The new Star Trek flick, directed by J.J. Abrams and slated for an early May release, tells the story of James T. Kirk's youth and education at Star Fleet Academy. Word has it that Kirk and his homies cruise the campus for hot tail in the Aptera, which in the real world will allegedly get 30 mpg. Who needs a dilithium-guzzling shuttlecraft? I wonder if Kirk & Co. will exercise the Prime Directive with the fetching young cadets they cruise... Actually, it doesn't surprise me that the Aptera would wind up on the big screen. It looks as if it was borrowed from the future. The Sci Fi Channel should just go ahead and build a whole show around it. [Livescience]

Exterior Design: *****
It's a robot tank in desert brown, it has a 20mm cannon and tracks. 5 stars aren't enough.

Interior Design: **
It doesn't really have an interior, but since it can be operated from long range, you can be pretty much anywhere within 3 miles and run it, so the outside is the inside. We were standing in a parking lot in Sterling Heights and it was cold out. 2 stars.

Acceleration: Inc.
How do you gauge the acceleration of a tank? The Black Knight stayed in first gear, I wasn't in it, it seemed pretty responsive when I was driving it (Did we mention I DROVE A FREAKIN' ROBOT TANK?!?) but there's no way to say whether the acceleration was good or bad.

Braking: ****
Stellar. As you can see from the video, the tank stops like it's hitting a brick wall. With no need to prevent broken noses on passengers it can stop however hard it feels like.

Ride: Zero Stars
Better than a 1982 Corvette, but that's sure not saying much. We award it zero stars and may God have mercy upon the rears of any souls unfortunate enough to need a ride inside.

Handling: **
Er, how does a remote controlled tank handle? How about this — it did exactly what I asked it to do. A pirouette? Sure. Straight line? Right away, sir. Does it count if I felt the Earth move because the Earth was actually vibrating from it? No? Then it gets what it has coming to it.

Gearbox: Inc.
Without a shifter to throw or a seat to throw it from we couldn't tell how good or bad the cog-swapper was. Not only that, but the Black Knight's handlers kept the thing in first so, you know, no drag racing to be had in the parking lot.

Audio: **
There's no audio system save the gentle hum of the Cat diesel pushing it along. In fact, the tracks are actually nearly silent front the coat of rubber on them. But that's a far sight better than a few in-car radio systems we've experienced.

Toys: *****
Did we mention this a fully autonomous tank (OMG, I just remembered, I DROVE A FREAKIN' ROBOT TANK!!) with a 20mm cannon capable of real time obstacle detection and independent situational awareness? Yeah, cause it's got that. Again: Robot. Freakin'. Tank.

Value: Inc.
Depends. We don't know how much the price tag is on this system. But how do you put a value on keeping your soldiers out of nasty fire fights? That's for congressional appropriations committees to decide.

Overall: *****
FREAKIN'. AUTONOMOUS. ROBOT.TANK.

Earthroamer XV-JP
Though we're partial to the XV-LT, based on the full-sized F550 platform, CSHONTZ makes an excellent point about the zombie-killing ability of the smaller Jeep-based Earthroamer XV-JP. It's got all you need to survive, is quite portable (the only camper to ever cross the Rubicon trail) and contains a top that folds out into a queen-sized bed. You'll just have to get used to using the potty in view of the zombies. [Earthroamer]

Dobbertin Surface Orbiter
What happens when a well known hotrodder puts his tinkering hands to an amphibious vehicle? The Dobbertin Surface Orbiter. Built out of an old milk tanker, the Orbiter was designed to circumnavigate the globe on land and water, which is good for when you're on the move and forced to deal with the suddenly changing seasons that the nuclear fallout will likely bring. And like all good survival vehicles, it comes complete with a kitchen and porta-potti. It nearly made it around the world, but financial problems and an eventual divorce led to the trip getting cut short. Maybe YankBoffin and BlueCoupe would be all over that. [Dobbertin Hydrocar]

Sportsmobile
Commenter Buji already drives his survival vehicle. A more minimalist approach than some of the vehicles featured here, the Sportsmobile 4X4 will cross almost any terrain and still let you bring your equipment, your bail out vehicle (BOV) and camping gear with you. Even better, it can be fitted with a kennel so you can bring your best friend with you. [Sportsmobile]

The Wothahellizat
Certainly winner for the best name, Adidac425 was right to identify the Wothahellizat as one of the all-time great survival vehicles. If the Sportsmobile is minimalist, the Wothahellizat is maximalist. It's a motorhome on wheels, literally. Nature photographer Rob Fray used this to do his work across the Australian continent. The perfect vehicle for when you don't want to leave anything at your underground fallout shelter. [Wothahellizat]

Steeltruck 4x4
According to Froggmann, the Steelwheels truck is ready for when things heat up. Literally. This off-roader is built on the Oshkosh M100 platform used for, among other things, airport crash trucks. With this you can drive into the heart of the zombie queen's lair, rescue your friends, and torch the place, all the while making a delicious meal inside the TGIF-esque interior.
[Steelwheels]

EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle
Though it's a quasi-fictional vehicle, Al Navarro was spot-on with picking the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle from the great American film Stripes. Think about it. Most of the time it looks like your standard issue GMC-based RV with all the included amenities. But with the touch of a button the armor goes down and the missiles come out. It also includes full navigational and communications equipment. If it's good enough for Bill Murray, it's good enough for us. [Cloudster]

Volvo C303
Murph has it right. What do you need an onboard toilet for in a world where global war has rendered societal norms, such as not peeing anywhere, nil. Lacking the complex mechanical and electronic components of some of its colleagues here, the Volvo C303 can be kept running with duct tape and shoe polish. Plus, what's tougher than a big red brick?
[Real4x4]

Sisu XA-185
Who knows more about surviving danger than, well, Dr. Danger? So we'll let the good Dr take this one:
Three important reasons:
1. Mobility: Amphibious 6x6
2. Safety: Zombie proof, also with a mounted NSV machine gun
3. Power Plant: Decent diesel engine (we all know diesel engines are versatile with fuel) [ArmyVehicles.dk]

The Buffalo Force Protection Vehicle
It can crush a Hummer, clear a minefield and keep you safe from grenade-chucking survivors hoping to kill you off as you fight for that last barrel of oil or pool of freshwater. It may not be the most comfortable choice for long trips, but it does come with a space shuttle-like mine raking arm, which JoSCh points out "could skewer a cadre of zombies." Perfect. Oh, and if you pick the right one, it may even transform. [ForceProtection.net]

MaxiMog
It's hard to argue with the MaxiMog, which starts life as the über-capable Mercedes Unimog and gets converted for full survival duty. It's as tough as the Unicat, but comes with a high-performance motorbike BOV, undersea vehicle and a special living trailer. Even better, mehugtree points out that it includes a UAV that can send live images of zombie hordes from up to ten miles away.
[Maximog]

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The swap comes due to Ford's ponying up huge sums of cash for advertising time on NBC to market the casting of the Shelby Mustang GT500KR as the show's star, The Knight Industries Three Thousand. It's believed that Ford was unhappy with the potential boost GMC ads could gain by featuring KITT's voice saying, "It's not more than you need, just more than you're used to."

Personally, we think the new voice for KITT is way sexier anyway. The media fan-boy in us is positively giddy over the potential homoerotic meta-ness Kilmer could bring to the show. "You can be my wingman anytime, Michael."
[Knight Rider Online]

The Italian helicopter pilot and self-styled futurist wants his Cell Craft to be capable of vertical take off and landings, as well as hovering. He knows this can be achieved through a vectored thrust system, similar to that used by the Harrier jump jet, but he hasn't quite cracked the engineering code on how to make it controllable. He knows he wants to make all the Craft's functions operable through a single joystick, but he doesn't know how to do that yet, either. And he knows he wants it to be both light and safe, but doesn't yet know which materials to use.

We, too, share Gino's dream of high-speed flight and of course hovering for the masses. We just think it's a bit farther off than he does.

Gizio

Finally, a motorcar that defines indulgence. 550 horsepower...standard. Racing-tuned suspension...standard. Xenon headlamps with Infrared night vision...standard. Metallic paint with nanotech-enhanced camouflage, access to military satellite...imaging...self-regenerating and damage...FBI network...high-speed internet...solar-powered hybrid engine...artificial intelligence...voice-activated GPS...standard. Driver? Optional. But really...enough about me.