Introducing the Singer Design 911: Retro Cool Porsche for the iPod Generation

In 1998, the last of the air-cooled Porsche 911s rolled off the production line at Stuttgart, soon to be replaced with a newer, more modern water-cooled variant of the classic rear-engined sports coupe. Fortunately, for Porsche fans and company shareholders alike, the water-cooled 996 Series proved to be a venerable replacement for the air-cooled 993 and still commands impressively high prices on

Jaguar XK8 Costumed up as an Aston Martin DBS [with Video]

Is the Jaguar XK8 not good enough for you? Then how about turning it into something with a bit more pizazz like an Aston Martin DBS? At least that’s what an eBay seller is proposing in our latest replicar find. The DBS doppelganger is based on a 1998 Jaguar XK8 and was up for sale on eBay with a ‘Buy it Now’ price of $50,000, but received no bids. Not surprising, given the fact that you can

Fire Breathing BMW 46.0-liter V12-Powered Brutus Will Scare Even the Bravest Kids

The story goes that right after World War 2, some crazy Germans decided to craft a one-of-a-kind racecar built around a BMW V12 engine made for airplanes: a 1925 46.0-liter 12-cylinder unit, to be precise. There was no a shortage of these kind of engines in that era, since Germany wasn't allowed to own any military aircrafts. They had a problem however: the engine tipped the scales at 510 kg (

eBay Find of the Day: George Barris’ 70-X Toronado from Expo ‘67

George Barris is a living legend, perhaps best known for his work on the Lincoln Futura-based Batmobile for the ‘60s Batman TV series starring Adam West. One of his lesser-known creations is this: the 70-X Toronado, aka a heavily customized 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado. It was one of four custom Olds’ commissioned by Canada’s Imperial Oil and built by Barris for Expo ’67 in Montreal. And now you have

VIDEO: This is How They Imagined Our Automobile Future in 1948

In the late 1940s, as the world started to recover from the wounds of war, people were trying to leave the past behind and focus on the future. In fact, some individuals were so fascinated with the future that they tried to tune in it and predict the outcome. In this nostalgic video, we see how some people imagined the future of automobiles in 1948. Watch the clip after the break. VIDEO

VIDEO: Norwegian Ice Racing Puts Four to the Fjord

If there’s one motorsport event that’s least likely to see the light of day in Australia, its winter track days. We just don’t have the climate for it. Norway, on the other hand, is perfect for these sorts of things. All you need is some snow tires, the right sort of car (either AWD or RWD) and a large enough area of snow and ice. From modern day Porsche 911’s to decades old 944’s, from Subaru

Head Banger Videos of the Day: Dan Picks up McLaren F1 with his Wife

It would probably take more words than you’d be willing to read if we were to write down all the memorable quotes heard in the first two videos of Dan Kennedy and his wife picking up and then driving their McLaren F1, but here’s a taster: “Honey, what happened to the steering wheel?”; “Where does the luggage go?”; “Ms. Kennedy: What are you trying to do me? Mr. Kennedy: Do you like that? Ms.

Frozen in Time: Brand New 1970s Toyotas Abandoned on Dealer Lot in Cyprus

The Green Line is a 180 kilometer-long (112 miles) stretch of land that divides the island of Cyprus and its capital city of Nicosia. It was created as a demilitarized zone or a buffer, if you prefer, between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot controlled areas of Cyprus after Turkey invaded the Mediterranean island back in 1974. Here, lies an unoccupied piece of land that seems to have been frozen in

Porsche Semper Vivus Hybrid【Video】

German car manufacturer has even released a video preview of the Porsche Semper Vivus Hybrid.From concept cars to new technology, these events are held as a big show and tell for the world’s automakers. So, when a company brings out something that’s over 100 years old to debut at one of these events, it seems a bit odd.They spent four years at Porsche Museum recreating this magnificent vehicle so

How Not to Customize Redux: 1996 Ford Taurus “Space Ship”

Do you want a car that, "look deferent and feel deferent [sic]"? If so, this Australian tuner - whose skill at vehicle modification is in line with his comprehension of the English language - has the car for you...

The third generation Ford Taurus was not a very pretty car to begin with. Its ovoid shape, which extended to the taillights, rear window and even the dashboard was not especially attractive and made the car look like it was slowly melting.

This enterprising owner has attempted to fix that by adding an ill-fitting body kit, hood and roof scoops and a generous amount of black and gold paint (which makes the car look like a tin of Lyle's Golden Syrup). The result is...well, you can see for yourself.

Underneath that hideous façade the Taurus appears pretty stock with a 3.0 L V6, automatic transmission and 164,321 km (102,104 miles) on the clock. It looks like it even has the stock wheels and tires.

For the enterprising buyer in Blacktown, NSW, this...thing could be yours for a little over AU$1,500 - or at least that's the highest bid currently on eBay.

By Tristan Hankins

Link: eBay 1 & 2 , Via: Jalopnik

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What were they Thinking? Mercury’s ‘Wrist-Twist’ from the 1960s

Styling trends come and go, but if there's one thing that has remained relatively unchanged in the past 105 years of personal motoring: the steering wheel.

Although plastics have replaced iron and wood and airbags (1970s) and radio controls (1990s) have been added, the basic design remains the same: a circular ring with spokes connected to a central hub.

Some cars had horns in a ring circling the hub (Mercedes-Benz 300SL), others had oblong steering wheels (Austin Allegro) and a few had only one spoke (Citroen DS). At the end of the day though, they all had some sort of steering wheel... except this car.

At Mercury, engineer Bob Rumm produced this one-off 1965 Mercury Park Lane convertible with so-called "wrist-twist" steering controls. The standard steering wheel has been replaced by two 5-inch, wrist-operated dials, that the promo claims frees up knee room, improves visibility and makes parking easier. Now take a moment to consider why Mr. Rumm is an "ex-"missile engineer at the height of the Cold War.

The promo also cheerfully informs us that the wrist-twist can be used by, "a driver who promises to be about as non-technical as they come," by which they mean a woman. Carscoop is reliably informed they can vote now [...].

I suppose we should be thankful that a lot of these concepts, including the wrist-twist, never left Ford's Dearborn proving grounds.

It's the sort of thing that could only have been made in the 1960s, the decade that gave us the laser, manned spaceflight and Astroturf. Like everything else, cars were becoming more futuristic, and by futuristic we mean daft. And by daft we mean Modern Mechanix of the 1930s daft.

It's also the sort of thing the Ford Motor Company was coming up at the time. Just for fun, type 'Ford Nucleon' into Google, and see what other disastrous innovations motorists of the 1960s were spared.

By Tristan Hankins

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