First, they've selected the perfect vehicle. The Mitsubishi Delica is a prime vehicle for such a trip. It's a 4x4 powered by a, we assume, converted 2.5-liter turbodiesel. It sleeps two quasi-comfortably. It looks awesome. As we proved with the algae-powered Vanagon camper, vans are ideal for this kind of work.

Additionally, North America makes a much better place to cruise than Europe. All of those empty miles of open road makes for lots of space to eat asphalt. The proposed route takes them through the Northwest and up through much of Canada before crisscrossing the heartland of the United States and, eventually, making their way through Texas and down into Mexico. Once they make it to Texas we're expecting that they can get enough fuel at the first Whataburger to make it all the way back to Canada. Information on their journey below.

Our Goal

We are working to raise individual awareness of our planet’s current environmental situation and how YOU as an individual control its future.

Face it; the majority of the western civilization population has one role in society: consumer. You (among billions of others) are the driving force for governments and corporations. You "vote" them into power through elections and by purchasing products that determine the market. We are reaching a critical point in time when you as an individual must decide if you are a part of the solution or against it.

Daily, the average consumer is bombarded by environmental issues in the media. One buzz word, "global warming," is repeated countless times, over and over, along with the pressure for you to do something about it. The solution to global warming is then conveniently presented to you in the form of a product. The solution to global warming is not in a product, not within your governments hands, nor is it a developing technology. The solution to global warming and all other connected environmental issues depend on your behaviour. We hope to capture your attention. In turn you will save money, act towards a solution for a healthier planet, and live a healthier mental and physical existence.

How will we possibly reach so many people? A massive public display. We plan on breaking the current world record for "Longest Journey by Car on Alternative Fuel." Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) will power our vehicle across Canada, the US, and possibly Mexico. We will be visiting sustainable initiatives along the way and will then deliver what we know and learn on sustainability through public discussion, lectures in schools, radio and television media broadcasting, newspaper and magazine publications, websites, podcasts, internet broadcasting, video documentary, and possibly a TV series. We are preparing to drive more than forty-five thousand kilometres by car on alternative fuel using WVO to surpass the current world record of 38,137 kilometres.

(Thanks to James for the tip!)

[Source: Driven To Sustain]

First, we need to get in the right mood to appreciate this fine automobile. A little music, comrades?

A while back, I was running errands in Toronto's west end. As I approached a stoplight, I swore I saw the distinct profile of a Russian limousine among the crossing traffic. It was long gone by the time I got there.

A week later, I saw it again and collected these shots.

OK, so I only have 5 photos. I was rushing, my camera battery was dying, but damn, just LOOK at this thing. How thoughtful of the owner to include a little background info via window sticker. Glasnost indeed! Photographed on Parkside Drive in Toronto.

Imagine, if you will, the conversations that once took place in the back seat.

Here's a link to where the car is for sale.

Hopefully you find this interesting

What do you think about that $27,500 (Canadian) price tag? Maybe we need a Down On The Crack Pipe Bonus poll!

No highways lead to Norman Wells, meaning the car would need to be flown in or driven up a winter ice road. Edgi opted for the cash while belting out possibly the most un-Jalopnik statement in the history of the world by saying, "The car is a Swedish make; it'll do 400 kilometres an hour. I don't see anybody would need that..." [CBCNews]

You'll need to start the video above to get the full effect of Teargas' story.


Natasha has arrived.
Comrade Davin and I have returned from their heroic journey to Toronto, Ontario. On the Great Hero Trailer of the Proletariat, we spirited Natasha from her prison in the only moderately socialist Canada.


Her captors were brutal, but we were able to bribe them with American Dollars.


We were detained by the Americans at the US Border. The American Border Guards trembled in fear at the sight of so much wondrous Soviet engineering. The spirit of the Soviet worker was indeed strong.


When the pigs told Comrade Reckow and I that we would need to prove that the Lada met US DOT and DEQ standards, I made it clear that Natasha would do no such thing! After an hour of negotiating, and declaring our duty-free hooch, we were free.


Comrades Rory & Davin will be awarded the ORDER OF VICTORY FOR TRAILERING

The race has been held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Quebec since 1978 (with a year off in 1987). That was back before the track was even named after the late Canadian racer, who died in 1982. It used to be known as the Circuit Île Notre-Dame. Prior to that, the Canadian Grand Prix was around since 1961 (with a year off in 1975) at Mosport Park and Mont-Tremblant. [gridcrasher, globesports] (Thanks Richard, Greg, and Jon!)

image copyright: AFP/ Getty Images

(Corvette 2+2) These photos were taken a few weeks ago by my father while vacationing in Quebec. My father, who is a gearhead and an occasional Jalop himself, noticed this maroon beast lurking along while waiting in line for a ferry to cross the St. Lawrence. It appears to be a C3 Vette which the owner has decided to rebody into a 2+2! You'll notice that from the A-pillar back the body has been entirely redone in classic DIY fashion. The bodywork is a little wavy and the paint is a little patchy but now he is the proud owner of a Vette which can carry 4 in style. One can only imagine the reasoning for creating such a magnificent beast. Maybe the wife chided him for his "unpractical" purchase of a Vette so he went about to prove her wrong. Maybe it's a top secret 2+2 C7 mule out doing some testing. Maybe he had some extra Bondo lying around and said "why not?" Anyways, pardon the dodgy nature of the photos, this particular area is notorious for biker gangs and my father didn't want to upset anyone so he snapped them as quickly and as discretely as possible.

(Corvette Wagon) Yo! Just noticed ur DOTS post on the stingray. Check out the one I just saw! We were driving from NC to VA to check out another (3rd) milano... We just saw a Stingray Sportwagon on a trailer. nice!

Here's a whole bunch of pictures I took over two days. I decided to have some fun and ride my bike around the city looking for cool cars while I got some exercise. Anyhow, I found most of these cars within a very short radius of my house, with a few of these being not more than a quarter mile from one another (Innocenti, Aston, GMC van, Camaro). They were all captured in Toronto, except for the Beetle which was photographed at another time in Sarnia Ontario. These cars are amongst several I picked since I couldn't include all of them (too many). The Aston Martin really blew me away since it seems to be a custom bodied car (I didn't get a chance to do my research on it). Anyhow, I have plenty more pictures of it and of the several other cars in case you were interested in posting them (multiple views). I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them.

Was in Dawson City, central Yukon last week and came across these Astons and the Lotus Elan on a Panama to Anchorage rally. Sorry for poor photos but they're beautiful cars and I thought you'd appreciate the extreme "downstreetness" of these.

The Texas program has already retired more than 11,000 vehicles. A family of four must make less than $63,000 a year in order to qualify for the program and their vehicle must fail an emissions test after being driven there under its own power. Drivers intending to buy a car or truck receive a $3,000 voucher, while those that want to buy a hybrid receive $3,500. Only vehicles costing less than $25,000 and that are on a state-approved list qualify for the vouchers. California has had a similar program for some time, but still estimates that by 2010 about 30 percent of its vehicles will be at least 13 years old.

The problem with these programs is they aim to retire old, but perfectly serviceable cars. In many cases, those older, lighter, smaller models will actually be getting the equivalent economy of their portlier, newer counterparts. Assuming some participants use the payment to put towards a new vehicle, the overall program could actually increase carbon footprints rather than reducing them; after all, there are energy and materials required to produce and ship a new car. While the newer vehicle will produce fewer emissions, it will need to be driven tens of thousands of miles before the difference in pollution between it and an older car makes up for the energy used in the new car's production. [Via The Detroit News]

I found these Jeeps while out for a walk recently and figured they're likely old enough for DOTS. They were parked about a block away from where I shot that Mercedes 250c a couple of months ago so I expect Danio will recognize the neighbourhood. At first I thought they were both CJ7s as the green one is clearly labelled, but on closer inspection the shape of the door frame seems to indicate that the Levi's edition Wrangler is a CJ5. Your guess is probably better than mine as far as model year goes, I had enough trouble figuring out that they were two different models.

As an added bonus there are two extra shots of an NSX I ran into with my film camera. No need to run them if you don't want to, but after a look around on Autotrader I was surprised to find that the NSX is finally old enough to be (almost) affordable, if still a couple of years away from being good LeMons fodder.

Within the same block as the 1959 Desoto, I discovered this 1967 Plymouth Fury III parked on the same side. Unfortunately there wasn't a drunken stinky man around this time to let me know if this Fury was going Commando as indicated or not. Needless to say, she's looking pretty good against the curbstone.

This is one of two beauties that are within a block of each other, parked on a main artery in downtown Toronto!
First up, I found what I believe to be a 1959 Desoto Fireflite four door. While taking the pictures at 10:30 a.m., a guy three sheets to the wind stumbles out of the house it's parked in front of, and although he's not the owner, he tells me that he knows the owner and says the car has not been not restored! She's beauty marked with some rust here and there, but aside from that she looks pretty solid for an almost 50 year old automobile. Drunk guy said she's parked there every day so he can watch it for the owner. Yeah, when he's not passed out on the floor! It's the little things on this car that catch my eye, the mirrors, emblems, tail lamps, even the hub caps all have a certain attention to detail modern cars are devoid of, and that's what makes something like this car special.

Maybe you could use this Citroën DS from Toronto for your DOTS. My girlfriend had just graduated from university, and somehow I got put in charge of taking pictures. Although her family is now wondering why their camera has pictures of her graduating interrupted by pictures of a weird French contraption, but I couldn't help myself. This was by far the most exciting part of the whole ceremony. It rained later that day, and I was wondering to myself how well that canvas roof held up against the weather.

I can't say for sure that this is a North American version, but according to the picture at the Citroën club it seems right given the hub caps, grille and bumper. And since they were virtually unchanged the whole time they were imported, it's most likely from the 60s, unless it's an import, at which point it could be of almost any vintage from anywhere in the world. Enjoy!

Thought I'd share shots of the sweet beast parked outside my workplace today. I took a whole whack of photos, but the cameraphone seems to have trouble when taking shots into the sun. Or towards the sun. Or facing west. Or during daylight, darkness, movement, moments of happiness, sadness, while smoking, while drinking, while breathing... you get the idea.

So to compensate for only supplying two mediocre shots, I included a shot of an absolutely beautiful old Saab that bumbled past us in Vancouver. I know, who cares... but the point is, this was in the middle of shooting a scene of Smallville. (If you notice in the background, there are movie-car definitely-not-RCMP-standard-issue Charger police cars as part of the scene.) The roads are blocked, the building has been redressed for Luthorcorp, the cameras are rolling.... and in the middle of it all, this Saab goes around the roadblocks and right into the camera's way. "CUT!" Nobody seemed to mind, because it sounded like it was brand new, and looked like it drove that way too. Reeeeespect.

And now it's time to listen to a tune from north of the border!



Our friends from Texas do a good version as well:

Attached is a Truck I found in a Canadian Tire parking lot in Oakville Ontario, Canada while I was on lunch getting a
fan belt for my car. I Had to take a picture of it with my cell phone. The Chinese writing caught my eye and the fact
that it looks like it came out of an old Jackie Chan movie, With bad dubbing and all.

Didn't want to get to close just in case it really was Jackie Chan's truck and he might kick my ass for laughing at
it... Never know.. haha

Gotta love the welded on hand made.... cow catcher on the front? WTF is that about?

Thanks for posting my pictures of the Datsun 710. Attached are the long promised pictures of Jim Rockford's Firebird.

This is a 77 or a 78, I don't know which, but I know where Angel hid Jim's car!

The car is in New Westminster, BC in the Queens Park area, a neighbourhood of Victorian era heritage homes.

The Jaguar XJ-S may well be the quintessential Project Car Hell vehicle. It sold for gigabucks, packs a V12 under the hood, looks gorgeous, you can get one cheap, and... Lucas Electrics! We had one beckoning to you from the fiery gates to Project Car Hell not long ago, but the lure of the XJ-S is just impossible to resist and we have no choice but to return to our V12-powered friend. Feds found this '79 Jaguar XJ-S with a somewhat steep asking price of $3,500 Canadian, but we're pretty sure that price is highly negotiable. As Feds says, "Regardless of how good or bad the car is, you can't ignore the fact that it is dirt(bag) cheap...a British car that very likely smells of du Maurier's and Labatt's 50." We don't learn much about the car from the seller's description, though "Some minor oil leaks and car will need a paint job soon" seems about par for the XJ-S course. Does it run? Is there rust? Electrical gremlins? Wait, no need to even ask that last question!

When you're trying to sell a couple of rusty heaps vintage machines built during an era when craftsmen were busting scab heads on the picket line took pride in their work, what's the best approach to photographing those cars? That's right- use the "sepia" option in your photo-editing software! If not for the newer vehicles visible in the background on one of the shots, you'd think you were looking at 60-year-old photos... of prematurely aged cars. The seller here doesn't find it necessary to provide any description of the cars for sale, and that includes such inconsequential information as year, make, and model. It appears that you can purchase a 1940 Plymouth and a Dodge of the same era for two grand Canadian. Mechanical condition? We can't tell you. Rust? Sure looks that way! But the Dodges and Plymouths of that era share lots of parts- you should be able to make one nice runner out of the pair, powered by a 440 pulled from the first New Yorker you find at the junkyard. As Feds so eloquently puts it: "Based on the excellent copy, I suspect Sophia is trying to sell these cars out from under the nose of her no-good-nik common-law husband."

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Seriously, what's a better deterrent than that? Though we joke, the stern talking to happens at an intersection with numerous collisions within a kilometer of about 3,500 school children. Their best quarry so far has been an embarrassed and horrified vice-principal from another school. Finally, someone has managed to harness the awesome power that is a teenager's inability to shut up for more than four seconds. (h/t PhkMark) [Toronto Star]

Thanks to this hoon son, who put the Escape in a ditch on the way to "get ice cream," cabinet ministers will have to buy their own vehicles, but still be allowed to claim mileage when using the vehicle for government purposes only. Take that, Canada! Now if only we can get Rep. Slaughter to give back her Lucerne. (h/t Acidic)[CBC]

The fourbanger gets a six-speed manual transmission or five-speed automatic while the V6 gets only the six-speed automatic with manual shift. Unfortunately, there's no wagon for North America... yet. We'll see what we can do about that. [Mazda.ca via CarScoop]

We're not at all up on the industrial and ecological impact of ammonia as a fuel, but it is interesting. Just think, if this had taken off, we wouldn't be troubled hippy-owned grease burners smelling of French fries, instead we'd all have watery eyes from the prodigious stench of ammonia. [Youtube]

I took some pics of these 2 sweet lotuses and some other cool stuff in my area - Burnaby just outside vancouver BC .. There is a mazda eunos and 2 honda beats at that one guys house.. He must do some importing I guess.

Apparently what's going on here is the exercise of a new law on the Canadian books to combat street racing where the speeds exceed 50 KPH above posted limits. Remember the old man in the Olds arrested for racing? Same law. We fail to see how this is racing if there is, you know... no race involved in the situation. Leave it to the OPP to find a way to snag other peoples money. [Canada.com]

I came home from work today, to find this '76 Oldsmobile 98 moored (parked doesn't feel like the right word) in front of my apartment. Unfortunately, neither my camera, or my ability with said camera can capture the epicness of this car. Still, far more interesting than most of the late-model commuter capsules populating Toronto (I'm waiting on a couple older cars to come out of hibernation though).

Incidentally, Oldsmobile's tagline for '76 was "Can we build one for you?" I wish they still could.

He retreats to his hotel for nine days. The crew, afraid of losing more money, convinces a friend of Carter's to make the jump without Carter's knowledge. The results were disastrous as the car didn't get the speed it needed. The driver survived, but Carter died months later in another stunt before completing this stunt. (h/t Braff) [Youtube, StuntDriver1.com]