Articles
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Ride along as Cameron Steele and his team win the 2018 Baja 1000
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For 2018, SCORE International ran an 806-mile loop race. The Baja 1000 took racers from Ensenada out to the eastern coast of the peninsula. From there, the action turned back towards the Pacific Ocean and on up back to Ensenada. The overall winner was Justin Morgan in the Pro Motor Unlimited class. Finishing just off…
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2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: Because We Can!
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I’m on the wrong side of history. Or at least the way history is trending. Vehicles are getting larger and larger. Look at 2019 where it’s estimated that 70% of new vehicle sales outside of trucks will be SUVs and CUVs. Me? As I get older I like smaller and lighter vehicles. As I write this…
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Hooniverse Asks: Which of your driving skills has declined with age?
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Growing up in Boston, I prided myself on being able to park any vehicle into the tightest spots. And I could do so quickly and cleanly. Need to parallel park a box truck on a busy street? I was your guy. Lately, however, I feel like I can barely stay between the lines of a…
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Last Call: Absurdly Silly Edition
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It all began with Big Daddy Roth’s fiberglass-bodied bubble-top hot rods, then by the late ’60s, radical TV and movie cars and full-scale, real-steel versions of popular model car kits. By the mid-’70s, and even through most of the 1980s, “hot rod show cars” grew increasingly outlandish, until a raft of fabricators were creating…
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2019 Toyota Prius Super GT packs V8 heat and sounds like no other Prius before it
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The winter months can be the hardest without actual motorsport. But at least we have the sounds of testing to hold us over. Above is a 2019 Toyota Prius Super GT testing with its mid-engine setup and DTM-style wing. This particular Prius is powered by a 3.4-liter naturally aspirated V8. And it sounds glorious. In…
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This is the Life of a Wheel
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A wheel starts off, quite simply, as an idea. The designer imagines it in their head. That brain imprint turns into a sketch, which eventually materializes in the virtual space of a computer. After that, metal is forged and bent. Seams are welded. Pieces are brought together to form the footprint of a vehicle. After…
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Mystery Car – 24 Hours of Lemons Edition
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I have to admit – I have one more Mystery Car to post, and it’s an easy one, and that’s it. My well of weird and obscure car pictures has dried up. But you should feel free to email me some. One vehicle at a time please, state what it is because if I don’t know than…
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The News for December 7th, 2018
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Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. There’s also just a little opinion of mine because I can. This week: The 2020 Chevy Silverado HD is here to make us forget about the failed Camaro redesign Koenigsegg…
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Let’s have a look at Australian van clubs in the 1970’s
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Car culture in the 1970s was, in general, a pretty awesome thing. You had affordable cars packing big engines roasting the rear tires. Down in Australia, one of the hot vehicles of the time was the van. Instead of working with massive displacement and straight-line speed goals, van owners opted for shag carpets, wood wherever…
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Let's have a look at Australian van clubs in the 1970's
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Car culture in the 1970s was, in general, a pretty awesome thing. You had affordable cars packing big engines roasting the rear tires. Down in Australia, one of the hot vehicles of the time was the van. Instead of working with massive displacement and straight-line speed goals, van owners opted for shag carpets, wood wherever…
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Reversing the trend: The future of automotive design
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I have a theory about the future of automotive design, and it’s one I’m reasonably optimistic about too. And I’m about to share it with you. Once upon a time cars had great visibility. Hoodlines were low, bumpers were only knee-high, pillars were small. Windows were big; greenhouses were big. You could see things in…
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Hooniverse Asks: Are we really ready for all these new EVs that are coming out?
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Just about every automaker is working on a new electric vehicle. An absolute EV, not one of those hybrid things with the conventional engine and a plug. Nope, fully electric vehicles, from just about every maker. The most notable exception is Toyota, who is sticking to the hybrid concept and does not currently have a…
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Last Call: Perhaps Memorable Isn’t The Word Edition
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Amazingly, in 1974 this ad enticed prospective customers into wanting to be this guy. Well, it was theoretically intended to, at least. Last Call indicates the end of Hooniverse’s broadcast day. It’s meant to be an open forum for anyone and anything. Thread jacking is not only accepted, it’s encouraged.
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Last Call: Perhaps Memorable Isn't The Word Edition
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Amazingly, in 1974 this ad enticed prospective customers into wanting to be this guy. Well, it was theoretically intended to, at least. Last Call indicates the end of Hooniverse’s broadcast day. It’s meant to be an open forum for anyone and anything. Thread jacking is not only accepted, it’s encouraged.
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Parking lot supremacy is achieved when you have a truck
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You pull into a lot, eager to find a decent spot. There it is. Turn the wheel, easy on the throttle, ramble on up and start to pull into “your” space. But it’s not your space, and someone else wants to park there too. Who gets the spot? If you hesitate, it’s going to be…
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RM Sotheby’s is set to auction off this perfect 1979 Mercedes-Benz 500TE AMG wagon
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This is the sort of vehicle that I believed only existed in my dreams. What you’re looking at is a damn-near perfect 1979 Mercedes-Benz wagon. It’s of the S123 generation of vehicles, finished here in beautiful black paint over black Penta wheels. The real trick, however, sits under the hood. Someone once dished out serious…