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Fiat's disastrous Jennifer Lopez ad campaign just got worse. A political group's claiming that, in addition to pretending to go home in a car that kept breaking down, J. Lo indirectly supports Iran's nuclear ambitions and human rights abuses. Just watch the video. More »
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These are the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS John C. Stennis, two of the ten nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft supercarriers in service with the United States Navy. The Lincoln just arrived to the Strait of Hormuz as tension keeps mounting up in the area. More »
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Earlier this month, NATO lost a spy drone in Iran. Initially NATO admitted that its pilots lost control of the craft, but new reports claim that the Iranian military hacked its GPS systems. More »
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The Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel is one of the most advanced stealth airplanes in the United States Air Force. It was secret drone until the end of 2009. The Iranians just claimed today they have killed one. But have they? More »
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First, Iran elects a president whose sense of style begins and ends at Members Only jackets. Then, some operative tries to hire a washed-out used car dealer to assassinate a Saudi Arabian ambassador in the United States. And now Iran's attempt to put a monkey in space failed. More »
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The U.S. government revealed Tuesday it had stopped a plot by an Iranian agent to assassinate Saudi Arabia's U.S. ambassador. The suspected mastermind? A failed Texas used-car dealer who dubbed his mission "Chevrolet." More »
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Passengers on an Iran Air flight learned the hard way why you should keep your seat belt securely fastened while taxiing after their plane collided with a truck loaded with jet fuel. More »
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There is more to Iran than pistachios, nukes, and ayatollahs. It’s a country of voluptuous racing drivers, abandoned Bizzarrinis, epic traffic jams, smoke-spewing Paykans, and a very laissez-faire approach to traffic control. Deranged world traveler Dániel Belényi has been going to Iran for over a decade and he’s brought us a portrait of its car culture in dictionary form (hint: use the arrows to jump between entries). —Ed. More »
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Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced he will auction this 1977 Peugeot 504, supposedly one of his few material possessions, to benefit Iran's public housing. It's unclear how many families Ahmadinejad expects to live inside. (H/T to Grolar!) [Kodoom.com] More »
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A vintage Chevrolet Camaro gets a mullah's blessing at a recent rally in Isfahan, Iran. Because although they may hate us for our freedom, they love us for our awesome tire-shredding burnouts. [New York Times] More »
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Thirty-one years after Reza Pahlavi was ousted in the Iranian Revolution, most of his epic car collection still gathers dust in a warehouse-like museum 30 miles from Tehran. Here’s a very recent sneak peek at the madness. More »
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Pontiac's Firebird has been a staple of 'Merican hoons ever since Burt Reynolds, our favorite mustachioed star, drove one in Smokey and the Bandit, but we're not the only ones fascinated with the flaming chicken. More »
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Unless you live in Iran, you've probably never heard of the Khodro brand, but it's Iran's state-backed manufacturer of automobiles. Apparently, they're working up a car specifically for the ladies. The car will be based on the existing Samand line but will offer brighter colors, softer lines in the interior, a rear-seat DVD player for the kids, parking assistance, and a flat-tire monitor among other features. Re-read that list, and you'll realize that Iran apparently considers practically every car for sale in the US to be a ladies' model. Oh man, Toby Keith is going to be totally pissed. (Thanks for the tip Jack) [Telegraph] More »
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77% of readers thought the low-mileage Chryslerati falls on the Crack Pipe side of the NPOCP Scale. That might be a bit harsh, but the K Car underpinnings of the Chrysler TC By Maserati may have seemed too common. That's why today's car is something that we're pretty sure nobody has ever seen driving in the street in North America: a genuine Paykan. Yes, this fine customized Iranian-built Hillman Hunter- equipped with genuine "Boog Benzy"- will be shipped right to your door! Don't worry about any customs or registration hassles with this Axis Of Evil machine, because the seller assures us "I can have this vehicle registered for road use in all 50 states (don't worry about DMV or DOT). I will explain to you the process in detail." So, what do you think of this deal? Thanks to HotRodElectric for the tip! [eBay Motors] More »
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You might think it's impossible to buy a new Peugeot 405-based Iran Khodro Samand without venturing into the Axis Of Evil itself, and that might lead to hassles from The Man. However, Iran Khodro is now selling the Samand in neighboring Turkey- a NATO ally! We'd prefer a Paykan, of course, but an Iranian-built French car is almost as cool as an Iranian-built British car. More »
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We talked about the Hillman Hunter-based Iran Khodro Paykan recently, and a couple of you mentioned the pickup version of the Paykan. Well, Franzouse has done some digging, and it turns out that Iran Khodro still sells the Paykanamino, though they prefer to call it the Bardo. Before heading over to the IKI site, check out this page for some Paykan/Bardo history. [Iran Khodro Industries] More »
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Just as the Hidustan Motors Ambassador kept the design of the '56 Morris Oxford alive for decades, the Iran Khodro Paykan enabled the design of another fine British car, the '67 Hillman Hunter, to remain in production until 2005 (though the Hillman engines were replaced with Peugeot units starting in the mid-80s). Here's a little Paykan history lesson, courtesy of one of the car's many Iranian aficionados. More »
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Who knew cars could be religious? Apparently Proton's making a car they plan to build in Malaysia, Iran and Turkey — highlighted by an order to supply 5000 taxis to Teheran. Proton's claiming the car they'll be using to fill the order will be an "Islamic car." What makes it so religiously tag-lined? How about that it's fitted with a compass pointing to Mecca and a compartment to store prayer scarves and a Koran. Jeez, if that's what determines whether a car is Islamic, methinks any car with a glove compartment and a broken compass pointing an extra 90 degrees clockwise would also be a follower of the five pillars. [via motoring.co.za] More »
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So let's say you considered buying the Cadillac XLR that was the last car given away by Bob Barker, but decided against it because, well, it just didn't have enough celebrity glow to it? It's a good thing you waited, because here's your chance to buy a '78 Maserati Kyalami originally owned by Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran before the 1979 revolution. Since the car is described as "stripped and primed," we can assume that the photograph is not quite exactly a shot of what you'll be buying. But who cares? It's the Shah's Maserati! And, yes, I am required by law to use a Butthole Surfers reference whenever possible. [eBay] More »
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Last year, the Islamic Republic of Iran churned out 1.1 million vehicles. By 2015, they hope to hit the magic two mil mark. According to Manouchehr Manteghi of Iran's largest automaker, Irankhodo, the sanctions imposed due to the nation's nucular program haven't stayed technological progress, but they have made sourcing funding more difficult. Nevertheless, Irankhodo's working on plans for production lines in Belarus, Azerbaijan, Venezuela and Syria, as well as expanding Renault Logan production to 300,000 units. More »
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Iran's leadership has come down with a decree that all cars produced from July 23rd will run on either gasoline or liquefied petroleum gas. Ironically, although Iran produces approximately 574.398756 incredibly gigantic pantsfuls of oil per annum, their refining capacity is limited, leaving the nation to import 40% of its petrol. Currently, they're rationing gasoline at three liters a day, which has the populace in a tizzy. Meanwhile, they've apparently got a fair bit of LPG lying about, so they've issued a mandate that all cars produced in the country will now feature dual-fuel capability. More »
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A Syrianized version of the Iranian Samand, itself based on the Peugeot 405 will be built in Syria in a joint Syrian-Iranian plant in Adra Industrial City, announced the governments of both nations. This car, essentially a copy of a copy of a 20-year-old French design, will be (aptly) named the Sham; the plan is to build 10,000 per year. No word on a Shamamino version, but we can always hope. – Murilee Martin More »
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German magazine WirtschaftsWoche, whose name is neither more nor less ridiculous than any other German magazine we quote, is reporting that DaimlerChrysler is abandoning its majority stake in Setareh, the exclusive distributor of Mercedes-Benz products in Iran. The magazine sites a source who says increased pressure from the US on companies doing business in Iran is the main reason for the move. The DCX pullout contrasts sharply with a business-exchange plan proposed by the Bush Administration to flood the country with Humvees. – Matt Hardigree More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=236084&view=rss&microfeed=true • A guy is driving a car powered by vegetable oil across New Zealand. The funny? His name is MacDonald. [stuff.co.nz] More »
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