Jalopnik

$1.7 Million Bugatti Grand Sport Nearly Crashes On Hillclimb [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Thu, 31 May 2012 13:00:00 EDT

At last weekend's Precott hill climb, the driver of a targa-topped Bugatti Grand Sport saved his car and a massive amount of money when he almost spun into a grass embankment. For that, we salute him. More »

Bentley Wants To Know What China Thinks Of Its New SUV [Bentley]

Benjamin Preston — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:30:00 EDT

If you didn't already know it, China has arrived. Bentley is tailoring its new SUV to meet Chinese buyers' tastes, because China is the company's largest market. But no one liked Bentley's new beast at the Geneva auto show, so the luxury carmaker is trying to find out why. More »

The Beauty Of Car Pelts [Car Art]

Jason Torchinsky — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT

A few years back, a friend of mine visiting San Francisco texted me a picture. The image was the side of a nondescript white building, with what looked like a red, flattened Fiat 850 Spider. I did some research, and that's exactly what it was. The buidling was the Moscone Center, the car was once a Fiat 850 Spider, and the automotive flayer was Dustin Shuler. More »

The Ten Coolest Public Works Projects Of Recent Years [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:45:00 EDT

The WPA isn't around anymore, but there are still crazy public works projects going up all over the world. Jalopnik readers picked out the ten coolest transportation-related engineering feats of recent years, just to prove that mankind isn't over the hill. More »

What's Your Excuse For Not Riding A Motorcycle? [Question Of The Day]

Wes Siler — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:30:00 EDT

"Since it's the last day of my reign of terror as guest editor at ye olde Jalop (Matt's back tomorrow), I figured I'd ask you guys a question that constantly baffles me. Given their fuel economy, ability to personally reduce your travel times while reducing overall congestion, free parking, stunning performance, involving nature and general unabashed awesomeness, why do you guys sit around all day locked in metal cages? Why don't you ride bikes? More »

$800,000 Shelby Cobra Burns Inside Mountain [Shelby Cobra]

Jason Torchinsky — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:00:00 EDT

An unusual fire of an unusual car in an unusual place happened Monday, May 21 when a 1964 Shelby Cobra caught fire and burned inside the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel in Utah's Zion National Park. The tunnel is just over a mile long and cut through solid rock, with six open "windows" in the outer rock walls that give a view of the surrounding area. More »

Haul Six Kids To 60 MPH In 4.9 Seconds [New Cars]

Wes Siler — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

G63 AMG just a little too...agricultural for you? If so, then maybe this super-SUV is the truck for you. Mercedes has dropped its ubiquitous 5.5-liter, twin-turbo, 550 HP V8 into the mommy-mobile and called it the GL63 AMG. More »

Stephen Colbert Wants To Be Motor Trend Car Of The Year [Stephen Colbert]

Benjamin Preston — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT

After being named one of Maxim's "Hot 100," Comedy Central news anchor Stephen Colbert said he's now hotter than most people's girlfriends. But the Kronkite of comedy said he isn't done getting awards. He wants to be Motor Trend's "Car of the Year." More »

For $2,800, Be Forever Plaid [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]

graverobber — Thu, 31 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT

With the new FR-S and BRZ twins it's obvious Toyota has been secretly Single White Femaling Subaru. In fact, as pointed out by today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Tercel with 4WD, they have been for a long time. Will this one's price however sting like a stiletto in the head? More »

COTD: Hardcore Edition [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:00:00 EDT

I don't listen to much hardcore anymore, mainly because I've grown tired of hearing the same complaints over the same rhythms and the same chords for too long. At a certain point, hardcore was beating a dead horse, music-wise. More »

Scarf-Wearing Pig Spotted On Pittsburgh Highway [LOLCars]

Jason Torchinsky — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:30:00 EDT

First of all, PLEASE STAY CALM. Yes, there has been a pig wearing a scarf spotted on the side of Interstate 376 in Pittsburgh. The pig was not apprehended, but leapt a guard rail and ran off into the woods. More »

New York Has The World’s Best No Parking Sign [Parking]

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:00:00 EDT

Few cities can compare with New York when it comes to aggressively discouraging car ownership. This sign, familiar to anyone living in the West Village, is just one more piece of the "take the subway, asshole" urban fabric. More »

Hooning An AMG-Tuned Geländewagen On The Autobahn [Video]

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:30:00 EDT

The Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen, or G-Wagen, has been sold to civilian buyers since 1979. The AMG version debuted 20 years later, pairing the rugged overland vehicle with a 5.4-liter supercharged V8. A decade later, its successor, the 6.2-liter G63, was rumored to be on the chopping block. Nope. More »

What Does An F1 Car Look Like Cut In Half? [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:00:00 EDT

It took the Sauber team two years to complete this, the first complete dissection of an F1 car. The results are absolutely fascinating. More »

Carving The Beautiful Roads Of Eastern Europe [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:30:00 EDT

There's more to driving than tire-shredding hoonage. Beautiful roads and a free afternoon are all you need for a perfect drive. Having a first-gen Toyota MR2 and some of the finest driving roads in Hungary at your disposal doesn't hurt either. More »

Vintage CIA Training Videos Teach You To Stalk Like A Pro [Video]

Jason Torchinsky — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

It's well known that the Jalopnik demographic is pretty much equally split between car enthusiasts and chronic stalkers. Today, thanks to our friends at Autominded, we have something that will make everyone happy. More »

Jeep Dealership Caves, Gives Protester New Wrangler [Stealerships]

Ben Popken — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:30:00 EDT

Abdulah Alsayegh doesn't do subtle. After waiting for weeks for parts from his Jeep dealership to no avail, he spraypainted complaints about their poor service all over his Wrangler and parked it right in front of their door. The dealership scrambled like mad to hide the eyesore, parking cars around it on all sides, covering it in a wrap and holding it hostage. Now his stunt has paid off. The Kuwait dealership's GM has apologized and let Abdulah exchange his car for a brand new one. That's him, perched atop the sand dune, giving a thumbs up in his new ride. More »

Wait, How Did I Get Into This Lake? [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:00:00 EDT

We have no idea why this guy would jump his Dodge pickup into the middle of a pond without any hope of driving out. From the look on his face, he has no idea why he did it either. More »

Shocking Nature Video Of 2CV Reproduction [Video]

Jason Torchinsky — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:30:00 EDT

The majesty of seeing the iconic French voiture free and in its natural habitat is truly breathtaking. This video, from Emile Leray shows the incredible mating habits of 2CVs (maybe NSFW), and possibly the only live video of a 2CV hatchling first emerging ever recorded. More »

Ferrari FF Catches Fire On Polish Freeway [Car-B-Que]

Benjamin Preston — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT

Ferrari has produced fiery sports cars throughout its long history, but the flames have been more literal than figurative as of late. The latest in a spate of ferrar-b-ques burned on a Polish highway this week, destroying a $430,000 FF coupe. More »

What’s The Coolest Public Works Project Of The Past 10 years? [Question Of The Day]

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:30:00 EDT

It's easy to marvel at things like the Golden Gate Bridge, but what has human kind done for infrastructure recently that will have future generations downloading cyber postcards and stopping at the side of the road for cheesy Google-pad photo-ops? More »

The Ten Worst Interior Modifications We've Ever Seen [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:00:00 EDT

Stock car interiors are generally boring and terrible. That doesn't mean that your average knucklehead can improve them. These ten mods picked by Jalopnik readers show the worst attempts of all to "improve" a car's cockpit. More »

Big Bird Skyline Going To The Crusher [Car Crime]

Benjamin Preston — Wed, 30 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

Once again, Uncle Sam is showing his hatred of Nissan Skylines, this time in a physical rather than a regulatory way. Two Nissan Skylines — one featured in The Fast and the Furious — have been condemned by a Wisconsin court to be sent to the crusher. More »

Anonymous Threatens To Take Down Formula One At Montreal [Formula One]

Raphael Orlove — Wed, 30 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT

In conjunction with student protests and planned demonstrations around next weekend's Montreal Grand Prix, the hacker group Anonymous threatens to shut down Formula One's website and publish the credit card information of people buying tickets and merchandise online. More »

For $24,000, Have a Hethel-A Good Time [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]

graverobber — Wed, 30 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT

Maybe if Dustin Hoffman's character in The Graduate had driven a Lotus Elan instead of an Alfa Romeo Duetto, he might not have ended up looking for love in all the wrong places. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Series 3 would make a great graduation present, but will its price have you shouting Elan! Elan! Elan!? More »

Gorgeous Cars Flock To Villa D'Este [Car Porn]

Benjamin Preston — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:30:00 EDT

Nestled in the Italian Alps, Lake Como is a novel desitnation on its own. Throw in several dozen rare, exotic, and concept cars, and you've found paradiso. Eccola! (that's Italian for voila! Last weekend's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este attracted a host of drool worthy cars and motorcycles over the weekend. More »

COTD: Transport 1983 Edition [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:00:00 EDT

There are better ways of spending your time than watching episodes of the 1983 Dutch TV show "Transport," but sometimes you just watch it anyway. The human mind is not always logical. More »

You Can’t Bet On Martial Law At The Montreal Grand Prix Anymore [Formula 1]

Raphael Orlove — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:30:00 EDT

Canadian sports betting site Sports Interaction gained some notoriety last week when it offered 5.5:1 odds that martial law will be declared in Quebec. Those odds have since been removed, eliminating the one bit of Montreal Grand Prix-related gambling that interested us. More »

SpaceX Was Not The First Private Rocket Company [Spacelopnik]

Jason Torchinsky — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:00:00 EDT

Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk must be pretty happy right now. His other major venture, SpaceX, has just succeeded in a monumental first: the first docking of a private spacecraft, the Dragon, to the International Space Station. Up to now, docking a craft, even an unmanned one, has only been accomplished by some big names in the global government business: USA, Russia, Japan, and the European Union. More »

Two Datsuns That Didn’t Suck [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:30:00 EDT

In honor of Datsun's return to the South Pacific, let us tell the story of Fuji and Sakura, two Datsuns that entered the toughest rally in the world, Austrailia's 1958 Mobilgas Trial, and won. This video made by Nissan memorializes their beat-the-odds journey. More »

The World's Most Stereotypical Lamborghini Driver Begins The Gumball 3000 [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:00:00 EDT

The infamous Team Salamone continues its journey from New York to LA on the Gumball 3000, riding their chrome-wrapped Aventador of misogyny to fame and glory. Rather than keep things private, they have decided to video blog the entire trip. More »

Use A Porsche To Tow A Boat [Towing]

Benjamin Preston — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:30:00 EDT

Since its 1963 debut, the Porsche 911 has proven to be a versatile sports car. Whether on paved roads or dirt lanes, you're guaranteed to have fun throwing it around corners and listening to its boxer growl as you speed into straightaways. More »

This Graphic Crash Is What Happens When Arab Drifting Goes Wrong [Video]

Wes Siler — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

By now, you're familiar with Hagwalah, the Saudi street drifting phenomenon. Young men gather on congested highways to perform idiotic feats of driving dumbassery. But, are you familiar with the potential fallout? After watching this incredibly graphic, NSFW video, you and hopefully anyone thinking about doing this kind of thing on the street will be. More »

New Orleans Motorists Stopped To Gawk At A Mini Titantic [Boatlopnik]

Benjamin Preston — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:30:00 EDT

It was a commute to remember; an unusual boat appeared near the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway last Wednesday, bringing traffic to a crawl. More »

Bloodmasters Bloodbath Is Here For Your Children [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:00:00 EDT

The full video of our favorite drift crew is here. They're the Bloodmasters and they are here with axes and Nissans to tear up Englishtown, New Jersey. More »

Ducklings Stopped St. Louis Traffic [LOLCars]

Benjamin Preston — Tue, 29 May 2012 12:30:00 EDT

A mamma Mallard and her brood of fuzzy ducklings blocked traffic Thursday morning trying to cross a St. Louis street. Motorists called the local bird sanctuary to have the birds removed to a safer area. More »

Steven Tyler’s $1.1 Million, 1,244 HP Convertible [Hennessey Venom GT]

Wes Siler — Tue, 29 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler just took delivery of the world's fastest convertible. The Hennessey Venom GT Spyder will accelerate to 200mph in 15.9 seconds, eight seconds faster than a Bugatti Veyron. Tyler was the first person to ask if he could have his without a top. More »

What’s The Worst Interior Modification You’ve Ever Seen? [Question Of The Day]

Raphael Orlove — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:30:00 EDT

Automotive interior design is stuck in a rut. Featureless panels of cheap plastic interspersed with silvery pieces of cheap plastic and, in a good car, slightly squishy pieces of cheap plastic. Sometimes, that's better than what your friends think up. More »

The Ten Most Affordable Tracks In The Northwest [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:00:00 EDT

You've caught yourself driving too fast on the road before, and you'd like to take it to the track, but where can you go that's affordable? According to Jalopnik readers, these are the ten most affordable circuits in the American Northwest. More »

Electric Taxi Explodes In China [Video]

Benjamin Preston — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

The safety of electric vehicles is being questioned in China after a crash involving a BYD taxi resulted in this massive explosion, killing its driver and two passengers. More »