Jalopnik

Since 1997, A Man Has Been Digging Out His Basement Using Only R/C Scale-Model Construction Equipment [LOLCars]

Ray Wert — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:30:00 EST

A Canadian guy named Joe has been digging out the basement of his house using nothing but radio-controlled scale model construction equipment... since 1997. Yes, you read that right — he's been digging out his basement for 15 years — with nothing but little R/C tractors, diggers and even a miniature rock crusher! Amazing. More »

Your Ridiculously Cool V8 Supercars Wallpaper Is Here [Car Porn]

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:15:00 EST

The V8 Supercars are coming. You have been warned. Craig Lowndes and his Holden Commodore will be here soon. Hide your Fords and get to Austin before it's too late. More »

COTD: Techniques Of Motor Racing Edition [Commenter Of The Day]

Patrick Frawley — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

Before racing season gets underway, many drivers have a common ritual: they go back and reread Piero Taruffi's "The Technique Of Motor Racing." This elegantly slim volume first appeared in the late 1950s but has lost exactly none of its relevance. More »

Watch Two Stoners Laugh As Grizzly Bear Wanders Into Their Pickup Truck [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:30:00 EST

Some probably stoned and fairly intrepid outdoorsmen of the boreal North watched as a grizzly bear ambled into the back of their pickup truck. They looked death in the gruesome, fuzzy face and laughed. Warning: NSFW language More »

Hellaflush Audi RS4 Avant Cruises Paris [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

This is the Players Audi RS4 Avant "RS SYCO," dolled up in Lamborghini orange and sitting on Rotiform SNA rims. Stephen Brooks filmed it gliding through Paris for no particular reason other than to look damn cool. More »

Porsche 928 From Risky Business Up For Sale [Car Stars]

Patrick Frawley — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:30:00 EST

If you're a fan of large examples of movie memorabilia or short examples of Scientologists, you will be thrilled to learn that the Volo Auto Museum is selling a Porsche 928 originally used in the 1983 Tom Cruise classic Risky Business. More »

Swiss Man Installs Wood-Burning Stove In His Volvo [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST

Pascal Prokop has his own solution for Switzerland's exceptionally cold winter: He built a wood-burning stove into the passenger seat of his 1990 Volvo 240 station wagon. More »

Win An Autographed Top Gear USA License Plate Before Tomorrow's Premiere [Contest]

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST

The season premiere of Top Gear USA drops tomorrow, February 14th, on History at 9:00 PM EST. We saw a preview of the episode in Detroit and it is — literally — explosive. Find out how to win some autographed swag below. More »

This Giant New Helicopter Is Like A Greyhound Bus For The Sky [Video]

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

Most non-military helicopters tend to be small flying machines incapable of carrying more than a few passengers. Unveiled this weekend, the 525 "Relentless" is not most helicopters. Holding 16 passengers plus two crew, it's now the largest and most advanced civilian chopper ever built by Bell Helicopter. More »

The Virginia DMV Loves Dirty Prostitutes [License Plates]

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST

As far as DMVs go, none has proven more prudish than the censors in the Old Dominion. The Virginia DMV has previously rejected the "world's greatest license plate" on the grounds it promoted child canabilism. They even accused a mom of being a sex pervert. But a "NSTY HOE"? Apparently, that's no big deal. More »

Badass Chevy Blazer Tears This Hillclimb A New One [Video]

Raphael Orlove — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST

This is Butch King's '85 Chevy Blazer three-wheeling into a corner and drifting out. We could watch this all day. Click through to see the whole sliding, roaring hillclimb in person. More »

Tokyo’s New 'Dinosaur' Bridge To Nowhere [Infrastructure]

Raphael Orlove — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:30:00 EST

You're looking at Tokyo's newest landmark, the 'Dinosaur' Bridge. Officially known as the Tokyo Gate Bridge — providing a link from the capital to a landfill — it shows what actually happens when a government succeeds in spending $1.4 billion on a bridge to nowhere. More »

The Dying Ship That Taught Me How to Read [Video]

Peter Orosz — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST

This is a story of old ships, childhood summers, inline-8 diesels and a four-letter word. This is the story of the 52-year-old M/S Amur, a vaguely abandoned 282-ft passenger riverboat. Without this rusty old Danube cruiser, I would not be here. More »

What Car Should A 'Bodyguard' Drive? [Question Of The Day]

Patrick Frawley — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST

Whitney Houston's death on Saturday was just the latest in a too-long line of showbiz tragedies. Even if her hyperproduced adult R&B wasn't your style, you had to respect that voice — a dynamic and eerily clear mezzo-soprano with very few peers in pop music history. More »

The Ten Best Cars For A Successful Valentine's Day Date [Answers Of The Day]

Patrick Frawley — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST

The romantic getaway remains an essential daydream for everyone. For enthusiasts, the choice of proper wheels wheels is almost as important as the choice of companion. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the best cars for a romantic Valentines Day getaway. More »

These Gorgeous, Cheap Movie Car Posters Are A 'Must Buy' For Any Car Guy [Car Culture]

Ray Wert — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:45:00 EST

Because car culture and mainstream culture intersect so often in movies, they can create a stellar opportunity for those normally unaffiliated with the love of the cult of cars to get a little taste of our gearhead obsession. More »

Ryan Reynolds Is Officially Better Than Tom Cruise [Video]

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:30:00 EST

British motoring show Top Gear is a popular stop on the U.K. interview circuit for two reasons: 1.) It's the most watched show... in the world; 2.) Entertainers get to measure up against their peers on a race track. In last night's episode, Ryan Reynolds takes on Tom Cruise's time. It's charming. More »

Swedish Supercar To Debut Radical Engine Of The Future [Car Tech]

Raphael Orlove — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:30:00 EST

Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg told Car & Driver that they are engineering their twin-turbo V8 engine to run without a camshaft. The far-flung world of infinitely variable engines will soon be upon us. More »

Kia's Rear-Wheel Drive Flagship, Aston Martin DB5 Back In New Bond Film, And Dodge Recalls Police Cars [The Morning Shift]

Ray Wert — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST

This is the Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parcel it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important? More »

For $15,000, This Is A Pro-Tour Contour [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]

graverobber — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST

While based on Ford's CDW27 World Car platform, today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Contour SVT is set up as a Safety Car for that most American of racing series — Champ Car. Will its price however, make it the most expensive Contour... in the world? More »

Top Gear Season 18, Episode 3: Video Open Thread [Video]

Matt Hardigree — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:19:00 EST

Still waiting for Streetfire to load? Check above and in the comments for videos for the third episode of the 18th season. Enjoy the small hatches, big Jaaaaaaaaags, and discussion of English cooking. More »

Russian Take On Car Vandalism Is Predictably Bizarre And Hilarious [LOLCars]

Tom Joslin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

As car lovers there are few things worse to us than people who take it upon themselves to vandalize other people's cars. Yet judging from the relative frequency with which it occurs, there is still a decent sized section of the population who feels it acceptable and necessary to destroy automobiles. More »

Senna Wins Best Documentary… In Britain [Senna]

Matt Hardigree — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:01:00 EST

Asif Kapadia's phenomenal Senna was overlooked by a confused and self-obsessed Hollywood, but the Brits did the right thing by nominating and awarding the film with a "Best Documentary" award in the BAFTA — their clearly superior version of the Oscars. The film also won for best editing. More »

See What Happens When A Chevy Impala Sets Itself On Fire [Video]

Tom Joslin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

Not content to leave all the fiery fun to exotic cars, a Chevy Impala recently decided to torch itself after a routine oil change. As you can see, everything appears to be business as usual until a service technician started the car and interrupted his co-worker's snack time by starting an unexpected engine fire. More »

Here's Further Proof Listening To a Ferrari In a Tunnel Never Gets Old [Video]

Tom Joslin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

There are few sounds on the planet more pleasing to a car lover than a Ferrari engine under acceleration. Accordingly if you have access to an Italian exotic from Maranello it seems only natural to frequently drive through tunnels for the sole purpose of amplifying the beautiful sound from the screaming engine. More »

This Is What a Mazda Miata With Dual V8s Looks Like [Video]

Tom Joslin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:30:00 EST

If you came across a Mazda Miata en route to the crusher, what would you do with it? While any variety of answers immediately come to mind—track day beater, stripped street car, V8 swap—we bet you didn't think about stretching it and adding two Chevy 350ci V8s. More »

CLK GTR Is The Ultra-Rare Super Car Mercedes Had To Build [Found On EBay]

Tom Joslin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST

Mercedes didn't exactly have road use in mind when they designed the CLK GTR for the recently introduced FIA GT Championship, but in order to meet homologation standards for the series 25 cars were built for the street. More »

Watch a Rally Car Barely Avoid Certain Disaster In The Snow [Video]

Tom Joslin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST

Rally driving is truly an art. If you don't believe us you need look no further than this video of driver Thierry Neuville's amazing near crash and recovery taken at this weekend's WRC Sweden for proof. More »

The 2012 BMW M6 Wants To Kick The CTS-V Coupe's Big American Ass [2012 Bmw M6]

Ray Wert — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST

This is it. The new third generation 2012 BMW M6. Armed with a big TwinPower Turbo V8 engine, the new M6 is here to deliver a 560 HP ass-whooping to the CTS-V and any other coupe with the balls to get in the ring with this Teutonic two-door. But, if you're hoping for a manual — don't hold your breath. At least not this year anyway. More »

What Was The First Realistic Project Car Of Your Dreams? [Question Of The Weekend]

Tom Joslin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

Like many young car lovers we first fell in love with the exotic high dollar cars we saw on television and hung on our walls. Shortly thereafter, like many young car lovers we realized the closest we were going to get to the expensive supercars we lusted after were staring at posters and watching them on TV. More »

Camouflaged Ferrari 458 Does Anything But Blend In [LOLCars]

Tom Joslin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

Few would accuse anyone who drives a super car like the Ferrari 458 of wanting to blend into the crowd. It is perhaps only appropriate then that covering a 458 with camouflage inside and out serves to make the already attention grabbing car stick out even more. More »

See What Happens When Dan Gurney And A 1985 Toyota Supra Take On NYC [Video]

Tom Joslin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

After an amazing career in motorsports behind the wheel of some of the greatest machines to ever hit the track, we imagine hooning the 1985 Toyota Supra in the middle of New York City on a Toyota commercial shoot would seem like just another day at the office for Dan Gurney. More »

1959 Chevy Suburban Limo Is One Odd Way To Arrive In Style [Found On EBay]

Tom Joslin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:30:00 EST

The sight of a modern limo usually suggests that behind the tinted windows there is a group of people who are either rich, important, or going to high school prom. More »

The Best Videos Of The Week [Video]

Matt Toder — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST

Have you heard that video is a big thing over at Gawker Media? It's true, we watch and post a lot of videos each week. Here are some of the best videos of week, culled from an array of Gawker Media sites.
More »

Study Claims Pot Doubles Crash Risk [Car Crashes]

Patrick Frawley — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST

Bad news for those inclined to toke and drive: A Canadian study shows that smoking pot within three hours of getting behind the wheel nearly doubles your chance of being involved in a car crash. More »

Car Crashes Through Man's Home For The Fifth Time [Car Crashes]

Tom Joslin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST

Assuming the sound of screeching tires means you will soon have a car in your living room might sound paranoid, but one homeowner has a pretty good reason to be concerned about the nuances of traffic around his home in Haverhill, Ma. More »