PCH, Maximum Minivan Edition: Toyota 4x4 Or Turbo Caravan?

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Last time we had another PCH Superpower upset, with Germany beating Britain in the Glas Versus Lotus challenge. Britain will come back strong, of course, but for now Germany can enjoy the pool of oil gathering beneath the Project Car Hell trophy. Fast forward to today; since it's Maximum Minivan Day, we're going to have Maximum Project Minivan Hell.
More »

1990 Dodge Caravan LE

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Since it's Maximum Minivan Day, I knew I had to prowl the streets of Alameda and find a first-generation Chrysler minivan for this series. Easy, right? It turned out to be the hardest DOTS search I've ever done, because I've tuned out minivans from my personal Cool Vehicle Detectors the way treasure hunters adjust their metal detectors to tune out bottlecaps; I just don't see them. Not that I'm anti-minivan, mind you- if every SUV owner whose lifestyle would be better served by a minivan… well, no need to go there, eh? Anyway, I figured I needed to find a Mopar minivan with some character, and that means we're looking at an example of the very last year of the first-gen Dodge Caravan today.
More »

Chevy Orlando Concept Officially Revealed

We've already seen the Tron-tastic lights of the Chevy Orlando, but now GM has officially released details for the Paris Motor Show. These official photos are new too, though admittedly kind of boring since they don't play up just how cool all the glowing blue parts of the car look. The Orlando does seem to be just the kind of practical European-style MPV that American families in need of a fuel-efficient seven-seater would greatly appreciate. Of course, we haven't even seen it in the flesh and metal quite yet, so make sure to check back for more updates from Paris. Press release after the jump.
More »

1988 Mitsubishi L300

You still see a few of the mid-engined 80s Toyota vans around, but when was the last time you saw a Mitsubishi van of that era? Very few of these things were sold in North America back in the day; in fact, I can't even figure out what Mitsubishi called this vehicle here; was it marketed as the plain ol' Mitsubishi Van? Van Wagon? In any case, the 1988 Mitsubishi van is one seriously rare machine, and so it has earned its place in DOTS Truck Monday. More »

Opel Meriva Concept Revealed, Hooray For Suicide...Doors

Some of us hold suicide doors closer to heart than others, and Opel seems to be becoming a brand seeking to embrace us in all sorts of suicidally sound door configurations. The Opel Meriva Concept is a heavy hint at the next generation of the mini-minivan offering from Opel and among many features, it's replete with some mighty well-crafted suicide portals. Oh sure, that's not what they are going to call them. We're sure they'll use some kind of excuse like "a negative connotation" or "could cause protests from family groups," but whatever, that's just what everybody is going to call them. It's the way of the world. You don't see a GM car with a truck-bed and think immediately "it's a truck-car." No, you think "Hey, it's an El Camino." We don't care if does happen to be a GMC, the instinctual thought is "El Camino." Where were we? Oh right, the Meriva. More »