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You know about Google Books, right? It's an ambitious project by Google to, essentially, scan and make publicly available every known book. I'm guessing the end goal is to put them all onto a chip implanted in Larry Page's brain so he can always beat anyone in an argument, forever. It's a grand, noble idea, and it's made possible via some amazing technical feats, such as scanning 1000 pages per hour via some elaborate scanning setup, which I'm picturing as having dozens of whirling, gleaming metal arms. More »
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It's hard to believe until you witness the sheer power in the above video, but this full bodied vintage Rolls Royce is capable of a 8.09 second 1/4 mile. According to the builder, the car is still 100% street legal although it has slimmed down quite a bit to a 3050lb race weight. Helping move this British steel down the track is the twin 88mm turbo fed 588 ci big block Chevy engine that now resides under the car's hood. More »
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It takes under two minutes to remind us why Lancia's rally efforts were so awesome and simultaneously stoke the flames of our burning desire to own a Stratos. Unfortunately, this footage is likely as close as we will ever get. More »
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These two white Mustangs of the 1960s sure aren't slouching in their old age. They still look pretty damn comfortable taking corners during a vintage road race in New York. Photo Credit: omniNate More »
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This shot of a classic Maserati 250F is just one of the mouth-watering images of vintage racers at the Oldtimer GP held at the Nürburgring this year from our friends at formfreu.de. Savor them. [formfreu] More »
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The art of selling cars has always been big business. These brochure images, from the archives at Oldcarbrochures.com, show how things were done in the good ol' days. More »
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Ferrari 250 GTO, race damage, Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, 2009. Now, nobody's saying this sort of thing is cool, but isn't yowly, howly exercise worth the odd flesh wound? What would you do with your irreplaceable Ferrari? Discuss. More »
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We recently discovered this video of a British microcar going by the name "Peardrop," it seems like a proto-Peel, but we've never heard of or seen this particular deathtrap-on-wheels. Anyone know more? (Sorry about the hipsterish video editing) More »
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Nice Price or Crack Pipe brings you a deal too good to be true — a 2002 racer that'll fulfill your track fantasies, but with infomercial pricing that may leave your wallet empty. More »
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At Jalopnik we're obsessive with automotive culture both old and new, so when we came across this huge photo gallery of vintage automotive Americana from our friends at Yenko, we knew we had to share. More »
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Do you remember the experience of visiting your friendly neighborhood Chevrolet dealership 50 years ago? No? Well, grab your hula hoops and check out our 60-picture gallery of the past below. More »
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Hiding in a partially collapsed lean-to in Mississippi, this vintage Porsche 356 racer tells no secrets besides what its roll cage evidently gives away. More »
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We're not sure what makes this vintage Volkswagen more terrifying, the turbocharged V8 engine or the unconventional (for a Bug) engine placement. Either way, this car fulfills a few dreams and, likely, a few nightmares. More »
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Situated in Kaufdorf, Switzerland exists a peaceful junkyard, holding over 500 classic machines hailing from the 1930s through the 1960s. The government wants it paved but locals want to preserve this history. Mega gallery inside. More »
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Imagine a secret junkyard frozen in time somewhere around the 70's with every bit of vintage hardware stretching for hundreds of acres. Classic Mustangs, Camaros, Cadillacs, Hemis; you name it, it's here. But not for long: The law man's saying to crush 'em. Massive mega-gallery below along with the location and what you can do to save them. More »
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This fake Ferrari doesn't look nearly as bad as some of the abominations we've seen, but this was spotted in China, where they've got plenty of experience making knock-offs. Oddly enough, they've decided to place Porsche badges on the fiberglass bodywork. Stranger yet, this isn't even a functioning vehicle: The car-like object parked along the scenic coastline is merely a prop for a local wedding photography studio. More proof that Ferraris and Porsches are the perfect accessories for posing. More »
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Happy Bastille Day! In honor of the 219th anniversary of the symbolic beginning of modern France, our very own Frenchman Franzouse, has collected these photos from the "Course de Cote" vintage hill climb in St Geniez D'olt. Each car is a unique part of French rallying history, and the gallery includes a Renault R5 Turbo 2, a Citroen Visa rally car and a Talbot Sunbeam. And that's just what we can name off the top of our head. More »
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Gasoline-powered street-legal bumper cars are the perfect convergence of any car guy's adult and childhood fantasies. Now one San Diego mechanic is custom building a collection of gasoline-powered and completely street-legal (and registered) bumper car cars. He outfits the vintage shells with 750cc Kawasaki bike engines capable of doing more than simply bumping other real cars in real traffic. More »
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It's only taken 23 years, but the heart of the DeLorean is back in a mass-produced replica form. There's no more need to hound eBay looking for a Flux Capacitor because Diamond Select Toys is mass producing the nostalgic time-traveling device. The Flux Capacitor has all of the same lighting effects and adjustable power settings. It's available for $275 and would make a great addition to your novelty art car or your family's mini-van. Look for it in a slammed Neon at your local Chili's parking lot. [Diamond Select Toys via Chip Chick] More »
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It seems that the conceptual exhaust burger grill is definitely not a new idea. Though we'd like to think exhaust burgers are a product of our scientific breakthroughs, this scan from a 1930 issue of Modern Mechanics proves otherwise. This exhaust cooking idea from the 1930's is unique because it's a steam pressure cooker. The heat from the exhaust is capable of heating and cooking the foods. The original report even suggests that only an hour of driving can thoroughly cook meat and vegetables. Click through to see the full-sized scan. [Modern Mechanix] More »
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One may think that Bentleys were only used for chauffeur duty during the 70-some years between the 'Bentley Boys' of the 1920s and the 2001 EXP Speed 8 LeMans prototype racer. But this 1954 Continental R proves that simply wasn't the case. It's a one-off racer with a very distinct long-tail body. It seems unusual that someone would worry about aerodynamics on a car with such an upright front like this Bentley, but you can't deny that whoever campaigned this machine certainly had distinct taste. If your pockets are deep enough (or your organs are valuable enough), the car can be all yours. Though it's probably more practical to just bolt a turbo to a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. More »
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The cats over at Dark Roasted Blend have put together a collection of some forgotten leviathans of transportation history - steam powered trucks. Ranging from modified steam tractors with a deck on top, to full-on, four axle workhorses. We're loath to admit we never even heard of any of these makers; Fowler who? Sentinal what? How about a Mann Wagon? This is especially embarrassing since a few summers of our youth were spent putzing around with 90 year old Case steam tractors and still not a peep about steam trucks. Could be they were mostly built in old Blighty. Could also be that the possibility for hooning in an 80 year old steam powered truck is pretty low. We're wondering if they should become part of our ever expanding product range.[DarkRoastedBlend.com] More »
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[Please to enjoy another fine edition of You Are There by Jalopnik stringer and Lime Rock denizen, James Gribbon.] The cloudiest part of this past Labor Day in rural Connecticut was my head. I was winding down after a long weekend, which was ending on a high note. I was entering Lime Rock Park for the Rolex Vintage Festival. The Gatorade was helping too. I heard a distant rumbling that made me raise my head. Just then, a maroon BMW M5 pace car wheeled into view and I heard a Ferrari bark as the driver blipped the throttle. Then, there were dozens of Ferraris, Alfas and a lone Fiat, all emerging from behind the trees to take their parade laps. Not many things can get gluey blood flowing better than a cacophony of Italian engines. My half-lidded eyes opened wider. This was going to be a good day. More »
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If you've read Jalopnik for longer than 20 minutes, you just knew we were going to stick a "Killer B" in our Fantasy Garage. And why wouldn't we? Created by the FIA in 1982, Group B offered manufacturers a way to show off all their engineering prowess, achieve racing victories and reap the subsequent publicity windfalls, all without the need and expense of launching a full production model. Very low homologation numbers (200 streetable cars in this case) meant that for a modest investment — especially when compared to Group A with its minimum 5,000 production cars mandate — a company could claim some serious rewards. Group A also had more stringent restrictions in terms of power, weight, materials and overall cost, not to mention a four-seat rule that in essence prohibited mid-engine machines. Group B was essentially unlimited, especially in terms of power. More »
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Oh man, this one hurts. As you may know we are at the age and pathetic financial situation where a man begins to look around for his project car. As you may also know, Jalopnik hearts shooting breaks brakes, especially British ones. This very good looking example of how screwed up the British auto industry was of Jensen-Healey's Lotus engined darling is right here in Southern California and just dying for a new owner (the current owner, at 6'6", is too tall to fit). So what if the engine needs to have its timing belt replaced every 18,000 miles (no, really — look it up) and the asking price is just a small percentage of what it will cost to keep this beauty on the road? I don't care. Do you care? As fate would have it we saw a stunning white convertible Jensen GT just today in Glendora (don't ask). After chasing the car for 15 miles, we realized how much better she would look as a two-door wagon. If there are any über-rich Jalopnik angels out there, now is your chance to shine! Also, don't look at the rear bumper. – Jonny Lieberman More »
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[Note: The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage will be back to its normal Tuesday schedule next week. — ed.] When I took over the Jalopnik Fantasy Garage from Farago, my initial thought was... 1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Oscar India. Shoot me. However, my second thought was the Jensen FF. Many of us are old enough to remember the shockwaves shot through the automotive world when Porsche's 959 bowed in 1986. It was like an alien had arrived and brought along all of the home planet's best technology. The FF was just as incredible in terms of technological innovation, only it added serious luxury to the mix and showed up earlier. Two-decades earlier. Powered by a Mopar big block, the Jensen FF was the first production car to offer all-wheel drive, antilock brakes and traction control. More over, the beautiful body was designed by Touring Superleggera and built by Vignale, while the entire car was assembled by hand in Britain. American power, Italian hot looks and British everything else coupled with stupefying technical innovation. I know I don't need to go on, but I will. More »
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Oh yeah! By now you have met our friend Jonee and his nice collection of miniature cars. Well, as with most people that will listen, we have sang the praises of our favorite ever Honda to him. And, as Jonee routinely patrols the interwebs of Japan, he found this gorgeous baby blue 1300 Coupe 9. I mean, just check out that racing stripe! Sadly, just because he patrols Japanese classifieds, doesn't mean he can read them. So, we don't have much more info about this car. Two nice engine and interior shots after the jump. – Jonny Lieberman More »
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The real reason we go to classic car shows is the odd chance of running across something like this. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Tempo Matador. To our knowledge, it is the only air-cooled, mid-engined, front-wheel-drive pickup truck with suicide doors ever created. Produced in extremely low numbers between 1949-1951 as both a precursor and competitor to the Volkswagen Type II, this particularly cherry example is one of five known to exist in the world. As great as the actual truck is, the essentially perfect restoration is even better. Killer features include a backward Type I engine below and behind the driver's butt, a rear window flourish that looks like the hood from a Bug and several cases of Weizen bottles from a brewery in Reisbach. You owe it to yourself to click through the gallery. Also, jump for some YouTube action. – Jonny LIeberman More »
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I was introduced to Jonee Eisen by a mutual friend at a flea market in Echo Park. "He's into cars, too." So, I asked, what sort of cars do you have? "A couple of Subarus and a DAF 66." I nearly choked. "A DAF!?!" The sky was falling. "Yeah, you know - the Dutch took the clutch." Yeah Jonee, I know. Sadly tragically for our purposes, since we met Jonee has sold the DAF, as parts are harder to find than a certain hotel heiress's dignity. Happily, he still maintains a pretty sweet collection of microcars. And this past Friday, he invited me over to play with 'em. More »
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We spotted this bad boy behind a storage facility in Atwater Village (near the Beastie Boys' studio). We'd just finished a conversation with our friend Jonee about a BMW 600 he found in a barn up north. All sorts of wild thoughts raced through our mind. Chief among them, how much will the owner let her go for? We've been looking around for a project car, and why the hell not? But then we actually got close to this "Ferrari." More »
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Yesterday we told that the engine from the Karmann Ghia Type III we're sorta helping to rebuild had to be yanked out because of a bad noise. Well, we just got the word from nous bon ami Scott and here is the why. If you remember way back to the beginning of this set of posts, you will recall that one of the pistons was bad. So, Scott replaced it. Turns out that the new-old stock part is – wait for it – 1/6000th of an inch taller than it should be. So, it was whacking against the head, forcing the exhaust valve to open. Which is why the noise sounded like an exhaust leak. Bad news: Scott needs four new pistons. Good news: pistons are cheap. Better news: new engines are pretty cheap, too, and lots of much more powerful mills will bolt right in. And yes, we are going to suggest an engine from a STI. – Jonny Lieberman More »
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Dang nab it. Last week we reported on our preliminary road test of crony Scott's Type III. In that report we, uh – reported – that the engine was making some funny noises. Scott figured these stemmed from an exhaust leak. Well guess what? Bad motivator on exhaust valve number two. And with only 15 miles between teardowns, too. Sigh... Scott, however, is claiming that she'll be ship shape and back on the road within a week or two. We'll let you know. And it looks like that motorcycle jack really is useful if you want to haul a long block around. – Jonny Lieberman More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=266289&view=rss&microfeed=true You have to admire VW's brass for using the diminutive Dustin Hoffman (supposedly 5'5" standing on his wallet) to show off how big their new car is. That guy made the Duetto look roomy. Still, we dig his semi-Beat parlance and rapid fire delivery. The car, as it happens, is pretty jazzy, too. The fedora gets tipped in the direction of Mike Sliczniak for the video. – Jonny Lieberman More »
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After leaving Scott and his Karmann Ghia we ran to get some groceries and found this sweet little miss thang parked next to us. When it rains, it pours. Or, in the case of what we think is a 1974 Alfa Romeo Giulia 2000 GT Veloce, when it doesn't rain you find amazing little bundles of vintage joy parked next to you at the market. We say we" think" because the only badging was on the dash and that simply read "2000." We also believe the side markers on the front fenders were round in the very early 70s. And the originals only had one side mirror. Regardless, we admire the owner for using the car like a car. Not to get all preachy, but... drive friends, drive! – Jonny Lieberman More »
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Oh happy day! Nearly 11 months since we first became involved in the rebuild, our pal Scott's 1962 Volkswagen 1500 left the garage. Actually, it was motoring about the day before we showed up to snap picks and drive it. Only we were out of town. Still, and you will agree if have rebuilt a car, that first drive is wedding night bliss after a long, difficult and oftentimes sweaty courtship. And I only did about 0.02% of the work. Still, I knew going in that even if the brakes failed on the way down the hill and we T-boned a Volvo, it would be awesome. And we didn't hit any Volvos. More »
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For those of you following our pal Scott's Type III rebuild odyssey, you will be stoked to hear that the engine is running. I was over at his place drinking some really fine beers (Duvel and Allagash Victoria) on Saturday and listening to a weird mechanical hum. Turns out it the noise is from the generator, and Scott has a new one on order. We didn't take it for a spin because A) we were drinking and B) after more than five years of just sitting there, Scott wants to bleed the brakes. And seeing as how he lives at the top of a hill, is a good idea. But don't despair, as a full test drive will be taking place in the upcoming weeks. Anyhow, the engine sounds loud and air cooled and is running strong. All 50 some odd horses of it. Want to hear for yourself? Then jump. – Jonny Lieberman More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=262277&view=rss&microfeed=true The Trabant got all the press when the Berlin Wall fell, but let's not forget the other fine automotive products of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik. The Wartburg was exported to much of Western Europe during its heyday, and this vintage (German-language) ad shows off some of its better features: Flathead 4-banger, coil springs, and some truly alarming body roll (clearly the pencil-thin swaybar ain't helping much). Please, readers, someone find a photo of a Wartburgamino- you know they're out there somewhere. – Murilee Martin More »
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I have a friend who makes his living selling vintage cereal boxes, which is a fine and honorable profession. But come on, there's no geeky vintage collectible cooler than the box art from plastic model kits of the 1955-1975 era (I'm in real danger of hitting eBay for an unassembled Revell Canned Heat dragster kit). This photographer's vast collection of online photos of such kits includes some real winners from the era; Murilee says check 'em out. – Murilee Martin More »
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'No, that's one of my ears!" replies the driver to crotchety old Uncle Josh, who wasn't sure about these newfangled kerosene wagons, after an apocalyptic wreck in this seriously twisted 1904 recording by Cal Stewart, entitled 'Uncle Josh On an Automobile.' A very early car-related song (think of it as the precurser to 'Highway Star') that will have you shoveling more coal into the firebox of your Stanley Steamer (as your passengers cringe in anticipated terror). Thanks to the nice folks working at the UCSB Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project (and the fact that 103-year-old recordings are public domain), you can stream and/or download the recording yourself- legally and for free even! – Murilee Martin More »
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I've been thinking about how much more fun a big lumbering 60s family sedan is when it has a floor-shifted manual trans; back then, the cheapest base-level model would come with a three-on-the-tree as standard equipment, though almost everybody upgraded to the automatic. Not my dad, though; when his boss decided a company car was needed, he sent my dad to the Ford dealership and let him choose the options "within reason." So naturally the first car I remember from earliest childhood is a '67 Ford Custom with a 4-barrel 289 and a three-on-the-floor trans with overdrive unit. Man, I was just awed by the drama of the incomprehensible levers and pedals, producing scary-but-cool grinding and roaring noises and making mundane family road trips feel like something out of Thunder Road. In fact, I can trace my love of benzene buggies straight back to that car, which probably explains why I still think 3-speed manuals (and Ford small-blocks) are cool. The Custom was Ford's no-frills full-sized car; in '67, you could get one with a 289 for about $2600, which was a few hundred bucks cheaper than the heavier, slower 289 Galaxie. – Murilee Martin More »
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