By Fireball Tim

Movie Car Design Master

Crusin’ up PCH in LA is always a kick. You get to see the coolest cars on the planet, basically all in one place. Old, new, short, fat, fast, slow, pinched, ported. Whatever is possible with a car, you’re gonna see it here. AND, see them get ticketed. (Poor things)

So, as with most weekends, I jumped in my jalopy and headed up into town. And what did I see, but a hellish amount of Woodies appearing before me. They were all dressed in chrome, colored flames and wood, eager to head beachside, and be up to no good. When all of a sudden, my camera snapped forth, and shutter’d away shots so as not to be bored…th. (Lame)

I salivatory glands were working too hard, trying to keep up with my filling camera card… when to my dissapoint, my wife yelled a flux, “Stop taking pix, you dork, and let’s get to Starbucks!”

So… we did. Cool Woodies though, eh?

Continue reading "Fireball Discovers Wood" »

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

If this this real, this is the most amazing vehicle stunt I have ever seen, and a much better attempt than the Jeep half pipe flip blogged about earlier. To learn more about this stunt sponsored by Bridgestone, visit Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

By John Naderi

StreetFire.net

The 2009 Formula Drift season is in the books and what a wild ride it’s been. At times it even felt out of control, like a Crown Vic careening backwards down a hill with no steering wheel while your hands are tied behind your back (see Wrong for reference). And yet somehow amidst all the chaos and cacophony they created there were the drivers and teams at the center of the storm hanging it all out with reckless abandon. And yet as a hapless spectator I am continually amazed at constant improvement in skill and precision from the entire FD field. Take a jump with me and I’ll show you some of the goings on from Irwindale’s House of Drift.

Continue reading "2009 Formula Drift Finals: A Champion, a Tribute, a Standout, a Stalker and Hampsha" »

By David Belau

dartslantsix

In the movie Gone in 60 Seconds, the main character has a car that always gives him trouble when he tries to steal it. Its name is Eleanor. My Eleanor is the 1974 Dodge Dart. While I don’t make a habit of stealing cars, the 1974 Dart has given me plenty of trouble.

My first experience with a 1974 Dodge Dart was ten years ago. She came to me with knife stab holes in the hood where a ritual sacrifice had taken place. The previous owner had left some pictures of head wounds in the trunk. The car would die randomly and start randomly. This should have been a sign to me.

When my friend Art called me and said, “Hey I found a 1974 Dart for $100! Wanna help fix it up?” I should have warned him. I should have known better. After helping him, I now know without a doubt that all 1974 Darts are possessed.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "My Eleanor: the 1974 Dart" »

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

Saturday at the Hot Rod Reunion is the big day, with more show cars, more action in the pits, and more spectators than any other day. On Friday we covered most of the show cars, but there were so many more on Saturday that we had to bring you a second gallery. There are links to all the show coverage below. Click here to see the BangShift.com photo gallery of the Saturday car show and drag pits at the 2009 California Hot Rod Reunion. And click here to see links to all our coverage from the weekend.

By Ben Schaffer

The Real JDM

I’ve kept this topic to myself for a long time. My plan has been to build a car using this color for years now. In fact, it is still my plan (someday).

I take note of various things that impress me and keep a folder on my computer called “Inspiration”. It might be something as simple as a color I like or a material. It could be the shape of a fender, or the way a custom interior is put together. The fact is that certain things inspire me and I like to remember them and integrate into my builds that very essence of where my inspiration started. For example on my S2000 some of the style came from my desire to resurrect the Top Secret gold demo car concept that I loved so much+ my love of Mana-P’s (MS-R) graphics on the Top Secret V8 G35 (version 2 of the graphics). So I told Mana-P what I liked as a starting point for our collaboration on my car and together he and I came up with a design that I felt was even better than what he did on the Top Secret G35 (if you look, it is still similar on the hood and the doors but more style was added).

Continue reading "One of My Favorite Car Colors" »

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

Not to turn this feature of the blog into the Hyman show, but this 1931 Chenard-Walcker they’re advertising on Hemmings.com is just too tasty to pass up. From Hyman’s description:

Almost forgotten in the history of the automobile Chenard and Walcker enjoys one accomplishment that will never be equaled let alone surpassed: it was the winning marque in the very first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923. In the mid-Twenties it was the fourth largest auto manufacturer in France. Later in the 20s Chenard and Walcker were represented at Le Mans by a series of aerodynamic open cars usually described as tanks because of their resemblance to the First World War battle wagons. Their enclosed wheels semi-envelope bodies and recessed headlights extracted maximum performance from their 1495cc overhead valve engines on the long straights of the Sarthe circuit and inspired a series of road cars with even more streamlined bodies in the following years.

Continue reading at Hemmings

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

How cool would it be if Acura brought over the new Accord Wagon/Tourer as the TSX Wagon for the US market? Not likely, but it’s fun to think about.

By Mike Garrett

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

StreetFire member Undispited shoots video and laughs while his girlfriend screws around with his new 2010 Mustang GT. Would you let your girlfriend (or boyfriend) do this with your new car?

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

The 2011 BMW M5 is the ultimate driving machine every way you look at it! Sports car speed and handling with luxury and road manners that everyone can enjoy, the 2011 BMW M5 is the pinnacle of four door performance. Spied tearing up Nurburgring with twin turbo enjoyment, the 2011 BMW M5 proves itself to be a very capable vehicle.

Not much is known about the new vehicle yet, but we can be assured by the BMW logo it is automotive perfection. BMW prides itself on building high performance vehicles that can be driven safely by all drivers. With a twin turbo V8 turning out just under 600 horsepower, this spunky sedan is a nice blend of daily driver and performance monster that everyone can enjoy! Great job BMW, read more about the 2011 BMW M5 at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.