The latest Pirelli calendar will not star fashion's current crop of supermodels as expected, rather the Italian tyre company - which launched its first risqué edition in 1964 as an marketing tool - will release an unpublished 1986 calendar shot by Helmut Newton.

The original version was never launched due to a mix of factors. Two calendars were commissioned in 1964, with the best one chosen for release. However, Newton was forced to stop shooting because of personal issues and his assistant took over the project, paying close attention to his boss's instructions, but, in the end, competing photographer Robert Freeman landed the job.

Pirelli celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, and its 2014 edition has been hailed as a celebration of its success to date. Each calendar is known for starring scantily-clad supermodels posing in provocative positions, although the 2013 edition was photographed by Steve McCurry - who adopted a more demure approach to the proceedings - having famously taken the striking portrait of the green-eyed Afghan Girl for the cover of the National Geographic in 1985.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Wall Calendar: This calendar is a tribute to one of the oldest racing tracks in the world. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the home of the Indianapolis 500, as well as NASCAR and Grand Prix Motorcycle races. All calendar pages are printed on FSC certified paper and use environmentally safe inks. Printed on glossy paper. $14.99.

KOWALSKI CUSTOMS 2014 HOT ROD PINUP CALENDAR, $25.

Agriculture Age 2014 Calendar. This neat calendar uses vintage images of all sorts of cool farm equipment. $19.99.

Jeff Gordon Deluxe Wall Calendar: Enjoy eternal front-runner Jeff Gordon and his #24 car all year long with this officially licensed deluxe wall calendar. Race through the year with one of the most seasoned NASCAR drivers, track his stats on the included race tracker and enjoy the 4"x6" bonus magnet. $15.99.

Sprint Cup driver Travis Kvapil has been arrested and charged with assault on his wife and false imprisonment, Capt. Joseph Cooke of the Mooresville Police Department confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. Police arrested Kvapil in Mooresville, N.C., a city north of Charlotte where many NASCAR drivers make their home, after receiving a 911 call, accoring to Cooke. He was booked Tuesday night in Iredell County and freed on bond Wednesday.
BK Racing is supporting Domestic Violence Awareness Month and tweeted a photo of decals on its cars earlier Wednesday, according to WCNC-TV in Charlotte. The tweet has since been deleted. The team told WCNC it has "no comment at this time" on Kvapil's arrest.
The Sprint Cup driver has been racing full-time in NASCAR's premier series since 2006. He and wife Jennifer have three children -- Kelsey, Carson and Caden -- according to his bio on BK Racing's web site. Kvapil got his start in NASCAR in 2001 and won the trucks series championship in 2003.

For a certain type of outdoorsy person, the Volkswagen VOW3.XE +2.39% bus was the quintessential vehicle of the 1970s and early '80s. Then VW buses grew hard to find and the Toyota 7203.TO +1.93% Pickup took its place, because it was cheap, had a reliable 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine that got good mileage, and you could sleep in the back. In the 1980s and '90s, the Toyota truck was it.

I bought my 1989 Toyota in 1994 from a friend of my brother's for $7,500, when I was 23. I was becoming a dropout and I didn't want to pay rent. I was after the freedom of an affordable car that I could live in, so I put a shell on the back, with a bed built into it. I was working seasonally as a river guide in Utah, then I'd take off and roam around. Being single (except for my dog), it was a pretty perfect living arrangement.

Now I'm 42, married and I own a house in Missoula, Mont. I have health insurance and even a lawn mower. I've moved on to more practical cars with more seats. But I can't get rid of the Toyota because of the sentimental value—road trips with different friends, or the time I rolled the truck on a dirt road. It had 42,000 miles on it when I bought it. Now it has 237,000. Every dent tells a story. It's become a symbol of my younger, simpler life.

Mark Sundeen , the author of "Car Camping" and "The Man Who Quit Money," on making his home in a pickup truck, as told to A.J. Baime:

This will be one of those auctions where it makes sense for the actual buyers to inspect the cars themselves, rather than thumbing through a glossy book smelling of high-quality German ink mailed out by the auction house and letting their proxies do the bidding on auction day. Even though the auction house has done a good job of presenting the lots in the online auction, the very nature of these cars demands an up-close inspection if any serious money is to trade hands. There are definitely some less-than-serious lots here, such as late-'70s compact hatches that have been sitting in a field, but the cream of the crop definitely deserves a first-hand look, even if just to try to remember the smell of cars that haven't been touched in 40 years. Our auction reporting won't be coming to you in Smell-O-Vision (Sony is still working on that), but even if you won't be attending the sale, we'll give you a complete rundown of all the important cars...and some less-than-important cars.

A man bought a BMW with 120,000 euros and destroyed it with a hammer in front of the Frankfurt International Motor Show.

The man was helped by a friend to vandalize luxury car.

Hadi Pourmohseni paid 120,000 euros a BMW M6 in 2008, but claims to have had problems from the strange vibrations caused by shifting jolt.

He went to several BMW service stations, including in Germany, but has not solved the problems. The man was tired of trouble and solved it with the hammer.

PayPal and Tesla Motors founder Ethan Musk want us to travel in high speed tubes. He may be on to something. Here's the scoop from Business Week...

Facebook Tweet LinkedIn Google Plus Email
Almost a year after Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla Motors (TSLA) and SpaceX, first floated the idea of a superfast mode of transportation, he has finally revealed the details: a solar-powered, city-to-city elevated transit system that could take passengers and cars from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes. In typical Musk fashion, the Hyperloop, as he calls it, immediately poses a challenge to the status quo—in this case, California’s $70 billion high-speed train that has been knocked by Musk and others as too expensive, too slow, and too impractical.

In Musk’s vision, the Hyperloop would transport people via aluminum pods enclosed inside of steel tubes. He describes the design as looking like a shotgun with the tubes running side by side for most of the journey and closing the loop at either end. These tubes would be mounted on columns 50 to 100 yards apart, and the pods inside would travel up to 800 miles per hour. Some of this Musk has hinted at before; he now adds that pods could ferry cars as well as people. “You just drive on, and the pod departs,” Musk told Bloomberg Businessweek in his first interview about the Hyperloop.

More at the source link...

In ten short years, the Quail Motorsports Gathering held during the Monterey "car week" has become one of the signature events. I'll be there covering the goings on and spectacular cars. Stay tuned for a fine ride!

Yet another Hyundai has been customized in preparation for the Zombie Apocalypse, as The Walking Dead-Hyundai Zombie Survival Machine (ZSM for short) has been unveiled at the Future US booth for this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Though the automaker previously built an Elantra Coupe for mowing down zombies, this year’s vehicle of choice is a custom Hyundai Veloster — which looks like a mobile bunker designed to keep out the undead hordes.
Show Floor Update: The design previewed in the sketch appears to have transferred well onto the Veloster’s real-life sheetmetal, which was modified by Galpin Auto Sports. The dual fender-mounted guns have been moved to the hood, and now resemble real weapons as opposed to the futuristic-looking plasma rifles in the concept drawing. The interior appears mostly stock, though it looks like you can access the rooftop hatch from inside the car. Visibility through the windshield grates isn’t as bad as it looks in the sketch. Overall, the car is well put together and looks ready to take on a herd of Walkers.
2013 Hyundai Veloster Walking Dead ZSM front three quarter 300x199 imageThe ZSM began life as a standard 2013 Hyundai Veloster, but things apparently snowballed quickly once the world ended, leaving survivors no choice but to outfit the three-door hatchback with dual quick-change front bumper chainsaws, a mounted double-barrel shotgun, a door-mounted flame thrower, and other improvised weaponry. In addition to those armaments, the ZSM packs a roof-mounted .50-caliber machine gun and more guns affixed to the fenders.
For looks, the ZSM is finished in a textured “Vitamin C” orange, and gets a sawtoothed front grille, hood scoop, forged wheels, and an off-road-style rear bumper. Modifications that might help thwart brain-hungry zombies attempting to enter the Veloster include a glasshouse framed by armor (or fully covered, as is the case with the windshield), wrought iron bars and barbed wire across the windows, and sandbags strapped to the hood. Driving this Zombie-fighting compact may require seeing out of the hatch on top, as front visibility is obstructed, to say the least.
2013 Hyundai Veloster Walking Dead ZSM rear nailbat 300x199 imageIf close-quarters combat is called for, as it routinely is on The Walking Dead TV show, the rear of the ZSM has a number of melee weapons available. A baseball bat with spikes can be found mounted to the trunk, along with a Samurai sword and knife blades deployed from the rear bumper. Inside, the floor has been sprayed with a durable LineX-style bed-liner, offering traction when covered in zombie blood. The interior walls are covered with more metal armor, and storage for ammo, first aid kits, and additional weapons can be found throughout the cabin.
Though we can’t say a Veloster would be our first pick in the event of a zombie outbreak, the modifications performed to the ZSM could help you last a bit longer against the undead. But for the next Zombie Survival Machine, we’d like to see some added muscle underhood, so you also have the option of outrunning them.
Source: Hyundai


Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/walking-dead-hyundai-veloster-zombie-survival-machine-debuts-386467.html#ixzz2ZS73dLGC

The Malvern Star sociable bicycle.

1956 John Wayne airport 1932 Ford Tudor.

Biker show in celebration of Steve McQueen.

The Blackhawk Collection in Danville, CA is a sight to behold and they just announced a new head honcho. Tim is a good guy. courtesy www.sportscarmarket.com.