Autoblog

For the thirteenth year running, Mazda has created a number of vehicles for those with special needs to be showcased at the International Home Care & Rehabilitation Exhibition in Japan. The AZ-Wagon gets a lift-gate out back so that folks limited to wheelchairs can enter and exit through the converted rear hatch while still in their wheelchairs. The MPV Second Row Lift-up Seat (pictured) is also for those in wheelchairs, but those who have the mobility to sit in a conventional seat. And the Biante Autostep has, like an RV, a step that extends whenever the rear door is opened. All of the vehicles are JDM-only, but now that we know Mazda has this kind of expertise, we'd like to speak to them about getting a Kazamai with an ejector seat. Hit the jump for the press release.

Doesn't it always look so convincing? Star lead actor is frantically sawing at the wheel, and when it cuts back to the wide, damn if that wasn't a perfectly clipped apex, with a tinge of four wheel drift counteracted by just the right amount of opposite lock. Even Steve McQueen couldn't pull it off for Bullitt. The real story behind all those inspiring scenes of cars whipping hither and yon is that they're piloted by stunt drivers who have one of the best car guy jobs ever.

There's a nice little sequel to a sequel quietly making its way to theaters, perhaps you've heard of the Bourne Ultimatum? Besides offering a cinematic venue for Matt Damon to further cement his status as a cross between James Bond and John McClane, its serving as a nice little advertisement for Volkswagen's second generation Touareg. Several of the vehicles were given the General Lee treatment (i.e. a couple were kept nice, a whole bunch were thrashed and trashed) during the 140 days of production. Even the stunt drivers were impressed at how the Touaregs just hunkered down and took whatever abuse they were thrown. To get all those bitchin' shots requires maneuvers that'd make you screw up your face in horror. We're talking about things you wouldn't even do to a rented car.

[Source: Telegraph.co.uk]

Well, Glassback has a better ring than "big ol' moonroof". Either way, Classic Design Concepts of Novi, MI came up with a slick way to augment the light coming through the 300's gun-slit sideglass. CDC's SEMA-award winning mod installs a piece of metallized glass where once there was only metal. Harking back to the '58 Eldorado, a stainless overlay covers the little bit of roof left. Rounding out the change from 300 to Glassback is CDC's Stainless Effects body kit. There's a new chin spoiler, rockers, a bit for the decklid that proudly announces Glassback, as well as other bits of brightwork.

Beyond style, there are a couple of real-world benefits to the glass roof. First, the Vanceva® glass panel attenuates noise in the 1000-6000Hz range by up to six decibels. That's a lot, as dBs are a logarithmic measure, so six dB is twice as quiet as a standard as a metal roof. That 1-6K frequency range just happens to be where a lot of voice action occurs, so conversations inside your Glassback will be easier. The glass is also excellent at blocking out UV and Infrared radiation, due to it's metallic layers. You'll have nearly the same experience as a convertible, without the noise, or the sunburn on your melon. You may have to rumble up the exhaust a bit to get through that noise attenuation, but that's nothing a couple Flowmasters can't handle.

Thanks for the tip, Jason!

[Source: CDC]

From the fertile mind that brought you such varied hits as the Clenet and premixed coolant, we present to you the Dimora JX Coupe. Done up the old-world way -- with real metal and skill -- and the results for all that effort are decidedly weird. They can call it a coupe all they want, but its certainly more El Camino than sleek GT. The JX moniker is a little strange too, as the Chrysler Concorde that this car began life as was an LH model. The JX is the designation for the Sebring convertible from '96-00.

No matter, this metallic tangerine wonder has had old school bodywork techniques applied to make it a landaulet-looking contraption. The car was built as a movie car, though Dimora is cagey about where we might ultimately see the JX's film debut. The write up at the Dimora website is filled with hyperbolic nuggets. Our favorite gem is this one, regarding the fitting of a 3.2-liter V6: "We replaced the stock engine with a 260 HP 3.2 liter V6 from ATK, which is backed by a three-year unlimited mileage warranty. We added a "Tornado" vortex component to the air intake. MPG was increased 10% and horsepower grew by 10%. We have not had a dyno test on the engine..." Uhh, what?! We're not sure how you can measure a 10% horsepower increase (from an intake restriction, no less) without, you know, measuring it. Ah well, at least the rest of the world continues to have vehicular reasons to ridicule us.


[Source: Dimora via Jalopnik]

Fake trim is for the birds. Of course, there are cost considerations, and a piece of lower-cost injection-molded plastic is a lot cheaper than actual wood, metal, or laboriously laid carbon fiber. Faux trim can be awfully convincing – the metal-look trims in my S60 T5 are a far nicer touch than the faux wood that came in the lesser models. The north-woods car nuts at Hemmings have gotten the scoop on DIY carbon fiber from Vermont SportsCar, the guys that make Subarus fly. Since the learning curve is rather steep, we suggest starting off with interior trim pieces before going toward something more structural.

The process is similar to fiberglass, though a little trickier. You make a sandwich of cloth and resin and then cure it in a cheap and nasty autoclave. Yes, the word autoclave sounds fancy, but it amounts to little more than a cardboard box and a space heater -- incredibly dangerous if you're not paying attention. We like that. The added risk of torching your entire shop will make the completion of your first very crappy parts that much sweeter. Basic parts aren't that expensive to make – Hemmings reports the materials will knock you back about $100 or less. The Vermonters were even kind enough to include a link to a how-to, so if you get good enough, you can cash in by making body parts for all those clapped out Corollas and Civics.

[Source: Hemmings]

Crate engines are all over the place, as long as you're willing to limit yourself to American makes and V8s. As cool as an LSX-powered Audi would be, it would offend the sensibilities of some, though it'd be great in a "that's just not right" sort of way. What would be right, though, is a crate engine from Ingolstadt.

More pie-in-the-sky after the jump

[Source: Fourtitude.com]