Jalopnik: Great 8

Think You've Got It Bad? Gas Hits $14.76 a Gallon In Britain

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:20:00 EDT

Great Britain is in the midst of a fuel supply crisis the scope of which gives us the cold sweats: Supply is short, stations are closing with dry tanks, and those that do have dino juice are demanding a princely sum equivalent to $14.76 a US gallon. Light sweet crude, it's the end of the world! Okay, not really. The problem is that tanker drivers for Shell have gone on strike, sending fuel supplies into the crapper. This craziness will pass once the union comes to an agreement, but it makes us think that maybe a Segway isn't such a bad idea after all, despite what Wert thinks. [BBC News]

Utah Guys Set Out On Great American Road Trip

Wes Siler — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Three guys from Utah have set out to drive through the contiguous 48 states in record time. Starting out Sunday in Vermont, they're already in Wyoming on the way to North Dakota with the goal of getting home to Utah, via nine more states, by Friday. The time to beat is 5 days, 7 hours and 15 minutes. Joey Stocking, Adam Gatherum and Josh Keeler think they can do it in three hours less.

We were tempted to mock these guys with a headline something along the lines of "Utahns Meet World," but it turns out this is actually pretty cool. Their route was originally drawn up by Josh's dad 15 years ago, who was forced to abandon his dream due to a death in the family. The three friends have since updated it with the help of Google Earth. To make the record time they're driving straight through, alternating naps in the back seat of their Scion xB with turns driving and navigating. The Guinness World Record committee wouldn't sanction their attempt for fear of sanctioning dangerous driving, so if Josh, Adam and Joey are successful, all they'll get is the satisfaction of having done it. [The Great American Road Trip via NPR]

Thanks to Nate for the tip.

10 Strangest Cars Revealed At The 2008 Beijing Motor Show

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:30:00 EDT

The Beijing Motor Show traditionally warrants nothing more than a collective "meh" from the mainstream automotive media, but it certainly caught our attention this year. Bigger and better than ever, automakers from China and abroad have done everything to bring attention to their cars but put a gigantic stuffed elephant in one. Oh, no, wait. They've done that, too. But why shouldn't they show off — as the Chinese market continues to mature into it's teenage years, we've watched it shed some of the awkwardness of puberty, but still manage to showcase that youthful wide-eyed optimism with some truly innovative, unique and beautiful concepts. Still, like pimples, a cracking voice and a random desire for adorning oneself with chrome bits n' pieces, this teen still shows off it's rebellious side with vehicles that are completely bizarre, ridiculous knock-offs of popular designs or in most instances, both. Follow us below the jump through as we watch the coming of age tale that is the 2008 Beijing Motor Show.

1. The Lifan "Mini Cooper" 320
Usually, when one manufacturer succeeds with a car another will try and take that idea and make their version different and better, a la the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. In China, when a company comes to market with a successful car rival automakers will merely make a poor imitation of it. Thus we present the Lifan 320, a car that somehow manages to maintain the original elements of the MINI we knew and loved, and manages to make it horribly and inexcusably terrible.

2. Great Wall Kunna Electric Concept
As if the Great Wall Kunna Electric concept car wasn't cute enough, there's a stuffed Panda in the passenger's seat. Though we don't think they're indicating you should pick up Panda hitchhikers (you shouldn't — they always want to control the radio), the company has embraced the idea that small cars always look odd and it's just easier to design that into the car than out of it.

3. MG TF Police Convertible
Though American undercover cops occasionally tool about in convertibles (think Miami Vice), we can't think of too many convertible, two-seater marked police cars here in the states. Nevertheless, that didn't stop the Chinese company that now owns classic British carmaker MG from making this MG TF Police Car. Though technically next door at the Police & Equipment Show, this hot little cop coupe was a hit and could be seen picking up political dissidents any day now — only one at a time.

4. Chinese Smart Clone - Harley Davidsion Edition
There's nothing special about a Chinese Smart Car clone as there are tons of them made by Shanghuan Auto. This time, however, the company's Kamino corporate rulers have one-upped themselves with the Harley Davidson Edition. That's right, it's a Smart knockoff with the knockoff of a Harley Davidson painted on the side. Genius! It even isn't big enough to hold a Harley — just like the F-150 pickup adorned with similar accoutrements stateside.

5. Souped Up London Taxi
This, technically, isn't a knockoff. Does it look like a Chinese cab? Yes. But Chinese manufacturer Geely has a contract with London Taxi Inc. to build the Black London Taxi. Totally legit. Though most think of the vehicle as a means for someone driving you around, if you need to get there in a real hurry then this TX4 "hot rod" model is the way to go. It has everything a real London cab needs, including a picture of Big Ben in the back. Tally Ho!

6. Huanghai Faster SUV
Though some Chinese companies might be tempted to take advantage of lax intellectual property laws and outright steal the popular design of the Lexus RX series SUV, automaker Huanghai should be congratulated for resisting the urge. Instead of taking the entire car, they merely took the rear 75% of a Lexus RX and grafted on the front 25% of a Pontiac Torrent for their Huanghai Faster SUV. To make it even more interesting, it's powered by a Mitsubishi engine. For reasons that currently elude our understanding, the car is flanked by car models dressed as hot cops. Maybe they just didn't fit in the MG cop car from earlier.

7. Hafei Saibao V
Though the Hafei Saibao V isn't the most original sports sedan (there's more than a touch of Mazda3 and Lancer Ralliart), we have to give them credit for taking all of the sporty visual cues they could think of — from a gigantic spoiler to super sporty wheels — and fit them all on one car. And if that wasn't enough, they also flanked it with not one, not two, but four models dressed for the prom. That's because when you want to sell a car to sporty guys you need as many gowned models as possible.

8. The Off Road BJ
If you think the BAW B60 Jeep — or BJ — looks a lot like an actual Jeep, you'd be correct. Chrysler and BAW worked together back in the day to co-develop this Jeep for non-Civilian use. Of course that development partnership fell through more than a few years ago, but why let a silly thing like trademarks, copyrights and international intellectual property laws get in the way? That may explain why it looks like the BJ has taken on a bit of Hummer and Land Rover DNA on the front fascia — BAW hopes it'll confuse anyone into thinking the other 90% is pure unadulterated Jeep. But, much like the originals, this formerly Military vehicle is ready to find use in the home of a minimally endowed real estate agent.

9. Hafei Minyi Elephant Transporter
As much as we Americans may love the idea of the minivan, the Chinese love the idea of the mini-minivan. But just in case should you think that this Hafei Minyi isn't big enough for you and your family, the company has put a stuffed baby elephant inside the strange little van to simulate the awesome carrying potential of a minivan crossed with a b-segment econo-box. Of course, even a baby elephant is a touch too big for the Minyi, so you can see the poor animal's stuffed behind sticking out the other end in a way we think would probably be a turn off for potential buyers.

10. The Hybrid Chinese Military Jeep

Kissing cousins to the BAW B60 "BJ" Jeep above, this military Jeep has what we'll call an "interesting" camouflage pattern. As opposed to the high-detail of the pixelated multicolor look of US Military vehicles, the pixels here look to be a few inches across. Was it perhaps designed to patrol the Lego cities of the future or play in some "War Games"-like game of Tetris? Despite the questionable paint scheme, the hybrid powertrain's far superior to your average Hummer. No sense sullying the air with more pollutants than necessary in your standard scorched-earth campaign, eh?

[Source/Photos: The Tycho, China Car Times, AutoExpress.co.uk]

CH Design Scorpio: A Car Albert Brooks Would Be Proud Of

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:20:00 EDT

The Chinese are continuing to impress us with their stylistic variations on contemporary supercar styling. Unlike the obvious knockoffs, these cars expand on themes established by European designers. One example is the Geely GT, which draws inspiration from the Maybach Exelero while still maintaing its own design. Another example is the Scorpio concept from engineering firm Great Wall China Winner, a.k.a. CH Design. A little Reanult here, a little Ferrari there and maybe a touch of Aston Martin combine to make an attractive shooting brake-style bruiser. Unfortunately, the firm doesn't currently manufacture cars so this is probably just a design study. Sigh...

[The Tycho]

Great Wall Kunna Electric Concept Unveiled in Beijing, Panda Passenger Unavailable for Comment

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Great Wall, a company largely known as the leading Chinese authority on skillful reuse of intellectual property, has unveiled something that can gently be called unique - the Great Wall Kunna. The Kunna is an all-electric runabout operating on a 48V power system good for about 87 miles at a blazing top speed of 40 MPH. Despite that swoopy body work and those handsome LED headlights, the icing on this cake is the stylized panda apparently included in the package. Expect Fiat to sue Great Wall over cuteness infringement.

[TheTycho]

Would You Drive A Chinese Car?

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:40:00 EDT

Now that almost everyone would drive a Japanese and now a Korean car, it's worth asking if you all would drive a Chinese car. In fact, given all that's coming out at this year's explosive Beijing Motor Show, it is a harder question than it has been in the past. Though there are questions of quality and originality, cars like the Geely GT do capture the imagination. With the Koreans moving up-scale, it is quite possible the cheaper-than-thou market is opening up. We all like value.

Multiple part question here. Would you buy a Chinese car? Which one? Why? Why not? Would Geely's King Kong be involved? What about a Chinese-bodied Mazda6 like the FAW B50?

Remploy Bosses Rewarded With Mercedes For Firing Disabled Workers

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:45:00 EDT

Okay, that's an admittedly sensationalist headline, but completely true even without context. Remploy is a British company in the business of hiring out disabled workers to jobs where they can be effective. It was incorporated after the WW2 to manage all the disabled workers now within Her Majesties court. Until recently things had been going along dandy with 5,000 people in their employ across many plants in Britain. That is until a couple of weeks ago, when the company laid off half of the total workforce.

Despite the seemingly drastic measures, and here's the rub, the upper management will be driving around in Mercedes Benz CLK's for their hard work. The total corporate fleet of 443 cars figures in at about 8 million British pounds, with an average vehicle price of 19,900 Quid. We're no experts in labor relations, but we're betting this really chuffs the knickers of all those out of work disabled limeys. Bet there's about the be a big row over this one. [This IsLondon]

1956 Chevrolet Handyman Wagon

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:15:00 EDT

Lots of wagons among this years Great 8, here's another and this one wearing a bowtie and a lot of orange. The fairly rare '56 Chevy Handyman Wagon has undergone extensive modifications, and it shows. The bodywork amounts to over 100 modifications nad 1300 handmade parts, that's love. Under that custom engine cover is a LS1 V8 and a 4L60E transaxle. The interior is completely one off with hand formed dash and leather bits where it counts. This is a very nicely done rod, even if a bit over-done for our tastes. Kudos to the builders at Rods and Restos for a job well done.

1967 GMC Pick Up

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:15:00 EDT

Excuse us if we didn't take much time to look into this GMC which was on the stands as a pick for the Ridler award at this years 2008 Detroit Autorama, it just didn't tickle our fancy. Sure it was built well, and everything seemed to have an appropriate level of hot roddery, but was just a little too... meh. Maybe it was the 80's era speedboat level of metal flake in the paint, perhaps the overdone front hinged hood, maybe it was just the clear lens LED tail lights, who knows. Regardless, this was one of those rods we respect for its craftsmanship, but would pass for some of the other offerings. There's just something fundamentally wrong with a truck that has the tailgate welded shut.

1941 Willys Coupe

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:45:00 EDT

Hot rodders best be careful, or the once lusted after 1941 Willys Coupe will be the next '32 Ford of the rodding world. We know they've got a nice stout shape and wear fat racing slicks with a certain style few other cars can, but as often as we see them, you'd think they never went out of production. This particular '41Coupe is under the stewardship of Joseph Mouton Jr. who hails from New Orleans. After overlooking the massively supercharged 502 V8 mill, the car has got some real nice details throughout.

Even though it's a fiberglass body, the execution is well played. The one off grille is flanked by custom headlights, and the custom "W" engraved hood stand are all pretty neat pieces. The interior is as red as an Arizona sunset and all of those wheels are deep enough to get lost in. Overall a very nice interpretation of the Willys form.

1932 Ford "Willet Special" Has Suprise Powerplant

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:20:00 EDT

Instead of going with a top ten list like everybody and his brother, the Detroit Autorama narrows things down to 8 finalists in the hunt for the prized Ridler Award. This group of fresh hot rods live in what's called "the Great 8". We've already seen the winner of this years Ridler Award, the Ferrambo, but we're going to take a tour through the other selections for this years Great 8. This is the 1932 Ford "Willet Special". Styled after the racers of the late forties which were bodied and modified for speed as "specials", the Willet Special has something under the hood those original racers could only dream of. Scoffing at the laws of physics, the builders of this speedster have managed to wedge a Viper V10 into the narrow frame and hood line of this handsome coupe.

With the power of 600 horses this Special is capable of over 200 mph, and with less heft than the Viper, will throw down 0-60 MPH times under 4 seconds. Not bad for a 76 year old chassis. Of course it's got all the goodies to back that up like a one off belly pan, rear splitter, Tremec 6 speed, roll hoops, a Willwood braking system and some swank satin polished vintage style kidney wheels. This is a baaaaad ride my friends.

Commenter Of The Day: Hoon's Best Friend Edition

Matthew DeBord — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:15:00 EST

What would Leap Day Celebration be without several appearances from our canine friends, joining in the hoonin' fun? Dog's are profound leapers, anyhow, from Air Bud to those awesome hounds from the Great Outdoor Games to a spring-loaded terrier I had for a while in the '90s. Sometimes, however, a dog gets into a little too much human craziness. Read on!

Today's COTD comes from graverobber, who when we asked to choose between a pair of vids culminating in tree collisions for this post, offered the following:

Okay, the second one is a winner for the following factors:
Most air
Least likelihood that he was even aware of the tree until shortly after hitting it.

Dog chasing the car, and then not knowing what to do with it once it has "caught" it.

Most importantly; the driver exiting the car through the window while successfully holding onto his bottle of Bud in classic Lewboski fashion.

Yeah, if you were a happy hoonin' leaping canine, what would you do if you caught that thing?

Clampers Trapped As Furious Brits Demand Full Release

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:15:00 EST

Residents of an exclusive new apartment complex in Sussex awoke Monday to find a couple of burly guys slapping wheel clamps on their cars. Did they let things slide? Hell no they didn't. The complex had apparently done the worst job ever at getting its residents their parking passes and the fellows were there to put on the boot for those without tags - including the permitless tenants. The residents called friends and family who blocked the exit to the lot and a 5 hour standoff ensued.

After tense negotiations and probably fearing a possible row in the press, the complex relented and called off the clampers. We say hooray for civility and power to the people! Down with the dirty boot keepers. Now all they have to do is admit Marmite is a travesty of nature and we'll begin to think the Brits are sane again. [ThisIsLondon.co.uk

Chinese Automakers Go After African Car Market

Ray Wert — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:45:00 EDT

So what do you do when you can't face the regulatory and marketing hurdles of the US market, but you still want to sell as many of your cheaply manufactured vehicles as possible? Why, you head right on over to Africa like Great Wall Motor Co and take over the European automakers dumping ground for used vehicles. Chinese automakers like Great Wall appear to be making a significant dent in the auto market in Africa — mostly because they're able to sell new vehicles at a lower price than you can buy a used vehicle for. And, as you can tell from the video of the Euro NCAP crash testing of the Chery Amulet above, you also get the added benefit of a car that collapses whenever you need to toss it into a recycling can. Or like, whenever you hit a wall at 30 mph. [via WSJ]

Creation Embodies Charm: The Great Wall Wingle

Murilee Martin — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:30:59 EDT

Let's say you're shopping for a big pickup truck for your ranch but just don't like the stuff coming out of the Motor City or the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Well, plop your ten-gallon hat on your head and saddle up one of these here Great Wall Wingles, cowboy! Don't pay no mind to them tenderfoot city boys who say Chinese vehicles are deathtraps that won't even run long enough to get you killed in the next county- the Wingle is all about those who, in the words of its manufacturer, "Brilliant achievements in their careers enjoy life passion." Available Wingle colors include Milky White and Fashionable Orange. Yeehaw! [Great Wall Motor Company]

It's Built By Ford And It Goes Like (KABOOM)!

Murilee Martin — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:30:36 EDT

In 1981, the year of this ad, the car sold as the "Capri" in the States was a Mercury Fox Mustang clone. Back in the UK, however, the venerable Ford Capri was still available, and it came with a 2.8-liter V6 that gave it a not-too-bad-for-1981 0-60 time of 7.8 seconds. Check out those painfully-80s graphics! – Murilee Martin

Related:
History is Bunk: Fortune Gets Dumb [internal]

Chinese Focusing in on Jettas

Mike Bumbeck — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:30:00 EDT

With dismal April sales figures here in the States comes the news that the citizens of China are snapping up cars with sheer abandon. Automobile sales hit 7.2 million vehicles last year and cemented China into the number two consumer of automobiles in the world. With a 544% leap in sales over 2005, the Ford Focus is an example of China's newfound thirst for driving. The number one car in China two years running is The Volkswagen Jetta, followed closely by the choice of salesmen, the Hyundai ~~Excel~~ Elantra. The Buick Excelle ran sales up 64% and a close number five spot to the Faw N3. Of salesmen! – Mike Bumbeck

Chinese Car Market Explodes [sema.org]

Related:
Skoda Arrives in China! [Internal]

Sunbeam Rapier Fastback: Not Barracuda-Inspired, Really!

Murilee Martin — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:25:48 EDT

The Sunbeam Rapier Fastback's designer claimed he wasn't ripping off the look of the early Plymouth Barracuda (and maybe he's telling the truth) but so what if he was? How can you not love a British Barracuda? Too bad Rootes couldn't talk corporate overlord Chrysler out of some Slant Sixes while they were at it, since the Rapier's 1725cc mill didn't really measure up in the grunt or reliability departments. Made from 1967 through 1976 (and marketed in the States as the Alpine GT) the little Rapiercuda had style- and oil- to burn, and their present-day owner's club has one of the slickest car-club websites I've ever seen. – Murilee Martin

Sunbeam Rapier Owner's Club [sunbeamrapier.com]

Related:
Hold That Tiger: Custom 465hp Sunbeam [internal]

Surf's Up! The Hillman Imp Californian

Murilee Martin — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:29:45 EDT

Perhaps inspired by Ford's sales of a few thousand California Special Mustangs here in the US of A, Hillman decided that slapping the name of Richard Nixon's home state on a fastback '67 Imp would somehow convince legions of British car buyers to part with 650 for the thing. Sadly, the Imp Californian lacked the hotter Sport engine used in the Super Imp, and sales were disappointing. I'm still trying to find more details on the '71 Manson Family Edition Imp. – Murilee Martin

Hillman Imp Californian [Imps4Ever]

Related:
Ass-Engined Limey Snot Car: The Hillman Imp [internal]

British V8 Swaps: We Mean It, Man!

Murilee Martin — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:00:26 EDT

Little British sports cars are kinda lovable, in the same way that a friendly dog who gets sick all the time with random unexplainable symptoms is lovable, but for the most part they sputtered off the assembly line- and past the jeering picket line of striking British Leyland employees- with about 1/3 the horsepower they deserved. But drop a V8 into one- say, a Ford 260 into a '62 AC Ace- and everything changes. The folks at BritishV8.org have compiled dozens of examples of such madness on their site (and not just V8s; you can see Mazda rotary Spitfires, Chevy V6 Midgets, and so on). Some super-sanitary factory-looking jobs with small-blocks and 6-speeds, some howl-at-moon tubbed big-blockers, and plenty in between. – Murilee Martin

British V8 Photo Gallery [BritishV8.org]

Reliant Robin Supervans For 8.99

Murilee Martin — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 12:16:21 EST

Yeah, yeah, they're 1/43 scale. But damn, it's a genuine 3-Wheelers.com limited-edition diecast Reliant Robin Supervan! I own only one 1/43 scale toy car at this point (a '75 Pacer X) but I think it may soon have a companion. – Murilee Martin

3-Wheelers.com Reliant Scale Model [3wheelers.com]

Related:
Hot Wheels Mania [internal]

Batmobile #6 Sells For 119K

Murilee Martin — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:23:41 EST

The sixth of an "unspecified number" of Batmobiles built for the original TV show just went for the equivalent of $233,000 at an auction in London today. The winning bid came from a private museum in that no-questions-asked tax haven, the Cayman Islands. What's interesting about Batmobile #6 is that it's a steel-bodied car, unlike the fiberglass copies of Barris' original commissioned by the show's producers. Doesn't seem like such a bad deal, compared to the price tag of the Pope's ex-Golf. – Murilee Martin

Batmobile Fetches 119,000 Pounds After Bidding War [Bloomberg]

Related:
Batmobile Rammed, Bale Banned, Eh? [internal]

Pony Express: Saleen to Build Special-Edition Mustangs for Road Rally

Mike Spinelli — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 21:23:52 EST

Cannonball Run Europe, one of the many high-profile road rally events making the world's idle rich just slightly less idle, is expanding to the US. The founders are inaugurating a new event in mid-2007 called the Great American Run. But more newsworthy than that is its confirmed partner in crime, as it were. That is, motorsports shop Saleen. The winner of the don't-call-it-a-race will receive one of 25 special-edition Saleen Mustangs to be built for the event. According to rally site GT Spirit, the cars — 11 of which have been sold to rally entrants — will be tuned to produce 600 hp. The cars reportedly do zero to 60 mph in under four seconds, with a top speed of 200 mph. They're no TransCom ambulance, but well, Jack Elam's no longer with us anyway. – Mike Spinelli

Unique Saleen Mustang for Cannonball Run winner [GT Spirit]

Fiat Considering Lawsuit Against Great Wall

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 16:15:00 EST

The bosses at Fiat are apparently none too pleased with the wily copycats over at Great Wall. The Chinese automaker has aroused the Italians' ire with it's new Peri, which Fiat claims is a virtual copy of its Panda subcompact, and is threatening legal action. Great Wall's got 90 dealerships in the European nation, and is expected to up that figure to 110. We'll be interested to see how this one shakes out. – Davey G. Johnson

Chinese Copy Panda, Fiat Threatening Lawsuit [AGI]

Coolbear!

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 14:09:42 EST

Wow, what a great Idea. A small, economical car, whose block-like shape is both a symbol of its quirk and the reason for its utility. The kids will totally eat it for breakfast. Or maybe it'll be 55-year-old men. Eh, who cares, it'll sell like hotcakes. Kudos, Great Wall motors of China. – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Scion's New xB Could Be Bigger, US Only [internal]

UK Ad Watch: Goodyear Reminds Brits Changing Tires Can Be Dangerous

Ray Wert — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:11:23 EST

We're always leery of changing a tire by the side of the road at night, but that's got less to do with our abilities with a spare and more to do with being afraid of the dark. Still, these three humorous little Brit bits from the boys and girls at Goodyear remind everyone of the hazards of changing tyres (or tires if you're on this side of the pond) by the side of the road. Of course Goodyear would say that — they sell those run-flat tires, which to us sound silly 'cause, you know, how do you know if it's flat if it still feels like it isn't. Plus hey, didn't they have that trouble with the Lotus last week too? – Ray Wert

Alles Klar, Commie Car? Fidel's Great Wall Limo

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 09:54:52 EDT

Earlier this year, the Peeps 'Public of Chizza presented Cuban cigar chomper Fidel Castro with a superfly Great Wall Hover limo. In honor of the Guangzhou motor show happening on the other side of the globe, let's check the shit out, read me? Based on the Hover SUV, which may or may not be a reverse-engineered Mitsubishi, the Spirit limo is 22' long and is powered by a Mitsu-sourced 2.4-liter four (carumba!), and is fitted with leather seating and accoutrements, a bar with refrigerator, flatscreen TV with DVD, and a stereo system with MP3 capability. Plus, we'd imagine, a silver-plated holder for the people's cigar. Click through for more pics. [Thanks to Ian for the tip.]

More at Great Wall Motors

Teenage Boy Wins Great Race, With Help from Grandpa

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 00:24:09 EDT

So after a trek over hill and dale, and through what one competitor called a "Hot, windy, dusty. And long" trail through Kansas, the Great Race's competitors convened in San Rafael (That's "San Rafell" to you non-NorCal types) to crown this year's victor. The winner? None other than driver David Reeder and his navigatior and thirteen-year-old grandson, Sawyer Stone in a 1916 Hornet. Despite whacking a cow which knocked their front end out of alignment in Tonopah, NV, the twosome managed to out-time, out-speed and out-distance their competitors from Philly to Marin County, and picked up a cool hundred-thou to split between them.

With a final wheeze, classic cars finish race [SFGate]; 13-year old navigates Great Race win with grandpa [Winding Road]

Related:
The Great Race is Drawing to a Close [Internal]

The Great Race is Drawing to a Close

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 18:30:00 EDT

All hail the inverse of the Bullrun! The Great Race will hit California tomorrow, with the cavalcade of vintage cars cresting the Sierra Nevada and rolling down into historic Hangtown (that's Placerville for you non-Gold-Country types). They'll then proceed into historic Suburban Sacto, to a checkpoint at the Hilton near Arden Fair Mall. (Wha? Why? If you consider a giant sewing needle scenic, that's the place to stay, we suppose...we once totally got busted by the po-po during an in-car makeout session there; that's about all the history there is to that area.) They'll then cruise out to E-40's hometown, the V (Southern Solano, represent!), followed by a trip out to Sears Point and then down to their final destination of San Rafael, which makes sense, considering that it's a town rife with classic cars. We still don't get that Arden Hilton thing, though. That's just freakin' weird.

Classic cars crank it up, cross-country [The Sacramento Bee]

Related:
More Rallying [Internal]

More Chinese Euro Safety End-Runs

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 16:17:05 EST

Following the Landwind fiasco, another Chinese automaker is taking heat for making an end run around EU safety regs. Great Wall Automobile plans to launch the Hover SUV and Deer 4x4, both phenomenally-named vehicles that Great Wall is hoping will hover and bound their way to 12,000 sales a year, primarily in Spain and Italy at first. However, the vehicles are being imported on a license for commercial vehicles, thus conveniently exempting them from crash tests. We think it can go without saying that the Benelux Badasses of Brussels aren't havin' any o' this nonsense.

More Chinese cars dodge tests [Automotive Business Review]