP 560-4 but pops the top to give it a more So-Cal flair. Rightly so, as 30% of all Lambo's are sold in the currently smoky southern part of California and we're betting a good

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  2010 Lexus RX 350 And RX 450h Push Bland To New Heights

  Lexus unleashed its 2010 RX 350 and RX 450h to a deafening roar of yawns produced by disaffected onlookers at today's LA Auto Show. Toyota managed to take a boring but tidy SUV and crank the snooze up to 11. The redeeming quality lies in the drivetrains of these suburban shuttles - 275 HP and 295 HP, respectively. The RX 350's 3.5 liter is backed by a traditional 6-speed automatic while the RX 450h's 3.5 liter hybrid powerplant is dancing partners with an electronically controlled CVT. Complete

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  Hyundai HED-5 I-Mode Concept Green-Lit For Production And America

  Hyundai debuted their efficient Hyundai HED-5 "i-Mode" concept today at the LA Auto Show, a clear sign the Korean automaker is hoping to get in on the green trend in time for gas prices to shoot up again. The HED-5 has been green-lit for American distribution at an uncertain future date. When it does arrive it will feature Hyundai's lightweight 2.0-liter Theta turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder engine. The 2.0T Theta, similar to the Theta engine found in the upcoming Hyundai Genesis Co

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  Congressman Urges Automaker CEOs To "Jetpool" When Heading To DC Begging For Money

  New York Congressman Gary Ackerman feasts upon a buffet of "delicious irony" as he asks the CEOs from the Not-So-Big Three to perhaps save some cash and fuel by using a single jet together rather than individual private jets from Detroit to D.C. to beg for bailout dollars from the Feds. We even hear Reagan National's got a diamond-festooned runway set up just for jetpoolers. [CNN]

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  Nissan To Sell Pure Electric Cars In Oregon

  Nissan will begin selling electric cars in Oregon state as early as 2010, according to a statement by Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn at the LA Auto Show. There's been a lot buzz surrounding Nissan electric cars, especially with the debut of the Nissan Denki Cube concept at the New York Auto Show earlier this year. Oregon's governor Ted Kulongoski is recommending the state replace the $1,500 hybrid tax credit with a $5,000 electric vehicle credit, essentially subsidizing part of the cost of the

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  PCH, Book Of Revelations Edition: Gray Market V12 Jag Or Cheap 6.9 Benz?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! It seems that the Japanese won't be celebrating an improbable victory over PCH Superpower Britain this time around, with the Land Rover beating the Nissan Patrol 57% to 43% in our poll. Today we're going to return to a couple of perennial PCH heavy hitters, cars that we all really really want, yet make us stagger back in awe and horror when contemplating the magnitude

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  Volkswagen Touareg V12 TDI Baja Racer

  VW launched into another class of Baja today as it released it's Touareg Baja Racer at the LA Auto Show. Racing along the same 630 miles of desert peninsula as the ever popular Baja Bug class, this Trophy Truck packs a 542 HP 5.5 liter V12 turbodiesel powerhouse motivating only the rear wheels to kick up some thick, dusty awesome. A tubular chassis only retains the visual dimensions of a Touareg - It's actually 10% larger than the production model. Full press release below the jump.

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  2009 BMW 7-Series, ActiveHybrid Hit LA Show Floor

  BMW rolled out the red carpet for the debut of the new 2009 BMW 7-Series and BMW Concept 7-Series ActiveHybrid, both driving across the carpet under power of BMW's twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8. The difference is while the 2009 7-Series moved with the force of 400 HP and 450 lb-ft of torque, the 7-Series ActiveHybid had an additional 20 HP and 155 lb-ft of torque on tap thanks to the addition of an electric motor. The former will go on sale early next year while the latter is but a concept, though one

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  All-Electric MINI E Hits LA Auto Show Floor With "Hottest. Deputy Mayor. Ever."

  The all-electric MINI E was just revealed live here at the LA Auto Show. Although we already knew it had an expensive lease and we already knew all the details about its two seats (instead of the normal MINI 2+2), 204 HP and 162 lb-ft electric motor and performance of 150 mile round trip and 0-to-60 runs of 8.5 seconds. However, if you weren't aware of all those goodies there's a press release below the fold for you. What we didn't know is that Los Angeles had a Deputy Mayor that's what Wert's c

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  BMW 335d Sedan With BluePerformance, A Diesel For The Masses

  BMW dropped their hotrod oil burner today at the LA Auto Show, showcasing a twin-turbo 3.0 liter diesel engine that is both quick and clean. Clean enough to be legal in all 50 states while keeping it's fun factor. Power numbers sit pretty at 265 horses and 425 lbs-ft of torque; just enough to pull the porch off of your buddy's house, if you so desire. Sprints from 0-60 run at a very non-dieselish six seconds flat while fuel mileage estimates are 23 MPG in the city and 36 MPG on the open road. Of

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  Honda FC Sport: Hydrogen Sports Car Concept Of The Future

  Honda surprised the motoring world today with the release of the radical and futuristic Honda FC Sport, a three-seat Hydrogen-powered design study that hints at the future of Honda sports cars to come. Using the Honda V Flow fuel cell setup already found in the Honda FCX Clarity, the FC Sport is the supercar to the FCX's stately sedan. The stunning design is meant to invoke the concept of a high-performance, low-weight hydrogen sports car. Press release and more details below the jump.

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  2010 Lincoln MKZ: Fusion Plus A Newish Nose

  Since platform pals the 2010 Ford Fusion and 2010 Mercury Milan get matching updates, it stands to reason their higher class sibling the 2010 Lincoln MKZ would be getting a visit from Ford's refresh fairies and these are the results. The MKZ gets Lincoln MKS in its Fusion with an appropriation of the new dual-nostril, waterfalling '38 Zephyr grille. As the top-range model in the lineup the MKZ wears the most lavish interior, the smoothest suspension, and the biggest price tag. Read through the p

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  BMW X5 xDrive35d AdvancedDiesel To Challenge Audi Diesel Dominance

  If your dreams involve stomping around Terra Firma in a BMW X5 xDrive while running on good 'ole American diesel, consider yourself a step closer. BMW unveiled their X5 xDrive35d today, with it's sequentially turbocharged six-pot diesel, at the LA Auto Show. Precisely the same powerplant is slotted for the 335d Sedan. Fuel mileage estimates sit at an acceptable 19mpg city and 26mpg highway while making 0-60 jaunts a 6.9 second affair. Power output is rated at 265 horsepower with 425 reality-bend

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  2009 Nissan 370Z Revealed Live With Details

  We got a great look at the new Z-car when Wes went out and bagged the 2009 Nissan 370Z at that exclusive LA enthusiast party, and now we've got the details to back up these brand new live reveal shots from the floor of the LA Auto Show. The new 370Z gets added oomph to match the more muscular and compact looks with the now 3.7 liter V6 getting 332 HP and 270 lb-ft of torque to match the six speed manual or a 7-speed automatic with "Downshift Rev Matching" all riding on top of a car 225 lbs light

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  2009 Nissan Cube Revealed

  UPDATE: The 2009 Nissan Cube's price will start at $13,990 and we've even had a chance to test drive the Cube. Read our impression here. The Nissan Cube is hoping to capture the boxy chic market the Scion xB pioneered when it goes on sale in the US market next year. We think the Cube has a lot going for it. When it does arrive the funky little 2009 Nissan Cube will sport the same 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine found in the Nissan Versa, good for 122 HP and 127 lb-ft of torque. These will come ma

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  2010 Mazda3 Sedan Shows Off New Design, Peppy Engine

  They've gone and done it, the new 2010 Mazda3 Sedan has debuted ahead of its formal unveil at the LA Auto Show and it looks like Mazda has gone and finally used a pinch of that Nagare design language. Those bellyachers complaining the US never gets good-looking compact cars will no longer have anything to complain about as the new Mazda3 is a looker by any standard. It also has the goods to back those looks with a 2.0 liter four cylinder with 148 HP and 135 lb-ft of torque and a 2.5 liter four p

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  BMW Concept 7 Series ActiveHybrid Adds Power, Efficiency

  Ahead of its official reveal at the LA Auto Show, the official details on the BMW Concept 7 Series ActiveHybrid have finally been released after months of us sitting on the edges of our seats, waiting with bated breath. The ActiveHybrid (as opposed to the other name considered, "LazyHybrid") is a "preview of potential" for things to come from BMW and shows off a mild hybrid operating from a motor integrated transmission, which was jointly developed with Chrysler and General Motors. The motor "as

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  Not-So-Big Three Automakers Take Corporate Jets To Beg For Money From Congress

  It's probably a bad thing to fly a private jet from Detroit to Washington, DC when you're going to ask Congress to provide you a multi-billion dollar loan to bail you out of a financial crisis. That fact hasn't stopped Ford's Alan Mulally, along with the heads of the other automakers, who not only flew to D.C. in the Ford private jet but are, apparently, unwilling to fully cut themselves from the corporate crack that is their private air forces. This really disturbs us. We've been having all sor

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  What Will Win The LA Auto Show: Hybrids, Convertibles Or High Horsepower?

  This year's LA Auto Show has three major themes: Hybrids, Convertibles and High Horsepower. It's an intense battle for the hearts and minds of the Los Angelenos, whose hearts want Horsepower, whose minds prefer hybrids and whose weather demands convertibles. Representing the Hybrids are the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid and 2010 Fusion Hybrid twins from Ford and the strange-lookiong Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid. In the High Horsepower corner we have the Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85, 2010 Ford Mustang and Ni

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  2009 Porsche Cayman Shows Off New PDK Dual-Clutch Gearbox

  Nobody at Porsche AG would ever admit it, but we suspect the newly upgraded 2009 Porsche Cayman has even more potential than the flagship Porsche 911. The new Cayman is set to make its public debut later today at the LA Auto Show and though it doesn't look much different, the car is boasting a new optional dual-clutch transmission that's sure to liven things up and provide improved efficiency. The car gets more power at 265 HP from the bigger 2.9 liter boxer and 320 HP in the 3.4 liter flat six

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  2009 BMW 7-Series, Now With 400 HP Twin-Turbo V8

  The next generation 7-Series has officially arrived, though if you've been paying attention you've already seen the 2009 BMW 7-series and therefore know that the design team has gone to great effort to correct the car's awkward-looking posterior. A new twin-turbocharged, direct-injection 4.4-liter V8 manages 400 HP and 450 lb-ft of torque, which should make the chauffeur happy. If you find yourself behind the wheel there's a plethora of technology to keep you from killing yourself including Acti

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  2009 Porsche Boxster Gets New Transmission, Engine Upgrades

  Porsche has dropped photos of the 2009 Porsche Boxster and the changes on the inside are thankfully more dramatic than the exceedingly minor facelift. The base Boxster now comes equipped with a 2.9-liter direct injection mill pumping out 255 hp, up 10 hp from the previous generation. In S-trim the 3.4-liter unit, now with direct fuel injection, is good for 310 hp. The biggest news may be the PDK double-clutch über gearbox which provides better fuel economy (north of 26 mpg) and quicker accelerat

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  Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85 Gets A Web Reveal Before Hitting LA Show Floor

  The Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85 is in effect a road going version of Spyker's GT2 Le Mans racer and will be debuting officially later at the LA Auto Show. So how does the Laviolette LM85 go even crazier than the normal C8? Underneath the psychotic paint job they've got an Audi-sourced 4.2 liter V8 producing 400 HP and mated to a manual six-speed Getrag gearbox (uh oh!). Inside, Spyker's traditional understatement follows along in this car with lavish amounts of leather, Alcantara, a set of Chronos

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  Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder Drops Top Ahead Of LA

  The Lamborghini LP 560-4 Spyder's dropped its top in press photos that have made their way to the web ahead of an expected debut later today at the LA Auto Show. The newest amped-up Lambo gets the body of Gallardo convertible and the powertrain of the LP 560-4, that means a 5.2-liter V10 engine with 560 HP and 398 lb-ft of torque, good for a top speed of 201 MPH after a 0-62 MPH run of a speedy 4 seconds. Awfully speedy in the hardtop but we'll have to see how that stands up for the convertible.

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  1977 Honda Accord

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Can you believe we've never had a Honda Accord in this series? Have the early Accords become that rare? They sure have, which makes me sad; the first-gen Accord was a great car for its time. It was reliable, had fairly decent performance, was less cramped than its tiny Civic cousin, and- in my no-doubt-shared-by-few-others opinion- looked pretty good.

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  2010 Ford Mustang Unveiled, Live!

  The 2010 Ford Mustang's been revealed live at a private Ford event this evening in a hangar just outside of Los Angeles. Yes, we know we had a chance to take a look at the new Mustang earlier today (and last night), but with this new unveil comes news of more FoMoCo fun — factory-option superchargers. Update: A video of the driftgasmic unveiling follows the jump.

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  2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

  The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid shares all of the exterior, interior and refinement upgrades bestowed upon the 2010 Ford Fusion and builds on top of that solid foundation with an upgraded hybrid system, improved tuning and the slick new SmartGauge LCD screen. The Hybrid Fusion, along with the Mercury Milan Hybrid, is Ford's first foray into the hybrid sedan market and comes with timing that makes it seem like Ford's freakishly clairvoyant. Let's take a look at the things which make the the new Fusio

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  2010 Ford Fusion, Sport

  We got a sneak peak at the 2010 Ford Fusiona while back, but now on the eve of its reveal at the LA Auto Show, we can bring you the complete details on Ford's latest salvo in the battle for America's sedan-buying hearts and minds. The new Fusion brings sleeker styling, more fuel-efficient and powerful engines, and a higher quality interior. That says a lot as the original Fusion was pretty strong on most of those fronts to begin with. Complete analysis, details, and more pictures below.

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  2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid

  The 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid will join the Mariner as the second hybrid offering from Ford's brand for people who love Jill Wagner. The next-generation hybrid system, similar to the one found in the Mariner, will couple Ford's 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor backed by a new smaller, lighter nickel-metal hydride battery. The new hybrid should be capable of running on pure electric mode at speeds up to 47 MPH, meaning the car can operate in most city and neighborhood conditi

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  2010 Mercury Milan

  The 2010 Mercury Milan isn't as curvy as Jill Wagner, but it does benefit from a more shapely profile than its predecessor. The general buyers who opt for the new Milan over its Ford or Lincoln siblings will probably be more interested in that visual enhancement than the upgraded 2.5-liter four-banger or the revised V6 now putting out 240 HP, up from 221 HP in the previous model. While enthusiasts may look forward to the new six-speed manual and automatic transmissions, the average non-enthusias

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  2010 Nissan Cube Unveiled Early

  Tomorrow comes a day too soon in Japan as Nissan has already released a load of pictures of both the USDM and JDM Cube, which is to be "unveiled" tomorrow at the LA Auto Show. This eccentric little box is vying for the same niche as the polarizing Scion xB. Japanese Cubes are powered by a 107 Horsepower, 109 lb-feet Torque 1.5L fourbanger fitted to a CVT transmission. Drive setups include front and all-wheel drive. The configurations coming to the States currently remains unknown. Check back tom

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  Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid Concept

  Toyota has released images of the Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid Concept, or the T. Boone Pickens cruiser as we like to call it. Already known for their gas-electric hybrids, this concept combines the Hybrid Synergy Drive system with a natural gas-fueled engine. Toyota claims the Hybrid should travel more than 250 miles per fill-up, which could theoretically occur at any of the approximately 1,000 CNG refueling stations in the US. As this is currently just a concept, they've added an aggressive body ki

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  New Ford Mustang GT, Live From LA

  Tonight at 10pm EST the new Ford Mustang will be unveiled here in Los Angeles. We couldn't wait that long. So this morning, we talked Ford into letting us drive shoot a 2010 Ford Mustang — a few hours before everyone else. Initial impressions are positive; it’s like the old one, but like, with an exterior that's 25% more "sexy." The interior is finally made from the kind of materials that belong in an actual car and not a Hot Wheels model of one. While it isn't as gaugegasmic or cool as the 2010

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  GM Spam Campaign Begs Saturn Owners For Help

  In attempts to tap their customer base for assistance in avoiding this Financiapocalypse, GM has emailed an unknown number of their product owners in an effort to get them to speak out to their local congressman regarding the pending bridge loan. We've intercepted one of these emails and have it posted below the jump.Jalopnik Snap Judgement: While the initial flavor of this campaign is tacky, it might prove to be a good move after all. GM still has a fairly rabid customer base that hopes to be d

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  Design Student Creates Carbon Fiber Car Seat For Babies

  This carbon fiber child's safety car seat, created by Rory Craig of the Art Center College of Design, is not an official Sparco product but rather a clever prototype. Though we're a bit fatigued with all of the carbon fiber options out there (we're looking at you carbon fiber toilet), this particular model is admittedly well-designed. Meant to appeal to racing enthusiasts, the carbon fiber isn't even the best part. The child seat adjusts from an infant seat to a toddler model to a booster seat,

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  Ford To Offer Employee Pricing Plus 0% Financing In Desperate Attempt To Sell Cars

  Ford's loss of $129 million last quarter and sinking consumer demand have encouraged the company to combine employee pricing with 0% financing on nine models. So Toyota buyers won't be the only ones Saved By Zero. What's the catch? Zero-percent financing is only available on the company's nine most fuel-efficient vehicles. But here is where it gets complicated. The Employee pricing doesn't apply to the 2009 Ford F-150, but you can get 0% financing on the new F-150. This plan also doesn't include

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  MINI E Electric Mini Re-Revealed, Now With Technical Images

  With a numbered limited edition of only about 500 and a one year lease price of about $820, the MINI E won't be finding a whole lot of takers, but its still a car that will attract a lot of interest. The two seat all-electric car delivers 204 HP and 162 lb-ft of torque and runs on 28 kWh of a 35 kWh capacity battery made of 5,088 individual lithium ion cells and will take the MINI E a full 156 miles before a recharge at it's dedicated wall box is needed — a scant two and a half hours for that jo

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  2010 Ford Mustang: Design, Dissected

  The 2008 LA Auto Show starting tonight will see the debut of the new 2010 Ford Mustang we revealed first in full for you last night— nearly 44 years after the original 1964 model made its debut on the show circuit. The Mustang's not only the original pony car, it's the only one to continuously sell for all 44 of those years. With such an established history, and with the new Challenger and Camaro nipping at its tail, we were skeptical of a redesign we were told was more an "evolution" rather t

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  2010 Ford Mustang: WTF, Meh Or OMG?

  If you hadn't guessed, the reveal of the 2010 Ford Mustang GT is kind of the big news today. What, you thought it would be the 2010 Ford Fiesta Sedan? We've got blue photos and red photos. We've got Mustang GT video and Ford Mustang GT Convertible video. We've got it covered. But now that we've shown it all to you, it's important to ask if you like it. Is this new Mustang WTF awful, just Meh or OMG it's the best thing ever! awesome? We like it. While it isn't the best thing ever, the Mustang has

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  1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. When we had the quasi-abandoned '70 Karmann Ghia last month, I got a flood of emails from rusty-state readers who were aghast that such a rare car would be allowed to go to The Crusher. Thing is, Karmann Ghias aren't at all rare around here; I've been passing today's car- which is located just a few blocks from my house- for months and months, figuring I'd

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  Ford Fiesta Sedan, Revealed

  UPDATE: We've now got live shots of the Fiesta! Photos and details of the Ford Fiesta sedan were officially released this morning at the major auto show occurring right now. That's right, the Guangzhou International Auto Show. What? Did you think we meant the LA Auto Show? The 2010 Ford Fiesta sedan follows the 2009 Ford Fiesta hatchback that debuted last year in China. The sedan, incorporating Ford's kinetic design language, is an important vehicle globally for Ford, with plans to begin product

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  Mazda To Buy Back 20% Of Ford Ownership Stake For $185 Million

  In an effort to boost capital while simultaneously distracting auto journalists by waving a bright, shiny and colorful new toy around, Ford today authorized Mazda to buy back approximately 20% ( around 96,802,000 shares ) of the 33.4% stake the Dearborn-based automaker holds in the Japanese car manufacturer. The transaction, to be made in off-hours trading at today's closing price of ¥184 ($1.91) per share, despite reducing the share to 13.4%, will apparently not change Ford's control of Mazda.

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  2010 Ford Mustang GT

  Finally, after all the teasing, the 2010 Ford Mustang GT is finally here — revealed just in time for the LA Auto Show. Actually, it was revealed a couple of hours early thanks to the slippery hands of whomever's running Ford's official Mustang site. And unlike some sites, we're not afraid to let loose with everything early when a little bit's leaked out — so, hit the jump to be the very first to find out exactly what's up with the new pony car from Ford.

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  PCH, Off-Roading In Lake Of Fire National Park: Land Rover Or Nissan Patrol?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! When we last dove into the triazadienyl fluoride-filled Garage-O-Pain, we learned that eternity with a Lancia Scorpion would be better- or maybe worse- than eternity with an Austin Healey Sprite race car. We've been neglecting our four-wheelin' friends for too long; in fact, the last time we pitted one four-wheel-drive truck against another was last winter's Farm Equip

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  First Look: Rolls Royce RR4 Interior

  The boys from KGP have just gotten us the first shots of the interior of the new entry-level Baby Rolls, or RR4. The shots show a car with typical Rolls Royce style, but at a more-Financiapocalypse-like price of between $200,000 and $250,000. This makes sense as the Rolls Royce RR4 is set to be slated between parent company BMW's 2009 BMW 7-series and the top-of-the-line Rolls Royce Phantom, with parts from the former and the style of the latter. The new exterior photos also give us a more clear

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  Two College Kids Use Boring, Sarcastic Conversation To Win Pair Of Chevy Aveos

  A pair of University of Houston students are now the proud owners of a matching set of 2009 Chevy Aveo5s after their conversation in the back of an Aveo5 cab was voted most popular in a GM-sponsored contest called "Chevy Aveo Livin' Large." The conversation itself was the kind of sarcastic slacker rambling about the latest Batman movie, elections and fishing college kids these days seem to be known for. At one point, one pretends to be voting for John McCain before admitting, no, he's actually v

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  Extra-Long Wheelbase Audi A4L Revealed In China

  To meet growing demand in China for vehicles like the 2009 Audi A4, only 2.36 inches longer, Audi has just unveiled the A4L, an A4 with an extended wheelbase. The lengthened wheelbase should show itself in the backseats, which have increased legroom proportional to the stretch. This creates a vehicle that should sit somewhere in between the regular A4 and the A6 in both price and space and is an indicator of the lengths car makers are now going to pursue sales the world’s fastest growing car mar

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  Toyota Fights Web Site To Take Down User-Generated Desktop Backgrounds

  The owner of DesktopNexus, a major provider of user-generated desktop backgrounds on the web, was contacted by Toyota's lawyers and told any image featuring a Toyota, Scion or Lexus vehicle was property of Toyota and should be removed, including images created by users. As you'd imagine, the users at DesktopNexus are not pleased and have been uploading Toyotas at a furious rate with titles like "Don't Buy Toyota" and "Copyright This" in order to show their disapproval. We look at the legal and P

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  What Domestic Car Are You Going To Miss The Most?

  Despite the pleas for the government (or rich spacemen) to Save GM and other domestic automakers, a federal bailout may not come soon enough, leaving many of these companies to fail. A world without GM, Ford and Chrysler would more than likely mean a world without Camaros, Mustangs, F-150s, Jeeps and Corvettes (well, until Tata buys up the model names at auction to plop on the next-gen Nano). Given the worst possible scenario, what domestic model are you going to miss the most? You better believ

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  Audi S3 And S3 Sportback Get S-Tronic Paddle Shift Transmission

  Ready yourself for the inevitable screed of Clarksonian denigration ending in successively more nonsensical similes for how awful the Audi S3 and S3 Sportback featuring the flappy paddle shifters of the S-tronic transmission are. For the new model year, the S3s get the twin-clutch six speed selectable automatic transmission hooked to the 265 HP, 258 lb-ft 2.0 TFSI engine. The result will be hatefully despised as silly, but will make the car run to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, that's two-tenths faster.

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  Bond Bad Guy Car Of Choice: Ford Edge Is The New Explorer, Escalade Or Suburban

  We just saw Quantum of Solace this weekend. While most might get all googly-eyed at the Aston Martin DBS, gushing over it's sleek sexiness even after it's taken into a wall of a quarry, we took something else away from the new Bond flick. We noticed a Black Ford Edge (with odd hydrogen power stickering) playing the role of the basic bad-guy vehicle of choice rather than a Huge-UV. It's a strange change for us to have to wrap our minds around. It's especially true when you think about the differe

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  GM Tries Making The Case To "Save GM" On YouTube

  One of the biggest problems we've had with the request U.S. automakers have made for financial assistance from the Feds to avoid bankruptcy has been a lack of centralized message. The General's apparently trying to change that, this by heading to YouTube by way of their GMFactsandFiction website. The video, titled "The U.S. Auto Industry and the Ripple Effect," aims to make the case for the Feds to "Save GM." For starters, they're claiming one out of every 10 people in America is employed in a s

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  1960 Ford Pickup

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Since it's DOTS Truck Monday, let's have an old Ford! I found this '60 parked just across the street from the '70 Dodge Challenger and the '57 Cadillac, and it's one sharp-looking work truck.

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  2010 Ford Mustang GT Premium Package Pricing Leaks, Starts At $30,095

  Our friends over at MustangBlog have themselves a scoop this morning before the day of the official reveal of Ford's new pony car, the 2010 Mustang. The bloggers all about the 'stang have somehow snagged the official options and pricing on the premium package on the new 2010 Ford Mustang GT. That package would come with a 4.6-liter OHC 3V V8, Sync mated to the Shaker 500 audio system, 18" wheels, pretty aluminum accent dash, pedal covers, shift plate & shift knob and a leather steering wheel. In

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  The Faster Farms Chickens Suit Up For Arse Freeze-A-Palooza LeMons Glory

  We've spent many months following the progress of Belvedere Adrian's 1966 Plymouth Belvedere race car, but we've never mentioned the theme this team will be using. Now, anyone from California will tell you there's only one possible theme for an old Belvedere...

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  2009 Nissan 370Z Unveiled Live At Secret LA Event

  As ash rained from the sky, the Nissan 370Z was just unveiled to an exclusive group of enthusiasts in Los Angeles ahead of this week's LA Auto Show. The event was hosted by Edmunds, but we managed to borrow a friend's GT-R and sneak in; all to bring you these exclusive shots, initial impressions and the exclusive video from Streetfire.net appearing after the jump.

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  CNBC's Jim Cramer: "What's Good For GM Is Still Good For America"

  The red rubber bull-biting bald man by the name of Jim Cramer had a mouthful to say about the Motor City today — making clear his belief that if Motown gets showed D.C.'s checkbook, then we've seen the lows of this financial downturn. I tend to agree. Right now, according to Cramer, the issue isn't anymore whether you think GM deserves or doesn't deserve to be saved, it's whether you're alright with massive unemployment and an economic downturn taking this nation further into the murky unknown d

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  PCH, Totally Affordable Racing Madness: Austin Healey Sprite Or Lancia Scorpion?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Yesterday, the Ferrari 328GTS vanquished the Japanese upstart NSX in a PCH Superpower Smackdown, which should make fellow PCH Superpowers Britain and France- unsettled since a Glas beat a Lotus day before yesterday- breathe a sigh of relief. Today we're going to let a couple of Superpowers have at it, in a Sub-$500 Race Car Challenge: Britain versus Italy! With UDMan's

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  Commenter Of The Day: Josip Broz Tito's Children Edition

  It's been said Yugoslavian President-for-Life Josip Broz Tito fathered at least 15 children by numerous women, though it's quite possible there were many more. Could you blame him? He held together Croats, Serbs, Slovenians, Montenegrins, Macedonians and Bosnians almost entirely with the force of his own will, which can be pretty stressful. Not surprisingly, a few of his descendants have gone on to big things. His granddaughter Svetlana Broz is a writer and a cardiologist. Another granddaughter,

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  ForbesAutos.com Staff Laid Off, I Start Saying Nicer Things To Ray Wert, Nick Denton

  Rumors have flown all week about Forbes planning to axe their Forbes Autos division. Those rumors look to be confirmed by Alley Insider, though a spokesperson refused to confirm or deny those rumors to us. Though the Forbes auto site has never been a major player in the automotive news business, it illustrates a reality: less automaker revenue means less ad revenue means less automotive outlets. This is especially true for an operation like Forbes.com, which sought to squeeze out more luxo-adver

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  Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Launched In Dubai, Well Heeled Racers Rejoice

  Always wanted to go FIA GT4 racing but worried the cars just aren’t sophisticated enough for your carefully cultivated image? Aston Martin may have the answer. The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 replaces the old Vantage N24 with a larger engine, modified suspension and bigger brakes. You might remember the N24 from the Top Gear episode where James May drove around in one giving himself hemorrhoids.

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  Spoon Sports JDM Honda Integra Launches Into Stands, Miraculously Injures No One

  It was a bad weekend for the folks at Spoon Sports. The same people who brought you the Spoon NSX-R GT (yes, the same one we reviewed earlier this week) managed to place a JDM Honda RSX/Integra in the stands of Infineon Raceway during a NASA race. No one appears to have been hurt, but the driver had to be cut out of his Honda touring car. From reports, the Spoon Sports Honda hit the grass berm in the runoff area in turn 1 before being launched by momentum over the fence and into the grandstands.

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  Jalopnik 2009 Pickup Truck Comparison Challenge: Towing

  Towing is what makes a truck a truck. A big old fashioned station wagon can haul a bunch of junk in the back, but it takes a truck to tow a boat, drag a tree stump out by the roots, or haul the family camper across the Rockies. All the fancy interior accoutrement and flashy styling won't add up to squat if you lash a trailer to the back of a truck and it can't get the job done. For this test we're stealing a bit from the drag strip and adding a hill climb portion to the evenings events. The truc

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  Last Yugo Will Roll Off The Assembly Line This Month

  After 30 years of production, the last Yugo will roll off the assembly line in Kragujevac, Serbia this month. Built by Zastava, the lowly Yugo was the pride of the former Yugoslavian republic, representing the country's biggest automotive export. The car found its way to the US in the late 1980s and was an instant hit because of the sub $5,000 price and warranty. Built on a Fiat 128 platform, the Yugo wasn't exactly a great performer (though a Yugo GV ain't bad). Nor was it known for high qualit

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  Lotus Esprit Submarine Car From The Spy Who Loved Me Heading To Auction Again

  James Bond's transforming Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me is up on the auction block again, so if you've got $175,000 and an appreciation for the Giugiaro-designed 1976 Lotus Esprit we recommend booking a flight to London next month for the Bonhams auction. What makes the Esprit so famous is that, at the touch of a button in the film, it turned into a submarine. We're fairly certain the Lotus up for auction, though from the film, will not actually turn into a submersible. If you want one

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  Have You Ever Fallen Asleep Driving?

  It's amazing how quickly a year passes. Can you believe it's already time for Drowsy Driving Prevention Week? The folks at the National Sleep Foundation would like you to know sleepy driving can cause impaired reaction time, judgment and vision. It also affects information processing and short-term memory. All of this is quite dangerous. Though at least a couple of us may try to avoid driving with less than at least six hours of sleep, others of us are never as lucky. How else do you drive acros

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  HRE Creates First Production Carbon Fiber Wheel Set

  You can now add wheels to the list of random car parts (mirrors, spoilers and toilets) made of carbon fiber and attached to exotic cars and Honda Civics. These wheels, featuring an outer rim made of carbon fiber and a regular wheel face with magnesium hub, are the work of HRE/Dymag and debuted at SEMA last week as the first production carbon fiber wheels. How much for a set of these bad boys? If you've got the need or desire for 19" and 20" wheels you can pick up a set for somewhere between $2,5

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  Jalopnik 2009 Pickup Truck Comparison Challenge: Auto Cross

  True, the idea of autocrossing a pickup truck is a bit silly, they aren't exactly designed to be fleet of foot after all. However putting them through their paces to see which kills the most cones tells you how well the balance is struck between towing, comfort and handling. Just because a truck needs to tow and haul doesn't mean it shouldn't be able to perform in emergency maneuvering situations. With that in mind the trucks where instrumented and operated by third party Ricardo and driven on a

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  Jalopnik 2009 Pickup Truck Comparison Challenge: Braking

  Braking is the science of turning kinetic energy into heat. The faster you can do it and the more repeatable your equipment the better at braking you'll be. This test was done with the truck alone from a speed of 60 MPH down to zero, and repeated four times. Here it's important to record not just the minimum stopping distance but the average of the runs, as repeated stopping induces brake fade, a condition where that transfer of kinetic energy to heat can no longer take place as the brakes are t

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  Audi Shows Cars Can Play Nice, Talk With Each Other To Save Gas, Lives

  Yesterday at the second annual CAR2CAR, a forum on, you guessed it, car-to-car communications, Audi revealed a future where its cars would play nice and talk to others. Specifically, the multi-ringed German brand showed off three examples where their system can talk to cars from other brands to receive warnings from approaching emergency vehicles, to emit data after a crash and to warn other vehicles of a potential collision. But that's just the car-to-car side. The really interesting stuff is o

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  1984 BMW 733i

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. I've been neglecting the big BMWs for most of this series, so it's time to follow up the the '86 735i with another E23 from the cocaine-and-S&L-money-mad mid-1980s. Remember the Savings And Loan Crisis? Wild West loans on worthless assets and egregious fraud following in the wake of deregulation of a once-staid sector of the financial system, ultimately cos

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  Lexus HS250h: New Hybrid-Only Lexus Sedan

  Back in August we told you Lexus plans to unveil a new hybrid-only model at the Detroit Auto Show in January at the same time as the reveal of the new third-generation 2010 Toyota Prius. Now, a newly published rendering from Japanese buff book Mag-X may give us some clues of what to expect from a car they claim will be badged as the Lexus HS250h. We'll let Mag-X take it from here:

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  9ff GT9-R: 1120 HP Veyron-Killer Looks To Become World's Fastest Production Car

  Yes friends, this is the first image of 9ff's new GT9-R, the sequel to the 9ff GT9. The non-R version hit a top speed of 254.1 MPH from the 910 HP mill under the hood. The new R? We're told the power figure's a whoppingly insane 1120 HP. We don't know what more to expect from the newest attempt from 9ff to build a Veyron-killer, but we do know it's got a real shot at the title of world's fastest production car. We're anxious to see what the future holds for this super-duper-charged Porsche 911.

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  Financiapocalpyse Kills One Drop Top Muscle Car, Delays Another

  Bad news for fans of drop top muscle cars: according to multiple sources, the Dodge Challenger Convertible has been canceled and the Chevy Camaro Convertible delayed for at least a year. Luckily Ford will be showing a 2010 Ford Mustang Convertible at next week’s LA Auto Show, with sales scheduled to start in Spring ’09.

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  Project Car Hell, Hi Rollaz Edition: Acura NSX Or Ferrari 328?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! We had another too-close-to-call one yesterday, with the Toyota 4x4 Van and the Dodge Caravan Turbo locked in a 176-171 near-tie, according to the Choose Your Eternity poll. Today we're going to escape from Suburban Minivan Land and roll down the mean streets of the Early Gangsta Rap Era, with the kind of rides that Ice-T wannabes might have selected for high-speed run

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Commenter Of The Day: Neither Snow Nor Rain Nor... Wow, I'm Not Going Out In That Edition

  There are many things to love about Chicago, a city second-to-none in the hearts of many...mostly all who live in Chicago. With the recent rise of a Chicagoan to the presidency we assume things will only get better. The beer will be colder and the women will be warmer. Who knows, maybe even the Cubs will learn not to choke in the post-season. Actually, they almost certainly will. But it doesn't matter, Wrigley will still be a great place to see a ball game. The only thing we don't expect to happ

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  Dean Kamen Creates Hybrid Th!nk City Car With Stirling Engine

  Okay, so the Segway hasn't lit anyone's imagination on fire, but Dean Kamen's Luke Arm promises great things on the prosthetic front. Now his DEKA Revolt may be pointing to an interesting transportation option, a hybrid car with a Stirling engine.A Stirling engine works with any external energy source heating the controlled volume gasses contained in the engine cylinder. As the gas expands from heat, it forces the pistons to move. Lots of math and physics later, you get mechanical energy at the

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  Exclusive: Details Leak On "Warp" Optioned RENNtech Mercedes SL65

  The Cold War may be over but the ongoing battle between Mercedes-tuning shops BRABUS and RENNtech continues to heat up. We've all seen this war of HP — BRABUS releases photos of their 530 HP AMG C63. Later that day RENNtech releases their tuned 548 HP AMG C63. Next, RENNtech tunes an SLR McLaren and throws in track time. Later in the week, BRABUS tunes their SLR McLaren and throws in a tuned Smart. But it was after RENNtech tuned a GLK hybrid last week when BRABUS deigned it necessary to create

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  Ancient Arizona Kaisers Have Never Experienced Rust, Believe Life Is Eternal

  This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. You don't see many 1940s cars that live outside and haven't succumbed to the dreaded Rust Monster, but iron atoms have a tougher time getting together with oxygen in Arizona's dry climate. 57Sweptside has spotted this pair of '49 Kaisers in Phoenix, and they look pretty solid. The Traveler is an especially interesting find, due to its weird but fun

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  DARPA Looking For Someone To Build Flying Cars

  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking for a few inventive companies looking for cash to develop the holy grail of automotive awesomeness — flying cars. As part of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal, DARPA is looking for actionable plans for a military vehicle able to hold two or four people, drive up to sixty miles per hour, fit it inside an eight and a half by seven by twenty four foot box, then take of vertically and fly for two hours at 150 MPH. Th

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  Bowler Nemesis GT4: A Dakar Racer For Public Consumption

  You may have missed the Bowler Nemesis in last week's Page Three spread Motor Storms Pacific Rift story, but now you certainly can't miss it. Bowler Racing's announced plans to build a road-going version of the off-road racer for public consumption. Pegging the bottom line of the Land Rover-inspired beast around the $190,000 mark, the Nemesis GT4 will be equipped with a 4.2 liter, 500 HP supercharged Jaguar V8 hooked to an automatic gearbox, two or four Recaro bucket seats, climate control and a

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  Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS Eau Rouge Dark Edition Fails At Eau Or Rouge, Succeeds In Massive Power

  What "red water" has to do with the gray and black two-toned and tuned Carlsson CK65 RS Eau Rouge Dark Edition is anybody's guess, but that's what the Frenglish in the name means and we won't ask questions. Mainly that's because they can call the super coupe whatever they want considering the monstrous V12 Bi-Turbo delivers 705 HP for $400,000, or 756 HP for a smooth $470,000. That max power tuner model of the Mercedes CL65 will get you from zero-to-62 MPH in a kidney-punching 3.8 seconds with a

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  Is Thomas Friedman On Crack?

  With the auto industry flailing about, everyone all of a sudden thinks they're an expert, acting completely flabbergasted none of the domestic automakers have magically fixed everything yesterday. This kind of hit-and-run punditry has always been on display in Friedman's work, including regularly equating GM to a crack dealer in the most sensationalist analogy ever. Then came yesterday's column in the New York Times displaying an even greater lack of understanding of the depth and breadth of the

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  New 2010 Ford Mustang GT Teaser Photo Reveals A Duck-Tailed Rear End

  Dear god, it's yet another teaser shot of the 2010 Ford Mustang GT. This one shows off the sensuous duck-tail curves of the new rear end of Ford's pony car. Along with the strip tease, Ford's telling us

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  $875,000 1965 Shelby GT 350 R Mustang Most Expensive Craigslist Car Sale Ever?

  Sitting amid the Project Hell cars is a very pricey "R" code '65 Shelby Mustang — a 1965 Shelby GT 350 R Mustang for $875,000 to be specific. The car's been placed on the block by the folks at Auto Europe, a high-end auto sales company in Metro Detroit. While we've no clue if the car, one of only 35 produced and "1 of 25 in the World!" with "Full Race Gear!" (see, even has the prerequisite keyword spam), is actually the most expensive Craigslisted car ever, it's certainly the most expensive list

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  BRABUS Creates First Tuner Tesla Roadster, Mates Star Trek Sound Effects To Electric Car

  When a customizer like BRABUS "tunes" a car, we expect more power, better handling, unfortunate chintzy gadgets and gimmicky styling. In the case of the BRABUS-tuned Tesla Roadster, a car they claim is the first ever tuned electric car, it's just the chintzy gadgets and gimmicky styling. The German tuner shop may be the first to take on the Tesla Roadster, but with no added power, no added acceleration and no changes to the suspension, we're unfortunately left with merely taking in the breathtak

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  1970 Dodge Challenger

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Today we've got a car that I knew I'd find in Alameda someday: a Chrysler E Body! Now, these things have become totemic worship objects for Baby Boomers who remember when they had hair, virility, optimism, etc., so just about all of them now spend their days locked in garages in between cruise nights and car shows, much like the equally seldom-seen first-ge

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  PCH, Maximum Minivan Edition: Toyota 4x4 Or Turbo Caravan?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Last time we had another PCH Superpower upset, with Germany beating Britain in the Glas Versus Lotus challenge. Britain will come back strong, of course, but for now Germany can enjoy the pool of oil gathering beneath the Project Car Hell trophy. Fast forward to today; since it's Maximum Minivan Day, we're going to have Maximum Project Minivan Hell. For a Toyota to qua

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  Commenter Of The Day: Maximum Minivan Day Edition

  It's been a full Maximum Minivan Day here at Jalopnik, we're already waiting our next chance in 25 years so we can do it all over again. We brought you rusty Caravans, dusty history, smart cars and Nissan vans of mysterious origin. What you brought with you was the spirit and the stories of this modern minivan life. There were many great stories involving youths and Aerostars, but we think Beta.Rogan's tale deserves to be COTD for its touching prose and reference to a 1980s Toyota Van.

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  Soccer Dad Lives Life A Quarter Mile At A Time

  We can't possibly consider ourselves minivan aficionados without mentioning the most maximum minivan to ever grace the 'ole 1320. Watch as this 1989 Dodge Caravan SE Turbo administers a bit of wood-paneled justice to an unsuspecting LT1-powered Camaro. It only takes 12.651 seconds for this boosted daily driver to put the fear of Iaccoca into almost any poseur it comes across on it's way to Bed Bath and Beyond. [Turbovan]

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  The Ten Greatest Minivans Of All Time

  Before suburban moms fled to crossovers and SUVs, the minivan was the status symbol of the original MILFs. Though some may think of these vehicles as slow family haulers, we know better. So, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the minivan, going back to the day the first Dodge Caravan landed in a family's garage, we, along with our commenters, have come up with this, the Jalopnik list of the ten best minivans of all time. Check out the best in sliding-door soccer shuttles below.

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  Evil Genius Racing To Take On 25 Hours Of Thunderhill

  Even though Sacramento's Evil Genius Racing might be best known around these parts for its role in the Black Metal V8olvo LeMons car, owner John "Evil Genius" Pagel actually spends most of his time building nice race cars. You know, the kind that cost more than 500 bucks, go fast, and tend to hold together for long periods without any need for duct-tape/beercan intervention. In this case, Evil Genius has assembled three Miatas to take on NASA's 25 Hours Of Thunderhill race next month. I've seen

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  Mystery Nissan Minivan-Ish Wagon Down On The Austin Street

  This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Since it's Maximum Minivan Day, we need a Maximum Minivan Down On The Street Bonus Edition. This mysterious Nissan vannish wagon (or wagonish van) was spotted in Austin by Schnog; his theory is that we're looking at a Mexican-market Tsuru wagon. Make the jump for the rest of the story.

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  2009 Nissan 370Z: Design Dissected

  This year, as the 2009 Nissan 370Z is set to be unveiled next week at the LA Auto Show, marks nearly 40 years since the first Z car's simple origins as the 1969 Datsun 240Z. Since then we've seen the Z go all over the place, from tech-heavy with the 1991 300ZXTT and just plain heavy with the outgoing 350Z. But big was still beautiful, and each iteration of the itty-bitty Nissan, including the final one, has retained many of the simplistic design elements from the original '69. But now there's

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  What's Your Favorite Minivan Experience?

  What would Maximum Minivan Day be without a few stories of mischief undertaken in one? Whether burning your rubber or fumbling around for it in your wallet, the ubiquity of minivans around the time many of us were teenagers encourages us to believe you all have some great stories. Did you accidentally knock the sliding door off the hinges? Have you ever tried to cram an entire cheerleading squad in an Aerostar? Were you forced to live, Jewel-style, inside of a Previa? Share your sordid favorite

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  Participate In Federally-Funded Road Survey, Make $895

  It's no surprise people are driving less because of the financiapocalypse, leaving the US Department of Transportation rightly worried the Federal Highway Trust Fund could continue to dry up. The solution? A study, of course. We've found a federally-funded study at the University of Iowa looking to fit GPS tracking units onto participant's cars to determine if a pay-per-mile system would be more feasible than the current gas tax. Here's the fun part — if you live in one of the six test cities an

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  Saab 9-3 2.0T Special Edition Convertible To Drop Top At LA Auto Show

  All you haters who think GM's showing up with nothing at next week's LA Auto Show — get ready to eat your words. The boys and girls from Trollhattan will celebrate 25 years of quirky Swedish open air driving with the Saab 9-3 2.0T Special Edition Convertible. The new Saab convertible, pays homage to the first Saab convertible, which debuted at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show. If it looks familiar, maybe it's because this "special edition" is quite similar to the Saab 9-3 Convertible Yellow Edition

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  1990 Dodge Caravan LE

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Since it's Maximum Minivan Day, I knew I had to prowl the streets of Alameda and find a first-generation Chrysler minivan for this series. Easy, right? It turned out to be the hardest DOTS search I've ever done, because I've tuned out minivans from my personal Cool Vehicle Detectors the way treasure hunters adjust their metal detectors to tune out bottlecap

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Bentley Azure T: More Sensuously Senseless Luxury Coming To LA

  Bentley's got a brand new member of the Bentley Arnage gang hitting the streets at the LA Auto Show later this month. It's called the 2009 Bentley Azure T. The new drop-top Bentley gets the same 500 bhp V8 under the hood of the Brooklands coupe and the Arnage Final Series, so this special edition won't be seeing a power boost in this new edition. What should you expect to see a boost? How about the price — and oh yes, the luxury. It's got more diamond quilting! More aluminum finish! More veneer

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  2009 Roush P-51B Mustang Dogfights Its Way Into Your Heart

  The 2009 Roush P-51B Mustang, an aviation-themed screamer of a pony, is the newest custom to emerge from the secretive skunkworks of Jack Roush's Detroit shop. Only 51 of these bad lads will be tearing up the streets with their 510 HP and matching torque thanks to a bounty of tasty engine goods and a BFS (Big Fookin' Supercharger). The whole lot has been tweaked and tugged, including sinister black chrome wheels, a Juggernaut-approved braking system and a slathering of Olive Drab accents. More a

  By Andrew Didorosi Read More
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  Commenter Of The Day: Cooter Edition

  Ben Jones is a bit of a carpetbagger. He was born in North Carolina and moved to to Georgia where he began his campaign as a Democrat, first losing to and then defeating Representative Pat Swindall. After losing his seat in 1992, Jones went on to try and run against a pre-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich but was spanked. A few years later Jones went on to run against Eric Cantor, also losing. Coincidentally, both Gingrich and Cantor moved into higher leadership positions in Congress after defe

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Mirror-Finished Bugatti Veyron Blindingly Ushers In New Autostadt

  Autostadt, the Volkswagen theme park surrounding the automaker's factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, reopened at the end of October with a stunning new centerpiece. The "Premium Clubhouse," showcasing Volkswagen's new multi-brand luxury division, features a flawless mirror-finished Bugatti Veyron situated in a similarly reflective pavilion. Disorientation and vertigo aside, the exhibit promises an unrivaled experience as the spectator's reflections become part of the artwork. Eat your heart out, Chro

  By Andrew Didorosi Read More
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  Save GM!

  Yes friends, get your officially unofficial "SAVE GM" t-shirt before your bank shutters its doors and your credit cards are maxed out! Show your 'merican pride on your chest with these 100% cotton t-shirts. They're also 100% not-made-in-the-US, just like your cars will be if the feds don't step in to bail out the General. Remember, if we're not willing to "SAVE GM" — who will? Act now before GM's lawyers tell to us to pull 'em down. [Unofficial Jalopnik Cafepress Store]

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  LA Auto Show Site Tips Us Off To 332 HP Rating For Nissan 370Z

  The first official data in a murky sea of rumors regarding the power numbers on the 2009 Nissan 370Z has emerged in the form of an easy-to-miss photo caption on the LA Auto Show website. The power output of the fresh 3.7-liter V6 is a confirmed 332 HP, up 26 from the previous 3.5-liter, partly as a result of the new whizbang VVEL system, or Variable Valve Event and Lift. For more on this dark magic acronym and other things setting the 370Z apart from it's predecessor, hit the jump.The redesigned

  By Andrew Didorosi Read More
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  Comrades! All Hail The First-Ever Soviet 24 Hours Of LeMons Car!

  You know what's been missing from all the 24 Hours Of LeMons races so far? That's right- Soviet-made cars! It's been tough watching all those races without the accomplishments of Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky being represented on the track, but that's all going to change at the Detroit event next year, because Teargas has braved the wilds of Canada to bring back a genuine, made-in-the-USSR 1987 Lada Signet! You may remember this car from Project Car Hell Cold War Edition a while back, and making th

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  The Thunderstorm Is Part Geo Storm, Part Subaru Brat, 100% Awesome

  As much as we may be inclined to mock the Thunderstorm, which combines the nose and a powertrain of a Geo Storm with the rear end of a Subaru Brat and was constructed with an impressive level of parts-bin rummaging, we're in awe of how cool it actually is. The Thunderstorm is up for sale due to the "RECENT PASTING" of the seller's deceased "BELOVED HUSBAND" and has the lineage to prove it. Designed by someone in Alabama, the curiously-named Thunderstorm is a rolling metaphor for 1990s GM: Geo he

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  Mercedes Unveils Luxurious New Actros Trust Edition Semi For Euro-Trash Truckers

  Apparently the luxury car market was at just the level of saturation necessary for Daimler to shift it's steely blue eyes further up the size scale, with a new on-off special edition semi, the Mercedes Benz Actros 1860 Trust Edition. The name's based on the "Trucks you can Trust" ad campaign associated with Benz heavy trucks and it's not just a silly name. This special edition truck has been customized into the ultimate trucker's paradise by Proceda, a German design firm. Most of the ridiculous

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  Gray-Colored Cars Most Likely To Need Roadside Assistance According To Useless UK Study

  According to a recent survey, British drivers of gray-colored cars are more likely to call for roadside assistance than any other color. Gray is not a particularly popular car color in Britain (blue is the most popular), but 38.9% of gray-colored car drivers will call for some kind of assistance in the course of a year. Drivers of silver and red-colored cars are the least likely to call for help. The majority of people call because of battery or tire issues, so we can assume people who choose to

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  Aussie Super Car Goes On Sale, Electric Version Planned

  Everyone’s favorite mid-engined Australian super car has entered the final stages of development with Bolwell finally beginning to take deposits on the $132,000 car. The Bolwell Nagari drops a 3.5-liter Toyota V6 into a composite chassis, mating the 295 HP engine to a 6-speed paddle-shifter. At just 2,020 Lbs, that should be more than enough to propel the Nagari to 60 in around four seconds, which we hear is fast enough to outrun saltwater crocodiles.

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  What's The Greatest Minivan Of All Time?

  It was on a cold November morning 25 years ago the first Dodge Caravan rolled off the assembly line in Fenton, Missouri, officially launching the minivan. Although our maximum day of coverage in honor of 25 years of minivanning will shove off tomorrow, we decided to start the fun today. Though crossovers and MPVs are more frequent these days, they all owe a debt of gratitude to that first tall wagon. Given the multiple not-so-large vans of the last 25 years, which is your favorite? What is the b

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  President Bush Rumored To Consider Handing Over $25 Billion Loan Program To Automakers Like, Now

  MSNBC is reporting (UPDATED with video) President-current Bush has said he'll consider amending the $25 billion automaker low-interest loan guarantee program to allow the automakers to get the money right now and use it for whatever they need. The decision is being made because many economists say helping US automakers is a big part of preventing the economy from going even further into the hole. This comes a day after would-be Detroit savior President-elect Barack Obama, who has said an automak

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  The 1,005 HP Mustang GT-Based Scythe Concept Is An Overgrown Hot Wheels Car

  We've been cleaning out our memory card from SEMA and can't believe we forgot about this evil-looking custom concept found in the Ford booth at the huge aftermarket parts show. It's from the good folks at Galpin Auto Sports and it's called the Scythe. The purple concept car is one of the rare few we've seen where the name is actually fitting for the car being shown. Based loosely (VERY loosely) on a 2008 Mustang GT convertible, the team at GAS actually designed it to look like an overgrown Hot W

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  1969 Ford Mustang

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. It's Mustang time again, and we're on our eleventh so far in the series, after this '65 GT, this '65, this '66, this '66, this '68, this '69 fastback, this '73 convertible, this '76, this '86 SVO, and this '86 LX.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  New Corvette Z06-Based Anteros Heading To LA Auto Show

  Although we first saw n2a Motors' Anteros back at SEMA two years ago along with the 789 retro-rod. Well, the custom coachbuilder's got a brand new bag of C6-modified tricks up its sleeve. The custom carmaker's bringing the latest version of the Anteros to the LA Auto Show later this month. This new Anteros hotness is built on the 2009 Chevy Corvette, and as usual, it's got a carbon-composite body that again looks more at home in Cambiano, Italy than Bowling Green, Kentucky.

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  New Ford Fusion Hybrid Becomes First Ever Hybrid NASCAR Pace Car

  The only stock cars to roll out at the Homestead-Miami Speedway’s NASCAR race this weekend will be the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Ford Fusion Sport. They'll be the pace cars. They’ll also be, by far, the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the grid, with the Fusion Hybrid returning “at least” 38 MPG making it capable of traveling 700 miles on a tank. That means the Fusions will be the only vehicles present capable of finishing the 400-mile race without making a pit stop. The Sport — equipped

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Céline Dion Destroys Quebec In Her 1991 Dodge Colt

  We're pretty sure that the woman driving the '87 Sundance up the Stade Olympique in Montreal is not Céline Dion- though all the YouTubers swear it's her- but this ad for the '91 Dodge Colt does appear to feature Quebec's most famous daughter. First she dances with some scurrilous-looking gents, then leaves a swath of destruction behind her rebadged Mitsubishi, which is powerful enough to melt parking meters.

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  Obama To Get New, Giant Truck-Based Cadillac Presidential Limo

  UPDATE: Obama's New Cadillac Limo Officially Unveiled! With a new president set to take the office, GM is working on a new version of "Cadillac One" for President-Elect Barack Obama — and it's a monster. According to our sources, the new President's state car may look like a stretched Cadillac DTS but is actually based on the GMC Topkick medium-duty truck platform underpinning Ironhide from Transformers. But instead of turning into an alien fighting machine, the Cadillac transforms into a portab

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  Cars.com Ignores Financiapocalypse, Plans New Super Bowl Ad

  Thanks to the Financiapocalypse, we're expecting pickings to be slim in this year's Super Bowl Auto Ad Watch. Thankfully, despite the economic turmoil, Cars.com, the #2 player in the "mega-car-selling-conglomerate" game, is again looking to spend some mad cash on a commercial in February's Super Bowl. Last year's commercials weren't too shabby, so we're interested to see what the plucky little site with the automotive industry's most basic name is able to do this year. We're hoping it involves C

  By Ray Wert Read More
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  What $2,904 Car Would You Drive 2,904 Miles Cross-Country?

  While Ben is out living the dream in the driver's seat of a 1994 Chevy Caprice Classic for Top Gear's 2904 Cross-Country Rally, we're left at the home office to ponder what we'd be able to buy and drive the prescribed distance for $2,904 (all-inclusive). It has to be reliable enough to drive just under 3,000 miles, cheap enough to leave money for gas and efficient enough to burn through the gas money slowly. Ideally, it'll be comfortable enough to live-blog from and quick enough to leave everyon

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  Burnout Paradise Gets Flying DeLorean, Calls It Jansen 88 Special

  Pushing the boundary of copyright infringement to its limit, Criterion Games is committed to bringing customers an expansion pack complete with the "Legendary Cars" they’ve always wanted to drive. First up is the Jansen 88 Special — capable of lighting its tire tracks on fire at 88 MPH and hovering at around head height. We’ve never heard of a Jansen, so we can only assume that either Burnout Paradise players are more car savvy than we are, or it’s a slightly generified version of another, more

  By Wes Siler Read More
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  Deutsche Bank Views GM Stock As Worthless, Sets $0 Price Target

  Looks like Deutsche Bank's finally jumping on the whole "GM doesn't have money to pay the rent past December" bandwagon, issuing a price target of $0 on GM stock in light of a likely bankruptcy filing without federal intervention. As a result, GM shares are now down over 27% in morning trading. We're glad to see analysts at huge global financial institutions with millions of dollars in resources are finally on the same page as a car blog with a silly name. [Marketwatch]

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  1959 Volkswagen Transporter

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Alameda is definitely a VW Transporter sort of town; you can find all the major Transporter-loving groups here, from original-owner curmudgeons to Spicoli-grade surfers. Yes, even though Alameda is inside San Francisco Bay and thus gets waves better measured in inches than in feet on its beaches, we still have plenty of surfers here. Windsurfers and kite su

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M Unveiled Live At Mugello With Stickers, 16 GB Ferrari iPod Touch

  We're not sure why you'd need a track-capable Ferrari F430 Scuderia in drop-top form, but apparently Ferrari has a business case for it, revealing the Scuderia Spider 16M at the Mugello circuit in Italy. The new vert comes with a special 16 GB iPod Touch in a dock right on the center of the dash (you can sort of see it in this press shot). Doesn't that just add weight? Whatever. Aside from the obvious lack of a roof, the only differences that visually set the coupe and spider versions apart are

  By The Auto Insider Read More
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  Porsche Cayman Croctoberfest Mega Gallery

  Named after a species of crocodile-like creatures, the Porsche Cayman is affectionately referred to amongst its fans as “Croc.” Croctoberfest 3, held during the first weekend of October at Porsche North America’s Atlanta headquarters and organized by the Cayman Club, was the world’s biggest gathering of Caymans to date. Check out the mega gallery of hot Croc-on-Croc action below.

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  German Train Crash Spills New Porsches Onto Tracks

  Here's an expensive fender bender. It seems a train carrying oil rear-ended a train carrying 106 Porsches in the sleepy town of Dillenburg, Germany. The result — 18 cars totaled with damages estimated around at least €1 million, or about $1.28 million in US Federal Reserve issued fiat money. If your name was on one of these Porsches, we're sorry, but insurance will cover it and the image of a Porsche chilling on the tracks like the Delorean in Back to the Future II cracks us up.

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Dodge Recalls Over 20,000 Charger And Magnum Police Cars

  Every gearhead's dream of participating in a proper police chase involving Hemi-powered cruisers is a bit more difficult today, as Dodge is pulling 20,283 Chargers and Magnums equipped with both the Police Package and column shifter off the beat. Chrysler is concerned these particular cars could suffer from a bout of "unintended acceleration" courtesy of the old-school shifter. More after the jump.It turns out the fault lies in the column shifter which "may become disengaged from the steering co

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  Project Car Hell, Underdog Versus Superpower Edition: Glas Or Lotus?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Yesterday, we found a way for a Citroën SM to lose a PCH challenge: set up a pretty nice example as a clay pigeon to be blasted to dust by a heap of vaguely Ferrari-ish parts. No, it wasn't fair, but it proves the point that the SM still reigns as the King Of Project Car Hell. Now that we're in an upset sort of mood, let's see if it's possible for a German project to t

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Walker Canada Makes Another Batch Of Driveshaft Through The Skull Shirts, Get Yours Now!

  The last time Walker Canada printed up a batch of cheap Driveshaft Through The Skull shirts and I put them on eBay for him, they were gone in several hours. Nobody complained about the ink holding up poorly after multiple washes, but Walker figured he could do better and bought some better printing gear from a failed silkscreen company- got to love this faltering economy! Jump away for the details. Walker's plan is to get rich selling really nice quality shirts for big bucks to fashion-conscious

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  President-Elect Barack Obama Is Detroit's Personal Jesus, Plans To Help Not-So-Big Three

  It looks like it was a good thing Michigan delivered up the electoral votes to help elect Barack Obama, because he's just made saving the auto industry part two of a three-part plan to address the nation's economic woes. In his first press conference today as President-elect, Obama whipped Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm out on stage, telling the world he hopes to approve the $25 billion in assistance for retooling. In addition, Detroit's new diety claimed he plans to make additional policy opti

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  GM's Wagoner: Send Help... Please

  Speaking with CNBC's Phil LeBeau, who has spent today talking to more distressed people than Dr. Phil, GM CEO Rick Wagoner outlined how grim the news is for the troubled automaker, and mentioned the "domino effect" losing GM would have on the economy ( as an aside, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) claims 6.5 indirect jobs for each OEM job — whether that's supplier jobs or just the guy who runs the dry cleaners in the RenCen). The big concern is that GM will simply run out of

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  1971 Imperial Sets Sail For Europe, Joins Mercedes-Benz 600 Traveling Companion

  Last time we saw the '71 Imperial Le Baron that I was helping BobAsh get to the Czech Republic, it was parked down on the Alameda street. Now it's on a boat to Bremerhaven, along with an expat German heading back home after many decades in Nordamerika.

  By Murilee Martin Read More
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  Honda Unveils Experimental Robot Legs, Human Cyborgization Not Far Behind

  Honda has pulled the wraps off a set of interesting experimental robotic legs it says can help support body weight, mainly for people carrying heavy loads or stuck in a crouching position. The legs act more like a mobile chair than some sort of exo-skeletal killer-cyborg-enhancement system, but it takes baby steps. We especially like the shots of Honda Motors workers using the robot legs on the assembly line. Reminds us of some creepy scene out of Ghost in the Shell. Full details in the press re

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  Neil Young's Lincvolt: An All-Electric 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Convertible

  Neil Young has decided to make himself an example of how hybrid electric cars can be produced with existing technology and without the loss of style with his Lincvolt, an all-electric version of the awesome 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Convertible. He's been working with noted alternative energy nerd Johnathan Goodwin and his company, H-Line Conversions, to develop the car, in current form an electric with an on-board compressed natural gas generator. Young wants the 5,000 pound, 19.5 foot

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  First Alfa Romeo 8C Competitzione Sold In US Parked At New York Train Station?

  Exactly a month after we told you 84 copies of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competitzione would be coming to US shores, reader KingRoyale spotted this one parked outside the Rye, NY train station. The lusty Italian coupe apparently wore a license plate reading "001 USA" leading us to wonder if this is in fact the first Alfa Romeo sold in the US since 1995. The Alfa certainly stands out like a sore thumb against the fall backdrop, doing its job of being obnoxiously beautiful. UPDATE: Word has it this Alfa b

  By Ben Wojdyla Read More
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  GM-Chrysler Merger Talks Suspended, Hummer And AC Delco Still For Sale

  All the buzz over a potential Chrysler and GM merger may be for naught as GM announced today that they've suspended talks in order to refocus on their soon-to-be bankrupt business. Though GM claims it would have liked to try the merger, the lack of government help (seeing a trend here?) means it isn't possible at this time. Instead, GM plans on selling AC Delco and Hummer, to the surprise of no one who has paid attention for the last few months. The company will also attempt to sell its manufact

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  What Kind Of Vehicle Would You Want In A Snow Storm?

  With a major snow storm bearing down on the Dakotas, it's already that time of year where we start talking about how we'd like to get through a snow storm. We assume most people stranded on South Dakota roads weren't driving around in Mini Cooper Convertibles, though we're worried that a few people may have been caught unprepared. Because we keep our eyes to the sky and our mind on our wheels we don't plan on ever getting stranded on the road in something not up to the task. A good snow storm-mo

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  GM Declares Bankruptcy Imminent After $4.2 Billion Third Quarter Loss

  GM today announced a third-quarter loss of $4.2 billion (adjusted, $2.5 billion reported) on revenues of $37 billion while spending $6.9 billion of their lifeblood-like cash on hand. Although initially we thought the big news here was a cash spend of $2.3 billion per month, compared to around $1.1 billion a month in the previous quarter, but the real story is that GM basically acknowledged what we said first last month that bankruptcy is imminent (and we might add, were laughed at by some member

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  2010 Porsche Cayman Sneaks Into LA Just In Time For Auto Show

  Despite the ubiquity of semi-disguised Porsche Panameras making a secret publicity tour of the United States, we haven’t seen much of the 2010 Porsche Cayman since we exclusively unveiled it back in July. Now, an eagle-eyed Cayman Club forum member has spotted a trifecta of the updated sports cars winging their way into LAX. We’re sure it’s not a coincidence that they arrived just two weeks before the LA Auto Show.

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  1964 Volkswagen Beetle

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. As I keep saying, the air-cooled VW Beetle is the most common type of old vehicle I see on the streets of the island. By far the most common. As an former (and probably future) Type I owner, I like the clattery little beasts- unadjusted valves, crazy handling, and all- but it would drive just about everyone crazy if we had the two DOTS Beetles a week that t

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  Ford Announces $129M In Third Quarter Losses, Forecasts Job Cuts

  Ford has announced third quarter losses of $129 million after pre-tax losses of a total of $2.7 billion. These results are an improvement from the company's $380 million loss in the third quarter of last year. This news comes after a quarter ravaged by the twin problems of high gasoline prices and overall economic doldrums, but Ford's budget bright spot was a $2.3 billion reduction in retiree health care costs. So no layoffs, right? Not exactly.Unfortunately these figures will likely lead to a f

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  Rumor: GM To NOT Put Chevy Volt Program On Hold, Cut Engineering Staff Tomorrow

  Rumors of tomorrow's "important changes" at GM have approached a fevered pace, but the latest one we've heard is coming directly from someone who's directly related to someone who could be directly affected if the rumor is true. So, it must be true, right? Anyway, we've just been told by the family of a Chevy Volt engineering team member that not only is the untouchable Volt program on hold, GM's even letting some of the engineering team, aka "the chosen people," go. Hit the jump for the full ru

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  PCH, Challenging The King Edition: Citroën SM Or Four Ferraris?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! We all knew that the Nixonian Cadillac Fleetwood limo had no chance against a Citroën, and our most recent Choose Your Eternity poll confirmed our assumptions. Any Citroën is tough to beat in a Project Car Hell Challenge, due to the off-the-scale readings Citroëns always register on both the Hell-O-Meter and the Cool-O-Meter. And a Citroën SM? Forget it! Even with a fa

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  Commenter Of The Day: Carey Loftin Edition

  Stunt coordinators are a lot like automotive journalists in that their profession requires a significant amount of driving and, at the end of the day, many of the cars they drive end up destroyed. And when talking about stunt drivers it would be hard not to mention Carey Loftin, the man behind many of the most memorable drives. He was the main driver for Steve McQueen in Bullitt. Famously, he was the evil truck driver in Spielberg's Duel, though we never had a chance to see his face. He was even

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  Honda Gets A New Life

  The Honda Life, one of the oldest minicars, dating back to the 1970s, is getting an upgrade. As a Kei car, the Life is limited to a 660 cc inline three-cylinder normally aspirated or turbocharged engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Both AWD and FWD versions abound, including the base-model Life G-Type, sporty Life Diva and premium-level Life Pastel. In addition to being the first Kei car offered with a backup camera, the Life can also be outfitted with a motorized front seat tha

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  All-Electric Mini E Gets One Year Lease Priced At $820 Per Month

  According to Luxevelocity, the new and very limited production all-electric MINI E will be offered up to interested customers with a one year lease at a monthly price of $820, but that's not all. To qualify for the lease you have to have a garage of some sort with a locking door and be able to supply a high-voltage hookup for the dedicated charging system. In return you get a two-seat Mini (the back is reserved for its 28 kWh lithium ion battery pack) with a 150-mile range, though considering yo

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  Conversion Kit Turns Pontiac G8 Back Into Holden Commodore

  Like the idea of an affordable, rear-wheel-drive, mid-size performance sedan, but concerned the Pontiac G8 is a little too...Pontiac for your tastes? JHP Vehicle Enhancements has the solution for you. The company is selling a kit to convert the US-market Pontiac G8 back into the Holden Commodore upon which it's based, thus freeing it from the image problems (mullet) associated with the Pontiac brand.

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  Countach Guy Needs Help: Basement-Built Lamborghini Fans Lead To Huge Web Hosting Bill

  If you remember (and really, how can you forget?) last month's stories about Ken Imhoff and his amazing basement-built Lamborghini Countach replica, you probably know the story turned into kind of a big deal — not just here, but all across the internet. While Ken was most gracious in allowing us to run the inside story of his amazing 17-year-long project, and humble in his sudden fame, he was not expecting all of you cretins to massacre his website's bandwidth limit. As such, Ken has gotten stuc

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  What Kind Of Car Is President-Elect Barack Obama?

  With the polls closed and the new president selected, there are a lot of happy people out there, a lot of sad people and this crazy guy. After two years of campaigning, it's sort of hard to believe it's over. We'll be spending the next four years breaking down the new president's policies, reporting on Detroit automakers who beg him for more money, and mocking his automotive initiatives. It's what we do. Until then, here's a chance for everyone to get a few more jokes out of their system. This i

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  Lamborghini Estoque Could Get Diesel Engine Or Turbocharging

  The Lamborghini Estoque, the four-door bull from Sant'Agata, will likely see a range of engine choices heretofore unseen from the automaker. In an attempt to meet stricter emissions standards, Lamborghini is considering turbocharging and/or the use of a diesel engine for the sedan. This would be in addition to the 5.2-liter V10 borrowed from the Gallardo, which could put out more than 500 horsepower for the Estoque. But diesel, really?

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  World's Largest Lamborghini Dealer Closes Its Doors

  According to California's Orange County Register, the world's largest Lamborghini dealer, Lamborghini Orange County, has closed its doors without explanation from either the dealership owners or Lamborghini parent company Volkswagen. The sudden shuttering of the dealership and its satellite showrooms comes on the heels of the closure of more mainstream "world's largest" dealers like Bill Heard Chevrolet. The owner of the Santa Ana based Lambo dealer, and reinforcer of every Lamborghini stereotyp

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  1972 BMW 2002

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. BMW 2002s are plentiful on the island (we've seen a beater '72, a '73 2002Tii, and a massive-bumpered slushbox '75 so far), though technically this one isn't on the island. I've ventured over to Bay Farm Island (which was once literally an island but is now attached to the mainland at the Oakland Airport, just as the island part of Alameda was once a penins

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  Honda Civic HFP Concept Sits Efficiently On SEMA Show Floor

  It may not be the spiritual successor to the CRX HF, but the Honda Civic HFP Concept is the result of Honda Access America — the in-house accessory division — taking a Civic Si and adding lightness. Both exhaust and wheels have been replaced with high-performance ultra-lightweight versions, while an aero body kit streamlines the cD for a slipperier shape. So how much more efficient is the HFP? Well...they don't quite say, but we'd venture a guess that Honda's working in one or two MPG increments

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  Volkswagen CC Eco Performance Concept Bows At SEMA

  Following the example of the RKSport Hyundai Genesis Sedan, the Volkswagen CC Eco Performance Concept is debuting at SEMA without super-gaudy bodywork, dizziness-inducing interior and a paint job that would make Zsa Zsa Gabor blush. The car features a 2.0-liter TSI inline-four with a three-stage turbo from APR, but you can select how much power comes out the end.

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  Commenter Of The Day: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner Edition

  In the history of celebrity name changes, which includes great moments such as when a young Raymond Wertokowitzckiberg became our own Ray Wert, few stand out as so awe-inspiring as the sudden transition for a young English musician from Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner to merely Sting. According to Sting, the change came while playing with a group called the Phoenix Jazzmen. Gordon showed up to the concert wearing a black-and-yellow sweater that, remarked the frontman, made Gordy look like a bee. Wi

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  Ronn Motors Scorpion Hydrogen Internal Combustion Supercar Debuts At SEMA

  Standing out among the carbon fiber and large wheels at SEMA was the debut of the Ronn Motors Scorpion hydrogen-powered supercar. Built in Texas, this hydrogen vehicle isn't a fuel cell that converts hydrogen into electricity to power an electric motor. Instead, the Scorpion features a modified 3.5-liter Acura V6 that has hydrogen injected into it. Where does the hydrogen come from? Using a process similar to electrolysis, water is zapped with electricity in order to create a hydrogen gas that i

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  Project Splitwheel Wants You To Build The Next Caterham Sports Car

  Project Splitwheel wants your help in designing the world’s first user-generated car, in conjunction with Caterham, who will put the resulting car into production. “Cars are amongst the most hotly debated topics on the internet and for the first time we are going to channel some of that passion and energy into an exciting high-profile project with a real-world outcome," says the company. “Every attribute and detail of the new vehicle will be decided by Project Splitwheel members, from the chassi

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  TIV-2: An Exclusive Look Inside The Techie Tank-Like Tornado-Chaser

  We first saw Sean Casey's latest and greatest in mobile tornado chasing insanity, the TIV-2, in a spy photo back in May, but now Sean's given us this exclusive first-hand look at the truck-based tech-filled tank here at SEMA and the scoop on what to expect from the TIV-3 for next season's Discovery Channel show, "Storm Chasers." When we first saw the TIV-2 in those spy photos in May, details were thin. We didn't even realize it was his sequel to the original Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV). No

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  Toyota Tundra Dually Returns To SEMA With Monster Diesel Mill

  Toyota Tundra Dually concept debuted at the 2007 SEMA show but returns for an encore with its 8.0 liter Hino heavy truck inline-six diesel engine normally used in a 35,000 lb beasts, an Eaton five-speed manual transmission and a matching Hino rear end, and you've got a truck beefy enough to drag the entire SEMA show around. We would have loved to know more about the specifics of that powertrain, but Toyota tooted its horn about the "opulent interior" and “Road Warrior exterior," 22.5 inch Alcoa

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  US Soldier In Iraq Wins "Mustang Stories" Contest, 2010 Ford Mustang

  Army Specialist Kory Chesher of the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq will be receiving a 2010 Ford Mustang and a trip to the LA Auto Show for his story of a lifelong love of the Mustang that, sadly, never included owning a Mustang. When Ford launched its 96-day endless countdown they announced the new Mustang would be given to the person with the best Mustang Story. Chesher had been saving his money in order to buy a Mustang when he returned, meaning he can pour that dough into fixing up the car.

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  2009 Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger Slides Into SEMA

  In an attempt to expand the appeal of the 2009 Dodge Challenger to every corner of the automotive enthusiast world, Chrysler has unveiled the Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger that will be piloted by Samuel Hübinette during the 2009 Formula Drift season. In order to prep the car for FD, the Challenger dropped a significant amount of weight with the use of carbon fiber everywhere and received a bit more safety equipment than your average SRT8. Under the hood is a custom-built Mopar A8 aluminum engine

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  Toyota Brings A Ducati To SEMA Via Big Red Custom Tundra

  Toyota apparently wanted a little of that Italian passion mixed into its Toyota Tundra crew cab for SEMA. Engineers stretched the frame and dropped on an awesome 6.5-foot bed set-up with all kinds of storage for track day support, then slathered the whole thing in red paint. The truck actually looks pretty darn slick in Ducati livery matching the accompanying 2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR Motorcycle. Those dark, 22-inch Alcoa wheels do their part to set the paint off, but its the 500 HP supercharge

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  RKSport Hyundai Genesis Smacks SEMA With Heavy Hand Of Awesomness

  We told you about the speedy Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but what about that other Hyundai Genesis in the unveil video? That was the 460 HP, supercharged, 4.6 liter V8-powered RKSport Hyundai Genesis with experimental cylinder deactivating. The IHI screw-type supercharger provides 11 pounds of additional intake pressure and helps motivate the car to sixty in a scorching 4.9 seconds with a quarter-mile run coming in 13.58 seconds at 108 MPH — all while being capable of returning 27

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  1967 Ford Galaxie 500

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Big 1960s Fords are always welcome here, and we've seen a couple on the Alameda street prior to today (a '65 Country Squire and a '67 XL). Now I've spotted another '67, and it's parked right in front of a DOTS favorite: the Hot Dog Stand VW Bus!

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  Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe Unveiled At SEMA

  Click to viewThe cloth has dropped at SEMA on a Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe that doesn't quite look like it did in the original rendered concept. The fortified and honest to goodness "Art Of Speed" race car made from the guts of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe is stripped of all the superfluous interior amenities and upgraded with an eight point safety cage, racing seat, quick release steering wheel and all the other requisite goodies of a race car. Under the hood the 2.0 liter turbo four

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  PCH, Presidential Ride Edition: Nixon Cadillac Fleetwood Or De Gaulle Citroën DS?

  Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Last time we stepped into the Liquid Sodium Garage, 78% of you felt that the WRX-powered VW Beetle would be your eternal torment, leaving the poor Granada hearse unwanted and unfeared. But that was last week; today we're locked into Presidential Election Hell, and that means it's time to vote on projects similar to cars driven by two of the 20th century's most powerful

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  Indiana Cressida Proves That A Snowball Has A Chance In Hell After All

  This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. You know those movies about the scattered survivors of a heinous plague? Here's a machine that's emerged victorious- though hardly unscathed- from repeated assaults by the dreaded Yersina Rustis. 72Riv spotted this Cressida in Winona Lake, Indiana, a region in which most Malaise Era Japanese cars dissolved like a serial killer's victims in a baseme

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  Tunerized SEMA Prius Makes Us Weep For Humanity

  There's no good excuse for this customized Toyota Prius muddying up the floor at SEMA, and we couldn't love hating it more. Why the engine-turned light covers? The scissor doors? The triple-blade-razor inspired hood? We're not even going to get going on the paint job choice, interior fit-and-finish and those glorious wheels. Get that new Toyota Prius out ASAP — it can't possibly look this bad when it goes under the knife. We're experiencing a serious case of schadenSEMA with this one.

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  Two X1/9s, Three Alfettas To Turn Arse-Freeze-A-Palooza 24 Hours Of LeMons Red, White, And Green!

  We're about ready to wrap up the year's 24 Hours Of LeMons racing season with the infamous Arse Freeze-A-Palooza race, which is designed to destroy families- already fraying at the seams after months of frantic wrenching on the property-value-lowering "race car" in the driveway- by starting on the day after Christmas. It will all be worth it, though; when we found that a V12 Jaguar, a Corvair, and a Peugeot 505 Turbo would be racing, we knew this would be one of the all-time best 24 Hours Of LeM

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  Kumho Launches Ultra-Low-Profile 15-Series Tires

  Own a high-performance supercar but want to ruin its ride and handling? Well Kumho has just the thing for you! Presented today at SEMA were these new ultra-low-profile 15-Series “performance” tires. Available only in 385/15-22 size for now, they’re designed for the otherwise-competent Ferrari F430, Dodge Viper and Corvette Z06. But, while the 15-Series tires are just for looks, their complete and utter lack of sidewalls has an unexpected benefit.

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  ECTO-1 Gets A Sound System Upgrade In Time For SEMA

  In conjunction with the upcoming 25th anniversary release of the greatest ghost-hunting comedy ever, Ghostbusters, Sony has outfitted the original, fully restored ECTO-1 with an extensive Sony entertainment system packed with all manner of gadgets for SEMA. The classic Cadillac ambulance features Sony Xplod subwoofers, a DVD player, iPod adapter, Sony marine amps and speakers, an MP3 player, 10-disc CD changer and a navigation system. It all seems like a bit of overkill considering the only thin

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  2008 Cobra Jet Mustang Brings The Noise At SEMA

  In addition to the Raptor pickup, Ford will be unveiling its latest purpose-built drag racer, the 2008 Mustang Cobra Jet. The Cobra Jet, also known as the FR500CJ, is an attempt by the Dearborn, MI-based automaker to expand its offerings of racing pony cars. The Cobra Jet gets a beefed up 5.4-liter V8 with a cold air intake, A/C delete, 9-inch rear end, a six speed manual or three speed auto, a roll hoop and a specialized suspension. While no horsepower figure is given yet, Ford is calling it a

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  Nelly's On And Poppin' Custom Ford Flex To Be Revealed At SEMA

  Working with Ford and Funkmaster Flex (no relation), Grammy-winner Nelly laid out a design for his own custom Ford Flex crossover; the finished result will be revealed to the artist today at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Apparently Nelly was enthusiastic about the Flex from his first look, saying "Yo, that’s hot! How can I get one of those?" Never one to miss a PR opportunity, Ford offered to customize a Flex for the "premiere stuntastic stuntman" under the watchful eye of Funkmaster, himself a cu

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  1970s Apollo Motorhome

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Since I started doing Down On The Street, I've been hoping to find an old street-parked Airstream for the series. There are a few on the island, but they're stubborn driveway dwellers, never venturing out into fair DOTS territory. However, a Hell Project Apollo motorhome, parked with most of its windows removed in an upscale East End neighborhood full of mi

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  That's Not A Custom Exhaust, THIS Is A Custom Exhaust; Japanese Tuner Car Fun

  Oh land of the rising sun, you complete us. Whether it be dekotora, dekochari, custom flightless van, or cartoony car like the ones shown here, Japanese tuners make us laugh and cry, inspiring and frightening all while being endlessly amusing. How many aftermarket pharmaceuticals do you have to be on to come up with some of this stuff? We want more of this in the land of apple pie and baseball — think of how fun SEMA would be! Actually, we'd love to see some styles merged. Just imagine: Donkotor

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  Commenter Of The Day: Jalopnik Endorses Edition

  Though we attempt to stay apolitical here at Jalopnik, it's hard to ignore that there's an election going on tomorrow. We've tried to cover the important car-related election stories such as what supporters drive and get-out-the-votemobiles. We've talked about Sarah Palin's Mustang and Barack's Grand Cherokee. Now that the day is upon us, it is time for Jalonpik to, belatedly, endorse a candidate. That's right. We're pulling for the angry old man from the south. A.J. Foyt for president. He's a f

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  2010 Pontiac G8 ST Concept Coming To SEMA

  We're big fans of the Pontiac G8 ST so the thought of a radical SEMA version from GM had us a bit worried. Thankfully, the adjustments to the G8 ST seem to be generally mild and include the Liquid Hot paint job, a revised ride height (revised down — it's that kind of truck), 20-inch wheels and some interior touches from the Pontiac G8 GXP. Don't be surprised to see many of these parts offered either on a future G8 ST GXP or through the GM parts catalog. Click here for a larger photo. Press relea

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  Hurst/Hemi Challenger Teased Ahead Of SEMA Launch

  These photos show details of the new 500+ HP 2009 Hurst/Hemi Challenger that’s scheduled for an official unveiling at SEMA tomorrow. Expected to be available from a range of dealers early in 2009, Hurst is offering a variety of upgraded components for the 2009 Dodge Challenger, all of which appear to be fitted to this vehicle; that means the de rigeur Hurst shifter, white paint with gold stripes, branded wheels and a variety of motor upgrades which culminate in the 500+ HP figure, but can be opt

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  Widebody Challengers From Classic Design Concepts Debuting At SEMA

  Here's some hotness bound for the endless halls of SEMA — a pair of heavily massaged widebody Dodge Challengers by Classic Design Concepts. Outside, the Challengers get shaker hoods, a very snazzy wire mesh grille, and extra wide composite fenders which are particularly slick in the back, presenting a bulged-out version of the famous billboard side stripes. Under those fenders are 10-inch wide wheels in the front and 11.5 inchers out back, stopped by massive Baer brakes. Those big brakes will be

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  The Best And Worst McCain Vs. Obama Get-Out-The-Votemobiles

  Although we'll know who the next president will be by tomorrow night (barring any shenanigans from swing states — we're looking at you Florida), we can learn something about each campaign's supporters right now by looking at their cars. Anyone can donate their money and time, but it takes someone special to convert their car into a portable billboard. Fans of both Senator John McCain and Barack Obama have, in some cases, permanently altered their cars in an attempt to sway voters. Below, and j

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  Tesla Motors Loses Arbitration Hearing To Fisker Over Stolen Model S Designs

  According to Fisker Automotive, the company has emerged the victor in a lawsuit that pitted the niche hybrid automaker against Tesla Motors, the niche electric car automaker. The original lawsuit, brought by Tesla, alleged that Henrik Fisker stole designs for the Tesla Model S for his Fisker Karma Hybrid. Fisker claimed this was false and, using a clause in his contract with Tesla, sought arbitration. The arbitrator agreed with Fisker, essentially piling on more bad news for Tesla, which has had

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  Chevy Hits SEMA With Four Camaro Concepts And A Load Of Accessories

  In case you haven't seen the 2010 Chevy Camaro enough yet, GM is bringing four concept Camaros to SEMA this week, some of them actually interesting. The lineup includes the Camaro LS7 Concept (guess what that one's got under the hood), Camaro Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concept (yeah, we figured), Camaro Black Concept and the Camaro GS Racecar Concept, along with a GM Performance Parts car loaded to the gills with stuff you can buy for your Camaro — the one that won't be in your garage until at least nex

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  Inside The RENNTech GLK350 SPEC.R HYBRID Rally-Inspired SEMA Racer

  There's something a little insane about getting handed a Mercedes-Benz GLK hybrid for a SEMA build and, instead of creating a lowered and overly-painted custom, trying to duplicate a Pike's Peak Unlimited Class rally racer. But it's that insanity that has always made RENNTech one of the most entertaining tuning shops out there. Below we take the first look at the build and the specs for the RENNTech Rally GLK Hybrid, debuting later this week.

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  The Car-Based Ford Explorer Test Mule, Up Close And Personal

  A funny thing happens when you ride a motorcycle around Detroit with no particular purpose: You see a lot of things people would rather you not see, like the curious-looking car-based 2011 Ford Explorer we first saw a couple days ago. Having no final destination also gives you the freedom to chase down your quarry and tail it until the driver parks it in a public parking lot to go have dinner with his buddies. So we played the stalker — oh well. It afforded us the opportunity to poke around the

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  How Do You Plan On Getting To Your Polling Location?

  Unless you live in Utah, you've probably been subjected to political commercials, robocalls, fliers, emails and door knocks claiming that this or that candidate is a socialist or a right-wing nutjob. Assuming the media crush hasn't completely dissuaded you from participating in the democratic process, you're going to have to get out to the polls. What's your method of getting there? Will you take public transit like a pinko leftist? Will you drive up in a Confederate flag-draped Suburban like a

  By Matt Hardigree Read More
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  Report: US-Market Acura TSX Diesel On Hold

  Honda has been talking up plans to add a diesel to its US lineup, starting with an unnamed 2009 Acura model assumed to be the TSX. Turns out Honda neglected to cover all its bases: The new engine reportedly passes emissions when equipped with a manual transmission but not when an automatic is bolted up. Acura wisely decided the U.S. business case for a diesel TSX sans slushbox was problematic, resulting in the temporary cancellation of the program. Will we ever see it? Ward's reports a source si

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  1984 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

  Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. You know, after 379 vehicles in this series, we've had just one Jeep, and that was a 2-wheel-drive mail-carrier's DJ5? Oh, sure, we saw this 1945 GPW 'Jeep', but that was built by Ford! Meanwhile, we've had five IHC Scouts. What's the deal here- is Alameda's Navy-town heritage enforcing some unspoken anti-Army bias that results in old Jeeps getting vandaliz

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  Novitec Adds Twin Blowers To Ferrari 599 Fiorano For 808 HP

  We've shown you what German tuner Novitec Rosso can do to the Ferrari F430, but now the company has turned its sights on the 599 GTB Fiorano. The result is 808 HP and 607 ft-lbs of torque in a package that's refreshingly subtle for a tuner car. Novitec installed its own wind-tunnel-tested aero kit, but it's integrated so well it looks Ferrari-supplied. Likewise the 21-inch alloys — the only giveaway in the wheel arches is the Novitec casting on the bright-yellow brake calipers. The company claim

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  2010 Ford Mustang Debuts As Hot Wheels Car... Maybe

  Being unable to wait much longer for, or endure more teasers of, the 2010 Ford Mustang we're going to believe that these photos are actually the Hot Wheels version of the 2010 Mustang that is set to debut at the LA Auto Show this month. As wild as the thought is, we have a few reasons to believe that this car posted on eBay is actually a real version of the new Mustang and not a clever person with a pen, some paint and a good imagination.

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Nice Price or No Dice (2)

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  Toronto Resident Rides Like A Politburo Big Chief In His GAZ Tchaika 14

  This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Today we're heading back to Toronto, a city that's given us all manner of interesting old iron in the past, from the Alfa Romeo Giulia Nuova Super 1600 to just about everything else. Twilight Sentinel has found one of the rarest machines of them all, a Gorbachev-grade '87 GAZ Tchaika 14… and it's for sale! Jump away to learn more.

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  Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: The $200,000 Turbo Buick Regal?

  You ready for Nice Price Or Crack Pipe today? It's ready for you! Today we've got a really interesting one: the original prototype Gale Banks Buick turbocharged V6 engine- the one that led to the Grand National- installed in a Full Mullet Airbrush Mural Overload '81 Regal… and priced at two hundred grand. That engine, if legit, is certainly worth plenty, but that car somehow doesn't look six-figure-y. What do you think?

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Technology (1)

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  Eyesore Racing's Ghettocharged Miata Fears No Turbocharged Peugeot Surrender Monkeys!

  You know how these know-it-alls keep telling you that you have to be all, like, scientific and stuff when you want to add turbocharging to your engine? Forget that noise! When you're on a 24 Hours Of LeMons-mandated $500 budget and you've already spent $17.99 on the most hideous wrecked Miata imaginable, you can't go throwing away money on complicated-ass fuel-delivery crapola. No, you do what Eyesore Racing did with the Ghettocharged FrankenMiata! Make the jump to read about yet another reason

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