By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

With the exception of the Shelby Cobra—which was kind of like a kit car anyway—replicas have never really appealed to me. The way I see it, the cool factor of driving something like a Lamborghini or a Ferrari is going to be completely lost when you have to tell people it isn’t real, and most gearheads are going to be able to spot a fake from 50 blogs away. So I was totally ready to mock this F430 Scuderia Project—until I figured out that the dude wasn’t using a kit, but making the molds and panels himself. That’s not to say I think this looks like an F430—the proportions are completely off—and even if it did, the MR2′s engine note would give it away immediately. But there was obviously a lot of work put in here, and the odds that the owner will be able to find a buyer who has the fabrication skills necessary to finish this are about as good as his being able to afford an actual Cavallino. You can read the original ad here. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Craigslist Find: MR2 F430 Scuderia Project" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Nope, that’s not a joke: The New York Times is reporting that the venerable East German crap-box is set to return as an all-electric car. IndiKar’s Ronald Gerschewski says the new Trabant will “Be simple, practical, and in the old tradition of the original, but it won’t be a retro model.” The concept isn’t set to be revealed until the Frankfurt Auto Show, but if we read between the lines, we can determine that the modern vehicle will have updated styling—courtesy of model making firm, Herpa—boast dismal performance numbers, worse reliability and be assembled by uninspired, paranoid workers under the careful eyes of the Stasi. Unfortunately, it will be unavailable in North America. Head over to the New York Times for more info.

By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

The restoration process on the 1979 Chevy K10 has officially begun. If you read the last installment, you know I already Photochopped a picture to establish what I want it to look like (black and silver two-tone), but now it’s time to get off the computer, get out the tools and implement the game plan.

The plan is pretty simple — something I’ve heard hundreds of times from other collectors: “just do the prep work yourself and then have Maaco spray it.” The premise actually makes sense. Maaco employs people who day-in and day-out use a steady hand to spray in the same quality booth as the high-price shops. Where they usually fail is in skimping on the bodywork and prep. So to get the best of both worlds, the collector does all the body work and prep and Maaco sprays. Sure, they also use cheap paint, but how much worse can it possibly be than 1979 Chevy OEM?

Okay, considering I’ve really never done serious bodywork or prep, there is some doubt to the results. It will either come out with a great bang-for-the-buck exterior or it will suck worse than Matt LeBlanc’s Friends spin-off.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "The 1979 Chevy K10 Starts Its Striptease" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Ok, so I was pretty darn excited when I opened up the box from Motorbooks and saw this new Mopar book by Mike Mueller. I really like the way the book is organized, the pics are great, and I was especially happy to see production numbers listed for all the models. Usually I give these books away in the blog, but this one’s mine! More pics after the jump, along with a video of the cool spin wheel cover. Definitely worth a look for all you muscle car fans.

Continue reading "The Complete Book of Dodge & Plymouth Muscle" »

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

It’s pretty amazing how well guys can get lots of horsepower through a small tire these days. This insane wheelstand actually dates back a couple of years but its all-time greatness negates any lag time. The guy driving this thing should be awarded somehow.

Small-tire drag racing continues to be really hot all across the country and for good reason. There’s more crazy action happening with these cars than nearly any others, and they have a close resemblance to stuff you’ll actually see trolling the streets. No big wheel tubs, few crazy paint jobs. These cars just flat haul the mail. Air mail in the this case.

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

Since we posted almost two years ago about the Advanced Design Chevy pickups that were used as display items in Old Navy locations throughout the country, we have learned a few things about the trucks.

All of the trucks were prepared for the Old Navy stores by the Alan Brasington Network in New York and stripped of engines and transmissions. Most still have differentials, however, any body work done to prepare these trucks for delivery was purely cosmetic with bondo and tin replacing cab corners and rusted wheel wells. Many lack interior details as well, no floorboards, no pedals, etc. and the bed floors and floor boards were often just a piece of plywood. Still, every once in a while some of the better shells that weren’t too gutted come up for sale, many through dealers who bought a pile of them or as a single unit through online auctions. Continue reading at Hemmings

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

Subtlety is something I’m a great fan of. I have always been in the “less is more” school of thought and appreciate any car that follows simple guidelines. Substance is far more important I always say, and the car I have for you here is an example that fits both bills perfectly. Mizota-san of Revolfe has over the years created some of the most powerful machines to hit the wangan and with our theme for this month being Speed, this is one car that deserved to be shown. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

It’s kind of nice not to be owned by the government. You get to have a say in how your promotional dollars are spent. This works great for Ford, who continued their long-standing tradition of taking over 9 Mile in Ferndale for the Woodward Dream Cruise. Full complements of Ford staff were on hand, displaying everything from one-off Mustangs to the new Lincoln MKT. Ford’s reconstituted SVT team and the Ford Racing program were in the loop, both having significant exhibits of new wares. Representatives from both groups were very positive about their futures. The star of the show wasn’t a Mustang, though. It was a new Taurus SHO decked out in law enforcement gear. This could be a new market for Ford’s hi-po large sedan…. Do I smell a replacement for the Crown Vic? More pics after the jump!

Continue reading "Mustang Alley" »

By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

I was in the supermarket recently and I thought that I would check out the toy section. If you collect model cars like I do occasionally you can come across something that is worth adding to your collection. As I was looking at the shelves I came across a Hot Wheels 70 Plymouth Road Runner that I immediately snapped up. The reason I grabbed it was because some how it had passed through quality control, was broken and sealed in the package! I love this because it looks like it has been in a fender bender. The rear bumper is broken in half and the floor pan has been ripped away from the body. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Someone Broke the Plymouth" »

By Antonio Alvendia

Antonio Alvendia

Continuing our MotorMavens coverage with more images from Seattle, I think we should put the Top 32 drivers and points standings aside right now so we can all focus on the real reason why this year’s trip to Seattle got me so hyped. The Pacific Northwest has a really strong grassroots drifting scene, and the Evergreen Pro Am really stood up to the hype, or lack thereof. That’s right, I said lack – I don’t think these Pro Am drivers get enough attention.

Pro Am drivers are the unsung heroes of professional drifting. Most of these guys don’t have any sponsors to help with travel or car building expenses. Many don’t even have much coveted tire sponsorships. However, they persistently and repeatedly show up time and time again to all the track events, paying their dues and showing what they’re made of.

It just so happens that the Evergreen Pro Am drivers impressed me; not just because of their hard work and dedication to drifting, but because their cars have style… and it’s the cars that get me hyped. I think I’ve seen enough stripped out ghetto built, busted up drift cars to last a lifetime. So let’s shine a light on the cars and drivers of the Evergreen Pro Am. This is real drifting! Continue reading and view more photos on MotorMavens