Now, being the resident Brit around these parts, I feel a certain obligation to, as Her Majesty’s best known secret agent might quip, “keep the British end up.” Now I know we’ve had our differences in the past. You colonials tried to make tea by chucking crates of it in Boston harbor and we set fire to the White House. But that’s all behind us now right? I don’t drink tea anyway....
I need to thank fellow autojourno Rob Stumpf for stumpfling across these images and posting them to Twitter, which is where I was alerted to their existence: Y’all these are actual press images and I’m screaming. I need more of this kind of Big Volvo Energy in press releases. pic.twitter.com/O8XNeoYxML — Rob Stumpf (@RobDrivesCars) June 24, 2022 Man, you really need a moment just to really drink these images in....
Yeah, that’s where I’m at too. I like them both, obviously, but I get the feeling I’d get a chance at a better Fiero, or a lesser one for cheaper. The Barracuda feels more like a “now or never” opportunity. I can’t afford either one right now, but if I could, I’d go Plymouth. Now, today we have a couple of cars that aren’t on anybody’s wish list, but they’re such a useful body style that maybe they should be....
Looks like the Imperial Wallet Destroyer has it. This is, of course, the correct answer. (Oh, you didn’t know there is always a correct and incorrect answer? Sorry, did I forget to mention that?). For those who complained it was too hard to find parts for or that it had too many doors: I find your lack of faith disturbing. The Imperial is epic. Before I recap this week’s winners, a quick word about project cars, if I may: The idea of bringing an inoperative piece of junk back from the dead (or near-dead) is not for everyone....
My go-to junkyard is U.S. Auto in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Standing on the grounds of the famous defunct “Warhoops” salvage yard, the place is always filled to the brim with classics. Plus, it’s fairly clean, and, most importantly, it’s right up the street from my compoun…er, house. Anyway, a while back the company held its annual “60 for 60” sale, and I figured I’d record the whole thing because it’s absolutely absurd:...
That’s a bit surprising, actually. I would have guessed the Prius’s reputation would have counted for more. For me, I think it would come down to how they looked/felt/drove in person, but really, if I went the hybrid route, I’d probably hold out for a one-generation-older Civic, or original Insight, with a manual. It’s almost a cliché at this point: “Never buy someone else’s project.” But if you think about it, every car is someone else’s project, even a new one....
source: The Autopian/Airstream You might already know this, but they don’t exactly give these things away. A modern motorhome ranges from $60,000 to more than $150,000 new (Matt called the one above a good deal at over $100k), and even the used route is still insane. You’ll have to pay a seller more than what they shelled out for their camper new three or four years ago to pick it up....
The problem is something Mk2 Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 owners are growing all too familiar with – excessive RTV sealant clogging the oil pickup tube, potentially resulting in engine failure due to insufficient oiling. So why cover it now? Well, up until very recently, it was thought to be isolated to the BRZ’s FA24D engine, but that’s clearly not the case. First, a primer on RTV. It’s a silicone sealant with RTV standing for Room Temperature Vulcanization, meaning that it cures at room temperature....
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 24, 2022 It’s our general desire here at The Autopian to not interject ourselves into politics where it doesn’t serve our readers, but cars do not exist in a vacuum and decisions made by policymakers do impact the hobby (The 25-year import rule, for instance). To stick your fingers in your ears and avert your eyes, sometimes, is to hand over important decisions to people who don’t get it....
Take a look at these posters featuring different eras of Ford Mustangs. Do you notice something that is conspicuous by its absence? Sources: ebay and redbubble That’s right: it’s as if the Pinto-based 1974-78 Mustang II never existed. Look, you could be forgiven for leaving off a footnote in Mustang history, but it’s sort of odd when the fourth best-selling model year EVER of the car (after the 1965-67 versions) is just eradicated from the records of a lot of enthusiasts, like it committed crimes against humanity....
This time, though, it isn’t me coming up with inane “what-if” ideas for you to consider; this time my longtime car-researcher friend, who we only know as the Bishop of Automotive Arcana, has provided for us some fascinating speculative drawings and ideas about what 1980s-era Chrysler-free AMC may have been like. It’s worth noting here that the Bishop has an actual, important-person job, so would prefer to remain anonymous, and that back in the late 1980s he attended the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, training to be an auto designer....
Jarren was at a Lake Washington Cars and Coffee event this weekend when he saw this note. If you don’t want to squint it says: If you look at the Lake Washington Cars and Coffee Instagram you’ll see a collection of beautiful Alfas, Lotuses, 911s, and event a Morgan Three-Wheeler. There were a lot of choices. “I thought it was pretty cool because that event is packed full of more traditional “enthusiast” cars and so I appreciated that out of everything there someone liked my ratty old Benz the most,” Jarren told me in a DM....
The ADDAX Overland Jeep trailer features independent suspension, a bit like BMW’s crazy multi-trailer, but relying on torsion axles rather than coil springs. It may seem a bit funny that a trailer cosigned by Jeep has independent suspension when Wranglers have solid axles, but it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Most trailers use a solid axle with semi-eliptical leaf springs just like many pickup trucks....
Looks like our be-stickered, branded-title, B230-powered Volvo 240 has the win. The all-wheel-drive Subaru Outback may be a bit more sure-footed up around Mount Hood, but the Volvo will carry you to Fred’s Sound of Music to pick up your refurbished vintage Technics turntable in more style. So now, as is our custom on Fridays, let’s recap our four winners, and I’ll have my say on them. Chicago – 2002 Chevy Prizm – $1,175 Let’s face it: there were no good choices here....
If you look back through the history of electric vehicles, you could divide electric evolution up into eras. In fact, that’s exactly what our Jason Torchinsky did, dividing EVs up into three eras that span nearly two centuries and are sorta based on the level of technology for the day. Check out this sweet graphic: The Dodge TEVan would fall into the Crap Era, which means that things are going to be sorta awful, but still pretty neat....
Also, that car up there is known as The Warrior, and it’s a one-off built by McKinley Thompson, Jr., the first black automotive designer to work for a major American automaker, in this case Ford, starting in 1956. The Warrior was a little home-built side project of his, and I think it’s fantastic. It’s rear-engined, built on a Renault 10 chassis – an excellent starting point, I think, the R10 is a very underrated car – and was designed to be amphibious....
Or are they? Is that boat the kid is holding actually some sample merchandise they want to try and get fish-community distribution for? Is it a fish-boat, where fish can experience the surface, see the sky, all while remaining close enough to life-giving water? Is that what’s happening here? Do they need the rods to catch the fish to actually meet with them? Does mom know? Is there booze in that thermos?...
These were such pleasingly homely little cars, unassuming and humble-seeming. I guess “Companion” isn’t too bad a name for them, even if it sounds a bit strange now. I could see that little putty-colored lump becoming a trusted companion, right? Who was always one of my favorites. So good call. Imagine if a typical bloke shows up at the front entrance of The Ritz in downtown London. He returns from a walk and asks the doorman for the concierge to provide him with his “Standard Companion” since he is ready to go....
Sometimes, you may run into a campground that doesn’t allow tents or tent-based campers because of bear activity. Today, I wrote about the Aliner hard-sided pop-up camper that touts the lack of canvas as a benefit. Among with better insulation and protection from strong storms, Aliner campers tout better security from wildlife than a pop-up tent camper. Sure, a bear could still rip through this camper, but it’ll have to try a little harder than slashing its way through the canvas of a typical pop-up camper....
GM has announced that it will invest nearly $1 billion into several U.S. manufacturing sites. The bulk of that money—$854 million—will be allocated toward the production of a new sixth-generation small-block V8 engine. And no, it’s not a retreat from electricity for GM; the rest of that money will be used at plants in New York and Ohio to support EV production. Here’s a statement from the automaker that outlines the scope and importance of this plan: Do you want to hear some specs about this new V8?...
