Driving with a beer in hand is just bad form. But driving a beer? Well, that's just cantastic!

Our colleagues at Hemmings Auto Blogs turned up a keg's worth of photos and information about these Beetle-based beermobiles from the 1980s. A Florida company called Automotive Innovations owned by Ron Wharton created the cars for the Stroh Brewery Company for promotional use, with one leading a daily parade at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tenn.

The builder was granted an exemption from federal safety standards and were limited to building only 300 of the fiberglass-bodied cars a year. Each one was given a new title as a Pop Top Can Car.

Check out our gallery below, then click on over to Hemmings for many more photos of the cars, including orange-juice, motor oil and Mountain Dew themed models.



[Source: Hemmings Auto Blogs]

At first, Ford's SYNC wasn't much more than a way for drivers to access music on their MP3 players through their car's radio. But SYNC grew up and, in its last update, gained the ability to summon help in an emergency, access navigation and information services and, basically, match GM's OnStar.

Ford had Joseph Berry to thank for that. Past tense. Had. Back in July, Ford reportedly terminated Berry without getting him to sign over several key SYNC patents. Berry says the patents are based on ideas he came up with before joining Ford and therefore belong to him. But, he says, he'll be happy to license them to his former employer. Ford basically says, "No comment."

The patents are directly related technologies that allow SYNC to use mobile phones to access data such as weather and real-time traffic information. Berry says he's currently in talks with "several automakers" and the head of GM's OnStar division will only say that they "know who Joe Berry is."

Should Ford SYNC users be concerned about losing service? Probably not. It seems likely that as soon as Berry and all the lawyers get their cut, everything ought to be back to normal at Ford HQ.

UPDATE: Ford Communications Manager Alan Hall tells us that Ford isn't saying "No comment," actually. Here's his official statement, "We do not see any risk to current SYNC technology or further innovation and capability development. There is no chance for service disruption or capability reduction for our SYNC owners. In fact, we look forward to announcing more new SYNC applications for customers in the months ahead."

Hall also sought to clarify ownership of the SYNC brand, saying, "The "SYNC" name is a Ford trademark. It is a Ford brand, and therefore cannot be used by anyone else, including being applied to the Microsoft Auto operating platform. The exclusivity contract with Microsoft for the underlying Auto operating system expired in November of 2008, so they can provide the software to other companies, which includes the base capabilities of Bluetooth and USB connection for voice control. But, all the other applications - 911 Assist, Vehicle Health Report, and Traffic, Direction & Information - are Ford developed."

[Source: Detroit News]

Casual observers will have a difficult time distinguishing between Honda's 2009 and 2010 CR-V. Small exterior tweaks and interior upgrades top the list of changes, while underhood, Honda's cute 'ute gets another 14 horses to play with while returning slightly better fuel economy.

The CR-V's grille gets re-worked with a single chrome bar instead of two, and flows into the headlights instead of being interrupted by body-color trim. The opening below shrinks and receives a honeycomb insert instead of the horizontal slats, and below that, the rugged-looking plastic fascia is totally re-worked with less black, more paint.

From the side, the two are virtually identical, except the rear bumper, where the side markers are a bit more visible. In back, changes to the lower fascia are more discernible, with the black plastic losing some height in exchange for body-color paneling. EX and L models get upgraded to standard ten-spoke wheels instead of 2009's seven-spoke, while inside, Honda has made a few aesthetic and functionality changes including a wider center armrest, new door handle design and new fabric choices. For all the details, make the jump for Honda's press release.




[Source: Honda]

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Want the muscular, retro look of a 1969 Shelby Mustang without any of the rust, engine problems and, well, cachet of a 40-year-old classic? Then fire up the eBay and check out what Retrobuilt has wrought.

What you see is not a 1969 Shelby fully restored to better-than-new condition. Nor is it a 1969 Mustang Fastback retromodded to look like said Shelby. The car you see is listed on eBay as a 2007 Shelby Mustang GT 350 custom-made by Retrobuilt to fool most casual observers into thinking the car is 38 years older than it is.

The auction description says the car is a prototype created by the company used to produce molds for fiberglass kits for aftermarket customizers. As the car has been built as a prototype, this coupe's doors are metal, as are the fins over the back glass. Front fenders, hood, quarter panels and trunk lid are all rendered in hand-laid fiberglass. The door handles are 1969 repros and the bumpers are triple-chromed steel. The rear wing is a factory-correct 1969 wing stretched four inches to fit the 2007's wider stance.

Barring some slightly wonky proportions, it's certainly a loyal interpretation of the original, and with a current bid of under $30,000, possibly an interesting bargain. Check out the gallery for many more pics.



[Source: eBay]

With many automakers scaling back production to better balance supply with demand, it's not surprising there are several hard-to-find models right now. Forbes Magazine made some calls and did a little research and turned up what they say is the top 12 most difficult to find cars. After the run on high-mileage cars recently, you'd expect to see hybrid models like the Toyota Prius at No. 2 on the list. Tied for second is a car on the other extreme, the Chevrolet Camaro. Both model are spending an average of 18.5 days on dealer lots.

But Forbes says the hardest to find new car recently is actually the Audi Q5. The Four-Ringed crossover sat around in showrooms an average of only 16.8 days in June and July. Audi had another hit on the list with its S5, which tied for 12th place with the Mini Cooper.

Only one other American nameplate showed up as a hot seller, and that was Ford's Escape and Escape Hybrid, slipping in at No. 10. Toyota had a whopping five vehicles on the list, including the Prius and the Lexus RX 350/RX Hybrid. The Matrix was No. 4, the FJ Cruiser No. 8, and the RAV4 was No. 9. Said another way, "Thanks, Cash for Clunkers!"

Oddly, the Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI didn't show up on Forbes' list. From our personal experience and reports from readers, the car is almost impossible to find due to production issues and demand –presumably that's because the study calculated days on lots for the entire Jetta lineup, not just specific models therein.



[Source: Forbes]

In the deep recesses of untold numbers of sheds and workshops, sit an even greater quantity of old toolboxes filled with long-unused hand tools. Over time, those tool-filled treasure chests will eventually be discovered and emptied by new owners, some of whom will wonder when and where the grease-encrusted wrenches and pliers were manufactured and how they might have been used.

To most people, the letters, numbers and small geometric shapes forged into the tools' handles give few clues as to their provenance. Luckily, there's Alloy Artifacts, a website dedicated to documenting the implements that kept America's machines running smoothly through the 20th century.

Not sure what you've found? The site has numerous photos of tools along with their intended uses; sometimes you'll even find links to their original patent filings. The odd tool you see above was made by Blackhawk Manufacturing in the early 1920s. According to Alloy Artifacts, it's a "model 6218 9/16 speeder socket wrench with a sliding extension" used to remove the engine base bolts of Model Ts.

Several toolmakers are profiled on the website, including Hindsdale Manufacturing, which made the socket set you see here sometime between 1919 and 1924. You'll also find myriad photos and descriptions of products made by Snap-On, Hinsdale, Duro, and Cornwell just to name a few.

Block off a couple of hours and lock yourself away in the garage. Looking through the site and imagining using the antique tools is time-waster on par with YouTube and eBay.

[Source: Alloy Artifacts via Hemmings Auto Blogs]

The fine folks over at MotoringFile say that the pricing on their favorite little cars will grow in 2010. A combination of higher shipping costs and more standard equipment (including runflat tires), results in a base price bump of $300 to $400 on every MINI model across the board.

The cheapest MINI, the R56 Cooper, now starts at $19,500 – $300 more than the '09 model. On the other end of the range, the R57 John Cooper Works MINI convertible also gets a $300 bump and starts at $34,700 before options. In between lies the R55 Clubman series, which carries a matching $300 bump to $21,150 to start and maxes out in JCW guise at $31,700.

MotoringFile has a list of other changes you'll see when ordering our new MINI, including Interchange Yellow replacing Mellow Yellow, fabric on the back of sport seats and some exterior colors available only with certain packages. The memos also make even more official BMW's decision to completely drop the limited slip differential option due to low interest.



[Source: MotoringFile]

After spending time with the Jetta sedan last year, we came away mostly impressed by its performance and looks. V-Dub's bread-and-butter model is handsome enough to keep buyers interested, but every design gets stale and after wearing the same duds since 2004, VW is working on all-new sheetmetal for the 2011 model year.

KPG caught the new Jetta Sedan undergoing hot-weather testing in Arizona, and while most of the shots show little more than swaths of black camo, the heat and wind worked away at the adhesive to reveal crisper lines, a swoopier roof, a more angled rear side window and some snazzy looking taillights.

VW is calling the revised Jetta its "New Compact Sedan" and the Jetta name is in no danger of being changed. Expect the 2011 Jetta to take aim at the Civic and Corolla with a significant drop in its base price when it goes on sale late next year.

The headline is attention-grabbing. A former Chinese auto executive is proposing a $6 billion plant in economically-distressed north Mississippi that will employ 25,000 people and produce one million cars a year.

Automotive News' story is both intriguing and complicated – and not just because three players are named Wang, one is named Yang – so buckle up for the short-and-sweet Autoblog version.

Yang Rong was once China's third-richest man as the CEO of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. But after some disagreements with a Chinese government official in 2002, Yang fled the country and settled in Los Angeles.

Cars are only one of the reasons Yang wants to build $6.5 billion plant in Mississippi (that's six times the cost of Toyota's Mississippi plant, by the way). Another is green cards. When Yang left China, he also left his fortune and has apparently been unable to recoup any of it. It's a scary scenario that many wealthy Chinese fear: upset the government, lose your money. But the U.S. government makes it easy for Chinese residents to both invest their cash in America, as well as move here. Invest a minimum of $500,000 in an economically distressed region of the U.S., creating at least 10 jobs, and you get permanent resident status.

Vincent Wang, an associate of Yang's, says Italdesign Giugiaro is designing the new venture's cars, and documents show Porsche AG providing "our car's engineering design." Giugiaro confirms it has talked with the group, Porsche essentially says it has no comment. Such a controversial car must be powered by something just as unusual, right? Oh, yeah. The CEO of the project, C.T. Wang, tells Automotive News, the cars will be "powered by a combination of gasoline, electric, hybrid and compressed-natural-gas powertrains."

Yang calls his project, Hybrid Kinetic Automotive Holdings, Ltd. One of Yang's former associates has split from the group and also plans to build an automotive plant. That company is now called GreenTree Automotive, after being forced to change its name from Hybrid Kinetic Automotive Corp. Yeah. 'Cause that would have just been too confusing.

And where in Mississippi would someone go to gamble $6.5 billion on an automotive plant? Tunica County, of course. Home to nine of the Hospitality State's approximately 30 casinos.

[Source: Automotive News – subs. req.]