Autoblog

Kid Kustoms, offering "Vintage Tins and Fins for your Tots," has brought a serious touch of class to the boring jogging stroller. It's time to ditch the ho-hum toddler hauler in exchange for one of these custom, and collapsible, composite lightweight strollers. Whether you choose the Classic, Signature or Kustom series, each design is available with unique fins, fenders and pin striping (Flame or Primer versions are optional) in an array of vibrant colors that harken back to a different kind of cruising. And these baby strollers aren't just quick chop jobs. The quality and craftsmanship, from their seamless welds to polished chrome, appears to be first-rate. Of course, a product of this caliber will command a premium price. To surround your little bundle of joy in something the other moms (and dads!) can't help but envy will set you back between $2,000 and $3,500. Oh, the cost of being cool...

Gallery: Kid Kustoms Strollers

Long before Henry Ford got into the business, and about a year before Daimler and Benz had a go at it, came "La Marquise". Running on coal, wood and paper, the 1884 steam-engined four-wheeler is considered the oldest running car in the world. And it's going up on the auction block at Pebble Beach next month.

La Marquise has a top speed of 38 mph, and completed a 19-mile road-course demonstration in 1887 with an average speed of 26 mph. That kind of velocity was enough for the car to uphold its record as the fastest in the world... when De Dion-Bouton made another car – a three-wheeler – for La Marquise to compete with in the world's first car race.

The automobile was built for the Count De Dion in France by De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, the company in which the nobleman was part owner. Remarkably, some 123 years later, the car has only had two owners since. You could be the fourth if you've got the $1.5 to 2 million the car's expected to fetch at auction. (Leno, we know you're reading this....)

Follow the link to view La Marquise on film.

[Source: Gooding & Company via CNN Autos and RideLust.com]

Flagging down a taxi in many cities can be tricky. In most you're looking for a regular car with a little light on the roof. In New York you're spotting yellow-painted cars. But in London, the cabs aren't just painted different, they're entirely different cars, unmistakable and easily discernable from the rest of traffic. London taxis are iconic, and now their manufacturer, LTI Vehicles, has taken the wraps off the latest "Hackney Carriage": the TX4.

Interestingly, with all the major British car marques having been bought up by foreign manufacturers, LTI Vehicles is the largest British-owned passenger car manufacturer in the UK. Their new TX4 remains faithful to the original 1959 FX4 but upgrades with some significant modern touches. Power comes from a 2.5-liter DOHC common-rail turbodiesel sourced from VM Motori (an Italian engine manufacturer jointly-owned by Penske and DaimlerChrysler), fully compliant with Euro IV regulations and driving through either a Chrysler 5-speed auto box or an Eaton 5-speed manual. The TX4 also features anti-lock braking (a first for London cabs) and a more user-friendly interior with improved access, blending modern ergonomics with the classic design.

As mandated by the Public Carriage Office, the car has a 25-foot turning circle, which helps the driver pull a U-turn when a fare's whistling from the opposite side of the street. Prices on the road range from £27-35.5k.

Interior pics and full press release after the jump.

[Source: LTI Vehicles]