Jalopnik: monster

2009 Sno*Drift Rally: Michigan's Great Motorsport Secret

Andrew Didorosi — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:15:00 EST

Up in Northern Michigan, the rally action is as furious as ever. Join us below for our mega gallery of what can only be described as Michigan's great motorsport secret.

Michigan is home to both the start and end of the yearly RallyAmerica racing circuit. The 2008 season came to an end in Houghton, Michigan last October at the Lake Superior Pro Rally. The fresh 2009 season begins anew here in Atlanta, Michigan during the dead of winter.

Snowmobiles and 4x4 trucks aren't just a convenience in Atlanta - they're a necessary facet of life. Good thing we were locked, stocked and two smoking cameras while rolling in our Roush Propane-powered F-150. This time we were pushing giant steamroller tires on chrome wheels as the factory hides met a smokey demise at an earlier date.

The rally went down as a classic snow rally with plenty of snowbank-Plinko and lots of off-course sliding. Spectators were quick to jump in and assist when drivers chose to jam their cars firmly into the stout, powdered walls. Our rookie favorite of last year Kyle Sarasin was stuck in an old front wheels-driven Mitsubishi Eclipse after his previous yellow Subaru-wielding team was disbanded. The title of Most Jalopnik Rally Car of this event was taken by Greg and Tom Woodside in their turbo 1987 Dodge Shadow.

After a short battle with Travis for the lead, Ken Block was knocked out in the first day with a mechanical failure as a result of a minor crash. Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom secured the first place finish while Tanner Foust and Co-driver Chrissie Beavis locked in the second rank in their Hyundai Tiburon. Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard and Marc Goldfarb snuck into third place after fighting against some handling problems in their Mistu Evolution IX. BMX baddie Dave Mirra pulled in a strong 6th-place finish.

Keep an eye on our RallyAmerica tag as we'll soon be following up with an exclusive behind the scenes look at Subaru's Rally Team, a full HD video of Sno*Drift and Travis and Ken's In-Car video. We're stuffing our hatchbacks in preparation of the 100 Acre Wood rally in a few weeks time located in Salem, MO. Press on regardless!

Partial Photo Credit: Alex "Tater Salad" Conley

Lada Oka Transformed Into Mini Monster

Mark Arnold — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:15:00 EDT

The standard Lada Oka is your typical eastern European econobox; humble transportation that makes a Tata Nano feel macho. But apparently there are some Russians who look at the poor little thing and see the perfect starting point for an all-terrain monster. We have no idea what the thought process was that led up to the creation of such an awesome machine. Given the choice between this and a Jeep or a Hummer, we'd take this every time. Check out the gallery below and see what it originally looked like here. [English Russia]

Monster Motorbike - Now With Crushing Video

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST

You know, pictures never really convey the awesomeness of at thing quite like video can. After seeing the "Monster Motorbike" this morning, we felt some intrepid videographer had to have commited video to the web - and they have! Check out this short video of the 25 foot long crushcycle in action at an event in Perth. This is the kind of thing that never ends well.

The Littlest Monster: Fiat's Special-Edition Panda

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 09:54:33 EDT

What's the difference between a Ducati Monster 695 motorcycle and a Fiat Panda? Let's see: they've both got around 70 hp and they're both Italian (Ducati's ownership being back in old-country hands). Other than that, not so much, especially since the Ducati measures its zero-to-60 times in single digits and the Panda in double. The connection is this: Fiat's ready to release a limited number of tricked-out four-wheeled Pandas that are an homage to the two-wheeled Monster. Shown as a concept at last year's Bologna motor show, the Panda Monster will get the same, 70 bhp 1.3 16v Multijet engine as its brethren, but will be tricked out with four-wheel-drive, a black-on-black paint scheme, tinted windows and gold brake calipers. Only 695 of the Pandas will be built, and they'll be sold via an undefined approval process that we hope has nothing to do with the Black Hand (or a sacrifice to the Chimaera).

More at Italiaspeed.