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We couldn't let the Fiesta Movement contest go without submitting an entry and since it'd be unfair for Jalopnik to enter one, I decided to enter one on my own. Guess what? You can help! More »
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GTM says feedback from the public has led it to turbocharge the Honda Civic Type-R powerplant in its GTM 40TR (track and race) roadster. Now, the Ariel Atom and KTM X-Bow challenger will reportedly do the zero-to-60 hop in 3.5 seconds, compared with the previous incarnation's under four seconds. That's been achieved, they say, by boosting the 2.0-liter powerplant to 300 hp. We're still put off by that weird aluminum superstructure, but if that's what it takes, so be it. – Mike Spinelli More »
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Since every car on the NEXTEL Cup circuit today is based on a four-door sedan anyway, and the Holden HSV E Series GTS actually does look a bit like the Butterscotch Stallion-voiced protagonist of Pixar's Cars, this DVD-release tie-in promo actually makes quite a bit of sense. Contestants can either enter online or via a coupon enclosed in Australian copies of the film's DVD. The GTS is a near piece of kit, but we'd prefer a Hudson Hornet. – Davey G. Johnson More »
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Please excuse our preposterous prepositional use, but "In Which Preview Are You Most Interested" sounded stilted to our rough-trade American ears. Nonetheless, we're heading to the Paris Motor Show tomorrow, where a full house of Jalopnik editors (yes, even Mr. Wert) will be covering the proceedings. Donning our flak jackets engineered to protect against European photographers' elbows, we'll be doing the press-event boogie during the media prevew days on Thursday, September 28 and Friday, September 29. The show promises a ton of unveilings and introductions, which brings us to our latest poll. Which of the major previews, dear readers, matter most to you? That is, how should we spend our coverage time (other than looking up absinthe bars online and trying to talk our way into Audi's secret night-before bash)? Select after the jump, and elaborate in the comments. Also, remember to check our Paris show feed for all the coverage that matters. More »
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What can you say about a million dollar car that tries to kill people while others are watching, other than "Get get me John Carpenter and Hal Needham, stat." The 806-hp Koenigsegg CCX is gaining that kind of reputation, though no one's been killed and no Koenigseggs have shown up on Wrecked Exotics yet. Still, on an episode of "Top Gear" you'll recall, a CCX tried to at least maim the Stig, though Stiggy struck back after the company slapped on a wing to turn in the fastest time ever on the BBC show's test track. Now, a guy in Norway got his arse rotated by an angry CCX, which had the wing. Wing or no, the K-egg is obviously not to be trifled with in front of an audience. More »
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Listen, we feel really bad for Chicagoland doctor Lanny Wilson. He lost his 14-year-old daughter to a Metra train collision while his son was trying to get her to a rehearsal on time and ignored the lights. And now he's campaigning to have the scene in Cars where Lightning McQueen just barely beats a train across the tracks deleted from the DVD release. From the Chicago Tribune: More »
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Australia's Elfin created just short of a riot at the Melbourne auto show a couple of years ago, when the company unveiled its radical Clubman and Streamliner prototypes. Now, Elfin says it's making its MS8 Streamliner roadster available to 100 bushrangers (and the shelias who sweat them) who've got around $90,000 American burning holes in their knickers. Weighing a svelte 2,400 lbs, the droptop is built on a tubular space-frame chassis and powered by a Holden-sourced 5.7L V8 producing 325 hp (443 ft.-lbs of twist), linked to a six-speed manual and limited-slip diff. It also comes with ABS, 18" wheels, and other aggro accoutrements. More »
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Bumbeck came down from the hills in the Mighty Starlet to catch a showing of Cars today (which totally brought out the softy in us, and may well be our favorite Pixar film yet — disregard the haters and see it). He calls and says, "Hey, I just ran across this awesome bike show," which happened to be at Century Motorcycles (since 1936!), only a few blocks up from us on Pacific. We'd been meaning to check the shop out, and we're kicking ourselves for not going in sooner. Oh man...if your tastes run toward old bikes, we have to say, this show was a killer. Even the Harleys there were well-sorted, although most of the machines were either of British or Japanese origin. This might well be the best motorcycle show we've ever attended, because practically everything there was a runner, and those that weren't, well, they were all rad and weird in their own way. Click through for a grip of photos. More »
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IGN's got a cool little doc on the making of Cars; how they studied the physics and characteristics of vehicles and attempted to create an entire world out of vehicles come to life. We'll spare you all the stuff. If you're down, go watch it. If not, more posts TK this evening. More »
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Film critic Richard Corliss has a sit-down with Pixar's John Lasseter, who's now stepped up to become the head of all of Disney's animation shops in the wake of Jobs' digital shop's purchase by the Haus of Maus (apologies to Art Spiegelman). He also offers up a review of Cars, calling it an "instant classic." But really, Richard. Couldn't you have ditched the tired Steppenwolf reference and gone for something a little less hoary? Like say, Crime's "Hotwire My Heart"? More »
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GM's Chairman of Vice (or something like that) Bob Lutz says the company's thinking of a number from one to a million. That number (ok, it's 100,000) will be the number of Camaros Chevrolet has to sell to make a production version of the company's new, high-profile concept viable. The new Camaro hasn't been approved yet, according to Lutz — who's fast becoming the king of expectations management — but considering Ford sold about 160,000 models Mustangs last year, we'd imagine it's an achievable goal. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=173707&view=rss&microfeed=true We get awfully jealous of Jay Ward at times. He co-founded Billetproof, one of the finest rod and custom shows on earth, went on to found the Asphalt Invitational, another of the finest car shows on earth, has a beautiful, super-friendly wife and works for Pixar. Plus he's a really, really nice guy. He's one of the big reasons that we're not worried that Cars will suck. More »
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The Emeryville whiz kids at Pixar have posted the full trailer for Cars, and while we've probably said all we can say about the film before its release in three months, we think Paul Newman's character, a '49 Hudson, looks totally badass. We haven't been so goofy about seeing a kids' movie since we went to see The Lion King. But that's 'cuz we knew we were gonna get to suck face with a hot French exchange student the whole time. More »
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Like every eight-year-old and his gearhead dad, we're anxiously awaiting the premiere of Pixar's Cars, and as the June 9th release draws closer, Pixar's done some tweaking to the film's site, adding an online showroom that'll showcase the characters as if they were a new vehicle. The Disney obsessives (we're very afraid of adult Disney obsessives, frankly) over at Jim Hill Media have the whole can o' beans if you want the analysis, or you can just head on over to the flick's site and click around yourself. More »
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The Anglo-American consortium that owns Healey Automobile Consultants Ltd. announced it's moving forward with new models inspired by the Healey 3000, in convertible and coupe versions. The company, HFI released a sketch and a partial image of the coupe, which shows a badge reminicent of the original Austin-Healey logo. The company will badge the cars as Healey, not Austin-Healey, which is a separate legal trademark owned by the Healey group and Nanjing Auto, the new owner of MG Rover. The company said it's taking deposits on the cars, of which 203 are scheduled to be built. At some point. More »
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Pixar-geeks that we are, we're a tad giddy (but not overly giddy, as that'd blow our newly-purchased LA cool) about the fact that the release of Apple Steve's animation firm's Cars is only six months out. There's a new teaser trailer up over at Apple's site, and the CGI looks ridiculously uh, dare we say incredible? And with the Emeryville-based company's rep for great stories, we can't help but wiggle a bit in anticipation. More »
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We can't say that we've been closely following the trials and travails of the making of Pixar's new Cars, but we keep our tin in the wind in hopes of any new news. The Disney freaks at Jim Hill Media have posted some new stills from the film, of which an expanded look appears on the brand spankin' new 10th Anniversary Toy Story DVD. The shot above is of Cheech Marin, George Carlin and Paul Dooley's characters. Paul Dooley? We thought it was supposed to be R. Lee Ermey as the Jeep! That's it. Forget it. We're not seeing it now. [Update: we went back and checked the original story that mentioned Ermey was to play the Jeep. The sneaky sneaks at Jim Hill Media went and changed the ID of the Jeep's voice actor to Dooley. But we know we originally read Ermey's name there. And that's all that matters. Poot.] More »
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Let us go on record right now as being massive fans of Pixar films. While we're generally not huge on CGI, the way the Emeryville-based company (employer of Jay Ward, co-founder of Billetproof and main man behind the Asphalt Invitational) scripts their films, as well as the visual feel of the movies themselves really create a sense of filmic wonder in even the most jaded of aging post-hipsters (i.e., us). We just found some tidbits on Pixar's nearly-year-away feature Cars, and it sounds like it's shaping up to be a doozy. Tom and Ray Magliozzi of Car Talk fame will appear as Clink and Clunk, while R. Lee Ermey (Private Pyle! What is your major malfunction?!), shares a garage with George Carliln as an Army Jeep and a VW Microbus, respectively (and naturally). God, we hate to sound all Jackie Harvey about it, but it sounds like this could really be Pixar's best yet. More »
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Fiat is reportedly spending its f-you billionz from GM, and several billionz more of its own money, on 20 product redesigns, 23 facelifts and five entirely new model lines, in an attempt to reinvigorate the company and reverse its sagging fortunes. Among new product lines include a new 500 (Cinquecento), which will likely be a throwback to the famously cute 500s of yore, and a new, upmarket Alfa Romeo model more costly than its current range-topping 166 sedan. The speculation play of the year is Alfa Romeo's return to the US, on the back of its new Fiat Group sibling, Maserati, which is soon to be unhinged from Ferrari. Fear not, Alfaheads, it'll all be clear soon. More »
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