2012 Super Bowl Auto Ad Watch: All The Car Commercials [Super Bowl]
Yeah, so, we just heard there's an actual football game that goes on in between all of those car commercials. Who knew? Our priority's always been in the right place — the car ads.
That's because today's not about Gronk's ankle, Eli besting his big brother's legacy, or Brady's dreamy face. No, it's about cars, beer and talking babies. But mostly about cars.
For now, take a look at what ads have already hit the web ahead of the big game — straight from our Super Bowl Ad Watch tag page — and then come back here throughout Super Bowl 46 tonight to see any of the auto-themed commercials — as soon as they've aired. It's like a car ad cheat sheet for the night.
Enjoy — and tell us what you think about the commercials in the comments below!
Audi is literally killing it this year with a Super Bowl commercial that captures the sparkle vampire zeitgeist and adds a typically violent Audi twist. More »
Last week the world wondered what Matthew Broderick was up to in a short ten-second teaser clip on YouTube where he appeared to be playing Ferris Bueller, from his famous flick "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Some speculated it was for a sequel. Nope, it's an ad for Honda. More »
Equipped with AWD and a gasoline/electric hybrid powertrain, Acura's hoping its new NSX supercar will herald a new age of responsible supercars when it hits showrooms sometime in the next 24 months. More »
Appearance-wise, the 2013 Lexus GS has actually grown on me. I can't constantly ding Toyota/Lexus for being beige without acknowledging their new luxo-cruiser gives me a slight tingle in my trouser area. More »
Two weeks after seeing Volkswagen's adorable teaser for their Super Bowl ad featuring dogs barking the Imperial March from Star Wars, here now is the automaker's amazing extended-length Super Bowl commercial. More »
It's apparently the '80s all over again, with Doc Brown's "Back To The Future" DeLorean now joining Ferris Bueller in this leaked Bud Light Super Bowl ad spot. More »
Kia's Super Bowl ad throws every testosterone-filled cliché at you in the hope that some coolness will rub off on its Optima family sedan. Why? Because this is how things are done now. More »
Dropping any artifice of civility in the back-and-forth sniping between Chevy and Ford, this year's Silverado ad comes out and says what they've only been wiling to say behind closed doors: buy our competitor's truck and you will die. More »
Zach Borst, a 26-year-old aspiring filmmaker from Long Island, N.Y., won GM's "Route 66" contest to create one of Chevrolet's Super Bowl ads. His film shows a new high school graduate who mistakenly thinks his parents bought him a new Chevy Camaro convertible for a graduation present only to have a neighbor drive it off in it. More »
Last week we showed you a quick preview of OK Go's new video for "Needing/Getting." Now here's the full monty, compiled from a Chevy Sonic drive-by of 1157 homemade instruments of melodic Rube Goldberg(ish) goodness. More »
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST
Woman blames large breasts for failed field sobriety test [Car Crime]
We don't support drunk driving or any attempts to get out of an arrest for doing so, but we have give one Florida woman credit for a creative on the spot excuse when she was pulled over last weekend for speeding and swerving through traffic.
According to the police in Jensen Beach, FL, 49 year old Maureen Raymond had a simple explanation for her inability to pass a field sobriety test—her large breasts.
When deputies pulled Raymond over they detected the odor of liquor and noticed her eyes were red and glassy. Before performing a field sobriety test the Florida woman explained the officers "needed to understand that she is big-chested" and "she is not going to balance well". Not surprisingly passing the field sobriety tests proved to be tough for her.
Upon failing to walk in a straight line Raymond began to dance. When she was asked if she would like to try again the woman told the Sheriff's deputy she wouldn't be able to because of her "big boobies." Upon failing to stand on one leg, Raymond attempted to take her clothes off to show the deputy her breasts and prove her claims.
Deputies later found a glass in the back of Raymond's Toyota Camry that they believed contained alcohol. Despite her unique explanation, Maureen Raymond was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and having an open container of alcohol.
It's unknown exactly how drunk Raymond was because she failed to provide a valid breath sample after her arrest. Her breasts are not believed to be at fault.
If you find yourself asking "What's a Matador?" it appears you are not alone. From the looks of this self deprecating AMC commercial the company had accepted that even two years into the model run, people still didn't know what a Matador was.
In reality the Matador was a renamed and restyled AMC Rebel, but that certainly wasn't what the car company was advertising. To AMC the Matador was "one of the best kept secrets in Detroit".
The following year AMC introduced the radically styled Matador coupe as well as a complete redesign for the coupe and wagon. Matadors went on to race in NASCAR and had already found favor with many police departments by 1973.
Even so, we imagine when the model line was discontinued in 1978 there were still plenty of people who wouldn't have been able to answer the question AMC asked in this vintage advertisement.
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST
Skiing behind vintage Porsches is "the world's most dangerous sport" [Video]
These days vintage Porsches are high dollar collector items, but in Bavaria in 1955 they were merely tow vehicles for some crazy skiers. This vintage video takes a look at "the world's most dangerous sport" which evidently involved being towed around a track by motorcycles, Volkswagen Bugs, Porsche 356s and even a Porsche 550 Spyder.
We hadn't heard of skijoring or "Motor skiing" as it's referred to in this film until last weekend when we saw it done behind a brand new Bentley Continental GT. Skiing behind an assortment of vintage German cars looks even cooler. Having said that, given the opportunity to try out motor skiing in the style shown in this video, we'd likely just try to get a few laps in on this snowy course behind the wheel of that awesome 550 Spyder.
Ford Tells GM, NBC To Pull Apocalypse-Themed Chevy Super Bowl Ad [Video]
UPDATED! Ford's not pleased with the Chevy truck super bowl ad that implies Ford trucks aren't built tough enough to survive the Mayan apocalypse. How upset are they? They're so pissed the automaker's sent letters to both GM and NBC asking them to pull the ad from tonight's big game.
Well, shoot, this may be more fun than the Super Bowl itself.
We knew that the folks at Ford weren't happy with the "2012" Super Bowl ad on Friday when it was released, but sending a cease-and-desist right before the $7 million spot airs is an interesting maneuver.
We're still trying to sort out what's true, but so far all we can tell is that GM's having a great time at Ford's expense.
"We stand by our claims in the commercial, that the Silverado is the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size pickup on the road," said GM Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick in a press release. "We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize. In the meantime, people who are really worried about the Mayan calendar coming true should buy a Silverado right away."
Expect an update when we learn more.
UPDATE (2:07 PM EST): Ford Trucks head spokesperson Mike Levine told us moments ago that yes, a letter was sent by Ford. And here's why:
"We don't agree with GM's claims in the ad. Particularly around durability. What's important is that Ford is proud to be the number one selling truck in America for 35 years. The best-selling vehicle in America for 30 years. And the only brand with more trucks on the road with more than 250,000 miles. That demonstrates just how durable our trucks are in the real world."
"The issue with the ad is that 'Dave' doesn't survive because he's driving a Ford. They cite R.L. Polk data on longevity — not durability. If you look at R.L. Polk's data on durability — the same data I just gave you — there are more Ford trucks on the road with more than 250,000 miles."
"We've made our point and we'll always defend our products."
"But this type of a request happens from time-to-time, and now we'll just let our legal team handle it."
UPDATE (4:45 PM EST): Here's the text of the Ford letter:
Dear Mr. Williams:
It is my understanding that Chevrolet intends to run a commercial during tomorrow's Super Bowl that makes false and misleading claims regarding the durability and safety of the Chevy Silverado and disparages Ford's pickup trucks. I write to demand that you refrain from running this commercial.
The commercial at issue, entitled "Chevy Silverado '2012'" (see ), features a Chevy Silverado owner driving through the rubble of a post-apocalyptic city as Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made It" plays in the background. Upon meeting up with a group of fellow survivors, all of whom are driving Silverados, the driver asks about the whereabouts of his friend "Dave." With great solemnity, one of the survivors reveals that Dave did not survive the apocalypse because: "Dave didn't drive the longest-lasting, most dependable truck on the road... Dave drove a Ford."
Chevrolet's "longest lasting, most dependable" claim is, to the extent it is legitimate, based entirely on longevity (as measured by full-size pickup registrations from 1981 to July 2011). However, the commercial, from its use of "Looks Like We Made It" to its reference to Dave's tragic demise, communicates something very different - that the Silverado is safer and more durable than any Ford pickup truck. These two messages are entirely unsupported. With respect to durability, research from R. L. Polk & Co. shows that Ford has considerably more trucks on the road with over 250,000 miles than does Chevrolet, thereby demonstrating that Ford's trucks are more durable than those manufactured by Chevrolet. As to the issue of safety, the 2012 Ford F-150 is an IIHS Top Safety pick, whereas the 2012 Chevy Silverado is not - having received less than impressive results in the IIHS side impact, rear crash and rollover tests. In light of the foregoing, Chevrolet has no basis to imply that the Silverado is either safer or more durable than Ford's pickup trucks, yet that false claim is precisely what is conveyed to the consumer.
In addition to making false and misleading claims regarding the comparative safety and durability of the Silverado, Chevrolet's commercial also unfairly denigrates Ford's pickup trucks. By specifically calling out Ford in its commercial, Chevrolet creates the disparaging impression that Ford owners are at risk because their pickup trucks are less safe and less durable than Chevrolet's pickups. It is black letter advertising law that "expressly or implicitly disparaging claims can damage a product's market share and, therefore, [] such claims [must be] truthful, accurate and narrowly drawn." See The Procter & Gamble Co. (Swiffer Dusters), NAD Case #4226 (9/14/04). As noted above, Chevrolet's claims are neither truthful nor accurate. Thus, Chevrolet has absolutely no basis to disparagingly imply that, in the event of a catastrophic event, Ford's pickup trucks and their respective owners will be reduced to ashes.
Accordingly, Ford demands that Chevrolet immediately cease and desist from making any unsubstantiated and disparaging claims regarding Ford's pickup trucks. Specifically, Ford insists that Chevrolet (i) refrain from running the commercial during tomorrow's Super Bowl; (ii) refrain from any future use of the commercial; and (iii) permanently remove the commercial from its website, its YouTube and Facebook pages and any other Internet sites. If Chevrolet does not comply with the above terms prior to the start of the Super Bowl, then Ford will take all appropriate steps to enforce and protect its reputation.
This letter is written without prejudice to and will not be deemed a waiver of any of Ford's rights, remedies or defenses, all of which expressly are preserved.
Sincerely,
Lynne M. Matuszak
Counsel
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:30:00 EST
Watch a Corvette Z06 roast itself in the Netherlands [Video]
After a photo shoot in the Dutch city of Baarn last weekend this Corvette decided to prove it too wanted to be an exotic car and set its engine on fire. Fortunately for the car's owner and somewhat unfortunately for us the fire is a little bit smaller than the exotic Italian flambé we've grown accustomed to.
We also have a feeling this fire might have a little more to do with human error than the Z06s desire to torch itself. According to GTspirit, where we found this video, the fire started while the car was being jump-started. Whatever the cause, there is certainly no doubt the result of this blaze is a Z06 with a thoroughly roasted 505 horsepower LS7 under the hood.
Custom 6x6 Ford truck is almost as ridiculous as it is massive [Found On EBay]
It seems with custom 4x4 show trucks and the people who build them "more" is always better. It doesn't particularly matter what it is—wheels, lift, length, silly graphics—the more there is, the better it is. If ever there were a vehicle to illustrate this way of thinking it's this 6x6 1993 Ford F350 currently listed on Ebay.
Why have four wheel drive when you can have six wheel drive? Amusingly enough, that is exactly what this truck has—thanks to the two transfer cases, the trucks second rear axle is actually functional, allowing you to drive this truck in two, four, or six wheel drive.
If a double cab long bed pickup truck with 42" tires wasn't tall or long enough already for your taste, this is the vehicle for you. Thanks to the air ride suspension, the truck can lift itself and additional 5"-6" on command. The extra rear axle necessitated stretching the truck's bed 24" and the "complexity" of the massive stereo meant an additional 18" were added in between the cab and the bed.
The result is as you can see an absolute monster. We cannot even imagine what kind of ridiculous turning radius this thing has, but driving this 6x6 promises to be an adventure at best. In case you do get stuck in an embarrassing position because of this truck's massive wheelbase there is a propane based flame thrower hooked up to the dual stacks. At least you can entertain everyone inconvenienced by the immensity of your vehicle.
Although the owner has "over $65,000" invested in this massive custom truck, it's listed with no reserve and the current high bid of $6100 is quite a bit less that. If you're interested in the truck the seller is flexible and is considering trades. Just don't offer any "stupid shit" in trade for his 30 foot long six wheel drive lifted F350 with purple graphics.
BMW Super Bowl Ad: Mother-in-law jokes are still kind of funny [Video]
BMW will be airing a few different advertisements during the Super Bowl later on today showing off the 2012 3 series.
The advertisement intended for the Southern California market will demonstrate one of the benefits of the Connected Drive system offered on the 3 series—ditching your mother-in-law and your profane wife.
While Connected Drive's ability to read emails can come in handy in all sorts of circumstances, BMW decided to highlight the system's practical functionality in staying away from undesirable family members.
Sure you might hate your mother-in-law, sure your wife swears at you, but hey, at least you can drive a new BMW which will help you avoid both of them.
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST
What vehicle from the 1980s has the highest survival rate? [Question Of The Weekend]
Depending on your perspective cars of the 1980s might seem like they were new yesterday or built sometime before the beginning of time. Regardless of your perspective, the newest vehicle to come out of the decade is now 23 years old.
With this in mind, we started wondering which car or truck built between 1980 and 1989 is still best represented on the roads in 2012. Two to three decades after the last new example left the factory, which eighties vehicle do you still see in running condition most frequently? What vehicle from the 1980s has the highest survival rate?
Perhaps it's because of my love of all things luxury and German from the decade, but I believe Mercedes 300Ds from the first half of the eighties are still best represented on the roads. In the land of road salt and (usually) unpleasant winters there isn't exactly a surplus of any vehicles from the 1980s on the Cape that rust remembered.
Even so, rarely do a day or two of driving pass without seeing a usually rusty but occasionally nice example of one of the most reliable cars ever made cruising the roads of Cape Cod, regardless of the season. It's worth noting 300Ds were actually first offered in 1977 and were relatively unchanged until they were discontinued at the end of 1985 but because the bulk of the model run was in the eighties, I think they count.
What vehicle from the 1980s has the highest survival rate?
Have you heard that video is a big thing over at Gawker Media? It's true, we watch and post a lot of videos each week. Here are some of the best videos of week, culled from an array of Gawker Media sites.
For Kristen Bell's 31st birthday, fiancé Dax Shepard decided to surprise her with a visit from her favorite animal, the sloth. The excitement of the introduction was too much for Kristen to handle and ended up sending her into a complete emotional breakdown. The whole thing caught on tape is truly something to behold. I mean, who would have known that Veronica Mars was such a softie?. View »
Did you guys watch Luck on HBO last night? Did you fall asleep like I did? Well, if you tuned in you saw the most exciting thing before the show even started: a new trailer for Game of Thrones. View »
It's apparently the '80s all over again, with Doc Brown's "Back To The Future" DeLorean now joining Ferris Bueller in this leaked Bud Light Super Bowl ad spot. Great Scot! View »
It's only halfway through the abbreviated NBA season, so I'm hesitant to dub anything dunk of the year. But here it is, dunk of the year-and of course it's from Blake Griffin. Kendrick Perkins's family requests no flowers be sent. View »
A Cessna 172B pilot in Mexico had to save his plane after his airplane propeller detached in flight. Yes, detached. Plonk. You can see the action from the cockpit in this video, including the exhilaration and relief of the passengers at the end. View »
Last week the world wondered what Matthew Broderick was up to in a short ten-second teaser clip on YouTube where he appeared to be playing Ferris Bueller, the character from his famous flick "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." View »
Mitt Romney appeared on CNN's Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien this morning to gloat over yesterday's win in Florida and instead told her he doesn't care about poor people. Romney said his "current focus is not on the poor" as "we have a safety net there," and he instead plans to focus on all those suffering members of the middle-class. View »
In addition to his love of saturated colors, precocious children and Bill Murray, Wes Anderson really enjoys stylized shots from above. See evidence here. View »
Brant Widgeon, an Astronomical Image Enhancement Engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center*, explains his experience creating all those amazing space images that leave the entire world in awe. What the entire world doesn't know is how they are really created. View »
This whole video of teens dancing at a Hong Kong Apple store is entertaining. But go to around 1:06 and check out the moves of the girl in white. Her face is like the face someone would make while carving an ice block into a statue of a machine gun, with a chainsaw. View »
This is a video of 'The Stuntbusters' - Speed TV's artisanal automotive show that I think just sets crap on fire - blow up and flip what looks like a 1974-1980 MG Midget 1500 at 1000 frames per second. View »
I'm a sucker for these multiple-track music videos. This guy is Nick McKaig, and he's extremely good at reproducing songs using just his voice. Here's the proof: the Simpsons' theme sung a capella. View »
UConn, America's foremost institution of sports riots and male rage, is in uproar after student-run (and student-funded) television network UCTV aired a sketch comedy segment that depicted a crying girl using a blue-light phone while fleeing a possible rapist. As she attempts to escape, the robotic blue-light voices call her a "cock gobbler," a "stinky bitchy," a "blonde bitch," and a "howler monkey bitch" who is "crying rape." The sketch ends with the girl falling to the ground after her attacker strangles her in a dark parking lot. View »
We are familiar with the James O'Keefe of today, certainly, what about the O'Keefe of yesterday? Before he was a fugitive, professional ambusher and rabble-rouser, James O'Keefe led the life of a simple teen-aged student, wandering aimlessly through the halls of his high school humming "Life is a Highway." View »
You ever look at a race car driver's neck and wonder why they're usually so thick? Watch this video of a woman trying to keep her head in one place while being battered around the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina track in a two-seat Formula One car. Whiplash! View »
While I'm hesitant to praise ESPN First Take blowhard Stephen A. Smith for anything, an exception can be made for moments of distinguished valor-or at least doing something every single one of us has wanted to do on multiple occasions, like flipping Skip Bayless the bird. Last week Terrell Suggs called Bayless a douchebag, which means we're on a bit of a roll here. Maybe next week will bring the words to Skip Bayless on which we've been waiting far too long: "You're fired." View »
NASA said that their Blue Marble 2012 was "the most amazing image of Earth ever." Now they have released the other half, answering to popular demand. View »
How sweet of Teleflora to remind us ladies, just in case we forgot how gift-giving works, that we are obligated to have sex with our man if he does anything nice for us this Valentine's Day... Honestly, they fucked this thing up so badly that I think they owe themselves a bouquet! View »
Now that Stephen Colbert is no longer running for the President of the United States of South Carolina, he went to retrieve his Super PAC (and its money) from Jon Stewart. But Stewart wasn't going to give it up without a fight. Tonight's Colbert Report opened with their long and arduous chase. Here it is. View »
[Image via Shutterstock]
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST
International Scout gasser doing wheelies is as cool as it sounds [Video]
We're not sure many vehicles have ever left the factory that are less suited for low 11 second 1/4 miles and serious wheelies than the International Scout 80. That is exactly why the fact this 1963 International Scout is somehow capable of both of these impressive feats is so cool.
Believe it or not this Scout has been terrorizing the drag strip since it was built in the early 70s. Back then it was known as the "Elephant Hunter" and had a 426 Hemi under the hood. Thanks to the Hemi, the custom beam axle front end, setback engine position and a 1959 Oldsmobile rear end with 5.14 Schiefer gears the Scout was capable of 12 second 1/4 miles.
At some point the "Elephant Hunter" was retired from the drag strip and fell into a state of disrepair. That was until current owner Dave Pelissier found the Scout and decided to bring it back to life. The little truck now features a 510 horsepower 377ci small block Chevy V8 connected to a Chevy TH400 transmission.
Watching the updated "Elephant Hunter" do wheelies and record 11 second 1/4 times is probably even more weird than it was in the early 70s. The bizarre nature of it combined with our deep love of all things International Scout easily makes this truck one of the coolest things we've seen in a while.
Dreams of ratty Porsches don't come cheap with this original 1956 356A coupe [Found On EBay]
Undoubtedly the idea of stumbling across a Porsche 356 in neglected but solid original condition is the stuff of gearhead dreams. The relative mechanical simplicity of the 356 and it's iconic shape lend itself perfectly to the idea of driving and enjoying it in slightly deteriorated original condition.
That is exactly what we came across recently on Ebay but we quickly discovered the ratty Porsche of our dreams has a slightly higher price tag attached to it than the average project car. Considering this car's unique condition, the premium attached to this car doesn't come as a huge surprise.
Any vintage Porsche is rare, but finding one that isn't nearly perfect or a total basket case is almost unheard of. This 1956 356A coupe falls somewhere right in between these two descriptions. While this Porsche is very solid and in running and driving condition, the effects of years sitting in the hot California sun have made an obvious impact on the paint and interior.
According to the Ebay listing, this car was found sitting under an Orange tree "behind the locked gates of a secluded orchard" in Ojai, Ca. This certainly offers some explanation as to why it took so long for someone to resurrect it. Once the car was removed from the orchard it was treated to a full mechanical restoration while it was left in "as found" condition cosmetically.
The result is a car that looks like it was brought back to life yesterday that would fit in perfectly as is in the vintage outlaw Porsche scene or is a candidate for what would likely be one of the easiest 356A restorations undertaken in years. It'll cost you somewhere north of $41,000 to be the one to make the decision regarding the Porsche's future.
Assuming the car's reserve price is somewhere close to the current bid it seems like a relatively fair price for a 356A in this condition to us. Unfortunately that also certainly means we'll have to continue looking (rather hopelessly) behind garages and now, in private orchards, for the ratty 356 project of our dreams.
Watch an amazing fiery burnout from down under [Video]
It's no secret they take their burnouts pretty seriously down under and the results are usually pretty amazing to watch. Luckily for us this burnout is no exception—it has all the smoke and supercharger whine you could hope for, plus the unexpected but welcome addition of fire.
Somehow the owner of this blown 509ci Holden HQ has setup the car so it can do fiery burnouts. We've seen burnouts end in flaming carnage before, but this is the only one we've ever seen start with one. Leave it to the Australians to come up with a way to make it happen.
We're not in the least bit surprised this hoontastic display of fire and smoke won the burnout competition at Kandos Street Machine and Hot Rod show in Australia where this was filmed.
Hat tip to 7shades: uɐıןɐɹʇsnɐ uǝʞoʇ!
Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST
Unfortunate groom crashes Lamborghini on his way to get married [Car Crashes]
Although there's no good time to wreck a rented Lamborghini Gallardo, we'd have to say crashing into a fence when you're already running late for your own wedding is easily one of the worst times for it to occur.
That is exactly what happened to one Australian man yesterday. While the groom and his best man were driving to the church where he planned to exchange vows, the rented Gallardo they were in skidded on a wet road outside Sydney and introduced itself to a wire fence.
Luckily both men were uninjured in the crash. In a move that sounds equal parts romantic and illegal, the groom left the damaged car by the side of the road and continued to the church on foot. At least he had the courtesy to call the company he rented the Lambo from and informed them where they could collect their damaged supercar.
Police claim the car received only minor damage but according to a representative for the company that rented out the car "the damage was worse than expected" and the Gallardo was "almost a write off". Amazingly the police do not currently believe speed was a factor in the accident.
Despite the inconvenient supercar destruction the unidentified groom somehow still managed to arrive in time for his wedding.
Tough driving construction workers are no match for the 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 [Video]
Oldsmobile thought their 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 was tough but they didn't want you to take their word for it. Instead they got a tough talking spokesman dressed up as a construction worker to explain it to you.
From the use of the most pointless jack-hammer we've ever seen, to the high-speed driving on a graded dirt road it was clear the Oldsmobile was at least kind of tough—and if it wasn't their abrasive spokesman was going to half yell at you until it was.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this commercial was the demonstration of the swing away grille, which would move with the bumper when you hit a flat surface, dead straight, at a very low speed. Surely this feature proved frequently useful because those are usually the circumstances under which car accidents occur.
We like the idea of car makers destroying their vehicles to prove a point, but we think Oldsmobile should have significantly increased the amount of automotive abuse content in this vintage commercial if they had really wanted to prove the Delta 88 was "not just another pretty car".
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:15:00 EST
Your Ridiculously Cool Saab 900 Turbo Cutaway Wallpaper Is Here [Car Porn]
I'm a big fan of the cutaway drawing and, simultaneously, the old Saab 900 Turbos. I saw one while I was out jogging yesterday and couldn't help but feel like it made perfect sense to me. I'm not planning on owning a FWD vehicle next, but if I did it would likely be one of these.
The 1600-px version is here and the giganto-desktop version is here.
Have a photo to contribute? Email us at tips at Jalopnik dot com, just make sure you have the rights to share it.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST
COTD: It's Not You, It's Me Edition [Commenter Of The Day]
Sometimes relationships are wonderful, enduring, life-sustaining things. Sometimes they aren't. Eventually you get to the point where you just know: it's not working, it's not happening, you're happier spending time away from someone than with them.
That's fine. It happens. Do what is necessary and try to be at peace. Life goes on.
Sometimes it's something else: a slip, a mistake, a moment of weakness. The frailties of this human existence take many forms and have many repercussions. Sometimes we futilely beg forgiveness, sometimes we live under a cloud of shame, sometimes we turn life into a bleak plain of regret as we try to fathom what we have done.
This Puppy Gets Chauffeured Around In $1.6 Million Bugatti [LOLCars]
Dutch gearhead website Autogespot recently posted a set of pics that takes the hot-blonde-in-a-hot-car cliche in an endearing new direction: a Bugatti Veyron spotted in West Hollywood with a golden retriever in the passenger's seat.
Seeing any Veyron is something of an event, even in car-crazy California. The situation goes to another level entirely when you find one with a golden retriever that apparently leads the golden life in the Golden State.
(Hat tip to slideways!)
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST
Is The New York Times Crossword Puzzle Trolling Car Enthusiasts? [Hoons]
I suspect New York Times Puzzle Wizard Will Shortz was once again showing his weakness with slang when he edited this week's über difficult Friday crossword. Otherwise, he's definitely screwing with car enthusiasts by employing a bit of clue misdirection.
Should you open up todays New York Times and breeze past all the filler and to the most important section you'd see another challenging Friday puzzle. And should you, like reader TheCityGame, know that "Han" is the largest ethnic group in China and "Olga" is the first name of Boris Pasternak's mistress Ivinskaya, then you'd see clue #5 ACROSS, which is a "drifting type," and immediately think "HOON."
It's right there for you. "H-O-?-?" can only spell "HOON" when you're talking about drifting. The word has spread, due in no small part to our assistance, to at least semi-popular culture.
Nope. It's a trap. The correct answer is "HOBO."
Clever, Shortz. Clever.
(Thanks to Julia A. for the scan!)
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:30:00 EST
Officer Dan Says Don't Try Drifting At Home, Kids! [Video]
If you watched all the way through Icon's Motorcycle vs. Car Drift Battle 2 video we posted, you saw one of the cops take a nasty roll during the credits. Icon has thoughtfully brought us the full story of Officer Dan's off-road excursion.
Please remember: Pro videos can be exciting as hell, but the people making them have the option of leaving what didn't work on the cutting-room floor. Real life isn't so easily edited. Let's be careful out there.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST
An Insanely Intense Look At The World’s Cheapest Car [Car Design]
Like lots of car guys, I have a very specific weakness for one particular class of automobile. For many, that weakness is for fast, powerful, luxurious, high-end exotics; for me, as a side effect of a condition known medically as "being a bit of a moron," it's cars at the extreme low end of the spectrum.
Making cars fast and luxurious and gadget-filled is pretty well explored; the real last new frontier in the car industry is making real cars as cheap as possible.
These are pretty exciting time for bottom-feeders such as myself. Where in previous years I had only offerings like the Dacia/Renault Logan to scrutinize, India has been making some big advancements in ultra-low cost automobiles, first with the Tata Nano and now with the recently unveiled Bajaj RE60, which is expected to sell for even less than the Nano, at a planned $2200.
Bajaj is normally known for making the ubiquitous tuk-tuk 3-wheelers that form the backbone of India's motorized fleet. The RE60 is their first foray into 4-wheeled transportation, which they are oddly reluctant to call a car. In fact, the managing director of the company was quoted as actually saying "This is not a car." Frankly, that's absurd. It's a car. I understand they are likely wanting to avoid direct comparisons between the RE60 and more traditional vehicles, but that doesn't make it not a car. It's an incredibly inexpensive car, and built to cut nearly every possible corner, but come on, Bajaj, have some balls. Besides, I really like that thing you don't call a car.
Let's scrutinize the design with way, way, more attention than any rational person outside of India would give, how about? Click through the photos above to see my thoughts.
The design of the RE60 is very similar to the Nano: essentially, a tiny, rear-engined microvan. And it's tiny in every way: 200cc/20hp engine, about a 45 mph top speed, and a tiny thirst: about 70+ mpg. The Nano has a sleeker, more refined look, but I think in terms of achieving the very specific goals of a cheap car for lower-income Indian people, the RE60 has a better design. In some ways, it's a bit more traditional, as it adds a hood to the Nano's one-box design, which is used to provide an extra amount of much needed luggage space. It's a bit more squared off, to maximize interior volume, and, while arguably homely, nevertheless has a certain quirky, almost Gallic charm.
So far there has been almost no information on the details of the construction, so I'm going to make some guesses. I think it's likely to have a very compact powerplant, integrated very tightly with the transmission and mounted right on the rear axle. The rear load floor is above the engine, and engine access is through the floor, VW Type III style. Based on the fuel filler door location, I suspect the fuel tank will be right below the rear seat. I'm speculating on the size/location of the spare and front luggage compartment, but I bet I'm pretty close.
My one big complaint with the design has to do with the headlights. The general design theme of an angled-corner sort of vaguely circuit board trace-inspired look – not unlike the design vocabulary of a Kia Soul– I think generally works to tie all the elements together, but on a vehicle this narrow, the wide headlights are a mistake. They just make the whole car look even narrower. I'd replace them with similar shaped but vertically oriented units. Look at that drawing; I think it works better. I'm not even going to pretend that anyone at Bajaj is going to give this even the slightest rat's rectum about this, but maybe some of you will appreciate it.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST
British Comedian Draws Ayrton Senna On Used Envelope [Car Art]
This is Noel Fielding’s take on the iconic color combination of white, red, yellow, green and black better known as Ayrton Senna driving the wheels off one of his McLarens, drawn upside down in felt-tipped pen on the back of a Royal Mail envelope for The Guardian. Fielding, who discussed his artistic influences, referred to Senna as enigmatic and spiritual and called his racing “almost like an act of poetry."
Although it has to be said that to my crayon-biased eyes, Fielding’s drawing looks suspiciously like Crayola. Do Brits use Crayola? Perhaps only the kind of Brits whose stand-up comedy is influenced by Ayrton Senna and who then call the output felt-tipped pen.
BMW-Named Cold Front Kills 114 In Europe [Ad Watch]
In one of the more tragic cases of fun PR gone very wrong, BMW has apologized after a Mini-sponsored weather pattern named "Cooper" turned into a brutal deep freeze that so far has killed over a hundred people in Eastern Europe.
The storm's temperature has dipped down to the mid-twenties below zero Fahrenheit, shattering records from Poland down through the Balkan Peninsula and leaving tens of thousands at severe risk. Massive snowfalls have isolated mountain villages in Serbia. Current predictions say the front could linger through the end of February.
BMW's PR office had signed up for the weather-naming program run by the German meteorological office and unintentionally ended up with the Arctic monstrosity. People were encouraged to follow the front's progress online before the death toll started climbing. A low-pressure front is scheduled to be called "Minnie" later this year, but there is now some debate about the wisdom of risking Nature's wrath again.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST
Ferrari's 2012 F1 Car Is An Ugly Fast Duckling [Formula One]
Caving to the wave of backlash over its now-aborted five-seater prototype, Ferrari has hastily redesigned its F1 car overnight, resulting in this ugly little duckling, the F2012. Force India unveiled its own duck-billed racecar as well. Click through for in-depth details on these machines.
According to Ferrari, "The car is due to undergo a very intensive development programme over the first part of the season, especially on the aerodynamic front." Jalopnik's sources within Ferrari, who may or may not be figments of my imagination, believe this process will involve a lumberjack attacking the car with an axe. We expect this to be a highly successful effort to improve the car's front end aesthetics.
Force India also unveiled its new Mercedes-powered car, the VJM05. According to Jalopnik's unnamed source, who is definitely not a house plant, Force India's designers "looked to organic forms for aerodynamic inspiration. They chose the surprisingly fluid-dynamic platypus, and the whole Force India team took a four-month retreat to eastern Australia to collect data on these reclusive beasts."
We are going to say that we love both of these designs and cherish them as masterpieces, in the hopes that one of these teams reads this and gives us pit passes to the upcoming US Grand Prix in Austin, TX.
M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls” Video Brings Arab Drifting To The Masses [Video]
It's called hagwalah and nine times out of ten you've seen it in grainy cell phone video shot from the side of a Saudi highway, but now it's the high-def backdrop of M.I.A.'s surprisingly car-centric video, shot in the Middle East.
Finally, the car selection is really perfect: instead of supercars sittin' sideways, cruising at five miles an hour, we get ‘90s BMWs, Mercs and one dirty Alfa Romeo 156, all spinning like tops through the desert. There's even a see-through Peugeot 404 wagon. It's like the director had been reading Jalopnik's music video wish list or something.
We all remember our first car, and although few of us still have it — even fewer of us probably were thoughtful enough to tell that car how we felt about it. But Kelcie Moseley did just that at Thought Catalog. Here's the letter she sent. Write your own in the comments below. —Ed.
Dear Car,
I have owned you since my junior year of high school, which was a full six years ago. You were everything I wanted — cute, affordable, approved by my mother and, most importantly, you were a car. That's all I really cared about.
But I didn't know you would become such a symbol of the past six years of my life. When we first met, I was a shadow of the girl who drives you now. And now it has come time for us to part ways; time to close that chapter of my life and start anew with one of those young whippersnappers who doesn't yet know how to be as faithful and loyal as you have been. But I can't trade you in tomorrow before telling you a few things.
Thank you for getting me to and from school every day, to a place I hated with people I loved. Thank you for safely transporting them with me wherever we chose to go, and for tolerating our loud music and awful singing. And for believing me when I thought they would all be my friends forever.
Thanks for letting me dance like an idiot when a boy asked me out for the first time, and for letting me cry on your steering wheel when he told me we were better as friends. And I know there was really nothing you could do, but why'd you let me make out with those boys I didn't like who weren't right for me? Couldn't you have given me a hint or something? I guess you offered reflections of me in your mirrors. Maybe I just chose not to see.
For accompanying me on my soul-searching year in California, I can never truly express my gratitude. That year changed my life in more ways than I can count, and if it weren't for you braving Sacramento traffic with me for an hour each day, listening to me sob over getting lost, and bringing me to the job I detested, I wouldn't have found my way to where I am now. You stretched yourself for thousands of miles so I could figure myself out.
In the last few years of our time together, you've watched me change the most. You took me from Sacramento to Idaho, but we both know you took me much further than that. You led me to my career, to lifelong friends, to a person I truly love, and to an organization I will never forget. You brought me to my future, regardless of where it goes from here.
Thank you for never giving up on me. And please know that I am not giving up on you. I just need you to do me this one last favor and let me close out our chapter.
Panicked Driver Destroys $165,000 Of Superbikes [Video]
A woman in Kuala Lumpur crashed into a store full of superbikes after having already reversed into three other cars. Frightened and confused after the initial crashes, she accelerated straight into the bike storefront, causing an estimated $165,000 in damages.
The incident occurred this Monday, and we are willing to believe that the driver, who is in her 50s, was thoroughly out of her mind. She repeatedly accelerates and reverses while in the store itself, burning rubber the entire time. We do not know if the driver sustained any injuries, but those bikes are toast.
What's The Greatest Dyno Video Of All Time? [Video]
We live in a numbers-obsessed era. We want to see measured proof of a car's awesomeness. If we can see and hear that awesomeness being measured, so much the better. What's the best dyno pull that's ever been captured on video?
This is a short-and-sweet personal favorite: no fancy dramatics, no side plots, just a perfectly-tuned three-liter V8 revving like the world's most evil chainsaw and lunging against the straps with each upshift. I'd love to see the graph that resulted from this run, but for now I'll try to figure out how to make my alarm clock play this in the morning.
(QOTD is your chance to answer the day's most pressing automotive questions and experience the opinions of the insightful insiders, practicing pundits and gleeful gearheads that make up the Jalopnik commentariat. If you've got a suggestion for a good "Question Of the Day" send an email to tips at jalopnik dot com.)
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST
Ten Car Colors That Need To Make A Comeback [Answers Of The Day]
The world is a vibrant, multi-hued place — but you'd never know that by looking at most automotive showrooms. We need more intensity and variety on the streets. Right now anyone with a little creativity and enough money in their checking account can get whatever color they want. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the colors that need to make a comeback.
Welcome back to Answers of the Day — our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Brown may be the trendy throwback, but orange really deserves the love. This is how you brighten up the streets. Especially with the move towards smaller cars – wouldn't a Fiesta or a Mazda 2 be a natural for this? BMW's preferred shade toned down the intensity just a bit while still keeping the character. Your Vitamin C intake goes up just by looking at it.
Why it deserves its day in the sun: The Swedes must have wanted the visual equivalent of espresso to help stave off seasonal-affective disorder. They got it with this glowing dark-orange shade that made the square-edged wagons burst and the rounder C70 shimmer like a semiprecious stone.
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Brown is the official trendy missing color right now. The reality is that most cars look, well, crappy in brown. That most stolid of earthtones needs some spark and radiance to really work – shift the effect toward a serious bronze and the effect goes from soil to stunning. Mercedes had a great one in the Seventies; BMW's recent take is even better.
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Forget what you think about the car itself. Chrysler's people cooked up a perfectly appropriate hot-rod shade of purple for their retro roadster. For something that wants to bring attitude that insinuates and hedonistically charms without being shocking, this is a sweetly psychedelic groove.
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Bright enough to not seem moody, intense enough to avoid pastel flimsiness, Chevrolet's serious sky blue is a natural on high-flying Corvettes but would be a welcome dose of fresh air in many other places as well. You can get it, but it's rare we see the color on non-press cars.
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Once the go-to color for hot rodders, candy-apple red lost traction after the Seventies. It's time for a comeback, and not just for retro reasons; that wet-look crimson manages to split traditional red's vibrancy with burgundy's decadence without being either too blatant or too dark, and adds its own twist to the fun as well.
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Stronger than Jetstream Blue, a statement in a world of metallics, Audi's particularly vivid color choice doesn't work on everything – a Porsche 911 done in it just looks like a blue blob – but on something with the details and accents of an S4 it's fantastic.
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Less lollipop-like than the Prowler's purple, BMW's take on this most emotionally complicated of colors successfully shuts down bad stereotypes and comes off as a brilliant blend of maturity and just a bit of flamboyance. It'll never be a top-five pick, but it would be terrific to see as an individualistic option.
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Various shades of blue-green were very popular in the Nineties. As a fashion it ran its course, but as a legitimate choice it definitely still has its place. It's a natural for hybrids and other Earth-conscious rides, it's an enjoyable shift up from straight blue, it's terrifically agreeable without being bland. We need less bland. We need this one.
Why it deserves its day in the sun: Red is still commonly available. Navy blue tends to show up with some frequency. What happened to dark green? In a world that defults to red for exciting cars and gray for everything else, it's a perfect mix of life, stylishness, speed, and formality. Some companies still understand its charms; many others should as well.
Chevy Super Bowl Ad: You Will Die If You Buy A Ford [Video]
Dropping any artifice of civility in the back-and-forth sniping between Chevy and Ford, this year's Silverado ad comes out and says what they've only been wiling to say behind closed doors: buy our competitors vehicle and you will die. You will be dead. Six-feet under. And your family. You will all die a horrible terrible death.
You know how dead you're going to be Ford owner? So dead you couldn't even get a bit part on The Walking Dead. Deader than Abe Vigoda. As dead as Bob's Big Boy. The deadest. A spaceship will fall on your family, your daughter will get the plague. And you deserve to die. For buying a Ford. Chevy tried to warn you. They did. They said bad things would happen if you got the truck with the "man step" and the price you pay is GM collects your head.
Hope you had a good life. I hope you enjoyed SYNC. Don't bother calling OnStar. They can't help you now. Because now you're dead. As dead as the company that made those delicious Twinkies all the Chevy truck owners are enjoying. But unlike Chevy, you're not getting a bailout.
Because you're dead.
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST
New Motor Trend Editor In Childish Facebook Slap Fight With Professional Internet Troll [Motor Trend]
After Motor Trend's Jonny Lieberman found himself the victim of a savage Facebook LOLing by professional automotive internet troll Jack Baruth, newly-annointed Motor Trend editor-in-chief Edward Loh jumped to his beleaguered number two's defense. It's not pretty.
Displaying a clear ignorance of official Internet rules and regulations, the still wet-behind-the-ears Loh broke the first rule of troll defense - don't feed 'em. The result? An epic slap-fight not seen since that one time our own Ray Wert and Loh's predecessor Angus MacKenzie went at it in the Detroit Auto Show press room four years ago — and I came to his defense at the Firehouse later that night.
(I'm going to take the boring parts out and skip to the fun — Ed.)
Jonny Lieberman:Writing for Motor Trend Classic takes up about 1/4 of my professional time. For all involved, it's a labor of love. Sadly, because it really is a hard-to-find, expensive and print-only book, lots of my friends never get to see what we're up to. However, we just made the decision to — when aporpos — share some Classic content online. So, I present THIS!
[…]
Jack Baruth If only we had men with the work ethic of the Motor Trend Classic staff here in Marysville. I could easily see getting a few cars out the door by the end of the month, pretty much every month. When I think of the hard work involved in driving someone else's car around for a bit, taking photographs of it, and then being aporpos, I literally shudder.
At this point, surely you're pulling some kind of Joaquin Phoenix thing, right?
Ed Loh Ah yes, those hard working blokes in Marysville. Between cashing checks in the service of a major automotive company, they somehow find the time to take potshots at journalists they are clearly jealous of, glibly copy edit the Faceook posts of said journalists, and pen poorly written diatribes about the navel gazing topic du jour. DONG! (<—- did I do that right?)
Jack Baruth That would be "journalists of whom they are clearly jealous," Hemingway
Jack Baruth And shut the fuck up when grown men are talking.
Ed Loh Awww. Seems I struck a nerve. Sorry Jack, I'll dial it back.
Jack Baruth It's just that I really want you to shut up so you can get moving on the tough work of getting next month's Motor Trend Classic into Barnes&Noble... so they can send 90% of them back.
Ed Loh Even if we sold but one issue of MT Classic, that would be more of a contribution to the greater (automotive enthusiast) good than your constant stream of bilious nonsense. Instead talking out of your thin-skinned ass, why don't you stick to maintaining the stability of Honda's network infrastructure and writing secret Jonny Lieberman mash notes. It gives him a giggle, which, in turn, makes me happy.
Jack Baruth It took you three hours and forty minutes to craft that response? No wonder it takes all month to make Motor Trend Classic.
Jack Baruth Oh, and nice job "liking" your own response. You can't drive and you can't write. Your only talent is sucking cock CHEVY VOLT CAR OF THE YEAR AWWWW YEAH.
Ed LohIt takes three months to make Classic.
Ed Loh A year has 12 months. Motor Trend Classic is a quarterly. Honda IT is apparently seriously fucked.
Jack Baruth Not as fucked as your mom. Do something.
Jack Baruth For a guy who can barely rewrite a press release, you can sure throw a softball.)
Ed Loh As follow up to "Yer Mom" jokes, sys admin Baruth will extend a finger and ask you to pull it!
Jack Baruth would rather be a sysadmin than do your job. It pays better, I don't have to suck anybody off, and I don't have people refusing free subscriptions to my magazine. You have the unique distinction of being unqualified to run the worst mag in the business. Fuck you, fuck your mom, and when I see you in person I am going to put your bitch ass in check. Peace out, PR girl.
Ed Loh Aww, leaving so soon? I was just getting going. :0( A thin-skinned, self-hating, negative-Nancy, potty mouth sure, but a quitter as well? I thought all Honda employees were instilled with Japanese fighting spirit.
Ed Loh Oh and please identify yourself before acting upon your threat. Jonny told me a lot about you today, but I still have no idea what you look like and would hate to miss having my "bitch ass" checked. Ganbatte!
Jack Baruth Your casual racism aside, I am not a Honda employee. Honda Manufacturing is one of two dozen clients for whom I've done consulting work in the past couple of years. Let me tell you something serious: building cars is hard work. If my people were as low-performance as yours, there wouldn't be any cars on the lots. I have a lot of pride in some of the Marysville crew. How much pride do you have in anything you've done?
Ed Loh Now wait a minute, you mean this whole time I've been besmirching Honda's fine reputation by assuming you were a full time employee? Shit. Sorry, Honda. My sincerest apologies to everyone at HRA. I stand corrected.
Jack Baruth HRA doesn't build cars. They're the ones who write your articles for you.
Ed Loh Now I'm really confused, Mr. Part Time Sys Admin. You have people? And they build cars too? But where do you find the time to be the legendary Internet Billy Badass Baruth?
Ed Loh Especially between dropping f-yo-momma-bomblets and threats of imminent beatdowns...
Jack Baruth Edward, I think my Facebook is broken, it isn't showing the response of yours where you told me you have pride in what you've accomplished at Motor Trend. That *is* the case, right? This is your full time job. It represents the best you can do, presumably. Are you proud of what you've done?
As for a beatdown, I have no intention of hitting you. I don't hit women, children, or little people.
Ed Loh Hey PTSA, here's a suggestion: when you want someone to take you seriously and answer your questions, it's better not to preface such requests with "fuck your Mom" and "I'm gonna check your bitch ass." Such commentary tends to lower the discourse. I owe you nothing but my pity. Which you have.
Jack Baruth You're afraid to answer the question. You don't have the guts to stand behind your work. One more chance: Is what's happening at Motor Trend the best you can do? Yes or no? Answer the question.
Ed Loh Part Time, I've been told the appropriate response here is DONG! I don't know what it means but it gives Jonny the giggles so it must be good.
Ed Loh Wait, was that my LAST chance to answer your question? Shit.
Jack Baruth Tomorrow's headline on TTAC: "Motor Trend Editor In Chief: 'I'm Not Proud Of What I Write.'" Any reply?
Ed Loh Yes. Is this another empty "check your bitch ass" threat?" If so, I accept.
Ed Loh And what is a TTAC?
Jack Baruth It's like Motor Trend Classic, only people read it. Jonny will fill you in; he used to work there.
Ed Loh That's weird. I thought he came from Autoblog. He never mentioned this TTAC.
Jack Baruth So you're one of those hands-on Editors-In-Chief.
And that's where it ended 11 hours ago, with Loh apparently learning that squaring off with Baruth is like trying to fight with a feces-covered bear trap — you can only win by not playing.
Somewhere, in Vermont's St. Albans penitentiary, there's a prisoner feeling pretty damn good about himself. Not because of a well-formed shiv or a found cigarette, but because of a really sublime prank: he snuck a pig into the state seals that adorn Vermont's police cars.
As we all know, a pig is a slur for the police, hence the zinger. The prison, in addition to license plates and stationery, produces the adhesive seals used on the police cars. The Vermont state seal includes, predictably, a cow, and it is in the pattern of said cow's spots the unknown prison artist incorporated the well-rendered silhouette of a pig. Initial information suggest about 36 decals are already affixed to vehicles.
Good burn, jailbird. Good burn.
(Thanks to everyone for the tip!)
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST
Clint Eastwood's Chrysler Super Bowl Ad, The 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible, And Ford's Boob Problem [Video]
This is the Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parcel it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?
1st Gear: Clint Eastwood To Lecture Country In Chrysler Super Bowl Ad
We all remember Chrysler's brilliant Eminem commercial from last year's Super Bowl, right? Now, multiple sources this morning tell us Chrysler not only plans to air a two-minute Super Bowl commercial but that the ad is expected to star none other than actor Clint Eastwood giving the country what the Wall Street Journal is calling — a pep talk. They do know that Ford built the Gran Torino, right?
2nd Gear: 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible Drops Top Next Week In Chicago
Although some auto blogs and magazines seemed to believe the 2013 Shelby GT500 convertible was going to see its top drop at the Detroit Auto Show, we were the first to tell you you'd have to wait. Luckily, it won't be for long. You'll see the GT500 Convertible revealed officially this week at the Chicago Auto Show. Because the "Windy City" in Winter is always my first choice for top-down motoring.
3rd Gear: How Did Mini Beat Smart?
This morning, Bloomberganswers this question: How did BMW's Mini beat the Mercedes Smart car? We could have answered it in two words: Rear seats. Done. What's next?
4th Gear: Jaguar May Build An Even Faster Pussycat Autocar says that Jaguar is seriously considering a hotter ‘S' version of the Jaguar XFR super sedan. Company insiders tell the car-lad mag that they believe the 503 hp XFR is "a bit outgunned" by new rivals such as the 552 hp BMW M5 and 549 hp Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, or hell, even the Cadillac CTS-V. Which is why they're claiming Jaguar plans to retaliate with an even faster pussycat badged the XFR-S.
5th Gear: Infiniti will unveil a new sports car concept called the EMERG-E at the Geneva Motor Show. It should be a range-extended electric concept (i.e. Volt-like hybrid). Stylistically, expect something similar to the Infiniti Etherea Concept without the crossover shape or sleepy eyelids. The concept looks to be the first mid-engined Infiniti ever built.
6th Gear: Ford Has A Boob Problem
Ford's had a long-standing deal with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. They call it "Warriors in Pink." Now the automaker's getting absolutely trashed on its Facebook page for continuing their relationship in the wake of the foundation's decision to kill funding for Planned Parenthood because of political ridiculousness. Sorry, but this isn't about politics, it's about boobs. You know, like those who might be affiliated with Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Like Ford.
Reverse:
⏎ Painful farewell to Saab's heritage. [Detroit News]
⏎ Chrysler adds 1,800 jobs to build Dodge Dart. [USA Today]
⏎ Studebaker name revived by Colorado company. [AutoGuide]
Today in Automotive History:
On February 3, 2006, "The World's Fastest Indian," a movie based on the true story of motorcycle racer and land-speed record holder Burt Munro, opens in U.S. theaters. The film starred Anthony Hopkins as Munro, the sexagenarian who in the 1960s set several land-speed records on his modified 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. [History]
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Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST
For $16,000, This Corvette Should Come With Miles Of Orange Track [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]
The 1965 Mako Shark II concept car previewed the styling direction of the C3 Corvette, albeit with greater exaggeration. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe '71 Coupe is claimed to be a MACO - whatever that is — but will its price take too big a bite out of its buyer's wallet?
While the styling of the Mako II roughly paralleled that the ensuing '68 ‘Vette, other approximations frequently miss the mark. Take Taco Bell for instance, their food - while damn tasty and an excellent diuretic - only bares a passing resemblance to real Mexican food.
And if that puts you in the mood for a trip to get some real Mexican food, you might want to take a real Mexican car, such as yesterday's 1997 VW Bug imported and currently living la vida loca in the U.S.. A narrow 53% of you gave it the Nice Price nod, so I hope you're hungry.
I once ate at a friend's restaurant where the table ordered a bottle of Chianti which the server seemed incapable of pronouncing correctly. She kept referring to it as Chi -anti like you would say Chia-pet, causing us to eventually order a Merlot. I bring this up in as a likely corollary to the seller of today's 1971 Corvette Coupe referring to it repeatedly as a MACO.
You say Maco, I say Mako, let's call the whole Vette off. Off that is as in there's something different about your car, Mrs. Gump. Starting on the outside, this C3 has an exaggerated drop to its pointy nose and fender lines that most closely resemble the cheekbones of comic book Batman's nemesis, the Joker. Side pipes may threaten ankles upon exit, and out back the roofline's flying buttresses have flown the coupe in favor of a louvered fastback. Oh, and the whole thing is painted to give Prince a cargasm even despite his proclivity for Corvettes both diminutive and dog peen hued.
Once you get inside you'll find more velour than a ‘70s porn set and a stick shift actuated via a chrome piston shift knob. There's a lot more WTF? going on in there, but much of it cannot be sufficiently described with mere words.
That Piston shifter is claimed to be attached to a 5-speed out of a Mazda spider which I assume to mean an MX-5 Miata. An odd choice no mistaking, but at least it's not an automatic. The engine is a 350 topped by a Rochester 4BBL, and farting through a set of headers to the aforementioned side exhausts. The real Mako II sported a 427 and while the seller says this car's rebuilt SBC was overbored, there's no way it bored into big block territory. He also claims that aside from the heater core, it is tight and leak-free. Sure, the core is not part of the engine, but then this ad is full of incongruities so it's best to let that one slide.
Other issues are the Mazda box jumping out of fourth and a lack of any sort of odometer making mileage tallying something you'd have to do using Google maps and a good memory.
So far - aside from the title of this post - I have resisted bring up the fact that this ‘Vette looks like a giant Hot Wheels car, which alone warrants its purchase. Thing of it is, you could probably find a suitable doppelganger for this car blister-packed at your local Toys Fart Us, for around five bucks. This one, albeit drivable and more of a grownup plaything, requires $16,000 to go in your toybox garage. What do you think, is that a hot deal for these Hot Wheels? Or, is this a Vette you wouldn't buy on a bet?
Your Ridiculously Cool Chevelle SS 396 Wallpaper is here [Car Porn]
These days the most exciting mid-size sedans are vehicles like the Kia Optima Turbo which, at least, has some spark of life. But once there were mid-size sedans with options like a 396 c.i. V8 or four-barrel carbs. You know, the good old days.
The 1600-px version is here and the giganto-desktop version is here.
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Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST
COTD: Applewood-Smoked Edition [Commenter Of The Day]
I am waiting for the day when someone passionate and knowledgeable completely gets on my case about my occasional offhand use of the word "barbecue." I want someone to do this. I want to be interrogated about whether I'm talking specifically about dry rub or Carolina vinegar-based or Kansas City or whatever.
And no, grilling is NOT barbecuing.
Regional differences are fun. People are creative and adaptive. A twist here, an implemented opinion there, and the world is a richer and better place for it. Okay, so having someone get on a soapbox isn't always the best expression of brotherhood, but better that than a bland uniformity like too many silver sedans.
Same with cars. Who's to say why certain people like certain things? Manufacturers just have to pay attention and work with it, and hopefully it'll add flavor to their whole product line. Like with Kate's Dirty Sister prepping recipes for two Lamborghini show appearances:
Kia Track'ster Concept: A Small Car With Soul [Chicago Auto Show]
Kia is set to debut this tall-boy Track'ster concept at the Chicago Auto Show next week, showing off what the company's California design studio can do and giving us an idea what the next Kia Soul will look like.
The Track'ster will put out 247 horsepower from a four-cylinder engine of unknown size, which will be a major improvement given the current generation doesn't appear to have a motor of any kind. It also looks pretty crazy and weird. Even if the two-door doesn't go into production, it should give us a glimpse of Kia's design direction.
Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST
It's Hard To See Your Shadow When You're Hauling Ass [Video]
Are you sick of all the non-automotive related thinking you have to do in relation to Groundhog Day? Sure, it's fun we entrust a marmot or whatever to handle our global weather control, but dammit, nobody even brings up cars when talking about them. Yes, Bill Murray let one crash a Ford F-150 in the movie, but beyond that, it's all shadow observations and holes in the ground. Until now.
Here's a really fun groundhog/automotive tie in, decades old, largely forgotten, but due for a comeback: The Dunlop Groundhog!
The Dunlop Groundhog was the mascot of a line of crossply tires from Dunlop– that "crossply" adjective should give you a good idea of the era we're talking about. These may have been a UK market-only thing as well; regardless, America needs it now. A groundhog makes a pretty good tire mascot, at least in name, and that seems to be the mascot's M.O.: hog that ground!
The mascot itself sort of resembles a proboscis monkey/bunny/cyborg hybrid, but I think he's pretty cute. And these old ads are awesome, from back in the day when simple, charming animation was the norm, a far cry from today's impressive but overproduced CG pap. Here, watch a bunch of them:
They sorta remind me of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. That's a good thing. So, happy fast, car/marmot mutant Groundhog Day!
Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:30:00 EST
How Honda Fought Heather Peters In Small Claims Court [Honda Civic Hybrid]
Little guy: 1. Honda: 0. That's the results from Round One of Honda v. Civic Hybrid Owner. Which isn't to say that Honda didn't make a valiant effort. And we've got the 120-page evidence packet they submitted to prove it. So how exactly did Honda try to take down Heather Peters?
Honda tried to dismiss Peters' assertions on multiple fronts, of which we will highlight a few. They called her $10,000 claim "ridiculous." They stood behind the independent testing that lead to the EPA numbers. "We have no choice; we have to put these numbers on the label," Honda's representative in court, Neil Schmidt, who had worked his way up from mechanic to litigation consultant for Honda over the years.
They further vouched that the largest determinant on what kind of fuel economy you got was how you drove it. Honda said they never heard from Peters about her unhappiness with the car until November and after she filed her suit they "immediately offered to inspect her vehicle and work with her on the findings, but those offers were rejected."
Comparing Peters problems to what they say are "many" Civic Hybrid owners who have written in pleased about their fuel economy, Honda said in their court filing that "Ms. Peters' asserted difficulties do not reflect any broader problem, and provide no basis for any recovery."
They also said that Heather should have noticed she wasn't getting the mileage she expected within a few months of purchase and brought it in for service, rather than filing suit five years after the fact, saying that she had "slept on her rights."
Furthermore, because Peters had her car serviced by a Honda dealer rather than Honda itself, Honda said it was not responsible for any mis-diagnosis the dealer may have made because, "AHM's dealers are independent businesses over which AHM itself has very little control." Honda attacked the basis for how Peters calculated her damages, calling them "conjectural" and that what she claimed to be a diminished resale value constituted "an unidentified stigma."
In their conclusion, Honda wrote that "Ms. Peters has proved neither liability nor damages, and thus has provided no basis for any award in this action. At most, this Court should award Peters what she would have received as part of the class settlement in San Diego."
The case has generated a lot of knee-jerk negative criticism of the plaintiff that trots out the usual tort-reformist tropes. "That's what you get it in a litigious society." "Great, just what frivolous lawsuits need: more encouragement." "Whatever happened to YMMV?" etc. But it's dangerous to whip those statements out without looking at the unique underlying facts of this specific case.
Consider: when it came out, the car was EPA rated 50 mpg combined, 49 mpg city and 51 mpg highway. Consumer Reports called these figures, "quite optimistic," and their testers achieved 37 mpg overall, 26 mpg city and 47 mpg highway. That's bad enough on its own, but that isn't the sole basis of Heather Peter's small claims suit (or that of the class action lawsuit she opted out of participating in). On top of that, Honda has come out and said that the battery on their '06-'08 hybrids "may deteriorate and eventually fail" faster than it's supposed to. Honda encouraged owners to get a software upgrade that was supposed to fix the battery issue, but what many Honda owners allege is that since the software update their mpg has actually dropped even further. "When the battery pack can't be charged to full capacity, the car relies more on the gas engine and fuel economy suffers," the Los Angeles Times reported.
Revised EPA figures came out in '08 that adjusted the rating on '06 Civic Hybrids down to 42 mpg combined, with 40 mpg city and 45 mpg highway.
"The revisions the EPA made to its fuel economy ratings have brought their numbers closer to what we feel car owners, in general, will experience in the real world," said Consumer Reports, while still noting that "even still, there can be notable variance with hybrids, particularly in city driving."
So based merely on Honda's statements and official government pronouncements, the Honda Civic Hybrid does not live up to the performance promised at the time it was sold.
This case is not about people who run their air conditioner too much and then complain they don't get the sticker mpg, or that "all hybrids" "suck" and engage in smoke and mirrors when it comes to mpg, because other hybrids do not have as great a disparity as this between the advertised EPA and what consumers are actually able to achieve on the road. And therefore, people who bought one thing and paid a certain price, and instead got something of lower quality, are entitled to seek monetary redress to make up the difference.
