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Our pals over at Make posted this article about Will O'Brien, and how he took an old iPhone, an Arduino, and a handful of electronic crap and made a remote starter for his Subaru Outback that lets him start his car with a text message. The link to his site gives a full schematic of how it was done, and he's made the software source code available to whomever wants it as well. More »
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In October of 1947, Chuck Yeager piloted the Bell X-1 rocket plane through the sound barrier and into the history books. While not quite that fast, today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe SBC-powered Suzuki X90 should be just as scary to drive, and its price may prove a substantial barrier. More »
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Believe it or not, this insane creation actually started life as a 1991 Buick Lesabre. As you can see, this vehicle has come a long way from its days as a run of the mill sedan. Now it has the face of a Dodge truck, an additional six wheels out back and one of the crazier body kits we have ever seen. This "80% done" exercise in truly bizarre automotive modification is currently for sale on Ebay. More »
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Like Rodney Dangerfield, Volvo's innocuous C70 don't get no respect. Well, that's about to change - for the car at least - because today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Volvo is too pimped to be diss'd, but will you find its price equally respectable? More »
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While we are used to seeing some questionable custom Russian cars from the all things Russian blog "English Russia", this may be the first that is actually an improvement. Starting with what appears to be a rebadged Lexus LS400 (?), shirtless Russian men worked around the clock taking the vehicle apart and completely rebodied the car, creating a surprisingly sleek custom car. We've been staring at the car for a while and still can't quite decide if we like it or not. The front end is pointing us towards not. Love it or hate it, the end product isn't bad for a vehicle "created of old car trash by young Russian guys." What do you think? More »
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Here's Kati prepping for Thanksgiving dinner by doing a dry run with the powder coating on the rims for her 2010 Scion tC. In other news, Kati's never cooking Thanksgiving again. [AutoHolics] More »
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The Shorty Transporter Judgemobile looked good, but a shop in Huajuapan, Mexico, has surpassed that achievement. More »
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What else needs to be said? The Angry Hamster Z600 team loaned us the Short Bus, and you'll need a tactical nuke to blast us out of it. No, we can't do wheelies, because there are no seat backs. More »
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This is Jimmy Jablon. This is his motorcycle. He is going to raffle it off in a ceremony in Florida where a 22-year-old girl will dive into a pool of live 'gators. What more do you need to know? More »
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In German, Bitte means please. As Nice Price or Crack Pipe knows, Bitter means rare and cool executive coupes, including today's SC which has a price that may please. More »
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A Swedish man wanted to be Batman so badly, he spent three-and-a-half years and $1 million turning a 1973 Lincoln Continental into a 700 HP fully-functional Tim Burton Batmobile. Why'd he start with a '73 Lincoln in Sweden? More »
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The rules for Billetproof, run by the same miscreants who brought you the Concours d'Lemons, are very simple: 1964 and older, no billet anything, no modern wheels, no fenderless cars with independent front suspension. More »
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All right, maybe you couldn't build a fine race car like the Son Of A Blitzen '86 300E LeMons car, but even the LeMons Supreme Court believes the legitimacy of the team's budget claims. More »
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Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. What, more than two years of DOTS and no custom vans yet? More »
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Minivans practically euthanize style as a matter of course, but it needn't be so. Check out this nine passenger 1947 DeSoto Custom Suburban, it's more stylish than a dozen modern Bentleys and cooler to boot. More »
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This very special Mercedes SLR McLaren Red Gold Dream has been adorned with 500 rubies and 14k gold, transforming a once unassuming super car into something truly eye-catching. More »
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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. You like chrome? We like chrome! Everyone likes chrome! More »
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For those of you who like to get your 90-weight-coated paws on some car-themed reading material, we're continuing with this book-review thing. Today we're checking out a weighty slab of a coffee-table book. More »
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Remember the Olds Toronado-based Olsen Eagle that filled us with such awe last year? It now sits in Junkman's garage, and he's bringing it out to Monterey for the Concours d'LeMons in August! More »
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You're the man, Scion tc Release Series 5.0! You totally should've seen how much you drank last night. Do you remember anything after passing out? More »
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The biker boys at Amen Design have built a chopper based around Franco Sbarro's hubless wheels. And it really rides! More »
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The big Barrett-Jackson car auction in Scottsdale's going on right now and we're already into the fourth day of hot gavel action. Here's the eight top cars that have found new owners through day three. More »
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Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Today we have a couple of projects that defy easy categorization. More »
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We're not sure what makes this vintage Volkswagen more terrifying, the turbocharged V8 engine or the unconventional (for a Bug) engine placement. Either way, this car fulfills a few dreams and, likely, a few nightmares. More »
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UPDATE: The 2009 Nissan Cube's price will start at $13,990 and we've even had a chance to test drive the Cube. Read our impression here. The Nissan Cube is hoping to capture the boxy chic market the Scion xB pioneered when it goes on sale in the US market next year. We think the Cube has a lot going for it. When it does arrive the funky little 2009 Nissan Cube will sport the same 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine found in the Nissan Versa, good for 122 HP and 127 lb-ft of torque. These will come mated to either Nissan's CVT transmission or a six-speed manual, for those who like to stand out in a crowd and row their own gears. Further differentiating the unique econobox from the rest of the market will be the "water drop" interior accents in the headliner and controls that give the appearance of rippling water. As with the Fit and Scion, the Cube will come loaded with features such as a sliding "sofa style" bench, remote keyless entry, an iPod-ready sound system and standard ABS. Buyers will also be treated to a host of other dealer-added accessories that could help propel the odd wagon into the hearts and homes of budget-conscious-yet-trendy buyers. Full details in the press release below. More »
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Ready to cast some Nice Price Or Crack Pipe judgment this morning? 60% of you thought that the $12,500 1973 Ford Ranchero camper was way overpriced, in spite of that 351C/4-speed setup. Today we're going for something a little more affordable, in honor of the onrushing Financiapocalypse. Sometimes you see a car project and you have to wonder what the builder could have been thinking? It's obvious that a lot of thought and quality workmanship went into this '84 Colt Turbo- which even has the extra-hip Twin Stick dual-range transmission- but, well, why? Anyway, the important issue here is price; what do you say? More »
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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 »
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While hordes of Hawaiian shirt-wearing enthusiasts are descending on Vegas for SEMA, there’s actually another, slightly classier show taking place half-way around the world in Milan. EICMA is one of the biggest motorcycle shows of the year and, so far, there’s not a tribal paint scheme in sight. The best concept so far is the BMW Lo Rider, which appears to be some sort of Flat Track-inspired performance cruiser. The thing is, BMW says almost every aspect of the Lo Rider will be reconfigurable on the showroom floor, meaning you could turn it into and old-school chopper or a comfy touring bike too. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5075895&view=rss&microfeed=true Just because TLC is bringing a slew of built-to-the-hilt ICON FJ Cruisers to SEMA doesn't mean they've forgotten about the crucial bugeye sunglass-wearing urban white trash market, and so we present their ICON Lexus LX570. The direct descendant of the FJ40, the Lexus doesn't much do what its tougher forefather did — likewise TLC's modifications are primarily for the street, with monster two-piece 24-inch MOZ wheels, black chrome, extra-tinted windows, TRD six-piston calipers on cross-drilled rotors and emulsion-laser-etched carbon fiber printed trim. Yes, printed carbon fiber. Heck, we'll just let you watch the video for the rest. More »
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Here's some hotness bound for the endless halls of SEMA — a pair of heavily massaged widebody Dodge Challengers by Classic Design Concepts. Outside, the Challengers get shaker hoods, a very snazzy wire mesh grille, and extra wide composite fenders which are particularly slick in the back, presenting a bulged-out version of the famous billboard side stripes. Under those fenders are 10-inch wide wheels in the front and 11.5 inchers out back, stopped by massive Baer brakes. Those big brakes will be put to good use as both Challengers get supercharged, with a Vortech in the black version and the Procharger in the white. Think 560 HP; now that's a proper power-to-weight ratio. Details and more pictures below the fold. More »
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People give young folks in backwards baseball caps driving tuned Civics a lot of grief. Deserved maybe, but grief nonetheless. Are they really that irritating? Do we really have to call them "Ricers?" Why stereotype? Aren’t they just misguided kids trying to make their mark in life the only way they know how: by dancing bolting big wings to cars that don’t need them? The Daily Interweb came up with “A Ricer’s Guide To Driving,” but we don’t think it differs much from the “How to drive like an average everyday asshole” list that we’ve been putting together for a while now. So let’s take a look at the two side-by-side and determine if there really is a difference between young hoons in modified imports and the rest of our great, big sweaty nation. More »
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To honor the Citröen 2CV’s 60th birthday, fashion house Hermès created this special edition for the Paris Motor Show. While we weren’t impressed by the gaudy crime-against-taste that was the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès, the more pedestrian (or equine, to be more correct) 2CV strikes a chord with us. The leather and cotton canvas added to it accentuate the timeless lines and paired-to-the-bone interior, two things most modern cars are missing. The full release follows the jump. More »
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Are you ready for another round of Nice Price Or Crack Pipe? Last time we were here, 79% of you felt that the $100,000 Electric De Lorean DMC-12 deserved the Marshal Lucky treatment. Yessir! Now we've got a profoundly customized '87 Corvette that BZR found for us; it failed to sell with a Buy It Now of 95 grand, but check out the receipts: the "partial total investment" in the Lazer F/X Prototype comes to $210,868.45. There's a Lingenfelter 388ci small-block (with an automatic), a custom-molded interior, and a bunch of stuff described by the seller as "aggressive." It still needs bodywork and paint, but you're getting this thing for less than half the original investment! [eBay Motors] More »
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I was thinking about using this fine customized cartruck for Project Car Hell, but gave up when I realized that nothing could possibly compete with it. Yes, folks, it's a genuine Roly Fernandez-built 1988 Camaro with dual rear axles and a truck bed that will laugh at standard lumber sizes, and all for a starting bid of just $1,500! Sure, it's maybe not quite as nice as it was when it first left Roly's shop, but how hard could it be to fix up the "Long Gone?" Imagine the Super Dorifto Potential with this thing! Thanks to Ceruleanblu for the tip. [eBay Motors] More »
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Out of all the old Fords at the Billetproof Nor-Cal show, this one may have been our very favorite (yes, even beating out the undeniably awesome Maserati-powered Ford). Why? It's really a Malaise Era Ford Granada! Jump away to get the rest of the story. More »
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Much as we all love the ol' iconic Model T or A Ford with small-block V8 and primer paint, the landscape at Billetproof is so dominated by such machines- seemingly acres of 'em- that it takes something really wild to make passersby stagger back in slack-jawed awe. This is such a car. In addition to the 300-horsepower, quad-carb DOHC V8 (and Torqueflite-based automatic) out of an '81 Maserati Quattroporte, this Ford has a handcrafted independent front suspension (the coolest parts of which, unfortunately, we were unable to photograph). More »
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We saw a lot of great stuff at the Billetproof Michigan show, and this weekend we get the Billetproof Nor-Cal show in Antioch. I met up with the Audi Fox-owning, Belvedere-racing Casadelshawn and we broke out the Nikons to capture the rusty, crusty, and- in some cases- sparkly surfaces to be found. Stay tuned for more Billetproof fun as the week progresses (and I get around to sorting out 99 million photographs). More »
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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. San Francisco is just a few miles from Alameda, right across the Bay, and I wouldn't be shocked to find that it has as many cool old cars per square mile as the island. PhilRoastBeef spotted this super-rare Iso Rivolta Fidia parked on Polk Street, and then WhatWouldJesseDo sent in these shots of a totally bewildering Dodge Intrepid Chrysler Sebring convertible. Make the jump to read the description of the Iso; the Intrepid really needs no description. More »
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Dculberson was checking out the car deals on Craigslist when he came across a 1954 Ford that looked familiar… yes, it's the DOTS 1954 Ford we saw almost a year ago, now equipped with grille and Carson top, not to mention a nice 302/5-speed combo. I've always liked this car, but the $9,000 price is a bit out of my personal Hell Project budget range, plus I'm still waiting for the owner to put his other car (which is easily one of my all-time DOTS favorites) up for sale. By the way, I've been seeing FOR SALE signs on the DOTS '71 Buick Le Sabre as well; looks like the tough economy has folks in Sell Mode. [Craigslist SF] More »
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Some Swedes cope with the sunless Scandinavian winters in the sanest way possible: pounding caffeine and/or alcohol by the hogshead. Others, however, crunch through the snow out to the shed and fire up the cutting torch, which is then used to create works of genius such as this 1980 Volvo wagon, equipped with what appears to be a Rover V8, dual rear axles, and custom-van-esque interior. Inveterate tipster JanTheMan translates thus: "Another V8 Volvo, Old price winner on the biggest custom car event in Sweden back in the eighties. It is a Volvo 245 1976. It is longer,wider, higher, lower. No glassfibre!" More »
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