Mustang wagons have long been part of ponycar folklore. Some customs exist, but a factory-built first-generation Mustang shooting brake still appears to be mythology. Our friends at Hemmings have turned up some very nicely done cars that individuals have put together, a particularly fetching blue one has a very well thought out roofline and rear hatch. This whole bit of nonsense may have its genesis in a one-off wagon that Intermeccanica built for Barney Clarke and Robert Cumberford back in the '60s. It seems that you can do a lot with an early 'Stang and a Sawz-all if you're determined, and wagons are just the start of it.
Click above for a gallery of the Oettinger Volkswagen Scirocco
Today on Cars We Can't Have, Oettinger turns its eye toward Volkswagen's C30 Scirocco. There's history between the tuning firm and VW's windy coupe, so this could be viewed as an addendum to past work. What does a tuner do, if not enhance performance? Indeed, Oettinger has fiddled about underhood to wring 240PS from the 2.0-liter engine, and the smaller 1.4-liter TSI mill is good for an even 200PS at the hands of the tuner. Anticipating that more is always better, the future holds a further enhanced 2.0 liter TSI engine frothing out 350PS.
It's not just engine tweaks. The hotted-up Scirocco is low enough to scrape roadkill from the tarmac, thanks to an adjustable suspension. Holding the increased go power from the engine room in check are larger brakes, and it wouldn't be a tuner car without a body kit. Oettinger's bodywork changes are more classy than garish, and overall the look is successful at ratcheting our desire for the Scirocco up another notch.
Following all the plot twists in the ongoing saga of what's become of MG Rover in recent years is more difficult than unravelling the Harry Potter series in a half hour. Looking like something distinctly last century, the MG XPower SV started life as a derivate of the Qvale Mangusta. Ex-racer William Riley, a member of the famed English automotive clan, managed to wheel and deal for the rights to the MG X-Power name, as well as the flared and gilled V8-powered supercar intender.
What better thing to do with a kevlar-bodied piece of automotive bombast but cut the top off? That's exactly the thinking that's led to the prototype MG X-Power SV-S WRC. WRC stands for William Riley Convertible, and the car sports a supercharged V8 and is claimed to be capable of hitting 62 mph in 3.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 195 mph. It will cost Anglophiles £87,000 to support their local supercar bakery, though there will be lower achievers that cost less but still deliver the same jagged-glass eye pain. Still, considering that this mobile cheese grater is about half the cost when powered by a 3.5 liter Ford V6, it's a bargain for such an exclusive car. Thanks for the tip, pottz!
There are fantastic combinations, like bacon and, well, just about anything, and then there are things that should never be combined. Jeep CJ-7s are super iconic, and they represent the pinnacle of AMC's stewardship of the brand. Though the Dukes of Hazzard itself was no Citizen Kane, every kid of that era has indelible images of an orange Charger flying through the air etched in their memories. Again, General Lee: cool. Put them together; ignoring the fact that a proper "Dukes"-themed CJ would mirror the Golden Eagle edition that appeared in the show; and you have created that which should never be. The "01" treatment has been applied to some very odd vehicles the world over, though, so we suppose that a General Lee-themed CJ isn't so bad in the long run. At least both elements appeared in the original show...
Back in the first Ponycar era, a Ford Mustang packed with a Cobra Jet V8 was a mighty drag strip warrior. Better still was the Super Cobra Jet, augmenting the CJ's enhanced breathing with a stouter lower end. Either way, a 428-powered Mustang would tear off elapsed times in the high 13s - still fast today. Since the current Mustang is a headlong dive into nostalgia, it stands to reason that Ford's working up a new Cobra Jet and eyeing drag racing domination yet again. We have no details other than a video after the jump that shows an obviously tweaked Mustang making a quarter mile run at Milan Dragway in Michigan, but the actual car will be coming to SEMA very soon, so Ford Racing is likely making sure that nothing blows up once the package is offered for sale. We've sent in our resume for the job of drag-race test driver; shoot, you don't even have to steer!
Click above for more images of the Airstream PanAmerica
Being able to complain that hauling your 34-foot Airstream around means leaving your full-dresser Harley at home for vacation strikes us as an enviable problem to have. For those of you with a surfeit of high-end toys and a longing to hit the road, Airstream has you covered with its new PanAmerica model. Being a high-end product itself, the PanAmerica sports Airstream's trademark aluminum construction and mid-century modern styling that ensures it's perpetually in vogue. The best part of the trailer, however, is that it sports a garage in its aft compartment that can swallow a pair of motorcycles, some ATVs, or our current favorite, a red Radio Flyer wagon. The garage has an 11-foot depth and is comprehensively equipped with tie downs and wheel clamps so your scooter will stay put while you drag everything over mountain passes.
The dragging part will require a pretty beefy tow vehicle. You'll want your pickup to have the largest available engine to cope with the 11,500-pound gross weight rating. Once you've docked your rig at camp, it's nothing but traditional Airstream class inside, meaning stainless appliances, indirect lighting, and snazzy cabinetry. It all looks like some kind of 1950's Brasserie, and if we had 85 large to drop on a jet-age home away from home (and a truck brawny enough to pull it), we'd be blogging from various bucolic undisclosed locations on a daily basis.
Prior to Ferrari's successful customization plan for the 612 Scaglietti, your best bet at having Maranello build you a one-off would be to throw your wealth around like a Sultan. The One To One Personalisation Programme has been met with enthusiasm, so Ferrari is going to offer the factory custom treatment on the 599 GTB Fiorano, as well. The official announcement will take place at the Paris Motor Show tomorrow, where everyone will be packed like sardines to get a glimpse of the new Ferrari California up-close. An Atelier has also been set up in Italy to aid buyers in looking through all of the various permutations in order to come up with just the right car. The only option we're interested in is the one entitled "park a Ferrari in your driveway."
A Route 666 sign would look right at home in the shop next to the Fiat crest that's displayed on the wall. In fact, they may share a meaning. It seems we're not the only ones that chuckle when the number of the beast pops up on road signs. Barnegat, New Jersey can't keep mile marker 66.6 on either its Parkway or Turnpike. Whenever the signs are replaced, they're stolen again. The situation is much the same further north in Morris County, where so many Route 666 signs went missing that New Jersey changed the route designation to 665. There's a joke in here somewhere about hell rides on Jersey roads, but it happens elsewhere in the country, as well. The former interstate 666, which runs through Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado, was renamed Route 491, though there are certainly some drivers that continue to drive like hell no matter what road they're on.
If the BMW X3 isn't ugly or space-inefficient enough for you, here's the Concept X1, which is a lightly veiled version of the production soft ute you'll see in BMW dealers shortly. Yeech. We can't fathom how it's going to be that much different than the X3, seeing as BMWs famliy tree among 1 and 3 series vehicles is starting to look as inbred as English Aristocracy, but we're going to go way out on a limb and suggest that it's a little tighter in most dimensions while sharing powertrains. Styling-wise, as long as you ignore anything forward of the A-pillar, you'll be okay. It's largely standard BMW fare, just scaled down. We're not quite sure what happened up front - it's bad. From the visage that's evocative of the 7 series to the oddly shaped wheel arches, it just doesn't come together, and the way the proboscis sticks out when viewing the X1's profile borders on disturbing. The most amazing thing: people will fall all over themselves to buy it. It'll definitely drive like a BMW, a redeeming trait, but we'd much rather see a 135 shooting brake.
Click above for high-res gallery of Krasnov Igor's four-door Ferrari
Since everyone else is getting in on the four-door supercar game, Ferrari might as well give one of its cars the taffy pull treatment. Rather than wait for one of the design houses classically associated with the Prancing Horse to apply masterstrokes of design, Russian enthusiast Krasnov Igor came up with his own quad portal thoroughbred. We're not thrilled with the results, but we'll bestow an A for effort. Looking like a Scaglietti that got tossed in the blender with an Elise's roof and a Lamborghini tail, the wheelbase and proportions just don't look quite right. Perhaps the Lambo tail is a nod to the car's intended role as a competitor to the Lamborghini Urus/Estoque/whatevertheywannacallit, but we're thinking that car's styling will be far more cohesive. Thanks for the tip, Greg!
Follow the Audi Mileage Marathon starting Monday morning
Paris 2008: MINI Crossover Concept
Paris 2008: Aston Martin One-77 (partially) revealed
Paris 2008: The GT by Citroen. No, the whole thing this time
Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque LIVE
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chevy Corvette Z06
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
Paris 2008: Le Day 1 Wrapup
Knight Rider: The Liveblog -- Season 1, Episode 2
By the Numbers - September 2008: Nobody Wins Edition
