You have to figure the kind of guy who parks a couple of beat-to-hell Alfas and an allegedly nice Datsun 240Z in his living room, as the Chief Perp does, might be a little funny in the head about junkyards… and you're right for thinking that (yes, that's TheEastBayKid hard at work at LeMons HQ, which is a short commute from the Perp's living room). We've conspired cooperated on creating a list of items to be hunted at the junkyard, complete with a point system (for example, you might get 3 points for every cassette mix tape you find, or 100 points for a working GM power antenna), and we'll be handing out prizes including T-shirts, trophies, and- best of all- a few much-coveted Get Out Of The Penalty Box cards for the race. That's right- if you pass on a yellow or blatantly munch some hapless CRX into the wall with your Fleetwood and get black-flagged off the track, just whip out one of these babies and you'll head right back into the race!

We'll be setting up shop in a suitable van or RV at a certain East Bay wrecking yard- the employees of which know nothing about the madness that's about to descend on their workplace- on Sunday, December 7th, at high noon. I'll be there, Chief Perp Lamm will be there, and LeMons Supreme Court Justice Loverman will be driving up from El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula as well. Just send me or the Chief Perp an email, and we'll give you the scoop on where to meet up.

The artist responsible for this sign advertising the services of Alameda Auto Lab appears to have had an interesting perspective on both human anatomy and vehicle design.

WOW... IS THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE THIS FORD EXPLORER CONVERTED INTO A PIRATE SHIP. THIS SHIP WAS BUILT AS A HALLOWEEN PROP, AND IN COMBINATION WITH OUR PIRATE COSTUMES, HELPED US EARN A LOT OF MONEY THIS HALLOWEEN. THIS SHIP TOOK SEVERAL "BEST COSTUME" PRIZES EARING US THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. THIS SHIP IS BUILT OVER A FORD EXPLORER THAT STILL RUNS AND DRIVES. THE WHEELS HAVE CLEARANCE, IT CAN BE STEERED EASILY. THIS IS A VERY DETAILED RECREATION OF AN AUTHENTIC PIRATE SHIP. PROFESSIONALLY PAINTED AND AIRBRUSHED. DOOR IN REAR FOR EASY ACCESS. PERFECT FOR NEXT HALLOWEEN, UPCOMING THANKSGIVING DAY, AS A PROP, BUCKANEERS VEHICLE, OR MAYBE IN PARADES. A LOT OF TIME WAS TAKEN TO BUILD THIS SHIP, AND WE ARE OFFERING IT AT NO RESERVE. SHIP COMES WITH CLEAN TITLE AND CAN BE REGISTERED. A CUSTOM SAIL CAN BE MADE FOR AN ADDITIONAL $100. THIS IS A VERY RARE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE A WELL BUILT PIRATE SHIP/PROP ETC FOR A VERY LOW INVESTMENT. THANK YOU FOR BIDDING!!

A very detailed recreation of an authentic pirate ship. Oh winds of fate, why did this ad not reach us in time to bid? [eBay Listing via Motive Forums]

Our friends over at Motive have waded knee-deep through this series of tubes known as the internet to bring you all of the wonderful ways folks can and will do it wrong. Since "YDIW" is so closely related to fail, almost imperceptibly close, it is important to note the subtle differences. Who are we trying to kid - The internet isn't supposed to make any sense.

(Thanks for the tip Mark) [Metal Heart from Keith Loutit on Vimeo via The Atlantic]

Nissan GT-R Toolbox Features

• Stainless steel top and drawer guards
• Nissan GT-R Graphics
• Secure lock and key
• Custom-etched name plate
• Ball bearing slides are quiet and smooth rolling
• Five inch soft wheels on casters
• Full double wall construction features two full layers of heavy duty steel to provide strength and durability
• Lock'n Roll drawers prevent unwanted drawer opening when moving unit
• One full 49" width drawer and extra-wide 30" drawer bank
• Precut drawer liners help keep tools stationary in drawer
• Rolled edges reduce the potential for injury and add strength
• Launch control

[Source: Nissan]

Be sure to head over and give it a read, but the email describes a place where the sun rises and sets on curiosity and innovation, where you're more or less free to do as you want and where everyone is treated with respect even in the face of conflict. Sounds like a total fallacy to us. Maybe even Honda propaganda. Take the opening paragraph for instance:

Honda is a freak, by American and even Japanese standards. There is an absolutely astounding amount of room here for anyone to work once they get in. The view is Global and the focus is Local. No one has ever told me what to do. One Rule - Dream. We find our way on an individual level, as reason, interest and inclination dictate, and this is an ultimate form of unequaled personal power to affect the future. In Honda, our own best interests are at the forefront of every day life at work and home. In engineering, there are no lines of demarcation segregating futurists from the present applications of science. There is nothing so esoteric that doesn't deserve a close inspection, and there is a common belief here in doing things the Hard Way. Even so, the core philosophy of the company could best be described as the pursuit of Joys.

It's practically impossible to believe such a place actually exists. If it did you'd have the happiest, most productive, best engineers in the world turning out superior products and doing it while leading the way in innovation. Oh, wait a minute. [BoingBoing]

If the Wikipedia archive page ever goes away, which, if we understand how that whole thing works it won't, you can view the revision page we're talking about here because it is a masterpiece of imagination. Below is the entire account of the life and times of Bibendum:

Bibendum

The company's symbol is Bibendum, (aka "Bib the Michelin Man", "Bibelobis", or simply the "Michelin Man") Composed of stacked, bleached white tires, the Michelin Man is a behemoth of the advertising industry. His feats of incredible strength are matched by none, and his legendary tales make Sylvester Stallone look like Pee Wee Herman. Those who have crossed The Michelin Man and attempted to defraud or defile his name have often been reported missing shortly afterwards. The authorities are looking for any help regarding the missing persons case of Alex Banjodark, who has apparently been missing most of his upper body and head since in 1998. HISTORY: The Michelin Man was created in 1898 by a crazed German hermit named Berthold Heinz-Dieter who lived in a junkyard. Berthold could not stand to touch another human's skin, so he lurked in his junkyard every day, creating crude robots fashioned from chunks of metal and mud. One day an unannounced tire truck dumped off a load of used tires into his lot, falling upon the metal framework for a robot he had previously created to smash in the windows of his neighbor's house. A chemical reaction soon took place and, energized by a strike of lightning, this robot literally "came to life" and immediately "murdered" Berthold. Unleashed upon the public, the deadly robot roamed the wilderness and survived by murdering rabbits, bears, trees, lions, hats, mountains, and other stuff that lives in Germany's woods. He was captured during the US defeat of German forces at Ruhr Valley on April 1st, 1945, and treated as a prisoner of war.

Eventually he befriended a kind-hearted American named Colonel Henry "Sharkface" Sam, whom he persuaded to bring him to the United States. Upon reaching Camp Beauregard, the German killing machine immediately murdered Colonel Henry and his wife and children. Michelin Tires Inc. captured this marauding menace and, through a rigorous series of training events, taught him to refrain from immediately murdering people. They dubbed him "The Michelin Man" and promoted him as "the most trustworthy lump of talking tires that will mostly certainly never immediately murder you." While many trained actors donned the Michelin Man costume and attended various store openings and other promotional events, the true Michelin Man was kept inside Michelin's maximum security prison until 2001, when their leading engineer claimed the Michelin Man was "safe enough" to be released. As soon as he was exposed to the outside world, the Michelin Man immediately murdered the twelve guards escorting him and eventually embarked on a state-wide raping spree in which he violated 48 females, 23 males, nine post office boxes, and a majority of the animals and instruments at a pork factory.

This is seriously magnificent. Murderous autonomous robots, crazed German hermits, WWII, and violation of pork factory instruments. It's got everything. This history is way better than the real, boring history. [Wikipedia]

Failblog.org]

Audi models now network with other brands

* Second CAR2CAR Forum presents initial results of communication between vehicles of different brands
* Innovations will enhance traffic safety
* Greater efficiency due to more information

Audi has presented a milestone of the automotive future at a testing ground in Dudenhofen, Germany. Along with other European vehicle manufacturers at the second CAR2CAR Forum, Audi demonstrated how it will be possible in the future for data to be exchanged between vehicles of different brands.

Communication between vehicles as well as between vehicles and infrastructure will pave the way for further improvements in traffic flow and safety. The system assists and alerts a driver to any number of dangerous situations on any road. It can notify the driver of an icy patch ahead on a rural route, of a broken-down vehicle in front or of an unexpected traffic jam on a highway. In addition, a networked and consequently “intelligent” vehicle boosts driving comfort.

If this technology is to realize its full potential, all vehicles and other road users must utilize a uniform standard to communicate with one another.

The demonstration on the testing ground allowed nine vehicle manufacturers and five development partners to prove – even in the preliminary phase of development – that communication between vehicles of different brands is already fast, precise and reliable.

Innovative communication units were installed in an Audi Q7 and an Audi A6 allroad quattro to facilitate the transmission of radio signals in accordance with the CAR2CAR standard. The system’s advantages were evident as it warned of an approaching emergency vehicle and prevented an accident with a motorcycle at an intersection. Similarly, a construction site hidden around a corner quickly triggered an alert in the driver’s direct field of view.

The central driver information system and the Audi MMI – the Multi Media Interface – are perfectly designed to present data to the driver in a clear and logical manner. Easily understandable audible instructions round out the warning system.

In keeping with its brand claim “Vorsprung durch Technik”, Audi will continue to implement this technology not only in the “CAR2CAR Communication Consortium”, but also in other national and international projects. A core pursuit at Audi lies in traffic-efficiency applications such as the Travolution project, which allows urban traffic to flow far more freely thanks to communication between traffic signals and vehicles.

During the pilot experiment in Ingolstadt, the timing of 46 traffic lights was optimized. Three of them were also equipped with WLAN-based communications technology. Calculations provided by the Technical University of Munich, a venture partner, hint at the potential for remarkable efficiency. A 20-percent reduction in stops at traffic lights and correspondingly improved fuel efficiency – assuming an hourly volume of 1,000 vehicles in Ingolstadt – will save over 700,000 liters (around 185,000 U.S. gallons) of fuel annually.

Thanks to a whole bunch of you for the tip! [eBay Motors]

[Rebuild The Party, via Wonkette; go here if page disappears]

Thanks to Rust-MyEnemy for the tip! [eBay Motors]

Walker's plan is to get rich selling really nice quality shirts for big bucks to fashion-conscious types, but he's still perfecting his technique by churning out these test runs on new factory-second blank shirts. That means you, the penny-pinching cheapskate wise and frugal Jalopnik readers, get them for cheap! The bulk of the shirts appear to be Hanes Heavyweight 50/50s and they look pretty good for the most part, but at $12.50 per ($15 for small and $17.50 for 2XL, because the cheap shirt warehouses charge more for those sizes) they might have weasel rips, bullet holes, Agent Orange contamination, etc., and these things are going out on a strictly one-way trip, defects and all!


As for colors, these shirts got 'em! Only thing is, you don't get to choose the color. Is that clear? Your shirt will come in some hideous random color! When you buy factory-second shirts in totally random colors, they're way cheap; let the rich folks pick their colors, we say. There are no pink shirts. There are no white shirts. There are no black shirts. There are some really vile blues, the whole excretory spectrum of yellows and browns, some reds that I'm pretty sure are just itching to dye all the other clothes in the wash a sickly pink, some dingy grays, mold greens, etc., plus some of those edge-case colors whose names are known only to Martha Stewart. You can go ahead and specify one color that you most don't want, and I'll sort of try not to get you that color… if you're lucky and I'm in a good mood.

Keep in mind that this is a special deal aimed at getting as many Jalopnik readers as possible hooked up with shirts, so please limit your purchases to one or two shirts- we want everyone here to get a shot at genuine DTTS Shirt ownership. If you have three kids or some other good reason to buy more than two shirts, include a heartfelt note with your order and I might relent on the quantity limit. There will be more of these at some point, so don't feel bad if you miss out.

Honda Unveils Experimental Walking Assist Device With Bodyweight Support System
11/07/2008 - JAPAN -

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today unveiled its second experimental walking assist device that helps support bodyweight to reduce the load on an individual's legs while walking, going up and down stairs, and in a semi-crouching position. The device is designed for people who are capable of walking and maneuvering on their own, but who can benefit from additional leg and body support while performing tasks. Honda will now begin testing the device in real-world conditions to evaluate its effectiveness.

The new walking assist device with the bodyweight support system reduces the load on leg muscles and joints (in the hip, knees, and ankles) by supporting a portion of the person's bodyweight. The device has a simple structure consisting of seat, frame, and shoes, and the individual can put it on by simply wearing shoes and lifting the seat into position. Moreover, a mechanism that directs the assisting force toward the user's center of gravity and the ability to control the assist force in concert with the movement of the legs - both unique Honda innovations - make it possible for the device to provide natural assistance in various postures and motions.

Honda began research on a walking assist device in 1999 with the goal to provide more people with the joy of mobility. The first walking assist device, announced in April 2008, has a stride management system and was designed for people with weakened leg muscles, due to reasons such as aging. The research and development of Honda's advanced humanoid robot, ASIMO, including the study of human walking, provided Honda with the knowledge necessary to develop the walking assist device. This research has been conducted by the Fundamental Technology Research Center of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. in Wako, Saitama. To evaluate the effectiveness of the experimental model of the walking assist device with bodyweight support system, Honda will test the walking assist device at its Saitama Factory (in Sayama, Saitama) starting this month.

Key Features:

* Convenient sitting-type device
o The individual simply needs to wear shoes and raise the seat into place.
o The user can benefit from the assist without belts fastening the device to their body.
o The structure to position the device between the individual's legs minimizes the required footprint, therefore making it easier for them to maneuver.
* Method to assist bodyweight support
o The device will support a portion of the person's bodyweight by lifting the seat as the frame between the shoe and seat bends and extends, just like knees, with the force from the motor. As a result, the load on leg muscles and joints (in the hip, knees, and ankles) is reduced.
o Honda developed a unique mechanism where the seat and frame follow the movement of the body and legs. The assisting force will be directed toward the individual's center of gravity, just as with human legs, which enables the device to provide assistance in various movements and postures including walking, going up and down stairs, and in a semi-crouching position.
* Natural control of the assisting force
o Natural walking is achieved by changing the amount of assisting force applied to the right and left legs through the control of two motors based on the information obtained though sensors imbedded in the shoes of the device.
o The effectiveness of the device was increased in those motions and postures which put increased load on knees, such as going up and down stairs and in a semi-crouching position. This was achieved by adjusting the assisting force in accordance with the bending and stretching motion of the knees.

Key specifications of experimental walking assist device with bodyweight support system:
Weight: 6.5kg (including shoes and batteries)
Drive system: Motor X 2
Battery pack: Lithium ion battery
Operating time per charge: 2 hours (including walking and in a semi-crouching posture, etc.)
Suitable height of the user: Within plus or minus 5cm of the set height (Example: set height for Medium size is 170cm)

[Source: Honda]

From the Village of Itasca:

During the Memorial Day parade, you may have noticed the newest addition to the Police Department Fleet In cooperation with Subaru of America, OCE, Lund Industries and Suburban Accents, the Itasca Police Department unveiled a sleek 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The vehicle was provided by Subaru at no cost to the Village. The emergency lights and graphics were also provided at no cost.

“Subaru’s commitment toward furthering police community partnerships and being a valued corporate citizen have been remarkable”, said Chief Scott Heher.

The vehicle is emblazoned with the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics and National Night Out graphics. This 305 horsepow¬er beauty is more than a car. According to Subaru, the vehicle is “built upon a rally car heritage for those who want to be a part of a brotherhood of speed and performance.” The vehicle will be used at promotional and special events including the opening ceremonies of the Illinois Special Olympics in Bloomington, Illinois on Friday, June 13, 2008.

"We care about the safety of our customers and applaud the Itasca Police Department on their initiative to promote safe driving," said Tim Mahoney, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Subaru of America, Inc. "For Subaru to be able to participate in that quest is a pleasure."

From Subaru's Drive Magazine:

The Itasca (Illinois) Police Department has been loaned a 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI for use in promotional and special events. Decked out with Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics and National Night Out graphics, the STI won awards at the Carol Stream Police Department Wheels of Justice car show in May and participated in the opening ceremonies of the Illinois Special Olympics in Bloomington in June. It is also involved in educating the area’s young people about driving performance cars.

[Subaru/Village of Itasca via Kicking Tires blog]

No, not really. But this Ferrari-badged Cadillac Escalade ESV on 57th St. we spotted near the Parker Meridian this weekend proves someone seems to think it'd be a good idea. And we all know GM could use the dues.

First up was the McCain Uphill Slog Penalty. John McCain has done plenty of struggling in his life, and trudging to the top of the very tall mountain that is the United States Presidency is tough enough under any circumstances… but what about when you're dragging the dead weight of an unpopular lame-duck administration, during tough economic times, and most of your own party hates you? What's that like? Well, we figure it probably feels similar to donning a rubber McCain mask and pushing a Ford Taurus SHO with seven burly guys sitting on it the length of the pit road in the muggy petro-enhanced Houston air… so that's what we had this miscreant do after he did Badness on the track. Bet he thinks twice before trading paint with a CRX at the next race!


The jeering crowds liked that so much that we figured we'd McCain-ize the next driver black-flagged in for too much aggro on the track. It's a lot easier when the car is a BMW 2002 and your team only has four members, so we had the Loverman add his weight to the load. Man, that McCain mask gets sweaty fast!


Then there's Barack Obama, who promises change and plenty of it. You know what, though- change can often be painful, hard work, and it can force you to throw away a lot of sweat you've already invested! That's why we figured the Obama Change You Can Believe In Penalty had to be hard mental and physical work that undid a lot of the team's previous efforts. The way it works goes like this: we give the team members spray paint, tagger-grade fat permanent markers, colored tape, etc., and the team needs to completely change their car's theme before we'll let them continue racing. Not only that, we have to believe in the change, so half-assed efforts get sent back to the penalty box for more work.


By far the most impressive Change We Can Believe In victims were the guys on the Svedish Slaabs Saab 900 Turbo team. Their original theme was a sort of IKEA-meatball-style mishmash of Swedish Chef and ABBA iconography, but they managed to change their car to the Exxon Valdez in about six minutes flat.


Got to admit, we were freakin' awed by their accomplishment (which stood in stark contrast to their typical LeMons Saab on-track performance, which generally involves completing less than 20 laps and then nuking the engine). "Dancing Queen" became "Leaky Queen," for starters.


The Swedish Chef doll became Captain Hazelwood, complete with beer cans ziptied to his body. We liked this accomplishment so much that we gave the Slaabs our created-on-the-spot Judges' Choice Award (12-pack of Shiner Bock) after the race.


Other teams didn't quite measure up to the incredibly high bar set by the Svedish Slaabs; the Enginerds went for a "We're Sorry" theme, apparently figuring we'd stop punishing them if they showed remorse.


When they beat the shit out of their formerly-dent-free car with hammers, their new theme became "Sorry Piece Of Crap," and we let them back on the track.


Then we had the über-recidivist Unintended Acceleration Audi team. The kind of Audi you can get for 500 bucks is almost invariably gonna be one evil-handling beast in a LeMons race, and this one was no exception; we hit these guys with every penalty we had (though they successfully pleaded their way out of the metal-shavings-in-the-crankcase one), but every time we turned around they'd be back in the penalty area with sheepish looks on their faces after spinning out and/or hitting something… again.

By that time we'd used up most of the spray paint turning Neons into Civics and Mustangs into Camaros, so these guys were limited to white appliance paint and red duct tape for their Change We Can Believe In penalty. They opted to make the move from "Unintended Acceleration" to "Peace And Love," complete with hearts and peace signs in white and red. Even though they were spending most of their time in the Crime Scene impound yard by this point in the race, they were still driven mad by race fever and threw on the new theme in record time; they managed a very respectable 25th place and a pretty good 1:21.105 best lap time.


We also had a Hillary Clinton mask and a couple of genuine Hillary signs picked up by a friend who was on the floor at the Democratic National Convention, so we figured we'd do a Hillary punishment as well. To symbolize the broken dreams of Clinton supporters, we taped the posters to the car and had the miscreant (in this case, one of the Punisher Racing Caprice drivers) put on the Hillary mask and sit, disrespected and forgotten, at the judges' table for 30 minutes.


Hillary haters- no shortage of them in Texas- got a big kick out of the "Hillary: To Enslave And Torture" logos on the Punisher's new/improved door emblems.

Ken went into the project fully aware of the problem of a getting the car out of his basement — it was your classic ship-in-a-bottle project problem. When the faux Lambo was complete, he actually hired a contractor to knock out a part of the basement wall, build an earthen ramp, and then drag the car out of its subterranean workshop.

Firing It Up In The Basement, You Gotta Love It
Mr. Imhoff, our hats are off to you sir. You are an inspiration to us all, we want to be like you when we grow up. Considering the quality of the work here, we're fairly confident your car is actually better than factory, more reliable, better handling and faster, and you have the satisfaction of having built it yourself. Congratulations sir, you are a grease monkey superhero.

A little history on the car.
100% hand crafted Countach out of aluminum and a space tube frame. All aluminum body formed on a wooden buck using an English wheel. My own design space frame with Corvette hubs and custom A-arms. Mated to a ZF-25 5 speed. S.S. 180 degree headers GT40 design "bundle of snakes" Boss 351 bored stroked to 377 515hp 48 IDA Webbers. One off TransAm BBS rim shells to my own center section wheels. Custom brake package to fit 16" wheels. Fuel cell, twin aluminum sprint car (Howe) radiators. All aluminum interior with leather dash, Momo seats and 5 point harness, on board halon fire bottle. quick release steering wheel. Low to the ground at 2700 lbs. 100% body correct by using a real Countach to measure from. Over 10 years in the making.

[Ken Imhoff Engineering, Lamborghini Replica via Motive]

Yes, the front man for that Little Ol' Band From Texas is one of the heavy-dutiest car freaks in the world, so that means a real LeMons Houston racer ought to sport a beard with similar length and volume. But how to make a Billy Gibbons beard from common household items, in less than 20 minutes? No problem!

Step 1: Cut a couple dozen 3' lengths of jute rope, the hairier and itchier the better. Hey, you think Billy's beard doesn't itch? You got to make sacrifices!
Step 2: Tear off a 24" strip of cloth from an old sheet, preferably one previously used as an undercar drop cloth for a transmission swap (as was the case here).
Step 3: Tie the ropes to the cloth strip.
Step 4: Unravel the ropes, to add extra body.
Step 5: Tie cloth strip around miscreant's head, arrange beard in hair shirt-style fashion under fire suit. They'll think twice about passing on a yellow flag after that, I tell you what!

Here we see LeMons Supreme Court Justice Loverman modeling the Billy Gibbons in LeMons Circuit Court HQ (aka dive motel in hydrocarbon-scented Clute, Texas). Come on back later on for more Yeehaw It's Texas LeMons fun!

This all started out when the Sarah Palin punishment at the 24 Hours Of LeMons Toledo race raised the bar for innovative ways to penalize lousy drivers on the race track. I'll be judging at the Houston race this weekend, so a special Texas-themed penalty would be needed. But what? Then I remembered: In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne was arrested for pissing on the Alamo, drunk and wearing a dress, and his albums were burned by enraged mobs throughout the Lone Star State.


And what was Ozzy's day job in Birmingham, before Black Sabbath hit it big? He worked on a British Leyland assembly line, testing horns! Naturally, the Ozzy Osbourne Inertial Penalty Horn would require horns from a BL product. While you might find the occasional MG or Triumph in self-service junkyards, 70s Jaguars are always plentiful. Mount the pair of genuine Lucas Electric horns (high- and low-pitch units) on a crude bracket screwed together from scrap plywood, then add a Bosch-type relay pocketed at the junkyard (you can skip the relay, but the high draw of the horns will fry the switch contacts after a few applications, due to arc-welding-style sparking). Mount the bracket close to the driver, but not so close that he can reach it while strapped in!


The inertia switch- which is two-dimensional version of a pinball-machine tilt switch- can be made from junk just lying around; in this case, a piece of plywood (notched for easy zip-tie attachment to a roll cage bar), some coat hanger wire, plumber's tape, and a plastic windshield-washer tubing tee. Like all serious projects, the whole mess is held together with JB Weld.



The switch contacts are the plumber's tape on one side and a big Honda steering-wheel nut pocketed at the junkyard. Depending on how the switch is oriented, the contacts will close when the car accelerates, or turns, or decelerates… or when it hits a big bump, or gets a big gust of wind inside.


To get power, the alligator connector from a dead timing light clamps onto the car's battery. I added a 20-amp fuse inline and covered it with lots of electrical tape.


How to get the power from battery to relay? Cut a hole in the hood with this step drill and run the cord through the side window opening! Ram a sheetmetal screw into the car's floor near the horns and you've got your ground. Hey, they're $500 cars, right?

• From reviewer mateo22: "I picked up this item as a birthday present for my wife. She was pretty upset because it's also evident this is the economy model. Call me traditional but it simply does not hold a candle to my Delorean. It looks like a poor conglomeration of Avanti and Peugeot and maintenance issues are out of this world."
• C. Tretter says: "I ordered this a few weeks ago.. Love it.. It makes my life so much easier to get to and from work.. No more bloody traffic!
  I cant say a bad thing about it.. It also is compatible with my iphone!!
• Chris Tichenor on the fuel economy: "So I decided to take a long trip and see how well the gas miliage is. I decided to go to Madagascar. It said on the box that it gets (and I quote) up to 9 million miles to the gallon. Let me tell you though!!! It does not.

Bank customers opting for the cars do so in lieu of interest. So you’re locking up to $235,000 away for three years with no growth. We’re also presuming the cars are leased, and need to be returned at the end of the two- or three-year period. So we’re not actually sure if this is a good deal.

Let’s assume you can earn 3.5% interest a year on your money. On $235,000, that’s $685 a month. A C4 diesel can be leased from $300-400 a month, we’ll assume another $200 for insurance, which still brings us in a little under that $685. Of course, the bank is probably getting some kind of bulk discount and doing the financing itself, so won’t be paying interest on its own vehicle loan. In other words, Banesto is making a healthy profit by offering cars instead of interest. Don’t have $235,000 to invest? Piaggio scooters are available to customers stashing away fewer Euros. [via Money.co.uk]