Inside Line is at it again, this time with a list of the 100 worst cars ever made. While we were pretty pleased with the website’s choices for its 100 best earlier this year, this one is somewhat less satisfying, which is to be expected.

Calling out the bad eggs is indeed trickier and more fraught with potential missteps than merely committing sins of omission. So yes, we’ve got our beef with a few of the cars listed. The General Motors EV1 at #92? That’s like calling out Gottleib Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach for not building a flying car. The Porsche 914 at #45? Hardly. If you want to pick on a Porsche, why not the 924? Speaking of which, putting the BMW Isetta on the list (#3) is like bullying a kindergartener. And don’t even get us started on the inclusion of the Ariel Atom, at #94 or any other number.

Despite our quibbling, the list is a lot of fun – and sure to bring back “fond” memories for those who’ve had the misfortune of owning Iron Duke-powered GM products or tried to convince others that a Renault Fuego qualifies as a sports car. After devouring all 100 entries, we can say with certainty that there are far more “worthy” of inclusion here, and encourage you to name names in the comments.

And before anyone gets upset that our lede photo spills the beans on the “winner,” ask yourself, is there any other vehicle that could possibly top such a list?

Inside Line attempts to name 100 Worst Cars of All Time originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This year marks the fifth anniversary of Mercedes-Benz Classic, the official U.S. restoration arm of the Stuttgart firm. Although it sits on an easy-to-miss corner of yet another ochre-hued industrial complex in Irvine, California, what is inside is anything but common

The technicians who refurbish Benz history believe it is their job to make everyone else believe that no such job has been done. Mercedes Classic isn’t where old is made new, but where old is made as-new. And that means that, yes, they will turn down certain requests that go too much against the grain of the brand. You can get a brief look at the men and their machines in the video after the jump, and if you’re a fan of the Silver Arrow, then a trip to the Classic Center is highly recommended.

Continue reading Step inside Mercedes-Benz Classic

Step inside Mercedes-Benz Classic originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inside Line has released an ambitious list of what its editors consider to be the 100 greatest cars of all time. We’re constantly arguing about what the best cars of all time are here in the virtual halls of Autoblog HQ. And we hardly ever agree, but with a list of 100 vehicles, you’re bound to see most of the cars you want included somewhere. Where they land in the list, however, is what’s most clearly debatable.

For instance, does the 1992 Hummer H1 at 95 deserve to be ahead of the 1991 Ford Explorer at 99? Should the 1968 Toyota Corolla, which went on to become the best-selling nameplate ever, be a little higher than 83? What about the first V8-powered Corvette at 72 or the 1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at 68, both behind the 2010 Porsche Panamera at 67? The 1941 Jeep MB didn’t even crack the top 50.

We’ve debated this list among the staff fairly extensively already – some Autobloggers are rather pleased with it, while others believe there are glaring holes (no 1948 Citroën 2CV or 1955 DS? 1956 Volvo Amazon? 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air? 1969 Dodge Daytona Charger? 1992 McLaren F1?). We won’t spoil any more spots for you and let you discover on your own what made Inside Line’s Top 100. After you look over the list, drop us a line in Comments to let your fellow readers know what you think about the list.

Inside Line attempts to name the 100 Greatest Cars of All Time… do you agree? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In 1988, Citation Motors, a BMW Dealership in Ontario, shut its doors with little explanation. The simple answer seems to be that the dealership had its concession license revoked, but nobody seems to be able to track down why exactly. Endras BMW, another Toronto-based Bimmer peddler, did some digging, but didn’t come up with too much.

Whatever the case, the dealership moved to Toronto, switched its name to Downtown BMW, and went under in 2002. The owner of both places seems to be eccentric at best, as he left Citation where it sat, untouched, with a then-brand new 635csi and E28 5 Series abandoned inside. The business is reportedly well cared for, and the cars have not succumbed to the elements the way they would have were they truly left to rot.

The owner of the establishment apparently has little interest in selling the business or his wares. To make things more interesting, there’s apparently an as-yet unopened underground storage facility and a back lot packed with junked Bimmers.

Why was this BMW dealership abandoned in 1988 with cars still inside? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The fifth installment of the Fast and the Furious series, Fast Five, is ready to debut this summer, unleashing another round of “nos”-fed hilarity. In anticipation of the promised vehicular mayhem, they guys at Inside Line caught up with Dennis McCarthy, the man behind the stable of hot rods featured in the movie.

The first is a one-off, tube-frame monstrosity of an offroad car hauler lovingly dubbed “Mongo.” Mongo was designed to assist Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in filching exotic cars from a moving train. To our eyes, Mongo looks ready to do just that, sporting a 600-plus-horsepower 502-cubic-inch Chevrolet V8, 7:10 gears and 18 inches of suspension travel. According to McCarthy, Mongo did his own stunts, completing a 75-foot jump and driving away unscathed. Wow.

The next sample on today’s palette is possibly the most famous car to come out of the Fast and the Furious franchise, Dom Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger. Though the car in the film sports a 900-horsepower supercharged Hemi, keeping costs low dictated a slightly tamer set up for the actual workhorses of the film. In stuntman-ready trim, the Charger sported a 400-hp Chevy small block (sorry, Mopar fans…) capped by a gutted BDS blower just for effect. According to IL, it’s loud, scary to drive and uncomfortable, just the way any self-respecting mock up should be.

The final car on the list is the star of the show, a replica of a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, build by Mongoose Motorsports. It features the ubiquitous Chevrolet 502 big block, backed up by a Borg Warner Super T-10 four-speed stick. The combination rides on C3 Corvette suspension, which struggles to handle nearly 600 horses stuffed into a featherweight frame.

After weeks of abuse at the hands of Hollywood, none of the cars are feeling as healthy as they once were. That said, they all still run, which can’t be said for hundreds of other cars used in the movie. Added to that, they’ll all still burn up the rear tires with poise, showing they still have their dignity. Click past the jump to see all three cars in action.

[Source: YouTube via Inside Line]

Continue reading Video: Inside line drives a trio of Fast Five cars

Video: Inside line drives a trio of Fast Five cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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