Forgiato, who, you may remember, came out with clear wheels about a year ago, has a brand new wheel, the Parlaro, which is essentially a single spoke wheel. According to Gary Tegeleci from Forgiato, these are 3 piece forged wheels, manufactured in the U.S. using all American parts, which is rare in the wheel business. The wheels will be available in about 2 months and there is currently a waiting list.

If something like this would look good on your car, give Gary a call.

Link: Forgiato

More photos below: Read the rest of this entry »

Origami is usually associated with nifty little animals or flowers but folding paper can be great for the motorheads among us, too. This paper V12 isn’t a quick little foldup, it has 1978 pieces and all of the internal pieces move just like they should, the crankshaft, connecting rods and 12 pistons all doing their proper job. The creator did add LED spark plugs for a little added realism but, taken as a whole, it certainly looks the part.

Yee’s Job previously designed a paper V8, a paper V-twin and a very cool biplane. The V12 is available as a kit and comes with a 595 page assembly manual. So if you can’t quite swing a real V12, this could be an option. Wouldn’t this look great in a display case?

Link: Yee’s Job via Jalopnik

See also at The Kneeslider: Paper V8 and the Paper V-Twin plus Yamaha has some great Paper Motorcycles

The one and only, original 1967 Shelby GT500 SuperSnake is for sale on eBay. They’re asking $3,000,000. Carroll Shelby only built one of these, he did 2 Cobras but only one Mustang. The engine is rated at 520 hp, same as the 427 used in the GT40 LeMans winners. The buyer also gets the website supersnake.org.

Considering that the recent Barrett Jackson auction didn’t bring the huge dollars many expected, this would be quite a sale.

Link: GT500 SuperSnake

How about a 19 foot long, 702 cubic inch V12 custom roadster for your garage? If you’re thinking, “Hey, that’s my car!” head for the Barrett Jackson auction in January, your car is waiting.

Press release follows:

Hailed as a “rolling sculpture” and powered by a mammoth 702cid V12 engine, the famous Blastolene B-702 custom roadster (Lot #1310) will be sold at No Reserve during the 37th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event on Jan. 12-20, 2008, in Scottsdale, Ariz. The latest creation from the “Blastolene Brothers,” Michael Leeds and Randy Grubb, measures 19.5-feet long and nearly 8-feet wide and will cross the block during SPEED’s live primetime coverage on Saturday evening.

Barrett-Jackson will feature the B-702 on the cover of the 2008 Scottsdale auction program. The program cover will be penned by celebrated automotive artist and president of the Automotive Fine Arts Society, Ken Eberts. Hailed as “The World’s Greatest Collector Car Events™,” the Scottsdale auction will feature 1000 of the world’s finest collector vehicles and lavish lifestyle events. As always, SPEED will broadcast live-coverage of all six auction days.

“I was speechless when I first laid eyes on the Blastolene B-702,” said Craig Jackson, Chairman/CEO of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. “Never before had I witnessed such a massive automobile with pinpoint attention to detail and flawless design execution. The ‘Blastolene Brothers’ are justifiably renowned throughout the automotive world for their jaw-dropping creations. When the B-702 crosses the block in Scottsdale, it will be the first public offering of a new vehicle from these dynamic builders.”

The Blastolene B-702 blends America’s passion of high-powered, large displacement engines with refined European design cues, especially those of 1930s French classics. The hand-formed aluminum body flows effortlessly from end to end, accented by a dramatic separation from the pod-style fenders, glass grille bars, Woodlight headlights and hand-blown glass taillights. The sensuous body rides on a custom chassis that is entirely nickel-plated or powder-coated, giving the B-702 a glamorous touch to complement its commanding stature.

The roadster’s 702cid V12 engine, originally produced by GMC from 1960-1965 for their 2.5-ton medium duty trucks, produces 650 ft/lbs of torque at 850 rpm on regular gasoline. A modern Allison 4-speed transmission sends power to the 9-inch Ford Currie rear end, while 4-wheel power disc brakes and power steering make the 4,800-pound beast drive like a dream. The exterior is a mesmerizing midnight blue and the interior is finished in maroon leather. Read the rest of this entry »

The days of the “Police Interceptor” version of a big Ford sedan or any retail car available to the general public may be coming to a close, at least that’s what Carbon Motors is trying to do with a bit of help from Lotus Engineering. Those two companies have teamed up to build a purpose built police patrol vehicle, not a warmed over version of the family sedan, this is a vehicle designed from the start to be driven by law enforcement agencies and suited to their particular needs.

The specs aren’t bad, either. We’re talking about a 300 horsepower diesel with 420 foot pounds of torque mated to a 6 speed automatic. 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, the quarter mile in 14.5 @ 98.0 mph. Top speed is 155 mph. Lateral Acceleration is .85 g and it gets 28 - 30 mpg.

Much more below: Read the rest of this entry »

The Chevy powered Cheetah is a less well known but really great looking car from the early 1960s. Built to compete with the AC Cobra, they produced less than a couple dozen before a factory fire destoyed the tooling. BTM LLC of Arizona has been authorized by Bill Thomas, original creator of the Cheetah, to build this continuation series.

A chrome moly chassis with a Chevy 350 for power and a curb weight of 1550 pounds promises superb performance, however, the car is not street legal but Cheetah Race Cars is ready to provide a track car that will bring a smile to your face.

Link: Cheetah via Autoblog