Despite the misinformation that Mercedes-Benz keeps churning out, the Benz Patent Motorwagen of 1886 was not the first automobile. The steam cars made by Amédée Bollée weren’t either, but Bolée’s 1878 steam car, La Mancelle, was the first car to enter series production, with 50 examples built. That’s not a whole lot, but it’s way more than a handful, and absolutely counts as series production. The car itself was remarkable in many ways, too, and far ahead of its time....

Here, look at these headlight covers: Wow, right? I mean, it’s surprising enough to see headlight grilles of any sort on a public bus, but this one, with its vaguely seashell-inspired motif, is especially wonderful. It’s very Art Deco/Art Nouveau and adds a lot of charm to this big whale’s face. In fact, it kind of reminds me of another glorious Art Deco whale, the Stout Scarab: Look at the headlight grilles on the Scarab, and the detailing on the rear, in the air intake vents....

So, kick everyone out of your office, end class early, adjourn the court, get your nurse to close the patient, land in a field or something, do whatever you need to do so you can focus your full attention on all the taillight (and more) goodness I’m about to sling your way. Let’s start with something really special, right off the top: See this incredible and shockingly minimalistic taillight? That’s from the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance Best in Show winner, this 1934 Voisin C-25 Aerodyne....

London Taxis For Everyone It’s a sort of knee-jerk reaction of those of us who write these morning roundups and worship at the altar of our one true prophet, newsletter-king Matt Levine, to jump into things with a kind of faux-learned skepticism. I’m going to resist the urge and instead approach today’s weird news with a serene open-mindedness. Here’s the headline that woke me up this morning, from Reuters: “Exclusive: Geely plans to turn maker of London black cabs into EV powerhouse....

Is this report plausible? I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. Toyota is very proud of its hybrid drivetrains, and pretty much every model that isn’t performance-oriented is now available with some sort of electric assistance. Plus, the 3.5-liter V6 in the current Tacoma seems to be on its way out and Toyota seems to finally be hopping on the downsizing trend. The Sienna and Highlander have both ditched the six in favor of four-cylinder powertrains, while the Tundra and Sequoia have also downsized from V8s to boosted V6s....

In case you’re unaware of the line of Hot Wheels cars based on Star Wars characters, it’s a really unusual phenomenon. Hot Wheels designers make cars not based on actual vehicles, but rather as automotive adaptations of characters from the movies, basing the look of the car on the character’s general look and personality traits. There’s a ton of these, too, ranging from popular, well-known characters like R2-D2 and Darth Vader: …to more obscure characters like Nein Nunb and Maz Kanata:...

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted something that made me perhaps irrationally excited. On the way to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving dinner, I saw a little Toyota Dolphin camper pulling out of a residence and off to the great beyond. I couldn’t stop and turn around in time to catch it. So you’ll have to trust me when I say that this thing was in mint condition, and you could see some modern upgrades like LED lighting and solar panels....

Before I get to megalodon, I should mention the many, many other large spiders I encountered in that garage in Australia, and the effects they had on my overall wrenching experience (I’d also mention the effects on my psyche, but I’ll leave that between me and a therapist). The very first day I started on my project, which — along with the parts car — had sat in a field for years and thus become home to all sorts of critters, I was loosening a screw holding a disintegrated taillight-housing to the rear quarter panel....

Yeah, just kidding. Car buyers are often obsessed with the status associated with the make of a car, and sad number of buyers purchase cars based on brand alone. In fact, it is amazing to see how many really good to great cars get overlooked because of the fact that they are badged as a brand that is too commonly associated with more proletarian cars or with buyers that are just not cool enough for the potential consumer....

Am I being too harsh? Maybe. Let’s look at the old logo, and the one that was just announced last month: Yeah, I’m not being too harsh. (Photo: Bugatti) The old Bugatti logo has been around in essentially the same form since 1909, when Carlo Bugatti, a jewelry maker and the father of founder Ettore Bugatti, designed it as a badge for his son’s cars. This logo/badge was known as the Macaron, and you can read it lovingly described here: It’s an iconic logo, absolutely, and I respect that it’s resisted change for so many decades....

While nobody’s stepped forward to claim this build, it appears to be a relatively well-known project cooked up by YouTuber Rich Rebuilds. This electric side-by-side UTV with Legacy EV battery modules and a Netgain Motors Hyper 9 motor is a really cool concept. Side-by-sides are awesome at going over rough terrain and electric power should help reduce disturbance to nature compared to a gasoline-powered engine. Unfortunately, something happened that led to an evacuation from the SEMA show floor....

Interesting. Personally I would choose the Alfa, though I wouldn’t kick either one out of the garage. Now then: Let’s take a look at some examples of one of my favorite category of cars: little hatchbacks. For some reason, I tend to favor cars from opposite ends of the size spectrum, either really small or really big. (A few years ago I had a Miata and a Coupe DeVille at the same time, for example)....

Looks like the van has it. Must be Good-Lookin’ Sergey’s influence. Now, when I was a kid in the late Seventies, I remember hearing my folks complain a lot about high gas prices. Their solution was to buy tiny cars that posted good fuel economy numbers, and use them for everything, even family road trips. You haven’t lived until you’ve toured the Rocky Mountains in a Fiat 128 sedan crammed full of a family of four and two weeks’ worth of luggage and souvenirs....

Saab wins, again! I’d have to look back to check, which would be difficult because I don’t keep track, but I believe the defunct Swedish brand is undefeated. From the comments, a lot of you felt the Subaru was overpriced for its condition (I agree) and that the Saab was more worthy of attention (ditto). A nice European sports sedan in good condition is hard to beat. But what about a nice European sports sedan in not-so-good condition?...

Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday. GM Enters The Energy Arena In an era where the lines between vehicle and utility are blurred, it’s not surprising to hear Automotive News’ report that GM is moving into the energy business....

Well, color me surprised! I fully expected the Northstar to scare more of you away. Apparently the only thing scarier than a Northstar is rust. Some cars, when you see their listings, you just feel sorry for them. They’ve obviously led hard lives, full of abuse and indifference, and it’s one thing if the car in question is a Subaru Outback or something that no one really cares that much about....

Wait, back up. A mid-engined Audi TT sports car? Well, yes, kind-of. The chassis started life from blueprints provided by a Haynes manual called Build Your Own Sports Car: On a Budget. Now, I happen to have a copy of that book and the sports car it instructs readers to build is about as far from mid-engined as a water buffalo is from an F-35 fighter jet. It’s supposed to be this Ford Sierra-based Lotus Seven clone, the sort of thing designed for puttering about the Cotswolds....

“You should buy a house, David” they told me. “Buying all these junky cars is a bad financial decision,” they declared. But oh were they wrong. So, so wrong. I will admit that, when I bought my rusted-out Jeep Grand Wagoneer, my non-running 1979 Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle, my totaled 1991 Jeep Cherokee, and the rest of my fleet, I wasn’t doing it for any “intelligent” reason. I was doing it because these vehicles are awesome and I could literally see no reason not to buy them....

Ever since I went to the Illinois Railway Museum for the first time last month, I’ve been watching the museum’s calendar for interesting train events. Pretty much all of them sound awesome, but with my wedding only a few weeks away I don’t have nearly enough time to go to all of them. So Sheryl and I chose two events of interest, the Museum Showcase Weekend and Bus Day. As I said before, the Museum Showcase Weekend is an all-weekend event where the museum pulls out the equipment that isn’t as frequently seen or available to be ridden in....

“It’s with our deepest regrets that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident today,” said Hoonigan on its official Instagram account. “Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband. He will be incredibly missed.” A post shared by Hoonigan Industries (@thehoonigans) The cause of the accident was confirmed by the Wasatch County Sheriff Department in a Facebook post: This matches with posts on Block’s own Instagram account, which included stories referencing a ride in CanAm snowmobiles on January 2nd....