1982: It's A Malaise-O-Rama $2188 Sale At Bert Weinman Ford!

Now, Bert Weinman Ford in Chicago was sacrificing those new '82s at below dealer cost, but who cared when you could pick up an air-conditioned '77 LTD Country Squire 9-passenger wagon for $2,188? More »

Jalopnik Contributor To Pick Up Ford Fiesta

'Twas a long fought battle, but the Fiesta will soon be mine! Here's how you can follow my adventures, trials and all-purpose Ford Euro-flavored tomfoolery. For starters: picking up the Fiesta. More »

Tesla To Open Chicago Dealership

Presumably targeting the wealthy wives of disgraced hair-centric former governors with difficult-to-pronounce names, Tesla's third dealership will open in Chicago this Spring with plans for six more in US and Europe later this year. More »

Hyundai Genesis Coupe Gets The Full Yo-Yo Ma

We've seen the Hyundai Genesis Coupe through the eyes of Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, but how would Yo-Yo Ma see it? The answer is revealed in this commercial from last night's gay Oscars More »

Mister Oldskool's Purple Cadillac Proves Unsuccesful As Inconspicuous Getaway Vehicle

It goes without saying that we thoroughly approve of a late-80s Sedan DeVille with the full-on pimp treatment. However, when John Law suspends your license, you don't try to drive said car from the courthouse. More »

GMC Truck Plus Lincoln Premiere: Because You Can!

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. Say over here you've got a late-50s Lincoln Premiere that's totally wrecked in front, and over there you've got a GMC truck with a bashed-in rear. You could do the boring thing and part them out or something, but the owner of this fine automobile decided to join the two good halves! Sure, it's completely ridiculous, but the workmanship appears to be pretty good and it's most definitely not the same old thing. Delta5 found this truckcar down on the Chicago street; make the jump to read his description. More »

Weather Radar Picks Up Car Doing 130 MPH

An atmospheric phenomenon this morning allowed the Doppler weather radar in the Chicago area to pick up cars driving down a pair of interstate highways, including one vehicle that appears to be doing 130 mph. Weather radar isn't that dissimilar from what cops use to bust speeders, as both project beams to gauge the speed of something moving away from a point. Typically, the radar is measuring the density of droplets of water in clouds, but a layer of warm air in the atmosphere deflected the weather radar's beams towards the road. So how did they know how fast the car was going? More »

1962 Bentley S3 Parks Next To Chicago Dumpster, Doesn't Care What You Think

Here's a car you don't see parked on the street every day, particularly if you live in a crowded city with tough parking. The list price on the '62 Bentley S3 was $16,355, about $250 less than a brand-new Ferrari 250GT California would have cost you that year... and about the same as six Ford Galaxies. Reader Michael had his camera at the ready when he spotted this dignified old gent parked in the Lincoln Park neighborhood; make the jump to read his description and see the rest of the gallery. More »

Interview WIth The Teacher Behind The Algae-Powered VW Van

Since everyone has been so enthusiastic about the Algae-Veggie Van I thought I'd follow up with some bits that didn't make it into the original feature article, specifically a Q&A I did with teacher David Levine, who originally came up with the idea to do this with project his students. He's one of the incredibly committed and intelligent teachers that I've met in the Chicago area who decided to postpone going out into the corporate world (where they'd clearly be successful) and instead make a measurable impact on society through the Teach For America program. More »

The Teutuls Like The New Challenger, A Bag Full Of Money Or Possibly Both

Paul, Sr. and Paul, Jr., Teutul, of Orange County Choppers and American Chopper fame, were around to introduce the new Challenger. As far as celeb/car introduction pairings go, this one was mostly inoffensive and made some sort of sense as this car will be popular with those buying a third car as a way to blow some disposable income, which are the same people that buy custom bikes. Unfortunately, it lacked the uncomfortable sexuality of old people and Amerigasm potential of previous introductions. More »

Chicago Auto Show: Commercial Trucks And Vans

Commercial trucks and vans aren't quite as romantic as the latest sports car, but that doesn't mean we should ignore them. There's a segment of the population that gets excited about a big, mean work truck. Though we kind of like the Ford Transit Connect, we're still more moved by the full-sized, extended-length Dodge Sprinters you see below, which could stow a pair of Transit Connects and still have room for a Girl Scout troop. Enjoy the plows, tow trucks and work vans. More »

Chicago Auto Show: 1969 Mercedes 300SEL 6.3 Turns Us Into Dragons

Though we may all dream of owning a 6.9, the 300SEL 6.3 was the original German Q-ship. This $55,000 sedan's 6.3-liter V8 produced 250 horsepower, 369 ft-lbs of torque, and could propel the nearly 4,000-pound hunk of beautiful metal to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. That's pretty good today and outrageous in 1967. We were therefore delighted to see one from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center gracing the floor of the Chicago Auto Show. More »

Chicago Auto Show: International MaxxPro

International didn't just bring it's super shredder semi, the International LoneStar to the show. They also brought the US Military's latest wheeled transport, the International MaxxPro. The imposing vehicle is basically a purpose-built mobile bomb shelter, capable of taking a hit from any direction, as well as fording bodies of water as deep as 36 inches, just for the hell of it. When we opened the door—or more precisely, tried to open the door—we had to abandon all all our stuff and put our weight behind the effort. The thick armor plated doors were almost as heavy as the ones on an old Mark VIII. While the Humvee is impressive in its general-purpose skills, this thing is just a plain beast. We want a test drive of the take home version. Any vehicle with gun portals gets an "A" in our book. More »

Chicago Auto Show: 2009 Mitsubishi Galant, Three Varieties of Boring

In case you were wondering, Mitsubishi did bust out a trio of updated Galants on Thursday, and we were monumentally underwhelmed. The Galant Sport, Galant Sport V6, and the Galant Ralliart all took a bow. The cars are available with a mix and match of the 2.4 L 4 cyl MiVEC, 3.8 L V6, and 3.8L V6 equipped with MiVEC, traction control, and Nav system as well as external indicators of the various performance levels. More »

Chicago Auto Show: The Volvo XC70 SR Surf Rescue Vehicle, For When Hof Isn't Sober

Somehow we missed this XC70 SR at the SEMA show last year, overwhelmed as we were with things covered in pink carbon fiber. Unless you've passed out due to blood loss from a shark attack, you'll notice the five-inch lift and 20-inch wheels. While the XC70 SR sports the ubiquitous (on concept trucks) LED lightbar, it also features a unique and attractive set of blue strobes integrated into the fog light assembly, the mirrors and the rear light clusters. With scuba tanks, oxygen tanks, a first aid kit and a resuscitator box integrated into the rear cargo, it's all you need to save drowning tourists. We like it, but we're a little disappointed that the lifeguards won't be forced to make slow motion runs into strong headwinds in order to save us. More »

Chicago Auto Show: 2009 International LoneStar, Biggest Unveil of the Show

There's a funny thing about auto shows; from the outside, they appear to be all glitz and glamor, high-dollar extravaganzas to draw the attention of the nearest journalist, and later the consumer. In actuality, they are crushingly boring, highly stressed, cynical, irritating events which grow tiresome from both the PR side and the coverage side. Still, it's fun when you see something unexpected pop up on the floor. The new International LoneStar is definitely outside the mainstream of the average motor show. It was a welcome respite. We're digging the grill because it reminds us of the Shredder's helmet and mask. As a special bonus above that, the truck can be equipped with any of 42 different accessories, ranging from lights to shift knobs to acres of excess chrome. International has certainly switched its truck line from suck to blow. More »

Chicago Auto Show: Alton Truck Company F650 Is An Adventure In Ridiculous

While the automakers may be disappointing us with vanilla reveals, we have to hand it to the crew at the Alton Truck Company for taking the kind of effort a certain segment of the automotive aftermarket world puts into Civics and applying it to this Ford F-650-based SUV. Weighing in at a paltry 25,999 pounds, this extremest of SUV's features a Caterpillar 7.2L C7 ACERT engine with 230 horsepower and 660 lb.-ft. of torque. For the low low price of $200,000 you get hardwood floors, custom captain's chairs, four wireless computer stations, a 42" plasma TV and a rear view camera so you don't accidentally run over a Yukon XL. It's nicer and larger than our apartment, though slightly tackier. It's the perfect weekend cruiser for an affluent 8th-grader with a driver's license and a few extra bucks lying around. More »

What Would You Badge Engineer If You Ran An Automaker?

We know you're as thrilled as we are about the Chicago Auto Show's bevy of platform prostitution badge re-engineered vehicles and North American introductions of cars we've already seen. We know that you're all particularly taken with the likes of the VW Routan and the Suzuki Equator, two vehicles that wouldn't exist but for two automakers with the need to fill a niche and two other automakers with a need to not fully waste production facility resources. But it doesn't have to be that way. What if we badge re-engineered with an eye for both the absurd and the sublime? A Lotus version of the International CXTfor example? Or perhaps Isuzu could make a second go at the North American market with the Isuzu Cinquecento. More »

Chicago Auto Show: 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse

Even though they already dropped the press shots of the 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse and Spyder, the cars are making their official debut here at Chicago. Mitsubishi looked to borrow some mojo from past Eclipse models as they included previous versions in their display. The upgrades to the new version are largely cosmetic, thought they did see fit squeeze an additional two ponies out the power plant. Included in the deal are"Jet fighter grill", added traction control, new 18" wheels, dual outlet exhaust, Spyder gets standard heated seats, yada, yada, yada. Hey look, pictures. More »

Chicago Auto Show: Volvo Goes To The Dogs

While we were hoping we'd get something along the lines of the R-Line, Volvo surprised us with an event about buckling up your dogs. Yeah! Apparently, the XC90 has a special dog cage in there and the people at BarkBuckleUp.com want dogs secured safely so that, in the event of an accident, the animal isn't killed or injured (or wanders onto the street causing other accidents). We'd have taken more shots but the police dog started barking and we thought maybe they were on to us. More »

Chicago Auto Show: Dub Magazine Turns Chryslers Into Pentabortions

Dub Magazine, a publication known for highlighting the understated beauty of lightly customized automobiles, set up a display of lowered Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler vehicles made even odder looking with the addition of ridiculous rims. While it almost works on some vehicles, like the already chromey Chrysler 300 and Pepsi-vending Dodge Nitro, there are some vehicles that cannot be saved by anything short of explosives. An example of this is the maroon dubdubbed Chrysler Sebring with matching maroon wheels, or as we call it, the Pentabortion. More »

Chicago Auto Show: Toyota Corolla, Meet Dave

We don't remember seeing this at SEMA, because if we had, we would have made fun of it there as well. Nonetheless, the placard claims this Toyota Corolla SE Prototype was first shown at the infamous tuner show, and we claim it was first seen somewhere in a Ford studio run by Dave "Big Balls" Horbury. Seriously — check out that grille, somebody falling in love with the Ford Fusion much? Perhaps this is a new salvo in a developing grille wars. Whatever. We feel like maybe we should be on the look out for a restyled Ford Taurus sporting a Klingon forehead grille. More »

Chicago Auto Show: Second City Swag Watch

No journalists can leave the Chicago Auto Show without a bagful of little trinkets from automakers and suppliers (under $25, always). For the purpose of full disclosure and minor amusement, we had our CAS intern, Kevin Bradley, throw together a list of all the swag we received on the first day. We can also thank K-Brad for all of the various swag shots. If you're lucky, some of this stuff will end up as contest prizes in the future. Photos and full details below: More »

Chicago Auto Show: Hyundai Reveals 2009 Sonata, Elantra Touring And i-Blue Fuel Cell Concept

Hyundai showed off a refreshed model in the 2009 Hyundai Sonata, a new model in the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring and a far off concept in the iBlue Concept.The news from the Sonata is the addition of the first nav system and dual-zone climate control. The news for the Elantra Touring is that it does look Mazda3-ish up close with a touch of Toyota Matrix. We sat inside one and it's relatively roomy for the class with a design that would be considered friendly to most and sporty to those without a pulse. Press information and photos below. The big news with the i-Blue is, uh, that it exists? More »

Chicago Auto Show: BMW to Return to Racing in 2009, Bringing M3

Hot on the heels of the 2008 BMW M3 release, those rascally Germans have developed a racing variant to further develop the incredible tech already present in the stock automobile. In 2009 BMW will return to racing with team Rahal Letterman Racing in the American Lemans Series. We'll be bringing more details and pics (got em!) after we recover from the heart attack and can dig up a press release. More »

Chicago Auto Show: 2009 Ford Transit Connect Variants Take Bow

We saw the first two versions of the 2009 Ford Transit Connect a little earlier, but now we've seen 'em up close and personal. Four differently outfitted models of the light duty van were shown off in an effort to showcase the vans versatility. The first two we saw were dressed up for a wine delivery company and a traveling jazz band; the other two examples are done up for a connectivity company and a catering service. While not options offered from Ford, these Transit Connects offer different looks at the flexible ways the little vans can be equipped. And we did see a feature we've been pining for. More »

Chicago Auto Show: 2009 Ford Transit Connect Early Peek

Those darn kids are always leaving stuff laying around - like 2009 Ford Transit Connects that aren't supposed to be free to see for another couple hours. We've heard they are bringing four different varieties of customized to show off here in Chicago and it looks like we're seeing two of them here. One appears to be some sort of wine and or food based delivery truck. The other is a decidedly more hip and musically focused custom. It looks decidedly jazzy and thankfully un-hip-hop related. Definitely dressed up compared to the bland whiteness of the press shots of the Transit Connect from last night. Guess we'll get the full story in a bit. More »

Chicago Auto Show: Chrysler PR Team Learns Photoshop, Makes Challenger Fly

Employing the same skill as a 12-year-old grafting his head on Eli Manning's body, Chrysler's media team made the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 fly. There are so many problems with this 6th grade photochop that it would occupy us for the rest of the day trying to make fun of them and we couldn't bring you live pictures of the Ford Transit Connect. We've numbered the seven most obvious errors, bad clones and just outright injustices. You identify them and hopefully add some more. UPDATE: While we don't mean to imply the Challenger's not jumping through the air with the greatest of ease — the p-shop-job done to the car we think would make anyone doubt the veracity. But Chyrsler PR claims it happened and we'll even see video to prove it in a short while. [Source: Chrysler] More »

Ford "Work Solutions" Makes Trucks Smart—Ford Smart

Ford is working towards a new objective with it's "Work Solutions" package. Instead of simply providing customers with four wheels, a motor and maybe even a chassis, Ford wants to develop what they're calling "solutions." Yes, that certainly sounds like something that came straight from an MBA program someplace, and we're generally dogged cynics when it comes to such claptrap. But this here "solution" is actually pretty darn neat. Ford has teamed with Microsoft (yet again—hello, Sync fans) to create new hardware and software for contractors to use to manage work sites. The system begins with RF tags you can add to any tool—hammer, screwdriver, level, circular saw, all the contractor doo-dads you can imagine—then adds bed scanners that detect the presence of those RF tags. The system can tell you before you leave a work site whether or not you've left something behind. Add to useful feature a few others: the ability to surf the net anywhere, using integrated wimax hardware by Sprint; and a vaguely UPS like "Crew Chief" system, which combines GPS with the tool sensing to determine the best crew to do a job at any given call. Of course, this is all targeted at Ford's commercial customers, but we can't help but wonder where the system could go when adapted to the consumer market. Parents could tag toys. Surfers could tag boards. We'll never lose anything ever again! Not as long as Ford has a "solution"... More »

Ford Transit Connect Official For US Market

Even though we got a sneak peak at it during the Showlopnik coverage, Ford has officially dropped the pics for it's Transit Connect on us. Now, it doesn't look a heck of a lot different then the Euro model, but there are some differences. True, it will be built in the same plant and Turkey, and it will still be based on a front wheel drive four cylinder platform, there will not be a diesel version available - yet. Indeed, Ford will be bringing only a four pot gasser to the US market and mating it to a four speed auto. Though at a press event, they didn't deny there was a possibility of an oil burner if the market demands it. More »