Bertone Alfa Romeo Pandion

That looks sharp.

Via Auto Insider.

Cool car art by Andrey Gusev

Aston Martin V8

Bugatti EB110

Lamborghini Countach

Alfa Romeo police car

Camaro

Merc CLS

Merc Gullwing

Ferrari F40 engine

More here.

Miami Vice white Ferrari Testarossa

While riding an elevator today, I was mistaken for an accountant.  Damn, what happened to my dreams of being an undercover narcotics officer in Miami?

Mitsubishi van in Wheat Thins ad commercial

Porsche 959 engine picture

My Maserati engine block coffee table may be happening.  I am close to putting down a deposit on it.  It should be ready in two to three weeks.  While we wait for the close-to-final product (I still have to figure out how to make it level and I have to buy a glass top), here is the 959's engine.  That looks level enough for a glass top, right?

China's Buick line-up

Buicks are not just for upper-mid level local Communist Party bosses anymore.  In 2009, Buick sold 447,001 vehicles in China.  Here is the line-up (I was shocked; no wonder GM didn't want to kill this brand):

1. Enclave: Luxury crossover made in Michigan and exported to China.  Take that, stubborn trade deficit.

2. GL8: It's a Pontiac Montana, without the roof rack.  The marketing mavens in Shanghai were able to convince the public that this vehicle was meant to be chauffeur-driven!

3. Park Avenue: Look familiar?  It's a Chinese-made Holden Statesman(!), although it's only available with a V6.  This is definitely my favorite.

4. LaCrosse: It's just like the American LaCrosse, only with a different interior, exterior, and engine choices.

5. Regal: Based on the Opel Insignia.

6. Excelle GT: Based on the compact Chevy Cruze.  A version of this will be introduced in America.

7. Excelle: Even the bottom of the rung looks decent, kind of.

Buick trivia: Famous Chinese owners of Buicks included Sun Yat-Sen, the father of modern China, and Pu Yi, the last emperor.

Lamborghini Countach Trapper Keeper

TV show Entourage Lincoln Continental convertible

Renault Fuego Turbo ad commercial

Carspotting (58): Datsun 510

I spotted this a block away from the Earthroamer (see previous post).  I like this 510 because it has not been modified and seems like a daily driver with just one owner since new.  Can someone tell me what B&W Full Automatic means?  I assume it's some kind of automatic transmission.

B&W?

Earthroamer in background

Carspotting (57): Earthroamer XV-LT

I was having lunch on the Peninsula today and came upon this behemoth.  Just look at it next to that puny RAV-4.  It's one of those travel-around-the-world trucks.  Personally, my dream would be to use a modified Unimog.  But realistically, these are just too big and wide and they scream: Banditos, please rob us gringos!

Here is the price list.  The Ford F550 costs $56,000.  The conversion costs $172,000.  And that doesn't include the Warn wench or the PIAA lights!

Here is the manufacturer's description of the vehicle.

Citroen H van in Rockauto.com ad commercial

Carspotting (56): BMW 3.0 CS at Atomic Testing Museum

Woah!  Atomic cannon.  280mm shell with a yield of 15 kilotons, Nevada 1953.

I went to the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas.  I spotted this in the parking lot.

Lance Burton makes a Corvette disappear!

My friend insisted that we see magician Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo casino in Vegas.  Burton, 50, is about to retire.  The show was surprisingly entertaining, in a cheesy, campy, and perhaps ironic way.  He even made a C4 Corvette with the square-ish taillights (shows you how old that trick is) float and disappear.  I don't know how he does it but I could tell it's just a Corvette body with maybe a golf cart engine.

Spy Photos: Nissan Fuga, Infiniti M37/M56/M35 Hybrid

I saw this today near the Bay Bridge.  It's got Michigan manufacturer's plates, is right hand drive, and has the front end of a Maserati Quattroporte.

North Korean-built Mercedes 190E

North Korea built this in 1988.  It was alternately called the Kaengsaeng 88, the Pyongyang 4.10, and the Paektusan.  They lacked heaters, AC, and had mismatched windows.  Awesome.

Lamborghini Jarama

Via The Auto Insider.

Grace Jones Toyota Celica ad commercial

And you thought she only hucked Citroens:

Engine block coffee table: Diamond in the rough?

I went to check out the potential engine today.  I think it's got potential.  The engine's owner and I brainstormed a bit and it may just work.  We're still working out the details.  If it works out, I will post more pictures of the transformation.  *Fingers crossed.*

So we start off with a Maserati Biturbo engine.  (I know, that is a Lancia Montecarlo/Scorpion in the background.)  We are not sure if we are going to use this engine block or the much cleaner one that the owner also has.

Here's another view.  That's a Fiat racer in the background.  The very tentative plan is to just have a block, heads (x2), cam towers (x2), and either black or red "Maserati" valve covers (x2).  I won't need any of the extra doohickies you see attached here.

  
A few issues came up, and I think these are worth considering for anyone who wants to build a coffee table.

• Weight: It's not just about shipping/transporting a heavy object home.  Once it's home, it has to be relatively easy to move.  If you have company over and you want to whip out the Twister game, are you going to need four people just to budge the coffee table four inches?
• Center of gravity: V-shaped engines are inherently unstable.  Is a kid running at full steam going to be able to knock over the table?  You may want to do all you can to widen the base and/or concentrate the mass towards the bottom.
• Level: I plan to pick up a glass top from the local recycler.  Once you place the glass on top of the engine, is it going to be level?  This is going to be an issue with this engine, as the oil filler opening on the valve cover (the stripped engine's highest point) is half an inch taller than the other side of the valve cover.  Also, make sure the bottom of the engine block sits flush with the floor.
• Dirt/grime: It's filthy.  I am debating whether a once-over with a high pressure hose will do the job.  Or, will I have to spend my weekends with a gross of toothbrushes and a 55 gallon drum of brake fluid, like Edvin?

Formula 1 Datsun 280ZX Turbo pace car Las Vegas Grand Prix

I'm reading Analysing Formula 1 and lo and behold, there is a snapshot of the 1982 Las Vegas Grand Prix (in the Caesar's Palace parking lot) and the pace car is a 280ZX Turbo!

Image courtesy.