Overnight (and just in time for the LA Auto Show, where I understand there is some sort of fancy soiree happening that I’m not going to with shrimp served out of a wheelbarrow), Toyota revealed the new, fifth generation Prius and it’s quite the looker. No I’m not being my usual snarky self here – it’s a properly good looking car. I know we’re on the alternate timeline but what the hell?...

Origins of the M The M3 wasn’t born from a dream to build the ultimate road going three series. It was a Group A homologation special, and BMW had to build 5000 road cars to enable it to race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM). Most eighties homologation specials were a bit bonkers – mass market hatches and saloons stuffed with weapons-grade racing parts that made them a bit awkward on the road....

Last week, we kicked off Holy Grails with the Mercury Tracer LTS. When the second-generation Tracer made its debut, it was a sensible, practical vehicle for a small family. And today, it’s a car that you’ll probably miss unless you were looking for it. But there was a spicy version, the Luxury Touring Sedan, that turned a sensible sedan into something that might make you smile as you drive the kid to school....

I recently wrote about how I’ve spent a total of about $2,100 on the non-running Chevy Tracker I’d initially picked up for $700. Some of that sum was taxes, some of it was tires, some of it was fluids, some was interior trim to replace the cracked stuff, but do you know what contributed a lot to that figure? Unnecessary purchases resulting from misdiagnoses. When I initially arrived at the seller’s house to buy the Tracker, the gentleman improperly hooked his jumper cables to the Chevy-ified Suzuki and fried something in the electrical system, because the car refused to start even when the seller fixed the polarity issue....

Last weekend marked the reopening of one of my favorite museums in America. The Illinois Railway Museum temporarily closed its gates at the end of December, and save for just a single weekend in January, its more than 450 pieces of train and transit history have to wait for spring to bring joy to visitors once again. This year marks an important milestone for the museum, as it’s been 70 years since ten men threw in $100 each to purchase Indiana Railroad car number 65....

Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday. Toyota Finally Exhausts Eligibility For EV Rebates I’m afraid I have some bad news for anyone buying an electric or plug-in hybrid Toyota – eligibility for federal EV rebates has officially run out....

I’m not going to lie: I don’t care much about the plug-in hybrid Jeep Grand Cherokee, nor do I really care that the Wrangler’s now going to offer a slightly cheaper-trim version of the plug-in hybrid that’s been available for a few years now. But these are both quite popular models, so I’m sure some of you are interested in buying an expensive Jeep that can drive 25-ish miles in all-EV mode....

The Bug, The Fiat, And The Scirocco One of my earliest clear memories is seeing Star Wars at the drive-in in the summer of 1977. I was four. My mom stayed home with my two-year-old brother, and Dad and I hopped in his tan ’69 VW Beetle and went. I still remember sitting there, with a paper bag of popcorn we brought from home, watching X-Wing and TIE fighters scream across the screen while laser noises pew-pewed out of the cast-aluminum speaker hung on the window....

Go ahead. Laugh. Sneer, even. I don’t care. I saw this thing on the road and I craned my neck around to follow its passage like a dog locks on a meatball in your hand. Keep in mind that this is not a car I’d ever really want to own. If you were to take the demographic portrait of whom the 1997 Plymouth Prowler was designed for and held it up to my bare skin, it would probably burn and sizzle sickeningly, like a silver cross on a vampire’s chest....

This city car concept was both largely ordinary by today’s standards and a car from a future that never existed. It was a scissor-doored oeuf designed to make urban parking easier for Mylar-clad cosmonauts, using the unique concept of a variable wheelbase. See, the entire rear axle of the Zoom was hinged so that when driving, it sits well behind the tailgate. However, if the driver of the Zoom found a spot that’s just a little bit too tight for the car, it was possible to tuck the rear axle underneath the car, increasing ground clearance while shortening the car by almost 14 inches, all the way down to a total length of 90....

But before we get there, let’s circle back to our wagons: Corolla by a country mile. I couldn’t agree more. I think the only thing that will stop a mid-’90s Corolla is the heat-death of the universe. Or running out of oil; 4A-FEs and 7A-FEs are thirsty critters. Watch that dipstick. A quick aside: I seem to have ruffled a few feathers by complaining that modern crossovers are badly packaged compared to these old wagons....

Yep. That’s where I’m at with these, too. Nothing wrong with a good minivan, but a Chevy Suburban is just such a big friendly beast, it’s hard to resist. It’s like Ludo in Labyrinth, only less hairy. But what about the fuel economy? I hear you. Fifteen miles to the gallon on a good day is hard to stomach, especially at today’s gas prices. What’s the solution? Do what I did; save the gas-guzzler truck for when you need it, and get yourself a cheap sacrificial econobox....

Well, I can’t disagree with that. I’ve loved the MGB GT since I was eight years old, which is why I have one. This one looks like a good blank canvas to start from, and you’ll certainly know something about cars by the time you get it back on the road. Somebody go grab that thing and join the fun! Now, for today’s choices, I didn’t actually go looking for convertibles....

Yesterday’s Eurotrash brought a lot of comments about engine swaps, which I found humorous because both of them run just fine. But let’s see which one won: Now that is interesting. Another of those instances where the Jag seemed to win in the comments, but the Mercedes pulled the votes. But if someone is contemplating that Jag, please leave the V12 in it. If you want to do a swap, look for one that doesn’t run....

Every week, I have a massive list of cars that I’ve lusted for at least once. And lately, I’ve been seeing some of these cars in person, just to have myself blown away. For something a little different, there will be weeks where there will be a central theme, too. I’ll warn you right away, some of these may be downright stupid or crappy cars. Some of them are questionably modified....

First, of course, we need to take a look at yesterday’s results: The Taurus wins it, and that’s no bull. It’s just more car than the little Topaz. Neither one is a terrible choice, but the Taurus will give you quite a bit more for your money. Love ’em or hate ’em, crossovers are here to stay. They already make up a huge chunk of the automotive landscape, and they’re trickling down to the cheap end of the used car market in large numbers....

Looks like stealth beats brute force. A couple of you pointed out that the minivan’s sliding doors provide a huge advantage in that you can already be on the move before the door is completely closed. I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right. And slipping quietly into traffic and disappearing is the way to go, I feel. Just leave it in the Costco parking lot by the airport, and Tiny will take care of it....

As the holidays roll around, car enthusiasts all over the world dread receiving a box full of Armor All tat. Maybe you like your dashboard to feel like a slip-n-slide, but for everyone else here are some car cleaning products that won’t get chucked in the bin hours after being gifted. [Ed note: This is one of our holiday gift guides, which is a service we’re doing to help everyone with their end-of-year shopping....

Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday. Lights Are Important I don’t know if you know this, but not having lights on your car would be a bad thing. People might crash into you if they don’t see you....

It’s no secret that I love nice, unreliable cars. A number of my 19 or so vehicles have no issues, but many do. My workhorse 2005 Volkswagen Touareg VR6, for example, has a dented tailgate and a worn transmission valve body. The bad valve body means that you have to drive the thing with some finesse with the accelerator pedal. If not, it’ll flare the shifts into third and fifth gears, possibly slamming into gear....