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Custom Cars
Aussie Man Builds Big-Block Batman Tumbler With Nitrous, Videotapes Entire Build Process
Beginning in 2006, Aussie superhero Grant Hodgson started off with a dream, a dream of being the Batman, and he's been building a faithful replica of the Tumbler ever since. This time it comes with a build blog. Grant's version looks to be even closer to the real deal than the one built by Bob Dullam, featuring a 560 HP GM 454 CID V8, Turbo 400 automatic transmission, Argo V drive and a reinforced 35-spline Detroit Locker nine-inch rear end. The best part is that we get to watch it in action and watch the fabrication. Oh, did we mention it's got nitrous too? Yeah. Build image and more below the jump. More »
Chrysler cuts
Dodge Nitro And Jeep Liberty Death Match! Only One Will Survive!
Chrysler is looking to slaughter one of its Toledo-made SUV twins, the Dodge Nitro or Jeep Liberty. Only one can survive the elimination process, and our money is on the Jeep sticking around, with the Dodge getting the axe in 2012. It's all part of "Big" Bob Nardelli's unrelenting
Car Collections
Former Chrysler VP Recreates 1954 Plymouth Showroom In His Garage
Complete with all four body styles offered on the Plymouth Belvedere in 1954, Darrell L. Davis’s 9,000 square foot garage-homage to the '54 Plymouth also includes sales brochures, display racks, banners, signs, order books, sheets of paint samples and upholstery samples. Basically, everything needed to run a successful Plymouth showroom, which was exactly what he was aiming to recreate. More »
In Brief
Did You Take Wood Shop in High School?
FROM CARDOMAIN CAR BLOG: By Rob Einaudi Editor-in-Chief I bet the owner of this Malibu did. Heck, it's almost ready for paint! More »
Ad Watch
Hyundai Genesis Drag Races A Porsche Boxster
These may be two completely different vehicles, but that doesn't mean a drag race between a Hyundai Genesis 4.6 and a standard Porsche Boxster is a completely irrelevant test. Yes, the Boxster's flat-six has nothing over the Hyundai's 4.6-liter 375 HP V8, though we can't imagine that will stop impromptu white-collar drag races between Genesis and Boxster drivers on their way from Starbucks to the office. We'd be interested to see how the two compare on a twisty track, though the Genesis Coupe may be more well-suited for that task. [YouTube] More »
speed traps
British Police Using High-Tech Helicopters To Catch Speeders, Yell At Them
In an effort to drive both taxpayer groups and paranoid Libertarians nuts at the same time, the Essex police are using a $1,750-an-hour helicopter equipped with some fairly high-tech gear to trap speeders in key areas. The helicopter uses plate recognition software that can recognize a plate and locate the address from up to 700 feet away, and then use the "Skyshout" PA system to
Novelties
Ekranoplan Landings, Terrifying Concept For Reusable Space Flight
We have an occasional obsession with Soviet-era ekranoplans, the half-plane, half-hovercraft madness machines which take advantage of the ground effect, a phenomenon which provides for high lift at low altitudes. We've meandered across all manner of ekranoplan, from the massive Caspian Sea Monster to Luigi Colani's vision of an ekranoplanic future. But today we find out Ruskie planners once envisioned a future where space travel was enabled by ekranoplans. Propelling heft into space is much easier at the equator, where you can get up to twice the payload into the night sky at the same fuel charge.More »
Blogging The Auto Bloggers
GM Fires Next Salvo In PR Wars With "GM Facts And Fiction" Website
General Motors, taking a page from the Bush administration's "Setting The Record Straight" communications, has gone live with a website called "GM Facts And Fiction" designed to directly address criticism levied against the company. A quick glance at the site, located at gmfactsandfiction.com, indicates that the main topic of PR concern for the General right now is whether they're asking for a government bailout or not. That's not all, though: The site doesn't pull punches, incorporating "myth" topics with titles like "GM Still Doesn't Make Cars People Want To Buy" and "GM's Biggest Problem In North America Is Its Union Contracts." Some of our favorite facts and fiction after the jump. More »
Offbeat News
UPS Truck Turns Over A Million Miles In 22 Years
The odometer on Bret Boyd's big brown 1987 GMC rolled over to show all zeros recently. It was just another routine day in the same vehicle he's been behind the wheel of for his 22 years — as a UPS driver in East Texas. During that time the truck has reportedly gone through at least three engines and been repainted the same number of times, though we suppose it's hard not to lose count. What makes the GMC's longevity even more admirable is not just that the truck has never been in an accident during all that time, but also that Boyd has declined a new replacement vehicle. He prefers to just stick with ol' reliable, saying the truck feels "like home... sitting in the recliner in your house." [DallasNews] (Thanks Travis!)
Novelties
Trucker Rigs Disappearing License Plate To Cheat Tolls
Ever since James Bond showed off the rotating plates on his Aston Martin, people have been inspired to rig up their own devices to conceal their vehicle's identity. Recently, a trucker was nearly caught using such a device to avoid paying tolls. The trick plate was mounted on a hinge and connected to a cable which ran into the cabin, the end of which went through the old cigarette lighter socket, and was activated just by pulling out the lighter. It's brilliantly simple, and evidently rather popular among truckers looking to beat the system. Stick it to the man! [via Yahoo, Gizmodo] More »
paris motor show
Citroen Hypnos Hybrid Crossover Concept Channels FURTHUR
With the Hypnos crossover concept, Citroën is trying to explore ways to “make technology more human and approachable.” And, while the 200 HP hybrid powertrain said to deliver 60+ MPG is certainly laudable, we’ve received unconfirmed reports of a rehab facility in the south of France that's taken in the entire Citroën Design Department. Of course, the Hypnos is just the latest in a long history of wacky concepts from the French automaker. Hit the jump for their official explanation of the Hypnos and a gallery of some of the best Citroën concepts from recent years. More »
chevy volt
Report: Production Chevy Volt To Appear Alongside Chevy Cruze In Paris
Carscoop is reporting that inside sources tell them the production version of the Chevy Volt will join the Chevy Cruze, along with an unidentified Chevy concept vehicle, at the Paris Motor Show next month. That would mark the first show appearance for the Volt, which is expected to be revealed to the press on Tuesday, September 16. GM has been slowly revealing bits and pieces of the plug-in electric hybrid for months now; we recently told you about GM's plans to have at least 50 prototypes running around metro Detroit by the end of the year, so seeing a Volt up close shouldn't be too tough after Paris. [Carscoop]
Offbeat News
1958 Ferrari 250 PF Recovered In Connecticut 15 Years After Theft In Spain
A very rare, and very stolen, 1958 Ferrari 250 PF worth over $4,000,000 has been found in a private Connecticut collection, 15 years after being pinched in Spain. The Connecticut State Police Motor Vehicle Task Force and the Connecticut State Police Auto Theft Task Force tracked the Ferrari down with help from Interpol and the Swiss owner. Shockingly, the car was smuggled into New Jersey and registered with a fraudulent VIN, then passed around via a series of auctions and private sales. An unassuming buyer in 2000 should've been suspicious when he picked the car up for the stupid low price of $550,000; now he'll be crying in his soup as it heads home. (Thanks for the tips Doug and Steve)[Fox61]
Brother From Another Mother
It's hard not to think the new Honda Insight hybrid and the Toyota Prius look like kissing cousins. But, while both are five-door hatches sharing similar profiles, cut lines and green-tinged halos... they've got vastly different designs. Below the jump, we've detailed seven of the literally tens of differences between the two happy hybrids. And yes, we're even including the big "H" on the front of the 2010 Honda Insight.
More »
Honda Insight Vs. Toyota Prius: Separated At Birth?
It's hard not to think the new Honda Insight hybrid and the Toyota Prius look like kissing cousins. But, while both are five-door hatches sharing similar profiles, cut lines and green-tinged halos... they've got vastly different designs. Below the jump, we've detailed seven of the literally tens of differences between the two happy hybrids. And yes, we're even including the big "H" on the front of the 2010 Honda Insight.
More »
1:00 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Matt Hardigree
9,471 views,
72 comments
Latest by FuturePastNow: I think the Prius looks better. It's a simpler design, it has fewer things going on. more »
Down On The Street Bonus Edition
Billy Jack's Revenge: Judge, Jury, And Executioner In Portland
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's find is a '72 Plymouth Duster (or maybe it's a '71) with an innovative customization job. Dorsai3d shot the Billy Jack's Revenge on the damp streets of Portland, Oregon, and we can't help but admire the homemade hood tach, Electra 225 emblems used to indicate Slant Six engine displacement, and cryptic graphics. Make the jump to see all the photos and read Dorsai3d's description.More »
In Brief
Bad Design: Gull Wing Doors
FROM OOBJECT.COM: A gallery of gull wing and scissor door cars. It is no accident that very few production gull-wing door cars have ever been built. It is a design gimmick that looks superficially interesting but is highly impractical. More »
custom cars
