Cars

I'm against tacky faux chrome stick-on portholes on cars, but I wholly endorse Etsy seller Empira's geeky custom car emblems.

The emblems cover most of the top sci-fi franchises, including "Star Wars," "Star Trek," "Battlestar Galactica," "Doctor Who," and "Firefly." There are even shout-outs to the fictional Canyonero from "The Simpsons" and to Atari with an Atari 2600 stick-on.

The emblems are convincingly done in the style of real car emblems. The Land Speeder even apes the look of the Land Rover logo. If you already own a vintage Ford Falcon, then you'll be on top of the universe with a Falcon Millennium Edition stick-on. Prices range for $12 to $15.… Read more

Some things were never meant to go together, but that hasn't stopped some insane mechanics from fitting a honking V8 engine to a shopping cart to create the Shopper Chopper hot rod.

Admittedly, this isn't just a stock shopping cart stolen from the grocery store parking lot. It's custom built to accommodate a height of more than 9 feet and a length of more than 12 feet. You could fit a lot of cereal boxes and Doritos into this monster, but it's already fitted with seating capacity for six people.… Read more

Goodyear decided to kick off this year's IAA Commercial Vehicle show in a gigantic way with the reveal of a life-size Lego big rig. While you cannot drive this mock truck, at least we can marvel at the fact that it weighs 1,631 pounds and contains a quarter of a million Lego bricks. … Read more

The 2012 Paris Motor Show opens this weekend, and ahead of the show we have seen numerous previews of concept cars using hybrid and electric power trains. Carbon dioxide reduction is a huge issue in Europe, and automakers are showing off their latest research into vehicles that can give people the transportation options to which they have become accustomed, yet meet new emissions specifications. The win-win for Europeans is that these vehicles get much improved fuel economy in a regions with notoriously high gasoline prices.

Here are just a few of the cars we expect to see during the 2012 Paris Motor Show. … Read more

Take a lowrider car club. Add a couple of artists. Throw in some wireless audio technology. Do some choreography. Practice for four months. Roll it all out in a parking lot in Albuquerque, N.M. Congratulations, you've just created a lowrider symphony.

Officially called "Symphony 505," a reference to one of New Mexico's two area codes, the performance piece took place during ISEA2012 Albuquerque: Machine Wilderness, a collection of art, science, and technology events with an international conference.

I caught the event on a warm New Mexico Sunday evening. It was equal parts baffling and fascinating. The cars moved about the parking lot, sometimes following each other, sometimes making their own purposeful paths. … Read more

At next week's Paris Motor Show, McLaren Automotive will show off the P1 concept, a car that will do little to increase McLaren's model range. The P1 concept heralds a new production car to be launched next year.

Just like its only current model, the MP4-12C, which comes in hard-top and convertible formats, the P1 is a two-seat low slung hyper sport car. Those in the market for a sedan or SUV must continue to look elsewhere.

McLaren released no details about the new concept, and merely said it will slot in above the MP4-12C in the company'… Read more

During today's event announcing the new iPhone and iPod, Apple V.P. Phil Schiller spent a little time talking about the Lightning connector, the port replacing the old 30-pin port on iOS devices. Although Schiller pointed out how Apple's adapter for the port would ensure backward compatibility, some car models are not likely to work with Lightning or the new adapter.

Schiller specifically mentioned how the adapter would work with existing iPod integration in cars, showing an image of an iPhone cabled to a car. The car shown in the photo was an Audi, identifiable by the distinctive … Read more

With a cost starting close to $300,000, it is not likely you own a Bentley Mulsanne, or have even seen one out on the street. However, Bentley hopes to make this model slightly less rare with a new convertible version. Bentley revealed sketches today of its new convertible concept, which it says is aimed at new and emerging markets. That doesn't mean it will be generally affordable, though.

The sketches reveal a two-door car with four seats, covered by a soft top. The top looks low relative to the high beltline of the car. The rear fenders have … Read more

Many luxury carmakers offer bespoke programs, where buyers can get their cars uniquely customized, but McLaren took the notion of bespoke design a bit further with the X-1. At the request of an anonymous buyer, McLaren, which makes the MP4-12C supercar, designed and build a completely custom car with a unique, carbon fiber body.

The X-1, which was unveiled during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, is based on the tub and chassis of the MP4-12C. The design was informed by such historic cars as the 1953 Chrysler D'Elegance Ghia, 1959 Buick Electra, and 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K. The obviously … Read more