It seems there are all kinds of automotive oddities in the South. On my current swing through TN and AL I have seen a number of big mudders, a parts and repair house specializing in Fieros, a combination muffler and bait shop and yes, Cooter’s Dukes of Hazard Museum.
No shit, this place actually exists.
No, I did not stop to check it out, but I will admit it was very tempting. If nothing else, I want to know why the General Lee is a Toyota Tercel.
I just can’t pass up most Moab stories, especially those involving Pritchett canyon. This one from Off Road is mostly a promo for Good Year and Walker Evans, but the photos and video are worth it. Especially the nice run up Rocker Knocker in a CJ7.
I also have to give credit to Off-Road.com for having the best website of the ‘big mainstream’ mags.
[Off-Road.com]
It’s no secret that GM has been trying to unload the troubled and much-maligned Hummer division for some time. Reports that Hummer was on the block have been circulating since well before the current bail-out mandate for GM to shed the dead wood.
This could be seen as bad news for those of us who believe it’s a good thing to have some vehicles available in the US that come out of the factory with legitimate off-road capability.
I’m no GM fan, or Hummer fan for that matter, but I do count the H3 as vehicle important to the market in much the same way as the Jeep Rubicon, FJ Cruiser and the various TRD, Nismo, and Pro Off Road package offerings from Toyota and Nissan. With that in mind I found this report from Autoblog/Reuters to be somewhat encouraging.
It seems there are currently 3 suiters for the Hummer brand (one domestic) and that terms of the sale would include certain guarantees to continue ongoing marketing and engineering efforts (R&D?). It also seems that GM would maintain production of the H3 products in it’s Shreveport plant. Not sure I understand that one, but I like the idea of keeping the “best” of the Hummer vehicles, and the associated jobs, in the US and with GM.
[autoblog] REPORT: GM has three possible offers for Hummer between $100-$200M; SAIC may buy Buick
Are you a passionate off-roader that just isn’t satisfied by the bland, underpowered, and unrefined vehicles on the market? Don’t want to drive a Land Rover among the peasants? Well, do we have the vehicle for you! Introducing the Mercedes Brabus Gelandewagon V12 Biturbo, aka “the most powerful off-roader in the world”. If you say so…
The good news? This absurdly cool, decidedly German, testosterone loaded vehicle can be yours for only $500,000. Try getting that loan approved during the global financial crisis. Maybe they’re doing cash back or 0% financing…
[jalopnik]
The gang at Jalopnik are the masters of compelling automotive headlines, as illustrated by “Top 12 Post-Apocalyptic Survival Vehicles of the 2009 Chicago Auto Show”. I mean, really, how can you not click on a link like that?
To top it off, there is a reference here to one of my favorite classic rock bands. So here are those vehicles, including the Cheap Trick
[Jalopnik]
