Mods

Nissan's mobile man cave

Nissan is angling to broaden commercial appeal of its cargo van by marketing the NV2500 as a mobile man cave.

To support Team Radio Shack on the Amgen Tour of California, Nissan kitted out a cargo van and turned it into what it described as a "man cave on wheels" equipped with satellite TV, bike tools, air hose, espresso machine, and bikes. The vehicle's maximum cargo height of 76.5 inches and nearly vertical sidewalls made it easy to accommodate aftermarket storage systems and cycling gear with enough space to stand and move around the interior. Occupants … Read more

Cadillac Ranch: Texas-size lawn ornaments

TULSA, Okla.--Welcome to the second installment of the Geek's guide to Route 66. I've been giving a lot of thought to how this iconic highway ties in with CNET's Crave blog, and I keep coming back to the second part of our mission statement--that bit about "other crushworthy stuff." Well, I'm totally crushing on the kitschy paean to big American cars that is the Cadillac Ranch.

Located just outside Amarillo, Tex., the Cadillac Ranch features 10 classic Caddys buried nose into the ground and fins to the sky in the middle of a field. The cars are covered in thick layers of colorful graffiti. Visitors come from around the world to ogle this very American version of Stonehenge and add their names to the ever-evolving art project.

Usually, I grab a discarded paint can and add my own message. Today, however, gale force winds removed all of the debris from the area and made it hard to even stand up against the massive force. Perhaps on my way back I'll be able to tag "Crave wuz here" across a protruding fin. In the meantime, I'm still picking little bits of Texas out of my teeth and hair.

How does the Cadillac Ranch tie in with tech? You can talk about cars as one of the most impactful inventions ever created. You can sit back and muse about what the Cadillac Ranch says about our culture, our obsession with the road, and how that obsession sometimes leads to being stalled out, nose down in a field while the winds and plants continue on around you. … Read more

Mercedes Sprinter becomes executive office

The idea of a van conversion is nothing new. Consider the water-bed-toting vans of the '70s with their diamond-shaped portholes and air-brushed scenes from Yes album cover art on the sides. But a company called Brilliant Transportation has updated the idea of the van conversion for our less whimsical age.

Enter the Brilliant Van, a conversion based on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. The tall Sprinter allows stand-up room inside, and Brilliant fits it with leather recliners and two 32-inch LCD TVs fed by DirecTV. A color printer and a 3G Wi-Fi hot spot enable type-A personalities to keep busy. The Brilliant Van even has a hardwood floor.

We've always liked Mercedes-Benz's Sprinter van, a practical vehicle with easily configurable interior space. Freightliner has sold them since 2001 in the U.S., and Dodge even got to put its own badge on the Sprinter when Daimler owned Chrysler. The Sprinter is powered by a 3-liter diesel V-6, giving the vehicle 400 miles range. Mercedes-Benz fits it with its Adblue emissions clean-up system to make it comply with U.S. regulations.

You could probably buy one of these vans from Brilliant Transportation for the right amount of money, but the company is really in the business of rentals. Based in New York, the clients for its chauffeurs-driven vans are mostly businesses and entertainers. … Read more

Papal Mercedes-Benz to appear at Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

A 1965 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman landaulet built specially for Pope Paul VI will make its first U.S. appearance at the the 16th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance held March 11-13, 2011.

The pontiff not only rode in comfort, but also stayed protected in the modded 600. The vehicle featured an individual seat that could be raised and lowered during processions through crowded streets. The car also featured an elevated roof, extended rear doors, and raised floor were also fitted along with other special equipment such as bulletproof glass.

The 600 was likely chosen to be modified for the … Read more

For sale: Bulletproof Mercedes S400 Hybrid

Oligarchs no longer have to choose between safety and the environment: the world's first bulletproof Mercedes S400 Hybrid went on sale early this year.

Texas Armoring's custom Mercedes S400 Hybrid retails for $255,000 to start; it's capable of withstanding multiple high-power assault rifle rounds at close range from weapons like the AK-47 and M-16. Customers are free to enhance security with options such as electric-shock door handles and hidden ballistic steel bumpers, but that costs extra.

Why, might you ask, would anyone want a bulletproof hybrid?

The answer has less to do with the environment and … Read more

10 tuners' quest for speed

An automaker may think it has engineered a car to perfection, but there is always someone, somewhere, who can improve it. A cottage industry of tuner companies has arisen around automakers, retuning engines and suspensions, swapping out parts, all in a quest to make these cars perform better.

The practice has become so popular and effective that some automakers either buy an independent tuner or build up an internal division to build performance variants of their standard-model lineups. Names such as AMG, STI, SRT, Callaway, and Shelby become synonymous with speed and squealing tires.

Check out this collection of tuner car photos. … Read more

Honda CR-Z gets a high-power heart transplant

Honda's 2011 CR-Z hybrid is about as sporty as it gets when it comes to hybrid vehicles. Granted, that isn't saying much. I mean the hatchback's 1.5-liter, IMA-boosted power plant only outputs 122-horsepower and manages a combined 34 EPA-estimated mpg. Ford's Fiesta manages similar numbers without the burden of hybrid trickery and complexity. So what's a self-respecting Honda tuner to do to improve the output of the CR-Z's engine room? How about a 200-horsepower engine swap?

Enter LHT Performance and Honda's 2-liter K20 engine, a mill a bit more befitting a sport … Read more

One-of-a-kind Tesla Roadster art car on display

Adding another project to his "auto" biography, artist Laurence Gartel has designed a one-of-a-kind Tesla Roadster art car.

Gartel, who is known for his pioneering work in digital media, has shown in New York's Museum of Modern Art and other renowned museums and galleries and has work included in the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History. Gartel has also published several books, including "Auto Motion," which coincided with a fully digital 3D fine-art sculpture exhibition of the same name.

Northern California electric automaker Tesla collaborated with Gartel on the unique design. BMW has been collaborating with famous artists for years on numerous art cars.

The Roadster will be featured tonight at Gartel's Art Basel festival in Miami Beach. The car is for sale for $109,000, but because it features a wrap, the buyer will have to negotiate the price of the wrap with the artist, Tesla said. The car will be in and around Miami Beach all week.

Get extra cool with the hot Camaro computer

"Transformers" fans, I've just run into something at Chevy Mall that probably won't get you Megan Fox but will likely make your nerdy friends envious, nonetheless. It's a personal computer that's a replica of the hot Chevy Camaro.

The computer starts at around $1,240 and comes in a variety of colors, including the same color as the car used in the movie: bright yellow. The machine is relatively loaded, with two USB ports on the grille of the car, a slot-load DVD drive at the front bumper, and two more USB ports on … Read more

A car that's also a boat, airplane, and helicopter

Pushing the envelope of automotive creativity, British concept designer Philip Pauley has penned a vehicle that wears a lot of hats, so to speak, and uses attachments to become a boat, plane, or helicopter.

The Halo Intersceptor is a 311-mph four-seater sports car around which the boat, plane, and helicopter are designed. To transform from a supercar to another mode of transport, the vehicle snaps into a structural attachments to power the new boat/plane/helicopter. It may sound far fetched, but Pauly says his concept is a road map that auto manufacturers should follow and design as the current … Read more