<![CDATA[Jalopnik: houston art car parade]]> http://tags.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png <![CDATA[Jalopnik: houston art car parade]]> http://jalopnik.com/tag/houstonartcarparade http://jalopnik.com/tag/houstonartcarparade <![CDATA[Art Car Museum Curator, Artist And Mechanic Tom Jones Killed In Car Accident]]> There are those that might be surprised to find out that art flourishes in Houston, though they may not be surprised to find out that the medium of choice in the epicenter of America's energy industry is the automobile. The city of bayous is home to the Art Car Museum, also known as the "Garage Mahal," and the annual Art Car Parade, which occurred last weekend. The highlight of the year for Art Car enthusiasts and anyone who likes cars, we're sad to report that Tom Jones, the museum's curator, was struck down by a suspected drunk driver unaffiliated with the parade. This is truly a great loss for his friends, family and the Houston art community.

A mechanic, car enthusiast, photographer and art car aficionado, Jones was Jalopnik all over. His personal car? A Volkswagen Karmann Ghia he picked up after his leg was crushed in a motorcycle accident. A memorial service is planned for this weekend at 3pm at the Art Car Museum in the Heights. Though a sad affair, we're sure that the spirits will be lifted by the colorful cars and people that Tom surrounded himself with. (Thanks to everyone who tipped) [More info at Houston Art Car Club, Houston Chronicle, Photo: Tom Jones Flickr Photoset]

]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=389964&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA["Splinter" Apparently Popular Name For Wooden Cars]]> The Splinter wooden supercar we saw last week is apparently going to be the second car bearing the foreboding moniker. Artist Isaac Cohen displayed his version of a wooden car named Splinter a couple of weeks ago at the Houston Art Car Parade. The gull-wing wonder is the result of thousands of hours of work and while we're not to certain about the styling direction, at least it doesn't have a Bangle-butt. We'd be intrigued to see what this thing does in a wind tunnel, but have our reservations about this Splinter's crash worthiness.

[IsaacWood.com]

]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=384620&view=rss&microfeed=true