Automotive Blogger

Today we’re counting down the 5 coolest music videos for gearheads. Take a few minutes, check out the videos, and feel free to agree or disagree in the comments.

5.) Gretchen Wilson - Redneck Woman
Any girl who goes out muddin’ behind the wheel of a beat-to-hell Chevy 4×4 has got to make this list.

4.) Nelly - Ride Wit Me
Any gearhead reading this blog should immediately recognize the movie on which the premise of this video is based. Smokey and the Bandit, duh. Genius.

3.) Metallica - Fuel
The words on the screen sort of reminds you of the cult classic movie Hot Rods to Hell

2.) Ice Cube - Today was a Good Day
This actually isn’t Ice Cube’s most lowrider-laden video. I think that honor goes to Chrome and Paint, which was actually shot at the 2006 SEMA show in Las Vegas. Awesome. The thing about this video has to do with the song as much as the video. Lots of people have great memories of cruising around listening to this song, and the video captures that perfectly. If the neighborhood in this video looks familiar, you must be a fellow Grand Theft Auto San Andreas player.

1.) ZZ Top - Legs
Oh yeah. What kind of a list would this be without a ZZ Top Eliminator video in the #1 spot? Almost all the singles from ZZ Top’s Eliminator album feature noted car guy Billy Gibbons’ 32 Ford coupe with the ZZ graphics and of course, the ZZ keys. These videos are great - and they usually seem to revolve around slutty looking 80s chicks helping people hook up with each other. This makes sense because who else besides a trio of slutty chicks would be better to help you meet that perfect someone? Add in some pulsing guitar rock and it’s all gravy. These videos are entertaining, the car is incredibly cool and is a very big part of the videos, and the music’s pretty kickin’ too.

The car in the videos from ZZ Top’s Eliminator album was a character all by itself. ZZ Top rode this gimmick for a whole album’s worth of videos, and even tried to take it to the next level for the videos to their next album - Afterburner. As you can see if you can stand to watch the video for “Sleeping Bag”, it didn’t go over as well as I imagine they’d hoped.

Honorable mention:
Ice Cube - Chrome and Paint, Monster Magnet - Space Lord, ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man

Did I forget one? Leave me a comment.
–Will

music, video, ZZ Top, Nelly, Metallica, Ice Cube, Gretchen Wilson, car, truck

In case you missed it, a picture of the Mach 5 - Speed Racer’s awesome race car - have been released for the upcoming live action Speed Racer movie, which is due out next summer. Here’s a little taste:

Lemme tell ya, that looks great. Looks a lot like the one from the cartoon. If you look closely, the Mach 5 appears to be a Corvette C3 underneath. Not too bad. Corvette C3s are like sports car chicken - they kind of look like everything. You can make Speed Racer’s Mach 5 from one, and Sonny Crockett’s Ferrari Daytona on the Miami Vice series was also a Corvette C3 underneath.

Along with the job well done on the Mach 5, the casting department is doing pretty good with Speed and Trixie, too. Here are some side-by-side shots of the characters on the cartoon, and the actors who’ve been cast to play them in the movie.

Trixie (Christina Ricci):

Speed (Emile Hirsch):

Freaky, huh?
–Will

Speed Racer, Mach 5, Christina Ricci, Emile Hirsch, Corvette

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s been a nationwide ad campaign over the past week or so from the National Highway Traffic Safetly Administration (NHSTA) called “Click it or Ticket“. Aside from having an incredibly annoying name, the campaign is meant to raise awareness of nationwide seat belt laws. The president, however, must not have gotten wind of the catchy campaign, as he’s captured here on video driving while clearly not wearing his seat belt. Oops!

This during the national NHSTA push, and also just six weeks after New Jersey governor Jon Corzine was nearly killed in an automobile accident while not wearing his seat belt. Here’s a link (1:07 wmv) to Governor Corzine’s PSA urging folks to be sure to wear their seat belts.

–Will

I never would have figured Ben Stein to be a car guy, but apparently that’s the case. Mr. Stein, known for being brainy, slightly nerdy, and often very dryly humorous, wrote an article for the New York Times about the American auto industry. Here’s an excerpt from his article, titled The Dream That Once Was Detroit:

I AM an American, and therefore I love cars. I am an American and, in America, you are what you drive, and here are some memories.

This is the only dream I remember from all of high school: Instead of my light blue, miserable 1955 Chevrolet, I had a white 1962 Corvette like the one my pal Calvin Kline (not the designer) had, and Gay Patlen, my high school dream girl, kissed me on the lips (in the dream). You are what you drive. Even in your dreams.

I like this guy. Click here to read the rest of the article.

–Will

Ben Stein, American cars, automobile, industry, Detroit, Big 3

Everyone who’s had a project car and is a little strapped for cash has been at the point where the car/truck’s ready for paint. This is usually the point in the project that people really dread. Not only do you have the prospect of your car being in “paint jail” for six months or longer, but you also have to swallow a big pill when it comes to the cost of decent looking paint.

The lowest quality professional paint jobs out there are from places like Maaco and Earl Scheib, and the lowest you can generally go is about $300. Personally, I’ve never heard of anyone being quoted less than $500. Mind you, that’s for single stage paint that’s generally just shiny enough to get the customer out the door in a fairly good mood. Most of the jobs at that price are going on cars that are about to be sold, so the current owner doesn’t really much care how the paint will look in a year.

What would you say if I told you the Corvair above has a $50 paint job that the owner did in his driveway?

That’s right, fifty dollars. Five-zero. American currency. Not only is it possible, but it requires no special tools, no air compressor or spray guns or paint booth. I’m talking about painting your car in your driveway for $50. Check out this $50 paint job:

The secret? Rustolem mixed very thin and applied with a roller. I happened upon this website on Friday and after checking a few links like this one I had emailed a gazillion people I know who are in the same limbo of needing average to decent paint on their rides on the cheap.

It turns out the whole thing started in this thread on Moparts.com. A year and a half and 80 pages later, there were a whole lot of disciples, including a writer for Hot Rod magazine, who did a feature for the July issue that’s in stores as we speak.

Take a look at some of the pictures posted up by folks who have tried it, including this one (Martin is the guy who got all this started on Moparts.com) and check out the wicked satin black job on the Mustang here. Here’s a preview:

As it’s stated many times in the links I’ve listed on this post, this isn’t something you’d want to do with your super rare 70 Hemi ‘Cuda. However, if you have a driver and don’t want to spend at least $3K in paint, what do you have to lose by trying this?

–Will

50, fifty, dollar, paint, Moparts, Hot Rod, roller, driveway, paint job, do it yourself

After Dario Franchitti won the rain-delayed-then-cancelled Indy 500 yesterday, photos of a very wet and very happy Ashley Judd celebrating her husband’s win started popping up all over the internet. I figured this would be a great excuse to run one (rawr!):

Patrick Dempsey (that one dorky kid in Can’t Buy Me Love whom people apparently call McDreamy now) was the driver of the pace car at yesterday’s Indy 500. Here’s a shot of him getting ready to jump into the car; which you know is real because the black background even says “Indy 500″:

Another guy from that show was there too, and he’s called McSomethingElse (my wife could tell you all about this, but I have no idea). Here’s his photo:

And finally, here’s a few other folks who were there, including David Letterman (who owns a team), Peyton Manning, Gene Simmons, Mike Conley, Greg Oden, Ray Liotta, Ludacris, and more…

Indianapolis 500, Ashley Judd, Dario Franchitti, rain, Peyton Manning, Ray Liotta, John Oates, Ludacris, Eric Dan, Patrick Dempsey, Gene Simmons, Mike Conley, Greg Oden, David Letterman, Mario Andretti, Candace Michelle

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the existence, or lack thereof, of Smokey Yunick’s famed adiabatic-engined Fiero.

As it turns out, I got an email last night from a man named Tony Allers, who owns the Fiero now. Interestingly enough, Tony’s a few miles up the freeway in Hendersonville, TN. He pointed me to the most recent article about it in The Tennessean, which is Nashville’s major newspaper. Here’s the article.

Mr. Allers also mentioned that the Fiero had been mentioned on Spike TV’s Horsepower TV a while back, as was mentioned in the comments of the last article. Mr. Allers also mentioned that the Fiero was shown to the public for the first time a few weeks ago at The Fiero Factory in Toney, Alabama. Toney is where my sister lives, interestingly enough. Small world.

Here’s a couple pics from the Tennessean article:

–Will

Smokey Yunick, adiabatic, Fiero, engine, fuel, efficient, Tony Aller, hot vapor

Found on NASCAR.com last year sometime…

Where To Live After Retirement Guide:

You can live in Phoenix where …

1. You are willing to park three blocks away because you found shade.
2. You’ve experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for four hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have more than 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that “dry heat” is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The four seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

You can Live in California where …

1. You make more than $250,000 and you still can’t afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.

You can Live in New York where …

1. You say “the city” and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can’t find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is “nature.”
4. You believe that being able to speak at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You’ve worn out a car horn.
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.

You can Live in Maine where …

1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup and Tabasco.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for moose.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter and construction.

You can Live in the Deep South where …

1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. “Y’all” is singular and “all y’all” is plural.
3. “He needed killin’ ” is a valid defense.
5. Everyone has two first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.

You can live in Colorado where…

1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops at the day-care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

You can live in the Midwest where…

1. You’ve never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from “heat” to “A/C” on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: “Where’s my coat at?”
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, “It was different!”

And you can live in Florida where …

1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you often are driven by headless people.
6. The four seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot and snowbirds.

Phoenix, California, deep south, Florida, Maine, Colorado, Midwest, road construction

Volkswagen of America is running a contest to find the oldest and highest-mileage diesel-powered VWs still running on their original engines. The competition is more than a publicity stunt. It has kicked off one of the most ambitious campaigns to persuade American motorists that their cars will last longer and use far less fuel if they switch to diesel. The German carmaker needs to generate interest ahead of next February’s planned launch of its diesel-powered Jetta TDI, which VW hopes will not only revive the group’s flagging US sales but put it in pole position to capture growing demand for diesels in the world’s biggest car market. The Jetta is expected to be the first diesel to comply with increasingly stringent emission standards in all 50 states.

In spite of its headstart over rivals such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Nissan, Volkswagen faces a Herculean task. It is not only promoting a vehicle but trying to change a mindset. “The US image of diesel today is like Europe 20 years ago,” says Adrian Hallmark, head of VW of America. “It’s got a dirty, noisy, smoky reputation.”

Still, the German carmaker is confident it can show Americans that their perception of diesel lags reality. VW aims to spread the message that diesel, as Mr. Hallmark puts it, is “a guilt-free way of having fun in a car”.

The coming campaign will prefix any mention of diesel with the word “clean”. Performance will also be a big part of VW’s message. Because diesel engines require more compression to ignite the fuel, they also provide more torque, and thus more powerful acceleration.

Americans are “hungry for innovative, efficient and well-made products”, Mr Hallmark says, comparing the new Jetta TDI (short for turbo-charged direct injection) to the success of Toyota’s Prius hybrid hatchback.

“We’re not going to do a lot of different things,” Mr Hallmark adds. “We want to do one or two things really well.”

VW plans to appeal to a relatively narrow group of buyers, mainly on the east and west coasts, who are environmentally aware but also want some fun from their cars. “We’re probably not going to sell too many in Nebraska,” he says.

VW’s long-life diesel car contest could provide another boost. Of the 115-plus cars entered so far, at least 20 have more than half a million miles under their belt. One has clocked almost 900,000. VW hopes this could draw oohs and aahs for diesel when the winner is announced later this year.

VW, Volkswagen, diesel, TDI, Jetta, contest, hybrid

As a car guy, car commercials tend to catch my eye. Well, sometimes they do. Sometimes a commercial is made and released into the wild that makes everyone notice, not just car guys. The following commercials are a few of my favorites, in no particular order.

After the Dude, you bought a girl car? post last week, I got a few comments from people who were surprised that the Chevy HHR didn’t make the list. Do you think automakers design a car and instantly know what kind of person is most likely going to buy it? Makes you wonder when you see this commercial, which always makes me laugh. When you see the tagline at the end, are they saying that girls should get one because guys can’t keep their hands off it? That’s like saying the HHR is like the roofies of current production automobiles. Anyway, here’s the commercial:

A few years back, BMW created a site called BMW Films and had a few very well known movie directors (Guy Ritchie, Ang Lee, John Woo, etc) make eight incredibly good mini-movies that doubled as car commercials. The mini-films had recognizable actors (Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Stellan Skarsgard, Lois Smith, Madonna, etc.) and were longer than the thirty second spots that were common on television. What BMW did by putting this much time and effort into car commercials was to get consumers to actually seek out BMW commercials; as opposed to simply being exposed to them. The result was a landmark campaign that ran for four years that has been imitated with less success by competitors. The following is my favorite in the series:

I have to confess: I love lowriders. I would love to have one of these awesome hopping Impalas. This commercial is one of two I remembered from Chevrolet. The other one was for the Silverado SS, and at least I found the music for that one Return of the Tres - Delinquent Habits (if you wanna see/hear this awesome song, go to the link, click on Videos, the Return of the Tres - you won’t regret it). Unfortunately, I couldn’t find both commercials. If anyone finds the other one, I’d love to have it or a link to it. The music on this one is “I’ll be Around” by The Spinners. Good stuff.

Unfortunately, the newer Impala they’re trying to sell in this commercial looks really out of place. By showing this commercial and the culture that sprung up around the older Chevrolets, it makes everyone very much aware of the gap between those much revered older Chevys and the newer ones.

(more…)

I just saw a re-run of MTV’s Pimp My Ride. Let me tell you, I’m pretty impressed.

I used to love this show, but then I got a little tired of these guys seeing how many monitors they could fit in a car. This episode, however, was a bit different. Instead of just dubs and 20 million video monitors, there was dubs, 20 million video monitors, and an 800 horsepower engine with 1400 lb-ft of torque that gets 25 MPG in a 1965 Impala SS. This engine pushed the heavy Impala to a 0-60 time of around 3.5 seconds. That’s gol-darned fast, son.

The kicker? All this was done using zero fossil fuels.

These amazing numbers were reached by using a turbocharged Chevy Duramax diesel engine with a few standard diesel go-fast goodies backed by an Allison tranny and a Currie rear end. All this was done specifically for the Impala to use 100% biodiesel (B100) as it’s fuel. All of this was done by MTV as part of their Break the Addiction campaign for Earth Day. In addition to Xzibit, Mad Mike, and Beau; the unveiling was done by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at Galpin Auto Sports (G.A.S.).

Check out the episodes on MTV.com, where there’s a nice drag race between the Impala and a Lamborghini Gallardo. Be sure to keep an eye on Gov. Schwarzenegger when they explain the upholstery to him.

Here’s a link to the episode (there are three videos playing in order so keep watching), and here’s a link to the Impala’s gallery at G.A.S.

Nice!
–Will

MTV, Impala, Duramax, biodiesel, B100, Allison, Currie, Xzibit, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pimp My Ride, Lamorghini Gallardo, fossil, fuel

Ford is giving away a 2008 Taurus and a 2008 Taurus X on ABC’s Extreme Makeover tomorrow night.

If those cars look familiar, you’ve been paying attention to Ford for the past couple years. The Taurus is a rebadged version of the Five Hundred, and the Taurus X is a rebadged version of the Freestyle.

This is interesting to folks following the downtrodden automaker that is Ford these days. Just last year, Ford announced that they had decided to kill the Taurus, which went into production over twenty years ago. Since the Taurus had only been gone for about two months before Ford announced it’s return, this might be the strangest case of decision remorse ever seen in an automakers.

While I certainly applaud Ford’s generosity, it’s not like they don’t get a pretty decent amount of exposure for the launch (relaunch?) of these two vehicles. I’m sure the $40K or so coming out of Ford’s pocket for these two vehicles is cheaper than a comparable amount of commercial air time.

Ford, Extreme Makeover, Taurus, ABC, giveaway

I’m skipping the weekly links this week because I found a Car Star for this week that is so awesome that it deserves a post all its own.

(click to go to the full gallery of pics)

I found this vehicle last year when I joined the 67-72ChevyTrucks.com message board. Since they have a great 73-87 Chevy truck section, I generally hang around in there. When I saw the truck of the guy called N2TRUX, I thought it was one of the coolest rides I’d ever seen. Last week I asked N2TRUX (also known as Ken McAvoy) if I could feature his truck as this week’s Car Star, and he agreed. Matter of fact, he had a story prepared for when he was featured in Classic Trucks magazine last year.

Here’s Ken’s story:

Internet Classic
Ken McAvoy
N2TRUX

Every custom truck has a story, and this 77 Chevy Cheyenne is no different. Unlike the daily driver drone trucks that get you back and forth to work or school, custom trucks have a personality. Most trucks are bought from a new auto dealer, or the local used truck emporium. They get a few basic bolt-ons, and then go about the daily grind of being transportation pretty much unnoticed.

Custom trucks are usually different from the beginning. They always seem to have a story to go with them. For some the story begins in a farmer’s field or barn. For others it was bought new and passed through generations of a family until it was time for a rebuild. The scenarios are endless, but there is almost always a story.

Mine begins innocent enough. I wasn’t looking for a project, because I already had one. I bought a really clean 82 C/K 2wd Blazer five years ago, and although the transformation to custom truck has been very slow, it is finally starting to show signs of real progress. But that is another “custom truck “ story.

This story begins as I was wasting away another evening relaxing and cruising the net. One of the websites that I frequent is www.67-72chevytrucks.com.

While surfing the 73-87 message board, I ran across a post that was titled something like “Hey, look what’s on Ebay�. You know the ones I’m talking about. You are always tempted to look, but it’s almost never anything worth checking out.

This one was different. The link inside lead me to this really clean black 77 Chevy Cheyenne. It had a few pics displayed in the ad, so I spent some time viewing them. Since pictures on the net can be very deceiving, I just assumed this truck was a really nice 10 footer. As I opened the pictures up, I was surprised at how clean this truck really was. I must have spent an hour clicking each picture to “super size� it for a better view.

I could not get over how clean this truck was. The ad said it was a low mileage truck to start with, and had undergone a professional body-off restoration. I had to know more about it. That night I emailed the owner asking for more information, and of course more pictures.

He responded with a brief story about how it had been restored at a shop in Arkansas that specializes in classic restorations. It spent a few years being trailered to car shows, and winning awards before it was sold. It went through another owner before this gentleman bought it with the intentions of selling it for a profit. He sent more pictures along with the history.

The new pictures were even more impressive. I was able to see from these shots that it was just as nice as it appeared. I decided even though I had a driveway full of trucks, and neck deep in my Blazer project, I had to pursue this further. With the reluctant permission of my wife, I placed a bid. I eventually won the bid, but did not meet the reserve. I figured it was just not meant to be, and I let it go.

A couple of weeks later, I went to visit Keith, a good friend of mine. We live a few hours apart, so we try to find good excuses to get together often. There was a truck show in his area, so my family went to stay with his family, and the guys went to the show.

On our way to the show, Keith asked whatever happened to the 77 I was bidding on, so I told him the story. He said since the truck wasn’t too far from where we were, that we should go look at it. Being the good friend that I am, I didn’t want to offend him by disagreeing too much. Actually I was dying to go look at it.

I did mention how I didn’t think my wife would appreciate me buying another truck considering how many trucks I already owned. He smiled, and said that he knew she wouldn’t mind “too much�, because he had already asked her.

We called the guy that owned the truck and arranged a meeting. When we rolled up to his house it was sitting in the driveway with the sun filtering through large oak trees on it. The sunlight seemed to accent it in just the right places. WOW! It looked so sweet with the sun bouncing off the chrome trim, and glossy black paint. I was excited, but tried not to show it. My Dad taught me a long time ago, to never let a seller see your excitement.

(more…)

If Cars.com is any indicator, Americans are looking more closely at fuel-efficient vehicles.

This really isn’t an incredible surprise, but it seems to the casual observer that the tipping point for Americans to consider fuel efficiency in vehicle choice may have been reached. Does this spell the end to the American love affair with behemoth SUVs pumped out by Detroit’s Big 3 automakers? Only time will tell, but such would appear to be the case.

New Cars With Largest Increase
in Searches for April 2007
Rank Vehicle Percentage
1. Honda Civic Hybrid 15%
2. Volkswagen Jetta 9%
3. Toyota Yaris 9%
4. Jeep Patriot 8%
5. Mercedes C-Class 7%
6. Toyota Prius 7%
7. BMW 335 7%
8. Ford Mustang 7%
9. Toyota Corolla 5%
10. Chevrolet Cobalt 4%

–Will Thompson

cars.com, fuel, efficiency, best miles per gallon, hybrid, Honda, Toyota, SUV, Detroit, Volkswagen, Jeep, Mercedes

According to recently released sales data from The R.L. Polk Co., 1.5M alternative fuel autos were sold throughout the country last year, or 50% more than forecast in the period. In Colorado, alternative-fuel-auto sales in the state climbed 17% in 2006 from 2005, according to the data. The survey showed that “Sales exceeded our expectations,” said Monica Sakala of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers in Washington, D.C.

Some of the appeal clearly stems from the miles per gallon a hybrid or alternative-fuel vehicle can deliver. “Certainly, some of it is because of gas prices. But the government is also playing a role,” Sakala said of the incentives offered by state and federal government. Other motivating factors include being able to drive in high-occupancy-vehicle or HOV lanes. Increased sales of hybrids can also be attributed to some companies leasing hybrids for their sales force.

I wonder if these numbers will continue to increase once the new 2008 EPA estimated mileages go into effect. All of a sudden a Prius and a Civic hybrid have comparable mileage to a TDI(diesel) Jetta or Beetle.

Want to see if the new EPA mileage estimates for your vehicle are closer to what you actually get? Kiplinger created a tool to help you out.

hybrid, cars, Prius, EPA, Toyota, fuel, efficient, VW, TDI, diesel