Jalopnik Used My Story Idea!!!!

I am very pleased to say that the automotive site Jalopnik has used a tip which I submitted to them and written the following cool article:

Sega Rally Fan Turns Car Into Videogame Star

Worst Online Car Ad Contest

I'm proud to report that my entry is one of the finalists in the following contest:

You Pick The Winner Of The Worst Online Car Listing Contest!

Mine is entry number two. Be sure to click "full size" so you'll be able to actually read it!

Badge Engineering

Recently spied in San Francisco:
















At first glance, this Scion XB in BMW clothes would appear to be the epitome of rice: A cheap, Japanese car festooned with badges and styling elements from a much more prestigious, better-performing make and/or model.

However, I have to give this car's owner some credit, because it appears to be more of a rolling sight gag than an attempt to disingenuously elevate the status of the vehicle or its driver. In fact, it is a rather well-executed gag. Any fool can glue a BMW badge to a Scion, but who takes the time, or has the skill, to retrofit the twin-kidney BMW grille, or to acquire genuine BMW rims and make sure they fit properly?

I do find it curious that this car's front end wears a Mini emblem, whereas the rear carries the badge of an entirely different model, the 2.5ix.

The Mini badge is interesting in that Mini is actually a separate marque owned by BMW, as opposed to being simply a BMW model. But never mind. The overall effect is rather whimsical. Unlike so many of the customized look-at-me cars out there, here's one that doesn't take itself too seriously. I like that.

Life in the Fast Lane

I saw this monstrosity earlier today, in Daly City, California:



There is sooooo much wrong here...



But I find this little detail to be the most amusing:



Just so you'll have some frame of reference, this is what the car, a Mazda MX-6, would have looked like prior to falling into the hands of the aesthete who "upgraded" it:

Who You Gonna Call? The Pig On Wheels!!!

I drew this in about five minutes, using a very thick Sharpie. It will only make sense to you if you're currently following the Dick Tracy comic strip.




(For those not discerning enough to be Dick Tracy followers, the Pig on Wheels is a recurring character, of whom the fans keep clamoring for more. Despite this, he receives precious little on-screen time, and remains shrouded in mystery. Kind of like Boba Fett before Lucas let those buffoons feed him to the Sarlacc.)