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December 2, 2009
Mitsubishi Hooks iMiEV Up With JDM Convenience Stores, Geek Squads, Brings USDM Colts
By John Naderi
StreetFire.net
So we’re at Mitsubishi’s LA Auto Show press conference. And MMC President, Osamu Masuko starts in about the all-new 2010 Outlander GT. And we start checking our Facebook (oooh, someone liked our status and a friend of ours is taking a road trip. Hmmm, maybe we can tag along).
Suddenly this shot of a Lawson Mart flashes on the screen and visions of CC Lemon, Pocari Sweat and onigiri dance in our heads. But is that chica charging an i-MiEV at Lawson Mart? Sho nuff. It seems Mitsubishi has sold some 800 examples of the quirky little EV since it went on sale in Japan last summer. Mitsubishi also plans to have an EV on sale in North America in as early as 2011. As part of the promotional push the automaker will lease four JDM-spec i-MiEVs to Best Buy as part of it’s Geek Squad fleet (note to the nerd herd: watch those left hand turns!). There are more i-MiEV images as well as other big news from Mitsubishi after the jump.
Cadillac Drops Two Doors in LA
By John Naderi
StreetFire.net
Much like the impending drop top Camaro we knew it was coming, this, the Coupe version of Cadillac’s comely CTS. And there it sat with little fanfare at the LA Auto Show. Our only hint was an invite-only affair on the eve of the show’s press days that apparently we weren’t invited to (that’s okay, we just cuddled up on the couch with some warm tea and a yummy chick flick – French Kiss, if you must know). Hit the jump for more on the CTS Coupe and less on Meg Ryan.
LA Auto Show 2009: Audi's e-tron Stuns in Orange
By John Coyle
Deputy Editor
This electric concept actually dropped in Frankfurt, but the one on the floor there was a comparatively staid fire-engine red. The e-tron Audi brought to LA, on the other hand, is painted in an orange that’s probably visible from space, even through the roof of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The body is so smooth and clean it almost looks like this eco-beast was grown in a vat, and not constructed by something as mortal and clumsy as human hands. I don’t really care for the wheels—they look a little too much like food processor blades—but overall, this car is a complete knockout, and getting these few shots probably took close to an hour, because all the media peeps were swarming over it. The scene honestly made me think of killer bees attacking a bull. Oh, and it’s hard to argue with 3,319.03 Lb-Ft of torque. More photos and a walk-around video after the jump.
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LA Auto Show 2009: MINI Clubman With Spiked Color and Lease
By John Coyle
Deputy Editor
This was easily the craziest installation I’ve seen at the show. It’s completely impractical, way weird, and huge. Around the perimeter it actually says “Don’t Feed the MINI,” and for some reason, I think that’s super-funny. I don’t know about you, but this kind of feels like SEMA to me… More photos after the jump.
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Fireball does The LA Auto Show… Ouch.
By Fireball Tim
Movie Car Design Master
Ouch. Today was the first Press Day so expectations were high. And did they hit the mark? ……Welcome, to the MORGUE.
Okay, maybe a morgue is a bit extreme, but there were some serious things missing. Namely, NISSAN. And with the Leaf coming soon, you have to ask… “WUT UP, NISSAN DOODS?” Now, I did get my fair share of automotive fixations, but I was left a little… dead. Ok, another mortality reference. Wups.
Follow the jump to see the COMPLETE highlights of the show. Not many, but some cool stuff. I decided to make it easy for y’all to understand how I felt about each one. I call it the “SHOCKSWEETSNORESUCK.” That’s the long version. Let’s just call it the “SHNUCK.” The LA Shnuck Show. Yea, I like it….
2009 LA Auto Show: Killer Cut-Away Ram 3500
By John Coyle
Deputy Editor
Maybe it’s because I’m basically like a ten-year old that’s allowed to drink, but I always get a kick out of the cut-away vehicles at shows. They look like they’ve somehow be Photoshopped into reality, and this Ram 3500 had me at hello. More pics after the jump.
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2009 LA Auto Show: Nest of Vipers in the Mopar Booth
By John Coyle
Deputy Editor
When I went to SEMA for the first time, I was in charge of managing the photographer, and somehow he totally missed Mopar Alley. As you can imagine, this made Rob completely stoked. So when I have to cover any shows, I make sure to post some Mopar content as fast as I can. But I didn’t need any pressure to get a shot of this wicked Viper GTS R. Since you could eat off all the cars in the Convention Center, it’s kind of cool when you see one that’s dirty from being driven in anger. There were a bunch of other Vipers in the booth, including the new ACR, which just set a lap record at Laguna Seca. Hit the jump and check them out.
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Viper vs. Vette: Which Would You Choose?
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
Ok, so you got $50k burning a hole in your pocket and want a 500 hp sports car. Well then how about a Viper? Or maybe a Z06 Vette? This 2006 Viper SRT-10 comes with a 505 cubic inch V-10 which produces 500 hp and 525 pound-feet of torque. This 2008 Corvette Z06 packs a 427 cubic inch LS7 V-8 which produces 505 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque. The Vette has a bunch of electronic nannies to help keep you out of the ditch. The Viper… not so much. Both examples are low mileage cars and appear to be in excelling condition. Which would you choose?
Un-F'ing-Believable In-Car View of a Massive Clutch Explosion
By Brian Lohnes
BangShift.com
This one will blow your mind, and driver Tony Defelices is lucky that nothing else got blown off during this massive clutch explosion in his PSI-blown 1967 Camaro. Though the car is left-hand drive, the incident happened down in Australia. There’s a thread about it, including Tony’s comments, here at FastDoorslammers.com.
Here’s some of what Tony said: “I got burnt where the metal peices stuck to the fire suit and burnt through. I left my visor up because all I was going to do is a leave and get off it. So I also got a little burnt on my eyebrows and forehead. As soon as I saw the fire in my face I felt the hot air in my throat. I had already closed my eyes because of the flash of fire and had decided to hold my breath. I then pulled the fire ext and started to stop the car as quickly as I could. The screaching you can hear are tyres locking up. I did not hit anything. When I stopped I got the f**** out and then opened my eyes and stated breathing. The inspection hole at the top of the can, the cover, the bolts did not hold it. It flew up hit the underside of the screen then hit the computer on the passanger side about neck high. That was wed 11th, fri 13th was worse.”
Ah yes, the old lack of safety precautions because, “all I was going to do…”
Fonzie’s TA22 Celica
By Ben Schaffer
The Real JDM
In the world of blogs it seems like everyone takes content from everyone else. Although I try to keep a relatively high percentage of original content here, I’m not too concerned with attempting to be above everyone else…and sometimes I feel the nessesity to “borrow” content when I feel its appropriate. This is one of those times…
I stole this idea from here who stole it from the OG source Modena Photo found here. All credit is due to the man above from Australia who happens to have some really amazing pictures he’s taken on his Flickr account.
Of all of his photos, this TA22 Celica built by the mysterious “Fonzie” is what caught my eye. This classic Celica is a perfect mix of old school JDM tuning with Bosozoku elements of style. Seeing an exposed oil cooler and hoses out the front of the car always gives me a smile. When I was first learning about JDM tuning in the mid 1990s seeing cars like this always shocked me with their rawness and gangster attitude. It takes a certain kind of swagger to rock a car like this right.
Continue reading after the jump!
