car

Sure, this electric chariot combines all the inconvenience of a scooter with some of the frustrations of an actual car, but it looks cool. Sort of. Though it’s made by a medical equipment manufacturer, at least it conforms to the rule of auto shows and objectifies the women demoing it as much as the vehicle […] » about 100 words

The silver SUV apparently backed out into the street so fast that it struck and flipped the blue car, then mounted it. Nobody appears to have been seriously hurt, so we all have a guilt-free pass to mock the, um, compromising situation. Found in Paula Wirth‘s photo stream. » about 100 words

Last weekend, while I was putting an iPod interface into my Scion I did the same thing for my 2002 Honda Civic. Using Ben Johnson’s story as a guide, I bought a PIE HON98-AUX interface and dove in. Aside from tools (screwdrivers and 8 and 10mm sockets), you’ll need: The interface adapter Audio wiring — […] » about 700 words

Based on this story about an iPod interface install I purchased a PIE TOY03-AUX aux input adapter so I could finally listen to my iPhone without using the lousy FM transmitter. Sure, I coulda bought a new car, as the manufacturers seem to have finally come to their senses and started including such inputs, but […] » about 400 words

After all my agitating for small, cheap, fuel efficient cars (and automotive metaphors), I figured I had to post this picture (and a few others) from the demolition derby at the Hopkinton Fair a couple weeks ago. My video of the four-cylinder event is at YouTube. Extra: I don’t know where it fits in your […] » about 100 words

Will found this on the side of the road, and after he told me about it I begged him to show me. It’s tiny, rusty, and a little older than I expected. Like a very, very small VW Bus, it has a rear-mounted engine. I think it’s a Subaru Sambar, but that’s mostly based on […] » about 200 words

I’m looking for a new car, but I’m finding that the market for cheap and fuel efficient cars is no better now than it was in 2005. I drive about 140 miles round trip to work (all highway), so I’m looking for the best available highway fuel economy. I can drive a standard, but Sandee […] » about 500 words

Even Bob Borchers, Apple’s senior director of iPod worldwide product marketing, calls most iPod car setups an “inelegant mess of cassette adaptors and wires.” Indeed, while Apple aparently doesn’t want to get into the car audio business, they do want to improve the in-car iPod experience: What Apple really wants you to buy is a […] » about 700 words

If the DeLorean looks at all like a Lotus Esprit, it should. Both of them were designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and much of the engineering work was done by Lotus founder Colin—to add speed, add lightness—Chapman. Amusingly, John De Lorean also owned a company that manufactured snowcats under the DMC name. Owners and wannabes can […] » about 400 words

I pointed out this Jet Turbine Powered Toyota MR2 a year ago, but now I’ve discovered Ron Patrick’s Jet Powered VW Beatle. The story is well told in a San Francisco Gate article from April (with bonus video), which describes the builder: Patrick is a 48-year-old Stanford-trained (Ph.D.) engineer who owns ECM (Engine Control and […] » about 400 words

How crazy is it that we can get neither flying cars nor (affordable) fuel efficient cars today? Anyway, the Reva (shown above) is a tiny little electric that seats two adults, can go 50 miles on a charge, and fully charges in five hours (two hours gets an 80% charge). It’s an Indian company, but […] » about 200 words

A reader, Mike, wrote in to reccomend the Precision Interface Electronics aux input adapter to connect the audio from my iPod to my Scion’s factory head unit. I don’t know if you ever found a solution to connecting your iPod to your Scion head unit, but if not, you can use this adapter to add […] » about 300 words