Announcing the 2011 Hooniversal Car of the Year

The Prestigious Hooniversal Car of the Year Award!

As you all know, I nominated the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale for this year’s Car of the Year award. I felt it was a thoroughly worthwhile candidate, and I stand by that nomination. But my nomination also packs with it a little bit of shame. I’m ashamed that I overlooked a candidate, and one so obvious and perfect that when it was suggested behind the scenes in discussions amongst the editors, it caused me to facepalm with significant enthusiasm. I couldn’t believe that I had been so hypnotized by that curvy redhead’s beauty that I had forgotten the girl creature we’ve all loved all along.

… Continue Reading

Tweet

Hooniversal Car of the Year: It’s Time To Choose The Winner!

No bias at all.

Every major automotive publication out there has some variation on a car of the year award. Yeah, they’re okay. But ours is better. Ours is better because of this post right here. Every other publication out there tells you the most deserving recipient of their prize. We let you choose. Hooniverse isn’t a conventional publication; we’re not here to tell you about cars, we’re here to ask you about cars. We’re fully aware that our audience knows more about cars than we ever could. The pool of knowledge in a community is always bigger than the knowledge of any one writer, so attempting to tell a group of car enthusiasts what is the most deserving vehicle is nothing short of arrogant. That’s why we’re asking you what is the most deserving car instead.

So for that reason, we threw out our suggestions, and accepted nominations from our readers. From that narrowed-down pool, it’s time to choose the winner. We’ve done our jobs, now it’s time for you to do yours. But let’s recap the candidates, just in case you missed one!

… Continue Reading

Tweet

HCOTY Last Minute Reader Nominee: The PT/10

We received this nomination back in June when it came up for sale on the eBays, and we owe commenter OA5599 a debt of gratitude for sending it in again. That’s right, folks, hold on to your hats… it’s a PT Cruiser pickup!

Okay, yeah, we know, that’s not even close to enough to get you excited about it. Well then perhaps we can win you over?

… Continue Reading

Tweet

HCOTY Last Minute Reader Nominee: The Zyncro

"You've been HERE."

While going back through the comments and emails that came in with regards to the Hooniversal Car of the Year, I noticed that we did receive a nomination from the community that had been overlooked, and it’s one that should be included. Because it’s a car that ticks every one of the check-boxes for our candidacy. The Zyncro that our own Longrooffan introduced us to a few weeks ago tells the story of vehicular companionship that embodies everything we’re looking for.

… Continue Reading

Tweet

Hooniversal Car of the Year Nominee: The Killer ZomBee!

Name another car in any race series that gets to (and usually from) the race under it’s own power and typically pulls a covered wagon it’s own support trailer and keeps spare engines strapped into the co-pilot seat.

… Continue Reading

Tweet

2011 HCOTY Nominee: The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

On the face of it, the reasons for this nomination should be obvious. This is a breathtakingly gorgeous car. It has curves that defy description. It is built for performance, it is built for speed, and it is built for pure sex appeal. It was designed to be Alfa Romeo’s shot across the bow at Ferrari, and it achieved each of these goals with aplomb. But the Hooniversal Car of the Year is not just about being an awesome car; it must be much more than that.

… Continue Reading

Tweet

HCOTY 2011 Nominee: A Proverbial Favorite

Well, my fellow Hoons the occasion has arrived for the official presentation of the only viable candidate for the illustrious Hooniverse Car Of The Year.

Sure, thus far we have seen nominated uber cool modernized muscle cars, vintage one off racing sports cars, an absolutely unobtainable, either whole or in parts, extremely versatile Soviet bloc sedan: What Hoon in Hoonville knows what else is coming down the turnpike toward all of us?

But, as I mentioned, there is only one truly Hoonworthy candidate for the Hooniverse Car Of The Year and, of course, it’s a longroof.

However, first a brief review is in order.

see image src at the end of this post … Continue Reading

Tweet

2011 Hooniverse Car of the Year Nominee: RAUH-Welt 965 “Pandora One”

Akira Nakai is known for building diabolically polarizing Porsches, and Pandora One is no exception. RWB and Nakai-San’s creations are things you either “get”, or you don’t, and, that’s okay. RAUH-Welt builds more than just cars, they build a lifestyle, and they build art. The art that they build isn’t for a museum, its built to be driven, effing fast!

… Continue Reading

Tweet

2011 Hooniverse Car of the Year Nominee – The Team Trailing Throttle Oversteer 1963 Corvair

The 24-Hours-of-Lemons has been a staple of this and other enthusiast car sites for the past few years, with the premise that anyone who has a group of car crazed friends, a basic knowledge of how a car works, and a desire to go racing in any form can experience the thrill of competing on the track with a multitude of other people who are just as wacko as they are. Throw in the fact that these chariots are all suppose to start as $500 crap cans, a panel of judges who encourage you to bribe them to look the other way when they discover you spent more you are suppose to on said car, and with penalties that range from wearing outrageous outfits to getting covered in feathers, you know this isn’t your average race series.

Which brings me to my self serving nomination for the 2011 Hooniverse Car of the Year, the Team Trailing Throttle Oversteer 1963 Chevrolet Corvair 700 Sedan. This car had the distinction of being the oldest car ever to compete in a 24-Hours-of-LeMons event at its maiden race in July of 2009 (with older machinery competing afterwards), winning the coveted Index-of-Effluency award, and coming in 1st in its class, all while being the slowest car on the track. This is a story of what was probably the fan favorite entry at the two events it competed in, and is now officially retired.

… Continue Reading

Tweet

2011 Hooniverse Car of the Year Nominee – 1968 Pete Brock Triumph TR250K

My nominee for the auspicious 2011 Hooniverse Car of the Year award is a racer that appeared on these pages a couple of months ago, but only in a supporting role.

At last October’s Art Center Car Classic, the theme was cars that had been influenced in design by the Southern California lifestyle. That meant lots of convertibles, Reed Stewart’s riff on Bruce Meyers’ Manx dune buggy, and a slew of racers campaigned by driver/designer/Golden State native Pete Brock. And capping that line was his electric blue one-off TriumphTR250K.

… Continue Reading

Tweet