By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

When I saw this story on reddit, the headline was: “We’ve secretly replaced this couple’s alarm clock with a Chevy Malibu. Let’s see if they notice the difference.” Now, I thought that was hilarious, but I stopped snickering when I saw the image below. Looking at how the car is perched on the bed, it’s tough to see how Kristin Palmer and Trent Wood escaped with only “minor scrapes and burns” after a drunk plowed into their bedroom. Of course, when I saw this quote, I totally started laughing again: “Initially, Woods struggled to comprehend what had happened to him after being abruptly torn from his slumber.” I mean, duh. Most people would be a tad confused if they went to sleep and then woke up with a car parked on top of them. It’d be a lot stranger if he’d initially struggled to determine whether the control arm bushings needed to be replaced. For the whole story and more pics, head over to CNN.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Given how piss-poor the economy is, I’m really curious to see what SEMA is going to be like. Some industry folks have been telling me it’s going to be a ghost town, but I don’t believe that. I mean, hell, I still have a job. One thing I can be  sure of? There will be tons of sick Camaros—just like there were acres of Challengers last year—and a lot of them are going to be coming straight from the General.  You can’t see too much in Chevy’s teaser clip, but I liked what I did see. Check it out, and stay tuned for all our photos from the show floor.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Um… Check out the eBay auction for more pics and details.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

In this clip, a couple of cackling Aussie kids buy a used 911, then immediately lay into the poor Porsche. It doesn’t even leave dealer’s lot before they key the fender, kick off the front bumper, and amputate its spoiler. Painful to watch? Sure. But there’s a bright side to this perverse display of automotive destruction. It’s actually part of a promotion to launch VB Lager—“The first ever fresh dry lager stripped back to the four beer ingredients”—and the car is currently being rebuilt into what the company is promising will be a “raw classic.” There’s a webcam on the VB site so you can watch the progress live, and after it’s done, the tricked out machine will be given away to one lucky—presumably Australian—winner. So what do you think about this stunt? Does the fact that the car is going to be rebuilt make up for the initial abuse? I don’t know if it’s much different than intentionally blowing up a motor before doing a swap, but the vast majority of the members on StreetFire were appalled…

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I figured it was time for some import tuner love in this week’s eBay Motors Showdown. The Veilside RX-7 is a magazine quality FD with $50k in mods according to the seller. And the Hakosuka Clone looks sweet and has lots of authentic JDM touches. Oh, and both of these rides are John Naderi approved. So, which would you choose?

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

There was a fair amount of noise generated by yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article on Fiat’s plans for Chrysler. Ray Wert at Jalopnik has the Cliff notes. Ok, here’s my take:

Chrysler

Yes, redesign the 300C, yes keep the Town and Country, sure go ahead and kill the PT Cruiser. But keep the Sebring. Only, it needs to be a mid-sized RWD sedan (see my notes on the Dodge Avenger below).

Dodge

Go ahead and kill the Caliber and the Nitro. Not sure about the Grand Caravan, and I have no opinion on the Journey. But let’s keep the Avenger. Like I said the with Sebring above, this car needs to be a mid-size RWD sedan. Think of it as a modern day Dodge Dart. Heck, maybe just call it a Dart. It should be available as a two and four door, maybe as wagon and convertible as well. Power should come from efficient four and six bangers. AWD should be an option. Now, I think the next generation Challenger should be based on this new mid-sized RWD platform as well. The Challenger needs to shrink a bit if it’s gonna stay competitive. Redesign the Charger as a big TWO DOOR muscle car. Call the four door version of the Charger a Magnum or Coronet.

Ram Trucks

Seriously? Is this for real? Just keep ‘em Dodges.

Jeep

Go ahead and kill the Commander and the Compass. Of course keep the Wrangler and the Grand Cherokee. But I think they should keep the Patriot. Jeep needs a car-based Subaru Outback fighter and the Patriot is a half-decent offering, though it needs some love. They also need an affordable Cherokee-type vehicle. The Liberty never really did it for me. So why not just bring back the Cherokee? Oh yeah, Jeep needs a small pickup, too. Bring back the Comanche.

Fiat and Alfa Romeo

I’m very happy to see Fiat and Alfa come back to the US. The Fiat 500 is very cool and should do well. And I’m stoked about the Mito and Milano. But where the heck is the Alfa Spider?

So what do you think of my plan? Totally unrealistic? Not possible with the new CAFE standards? Probably. But it’s nice to dream…

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

Here’s another entry for our continuing fascination with trars: the 4×4 General Lee! This looks like something from a very special episode of Dukes, but it’s real life for a guy called SunroofSuperbird over at Moparts.com. See the Moparts forum thread here.

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

Back when I was just a wee cub reporter hacking away at a keyboard for a daily newspaper in northwestern Ohio, I spotted in downtown Port Clinton a chestnut-colored Cadillac station wagon. By the time I returned to the spot with my camera, it had vacated the scene, and I never saw it again.

Now Steve Donohue, who lives in my former stomping grounds (and who owns the Belvedereamino we recently beheld), comes along with some photos of a Cadillac shooting brake which he spotted on nearby South Bass Island in the village of Put-in-Bay, and which recalls those hazy days of my youth. I’m pretty sure this isn’t the same wagon, but that didn’t mean I was sure what exactly it was that Steve spotted. Continue reading at Hemmings

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

This car will race in the Camaro Cup in Sweden it will replace the older Z28 that has been used since 1999. The car uses a tube frame chassis made by HOWE Racing in the US. Ohlins suspension and Michelin tires will make sure the car handles like a true racecar. It is funny to see that this real American muscle car will be raced on the other side of the ocean. Spotted on Vizualtech. Check this Wikipedia link for more info about the Camaro Cup.

By Jeroen Willemsen

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Here’s the wild Lexus IS C that Brian is bringing to SEMA this year. Be sure to check out his ride page for the specs and build pics, and of course we’ll have more on this car next week at the show!