By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Jalopnik’s Murilee Martin just published a nice little interview with Repo Man creator Alex Cox. Check it out.

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

Just because it’s been a while since I’ve posted a sweet van on Speedhunters, here’s a photo of a dumped and flushed Toyota Estima from somewhere in Japan that’s been sitting on my hard drive for a while. This reminds me that I need to get to work at “personalizing” my own van…

By Mike Garrett

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

Among those projects that we keep around but don’t make much steady progress on are a couple that are serious back-burner dwellers. They either have little pressing need for completion or are on the more creative side where there is a new challenge or thing to invent at each turn, and we’d go nuts if we tried to do it on a schedule. The cheapo mid-engine car conversion is one of the latter.

We’re not talking about taking a motor out of the front and putting it in the rear for improved handling sports-car style, rather just a good ol’ juvenile Little Red Wagon-type, let’s-do-a-wheelie drag exhibition car. Admit it, you’ve thought about it. Maybe when you were 13, but still. We all know that if you really want to launch a car with the wheels in the air (and perhaps one shouldn’t) all you need is power and traction, but isn’t it fun to look at something different like an old Wild Bill Shrewsberry creation? I bet it would be even more fun to drive on the street to cruises and rod runs, whatever, if it could be made streetable. Continue reading at BangShift.com

By Ben Schaffer

The Real JDM

Josh Cloud just sent me a great rendering he recently completed of a Gran Turismo 5 inspired Lotus Exige GT1. I thought you’d all enjoy his rendering, so here it is!

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

It’s been difficult keeping this under my hat for so long, but now that I have it in my hands, I can announce my first book for CarTech, the Muscle Car Interior Restoration Guide, chock full of tech on how to do just about everything from lay new carpet to install a convertible top.

Why write about interior restoration? It’s an aspect of restoration that many car guys avoid, thinking it’s some sort of black art, so they tend to leave their interiors raggedy and half-done (admit it, somebody you know uses or has used a Vise-Grip as a window crank). But the reality is that it’s not that hard to do your own interior, and it’s just as rewarding to re-cover your seats or hang a new headliner as it is to rebuild an engine.

Oh, and I took a no-sew approach to everything in the book, so no need to go out and buy a sewing machine to complete any of the tasks shown in it. Also, a little hint: Even though the book’s focused on muscle cars, a lot of it applies to cars of other eras as well. Official release date for the book is September 1, and you can order it directly through CarTech. If you buy the book and decide fix up your car’s interior, send us some pics!

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to see if a FWD car can be called a muscle car. I must be out of my mind for doing this post, after the last drubbing I received for the 2005 – 08 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, but here I am, trying to convince you that a couple of other GM cars, with a 5.7L V8 can be considered being inducted onto the Parking Lot. So let’s see if the 2006 – 08 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, and the Impala SS can be considered an obscure muscle car.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: 2006 – 08 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS and Impala SS V8" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

You may have read about this spectucular Lemons finish on Jalopnik last week. Well here’s the story right from Krider Racing’s Acura Integra ride page:

After being victorious at Altamont in 2008, Krider Racing came back to the 24 Hours of Lemons to try to be the first team to win the series twice. At Buttonwillow in 2009, Krider Racing led the first day, battled back and forth with Evil Genius Racing (winners of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill 2008) and then Krider Racing had the lead on the last lap of the race. The battle between the two drivers was epic and the pressure was on. Three quarters around the track at Lost Hill, Randy Krider rolled the Acura onto its roof in spectacular fashion giving the win to Evil Genius. Krider Racing still picked up a class win and, of course, a great story. Thanks to I/O Port Racing Supplies for keeping our driver safe.

Thanks to Rob Krider for the tip!

By Fireball Tim

Movie Car Design Master

Did a commercial over the last few days. Now normally, a commercial shoot can be tough, but not like this. Most of the time, things go great if you have a professional production company. Let’s see, where do I begin?

I can’t mention the client right now, but we shot in Van Nuys and Glendale in over 100 degree heat with a 1st AD (Assistant Director) that seemed to get his jollies out of yelling at people. ‘Scuze me, did I say yelling? I meant to say “Lecturing,” then yelling.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "The Shoot From Hell" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Initially, I was pretty impressed with this Bumble Bee costume, but after I saw that it actually transforms, I was blown away. It might not be the easiest thing to walk around in, but you know it would be awesome to show at a Halloween party in this get-up. Big-time props to the guy who made it.