Cars have been around for more than a century now. We take it for granted that we have names like ‘automobile’ and ‘car’ to describe these four-wheeled beasts we love so much; they’re the only names we’ve ever known. But, friends, it could have been worse. It could have been so much worse.
For years, carmakers have been in the habit of putting some of the technical innovations they’re proud of on the back of their cars via badges. This practice probably peaked in the ‘80s, but it’s still around, to some degree. Today I want to look at a badge that was once quite common to see on car buttocks: a series…
It’s Friday afternoon, so we may as well get everyone worked up into a stupid debate before the weekend starts, right? For some reason, I was considering doing a post called Friday Forklift Freakout, which would have been just forklift videos, but then I started thinking about the status of forklifts, so I arrived at…
There’s little more that the automotive internet loves arguing about than pointless definitions, but what I didn’t realize is that enthusiasts have been debating what a “GT car” is for the past 55 years. No, not the race cars, or the trim badges that get stuck on cars that sometimes don’t deserve them, but a grand…
It’s easy to think of the earliest figures in the automotive industry as nothing more but characterless stern faces from black and white photographs. But that doesn’t square with Wilhelm Maybach taunting cops and getting into a police chase with one of the very first vehicles powered by a modern gas engine.
Velocity stacks may not be the absolute coolest thing you can put on your car, but... actually, you know what? They are the coolest thing you can put on your car. Here’s what they do, how they work and why everyone goes nuts over them.
That 1980s Caprice you saw drive past you on chrome wheels, polished to a mirror finish? Here’s why it looks that way, as explained in the most thorough set of interviews possibly ever recorded on the subject.
This is a car. But what is it that makes its automobility so clear?
If you're not a gearhead, listening to car people talk can be really puzzling. You could easily eavesdrop on a couple of gearheads and hear them talking about how they're going to drop the Celebrity's tranny so they can pull the head off the Iron Duke*. And none of that statement is illegal.
The FJ Cruiser is dead? I didn't realize, but I should have known. I would have held a proper ceremony. Damn it Toyota! Damn it to hell!
The sheer volume of things that are measured in terms of the classic VW Beetle is staggering. From whale hearts to heavy artillery, one object is used more often than any other to give a perspective of size and weight. The Beetle's role as a standard unit of measurement is an unsung achievement. Let's take care of…
I'm sure someone out there has done these types of things before, but who cares? They're still pretty fun, and surprisingly disorienting. And by "things" I mean taking well-known automotive logos and changing the names to other well-known brands.
A Big Wig. A Head Honcho. Man On Top. All of these have nothing on being a Very Important Person. But in the Far East, a VIP means something very different. But what does being a VIP have to do with cars? And how does Japan figure into this? It's time for another part in our ongoing series – allow me to explain.
Like almost any automotive publication, we use the term "horsepower" all the time. It's one of those words that seems so straightforward. What is horsepower? Why, it's the power of a horse! What does that mean? Physical power? Political? Sexual? What horse? How is it measured? Let's find out, with pictures!
So you've got a huge truck with big tires and truck nuts hangin' off the hitch. You figure it must be the bee's knees when it comes to off-roading. That tiny Suzuki Samurai's got nothing on your Goliath, right? Not so fast. Let's break down what really makes a car capable when the going gets tough.
Why are people in Sweden waving Confederate flags and driving old muscle cars? It's all part of a unique little subculture in Sweden, called Raggare, and they're just about as far removed as possible from donks. What's their deal with America? As part of our semi-ongoing series, allow me to explain.
It's almost reassuring to know that since the absolute earliest days of human motorized travel, there have been people writing about cars, and people calling bullshit on what's written about cars. These exchanges should seem incredibly familiar to most of our readers even if they happened nearly 200 years ago. The…
The pre-history of automobiles is really pretty murky. As much as Mercedes-Benz likes to claim the invention of the motor car, the truth is much more complicated, with many different inventors adding parts to what eventually became the car. Most people would point to Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot's 1769/1771 artillery…
As Google's doodle reminded me, today is International Women's Day. It's kind of alarming how much I rely on something called a "Google Doodle" to know what's going on. So, in honor of women, I'd like to talk about one woman who's been a hero of mine for many years: Bertha Benz, the first person to take a real road…
Once you realize that pretty much everything around you, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, has a story behind it, the world becomes much more interesting. Your car is packed full of parts with good stories behind them (the tragic tale of Sir Nathan Airfilter comes to mind) but the one I'd like to talk…
