Archive for March 2012

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Buying (4)

  • Amazing 788 Horsepower Ferrari-Slaying Volvo Wagon Seeks New Owner

    If you're an affluent car enthusiast who has always desired a vintage Volvo station wagon that has no problem embarrassing a new Ferrari in a straight line (who hasn't), you're in luck. The car you see here, which may be the only one in the world that fits this description, is currently for sale.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Ten Desirable Used Cars That Are Impossible To Find

    Some cars are like certain pop songs: they become hugely popular before fading away. While there's no shortage of classic rock or 1965 Mustangs in America, some once-loved cars have become scarily endangered. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ones that we want but increasingly cannot find.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Here's Your Chance To Own The Oldsmobile 442 James Garner Raced In Baja

    Even without any celebrity connection it's hard to deny the cool factor of a modified 1970 Oldsmobile 442 that is no stranger to off-road racing in Baja. Add in the fact this off-road Olds was built for and piloted by James Garner in 1969 and 1970 and it starts to become clear exactly how awesome this unique vintage race car really is.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Fiat 500 Abarth: First Drive

    After the fiasco that was the J.Lo. marketing campaign (and the corresponding anemic first year sales) I feel like Fiat is very concerned with the 500 being pigeonholed as an overtly feminine car. The Fiat 500 Abarth rectifies that and provides some of the most fun you can have on four wheels.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

Culture (38)

  • What's The Biggest 'F-YOU!' Car?

    A lot of cars are bland and anonymous. Some are charming and attractive. Some just ooze bad attitude and say, "I don't give a damn about you or your social standards. Or your front lawn." What's the biggest middle-finger-to-polite-society on wheels?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • 'Lamborghini Batman' Unmasked

    The world was first introduced to "Lamborghini Batman" when he was pulled over earlier this week. Now I've finally gotten through to the man behind the mask.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Meet Oliver Evans, The Inventor Of The Abandoned Car

    If you’re like me, and, let’s face it, you are, you’ve spent many an afternoon exploring abandoned cars, playing games of What’s That Stain? and Is This Edible? But did you ever stop and wonder about the very first abandoned car? You should. Abandoned cars are as much a part of motoring’s rich heritage as the GT40 or intermittent windshield wipers. Here’s the story of the first abandoned car in history. I’m proud to say it’s an American invention.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • Ron Howard's F1 Film "Rush" Will Make The '70s Look Sexy

    James Hunt was a sex-crazed playboy. Niki Lauda was nearly consumed in flames. They both raced in one of the most thrilling, dangerous eras in Formula One. Here is a look inside Rush, Ron Howard's upcoming film about their rivalry and motor racing in the ‘70s.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • The Story Behind The World's Greatest Photo Of Sir Stirling Moss

    It's been a winner for me for a few years now. Indeed it's become a bit of a 'Hero Shot' on my portfolio, such was its popularity. What makes it a winner? The ingredients. A world famous racing driver who is a household name globally, a bright red Italian racing car, a gorgeous blonde, lingerie, sunshine and blue skies. These days it pretty much always triggers the same comment, "Was it Photoshopped?" No, it wasn't. Here's how it came about.

    By Ray Wert Read More
  • 1967 Chevy Impala Is A Barn Find Time Capsule

    Considering the last new 1967 Chevrolet Impala rolled off the assembly line 45 years ago, we'd say this original wagon that's traveled a mere 31,000 miles is about as close as you can get to factory fresh.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Modified 1960 Ranch Wagon Is Built To Cruise

    Considering the fact a total of 127,952 Ford wagons rolled off the assembly line in 1960 some would take issue with the idea of calling this Ranch Wagon rare, but when is the last time you saw one of the 27,136 examples of this model built that year?

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Today I Learned Buick Created A Website Before There Was Even A Web

    The other day I was looking through a box of old Apple II diskettes (I was trying to find this, to explain to my wife who Dr.J is) when I found something I had forgotten all about: a 1986 disk from Buick that is, essentially, a website that predates the web. I loaded the 26 year old disk into my old Apple //c, and, after a few tries, it booted. What I found was simply amazing.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • I'm Batman... Getting Pulled Over In A Lamborghini

    Batman drives the Batmobile when he's Batman and, as we've learned, he typically drives a Lamborghini when he's Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately, Bruce Wayne forgot to put a license plate on his Lamborghini Gallardo and went out while still dressed as Batman. Silly, silly Batman. You're not Steve Jobs. You can't get away with that. UPDATE! We've unmasked the Batman

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • What If The Big Three Hadn't Torpedoed Tucker?

    Most of us know the story of Preston Tucker and his Tucker Torpedo. This amazingly advanced car was scuttled by the Big Three and their friends in the Senate and SEC in an attempt to fight off potential new competition. Tucker was investigated out of business (at considerable taxpayer expense) and the Big Three went on to an easy couple decades of success and stagnation.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • The Ten Cars With The Hottest Owners

    The right car is like the right clothing: it accentuates, it enhances, it signifies attractiveness. Certain cars just naturally seem to be associated with very good-looking owners. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten cars most likely to be driven by someone seriously attractive.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • What Car Has The Hottest Drivers?

    Today's the first day of spring, so it's time to get outside — and to catch up on your people-watching. As much as any lifestyle item, some cars just naturally go with good-looking people. What car has the most attractive owner body (or bodies)?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Ten Cars That Han Solo Would Drive

    Han Solo is the coolest character in the Star Wars universe — and a man who loves a certain kind of secretly fast machine. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the cars Solo would drive if he didn't live a long time ago in a galaxy far away.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • We Need An E-Reader For Car Guys

    I love the idea of reducing the number of devices I own. The thing I carry in my pocket already takes pictures, plays games, gives me alarms and reminders, browses the web, and even makes phone calls, sometimes. But there's just some things I do that need their own stuff. Working on my cars is one of them.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • Volvo Is The New Saab

    Saab may be gone but Scandinavian cool in motoring is not. Without much fanfare, boxy, old Volvo has become curvaceous, airy and rather desirable. It may have something to do with coffee.

    By Peter Orosz Read More
  • What Would Han Solo Drive?

    Every new fast, black car for the past 25 years has been greeted by the "Darth Vader, Your Car Has Arrived" cliché. But who wants to be Darth Vader? Let's be real: Everyone really wants to be Han Solo, in all his roguish charm. And every proper Corellian needs a proper vehicle. What would Han Solo drive?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Ten Best Places To Stash Your Stash In Your Car

    Sometimes you just want to have a little of your favorite stuff along for the ride without anyone else being the wiser — especially the authorities. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the best secret automotive smuggling nooks.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Barn Find Chevy Panel Truck Is An Amazing Original

    "They're only original once" is the mantra of car lovers who prefer preservation to restoration. The only problem is the difficulty of finding an older vehicle in original condition good enough to be preserved. This is especially true in the world of old commercial vehicles which usually end up quite destroyed by the end of their working life.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Where's The Best Place To Smuggle Something In A Car?

    Spring break and summer concert season are coming up, and it's time to prepare. We mean prepare: what, you're just going to put that big baggie of green under the spare? Amateur. Do it right. What's the best place to hide a decent-sized stash in a car?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Ten Strangest Things Found In Car Owner's Manuals

    Every car owner's manual comes with important information about safety and maintenance. Some also come with unintentional hilarity and clumsy jokes. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten strangest diagrams and instructions in car owner's manuals.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Ten Most Mind-Blowing Bollywood Car Chase Scenes

    The Indian film industry (not only the justly-celebrated products of the Mumbai-based Bollywood scene) is an endless source of brilliantly absurd thrills. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten most awesomely unreal chases, crashes, and craziness to come from India.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • What's The Best-Worst Bollywood Car Chase?

    India's Bollywood film industry remains the planet's go-to destination for maximum brain-melting weird on celluloid. Car chases are a standard cliche — although it wouldn't be Bollywood if they weren't boosted to maximum craziness. What's the most insane, unreal, absolutely amazing Bollywood chase ever shown onscreen?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Massive Stretched Pontiac Station Wagon Is A Unique Head-Scratcher

    Last month we showed you a stretched 1959 Suburban that we believed had started life as an airport limo even though we didn't have any documented history on the truck. Although we know exactly who built this eight door 1967 Pontiac Catalina—an airport limo company named Stageway—we still have no idea exactly how to use such a huge vehicle.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • The Ten Best Automotive GIFs

    You'd think that the GIF format was specifically made for car clips. Given the near-system-crashing quantity of submissions, it may have been so. From a flood of powerslides, moonwalks, flapping doors and flying deer, these are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten best autocentric animated GIFs.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Why Bumpers Are Broken

    Modern car bumpers are, in the vast majority of cases, like famous heiresses: beautiful, and useless. They just don't work. There've been many studies and articles decrying the often insane amount it costs to repair damage from fairly minor accidents in modern cars — in many cases, thousands of dollars for a repair from a mild impact — but little talk about the fundamental problem: Modern car bumpers are designed to break. Here's why.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • No Superpowers Are Necessary To See Through This Corvette

    After years spent doing award winning Corvette restorations, sometimes you have to mix it up. That is exactly what Kevin Mackay of the well known but unoriginally titled Valley Stream, NY restoration shop Corvette Repair Inc. decided to do when he came across this 1969 Corvette L88 sitting at a machine shop.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Why McLaren Should Win The F1 Title In 2012

    It’s been a while since Formula One regulations have led to a field of cars so uniformly ugly. Save for one: the McLaren MP4-27. If there’s any truth in beauty left in the world, it should win the championship on looks alone.

    By Peter Orosz Read More
  • The Ten Strangest Automaker-Fashion Tie Ups

    Automakers will try almost anything to move product, including using another company's image to enhance a car. Those others occasionally try the same in reverse as well. Sometimes these connections betray a lack of judgment, market savvy, or plain common sense. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the weirdest automaker/fashion cross-marketing ideas in auto history.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More

Crashes and Safety (6)

  • High Horsepower Drag Car Attempts To Navigate Road Course And Fails Miserably

    Put a vehicle notorious for its inability to safely navigate a perfectly straight drag strip on a driveway race track with plenty of turns and disaster is almost painfully inevitable. The car in question is the vintage fuel altered "Rat Trap" dragster and the "race track" in question is the driveway leading up to Rod Millen's New Zealand ranch.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Brinks Truck Spills $5 Million In Coins After Collision With Candy Truck

    A Brinks truck hauling anywhere between $3-and-$9 million in Canadian coins (about $3 to $9 million in real 'merican money) was part of a chain-reaction collision involving another truck this morning that caused the armored transport to spill its heavy load on an Ontario highway. Oh, and one of the other truck's was carrying candy. Police are now standing guard over the valuable pile of goodies.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Why Chinese Censors Banned 'Ferrari' From Internet Search

    Reports are coming in of a fatal crash in Beijing involving a Ferrari 458 Italia Spyder with three inside. The car's driver, who may be the son of one of China's leading Communist Party members, was killed. Now the government is apparently trying to hush it up, going so far as to ban the word "Ferrari" from online searches. UPDATE!

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Man Burns To Death In Horrific Ferrari "Inferno"

    A 68-year-old resident of Weston, Massachusetts was killed Monday when his Ferrari 360 Modena collided with a tree, trapping him in an "inferno" as bystanders rushed to help. A 58-year-old passenger was pulled free and sent to an area hospital.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Watch Black Ice Send Cars Crashing

    A stretch of road in Columbus, OH coated with a liberal helping of cruel black ice is proving very effective at slinging trucks and SUVs wildly out of control. Watch as a local news team sat in one spot by the side of the road to record a slew of accidents.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

News (187)

  • What Is Your Favorite Vehicle With An Odd Number Of Cylinders?

    Since the early days of the automobile, cars have been predominantly powered by engines with an even number of cylinders. From the earliest four cylinders to the Veyron's W16, most of the most famous automotive engines have been built with an amount of cylinders divisible by two.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Custom Nash-Amino Needs No Explanation

    Any vehicle that is post-op car to car-truck hybrid is bound to be a bizarre creation, but switching a rare example of a long defunct brand like a 1953 Nash is pretty much guaranteed to up the strange factor even further. Behold the Nash-amino.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • COTD: Wine And Cheese Edition

    Certain things in life are made for each other. You have the essential match of wine and cheese. You have your peanut butter and jelly; you have your peanut butter and chocolate. Words and guitar, Bogey and Bacall, Senna and Monaco: harmony is a wonderful thing.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Volkswagen Alltrack Concept Is Another Way To Say 'Wagon'

    Volkswagen will introduce this Alltrack Concept at the New York Auto Show next week, because apparently that's more fun than just coming out and saying "maybe we'll build a wagon version of the new Volkswagen Passat." Because that's what this is. A diesel-powered, Outback-flavored European Passat wagon.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • The 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Dude Is An Unemployed Home Brewer Who Was Picked Up For DUI

    The Smoking Gun has discovered the identity of that guy who fantastically belted out every word of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the back of a cop car after his arrest. His name is Robert Wilkinson, he's 29, he's unemployed, he's a home brewer, and his unforgettable performance in the back of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police vehicle was very much real. It happened last November after the 29-year-old was busted for drunken driving in Edson, Alberta, Canada.

    By Dom Cosentino Read More
  • March Muscle Car Madness: The Elite Eight

    We're here. The Elite Eight. Out of sixty-four amazing muscle car starters (well, sixty-three and a Prowler), we're down to eight survivors in our March Muscle Car Madness tournament, and after today, we'll have the Final Four. The end is within sight, and for those of you looking to replace ineffable, rule-spouting "gods" as your target for prayer, soon there will be One Muscle Car to Rule Them All.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • A Motor That Can Get To The Moon On A Few Drops Of Fuel

    One of the biggest challenges of space travel is the immense fuel cost of traveling even to our own planet's satellite, let alone one of our neighboring planets. But what if you could build a lightweight space craft that could get around the solar system on barely any fuel? A special motor, and a special kind of fuel, can get to the Moon on a tenth of a liter. And this could transform both space exploration and satellite navigation.

    By Esther Inglis-Arkell Read More
  • COTD: Vintage Racing Edition

    Interesting thing about racing: Even as the people involved move off this mortal coil, the machinery endures. As much as they can seem like they have personalities, cars do not live; in that, they do not die. With a bit of care, they can be nearly eternal creations.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • An Unauthorized Look At The Enigma Behind Grand Theft Auto

    During the mid-1990s, I spent my summers in L.A. I was still in high school and answering phones at a film agency on Wilshire. And in the mid-1990s, super producer Don Simpson ruled Hollywood. Everyone in the movie business had a Don Simpson story. Along with Jerry Bruckheimer, Simpson was the force behind high-concept hits like Top Gun and Bad Boys, was notorious for his excesses—the hookers, the drug use, and the outbursts. Brash and outspoken, he was a Hollywood rockstar. And, according to an

    By Brian Ashcraft Read More
  • COTD: Arbitrage Edition

    The great thing about money — a concept up there with the wheel, indoor plumbing, and coffee in the development of human civilization — is that can be converted. It can be changed, exchanged, used for trade, banked for later use: it's endlessly flexible.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • A First-Hand Look At Europe's Monster Logging Machines

    While the vernal equinox may mean little more than single-digit temperatures in Siberia’s cold forests, it’s the end of logging operations in Europe. Before the fast, violent, dexterous heavy equipment is packed away for another year, we went to see some heavy-duty logging in action.

    By Peter Orosz Read More
  • March Muscle Car Madness: Round Three, Day Two

    We're right in the thick of March Muscle Car Madness, working through the Sweet Sixteen on our way to find the ultimate Muscle Car, of All Time, in the Universe, Forever. These past few rounds have been giving narrower wins as the contestants get winnowed down to the true icons of the segment, and the match-ups get better by the day. Like today.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • We Want Your Car Dealer Horror Stories

    There's car dealerships that give the auto industry a bad rap. And then there are the ones that make those look like fuzzy kittens. We've highlighted them with "Cotomer Sevis," but now we're ready to give them a name and its own investigative column here on Jalopnik. We call it "Stealerships." These aren't just hard-nosed negotiators who know how to get you to agree to a bad trade-in value and a high monthly payment. These are the dealers that straight up jack you. We're talking total lemons, re

    By Ben Popken Read More
  • Audi Is Designing Extra Loud Horns For India

    In India, honking is not used as a sign of aggression; it's just how you get through the country's massive, chaotic streams of traffic. Audi is now designing louder, longer-lasting horns specifically for the Indian market.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • The Truth About Mitt Romney's 'Car Elevators'

    Yesterday Politico broke the news that Mitt Romney's planned $12 million expansion for his oceanfront property in San Diego, California included "car elevators" for his four-car garage. The news is being used to again portray the Republican Presidential front-runner as being "out of touch" and "unable to connect" with the working man. That's ridiculous. The truth is the working man probably thinks car elevators are awesome. Because they are.

    By Ray Wert Read More
  • The Shelby 1000 Press Photos Are Fake

    Yesterday we showed you the first picture of the new Shelby 1000, the most powerful factory-built Shelby Mustang ever. That picture was real. But thanks to a quick look at some of the pixels by the plucky photo buffs at USA Today, we've learned that other images released by the well-known Las Vegas customizing company founded by former race car driver Carroll Shelby, were fake. UPDATE!

    By Ray Wert Read More
  • Pilot Who Lost It On Flight 191 Was One Of JetBlue's Oldest

    The captain of JetBlue Flight 191 has been identified as Clayton Osbon and whatever the cause of his freakout it wasn't a lack of experience as Osbon isn't a new pilot. According to a recent article, Osbon is actually one of JetBlue's original airmen and is (or was) one the company's Flight Standards Captains.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • COTD: Adapted Screenplay Edition

    Original writing can be difficult, trying to burrow into some (hopefully) new part of what life means. Taking someone else's writing and trying to adapt it can be difficult and then some: change enough but not too much, make it fit a new frame without losing the meaning, keep everyone happy without pandering.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Jeep Must Build This Forward Control Concept

    Every year, Jeep hosts a week-long festival in Moab, Utah for the Easter Jeep Safari. Mopar and Jeep took the opportunity to show off six customized vehicles, from simple accessory packages to a custom-built Forward Control Wrangler.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • March Muscle Car Madness: Round Three, Day One

    It was a brutal first two rounds, and my nightmares are still haunted by the spine-chilling sounds of crunching steel and the hot spray of ejected crankcase oil. Now we're at round three, down to 16 survivors. Let's take on the first four match-ups from our "Sweet Sixteen."

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • What Exactly Is That New Car Smell?

    The smell of a new car is intoxicating. It reminds us of money and shiny objects. It evokes that golden period before repeat coffee stains, moldy Tupperware, and our trunk's transformation into a Good Will depository change the way we feel about our car.

    By Joe Brown Read More
  • The Ten Best Carmaker Websites

    Websites have become one of the main sales tool for carmakers. Some aren't great, some are fantastic. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten best car company websites.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Converting Your Commenter Account: The FAQ

    If you've logged into your commenting account today with your username and password, you probably noticed the prompt asking you to convert to third-party authentication through Twitter, Facebook, or Google. What's going on? Think of it like the AEV Hemi-Powered Jeep Conversion. It's a good thing.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Jeep Mighty FC Concept: This Is Awesome

    It's official. I might die. The Jeep Mighty FC Concept — unveiled this morning in Auburn Hills alongside the other concepts — looks exactly as cool as we'd hoped it would. The Forward-Control Jeep is reborn.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • COTD: Rashomon Edition

    Human perception is a strange thing; the interface between the concrete outside world and the dark swirl of consciousness is not a linear connection. There are attention-span glitches, distractions, and any number of mental oddities that interfere with a complete understanding. What I saw isn't what you saw but we both saw it.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Watch Billionaire Electric Car Mogul Elon Musk Explain 'BioShock' To Reporter

    I've been tempted to start a column on Tesla's Elon Musk that's just an ongoing list of him explaining things (for example, Elon Musk explains love). He's clearly got a fascinating mind working up there. A great example of this is him telling future Musk biographer Hannah Elliott how the dystopian video game BioShock works in her sprawling lifestyle feature about the billionaire tech investor for ForbesLife.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Please Don't Buy A 'Hunger Games' Bumper Sticker

    I've been in Las Vegas the past couple of days and while idling away in the parking lot of the Venetian hotel, I noticed one of these decals on the back of a Subaru Tribeca. Frankly, I had no idea what it was for — I thought maybe it was for some kind of hook-and-bullet group or something.

    By Ray Wert Read More
  • Watch A Twin-Turbo Ford GT Hit 257.7 MPH In One Mile

    Texas doesn't have four seasons. Texas has two: Hot and not-hot. Twice a year during the not-hot times gearheads gather on a long strip of concrete to see who can blast the fastest standing-mile time. This weekend's running of The Texas Mile brought out a Hennessey-tuned Twin-Turbo Ford GT that ripped a spectacular 257.7 mph speed.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Yeah, Sebastian Vettel Totally Can't Overtake

    It wasn’t until his wheels-on-grass outside pass on Fernando Alonso at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix, which paved the way to his 18th victory, that people kind of shut up about Sebastian Vettel’s lack of overtaking abilities. In Melbourne, at the 2012 season’s first race, he provided further proof that he’s not a one-trick, win-everything-from-pole racer when he demolished Nico Rosberg in the opening laps.

    By Peter Orosz Read More
  • 'Lamborghini Batman' Was At Georgetown Last Week

    Since posting the photo of Batman getting pulled over in a Lamborghini we've received lots of tips about who this guy is. This recent photo comes from last week at Georgetown University, where we assume 'Lamborghini Batman' was helping sick kids. What a hero.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • James Cameron Successfully Reaches 'Deepest Spot On Earth'

    Director and science nerd James Cameron is making an attempt to travel to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean. The last time someone tried this was in 1960, when Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and Navy Lt. Don Walsh spent a weak 20 minutes at the bottom. Cameron plans on filming and exploring for six hours down in the trench, which is a staggering seven miles below sea level.

    By Louis Peitzman Read More
  • The Best Videos Of The Week

    Have you heard that video is a big thing over at Gawker Media? It's true, we watch and post a lot of videos each week. Here are some of the best videos of week, culled from an array of Gawker Media sites.

    By Matt Toder Read More
  • Here's Proof Imported Car Dealerships Were A Good Place To Be In 1971

    Although it's hard to imagine when you take a trip down your local row of modern car dealerships, in the early days of imported cars many different brands were sold out of the same dealership. As you can see from this photograph taken in 1971, the result was often a desirable selection of early imports in one place.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • What Is The Cheapest Car You've Ever Bought?

    Although a cheap car can certainly be amusing, buying a low dollar automobile is usually more of an act of necessity than choice. Whether they become the tales of automotive misery or a triumphant tale of a battered car that won't quit, it's often the cheapest cars that become the most memorable.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Watch Mercedes-Benz Destroy An Illegal 300SL Replica

    As an ominous warning to counterfeit 300SL builders the world over, Mercedes-Benz released pictures and a press release this past week showing the company dismantling and destroying a 300SL replica that was seized by customs officials.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • COTD: Almost Always Edition

    If you'd asked me yesterday if I thought yellow could ever look really good on a car, I'd have safely said no. Came upon this shot while doing the search for the AOTD gallery and immediately realized how blind I had been.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Rutledge Wood And Kyle Petty Are Now Spy Photographers

    One of the perks of this job is getting to meet cool people like Jalopnik überfriend Rutledge Wood and his pal Kyle Petty. This dynamic duo of NASCAR insight called me today to explain they'd chased a manufacturer's prototype vehicle through a Carl's Jr. and they wanted to know what the vehicle was.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • March Muscle Car Madness: Round Two, Day Four

    Today's the final day of the second round of March Muscle Car Madness. Wednesday's outcomes were like that scene in A Clockwork Orange when the main character gets his ass kicked by a gang of old guys.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • Ten Ways To Cope With $5 A Gallon Gas

    Gas prices are spiking again, causing lots of angst and the occasional search for a real solution. Since this is such a personal matter to gearheads, we wanted authoritative considerations. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the best ways to cope with increasingly nasty gas prices.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Watch This Supercop Hold On To A Speeding Car

    This is yet another Russian dash cam video where the lack of context is largely outweighed by the "WTF" of it all. According to bad Russian translations, this appears to be some sort of Russian supercop holding on to a car at what we're told is approximately 40 mph.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • COTD: In The Market Edition

    Like I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'm starting to test the waters and look for a new set of wheels. Between some family stuff and weekend job requirements and a few other things (like an enthusiasm left to wait for far too long) it's about that time.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • I Am So Excited About The Jeep Mighty FC Concept I Think I Might Die

    Jeep's produced another round of their crazy Jeep concepts that we'll soon beg them to turn into something you can actually buy. Highest on the list? The Jeep Mighty FC, which looks like a Forward-Control Jeep modernized for the new world — something I'd never thought of until this moment but now must posses.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Microsoft Built This Ridiculous Windows-Powered Retromod Mustang

    Everyone jabbers on about an Apple iCar, but what if Microsoft built a car? You'd get this — a 1967 Mustang body on a 2012 Mustang with blazing lights, Windows Phone controls, an Xbox 360, and tablets everywhere. Called "Project Detroit," it's actually the Windows Vista of Mustangs.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • What Will You Do If Gas Hits $5 A Gallon?

    The current price of gas is a severe financial headache with no real relief in sight. At a certain point once-drastic measures take on a certain survivalist appeal. If the price keeps going up to $5 a gallon and above, what will you do about it?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Scion FR-S Will Cost $24,200

    Scion apparently announced to its dealers the pricing for the Scion FR-S, according to a leaked document on ft86club.com. The MSRP for the 6-speed manual is $24,200 before delivery and handling and the auto will go for $25,300. Both should see a bump of around $1,000 with those other charges.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • COTD: Mr. Wizard Edition

    Before there was Bill Nye, there was Mr. Wizard. Don Herbert's TV persona was a compelling and cheerfully watchable advocate for interesting science education for Baby Boomers, making the laws of nature seen comprehensible and fun in a space-race world.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • This Racetrack Is In The Middle Of An Extinct Volcano

    There is talk of a renewed Argentine Grand Prix in 2013 to be held in Mar del Plata, a resort town on the South Atlantic near the birthplace of Juan Manuel Fangio. It would be a seaside race at the end of the season, in December, allowing for an awesome Southern Hemisphere combination of racing, steak and sunshine.

    By Peter Orosz Read More
  • MotoHeroz HD Is A Fast, Fun Ride

    Dev studio RedLynx created a genuine phenomenon with their physics-happy motorbike racer Trials HD. That Xbox 360 exclusive turned hordes of gamers into obsessive-compulsive stunt riders, trying to notch ever better performances out of their thumbs.

    By Evan Narcisse Read More
  • A Sleeper Car, In The New York City Subway

    If you've taken the subway in any big city after a night out, you've probably had to fight the urge to drift off. Sadly for you, subways are not the best bedrooms. However, the thoughtful folks at Improv Everywhere are trying to make late-night travel more of a sweet dream.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • NASCAR Driver Twitter Account Hacked, Driver 'Hacks' Back In Real Life

    NASCAR drivers love them some Twitter, so when someone calling themselves "EPICSWAGG" hacked a popular NASCAR driver's account this weekend many saw the spamming tweets. What "EPICSWAGG" didn't know was that Mark Martin — the driver who'd been hacked — has a great sense of humor and figured out how to turn the tables on the hacker.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Firefighters In Drag Hitch Up Skirts To Put Out Truck Fire

    No, it's not some new firefighter hazing. The Sauk Centre Fire Department — a 30 member all-volunteer firefighting crew — was fundraising at a St. Patrick's Day parade, dressed in drag to entertain the crowd — because, you know, pretending to be women is funny. When the fire began to spread, they hitched up their dresses and fought it.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • March Muscle Car Madness: Round Two, Day Two

    We're in the thick of March Muscle Car Madness now, with the secret Jalopnik underground muscle car proving ground a haze of thick exhaust and littered with the greasy parts of the losers. Yesterday had some great matches, and we've got more good ones today — the end is far from certain at this point, so get in there and vote for the V8 brute closest to your oily heart.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • COTD: Mark Donohue Edition

    Not everyone gets to be an all-time racing great by just being fast. Other things work in to the mix as well: being able to slice through traffic, having unusual mechanical empathy, or possessing a serious ability to make the most of a situation will all bolster a reputation.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • COTD: Vernal Equinox Edition

    Tomorrow is the first day of spring. For a lot of us that's mostly going to register as something less than a huge shift, given the ridiculously mild winter we've had, but it's still important to recognize these checkpoints as they go by.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • March Muscle Car Madness: Round Two, Day One

    The first round of our March Muscle Car Madness is over, and we've got a good, strong parking lot-full of contenders for round two. These next battles look to be intense, and sure to get your muscle car loyalties tested; Let's see how this plays out with our first four second round match-ups.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • That's Not A Mercedes Dude

    This disturbing vehicle caught my eye while strolling around a college campus this weekend. On the one hand, it had Mercedes wheelcovers and the badging of a very specific Mercedes racing sedan. On the other hand, it was clearly a crappy Dodge. There's something odd going on here.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • How To Make A Honda Pop A Wheelie

    With very few exceptions, Hondas are front-drivers, and front-drivers don't make the best wheelie cars. An exception in the Honda fleet being the late, departed S2000. Watch as this heavily-tuned unit managed a very un-Honda-like nose loft (helped by massive boost and drag slicks) at TX2K12 this past weekend.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Read Nissan's Poorly Timed Letter To Peyton Manning

    Nissan thought it would be a good idea to offer suddenly free agent QB/deity Peyton Manning a free Nissan Titan PRO-4X truck if he agreed to play for the Tennessee Titans. It seems they timed it out perfectly so it would hit the news cycle well in advance of Peyton deciding where he'd go.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • How To Be A Dick To Your Wife At 80 MPH

    Not everyone is great at math. But this woman trying to explain how many miles you can travel in an hour when driving 80 MPH takes math skills to a new low. Since it's a little sad, it has, predictably, blown up on Facebook overnight. But the mathematically-challenged passenger is not actually the one who sucks here. Nor is she the idiot in this video.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • What Apple Could Buy With That $100 Billion, Visualized

    Apple is one of the three most valuable companies in the world and is sitting on a pile of around $100,000,000,000 ($100 Billion). Execs at Apple are about to announce what they're going to spend all that money on. Ahead of that — we thought we'd try to provide a little context for just how much scratch that really is.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • BMW M3 F80 Caught Testing On The Autobahn

    We still aren't sure whether it will have a downsized bi/tri turbo V6 when the next generation of the high performance 3-series officially debuts, but as this video indicates—equipped with a V8 or not—the F80 M3 will still be quite fast.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Watch A Mustang Driver Get Arrested Mid-Burnout

    A Mustang driver at a parking lot car show in suburban Houston, Texas was arrested last night after pulling this massive burnout right in front of a police car. The man was handcuffed essentially mid-burnout, causing a "near riot" as the crowd turned on the officers.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • The Best Videos Of The Week

    Have you heard that video is a big thing over at Gawker Media? It's true, we watch and post a lot of videos each week. Here are some of the best videos of week, culled from an array of Gawker Media sites.

    By Matt Toder Read More
  • Crosley Hotshot Is America's Smallest Sports Car

    By definition a sports car is a small vehicle with limited capacity designed to put the driving experience ahead of practicality. If this 12 foot long 1950 Crosley Hotshot project we found on Ebay isn't an early embodiment of the aforementioned criteria, we aren't sure what is.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • COTD: Hey Jack Kerouac Edition

    Jack Kerouac's birthday was this past Monday. That complex, sometimes brilliant, sometimes agonizing writer would have been 80 90. (Damn, we're all getting old.)The Beats are not a totally extinct species — Gary Snyder and Lawrence Ferlinghetti are still out there — but it's hard to find traces of the movement's truth in a world where the trappings may still be on sale, but the meaning is not a traded commodity.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • What Happens When You Eject Out Of A Jet At 800 MPH

    In a training exercise gone wrong back in 1989, Capt. Brian Udell had to eject from his F-15 travelling at supersonic speeds. The force of the air on his body was so strong that it nearly killed him. Here is Udell explaining what happened.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • Erin Go Vroom: The DeLorean And Ireland's Two Other Cars

    Ireland is traditionally known for producing many things in great abundance: Writers, sliceable soap, redheads, and, of course, Shamrock Shakes. Cars aren't really one of these things, but, since it's St.Patrick's day and I don't want to get pinched, let's talk about the cars that were made in Ireland — all 8,547 of them. Specifically, the DeLorean, which accounted for 8,500 of them — and then the two cars that accounted for the other 47.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • March Muscle Car Madness: Round One, Day Two

    There's smoke and the acrid smell of burning rubber everywhere. The ground is spattered with oil, and littered with tires, torn V-belts, piston rods, and what might be most of a horse. The first battles of our March Muscle Car Madness finished yesterday, but now we've got a whole new crop of muscle cars to vote on. Today, the other side of the bracket.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • How To Turn Caves Into Giant Batteries

    How do we build a world that's less dependent on fossil fuels? One solution is right under your feet. Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is a very boring name for a very awesome system that turns the Earth itself into a giant battery. Experts say it's one of the most cost-effective ways to store energy on a massive scale—something that we'll have to do if we want to use more wind and solar power, and less coal and natural gas. Here's how it works.

    By Annalee Newitz Read More
  • The Terrific Exploits Of Helmut Marko, Red Bull's One-Eyed Kingmaker

    Unlike most 24-year-old men, Sebastian Vettel will spend this weekend driving a Formula One car as the sports’s youngest back-to-back drivers’ champion, in an excellent place to make it three in a row. Like everyone with titanic achievements, he didn’t do it by himself. A major contributor to his success was a strange Austrian man with eclectic and wide-ranging footprints in motorsport over the past 40 years: Helmut Marko.

    By Peter Orosz Read More
  • COTD: Slash Edition

    So the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction is about a month away, and some of us are starting to wonder if we'll witness a small miracle in the form of a proper Guns N' Roses reunion. Axl is as mercurial and unpredictable as ever, but hopefully everyone gets up there together.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Where To Look For A GPS Bug On Your Car If You Think You're Being Tracked

    Hopefully most of us will go throughout life without being tracked by a GPS bug, but if you're worried that someone may be following your whereabouts with technology there are common places you can look to find the device. Security and investigations expert Brandon Gregg offers up a few suggestions to help you discover these bugs.

    By Adam Dachis Read More
  • The Most Popular Car On The Internet Is...

    You can argue all you want about the best this or most popular that, but there's really only one unbiased arbiter of greatness: the Internet. And here's what it has declared as the most important everything-you-care-about.

    By Kyle Wagner Read More
  • Hack Your Ride: Cheat Codes And Workarounds For Your Car's Tech Annoyances

    Cheat codes aren't just for cruising past bosses in video games; there are cheat codes for a lot of cars, too, that can get you past the annoying ping of a seat belt chime, access diagnostic info only your mechanic can usually see, or give you control over features like traction control and GPS lockout. On recent and higher-end cars with in-dash computer consoles, turning off or re-configuring some of these features is just a matter of getting to the right menu. Others require some odd combinat

    By Jeremy Hoag Read More
  • COTD: Barrel-Aged Edition

    Instant gratification is one of the defining features of modern society. The drive to have something NOW is all but taken for granted. But in some cases it is necessary, and deeply desirable, to let something age and fully develop.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • How Honda Pays Bloggers To Write About Their Cars

    The new Honda Civic is so boring you'd probably have to pay me to write something positive about it, which is exactly what Honda attempted to do via a third-party European company. Welcome back to the world of pay-for-post blogging where automakers desperately try to generate positive social media buzz — and fail.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • 100% Of This Car Porn Was Shot By A Drone

    Christopher Kippenberger has brought a couple of our favorite things together: the cold, grey streets of Berlin, the growl of a Maserati V8, and some gorgeous film. But you can see good car porn anywhere. What makes this video unique is that it was filmed exclusively by drone.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • How To Breathe Out Of A Tire And Prove Mythbusters Wrong

    As many of you know, Jalopnik employs some very sophisticated user-monitoring software, so we know all about you. Which is why I feel confident in saying that, based on your demographic data, most Jalopnik readers will likely drive their cars deliberately into a lake, pool or other body of water at some point. And, as always, I'm here to help.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • The Ten Craziest In-Car Digital Displays

    A driver generally needs particular information to operate a car safely, but no one ever said that information had to be presented in a boring way. Throughout automotive history designers have used the latest technology to make dazzling displays. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten strangest computerized driver-data interfaces.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • COTD: Doughnut Edition

    Not too long after I got taken on and started writing here at Jalopnik, Ray taught me several very important lessons. One of the biggest ones was an essential idiom: Donuts involve spinning tires; doughnuts go well with coffee. Cue cravings.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • This Is Not A Rocket Ship

    This is not a rocket ship. This is not the new Batmobile. This is not a life-sized pine car derby racer. This is not a concept car. No, this is the Nissan DeltaWing race car. This is the technological future of racing. Well, if it works.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • It's March Muscle Car Madness Time!

    I'm sure most of you know March Madness (not the breeding season for European Hares, the basketball one) officially begins tomorrow, and, of course, we at Jalopnik don't like car guys getting left out of anything, so here's our plan: We're going to do a March Madness tournament of our own.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • Watch A 340-Ton Boulder Being Slowly Towed Through Los Angeles

    If you've been thinking about transporting a 680,000-pound boulder across Los Angeles but just didn't know the best way to go about it, you're in luck. Over the weekend, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art finished transporting a 340-ton boulder from Riverside County to LACAMA's Miracle Mile-area location as part of Michael Heizer's installation, Levitated Mass.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • How To Import A Foreign Car... Legally

    Draconian import restrictions make it difficult, but not impossible, to bring lustworthy foreign cars never sold in the U.S. to our shores. Do it wrong and the Feds will take your ride. Here's Mike Solo's instructions for doing it right. — Ed.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • This Is $150 Million Worth Of Ferraris On A Ferry

    What you see here is a flock of the most desirable Ferraris ever built — all assembled on a single ferry. That includes a huge percentage of the entire GTO production run. An estimated $160 million worth of Italian metal calmly crossing the sea. Even the police escort is impressed. What's going on here?

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • What Do You Need In A Well-Equipped Garage?

    Having a garage with a proper set of tools and conveniences is almost as important as having something to park there. A well-kept car is a happy car, and especially if it's a classic it needs its own place. Aside from the obvious structural necessities, what makes for a garage that makes your car feel at home?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Exhaust Pipe That Made Red Bull A Success

    The coolest car at Renault’s booth at the Geneva Motor Show was the Red Bull RB7, the Renault-powered Formula One car which won the 2011 championship in the hands of Sebastian Vettel. Unlike the old or partially complete F1 cars displayed at many carmakers’ booths, this was the real deal, as evidenced by this flattened oval exhaust pipe which played a key part in the car’s dominance.

    By Peter Orosz Read More
  • Neglected Audi R8 Is No Match For A Russian Winter

    Judging from the extreme nature of Russian winters and countless pictures we've seen of cars absolutely buried it seems fairly common to get your car frozen beneath piles of snow in the country. What strikes us as fairly uncommon about these pictures, taken in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, is the fact this victim of the Russian winter is a drool-worthy Audi R8.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Man In Stolen School Bus Leads Police On Highway Pursuit

    A man in an stolen School Bus lead Police on a probably not very high speed chase down Interstate 40 in New Mexico yesterday. After receiving calls of a school bus driving erratically early yesterday morning police in Grants, NM tracked down the offending vehicle around 6am.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Chevy Will Build 69 COPO Camaros This Year

    Although we suspected Chevrolet would join in the factory spec drag racing fun after they showed and track tested the COPO Camaro concept late last year, this past week they made it official. The company plans to build 69 COPO Camaros in 2012—the same amount of legendary COPO ZL1s that left the factory in 1969.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • What Is Your Ultimate High Dollar Dream Car?

    It seems the more rare, beautiful and desirable something is the more expensive it becomes to make one yours. Unfortunately the world of cars is no exception to this rule which create some pretty outrageous prices for the most sought after cars in the world.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • The New Ferrari Looks Like A Uterus

    When looking at the back end of the new Ferrari F12 Berlinetta we were struck with the belief that it looked like... well, something. But we couldn't quite place our finger on it. Until our good friend at IEDEI finally put his finger on it.[jump]

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • COTD: The Magic Picture Box Edition

    One of the (very) few problems with flat-screen TVs is the loss of yet another age-old children's myth: that there are small humans inside that enclosure acting out everything onscreen. Yes, it sounds completely ridiculous, but there's something endearing about it, too.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • How Princess Diana's Former Flack Became The Pied Piper Of Automotive Media

    A few steps below the lobby at the Amangani Lodge in Jackson Hole, one of the finest hotels in the world, several car writers sat around a massive wooden table, eating Caesar salads and Kobe beef burgers, the snow-capped Tetons framed behind us as though Mercedes-Benz had installed them for our pleasure alone. "Goddamn it, I told them not to put tomatoes on my club sandwich!" a large man bellowed.

    By Ray Wert Read More
  • What Desirable Car Has Almost Totally Disappeared?

    Appreciation of classic cars is an essential part of the auto-entusiast mentality. Unfortunately, some would-be, should-be classics are rapidly becoming impossible to find. This is a tragedy that requires greater awareness: What really great cars are in danger of totally disappearing?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Ten Worst Highway Signs

    Signs are intended to be informative guides to travelers, but they sometimes unintentionally end up being offensive, creepy, or just so awful they're hilarious. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten worst road signs.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • 2013 Ford F-Series Super Duty: Touch The Platinum

    With Big & Rich's (a duo normally found shilling in Chevy ads) "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" twanging over the speakers, Ford revealed their 2013 Ford Super Duty pickup here at Ford Field, home to those lovable losers — well, until this year at least — known as the Detroit Lions.

    By Ray Wert Read More
  • Five Good Things About High Gas Prices

    High gas prices suck, right? Wrong. There's actually a silver lining that only the in-market car consumer boys at Edmunds Inside Line are able to see. They put together a list of five good things about the increasingly higher cost of gas that we've refined and edited below.

    By Ray Wert Read More
  • The End And The Return Of Ferrari's Archways Of Aerodynamics

    When Ferrari introduced the 599 GTB at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, they introduced with it a graceful and elegant piece of aerodynamics: Gothic flying buttresses for C-pillars. They are gone on the F12 Berlinetta, the 599’s just-unveiled successor, but Honda is here to pick up the slack with the NSX.

    By Peter Orosz Read More
  • COTD: Neo-Sophistic Edition

    Humans love to argue. For some people it's not about being correct so much as being convincing. And if you can conjure up some kind of puzzle that has no real answer, well, take that and a lunch and there's your day.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Why Are Fisker Karmas Breaking Down?

    The lovers of indecipherable circular symbology at Consumer Reports don't do the whole "give us free cars to maybe write about" thing. They went out and bought a $107,000 Fisker Karma range-extended electric car to test. It promptly broke down for reasons no one has explained. This follows photos of a possibly broken down Karma sent to Jalopnik a week earlier. What's going on?

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Ferrari Flambé Does $6 Million In Damage To Paris Garage

    A fire that started yesterday is raging in the underground garage of Paris's Ritz Hotel below the Place Vendome, allegedly caused by a Ferrari that burst into flames. The garage is typically full of exotic cars and damage could be well over $6 million once the fire is extinguished. Because, yes, the fire still isn't out yet.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • 2013 RS4 Avant: Audi's Kombi Kanon

    Audi pulled the wraps off the new 2013 RS4 Avant in Geneva, looking every bit like an RS5 longroof. We won't get it here in the US, but that doesn't mean we won't drool over it and all its precision details.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • My Dinner With A Fiat/Chrysler Engineer

    While out in Vegas to review the Fiat 500 Abarth, one exciting moment was that they had captive drivetrain engineers there to answer questions and explain things. So, one night at dinner, thanks to a cunning arrangement of tables as obstacles and excellent seafood buffet access, I was able to corner one and make him talk to me. He agreed, but asked, as he squeezed my upper arm really hard, to remain anonymous. I agreed. Here's what was said:

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • The Ten Best Car Video Game Screenshots

    Representations of cars in virtual worlds have gone from crude raster drawings to a realm of dreamlike hyperreality. What once merely suggested beauty and power now shows a world beyond physical constraints. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten best cybergame car pictures.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Man Wants To Build Exact Copy Of Nürburgring... In Nevada

    Since the greater Las Vegas area only has a copy of Paris, New York, Venice, and alien-occupied ancient Egypt, it's still a good ways away from having a copy of all of Earth's good stuff. Luckily, Bruton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, is working to fix that, starting with a copy of the Nürburgring.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • The Booth Professionals Of The Geneva Motor Show

    The Geneva Motor Show, nestled in the heart of continental Europe, tries its hardest to advertise a sense of class and refinement. It largely succeeds, with only a few bits of genuine weirdness thrown into the mix. The booth professionals matched the show to a T.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • COTD: Forensic Evidence Edition

    It's hard to watch more than a few episodes of CSI or Cold Case and not wonder why anyone bothers committing crimes in the first place. We leave little details and traces all over. Humans are remarkably sloppy creatures.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Is The GTA Spano The New Pegaso?

    Spain has a tradition of building beautiful, quickly-forgotten supercars. The newest footnote in that history is GTA Motor's 840-horsepower Spano supercar. Does it have what it takes to be the Iberian Pagani?

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • Why Did It Take So Long To Invent The Wheel?

    To most of us, wheels seem pretty intuitive. You've probably known from an early age, for example, that circular or rounded things roll more easily than boxy or angular things. Knowing this, it's hard to imagine that our earliest ancestors did not come to similar realizations on their own — and yet, the first wheels don't show up in history until around 3500 BC. By that time, people were already writing, farming, and even casting metal alloys. So what was so damn elusive about creating a wheel?

    By Robbie Gonzalez Read More
  • How Chrysler Screwed Up The Lamest Social Media Contest Ever

    Chrysler's attempt to buy off "mommy bloggers" — and their countless dozens of readers — with an iPad2 (hey, it's no iPad HD, but still, not too shabby) and the promise of a trip to NYC in exchange for attention has backfired in a way only a Chrysler social media campaign could. Now some mommies are sad and other mommies, apparently, are "skanks." Postola, like payola, apparently requires the kind of tact Chrysler and Ignite Social Media, its latest horrible choice in agencies, just aren't capab

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Infiniti Emerg-E: Silence Is The New Vroom

    This new concept is the first time Infiniti's ever tried to build a mid-engine car. Adding to the complexity, it's the only one by any manufacturer where the mid-mounted engine doesn't actually drive the wheels. Infiniti's Emerg-E concept, while named like a powder you'd mix in water to help ward off colds, is the brand's first mid-engined, range-extended electric sports car.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • COTD: Jerome Robbins Edition

    It's probably too easy to make fun of modern dance: yeah, buncha skinny androgynous types all hopping around and "interpreting" and whatever. Really, it's far from dismissable — the good stuff is tough, muscular, soulful storytelling in motion.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • What's The Best Automotive GIF?

    Graphics Interchange Format files — GIFs — are the equivalent of margin doodles on the Web, and like those adolescent scribbles they can be alternately hilarious, freakish, or small works of pure art. A car in motion is a perfect subject for a GIF, but sometimes this silent super-short movie format can be exploited to other ends. What's your favorite automotive GIF?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Ten Best Car-In-Tunnel Videos

    Tunnels are triumphs of engineering over natural obstructions. They also make for some mindbending sights and noise with the right cars. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten best videos of cars in tunnels.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Italdesign Giugiaro Brivido Concept Is A Beige Killer

    German car companies and Italian design house Italdesign Giugiaro have always been linked in what's typically been an axis of awesome. VW made this official recently when the automaker snapped up a majority of Italdesign. Think of this when you gaze upon the sleek design-forward Brivido Concept, which just debuted in Geneva.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Ram 2500 CNG Pickup: The Jolly Green Giant

    If your goal is to drive a vehicle that has arguably greater environmental friendliness than a Prius, but you want to look like you're driving pretty much the exact opposite of that, you're in luck. For the first time, a North American manufacturer is making a Compressed Natural Gas-powered vehicle right in the factory, and that vehicle is the huge 5.7-liter Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • Ford Fiesta ST: The Hot Hatch We Were Promised

    A prophet once foretold of a fiesty hot hatch with a divinely EcoBoosted engine that provided enough power to please the masses. That prophet was named Justin or Amos or something. The faith of the righteous has been rewarded with the Ford Fiesta ST and its sub 7.0-second 0-to-60 mph time.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Volkswagen Cross Coupé Concept: Many Motors, Modes

    Volkswagen says they have no plans to produce the Cross Coupé concept (which, with four doors, doesn't really seem like a coupé), but this thing seems so packed with new tech it's a pretty safe bet we'll be seeing bits of it all over the Volkswagen Group's fleet.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • COTD: Don Draper Edition

    Advertising is in many ways the cultural vernacular of this age. We live our lives through brands and their associated imagery, we use ad taglines as everyday speech emphasis, we even celebrate the cult of creativity that goes into simply selling a product.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Lamborghini Aventador J: The Fastest Way To Eat Bugs And Ferraris

    This is the Lamborghini Aventador J (not Unica). It's a very, very open variation of the Aventador. The J (the appended letter is taken from the "Appendix J" FIA motorsport rules that describes the various classes of cars) uses the the 12-cylinder version Lamborghini Aventador flagship as its base. What makes it truly different is the near-total lack of regard for the comfort of the two people lucky enough to be perched on — "in" isn't really an accurate preposition here — the roofless, windshie

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More
  • The Alessian 2012 Is A Xenomorphic Slovak Coupé Fit For My Vampire Queen Aunt

    Slovak designer Ivan Venkov’s Alessian 2012 is quite a shock from a country which lost its association with awesome cars when it split off from Czechoslovakia in 1993. It’s weirder than a Mitsuoka Orochi, more flame-surfaced than a Chris Bangle dream of world domination, and it’s got the perfect sinister counterpart from Slovak history: Elizabeth Báthory.

    By Peter Orosz Read More
  • The Fastest Fiat You've Ever Seen

    The Fiat X1/9 was never a very fast car, but that's nothing that can't be solved by tearing out the old, smog-hamstrung Italian four and cramming a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 engine in there instead.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • Why Is This "Zamboni" Driving Down The Highway?

    When we came across this amusing video of what appears to be an ice resurfacing machine cruising at highway speeds on Bangshift.com this past week we had a simple question—how did someone turn a Zamboni into a street legal vehicle.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • Don't Miss The Chance To Fill Your Yard With BMW Isettas

    Although nicely restored examples of BMW's contribution to the microcar era can command serious prices the cost of filling at least part of your yard with this assortment of Isetta shells and parts currently listed on Ebay is surprisingly affordable—at least initially.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • The Best Videos Of The Week

    Have you heard that video is a big thing over at Gawker Media? It's true, we watch and post a lot of videos each week. Here are some of the best videos of week, culled from an array of Gawker Media sites.

    By Matt Toder Read More
  • This Is The Most Expensive Oldsmobile Ever Sold At Auction

    An immaculately restored 1912 Oldsmobile Limited was hammered sold for $3.3 million last weekend making it the most expensive example of the now-defunct brand ever sold at auction. Before last Saturday the title for most expensive Olds belonged to the F-88 concept car that sold at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in 2005 for $3.24 million.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • COTD: Evening Meditation Edition

    Humans are an intelligent, contemplative, reflective species. There is sound psychology behind the call of many religions to set time aside to be still and consider one's place in recent things, where one is going, and what one is really doing.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • How One Bureaucrat Almost Succeeded In Banning Car Radios

    Science fiction writer Douglas Adams once broke down the human reaction to technology thusly: Anything that's existed for as long as you have is normal; anything invented while you're between the ages of 15 and 35 is something you can profit from; anything invented after you've turned 35 is "against the natural order of things."

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • GM Halts Chevy Volt Production Because Sales Suck

    General Motors has told 1,300 employees at the automaker's Detroit Hamtramck plant they will be temporarily laid off for five weeks as the company halts production of the Chevrolet Volt and its European counterpart, the Opel Ampera.

    By Ray Wert Read More
  • First 86 Scion FR-S Buyers Get The Royal Treatment

    The first 86 Scion FR-S buyers are getting all sorts of special perks, as we were first to report. We just didn't know what the perks were until now. If you're not one of the first 86 buyers you may not want to keep reading.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • How Mark Fields, Ford's Possible Next CEO, Once Tried To Attack A Man In A Meeting

    According to Bloomberg, Mark Fields — mullet enthusiast, Ford Motor Company's then and current president of the Americas, and reportedly a leading candidate to succeed Alan Mulally as CEO of the automaker — nearly got into a fistfight with the car company's former CFO over a marketing budget and had to be restrained by Bill Ford, the then CEO. The story shows yet another reason to love the fiery Fields. Here's what happened.

    By Ray Wert Read More
  • COTD: Why We Miss Saab Edition

    I know it's been a while, but I still have problems with Saab going away. Yeah, they were never the same after the GM takeover, and it's not like we haven't gotten used to nameplates disappearing, but this one still really bothers me.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Texas State Police Now Has A Crazy Gunboat Fleet

    Gov. Rick Perry's Texas Highway Patrol just received their first-of-six armored "Shallow Water Interceptor" gunboat. Why does the Texas Highway Patrol all of a sudden need a fleet of armed-to-the-gills gunboats? For the same reason Texas usually arms itself up: Mexicans.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • 'Flying Car' To Debut At New York Auto Show

    The New York Auto Show just got a lot more interesting, with roadable aircraft maker Terrafugia confirming the premier of their Transition street-legal aircraft production prototype at the show. Popular Mechanics is going to crap themselves with joy. It's really happening, guys!

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Watch The Charlie Sheen Fiat Ad That Was 'Too Hot' For The Super Bowl

    Fiat originally intended to show an ad they shot with "bad boy" Charlie Sheen during the Super Bowl, instead of the now famous "Seduction" ad. Here, finally, is the "too-hot-for-the-Super-Bowl" ad they contemplated showing, complete with model Catrinel Menghia. Sadly, however, it's not really all that hot of an ad.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • Ten Ways To Stay Alert On Long Drives

    Driving can be invigorating, thrilling, and live-affirming. It can also be deadly boring — literally. Staying awake on a long haul is a serious matter. These are Jalopnik readers' ten top picks for ways to stay awake (and alive) on a long drive.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More

Nice Price or No Dice (22)

  • For $22,000, It's Stroseks Or No Sex

    Porsche's 928, while a timeless design, had a really big ass. The German tuner Strosek must have thought that too much is never enough, and today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Ultra III sports and even wider rear end. Will its price prove an equally continental divide?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $2,000, Jamaica Phone Call To Your Momma Lately?

    It's long been the rule of thumb here on Nice Price or Crack Pipe that you never, ever buy someone else's project, as you don't know if they were all thumbs. Of course today's Triumph-based Jamaican needs so much work that it conceivably could be considered your project. Its price however, may not get a thumb's up.

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $17,900, I'll CE Your 280 And Raise You 5.0

    The German word for muscle is muskel which is also coincidentally how Popeye pronounces it. Applied automotively, that would make today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 5.0-powered MB 280CE a muskelwagen, but is its price enough to make your eyes pop?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $16,595, Do The FUQI Chicken

    Knock-offs and China go together like fists and fury, and while lacking in originality, the country's craftsmen are wickedly talented in the art of the cheap copy. A perfect example, today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe FUQI 4X4 is sort of, kind of, almost like an old Toyota FJ. Will its price however, have you saying knock it off?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $4,500, Rust In Peace

    If you buy an Alfa Romeo — any Alfa Romeo — you are going to have to learn chemistry. That's because, as exemplified by today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Alfetta sedan, you'll have to come to terms with the chemical reaction known as oxidization eating it alive. The question is, will this Alfa's price also eat too big a hole in your wallet?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $15,000, Don't Tell The Wife

    The seller of today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe M5 doesn't seem too eager to sell his emerald E34, and the litany of features/upgrades and mods could make you green with envy. But is its price just too much green?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $28,000, This Mustang Has A Checkered Past

    Horse breeding is a noble profession requiring intimate knowledge of equine geneology in the melding of sire and dam. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Mustang is said to be a combination of '88 Fox and '03 Cobra, making far from pure-bred. But will is price also breed discontent?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $12,500, Thank God I'm A Country Boy

    Like the Subaru Outback and Audi Allroad, Volkswagen's Golf Country is a car-based soft-roader. However, unlike those other two, the Vee Dub never officially softened any roads in the U.S.. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe illegal alien '91 Country has a secret that could keep it from being off-road only, but is its price also off the hook?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $22,000, The Bird Is The Word

    For years GM's F-bodies, the Camaro and Firebird, fought the good fight in keeping American muscle alive in the face of rising gas prices and performance strangling emissions requirements. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe F-bird is a blast from the past and a special edition, but will its price mean the seller won't soon flip this bird?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $4,900, Cop To A Six-Speed Caprice

    Since the dawn of time, cop cars have been the source of both fear and envy when appearing in the rearview mirror. After all, they get cop motors, cop tires, cop suspension, and a Motorola, which nobody can out-run. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 1995 Chevy Caprice seeks to level the playing field, and even comes with three pedals and a stick. Its price however, may stick it to the buyer.

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $10,000, Will This Custom Mustang Hold Your Horses?

    While Nicole Kidman used to be stunningly beautiful, it seems as though plastic surgery has tipped her visage uncomfortably close to that of Carrot Top. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 1966 Mustang has had an equally dramatic transformation, but does the price of this one-off have too many decimal places off?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $9,350, Pony Up

    The original Celica may not have had the sex appeal of Toyota's previous sport coupe, the 2000 GT, but it was a hell of a lot more accessible. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe '73 coupe has an 18RG evolutionarily derived from the 2000 GT's DOHC six, but will its price make you say GTFO?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $12,500, You Could Flip Over This Rotary Samurai

    Wankel-powered, convertible, four by four, those are descriptors that don't traditionally go together, but like apple pie and cheddar cheese their disparate attractions combined are probably awesome. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Suzuki Samurai is just such a combination, but will its price spoil the recipe?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $14,999, You Could Wear A Custom Blazer

    Chevy's Blazer was named for its expected off-road prowess, literally blazing trails. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe custom roadster is a Blazer that blazes on-road only, but will paying its asking price mean you'd get burned?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $6,000, Climb The G-Lader

    Despite being touted as one of the best handing front-drivers around, Volkswagen's Corrado never found much favor here in the U.S.. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe G60 edition has been favorably restored, but is its price too much to handle?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $15,500, Will This 300C Drop-Top Flex Its Muscle?

    Four door convertibles are the height of ostentation. Just think how elegant JFK looked in his presidential Lincoln — I mean, up to a point. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe custom Chrysler 300 lets the sun shine in, but is its price something that you would rather shine on?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $6,000, You're Gonna' Need A Bigger Box

    I'll bet you woke up this morning thinking I wonder if Audi's 4.2 V8 would fit in a Porsche Boxster? Well, wonder no more early bird because today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe '97 project Porsche proves it fits. Now you'll just need to wonder does its price fit too?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $29,900, Feel The Pull, Man

    The livery trade can be cut throat, and you really need to find an edge to make a go of it. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe stretched 300D, while not a me-too Town Car, could still go to town. Will its price however, make you tell it to go to hell?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $26,000, It's Kind Of A Drag

    Torino is the Italian name of the Piedmont region city that is home to the Shroud of Turin, a holy relic. It is also the name of today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe big Ford coupe, which is a retired dragster. Considering its provenance, its performance might be biblical, but will its price elicit from you a holy cow!?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $12,500, Get Your Dis-Tranquillity Base

    The AMC Eagle may not have been the first 4x4 car, but it was one of the first to popularize the layout. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Corvette-powered Eagle wagon is even more four by four, but is its price too much by far?

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $103,000, Feel The Power

    If knowledge is power then today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 1949 Dodge Power Wagon must be a freakin' Mensa Club Jedi Master. It's up to you however, to determine if paying its price would be a smart thing to do.

    By Rob Emslie Read More
  • For $11,500, It's A Datshonda!

    Putting a modern engine in an older car can either time-warp its performance, or point out the glaring faults of its remaining antiquated architecture. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Datsun 510 has received Honda's peaky F20C as its motivator, but should its price be even higher than its rev limit?

    By Rob Emslie Read More

Porsche (1)

QOTD (2)

  • What Is The Most Surprising Car You've Ever Driven?

    As car lovers we like to think we have a good idea what's going to happen when we hop into a car we've never driven before. Whether it's a pre-conceived notion about how truly terrible a car is or expected automotive euphoria behind the wheel of a car we've always lusted after, even if we don't think we know it all we know more about what to expect behind the wheel than the hordes of non automotive obsessed individuals.

    By Tom Joslin Read More
  • What Modern Car Would You Use For A Demolition Derby?

    Demolition derbies are usually a slight detour for well worn older cars between the end of their usable life and a trip to the crusher. This weekend we want to know what would happen if the opposite were true and derbies somehow became the territory of brand new cars.

    By Tom Joslin Read More

Racing (6)

  • The Ten Nicest Guys In Racing History

    Competition often promotes antagonism and success breeds arrogance. But there are exceptions. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten most all-around decent, fan-friendly, and agreeable good guys in racing.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Ten Biggest Dicks In Motor Racing History

    Racing is a sport of heroes and legends and greatness. It's also a sport with its fair share of villains and petulant assholes. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten biggest dicks in auto racing history.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Who Is The Biggest Dick In Motor Racing History?

    Talk of racing tends to dwell on the heroes, the ones who make the sport glorious and exciting. However, as in the rest of life, racing has its share of cretins and idiots and villains. Who's the biggest dick that's ever messed with racing?

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • Meet Maria De Villota, Formula One's New Female Test Driver

    Marussia F1 announced today that they are adding a new test driver to their team, Maria de Villota. Since it was International Women's Day earlier this month, let's take a look at Maria's prospects — as well as the other women of the top series in motorsports.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • The Ten Greatest Celebrity Racing Drivers

    If you've got the money and the time — and many celebrities do — you can give racing a shot. If you've got skill and natural talent — which only a few do — you can turn it into something special. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten greatest celebrity racers.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • The Ten Greatest Announcer Calls In Racing History

    As much as we focus on what's happening on track, a good race commenter can be a valuable guide and informant; a great one can take it all to another emotional level. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the best racing broadcast highlights captured on video.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More

Reviews (4)

  • This Is Eric Clapton's One-Off Ferrari 458 SP12

    Eric Clapton loves Ferrari. Ferrari loves Eric Clapton (and his money). The result? This amazing and one-of-one possibly V12-powered custom Ferrari 458 Italia designed to look like the Ferrari 512 Boxer. It's called the Ferrari SP12 and it debuted last night at a chic London exotic car dealership. Here's what we know about it. UPDATE!

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • A Ride In The World's First Plug-In Hybrid Supercar

    There's a digital clock mounted above the door of Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser's office counting down the days until the launch of Porsche 918 Spyder. It's a constant reminder of what Walliser and his team have been tasked with. They're reinventing the supercar for the 21st century and we've traveled all the way to the high-security Nardo Test Track for an exclusive ride in the world's first plug-in hybrid supercar.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • This Is The Strangest Electric Car You'll Ever See

    You may know that the Fisker Karma isn't built by Fisker. It's actually outsourced to Finland and assembled by a company named Valmet Automotive. And Valmet's built this electric concept car for Geneva called the "Dawn." It looks like it may have melted.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More
  • Lamborghini Aventador J: A Vent, A Door, No Roof

    Surprises are rare these days, so much respect to whomever thought the Lamborghini Aventador should lose more than just part of the roof for a one-off roadster version. The Lamborghini Unica is an Aventador with a vent and a door but no roof, windshield or pillars. It's insane and hopefully real.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More

Spacelopnik (4)

  • This Is What It Looks Like To Jump From 13.6 Miles Above Earth

    Our planet never seems more beautiful than from a distance. Extreme jumper Felix Baumgartner brought back this amazingly distant view — from 71,580 feet above the surface — before jumping out of his space capsule and hurtling home at 365 mph in his quest to hit supersonic speeds without an aircraft.

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • GM, NASA Build Real-Life Power Glove

    First, GM and NASA built the humanoid Robonaut. Now, the two have teamed up again to create a Human Grasp Assist device. The K-Glove, a.k.a, Robo-Glove, a.k.a. a real-life Nintendo Power Glove, gives the user the power of robots. You could be like The Wizard. In space! And not horrible! And without Fred Savage! How bad is that?

    By Matt Hardigree Read More
  • The Forgotten Female Cosmonauts Who Beat Sally Ride Into Space

    Today is International Women's Day, and yesterday was the birthday of Valentina Tereshkova. It's ok to admit you don't know who that is. Despite beating Sally K. Ride (and many men) into space by 20 years, Tereshkova and her comrade Svetlana Savitskaya are probably most notably remembered in a souvenir apron bearing Savitskaya's face.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

The Morning Shift (17)

Wrenching (2)

  • Ten Essential Tools For A Well-Equipped Garage

    A good, well-equipped garage does more than make car work possible; it makes it more enjoyable and more effective. Certain tools are terrific benefits in the pursuit of mechanical excellence. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the ten most essential garage items.

    By Patrick Frawley Read More
  • How To Make A Quick And Dirty Emergency USB-To-Cigarette Lighter Socket

    Okay, here's what's happened: You had to get out of town, fast. Maybe you just need a break, maybe you need to clear out while things blows over. Who knows. Point is, you're in your car, heading out onto a nice long stretch of nothing, when it hits you: You forgot your phone car charger. You have your dock/data connector, but that's it, and fat lot of good that does you. And you're going to be on the road a while.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More