First Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda on sale for $2.75 million

If only your Voyager appreciated like this.
A 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, which cost about $4,300 when new, is currently listed on Ebay with a buy it now price of $2.75 million.
But it’s no ordinary ‘Cuda.
The alpine white coupe is the very first Barracuda built with a 425 hp, 426 cubic-inch Hemi V8 engine, and one of just 284 produced with a four-speed manual transmission.

Considered by many as one of the greatest muscle cars in history, the 1970-1971 Hemi ‘Cuda has become one of the most sought-after collectibles of the era in recent years.
An even rarer ‘71 convertible, one of just 11 built, was recently sold at auction for $1.3 million, while a similar one took in $2.2 million back in 2007.
The fully-documented example on offer is a base trim level Barracuda complete with 8-track player, leather seats and only 17,750 miles on the odometer.

The Hagerty Price Guide lists the value of a top condition ‘Hemi Cuda at $228,000, but the first from the factory is certainly worth more than that.
How much more?
Well, this same car was listed in 2011 for $3.2 million, but apparently there were no takers.
The Ebay auction ends on Saturday, so we’ll have to wait until then to find out what the market thinks about it this time around.

The Best and Worst Movies for Car Guys

By Erik Sofge of MSN Autos

 

Cars and Hollywood have always been fast friends. Usually, that's good news. For most of us, movies are the only way to experience the automobile at its most mythical. Unfortunately, Hollywood does not always get it right, nor can fast cars can outrun deadly reviews. But for every filmmaker who turns a Formula One pileup into bland, computer-generated mayhem, there's another who knows that moving pictures were practically invented to showcase moving machines. So for the discerning car guy, we present the best and worst auto-centric movies to date.

Best: “Grand Prix,” 1966

As a movie, "Grand Prix" is a flimsy thing, with its standard-issue daredevil racers and fishy Formula One intrigues only loosely strung together in a coherent story. As a faithful reproduction of the early days of F1 racing, though, it's riveting, with some shots taken directly from the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix. Even the mocked-up footage was captured at speeds of more than 150 mph, much of it from the first true camera cars in film: a Shelby Cobra and a Ford GT 40 that were packed with front-, side- and rear-facing 70mm rigs.

 

 

 

 

Worst: “Days of Thunder,” 1990

In classic racing movies such as "Grand Prix" and "Le Mans," the story is filler, just punctuation marks between clips of highly realistic racing footage. "Days of Thunder," however, never gets out of its own way. Its final race is pure melodrama: Tom Cruise fills in for his dying friend and fights through a mechanical failure to take first place at Daytona. And the visuals, while captured in part during real NASCAR races, are too flashy to inspire that heady combination of wish fulfillment and terror.

 

 

 

 

 

Best: “Bullitt,” 1968

Car chases had been committed to celluloid before, but Steve McQueen's air-catching, high-speed pursuit across San Francisco marked a new era in going fast on film. McQueen famously drove that 1968 Ford Mustang GT during some portions of the movie's climactic scene, demonstrating an automotive brio that would become part of his cinematic legacy (see our "Le Mans" entry, as well as his fence-jumping motorcycle scene in 1963's "The Great Escape").

 

 

 

 

 

Worst: “Gone in 60 Seconds,” 2000

The original, 1973 version of "Gone in 60 Seconds" isn't a great movie, but this overadrenalized remake is a special kind of clunker. Nicolas Cage's good-guy crook has just 72 hours to boost 50 cars, thereby saving his brother — also a crook, but of the bumbling kind — from bad-guy crooks. In the rapid-fire grand-theft auto that ensues, viewers glimpse Bentleys, Ferraris and no fewer than five Porsches. It's too much of a good thing, even before Cage leaps a traffic jam in a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT.

 

 

 

 

Best: “Vanishing Point,” 1971

Whether the 1970s were the golden age of car cinema or a high point for American movies in general, 1971 was a banner year for films about tough guys in tough cars. "Vanishing Point" kicked things off with an anti-establishment fable, featuring a Vietnam War hero turned pill-popping delivery driver trying to get his client's 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T from Colorado to California in way too much of a hurry. Police chases ensue, and our hero's protest-infused journey ends, literally, in flames.

 

 

 

 

Worst: “Driven,” 2001

When it was released, Jay Leno called "Driven" the worst car movie ever made. More than a decade later, the burn holds true. Sylvester Stallone wrote, produced and starred in this mess, an IndyCar movie that clearly wants to be about F1, featuring crashes that are equal parts computer-generated and utterly insane. Cars are constantly spinning and torquing in midair, and one wreck sends a character hurtling into a lake. "Driven" isn't supposed to be a comedy, but it is.

 

 

 

 

Best: “Le Mans,” 1971

Steve McQueen's F1 racing movie was tanked by the release of "Grand Prix," but with "Le Mans" the actor finally had his way. The result is similarly light on story — it involves a rivalry between Porsche and Ferrari drivers — but is just as thrilling for its racing footage, much of which was shot during the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Porsche 908/2 that McQueen's character drives in the film is the same one that the actor took to second place in the actual 1970 12 Hours of Sebring race.

 

 

 

 

Worst: “The Fast and the Furious,” 2001

Some people swear by "The Fast and the Furious," hailing each increasingly over-the-top action sequence with the appropriate frequency and amplitude of fist-pumping. It's "Point Break" on wheels, with a Los Angeles cop going undercover in the illegal world of street racing, hot on the trail of a gang of hijackers. It's a breezy, nitrous-oxide-powered look at the once-relevant tuner subculture, at least until the movie remembers that although tricked-out Civics may be neat, Vin Diesel's 1970 Dodge Charger R/T is better. Even in bad car movies, the classic pony car reigns supreme.

 

 

 

 

Best: “Two-Lane Blacktop,” 1971

Where "Le Mans" tried to capture the rarified echelon of rich-guy racing, "Two-Lane Blacktop" is a scrappier, more counterculture take, with nameless characters — the Driver, the Mechanic — rumbling across Route 66 in a primer-gray '55 Chevy One-Fifty, street-racing anyone they come across. More of a tone poem than a road movie, "Two-Lane Blacktop" makes amends for its aggravating dialogue with some of the best and grittiest drag races on film.

 

 

 

Best & worst: “Cars,” 2006

Depending on whom you ask, "Cars" is either a great car movie, distilling decades of car culture into a uniquely gearheaded fairy tale, or it's sterile and dumb, a kiddiefied, Happy Meal-ready take on America's love affair with personal transportation. Maybe it's both — a heartfelt tribute to 1950s Americana with a story line that's packed with clichés. All would be forgiven, though, if a future sequel shows the cars rising up to slay their makers — that, and how you hold a wrench when you have tires for hands.

 

 

 

 

Best: “American Graffiti,” 1973

After that volley of the 10 best and worst, let's end on a high note: the five best car movies.

Proof that quality car movies don't have to be filled with hard-charging psychopaths, "American Graffiti" is uncut early '60s nostalgia, with its series of coming-of-age stories playing out in an array of gorgeous '50s-era cars. For raw classic-car ogling it's impossible to beat the film's finale, a drag race between a black '55 Chevy One-Fifty — the same one used in "Two-Lane Blacktop" — and a yellow, chopped-top 1932 Ford V8 Deuce Coupe.

 

 

 

 

Best: “Smokey and the Bandit,” 1977

Hollywood's belated, big-budget answer to "Vanishing Point," "Smokey and the Bandit" presents the nonstop, cross-country police chase as less of an existential cry for help and more of a showcase for high-octane zaniness. Like the illicit cargo of Coors beer that Burt Reynolds helps deliver to a dry county in Georgia, the movie goes down pretty smoothly. The stunts, most of them involving the hero's 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, are real enough to clip cartoon country without plowing right into it.

 

 

 

 

Best: “The Road Warrior,” 1981

What's more tragic, the death of Mad Max Rockatansky's dog or the subsequent detonation of his beloved jet-black Pursuit Special, a supercharged V8 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe that might be the coolest car ever built? "The Road Warrior" forges ahead manfully, though, culminating in a pitched battle between a tanker truck laden with precious fuel — or is it? — and an army of chain-wielding, crossbow-cannon-firing lunatics in an assortment of pickups, makeshift convertibles and dune buggies. In other words, a masterpiece.

 

 

 

 

Best: “Death Proof,” 2007

It's not that car movies throughout the '80s and '90s were bad — they were terrible. With "Death Proof," Quentin Tarantino resurrected muscle-car adoration but made it problematic: Kurt Russell's 1971 Chevy Nova SS, stenciled with a skull and lightning bolts, is an object of beauty — and a murder weapon. He kills his unbuckled passengers through aggressive braking, and then totals the car in a collision. The movie's final chase scene is a Mopar fever dream, pitting Russell's black 1969 Dodge Charger R/T against a white 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T inspired by "Vanishing Point."

 

 

 

 

Best: “Drive,” 2011

Simultaneously ultraviolent and art-house impenetrable, "Drive" is as haunting as its protagonist, an unnamed stunt and getaway driver played by Ryan Gosling. Those getaway cars range from an unassuming late-model Impala to a black 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0, and although the chases aren't as epic as the centerpiece scenes in "Bullitt" or "Vanishing Point," they're the best kind of throwbacks, free of computer imagery and full of white-knuckle stunt driving. But the most evocative ride in the movie might be the driver's everyday car, a white 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle that Gosling dismantled and reassembled himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based out of the Boston area, Erik Sofge is frequent contributor to Popular Mechanics and Slate.com. He specializes in everything scientific and technical.

 

McLaren P1 to cost $1.15 million

Supercar set to debut at Geneva Motor Show

By Greg Migliore of AutoWeek

 

The McLaren P1 supercar will wear a lofty price tag of $1.15 million when North American deliveries begin in early 2014. Just 375 copies will be produced worldwide.

Set to be revealed in production trim at the Geneva Motor Show, the carbon-fiber creation will push out a total of 903 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque from its hybrid powertrain, which is comprised of a V8, electric motor and seven-speed gear dual-clutch gearbox.

This setup allows the P1 to shoot to 62 mph in less than three seconds and 124 mph in less than seven seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 218 mph.

 

The P1 is the halo car for McLaren's road-going lineup, slotting above the 616-hp MP4-12C. While both McLarens use the same basic 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, the P1 puts out far more power thanks to the hybrid element. 

The P1 also dwarfs the output of the original, naturally aspirated F1, which made 627 hp from a 6.1-liter BMW V12.

Additionally, the electric component allows for travel of short distances without use of the gasoline engine. McLaren estimates a trip of 12 miles could be possible in the city when averaging 30 mph.

 

The concept version of the P1 was shown last year in Paris, and the only significant change involves the placement of ducts in before the front wheels to improve cooling and downforce.

McLaren says all P1 will come fully equipped for track and road-going uses. Options include luggage and bespoke features available through McLaren Special Operations.

 

 

 

 

Content provided by AutoWeek.

Ferrari called world’s most powerful brand, more powerful than Apple

Renown asset valuation consultancy firm Brand Finance has just given Ferrari a recent accolade for being the world’s most powerful brand over electronics giant, Apple. And that of course can be taken both literally and figuratively.

Though according to BF, Ferrari has achieved “their highest brand rating in the global 500,” despite the fact that Ferrari is very much a niche car manufacturer.

“I often think that the Italian genius for car design is based in the language of craft,” Stephen Bayley said in the press release, a world renown design critic. “Theirs is a workshop vocabulary with words for a car’s features and contours many of which simply don’t exist in English. If you have a word for it you can draw it. That word is beauty.”

And I think that majority of us petrolheads will agree that Ferrari is very much a brand to aspire to, especially when many of the brand’s cars throughout history have played a strong role of encouraging auto enthusiasts in the making.

Brand Finance awarded Ferrari this accolade by basing their ratings on “financial metrics such as net margins, average revenue per customer, marketing and advertising spend as well as qualitative measures such as brand affection and loyalty.”

During the first three quarters of 2012, Ferrari recorded a 7.6% increase in net profits.

Consumer Reports' 2013 Top Picks

By the Editors of Consumer Reports

Looking for a new car? Start here. Our Top Picks are as close as it gets to "no-brainers" in the auto market. They're impressive all-around vehicles, chosen from more than 280 we've recently tested, that have excelled in our testing, are reliable, and have performed well in independent crash tests. What's not to like?

For 2013, we have new winners in seven categories. Honda was a no-show last year, but it has picked up three slots on this year's list with the redesigned Accord and the CR-V and Odyssey. Two European automakers return to the list; the BMW 328i and the Audi A6 are those carmakers' first entries in our winners' circle in 10 and 13 years, respectively.

Also new are the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ sports-car twins. And the Hyundai Elantra has returned after a one-year hiatus. No pickup was chosen because GM's and Chrysler's full-sized models have been revamped and we haven't yet tested them. To see the best & worst 2013 cars and best new-car car values, go to Consumer Reports' annual auto issue hub.

 

What it takes
Top Picks must meet our criteria in three areas:

• Road test. Each must rank at or near the top of its category in overall test score.
• Reliability. Each must have earned an average or better predicted-reliability Rating, based on the problems Consumer Reports subscribers reported on 1.2 million vehicles in our latest Annual Auto Survey.
• Safety. Top Picks must perform adequately if tested in crash or rollover tests conducted by the government or insurance industry.

Each model's overall road-test score, predicted-reliability Rating, overall fuel economy, detailed pricing, and much more is available on their model pages. Prices reflect the sticker prices when we bought our tested cars.

Midsized sedan | Honda Accord

The Accord was redesigned for 2013, and Honda nailed it, sending this sedan to the top of its class. This new model is roomy, nice to drive, well equipped, and very fuel efficient. With its four-cylinder engine, the Accord squeezes out 30 mpg overall and 40 on the highway, which is as good as the tiny Honda Fit. Higher-trim models have safety features seldom found in this category. And the Accord's price is very reasonable: $23,270 to $30,860.

 

 

 

 

Sports cars | Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ

If you take your driving fun seriously, these almost identical twins were built for you. Co-developed by Subaru and Toyota, which builds Scion vehicles, both are exhilarating to drive, with super-sharp handling, excellent braking, and ample acceleration. Other draws: impressive gas mileage and reasonable sticker prices. Yes, they are purebred, rear-wheel-drive sports cars, with a jittery ride, noisy cabins, and small rear seats. So Camry lovers might want to cruise on by. FR-S $25,025; Subaru $27,117.

 

 

 

 

Budget car | Hyundai Elantra

You don't have to settle for a subcompact when looking for an under-$20,000 car. The well-rounded Elantra delivers a lot for the money, and it's one of our top-rated compact sedans. It's roomier and more refined than a typical subcompact yet gets competitive fuel economy. The Elantra also provides nimble handling; a fairly comfortable ride; a smooth, responsive powertrain; and a well-finished interior. And did we mention its affordable price? $18,445.

 

 

 

 

Green car | Toyota Prius

Sure, today's electric cars are getting the equivalent of 100 or more mpg. But no current plug-in car can match the Prius hatchback for its blend of fuel efficiency, practicality, and affordability. Its 44 overall mpg is still the best we've measured in any five-passenger, non-plug-in vehicle. And its roomy interior, comfortable ride, and hatchback versatility make it easy to live with. We also give a thumbs-up to the 41-mpg Prius V wagon, but skip the slow, noisy Prius C econobox. $26,750.

 

 

 

 

Compact car | Subaru Impreza

Subaru's 2012 redesign breathed new life into the all-wheel-drive Impreza. Both sedan and hatchback versions are good, sensible cars, with nimble handling and a compliant, absorbent ride that rivals some luxury sedans. Fuel economy is impressive for an AWD car. And the roomy interior, spacious rear seat, simple controls, and refreshingly good visibility make it easy to live with. OK, noise isolation is so-so, but that's no deal-breaker. Sedan $21,345; hatchback $22,345.

 

 

 

 

Luxury car | Audi A6

Redesigned for 2012, the A6 is agile, quick, and a joy to drive. It surrounds you with a sumptuous, impeccably finished cabin that's brimming with the latest high-tech features. Its potent supercharged V6 engine, super-smooth eight-speed automatic transmission, and comfortable ride add to the business-class feel. And it returns respectable gas mileage, even with all-wheel drive. Some controls are complicated, so be ready to cozy up with the owner's manual. $56,295.

 

 

 

 

Small SUV | Honda CR-V

With redesigns of the Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester just arriving, the CR-V has taken over as our top small SUV. Virtues include a smooth, responsive powertrain, good fuel economy, a compliant ride, excellent braking, a roomy rear seat, and outstanding reliability. It's also one of the more competitively priced choices in the class. $26,455.

 

 

 

 

Midsized SUV | Toyota Highlander

The Highlander is for people who want the practicality of an SUV with the refinement of a good sedan. It provides a quiet, well-finished cabin, as well as a cushy ride, sound handling, and a smooth powertrain. The Highlander has also consistently maintained above-average reliability. The V6 model delivers a competitive 18 mpg overall, and the hybrid model tops all SUVs at 27 mpg. $38,578 to $47,255.

 

 

 

 

Sports sedan | BMW 328i

The 3-Series is legendary for its handling prowess and fun-to-drive character. With its recent redesign, it has also become roomier, more luxurious, and more fuel efficient. Ride comfort and fit and finish are impressive. And its 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivers quick acceleration, while posting the best gas mileage in its class. Sure, the rear seat is snug and the start/stop system is a bit abrupt. We'll live with it. $43,195.

 

 

 

 

Minivan | Honda Odyssey

Reliability of the Odyssey has improved, and it has earned our top spot among family haulers. It provides a comfortable ride and a roomy, quiet, and versatile cabin. The rear seat is generous and easy to access. The V6 engine performs well and delivers a competitive 19 mpg. And a backup camera — a great safety feature — is now standard on all models. $36,830.

 

 

 

Audi reveals A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid for Geneva

Gasoline-electric hatchback could see limited production.

By Greg Kable of AutoWeek

Audi will preview a new 201-hp gasoline-electric hybrid version of the third-generation A3 at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.

The new car is the latest product of the German car maker's e-tron initiative, which aims to provide existing Audi models with newly developed hybrid and all-electric powertrains at a price that would make them a realistic alternative to traditional powertrains.

Having previously developed e-tron versions of the entry level A1 and R8 sportscar, only to announce they would not see production, Audi is putting a more positive spin on the A3 e-tron, describing it as a "realistic glimpse into the future" and suggesting it will play a "deciding role in the strategy of the brand."

 

At the heart of the A3 hatchback is a modified version of Volkswagen's new EA211 engine. The 1.4-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline unit delivers 148 hp and operates in combination with an electric motor mounted in the front of the car's six-speed dual clutch gearbox, where it develops up to 101 hp.

Together, the engine and electric motor provide a maximum system output of 201 hp, with combined torque of 258 lb-ft — figures that top the output of the new A3 1.8 TFSI's turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder direct-injection engine by 24 hp and 74 lb-ft.

The new drivetrain is capable of running in three modes — engine only, electric motor only or combined.

 

Audi has yet to provide details on the A3 e-tron's battery pack, charge time or curb weight. Official claims put the 0-62-mph acceleration at 7.6 seconds and top speed at 138 mph.

In electric mode, the A3 e-tron reaches a claimed top speed of 81 mph and possesses a maximum range of 31 miles.

Taking advantage of loopholes in the European fuel-consumption procedure that allows the car to complete the test primarily in electric mode with energy provided through plug-in means, Audi quotes a combined cycle fuel-consumption figure of 156.8 mpg. By comparison, the A3 1.8 TFSI returns a claimed 45.2 mpg.

Audi has yet to confirm when the A3 e-tron will see large-scale production. However, insiders at its Ingolstadt, Germany, headquarters confirmed to Autoweek that plans already exist for a limited production run of the car for in-house testing purposes.

 

 

Content provided by AutoWeek.

Weird and Wacky Vehicles of the New Millenium

By Erik Sofge of MSN Autos

 

As long as there have been cars, there have been weird cars — outlier designs too revolutionary or ridiculous for mass consumption. But today's automotive sideshows have their own flavor, as startups and established automakers alike try to both push the limits of fuel efficiency and create the perfect vehicle for the exploding number of urban drivers. We've scoured the world for the results of these efforts, and here our picks for the strangest cars of the new millennium; some are mere fancy, but others are already on the road

Antro Solo

Although the Hungary-based Antro Group once said this hybrid would be in production by 2012, it's hard to see the Solo as anything less than a high-stakes prank. The 3-seater gets up to 157 mpg highway, thanks in part to solar panels on the roof — and from passengers supplementing the onboard energy supply by pedaling. Antro also wants to build modularity into the Solo, allowing two of them to dock end-to-end and turning control over to the driver in the lead vehicle.

 

Brinks Dynamics Carver

Like some other vehicles on this list, the story of the 3-wheeled Carver is one of hope, marketplace failure and hope again. The trike's Dutch manufacturer shuttered in 2009, but the genuinely innovative 2-seater, which handles like an enclosed car but leans into turns like a motorcycle, was featured on the hit automotive TV show "Top Gear" in 2002. As many as 200 Carvers were sold, but the model is now in limbo; the current owners hope to license its Dynamic Vehicle Control technology to other companies.

Campagna V13R

Jay Leno himself has endorsed, or at least enjoyed, the V13R from Campagna Motors, a 2-seat 3-wheeler that starts at $57,849. Unlike the Canadian company's more futuristic, dune-buggy-inspired T-Rex, the V13R has the styling of a tiny vintage roadster — from the front. From other angles, the Harley-Davidson V-twin-powered trike looks more like a self-propelled sidecar or the unwise offspring of a lawnmower and a motorcycle. And yet we kind of want one.

Rinspeed sQuba

A celebrity among silly cars, Rinspeed's sQuba promises James Bond-style antics at a price only a Bond villain could afford. The electric vehicle can plunge into water to either float across the surface or dive beneath it. That last option isn't exactly comfortable: The cabin fills with water, forcing occupants to breathe with scuba masks attached to built-in, pressurized oxygen tanks. Switzerland-based Rinspeed says the vehicle will be able to drive itself and cost less than a Rolls-Royce, whenever or however it becomes a reality.

 

 

 

 

Toyota Fun-vii

Though we tried to avoid pure concepts, how could we leave out Toyota's Fun-vii, a 3-seater plastered inside and out with touch-sensitive display panels? Unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, the concept was shown sporting a massive, icon-based interface, turning the vehicle's exterior into a giant smartphone screen able to display videos or photos at a size that no stranger could possibly ignore. Toyota has no official plans to bring this dystopian nightmare to market.

 

 

 

 

Venturi Eclectic

The Eclectic is a rolling mascot for renewable energy, able to recharge its batteries with nothing but sun, wind and patience. Drivers can avoid plugging in by using the roof-mounted solar cells or a small wind turbine that can be set up while the vehicle is parked. Referred to as a "solar shuttle" by Monaco-based Venturi Automobiles, the Eclectic concept is actually closer to a golf cart than a car, with a top speed of around 30 mph and a 30-mile range.

Loremo

The first iteration of the Loremo appeared in 2007, as a lightweight, 118-mpg diesel, whose two seats were accessible not via doors but by tilting the entire front end. An electric version debuted a year later, followed almost immediately by the apparent collapse and restructuring of the German startup automaker, also called Loremo. Today, Loremo plans to go into production in 2014 with both the diesel and the electric versions.

KAZ Eliica

Cooked up by a team of academic researchers from Japan, the Eliica might be the most menacing electric vehicle ever built. It's certainly one of the most bizarre, with eight wheels, each powered by an electric motor, adding up to 640 kilowatts of output — roughly equivalent to 850 horsepower — and a top speed of 230 mph. Plans to sell a lower-speed, longer-range version for a $250,000 have yet to pan out.

SIM-LEI

The SIM-LEI was developed by some of the same engineers behind the Eliica, and there's something undeniably smart about its design, particularly the aggressively aerodynamic rear scoop and protruding side-impact beams. Its narrow, fish-shaped frame — with rear-facing cameras to offset the minuscule side mirrors — looks slightly insane but earns a drag coefficient of just 0.19. The designers of this electric vehicle, which has a claimed 200-mile range, hope to start production sometime this year.

smart crossblade

One of the prevailing trends in oddball vehicles has been to convert perfectly good cars into wildly inappropriate convertibles. The smart crossblade was a forerunner in this category. It's just not a cabriolet but a fortwo liberated of its roof, doors and windshield. Lacking even a fold-down top, the stripped-down microcar featured water-resistant seats and special drainage channels for water. It was sold from 2002 to 2003, and despite rumblings of a refreshed model back in 2011, Germany-based smart appears to have left well enough alone.

 

 

 

 

ZAP Alias

Although ZAP entered its Alias electric vehicle in the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition in 2010, the California-based company — whose small EVs are purchased primarily for commercial use — plans to start selling the 3-wheeler for $38,500 as part of a joint venture with China's Jonway Auto. ZAP says the Alias has a top speed of 85 mph, a 100-mile range and room for three people. And if the design seems conventional, you haven't seen it from behind.

Toyota WiLL Vi

What's shocking isn't that Toyota created such a hideous, hump-backed contraption but that it was an actual production vehicle, sold briefly in 2000 and 2001. The 4-door compact's rear overhang wasn't a nod toward aerodynamic efficiency but a stylistic callback to the reverse-angle windshields of the 1960s. The same goes for the sand-dollar wheel covers and ribbed doors. A case could be made for drag reduction, but really, Toyota just lost its mind.

 

 

 

 

Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet

Somehow, the Murano CrossCabriolet — the world's first all-wheel-drive crossover convertible — manages to be both mind-numbingly staid and mind-blowingly surreal. The drop-top crossover's 2011 debut was met with almost universal derision; Fortune magazine called it an "artichoke on wheels." However, stubby and strange as it is, the 2-door CrossCabriolet is still available today, starting at $44,540.

 

 

 

 

Dodge Tomahawk

If Batman were real, he'd be riding a Dodge Tomahawk: a 500-horsepower motorcycle powered by an 8.3-liter Viper SRT V10 engine and having a theoretical top speed of 300 mph. Physics, not to mention common sense, might demand lower speeds of this 4-wheeled concept, which was unveiled in 2003. Even without a full production run, Dodge reportedly has sold as many as nine street-illegal Tomahawks for as much as $700,000, the best evidence yet that there is, in fact, a Batman.

 

 

 

 

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque convertible concept

Perhaps missing the torrent of abuse heaped on the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, Land Rover revealed this concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, calling it "the world's first premium SUV convertible." The Evoque convertible is equal parts auto-show stunt and fishing exercise; Land Rover says it's gauging public interest in this new design direction. Its fate, in other words, is in your hands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based out of the Boston area, Erik Sofge is frequent contributor to Popular Mechanics and Slate.com. He specializes in everything scientific and technical.