As odd as it may seem Bottrop, Germany is home to one of the biggest moto-culture car shows in all of Europe. For 2011 Pixeleye Interactive shot this little number for Dickies Clothing and in doing so managed to capture some of the coolest pre-1965 cars, trucks and motorcycles out there. Aside from the vehicles the Kustom Kulture Show in Bottrop also showcases some of the best known hot rod artists the world has to offer, as well as an 1/8th mile drag strip where show entrants can drag their rides.

Hmm… I might just have to put this baby on my international bucket list.

Source: Ralfbecker.com

There’s just something about cars from the 1930′s, 40′s and 50′s that’s magical. Seeing those cars today makes one think about a time when life was less complicated, when automotive innovation actually meant something, and when the spirit of the open road was alive and well here in the United States. The 1939 Lincoln Zephyr is one of those cars and when viewed in person the only thing it evokes is pure emotion. Today’s automobiles, while packed with reliability and technology simply don’t, in my opinion, possess the same amount of style and flare that their bygone brothers do. It’s a shame really, but in a society where cost is key and styling is secondary, automotive manufacturers really have no choice but to compromise on everything. That’s where custom shops like Regal Roadsters of Madison, WI come into play. These guys recently took the aforementioned 1939 Lincoln Zephyr and get this… fitted it with an Aston Martin V12 engine, full airbag suspension and Magnaflow exhaust. We think the result is simply stunning, but just to make sure click play on the video and decide for yourself.

Source: Chromjuwelen.com

Remember the good old days when cars were cars and men were men? Well, now thanks to eBay you too can go back to a time when the massive road beasts of yesteryear roamed the streets. Thanks to a bizarre affinity for station wagons, I always find myself searching sites like Craigslist and Ebay for these old battle tanks. Maybe it’s because that’s what I grew up with as a kid, or maybe I just like the fact that they’re 20-feet long and made of true Detroit steel. Either way though, I’m constantly diggin’ on these things.

While perusing the pages of eBay I came across this brown beauty. Clad in its original dark brown paint with simulated wood paneling, this car just screams ROAD TRIP!! This is a 1972 Chrysler Town & Country Wagon and is one of only 6,473 ever built. It comes equipped with Chrysler’s bulletproof 7.2-liter 440 V8, an automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, factory air conditioning, power door locks, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, cruise control, dual power seats, AM/FM stereo and luggage rack. That’s pimpin’ right there people.

It also has enough room for you and three of your buddies to go and romp around the United States in old school classic comfort. Plus it’s got plenty of room to haul all your crap. I can tell you from experience that if you’ve never driven a true piece of classic American iron then you’re missing out. They don’t drive in as much as they “float” down the open road, plus, if you ever hit anything you know that you’re going to come out on the winning end of things. Now if I only had some extra room…

Source: eBay.com

Visiting Paris? Bicycles are always welcome. Image: Pline

Paris, France, wants you to leave your SUV at the city limits. Drive an older Mercedes diesel, or something else that belches particulates and sucks down gas like Lyndsay Lohan sucks down martinis? Paris wants you to leave that outside of the city as well. In fact, if what you drive isn’t compact and fuel efficient, don’t plan on visiting Paris behind the wheel after next year. The city is in the process of restricting “gas guzzling” vehicles, although they have yet to precisely define what fuel economy will be needed to make a vehicle exempt. The ban would limit access to congested areas of the city during certain times of day or certain times of the year, unless drivers were behind the wheel of a “green” vehicle. Paris isn’t the first city across the pond to institute such a ban, as London and Berlin already have gass-guzzler restrictions in place.

This does, of course, raise the question of “how soon before L.A. or San Francisco implements a similar ban?” I don’t see this starting in the U.S. anywhere other than California, but I think it’s just a matter of time before CARB embraces this concept. What would you do if your city implemented a “35 MPG or higher” fuel economy requirement. Downsize? Move? Take up pitchforks and torches? Let us know.

Source: Autoblog

It’s my humble opinion that every red blooded American male should at one point in their lives get behind the wheel of a big-block muscle car. They’re inefficient, politically incorrect and have styling the likes of which will never be duplicated. They were also created in a time when auto manufacturers still had the freedom to let their engineers run wild and make cars that were crafted from childhood fantasies. Nowadays government regulations, environmentalists and manufacturers are regulating the amount of fun we can have, and by doing so are killing the spirit of what the muscle car was all about.

Thankfully though there is a little light for those of us out there who love these fuel burning hammers, and as luck would have it, it comes in a convenient pint sized wrapper. Enter the “Art of the Muscle Car”, a new book by David Newhardt that brings us back to the road burning beasts made between 1964-1979. The book covers 47 different automobiles ranging from the 1970 Plymouth Superbird to the 1974 Pontiac Trans Am SD 455. Plus, there is a forward by none other then Brock Yates. Christmas is literally days away, so if you’re looking for that last minute gift idea for the muscle car lover in your family, this beautiful book may just fit the bill.

Source: Influx.co.uk

Remember a few years back, when fuel prices closed in on the $4.00 per gallon mark, and naysayers told us it was the beginning of the end? We were either at or approaching peak oil, and gas prices were sure to continue their upward trend. Suddenly, buying a Smart franchise seemed like a sensible thing to do, but by the end of summer 2008, the madness had passed. Gas prices returned to normal levels, below $3.00 per gallon, and U.S. consumers (those who were still employed, at least) went about business as usual.

Americans either aren’t learning from the lessons of the past, or we aren’t too concerned about them: Left Lane News tells us that large SUV sales are up by 11% at GM and 28% at Ford year to date. Overall, the industry is reporting growth of 20% in the segment, surprising all but the product specialists behind the big SUVs. Mark Clawson, Chevrolet’s marketing manager, was quoted as saying, “Unless the country decides to limit people to only having two kids, only having one activity and not having things like snowmobiles, jet skis and boats, then there will be some people who will still want these vehicles.” In other words, large SUVs are just like potato chips: crunch all you want, and they’ll make more.

Expect manufacturers to focus on improving fuel economy in large SUVs over the next few years, via a mixture of smaller displacement turbocharged motors and expanded hybrid drivetrain offerings. I’d love to see turbodiesel motors worked into the product mix, but don’t expect that to happen any time soon. U.S. automakers are still convinced that Americans don’t want diesel motors, largely due to diesel fuel’s high cost on these shores.

A Maybach Zeppelin

Conventional wisdom would say that 200 to 300 units of worldwide sales is far from sufficient to keep a car marque alive, and rumors of Maybach’s demise have been circulating for months. If Automobile is correct, the brand will not only soldier on, but will see a focus on growth through new models, thanks to Daimler’s Joachim Schmidt. Schmidt sees opportunity for the high end brand in China, North America, Russia, and the Middle East, but only if the product line is revised and updated.

All new Maybachs are expected to be built on the upcoming Mercedes S-Class platform, scheduled for launch in 2012. The Maybach range is expected to add a four door coupe and a long wheelbase convertible, while the 57 and 62 models continue in their present configuration on the new platform. A hybrid Maybach is also said to be in the works, but it’s expected to have a modest battery-only range and will only produce some 20 supplemental horsepower.

Let’s be honest, though: Maybach buyers don’t really care about fuel mileage or gasoline prices, and hybridization is just Daimler’s way of making the Maybach appear more green to EU regulators. With a base motor that cranks out about 545 horsepower and an uprated motor good for 630 horsepower, current Maybachs get a fuel economy rating of just 12 mpg; even a hybrid drivetrain won’t increase that substantially.

Watch this video, and then ponder the following question: would you be willing to drive this Hemi-powered Ford five window coupe from Dallas, Texas, to Tacoma, Washington, and back again? Before you answer, understand that this rod is the real deal, and has no air conditioning, cruise control, sound deadening or stereo. It would be just you, a big-ass thirsty motor, the occasional mechanical breakdown and lots of earplugs. Are you in or are you out?

Photo: Brian Bass

As for me, I’m out. The days when something like this sounded fun are behind me, but I’ve got mad respect for Brian Bass, the man behind this epic journey. His photographs are stunning, and his evil sounding coupe is, too. It somehow looks better “as is” than it would decked out in seven coats of paint, with a mirror to show the spotless undercarriage, at some regional car show.

Photo: Brian Bass

You can follow Bass’ trip on his blog or over at H.A.M.B.

Source: Hemmings Blog

There’s something about the look of translucent blue carbon fiber that just does it for me. I’ve been a take-it-or-leave-it kind of guy when it comes to the styling of the Bugatti Veyron, but the Super Sport version in blue carbon fiber definitely pushes the car into my “take it” category. Maybe it’s the simplicity of the finish (since I really can’t stand the tacky two-toned Veyrons) or maybe it’s the finish in conjunction with the wheels, but I really like the styling of this car.

Which is completely irrelevant, since I can’t envision ever having enough cash to justify the purchase of a Veyron, let alone a Veyron Super Sport. The Super Sport is definitely the Veyron to have, since it gives you nearly 200 more horsepower (1,200, up from 1,001 in the “plain” Veyron) and will take you all the way to 258 miles per hour if you can find a road flat and straight enough. Of course it sucks down gas like Charlie Sheen sucks down martinis at that speed, so you won’t go all that far with the fun pedal mashed. On the other hand, you can enjoy your 7.3 second sprints from zero to 124 miles per hour on a somewhat regular basis, which probably justifies the $1.875 million dollar purchase price to some.

Way back in February, Cigarette Boats announced that they were building a tribute boat for the SLS AMG Mercedes Benz roadster. Why limit yourself to hammer down fun on the roads, especially when 75% of the planet is covered by water? Besides, if you’ve got the bankroll for an SLS AMG Mercedes, you probably have the money for a really fast offshore powerboat.

Good news if you checked yes to both of the above statements: the Cigarette boat built in tribute of the SLS AMG is now up for sale on JamesList. The asking price? A mere $1,150,000, but that doesn’t include transportation from Germany, where it’s currently located.

So what does $1.15 million buy you in a boat these days? How about 1,350 horsepower, enough to propel the Cigarette Rider XP to a top speed of 130 miles per hour in good conditions. Hell, the cruising speed is still a mind warping 86 miles per hour, way faster than I’d want to drive a boat that size of a school bus. Since it’s 46’ long, I’m assuming it has other amenities like staterooms, a galley and a head or two on board.

Look at it this way: $1.15 million barely buys you oceanfront property these days, and even then you won’t be able to get a mortgage or insurance if it’s deemed high risk. You could comfortably live on this boat, ON the water instead of NEXT to it, and you can’t flog a beach house to 130 miles per hour on a calm sea.

Source: Autoevolution