World’s Nicest Yugo for $7,999!

Over the years, Nice Price or Crack Pipe has brought you pristine examples of some of the world's finest automobiles for your consideration. And today, breaking that trend, we have a Yugo. More »

Let's Make A Deal For... A Bricklin!

Malcolm Bricklin probably seethed at the description of the Canadian-made Bricklin SV-1 as "America's latest sports car," but the audience for this mid-70s episode of Let's Make A Deal had nothing but oohs and aahs for Monty's announcement of the Cleveland-powered Safety Vehicle One. Thanks to LTDScott for the tip!

Project Car Hell: Bricklin SV-1 or Fiat Spider Torino?

We were a little surprised to find that the 911-engined Transporter opened a can of whoop-ass on the Type 4-powered 911 in yesterday's poll, but the Jalopnik masses have spoken! So get under that van and start bustin' knuckles! Today we've decided to lower the bar on the price thing and get a couple of sub-$2000 cars that are sure to put some extra-toasty flames in your personal automotive Hades... More »

Alka-Seltzer To The Rescue!

Team Knight Rider debuted back when we were in college, and watching this clip reminds us why we never bothered to stick with it beyond one episode. On the other hand, the above segemnt does feature a water-powered Bricklin (a Bricklin!) — creatively-named Hydro 2000 — that like a seagull, can be handily disabled with the addition of fizzy stomach-calming tablets. – Davey G. Johnson More »

Every New Morning: Bricklin's China Plan Changes Again

If one thinks about it, the only truly great thing Malcolm Bricklin ever did was bring Subarus to America. Other than that, Yugo? The Bricklin? Entirely amusing vehicles, but only if other people own them. So who really expected his venture with Chery to succeed? Well, we kind of did. At least for a while. But now that the Cheries are possibly on board to build the Dodge Hornet, Bricklin's holding the bag, calling the cars' quality not up to snuff, and deciding that Visionary Vehicles is going to design their own automobiles and find a producer in China to build them. We're suddenly feeling like this just won't end well. [Thanks to Kevin for the tip.] – Davey G. Johnson More »

A Chinese Bee: Chery to Build Dodge Hornet?

Will the Dodge Hornet be made in China? Automotive News reports today that DaimlerChrysler is in "late-stage negotiations" with China's Chery Motors to build a new small car for export, a car most believe will be one based on the Hornet concept (pictured) DCX showed in Geneva earlier this year. DaimlerChrysler executives are mum on the deal, saying they won't announce a small-car partnership until the end of the year. Still, a Chery-Chrysler partnership also calls to question a longstanding bid by auto entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin to bring Chery cars to the US under his Visionary Vehicles badge. According to AN, Bricklin says he won't be closed out by a Chery-Chrysler partnership, and that Chery-built Chryslers will help his cause by legitimizing Chery's production capabilities. He also says his joint-venture with Chery will be finalized by year's end. Either way, Chinese cars are coming, possibly sooner than we think. More »

Bricklin's First?: Chery Crossover Unveiled in China

China's Chery motors last week uncovered the car many say will be its first US-bound export — the V525 crossover. It's the latest incarnation of an MPV-style car entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin has said his Visionary Vehicles company will import to the US beginning in 2007. The V525 was reportedly developed with a dream team that included Lotus and Italy's Bertone design house, and sports a 127 hp, 2.3-liter engine sourced from Mitsubishi. Bricklin has always said his imports will offer the features of a $30,000 car for under $20,000, and the V525 is reported to be loaded with ABS with electronic brake distribution (EBD), traction control, nav system and digital entertainment. Chery says the crossover, which will go on sale there this month, will be offered in North America, but provided no further details — and hasn't confirmed Bricklin's participation in its US business. Interesting times, indeed. (More pics after the jump) More »

Swank Connecticut Dealer to Sell Bricklin's Cherys

Malcolm Bricklin's bid to bring the first Chinese-built cars to the US has been the object of both scorn and derision. (C'mon, we kid the Malclolm.) Actually, if his Visionary Vehicles venture keeps signing up northeastern dealer heavyweights like Bob Ciasulli and Miller Motorcars — a dealer of Aston Martins, Ferraris and Rolls-Royce models based in Greenwich, Connecticut — he might just have a shot. According to the Connecticut Post, Bricklin's deal with Miller involves selling the M14, a sporty model with a retractable hardtop, designed by Italy's Pininfarina, that looks awfully like the Peugeot 307 coupe-cabriolet. A Chinese-built cabrio alongside $200,000 supercars? It could be the most brilliant marketing-by-association coup of all. Now all they need is a few cars. More »

Big Dealer Says 'Woohoo!' About Wuhu: Ciasuilli Stoked on Visionary/Chery Deal

Tim Ciasulli, CEO of Planet Honda and head of the Visionary Vehicles Dealer Board is way stoked. Completely, utterly and totally stoked. Stoked the point of irrational stokedom, in fact. As the head of a a family-owned dealership chain which has sold nearly a million cars, he claims he's never seen an opportunity as incredible as Brickin's Visionary Vehicles/Chery deal. He visited the plant in Wuhu, China and came back raving, saying, "I was in my hotel room in China when the BBC announced that General Motors was cutting 30,000 workers, 25 percent of their workforce. More »

Chery Issues Recall, Cows GM

It's an up and down day for Chery. Bad news first: they've issued a recall for their Oriental Son (It ain't me! It ain't me! I ain't no Party Member's son!) having to do with a faulty vanity mirror light that can stay on and drain the battery. It's the first recall by a Chinese domestic manufacturer since the nation's recall laws went into effect, and the automaker's execs are patting themselves on the back, rewarding their own bravery at the issuance. Way to go, kids! You get a smiley-face stamp! More »

Chery to Bricklin: Don't Bogart the Cash, Mal

Visionary Vehicles has run into another snag when it comes to bringing Chinese cars to the slavering American masses. Apparently, Bricklin and co. offered two hundred mil in seed money to Chery Automobile to get the ball rolling on development of an American-spec vehicle. Thus far, Visionary's been unable to raise the entire amount from investors and the Chery people are getting a tad anxious. Plus, thus far, Visionary only has one dealership publicly announced, and franchising was supposed to raise a large portion of the cash for the venture. More »

Whither the Tin Men?: New Would-Be Chinacar Distributor Emerges

Former aluminum- siding salesmen (like those played by Danny DeVito and Richard Dreyfuss) could be missing out on the business opportunity of the century, or at least ceding the nascent market to one of their ilk who made a mint in rustproofing during the 1980s (before crashing out, o'course). Hap Hirsh, former owner of undercoating distributor Thermo-Guard, recently signed a deal with Chinese carmaker, Hebei Zhongxing Automobile Co. to distribute the company's SUVs and pickups to the US. Hirsh, who once assisted Malcolm Bricklin — whose Visionary Vehicles firm plans to bring China-built Chery models to the states — in a former business venture, joins David Shelburg Sr. a businessman and former Bricklin associate from Scottsdale, Arizona in the race against Visionary to bring China's cars to the US. We can hardly wait to see the inevitable Barry Levinson movie about them. More »

Lose the Grill Here's What's Hot in Bling: The Bricklin

Forget what you thought you knew about fashion in da club. Lil' Jon-style goblets? Over. Diamond- encrusted knucks? Can we call you Radio Raheem? Swingin' pendants proclaiming your general steez and/or degree of playatasticness? Okay, Mr. Gordon Gekko of the ghetto. No, what all the kids are gonna be rockin' when back to not-going-to-school comes around this year comes down to this: a 14k gold Bricklin charm. After all, ol' Mal pimped us Subaru, did he not? More »