It looks like someone used the force (for good, not evil) to create this Imperial AT-AT Volkswagen Van.

Capable of crushing rebel forces or chasing kids off of your lawn, this AT-AT Volkswagen Van looks like it’s ready to restore order in the neighborhood. It does raise some concern – any kind of battle that includes violence clearly goes against everything the Volkswagen hippy culture embodies. We guess it’s for the best that this weapon of mass sci-fi destruction is just a geeky art piece.

Would you want this Star Wars themed VW in your backyard? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

[Source: Gizmodo]

In terms of automobiles, there’s no question that the classic Jaguar E-Type (XK-E), ranks as one of the most iconic of them all. And among the cognoscenti, Series I cars represent the purest of them all. When you add a celebrity’s name to the registration then surely, when such a car comes up for auction, it’s likely to attract serious interest.

So that should logically be the case with this lovely red 1965 Series I roadster, which sports the larger 4.2-liter XK straight-six engine and once belonged to Sir Elton John (the car in fact, still sports the signature OKE 1 registration plate from when he owned it).

The E-Type, which is in excellent condition, is scheduled to go under the hammer at Bonhams’ Oxford auction in March for a fairly princely £70,000 ($109,900); however for the car’s current owner, that doesn’t represent particularly good news, since 11 years ago he paid some £81,000 ($121,170) at Christie’s for the thing, during an auction that was arranged by Sir Elton himself.

Nonetheless, the estimate is right in line with current E-Type prices in the UK, proving once again that collector car values are often fickle at best.

Other significant cars slated to cross the block at Bonhams Oxford, include a 1961 Morgan Plus 4 Supersports, which is expected to sell for around  £60,000 ($94,200), a 1961 Ferrari 250 GTE, which should go for £50,000 ($78,500) and a very rare, right-hand-drive British spec, 1966 Citroen DS21 decapotable pegged at £40,000 ($62,800).

Spring is right around the corner and Lamborghini is releasing some new additions to its Spring-Summer 2012 clothing and accessory line.

One of the must-haves of this collection is the summer puff jacket. This lightweight jacket is available in both men’s and women’s styles and is ideal for rainy or cooler days. Windproof, warm and compact, the puff jacket fits perfectly in a suitcase, making it a great travel companion for vacations. It weights as much as a cell phone and can be packed down to a few square inches, leaving plenty of room in your suitcase. It comes in a few color choices: Cobalt and navy blue for men and white for women. Oh and there’s a vest version too.

Other notable items in the collection include the women’s terrycloth line. Ideal for lounging around, this clothing collection includes a long and short sleeve hooded sweatshirt, a ruffle top, long pants and hot pants. What’s great about the terry cloth clothing line is that you can mix and match various items and come up with completely different looks, depending on where you are going.

To see all the new additions to the line, visit the Lamborghini online store.

A Chevrolet Volt owner made Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich look pretty silly by posting a video response to the senator’s comment today that you can’t have a gun rack in a Chevrolet Volt.

It turns out that a little bit of PVC pipe, some string string and American ingenuity make darn good rifle toting material in the back of a Volt, or really any sedan. Before getting to deeply into what goes on in the citizen rebulttle, let’s go over what Gingrich said to stir this stuff up.

“You know the Volt is an interesting experimental car. The average family that buys it earns $170,000 a year. This is Obama’s idea of populism and in this new budget he wants to increase the amount given to every Volt buyer to $10,000.” Gingrich said. “Which is an amount which a lot of people would by a decent second-hand car, but it wouldn’t be an ‘Obama’ car.”

“But here’s my point folks: You can’t put a gun rack in a Volt,” he said to much laughter and applause.

Well, it looks like there’s going to be a lot more laughter, though probably not on the Gingrich campaign trail. Perhaps politicians in general should avoid using absolutes, of only to avoid looking silly after saying words like “can’t” or “never.”

Maybe the world should be thanking Gingrich. His rant spurred someone to build a new Volt accessory that Chevrolet certainly wouldn’t hav e thought to market.

You can watch videos of both Gingrich and the gun rack after the jump.

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Polk, the global automotive market intelligence outfit, recently conducted a study among US consumers that showed motorists in America are holding onto their cars and trucks for a record number of years.

Using data collected from US vehicle registrations, Polk discovered that the ownership period from when a new car was first purchased  until the owner trades it in now stands at 71.4 months or almost six years. For those consumers who bought used vehicles, the ownership duration is now at an average of 49.9 months.

As to why consumers are holding onto their cars for longer, Polk cites a number of different factors. First, with the US economy still shaky and many Americans out of a job and looking for work, consumers are simply being cautious when it comes to spending. Secondly, in order to make vehicle purchases more affordable on a monthly basis, automakers and financing companies are now offering record length purchase and leasing agreements, reducing monthly payments. As a result, there’s less of an incentive to trade vehicles every three or even five years, as was customary in the past.

The findings from the Polk survey have also helped contribute to a rising average age of vehicles on American roads, which now stands at 10.8 years. This means, that it’s a good time to be in the automotive aftermarket business, as these older vehicles will require servicing and replacement parts.

According to Mark Seng, Global Aftermarket Practice leader at Polk, this rising age of vehicles also,”creates concerns about appropriate parts inventory,” an issue Polk is attempting to address by “currently working with customers in the aftermarket to help them prepare for increasing demand throughout the entire supply chain.”

[Source: Polk]

A new Kickstarter project looks to make your smartphone the center of your car stereo needs in not only a painless and effective manner, but in one that won’t break your bank account.

Compared to any traditional, high quality head unit, the Devium Dash is complete steal right now for just $250. The retail pricing will be around $300 when it’s completely released to the market in July, but what exactly does $250 get you? Well it’s a fully-functional head unit that uses your smartphone to access GPS, send texts by voice, play music, etc. Everything that you’re used to doing on your phone will now seamless integrate to the rest of your car’s stereo system.

The head unit itself will pump out 4×50 watts of power and has two preamps for front and rear subwoofers. In addition, it supports a video pass through so owners can also play video on external monitors. Best of all, the head unit will keep your phone charged while it’s in use. To make everything less distracting while you’re driving, Devium includes an app for your smartphone that will allow you to quickly bookmark your most-used automotive applications onto a quick-access home screen.

That’s not all it can do however. The Devium Dash also has your typical FM tuner and AUX input, but will also allow users to eventually connect to their vehicle’s computer.

The first Dash will be shipping out in June 2012, and will initially only support the Apple iPhone 4 and 4S, but Devium hopes to support additional smartphones in the near future including your collection of Android units out on the market now.

Watch the video here showing how the Devium Dash will operate.

Jeremy Clarkson was invited to the BBC1′s The One Show’ last November where he remarked that the striking public sector workers should be shot. Striking controversy once again, Clarkson’s comment caused more than 30,000 complaints to the BBC and almost 800 to media regulator Ofcom.

Responding to the public reaction, Ofcom held an investigation to decide whether the show had broken any rules on taste and decency. Finally, Ofcom has announced that the program is cleared of breaching broadcasting regulations, defending that viewers should be familiar with Jeremy Clarkson’s “provocative and outspoken nature.”

Ofcom director Christopher Woolard stated in a four-page letter that, “The editorial nature of the program as a whole would have prepared viewers for the type of comments Jeremy Clarkson would be likely to make” and when considering Clarkson’s “well-established public persona,” Clarkson’s comment wasn’t overly offensive.

Woolard also added that, “The audience for this edition of The One Show would have expected Jeremy Clarkson to make potentially controversial or offensive statements… his comments were not an expression of seriously held beliefs or views that should be literally interpreted.”

In the past, Jeremy Clarkson has always been known to make a wide range of brash remarks. By now, victims to Clarkson’s insensitivity will have to accept this is only Clarkson being himself.

Check out Jeremy Clarkson’s controversial segment on The One Show after the jump:
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You should know that it’s dangerous to drive under the influence of drugs, but did you know that smoking marijuana doubles the chance of getting into a serious car accident?

A study by researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada is the first to examine the acute use of cannabis and the risk of auto collisions in real-life situations. Researchers reviewed nine observational studies that gave them a sample of 49,411 accident victims. After alcohol and other drugs were ruled out as factors, the researchers calculated the odds for cases where marijuana was found in a blood test. They were able to determine that if cannabis was smoked three hours before getting behind the wheel, a driver’s chances of getting into a serious car accident doubles.

An important factor the researchers were unable to determine was how much tetrahydrocannabionol (THC) needs to be present in the blood stream to cause impairment.

This study is an important step to show how dangerous smoking pot is before driving, but more research still needs to be done. Even though drinking and driving is the most common substance connected with auto crashes, this research will help bring the dangers of drug use and driving to the public’s attention.

[Source: CBC News]

If we had this awesomely cool bed, we would be way too excited to go to sleep. And we bet that if you bought this racecar bed for your kids, they wouldn’t be getting much sleep either – that’s just how sweet this ride is.

Brought to you by Step 2, this racecar bed is the latest in the company’s new Corvette Collection. If you’re thinking of getting one for yourself, you’re out of luck – this one is a toddler bed, but it does convert into a twin size when your young ones get bigger.

This racecar bed costs $299 for the base model, but you can add on extras like working lights for another $234. If you’re doing a Corvette-themed room, be sure to order the toolbox-inspired dresser, the Corvette toy box and the Corvette storage chest (because you can never have too much of a good thing).

You will have to wait a little to bring this bed home, as it will be making its debut at the 2012 New York Toy Fair… expect to see it in stores this summer. V8 engine sold separately.

Update: The bed will cost $299 without lights and $329 in full high beam glory.

[Source: Inside Line]

Bridgestone announced a development in tire printing technology last month that allows new stylistic possibilities.

White-wall tires and white lettering harken back to cars with cranks, though neither the tires nor the cars are common today. Bridgestone wanted to change that by finding a solution for bright designs printed onto the sidewall of tires that can maintain high durability, won’t discolor and require less weight added to the construction, thereby aiding fuel efficiency.

Multi-colored tires can further encourage vehicle personalization and offer a unique avenue for companies to take in advertising. Rather than tire shopping out of necessity, this may create a sort of customer that makes tire purchases for recreation.

Thanks to a new development in ink technology, unique multi-colored patterns or images from photographs can be printed onto a Bridgestone tire’s sidewall. These inks are extremely resistant to discoloration and are strong against external damage onto the tire’s surface. Bridgestone believes in a future of colorful, lightweight and fuel efficient tires that they think could change the tire industry.

Bridgestone has not announced when their whimsical wheel wrapping will be available but promises to bring this technology to market soon. Who knew that pictures could be the new black?

GALLERY: Mult-colored Bridgstone Tires