Ferrari Joyride Worth 10 Weeks? We Think So

In Brit news today, a 28-year-old was sent to jail for ten weeks for joyriding in a Ferrari F430 Spider. The car's owner (some famous soccer guy) left the keys in the ignition while paying for gas. According to the BBC, the guy drove the Ferrari 15 miles before abandoning it. No word on how he got caught. In addition to the jail time, he was fined for driving without insurance. Worth it? No doubt. Read More

Bama Police: Porsche With a Side of Fries

Police in Hoover Alabama likely have the coolest mix of sports and green cars on patrol. On the sports car side, there's the 2001 Porsche 911 the department snagged off a drug dealer. On the eco side, city vehicles run on fry grease citizens and restaurants drop off at the transportation garage. The department also has ethanol-burning Chevy Tahoes. Captain James Coker says the department has a project to turn tree limbs and other town waste into fuel for the fleet.
Citizens in Hoover pick up oil containers at the fire department and drop them off for recycling, Coker says.
The Porsche's previous owner lost the keys after police caught him running ten kilos of coke through the city. The car only recently arrived at the department after being stuck in federal court for a couple of years. Coker says he hasn't taken his turn behind the wheel. "I do know that the officers who have driven it return with a smile on their faces," he wrote in an email. Read More

Ridin' With bin Laden? Not on Broadway

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday announced a plan to bar car traffic from sections of Broadway in Midtown Manhattan. Turning the street over to pedestrians is attempt solve what the city's transportation commissioner called a "problem hidden in plain sight for 200 years." In micro fashion, NYC seems to have bought the notion that cars, like guns, are better left to rural folk.
Elsewhere in trans policy land, Minnesota state Senator Julianne Ortman flipped out over the cover of comedian Bill Maher's 2002 book linking American gas use and terrorism. A University of Minnesota professor projected the cover illustration on a overhead to begin his testimony to the legislature. Ortman cut him off.
Are we still in America?" she said. "I find that to be very offensive, an insult to every person who drives a car. I guess it insults me because I drove to the capitol alone today. I find that very insulting."
If the turban fits, Ms. Ortman.... Watch the video of Ortman spaz out at Twin Cities Streets for People.
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Cheap Thrills: The Case of the Porsche 928

Back in my hometown in the 1980s, the only doctor with the cash to drive a Porsche 928 made his living installing aftermarket breasts on trophy wives. This was the car Tom Cruise put in Lake Michigan, as untouchable and desirous to kids like me as Rebecca De Mournay. "Porsche. There is no substitute." The phrase sure as hell didn't mean the rusted out 914 your buddy picked up for $800. So how is it that the sharks are now a dime a dozen, often eclipsed in price by the lowly 914?
The first reason Porsche guys give for the crash of the 928 is that rebuilding the car's V8 costs an ungodly fortune. A good argument if there ever was one, but it's just as true of a 911's six, which can set a driver back the value of the car when it grenades. Others chalk the fall up to the "not a real Porsche" stigma the 911 guys throw around about all front engine water cooled Porsches.
Despite the goofy stigma (and the not so goofy repair bills) the 928 is cheap thrills tops. It's got great styling (we love the phone dial rims) and it halls ass (172 mph stock at the Salt Flats). Here's a $4,500 specimen on San Diego Craigslist. How much work could it really need? Come on, Joel. Sometimes you just gotta say, "what the fuck." Read More

Ford Tough: Smashing Through Houses

You know how it is. You're busting 80 through a neighborhood when the damn street just dead end stops, wham, right into someones driveway. That's how it played out for an Indiana man earlier this week. So the driver did what anyone else would do and piloted his '79 Mustang right through the house and damn near into the detached garage out back.
According to News 8 in Indy, no one was home when the car busted through the house. The three men in the car fled on foot (who wouldn't?) Police didn't need to run the plates since one 18-year-old dropped his wallet at the scene. The teen told police his couldn't avoid hitting the house because his brakes failed. Seems clear to us. Police, however, found skid marks leading up to the house. Read More

Dempsey Does Le Mans

Here at Rumblenote, we reserve a healthy dislike for the rich and famous, particularly Hollywood twits who zoom about town in Toyota hybrids. If you want to be green, take the bus, we say. If it's cool you'd like to be, follow Patrick Dempsey. Stop shaving. Start a race team. Dempsey has raced at Baja 1000 and at Daytona. In June, he's taking a step up and giving the 24 hours of Le Mans a try.
Word is Dempsey will be driving a Ferrari F430 GT. He'll face factory-sponsored teams from Porsche, BMW, Ferrari and others. Did we mention that this is exactly what we would be doing if we were rich and famous? Read More

China to People: Peddling is for Peasants

In a move sure to infuriate Critical Mass groups from Portland to Boulder, the Chinese government has announced plans to boost auto sales by allowing people to trade in their three-wheel bicycles on cars. The move is one in a series of methods the Chinese are using to ramp up car production while the rest of the world's factories idle, Forbes reports.
Increased Chinese production could have American repercussions -- not only to tourists confronted with an increased number of China's notoriously bad drivers. Beyond that deadly terror, Forbes speculates inexpensive Chinese cars are likely to move into the U.S. market, bringing increased competition to struggling automakers.
No word yet on what this means for Chinese bicycles, but we expect a spike on ebay farmer trike action. Read More

Danica Patrick to F1: We'll Watch

Buzz in the motorsports world yesterday was that a female driver is set to, uh, penetrate Formula One. The founders of the new U.S.-based race team USF1 have been tossing around Danica Patrick's name as a candidate for one of its two driver spots. Patrick, the super-popular IndyCar driver (and 2008 SI swimsuit model) says she hasn't been contacted by the team, but is flattered by the suggestion.
USF1 team owners sayt they want the drivers, unlike the car's engine, to be American, which poses a problem of sorts, since an American hasn't won a f1 World Championship since Mario Andretti did it in '78, back when the races were shown on Wide World of Sports. No one expects much from the American team during its first year out. Patrick, at least, could bring American viewers. Like soccer, Formula One is a wildly popular sport overseas, but less so in America, where fans seem to prefer their racers to make only banked left turns. Many American's (even many race fans) have never heard of Lewis Hamilton. Whether or not Patrick has the skills is in question. But she'll bring the fans, which might be enough. Read More

Fast, Furious Fail: Brit Biker Bowling

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Shocked and Appalled: Electro Porsche 959

The ultimate way to fuck up a sweet car back in the 1980's, when I was a kid, was to mount the body on a 4x4 frame. The hybrid turned out great if the car started out as a junker. Not so cool if it was an original'60s Mustang. Electric conversion is the new Franken 4x4.
We're all for the backyard enviro guys electrifying VW Rabbits, but the line is drawn at cars like the Porsche 959, the untouchable 444 hp supercar of our youth, a car so awesome Porsche refused to turn a couple over for crash testing, thereby making it illegal for US streets.
Alas, we're not the taste police. EV Porsche of West Palm Beach (where else) is building electric 959s. Thanks to god they're not real, but just a body kit thrown on a 911 (bad enough we think!). No word on what it costs to build, but the electro 959 comes with a free solar panel (to jump start your brain perhaps?). Battery lasts from 50 to 200 miles. Speed tops out a around 100, a far cry from 959 land. Company can also fashion you an electric Jag, Rolls or Lamborghini.
Can we get that with 44-inch mudders? Read More

Street Mechanics: Best Use of Bungee Cord

Next to 'best use of duct tape' and 'best use of Great Stuff,' the competition for best use of bungee cord is probably the fiercest event for a roadside mechanic. Yet without seeing the other entries, we're giving the award to the owner of this brick red Nissan Altima.
Aside from the partially exfoliated passenger door skin, the Altima, currently parked in front of my apartment in Baltimore, looks in pretty good shape.
The roadside fix consists of a network of bungee cords attached at one end to the flopping metal. The web is anchored inside to a backseat armrest. With its Florida plates, we like to think the car got shaved en route, say in Alabama.
We haven't talked to the owner/mechanic, but his logic for utilizing the bungee is impeccable. The stretched cord retracts as the skin flattens against the door at high speeds. The taut bungee keeps the skin from getting ripped off by a passing taxi while parked. Good as new, sir. And saved a ton by doing it yourself. Read More

Collector: Take Every Damn Thing!

If you're wanting both a classic car and a place to park it, call this friendly Oklahoman offering a Craigslist package deal on his house and car collection. The shack sounds like the grimy digs of a mechanic pack rat (two bedrooms, wheel balancer). On the upside, the deal includes at least 25 cars (highlights are a '66 Charger, a few '60s Thunderbirds, and an Alfa Romeo GTV).
We're intrigued by the two buildings with "parts hanging on the walls, on shelves, under shelves, and everywhere." He's asking $275, which is quite a deal from where we sit in the Mid-Atlantic. Seller says it's a package deal, so don't call asking how much for the Charger. Read More

How Joe Biden Rolls: 1967 Corvette

Not sure how we missed this, frankly, but Joe Biden is a poster boy for our theory on how hot rodders should dig public transportation. Seems Mr. Amtrak has a 1967 Corvette in his garage. Not sure why the VP didn't make a campaign issue out of this. Maybe because it was a weding present from his first wife's dad? Still would have had more traction than the shitkicker from Scranton shtick. Joe Biden is our car tsar!
Anyway, as jalopnik reports, Biden is one of only two members of Obama's auto industry task force who drive an American car. We don't see that as a problem. And who cars about the other nine task force folk?. What we really want to know is this: does Biden's 'Vette have the tri-power 427? Read More

Auto Meltdown: Too Many Cars?

We partially agree with Portland State prof Carl Abbott's weekend story for History News Service (oxymoron noted) arguing the car market is saturated. But mostly, we think he's out of his tree. Abbott says Americans are not buying new cars because we already have them. Clearly Abbott hasn't recently counted his wife's shoes. Clearly he doesn't teach marketing. Buyers don't tend to be rational.
We don't want to pick on Abbott too much. We think he may have stumbled onto something. What he's trying to say is that cars are now less like shoes and more like refrigerators and land-line telephones -- if you've got one that works, you don't really want another.
If that's true, it's not that Americans finally realize they don't need more cars (they don't), but that car makers have turned the GTO into a Frigidaire. Read More

International Burnout

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Ask Rumblenote: Is Smart Car Dumb?

"So what's so smart about the Smart car," a reader in Germantown, Maryland, writes. "If I'm going to be riding around in a shoebox and threatened all around me by tanks, I at least want to get huge gas mileage for my trouble."
Germantown has a point. The Smart (the 2009 with the Mitsubishi badge) gets 33 in the city and 41 on the highway, about the same as the reader's five-year-old Scion XA.
But the Smart sure looks like it gets good mileage doesn't it? We're guessing the tiny car's appeal resides in its iconic look. There isn't anything else like it on the road, which is a plus. But we do think dropping $17,000 on a Smart is kind of foolish, unless you're really bad at parallel parking. It' s not the size that drive us away. If we're buying a two-seater, it better do zero to 60 in at least half the Smart's 12 seconds. Read More

Renault R5 Turbo: The Baddest Ugly Car?

It's rare that a car this ugly has us wishing we had the means to win an ebay auction (let alone to lay down the starting $20,000 bid). But we keep finding ourselves going back to this 1984 Renault R5 Turbo. We're smitten with the French hot rod. And here's why.
For those uninitiated with the R5 Turbo mystique, it's not a "Le Car" with funky fender flares and racer wheels. Stock, the rear wheel drive micro came with a mid-shipped turbocharged 4-cylinder that cranked out 160 horses. The car won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1978. This ebay R5 Turbo is set up as a street/track vintage racer with a 260 horse 4-cylinder turbo sitting in the hatch, Bilstein coilovers and a 411 limited slip rear end. Imagine all that in a car that weighs less than 2,000 pounds and handles like a go-cart.
The Renault's looks are starting to grow on you, aren't they? Read More

Mileage Tax: Bring it Bitches!

Rumblenote recently convinced our readers to move to the city and trade their soul-sucking Camrys for a gas-guzzling dream cars. Today's Associated Press story is a dark cloud for those who drive for transportation instead of for fun.
The report says officials want to ditch the gas tax and charge drivers instead by the miles they travel. We've got a better idea -- why not both?
Seems the gas tax isn't bringing home enough cash to upkeep bridges and roads. The green tech folks (hybrids, electrics, super-mileage micro-shitboxes) can't solve that one. In fact, sitting in traffic in a electric car makes matters worse, if roads are paid for with a gas tax.
Shelling out for roads based on use makes sense to us, especially since we commute by train (which unlike road travel requires a ticket). So far, Obama isn't into the mileage tax, according to the AP story, but some state leaders want it.
Another reason to ditch the Camry for a bus pass and a hot rod. Read More

What's in Your Dad's Garage II

The photo of my dad doing a driveway burnout in his '55 Chevy was one of our most popular entries so far. We used it to explain how we became crazy about cars. (Fact is, it was probably more a result of sucking Permatex fumes from a young age.) Since restoring the '55, Dad has a new project -- a '37 Chevy pickup.
Dad says he always wanted a '37 because his parents drove one when he was born. Of course, it wasn't hot rodded with a small block and '70s pinstripes like this one. Dad spent half a decade or more restoring the '55, and says he's not going to do it again with the pickup. That remains to be seen. Looks to us like he's heading down the same road, only doing it a piece at a time.
Dad says my first car ride was probably in his '70 Impala. Not quite as cool as the pickup, but Dad is quick to mention that it did have a 400 and a 4-speed.
Envy your dad's car? Send a photo to rumble.note@yahoo.com. Read More

How to Win and Lose a Ferrari 348

When we see a Ferrari on the street, first thing we wonder (after we're done drooling) is what the driver does for a living and if it's something we might be good at. Not too many jobs that put you in the prancing horse. Crime, it seems, is one of them. It pays, a least for a while, as it did for Kyle Dunaway, a 24-year-old Ferrari owner in Texas.
Dunaway, who news reports say made his cash selling pirated software on the Internet, hit the roads in a Ferrari 348. Until he got busted that is. A judge recently sent Dunaway to prison for a little less than four years for copyright infringement. He also had to give up the car. We think he'll miss the Ferrari more than his freedom. Read More

GM: Blood From a Stone II

Early this year we floated a proposition. What if a Big Three true believer had the guts to drop $10,000 on General Motors stock back on Dec. 23, 2008? GM was selling at a little under $3. The government bailout was only a hope. But they wouldn't let GM fail, would they? It was a good time to buy. Right?
Last time we checked in with our gutsy believer, he was up $1,600, bragging in the bar, feeling good about proving the experts wrong. How are things looking now?
Well, it's been a rough week in Michigan, with restructuring plans, loan demands, union concessions and the death of Pontiac. Our investor is beginning to wonder if this could in fact be the end of times. GM stock is down to less per share than a 40 of Miller. He's got $6,800 left of his $10,000.
Our man is thinking about pulling out. But maybe he bought too early. At $2 a share, is it time to show some real guts. Time to double down? Read More

Kids: Don't Lick Your Motorcycles

A new federal law meant to keep kids from poisoning themselves with lead-laced toys has also put the kibosh on the sale of pint-sized motorcycles. The law was passed in 2008 after several kids died from ingesting lead from toys. Seems certain motorcycle parts (brake levers, battery terminals) also contain too much lead for the young set. Retailers started pulling the bikes on Tuesday, when the law went into effect.
Motorcycle dealers say they were caught unawares by the law and legislators are said to be hot on the case to bring bikes back.
We're all for rectifying the situation, though we do wonder if riding motorcycles might not be more dangerous than eating lead. Read More

Greening the Streets: MGB in Baltimore

Beautiful MGB spotted early this week near my apartment in Baltimore provides further proof of the pants rule. Read More

Hand of God Smites Pimp

We enjoyed the New York Daily News headline for its story on the mayhem that took place in the city Tuesday ("Pimp beats gal, flees cops and is killed by private sanitation truck") but we thought we'd try to improve on it. The headline pretty much sums up the story.
Seems one Mustafa Abdul-Qawiyy and one of his ladies were seen by the cops beating a second lady on a midtown street. They fled in a red '96 Buick Roadmaster when divine intervention stepped in and set the duo into the path of an oncoming trash truck.
Killed Mustafa dead. Woman with him lived. No word on the Buick, but it looks like a total loss. News sources say Mustafa had only recently started pimping, which likely explains his choice of ride. Read More

Women Dig NASCAR?

A female writer at the sports website Bleacher Report explains "why women love NASCAR." Something about camaraderie, gorgeous jackets, camping, tight-fitting fire suits and "racing heels." We always kind of figured they went 'cause guys like this one dragged them. Or maybe for the crashes. Shows what we know. Read More

Not Your Father's Pontiac

Pontiac is out as part of GM's restructuring and the eulogies are rolling in. First Oldsmobile, and now this, the company that built classics like the Firebird and the GTO. Sure it's a shame to lose another American icon (origin 1926), but when you have to dip back to the 1970s to think of a Pontiac that made your heart pound, it's probably time to kill the brand.Or maybe it's 30 years too late.
The brand had a few recent highs (the GTO reissue, the G8), but even those cars suffered from the "it's as good as the (insert your favorite foreign car here)" syndrome.
But more often than not, the Pontiac of the last two decades has been a plasticy mess of bizarre styling (check the Aztek pictured above). The last Pontiac we really liked had t-tops and a bird on the hood.
In the din over Pontiac's demise, a few brave auto writers have said it's their favorite all time GM brand (even during the GTO days that's like calling Ringo your favorite Beatle). It's proper to talk well of the dead. But we think GM made the right call to put Pontiac out of its misery. Read More

Fast, Furious, Fail: Pinwheeling Truck Scores a Ten

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John's Electric 914: "It's All Torque"

John Benson didn't rip the engine from his 1970 914 and replace it with an electric motor for performance. In fact, he rather messed it up, from a traditional gearhead point of view, dropping big money in to make it heavier, slower and healthier.
"It's about trying to do the right thing, which is to get gas cars off the road," said the computer graphics artist by telephone from his home in Portland, Oregon.
Still, we get the idea John isn't all save the planet. He says the torquey electro 914 lurches him into the seat from the launch and will more than keep up with traffic. I forgot ask if it will smoke the tires.
John did the conversion in 1997, back when most folks into electric lived in California (he was in Berkeley). He chose the signal orange 914 not for the killer '70s styling, but because the mid-engine two trunk layout provides adequate room for 1,300 pounds of batteries. He's now on his third setup, this time with sealed lead batteries, which he says have become more expensive as the price of lead rises.
The sky's the limit as far price for a backyard electric swap, but John says a 914 owner could replicate his car for under $15,000. Not cheap. "You don't do it for the economy, thinking I'm going to save all this money on gas," he says.
John's 914 is way heavier than stock and with the batteries packed up front, the car has lost its neutral handling. But John says it's a blast to drive. "It's marvelous. You hear the road. You don't hear anything else," he says. "The torque comes on from zero RPM. It accelerates like a roller coaster."
It may not be a Tesla, but we would really like to give this 914 a drive. Read More

Mini Revolt: Line Workers Show Spine

Far be it from us to give remaining UAW workers in Detroit ideas for when they get booted, but line rats at a Mini plant in England responded to pink slips by pelting their union reps with eggs and fruit. They scratched hoods, hid keys and smashed dashboards, according to accounts in the Mail. Seems BMW isn't selling enough of those things (though can probably count ten if we stand on the street for five minutes). Read More

Don't Fret GM: Baltimore Will Save You

We hate to call out reporters (maybe 'cause they have less future than the guy who installs windows in a Chevy Tahoe, maybe 'cause it's our day job) but a Baltimore Sun writer is either dull or just pissed at having to work the weekend. Anyway, Annie Linskey writes that pollsters over at the Baltimore Auto Show found that (drum roll) 41 percent of attendees say they will buy a new car this year. Sweet. Guess we're not going to need this Detroit restructuring after all. Note to Baltimore Sun: Put Linskey on the cops beat. I'm tired of all this crime. Read More

Best In Show: Hybrid Buses

We loved the retro pony cars and exotics at the Baltimore Auto Show this weekend. But for every 480-hp Nissan GT-R, the place was swamped with Chevy Cobalts and their equivalents. It's a good thing we weren't shopping, because everything in our range sucked. A lady looking at a ZR-1 window sticker summed it up: "This thing costs more than the remainder of the mortgage on our house."
That's why were calling Baltimore City's hybrid bus display best in show.
For car guys, we have a surprising amount of love for public transportation. (Laugh if you like. We're not the one driving the $16,000 Cobalt.) If high-speed rail is the Ferrari of public transport, city buses are its Volkswagen. We need more. Baltimore's new hybrids are expected to run on electricity 90% of the time (says something about city traffic, since the gas kicks in after 10 miles per hour.)
But like the car hybrid frenzy in general, we're not all peace and love here for Baltimore's hybrid buy. At $875,000 a crack for 30 of the new buses, we're thinking the money could have been better spent lowering fares, increasing service and replacing asshole drivers. Then maybe more folks would give up their junkers and get on board. Read More

Corvette Man: How about Ann Arbor?

We're always on the lookout for a good swap-- especially when someone is willing to trade a cool car for something we no longer use. Rumblenote car spotter Alan Green pointed out this '64 Vette, whose owner is looking to trade it for a house in St. Augustine, Florida. The coppery brown Stingray has a 300 hp 327. Owner thinks it's worth around $700,00. We love the car, though we doubt the owner will turn it over for rights to our Baltimore apartment. But we do know a guy in Ann Arbor with a house to trade. He's looking for a Porsche but with buy American back in fashion, he might be persuaded.... Read More

BMW: Not Your Baltimore Art Car

Back before "art car" meant some lunatic's Ford Fairmont covered in glued on pieces of smashed coffee mugs and plastic army men, BMW commissioned artists including Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, and Roy Lichtenstein to have a go at its sweetest cars. The results, including this 3.0 CSL done up by Alexander Calder in 1975, are on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art until Feb. 24. The tour's next stop is New York's Grand Central Station, where the cars will be parked for a month beginning March 24. Read More

Electro-Mini: You'll Drive it If We Let You

This summer, BMW’s Mini division will turn over electric versions of the retro machine to 450 US drivers. Problem is, more than 2,000 drivers have applied to spend $850 a month for the one-year lease deal.
According to US News and World Report, Mini is putting the screws to would-be drivers to whittle down candidates. Fly-over-country folks are out.Drivers must live in Los Angeles, New York or New Jersey and have a lockable garage. That knocks the list down to 1,000. No word yet on how Mini will winnow down the remaining urbanites.
For $850 a month, we say avoid the checklist hassle, buy a Mini, rip out the guts and install your own electric conversion kit. Better yet, save some money an make the first electric Unimog. Read More

Donk BMW Concept

We're not sure how tall a set of rims needs to be to qualify as a donk, but we think BMW hit the mark on its new 5 Series Gran Turismo Concept. The car, images of which were released today, is meant to bridge the gap from sedan to SUV. We think it'll look great with a body lift.
UPDATE- BMW says the five rides on 21s. We think that qualifies. Read More

$300 to Buy a New Chevy? No Deal.

We never liked Sen. Barbara Mikulski's new car tax break provision in the stimulus bill, especially after she refused our call to extend the deal to hot rods as a sort of psyc drug for out of work gearheads. (Since Barb is our senator, we sent her an email on the Rumblenote proposal. She did not respond.)
Now the bill likely to land on Obama's desk includes a tax break that is like a stock jalopy with a set of rusty glasspacks -- it's all rumble and no roll.
The reworked plan allows new car buyers to write off sales and excise taxes, but not loan interest. It will save you $300 to $600. Makes me want to run out and buy a Pontiac. Read More

Two Dead After Florida Street Drag

Two drag racers are wanted in the deaths of two pedestrians run down in Ft. Lauderdale, according to MSNBC. A white Porsche was racing another car at around 2:30 a.m. today when the pedestrians were hit. Both driver fled, although the Porsche was found abandoned near the scene. No arrests yet. Read More

Cash For Clunkers: OK We've Made Up Our Minds

Classic car guys celebrated this week when the Senate ditched the "cash for clunkers" provision in the stimulus bill. The move would have paid $10,000 for any POS old gas guzzler so its owner could buy a new eco-ride. Crushing the clunkers cuts carbon emissions, helps the formerly-Big Three, the logic goes. Also makes every POS on the street worth $10,000 and turns rusty El Caminos into scrap metal cubes -- the hot rodder's dual nightmare.
We're late to the game to comment on this one because although we hate to see junker prices rise (and we really hate to see anything cool go to the crusher) there's the problem of the POS Town Car parked in front of our apartment, the one with the falling off bumper drooling oil onto the street.
We love old cars, but they are not created equal. So we are not taking the absolutist argument on this. There's got to be a way to get smoking eyesores like this off the street without sending cool stuff to the junkyard.
But as much as we hate the Lincoln (and question how the driver can pilot it with the interior crammed full with newspapers and McDonald's wrappers), we've decided to come out against the failed clunkers plan. Forking over ten to the Lincoln owner isn't a good use of tax dollars. Better to pay some kid $100 to toss a match in the tank. Read More

VW Bus: Best Home Ever?

According to celeb news reports, the popular singer Jewel wrote some of her best song while living "homeless" in a blue VW Bus. We're not sure that designation is in fact accurate, since many buses are better equipped than most mobile homes. In fact, we think the plaid curtained VW Bus is the best choice ever for vehicular living. Agreed?
Domestic vans (especially '70s conversions with crescent-moon side windows, chrome mags and naked Viking women murals painted on the side) may be more practical and reliable than the German air-cooled cubes. But the VW is the only van that avoids the "down by the river" stigma. Instead it says "not all homeless wish for a home," or some similar silly Deadhead sentiment.
Having driven and slept in a variety of VW Buses in a variety of rainbow hues, we at Rumblenote are also calling bullshit on the media's suggestion that Jewel wrote her lullabies to relieve the stress of living in her VW. You may argue that another van is better for living, but no vehicle was ever more mellow. Read More

Tesla S Tease: Bearded Hippie and Car Cover

The electro car player Tesla on Thursday released this silly photo teaser of what could be the company's promised five passenger all electric sports sedan. No word on if it is the Tesla Model S or only a publicity stunt. We're guessing it's not a complete version of the car, since the doors don't match and the front end looks cut and pasted (Photoshopped?) from a Maserati. Nice wheels though. Read More

Hey! What's That Shitbox Costing You?

AAA released its 2008 costs of driving study, and it's painful. By its math, driving a Toyota Camry costs a guy like me $9,400 a year. Small price for your soul. And a damn good chunk of change better spent putting a hot car in your garage. So how does AAA come up with that number, and how can we put that cash towards a Corvette or something?
AAA adds up the price of fuel, insurance, tires, taxes and depreciation. For mid-sized boxes like our Camry, it totals 47 cents a mile, if you drive 20,000 miles a year.
Since we commute 80 miles round trip from Baltimore to Washington for work, we hit that mark before vacations and milk runs.
Luckily for us, we own no Camry. We commute by train, subway, bike, bus, shoe-leather express and sometimes a Thrify. Our cost per year: just over $3,000. Cost savings added to the hot rod fund: $6,320 a year.* Carbon footprint: less than a Prius.

*Hot rod fund sometimes mistakenly referred to as "home down payment account" by some members of this organization.
Check out a pdf of the study: Your Driving Costs - 2008. Read More

Lotus Alert: Elan in Boulder

Among exotic sports cars that make us weak in the knees, a mid-'60s Lotus like this '67 Elan on Boulder Craigslist is about as good as it gets for under $20,000. We've never driven one, but word is they drive like nothing else -- when they are running.
Built by British designer Bruce Chapman, the 1,500-pound fiberglass bodied Elan is a minimalist miracle with a twin-cam engine, 4-wheel discs, and 4-wheel independent suspension (a big deal in 1967 and a big deal today if you consider the solid rear axle of a Mustang).
The owner of this green beauty want $19,500 -- Mazda Miata money for the real thing. Seems he needs a four-seater. Something about children. Says he'll consider trades for a 911, a Mini Cooper S, or a VW GTI. Infants, we guess.
The knock on the Lotus, of course, is that they are held together with string and duct tape. Somebody buy this and drive it back from Boulder. Prove the critics wrong. We want to hear the stories. Read More

Carrera to China: Damn Good Idea

The best ideas seem to take form in bars. And that's how it happened with Erwin and Jan, two badass Belgians who took off on a six-month spin from Belgium to Beijing in a 1969 Bahama yellow Porsche 911 T. Damn good beer those fellas must have been drinking.
The duo is calling the trip Carrera to China (though the Porsche isn't really a Carrera). Why a 911? Well, Jan explains, the two men split the cost of the car and they figured the 911 would increase in value, no matter what happened to it on the road, unlike say, a Camry. Also (and this is the funny part) Jan says they chose the early 911 for its "tradition of reliability." Good one. Well, so far, luck has followed the crazy. The two made it to India. Breakdowns so far: one wheel bearing, a torsion bar, oil seals and a window mechanism. Not bad for a '69 anything. Check the Belgians' progress on their Carrera to China site. Best get a Belgian translator. Read More

Fast, Furious, Fail: Hill Climbs = Low Hanging Fruit

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Ferrari: What Recession?

In auto industry news today, British media report rich bastards are still buying Ferraris, despite the global financial meltdown. Ferrari turned a profit in 2008, selling two percent more cars last year than it sold in 2007. There are a limited number of super rich and lucky bastards out there, of course, so the 2008 sales bump added a total of only 6,587 Ferraris to the road. Read More

Jay Leno's Picks: Mazda Miata and Prius

Sure we envy rich car collectors, but it's hard to badmouth a guy like Jay Leno. Here's a gearhead who buys with his heart instead of looking for profit. Sure, he doesn't need the cash. But still, we like that Leno, and not some guy who has never driven a manual gearbox, dropped $800,000 in 1998 on a McLaren F1 that is now worth twice that amount.
So what does Jay, who has one of almost everything cool on four and two wheels, think are the next collectible cars?
Leno answered that question in his February column in Octane, a British mag for super-rich collectors, and dreamers like me. Leno picks the mid-90s Mazda MX-5 Miata and the first-year Prius. "They were simple, easy to work on; they were twin cam, they were true sports cars like the Lotus Elan," he writes about the Mazda. As for the Prius, in 20 years people will remember gawking at it, he says.
Or we can follow Leno's lead: "All I've done with cars is buy the ones I like, on the basis that if I like 'em, other car people will probably like 'em too." In that case, I'll avoid the Mazda and the Prius and go for a mid-70s 911, currently the least desirable 911 among collectors. Read More

Mini Cooper: How Can We Slow US Sales?

Aside from having a speedometer big enough to embarass Flavor Flav, the Mini Cooper S is one of our favorite contemporary cars. By the looks of the streets, others like it as well. Now media reports say the company is thinking about selling a diesel Mini to US drivers. Let us be the first to ridicule this move. As we related in an earlier post, unlike in the 1980s, diesel's popularity abroad means it costs way more than premium here, even if you get a bunch more miles per gallon. So if it's the green market you're after, Mini folk, make it french fry greasel, a hybrid, or better yet an electric.
But if it were up to us, we'd offer from the factory one of those 265hp versions they are making over at Mini Madness. Better yet, give one to Carroll Shelby and let him play with it. Read More

Lutz Out: Who Cares?

GM's product man Bob Lutz says he's history at the end of the year. Some are calling it a tough break for GM to lose the Volt's pitchman, Mr. "global warming is a crock of shit." Probably not, we guess. Not that "Maximum" Bob isn't leaving patches of rubber in his wake -- think Dodge Viper from his time at Chrysler. But for a guy whose personal rides include vintage fighter planes and a garage full of some of the baddest muscle cars in Michigan, he brought minimum sizzle to the GM brands. Read More

Word to Daytona: Go Vintage

Pics of the 2010 Daytona 500 pace car Camaro surfaced on the web today, and damned if it's not an ugly mofo, a continuation of the Daytona tradition that began in around 1972. The 2010 Frankenmaro is orange sorbet, blue and tough on the eyes.
It wasn't always this way, of course, and we'd suggest the race go retro next year (what with the demise of the Big Three and all) and lead the cars out with the '69 Camaro pace car. Read More

What Would You Trade for a Porsche III?

The deals keep trickling in. In the past two weeks, we've seen ads offering to trade a house in Ann Arbor, Mi., and a sailboat and slip time in St. Thomas, for a Porsche. Now we have a laborer (a cabinet maker in fact) willing to trade his skills for a Porsche 356. We hear the price of cabinets is way beyond what a person would expect, but so is the price of a 356 ($80,000 for a '58 Cab on the same site.) Those must be some cabinets buddy. Good luck with that, but we're still thinking the sailor has the best chance. Read More

Cheap Thrills: $3,000 '68 Chevy Impala

Here at Rumblenote, we're known for our miserly ways and our criticism of less than pristine rods priced over $10,000. We admit our fondness for the prices of the late 1980s, back when $3,000 bought one hell of a car. Those days are gone, right?
It's easy to be critical of overpriced cars, but we'd also like to showcase cool rides cheapskates like us can afford. Thus Cheap Thrills, a new feature where we find fun cars going for less than the down payment for a house. Cars like this '68 Impala on Baltimore Craigslist.
The big green Impala has all the marks of the shoestring hotrod. Check how the money goes toward a Holley carb and chrome under the hood instead of a Maaco paint job. Is that a rebuilt engine or just a couple of cans of engine orange? Looks like a rebuild to us.
We like the big Impalas, particularly with a nice set of rallye wheels. We also dig any car painted the color of a fishing lure. Seems an excellent base for a great price. We don't imagine it'll be around long. Read More

Vintage Ride: Enough for the City

Country hot rodders won't believe this, but city living has its benefits, especially for gearheads. Take Sunday's NYT story about Joanne Cohen who has driven her 1973 VW Karmann Ghia, since, well, 1973, when she was 19. Mileage: 85,000. Yes, it's her only car.
If Mrs. Cohen's VW had been a true daily driver, it would have been toast by 1981 (a generous stretch for this model in a northern climate.) Yet the beauty of owning a classic in the city is you don't use it for basic transportation -- there's buses, trains and bicycles for that. Driving is for fun.
A Karmann Ghia may not be your dream car (how about that yellow three-window coupe?) but Mrs. Cohen's blue VW proves a point -- if you can only afford one car, the city is the place to buy the car you want. Parking is tough and there's always the danger of a smashed window and theft, but if your transmission goes out, you can still get your offspring to a doctor. You can still put milk in the fridge. For a little extra cash, the theft and parking problem is easily solved. Here in a Baltimore, a garage with electricity can be had for $100 a month.
Bad news, however, for Mrs. Cohen and her VW. Two years ago she moved two hours north of Manhattan. We see a Camry in her future.
Watch the NYT Slideshow -- A Life of Auto Monogamy Read More