Norman Timbs was a gear head, just like you and I. Trained as a mechanical engineer, Timbs wanted to create a unique ride for himself, from a blank sheet of paper. He began work on his dream car in 1947, and finished it in 1948. The car was ahead of its time in both style and function; starting with a tubular space frame, Timbs used aluminum for the body to reduce weight. Despite the car’s length of nearly 18 feet, it weighs a surprising light 2,300 pounds. Put this in perspective; a first generation Miata was about 13 feet long and weighed in at 2,100 pounds.

More pics after the jump.

Everyone who owns and automobile can appreciate the importance of a good picture. Whether your ride is in motion or just standing still, having a great photograph of your car is something to be proud of. They key to this however is how do you actually take one. Me, I usually just rely on luck or some really talented friends. I’ve taken loads of photo’s of my cars over the years, but there are only a handful that I would even consider to be good ones.

Getting the minivans into orbit wasn’t the problem; keeping them from burning up on re-entry was.

Source: You Drive What?

No, that's not a replica, Porsche 917s really were that tiny.

To put things in perspective, the Porsche 914 had roughly the same dimensions as the original Mazda Miata (OK, the 914 was two inches longer – I said roughly the same). Compared to the diminutive 914, the fire breathing, pushing-1,000-horsepower-chariot-of-the-gods Porsche 917 looks like a kids pedal car. It took huevos mas grande to drive this thing down the Mulsanne Straight at speeds approaching 200 mph.

Source: Jalopnik

Equipped with only a credit card to scrape the ice from his rental car, Frank suddenly realized it was going to be a long day. A very long day.

Source: That Will Buff Out

“Pine,” said Pigpen, “is for pussies. You wanna build a hard tail, you gotta use oak.”

Image courtesy of You Drive What?

In many of American cities, it is just more viable to take public transport with gridlock traffic consuming the cities. But even if you don’t live in the city, public transportation may be a great choice, not only to help the environment but to also save yourself a considerable amount of money. Not only would we not have to pay for the the car itself, the gas that powers our cars to get us from home to work and back again, but you may also avoid tolls and car maintenance bills. We can also avoid the monthly car insurance bill as well and when the average cost of a car insurance premium in 2009 was $1,800, that breaks down to be $150 a month. That is $150 we can save or even use to buy something more important.

Although some might reasonably argue that its bloated proportions cause it to lag significantly behind the competition (literally), the Dodge Challenger nevertheless continues to be a favorite amongst nostalgic muscle car enthusiasts and/or balding guys with a slight paunch. Since the part of that demographic that isn’t blowing their disposable income on alimony would gladly shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars to recapture the glory days of their youth, Mopar has released yet another aftermarket package for the Challenger.

The newest offering is dubbed the “Performance Appearance” Package, which achieves the same thing for the Challenger that a hairpiece does for its driver. Available in two parts, the exterior package includes body-color hood with scoop, body-color rear “Go-Wing” spoiler and strobe stripe performance graphics, while the interior package features a Mopar-branded T-handle shifter, bright pedal kit (automatic only), bright door-sill guards, premium carpet floor mats and a full vehicle cover. Prices begin at $1,995 and $945 (respectively) and do not include the ill-fitting Ed Hardy tee or the Journey’s Greatest Hits CD.

In stark contrast to the European money pits traditionally featured, today’s FOTD is a 1991 GMC Syclone. Despite the fact that it’s probably older than your first born child and manufactured by a company not exactly renowned for its longevity (which I expect will be directly refuted by a barrage of GM forum trolls), both the Syclone and the Typhoon have left such an indelible legacy that they are granted a reprieve from my domestic scorn.

As a matter of fact, so enamored am I with arguably one of the best examples of superior engineering to ever leave Michigan, I’m even willing to overlook the ominously rebuilt title. According to the seller (and confirmed by Carfax), the truck was stolen in 2001 and recovered with damage severe enough to warrant a “salvage” branding, which still only resulted in a $2k price decrease. The slightly blurry photos paint a promising picture, though, and as long as you’re adept at maintaining a vehicle constructed almost entirely out of Bondo, this is definitely a piece worth investing in.