Jalopnik: Las Vegas

Custom ’59 Cadillacamino Costs $27,000, Won’t Fit in a Single Picture

Graverobber — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Well that's not always the case, and today, Nice Price or Crack Pipe has a Vegas-based custom Caddy that's big enough to bring all your sin city transgressions home with you.

What if someone offered you the Cadillac of El Camios? That would be the best of all worlds, wouldn't it? El Camino style and utility with Cadillac panache, all wrapped into one? If only such a creation really existed. Well, pine no more, because a Nevada-based eBayer has put just such a beast up for grabs, and it give the Vegas Strip a run for its money in the over-the-top audaciousness department.

Taking a standard Coupe de Ville and replacing the back seat and trunk with a massive covered storage box gives this 130-in wheelbase two-door a cab-forward appearance, despite having a hood large enough to be its own Vegas subdivision. There's no mention of what's under that hood, but the factory fitted a 325-bhp 390-cid in '59.

Also left unexplained is the impetus for the caddy's creation. Did someone think that Batman needed something in which to haul steer manure and rye seed back to stately Wayne manor? Was there a bunch of emo kids who looked at the car and thought that trunk's big, but we can do better?

Regardless of motive, the Ed Glowacke-led design retains much of what was iconic back in '59, including the sweep of the body-line from headlight to faux jet exhaust, made possible buy the use of Buick door structures. The exaggerated dogleg A-pillar, necessitating a complex-curve windshield is extant, although partially hidden by the external visor, and of course, the fins. The '59 Cadillac fins were the apex (or nadir, depending on your appreciation of the fin as automotive styling theme) of the genre, having out-finned the Exner-penned Chryslers that debuted a year prior. Those fins, as well as much of the rest of the chrome- which Bill Mitchell had described as laid on with a trowel- has been painted black here.

So, it's weird and, perhaps wonderful. And, like having been born with a tail, chances are you won't be running into anyone else with one of these anytime soon. But, is that worth $27,000? After all, that's a lot of chips to be betting all on black. What's it worth to you- a trip home from Vegas, twenty seven grand lighter, but a caddy-camino richer? Or, would you rather just lose that at the craps table and ride out of town on your thumb?

You decide!

eBay or go here if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

What Car Is Hidden Under This Custom Vegas Cruiser?

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:40:00 EDT

A reader sent us these shots, without context, of what appears to be American metal shaped into a custom Vegas-style cruiser. The question is: what's hidden underneath the custom metal?

We're sure we've nailed the make and model with a little uncertainty as to the year. There also appear to be numerous attachments, likely from other cars, on what is now called "Scorpio." Bonus points for identifying those. Whatever the car is, there's no question about its hipness. It reminds us of a time when Vegas was cool, lounge singers had quaint substance abuse problems like alcoholism, and you were unlikely to die from an STD. Good times...

Photo Credit: Curiously, hosted on a site called DriftProject.com

Nissan 370Z And Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Models Are A Recipe For Anorexia

The Auto Insider — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:30:00 EST

Nissan took three SI swimsuit models for an O-face-inducing ride down the famous Vegas strip in three 2009 370Zs. That's a whole lot of forced weight loss in one video, ain't it?

We have one thing to ask - Can we play the part of the passenger seat belt next time?

[didntyouhear via Sports Illustrated]

The Booth Professionals of the 2008 Guangzhou International Auto Show

Andrew Didorosi — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:30:00 EST

As a result of covering an auto show or two in our time, we've become veritable connoisseurs regarding the mistresses of motors we lovingly refer to as Booth Professionals. We've brought you delightful displays of debutantes from far away locations such as Geneva, Paris, Las Vegas and Detroit. Apologies for the blurry nature of a few of these pictorials, we've got the shakes from a bit of bad Mu Shu pork.

[ABChina]

Lamborghini Opens Las Vegas Boutique Featuring Italian Models Of All Types

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EDT

We find it absolutely fitting Lamborghini has opened up a new Las Vegas showroom complete with its first Lamborghini fashion boutique right inside. Why? We've been thinking about it, hard, and there may be no car brand and city more made for each other than Lamborghini and Las Vegas. Gaudy, brash, over the top, extravagant; which are we describing? And what fashion boutique opening would be complete without scantily clad models mixing it up with the crowd? It's like playing "Lamborghini Where's Waldo?" — can you spot the Murcielago?

LAMBORGHINI DEBUTS NEW SHOWROOM ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP WITH THE WORLD'S FIRST LAMBORGHINI FASHION BOUTIQUE ~ Italian Models Take to the Catwalk for Private Lamborghini ArtiMarca Fashion Show ~ LAS VEGAS (August 11, 2008) - Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., welcomed VIPs, celebrities and Lamborghini executives to the grand opening celebration of Lamborghini's newest showroom and the world's first Collezione Automobili Lamborghini fashion boutique on Saturday, August 9. To appeal to all visitors' senses, Lamborghini Las Vegas also partnered with Dal Toro, a new world-class Italian restaurant adjacent to the dealership to provide an all-Italian experience. The Collezione Automobili Lamborghini fashion line is comprised of men's, women's and junior's collections for all four seasons. These collections include swimsuits, fur- trimmed jackets, and crest-embroidered polos, as well as accessories including hats, shoes, briefcases, iPod cases and more. The collection is tailored not only to Lamborghini buyers, but to the luxury consumer who values quality, style and elegance. "The opening of the first Collezione Automobili Lamborghini boutique brings a new level of luxury to Las Vegas that epitomizes the Lamborghini lifestyle," states Winkelmann. "Lamborghini super sports cars and fine Italian fashion go hand-in-hand. We are pleased to offer this unique experience at Lamborghini's newest showroom." The two-story, 20,000 square-foot showroom at the Palazzo is one of 34 Lamborghini dealerships in North America. Its premier location in Las Vegas is sure to at tract affluent and aspirational visitors seeking one of the world's most sought after cars, immersing themselves in the Collezione Automobili Lamborghini or simply enjoying a taste of the Lamborghini experience. At the grand opening celebration, VIP guests were surrounded by the luxurious style of Lamborghini amidst the glamour of the Las Vegas strip. A Collezione Automobili Lamborghini fashion show kicked off the event, with stylish pieces from the 2008 clothing and accessories collection taking centre stage. Since the beginning of 2005, Automobili Lamborghini has strategically increased its global reach from 65 to 116 dealers worldwide; 34 of these dealers are located in North America, including three Canadian dealers. Last year was a record year for the brand with 2,406 cars delivered worldwide.

U.S. Receives First Street Legal Koenigsegg, Let The Tickets Begin!

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:30:00 EST

Where else would the first street legal Koenigsegg CCX end up than swinging Las Vegas? The great thing about bringing the car to Vegas is that if you accidentally marry a tranny stripper one night you can just take the CCX to its top speed of 245 mph and go back in time to prevent the nuptials (and whatever else happened that night). The privilege of owning an early U.S. example of the Koenigsegg will set you back about $935,00 and a full year of wait time. Enjoy the video of Clarkson taking it up to 11 above.

More than 10 of the CCX's have been ordered already and will be available for pickup at the only U.S. Koenigsegg dealership, which just happens to be in the heart of Caesars Palace. Now that we've finally figured out how to properly spell Koenigsegg we're going to say it a few times. Koenigsegg, Koenigsegg, Koenigsegg. [World Car Fans]

Jalopnik at the D1 Grand Prix, Day Two: Finals

Mike Spinelli — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 14:41:31 EDT

[Las Vegas stringer Curtis Walker, who hasn't yet sublimated in the desert heat despite short odds to the contrary, brings us day two of the 2007 D1 Grand Prix.]. Narratively, we're always drawn to both underdogs and classic, rear-drive Japanese cars. So we caught up with John Russakoff to get the lowdown on his 1984 Toyota Corolla, the oldest drift car competing in this year's D1 circuit. The AE86 entry started out as a $200 "piece of shit." Twenty-five thousand bucks and a year- and-a-half later, the car was track worthy. Gone is the original Toyota powerplant, in favor of a 2006 Honda S2000 engine and matching six-speed tranny. Russakoff says he's done all of the work on this 1900-lb., 220 hp slider himself. As for his opinion of the searing heat, he says it more of a problem for the intercooled turbos, as they seem to be losing about 10 percent or more of their power. But it makes for a stickier track, and he's happy to have the extra traction.

During eliminations, however, Russakoff fell on hard times. In the most spectacular crash of the weekend, he powered into the tires, and the car launched several feet into the air on the rebound. Russakoff says he wanted to push the limits and please the judges. While Russakoff's first two passes were adequate, he says, his entry speeds were low. With a dearth of horsepower to play with, entry speed determines the entire run for the smaller cars. Despite this catastrophe, Russakoff managed to qualify 16th of 16. The crash took out his radiator and tweaked the front suspension, but he said it wouldn't be too expensive to fix. Though, even with parts from a friend's car, Russakoff couldn't get it back on the track in the four-hour window before Eliminations.

Twenty-four racers competing for 16 slots in the final leads to all manner of carnage. Weekend-ending crashes from Russakoff and Tiger Racing's Chanin earned them "good job" reprimands from the judges. Battles of attrition from Tiger teammate Jaytir and Kure racing's Fixmer's cars left a rich potpurri of car parts across the track from each of their three passes. But that wasn't enough to guarantee anyone a spot without fighting for it. In the end, the highest qualifying score was 99.9 and the lowest a hair's-breadth 99.0, with entry speeds ranging from 79.5 mph to 89.5 mph. Newcomer Forrest Wang made a crowd-pleasing drift, but only earned a 98.5. We have no doubt he's someone to keep an eye on in the future.

It wouldn't be a car show/race without a standard collection of garden-variety bikini babes. In addition to typical arm candy these events encourage, there was a bikini contest right after the main event. But it may have been most notable for its crowd-control benefits; the on-stage proceedings kept the crowd from migrating en masse to the parking lot like at most other events.

With eight pairs of drivers selected for the elimination round, the entire event shifted in tone. Where the qualifying round was like a demolition derby, the main event was more like The Magic Flute with burning rubber. All in all, only one bumper went flying, and that was due to unsportsmanlike contact between Ueo and Yoshioka. Apparently, Ueo has a reputation for taking opponents down with him, but tonight it only cost Yoshioka a rear bumper.

Because of the way that elimination pairs are chosen (#1 with #16, #2 with #15 and so forth) pitting both Team Orange drivers against each another provided counterpoint to the two's tandem runs they'd been practicing all weekend. Unfortunately, it made judging the two similar drivers with similar cars virtually impossible, causing seemingly endless sudden-death matches with neither driver flinching. Finally, Kumakubo, last year's series champ, slipped up and let his teammate progress to the semi-finals.

Ryan Hampton and his Corvette spun out, leading to a score of zero and his elimination, which was something of a disappointment, because his car was probably the best sounding car on the track and the only domestic model.

The final came down to Yoichi Imamura's widebody Nissan Z and Hideo Hiraoka's Silvia. In the end, Imamura made an unpopular victor. The crowd turned on him during the semi-final showdown against Yoshioka. He'd been passed spectacularly on the inside of a tight drift, only to have his opponent spin out and lose the heat. Regardless, to the victor goes the spoils. In this case, a $5,000 purse.

Best 16
Toshiki Yoshioka defeated Ernie Fixmer.
Katsuhiro Ueo defeated Kazuyoshi Okamura.
Yoichi Imamura defeated Michihiro Takatori.
Ken Nomura defeated Justin Pawlak.
Kazuhiro Tanaka defeated teammate Nobushige Kumakubo.
Tetsuya Hibino defeated Ryan Hampton.
Hideo Haraoka defeated Daigo Saito.
Takahiro Ueno defeated Quoc Ly.

Best 8
Toshiki Yoshioka defeated Katsuhiro Ueo.
Yoichi Imamura defeated Ken Nomura.
Kazuhiro Tanaka defeated Tetsuyo Hibino.
Hideo Hiraoka defeated Takahiro Ueno.

Semi-final
Yoichi Imamura defeated Toshiki Yoshioka.
Hideo Hiraoka defeated Kazuhiro Tanaka.

Final
Yoichi Imamura defeated Hideo Hiraoka.

(Results courtesy LVMS.com.)

Jalopnik at the D1 Grand Prix, Day One: Practice

Mike Spinelli — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 08:38:49 EDT

[Our Las Vegas stringer Curtis Walker is on scene making with the photos and words — ed.] With temps pegged in the triple digits by Friday afternoon, the air above the Las Vegas Motor Speedway hinted at a firestorm. The Formula D Grand Prix is in town, and that means wafts of tire smoke and smolder hanging over the Mojave for most of the weekend. Last year, D1's inaugural drift event was such a hit with the drift kids that more drivers and cars are here from Japan. With 13 of Nippon's finest and 10 domestic drivers vying for one of the 16 slots in Saturday's main event, something is bound to be set off up in here.

There's some impressive steel gathered here in the desert. Six Nissan 240SXs, Six Nissan Silvias, a couple of Subaru Imprezas, a selection of Toyotas, a Mazda RX-7 and, representing the continent, a Corvette C5. And that's not even counting the flurry of amateur cars taking part in the driver search event.

The D1 pits have a more casual feel than at other races. Crews wear flip flops, and drivers and crews are busy but approachable, always making the time to greet fans. But the laid-back feel doesn't extend to the judges who walk around docking points for litter and cigarette butts.

For the D1 circuit racers, Friday was all about practice. During the day, the parking-lot-turned-race-course topped 110 F. Tires tended toward liquification. Engines overheated after just a few laps. According to D1 commentator Toshi Hayama, drivers were operating at about 40 percent of their potential. Once the sun went down, he said, we got more like 80 percent.

Aside from the technical challenges presented by a July afternoon in the Mojave, the practice session went off without an abundance of carnage. Subaru driver Kazuhiro Tanaka managed to rip the rear bumper off his orange Subaru Impreza during a spectacular drift, while Toshiki Yoshioka did him one better by ripping off both bumpers of his Toyota Trueno.

One of the unique things about D1 is that they recruit amateur racers through a driver search event, or "Ikaten." Ikaten participants who receive their D1 license are then allowed to proceed to qualifying for that event and may register to qualify for any D1 Grand Prix USA competition that year before they have to renew their license. If they don't manage to score in the top 30 in at least one competition per year, they get their license revoked.

Ten wannabe D1 racers showed up with their souped up grocery getters, but after two crashes and numerous failed attempts at a convincing drift, only two managed to get their licenses: #12, Forrest Wang and his consistently impressive 80 point drifts and #4, Jason who managed to pull a 90-point drift on one of his passes. Sixty-year-old Daijiro Inada, founder of the D1GP, also competed in the Ikaten, but failed to deliver the goods. [D1GP Las Vegas]

Planes, Hydroplanes and, Er, Planes

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:00:00 EDT

Through the glorious bounty of YouTube, we've dug up this episode of Clarkson's old Extreme Machines series, wherein a more-frotastic, younger Jezza flies around in a P-51, bombs across Lake Mead in a hydroplane and then checks out luxo-pimp options in jet travel. Parts 2 &3 after the jump. – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
Bleed for the Dancer: Clarkson on the 2CV [Internal]

Evel Fails Caesars

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 20:45:00 EDT

It's Evel Knievel's tragic fountain jump at Caesar's Palace. What else to we really need to say about one of the Greatest American Hoon's darkest moments? – Davey G. Johnson

Shocker! Vegas Hummer Dealer Flies Outsized Flag!

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:15:00 EDT

We often think that if one moves to Las Vegas, one gets what one deserves. We have visted few more wretched hives of scum and villainy. We do not understand why people look forward to visiting it. We always leave more exhausted than when we arrived, the architecture is tacky, the people (both the denizens and the visitors) seem to be in a permanent stupor and the traffic sucks. So it's not shocking that a Las Vegas Hummer dealer is flying a massive flag whose flapping is disturbing the lot's residential neighbors. What is shocking is that the neighbors are complaining. Vegas residents, if you don't like it, there's always Wendover. – Davey G. Johnson

Oversized American flag causes flap in Las Vegas [CNN]

Grand Theft Southwest: Your Car is Leaving Las Vegas

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:00:00 EDT

Why is that cowboy hitching a ride? Because most likely his car's been stolen. Last year, 22,441 vehicles were stolen in and around Las Vegas. Which makes it the #1 place in the USA for such cruel activity. Which somehow makes Oscar Goodman proud. At first blush you might think, "Well, they're close enough to Los Angeles. Thieves can blast out to the desert, take their pick from over thirty different Bentleys with spinners and they make the Kessel Run back home before sun up." But you'd be (mostly) wrong. For if you look at the next four cities on the list — Stockton CA, Visalia-Porterville CA, Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale AZ and the former, three-time consecutive car-theft champion, Modesto CA — the reason becomes clear. Crystal Meth, and lots of it. We just got off the horn with Bakersfield. They're bummed they didn't make the list, but promise to try harder next year. – Jonny Lieberman

Las Vegas tops U.S. cities for car thefts [msnbc.com]

San Francisco Smash 'n' Grabs [Internal]

Best Little Car Show In Vegas: Viva Las Vegas 10

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 14:04:00 EDT

Our 1960 Ford Fairlane 500 driving Vegas homeboy Curtis Walker snuck away from the Las Vegas Grand Prix long enough to stop by Viva Las Vegas 10 at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino. It was the latest in a decade's worth of rockabilly/hotrod that's gone, daddy. Check out Curtis's photo gallery and wish your pompadour was tight enough and your chick chick enough to have attended in the flesh. – Mike Spinelli

Audi R8 Spotted In Las Vegas Strip Mall

Ray Wert — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 10:16:03 EST

Yes, we're just going to go ahead and assume the massage was highly precise. [Hat tip to Zerin!] – Ray Wert

SEMA Show: How Can You Sell Tires If You Don't Have Any Booth Babes?

Ray Wert — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 13:00:00 EST

As Jalopnik photographer-of-the-star-cars Curtis Walker was want to tell us — there are rules for booth babes at SEMA. Apparently, this stuff doesn't just happen by chance — and here's his explanation of where you'll find the booth babes, what they'll be wearing and why — and all with a helpful reference gallery below:

"It would appear that there is a correlation between skin factor and company size. Ford and GM, for example, don't have booth babes. Companies selling rims and exhaust systems have girls with cleavage showing in the front or rear."

While we'd agree with Curtis' assessment, we feel compelled to add the following addendum:

"Companies selling tires have girls with cleavage showing in the front and the rear."

Because you know, that's just how they roll — we mean, how else are you going to get folks to snap pictures of your tires? – Ray Wert

[2006 SEMA Booth Babes Gallery] (NSFW)

Hook 'Em When They're Young: GM's Hooking Up College Journalists With Trips To Vegas, Baby, Vegas

Ray Wert — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 09:37:08 EDT

The General's West Coast PR maven Diedra Wylie, in an e-mail to reporters and editors of a number of university newspapers, offered a free trip to Vegas this past weekend — with ten Universities reportedly accepting the trip. The program reportedly focused "on car customization culture which is relevant to young adults" and billed as a "great learning opportunity for young journalists." Yes, we'd agree — it's a great opportunity in how to take a free trip and meals from one of the world's largest corporations. And like the tobacco industry, it's important to get in there when they're young and impressionable, despite Wylie's "...hope [the students'] opinion wouldn't be swayed by a free trip." But considering the nature of the event, we'd understand why it's be difficult for young'ins to understand. Here's a way to get through to the journo students. Just explain it's the equivalent of hitting the hay with a local sorostitute — it may seem like a smart idea at the time, but it all changes once the itching and burning begins. Full text of the e-mail after the jump.

—-Original Message—-
From: xxxx@gm.com [mailto:xxx@gm.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 8:43 PM
To:
Subject: URGENT - General Motors College Journalists Event
Importance: High

Dear Advisor,

I'm writing to inform you of General Motors' First College Journalists Event taking place in Las Vegas, NV on September 9-10th. This is the first time we've done this sort of event and it'll be a great learning opportunity for young journalists. The program will focus on car customization culture which is relevant to young adults.

While in Las Vegas the college journalists will have the opportunity to meet with professional journalists and GM executives who'll be in attendance. GM will pay for travel, hotel and meals for students that attend. Travel will be scheduled so students don't miss any school (arrivals and departures will take place during the weekend).

More information on the program is below. Please feel free to forward the information below to students you believe are qualified and would benefit from this opportunity. For questions or more information, please contact me at 805-xxx-xxxx or xxx@gm.com.

Best,
Diedra Wylie
GM Communications Western Region

GM event reaches out to college students [PR Week via Talking Biz News]

Koenigsegg CCX to Go On Sale in Vegas

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:30:00 EDT

Famous for being the only car ever to attempt to kill the Stig on camera, the Koeniggsegg CCX will launch in the US in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 27th in Las Vegas. To be sold by Exotic Cars at Caesar's Palace (because Roman chintz and mirrored ceilings are the perfect compliment to a 260mph supercar), they're throwing a VIP party on August 27th followed by two days of track time at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 4.7L, twin-~~turbo~~ supercharged mill pumps out 806hp, and the whole car weighs in at a sprightly 2,200 ~~ton~~ lbs, allowing it to run a 9-second quarter mile at 146. It's sort of obscene that the thing is even road legal. What we wanna know is, who's gonna be the first to have an Enzo Moment in one?

We Love the Smell of Recovered Vehicles in the Morning: Robert Duvall Busts Auto Theft Ring in Vegas

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 01:30:00 EDT

There are at least three guys who won't be going surfing for a while due to the efforts of Lt. Robert Duvall of the LVPD. The Sin City cop and his cohorts busted an auto theft ring and recovered 1.9 million bucks worth of stolen vehicles. The thieves are implicated in at least eight carjackings, plus a number of threats carried out by less-violent means. We just wanna know if they thundered in to the crime scene with sirens wailing and "Ride of the Valkyries" blaring over the PA system. That'd be hot.

Major Las Vegas Theft Ring Bust Has Hollywood Flair

Related:
Acura Integras Still Being Stolen [Internal]

Bullrun Update: Ditka Would've Taken the Lot of 'Em

Davey G. Johnson — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 22:14:05 EDT

As the teams first pulled into Chicago, there were conflicting reports as to whether the Magnaflow RS4 driven by Stefan Johannson and Prince Malik came in first or the RENNTech CL600 of Team Reicke came in in the lead position. The Reicke boys, Jay Reicke and Byron Burkhardt, were the confirmed first-placers, rolling in around 7pm, with the RS4 in second. 3rd was the Team Darkcyde support Navigator driven by Jason Garber, beating the team's Lotus.

Meanwhile, more drama from Michigan. While traffic was hauling ass, autobahn style, in the right lane, the Collins Brothers smashed by on the left at 160. Almost immediately in the Collins 550's wake, an MSP cruiser pulled out and parked, bisecting the center line on I-94, basically daring anyone to go around. It's unconfirmed who the officers were looking for, if anyone.

Projected route? Now that they're in Chicago, figure that they'll most likely head down to Nebraska, across to Denver, down to New Mexico, over to Vegas and then to LA. Why do we say that? Alex Roy wouldn't comment, despite our probing, but we figure since the Bullrun went through Bonneville last year, and a rally hasn't been through Albequerque since '03, and they all stop in Sin City, that's gotta be it. And Nebraska, judging by our understanding of the geography of the United States, is the perfect pivot point for a run through the treacherous mountain passes of Colorado, where scanners have short range and cops have a myriad of hiding places.

The next two days or so, as Arte Johnson would say, should be veeeeery eenterestingk.

Toshiki Yoshioka Wins Vegas D1GP Event

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 19:00:00 EDT

We love Toshiki Yoshioka. When other guys are out on the pro drifting circuit making anywhere from 300-500hp, Yoshioka still kicks it old-school Initial D-style in an AE86 literally held together with tape, zip-ties and Bondo. Coming out of Irwindale's bank during last winter's D1GP event, his wee car sounded like an angst-ridden, steroidal wasp. But hot damn can that boy drive. Yoshioka and Kobushige Kumakubo (another favorite of ours in his badass rear-drive WRX) placed 1-2 at the inaugural D1GP event in Vegas. Now that's a battle we would've loved to have seen. Results after the jump.

1. Toshiki Yoshioka (Hiroshima, Japan) - Toyota Corolla
2. Nobushige Kumakubo (Fukushima, Japan) - Subaru Impreza
3. Kensaku Komoro (Niigata, Japan) - Toyota Corolla
4. Kazuhiro Tanaka (Ibaragi, Japan) - Nissan Skyline
5. Daigo Saito (Kumamoto, Japan) - Toyota
6. Vaughan Gittin Jr. (Annapolis, Md.) - Ford Mustang
7. Hideo Hiraoka (Tochigi, Japan) - Nissan Silvia
8. Takahiro Ueno (Kanagawa, Japan) - Toyota Soarer
9. Ken Gushi (Okinawa, Japan; resides Calif.) - Ford Mustang
10. Hiro Sumida (Anaheim, Calif.) - Nissan Silvia

Related:
Jalopnik Hits the D1GP [Internal]

Ferrari 599 GTB Commercial Video Est Arrive!

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 10:00:16 EDT

The product of that video shoot late last year that was reported to show a Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano ripping through canyons of the western US has hit the online. Despite (enhanced by?) lovely French narration by Audrey Tautou (in our mind), the video shows heli-shots of a red 599 being flogged on a road near where the someone from the Donner Party inevitably shouted, "We're almost there!" (actually, it was reportedly shot near Vegas). The video shows no sign of the Ferrari ~~F50~~ F40 seen in amateur-shot footage of the shoot (see it after the jump).

The official commercial clip of the Ferrari 599 GTB [Fastdrive]

Related:
Spy Photos: Ferrari 599 GTB Commercial [internal]

'06 SEMA Show Marquee Sponsors: Ford, Chrysler, GM

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 15:55:53 EDT

Every year, the SEMA show features a title marque. In the years we've been attending, it's always been one of the Big Three, with the exception of Honda's debut last year. This year, GM, Ford and Chrysler are sharing the ber-sponsorship as a celebration of the American muscle car. We can't decide whether this is a good thing or not; is it a desperate plea for market share, or is it a veneration of the cars that helped make SEMA what it is today?

SEMA show emphasizes muscle cars for 2006 [Bodyshopbiz]

Related:
Make Love to Farago! [Internal]

New Pics of GM's The Drive in Las Vegas

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 12:25:09 EDT

Five, count 'em (actually, don't count 'em; those Vegas casino security officers are scary), five days until GM opens its new "autotainment" amusement park off the Strip in Las Vegas. The Drive will offer two test-drive courses for performance and off-road driving experiences to the public when it opens on April 10, 2006 at the Sahara Hotel & Casino. The company released new promo pics of the park, which unfortunately does not allow betting on the premises. Around the corner, however, they're giving 3:5 on a GM bankruptcy. Just saying.

Vegas Pinball Machine King to GM: Your Cars Suck

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 14:09:50 EST

We'd say General Motors most definitely has a perception problem when even the pinball machine king of Las Vegas drops its name as a example of "bumblefucking."

"We're constantly looking at this split between whether we want to go uptown and do this right or do we want to keep bumblefucking along and just worry about the games. We keep saying, 'It's the games, stupid!' I feel like screaming at GM: 'It's the cars, stupid! It's not your corporate structure, it's not your cost structure. Your automobiles suck!'"

Full Tilt [Las Vegas City Life via Consumerist]

GM to Open Las Vegas Test-Drive Courses Later This Year

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 13:08:39 EST

Whatever happens in Vegas, whether it stays there or not, GM hopes it'll lead to more sales of its cars and trucks. The company is building an "autotainment" amusement park featuring two test-drive courses near the Las Vegas strip, on which conventioneer and high roller alike can test drive GM's cars on two separate courses. One, an off-road adventure (pictured), features a loop over dirt terrain and obstacles including inclines, ditches, moguls and water troughs, where visitors can flog a Hummer H2 and H3, Chevy Silverado Diesel, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon Denali, Cadillac Escalade and Chevy Suburban. The second is a "high-performance loop," a paved "route" (don't you dare call it a "track"; you want the boys from legal on our asses?) with "jogs and turns complete with chicanes" on which drivers can sample the Chevy Corvette, Pontiac GTO and Solstice, Cadillac CTS-V and STS-V and Saab 9-3 convertible. GM hopes to attract prospective buyers to the center, which isn't a dealership and guest won't be under pressure to buy — though the company does of course hope to arrange a few marriages. [Thanks to Zerin for the tip.]

GM To Open Driving Amusement Park In Las Vegas [VWVortex]

Related:
Free Driving Classes with Every Saab 9-3 Aero [internal]

Champ Car Bails on Vegas, Heads Back to Road America

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 15:55:37 EST

Champ Car bids a tearful adieu to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, saying, "We will continue to research other opportunities for future events in the Las Vegas market that hopefully are a better fit for our business model expectations." But screw all that, because they're replacing the event by coming back Road America! We've never actually driven the famed course at Elkhart Lake, WI, but we did do some funky simulator thingy at SEMA years ago that took you around the track, and well, compared to a 1.5-mile oval, it's kind of a no-brainer, really.

CART announces 2006 return to Road America, Departure from Las Vegas Motor Speedway [Internal]

Related:
Lola Surprised by Champ Car Panoz Choice [Internal]

Jalopnik Gets Cold, Old, Misses Drags on The Strip

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 16:38:17 EST

We intended to check out the Yahoo! Custom Autos/NOPI heads-up race in front of the venerable Frontier on the Las Vegas Strip the second-to-last night of the SEMA Show. We really did. We sauntered over from the Stardust, met a group of friends over outside Gilley's, attended the poolside outdoor pre-party, consumed a fair amount of industrial-strength Folgers-esque brew and and waited for the 3am kickoff of the drags. Alas, one by one, our friends buggered off for sleep.

By the time Chris Rado and Paul Efantis squared off for the 500-foot runs in their parking lot-constructed Evos, we'd left an hour before, tired of the bad music, bro-hams and the cold, deciding instead to head off in search of some of Vegas' ahem other attractions with the two die-hard pals of ours who remained. Thankfully, the NOPI folks wrote it up on their site, so we can bask in all of the ragged glory of blown head gaskets, boost-cut issues, and thrown rods. Oh, and in case you didn't feel like showing up either, Rado's team won.

NOPI Motorsports makes history with the first ever sanctioned drag race on the Las Vegas Strip. [NOPI]

Related:
Jalopnik's SEMA Coverage [Internal]

Real Cool Cliche to Happen in Las Vegas in October

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 13:43:37 EDT

Okay, let's get this straight right off the bat: we love traditional hot rods and customs. We love Carl Perkins. We love the Blasters. And we think girls in sexy outfits "inspired" by the fashions of the '50s are really freakin' hot. But we're entirely sick of this whole rockabilly badass lifestyle. Case in point, we were once threatened with a beat-down for admitting we thought electronic fuel injection was a good idea. Seriously.

Anyway, if you can deal with a number of pseudo-hard-guy, backwards-thinking, "It was better in the '50s because we could be raging homophobes and it was entirely acceptable" types, there should be some fully-awesome cars at the Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 15th. Oh, and before the hate-mail flies, we've got just as much ire directed at polo-shirted, braided-belt-and-denim-shorts billet rodders and bro-ham import scene types. There are a ton of great people involved in every branch of the car hobby, no matter what their preference. That said, we call 'em like we see 'em. Plus, our extra-hot pal Rockabilly Rod Reunion [via WhoWon]

Related:
Putting the Lexus in Hot Rod [Internal]