New 2012 Car Review: 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Wacky Arab Car - Special Desert Salvage Mod

This wacky Arab salvage mod is just plain funny. Your out in the middle of the desert with nothing to do and a car with barely anything on it but the basics. What more fun can than be.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Blues Art Car - Ray Charles and the Greats

I found this Blues Art Car photo painted for Honda by Artist Jack Poppitz, a self-taught outsider folk artist and carpenter living in Colorado, that usually works with old wood as a backdrop for his folk art. This car was part of a benefit auction held at the House of Blues.

Its covered with blues legends such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Lead Belly, Walter "Furry" Lewis and J.B. Lenoir. Driving the hood of the Fit is a glorious depiction of blues guitarist Sam "Lightnin' " Hopkins, resplendent with angel wings flying."

Hot Glow in the Dark MINI Art Car

I found this hot Mini Cooper with an all reflective, vinyl sticker kit and a video on how it was all put together at Garage 419. This glow in the dark mini art car was created by Scott Chester at ACID STUDIOS and the result is simply stunning. The project was inspired by the BMW Art Car project between 1975 & 1999, where artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg (R.I.P.) made one of a kind works of art from BMWs’ finest automobiles.

Photos via

Art Car Calendar - Now Available for 2009

For those of you who can't get enough of art cars, the 2009 art car calendars are now available at Philly Travel Nature Blog. They are fantastic!!!

Monday, December 29, 2008

Pimp my Japanese Bike Ride - Robotech Lo-Rider

via
All I can say is this is how you Pimp your Japanese Bike Ride all day long. Its live manga animation robotech with a dash of mutant and a pinch of lo-rider cool. And as you can see by all the lights, safety first for night riding

Pink Homeland Security Art Car For Sale

This Pink"Homeland Security" Art Car is 1995 Chevy Caprice station wagon that was part of the Checkpoint Dreamyourtopia installation at Burning Man. It has 125.000 miles, street legal passed Texas inspection and is for sale for around $2,000, O.B.O. Daniel is wanting to skip town and wants to unload to pink beast as fast as possible so email him at dadara@xs4all.nl and help him raise some money to get back home.

2009 McLaren SLR Stirling Moss

Things got just a bit brighter for the incoming Detroit Auto show. Mercedes-Benz will officially showing what will surely be one of the most attention supercars in exhibition hall, the new 2009 McLaren SLR Stirling Moss,a supercar for year 2009. The boldly styled Merc will be the last vehicle built under the partnership with McLaren, at a cost around €750,000 Mercedes should have no trouble finding buyers for the 75-car allotment. The feature of this super car will full carbon fiber bodywork wrapped over the standard version, a 650-hp supercharged 5.5-liter V8 and the five-speed automatic transplanted from the SLR 722. Despite lacking any sort of roof or proper windscreen, the Stirling Moss can still achieve a top speed of 217 mph and can reach 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds. Other unique features include swing-wing doors, a retractable air brake that can be operated manually and a two-piece tonneau cover that can cover the entire cockpit or just the passenger seat.

Hunting wall street pirates with fire breathing mutant vehicle

Yep its Mutant Mondays and today's mutant vehicle is a two story pickup truck covered in neck ties and a fire cannon mounted on the back. I also love the attention to detail with the pink gas tank up top of the observation deck. Maybe the guy has given up his corporate job to pursue a career in pyrotechnics and is raising money for classes by selling his old neck ties. Or maybe its a corporate exec hunting party on the look out for rogue wall street pirates. One can only guess.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Dodge Viper SRT-10 Pictures

2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10

Dodge Viper SRT-10 blue color

New Dodge Viper Pictures

2008 Dodge Viper

Dodge Viper

New Dodge Viper Pictures

Chrysler 300C SRT Pictures

black Chrysler 300C SRT

Chrysler 300C SRT Dashboard

2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible Pictures

Chrysler Sebring Convertible

Chrysler Sebring Convertible dashboard

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring wagon pricing

The Tuesday announcement signals a return to the compact five-door segment for the Korean automaker. Packages range from $18,495 for the entry-level version to $20,795 for the premium-sport version. Prices include delivery.

Standard equipment on all versions includes air conditioning, remote keyless entry with alarm, steering-wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls, and an eight-way adjustable driver's seat with lumbar support. Audio features include an AM/FM/XM Satellite radio, CD and MP3 system with six speakers. USB input and auxiliary input jacks also are standard.

The premium-sport package adds a sunroof, heated front seats and 17-inch alloy wheels.

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring wagon also offers standard electronic stability control. It earned a five-star frontal crash rating in the compact passenger car segment from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Elantra Touring has a wheelbase of 106 inches and interior volume of 125.5 cubic feet.

The vehicle, powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine with a manual transmission, gets an estimated 23 mpg city/31 highway, according to the EPA. The Elantra Touring wagon also is certified as an ultralow emission vehicle.

© Source: autoweek
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2009 Toyota Highlander 2.7-Liter Four-Cylinder

Automakers have responded by building clean diesels, E85-burning engines, and all varieties of hybrid powerplants. But sometimes the easiest solution is also the simplest: downsizing. In its current generation, Toyota's Highlander has only been available in V6 or hybrid models. But for 2009 the strong-selling crossover is now available with a four-cylinder under the hood. We put nearly 400 miles on the downsized model, and can report that compromising engine size doesn't necessarily relegate you to automotive purgatory—or the slow lane. But it does make for better gas mileage.

Skeptics should note that the base 2009 Toyota Highlander's four-cylinder engine puts out roughly as much power as Toyota's fairly recent V6s. This Highlander's 2.7-liter unit is a double-overhead cam, 16-valve engine with dual variable valve timing. The engine—internally referred to as 1AR-FE—is rated at 187 hp at 5800 rpm and 186 lb-ft of torque at 4100 rpm, almost identical to the engine found in the all-new Venza we test drove recently. Also shared with the Venza is a six-speed automatic transmission, while the V6 Highlander gets a five-speed automatic with a slightly shorter final drive ratio of 3.478 (versus 4.356).

The four-cylinder Highlander is only available in front-wheel-drive and base-trim levels. Five passengers can be seated comfortably with the standard two-row seating setup, and seven will fit with the optional third row, which comes standard on the V6 model. The four-cylinder Highlander is rated at 20 mpg city/27 mpg highway, and can run on 87 octane fuel.

Standard equipment includes 245/65R17 tires, keyless entry, 40/20/20 fold-down second-row seats, cruise control and six-speaker stereo with MP3/WMA playback compatibility. And Toyota hasn't skimped on safety either. Hill-start assist, brake assist, stability and traction control, airbags for everyone, including the driver's knees, and active headrests are included.

Though it's the most meagerly outfitted of all Highlanders, climbing inside the cabin of the base model reveals reasonably well-finished surfaces, soft-touch materials, and instrumentation that is clear and well-designed—very Toyota, if you will. You might miss the higher-end pampering that comes from a leather-wrapped steering wheel and navigation, but the four-cylinder's cockpit is still a pleasant place. And details such as subtle LED lighting make nighttime driving feel even a little upscale.

You would expect a four-cylinder engine to provide subpar acceleration on a 3847-pound midsize crossover, but this Highlander moves with reasonable authority. It won't light up a drag strip or have you screaming for mercy as it pins your spine into your seat, but this engine makes for perfectly acceptable response, thanks to the six-speed transmission. It does a solid job of picking the right gear for the right speed. And shifts are quick and nearly imperceptible—this is a smooth gearbox. Cruising along at 60 mph, the tach registers barely more than 1750 spm.

© Source: origin
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Mercedes-Benz Delivers 1,500,000 E-Class Models Worldwide

Mercedes has delivered 1,500,000 units of their consummate E-Class since they launched it some six years ago. Of these, 1,270,000 units were sedan variants, while 230,000 units were of the estate variety.

According to Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars: "The current E-Class and its predecessor models have been the ‘heart’ of Mercedes-Benz for more than 60 years now. With its typical brand attributes that include safety, comfort, innovation, economy, and quality, the E-Class has delighted around 12 million customers worldwide across eight model generations.”

Of course, news of the Mercedes E-Class' sales success is bittersweet, as overall sales at Mercedes-Benz have dropped sharply the past several months. Nevertheless, in times of economic turmoil, one must look for bright spots in otherwise disappointing sales numbers, and 1.5 million units sold is certainly a figure to be proud of.

© Source: emercedesbenz
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2010 Cadillac SRX – video

Cadillac is advancing the debut of the all-new 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover with this YouTube video. The black SRX playing in a field of snow sure is fun to watch.

2009 Saturn Aura

The 2009 Saturn Aura lineup shuffles some trim levels and model names and adds some new features. This midsize sedan shares its basic design with the Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6, and Saab 9-3. Aura offers base XE, uplevel XR, and gas/electric Hybrid (formerly Green Line) models. XE and new-for-2009 XR 4-cylinder models have a 169-hp 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine. XR V6 models have a 252-hp 3.6-liter V6. All XE and XR Auras have a 6-speed automatic transmission. This transmission replaces a 4-speed automatic on 4-cylinder Auras. The XE V6 model with its 219-hp 3.5-liter engine has been discontinued.

The Aura Hybrid has a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine that pairs with an electric motor for 164 hp total. This hybrid can shut off the gas engine at a stop, but it cannot run solely on electric power. It uses a 4-speed automatic transmission. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain side airbags, front side airbags, and GM's OnStar assistance. Leather upholstery with heated front seats is available, as is a sunroof. Newly available for 2009 is a wireless cell phone link.

Aura sedans use GM's current Epsilon architecture, already several years old. A redesigned Epsilon II platform will be used for Aura station wagons slated as 2010 or 2011 models. Sedans will eventually adopt that structure, too. Sources say the wagons will be built in Europe by GM's Opel subsidiary.

© Source: consumerguideauto
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2010 Toyota Prius – video

Now it begins to make sense: The previous performance art video teasers for the 2010 Toyota Prius were made up largely of edited shots from this teaser, with the Blue Man Group restored to its place. This one doesn't make any more or less sense than the previous videos, and there isn't much more to see, but it does offer a couple of chuckles. We would love to see how far you get with that eyedropper, though.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

ToyoBaru RWD Sports Car delay until 2012

A smart project of Toyota and Subaru to working together on a rear-wheel-drive sportscar with “wonderful styling” have been replaced by rumours that the car has been put on hold.

The future and superb drift machine, regarded by many as the potential successor to the now legendary AE86, is believe to be based on the current Subaru Legacy platform and powered by a boxer engine putting out around 200hp through a six speed manual transmission.

The original plan is due in 2011,but, according to Nikkei, the car has been delayed to at least 2012 or more. But with things set to get even worse around the globe, 2012 may just come and go without any trace of a Toyobaru RWD sports car.

Toyota Battery Electric Concept

The Japanese manufacturer announced that it will premiere a new Toyota Battery Electric Concept at the 2009 North American International Auto Show. Unfortunately this is all the official press release says.

The company did not disclose any other additional information on this new Toyota Battery Electric Concept. For more information we'll have to wait until the show in January when the new Toyota Battery Electric Concept will have its world premiere.

© Source: zercustoms
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Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss - Video

After celebrating its world premier, more content pertaining to the Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss has emerged, with a rather official looking video of the model making an appearance on YouTube. In the approximately minute-and-a-half clip, both the new SLR and the vehicle it was modeled after – Stirling Moss' SLR 300 – are on display, with the new SLR and its individual styling elements showcased from a number of different angles.

2009 Conquest Knight XV

(from Conquest Vehicles Press Release) Conquest Vehicles Inc., the Toronto-based company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of fully armoured, ultra-luxurious, handcrafted sport utility vehicles has unveiled its flagship vehicle, the KNIGHT XV at the 2008 SEMA show in Las Vegas, announced William Maizlin, President, Conquest Vehicles, Inc.

Inspired by the Gurkha military vehicle, the KNIGHT XV is an ultra-luxurious handcrafted, Bio-fuel powered fully armoured SUV. The KNIGHT XV is powered by a V10, 6.8-litre engine and sits on a super duty Ford modified platform chassis. It provides 400 hp and 498-ft lbs of torque. The KNIGHT XV is priced at $310,000 USD. Only 100 will be made available as a limited first run. Each vehicle takes 1,500 hours to build by hand.

The KNIGHT XV offers interior appointments including Wilton Wool luxury carpeting; Andrew Muirhead leather; 6-way electric leather boardroom-style seating; Tandem sunroof glass with privacy shades; Personal side-mounted lap top stations; LED cabin lighting; Alpine AM, FM, CD, DVD navigation and Bluetooth equipment; TV Monitors; Night vision and rear op camera system and Playstation 3 (PS3). The cabins 283-cubic-foot interior is larger than the interior of most SUVs on the road today and can comfortably seat six professional basketball players.

The KNIGHT-XV is built using ballistic hardened steel making it fully armoured including ballistic fiberglass fenders, bumper and up to 64 mm. (2.5 inches) transparent armor (glass). The KNIGHT XV is 240 in length, 98 in width with a ground clearance of 14 and stands at 100. Its wheelbase is 141 and has an armoured curb weight of 10,000 pounds. The vehicle holds 40 gallons of fuel and sits on four, LT40X13.50R20 Mickey Thompson Baja Radial ATZ tires with ballistic run flats.

Additionally, the KNIGHT XV contains an E-85 Ethanol conversion system (Flex Fuel) with California emission certification, thereby making it certified in all 50 States.

© Source: seriouswheels
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Friday, December 26, 2008

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti by Imola Racing

To miss with perfection should be a sin. So the moment Imola Racing even began to mess with the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, the heavens should open and swallow the German tuner whole.

At least it seems Imola was smart enough to not touch the engine. Instead this is likely just body enhancements. We don’t have much info on the kit. We do know its being considered a widebody because of the enlarged fenders and larger tires. There are also new front and rear spoilers as well as a two-tone paint job the is reminiscent of the first generation Corvette.

© Source: topspeed
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Mercedes E-Class AMG Coupe caught undisguised – video

This is the latest footage of the coupe out performing winter testing. Although the testers have no intention of rolling down the windows, hopefully Mercedes will take a page from the CLK’s book and delete the B-pillar to get the stylish hardtop convertible look of its smaller sibling. We expect Mercedes to offer a wide variety of V6 and V8 engines, including a 525 hp 6.3-liter V8 for the E63 AMG model. Judging by the taped over AMG badging on the cars in the video, this is latter playing in the snow.

2010 Lincoln MKT caught in the cold

Just a year after the MKT Concept debuted at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, Lincoln will be unveiling the production version of its new three-row CUV next month at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Fortunately, our spy photographers have snapped the most revealing views yet of this new 2010 LincolnMKT being driven out on the snowy streets of Dearborn.

As you can see, the production MKT holds true to the design direction set by the concept with the largest version yet of Lincoln’s signature split-wing grille and that conspicuous kink at the base of the C-pillar. In profile, the MKT seems to share a roofline with the Audi Q7 that creates a soft arch from front to back, and the rear gate is also tilted far forward to avoid the upright, boxy look of a traditional SUV or CUV.

© Source: autofans
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WWJD? - What Whould Jesus Drive? A Jesus Art Car

It was Christmas yesterday or the global Jesus birthday celebration, even though there is some controversy surrounding the actual date of his birth. I am not trying to be sacrilegious in any way, but he does seem to be the worlds most influential God/Man in the universe for all time past present and future, and since this is an art car blog, I decided to answer the question WWJD? or What Would Jesus Drive? I don't know which one He would drive but I did find a few art cars that some of us down here would drive. For better or for worse here are the Jesus Cars.