Post By Kasey Kagawa

After an unusually long time away, due to Richard Hammond’s unscheduled extremely low altitude flight into a field, the greatest car show in the world returns to trouble the dreams of Liberal Democrats everywhere on BBC2. It’s great to see the Tall One, the Short One, and the Other One back on TV, or on your computer screen, depending on where you live. Over the last few series, they’ve had some great moments, but didn’t quite have the same punch as some of their earlier stuff, despite some brilliant segments. If this first episode is any indication, however, they’re back on top form. Also, this episode contains the footage of Hammond’s big crash, but if you’re the impatient type, we’ve got it on YouTube just after the jump, and Top Gear’s created a computer reconstruction of the crash, which is on the other side of the link below.

0-288 MPH-0 in 20 seconds [Top Gear]

Continue reading The Hamster is Back in the Wheel: Top Gear Returns

Post by Kasey Kagawa

These days, car ads try to play on such high-minded desires as environmental responsibility, well-honed engineering, and the fact that we’re the BEST MOTHERFUCKIN’ COUNTRY ON THE PLANET! HOO-RAH! Back in the mists of time, however, life, and advertising, was simpler. A good looking car, a good looking woman, and maybe even a cougar or two was all you needed to make a cool car ad. Then again, a sultry woman with bedroom eyes sitting on the hood of a Chevrolet Malibu doesn’t really have the same effect as one sitting on a Jag E-Type, even if she has high-sided it.

Girls & Cars (European Vintage Ads)
Girls & Cars (American Vintage Ads) [Dark Roasted Blend]

Post by Kasey Kagawa

Now, I know that we all love cars here. It’s the reason why this website exists. But I’d also like to think that we’d like to attract members of the opposite sex who may not have permanent grease stains under their fingernails. If so, I’d advise against putting a V8 engine in the middle of your living room. It may be a beautiful piece of engineering, but as someone who knows all about repulsing the opposite sex, that is a huge neon sign broadcasting that you’re the kind of person who reads Haynes manuals for fun and can recite the displacement and compression ratios of at least ten different engines from memory. Please, for the good of all of us, if you just have to have one, keep it in your secret lair with your Gordon Murray, Stirling Moss and Colin Chapman shrines.

Another V8 Table [Makezine.com blog]

Post by Kasey Kagawa

As I think that at least one of you know, I have a five dollar bet going with Mr. Johnson of the Jalopnik.com regarding whether or not the BMW 1-series will sell, or whether or not it will fail. Mr. Johnson cites the 318ti, another small, cheap Bimmer that crashed and burned. I happen to believe that there’s enough people with a poor grasp of personal finance management skills and middle-management aspirations to support a market for a cheaper BMW.

However, Mr. Johnson raised an excellent point when he stated that the American people will never accept a hatchback as something to be desired. I’ve never understood our hatred for hatchbacks, but the Audi A3 is a perfect example of a good luxury car let down by the hatchback stigma. However, that’s no longer an issue. BMW reps have stated that when the 1-series comes over here, we won’t get the pedestrian hatchback, only the coupe and convertible. You hear that, Davey? That five bucks is as good as mine.

America Will Get BMW 1-Series Coupe and Convertible [mworks.com]

Story by Zerin Dube

With the origins of music dating back to before the advent of recorded history, music is something that has evolved and grown over time just like us humans. Some say that the music originated with naturally occurring sounds and rhythms, and that the first musical instrument was actually the human voice itself. With the oldest known song in the world dating back to over 4,000 years ago, music has clearly stood up to the test of time and evolved alongside the human race. Music is one of the few things to which every single culture on the face of the planet can relate. From the tranquil sounds of classical music, to the hard and aggressive sounds of heavy metal, there is literally something for everyone on the planet to enjoy.

Continue reading Dubspeed Driven Gadget Review – XM Radio Inno by Pioneer

2007 Toyota Tundra CrewMax

January 24, 2007 – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., announced manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) today for the all-new second-generation Tundra full-size pickup truck.

Significantly bigger, more capable and more technically advanced in every metric of comparison, the 2007 Tundra is available in 31 models. The Tundra offers a choice of 4×2 and 4×4 drivetrains, three cab styles, three wheelbases, three bed lengths, three engines, and three trim levels. Tundra has been engineered for “true truckers” and is versatile enough to be a highly capable
truck for work or for personal use.

Continue reading Toyota Announces Prices For All-New 2007 Tundra Full-Size Pickup

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Dubspeed Driven Event Coverage @ Import Face Off Houston
Gulf Greyhound Park @ Houston, Texas

2007 Toyota Tundra CrewMax

Story by Wes Grueninger
Photos courtesy of Toyota

Toyota waded into the full-size truck market in 1993 with the T-100 pickup, a half-hearted effort at a large truck that was so far out of step with what consumers wanted that it even offered a four-cylinder option. The T-100 was supplanted by the first-generation Tundra in 2000, a velvet fist in an iron glove that was vastly improved over its predecessor in every way, and even offered an optional V8, but still retained the original’s unflagging, go-for-the-bronze streak. When it came time to introduce a new Tundra, Toyota knew that they had used all their mulligans. The redesigned Tundra had to, through sheer brawn, scare the socks off of General Motors, make Ford reach for the Excedrin, and deliver on the promises of convenience and durability made to prospective buyers who were willing to put their money where Toyota’s mouth was.

Continue reading Dubspeed Driven First Drive – 2007 Toyota Tundra