Jalopnik: 2001

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: GM Heritage Collection Supercharged Aztek SEMA Car For $24,900?

Murilee Martin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

The buyers of the GM Heritage Collection cars are already a-wheelin' and a-dealin' their purchases, and that means that you've got a chance to own what may be the rarest factory Aztek ever!

Considering the absurd prices that folks pay for factory concept cars, $24,900 for one isn't all that much… but, of course, this is a Pontiac Aztek. It's sad that GM took some uncharacteristically daring chances with the design of this vehicle- which was actually quite useful in the real world- only to have it swept into the dustbin of automotive history because it was, frankly, hideous. But that makes this one quite interesting, historically significant, all that stuff. We're not talking about some nightmarish Monkey Aztek here; this is an Eaton-blown, custom-painted show vehicle with weird late-dot-com-boom extras such as "overseat backpacks." Nice Price? Crack Pipe? You decide!
[Craigslist Phoenix, go here if the ad disappears]

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: Supercharged, 500-Horsepower BMW 540i For $35,000?

Murilee Martin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST

We had our second straight Crack Pipe vote yesterday, with the evil supercharged Chevelle wagon getting a 44% Nice Price vote. Today we're going to stick with the supercharging theme, but in a pricier package.

The 2001 BMW 540i was quite the factory hot rod, with a 32-valve V8 making 282 horsepower. The price tag was about 52 grand back then ($62,000 in '09 bucks), so $35,000 for an example that's had the full Dinan supercharger/suspension/brake treatment could be totally reasonable… or not. This one looks to be in nice shape, although we prefer an exact odometer reading to the vague "low miles" statement made by the seller. It's even covered by a factory warranty until 2010. 500 horsepower in a 3,800-pound car sure would be fun, eh? Nice price or Booth Number Two?

[Craigslist Phoenix, go here if the ad disappears]

And Now, Your Jalopnik Moment of Zen...

Murilee Martin — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EDT

[Junkard Finds]

Image credit Murilee Martin

More on the Microbus: Volkswagen Van Concept On Video, Circa 2001

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:00:24 EDT

"So we had this idea." The idea was to trot out the most nauseating display of youth baiting this side of a Scion ad in Second Life. The year was 2001, and Volkswagen had just rolled out its Microbus concept. Clinging to the last strand of dot-com optimism like a vine over quicksand, VW produced this video, which it screened at the Microbus's unveiling at the Detroit auto show. It featured requisite design-geek narration under flashes of hipster families as they romped through all sorts of recreational self gratification. The van project was called a go in 2003, but subsequently recast as a joint project with Chrysler. But for a minute, there were tears of joy cried from Santa Cruz to Shasta. Truly, you can never go back. Well, maybe you sort of can.

Punched In The Fun Bags: DaimlerChrysler Recalls 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickups Over Air Bags

Ray Wert — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 10:47:33 EDT

The 'merican side of the German-American hybrid today announced it was recalling 145,000 '06 Dodge Ram 1500 pickups to replace the "passenger air bag pack" and reprogram the 'puter telling it how to deploy. While it's in the shop, they're gonna just go ahead and also replace the "front passenger seat assembly" because there's a chance it may not allow certain child restraint systems to be properly secured. Oof, flying babies — not a good thing. In a totally unrelated recall...

...the Chrysler Group will also be asking 35,000 2001-2003 Dodge Durango's to step into the shop, because it could randomly cause your ABC to catch fire — no, not the Ass-Ball-Connection — the Area-Between-the-Console-and-seat. But come to think of it, if one catches fire in a 2001-2003 Dodge Durango, the other'll probably catch fire too.

Dodge trucks recalled for air bags [Detroit News]

Related:
Asses of Fire: Jeep Heated Seat Recall [internal]

Steve Lapp's Photovoltaic Prius Project

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 15:16:26 EDT

Steve Lapp, a Canadian engineer created a prototype Prius fitted with a number of roof-mounted photovoltaic cells, an extra battery to supplement the car's OEM batteries and a nice glass of brandy (sorry, we added that last bit for our own edification). The 2001 Prius's hybrid-drive system underwent extensive re-engineering under Lapp s guidance, and the finished product resulted in a 10% fuel efficiency improvement initially, from 52 mpg to 59 mpg.

The solar subsystem, which outputs 300 VDC (volts, direct current), is attached to the switched side of the original Prius battery, so the system can only recharge the Prius's NiMH battery while the ignition is on — meaning the solar panels are not an alternative to a "plug-in" system. Still, we're all for as many Prius hacks as guys like Lapp are willing to attempt, and he says this is a rough prototype to explore what's possible.

Solar-Powered Toyota Prius Project [Treehugger]

Related:
Hot Rod Hybrids? [internal]