By Fireball Tim

Movie Car Design Master

So, my buddy Nate is an interesting guy. Not because he’s a huge MOVIE CAR buff or that he drives an exact replica of the original BATMOBILE. Street Legal.

Nate is interesting because he GIVES in special ways. His website is filled with tremendous inspirations for those so inclined to visit, but with his car and STAR CAR CENTRAL, his group travels to shows for free to give them glimpses of cool Hollywood Icons. (Be sure to check out the website) Whether it’s parades, hospitals or car shows, Nate’s group makes an impact.

Before you can give back to anyone, you have to truly find what you love to do. Don’t get me wrong, everyone can use a helping hand, but the one thing that people need most is inspiration. Seeds that help internally to grow prosperity, health and the true things that make a difference.

Big kudos to Nate and all those out there that are working to give their time, work and devotion to people less fortunate. Like attracts like. Give and what comes back will be 10-fold. Nate is “AUTOINSPIRATION.”

I hope he gives me a ride in that beast…

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Don’t miss this is you’re in SoCal and are looking for deals on seats, helmets, harnesses, shoes, etc. Rumor has it that John Naderi will be there signing autographs…

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

When we say amphibious car, you think of the little weenie 1960s Amphicars. They are neat little creatures but are not all that great as cars and frankly worse as boats. The creations by WaterCar, however are a different story altogether.

These are hot rods on land and sea. Sporting Corvette engines (of which power level you choose) and high performance Dominator Jets, on land, these things will run 12s at the drag strip and they’ll plane over the water at nearly 60 knots.

They have a couple models to choose from, the lead photo of this story happens to be the “Python” which from our eye, melds a Dodge Durango nose and a modified Corvette bum.

On land the ride height is a little strange, but you quickly realize that there is a hull that needs to be lugged around, so laying frame is not an option. It may highside on a tall speed bump, so care needs to be taken on the road. Then again, after you spend $200,000 on one of these hand made-beauts, you’re going to be protective of your investment.

You owe it to your gearhead self to check out the WaterCar website, this stuff will blow your mind.

By Ben Schaffer

The Real JDM

I remember in the mid 1990s thinking Brabus was an incredible, almost mystical brand. I knew of a guy in Boston with two absolutely sick Brabus built cars back then. Those cars were pushing the limits and when you saw them you felt somehow like you were looking at the future, everything else looked old sitting next to it. This was the era of the Brabus 3 spoke rims, which were super hot at the time and now are an ugly memory to most, after being copied by just about everyone for a decade or so.

Enter the Black Baron by Brabus. I get that feeling all over again when I look at this car. Too bad the damn thing costs $800,000 USD. Anyway, have a look at some inspiration right here. Continue reading at The Real JDM

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

Don’t know what caused me to go tripping through the Peugeot section on the Hemmings.com classifieds today, but I’m glad I did, because I found two Pugs worth noting. First off, this gorgeous 1938 Darl’Mat, which the San Diego Collection is offering for sale, with no price listed. Continue reading at Hemmings

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

Going through my library of older shoots I came across this car that I shot back in 2006. Built by Il Salotto of Tokyo it was one of only a few import cars that have ever competed in the D1 Grand Prix championship. It all began in 2005 when Il Salotto turbocharged an M3 and tired their luck out in D1, but the car was never really competitive enough. They decided to abandon the M3 and start fresh with an all-new project based on a stock 318i. The E36 was fully stripped out, put through some serious spot and seam welding as well as getting tons of extra reinforcements around highly stressed areas of the chassis. A 23-point roll-cage was also fabricated and welded in place. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Dino Dalle Carbonare

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

You’ve probably see People of Walmart by now. Lots of good cars there, but I thought this one was a standout.

By David Wallens

Grassroots Motorsports

Remember Mom telling you to not pick at it? Well, if it’s crusty wax residue, then it’s okay to pick. Make sure you use the right tool, though. The simple bamboo skewer is tough enough yet won’t scratch the paint. You can find them at any supermarket. And thanks, Tim McNair, for teaching me this simple trick. A little more about the clean-up can be found at Grassroots Motorsports

By Fireball Tim

Movie Car Design Master

What is going on in this world? Ideas are merging, blending, taking shape, radically departing but staying the same. And that’s our world. Change.

Many people fear change. Maybe because it’s unknown. The question is, “What if you DID know the answer?” To everything? Would life be the same? Would you even be interested? Change is good. It keeps us on our toes, makes life adventurous, and forces us to have faith in things unseen.

Fortunately for you, you get to SEE this week’s designs. Some are wicked cool, some way not. But change is in the air, therefore, this week’s theme. Entitled?

CHANGE!…… DANGIT!

1. THE AUDI E- TRON ELECTRIC

Remember the Audi in “IRobot?” How could you not? It was in every DANG scene of the movie. Along with Will Smith’s beefy bod. (I had enough of that after the first scene… whatever) Well, Audi has taken their R8 and made it sweeter. Electric. And… Red. And red is good. Electric? Yea, that’s cool, but RED is cooler. Just think of RED things. Cherries. Megan Fox’s Lips. A stubbed toe. Ok,… maybe not the last one. But red is cool, dangit. (Check out the AutoDissection on the R8 here.)

Continue reading "Fireball's Cool Designs of the Week!" »

By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

With the low-buck Maaco paint job done on the Sound Classics 1979 Chevy K10 project truck, it is time to turn our attention to finishing it all off with an interior upgrade. Let’s face it, the ripped-up Saddle Tan interior just isn’t going to cut it on a shiny black and silver 4X4.

In keeping with the guidelines set forth before the exterior restoration, the challenge remains to do this on the cheap-as-a-Trenton, NJ-hooker. Since there’s no budget for a professional upholsterer and I’ve never done any serious interior work in any of the previous Sound Classics projects, nobody is expecting a miracle.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Interior Restoration Made So Cheap And Easy, Even A Journalist Can Do It!" »