Like so many of you, we’re spending the holidays with family and friends. Regardless, we’ve got a few posts scheduled for you the rest of today and tomorrow; the normal daily grind resumes on Tuesday. You’ll be hard-pressed to find two better links to peruse and read in your downtime today, however, then the ones we’re about to show you.

The most fun thing about the annual “Happy Holidays” post is finding a suitable lead image for it. Many readers will doubtless recognize the wintry scene above, depicting a 1970 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400, as the work of Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman. The two (Mr. Kaufman painted the scenery and people, Mr. Fitzpatrick the cars) are best known for their Pontiac works – so excellent that for years, per John Delorean’s orders, they were the only images authorized for use in Pontiac advertising (no photos allowed) – but their decades-long collaboration also produced images for other brands as well. Fitz and Van started collaborating in the 1950s on Mercury, then moved to General Motors to work on Buick, which led to the iconic Pontiac run, as well as similar works for Opel during Bob Lutz’s tenure there in the 1970s. We remember reading somewhere that Lutz has one of the Fitz and Van originals for Opel hanging in his home.

Your mission today, between good times and great meals with friends and family, is to check out the page on Fitz & Van at PontiacsOnline.com, where you can scroll through most of the 285 works the pair created for the late, lamented performance division. From there, head to Art Fitzpatrick’s homepage, for an excellent bio and more work examples, some that you’ll recognize from recent years. We promise you’ll be engrossed.

All of us at Autoblog wish you a happy and healthy holiday, whether you’re celebrating a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Festivus (for the rest of us), or just sitting at home and enjoying some well-deserved down time. Have a wonderful holiday – and as always, please drive safely while you make the rounds today.

Happy Holidays from Autoblog! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Nissan Juke R might be one of the company’s most impressive engineering efforts in recent memory, but the skunkworks team behind it has apparently ruffled more than a few feathers with Nissan execs in Japan.

The UK team behind the Juke R apparently didn’t seek approval from Nissan’s higher-ups before beginning the build, and the unholy GT-R/Juke hybrid concept was apparently born in secret before the unending teasers – see the latest one after the jump – began making their way online.

According to sources close to the company, the release was a complete surprise to many at the automaker and several Nissan executives at the company’s headquarters were put-off by the idea that a group of rag-tag engineers in the UK would take their ultimate driving machine – the flagship for everything Nissan is capable of – and toss it into an inexpensive compact crossover.

But like you, we think it’s awesome, and we suspect when the execs get some seat time, they’ll begrudgingly agree.

Continue reading Juke R might be awesome, but Nissan HQ ain’t happy [w/video]

Juke R might be awesome, but Nissan HQ ain’t happy [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peter Mullin’s vision for an automotive museum showcasing his favorite era of motoring has passed the 12-month mark. The Mullin Automotive Museum is located in Oxnard, California, and it’s home to a stunning collection of French Art Deco jaw droppers. Over the past year, the museum has expanded its collection by adding a few new residents.

-The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance award-winning 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante
-1924 Bucciali B6-C24 Grand Prix Reconstruction
-1910 Charron Type TC Convertible
-The 1951 Paris Auto Salon 1951 Talbot T26 Gran Sport Convertible
-1928 Lorraine Dietrich B3-6 Sports Roadster
-1923 Voisin C6 Laboratoire Replica
-1934 Voisin C27 Aerosport
-The Grand Prix de Tourisme Winning 1922 Voisin C3 S Grand Prix
-1919 Voisin C3 Berline

Not just home to cars, though that’s certainly the primary focus, the Mullin Automotive Museum has also acquired a handful of art pieces that sit alongside the vehicles. Statues, bowls and over 15 crystal radiator mascots that were created by Rene Lalique. We’re willing to bet that those Lalique radiator mascots are worth a bit more than the Nissan badge that was stolen off our 300ZX back in college. Feel free to check out the full press release after the break.

Happy first birthday, Mullin Automotive Museum!

Continue reading Happy Birthday: Mullin Automotive Museum turns one

Happy Birthday: Mullin Automotive Museum turns one originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 May 2011 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It seems appropriate while we celebrate the last vestiges of summer on this Labor Day weekend that we also acknowledge the 100th anniversary of the recreational vehicle, also known as the RV. The summer season and RVs go hand in hand, and people have motored across America in mobile homes since 1910. RV historians say that year was when just a few companies began building the precursors to what we now know as recreational vehicles, thus marking the birth of the RV industry. Those companies include Pierce-Arrow from New York (above, 1910 Touring Landau), the Los Angeles Trailer Works and Michigan’s own Auto-Kamp Trailers of Saginaw.

The RV industry has survived wars, tough economic times and oil crises and still come out no worse for wear. Credit the American spirit of adventure, our love of travel or maybe just the unique freedom one experiences while traveling without a tether to your permanent residence.

If I’m waxing too poetic about what some consider to be just ill-constructed boxes of balsa wood on wheels, know that I am an RV owner myself (right, 2011 Forest River Sunseeker) and have known the joys of sitting around a campfire in the forest roasting s’mores one minute and playing Rock Band in an air-conditioned living room the next. It may sound like sacrilege to hard-core outdoorsmen who like sleeping on the ground, but it makes perfect sense to an RV enthusiast.

So, in honor of the RV’s 100th birthday, we’ve assembled r a gallery chronicling its history courtesy of the RV industry’s centennial website. Enjoy the trip through time.

[Source: NY Times, RVcentennial.org]

Happy 100th birthday to the RV originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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