My Uncle flew F-8 Crusaders when he was in the Navy, so as you can imagine, he has a ton of amazing stories about being in the cockpit. And while the damage to the Suburban came from an F-16, good ol’ Uncle Pat was the first thing I thought of when I saw that photo. Talk about serious artillery. Anyway, here’s the news:

• Are the blokes from Top Gear planning a traveling live show for the US? And will it be like "Top Gear Meets Cirque-Du-Soleil Meets Stomp?" Alex Roy thinks so, and I can’t figure out whether I want him to be wrong or right. Gumball144.com
• GM, Lexus and Chrysler are now selling certified pre-owned cars on eBay. For them, it seems like a good idea. But something tells me that it might not be the best thing for consumers. Am I just too distrustful of the man?  Automotive News
• Obama has seen a bounce in the polls since Clinton dropped out of the race. But does that mean he can help sell Kias? At least one Dallas dealership thinks so. Jalopnik
• I think smart cars look sick right out of the box, but if you’re looking for a wide-body kit for your urban commuter, Konigseder has you covered. Of course, if you want to dump some serious money into your ride, then the Gixxer swap is the way to go. CarScoop

The commercial was shot in Spain and shown live on the air. During their free fall, the skydivers spell out Honda, and even though I don’t really understand the compulsion to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, I though it was a pretty cool ad. Unfortunately, while everything went well while the cameras were rolling, the plane which dropped the skydivers lost a wing a few hours later, and killed the two people aboard.

Personally, I think the idea of a modular car is cool, but that doesn’t make this 1988 Pulsar commercial any less goofy. Don’t you think someone should have asked the narrator to tone it down a little bit? He sounds like an example of how a lecherous person should enunciate. via Winding Road

As someone who loves Lambos, I have to admit I’m kind of disgusted by this new LP-560/4 spot. When it’s not busy being way too stylized, it’s making stupid statements about the Italian stallion’s ability to collect phone numbers from chics, and guarantee entry into lame clubs you’d probably never want to go to anyway. What were the people who came up with this drivel trying to do, perpetuate the belief that Lambo owners are dorks who need to buy something to make them cool? Because—and I’m not trying to get all After School Special here—there’s nothing you can buy, legal or otherwise, that can make you cool. The geniuses that came up with this crap should stick to shooting dog food commercials, or whatever it was they were doing before they decided to defile Lamborghini. The Ferrari folks must be laughing their asses off—because this is their idea of a good commercial.

A few years back, Citroen ran a campaign where its C4 transformed into a dancing robot. The commercial is actually pretty dope, but I have to say I like the way Chevy mocks it in the spot below. While it’d be cool to have a car that could turn into a robot, if I was just trying to get home from work, all the break dancing would probably get annoying. via CarScoop

Even though most of the people who can actually afford Harleys aren’t really the outlaw biker type, the company still likes to foster the impression they are. After all, it’s a lot cooler to be a Hells Angel than an accountant. So in keeping with that philosophy, the storied motorcycle manufacturer has chosen "Screw it, Let’s Ride" as its new slogan. When I first heard it, I was pretty sure this was a joke, but a quick trip over to Harley Davidson.com confirmed it’s for real. Personally, I dig the new verbiage, and I think it would be great if some car companies adapted this shoot-from-the-hip style. Check out a couple I can up with: "Toyota: It’s Just a Driving Appliance, but it Won’t Break," and "Ferrari: Don’t Worry, Not Everyone Will Think You’re Compensating."

I don’t know what it has to do with chocolate, but I still think this Cadbury commercial featuring a bunch of weird airport vehicles racing is pretty dope. Glad that isn’t my luggage though.

In this VW spot, Heidi Klum is interviewed by a classic Beetle. It’s a great example of how effective a simple concept can be—particularly when that simple concept involves a supermodel. After the car welcomes Klum and complements her on being "a good-smelling woman," the conversation quickly turns to German engineering, at which point the Beetle becomes a little flustered. Funny stuff.

Over the last few years, I have to admit I’ve been a little disappointed with BMW’s M3. Not with the performance, mind you, as that’s always been world-class. In the styling department, though, recent cars just haven’t delivered—think the "Bengal bump" on the trunk lid—and while it became really fashionable to hate on iDrive, there was a good reason for all the trash talk. It sucked. That said, the new M3 looks awesome, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s packing a 440 horsepower V8 with an 8400 RPM redline. Check out this view from inside the new powerplant, which was done the old fashioned way—as in no CGI—and took 80 hours to film. Pretty impressive stuff.

Rob’s Mustang post from earlier today got me thinking about Volvo’s "Lonely Supercar" spot. I don’t know exactly what it is about this commercial, maybe it’s the music, the way the fictitious exotic’s headlights look away from the sympathetic lady, or just how completely forlorn the pedestal-bound beast looks, but I think it’s great. Which current car commercial is your favorite?