Just when we thought we’d seen it all, and you thought you’d read it all… we get shots of this! This is not a hoax — someone is actually shoving a mega horsepower Dodge V10 into a Karmann Ghia. Why not? Interestingly, this is shaping up to be a legitimate build with extensive engineering and lots of money (duh) pouring in from well known sponsors. Hit the jump for more on the Viper Ghia!

Speaking of extensive engineering, not many people realize just how radical this build is. Those who do don’t even think it’ll ever be finished. Read some of the hater comments here. Just a quick rundown: The originally rear engined 1.6L 1968 Karmann Ghia had to have its entire pan/frame removed and re-engineered, as well as the whole front cut off to begin shoehorning in the Viper’s V10.

A custom frame was built to support the engine and mount it to the currently gutted and floor-less Ghia shell. As of this writing, the V10 Ghia is still in the mock up stage. Recently the headers were mocked up and are being fabricated, while the nose and floors are being re-designed and prepped for re-installation. The real wonders lie in the completely one-off front suspension and steering set up, which had to be designed and built from scratch due to the nature of this Frankenstein.

Of course, we love it. And so we’ll be keeping you posted on this insane build. In the meantime, check the gallery and as always, head on down to the forums. For more on the Ghia, check out the builders’ site here.

To be completely honest, it’s not like Honda has always been the company that did things the “old way.”  But what truly amazes people is that the above F-14 is actually not a fighter jet, nor is it a transformer, nor is it even made by Honda.

Well, the 120 horsepower 999cc Honda RC51 engine is.

The designer Alex Hodge of New Ze…Zeeelan…Zealand is likely not to ever see this beauty created, and admittedly I think Honda is missing out on the future of automobiles.  He was noted with saying “The Hawk is a concept motorbike designed in my spare time during study of Industrial Design.”  Well Mr. Hodge, I hope you get hired with some automobile firm, because you’ve got quite the future ahead of you.

The clock is ticking for the US Auto Industry– at least for GM and Chrysler. Both companies are racing to release their newest fuel efficient models and begin the fiscal recovery process and eventually pay back Uncle Sam for the massive bailout they received. For GM, the Chevy Volt, Cruze, and Spark are the holy trinity of returning to profitability. Chrysler has a less defined plan, relying on re-badged European cars for the immediate future and taking a longer term strategy when it comes to its own fuel efficient models. Ford on the other hand, managed to pull a hat trick and release several hybrids just before things got too bad and so they’re already on the road back from the brink. However now the question is– will it be enough? Hit the jump for more.

This recent report is suggesting that China may be playing catch up in the Automotive world. And if they become successful enough to begin importing to the US, the results could be catastrophic for GM and Chrysler. Luckily for Ford, their drastically improved public image will probably save them from being undercut. GM and Chrysler on the other hand, may be far enough behind that if China were to import a BYD Chinese Hybrid or Electric, it would be about the same time or even just before the domestic offerings make it to market. With public perception of the two companies at an all time low, combined with the bargain basement prices of the Chinese models (assuming they were imported), consumers may opt for the cheaper and (supposedly) better performing BYD models.

Now usually, Chinese cars are seen as inferior– but when multimillionaire Warren Buffett starts investing, people start paying attention. Buffett isn’t known for making poor investment decisions, and according to the linked report, it appears as though BYD may be the real deal. Serious competition is the last thing GM and Chrysler need right now; European and other Asian imports are already threatening to choke them off before they can release their flagship models and prove they can turn over a new, greener leaf. If BYD, with support from the Chinese government, fast tracks their R&D and production of Hybrids and Electrics for import to the US, the market may reach the tipping point. If that comes to pass, then GM and Chrysler are going to be the only ones that lose.

The question is, are you prepared to see what Master Yoda here has done with your car?

So, what force could be so great to alter the future of engines?  First off (and perhaps the most badass of changes), according to Mr. Gates’ new patent, cars will likely no longer run on oil, but rather your typical fuel injector has been replaced with a plasma injector.

Not blood plasma, but the real burn-your-skin-off kind.

But what’s so special about using a different kind of fuel?  We’ve heard about hydrogen and other types of fuel, so why should putting matter into a different state cause any degree of difference?  Well, that’s when the real ingenuity shows.  Due to the properties of plasma, the rapidly expanding material makes for great amounts of explosive force that the design uses to move a piston back and forth, from one end of the firing chamber to another.

But the piston no longer propels the vehicle, like it has for over a hundred years.

This new electromagnetic piston is held in place by a very powerful electromagnet that, as the piston moves along its track, transfers the kinetic energy of the plasma into electrical energy.

Yeah, try to wrap your head around that one.

Or just read the patent for yourself here.  It’s a crazy one…

So why all the love for the electric car?  Well, this is no ordinary electric car, and it’s about time the big auto manufacturers get it through their skull.

This cockroach-looking sun-wagon is much less an auto concept built around years of rigorous market research, and more of a raw, peddle to the metal, road hog, designed to do only one thing: Drive fast as hell.

Now you may not have guessed it, but this little car, designed by students at MIT, can reach speeds exceeding 90MPH, and it runs off nothing but the sun in the sky.  WIth gas prices being as they are, and the auto industry in the tank, you would assume that some auto manufacturers would be jumping on the technology bandwagon.  The manufacturer that manages to produce the world’s first viable and mass-marketed electric car is going to be the Rolls-Royce of the 21st century (minus that whole bankrupt part).

Think of it like this: Imagine if GM, one day out of the blue, decided to become a research and design company who produces only the cutting edge of auto tech.  With Prius sales ever-increasing and the market being choked by needless expenditures (like gasoline), the holy grail of auto tech is staring the auto industry in the face!  The future is the electric car!

We aren’t using 100 year old technology to keep our babies clean, so why do we put ourselves behind the wheel of the same era’s technology?

Cars simply don’t look the same!  With new designs and even newer technologies coming out, who’s to say that your car in the future will look like your car does now?  One look at this Aptera 2e, or the new CR-Z, Mini or Smart cars, and you come to discover that with green technology comes green design – and it’s very different.

Remember waaaay back when your car came with 4 doors and an old noisy engine?  Okay, so your car probably currently comes with those features, but don’t be surprised if you’re mockingly uttering these very words 30 years from this point (assuming you haven’t been killed by driving the above car into an F-350).

So will humanity embrace change from the old designs of oil, or will the electric car go the same way as the flying car?  As always, you are free to leave a comment and discuss the topic.

Seriously, why did they even try crash avoidance software like this in the first place?

While we’re spending billions of dollars to bail out the struggling motor industry, it’s really troubling to see that the automotive industry has been using solid objects on their crash avoidance test cars, instead of something, oh, say less damaging and wasteful.

Note: This is wasteful.

That’s right, folks!  Step one in not losing money is cutting down waste – waste like crashing cars when you don’t need to.  Now, instead of using giant steel-reinforced concrete to trip the radar sensor, the brilliant minds at Ford are using full-sized inflatable cars.  Who would have thought, a balloon Master Chief could save thousands of dollars a pop for the testing of  the future pedestrian collision software, literally.

Seriously, where’d it go?

For Michael Otero of Laguna Beach, California, the phrase “Dude, where’s my car?” is not a funny reference to an unfunny movie, but rather what he said after leaving a convenience store and noticing that his truck was no longer in his presence.

For the video, click here

Apparently Mr. Otero had left his running automobile in reverse as he entered the store.  ”It’s almost like a ghost” Otero reported.  Well guess what, Mr. Otero?  You’re a complete douche.  First off, who leaves a truck running and unattended, and secondly, how does one confuse park with reverse? 

I am convinced he was high.

This story brought to you by the fine people at NBC Los Angeles

Howdy Webriders! Dr. VW here. Tomorrow is a great event in American sports. It is of course, the one holiday that isn’t really a holiday. That’s right. Superbowl Sunday. Tomorrow afternoon the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Arizona Cardinals for pigskin supremacy. What does this have to do with cars? Well, aside from the dope whips that most of the team’s players enjoy speeding around in, there are the epic and timeless commercials. Hit the jump for Dr. VW’s top three car commercial predictions!

1. Hyundai Genesis.

They’d be crazy NOT to run a top dollar ad during the Superbowl! My guess is to expect a serious, dramatic, and sophisticated ad along the lines of previous Mercedes or Infinity commercials to air right before halftime. They’ll want to emphasize a stable and mature brand, so don’t expect anything humorous like last years Audi R8 commercial.

2. Volkswagen.

Volkswagen has had a lot to be proud of lately. Sales have been up, the TDI has been a huge success with greenies, and the Touareg/Routan have proved themselves as able platforms capable of competing with other SUV’s and Crossovers. Their ad’s have also been cleverly hilarious, even bringing the humble bug Max in to keep the history alive. Expect an outrageously funny commercial; I’m betting on it to air between the first and second quarters.

3. Chevy Volt

The Volt is really GM’s last shot. No matter how good the rest of their line-up is (and one would argue that pulling all the ad stops for the Camaro would be a good bet to make), the Volt NEEDS to be a success if GM expects to survive. The writing is on the wall, and the floundering member of the Big Three needs a SYMBOLIC success to prove to consumers it can still produce a technologically advanced, reliable, and quality vehicle at an affordable price. To this end, expect an edgy, ultra hype ad with a touch of impending destiny about it right around the last scheduled commercial break.

Now these are purely based on conjecture; but it’ll be interesting to see if my predictions come true! Watch the game (GO CARDINALS!) and be sure to pop into the forums to report back! This is Dr. VW- signing off.

Howdy Webriders! Dr. VW here. I was looking at some of the newsfeeds and things coming in from the Detroit Auto Show, otherwise known as the North American International Auto Show, and was rather astounded one piece in particular. It just goes to show you that Detroit clearly still just doesn’t “get” it. Hit the jump for more!

The piece I mentioned earlier was actually an article on Road and Track’s website titled “Concepts that Shook Detroit”. While in and of itself a fairly predictable article to write, incredible new concepts unveiled every year; there was an elephant in the room. The concepts all displayed “green” attributes and prowess, utilizing hydrogen, electric, hybrid, and clean diesel engines coupled to futuristic and aerodynamic chassis’. What’s the big deal then? Not a single car was a domestic.

It seems that the concepts that shook Detroit are the same kinds of cars that apparently Detroit is unable, or unwilling, to build. Like the movie groundhog day, the Big Three seem to be stuck in a stubborn time warp, simply refusing to accept that the days of gas guzzling SUV’s are over. The Volt? Glaringly absent. The Converj? Didn’t make the list. All the cars were European. From the Mercedes concept Blue Zero to the VW Bluesport and Volvo S60, all the earth shakers and movers in the Big Three’s backyard were eco friendly European cars, and it has clearly left Detroit looking like they’re incapable of playing with the big boys. Honda has the FCX Clarity, and Toyota has the new Prius. What do the Big Three have? Nothing except empty promises. Even when the Volt hits the streets, it’s going to be laughably more expensive and less practical than a comparable Green Asian or European car– and it wont be nearly as plush. The fact remains- Detroit seems to be almost a decade or more behind other automakers in terms of eco friendly cars, encompassing efficiency, quality, and tooling.

Was the bailout money well spent? I guess it all depends on if Detroit learns anything from this final slap in the face on its own turf. Dr. VW- out.