By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Right now, I’ve got two giant boxes of swag stuffed under my desk right now, which should make all the Caption Contest winners pumped. I know, it’s about damn time! Unfortunately, I lost some addresses and t-shirt sizes, so if you’re a winner expecting swag, please don’t be upset if you get another email from me. Anyway, this week’s winner is G_Bay, who came up; Mine might be full of shit but, at least its got balls. Now generally, I don’t like to promote the use of profanity in this contest, but I’m a super fan of “bad” words, and this caption was too good not to win. Congrats man! Tune in tomorrow for the next installment our sun-soaked Caption Contest!

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

After hearing a big-ass boom and watching his hood fly up, the driver of this CRX had to be expecting some serious carnage in the engine bay. But this level of devastation? Given that he couldn’t see his little Honda’s massive parts hurl, that had to come as kind of a shock. The clip below is better quality and shows multiple angles along with the aftermath, but I think this version has a better shot of the actual detonation.

HONDA CRX GONE REALLY BAD

By Ben Schaffer

The Real JDM

To me, this picture is the death rattle of full carbon (unpainted) cars loosing their “cool factor”. Speaking for myself here, I have always had a thing for full carbon cars. Whether it was the first time C-West rolled out their full carbon S2000 time attack car, or seeing a Pagani Zonda without paint, full carbon cars were the epitome of a hardcore tuner car. I always loved seeing those testing version Super GT cars with the bright green rims and the raw carbon bodywork much more than the finished cars with the flashy livery. My dream for many years was to have a full carbon car and leave it all raw carbon. But times change…

In the past couple of years I’ve wanted to cover my carbon fiber parts up more. It can be seen on my gold S2000 with just slivers of exposed carbon on the carbon fiber hood or mirrors. It can be seen on the painted carbon of the various GT-Rs that I’ve produced where carbon was used sparingly as an accent. And in the future I’ll surely cover up the carbon fiber more and more on the car’s I’m involved with. Why? Because it has gone from a functional display of tuning prowess into a gaudy display of wealth without any of the underlying meaning for its existence. Nothing defines that point more than a full carbon G-Class Mercedes, one of the heaviest and least aerodynamic road going cars.

Continue reading "Have Full Carbon Cars Jumped The Shark?" »

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

As previously announced, BangShift.com has teamed up with the West Coast Hot Rod Association to bring you live streaming video from the WCHRA Jaws Gear and Axle Spring Nationals to be held March 26-28, 2010, at Auto Club Famoso Raceway near Bakersfield, California. We’ll be live at 11am Pacific Time on Saturday, and 10am Pacific Time on Sunday. Learn more at BangShift.com

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

I’m talking about your state registration only–renewing your plates or your tabs–not insurance. Washington state tabs for my cars are right around 50 bucks each, so I’m out $200 a year to keep my fleet of four legally on the road. I dunno, seems pretty reasonable–I’ve heard it can be a lot worse. How about you? How much do you pay to renew registration on your rides?

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Compare that to 364 RWHP for the Camaro SS! Looks like Ford is being pretty conservative with their hp ratings! Full story at Edmunds.

By Chris Bicknell

Bick66

Yesterday General Motors unveiled their latest concept, the EN-V, at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, calling it a possible solution to the world’s worsening urban sprawl and congested highways.  EN-V, which is short for Electric Networked-Vehicle, is a collaborative effort between General Motors, Segway (yep, that Segway) and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC).  There are three slight variants on the concept, each tweaked to a particular market by GM’s design teams in the US, Europe, and Australia. With more and more concepts like this turning up at the shows and expos, I’d say it’s only a matter of time before two-seater electric transpo-pods become a common sight on the streets of every modern metropolis. Hey, it might make it easier for the real cars to find a parking space, right?

See more pictures after the jump and read the full article at GM Media.

Continue reading "The EN-V: GM Meets Segway" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

This is clearly a dangerous situation, but sadly, Kristen rejected Mike’s offer to help.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Ohhh, so that’s why manuals don’t come with remote-start. All it takes is leaving your car in gear one time with no neutral safety switch, and your Mustang drives itself across a parking lot into a swamp, ending up a total write-off. Nice going. Full story at Jalopnik.

Continue reading "Oops: Dealer Remote-Starts Mustang Right Into the Drink" »

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

The epic battle of Germany and Japan in the world of automotive supremacy lives on in modern supercars. Racing a Nissan GT-R against the Porsche GT3 RS around Nürburgring, we get to see the various attributes of each vehicle tested thoroughly.  Which one would you buy? Read more about the competition at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.