Welcome to the first ever edition of the Carnival of Wheels. Consider this the Happy New Year Edition! This have been slow around the blogosphere with all the holiday goings on and things no different here in The Garage. This is the perfect time to sit down and have a bit of a read before the house fills up for tonight’s festivities, so sit down and grab a bit o bubbly end enjoy this week’s offerings.
Every sport has it’s darker times and auto racing is no different. The legenday Mickey Thompson and his wife were murdered, allegedly by his business partner. Dan from Hemmings is keeping tabs on the trial proceedings. Be sure to tune in again after January 2nd, to see how things pan out when the trial resumes after the holiday break. Hey, lawyers like champagne too!
Thinking of buying a hybrid in the New Year? Toyota would love to see you driving one of theirs, and they’re seeing red since the US tax break for hybrids ended in October. The automaker is looking to convince those government types to extend the timing on the rebate. Don’t mess with taxes has the full story
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2007 will see the 99th running of the Chicago Auto Show. Egon at AutomoBlog is keeping a list of the cars that will be appearing at the show. I’ll be checking that list more than twice, but I think it’ll be hard to top that Giugiaro Mustang.
Prejudiced against other car owners? I don’t know about that one, but do do know that Toyota aren’t the only ones seeing red. Madeleine has a problem with the driving habits of those pesky red car owners. Is that politically correct?
Anybody who’s ever owned a pickup truck knows that you are everybody’s best friend. Social networking aside, Super Saver has discovered a bunch of other reasons to love the pickup.
That’s all for this first edition of the Carnival of Wheels. Be sure to check back next Sunday for edition #2.
For all you bloggers out there submissions for Edition #2 are due on Saturday January 6, so don’t forget to visit our submissions page
Following his collision with a deer while testing his Champ car at Road America, Christiano da Matta has been working hard on his rehabilitation. Rehab from head injury can take many forms and the results are different for every patient. It sounds like da Matta is making some good progress, but I somehow doubt we’ll be seeing him doing any laugh a minute interviews like the Hamster any time soon. On a positive note, he has taken over the job of maintaining the blog on his site just last month.
In days of old, car manufacturers would give preview pics of upcoming models to journos that they could not publish under penalty of death. Now, in these days of the internets, those embargos are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. In some cases they are becoming fodder for the overactive American legal system. On the other hand, some automakers are using the web to their own advantage by beating bloggers at their own game and officially leaking pics.
Yesterday’s big loser winner in the leaked photos department seems to be Daimler Chrysler, who had no less than 3 new models leaked prior to the NAIAS in Detroit. Photos abound of the new Jeep Trailhawk, Dodge Viper and the Chrysler Nassau concept vehicle. The upcoming Chevy Malibu has also made an early appearance.
The big question here is: Broken embargo or deliberate leak?
In what is becoming a common move for Nissan, the company has released details of the upcoming Rogue CUV in advance of the North Amerian International Auto Show. Nissan has shown teaser images of the new machine over the past few months, without saying too much about the actual vehicle. Based on the C platform, which is the same as Sentra, the Rogue will be powered by the family 2.5 liter 4 cylinder mated to a CVT and available all wheel drive.
More pictures and Nissan press release after the break Continue reading →
Over the years, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked this question. Usually by someone who doesn’t like a certain characteristic of a new car, rather than a legitimate complaint. Often the next question they ask is how they can get rid of the car. In my eyes, this is the wrong question to be asking.
One can only imagine the road that an injured soldier travels while recovering at home. One thing is for sure though, is that the ability to do the things they loved before their injury has to rank up there on their list of priorities. Like many young men, Steven Schultz dreamed of racing cars. He drove a Subaru WRX in the only real colour choice for a Sube, blue. A roadside bomb in Iraq ended those dreams. But thanks to the help of many strangers, Steven has received a killer Christmas present. A custom, Subaru golf cart just like the ones used by the Subaru WRC team. This cart has had all sorts of racing style mods, that will actually keep Steven safe in the cart while he cruises his neighbourhood. Continue reading →
North Americans seem to be warming up to wagons again, and it looks like we may start seeing more of the utility friendly vehicles rather than the giant box on wheels mini vans. The beauty of course is that modern wagons can be as fun to drive as their sedan counterparts, while still offering cargo & human space along with reasonable towing capacity. Continue reading →
We all dream about the ellusive barn car. You know the one, you’re driving around the countryside and see the tail end of some classic peeking out of the corner of a barn. Bruce Cliche has a couple of those barn cars, that is if you can call over 600 a couple. There are parts on top of parts. A couple of dozen school buses and a farm house full of engines, manifolds, cylinder heads and more. There is even a bus full of Muncie 4 speed trannies!
Just the thing for a lazy Boxing Day morning. This compilation is a little heavy on Euro Techno beats and a little light on exhaust noise (like none) but it is well edited. Enjoy!
Targa Florio. The name sends shivers down the spine of long time race fans. Some of the best drivers of all time doing battle on real roads in some of the most fearsom racing machines ever built. Fortunately, the roads have changed little and the enthusiast can retrace the original route. I just came across this in car video done by an enthusiast. Set to the sounds of The Cult, the modern in-car is broken up with some vintage footage here and there. A great distraction from wrapping Christmas presents. At just over 4 minutes, it’s just long enough for a beer and your racing fix, without getting in trouble for neglecting your family duties!
