While I admire the beauty and sheer brute force of the ‘09 Ford F450 Harley Davidson Edition, I’ll admit I’m surprised that a penis pump and set of leather riding chaps don’t come as standard features. I mean, nothing turns me on more than the rumble of a huge, powerful engine, but a F450 with chrome, leather, and black flames? When the American economy is on the brink of total collapse?

Super Macho photo gallery after the jump

On Wednesday, Nik Bristow and Brian Pierce arrived in LA after successfully completing the course mapped by the Gumball Rally in a record 38 hours, 37 minutes, and 41 seconds. Dubbed “The Willie Run 2008″, Bristow and Pierce’s cross country trek was made in a VW Jetta TDI, powered entirely by Willie Nelson’s BioWillie brand biodiesel. “I know the trip sounds crazy, but it’s more important now than ever,” Bristow explained to Autopia before the trip, “We’re on the cusp of a very important election where oil and energy are universal top concerns, and biodiesel is one of the cleaner, more viable fuel alternatives out there. We need to get the word out.”

Based on the compact underpinings of the Ford Fiesta, the 2009 Mazda2 micro wagon is currently under heavy evaluation to determine its potential for the U.S. market. Available in Europe with three engine options, a 74-hp or 85-hp 1.3L I4, 67-hp 1.4L turbo diesel, or a 102-hp 1.5L I4, it’s likely only the standard gasoline engines will be introduced to the U.S. Unfortunately, that means that we here stateside will miss out on the Mazda2’s most fuel-efficient offering, since the turbo diesel averages a staggering 65.7 mpg combined. The Mazda2’s 1.3L and 1.5L engines are nothing to be scoffed at though as they both boast impressive fuel consumption rates, averaging 52.3 mpg and 47.9 mpg respectively.

In addition to the Viper look a-like Dodge EV introduced this morning on CNBC [which we posted on here], Chrysler also revealed two other extended-range electric vehicles: the Chrysler Town and Country EV, and the Jeep EV Chrysler. CEO Bob Nardelli confirmed that one of the three vehicles introduced will being production in 2010, though he didn’t reveal which one - suspense that provides the perfect betting statistics with which to bide our time before NBA March Madness begins.

View gallery and press release after the jump

In November, the 65-mpg, 2009 Ford Fiesta ECOnetic will hit the streets with European consumers, leaving the North American buyers market to sit at home watching Golden Girls reruns, eating cheesecake.

Although the extremely fuel efficient Fiesta ECOnetic seems like the perfect vehicle for saving Ford in the U.S. market, it’s gas saving technology is the very feature that’s keeping it from gracing American shores. Despite it’s advanced, green technology, the 2009 ECOnetic’s 1.4L/1.6L TDCi diesel engines are proving to be the biggest setback in the quest for an American introduction.

Possible Design Of 2010 BMW Z9

Many are anticipating that the future Z9 will be one of the most beautiful cars in BMW’s storied history.  If the speculation as to it’s performance and price turn out to be true, it will be right up there near the top of those two lists as well.

2010 Volkswagen Rabbit TDI Spy Photo

Eagerly anticipated by environmentalists and Vee Dub fans, the 2010 eco-friendly, diesel-fueled VW Rabbit TDI will be introduced to the U.S. in the fall of ‘09. According the VW, the Rabbit TDI’s will be released in a limited number and are intended to measure the market’s receptiveness of compact, diesel cars.

Peugeot 207 Le Mans Special Edition

In what can only be described as a generous stretch of one’s imagination, Peugeot is producing a Special Edition version of their 207 to honor the highly praised diesel-powered 908 HDi race car.  That’s like Schwinn deciding to produce a Special Edition unicycle to honor Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier.  In Peugeot’s defense, the 207 does having racing stripes.

At the request of Chevron Energy Corporation, I spent the bulk of today in Richmond, California receiving the grand tour of Chevron’s Richmond Technology Center. Despite the fact that my feet were dragging from jet lag, the tour was definitely worth the effort, even if for no other reason than the plentiful supply of engineer eye candy [they definitely gave the Chevy Volt-mates a run for their geeky stud-muffin money].

As drool-inducing as I found many of the Chevron execs to be, however, RideLust’s content censor tends to maintain the same business theory that most professional pornographers do, namely: the majority of your audience is not interested in dicks. So, in the interest of maintaining reader interest, I’ll move on to explain the less sexual parts of the tour.

I’m totally for conserving the environment and saving the seals and everything, just so long as I get to ride in his car

On October 6th, Audi will kick off the Mileage Marathon, a cross-country trek spanning from the East to the West coast, aimed at promoting their fuel efficient diesel model lineup. Over 187 drivers will participate [including the auto bloggers at AutoBlogGreen], and rewards will be given daily to the drivers who managed to consume the least amount of fuel. More than just clever way to advertise Audi’s enviro-friendly technology, the Mileage Marathon is rumored to also serve as a preview for Audi’s future North American line-up.