By Karan Singh

StreetFire.net

I wonder who convinced these people that this would actually work? I want to know who came up with the idea to use multiple ATV ramps to get this Civic into the U-Haul? Perhaps a better question would be why one would even want to put the car in a U-Haul? Enjoy this moment of stupidity! NSFW yelling.

Honda U-Haul fail

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

I’ve had a lot of stuff completely the hell apart, but automatic transmissions are a continuing mystery to me, and frankly, the idea of having one in pieces all over the bench is just a little intimidating. That’s where Jeff Bradley from Bradley’s Transmission Service in Indianapolis comes in. He’s doing a complete tear-down and rebuild of the GM 700-R4 overdrive tranny, and has documented all of it in exquisite detail on BangShift, complete with encyclopedic photo coverage and instructions. This goldmine of knowledge may not be exactly transferable to your own application, but it provides some really detailed insight into A/T mechanics and operation, and a lot of “oh, so that’s what that looks like” moments. Take a look at the initial disassembly, then read on as the rebuild unfolds. And stay tuned for the finale of this ongoing project!

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

The SUGO weekend produced this ultra-rare in Japan machine–I’ve never even seen one! As most of you know, the Scion brand is aimed at the North American market and no Scion-branded vehicles have ever been marketed in Japan. This current tC sports one of hundreds of available body kits for the model, this one from Kaminari. Treatments such as the functional air ducts above the front wheels were an excellent touch.  The car’s stance is certainly very appealing, and the huge rotors add to the aggression of the 10-spoke matte black wheels. Left hand drive, the whole bit. Not something you usually see in Japan! More views at Speedhunters.

-by Len Clarke

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

Here in los Estados Unidos, I don’t think we cared enough about the Dodge Dart to warrant coachbuilt versions of it. Special versions abounded over the years to move that metal–Demon, Swinger, Hang Ten–but those didn’t require substantial alterations to the basic design of the car.

Over in Spain, however, they viewed the Dart in a different light. To get around the protectionist rules preventing the export of cars to Spain, Chrysler formed an agreement with Barreiros Diesel, a Madrid-based truck and engine builder, to build the Dodge Dart in Spain. Starting in 1965, Chrysler would supply the Darts as knockdown kits, and Barreiros would assemble and market them. With its slant six engine, the Dart would quickly become a premium car in Spain, leaving the mass market to the Simca 1000. By 1971, Barreiros introduced several alterations to the car, including an optional diesel engine and cosmetic modifications, and even dropped the Dart name, instead calling it the 3700. See more pics below the jump, and continue reading at Hemmings.

Continue reading "Boulevard Bruiser En Espanol" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

There’s this weird law of physics: if a skateboard can collide with a car, it probably will. While the best advice is always to move your car before there’s any chance of damaging contact, there is of course plenty of youtube evidence of car-skateboard encounters that do not end badly for the car. Only this: if you’re going to attempt an ollie-over-car, please do not do it with a nice vintage vehicle. Nobody minds a few idiots or skateboards sacrificed–last time I checked, they’re still making plenty of both–but jeopardizing a mint four-door Torino? That was a bit difficult to watch…

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

This time the real Nürburgring production car lap record has been broken. Although commonly thought to be owned by the Ferrari 599XX at 6:58.16, the real record was held by the Radical SR8LM at 6:48.00; the difference is a matter of opinion. What you define as a “production car” determines who’s record was shattered. When you get to the price and level of these exotics, none of them are hardly “production”. Either way, the Pagani Zonda R still pwned both of those cars with a lap time of 6:47.5!  Read more at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

A lot of administrative stuff pertaining to your car is different on the other side of the pond, for better or for worse. Some things aren’t all that unfamiliar: since moving to Germany, I’ve already bought a car, but that wasn’t much different than doing so in the US. Getting license plates was, though! You can’t get a real vanity plate like you can in the US, but you can request combinations that fit the normal pattern. To expedite the whole process, the Strassenverkehrsamt (traffic manager’s office) includes several shops that will make your plate for you right on the spot! Of course you pay for this: 34 euro in my case. The press operator set up the combination in the machine, stuck the blanks in, and in about a minute, I had two freshly-minted legal plates for my new car. So why does it take three weeks in the US?

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

I know it’s kind of lazy to mine your own vacation pics for Photo of the Day. But hey, I’m on vacation, I haven’t been on the internet for like a week and a half, and I wanted to share with y’all this one Chris snapped from the ‘Vette while we were driving with the top down on LA’s 101 freeway into Hollywood. Is traffic there as bad as everyone says it is? Sometimes, yeah. But at least there’s a lot of pretty stuff to look at.

By Karan Singh

StreetFire.net

We love Miatas specifically for this reason: they make great track cars and are easy to obtain. Ride along with StreetFire member Meezer as he competes at Brands Hatch!

2010 Ma5da MX5 – Round 3 – Brands Hatch

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

We had a great time at the Mooneyes Summer 2010 show and brought you photos and video of the car show, cacklefest and drag racing action, but here is more! You’ll find cool customs, hot rods, and more in these cool videos. Check them all out!