Articles
-
The great Classic Car price guessing game
/
Hows about we play a little game amongst ourselves? There’ll be no big cash prizes, we’re playing solely for the warm feeling of being right. I visited the 2017 London Classic Car Show over the weekend, where I saw many cars, most of which were arguably classics – and most of which were for sale.…
-
Stormtrooper 4Runner: Odds and ends, fixes and updates
/
What’s the purpose of a project vehicle? Each enthusiast may have their own interpretation of the actual reason for said secondary (or even further-down-the-ladder) means of transportation in one’s fleet, but to me that purpose is to put a smile on my face. If absolutely nothing else, a project vehicle needs to make me smile. Simple…
-
Track Tuesday: Name That Track
/
Welcome to Track Tuesday where you are asked to identify a (maybe) famous race or test track from just one closely-cropped aerial image. This week, it’s a short track. Good luck! Since no one managed to identify last week’s track the answer may be found here. Image: ©2017 Hooniverse/Robert Emslie, All Rights Reserved
-
False Neutral #48: Moto Surfin’ Part 1
/
After a quick catch-up on Eric’s Mustang and Garrett’s new son, we take a moment to mark the one-year anniversary of our first episode. Eric would like to add a new daily rider this season, so we discuss the two likely candidates before delving into our topic for this week: motorcycling on the Internet. How…
-
False Neutral #48: Moto Surfin' Part 1
/
After a quick catch-up on Eric’s Mustang and Garrett’s new son, we take a moment to mark the one-year anniversary of our first episode. Eric would like to add a new daily rider this season, so we discuss the two likely candidates before delving into our topic for this week: motorcycling on the Internet. How…
-
Hooniverse Asks: Automatics Are So Good, Do Manuals Even Matter Any More?
/
Have you ever heard of the VW/Porsche Sportomatic transmission? This was an attempt at an automatic/manual gearbox by the German collaborators which effectively added a torque converter and pneumatic clutch actuation to a standard four-speed synchromesh transaxle. The clutch was signaled by a microswitch in the gear knob and the driver still had to shift the…
-
Last Call: Then and Now Edition
/
It’s hard to picture just how small the original Shelby Cobra is without some sort of contextual comparison. Here’s a slab-side Cobra sitting next to one of the smallest sports cars of the modern era, a second generation Mazda MX-5 Miata. Compare and contrast. Last Call indicates the end of Hooniverse’s broadcast day. It’s meant…
-
Black Oil & Night Soil: Hoon Hard & Prosper
/
Today’s batch can be best described as a fat crop of nonsense. There are some projects that didn’t quite make it to fruition, some meaty street machines, and even a flight simulator in a school bus. Kit cars, mud boggers, a Doodlebug, and finally a MAN 8×8, strong enough to drag an entire forest up…
-
Review: Meguiar's Whole Car Air Re-Fresher Odor Eliminator
/
We’ve all found ourselves there, riding in a car reeking of a smell that tickles your nose in not-so-pleasant ways. Or worse, we’ve found ourselves as the owners of said car, looking for a cure to what we hope isn’t a permanent scent. Take for example my new-to-me Stormtrooper 4Runner, which upon purchase had some…
-
Daytona 500: How 'Bout Them Stages?
/
There’s a new rule in NASCAR racing, and it’s a bit of a strange one. If you haven’t heard by now (unlikely), the new format calls for each race to be completed in a series of three stages. The Daytona 500 was the first test of this format, and it’s got fans a bit polarized.…
-
Rental Car Diagram: What Is it?
/
While helping load auction items into a rental Kia Sportage after the Lemons of Love fundraiser I attended last weekend, I saw this diagram. I’m pretty sure it’s a simple line diagram meant to document damage by the rental agency, but the juxtaposition of a four-door sedan from circa 1990 on a modern CUV just struck…
-
Because it's Monday: Let's Have a Summer Affair
/
The 1971 film Il Sole Nella Pelle (American Title Summer Affair) is notable for two things: its lead, Ornella Muti, whom you might remember as Ming the Merciless’ conniving daughter in the Sci-Fi classic Flash Gordon, and a scene set in the Lamborghini factory, filled with all kinds of equally lovely Lambos. The plot of…
-
Race, Daily, Restore: Sprinty Freshness
/
Sprinters are fast. Maybe they’re not the fastest over the long haul, but for the short time they run, they run faster than anybody. In motorsport, sprint races are short, but intense. Today, we have three very different cars, all of which wore the word Sprint as part of their name, either as a trim…
-
Hooniverse Asks: What's the Longest Trip You've Ever Taken By Car?
/
I have crossed the Continental United States six times by car, amazingly none of the trips being made in a Lincoln Continental or Porsche Continental Coupe. That lack of ironic connection is my only lament to any of the trips. The United States is a vast expanse, and some of its States—like California and Texas—are even…
-
Last Call: See What We've Become Edition
/
North Carolina likes to have First in Flight on their license plates, touting the Wright Brothers’ work at Kitty Hawk on the state’s outer banks. This Viper is apparently licensed in North Carolina, and I can’t think of anything that could cause a faster flight away from the state than this. Last Call indicates the…
-
PSA: Project CARS is Free to Xbox Live Gold Members
/
Project CARS, the flawed but fun racing simulator is one of this months free titles on Xbox Live for Gold members. Like Forza Horizon before it it’s nice to see Microsoft providing some free games for us gear heads in the audience, especially those of us that like to challenge ourselves with a bit of…