By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

As usual, the Classically-Tough Trivia Quiz puzzled many of the best automotive minds. Like in previous years, after sifting through the submissions in the Sound Classics inbox, we found the average score was well under ten points.

That’s where “usual” stopped and Classically-Tough “firsts” began. For the first time in the CTTQ’s history, the contest was won a) by a non-American and b) by a person lacking a Y-chromosome.

Continue reading after the jump.

Continue reading "Sound Classics Crowns New King…Make That New Queen Of Car Trivia" »

By David Belau

dartslantsix

Last week I wrote about how I picked a donor car for my independent rear suspension (IRS) project. I scored an IRS out of a 1993 Thunderbird Supercoupe, which included an 8.8 differential and disc brakes. This rear end is strong and has plenty of after-market support. So this week I’m going to talk about how I built my subframe. Continue reading…

Continue reading "1966 Dart GT IRS Project Journal Part 2" »

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

Ron Harnish, of Scottsdale, Arizona, said back when he sent us photos of a Mustang sedan delivery that the crazy stuff starts to come out of the woodwork just prior to the January auctions, and he proved that statement in a heartbeat when he sent us these photos of Jack Holt’s Screaming Eagle, a completely hand-fabricated, two-seat, mid-engined diesel RV capable of bouncing your bullets back atcha. “I think this is taking two people transportation to the limit,” Ron said. Continue reading at Hemmings

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

This is honestly something that would never happen today. We hear people say that a lot, and most of the time it’s a figure of speech, but if you proposed this idea in a pitch meeting today, you’d be fired on the spot. This photo, which you’ve undoubtedly done a double or triple take at, and convinced yourself that it was the result of a camera trick, is real. That is actually a Nitro Funny Car and a Top Fuel Dragster hooked together and pulling against each other at full throttle. Seriously. Continue reading at Freiburger’s Junkyard

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

Rolling on with my Tokyo Auto Salon coverage, it’s time to look at this year’s Honda showing. You have probably already seen photos of the cars displayed by Mugen and by Honda itself, but there plenty of other cool H-badged vehicles at TAS ’09. I thought I’d start with the Tamon Design “Zaku” S2000 which was part of the Ray’s Wheel both. This car has been in the making for over a year, and the finished product is really something. Read/see more at Speedhunters

By Mike Garrett

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

If you’re single and never shop, you might want to consider a Myers Electric. I found it in the environmental display downstairs at Cobo. It’s a one-seater that claims over 100mpg, charges in a 110V outlet, and goes about 50 miles per charge at up to 76mph. That makes the three-wheeler highway-legal in the US. Another pic after the jump.

Continue reading "Myers Electric" »

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

Mark Vann is the director of Project Driveway at GM, the program that has gotten over thirty fuel cell vehicles into the hands of everyday Americans. The program is active in New York and L.A. and has logged over a half million miles on the test vehicles. The fuel tank on this thing holds 4.2kg of hydrogen, which is equivalent to about 4 gallons of gas and good for an EPA-rated 38/46 and 168 miles. Drivers are getting up to 230 miles per tank, so maybe the EPA is having issues. Top speed is “somewhat higher than 100mph” according to Vann. Like the other electric drive vehicles, the Equinox has a power draw gauge instead of a traditional tach. NVH is almost non-existent due to the lack of sprung rotating mass. GM has developed a way to do water extraction in the fuel cell to insure the stack can start up in cold conditions. High tech!

Continue reading "Fuel Cell Equinox" »

By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

The good thing about going to car shows is that it is always a good opportunity to catch up with old friends. At the Kustom Nationals on Sunday I caught up with my friend Dale, who I got to know many years ago when we both started selling cars for a living. He showed me his ’68 VW Beetle. It’s rough around the edges and he had it pegged as a parts car when he bought it. However as he spent more time with the car things just didn’t add up in regard to the options and specs. It turns out that it’s what they used to refer to as a Standard. This means it was the base model econobox of its day. It has a 1200 motor, limited trim and less chrome than you would find on a normal Beetle. The really interesting thing is that very few have survived. Because they were the base model of the day, the ones that were sold have been picked over, written off and modified out of existence. So although it’s not an expensive car, it’s a rare one. And according to Dale it’s definitely a keeper. So when did you realize you had something special sitting in your garage or drive?

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

I drove the Mitsubishi i-MiEV battery electric vehicle around the basement of Cobo Hall. The i-MiEV is based on the MiEV concept shown about two years ago. The sheet metal bears no resemblance, but the propulsion system is pretty much what they envisioned from the start. It’s powered by a 16kW lithium ion battery pack and weighs around 2400 pounds. It’s going on sale in Japan in the summer of 2009—beating the Volt. The gauge cluster is neat—it shows power draw and recharge instead of a traditional tachometer. Pretty cool for a tiny little box.

Continue reading "Mitsubishi i-MiEV BEV" »

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

The Chrysler 200C is cool and all, but I think the wheels are on a whole ‘nother level. They’re forged aluminum in a seven split spoke design using Alcoa’s new finishing technology on the polished surfaces. The interiors of the tuning forks are matte finish instead of brushed or (gaack) painted green. I’m completely ga-ga in love with these wheels. They are perfect. See a detail shot after the jump.

Continue reading "Serious Alcoa Forged Wheels on 200C" »