Watch Burning Man Live NOW!!! - via Ustream

I just added a live  burning man feed via ustream for those of us that decided to stay home and avoid the 7 deadly hassles. Cant wait to post more mutant vehicles from this years event.

Garden Art Car Goes to Court

This garden art car is headed to The U.S. Supreme Court that will consider an appeal next month from the owner of Planet K stores over his long-running battle with the city of San Marcos about his right to display it. In 2007 Michael Kleinman paid two artists to transform this salvage special in front of his store into a painted cactus planter art car. City officials got themselves hot and bothered, claiming the Oldsmobile 88 was in violation of a city ordinance declaring such displays public nuisances. The car was removed and Kleinman is appealing a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in February that found the car-planter to be “ultimately a junked vehicle.”  Good luck with that!! via Its funny I was going to do a garden art car post a while back and forgotten about it until my dad sent me this article two days ago. As you can see these are just a few of the garden cars I found from around the world. Most are intentional, some natural and the last one is purely accidental. If you like these you might also like the Grass Art Cars also on Art Car Central.

Penguin Martini Shaker Car For Sale

This 1985 Mercury Grand Marqui penguin car is for sale for only 1000 bucks, only if you really really really want it now on craigslist. Its claim to fame, a single penguin martini shaker as a hood ornament, and a stuffed one in the back window. I think its time to cut back on the martinis for a while, I don't know, I am just saying.

Tell The EPA What You Think!

The EPA has posted some prototype fuel economy labels on their web site, and is asking for the public to comment. You can see them in their full detail here.

There are two proposed

designs. The first shows a large letter grade (also color coded), Green A, Yellow B, Orange C, and Red D. Apparently, everyone passes--F's are not allowed to go on sale?

The second shows some Star Trek style sliding indicators, and leaves out the letter grades, but keeps the color coding.

The EPA is inviting public comment as part of its rulemaking, and you can fill out the form at the bottom of the page and hit "send" to give them a piece of your mind.

I have already voted for Form 2 (the simpler one on the right). I think the letter grade Form 1 is too cluttered, and I don't agree with the way they are assigning letter grades. As much as I hate to sound like a whiny pre-med, the grades need to be on a curve--you can't really compare Silverados with Subarus, can you? The grades should really be assigned among like vehicles.

I also think that the fuel/energy efficiency report should be as simple as possible. Ideally, the form should present one universal metric--MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent), which recalculates all energy consumption into units we are used to, miles per gallon of EPA standard test gasoline. The MPGe also is closely related to CO2 production, so I would leave the CO2 data off of the label completely. MPGe tells you everything most people really care to know.

The fuel const estimate is neat, but how often will they update the number? What if the label is based on $2.70 gasoline and $0.12 electricity, but in fact gas is $3.50 and electricity is now $0.20/kWHr? Will we be constantly reminded now that not only our mileage may vary, but our fuel cost may vary as well?

So that's my advice to the EPA, and my comment as well. Keep it simple, leave the grades off, and be careful about the energy cost assumptions.

Help Name Ford's Iguana

Ford Motor is doing a Facebook poll to pick a name for their stow-away iguana.  I like "Henry" myself, for political reasons.

Link to poll: http://www.facebook.com/ford/posts/154449744566760

19 Donk Cars Covered in Candy Paint

Some time ago I posted a video about a cars covered in Cheetos and Doritos vinyl graphics, and the other day I found the ultimate Facebook car called a "Donk". I got some grief over it because one of my art car friends did not think it was considered an "art car". For me its a unique form of expression that deserves some face time here on Art Car Central. They also look like a lot of fun to drive around in so I managed to find 19 top corporate brand covered cars with famous cereal, snack and drink names. These "hi-riser" or "sky-scrapers" cars have gigantic rims ranging from 22" to 30"and extremely high ground clearance that resemble urban 4x4's,  are called "Donks". The term "Donk" came from the impala symbol on any Chevy impala from the year 1971 to 1976, because the symbol looked like a "donkey". It became popular in the south to cover these cars with name brands using vinyl car wrap technology. The most popular type of car used are Chevrolet models, namely the Impala, Caprice, Monte Carlo, and Chevelle. Other models that are frequently made into hi-risers include the G-body Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass, El Camino, Pontiac Grand Prix, and Pontiac Bonneville. So for your sweat tooth, cereal and salty snack enjoyment, I present to you 19 tasty Donk car treats.

Rolls Royce Art Car by Pro Hart

Pro Hart (1928-2006) is on of Australia's most famous artist and considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement. His works were shown on a wide variety of products such as air conditioners, beer cans, kitchenware, and telephone cards, and also a very popular carpet commercial on television.

He lived in Broken Hill, in Outback Australia, and owned a number of Rolls Royce and Bentley cars witch he drove all over the outback, and described them as "bloody good cars for the job". He is also famous for his painted 1973 Silver Shadow Rolls Royce art car in 1999.

photo via

Random Fuzzy VW Half Pint Art Car

I was surfing the net when I run into this half pint sfuzzy vw art car, and I had to have it here on ACC. via

Illegal Immigrant Hides In Parts Shipment

I thought this was cute--an iguana managed to make it from southern Mexico to Ford's transmission plant in Sterling Heights, MI, hiding in a parts shipment. He's at the Detroit Zoo now.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/maynards-garage/2010/aug/25/new-ford-iguana/

Lada Horse Carriage Salvage Mod - Ideal for the farm

I think this is the world's first Lada Donk salvage mod with carriage wheels modification. It was developed somewhere in Eastern Europe as part of the small footprint program. It has a whopping two horse power with massive rims and really really low profile tires. Ideal for off road farm use.

World's Smallest Car - Postman Pat by Perry Watkins

Perry Watkins took the frame of the "Postman Pat" children's ride in the UK and mounted it on a quad mini-bike, using its 150cc engine. The car has a windshield wiper, lights and signals, mirrors, fire paint job, fake racing exhaust pipes and engine blower. It can hit a top speed of 40 MPH, it is now legal to drive on the road and has received confirmation that his creation - only 39in high and 26in wide - is the smallest car ever built. Also world's most expensive chiropractor bill.

Perry in his Postman Pat

Perry on the road again with his Postman Pat

The inner workings of Postman Pat

Little Bit of Nonsense Art Car by Randy Blair

Little Bit of Nonsense art car was just sent in by Randy Blair shown here with his wife Wendy Wanda at this years Houston Art Car Parade. Its a tiny 2007 Toyota Yaris, that's completely covered with Dichroic glass, magnets, bumper stickers, toys and a ton of other things that he has made. This would be under the "Holy Moley" category I am about to create. Photo by Paul McRae

Burberry Gets a Black Eye by Chavs in the UK.

Some time ago I posted my first Burberry Art Car, but last night I discovered that this was just the tip of the British iceberg. In the UK Chavs is a phenomenon, youths of ill-repute, often football hooligans, who dress in designer brands, and Burberry being the particular brand of choice. According to a BBC article, the Burberry brand became a victim of its own success when Chavs co-opted the brand and now is associated with people who do bad stuff and many even think that Burberry is be worn by the person who mugged them. Fortunately sales of Burberry outside the UK did very well in spite of the "Chav" stigma.

So for your Art Car pleasure I present the most complete line up of Burberry art cars and other Berberry gear associated with the "chav" lifestyle now in full swing in the UK.