E3 Spark Plugs News

1989 Corvette convertible with just 67 miles – a deal of a lifetime thanks to one unnerved Irish car thief.

Talk about your great garage finds. E3 Spark Plugs would love to come across one of these – a mint condition 1989 Corvette – so mint, in fact that it’s still got the first price tag in the window. And it recently sold a Chevy aficionado with a time capsule dream for the original sticker price.

Mike Robertson, a Newport Beach, Calif. advertising executive had long dreamed of buying a brand new car, then promptly storing it away with plans to take it out 20 years later and drive it like it around like it had just come off the lot.

“Like time capsuling a car for myself,” Robertson recently told reporters. “It was just a fantasy.”

But every now and then, fantasies are realized. And Robertson’s chance came with a December 21 article in The L.A. Times. The article told of an Irish immigrant who got mixed up with some ne’er-do-wells stateside and talked into stealing a car off a dealer’s lot. He did the dirty deed, but apparently was so unnerved by his crime that he parked the car in San Diego storage facility the same day, walked away and never looked back.

He did, however, keep paying the bills for the storage unit, apparently pressured either by his criminal cohorts or his own conscious to keep quiet. And so, there the candy apple red, black-topped convertible stayed, untouched and protected from the elements and from prying eyes for more than two decades.

Twenty three years and $70,000 in storage fees later, our car caper had long ago high-tailed it back to the Emerald Isle. To his credit, he lawyered up and spilled the whole story. And no doubt, he was thrilled to learn that the statute of limitations covering his crime had long expired, leaving him scot-free. Police picked up the car and delivered it to the insurance company that had originally covered the dealership’s loss – who sold it to a wholesaler – who sold it to Sherman Oaks dealer Corky Rice – who promptly posted it on EBay.

Despite a few layers of dust and flat tires, D-shaped from two decades of sitting still but otherwise undamaged, the black leather interior car was in immaculate condition. It even still sported that much envied new car smell and had just 67 miles on the odometer. When the story hit the newspaper, Robertson hit EBay, where Rice was hoping to get $39,410 for the car – the same price on the sticker still on the car’s window. Robertson’s winning bid was just $300 less.

Roberson says he may end up selling his time capsule fantasy turned reality on wheels to a dealership, but no doubt will take it for a joy ride or two.

“I’ll drive it when I feel like it,” he told reporters just a few hours before picking it up from Rice’s dealership. “And I feel like driving it today, I’ll tell you that.”

Preparing for the Mayan apocalypse? You’re gonna want one of these.

If you’re anxiously awaiting a coming apocalypse, whether of the Mayan or zombie sort, E3 Spark Plugs has good news for you. Out of the sincerest concern for you and your family’s post-apocalyptic welfare, we’ve put together a list of the five best rides for surviving the demise of the world as we know it. They’ll cost you, but hey – it’s only money and you likely won’t need much, what with that comet hurtling toward Earth and that massive solar storm expected to jack the global power grid.

1. Conquest Knight XV: This $629,000 fully armored, bio-fuel powered SUV boasts bulletproof glass, run-flat tires, reinforced door hinges and a pretty luxe interior. The company is making only 100 of them, so you might be up for a fight.
2.  Terra Wind: Got a big family? Load ‘em up in this amphibious RV that can travel 80 mph by land and seven knots on the water. Built by Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International, it’ll set you back $850,000.
3. Popemobile: Defy the apocalypse Vatican-style. Take in the earth’s new landscape from the stylish comfort of your built-in throne surrounded by bulletproof glass. The zombies can see you, but can’t touch you – especially when you rev up the Mercedes-Benz engine.
4. The Beast: That’s what they call President Obama’s $300,000 customized Cadillac. It’s got 8-inch thick armor plating, run-flat tires, tear gas cannons, firefighting equipment and a seal that wards off biochemical attacks. Secret Service agents not included.
5. Bugatti Veryon Super Sport: If you lack the cojones to fight ‘em, just outrun ‘em instead. And you may as well do it in style. No production car on Earth can beat the Bugatti Veryon Super Sport, which tops out at 267.856 mph and runs a cool $2.4 million.

No matter which survival vehicle you choose, be sure to stock it with a set of E3 performance spark plugs for a stronger ride. The zombies will hate you for it, but the Mayans would have been impressed.

• Conquest Knight XV

  http://www.e3sparkplugs.com/news/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/knight.jpg
  

• Terra Wind

  http://www.e3sparkplugs.com/news/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/terra wind.jpg
  

• Mercedes-Benz Popemobile

  http://www.e3sparkplugs.com/news/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/popemobile.jpg
  

• Presidential Cadillac - "The Beast"

  http://www.e3sparkplugs.com/news/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/obama_cadillac_limo.jpg
  

• Bugatti Veryon Super Sport

  http://www.e3sparkplugs.com/news/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/Bugatti-Veyron_Super_Sport_2011.jpg
  

Kia Motors and DC Comics unveiled a collection of cars inspired by Justice League superheroes at the recent SEMA Show.

Here at E3 Spark Plugs, we’re bona fide gearheads. But we admit we’re also a little on the geek side. So we we’re a tad beside ourselves with Kia Motors’ unveiling of a line of tricked-out rides inspired by DC Comics’ Justice League.

Kia and DC Comics joined forces to debut the cars at the recent 2012 SEMA Show. The collection includes five cars, each representing a different Justice League member based on their personality and key attributes: The Batman-inspired Optima, Flash Forte Koup, Aquaman Rio 5-door, Cyborg Forte 5-door, and Green Lantern Soul. California’s West Coast Customs, RIDES and Super Street created the designs.

But much like true superheroes, these cars aren’t just flashy good-lookers – They’re on a life-saving mission. DC Comics agreed to the project to help boost awareness of its We Can Be Heroes campaign aimed at combating the effects of drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. The humanitarian effort aims to raise a minimum of $2 million for charities Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps via merchandise sales and donations accepted on its website.

So how would your superhero-inspired ride look? Post your ideas and sketches on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

Are you covered for Hurricane Sandy’s damage to your vehicle? E3 Spark Plug sheds some light.

Was your vehicle a victim of Hurricane Sandy? And are you wondering if your insurance company will pay up? E3 Spark Plugs offers a few pointers.

The first thing to know is whether your auto insurance policy has comprehensive coverage. If so, you’re likely in luck. That’s because comprehensive coverage differs from liability and collision coverage in that it’s specifically designed for storm damage, theft and vandalism. While nearly all states require liability insurance (which pays for damage to other vehicles in the event of an accident that’s deemed your fault), many do not mandate collision (which covers damage to your car) or comprehensive coverage. So, if you were looking to pinch pennies by going with the minimum required coverage at the time you signed, you may have opted out of comprehensive coverage. Fortunately, But 76 percent of auto policy holders do have comprehensive coverage, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

The next bit of info to ascertain is the amount of the deductible you chose when you purchased your comprehensive auto insurance policy. In an effort to keep their monthly premiums manageable, many people opt for a higher deductible, particularly if they feel they’ll be able to pay for any auto damage with their savings or other financial resources. So long as the damage racks up to more than your deductible amount, you’re likely covered for any damage above the deductible.

Of course, it all depends on how much your car is worth. No matter how bad the damage, your insurance provider will not pay more than its determined total value of the car. This is particularly true for older cars. And it’s all a moot point if you failed to keep up your monthly premiums and allowed your insurance coverage to laps.

If your car is damaged and you have comprehensive auto insurance in place, take photos and call your provider to file a claim right away. Also send copies of any appraisals you may have had done on your vehicle, but understand that your insurance adjuster likely will have the last word on your car’s worth.

Love creepy, campy horror movies with gags, gore and great rides? “Monster Man” is one of E3 Spark Plugs picks for frightfully fun Halloween flicks.

Halloween brings out the crazy costumes and harrowing horror films. But it’s not just houses that are haunted. Some of the best creepy, campy and downright funny fright flicks feature cars hell-bent on devilish destruction. Here are a few of E3 Spark Plugs‘ top scary car flick picks for this Halloween season, starring a classic hearse, a monster-driven monster truck, an 80s-tastic streetcar and a shape shifter than can take on just about any automotive form.

• Super Hybrid, 2011: When a mysterious, sleek black car is brought into the Chicago police impound garage after a deadly late-night accident, the on-call mechanics soon realize that something’s not quite right. The parts don’t feel metallic and it apparently runs not on fuel, but on blood. As it starts to terrorize the crew, the true horror is revealed – this shape-shifter can take the form of any make and model, turning the plot into a deadly game of hide (in plain sight)-and-seek.

• The Hearse, 1980: Starting over after a messy divorce, the lovely Jane Hardy moves into the home she inherits from her late aunt in the small town of Blackford. Going through her aunt’s things, Jane soon learns the secrets that the woman had kept from family, but that were all too well known by the local townsfolk – she was devil-worshipping, witchcraft-practicing old lady. That’s a bit of information Jane might have appreciated pre-relocation. Pretty soon, she finds herself followed by a creepy, classic hearse and a mysterious driver. Turns out that upon her death, the hearse carrying the aunt’s body crashed, but no sign of the driver or of the coffin were ever found. Could it be that she and her post-mortem escort are back? Or might the young hottie Jane has begun dating actually be the crazed, creepy chauffer?

• The Wraith, 1986: Big hair and big scares abound in this 80s-tastic horror flick starring a young and handsome pre-meltdown Charlie Sheen. Set in an Arizona desert town, the local thugs led by PackardWalsh (Nick Cassavetes) force drivers to drag race and jack their rides. Dead-set on winning any and everything he wants, Walsh stabs to death the neighborhood decent kid, Jamie, and moves in on Jamie’s girlfriend, Keri. Enter the mysterious new guy, Jake, a motorcycle driving king of cool with a sleek, black car that can’t be beat on the drag racing scene. Jake makes his own romantic moves on Keri and takes Jamie’s sweet brother under his wing. Pretty soon, Walsh’s criminal gang starts dropping like flies. By the way, watch for the roller skating waitress – an unknown and uncredited hottie named Brooke Burke.

• Monster Man, 2003: This one ain’t for the cinematic snobs. If you don’t take your horror too seriously, Monster Man is a guaranteed laugh. Geeky Adam and knucklehead Harley hit the road in their 1970 Chevrolet Kingswood bent on crashing the wedding of Adam’s ex-girlfriend, Betty-Ann. They stop in at a bar and Harley makes fun of patrons watching monster truck rally on TV. Bad move. Soon after they leave, a giant monster truck shows up and drives them off the road. The bumbling duo makes the mistake of siphoning gas from a seemingly abandoned RV and thinks their luck is back on track when they pick up Sarah a hot hitchhiker dressed for a night at the club. Another bad move. The ensuing antics include severed body parts, hotel road kill, a deformed monster truck-driving psycho and a revelation that the lovely Sarah is not what she seems – plus a fantastic, finned 1962 Cadillac hearse. Gags, grossness and gore galore.

What’s your favorite movie about a haunted ride? Post your killer car flick picks on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.

Fred Stoke’s 10,000-strong oil can collection is the world’s largest.

A while back, we brought you the story of Joe Cook and his amazing vintage spark plug collection. Now, meet Fred Stoke, whose automotive curiosity is all about the oil can.

Stoke’s Santa Rosa, California ranch is where vintage car buffs wish they could retire. It’s a detailed recreation of a small American town complete with a bell steeple church, fire barn, restored 1920s service station and a faux general store that serve as a charming backdrop for the many antique and vintage car shows held there throughout the year. But the top attraction just might be his massive vintage oil can collection housed in the general store. At 10,000-strong, it’s quite possibly the largest one-quart oil can in the world.

Stoke “grew up in the grease” as the son of an auto shop owner. Naturally, he became an adept mechanic at a young age and took a keen interest in not only fixing cars, but driving them, too – fast. Throughout the 1960s, Stokes was an avid drag racer and today still rebuilds and restores amazing vintage hotrods.

But somewhere along the line, he developed a fascination with the colorful cans that held the lifeblood of all the cars he raced, repaired and loved. Lining shelves by the hundreds, they come in a variety of shapes and styles, from simple cylindrical disposable cans opened with a church key to cans with hemisphere bases and tapered straight spouts to more intricately designed cans with handles and push-buttons. Stoke’s collection also includes a selection of oil bottles. Yes, bottles.

“This is the way oil used to be distributed, in the bottles in the old days,” Stoke says, pointing to a row of metal spout-topped glass bottles in an episode of Snap Shots, a show produced in Sonoma County, California and posted on YouTube. “But they used to cheat on them because they could just go out back and put any kind of oil in them.”

Stoke hopes to create a reference guide of vintage oil cans for other automobilia collectors. His ranch is not open to the public for daily tours, but he regularly hosts car shows and swap meets, plus the annual Fred’s All American Old Car Day. So keep a look out online for events. In the meantime, scroll down and enjoy a video tour courtesy of Snap Shots.

102-year-old Margaret Dunning and her 1930 Packard 740 Roadster. Driving since eight years old, Dunning still changes the oil and spark plugs herself.

Most classic car collectors are significantly younger than the wheeled beauties in their garages. So, we here at E3 Spark Plugs give serious props to Plymouth, Michigan’s Margaret Dunning – a feisty but friendly centenarian who loves tooling around town in her mint condition 1930 Packard 740 Roadster.

At 102 years old, Dunning has been driving longer than most of us have been alive. She first got behind the wheel at age eight and landed her driver’s license at 12, which means she’s been legally on the road for 90 years.

“I love the old cars,” she says. “I love the smell of gasoline. It runs in my veins.”

Dunning’s love for all things automotive began early and had a touch of an ulterior motive.

“I’m just a farm girl, and my dad had a lot of machinery, and I adored my dad,” Dunning told reporters at the Concours d’Elegance in Plymouth recently. “I became familiar with the tools, because the minute I said I didn’t know what I was looking for, he’d say, ‘Go back to the house.’”

The Dunning family’s sprawling potato and dairy farm was just down the road from the home of Henry Ford, a neighbor and friend who would pop in for some conversation and huckleberry pie. Dunning no doubt learned a lot from Mr. Ford, especially after her father passed away and she inherited his Model T Ford.

“If you had just a little knowledge and some baling wire and bob pins, you could keep the thing going,” she said of the Model T. “It was the little car that made America.”

Dunning’s politically connected mother had arthritic feet, so she finagled a driver’s license for the precocious preteen, much to the chagrin of a few proper-folk locals.

“I’d see a few friends or race past a blind pig,” she said (“Blind pig” was the term used for Prohibition-era drinking establishments). “Before I could get home, people would be calling saying, ‘I think I just saw Margaret, with quite a dust pile behind her.’”

Today’s paved roads mean the billowing dust pile has been replaced with the occasional flashing blue lights. Dunning’s had a few fender benders and, admittedly, has a rap sheet of speeding tickets.

“I have lead in my feet,” she says. “It disturbs the policemen very badly, but it doesn’t bother me at all.”

Dunning purchased her Packard in 1949 and completely restored it, including four interior upholstery renovations and 22 coats of hand-rubbed lacquer. Over the past few years, she and her beloved Packard have been making the rounds of swank auto shows. She also owns a 1966 Cadillac DeVille, a ’75 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and a 1931 Model A. And she still tinkers under the hood, changing the oil and spark plugs herself when she’s able.

“Before old age overtook me, I could scoot under the car very nicely,” she said.

E3 Spark Plugs has a few great stocking stuffer tips for the auto buff you love.

Are you a serious slacker when it comes to holiday shopping? No worries. E3 Spark Plugs has a few great ideas for those last-minute, stocking-stuffer gifts for the auto buff on your Christmas list.

• A good read: A subscription to an auto magazine is always a welcome gift from a car enthusiast. There are lots to choose from. Publications like Automotive News and AutoWeek, which offer across-the-board industry coverage. Others like European Car, Hot Rod and Vette cater to car lovers with particular automotive interests.

• That’s the ticket: A pair of tickets to a great auto event, whether to a mud-flinging Monster Truck show or a fancy-schmancy Concours d’Elegance, is sure to get you a sincere “OMG, I love it!”

• Help!: If there’s a teenager in the family who will be driving for the first time soon, consider a roadside emergency kit. AAA memberships are very popular holiday gifts for new drivers. An electronic tire gauge, a set of jumper cables and a battery- or cigarette lighter-powered car tire inflator (or at least a can of Fix-A-Flat) might not elicit the same shrieks of excitement as, say a new iPod pre-loaded with Justin Bieber tunes, but they’ll do doubt be much appreciate somewhere down the road.

• A thrill ride: For the experienced driver and dare devil in the family, spring for a gift certificate good toward a Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure package. Packages range from a four-lap intro for $195 to a full-throttle 80-lap experience for $3,695.

• Power surge: Of course, we’d be remiss without suggesting a set of E3 car, truck or motorcycle spark plugs Our favorite stocking stuffer will give your loved one a boost in engine power and efficiency, a little extra change in their pockets rather than the gas tank, and a bit of feel-good mojo knowing that a cleaner ride is good for the environment.

Got more great stocking stuffer ideas? Post them on our E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page. And remember to keep it safe on the roadways this holiday season. Slow down, watch out for impaired drivers and, if you plant to imbibe in a little liquid joy yourself, designate a non-drinking driver. From all of us here at E3 Spark Plugs, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and best wishes for the New Year!

Sneak peek of the 2013 Dodge Dart.

The last time you could buy a brand new Dodge Dart was the same year moviegoers were lining up for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, newshounds were following the Watergate trials, Peter Gabriel was still the Genesis frontman and Bob Chandler was tooling away in his garage, creating the first Monster Truck Bigfoot. Until now, that is. Yep – the Dodge Dart is back. But this ain’t your granny’s Slant-Six lead sled.

Next year, Dodge will revive the Dart name for its newest small car, replacing the ailing Caliber. It’s designed is based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and will hit the streets with a choice of three engines: the Tigershark 16-valve 2.0-liter, a 16-valve 1.4-liter MultiAir® Intercooled Turbo, and a new Tigershark 16-valve 2.4-liter MultiAir® four-cylinder engine. Dodge marketers are billing the 2013 Dart as a four-door sedan that “redefines performance” and “brings fun back to driving” in the compact car segment.

1960 Dodge Dart. Photo credit: DDCoral / Shutterstock.com

The original Dodge Dart was produced from 1960-1976. Initially, the Dodge suits didn’t like the name and doled out big money to a hotshot marketing firm who came back with a gloriously bad recommendation: the “Dodge Zipp.”

“Um. Nevermind,” the suits said. And the newest Dodge kept its Dart moniker, a nod to the Convair F-106 Delta Dart, at the time a new military aircraft, and the 1960s Space Race craze. The Dart’s GTS muscle version of the late 1960s is the one most revered by fans and romanticized by filmmakers. But the 1970s models’ overuse in TV shows of the era, plus the 1998-2006 That ’70s Show, deemed the collective late-model Dodge Dart “Grandma’s car.”

1971 Dodge Dart Swinger. Photo in public domain, courtesy of Wikipedia.

The world will get its first full look at the new Dodge Dart at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Until then, you can get a glimpse on the Dodge website. But be forewarned that a frustrating teaser is all you’ll see. Thus far, Dodge has released only a series of extreme close-ups of select features. Remember those face-only shots of Marlon Brando’s Col. Kurtz character in Apocalypse Now? Yeah. That’s kinda what you’ll get until January.

So, E3 Spark Plugs fans, which is your favorite Dodge Dart? Will your car buff heart remain loyal to the reverse-finned ’60s models or the angular-edged ’70s Swingers? Or are you waiting with bated breath for the Dart’s new era? Post your thought on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page. And in the meantime, enjoy this vintage Dodge Dart commercial from 1966 – Join the Dodge Rebellion, baby!

Johnny Depp and Aaron Eckhart. along with a few great vintage rides, star in the film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's "The Rum Diary." This late 1950s Austin Healy just might be our favorite.

After years of will-it or won’t-it-get-made speculation, the Johnny Depp-fronted adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s The Rum Diary finally hits theater screens nationwide Friday. We here at E3 Spark Plugs have been waiting with bated breath for this one. Not just for the crazed Gonzo brand of entertainment. Not just because Amber Heard is a stone cold hottie. Not just because any movie with a line like “We’ll nail this bastard to his own front door” has to be a good one. But for the parade of sweet (and just plain funny) vintage rides.

The Rum Diary is the story of Paul Kemp (played by Depp in a young Thompson-esque way), a divorced, anti-authoritarian boozehound of a journalist who jettisons the madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America for the beautiful Puerto Rico to write for The San Juan Star, a tiny local newspaper on its last legs. Kemp quickly adapts to the rum-soaked island life and develops an obsession for the beautiful Chenault (Heard). Trouble is, Chenault just happens to be engaged to Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), who just happens to be a corrupt developer bent on turning the pristine island into a capitalist paradise sucking up to the wealthy. Sanderson recruits Kemp to write some positive fluff about his latest scheme, which sets the film up for its major conflict: Kemp must decide whether to use his words to benefit the sleazy businessmen’s bottom line or to take the bastards down.

Great storyline, no doubt. But what we love are the great vintage vehicles you’ll see all through the film, set in the late 1950s. The trailer opens with Kemp driving a sweet candy apple red ’59 Corvette, which Producer Graham King let Depp take home after filming wrapped. That’s the kind of employment bonus we should all be so lucky to land. Another jaw dropper is Sanderson’s late 1950s Austin Healey. You gotta love the decidedly less glam Fiat 500 minus doors, a roof and a front seat – kinda like that loveable loser friend you’re always bailing out of trouble and but keep around anyway. And who doesn’t dig a vintage motorcycle with Giovanni Ribisi in a sidecar. We’re not sure of the model, but we’re thinking it’s a Harley 45. Incidentally, we hear the film has inspired a jam band named Giovanni Ribisi in a Motorcycle Sidecar.

Got a favorite vintage ride featured in a period film? E3 Spark Plugs wants to know. Leave us a comment on our blog or on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook fan page.