All of us here at Autoblog would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas. We hope that Santa treated everybody well, and that you all have a great day catching up with family and friends. Have fun and drive safe.

If you're bored during your travels, we highly recommend you fire up your smartphones and check out additional shots of the latest masterpiece from Lego mastermind Lino M. – the '66 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible shown above. As you can see, Santa and his Russian mail-order bride, Natasha, roll in style. (We wonder what Mrs. Claus thinks.) Check out the full set of photos of this killer custom Lego build at Lino M.'s Flickr stream.

[Image: Lino M./Flickr]

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez – notable Fidel Castro wannabe, loudmouthed buffoon of the first order and apparent Cadillac aficionado – has given an ultimatum to General Motors, Fiat (i.e. Chrysler), Toyota and Ford: Share your technology with us or get out of the country. (In Toyota's case, it sounds as if Chavez wants them to hit some arbitrary quotas, as well.) The affected parties, all of which maintain production facilities in the country, kept mum in response to Chavez's demand, according to the Associated Press, which reported the story on Wednesday.

If the automakers don't comply, Chavez basically stated that he will eject them from his socialist utopia in favor of automakers from countries he's more friendly with. AP quotes him as saying, "I invite you to pack up your belongings and leave. I'll bring in the Russians, the Belorusians, the Chinese."

At least he didn't openly threaten to nationalize them (yet), as he's wont to do with pretty much any other private enterprise he thinks he could run better. Yeah, this'll definitely end well. Thanks to Roy for the tip.

[Source: AP via Yahoo! News | Image: AFP/Getty]

It goes without saying that when you think you've seen everything, you ain't seen jack. We were reminded of this the other night while perusing the New York Post's online sports page for the skinny on the Hideki Matsui deal. Frankly, Godzilla's contract status seemed a lot less important once we spied this classified ad for a 2001 Lincoln Town Car combination hearse/limousine displayed on the page.

The description touts the strange Townie as essentially representing the zenith of funereal transportation innovation:

"YOU COULD COMPLETELY ELIMINATE HAVING TO HAVE TWO VEHICLES AT EVERY SERVICE, SO NOW YOU CAN TAKE THE ENTIRE FAMILY TO THE CEMETARY [sic] IN ONE CAR."

But something tells us that accompanying dearly departed Aunt Myrtle on her final ride just might not appeal to everyone.

In any case, for $18,900, some enterprising limo company is going to have itself the ultimate utility vehicle – capable of transporting six adults for a night of debauchery in plush, floaty comfort, and saving the county coroner's van a trip when things go a little bit too far...

[Source: New York Post]

You know, there's a reason people talk about Group B racing – and the drivers who participated in it – in practically hushed tones. After all, we're currently in an era where motorsports news is just as likely to be about ever-more-restrictive regulatory efforts or the deranged hooker fantasies of the F1 illuminati as it is about, you know, racing. But during Group B's brief, crazy tenure, it was the regulations that fostered the lunacy, giving us unforgettable, insanely-powered cars and legendary drivers.

Of course, immense power and infinitesimal margins for error meant that the dangers were high -- for the drivers, obviously, but also for the spectators, who were, in their own ways, as bonkers as the factory pilots they idolized and flocked to see, forming masses of humanity that routinely spilled onto the circuits as the hyper-powered rally cars flew by. Eventually, those dangers led to tragedy, which, in turn, led to the abrupt end of the Group B era. But it's not easily forgotten, and every so often, someone posts a reminder why.

Follow the jump for eleven minutes of heaven, edited together (miraculously) without a lick of crappy, distracting music. The only soundtrack you'll hear is the one coming from Group B cars engineered to explore the limits, piloted by drivers who routinely (and expertly) exceeded them. It is, in a word, beautiful. Thanks to Danijel for the tip.

[Source: YouTube via MyCarVid]

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When fans tune in to watch (or torrent) tomorrow night's episode of Top Gear, they'll get to see Snatch director Guy Ritchie regale Jezza, Hamster, and Captain Slow with tales of his stint as the program's Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car.

According to London's Daily Mirror, which spoke to a source who attended the taping, it seems Ritchie wound up doing his best H.B. Halicki impression, killing four of the reasonably-priced crapboxes in his effort to set the fastest celebrity lap. Sloppy track conditions were to blame, says Madonna's ex, according to the Mirror's snitch.

Whether he actually succeeded in his mission to land atop the leaderboard will be revealed during Sunday's broadcast, which, according to the tabloid, also sees the boys race airport equipment and bombard a ferry using hatchbacks as munitions. That, friends, sounds like some quality television.

[Source: Mirror.co.uk | Image: Dave Hogan/Getty]

For the life of us, we can't figure this. BMWblog has posted a video of what surely looks like an O.G. BMW M1, dressed up in that ubiquitous swirlydelic camouflage du jour and parked on a Munich street. It's either a very clever gag being put on by someone, or something potentially awesome is afoot. Either way, we can dig it. See for yourselves after the jump. Thanks to Mike S. for the tip!

[Source: YouTube via BMWblog]

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Loma Performance seems to think that its new BlackforceOne Corvette is somehow evocative of POTUS' personal airplane. "Clearly reminiscent," they go so far as to say in their press release. (We think the moniker sounds as if could have been the title of a 1970s action film starring Fred Williamson.) Anyway, labored connections to the Prez's 747 aside, with the BlackforceOne, Loma appears to have come up with something pretty tasty.

It starts off as a base-engined C6 Vette, which is subsequently twin-turbocharged to make 783 horsepower (794 PS). Of that, a devilish 666 hp (675 PS) or so actually make it to the rear wheels. Accordingly, the sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes a scant 3.4 seconds, and the top speed is 205 mph (330 km/h). The stock brakes are replaced with carbon-ceramic discs all around, and the suspension, wheels, tires, exhaust and other drivetrain components are also upgraded accordingly.

The package is then wrapped in a widebody kit drenched in one of three matte paint finishes. Production will be limited to 25 examples, according to Loma, which will formally unveil the BlackforceOne at the Essen Motor Show.



[Source: Loma Performance]

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General Motors shouldn't expect to achieve David Hasselhoff-level popularity in Germany anytime soon. The Detroit News reports that since GM has elected to keep and restructure its Opel division, 9,000 jobs (or somewhere thereabouts) will likely be cut, with the majority of those losses expected in Deutschland. The jobs will be eliminated as part of a $5 billion restructuring plan, which GM hopes to fund with a lot of help from European governments, as well as "employee contributions" (read: concessions). Just don't expect Angela Merkel to break out her Visa debit card anytime soon.

Opel/Vauxhall CEO Nick Reilly wins the Unintentionally Hilarious Quote of the Day award for this line: "We have also said that GM can and will put some money in, as well." What a novel concept. Digressing for a moment: Given that GM is out shaking the coffee can looking for ways to fund the Opel restructuring, it's hard to imagine a scenario where they find a way to save Saab, too. Getting the Opel business in order hardly sounds like it's going to be a picnic, so a rescue of the ailing Swedish automaker has got to be low on the priority list right now.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image Source: Thomas Lohnes/Getty]

We like police cars. Seriously. Just not when they're filling our rearview mirrors, blue-and-reds ablaze. Then, our fanboy status diminishes markedly. In the meantime, however, we get pretty jazzed when a department does something a little different and cool. This week's example comes from the Broward County Sheriff's office, which appears to have added a fully-marked Dodge Challenger R/T to its fleet. Decked out in the BSO's familiar green-and-white livery, the muscular Mopar looks like it means business, ready to take down speeders and bust up meth labs with aplomb. We totally want to see it in person the next time we're down in South Florida -- just under our own, friendly terms. Thanks for the tip, Lee!



[Source: Law Officer Connect]

The arrival of the 2010 Toyota 4Runner meant that a luxury-badged cousin would soon follow. Sure enough, Toyota has announced that the new 2010 Lexus GX460 will be among the array of vehicles to be shown next week at China's Auto Guangzhou 2009 show. As the nomenclature would suggest, the next-gen GX will be powered by a 4.6-liter V8, which is rumored to make 300 horsepower in the GX460, a 37-hp bump over the 4.7-liter V8's output in the current vehicle (shown above).

According to scuttlebutt posted to ClubLexus.com following last year's New York City dealer meeting, we should look for the new GX to arrive in January 2010 with styling that borrows heavily from the full-sized LX570 SUV and electrically-folding third row seating. We'll keep our eyes peeled for photos and additional info, but in the meantime you can check out Toyota's brief PR after the jump.

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