Subscribe

Last Call

Last Call - Life Imitates Art Edition

When does state of being become tenor for existence?

They say art – even drug-induced, stylistically interpreted or simply great art – is an imitation of life.    But every once in a while you find art that’s no more deliberate than the whims of everyday happenstance.  Such as this early ’50’s Studebaker Starlite: the same today as it was when this picture was taken last fall, as it was when I saw it the first time I visited Green County, KY back in 1996… as it likely was for some indeterminate time before then.

I know what you’re thinking, for I’ve thought it too;  I’ve also been told, owing to the proclivities of the vehicle’s owner, that I should wait for the estate sale that stubbornly never comes.  Yet who would I be to dare ruin a good thing?   This car speaks to an optimism – propeller beak pointed steadfastly into the bathing rains and light of day – that inspires us to dream and create and yes, sometimes to hoon.   Isn’t that what great cars and great art are supposed to do?  A melding of the two is priceless.

Whether your motive artworks are replicas in miniature, or the hoonable treasure you’d lovingly build from such barn finds, may you always find the inspiration needed to get the job done and share it with the world.

(And yes, I still think about it).

Hoonivercinema

What Does a 4x4 Truck Have in Common with a Type XXI U-Boat?

DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!

Why, if the truck is equipped with a snorkel, they can operate for long periods underwater! Make the jump to watch a hoon of the highest grade tackle a river in what looks to be a surplus military truck, complete with full snorkel equipment. Bonus points for IDing the truck.

Continue reading What Does a 4×4 Truck Have in Common with a Type XXI U-Boat?

Friends of Hooniverse

The Greatest Car in all of history is... French and Italian, and Italian

The only engine bay that asks "Where is your God now?"

There’s little question that the third most incredible car ever built is the Citroen DS. First appearing on the motive scene in 1955, the Goddess with it’s inboard-hydraulic brakes, oleopneumatic suspension set up and bolt-on body panels attached to a unibody frame, is still ahead of its time. Not a believer? There’s the final all important measurement metric employed by all serious doctors of automotive journalism: Just look at it! As you can see, DS = hella sweet.

[Ed: We're honored and a little terrified to feature a guest appearance from Autoblog's own resident Francophile Jonny Lieberman. Trust us, not hitting the jump on this one will make you a supremely uncool person.] Continue reading The Greatest Car in all of Recorded History is… French and Double Italian

Post-Apocalyptic Taco Truck

Truckload Sale: Buy A Truckload of Ammo, Keep The Truck?

I'm unsure if this is one of the trucks, or just a stock photo. Either way, I'll take it!

In what may be one of the strangest promotions we’ve ever seen, this one comes from a company named “ArmaLite” which apparently sells the… you know, ammo-stuff for those gun-things that Americans seem so fixated on.

Continue reading Truckload Sale: Buy A Truckload of Ammo, Keep The Truck?

Hooniverse Asks

Hooniverse Asks- What Kind of Car is your Girl (or Guy)?

Yesterday we asked you whether you anthropomorphized your ride, and if so, what was its personality. Today we’re pulling a 180 and want you to objectify that certain someone in your life – and to tell us what kind of car they’d be.

Continue reading Hooniverse Asks- What Kind of Car is your Girl (or Guy)?

Friends of Hooniverse

Adventures in model-hooning: An Interview with Michael Paul Smith, Part III

How hoons got it done in the old school

Today we conclude our interview series with Michael Paul Smith; previously, we discussed his background in scale modeling and then some of  his techniques and inspiration.     But I know there’s a small (at least I hope it’s small) number of you who yet might dare indignance:  “Yeah yeah, them’s there models is real cute and all, but this is a blog about cars!”  Well shut yer yaps because here it comes, straight from the man himself: You want cars?  You wanna know why and how and if your own favorites have ever been granted the pass to miniaturized photo-art immortality?   Well as they say: strap in, shut up, and hang on, because we’re about to get our final discourse from Mr. Smith…

Continue reading Adventures in model-hooning: An Interview with Michael Paul Smith, Part III

Auto Reviews

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

Chances are, if you grew up in the lower 48, the concept of an attractive wagon is as foreign as makizushi. While the rest of the world subsists on a steady diet of cars like the BMW M5 Touring, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate and the Audi RS6 Avant, we’ve been force fed duds like the Ford Taurus Wagon and the Saturn SW. No, life isn’t fair, and as a result, the American population at large simply doesn’t have the vocabulary for a smartly-styled long-roof that’s a pleasure to drive. Class, repeat after me: 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon.

Continue reading 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon