The Geely GT is both uniquely Chinese and, somehow, actually unique. We could pick out some minor design influences, but the vehicle still stands on it's own as something special. However, when we last saw the GT it was just a shell. Things have changed.

The addition of working doors and a real interior has us hoping they actually could produce it, possibly as the Geely Tiger, sometime in the future. We'd heard rumors it could be called the Emgrand GT, but the floormats say "Tiger" so we're going to go with that name as a real possibility mostly because it makes sense if it'll be offered alongside the Beauty Leopard.

First, we should all thank Scroggzilla for unearthing these videos of a vintage Castrol documentary for us (and Targa-Florio.net for providing the photograph above). The Targa Florio was an endurance race held in the mountains of Sicily; starting in 1906, it was finally discontinued in 1977 for safety reasons. Yes, even by the insanely loose (and relatively lawsuit-free) standards of European road racing, the Targa Florio was considered too dangerous to continue. We've got the whole lineup of worship-deserving machinery here, including MGs, Austin-Healeys, Alfas, Porsches, and- of course- Ferraris.

Kombat T-98
What would you ever want with a stinky old Volvo XC90 when something like the Kombat T-98 exists? It's an armored luxury SUV available with either an 8.1-liter GM V8 or the Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel. The hardware is somewhat awesome, but the interior wins our hearts, featuring steel booze glasses in a chilled glovebox — perfect for keeping your vodka close at hand. [AllCarNews]

Vityaz Transporter
Russia is big, covering a sixth of the Earth and encompassing virtually every type of ecosystem. What better way to get absolutely anywhere under any circumstances than in the totally wicked Vityaz Transporter? Land, sea, arctic permafrost and bog, the Vityaz will get you there and back — the ultimate SUV. [Vityaz]

Porsche Touregenne

When great taste meets fabrication prowess and oil-baron money, the result is a thing like this VW/Porsche Touareg/Cayenne, whatever it is. We all marveled at its breathtaking coachwork and inspired styling updates. For the truly exclusive sets of Russian playboys, this baby is hot to trot. [Porsche Toureg]

GAZ Tiger-2
The GAZ Tiger-2 seems like the Russian version of a Chinese knock-off of the Humvee, but it's complete with space-age plastic hubcaps, multiple shift knobs and luxurious pleather seating surfaces. The Tiger built for the public is a definite choice for all but the most discerning customers. [Tiger 2]

GAZ 59037A
For so many Russians, the Vityaz is just too big to fit in the garage, so a compact, go-anywhere vehicle is definitely in order. The GAZ 59037 will go virtually anywhere the big Vit will, but also offers the convenience of tires and fits nicely into a standard heavy-lift military cargo plane. With convenience like that, its hard to believe the Volvo actually took home the prize. [GAZ 59037A]

Oh, and, if you are interested in the Volvo press release on the actual winner, check it out in all its glory below.

The Volvo XC90 - SUV of the Year in Russia for the third time

Volvo Cars received several prestigious awards in Russia in 2007 and to date in 2008. The most recent is for the Volvo XC90, which was crowned best crossover - "2008 SUV of the Year".

"There was immensely tough competition and we are very proud over this prestigious award," says Volvo Car Russia's PR director, Alexei Kozhukhov, who received the award at a ceremony in Moscow.

Russian car owners voted the Volvo XC90 the best choice on the market.

Motoring organisation Club 4x4 runs the competition, in which eight categories are featured.
Of 101 models in the competition, 16 went on to the finals. Car owners voted via a website or sent in SMS text messages with their votes and Volvo XC90 emerged the winner in the category "Full-size SUV".
That the Volvo XC90 came out on top is by now something of a tradition. The Volvo XC90 received awards in this contest in 2005 and 2006 too.

"Russia has been the European market N1 in the Volvo SUV sales in 2007, so the contest "SUV of the Year" is an important event in this country", says Volvo Car Russia's President, David Thomas. "Russians traditionally like big cars - this is the reason why Russia takes the second place right after the USA in the global sales chart of Volvo XC90. So, we are looking forward to the launch of our new crossover, the Volvo XC60", concludes David Thomas.

Andy's Modern Microcars offers kit or turn key editions of many of the famous and comically small cars of the past. There's the Peel P50, the ever popular Isetta, and who could forget the Bamby? That's right folks step right up and pick out your preference in SUV spare tire replacement system. Prices starting at £950 for shells all the way up to £26,000 for a driveaway TG500 Tiger. Get em now while supplies last.

The other day we were on I-5 in the Central Valley (yeah, we know, all of our best stories start that way), when we saw a guy cruising along in a Tiger and thought to ourselves, "Goldangit, that's purt'close the perfect Jalopnik vehicle American heart, British body and suitably obscure." So, if Denton wants to set us up with a hundred-and-twenty-five large, we'd gladly drop it on this subtle custom job. The 289 is punched out to 331 and topped off with free-breathing AFR heads. It's got a T5 into a 'Vette pumpkin, a 22-gallon fuel cell and a Halon fire-suppression system to keep the whole thing from going up in smoke. The rear tires, however, are another matter. [Thanks to Carlo for the tip.]

Shelby Sunbeam Tiger Mk1 [The Robb Report]

Related:
Tricked-Out Sunbeam Tiger for Sale on eBay [Internal]