Japanese Nostalgic Car

We were dismayed last week to learn of the recent fate of Mitsubishi’s Pajero factory. In a turn that was almost near-perfect in its poetic tragedy, the once hallowed birthplace of the mighty Paris-Dakar champions was sold off to a toilet paper manufacturer. That comes after a string of other sadnesses, like the shuttering of its UK arm and the auctioning off of its entire heritage collection there, the ending of Mitsubishi Owners Day because its headquarters are effectively becoming a Nissan satellite office, and the fact that the most exciting Mitsubishi concept in years was actually a Hyundai. However, there are signs that not all hope is lost. There have been hints that the company wants to revive some of its former glory and it has restarted activities under the Ralliart brand. It’s going to be a long road, but:

Can Mitsubishi Motors be saved?

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Ernest Hemingway once said, “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” That’s because these were the only ones where one could lose one’s life. Last week we lost one of the greats, Kunimitsu Takahashi. Today, March 31, also happens to be the birthday of Ayrton Senna, who would be 62 today if he were still alive. These legends did things behind the wheel that no one thought was humanly possible. It seems a good a time as any to ask:

Who’s your favorite race car driver?

The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s the dumbest thing a car company has offered?” Continue reading →

Last week Acura dropped some details about the reborn Integra. We can debate the merits of the car itself, and we have, but the thing about the launch that left us appalled was the fact that Acura was offering buyers an Integra NFT to drum up excitement. Almost a year ago we made automotive NFTs our April Fool’s post, but since then classic car NFTs have become an actual thing. So has destroying a real car and offering its demise an an NFT — thankfully it’s not an irreplaceable classic, as we joked, but that’s probably only a matter of time.

Anyway, we didn’t mean for this to be a rant about NFTs. Car companies have been offering other dumb things long before the digital age. We once received a Nissan USA-branded promotional tool kit — with all standard unit tools. Years ago we came across a neat diecast car in BRE livery, except it was a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Also, everything offered in the official Ferrari store.

What’s the dumbest thing a car company has offered?

The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What vehicle would you use to escape a war-torn hellscape?” Continue reading →