Men have trouble committing to a relationship, not because he doesn’t love the women he’s with, but because he knows that the marriage and family that will result will mean the death of his muscle car. Many classic Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs and Challengers and Chargers have fallen victim to Volvo dealerships.

Dodge may be trying to bring back some testicular fortitude to the family man now that the 2009 Challenger has been given a five-star rating for front and side impact protection in U.S. Government crash tests. Now when John Q. Public returns home to his wife and two little ones, he can surprise the family with a brand new Challenger SRT-8 with 6.1-liter hemi V8 and 425 hp (insert Tim Allen style grunt here.) Before his wife tries to hit him over the head with a frying pan he can honestly say “Honey, it’s for the kids.”

SIDE NOTE: Dodge isn’t the only one like this. The last few generations of the Ford Mustang (since 1994) has received a four-star rating or better.

Press release after the jump.

Mitsuoka, that tiny Japanese manufacturer who makes the wonderfully wacky Orochi sea monster, has introduced its latest automotive mash-up, just in time to give us a Halloween fright. It is a derivative of the company’s Galue III (the return of the shapeshifter) and is known as the Galue Limousine S50. This shouldn’t be confused with the company’s Galue 204 Toyota Corolla rebody, or the Galue Convertible, which is based on the Ford Mustang. Instead, this limo is based on the Infiniti M, but incorporates styling touches from such classic designs as the ‘94 Cadillac Fleetwood, the Rolls-Royce Phantom and the Apple iPhone. While that might not sound too offensive, trust us, it is.

Remember the classic Beetles with the R-R grilles? Imagine that on a new Infiniti M35. And out back, that gracefully curved rear has been amended with Caddy taillight protrusions. Where once stood a B-pillar, we now have a foot-wide panel that houses an oversized iPhone-like glass panel. Like the retro-classic Excaliburs of the ’70s and ’80s, Mitsuoka apparently feels people will like modern running gear hidden beneath “classic” British looks. Priced between 8,016,750 yen (68,600 euros at the exchange) for the 223-hp 250LX to 9,345,000 (80,000 euros) for the 313-hp 350LX 4WD, we think that’s a lot of coin for a Frankencar like this. Heck, you could probably find a used Continental GT for about the same. You could even rebadge it as a Hyundai if it makes you feel better.

[Source: Mitsuoka via Autblog Spanish]

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Ford Falcon - Mad Max

By
Andrew Franklin

20 October 2008 14:21

Ranking: 13      

Year of release: 1976.

The car: Ford Falcon XB Coupe.

Why it’s special: Mad Max manages to make the cop car look so cool that – for once – you want to be the good guy and not the bad guy.

Best bit: Depends if you like gory bits or not. Mad Max ties his foe to a burning car that he knows will explode. He calmly walks over and gives him a hacksaw. It’s up to him to save his own life by hacking his hand off.

Pub fact: The Falcon started life as a standard 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe, a car exclusive to Australia.

Plot overview: Australia. The future. Cop Max leaves the force because he’s fed up of their inability to take care of bid’nis. He goes on vacation with his family, but a group of evil bikers kills his best pal and Max goes seeking his revenge.

For: Arty, low budget – but still great car scenes.

Against: In a postapocalyptic world that has run out of oil, where does he get his fuel from? And those leather driving pants…

CAR verdict: Mad Max was good, but we prefer the sequel.

Is this really one of the best cars in film history? Click ‘Add your comment’ and have your say

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