DETROIT, 3:58 PM, FRI JUL 18 | 32 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@jalopnik.com | RSS
Posts Tagged “

thing

”
choose your eternity

PCH, Vintage Baja Racer Edition: Peugeot 404 or 1957 Baja Bug?

The recently-exhumed Lancia Scorpion takes the win over the electrical-system-challenged Merkur XR4Ti by a 60/40 ratio in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, preserving Italy's status- for now- as a PCH Superpower. And, speaking of PCH Superpowers, we have some unfinished business from Wednesday; it seems that a German car managed to beat a French one (albeit by a margin thinner than a typical Hell Project owner's wallet), which casts some doubt on France's status as the world's lone PCH Omnipower. Was it a fluke, caused by the Peugeot's Chevy running gear? Let's see how another Peugeot-VW matchup plays out today, with a couple of sand-in-your-teeth desert heroes vying for your vote!
More »

5:20 PM on Fri Jun 6 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,715 views, 44 comments

Latest by OrangeBeers9: @BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ > HAILS POLAЯ DE MAN WHO PUT THE Я IN ЯEVEЯS: What he said - 404 all the way. A dog could fix a bug, and a dog doesn't even have thumbs. more »

down on the street

1974 Volkswagen Thing

The VW Thing was only sold in North America for the 1973 and 1974 model years; we've already seen a '73, which means we're due for a '74 (there's no telling what manner of VW the Very Low Thing really is). Alameda has at least two more Things parked on the street (that I know about), and this one appears to be the nicest one. It definitely gets driven regularly, although the Low Thing is the one I see driving most frequently.
More »

9:00 AM on Fri May 30 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,159 views, 40 comments

Latest by Mark Miller: "You came here in THAT Thing™? You're braver than I thought!" -- Princess Leia more »

down on the street

You Think That Low VW Thing Can't Drive?

Some of you, upon seeing yesterday's Down On The Street car, seemed to think that a car so insanely low can't possibly get much real-world street time. Wrong! I was out on Alameda's main drag last night and heard the distinctive sound of a straight-pipe-equipped air-cooled VW engine approaching. Sure enough, it was the Low RHD Thing!

10:40 AM on Thu May 8 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,657 views, 34 comments

down on the street

Very, Very Low Volkswagen Thing

Remember the really, really low Volkswagen Transporter? When you get used to driving a bus that low, it just makes sense to add a Thing to your collection and make it even lower... and when you've dropped it down onto the pavement, then you convert it to right-hand drive. That's what this air-cooled Alameda madman has done here, and the result makes quite an impression.
More »

9:00 AM on Wed May 7 2008
By Murilee Martin
5,080 views, 47 comments

Latest by slag: Fear & LowThing in Alameda? more »

down on the street

Volkswagen Thing, with Bonus Beetle Poll!

This is another one of those cars that's just impossible for me to get the year pinned down. The Thing was sold in the US for the 1973 and 1974 model years only, so it's almost certainly a '73 or '74 (though someone could have imported an earlier one from Mexico or Europe). So, VW experts, here's your chance to shine! What year is this Thing? More »

9:30 AM on Fri Aug 31 2007
By Murilee Martin
6,678 views, 43 comments

all your h2s are belong to this thing

Virtually Indestructable Street Legal Ford F550

Right, so, this sucker has A9 armor plating (almost as butch as a tank) and a stonkin' PowerStroke turbo diesel which lets it go 105 mph. Perfect for taking the kids to soccer practice in Darfur. Expect fuel economy to be in the gallons per mile range. Hannibal, Murdock, BA and Face not included. [autoblog.nl]

11:15 AM on Mon Aug 27 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
2,434 views, 14 comments

the new new thing

Management Briefing Seminar Update: Ralph Gilles Says Interiors "The New Battleground" For Chrysler

So there's this thing called the Management Briefing Seminars up at Michigan's Grand Traverse Resort in the sleepy resort community of Traverse City. While we've partaken in said seminar a couple times ourselves, we kind of feel like it's just a way to get automakers and media outlets to foot the bill for a short August vacation. Don't get us wrong, we're OK with that, and frankly if the boss-man would foot it, we'd be there ourselves — but we've found it difficult to make the case for going just to do some industrial navel-gazing so we haven't even tried. Nonetheless, with the first day complete — the folks who did go have eked out a wee bit of product news from Michigan's pinky ring resort town. That news revolves around interiors from the newly independent Chrysler, Siemens looking to build their very own gasoline-electric hybrid and Ford execs touting their quality and Sync-ing with their dealers. Our round-up of the best of coverage from the "hard-working" folks fromAutomotive News below the jump. More »

9:30 AM on Tue Aug 7 2007
By Ray Wert
652 views, 9 comments

Latest by teargas: Sleepy resort town my hat!!! more »

does that thing have a sleeper cab?

Report: Audi Q7 V12 TDI Coming in 2008

Earlier this year at the Detroit show, we eyeballed a snow-white SUV prototype whose purity-implying paint scheme belied the sooty oil burner hidden within. Admittedly, the metaphor of that Audi Q7 concept stretches thin, considering the Audi V12 TDI under the hood is far less emmisive than diesel-fired smokers of the past, and potent enough for Audi's Le Mans racers (in racing trim, natch). Back then, Audi reps stood mute on the subject of release date, satisfied enough with dropping the hint and moving on. But as Dutch auto mag Autotelegraaf reports, the twelve-banger Q7 is on the European docket for the second half of 2008 as a 2009 model. It won't have the full Le Mans monte, but will likely get the concept's 500 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque, giving it the potential to become the most exciting new vehicle in years, and a fitting amuse bouche hinting at a sumptuous main course. That is, yet-unconfirmed Audi R8 V12 TDI. We've got one word for ya, kid. Oil. [Autotelegraaf via The German Car Blog]

8:15 AM on Tue Aug 7 2007
By Mike Spinelli
1,427 views, 10 comments

Latest by Brian B: @Fitty7lax: True - not likely in the R8. Dollars to donuts this motor will become a mill option for the R10, though. more »

the swap thing

Breathing New Life: BMW E30 M3 Four in a 2002

The thing about transplants is you have to make sure the body doesn't reject the foreign organ. That's not the case with this 1974 BMW 2002 built by A1 Imports Autoworks in California. They replaced the original 1990 cc with the 2.5-liter S14 from an E30 M3. Not just any S14, but the S14 EVO, a limited-edition 1989 variant. Stroker kit, check. Hoonage potential, off the charts. Call it a DIY 135i. [Thanks to John for the tip.] – Mike Spinelli More »

7:34 AM on Fri Jun 29 2007
By Mike Spinelli
2,483 views, 20 comments

Latest by KingRoyale: @TechnoDestructo: Holy shitake mushrooms...! a V8, RWD mid 90s Civic hatch has been one my dreams for years....!!!! Hot damn that's sick. more »

we can believe we didn't watch the whole thing

Alka-Seltzer To The Rescue!

Team Knight Rider debuted back when we were in college, and watching this clip reminds us why we never bothered to stick with it beyond one episode. On the other hand, the above segemnt does feature a water-powered Bricklin (a Bricklin!) — creatively-named Hydro 2000 — that like a seagull, can be handily disabled with the addition of fizzy stomach-calming tablets. – Davey G. Johnson More »

7:00 PM on Wed Jun 27 2007
By Davey G. Johnson
1,169 views, 6 comments

the coolest thing i own

Vintage Rally Geekage: Curta Peppermill

Back in the 50s and 60s, my grandfather was a serious rally and ice-racing fanatic, running Porsche 356s, Porsche-powered Beetles, and Saab 93s. The well-equipped rallyist in those days used the incredibly intricate and beautiful Curta Calculator, also known as the "Peppermill," to do the necessary time/distance calculations during races. My grandfather, who worked as an engineer to support his racing jones, got so geeked out on his Curta that he insisted on using it to do calculations at the day job as well, even after electronic calculators had become the norm. And now he has given it to me! Life is good. – Murilee Martin More »

11:30 AM on Tue Jun 19 2007
By Murilee Martin
931 views, 15 comments

Latest by sparksinner: These are the coolest piece of mechanical engineering outside the auto world. There was a big story in the New Yorker years ago. Impressed the hell out my then boss bringing him that article and some other info I'd found. more »