While browsing one of my favorite forums, TheCarLounge.com, I came across a post that almost made me cover my mouth and run to the nearest bathroom. Unfortunately, some nit-wit in Spain decided that it would be a good idea to fuse the old Audi Quattro Rally car and a perfectly good A6. And as you can see, the result is an absolute nightmare.

No word on how much crack he smoked before attempting this project, but apparently it was a LOT!

Hi!  I was watching this video and I wanted to answer the trivia question.  I’m sorry if this is the wrong place to send it, but the host only said webridestv.com. The tail lights are called the Painless 80226, found first on the 1939 Ford Deluxe Convertible Sedan.

Thanks,
Biki209

Biki209, you are the winner with your amazing answer! To be honest, nobody even came close to the completeness of this answer, and we are proud to award you with +500 Credits for use in our SchwagMart!

Keep your eyes peeled for more opportunities to answer trivia questions for extra credit, and drop by Biki209’s profile to congratulate him as the first winner of SchwagMart Trivia! Of course, you need to register for the website to be eligible for the free stuff, so get to it!

It has been this author’s firm belief for quite a while that the US automotive aftermarket industry is virtually a cesspool of garbage. Why? There are tons of products coming into this country that do not meet any established standards (or there is a complete lack of standards altogether). And the Department of Transportation (DOT), US Customs and other federal agencies do nothing to protect the consumer from illegitimate, and often dangerous, products. Just consider the federal government’s bungling antics in the Mattel toys case. Lead-laden toys were being imported from China and there was nothing in place that would have caught this in the first place. It’s always a case of “spill the milk first, then think about it later.”

To put it simply, other countries just do many things better than we do. Take the Germans, for example, when it comes to aftermarket alloy wheels. All aftermarket wheels sold in Germany must meet or exceed the German national directive for light-alloy wheels (TUV). You can’t even legally sell wheels in Germany that have been tested based on other internationally recognized standards, such as those issued by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The German government can hold liable companies and testing officials that do not strictly comply with German wheel regulations. Not only do German consumers have access to the best products in the market, the government is actually looking out for their safety through regulations some may consider rather draconian.

The ideal situation for the US market would be strict enforcement by the DOT on product quality and safety. There is a myriad of regulations established by the DOT called the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for which OEM suppliers, such as tire and wheel companies, must pass in order to become / be a vendor to OEM vehicle manufacturers. But this (FMVSS 110) is NOT applied to aftermarket wheels. Why not? The DOT doesn’t seem to care. US customs certainly doesn’t do anything to halt the influx of substandard products. Essentially, it’s a consumer-based matter. It’s a matter of supply and demand. Throw in proper design, materials engineering, finite element method, prototyping and testing into the manufacturing process and you end up with a set of wheels that cost multiple times more than its bargain priced counterpart.

Based on these factors, one must really question the structural soundness and safety of certain wheels out there - oversized wheels for SUVs and luxury sedans (”bling”) and copycat wheels for sport compact applications are the first to come to mind. What are you really getting when you opt for these wheels? A dangerous and scary question to ask. Ultimately, however, it is the consumer that demands these substandard products and creates a market for which a countless number of suspect manufacturers are more than happy to serve.

We, Americans, truly do suck.

Regardless of the vehicle in question, mobile electronics has taken itself through leaps and bounds over the past few years. It’s no longer about mere MP3-capability. The new generation of headunts offer a myriad of audio and video sources to choose from - CD (regular, MP3, AAC, WMV), DVD video / audio, FM / AM radio, iPOD, XM / Sirius satellite radio and so on. The list simply does not stop. And depending on what your budget limitations and music platform preference may be, today’s headunit is designed to accept them all.

This certainly is the case with the Pioneer AVIC-N4 multimedia navigation receiver installed in Project Evo. The single-DIN headunit is gadget freak’s dream, compatibility with all audio and video formats. And it offers further flexibility with add-on modules that can be thrown into the mix depending on what your mobile audio needs may be.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is an interview with Alex Roy, the man responsible for driving the fastest recorded time from NY to LA. He doesn’t know why he had to do it, but he got it done in 31 hours and 4 minutes, a full hour ahead of the previous record set in 1983.As you’ll see in the video, the car of choice is a BMW M5 which has been outfitted with a variety of bells and whistles. We’d even consider taking this ride over the new Nightrider car that’s premiering on the 17th. For more on this story and the movie that’s coming out, check out the website 32hours7minutes.com.

We hit up the Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council Trade Media Conference and chat with the Garrett folks about turbocharging!  Thanks to Scion for sponsoring this video of the week!

In an interview with Car Magazine in January, Nissan’s design guru Shiro Nakamura mentioned that their is a possibility that Nissan will design a GT-R based Infiniti model. If so, you’ll not only make it to your dinner party on time, but you’ll do so in style.

We’ve seen the GT-R in person and the interior of the vehicle is a bit minimal, which  leaves some room for an upgrade. We’re anxious to see if they’re going to explore an Infiniti redesigned GT-R. If so, the M6’s and CL63’s of the world are up against some stiff competition.

Quote:

Source: CAR Magazine

“Back in April ‘06, we reported on the disappointment expressed by Infiniti dealers over the decision to make the new GT-R exclusively a Nissan. But retailers of the company’s premium brand, now branching out of North America and into markets in Asia and Europe, may have their prayers answered as Nissan considers creating an Infiniti derivative of the supercar.

The report comes from an interview with Nissan’s design guru Shiro Nakamura in the January issue of Britain’s Car magazine. “We have developed the platform and the transaxle powertrain – an Infiniti version is a future possibility,” says Nakamura. “I have not done a study yet, but we are thinking about it.” Promising words, though hardly the kind of confirmation dealers can bank on at this point, especially ones in the U.S. But with Infiniti dealers worldwide split over the direction of a potential new Q sedan, a GT-R derivative could do wonders as the brand’s new flagship model, positioned above the G37 coupe, which is sold in Japan as the Nissan Skyline.”

CivicSeth wrote us after completing his Hot Wheels order, and upon receipt of the item, obviously fired up his million dollar photography rig for this incredible shot of himself with our Schwag!

Thanks for the Schwag!  It will go great with my other Hot Wheels collection!

Thanks!

civicseth

You’re welcome, Seth!  Keep clickin’ and bring yourself something nice home!  Sorry we ran out of stock on fresh girlfriends, it seems you definitely need one.  LOL

<3

 

They said the day would never come, but someone finally made a New Beetle look cool!  The amount of work in this Bug is phenomenal, but so was it’s cost.  This slick roadster was sold on Pistonheads for almost $40,000.  I guess that’s a pretty good bargain considering it cost almost $120,000 to finish.  How much “awesome” does $120,000 buy you?

For power, this bad boy has a 20 valve 1.8 turbo motor swapped in that puts out 381 horsepower.   Behind the TechArt wheels you will find Porsche Cayenne brakes up front and Audi TT brakes in the rear.  For comfort, this bug was fitted with full leather interior with a unique hand made aluminum tonneau cover.  For more pics, check out the gallery.

It kind of reminds me of a modern version of the Hebmuller….

Since the launch of the SchwagMart, our website traffic is up tremendously, and as a result, there are literally hundreds of users that have already received free stuff!

Every time you order from our SchwagMart, you have a chance to be awarded 250 extra street credits if you take a picture of yourself with your prize!

Melody4752 of Omaha, NE hooked up some Hot Wheels for her son! She took two seconds to take this picture for us, and has now come one day closer to her coveted big ticket prize! Melody has been awarded 250 extra credits because she sent us this pic, and so can you; just as soon as you get your orders in.

Thanks much, and keep on watching! We have many new ways for you to get credits coming, and the only way you can find out how is to keep checking our website daily for the announcements.