Kaiser Manhattan 2-Door Sedan

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I spotted this gorgeous Kaiser Manhattan 2-door sedan at a church car show in Glendale, Arizona in 2009. Kaisers were produced after World War II and are notable for being the first production passenger cars to offer supercharging (beginning in 1954).  Kaiser and Willys-Overland merged in 1953 and stopped making passenger cars in 1955.

As you can see, the deep cherry color of this car is very vibrant even in this crappy cell phone picture I took. If you look closely, you can see the ghost flames on the car’s front fenders.

From this angle, we have a few more clues that this Manhattan isn’t exactly stock. The wide rear tires and monster tach on the dash indicate that this car may have undergone a performance rebuild. I wish I had more details about it, but sadly I do not.

Bonus: The gold colored car in the background of the first picture is a Frazer Vagabond, a sister marque of Kaiser.

Zap Xebra 3 Wheel Electric Vehicle

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Because of its black and white stripe pattern, the zebra is one of nature’s most recognizable animals. Along those same lines, the Zap Xebra is a very recognizable car. Can you guess why?

No, it’s not an optical illusion. This is a 3-wheeled passenger car with the single wheel in front. But wait, it gets better! The Zap Xebra is an all-electric car manufactured in China! You can imagine my complete and utter surprise when I spotted this one silently humming around in Glendale, Arizona.

With a price of just $12,000 brand new, Zap had the market cornered on affordability (and unusual looks). However, at that price point there must have been some compromises in quality. According to several websites I found, some of the cars were made of fiberglass while others were made of steel. None of them ever came with airbags.

The range is an estimated 40 miles at 40 mph, so it can’t go on the highway. The driver must have been pretty close to home at the time I spotted him.

These cars were only produced from 2006 to 2009. I wasn’t able to get a photo of the front, but it has this crazy third headlight in the center that gives the car a very “mouse-like” appearance. Whether you like it or hate it, this is definitely not a car you see every day!

The Easter Rapist

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You know this is probably transportation for the happiest family in the world. I’m more inclined to believe some fanatic of both John Wayne Gacy and Donnie Darko drives this around. Even if the person behind the wheel isn’t some horror movie waiting to happen, the vehicle is certainly a real-life nightmare. The scariest part is that they were really hauling ass. I had to work to get these two shots.

N2A Motors 789 Shakes Things Up

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If cars were drinks, I think that a Corvette would be a glass of single malt scotch. It is a timeless classic that subscribes to the theory of “beauty in simplicity.” Although the package it comes in changes from year to year, the process remains the same: a Corvette always looks like a Corvette.

However, not everyone likes scotch. For some it is too boring, too old fashioned. For these people, trendy cocktails and mixed drinks are en vogue. What about adding a retro twist to the modern sports car? Start with a glass of C6 Corvette and add a shot of ’57 Chevy front end, a shot of ’58 Impala, and a dash of ’59 tailfins. Shake it all up and what do you get? The N2A Motors 789. Continue reading →

1997 Camry Flip Out Navigation

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I saw this while I was reading through the April 1997 issue of Motor Trend at the library and though it was pretty interesting, so I had to had to snap a picture (of a picture). The article wasn’t about the navigation system or anything, just a review of some of the changes to the Camry for the 1998 model year. The weird part is that I’m having trouble finding any references anywhere to a navigation system ever being installed in an XV20 Camry. From what I’ve been reading, the 2000 Avalon was the first Toyota vehicle to feature a navigation system, so I’m guessing that this was a one-off example Toyota sent to the magazine for the review to wow them. I think it’s pretty cool, but I’m a sucker for weird things like this. I like how it’s a factory installation but it still interferes with the flow from the center AC vents when it’s out.

Maybe the unit itself gets really hot and it all just worked out perfectly?

Ford F-150 Wireframe Edition

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F-150 Wireframe Edition

Imagine this setting, if you will, you are an employee in the Ford design department. The year is 1994 and the carryover square shape from just about everything in the 80’s is finally on its way out. Nobody is quite sure where to take things but they all know that square is officially, well, square. “What are we going to do, what are we going to do!!?”. There is chaos, noise, and wild talk..

At this point the conference room door slowly opens as the lead designer walks in, the room quiets to a dead silence, all focus on him. As he approaches the group he slowly reaches into his coat pocket and gently pulls out a small white egg and gently places it down onto the conference table. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 1997 Ford everything”. After a 5 second delay the room erupts into applause and cheers.

..

Flash forward to 2012, you’ve bought or somehow acquired one of these things, now how in the world are you going to hide the fact that your truck is for the most part a shapeless and odd looking relic of 1990’s design mediocrity?

I present to you the Ford F-150 Wireframe Edition. With features such as a grill on top of your old grill and a chrome trimmed lower front window bug deflector you are sure to stand out from the rest. The features, details, and enhancements are too numerous to list so have a look for yourself.