Carnival of Wheels: Edition #4

It’s another cold Sunday morning here in The Garage, but it’s nice and toasty inside. The coffee is hot, so grab a cup, sit back and enjoy today’s submissions before the day takes over.

There’s a lot of new activity happening in the NASCAR paddock this year and Brian from RaceDriven has a few opinions on what we can expect to see in the coming season. Just one thing I’ve gotta ask. Since when is Red Bull Racing an unknown team? New to NASCAR yes, but unknown?

Whenever a new model hits the showroom, there is always a bit of nervousness as the sales team wait to see the reaction from consumers. Chuck Russell is a salesman at a GM store and he’s seen some smiles on customers faces when they see the shape of the new GMC Acadia.

Who ever started all those female driver jokes? In Madeline Kane’s house, it’s the masculine part of the team that is a bit scattered. Madeline recounts her relationship with the tow truck driver that resulted from hubby’s absent mind in Tow Guy Blues.

All over North America, lawmakers, consumers and repair shops struggle with the problems that come with vehicle emissions testing. It’s an expensive program that requires policing and it’s pretty much redundant for most vehicles built in the last 5 or 6 years. Janine from Why Homeschool is getting the runaround from the California DMV while she tries to test her new/used 2006 Ford Club Wagon. We all know that Cali has the toughest smogg laws and that they have worked, but why the hell must one test a 2006? Dumb, Dumb, Dumb. I’ll be sure to watch this one, as I’d like to see the outcome.

Over at Amazingly Bizarre, a guy who calls himself the Bizarre Jokester has compiled a few pics of some unusual vehicles.

It’s great to see Dorri coming back to life and blogging again. This week at If it’s got an engine… Dorri writes about a rare Mustang convertible with a rumble seat that crossed the block at Barrett Jackson. Could this concept work for modern sports cars too? I like the idea, but I can’t imagine putting someones kids in the crumple zone of a Miata!

Buying a car can be a pretty stressful experience for some people. This week at Wisebread, Will Chen tells the tale of how a car broker eased the pain when his family bought a new, used car. Will gives some great pointers in how to find a good broker and things to watch out for.

Winter has finally arrived in some parts of our fair continent, with a vengence in some parts of the States. With the onset of the snow and ice, comes the realization that there are a lot of really dense drivers out there. Egon at Automoblog is trying to give SUV drivers a bit of a high school physics lesson. Momentum = Mass × Velocity = Escalade in the ditch.

While we are suffering through the colder months, those lucky Aussies are enjoying a fair bit more warmth. Craig at Autofix tells the tale of a twin turbo Celica that he built. When I first read the title, I was expecting an 80’s or 90’s era model but this is in fact a killer 76! The fact that these cars are not uncommon in Oz just shows the difference in climate. We too had these cars in Canada, but I haven’t seen one in years as they all rusted like crazy. This beast looks like it would be a blast to drive.

That’s all for this week folks, I hope that we’ve all brightened up your Sunday morning coffee just a little bit.

For all you bloggers out there, don’t forget that next week’s deadline is Saturday at midnight. Visit our submissions page to be included in our weekly roundup.