Jalopnik: Thunderhill Lemons

The Top 110 Lemons of the Arse Sweat-A-Palooza 24 Hours of LeMons

Murilee Martin — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EDT

34 races in, and a Nissan Z Car finally took an overall LeMons win! They said it could never happen, but then they also said that Saabs and Taurus SHOs couldn't win. Let's check out the competition! More »

And the Real Winner Is...

Murilee Martin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:45:00 EDT

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LeMons racing's highest award, the Index of Effluency, goes to the vehicle that achieves the most from the least. This time we saw a Daihatsu Charade finish 34th and a Plymouth Belvedere finish 33rd... but one car beat them both. More »

And the Winner Is...

Murilee Martin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:30:00 EDT

How many times has the 24 Hours of LeMons ripped out the hearts of Nissan Z lovers? I can think of at least a dozen races in which Zs led or at least contended for the lead... and then disaster! More »

And The Real Winner Is...

Murilee Martin — Sun, 09 May 2010 23:55:55 EDT

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Serious LeMons fans know that the Index Of Effluency— given to the team that accomplishes the most with the crappiest car— is the true top prize, and the Dust-N-Debris Dodge Shadow utterly dominated the IOE this time around. More »

And The Winner Is...

Murilee Martin — Sun, 09 May 2010 23:50:00 EDT

Even after an SE-R Sentra (OK, fine, an SE-R 200SX) won a LeMons race last year, conventional wisdom held that Nissans can't really compete in the series. Forget conventional wisdom, because the Rogue Squadron SE-R just beat 107 cars! More »

Wheel Falls Off Racing I-Mark, Symbolizes Isuzu's American Experience

Murilee Martin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:30:00 EST

We were totally rooting for the Motoring J Style Isuzu I-Mark at the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Thunderhill last month, especially after hearing one team member refer to Isuzu as "The Fiat of Japan." Now the J Style folks have written down their account of why their Isuzu succeeded on the race track about as well as Isuzu Corporation succeeded in the American marketplace (actually, the race car did pretty well... for a while). The best part is the driver's response to hearing a terrible noise from a front wheel bearing: "What's the worst that can happen? The wheel isn't gonna fall off!" Famous last words! [Motoring J Style] More »

Hoon of the Day: Team Red Meat And Poontang

Murilee Martin — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST

After winning the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Thunderhill last month, a member of Team Red Meat and Poontang decided to celebrate in true hoon fashion: by getting the Protege up on two wheels in a parking lot! But is it really hoonage if the car has a cage? Thanks to Belvedere Adrian for the video! More »

Finally, The Thunderhill 24 Hours of LeMons Uber Gallery!

Murilee Martin — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 12:00:00 EST

While we saw the Top 50 finishers of the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Thunderhill last month, we didn't get to see the bulk of the photographs I shot, nor did we see a lot of the stuff sent in by members of the various teams. That's because my laptop's hard drive took a dive during the race and I lost the best stuff... but now the sick Maxtor has yielded up its contents and we're ready to take a look at the long-awaited Über Gallery. Many thanks to all the team members who have been so patient about this; you know who you are! More »

People's Choice: Team Field Find's 1965 Mercedes-Benz 190

Murilee Martin — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 09:00:00 EST

We showed you Team Field Find's 1965 Mercedes-Benz 190 race car during the 24 Hours of LeMons race, but we didn't mention that the team went on to win the coveted People's Choice award. Sure, the old Merc wasn't very fast around the track, but it kept slogging along in its stolid Teutonic manner while other cars blew up or wiped out... and it looked great doing it. Make the jump for even more photos of this fine machine in the thick of the racing action. More »

Ferrari 328 GTS Spied in the Magical LeMons Parking Lot

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:30:00 EST

You've already seen what can happen just by walking around the parking lot at a 24 Hours of LeMons event. So, this should come as no surprise. Now, in the past I may have given the Ferrari 328 (and 308) more than its fair share of grief. But even I will admit that the 328 is just frickin' hot. This one even had a Highway Patrol sticker in the window, which is even kinda hotter. Dammit Johnson, you win again... More »

Jalopnik Commenter's Cavalier Wagon Comes In 9th At Thunderhill!

Murilee Martin — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:30:00 EST

Looking at the top teams of the 24 Hours of LeMons race last weekend, we thought it was great that a Detroit car finished in second place. Of course, Neons make great race cars, so no huge surprise there... but what about an '85 Chevrolet Cavalier wagon finishing in the Top Ten? That's not a typo- a Cavalier finished ninth! Better still, one of the team members is our own commenter Xargs, who was justifiably disappointed that I didn't get any shots of his car at the Altamont LeMons event a few months back. More »

11 Questions with 24 Hours of LeMons Founder Jay Lamm

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:15:00 EST

Loverman: How did the 24 Hours of LeMons start? More »

Team Armageddon's '65 Mustang, Now With Added Video!

Murilee Martin — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST

Since Team Armageddon's 1965 Ford Mustang caught the interest of so many of our readers, we're going to show you more of it. And not just still photos- thanks to helpful team member Marco Maggiora (check out his race photos here), we have some action-packed in car video for you, complete with roaring V8 noise. Make the jump to check it out. More »

PCH, Thunderhill LeMons Edition: Protege or Neon?

Murilee Martin — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST

The last time we felt the flames of Project Car Hell licking at our flesh, the 2002 Maserati Coupe was beating the 1985 Ferrari Mondial by about a 60/40 margin in the polls. What lessons may be learned from this remain uncertain, but what is certain is that I've got 24 Hours of LeMons fever and I've got it bad; I'm scouring Craigslist day after day, looking for the right car to run in the Altamont race in May (even worse, sellers know I'm looking). That can mean only one thing: a Choose Your Eternity poll covering the cars driven by the top two teams at the Thunderhill LeMons race! More »

The Trophies of the 24 Hours of LeMons

Murilee Martin — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:45:00 EST

Among the many cool things that set the 24 Hours of LeMons apart from the more boring forms of motorsports is the stuff that goes to the winners. In addition to back-breaking sacks of nickels, beautiful handmade trophies are handed out to the teams who triumph in their classes. So, after you check out the official list of winners, jump like a Datsun B210 and check out some of the highlights! More »

Fastest Car At Thunderhill: Team InAccuracy's Acura Integra

Murilee Martin — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:30:00 EST

When you go check out the lap times for the 24 Hours of LeMons race of last weekend, an interesting figure jumps out at you: 1:13.649 seconds. That's the quickest lap time of any car at the race, and it was not set by the overall winner, nor by the #2 or #3 cars; in fact, it's nearly four seconds faster than race winners Team Red Meat and Poontang's Mazda's best lap. Meet the #4 finishing car, the Acura Integra run by Team Fantasy Junction/InAccuracy! We're not shocked by this car's crazy-fast lap- not after seeing how quick a similar Integra was at the Altamont race (sadly, that Acura dropped some connecting rods on the track, which slowed it down considerably). The lesson here seems to be: consistency, not speed, wins this race. More »

Wagons Ho! More LeMons Action Ahead!

Murilee Martin — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:30:00 EST

Just because the race is over doesn't mean we're done showing you the racers and vehicles of the Thunderhill 24 Hours of LeMons race. This is definitely Jalopnik-approved racing- where else would you see a couple of Volvo wagons duking it out with a Chevy Cavalier wagon for a shot at 800 pounds of nickels? Stay tuned for closeup portraits of some of the more interesting cars we saw at the event. And LeMons team members: send your accounts, photos, and videos to me (murilee at jalopnik dot com) and we'll share them with the world! More »

Early Morning LeMons

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:30:00 EST

Going through the mega-gigage of images we shot over the weekend at the Thunderhill 24 Hours of LeMons, I came across these pics of a bunch of LeMons racers pre-race. In fact, I believe these pics were taken as the Judges checked the cars in and penalized 'em. Above is the very, very awesome Alfa Romeo Ecurie Ecrappe. Much more LeMon fun if you dig through the gallery. Just a bit of automotive eye candy to start your day off right. More »

Your Favorite LeMon?

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST

My head is still spinning from this weekend's hoontastic voyage. And by spinning I mean that after two straight days of TOTAL COVERAGE I drove straight back to Los Angeles and am now somehow awake before 8:00 am. Anyhow, if you weren't near a computer this weekend, here's what you missed. If you were, you now have that much more info to process. And no, sadly, you cannot count the Caddy Wagon as a LeMons car. You have to pick one of the $500 crap boxes. Me? My personal favorite was the Nissan Sentra SE-R. Not so much for the machine itself, but for the mad men behind it. Totally inspiring to be around. Only next time I hope they decorate their car with a few rattle cans. Hate to see this thing get cursed. But, that's me. What's abouts yous? More »

The Top 50 Lemons of 24 Hours of LeMons

Murilee Martin — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

The types of cars that really dominated at the Thunderhill 24 Hours of LeMons weren't quite the same as the ones we saw owning at the October race at Altamont. With the track's long straights and the new hardass, black-flag-o-riffic policy about aggressive driving (not to mention the outlawing of nerf bars), straight-line power and sturdy engine internals were far more important than the sticky grip and ability to take repeated impacts that proved so crucial at Altamont. We saw Detroit iron making a far more respectable showing, while the Bavarian Bullies no longer ruled the race. Make the jump to see how things sorted out by the time the Flag That Is Checkered made the scene...
More »

Heading Back To Reality

Murilee Martin — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:30:00 EST

As always seems to be the case, a weekend full of full-throttle organized hoonage must come to an end. Jonny is heading back down to El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula, and I'm back in Alameda (where I have a backup computer subbing for El Computadora Muerte, which crapped out just after racing started Sunday morning). The Man's salt mines await us tomorrow, though productivity might be lower than normal, as we contemplate the #1 issue in our racing-fevered brains: what kind of car will we run in the May race at Altamont? We'll be giving y'all a steady stream of 24 Hours of LeMons posts during the next couple of weeks, with close looks at many of the individual cars and teams. So, for those of you who were kind enough to tell us your stories at the track, we'll be sure that your tales get relayed to your fans around the world! More »

And The Winner Is... Red Meat And Poontang!!

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:45:00 EST

Yep. A 1.6-liter bone stock 1999 Mazda Protege just won the Thunderhill running of the 24 Hours of LeMons. This friends, was an exciting race. With about 70 yards to go the #08 MR2 wound up on it's roof! We were hanging with the SE-R guys, helping them cheer on their driver as he made a desperate push to leap from 6th place to 5th. He must have come through the main straight at about 130 mph. Just cooking it. Beautiful racing all around, but the mega props go to Red Meat and Poontang, who told us the morning of that if they finish, they'll be on the podium. Good show guys, very good show. More »

What Do You Do With A Crushed Mazdasaurus? Haul It Away With A Caddy Wagon!

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:15:00 EST

Now this is a Cadillac! Murilee had to physically restrain me from jumping in and popping off a lap or two. The details are very few and far between, but we know that it is one of five Caddy wagons and that it sat in a barn for a very long time. More »

The Judge is a Fair Man

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST

We spent a few minutes talking to Jay Lamm (on the left), the mastermind behind the 24 Hours of LeMons. We were of course most curious as to who got penalized — and for what. As Jay probably hasn't slept in close to 48 hours, he couldn't remember every single car, though most that caught the judges ire got 30 laps. Team Punk, with their hopped up Mazda RX7s got the harshest penalty — 50 laps — because, "They didn't even have the respect to at least try and fool us." More »

The People's Curse: Mazdasaurus Wrecks

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 15:45:00 EST

The people have spoken, spoken in voodoo, and their collective voices cursed and then crushed the living shit out of the Mazdasaurus Wrecks. First of all, a tip of the NFC North Champ Green Bay Packers cap to the artist they got to work the excavator. Amazing. He actually yanked the engine out like it was a still beating heart. Second, we can't say we didn't warn you. Anyhow, enjoy the galleries, as they are essentially all that's left of the F1-sounding Mazdasaurus Wrecks. More »

The Penalty Box is Filling Up

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 15:15:00 EST

What, eh? Me, eh? You calling me a hoser? No, you're the hoser, for sure, eh? One of the reasons so many of the FWD cars are still alive and contending is an effort at Thunderhill to discourage kamikaze-style driving techniques. As a result, cars are getting busted! Remember the white Volvo 740 wagon that was terrorizing the track this morning? 4 hours in the box. And the driver had the cojones to act shocked. But as we all know, misery absolutely loves company. More »

You Can't Stop the Pit Action

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 14:15:00 EST

You can only hope to document it. Hey, it's day 2 of an endurance race where you can't spend more than $500 on your race car. You know the pits are where the real action's at. Like the #56 car, which is most likely an '84 Bimmer. No one was really sure/too busy to talk to us. Here's what we know. The left rear wheel fell off. Looks like all four shafts failed from where they connected to the hub. In other words, pop! The wheel is still out on the track, but in the true spirit of the United Colors of Thunderhill, another BMW lent a wheel. Their head wrench is saying 30 minutes and they'll be back at it. The wheel loss is a shame, too, as #56 has been running hard the whole race, and probably left in sixth place. More »

It's Morning in Thunderhill

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:30:00 EST

We is back. Murilee's laptop just ate his hard drive. But he's doing a lot better than some of the teams. I say some, as shockingly, most of the LeMons are back on the track continuing the mega-hoonage. From what we saw, Mazdasaurus Wrecks has pulled the governor from its F1-sounding engine and is gaining a quarter lap on the competition per lap. That thing is just straight up going for it. Interestingly, this morning's menace appears to be none other than the white and orange Volvo 740 wagon. More »

Team DDT's 280Z Survives Day One... Barely

Murilee Martin — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 09:30:00 EST

Since we're looking hard at the Datsun Z as a potential Team Jalopnik car for the May race at Altamont (though the Renault Fuego Turbo is the current favorite, followed closely by the Dodge Mirada), we've been following the progress of Team DDT's '79 280Z with great interest. They spent much of Day One among the top contenders... but some penalties and a nasty wreck toward the end of the session dropped them down to #22 by the time the dust settled. Things looked bad at first, but Team DDT is made of stern stuff... More »

Jalopnik Support Crew Shout Out: Belvedere Adrian

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 09:15:00 EST

We just want to give a little shout out to one of Alameda's finest sons, Belvedere Adrian. While he doesn't get paid the suitcases stuffed with cash that Murilee and I do, we did get the Gawker Overlords to cough up $1.66 to buy him a pair of gloves at the WalMart. True story. Except for the part about the Gawker Overlords coughing up $1.66. Adrian is a key member of Jalopnik LeMons coverage. He opens his Scotty trailer to us, cooks us sausage and pasta, gives us ~~beer~~ cookies, and scouts out cool locations around the track for us to snap photos from. So, three cheers for the man with the slickest Plymouth around, Adrian! (More pics of Adrian and his Scotty after the jump) More »

Visual Explanation As To Why The #72 Datsun B210 Cannot Heroically Fight On

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 09:00:00 EST

Yesterday you all got a gander at the wiped out B210. A commenter who goes by the suspicious handle of "Kelly" earlier asked:

Why would he not conitnue???

The Most Menacing LeMon At Thunderhill: Mazdasaurus Wrecks

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:00:00 EST

After day one wrapped up Murilee and I went team to team and took an informal, anonymous survey of which car they were most afraid of. A few cars, like the Rockford Pile and the Size Matters Fury got a vote here and a vote there. But it soon became a statistical impossibility for any car other than the Mazdasaurus to win. Does this mean that the mutant 626 will get tagged with the People's Curse award tomorrow and crushed? Check back and find out. Video after the jump, and you need to hear this sucker. More »

LeMon Pits: The Casualties Mount

Jonny Lieberman — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

This is racing! It's about 37 degrees out. There are no spectators here; no fans, just the drivers and the crews. Yet the teams aren't quitting. Unless they are forced to. Like the SE-R, which somehow lost 3 of its 4 studs on the right front wheel. That's metal fatigue for you. Team Dilligaf got three black flags for excessive hoonage, as did the former front runners in the #87 MR2. Other than that, it's just the usual series of brakes, radiators, gaskets and, well, radiators. Pit party starts in 15 minutes. TOTAL COVERAGE continues... More »

The Only Truck In The Race Gets Sidelined By Engine Woes

Murilee Martin — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:45:00 EST

If you're going to race a truck at this race, you might as well make it a Toyota! In most-unToyota-like fashion, however, this '83 ate a main bearing early on in the race and is now being wrenched on by some very focused team members. Before the auto-parts stores closed, they managed to obtain new bearings, and now it's just a matter of getting that engine back together. More »

Datsun B210 Wipes Out!

Jonny Lieberman — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:30:00 EST

First of all, the driver is fine. Totally, absolutely, 100% fine. Second, I feel like a gosh darned ambulance chaser. Stories are (of course) conflicting, but the accounts range from him winding up on the door, to rolling three times and winding up on his roof. The truth? Somewhere in between. They just lifted the red flag, and all the cars that can (a few teams have been triple-black flagged and are done for the night) are back out on the track. We'll keep you posted. Also, I heard the damn Giants lost to the double-damn Patriots. So, I'm out another fifty bucks. Back to work! (Jump for pre-crash shots of the mighty Datsun) More »

FrankenAlfa Back In The Race!

Murilee Martin — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:15:00 EST

When we last saw the pair of broken '79 Alfettas, the combined might of both teams was being directed at making one good engine out of two broken ones. They managed to replace the busted oil pump drive in one engine with parts from the engine with the thrown rod, and now they're back on the track and looking good. For extra heart-warming points, it turns out the members of the two teams didn't know each other prior to the race; their shared love of Alfa Romeos has joined them as instant allies. More »

The LeMons Casualties Mount

Murilee Martin — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:00:35 EST

Now we're starting to see more and more cars limping- or being dragged- into the pits for hours of frantic repair work. In some cases, it becomes clear that the car is finished. Here's one where it's too early to tell: an RX-7 gushing smoke from the engine compartment, surrounded by worried team members. A while back, we heard plaintive calls over the PA for someone with an extra Honda Civic transmission, followed by pleas for a BMW alternator. More »

Nocturnal LeMons

Jonny Lieberman — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 22:45:00 EST

The sun has gone bye-bye. The pits are overflowing with busted rods, cracked blocks, snapped linkages, empty beer bottles and bloodied knuckles. Did we mention burnt bearings? Still, most of these warriors are soldiering on, hooning their adrenaline-soaked asses off on the now dry — but still frosty — Thunderhill course. To paraphrase the cop from the Big Lebowski, "Lead? Yeah, they got a team of judges working on that back at the paddock. They got 'em working in shifts! The lead..." Stay tuned for the pit party, thank us later. More »

Doctors of Automotive Journalism Must Drink and Junket

Murilee Martin — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 21:00:00 EST

Since Belvedere Adrian is here with his Belvedere (no, not this Belvedere- we mean the nice one) and Serro Scotty trailer, we decided to take a break from the 37-degree weather and whomp up some eatin' vittles. Even though the trailer isn't exactly balmy, we're out of the chilly wind as we snarf our sausages and cheese. Bonus points for anyone who can identify the "drink and junket" reference in the title! More »

I-Markin' It With The Fiat of Japan

Murilee Martin — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 20:40:00 EST

Team Motoring J-Style has the only Isuzu at today's race... in fact, this may well be the only Isuzu ever to race at the 24 Hours of LeMons (anyone who knows of another, please let us know). We're giving these guys serious props, not just for their choice of car, but for the Save The Enzos T-shirt sported by this team member. Quote of the Day goes to the Alfa guy at the neighboring pit space, who referred to Isuzu as "the Fiat of Japan." Oh yes, and this is the same team who had the #3 finishing car (an MR2) at the October race at Altamont. Make the jump to catch a bit of video of this car in action. More »