eBay Find of the Day: Pimp My Ride AMC Pacer originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Nov 2007 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading MTV goes car crazy: Trick it Out joins final season of Pimp My Ride

MTV goes car crazy: Trick it Out joins final season of Pimp My Ride originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sometimes folks buy a slice of automotive history and put it somewhere safe, away from roads and crowds, so it won't get hurt. If you bought this particular example of automotive history, you'd probably lock it up somewhere safe because, like the folks who are selling it, you wouldn't actually drive it anywhere in public -- outside of Zacatecas.

What is it? It's a truly pimped-out Chrysler Voyager that miraculously survived this transformation on Pimp My Ride. Among the tasties included: black suede ceiling, triple flip down monitors, a 32" footrest monitor, denim upholstery, a lighted floor controlled by remote, lasers, and heart-shaped exhaust tips. Don't expect to haul much, though -- the back end is, of course, nothing but speakers. However, it does come with an advance mobility power sliding door for when grandma needs to get her pimp on.

If you saw the episode and you're really interested, you should know that it doesn't come with the Vroom Box. Whatever that was, it was only a prototype. So if you're a pimp with a family, you chariot is calling. And don't let being light on funds stop you -- the seller even offers a link for a loan.

Thanks for the tip, Sean!

[Source: eBay]

As seen on TV: Pimps need minivans, too originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MTV to pimp out a '65 Impala with 800hp biodiesel for Earth Day originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 14 Apr 2007 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here it is, folks, this is what you get for the tuner who has everything. Introducing the "Pimp My Heart," a system that uses sensors in the steering wheel to gauge your heart beat as you drive and subsequently pump said heart beat through your car's audio system for the ultimate beats. Using his Heart Beat Bass Booster, inventor Takehito Etani offers up "Pimp My Heart" for the "ultimate unity between car and driver."

The concept takes a look at bass thumping, its role as a marker of territory and "psychological armor," and asks some questions. What if the bass sounds are the driver's real-time heart beat instead of beats of music? Does our relationship with the vehicle/driver and the pedestrian change?

Sounds very academic, eh? While we wonder if dear Takehito has too much time on his hands over there at Carnegie Mellon, it's kind of a cool trick for the car that has everything -- it takes bass thumpin' to a whole new level.

[Source: Works by Takehito Etani via Fresh Creation]

Pimp My Heart originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In an effort to better protect the Mustang name, Ford Motor Company has taken to prosecuting companies with names incorporating a Ford trademark, including Mustang and nicknames like Stang and Pony. According to Mustang Monthly, companies that violate the rules are being presented with a letter directing the company to transfer internet domain names containing "Mustang" to Ford, as well as instructions to stop using Mustang in the company name. The letter also reportedly requests that all marketing materials, including brochures, banners, business cards, etc. be turned over to Ford so that they can be destroyed, and also directs the company to cut Ford a check for $5,000 in damages. Companies choosing not to comply could end up in a legal battle with Ford costing in excess of $100,000. Seems a little excessive, but it's within Ford's right and responsibility to protect its trademarks, right?

But what about the collateral damage? What of the companies that will undergo financial harm by halting advertising until the issue is resolved, or those small shops that don't have the marketing budget to reprint all of its materials? And what about Ford's efforts over the years to encourage aftermarket shops to produce product for the Mustang, thereby increasing the Mustang's attractiveness to car buffs looking to customize.

So what's the answer, dear readers? Is Ford going overboard, or is the company rightly protecting its property?

Thanks to Matt for the tip.

[Source: Mustang Monthly]

Ford anti-squatting efforts out of control? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Jun 2006 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Galpin Auto Sports joins new Pimp My Ride on MTV originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 May 2006 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The 1957 V8 Chevy panel truck featured on MTV's Pimp My Ride in August of 2005 is up for bid on eBay. Xzibit and his crew painted the outside red with yellow flames, installed several flat screen TVs with a DVD player and PlayStation 2, bolted on chrome bumpers and a chrome steering wheel, and outfitted the vehicle with 20-inch Axis tires and a ten-speaker, three-thousand-watt stereo system.

The bid's currently at $25,100, but the reserve hasn't been met yet. Wife and child not included.

[Source: Ebay]

Thanks to Ty for the tip.

Ebay find of the day: PIMP'd Chevy panel truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 May 2006 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

First Sgt. William von Zeal did a little shopping while stationed in Iraq with the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion-- he picked up what is believed to be Saddam Hussein's 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL for around $5,000 from a private owner in Baghdad.

The white Benz in question was fitted with armor plating, loudspeakers, hidden microphones, and... wait for it... flame throwing side pipes. Likely one of three such white Benzes, Von Zeal has yet to definitively prove that his car was Hussein's, but he does have some clues, including a sales receipt listing "the Iraqi government" as previous owners.

But the reservist may not get the chance to prove its provenance once and for all, because he no longer has the car in his possession-- Federal customs agents seized it in New Haven, Connecticut, and are treating it as a "possible war trophy." The car is being held by the government because of potential infringement upon federal smuggling law violations, along with possible breach of an executive order banning the importation of items owned of the former Iraqi government.

Federal agents were holding the car while investigating possible violations of federal smuggling laws, as well as an executive order barring the importation of property from the former Iraqi regime.

Von Zeal has not been charged with any crimes, but the future of the car and the case is uncertain. At least one Autoblogger hopes he gets his ride back... or better yet, CNN officially declares it will never to use the word 'Pimped' in another headline ever again. Ever.

[Source: The Associated Press via CNN; LyricsFreak]

*(With sincerest apologies to Janis Joplin and Keith Barry, our tipster who came up with the reinterpreted ditty that we can't get out of our heads. Because our friends all drive Porsches, we must make amends)

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Hussein-y Benz?* originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 May 2006 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Scion may have forgtten the spellcheck, but its remembered to bring some excellent aftermarket suppliers for its customization program called Optomize. The 150 possible parts (Alpine and H3R Performance among them) can be added by dealers at the time of purchase, and are covered by the manufacturer's warranty, which is a huge benefit over traditional aftermarket bits. Like many youth-oriented brands, drivers drop huge chunks of change on profit-rich Scion add-ons, and Toyota is no doubt trying to perfect its product lineup to keep the cash in the hands of dealers, not third party shops.

[Source: InsideLine]

Mass customization craze Optomizes Scion originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 May 2006 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pimp my golf cart? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While the notion of drivers that want to access the Information Superhighway while motoring on the interstate highway concerns us greatly, we're reasonably sure that we're outnumbered. In fact, its likely only a matter of time before Bill Gates and friends are hanging out in our center console, jockeying for space with HVAC systems and cupholders brandishing venti Frappucchinos.

Oh, you've seen in car computers before. Most stabs at putting the computers in a four-wheeled environment have started with ultra-posh showcars, resulting in hyper expensive technological tour de forces. But that's not the case with PC Magazine, which inexplicably went and turned a humble 1998 Toyota Corolla into a mobile office.

Of course, with a scanner at the ready (visor resident, no less), a laptop hiding underneath the driver's seat, printer armrest, rudimentary heads-up display and apaper-shredder in the glovebox, there's probably more money in added silicon horsepower in here than there is Toyota horsepower, but that doesn't seem to bother the PCM folks. 

Be afraid, children... be very afraid.

(Top-tip, J!)

[Source: PC Magazine]

'Dilbert My Ride': PC Magazine creates a four-wheeled cubicle originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Apr 2006 08:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

WCC boss Ryan Friedlinghause cites his company's image as the reason behind the decision, and announced that he will be moving his operations to Corona, Calif., to new digs that will become the set of a new show WCC will do with the Discovery Channel and the producers of "American Chopper" and "American Hot Rod."

The reason WCC is bailing on MTV was no secret, particularly after the shop's Sean Mahaney (or a very convincing impersonator) dropped in on a thread on the Beyond car forums to say, "Most of the MTV people are not real car guys... They pay us to build the cars, so we do what they want even if it sucks."

WCC's show on the Discovery Channel is as-of-yet unnamed, but it will likely extend outside merely the high-end automotive world to profile WCC's work on private jets, helicopters and tour buses.

West Coast Customs will no longer pimp yo ride originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Dec 2005 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.