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Matt Messer brutally crashed his Ultra-4 truck in last weekend's King of the Hammers race in the desert east of Los Angeles. Unable to see through the dust, he went from charging to zero in an instant. His safety gear likely saved his life. Warning: NSFW language More »
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They say the best defense is a good offense. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Land Rover Defender 90 looks pretty good, but is its price offensive? More »
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The lack of defined boundaries for spectators and photographers only contributes to the outlaw lore that surrounds the Baja 1000. Although spectator deaths certainly occur on and around the course, they are not usually a result of people lying in the middle of the course. As you can see from this video footage, that is exactly what one amateur photographer decided to do at this year's race. More »
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All you dyno chiefs and testbench heroes, with your cossetted rides angered only under laboratory lights, look upon the 1,800-hp buggy doing wheelstands in the sands of California and weep in awe. And this is with the turbos dialed back. More »
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Charles Guan, recent MIT grad, is certainly a certifiable tinkerer. Where I see a skateboard and a snowblower engine he sees a portable off-road skateboard. Completely DIY, it got noticed at the World Maker Faire New York on Saturday. More »
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When a group of 14 Ford Raptor owners took to the desert for an off-road run in the spirit of what has become the quintessential hot-rod pickup, ten came back with bent frames. Is the Raptor too weak to play in the desert? More »
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Kevin Kewley grew up hearing stories of his parent's "infamous parasail" they'd use in an uncommon sport called off-road parasailing. Lured by tales of high-flying adventure he decided to try it himself. The results are amazing if not a little terrifying. More »
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The Kia Sportage may be an underrated compact SUV, but it's not for off-roading. This enthusiastic Polish Dakar wannabe finds out the hard way, nearly starting a forest fire trying to get it to turnover. (H/T to Mateusz) [via Motofilm.pl] More »
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Last week we learned how Kent Kroeker and his Baja race team used their Marine Corps emergency training to save the life of an American missionary struck by another driver in the Mexican wilderness. Here, finally, is the full story. More »
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The Baja 1000 rightly claims the title of North America's toughest race. But one race team faced their biggest challenge before the race began: Saving the life of a Mexican man whose vehicle collided head-on with another Baja racer. More »
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Vendors at SEMA appear to have a strong yen for tracked vehicles, which might explain this "Snowmobile" from Canadian company TCZL that looks like an a/c unit with tracks, a seat, and bike handles. More »
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Caught in the wilds of SEMA out behind the Las Vegas convention center, this moon buggy-type rock crawler sports a hydraulic motor in each massive wheel for maximum traction control. Looks like fun, even in a parking lot. More »
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When reader Socialvegetable shared photos of this wicked mud buggy for sale we had to know more so we dialed the seller up to ask him what mixture of genius and poverty led to its creation. More »
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A racing truck lost control and drove into a crowd late Saturday night during the California 200 Mojave Desert night race, killing eight and seriously wounding at least 12 others. Witnesses describe the aftermath as a "nightmare" scene. UPDATE. More »
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"Hey, Ballywack, be a good chap and take this hill slower. I'm trying to stir up a Pegu Club back here and you're making me spill the Cointreau." (Photo Credit: RPM/Getty Images) More »
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This is the Volvo FMX. It is an off-road version of Volvo's F-series commercial truck designed specifically for storming through rock quarries. Go to the truck's launch site. Bask in its hårdässness. Listen to the Swedish überrock. Thank us later. More »
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Travis Pastrana won Rally America's season-opening Sno*Drift Rally this weekend. It was single-digit cold, the roads were covered in a thick sheet of ice, and Ken Block's brand-new Ford Fiesta broke. Sound like fun? Of course it does. More »
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While the Samurai established Suzuki as a car maker in the U.S., it was known to be unstable in quick maneuvers. Whether or not that is true, Nice Price or Crack Pipe has an example you might flip over. More »
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MTV's "Nitro Circus" star and rally driver Travis Pastrana, along with co-driver Christian Edstrom, clocked a third win this season here at the Oregon Trail Rally situated in and around scenic, hippie-infested Portland. More »
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Block strikes again! The HoonLord, Kenneth Block, has snagged his second win at the 2009 Rally New York USA; only his second tarmac rally ever. More »
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We've taken Ken Block's winning race footage straight from his STi's DVR at the 2009 100 Acre Wood Rally, complete with real-time data readouts. Now you can learn how to be a real rally driver! More »
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The RTX SE is to Yamaha what the F-150 SVT Raptor is to Ford: a civilian version of its top-of-the-line off-road racer. Although in this case that racing is Snocross. More »
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We warned you about it. We gave you plenty of advance notice. And now it's finally here. Our full 2009 Sno*Drift Rally film. Be afraid, be very afraid, because Jalopnik don't do no lilly-livered video. More »
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You didn't like our "Ten Cars and the Girls They Attract" feature? Well, here's our guide for gals on ten cars and the corresponding men they attract. More »
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Up in Northern Michigan, the rally action is as furious as ever. Join us below for our mega gallery of what can only be described as Michigan's great motorsport secret. More »
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You won't find RallyAmerica on TV and none of the major buff books will touch such a rabid motorsport, so we're bringing you the 2008 LSPR Rally, straight and unedited. Mega-sized gallery below. More »
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The primary concern of many males purchasing a vehicle (not us of course) is what type of member of the opposite sex it may lure. Here's ten cars and the corresponding women they attract. More »
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The standard Lada Oka is your typical eastern European econobox; humble transportation that makes a Tata Nano feel macho. But apparently there are some Russians who look at the poor little thing and see the perfect starting point for an all-terrain monster. We have no idea what the thought process was that led up to the creation of such an awesome machine. Given the choice between this and a Jeep or a Hummer, we'd take this every time. Check out the gallery below and see what it originally looked like here. [English Russia] More »
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Amidst the sea of high-dollar muscle cars and carnauba-soaked hot rods, the last car you'd expect to see on the main floor of Autorama is a small French car. Any sort of Citroën 2CV would be distinct, but when it's one sporting safari survival equipment, off-road suspension, and a small block V8 under the hood, it looks fantastically wacky. Drivetrain and suspension bits come from an old Suzuki Samurai, hence this car's name: "Le Sami." No House of Kolor pearl ghost flames here; Le Sami has been painted coated with a thick layer of spray-on bedliner— yes, the stuff for pickup truck beds. That coating not only makes the car scratch-resistant, but also adds a degree of rigidity to the weak Citroën structure. So while most of the other cars on the show floor will only be driven off of trailers and over mirrors, this 2CV will be driven not just on the road, but off the beaten path as well. More »
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It's said that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Clearly this is the philosophy behind these new ambulances designated for unforgiving rural byways of Russia. Who needs paved roads? Heck, who needs roads at all? And why stop there? By the looks of it, these things could ford a river with ease. So really, you don't even need dry land to drive on. If we happen to be vacationing at our dacha and, while out for a spot of motoring, see one these beasts approaching in our rear-view mirror, we're definitely getting out of the way, no siren or flashing lights needed.