Jalopnik

Down On The Street

1932 Ford Model B Pickup

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. So far, we've seen mostly 1960s and 1970s vehicles in this series, but we've seen a couple of 1930s machines (a 1937 Cadillac and a 1939 Chevrolet). Today we've rolled the clock back to 1932, with a new Oldest Alameda DOTS Champion. That's right, I've managed to find a 76-year-old truck parked on the street!
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9:00 AM on Mon Sep 8 2008
By Murilee Martin
112 views, 6 comments

Latest by layabout: 'Ring time? more »

Detroit Bailout

Automakers To Hit Congress Hard This Month For Loans That Aren't A Bailout

After a nasty summer of sliding sales and eroding market share, domestic automakers are planning to lobby the US Congress for $50 billion in low-interest government loans. The companies claim the money would allow them to modernize plants and develop new fuel-efficient vehicles; ordinarily, automakers would have tapped existing lines of credit for the required cash, but rising interest rates combined with debt ratings reduced to junk status have rendered their options severely limited. But, the important thing to note here is that this is NOT a bailout. No sir. More »

8:30 AM on Mon Sep 8 2008
By Andrew Stoy
132 views, 8 comments

Latest by not4one: Good one Mark. Getting taxpayers to take the money they would otherwise spend on Main St, and instead divert it more »

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: The $39,975 Iran Khodro Paykan Deluxe 1600!

77% of readers thought the low-mileage Chryslerati falls on the Crack Pipe side of the NPOCP Scale. That might be a bit harsh, but the K Car underpinnings of the Chrysler TC By Maserati may have seemed too common. That's why today's car is something that we're pretty sure nobody has ever seen driving in the street in North America: a genuine Paykan. Yes, this fine customized Iranian-built Hillman Hunter- equipped with genuine "Boog Benzy"- will be shipped right to your door! Don't worry about any customs or registration hassles with this Axis Of Evil machine, because the seller assures us "I can have this vehicle registered for road use in all 50 states (don't worry about DMV or DOT). I will explain to you the process in detail." So, what do you think of this deal? Thanks to HotRodElectric for the tip! [eBay Motors]


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8:00 AM on Mon Sep 8 2008
By Murilee Martin
425 views, 34 comments

Latest by MuleKiani: Are you kidding, this was my dad's first car, he'd do anything for this car. For me, in my specific more »

Commenter Of The Day

Commenter Of The Day: Caveat Emptor Edition

Whether or not we'll consciously admit it, most of us are constantly in search of a next car or another car. It's only natural. Man is not meant to be with one car. Look at the animals in the wild. That's why you should always sleep on any decisions that involve you purchasing a used vehicle. We recently found a relatively nice V6 SHO Taurus for a good price only to find out that the A/C didn't work. Is that one you're going to sleep on? Yes. And in today's post about lawnmowers and catalytic converters there was an enticing offer from CopterBob that, surely, includes its own set of problems. More »

6:20 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Matt Hardigree
3,768 views, 63 comments

Latest by SCROGGS!: Screw you kids and yer fancy cub cadets! more »

Custom Cars

Aussie Man Builds Big-Block Batman Tumbler With Nitrous, Videotapes Entire Build Process

Beginning in 2006, Aussie superhero Grant Hodgson started off with a dream, a dream of being the Batman, and he's been building a faithful replica of the Tumbler ever since. This time it comes with a build blog. Grant's version looks to be even closer to the real deal than the one built by Bob Dullam, featuring a 560 HP GM 454 CID V8, Turbo 400 automatic transmission, Argo V drive and a reinforced 35-spline Detroit Locker nine-inch rear end. The best part is that we get to watch it in action and watch the fabrication. Oh, did we mention it's got nitrous too? Yeah. Build image and more below the jump. More »

6:00 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
23,046 views, 48 comments

Latest by bmoredlj: I've always wondered what the Tumbler looks like with no armor and while Batman is looking for a parking space more »

Chrysler cuts

Dodge Nitro And Jeep Liberty Death Match! Only One Will Survive!

Chrysler is looking to slaughter one of its Toledo-made SUV twins, the Dodge Nitro or Jeep Liberty. Only one can survive the elimination process, and our money is on the Jeep sticking around, with the Dodge getting the axe in 2012. It's all part of "Big" Bob Nardelli's unrelenting thirst for blood quest to cut back on unnecessary badge-engineered, platform-sharing vehicles that exist only to make dealers happy. Of course, there are talks of Chrysler getting more dealers to consolidate all the brands under one roof. Wait a sec, we're talking about an American automaker? This doesn't make sense ... err, actually, it makes too much sense. [Toledo Blade via AutomobileMag]

5:20 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Mark Arnold
1,771 views, 59 comments

Latest by suzq044: they'll kill Nitro; not enough sales, I see a lot more Liberty's around than Nitros. more »

Car Collections

Former Chrysler VP Recreates 1954 Plymouth Showroom In His Garage

Complete with all four body styles offered on the Plymouth Belvedere in 1954, Darrell L. Davis’s 9,000 square foot garage-homage to the '54 Plymouth also includes sales brochures, display racks, banners, signs, order books, sheets of paint samples and upholstery samples. Basically, everything needed to run a successful Plymouth showroom, which was exactly what he was aiming to recreate. More »

5:00 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Wes Siler
4,356 views, 57 comments

Latest by aesthari: ViergangFuchs: Truer words have never been said. "I never bought a car as an investment, or sold one just to make more »

In Brief

Did You Take Wood Shop in High School?

FROM CARDOMAIN CAR BLOG: By Rob Einaudi Editor-in-Chief I bet the owner of this Malibu did. Heck, it's almost ready for paint! More »
Ad Watch

Hyundai Genesis Drag Races A Porsche Boxster

These may be two completely different vehicles, but that doesn't mean a drag race between a Hyundai Genesis 4.6 and a standard Porsche Boxster is a completely irrelevant test. Yes, the Boxster's flat-six has nothing over the Hyundai's 4.6-liter 375 HP V8, though we can't imagine that will stop impromptu white-collar drag races between Genesis and Boxster drivers on their way from Starbucks to the office. We'd be interested to see how the two compare on a twisty track, though the Genesis Coupe may be more well-suited for that task. [YouTube] More »

4:30 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Mark Arnold
8,867 views, 69 comments

Latest by Racingindrag: There are stock Volvos that will outrun a Boxster... It's just not that powerful. On a different note; the Boxster is weird more »

speed traps

British Police Using High-Tech Helicopters To Catch Speeders, Yell At Them

In an effort to drive both taxpayer groups and paranoid Libertarians nuts at the same time, the Essex police are using a $1,750-an-hour helicopter equipped with some fairly high-tech gear to trap speeders in key areas. The helicopter uses plate recognition software that can recognize a plate and locate the address from up to 700 feet away, and then use the "Skyshout" PA system to scare the crap out of inform drivers that they've been busted. More »

4:00 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Matt Hardigree
1,742 views, 59 comments

Latest by Stoatmaster: guily = guilty Arse more »

Novelties

Ekranoplan Landings, Terrifying Concept For Reusable Space Flight

We have an occasional obsession with Soviet-era ekranoplans, the half-plane, half-hovercraft madness machines which take advantage of the ground effect, a phenomenon which provides for high lift at low altitudes. We've meandered across all manner of ekranoplan, from the massive Caspian Sea Monster to Luigi Colani's vision of an ekranoplanic future. But today we find out Ruskie planners once envisioned a future where space travel was enabled by ekranoplans. Propelling heft into space is much easier at the equator, where you can get up to twice the payload into the night sky at the same fuel charge.

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3:40 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
3,731 views, 36 comments

Latest by Stoatmaster: Thunderbirds be damned! Surely the hulls in the main picture are cloned from Seaview, Richard Baseheart's vessel in Voyage To The more »

Blogging The Auto Bloggers

GM Fires Next Salvo In PR Wars With "GM Facts And Fiction" Website

General Motors, taking a page from the Bush administration's "Setting The Record Straight" communications, has gone live with a website called "GM Facts And Fiction" designed to directly address criticism levied against the company. A quick glance at the site, located at gmfactsandfiction.com, indicates that the main topic of PR concern for the General right now is whether they're asking for a government bailout or not. That's not all, though: The site doesn't pull punches, incorporating "myth" topics with titles like "GM Still Doesn't Make Cars People Want To Buy" and "GM's Biggest Problem In North America Is Its Union Contracts." Some of our favorite facts and fiction after the jump. More »

3:20 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Andrew Stoy
2,353 views, 32 comments

Latest by SeanKHotay: GM assertions, while likely true, is like asserting: I did not have sex with that woman...Ms. Lewinski. No one's going to believe more »

Offbeat News

UPS Truck Turns Over A Million Miles In 22 Years

The odometer on Bret Boyd's big brown 1987 GMC rolled over to show all zeros recently. It was just another routine day in the same vehicle he's been behind the wheel of for his 22 years — as a UPS driver in East Texas. During that time the truck has reportedly gone through at least three engines and been repainted the same number of times, though we suppose it's hard not to lose count. What makes the GMC's longevity even more admirable is not just that the truck has never been in an accident during all that time, but also that Boyd has declined a new replacement vehicle. He prefers to just stick with ol' reliable, saying the truck feels "like home... sitting in the recliner in your house." [DallasNews] (Thanks Travis!)

3:00 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Mark Arnold
3,551 views, 58 comments

Latest by LandofMinos, Thinks emu is tastier than kangaroo: There's a Mail Call motorcycle courier guy getting around North Sydney, Artarmon area on a circa 1950's Royal Enfield! Looks more »

Novelties

Trucker Rigs Disappearing License Plate To Cheat Tolls

Ever since James Bond showed off the rotating plates on his Aston Martin, people have been inspired to rig up their own devices to conceal their vehicle's identity. Recently, a trucker was nearly caught using such a device to avoid paying tolls. The trick plate was mounted on a hinge and connected to a cable which ran into the cabin, the end of which went through the old cigarette lighter socket, and was activated just by pulling out the lighter. It's brilliantly simple, and evidently rather popular among truckers looking to beat the system. Stick it to the man! [via Yahoo, Gizmodo] More »

2:30 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Mark Arnold
6,488 views, 38 comments

Latest by Hello_Newman: Sooner or later someone will see him doing it and call it in, just a matter of time with all more »

paris motor show

Citroen Hypnos Hybrid Crossover Concept Channels FURTHUR

With the Hypnos crossover concept, Citroën is trying to explore ways to “make technology more human and approachable.” And, while the 200 HP hybrid powertrain said to deliver 60+ MPG is certainly laudable, we’ve received unconfirmed reports of a rehab facility in the south of France that's taken in the entire Citroën Design Department. Of course, the Hypnos is just the latest in a long history of wacky concepts from the French automaker. Hit the jump for their official explanation of the Hypnos and a gallery of some of the best Citroën concepts from recent years. More »

2:00 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Wes Siler
1,858 views, 42 comments

Latest by Shadowlayer: Did you Know?: in france Acid grows on trees? THE MOAR YOU KNOW... more »

chevy volt

Report: Production Chevy Volt To Appear Alongside Chevy Cruze In Paris

Carscoop is reporting that inside sources tell them the production version of the Chevy Volt will join the Chevy Cruze, along with an unidentified Chevy concept vehicle, at the Paris Motor Show next month. That would mark the first show appearance for the Volt, which is expected to be revealed to the press on Tuesday, September 16. GM has been slowly revealing bits and pieces of the plug-in electric hybrid for months now; we recently told you about GM's plans to have at least 50 prototypes running around metro Detroit by the end of the year, so seeing a Volt up close shouldn't be too tough after Paris. [Carscoop]

1:45 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Andrew Stoy
1,215 views, 15 comments

Latest by thriftytechie: Well, if this is true, then someone has to coin a term which represents something that is somewhere between 'vaporware' more »

Offbeat News

1958 Ferrari 250 PF Recovered In Connecticut 15 Years After Theft In Spain

A very rare, and very stolen, 1958 Ferrari 250 PF worth over $4,000,000 has been found in a private Connecticut collection, 15 years after being pinched in Spain. The Connecticut State Police Motor Vehicle Task Force and the Connecticut State Police Auto Theft Task Force tracked the Ferrari down with help from Interpol and the Swiss owner. Shockingly, the car was smuggled into New Jersey and registered with a fraudulent VIN, then passed around via a series of auctions and private sales. An unassuming buyer in 2000 should've been suspicious when he picked the car up for the stupid low price of $550,000; now he'll be crying in his soup as it heads home. (Thanks for the tips Doug and Steve)

[Fox61]

1:30 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
3,106 views, 59 comments

Latest by Rican5.0: Whoever spends 4mil on a fucking car deserves whatever he gets. Oh and this IS a beautiful machine, but this pricing/alleged more »

Brother From Another Mother

Honda Insight Vs. Toyota Prius: Separated At Birth?

It's hard not to think the new Honda Insight hybrid and the Toyota Prius look like kissing cousins. But, while both are five-door hatches sharing similar profiles, cut lines and green-tinged halos... they've got vastly different designs. Below the jump, we've detailed seven of the literally tens of differences between the two happy hybrids. And yes, we're even including the big "H" on the front of the 2010 Honda Insight. More »

Feature

1:00 PM on Fri Sep 5 2008
By Matt Hardigree
10,584 views, 76 comments

Latest by 3wheeler: And the scores for setting the future design language for what is a HYBRID are: Toyota 1, Honda 0. Does more »

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