cars

It's a Porsche painted in a floral paisley pattern. Unfortunately, we can't tell you where to buy it or how much it might cost to have this done to your own car.

Jalopnik found this interesting paint job on Russian blog Parkoffka.ru.

Parkoffka means "parking" in Russian. And the pattern is not actually paisley, but is rather based on the famous Russian folk craft Hohloma (or Khokhloma), which first appeared in 17th century Russia. The name derives from one of the original trade villages, where the pattern was created.

According to our translator, the photos … Read more

If you like to rock out in your car, but don't want to turn your ride into a mobile guitar amp, then this might be the answer: an in-car audio system jointly designed by Panasonic and Fender. The iconic guitar maker has teamed up with Panasonic to "create customized products for the global automotive industry."

The collaboration is an attempt to cash in on Fender's brand name and expertise in the musical instruments industry, and it's another effort by Panasonic to name-drop its way into the in-car audio market. Panasonic already supplies the likes of … Read more

The 2007 Detroit Auto Show ends on Sunday, and if you didn't get a chance to see it, you can enjoy the concepts, new models, and exhibits through our coverage. We've just posted our last video on the show, wrapping up the most important announcements and unveilings. For even more depth, take a look at our slide shows and blog entries about the show.

Click here to watch the 2007 Detroit Auto Show wrap-up video.

The McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 had its track debut at the Valencia circuit in Spain on Wednesday.

There were some glitches, however. World Champion Fernando Alonso was forced to return to the pit at one point when smoke began to come out from the back of the car, according to Autosport.

Alonso completed 57 laps with his fastest time on the track (after the smoking pit stop) at 1 minute, 12.053 seconds.

The test follows the announcement that Vodafone is releasing three Formula One cell phones to celebrate its sponsorship of the McLaren Mercedes team.

Ferrari's new Formula 1 car, the F2007, made its track debut at the Fiorano Test Track, in northern Italy, on Monday.

The car, which will compete in this year's Formula 1 World Championship, was tested by Felipe Massa. Massa took the F2007 for a run of 39 laps throughout the day over Fiorano's long course (2.976 kilometers, or about 1.845 miles). His quickest lap time: 58.360 seconds.

(And you thought I had a cool job.)

The F2007, wet and with driver, weighs about 1,323 pounds (600kg), according to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro's specs. (… Read more

No, it's not the Beck of Speedster and Spyder fame, and it's definitely not the other Beck.

Berne Beck Engineering & Composits, an up-and-coming Swiss car manufacturer, unveiled a new sports car on Wednesday at the Luxus Motor Show in Vienna, Austria.

The Beck LM 800 really is as svelte as the Swiss on slopes. It only weighs about 1,984 pounds when loaded with a 176-pound driver and full tank of gas, according to the company. That is because lightweight materials like aluminum, magnesium, titanium and Kevlar were used in its construction. The tech components were based … Read more

Dresser Wayne is working on a gas pump with Microsoft's Automotive Business Unit that would allow you to download music while waiting for your gas to finish pumping. The Ovation iX fuel pump would connect to the Internet and transfer the songs to your media device or a car stereo system via Wi-Fi. The media/fuel pump complete with touch screen was featured at CES 2007, according to Gizmag.

The device could be a good service for truckers with long hours to kill, but how would you get the full-service gas station drivers in New Jersey to use it?… Read more

Harman Kardon unleashed its nifty Drive+Play 2 for gadget-loving drivers everywhere. With an impressively simple setup (you can hook it up in a couple minutes sans tools), you can have a single interface for everything from your iPod or Zune to your phone or satellite radio. The 3.5-inch color display is easily mountable on your dash with screws or adhesive, and a 2.4GHz wireless control knob lets you navigate the very iPod-like skinnable menu system for "distraction-free browsing."

The system is powered by a cigarette-lighter module that doubles as an FM transmitter, line output, and … Read more

Convergence is the name of the digital game at CES 2007. Music players become phones, phones become GPS devices, and GPS devices become music players. In the latest effort to combine two previously distinct products, JVC Mobile has integrated an 3.5-inch color LCD screen into the faceplate of a in-car stereo head unit to provide drivers with movies, music and directions in one after-market device.

The KD-NX5000, on display at CES for the first time, is an impressive product. Its 16GB hard drive-based navigation system contains 13 million points of interest and comes with a built-in RDS-TMC traffic tuner … Read more