I want to preface this list by saying that there were many factors going into the reasons as to why each one of these cars made the cut. Some of you will agree with my choices and others will not. You see, when I do a list like this I don’t just go with who’s got the highest hp numbers, or which is the best car from 60-0. I try to be objective and look at things like, everyday usage, price, reliability, performance and roominess. I look at these cars from the vantage point of using them as an everyday driver, which means 24/7/365. Yes, some will be pricey and deservedly so and others will be more budget oriented. So, now that you know the parameters, lets get down to business.
After 28 years, the seven-millionth Ford Ranger rolled off their St. Paul assembly line last month. Ford also announced their intention to end Ranger production in 2011, with a replacement scheduled for the 2012 model year. Internet rumors say the new compact pickup will be based on a smaller version of their perennial favorite F150.
I owned a 4wd Ranger, and it was a decent little truck. Comfortable enough, powerful enough and capable enough, it was a reasonably priced alternative to Toyota’s Tundra. Got a good Ranger story? Got pics of your truck in the dirt? In honor of the Ranger’s demise, let’s see ‘em.
Like we told you yesterday, Toyota has announced a recall of 2010 Prius models to fix software related brake issues. New today is the extent of the recall, which now includes the Prius, the Sai, and the Lexus 250h. Worldwide, the number of vehicles recalled is 437,000.
Having spent the bulk of my adult life living near NYC, I’ve got an affinity for NYC taxis and the misfits who drive them. Generally speaking, a proper NYC cab is a massive, American made rear-drive beast that handles like a garbage barge (and smells about the same). Taxi drivers, who come from every forgotten third-world country on the planet, exhibit uncanny car control skills and have not a single fear. I’ve driven race tracks at speed with FIA licensed drivers that did not demonstrate the ‘testicular fortitude’ of the average NYC cabbie.
So there is a guy who likes Fords, but he also likes Lamborghinis. What else is there to do other than dropping a V-10 and transaxle into a Mustang. Sounds simple right??? Its name is Tractorri, an unappealing name for a somewhat attractive car. This vehicle took one Mustang shell, parts of a must, parts of a Gallardo, and hours upon hours of labor. There isn’t much information about this car other than what the people who posted had to say about it.
The crown jewel of our private collection: The Tractorri. The short version? This is a body-in-white ‘07 Mustang shell with the mechanicals from a Lamborghini Gallardo underneath. From the ABS to the AWD to the E-gear transmission everything works. The long version adds two more Mustangs for parts, thousands of hours of labor and enough one-off parts to make most show cars blush. Oh, and our president drives it around—he put over 1500 miles on it this summer alone! Built and maintained by our own Rick Roush this is a werewolf in wolf’s clothing! Check out the pictures for now and we’ll have a full description of the build and show history up shortly!
I mean a Ford Mustang is far from a sleeper, but if I rolled up next to a Mustang and heard a V-10 roaring under the hood, I would be a little surprised and in shock. What kind of monster will they fabricate next.
If you’re anything like me, you probably have drawers full of obscure tools bought for maintenance on vehicles you no longer own. Need a stator puller for a mid-80’s Honda CB motor? I’ve got one. How about an 8mm carb balancing tool? Got that, too. Electronic carb synchronizer? Check.
There are some tools, however, that no gear head should be without. Some get used all the time, while others are there just in case. I’m skipping over the obvious stuff like good sets of combination wrenches, sockets, extensions, screwdrivers and pliers; if you don’t already have these, you can’t really consider yourself a gear head, now can you?
Imagine cramming six people—not wearing clown suits—into this contraption. That’s what the 1957 Fiat 600 Multipla was designed to hold. And now you can have one of your own!
Multiplas have got to be rare stateside, which would explain the bidding frenzy for this little imp. The seller’s pretty sure it has a 1,000-cc Abarth engine and is positive it’s packing a Weber carb. And all the electrical baubles work, including the dome light. Quite a feat for a crotchety old Fiat.
There’s only a day left on the auction, so if you want a minivan that fits in your other minivan, you’d better bid soon.
The French have a healthy relationship with lust. To them, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s no repressed, punished, or controlled. It’s celebrated as the ultimate expression of unbridled passion. And it shows in their cars. Bare with me here. The Citroën DS is one of the sexiest cars ever made and since then, the French have periodically produced subtly sexy rides. The Citroën SM, the Renault Alpine A110, the Peugeot 205 GTI, the Renault Clio V6, and many more. They’re not drop-dead gorgeous like Italian supermodels, but they’re sexy in a girl-next-door-you’d-definitely-marry kind of way.
The DS3-R is the latest sexy ride to come out of Citroën. Rumor is it’ll come packed with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four good for more than 200 horsepower and will ride on rally-inspired suspension. A race version of the DS3-R will replace the current C4 rally car on courses in the near future. Chances of the DS3 or DS3-R being available for sale in the U.S. are close to zero, but we can dream.
Ok fine, so it’s not car related, but it’s flippin’ HILARIOUS!! Here’s the red band trailer for Kevin Smith’s COP OUT- it hits theaters February 26th. For the life of me, I still have absolutely no idea what this flick is about, other than it’s got a black cop (Tracy Morgan) and a white cop (Bruce Willis) and they’ll most likely be driving a Ford Crown Vic… hmm… a Crown Vic. BOOM SHAKA LAKA!! We just found the tie-in!
I spent some time as a driving instructor, and I wish any of my students were as smooth as the driver dissed in this video. Maybe the guy didn’t have all the lines nailed, and maybe his shifting could have used some work, but I didn’t see anything I’d call dangerous. The primary job of an instructor is to instruct, and I sure as hell I didn’t hear any of that going on.
The video has a happy ending, though: the assnozzle instructor is now unemployed and presumably looking for something better suited to his temperment. Like being a clerk at the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles.
