By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Ryan honestly thinks stuff like this is cool, but instead of making fun of him, I’m just going to post it. I’ve actually been noticing a lot of beater hellaflush treatments out driving around, often using cars like junk 90′s Civics. It kind of makes me wonder, how can a novice dirtball with no budget set up a car like this in his driveway without making it so the fenders shred the tires or the tires slip off the rims? I mean, not all of these things can be built by custom shops in California. Click through to Hellaflush to see video of the winged Miata in action. Kinda.

By Mike Bumbeck

Clunkbucket

It might need a few new valve springs. The input shaft bearing in the transmission is whining a little. There’s a wobble or two here or there. One of the camshaft lobes may be in trouble. Clunks? Plenty. We’re really hoping the clutch cable doesn’t finally give out either. The good news is that even with 230-plus thousand miles on the original 4K-C engine – there are no recalls for the 1982 Toyota Starlet! Read more about the Starlet over at Clunkbucket

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

Happy birthday! The ultimate birthday present for a teenager, the yellow and black 2010 Camaro SS is the best way to celebrate the day. Surrounded in controversy, do you think it’s right or wrong to give a new driver a high powered sports car? Read more about the SS surprise at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

kid gets 2010 Camaro SS for his 16th birthday

By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

If you read the major car publications it’s easy to get the feeling that all automotive journalists agree on everything. When journalists sing universal praise, throw jeers or are notoriously silent, it’s hard for readers to disregard.

There are plenty of conspiracy theories that blame editors beholden to advertisers scaring writers into not even trying to say something good about one car or bad about another. Personally, I buy more into the explanation of groupthink, as it’s easy to be confident in your opinion when others have come to the same conclusion time and time again.

I, however, being totally independent (not to mention subtle-as-a-chainsaw) have no problem saying where I differ from the rest. So here is my list of Top Ten Automotive Things About Which I Disagree With My Colleagues.

10) Chrysler 300C: I’ve owned plenty of Chryslers in my time, so maybe this is why I approached the 300C with a more critical eye. Consequently, I never liked the 300C (and its lesser variations) as much as the rest of the automotive journalists.

Everyone else saw a good-looking car with ample power from the “Hemi V8″. I saw past the nice styling and focused on a huge car with sub-Honda Accord-sized leg and knee room (courtesy of typically ultra-thick, but not very comfortable front seats). As nice as the Hemi (sans hemispherical combustion chambers) was, it couldn’t overcome the totally numb steering and spongy braking that made the car feel cumbersome. Plus, as someone who lived through Chrysler ownership, there was always the certainty that the 300C would be just like Chrysler’s other vehicles — engineered at low cost to ensure high failures, which would only be made worse by one of the most poorly trained dealer service networks in America.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Top Ten Automotive Things About Which I Disagree With Most Other Automotive Journalists" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

The overall record for distance jumping is far north of 183 feet, but that is the farthest anyone has flown a Harley-Davidson. Seth Enslow made the jump in Sydney on a XR1200 with a dirt bike suspension and different handle bars, but other than that, it was stock. When he landed, he apparently racked his nuts something fierce, but since he’s not speaking in a falsetto, we can assume he’s probably OK. This looks pretty burly…

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Well, it happened. I’ve been riding my bike around Los Angeles since I moved here back in September, and Friday night, I got hit by a car. I was coming down Sunset Boulevard—in the bike lane—when some dude who was parked tried exit his space and flip a bitch. I didn’t even have time to hit the brakes. I totally launched over the hood and landed square on my shoulder. I got the wind knocked out me, and when the driver saw that I wasn’t dead, he drove off. Nobody got the plate, but my shoulder will heal, and my beloved bike was inexplicably unscathed. There’s no question I was incredibly lucky , so I can’t be too mad about the whole thing. Anyway, the winner of this week’s contest is KustomKiely, who came up with; “Now I can spend all day polishing my wood, and you cant say crap about it.” Bravo man. Tune in tomorrow for the next installment of our death-defying Caption Contest!

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Today’s pic comes from Jeff’s Pontiac Pursuit ride page. Keep those photo of the day PMs and e-mails coming!

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Dumbest eBay Motors search ever, though Ryan swears by it. How else is he supposed to keep the blog supplied with Hellaflush clown cars and D-list rappers’ donks? The thing is, the majority of the “celebrity owned” listings don’t even supply the name of the celebrity who supposedly owned the car. Like this Charger (mis-listed as a Challenger) that belonged to “a rock star” and was featured on “one of their album covers,” though you don’t get to find out which one unless you’re a “serious” buyer. Wtf? If it belonged to anyone important, wouldn’t you want to blare it all over the page to maximize your search traffic? To hell with it, I’m just going to drop “celebrity owned” into this Craigslist listing for my diesel Escort that I posted last night in a drunken rage, and see if it can’t get a little more love.

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

In less than 24 hours, BangShift.com’s live streaming broadcast of the 52nd Bakersfield March Meet will kick off, and to get you ready, here’s some vintage drag racing footage from 1963. The films were taken at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington.

Push trucks, dragsters, some sportsman action, it’s all here. You’ll need to make your own sound track, but watching slingshots haze the tires for the length of the track, even in silence is awesome.

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

While Studebaker president Sherwood Egbert had envisioned a four-door sedan based on the Avanti way back in 1963, this 1990 Avanti four-door sedan currently for sale on Hemmings.com is not the result of Egbert’s dreaming. Instead, it’s the product of John J. Cafaro’s brief tenure as the guy who kept the Avanti name alive in the late 1980s. In fact, the Avanti four-door, based on a Caprice chassis, is the only vehicle his Avanti Automotive Corporation built in 1990, and according to John Hull’s “Avanti: The Complete Story,” AAC built less than 100 Avanti four-doors that year. From the seller’s description:

Fantastic, 12772 Miles. Only a few of these were built. Rear seat has tray tables! Down sizing collection!! Car is As NEW! Drive Anywhere. Has current California Plates. This car is a Fraction of the cost new. Ready for any collector car event! Paint and interior are original and excellent.

Be prepared to shell out $19,500 for this LA-based Avanti. See more pics at Hemmings