I don’t know enough about the BMW 1 series to know if this is an aftermarket wheel, but it appears to be part of an interior package by Tii that could end up being offered at dealers, etc. when the 1 series goes on sale in the U.S.

The LEDs on top of the nice thick alcantara wheel seem to be progressive shift indicators, which I have never seen before and think is pretty cool. Who knows if they are useful or just plain distracting though.

 Rounding out the Tii 1 series coupe are carbon fiber bits, brakes, wheels, side skirts, seats, and maybe a limited slip differential. (That would certainly fit the car’s persona, wouldn’t it?)

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The newest creation from Gemballa, the German Porsche tuner, is the Avalanche GTR 800 EVO-R.

The new conversion based on the Porsche 911 Turbo include AVALANCHE-Chassis, Front Bonnet GT EVO, Front Skirt AVALANCHE, Headlights GT, Front Spoiler Lip GT2 EVO Carbon, Rear Skirt GTR EVO and the Rear Spoiler GTR EVO-R Carbon.

Gemballa also has sourced some Mitsubishi EVO IX Recaros looking seats from their parts bin as well.

Power comes from the twin modified Garret T035 turbochargers, the 3.8 liter engine develops 850 hp and 690 ft-lbs of torque.

Handling upgrades include H&R coilovers with adjustable springs, three-position anti-roll bars, and new 19-inch alloy wheels fitted with Yokohama AVS Sport tires.

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Came across a video of the highly anticipated Nissan GT-R doing what all wheel drive fanatics enjoy most in the winter, controlled snow drifting.

Nissan’s ATTESA four-wheel-drive system is one of the most sophisticated traction systems in the auto world and after watching this video you’ll begin to realize why it’s won so many accolades over the years.

I wonder how much the Tire Rack sells winter tires in GT-R sizing (255/40-20 and 285/35-20)? No word yet if Chevy is doing any WRC snow testing with the C6 Z06 or ZR1.

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We took a nice 11 hour jaunt from Minneapolis, MN to Gaylord, MI for Rally America’s Sno*Drift. Along the way we tried to find some interesting views to share with our readers. Our first gas stop somewhere in WI gave us all the Valentine’s Day gifts you would need, chocolate, sexy cartoon girl slushies and furry hand cuffs. It took us past a cop changing his tire. Warren G’s Liquors. Another “gentleman” changing a tire in a t shirt. In three degree weather.

It took us across the swaying Mackinac Bridge. And finally to burgeoning metropolis that is Gaylord, Michigan. The desk staff at Baymont Inn (with more snowmobiles than cars in the parking lot) welcomed us… as did the stuffed fish.

We start tomorrow at 8am with media ride along during the practice sessions, look for more tomorrow.

Follow the jump for more pictures.

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Remember that iconic chase scene in Bullitt? Ever wanted to conduct your own high-speed pursuit through the streets of San Francisco, but worried that you aren’t womanizing or chain-smoking enough to drive like Steve McQueen?

Times have changed in the past 40 years, but the streets of San Francisco haven’t. Motive Magazine has a great feature on retracing the path of the chase in their own 2008 Mustang Bullitt, complete with maps for you to follow on your next trip to the Bay (culture|garage is not responsible for any arrests or impounds stemming from your own reckless-driving related endeavors). More info and the full 1968 movie clip after the jump.
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First, most of these “pictures” of the new Elantra Touring (wagon) look like they are floating on their backgrounds… CGI just looks bad. These look way too cobbled together, more examples after the jump.

It’s nothing to get excited with. In fact, it just looks terrible.  It will be powered by a 141hp 2.0l four cylinder. The once decent thing it has going for it, based on the photos, is the interior, which looks pretty good.

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In Soviet Russia, wood…oh nevermind.

Vasily Lazarenko from Chernovtsy, Ukraine fashioned this car all on his own out of wood.

Unfortunately, the spring/wheel combo is just all wrong.  And who knows how well it does in crash tests. Word is, Splinter from the ninja turtles has already spoken for this one. See, I can go on for hours, the jokes are endless.

The chassis and engine are from a 1981 Opel with a 100-horsepower engine, so this wooden creation is definitely all show and no go. Word has it the car is for sale for “as much as it cost to make,” which Lazarenko will not specify.

Check back after the jump for more pics and an unusual surprise from this car. Read the rest of this entry »

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designboom is running a contest called “Dining in 2015.”  Designers are supposed to enter anything from cutlery to cookware.  Exhaust Burger was submited by some designers from Iran.  Skip to the jump to see the diagram of how it works.  Essentially, you would plug this into your exhaust pipe, it routes the hot exhaust over the top of the cooking surface.   Something about this just seems disgusting.

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