Autoblog

The Pontiac Trans Am has always been a bit over-styled, to put it mildly. As the ultimate expression of the Firebird, the TA was always adorned with all manner of scoops, wings and bulges, setting it off from more mundane versions of Pontiac's pony-fighter. In the late '90s, the last-gen F Body got its final restyling before heading to the great automotive graveyard in the sky, and its overwrought design left very little room for external customization. Where there's a will, there's a way, though, and Automotive Services in Sterling Heights, Michigan managed to add some extra pizazz to the car's swoopy shape with a Kammback rear hatch. A Trans Am Wagon? Sign us up! All it's missing is a huge Screaming Chicken on the hood.

The one-off machine, known as the Hurst Hauler, has made it to auction on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $35K. Originally introduced for the Y2K SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the car went on to star in the 2001 Hot Rod Power Tour driven by the guys at Year One. Based on a 2000 WS6-equipped TA, the ram air-fed 5.7L LS1 small block has seen some extra tuning in the form of a Corsa exhaust, custom-ground Erson camshaft, Accel fuel injectors and custom ECU tuning from TTS Power Systems. The result is about 370 horses according to The General's official press release from back in the day, which we've gone ahead and pasted after the break. Be sure to check out our gallery of pics, including the car posing with Miss Hurst herself, Linda Vaughn. Thanks for the tip, Ron!


[Source: eBay Motors]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Bertone Miura Roadster

There are few cars that are a true one-of-one. If you've ever watched Barrett-Jackson auctions on television, you've seen the guy who claims his '67 Camaro is the only one in existence... with that particular combination of options. Yes, his car is unique, but we wouldn't declare it a one-off by any means. We're talking a truly unique car, like this 1968 Lamborghini Miura Roadster with coachwork by Bertone. Built for the 1968 Brussels Motor Show, the Miura Roadster features an open top with larger air intakes integrated into a rollover hoop. The rear of the car was also reshaped with a larger spoiler and unique taillights. The car was recently restored to its original condition including its beautiful metallic blue paint. We saw it in person at this year's Pebble Beach Concours, a mere week after it was fully completed, where it finished second in the Lamborghini class. The Miura Roadster is now being offered for sale, and we imagine it will go for quite a bit more than the $330,000 it cost to restore the car.

[Source: Kidston via 0-60]

Now here's something you just don't see every day. In fact, we'd wager most people will never see an original Aerocar in person at all, considering that only six were ever made. Now that one has managed to pop up on eBay Motors, this could be your chance to own a small piece of history. Built in 1956, this red and black Aerocar hasn't been flown since the late '70s, but looks to have been stored properly and appears to be in remarkably good shape.

Powered by a single Lycoming engine offering up 135 horses, the Aerocar is capable of hitting 112 miles per hour in the air and about half that on the tarmac. The whole kit was an amazing when it was designed in the 1940s with its front-wheel drive chassis propping up foldable wings that are towed behind when not needed along with a rear-mounted detachable pusher prop. The transformation from automobile to airplane reportedly takes one man just five minutes to complete.

Such a unique and historically significant machine isn't going to come cheap. In the case of the Aerocar, a cool $3.5 mil is all that's required to fly drive trailer it home for yourself. To quote Dr. Jones, this thing belongs in a museum.


[Source: eBay]

In this era of automakers on the brink of extinction, it's worth recalling that car companies going belly up is not a new phenomenon. Henry Ford himself started up two other brands that failed before Ford Motor Co. finally caught on. Start-up companies are not something that was invented in Silicon Valley and among all start-ups, failure is much more likely than success. In the early part of the 20th century, as the car was just gaining traction, there were literally thousands of automakers, most of whom have been long since lost to history. In the next couple of years we will almost certainly see more brands disappear and consolidate, so let's look back at some of the more memorable examples that are already gone while we wait for others to go. For those interested in seeing some of these orphans in person, we recommend checking out the annual Orphan Car Show every June in Ypsilanti, MI. Most of the gallery photos were shot there.

We bet that most people are only faintly aware that the Ariel motorcycle brand existed at all. There was a time, though, when the British company was a pioneer in new and exciting technologies, innovating where others were content to soldier forward with tried-and-true methods. In fact, its eventual failure was due in part to its futuristic designs. For instance, Ariel introduced the world to its Square Four motorcycle in 1931. Named for its oddly-shaped engine architecture that placed four cylinders in a box pattern, the Square Four was completely unlike anything else offered at the time and used two sets of pistons mated at the flywheel inside a single engine block that was capped by a single head casting. Different to say the least, but ultimately pretty successful for Ariel, which went on to sell over 15,000 of the bikes before production ceased in 1959.

An interesting home-built hotrod has just shown up on eBay that mates this classic engine to a custom wooden body designed by - get this - a boat builder. The vehicle itself was inspired by a Modern Mechanix Magazine article from the '50s and features a French connection by way of suspension components from a Citroen. Cadillac bullet-shaped tail lights may look a little out of place, but are nothing if not period correct. The low-slung shape and open wheels actually remind us of a certain other more modern racer from Ariel. One thing is for certain: there aren't any other vehicles that you could purchase for $30K that are nearly as unique as this, and you can rest assured knowing that you'll never, ever see another car like it on the road. That's got to be worth something, right?


[Source: eBay via Next Autos]

Might it be possible that the General would consider going retro for its next Corvette? It's worked wonders for the current crop of remade pony cars, with Chevy's own Camaro being a prime example. Some might argue, though, that the modern 'Vette has never really strayed from its core ethos of offering big performance for a relatively low price, so perhaps it's not in dire need of visiting the past for inspiration. On the other hand, its current styling is an evolution of the C4 design and doesn't bear much resemblance to past classic generations.

One enthusiast by the name of Christian Cyrulewski has taken matters into his own hands by using the third-generation Corvette as inspiration for a rebodied C6, the current version of America's sports car. This is the second version of the C3R, as it's designer calls it, and it's received some tweaks since last time we showed it to you, with more to come we're told. Design elements like the Mako Shark-inspired front fender peaks and steeply flowing rear buttresses from the early C3 series are present, as are hideaway head lights, which were a Corvette staple until the latest C6.

While there are no firm plans to produce a car based on these renderings, past indications are that Cyrulewski would like to see the first C3R running down Woodward Avenue for next year's Dream Cruise. We'll be there, of course, and will definitely keep our eyes peeled for the C3R.


[Source: Serious Wheels]

Preparations for the Pebble Beach Concours are a year-long process and start the day after the Best of Show has been crowned. The organizers are working hard to make next year's show one of the best ever, and have already announced that Bugatti and Bentley will be the featured marques, with Zagato designs, and the 100th anniversary of Morgan and Audi also highlighted. Bugatti was last featured in 2003 and has the largest number of best of show winners of any make, with a total of nine. Entry forms were mailed out a few months early in an effort to bring out the best field of cars possible, and if history is anything to go by, the selection of cars will be nothing less than impressive. Full details in the press release after the jump.

All photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

PGO, a French automaker that many have likely never heard of, has spilled the beans on its latest new car, which actually looks a lot like an old car. In this case, though, we'll forgive PGO for copying another automaker's styling, as the Porsche Speedster that the Hemera gets its good looks from happens to be one of the most classic and perfect designs ever. To our eyes, the Hemera looks more like a modernized 356 than any current Porsche does, and that's not a bad thing. The \Hemera has another thing in common with the classic Porsche: light weight. Coming in at just 2,160 pounds, the Hemera achieves its sporty performance in much the same way that Lotus does, meaning that the Hemera's natural gas-fed, Peugeot-sourced, mid-mounted powerplant that makes all of 140 horsepower is sufficient to accelerate the car to 60 in under 7 seconds and up to a top speed of 124 miles per hour. Sure, it's not going to break any records, but that's plenty to have some fun with. Pity us here in the States - this one's a Euro-market car only and will go on sale early next year.

[Source: 4 Wheels News]

"Cao, nema više" reads the piece paper affixed to the tailgate of the red Serbian hatchback, as a small throng of proud workers gathered around the car to bid it "Goodbye, no more" this week. After a 20-year run, the last Zastava Koral, #794,428, quietly made its way to the Zastava museum and the scrappy Eastern European automaker has wound down production on all but one of its models. The very last Zastava, a Skala 55, will be the last of its kind when it makes its way down the production line on November 20th. After that, the proud, tenacious people who have been working at the Kragujevac factory aren't sure of what the future holds. Zastava has long been linked to Fiat, and when the lines restart, the Zastava 10 will be badged as a Fiat Punto, which it is.

Make as many Yugo jokes as you'd like, but Zastava has a long and fascinating history, and the company has managed to produce automobiles through several periods of war, even after the factory sustained bombings. The now classic Zastavas will live on; the company is working on setting up Skala 55, Koral In, and Florida In production lines in Africa and the Zastava 128 is still being produced in Egypt. In those climates, we figure they won't need to come with defroster grids to keep your hands warm when pushing.

[Source: Zastava]

300 horsepower. Not too long ago, that was a number to brag about. Nowadays, minivans edge close to that number, making 500 or even 600 horsepower the new 300. While the proliferation of big horsepower might scare the beejeezus out of average drivers, car lovers see it as an opportunity to get a musclebound automobile at a fire sale price. If you've got a need to have the latest, best stuff, then the idea of picking up 300 still-exciting horsepower under the hood of something interesting from the last two decades might not do it for you, but the idea that you can get 300 horsepower for less money than an Aveo has a real appeal to us. Next Autos has whipped up a list of what they think are some of the better options in the sub-10K marketplace that pack the magic triple-hundred rating. We agree with some of the picks, one we've even singled out in the past as a Future Classic, but as is the case with any list, opinions will vary. One thing to bear in mind when contemplating the purchase of some of these cars is that while the price of entry might be pleasant, service costs can add up to monumental sums. Not that maintenance costs would stop us from being suckers for the roar of enraged pistons and the firm shove of hundreds of horsepower. Hit the link to see if the list is right on or full of beans.

[Source: Next Autos/Winding Road, Photo: Edmunds]