Ivan learned the hard way that he’d never recover the cost of his resto rod project.

Source: MegaMoto

There are so many things in life that turn out to be disappointments. Ebay however is not one of them as it has the ability to provide hours of entertainment at any given moment. Take a look at any category and you are bound to find some amazing stuff. Check out this ad showcasing one of the most iconic cars in automotive history – The Batmobile. Over the years it has filled the pages of comic books and been the star of both the small and big screen.

One of the best known auto-tuners from Japan, Tommy Kaira, who has modified cars such as Nissans Skyline, has unveiled their newest package for the Nissan GT-R. Tommy Kaira cars have appeared in numerous racing video games including the Gran Turismo series. Their latest project for the Nissan GT-R is called the Silver Wolf.  Now whats different about the Silver Wolf compared to almost every other Tommy Kaira tune kit is that the engine is not touched. It was released by officials at Nissan when the GT-R was first released that the engine performace could not be improved anymore, any modifications would only reduce its supercar ability. What the Silver Wolf does include is a new carbon fiber widebody kit, and a custom interior with Tommy Kaira logos, along with new wheels, exhaust, brakes and suspension. Although no changes to the engine are going to be made, it is expected that the new suspension and a new exhaust will add a few horsepower to the 480 horsepower engine, as almost every Tommy Kaira packages brings out that extra little performacne that any speed junky would be looking for. If you are interested in getting the full Tommy Kaira Silver Wolf edition, just remember the body kit alone will run you $18,000, plus the GT-R’s $80,000 price tag. However, if you want to see Godzilla breathe fire, the Silver Wolf is what you are looking for.

CT&T, a car manufacturer coming out of Korea, debut their four-passenger Multi Amphibious Vehicle(MAV) at the Detroit Auto Show. This car is suitable to traverse on both land and water, and what’s this???? It’s electric. Sounds about as safe as taking a bath with a toaster or hair dryer. However this six wheeled machine is powered by the electric motor when on the road and that same motor powers the propellers when in water. The electri  motor can get the MAV up to speeds of 40 mph on land and a reported top speed of 10 mph in water. The performance from this vehicle can not be considered out of this world, or even James Bondish, but for a family vacation this might be the type of enterainment we are all looking for. What this vehicle does not have is a roof, something usefull on a rainy day, or high sides/doors to keep the younger part of the family in the vehicle. There hasn’t been a price tag put on the MAV yet, but one of its sister vehicles that was introduced at the same time, the C Square, an electric sports car, was priced at $50,000. Expect a similar price for the Multi Amphibious Vehicle.

Full disclosure: the next journalist to use some variation of the word “cracked” to describe the Honda P-NUT’s debut is getting kicked in the shins at the next auto show. I’ll be watching.

Unlike the majority of the unpalatable concepts that have littered Honda’s booth for the better part of 2009, the Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) does not immediately offend the senses. As a matter of fact, the angular front fascia and the well-defined, sloping shoulders are actually quite attractive and almost lend Honda’s design department an air of hope. “Almost” being the operative word.

Unfortunately, the P-NUT unveiled live in Los Angeles last week is not a production-ready urban crawler but a purely a conceptual interpretation of the soul-sucking enviro-friendly vehicles Honda promises to roll out in the future. Apparently, the RWD, rear-engined P-NUT’s primary objective is to demonstrate that there is hope for the ultra-compact city car beyond the ugly, underpowered options currently available today, which is basically akin to performing a digital makeover. The immediate reaction is positive…and instantly killed by the harsh smack of reality.

Bottom line: if you want small, fun, cool and only slightly fruity, buy a MINI Cooper. If you want small, marginally faster than a pair of Rollerblades, and guaranteed to score you plenty of dude poon, buy a smart ForTwo. See Honda? Theoretical problem solved. Now get back to work on the CR-Z.

On the whole, RideLust’s (read: my) first foray into the glamorous world of open bars and company-sponsored parties was extremely successful, save for the excruciatingly boring reveals. Fortunately, since unlike most automotive journalists my trip was financed completely out of pocket, I’m not obligated to paint any particular company in a flattering light and thus able to provide an accurate, far more entertaining analysis. Well, entertaining for me at least, I’m sure the scores of dissenting douchenozzles commenters will have much to say otherwise.

Topping my list of favorite new reveals are some interesting selections that seem at odds with RideLust’s traditionally Macho Man Savage taste in automobiles and include the Honda P-Nut (Personal-Neo Urban Transport), Audi e-Tron, 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe, Mazda2, and the vehicle destined to be perpetually overshadowed by the Mazda2 – the Ford Fiesta (among many, many others).

Earlier this week, underperforming Swedish automaker Saab received a crushing blow when Koenigsegg abruptly killed its pending purchase from General Motors. Using Penske’s 86′d Saturn purchase as a yardstick, speculations immediately arose that with no buyer waiting in the wings Saab was next in line to get the axe. Today, however, promising rumors have begun to circulate that three separate entities have expressed interesting in buying Saab, indicating there may be hope for the company yet.

The first candidate is – surprise! – Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation, which purchased the design rights to the Saab 9-5 earlier this year thereby pledging to keep the infamous Saab alive albeit in sub-par Chinese deathtrap form. The remaining two bidders paint a significantly more promising picture for Saab and include two U.S.-based investment firms, Renco and Merbanco. Noticeably absent from the bidding frey is the Swedish government, who just months ago pledged their unwavering and slightly biased support of Saab’s break from GM by guaranteeing the $600 million loan necessary to complete Koenigsegg’s acquisition. Apparently, despite Sweden’s willingness to fork over a hefty lump of Krona to ensure a smooth transfer of ownership, the government has no intention of acquiring the brand for itself.

Appropriately enough given the grim nature of Black Friday, I’m kicking today’s headlines off with a new, genuinely depressing development in the ongoing Ford/Volvo/Geely saga. Although I had hoped the next report would involve some type of surprise bidding upset by the obscure Crown consortium, the unfortunate reality is that Geely is still very much the preferred contender. Although concerns regarding the transference of intellectual property rights and threatened to stall the transaction indefinitely, it seems as though Ford and Geely have reached an acceptable compromise.

As per the report, should Geely purchase the ailing Swedish subsidiary they will retain the rights to all technology developed solely by Volvo which, thanks to the years of neglect suffered at the hands of Ford, will largely consist of City Stop and an awkward navigation system. Volvo itself will be granted continued access to any Ford technology vital to the brand’s future success (and I use that term loosely).

The accelerator pedal, right, in a 2010 Toyota Avalon is seen on the show room floor of Bobby Rahal Toyota in Mechanicsburg, Pa. , Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009.

When the news of Toyota’s spontaneously accelerating vehicles first broke, it was in the form of a grisly accident in Texas involving a Lexus, a jammed accelerator pedal, and 3 unfortunate fatalities. In response to the outcry immediately following the accident Toyota released a 3.8 million vehicle recall, pinning the primary source of the problem on improperly secured floor mats. Suspecting something significantly more sinister at play, a class-action lawsuit sprung up in California alleging that the problem was not with wayward accessories but rather an intrinsic, and fatal, design flaw.

Today, just a few short weeks after the lawsuit was filed, Toyota has recalled the same group of vehicles affected by the flighty floor mats for a different issue: misshapen accelerator pedals. Apparently, Toyota reached the conclusion that jerry-rigging the floor mats was not enough to eliminate the problem entirely and although they have not admitted to any faulty engineering, they do appear to be treating the issue with considerably more severity. In addition to reconfiguring the shape of the accelerator pedal in all vehicles recalled (which includes the bulk of the current line-up), Toyota will also install a brake override system in Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models.

Yesterday, during the over-hyped debut of the new 2011 5-Series, I made a nostalgic reference to the extinct front end styling of 80s – early 90s Bimmers and, much to my surprise, received nary a grammatically incorrect letter of dissent. So, it is on that faintly encouraging note that I bring to you Tuesday’s eBay Find of the Day: a mint condition, one owner 1986 BMW L7. As classic BMW enthusiasts are already aware, the L7 was a souped up version of the 735i originally introduced exclusively to the American market to sate the growing, fervent luxury ride lust of gangster rappers and coke dealers. Plebeian wood trim was replaced with sumptuous leather on the dashboard and door panels and enough extra interior accessories were added to ensure European automotive garages no shortage of business decades down the road. As was intended, the L7 eventually became the ultimate status symbol and, after putting a few years on it, the biggest electrical nightmare outside of a Land Rover dealership.

This particular L7, however, appears to be in excellent working condition and was apparently meticulously cared for by its one owner. The original leather is not only still intact but as blemish free as the day it was driven home and the seller has all of the service records in his possession, so you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into. My personal spending limit is somewhere around $5k which puts me out of the race for this gem, but if I had the scratch I can assure you this would be making its way home to momma. Reliability be damned.

Pics after the jump