Jalopnik

Tata Motors Chairman, Owner Of Taj Mahal Hotel, Claims They "Had Warning" Ahead Of Attack [Tata Motors]

Jalopnik — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:01:00 GMT

Tata Motors parent company, Tata Group, owns the Taj Mahal Hotel at the center of the deadly attacks in Mumbai ending this morning. News the same company producing the Tata Nano , the cheapest car in the world, also owns one of the largest and nicest hotels in India shouldn't come as a surprise given the Tata Group owns almost 100 companies with operations in 85 countries. Ratan Tata , chairman of both Tata Group as well as Tata Motors, said the hotel had been warned of a possible attack and had increased security over the past few weeks but claimed it was not enough to stop given what he claims were a series of well-planned, well-organized attacks. Ratan Tata, in the same interview with Fareed Zakeria, went on to criticize the preparedness of the Indian officials. Which is interesting seeing as the hotel had returned to a normal level of security shortly before this week's terror attacks. "We were getting the cooperation that they could give us, but the infrastructure was...(read more)

PCH, Head Turner Edition: Stutz Blackhawk or Backyard Lambo? [Project Car Hell]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:20:00 GMT

Welcome to Project Car Hell , where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! The sporty Simca beat up on the magnificent Humber in our last Choose Your Eternity poll , meaning France gets the PCH Superpower trophy… once it's out of the shop, that is. Today we're going to look at the sort of cars that desperate motivated sellers often refer to as "head turners." You know, it's weird and sort of cool, but also sort of horrible… and wouldn't it be fun to own one? The Basement Lambo was great, but who's got that kind of time? You might not want a Fiero-based Fieroborghini , but how about something in between? Say, this tube-framed, turbo Buick V6-powered Lamborghini Countach replica (go here if the ad disappears), which is priced at a low, low, super-low $8,000! Now, part of the reason this car is so cheap might be that the general pall of loserness cast by the sword-sliced Muncie home invaders (see photo...(read more)

Subaru Fan-Boys Drive Impreza Into Living Room To Watch TV Up-Close [Those Poor Lions]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:00:00 GMT

As the Lions continued their glorious downward spiral yesterday, reinforcing their spot as the losingest team in the NFL at 0-12, we think one Subaru enthusiast thought his beloved Impreza would like to get in on some football watchin' action. With clearance coming in at just under an inch, the Subaru was driven up the porch and into the cozy disco-balled living room. We're mostly impressed it didn't fall into the basement. galleryPost('subarulions', 6, 'Seasonal Affective Disorder: It Can Happen to Subarus too'); [ ClubRSX ]...(read more)

The Disappearing Door Lincoln Is Back, And Now It Can Be Yours! [Found On EBay]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:30:00 GMT

newVideoPlayer("LincolnDoor_gawker.flv", 506, 423,""); The old disappearing doors Lincoln concept car, a sensation that swept the nation (or at least the internet) back in July, 2007 (a sensation we started right here at Jalopnik ) is now up for sale again on eBay. So for any of you kiddies looking for a Black Friday steal and deal, snap up the 1993 Lincoln Mark VIII Prototype Concept Car with doors that disappear under the car. Be wary however, as this concept car seems to head back to eBay every six months or so. Probably because nobody can figure out how to get that pesky driver's side door to work right. Get it now while you still can because the auction on this one-of-a-kind rarity of a minor internet meme ends at 10:00 PM EST Sunday night. Look at it this way, it's like owning Rick Astley at the start of his second career as a rick-roller . [via eBay ]...(read more)

Pair Of Jensen-Healeys and Alfa Romeo GTV Provide A Change Of Pace For The Crusher [Junkyard Find]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:30:00 GMT

I haven't hit the wrecking yard for a while, but Alameda-based reader Chris went last week and spotted two Malaise Special Jensen-Healeys and a fairly complete-looking Alfa Romeo GTV, right there among all the ho-hum Corollas and Excels in the import section. Whoa, does one of them have a small-block Chevy V8 under the hood? Make the jump for all the photos and Chris' description. galleryPost('DOTJJensens', 6, 'Jensen Healeys And Alfa GTV Sit In East Bay Wrecking Yard'); I live in Alameda, you've featured my roomate's car before - 1966 Coronet Vert ...... BTW, he sold it, had a strong 440 in it - getting a complete frame off soon by the new owner. Now he has a '74 Ghia Convertible, parked in the same place. Anyway, I have an eBay business on the side, sell vintage Euro parts (mostly overseas). A lot of BMW 1980's stuff, Volvo 240's, Mercedes, etc..... So I'm at the yards a lot. Came across some interesting Euro Trash........... two Jensens...(read more)

How Long Will Cheap Gas Last? [Question Of The Day]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Right now, gas is as cheap as it’s been since 2005: $1.97 on average across the country. I filled up a Pontiac G8 GXP two weeks ago for $40 and Wert's seeing less than $1.70 in Metro Detroit . So it’s easy to forget that as little as three month ago, a gallon of the go juice was over $4. But how long is this going to last? Long enough to make Pontiac’s new sub-20 MPG muscle car a practical purchase? The price of gas is a complicated formula, with variables including OPEC’s daily level of greed, the number and location of which countries we’re currently invading and the current reason for low prices: demand or the lack of it. Should we all be scooping up cheap SUVs on our way out to Black Friday sales, or should we be saving our pennies in anticipation of prices again skyrocketing? So, Jalopnik Readers, we ask you: How long will cheap gas last? While we're enjoying the current low prices and taking the opportunity to drive more than ever, we're also hedging our bets against the...(read more)

You Know Times Are Tough When... [Carpocalypse Now]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:30:00 GMT

...you spot a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe in front of you in the McDonald's drive-through. Also, the driver's ordering from the value meal menu. Oh, and it's not Britney Spears behind the wheel. [ TopSpeed ]...(read more)

K.I.T.T.-Driving Werewolf Murders Mexican Cheerleaders, You Can Dance In Blood! [Music]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:00:00 GMT

Near as we can tell, this video for the Sonido Lasser Drakar song "82 Pontiac Firebird" shows a wholesome-looking refrigerator-white 3rd-gen Firebird that turns into K.I.T.T. when the sun goes down; meanwhile, the car's driver becomes a werewolf , thirsty for the blood of the Badly Choreographed Cheerleaders. Thanks to Franzouse for the tip!...(read more)

2009 MINI Cooper, Cooper S Convertible Officially Reveal Whopping Price Jump [Detroit Auto Show]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT

We first saw the leaked press shots back in September, and today the 2009 MINI Cooper and Cooper S Convertible are now official. The big scoop? An almost 10% hike in the price tag. Why the giant jump? galleryPost('2009MINISVertPExt', 6, '2009 MINI Cooper S Convertible - Exterior'); As we told you way back when , both will make their worldwide debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Here's what to expect. Orders for the MINI Convertible are being taken now; the price for the MINI Cooper Convertible is $24,550, a whopping $2,600 more than the 2009 model year. The new MINI Cooper S Convertible gets a similar price bump of $2,050 to $27,450 including the $650 destination and handling charge with the delivery of the first MINI Convertibles to begin on March 28, 2009. The reason being is there's been a huge demand for the little guy. MINI's shown they can sell out of the fuel-sipping go-kart at the current price levels, so why not bump the price by 10%. Especially...(read more)

GMC Yukon Hybrids Carry Thanksgiving Day Floats In Rick-Rolled Macy's Parade [I Like Rick-Rolling]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:20:00 GMT

newVideoPlayer("/rickrollthanks.flv", 500, 390,""); While we're not sure if the Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends float from yesterday's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was one of the five floats being hauled by a GMC Yukon Hybrid , but we kind of hope it was. If only so that we could know an automaker was somehow involved in bringing us this first ever road-going rick-roll. But oh, that Rick Astley. That guy and his internets...what a bunch of pranksters! [ Gizmodo , Star-Telegram ]...(read more)

1971 Evinrude Outboard [Down On The Street]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Down On The Street , where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Alameda has flotillas of trailered boats parked on the street, what with it being an island and all, but I haven't been paying much attention to them for this series. However, this old Evinrude- which has been parked for weeks on a particularly parking-challenged block on one of the busiest streets in town- has vintage charm that runs fathoms deep, so here we go: our first DOTS boat! Anyone who grows up messing with cars in Alameda will eventually come into possession of some sort of wretched patched-up beater of a 60s motorboat, even if that person knows nothing whatsoever about nautical crap. Someone will offer you a boat/trailer combo as part of a deal on a car, and you figure an engine is an engine, right? Next thing you know, you're roaring around on the Bay with all the required gear on board: boombox, cooler full of beer, and pirate...(read more)

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: Herbie The Love Bug Replica For $20,000? [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]

Jalopnik — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

79% of our readers thought that $25,000 was a hubba-fied price for 1984 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z , but maybe that's because 80s nostalgia hasn't taken a firm enough hold of our culture yet. That's why we're going with a car everyone appreciates: Herbie The Love Bug! Unlike what you'd experience with your $21,750 General Lee Replicas , you won't keep running across other Herbies out there, because the world Herbie-to-General-Lee ratio is about 1:150 these days. This '63 Beetle has had an obsessively thorough restoration, and the price shows it: $20,000. Cool car, but 20 grand worth of cool? You decide! galleryPost('NPCCPHerbie', 6, 'Herbie The Love Bug On Sale For 20 Grand'); [ Craigslist Los Angeles , go here if the ad disappears] 20 G's for an exact Herbie The Love Bug replica? ( polls )...(read more)

1987 Subaru Justy [Down On The Street]

Jalopnik — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Down On The Street , where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. I've been looking for a DOTS-worthy Subaru for a long time, but it seems that most of the 70s and 80s examples were crushed long ago. While I'd prefer a BRAT, we'll have to settle for this Justy. First, let's listen to the song I always hear in my head when contemplating a tiny Subaru from the days before mall parking lots were full of the things. Dr. Demento was a big fan of this tune, of course: I've driven a couple of these cars, and "underpowered" doesn't really do that 66-horsepower 3-cylinder justice. In fact, the only post-WW2 vehicle I've ever driven that was slower than the Justy was the VW Rabbit Diesel my high school used for driver training class. But so what? This thing can probably cross several counties on a shotglass of fuel, and it proves that you don't need a Sprint for 3-cylinder 80s action...(read more)

What Are You Thankful For? [Question Of The Day Bonus Edition]

Jalopnik — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Thanksgiving's tomorrow and we here at Jalopnik are thankful for a lot of things. Family, friends and good food all hit high up on that list. But there's two things that top the list and the first is you. Yes, that's right, you. Not to get overly sentimental, because that's not how we roll, but we're thankful you keep coming back and reading the silliness we plop down on a daily basis. We appreciate it more than you'll probably ever know. But anyway, while the site will be taking the day off tomorrow to let all of us watch the Detroit Lions lose (three cheers for no blackout here in Detroit! Or actually, three jeers depending on how you look at it...) and eat turkey until the tryptophan knocks us out for the count, we want to hear in the comments what you're most thankful for. Do that right after you hit the jump to find out that other thing we're really thankful for. Right under you guys, we're mostly thankful for cheap-ass gas thanks to the Carpocalypse...(read more)

Cover Your Eyes: The Porsche Panamera Mega Gallery [Porsche Panamera]

Jalopnik — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:30:00 GMT

Since the Germans invented Schadenfreude, it seems only appropriate that the new Porsche Panamera is so awful that we just can’t quit looking at it. With that in mind, we bring you the Porsche Panamera Mega Gallery: 41 pictures of LongBruce, the four-seat Porsche. galleryPost('panameramegagallery ', 12, 'Porsche Panamera Mega Gallery'); We have CarScoop to thank for pulling many of these photos off of the truly annoying Panamera minisite . In them, we can see a few new, intriguing details. First of which is the Turbo’s wing, which appears to extend upwards from its cubby at the base of the rear glass before the wings extend outwards to the edges of the glasshouse. That sounds pretty neat and we can’t wait to see video of it in action. Also interesting is the hybrid drivetrain. That model will premiere some time during Spring 2009, so in the meantime we can only look at the battery location and hope that the extremely rearwards location will lend the vehicle some shadow of...(read more)