Howard McAlpine street art
Enlarge Photo

Street art has been around for thousands of years--in fact, you could probably argue that the folks who tricked out Lascaux started the whole movement. When we think of street art today, however, we often think of graffiti, and while there's definitely a place for that--mostly GnR videos--rarely is garden-variety graffiti as interesting as the auto-centric works of British artist Howard McAlpine.

McAlpine doesn't really include an artist's statement on his website, and he tells us nothing about his "automotive" portfolio, but I'm guessing some of them might be one-off ads for clients, which include Shell and Fiat. I'm also assuming that McAlpine was responsible for both the car selection as well as the outstanding Banksy-style murals that relate to the vehicles.

No matter what their inspiration, you can tell the man loves his cars and they way they fit into the environment. And honestly, isn't that enough for a Wednesday?--Richard Read

[via AutoMotto.com]

---

Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.

2009 Volkswagen CC
Enlarge Photo

As the sleet continued to fall here in Detroit, the vehicle logistics company that manages Fleet Farfegnugen just retrieved their 2009 Volkswagen CC. I was bummed to see it go. You see, just a few days before Christmas, Detroit got dumped on … not by Washington or the media (this time), but by Mother Nature, who has apparently forgotten about global warming. The snow in my front yard is 11-inches deep.

We're experiencing a bitter December, which isn't a great month to begin with up here as on average we only get three days of sun during the month. But the current weather makes me fully appreciate the 4Motion fitted to our loaded-up VR6-powered 2009 Passat CC. The sucker will mush with abandon so long as the snow isn't much deeper than the front air dam.

You can guess that the mostly-Passat CC has some familiar features, but here are a couple of random observations: First, the rear-view camera that electrically peeks out from under the VW trunk emblem/release is very cool. (This seems like a James Bond "Q" inspired feature.) Second, even though the exterior rearview mirrors were supposed to heated, the gerbils VW spec'ed to exhale on the mirror's backside don't have what it takes to keep the surfaces clear when it's really cold. Thirdly, our $42,630 CC was fitted with nearly the same instrumentation as the Jetta that replaced the CC in our fleet rotation. The white-over-black gauges are easy to read, but with a price point north of $40k, economy car dials just won't due.

Since the handsome sedan's debut, people have called it the entry-level Mercedes CLS (since MB does not offer a V-6 powered CLS). We think this is a kind if not fully accurate characterization, especially if one acquires a base 2009 Volkswagen CC for something less than $30,000. At this price point, the Passat CC represents a good enough value.

However, once you start adding features, the price can escalate to levels that don't make any sense. A quick search of used car values found that the 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS can be purchased for under $40,000. This begs the question, why own a facsimile when you can own the original for the same price?

---

Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.

Wacky car accident
Enlarge Photo

Here's a sprinter's version of some of the other stories we're following:

• U-turn already in view?: It appears that 2008 was a banner year for Australia's Mazda and Subarau dealerships, and now some pundits are claiming America should pull through by mid-year.  Can we start drinking now? At least Foster's?

• Formula One bigwig accused of homophobia: McLaren Mercedes honcho Ron Dennis is being sued by Peter Boland, a former employee who claims claims MM's upper-managers spread rumors about his sexuality, then unfairly dismissed him. Boland also claims Dennis made racist remarks about Arabs. FYI, this is the same Ron Dennis who hired F1's first black driver. Irony! [via Outsports]

• Gettelfinger says "no thanks" on behalf of Big 2: UAW pres Rob Gettelfinger told Automotive News that GM and Chrysler may not need additional bailout dollars, saying "If we can get by without more money, that's what we want to do." Which is great, but, um, GM and Chrysler should probably have a say in that. [via Autoweek]

• Nutty car insurance claims: The Telegraph has published a list of the wackiest auto insurance claims.  The one about flying sheep seems particularly good, but feel free to pick your own fave. [via Automotto]

• Pollute more, pay more: There's a plan afoot in the UK to charge high-emissions cars more to park than low-emissions cars. It appears that drivers will register their vehicle and receive a parking card, tied to their vehicle's make, model, and emissions rating. Ain't technology grand? [via Autocar]

--Richard Read

---

Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.