Amazing Motor Girls

Chrome and Curves

2004-11-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

Autoswalk.com has 18 excellent wallpapers of Cars and Women.

Tell a friend about ChromeandCurves.com

Hey, friend! Check out the wallpapers at Chrome and Curves!

"Camero?!"

[Copyright © 2000-2004 Autoswalk.com.]

Fiat Babes!

2004-11-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

Before the Mini there was the Fiat 500, affectionately called the Topolino (Mickey Mouse in Italian) by the Italian public.

The perfect date car? Not for the red-blooded Italian male hoping to score with his chaperone-less fidenzata!

Resting on the Appian Way, much the same way chariot drivers did thousands of years ago.

See more at The Hollywood Extra, here and here.

[Image credit: The Hollywood Extra]

Veterans Day: Women at War

2004-11-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

The Scottish Women's Hospital ambulance drivers, 1915

Early women drivers faced not only the the perils of the highway, but also of war.

There were, in 1914, two uniformed services in Britain that were open to women. The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) was created in 1907 as a link between front-line fighting units and the field hospitals. During the war, FANYs ran field hospitals, drove ambulances and set up soup kitchens and troop canteens, often under highly dangerous conditions. By the Armistice, they had been awarded many decorations for bravery, including 17 Military Medals, one Legion d'Honneur and 27 Croix de Guerre

Read more about the brave women ambulance drivers of WWI.

Photo credit: © BBC]

Bride Needs Ride

2004-11-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

The beautiful bride needed a ride.

Just one photo and story from the many travels of Nigel & Julie.

Photo credit: travelingarmchair.com]

Happy Halloween from Vampy!

2004-10-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Vampirella is alive and well and riding motorcycles!

Have an safe and sane Halloween this weekend!

More images and news about Vampirella at her web site.

[Vampirella - Copyright © 2003, Harris Publications, Inc.]

Our Lady of Monster Trucks

2004-10-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Oh, Queen of Monster Trucks! Holy Mother of Big Wheels!
Thou who from the beginning hast the power and mission to
crush the cars of Satan, we humbly beseech thee to use thy
high-hopping, free-styling, soul-saving command and power,
that thy may pursue the evil vehicles, encounter them on every
side, and drive them hence into the abyss of eternal woe. Amen.

Her Glorious Son drives a mean monster truck, too!

Watch as Jesus crushes and destroys all of his enemies then finishes them off with the Stigmata Blaster©

If you're not feeling particularly faithful or religious, check out The Hell Express.

Catch the rest of the vehicles at the Jesus The Monster Truck web site.

[Photos and text quotes: Copyright © 1999-2003 Monster Truck Ministries]

Pimp My Van?

2004-10-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

[Photo: Robin Nelson for The New York Times]

You just can't keep the Age of Aquarius generation down. I wonder if any of the new van drivers have that venerable, Sixties bumper sticker Don't Laugh, You're Daughter May Be Inside on their rear end?

Pimp My Van? Even Some Parents Want to Stand Out

Say this for the Firedragon: it doesn't look like your mother's minivan. With dragons and flames running down the sides, a flame-embellished steering-wheel cover, dragon-embroidered seats, even dragon-shaped screws on the license plates, it's worthy of MTV's hit car-makeover show, "Pimp My Ride."

But this tricked-out 2001 Chevrolet Venture is, in fact, driven by a mother, 46-year-old Teresa Prange, who shepherds her two children, ages 10 and 5, around in it. "People can get into a rut," said Mrs. Prange, who lives in Bremerton, Wash. "And I wasn't going to get into the rut."

From tummy tucks to remodeled dens, the makeover has become an American cultural obsession these days, and even the owners of Dodge Caravans and Honda Odysseys aren't exempt.

-- Marek Fuchs, NYT, 10.22.04

Read the complete New York Times Driving article.

[Photo and text quote: Copyright ©2004 The New York Times Company]

Car hoppin'

2004-10-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

[Copyright © 2002 by Link to the Future]

Don't get your hopes up. There isn't a restaurant with three car hops anywhere to be found. These three are models for the Cruisin' Brea car show.

[Copyright © 1960 CBS Television]

So did car hops really hop on your car when taking your order? Only in the classic TV show Route 66.

[Copyright © 1996 Chronicle Books]

Once upon a time in the United States, before the ubiquitous yellow arches of a certain hamburger chain spread like chicken pox, eating on the go was an occasion. Those long-gone days when customer service was number one--and meals were dished up by enthusiastic young women costumed to resemble drum majorettes--are captured in this compilation of vintage photographs and memorabilia, crammed to overflowing with nostalgia.
-- Amazon Review

View excerpts and purchase the book Car Hops and Curb Service: A History of American Drive-In Restaurants 1920-1960 by Jim Heimann at Amazon.com.

[Text quote: © 1996-2004, Amazon.com]

Nothing wrong with the rear end...

2004-10-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

... because it's a Mitsubishi Lowrider truck.

Looks great from the front, too.

And it's got room for three.

You can see more of Ernie's cool truck at his No Regrets car club. Also check out his other toy at Ernie's Cadillac Custom Project(s) web site.

[Photo credit: No Regrets]

Have a girl? Have a Rabbit!

2004-10-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

You get the feeling that the copywriters of this ad, and for that matter, the Fuji Company who manufactured the Rabbit, were avid readers of Playboy Magazine?

Have a girl? Have a Rabbit! Rabbit is the easiest way in the world to have fun. That's because Rabbit is the most modern two-wheel ride ever built. Tell her you are a gentleman with modern ideas. If she says she has heard those ideas before, take her for a ride on a Rabbit. Show her she hasn't lived until now. Rabbit, indeed, is made for the enjoyment of a Gentleman. And, for that matter, anyone else with modern ideas.

Q. How do you say bunny in Japanese?

A. Rabbit.

Visit the premier Fuji Rabbit web site.

[Inspired by Antoine of the Valley.]

No wisecracks, please.

2004-10-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Some reasons to stop telling women driver jokes:

The greater use men make of cars may be one reason why they are more likely than women to be a casualty in a road traffic accident. In 2001 the annual casualty rate (those killed, or seriously or slightly injured) was over 44 per cent higher for men than women.

Men are more than twice as likely as women to be killed or seriously injured in a road accident: 99 per 100,000 men in 2001, compared with 44 per 100,000 women. The rates are higher for men irrespective of the mode of transport they are using.

Read the rest of the article at National Statistics Online.

[Photo: unknown]

The Hollywood Extra Girls

2004-10-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

The Hollywood Extra's Vince Burlapp has been attending car shows for years. He likes looking at the cars, too.

Notice the same deadly flat smiles on all the models.

No way will they let you read their thoughts: what they really think of the cars, of their jobs, of being ogled at, or of you, who's doing all the ogling.

They won't give you the time of day.

They will give you that vacant, noncommittal smile that drives all guys crazy.

Visit The Hollywood Extra's Car Page for more car stuff. I've pretty much gleaned all of their girls photos.

[All photos from The Hollywood Extra]

The original Motor Girls

2004-10-19T01:06:00.000-07:00

The Motor Girls was a 10 volume series of books originally published between 1910 and 1917. At a time when driving an automobile captured the imagination of the public, these books offered a diversion and thrills to its young female readers. The Motor Girls encouraged freedom and independence in girls, while also reinforcing the responsibilities of hearth and home. Read an excerpt:

THE MOTOR GIRLS
by Margaret Penrose

Chapter I: CORA AND HER CAR
"Now you've got it, what are you going to do with it?" asked Jack Kimball, with a most significant smile at his sister Cora.

"Do with it?" repeated the girl, looking at her questioner in surprise; then she added, with a fine attempt at sarcasm: "Why, I'm going to have Jim break it up for kindling wood. It will make such a lovely blaze on the library hearth. I have always loved blazing autos."

"Now, sis," objected the tall, handsome boy, as he swung his arm about the almost equally tall, and even handsomer girl, "don't get mad."

"Oh, I'm not in the least angry."

"Um! Maybe not. Put I honestly thought--well, maybe you would like some of the boys to give you a lesson or two in driving the new car. There's Wally, you know. Ahem! I thought perhaps Wally--"

"Walter can run a machine--I'm perfectly willing to grant you that, Jack. But this is my machine, and I intend to run it."

The girl stepped over to a window and looked out. There, on the driveway, stood a new automobile. Four-cylindered, sliding-gear transmission, three speeds forward and reverse, long-wheel base, new ignition system, and all sorts of other things mentioned in the catalogue. Besides, it was a beautiful maroon color, and the leather cushions matched. Cora looked at it with admiration in her eyes.

Read the rest of the book online at the Gutenberg Project.

[The Motor Girls, Stratemeyer Syndicate Series - Copyright ©1910-1917
Cupples & Leon, Reprints: Goldsmith and Donahue.]

WMD: Pit Girls

2004-10-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

Beautiful pit girls aren't just eye candy at car races...

... they're the sponsors' Weapons of Mass Distraction.

[Photos via Ayrton Forever.]

For when "Check Engine" flashes

2004-10-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

[Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, New York]

Not just for women, but for anyone who doesn't want to get their hands dirty changing their own oil or tuning up their engine, but wants to know what what to do when the oil light or the dashboard light check engine flashes.

Volpe covers the essentials: what to do and when to do it (maintenance); deciphering lights, leaks, noises, and funny smells; how to find a good mechanic; how to jump-start a battery and change a tire; and even offers tips on buying a used car, all in clear, everyday language that even you can understand. Interspersed with humor and sound advice gleaned from the author's experience as a mechanic and a teacher of auto mechanics for 10 years, this book is compact--made to fit into your glove compartment--and that's where it ought to be the next time you pull out of the driveway.
-- Mark A. Hetts, Amazon.com

The glove compartment-size paperback is available at Amazon.com.

[Text quote: © 1996-2004, Amazon.com, Inc.]

Road Sign Romance

2004-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

[Via joe-ks.com - Copyright © 1995-2004 joe-ks.com]

Get it? Joe-ks.com... as in jokes.com. So, what else do you expect from "The Largest Source of Internet Humour."

Amazing Motor Girls' Car Wash

2004-10-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

When the Amazing Motor Girls want to wash their car, they just pull over to the side of the road under a shady tree.

Motor Girl Amanda starts on the wheels.

Amanda is also the queen of the chamois cloth

Thanks to the shade and Amanda's quick rubbing, Darcy assures us that there are no water spots.

All scenes are from the Amazing Motor Girl promo clip - soon to be linked here.

[Photos: Copyright ©2004 Amazing Motor Girls]

Chang's Girls On Wheels

2004-10-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Sin Metal Sirens cover art by Sandra Chang

Erotic artist and illustrator Sandra Chang is as beautiful and sexy as her incredible paintings. She is also the creator...

... writer and artist of such comic books as Akemi, Sheedeva, and Achilles Storm, she is now drawing and writing an adult comic series, Sin Metal Sirens, for Eros Comix. Sin Metal Sirens is a X-rated comic parody of secret agents in space and is available now.

Carmen Electra by Sandra Chang, Photoshop illustration

Feeling a little submissive today? Chang also maintains a Dominant Women Gallery on her web site. Bow before it here.

Check out the rest of the Sandra Chang web site. Her published works are available for purchase from Eros Comix.

[Artwork and text quotes ©2002 by Sandra Chang]

The Hottest Woman in NASCAR

2004-10-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

[Photo: © Copyright 2004 Leilani Münter, LLC]

Once Leilani Münter was the photo double for Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie "Traffic." Now Leilani negotiates the traffic on race tracks across the United States.

Leilani at Irwindale Speedway, [Photo by Chris McPherson, Esquire Magazine]

In 2001 she ran a limited schedule in the Allison Legacy Series. In 2002 Leilani relocated to North Carolina, the home of NASCAR.

In 2004 she began a stint as a special correspondent for NASCAR.com. She also debuted in the ROMCO Late Model Series June 12, 2004 with an impressive 4th place start and 7th place finish at TMS. FHM magazine, which featured Leilani in their Sept. 2003 issue, was her primary sponsor.

She's been named "America's Sexiest Race Car Driver" by Men's Journal, "The Hottest Woman in NASCAR" by FHM and honored as a "Woman We Love" by Esquire.

Read the rest of Leilani's rising star story, including an interview, at TurnLeftRacing.

[Photo by George Holz, FHM Magazine]

Be sure to check out the Leilani Münter web site for more pictures of her in and out her race car.

[© Copyright 2004 Leilani Münter, LLC.]

Babs Muller

2004-10-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Babs is uniquely built to handle a manual transmission.

Babs Muller is a favorite girl in the car scene.

Vince poses with Babs (or is she a Babs lookalike?)

Car Page host Vince Burlapp and his roommate Phil Schwartzetti, The Hollywood Extra webmaster, have known Babs for many years. Maybe even too many...

Babs poses atop her favorite muscle car.

Babs was Phil's brother's girlfriend for a while. It's actually a long, somewhat sick and pathetic story. But everything you want to know (and everything you don't) about Babs is here.

Be sure to visit Vince Burlapp's Car Page for the latest info, photos, news and unique insights about cars.

[Photos and text quote: Copyright © 2004 The Hollywood Extra]

Girl and/or Car 4 Sale

2004-10-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

Which is it? Is he selling his "girl" the car, his "girl" the girl or both?

Don't bother calling Rob - his phone numbers have been 555'd to protect the innocent.

[Via ROCK 105 TAO - The Rock of Southern Illinois]

Classic Muscle Cars, Part 1

2004-10-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

At a base price of $4305.00 (a $750 increase over introductory '69 pricing), Pontiac ushered in a new era with the introduction of the all new '70 models. These cars were one of the most gorgeous cars of the period, with the subtle lines changing from creases to curves. For a car produced in the early seventies, this was incredible.

Read more by Gary Lisk at his Trans Am Source Page.

Good Points: Sensational ’69 Camaro styling, rocket-ship performance.

Bad Points: With a 4.88:1 axle, you’re in High gear at the end of your driveway.

Read more at Top 10 Fastest Muscle Cars.

The Challenger project was first started in about 1965 as Dodge's answer to the pony car. Carl Cameron refined the car for some time, and, by 1968, they were building 1970 Challenger prototypes. Finally, in the fall of 1969, Dodge finally introduced the E bodies. With a choice of nine engines, from a slant-six Coupe (and, starting in February, a Deputy) to an R/T Hemi, and eighteen colors, the Challenger offered a lot of choice.

Read more by Kelly Doke-Journigan at The Dodge Challenger.

[Images via Carnut.dk]

Street Fury

2004-10-09T05:19:00.000-07:00

Street Fury Gold takes you to straight to Southern California - the hotbed of import car racing and modification. Hang with the racing champions and sneak a peek at the latest and greatest underground import modification shops! Get up close and personal with top import model Aiko Tanaka, and red-hot series host, Candi Kita. Experience the gear-busting, tire-screeching, side-swiping underground street races and - even better - the killer afterparties!

Street Fury Red... back to Southern California -the playground for street racers and Import models! The second volume of Street Fury further infiltrates the risky scene. - Cars, Clubs & Street racing - Team Hybrid, Big Willis Robinson - Girls & Music - wild bikini contests, Dub Magazine, Asia, this edition's cover girl.

Street Fury Ice. Street Fury's bling-bling edition. Big C just can't get enough of hitting the Streets bringing you the scene as it happens. Travel from Nevada to New York looking for the coolest cars in today's hottest scene. You expect the fastest cars, mesmerizing models, and import shows, but Big C hooked up with some of the entertainment industry's coolest folks to show you how they do it big.

Street Fury Jade. From L.A.'s Chinatown to the Valley, The OC and even a stop 'Where no other import DVD has dared to go'... The Hood. Big C puts you in the driver's seat and stays bringin' you the hottest the import scene has to offer.

Click to read more about the Street Fury DVD series.

To purchase any of the above titles click on the TOKYOPOP store locator.

[Copyright ©2001 Mixx Entertainment, Inc. - ©1997-2004 TOKYOPOP Inc.]

Why buy the cow?

2004-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

[Photo: change reality]

When you can get the milk for free?

[Photo: The Cow Goddess]

Instead, drive a funky cow car.

[Photo: Cow-de-lac]

Or cruise in a fancy Cowdelac.

[Photo: CowCarRacing]

Racing cow cars has its rewards.

[Photo: The Cow Car]

But I prefer this little cownvertible. It's sporty, stylish and very Guernsey.

[Buy the surfer cow at FunToCollect.com]

Cowabunga! Dude, this surfer cow version of an old 1948 Ford Woodie is sweet.
~~~~~~~
Last word about cows and cars:

A man’s car stalled on a country road. When he got out to fix it, a cow came along and stopped beside him. “Your trouble is probably in the carburetor,” said the cow.

Startled, the man jumped back and ran down the road until he met the farmer. He told the farmer his story.

“Was it a large red cow with a brown spot over the right eye?” asked the farmer.

“Yes!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t listen to Bessie,” said the Farmer. “She doesn’t know anything about cars.”

-- from Rick@Leaders.net

La femme rebelle

2004-10-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Question: "Contre ce qu'êtes vous se rebellant?"

Réponse: "Ce qui vous avez?"

The perfect rebel... a French woman with attitude.

[Photos: SVGirls]

MondrianMobile

2004-10-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

Emily Duffy's MondrianMobile is represented by the Art Car Agency.

California artist Emily Duffy, famous for her BraBall, has also created the MondrianMobile, a vehicle for bringing art to the world outside of museums and galleries.

Artist Emily Duffy and her MondrianMobile. [Photo: Ken Duffy.]

See more images and read about Emily Duffy's "cartistic" endeavors at her Art Cars web site.

[All images, artworks, and Website ©2003 Emily Duffy]

Hailing Taxi

2004-10-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Gisele Bündchen from the rear.

Giselle Bündchen plays the gorgeous leader of a gang of luscious female bank robbers. She's pursued by an overeager undercover detective (Jimmy Fallon) in a souped-up taxi driven by New York's fastest cabbie (Queen Latifah).

Giselle Bündchen from the front.

Taxi is the Brazilian supermodel's movie debut. It's also a remake of the Luc Besson produced French original.

Giselle Bündchen from afar.

The non-stop, all-action, all-comedy Taxi opens tomorrow October 6th.

Visit the Taxi web site to view the trailer.

[Photo credit Kerry Hayes/SMPSP, © 20th Century Fox.]

Fear of Driving

2004-10-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

A book about a high-class woman trying to overcome her fear of driving? Doesn't sound like a theme anyone would want to warm up to, but The God of Driving has received a number of favorable reviews - which could be a result of the interplay between a handsome, swarthy driving instructor and a trendy socialite with a phobia. Sounds like the makings of a motorized Swept Away - or should it be called Driven Away?

As a top correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine, Amy Fine Collins leads a glamorous life, a charmed whirlwind of gala parties, couture clothing, and five-star travel. In Manhattan, where she is whisked around in taxis and limousines, she has been able to disregard her long-standing fear of driving, a legacy handed down from her accident-plagued family. But when the brilliant and determined Amy finally decides to confront her driving phobia, she does not foresee how far from her elegant turf this resolution will take her.

A mysterious, good-looking Turk named Attila is dispatched to her doorstep in a dual-brake Acura, and in him Amy discovers not only a superhumanly skilled instructor but also a wise, patient, and capable man who, inexplicably and irresistibly, over the course of their yearlong lessons, begins to transform and transport her.

Read the synopsis and other great reviews (plus one bad one) at Amazon.com.

[Jacket cover photo: Copyright © 2004 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.]

Full Service Museum

2004-10-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

Be careful visiting the Museo Fisogni - Museum of Gas Stations, you'll end up spending a whole day puttering around the amazing collection of signs, ads, brochures, gasoline cans, globes, promotional toys, gas pumps and other objects from our hydrocarbon-fueled past.

Its curator, Guido Fisogni, is not just a collector, but a scholar of industrial art and design, who has restored and catalogued the boundless ephemera the gasoline age, because they are...

"... pleasing esthetic appendages to the industrial arts... important witnesses to the rapidity of change. Industrial production, by its nature, quickly consumes its own products in order to make way for newer, more beautiful, more efficient ones."

His Milan, Italy-based museum is a tribute to the beauties of the "inefficient past."

After over 30 years, Fisogni is looking to sell the entire collection for exhibition. For information please call +39.029101398 or write to Museo Fisogni

[Images and quoted texts: © 1996 - 2004 Fisogni]

[Thanks to Eye of the Goof for the link.]

Pioneer Women Drivers

2004-10-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Alice Ramsey's Maxwell is pulled out of a ditch. [Photo: Peter Ramsey]

The idea of driving a horseless carriage across America in the beginning of the 20th century is inconceivably bold considering the lack of interstate highways, modern freeways, roadside restaurants, rest stops, AAA maps, let alone GPS. Dirt roads were still pitted with ruts left over from 19th century pioneer wagon wheels! Makeshift parts, on-the-spot repairs and tire changes were the norm. No gas stations, no mechanics, not a tow truck to be found anywhere (a block and tackle often came in handy in the muddy Midwest).

Alice and her companions checking their Maxwell. [Photo: Peter Ramsey]

Imagine the average man attempting such a road trip today, let alone a woman in the early 1900s. Twenty-two year old Alice Huyler Ramsey and three of her friends decided to do just that, starting from New York City, in a Maxwell, and nearly 2 months later arriving in San Francisco in triumph. These transcontinental drives caught on with yet more adventurous women of the day, including silent movie star Anita King. She became the first woman to make the coast-to-coast drive on her own. It was as much a sign of the burgeoning independent spirit of women as much as it was the triumph of long-distance travel via the new-fangled automobile.

[McFarland & Company]

This wonderful book by Curt McConnell which includes stories of five across-America drives, their day-by-day, mile-by-mile experiences, including archival newspaper articles and the women's own personal recollections, makes for fascinating reading.

["A Reliable Car and a Woman Who Knows It" is available at Amazon.com.]

[Photos and reference from America on the Move, © 2004 National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution]

Abgefahren (Driven off)

2004-10-01T01:04:00.000-07:00

The Girl Gang - Britt, Lianne, Mia and Sherin

Abgefahren is a German-produced, action/romance film, with girl racers pitted against boy racers "with full power into love!" Read the machine translation of the synopsis:

Mia is young, attractive - and not to brake, if she came only times into travel. Their dream is it to become the best Rallyefahrerin. In order to achieve this goal, she must defeat the man, that the champion of the motor races is not only - but also the man she loves!

Does it matter that the translation seems to make no sense? It's a race car movie, after all, with fast cars and fast girls!

The Girl Gang and their Dodge Challenger.

Visit the official Abgefahren web site in thr original German or in machine-translated English.

Liane, Britt and Sherin

View the trailer (in German): DSL or Dialup.

[Photos and text: Abgefahren web site]

Paris and Nicole automotive news

2004-09-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

A rare site - Paris alone in her car. [Photo: superhonda.com via beyond.ca]

Another sex video - this one lasting a mind-numbing 12 hours - allegedly shows the hotel heiress getting busy with ex-boyfriends.

The tape depicts Hilton making love in the back of a car with ex Nick Carter. In another scene, she greets ex Jason Shaw at her door, having forgotten to put on any clothes, according to London's News of the World.

One source tells us that, elsewhere on the tape, Paris is showing her affection for Carter in a club.

Don't believe the publicity photo - Paris and Nicole are never outta gas.
[Photo: phun.org]

The tape is also said to include some raunchy comment from Hilton's "Simple Life" co-star Nicole Richie. According to a source, Richie tells of her, um, fondness for gay men and lesbians.

Reps for Richie and Hilton had no comment yesterday. But one insider says, "They're absolutely freaking out."

Read the full story at New York Daily News 9.28.04.

[Thanks to Tammy of Venice]

Acme License Plates

2004-09-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

ACME Laboratories (no, not the one in the Road Runner cartoons) - these labs are the "Purveyors of fine freeware since 1972. On the net since 1991." Their subsidiary offers you a chance to "Pretend you're in prison and make a license!"

Go to the ACME License Maker web site and start punching out virtual vanity licenses to your heart's content.

They also have a cool page dedicated to Chuck Jones, the creator of the original ACME Labs.

[Copyright © 2000 by Jef Poskanzer - ACME Laboratories.]

2005 Mustangs are on their way!

2004-09-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ford worker Christina Slomba building the 2005 Mustang.

The 2005 Mustangs are being manufactured as you read this, and will be in Ford dealerships in a matter of weeks. There are already some 25,000 advanced orders by Mustang lovers around the country.

Worker puts finishing touches on the new Mustang.

Amazing Motor Girls predict that this generation of Mustang will have the same, if not greater, impact on the imaginations of car buyers (and Ford sales figures) as the first Mustang did back in 1964. It's also going to push retro design, not just in cars, but in other products, further into public consciousness.

2005 Ford Mustang GT

The one fly in the ointment: Oil prices hit $50 a barrel this morning - that may impact buyers from purchasing the muscle car (300-hp, 24-valve MOD V-8 or 200-hp SOHC V-6 engine.) - or it may not, because Mustang-lovers are a breed of car owners indifferent to the "trivialities" of gasoline prices.

[Via The Hollywood Extra Vince Burlapp Car Page]

[Photo Credits: Ford Motor Company]

"My woody's outside... "

2004-09-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

[Photo: Sci-Fi's PT Cruiser Automotive]

Sun and surf, surfers and big waves, surfer girls and woodies - all come together to create the perfect California summer.

Whatever name you choose to use, vehicles with wood bodies possess style and character missing in today's robotically built steel vehicles. Once, almost every conveyance was made of wood: boats, chariots, wagons, trains, even airplanes. The wood-sided wagons, convertibles, sedans and trucks seen here all wear the vestigial tails of their wooden predecessors...
-- Old Woodies

[Photo: MovieVehicles.com]
The Beach Boys often exposed their woodies on their album covers and music videos.

[Photo: Hot Rods Down Under]
Woodies are popular all over the world, wherever surfers converge. This old "wood-paneled chariot" is from Australia.

Check out Old Woodies, the premier woody web site.

[©1999-2003 oldwoodies.com]

Now Hers

2004-09-26T00:04:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this Canadian print ad, I laughed out loud. Easy enough for me to say, I'm in no danger of getting a divorce. The creators certainly deserve their accolades and awards. Simplicity always works best. The ad makes its point effectively.

Award of Merit - Prix du Mérite
Agency/Agence: Gordon Marshall, Freelancer
Client: Sanders, Lyn & Ragonetti Associates, Trial lawyers
Ad/Pub.: Was His
Creative Director/Directeur de la création: Gordon Marshall
Art Director/Directeur artistique: Gordon Marshall
Writer/Rédacteur: Gordon Marshall
Photographer/Photographe: Philip Rostron
Production: Electric Picture

[Via Les Prix EXTRA Awards]

Cars, Girls and Burlapp

2004-09-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

Commentary from the Vince Burlapp Car Page:

These ladies are professionals.

The car makers spend A LOT of money trying to "buy" the press. And the most obvious way to witness this is to attend the press days of any major auto show (as I actually did).

These "press guys" (mostly aging car geeks) are treated like royalty! Lots of them just travel around the world ( all expenses paid), looking forward to the free stuff, especially the booze and food.

Almost each car manufacturer has a full bar by their displays. And the best catering. That, of course, quickly disappears when the show opens to the public.

All we, regular people, are left with, are the cars and the beautiful ladies pictured here.

You can read more of Vince Burlapp's unique views about the modern automobile at The Hollywood Extra.

[Special thanks to Phil Schwartzetti of The Hollywood Extra for photos.]

[Copyright ©2004 The Hollywood Extra]

Vespa Vixens Vol. I

2004-09-24T01:15:00.000-07:00

Jayne Mansfield never took a bad picture, even in ads. This is an ad, you know, notice the Vespa tucked behind her.

Angie Dickinson before blond hair, 'Police Woman' and JFK. She looks positively stunning. The Vespa looks nice, too.

Stefania Sandrelli looks gorgeous, but you can tell from her expression that she's wondering how she ended up at a photo shoot in a smelly stable. Maybe, the photographer was going for a realistic approach - notice the horse crap in the background.

Sandra Milo has given the photographer a good reason for positioning the Vespa in the foreground - she's stark naked.

To view more Vespa calendar pinups go to Calendiers Piaggio.

Visit the official Vespa site.

[Photos: Copyright ©2001-2003 Piaggio USA, Inc. Vespa®]

Goodbye, Russ Meyer

2004-09-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

[Copyright ©1999-2004 RM Films International, Inc.]

Sad news about the death of filmmaker Russ Meyer. Years ago, when I lived in the Beachwood Canyon area of Hollywood, I used to see him shopping at the Beachwood Market. I recognized him right away with his signature mustache, despite the fact that he looked more like a shoe salesman than a bon vivant, lecherous playboy and wild filmmaker! I never thought much of his work, until a Dutch filmmaker friend kept extolling his movies as a form of high art and commentary on the American scene. It took seeing through the eyes of these expatriate Europeans, to open my myopic eyes. Still, he is an acquired taste. If you've never seen his films, Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! is a great place to start - full of fast cars and fast girls!

[Copyright ©1999-2004 RM Films International, Inc.]

It's the dangerous women of Russ Meyer's epic "Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!" (1965) Predating "Thelma and Louise" by 20 years, this cinematic masterpiece lets everyone know what "girl power" is all about. A perfect post-modern fable filmed in glorious "black and blue."

The three women featured (from left to right) are Haji, Lori Williams, and Tura Satana. Satana has become a cult idol with her leather tough attitude and karate chops.

Read the complete article and view more cool images from Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! at Java's Bachelor Pad.

Pioneer Adult Filmmaker Russ Meyer Dies

Los Angeles - Russ Meyer, producer-director who helped spawn the "skin flick" with such films as "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" and later gained a measure of critical respect, has died. He was 82.

Meyer died Saturday at his home in the Hollywood Hills, according to his company, RM Films International Inc. Spokeswoman Janice Cowart said Meyer had suffered from dementia and died of complications of pneumonia.

Meyer's films were considered pornographic in their time but are less shocking by today's standards, with their focus on violence and large-busted women but little graphic sex.

Altogether he produced, directed, financed, wrote, edited and shot at least 23 films, including his debut, "The Immoral Mr. Teas," in 1959 and the 1968 film "Vixen," whose success earned him notice from major studios. -- Associated Press

Read the complete obit.

Visit the Russ Meyer web site, and while you're there, check out his long-awaited biography A Clean Breast, you may want to buy it. (It's on my Christmas list!)

Car Crazy! Speed Crazy! Boy Crazy!

2004-09-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

[American International Pictures]

Hot-Rod Girl is a classic 1950's rock 'n rod, drive-in movie. It stars the young and beautiful, Lori Nelson in the title role - which isn't saying much in that it's more of a supporting role. We get to see her hot-rodding a little in the title sequence. Her '55 T-Bird is very cool, as are are a lot of the cars in the movie, accompanied by equally cool foot-tapping, finger-snapping music - good enough reasons watch Hot-Rod Girl again and again! A couple of other reasons are to see a young Chuck Connors, of The Rifleman, and an equally young Frank Gorshin, 60's Batman's The Riddler, performing in some of their earliest work. The story is negligible: Connors plays a young cop trying to stop illegal street racing by setting up legalized racing at a local drag strip. The problem is that Connors is constantly getting hassled by his captain who wants to ban hot-rods completely - you get the picture. Don't expect Shakespeare, but it's a whole lotta fun!

Read about and see more images of Hot-Rod Girl. A very cool page.

[American International Pictures]

Dragstrip Girl is yet another drive-in movie. (I miss drive-ins!) If you liked Hot-Rod Girl, you'll love this movie, too - it's full of old cars, 50's bad girls and bad boys, with a plot-line designed to be visited occasionally when coming up for air from the back seat of your car at the drive-in. The movie will transport you back to a simpler time, a when boys still met their date's parents, wore pompadours, skinny ties, pegged pants and a cigarette behind their ear. Strictly PG, it's full of hip, jive talk, no cussing or naked body parts you don't care to look at - unless you're in the back seat of your car at the drive-in. (Did I mention that I missed drive-ins?)

Here's another very cool page about Dragstrip Girl.

Buy both movie posters and DVDs at Hot Rod Movie Posters

The SL as Aphrodisiac

2004-09-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

[20th Century Fox/Everett Collection]

The Mercedes-Benz SL, still a head-turner, is set to make a big comeback.

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible." -- P.J. O'Rourke

From Steve McQueen to Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey, Tinseltown's leading men have been drawn to the car's graceful lines and leathery confines, while over the years directors have been so enamored of the two-seater that they've given it starring roles in films like ''Two for the Road,'' ''Shampoo'' and ''American Gigolo... ''

The new Mercedes-Benz 2005 SLK

The famed roadster, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, shows no signs of running out of gas. This fall the company unveils a new model: the 2005 SLK. This low-slung version, with a 268-horsepower engine, is meant for ''the affluent enthusiast,'' says Mercedes-Benz's product manager, Doug Worrell. ''It's for the guy that wants something more aggressive.'' -- 'Topless Club' by Steve Kurut, 9.19.04

Read the full New York Times article.

Visit the Mercedes-Benz U.S.A. web site for more information.

[Copyright ©2004 The New York Times]
[Mercedes® and Mercedes-Benz® are trademarks of Mercedes-Benz AG,
a company within DaimlerChrysler.]

Stuck on girls stuck in the road

2004-09-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Stuck in the sand.

Women as sex objects when they're stuck in the road? I just figured out what AAA really stands for: "ass, ass, ass!" Maybe tow truck drivers are on to something.

I'll never view being stuck in the road the same way ever again.

Stuck in the snow.

Stuck in the mud.

See what else girls can get their cars stuck in. Check out this unusual 2004 Webby Award nominee site at carstuckgirls.com. And if you like it, be sure to register and vote for them.

[Photos: Copyright ©2003-2004 carstuckgirls.com]

Illegal Street Racing: The Legal Solution

2004-09-19T01:01:00.000-07:00

Legal street racers under the auspices of Race Legal.

In recent years, with the return of high-performance cars and the rise of the souped-up rice burners, street racing has reached epidemic proportions across the country, resulting in many deaths - of drivers, onlookers and innocent bystanders. Consider the stats below, compiled by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) from a variety of national and state transportation agencies, and it becomes obvious that a legal street racing solution is not just the best way, but the only way to solve this serious problem.

Race Legal is a community-based, legally-organized track racing alternative to illegal street racing. Based in San Diego, it has helped reduce organized illegal street racing activity in the San Diego area by an astounding 99%; and has also improved illegal street racing involved crash mortality/morbidity by 79%. Read more about Race Legal and their mission statement.

Kristen Goodman, a San Diego-based cashier, proudly holds her trophy, won racing her father's 5-speed 2003 Ford Focus ZX3, in a legal and safe race, sponsored by Race Legal. Read more about Kristen in her racer profile.

Another street legal racer proudly displays her winning trophy.

Visit the Race Legal web site for more information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The NHRA Illegal Racing Stats

In 2001, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that police listed street racing as a factor in 135 fatal crashes. The total was up from 72 street-racing-related fatalities reported in 2000.

According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, more than 800 citations for illegal street racing were issued in 2001.

In San Diego, where the street racing problem has been termed "epidemic," 16 deaths and 31 injuries were directly related to illegal street racing in 2001. The city's attorney's office prosecuted 147 illegal street racing cases in 1999, 161 in 2000, and 290 in 2001.

In Florida in 2001, 7,216 citations were issued for racing on the highway.

According to the NHTSA, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 16 and 20.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says 5,749 teens died in the United States from motor vehicle crash injuries in 1999.

Girls just wanna have 'Stangs

2004-09-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, muscle cars have been the domain of men and boys, but the Ford Mustang had that special something that also sparked the hearts of women across the USA.

Girls and cars? Do they mix? They do if you’re Nicolle Douglas and the car is a blown 5.0 Fox-bodied Mustang. Actually, the 28-year-old from Dallas wants to get across the message, "Girls Can Too," meaning girls can enjoy their cars just like guys.

So get this - Nicolle’s Mustang is a "he."

"His name is Bob," Nicolle laughs. "Because to me he’s just the coolest thing. He’s exactly what I’ve dreamed about since I was 14 - a cool, Fox-bodied Mustang." -- Jerry Heasley, Mustang Weekly

Read about her passion for Mustangs in Nicolle's own words.

Be sure to visit The Mustang Works Magazine and Mustang Weekly for all the latest news and info about Mustangs .

[Copyright ©2004 Mustang Weekly]

[Photo: ©1995-2004 The Mustang Works]

A women driver to watch

2004-09-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

Kari Miller, race car driver

"Racing with a passion!" - MN Racing Connection

Her interest in the sport was sparked by her father Dave. Kari watched her father compete at a track she’d one day run at herself... Kari got her start in the Bomber Division at Raceway back in 1999... The year 2001 found Miller moving into the Short Tracker Division, where she earned rookie of the year honors and also finished in the top ten in point standing. Kari realized how important staying focused was to her career and learned the how vital the value of never doubting yourself is to performance on the racetrack. Her positive attitude guided the achievement of every goal she has set for herself... Forgetting the fact that some fans may have doubted her driving abilities because she’s a female, Kari makes a point to prove any doubters wrong.

-- Arianne, Girls Garage

Feature Race Win, 2003 - a sweep!

In a sport dominated by men, women race car drivers are holding their own, especially across the heartland of America, at local tracks and raceways, solo or as members of racing clubs. Kari Miller is a driver to watch.

Read more about Kari Miller at her web site.

[Photos: RedLine Graphics, MHC Media, and Miller.]

Watch My Rear End, Not Hers!

2004-09-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

[Image from cheesecake.org; Amazing Motor Girls photo by Mark Rezyka]

Whatever happened to the ubiquitous bumper sticker? They were all over the place (actually, mostly on rear bumpers) back in the 60s and 70s, then they disappeared - gradually or all at once, I don't remember. You would think that during these politically-charged times we would see the return of these in-your-face-from-the-rear-messages, but you rarely see one. Did the Internet's blogs, forums and Photoshop art replace the bumper sticker, assigning to the trash heap of pop cultury history? Or, maybe Charles Schultz, creator of Peanuts, was right when he said, ""There's a difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker."

Some classic bumper stickers from the 60s and 70s:

Honk If You're Horny
Ass, Gas or Grass - Nobody Rides For Free
If This Van's A-Rockin', Don't Bother Knockin'
Don't Laugh Lady, Your Daughter Might Be Inside!
Make Babies Not Bombs
Make Love Not War
Honk If You Love Jesus
Have A Nice Day
Keep On Truckin'
Eat My Dust
Save The Whales
Save Water - Shower with a Friend
A Friend With Weed Is A Friend Indeed
If You Can Read This You're Too Damn Close
I Brake For Small Animals
America - Love It Or Leave It
Save A Tree Eat A Beaver
Disco Sucks!
Folk You
Mafia Staff Car
Mom's Taxi
One Nuclear Bomb Can Ruin Your Whole Day
If Handguns Are Outlawed Only Outlaws Will Have Handguns
Watch My Rear End, Not Hers!

Compare them to these actual, but rarely seen, 21st century bumper stickers:

Keep honking, I'm reloading.
My kid had sex with your honor student.
Hang up and drive.
Jesus is coming, everyone look busy.
Lord save me from your followers.
Guns don't kill people, postal workers do.
Forget about world peace, visualize using your turn signal.
Very funny Scotty. Now beam down my clothes.
Be nice to your kids. They'll be choosing your nursing home.
Horn broken. Watch for finger.
Your kid may be an honors student, but you're still an idiot.
Cover me. I'm changing lanes.
Learn from your parents' mistakes - use birth control.
I'm not as think as you drunk I am.
Time is what keeps everything from happening at once.
The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.
Rehab is for quitters.
No radio - Already stolen.
Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs.
Some people are only alive because it is illegal to kill.
Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
Jesus loves you, everyone else thinks you're an asshole.
i souport publik edekashun.
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder...
Caution: I drive like you do.

Conclusion: People are funnier today. They just don't advertise it.

[Bumper sticker quotes from Nostalgia Central and The Geek Theater.]
[Thanks to Amanda and Darcy, Amazing Motor Girls]

2Slow 2Easy

2004-09-15T01:57:00.000-07:00

Mothman and his cars

2004-09-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

[©2002 - Spiderweb 2000 Solutions]

Like a moth attracted to a flame, the Mothman seems obsessed with automobiles, especially the kind with big fins. Maybe in the dark, the Cadillac or Plymouth looks like a Mothwoman. How Freudian.

[Image from LosEnigmas.com.ar]

"It's time again for the Mothman Festival! This weekend! Yeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiipeee!" -- Roberta of WVa

The 3rd Annual Mothman Festival is taking place in downtown Point Pleasant, West Virginia on Saturday and Sunday September 18th and 19th. If you're lucky to attend, maybe you'll spot the Mothman riding atop a classic car or two.

[Copyright © 2003 Steve Sims Illustration]

The festival seems to have turned into a sort of early Halloween celebration; considering the horrific nature of what the local folks are celebrating, it makes sense:

For thirteen months the entire town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia was gripped by a dark terror that culminated in a tragedy that made headlines all over the world. This is a story that contains all the elements of a modern science fiction movie but every single word is true and fully documented...

Homes throughout the little towns were plagued with unearthly noises and ghostly manifestations while mysterious aerial lights traveled silently overhead seemingly on a regular schedule. Winged monsters and frightening apparitions terrified the population as automobiles stalled and telephones and TV sets ran amok. A Red Cross Bloodmobile filled with fresh blood was pursued along a darkened highway by a weird flying machine. Domestic animals were found slaughtered and mutilated in pastoral farm fields. Innocent people lived in surrealistic horror, haunted by the fearsome demonic "Bird" and besieged by legions of strange beings (some of which arrived in ordinary-looking automobiles).

-- John A. Keel, "The Mothman Prophecies"

Click to read about the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, WVa."

[Via Kapowie Zone]

Why women live longer than men

2004-09-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

And as more men are killed by their foolish work habits, hope springs eternal for woman mechanics:

As customers, women play a significant role in the field of auto repair. While they make up just more than half of the US population, they deliver up to two-thirds of the vehicles brought in for maintenance or repair, according to Volvo.

However, the number of female technicians is another matter entirely. Out in the shop or up front where they could work as service writers or as service managers, women are significantly underrepresented in the field. “I think this is because [car repair] has never been considered a woman's field, but that is changing,” says Jennifer Tio, president of the Car Care Council's Women's Board.
-- Auto Repair Needs More Women

Click to read the full Monster.com article.

[Image from Roberta of West Virginia]

Thumbs up or down?

2004-09-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

If you give this man a ride
Sweet family will die
Killer on the road...
The Doors 1970

Jim Morrison may very well have seeded the death of hitchhiking with these three lines thirty years ago, but we aim to change all that!-- The Lü Hitchhiker's Club

The Lü Hitchhiker's Club plans include a national hitchhiker's club, with photo ID membership cards, rider/driver home addresses, a bar code for security checks, a hitchhiker data base and a national marketing strategy, among many ideas. Read more about their efforts on behalf of safe hitchhiking .

Or, if you prefer, read about the other side of hitchhiking here.

[Image Copyright © 2002 C&D Visionary. Click to order a button .]

The Art of Coop

2004-09-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

The Art of Chris Cooper aka Coop

While his work is closer to infamous than famous (yes, he’s the one who professes a passion for “lesbo devil girls”), the 34-year-old Coop magnificently breathes life — and dark humor! — into wacky images of screw-happy robots, decadent Satan-types, over-the-top female vamps, and drooling bug-eyed creatures driving hot rods, all of which typically leap off the page.

Anyone who, of course, has seen sci-fi comic books and movies from the ‘50s, or taken a peek at his father’s collection of Playboy magazines as an adolescent can immediately spot Coop’s influences. His art borrows heavily from artist Wally Wood (of E.C. Comics fame) and hot-rod maker Ed “Big Daddy” Roth (the guy who created “Rat Fink”). -- Spectator.net

The artist Coop and one of his 13 individual 6 by 6ft panels, designed to flow together and form a single, huge 78 ft. painting that fill all the walls of the gallery surrounding the viewer. It can be seen in person Aug. 14 - Sept. 18 in Los Angeles. His show is titled "Parts With Appeal' - gallery details at Coop's web site. Click for more information and to view more of Coop's masterpieces.

[Images from coopstuff.com]

New respect for women drivers

2004-09-10T01:21:00.000-07:00

"If you meet the expectations of women, you exceed the expectations of men." -- Marti Barletta, gender trend specialist

Volvo discovered women have higher standards for their cars than men. So what happens when Volvo gives a group of eight women total freedom to design the perfect car for the way we live today? Introducing the YCC, Your Concept Car, the sporty coupe that manages to look beautiful, sturdy and tough all at once... a car that focused on three main areas: ergonomics, storage and convenience. A car designed to put you in control in traffic and in your life. -- Volvo Concept Lab

Check out the interactive Volvo Concept Lab for yourself.

YCC includes features not found in man-made cars.

Among the dozens of unique items: no hood; no gas cap; easy-clean paint; head restraints with room for ponytails; numerous exchangeable seat covers of various colors and materials (linen, leather, felt, etc.); compartments for handbags; gull-wing doors that make it easier to load and unload larger items and children; computerized assistance for parallel parking; and improved sight lines. Owners carrying large items can set the doors to open automatically when they reach the doors. At the point-of-purchase, retailers can conduct a body scan of the driver measuring height and length of arms and legs. The data is stored in the vehicle's key, and the car recommends a seat position for the driver that provides her or him an optimal line of vision and reach. The car also electronically notifies the owner's chosen service center when maintenance is due, and the service technician contacts the owner to book the appointment. -- Woman Motorist

Find the car in the photo

2004-09-09T01:10:00.000-07:00

Every day the human brain processes millions of images, but only some
of them are focused. To prove this scientific fact, try the following test:

Stare at the picture above and find the car in the shortest possible time.

Average Results:

Average time for a woman: 1.23 Seconds
Average time for a man: 12.46 Minutes

[From Jill's Jokeline.]

Big Truck Fetish

2004-09-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

In pursuit of the elusive chrome and steel tanker trailer. Glendora, CA. 8.29.04

It takes all kinds:

Is it a guy thing, or am I the only one fascinated with huge, chrome and steel gasoline tanker trailers? When one of those highly-polished babies roars past me, I instantly feel its pull, the magnetic attraction from its gleam. I've been known to pursue one for miles trying to catch a fleeting glimpse of my Mustang reflected on its shiny curves. I especially love following closely behind, watching the world smear around and past my mirror-image in its fish-eyed rear end. It's like a moveable feast for the eyes. The only thing coming close to it, is following an In-N-Out ® Burger Cookout Trailer, but that's like a moveable feast for the nose. -- Kapowie Zone

Click for more info about tanker trailers. For you multi-axle fetishists click here to view a gallery of tanker trucks.

[Photo & story: ©2004 Kapowie Zone]