Korean automakers, Hyundai and Kia, have been on a roll lately with stylish, powerful, and affordable vehicles. In 2011 Kia introduced the funky looking Soul urban vehicle which has been quite popular and now they’ve presented a two-door concept version at the Chicago Auto Show called the Kia Track’ster.
The Kia Track’ster (or as Jeremy Clarkson would call it “the Kia Track Apostrophe Ster”) is a sporty version of the Soul with a lot more emphasis on “sport” over “practicality”. Although the Track’ster has 2 less doors than the Soul, its wheel base is an inch longer and it has five inch wider rear track. continue reading →
I’d be remiss to talk about sixties muscle cars without paying homage to one of the best of breed: the first generation 1967 to 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. But, it’s also extremely difficult to write about the Camaro, for two main reasons. Reason one: How do you come up with any original topic about a car that has already been written up about in so many ways and from so many angles? Reason two: There are a lot (and I mean a lot) of Camaro guys that know every possible factoid about the first gen. If you want to write about the revered Camaro, then you had better be prepared to be repeatedly corrected by a Camaro enthusiast who intimately knows every nut, bolt, number, and high speed chrome muffler bearing on one. So today, the plan is to ‘build’ my own 1969 Fantasy Camaro: an original in the sense that all choices from the factory order sheet have been selected by me. Most of my Camaro option reference information is taken from internet sites, meaning there may be some cases where erroneous information slips in – I’m not claiming to be a Camaro expert, just a Camaro lover. Everybody, into the WABAC machine! continue reading →
So far, the Fiat 500 has been a major disappointment in the North American market with its sluggish sales. I wonder if Fiat using Jennifer Lopez for their marketing campaigns has anything to do with it? The Fiat 500L is an all-new sub-compact model to the 500 range which also includes the three-door hatchback, 500C (Cabriolet), and the Abarth model.
I guess the Fiat 500L is for those people who want a small-big car. Mini did the same thing with the Cooper and the Cooper Clubman (which is absolutely hideous by the way). These people can’t make up their minds. They want a small car but then realize it’s too small so they decide to make it a little bit bigger but still not as big as a compact car. Really? continue reading →
Classic looks and modern technology, what else does one need in a car? That’s the idea behind the Huet Brother HB Coupe, a car that’s currently in the development phase. If this is the first time you’re hearing the Huet Brothers name, you’re not alone. The company was started by two brothers, Paul and Tino Huet, from Holland. Their company sells watches and makes cars; a few years ago they produced the HB Special, a roadster based on the Triumph TR6. continue reading →
If you’re familiar with Datsun (now known as Nissan), then there is a good chance you know all about the Datsun roadsters of the 1960’s. The Datsun roadsters were a predecessor to the S30 (Z Car) and were an excellent and inexpensive alternative to the British MG or cars offered by Triumph.
The Datsun Sports (known as Fairlady in Japan) started out in 1959 with the S211 (Sports 1000) putting down 36 horsepower with only 20 being produced making it the most rare Datsun model. Production ended in 1970 with the SR311 (Fairlady/Sports 2000) which featured a 2.0-liter engine which put out 133-150 horsepower (depending on vehicle options). The vehicle featured in this post is the 1967.5 ‘Datsun 2000’ and is currently on sale on eBay. continue reading →
In a world where people are becoming increasingly sedentary, smart businesses are putting in a lot of time, money, and creative effort to capitalize on that massive reserve of laziness. Queue Cherry, the new mobile application that allows you to send the company your GPS location, and have them come wash your fucking car. No, seriously. They drive over… and wash your car.
Open their mobile app, send them your location automatically, and they’ll come wash your car anywhere. The question is, do they truly mean anywhere? continue reading →
Maybe you are the type of guy that dresses sharply, wears shiny expensive jewellery, and is into red carpet entrances. In order to live up to your personality, you need your muscle car ride to be an eye catcher; something apart from the ordinary. Of course, dealerships made money on new car options, so both consumers and dealers were happy with the long lists of factory options available to personalize dream fully optioned muscle cars. There were choices of eye searing colors, racing mirrors, chrome treatments, spoilers, decal treatments, scoops and louvers; the list goes on and on…
It’s hard now to believe that just a generation ago we had no mobile communication devices to get the nights activities organized while on the streets tooling around town. Instead, we would make the rounds of common gathering places like drive-ins, restaurants, or pubs to see who was hanging out where. There was nothing better than when someone drove up in a visually stunning ride: it was like an instant slap to the senses. Here’s a look at some restored examples of seventies muscle cars that came “blinged” out from the factory. Let’s go! continue reading →
I like Hip Hop and Rap music and it’s about all I listen to. Unfortunately, this very genre of music can also be blamed for some very, very terrible fashion trends. One that comes to mind is jewelry for your teeth also known as Grillz. Those things are terrible, just terrible. Hip Hop music also had a huge impact on the auto industry and two things comes to mind immediately. In my opinion, the music industry (hip hop/rap) had a direct hand in making the SUV the “cool” vehicle to own and it all started in the late 1990′s and early 2000′s. The other terrible trend was spinner wheels.
But there is another trend that’s not as popular but still has momentum is known as the Donk Car. Other names for Donk cars include Box, Bubble, Sky-Scrapers, and Hi-Risers. The Donk Car is usually an inexpensive American vehicle with a ridiculous lift kit to give the car a significant ground clearance and and massive wheels and low-profile tires. continue reading →
Porsche recently updated their 911 line of cars and now they’ve focused their attention on the Boxster. The 2013 Porsche Boxster is code named 981 and will be available in April 2012. In typical Porsche fashion the 981 Boxster’s design is more of an evolution of the previous generation rather than an all-new design. A quick glance at the picture above, the 2013 Boxster reminds me of the Toyota MR-S for a second. continue reading →
Ever since the Acura NSX ceased production in 2005, there has been lots of speculation about the re-birth of the mid-engine Japanese supercar. Acura/Honda has brought a few concept NSX cars to auto shows over the years but none of them made it to production models but that might change with the introduction of the all-new Acura NSX Concept, presented at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Acura says this car will make it to production within the next three years, we have our fingers crossed. continue reading →
