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Tarantino's stolen Chevy Malibu from Pulp Fiction recovered after 19 years [w/video]

Quentin Tarantino fans will likely remember Vincent Vega's cherry 1964 Chevrolet Malibu Convertible in Pulp Fiction. In a movie drenched in automotive references, the Malibu is very nearly a character in and of itself, and it serves as the subject of Vega's soliloquy about the kind of man who vandalizes another's automobile. It also happened to be Tarantino's personal car when the film was shot, and was apparently stolen shortly after production wrapped. Now police have located the car some 19 years later.
As it turns out, the thieves cloned the vehicle identification number from another '64 Malibu and had the car registered under the new digits. It was then sold to an unsuspecting buyer. Police happened upon the duplicate VINs while investigating another potential theft. Right now, it's unclear whether Tarantino has taken possession of the Chevrolet, if it has remained in the possession of the fraud victim, or whether it's caught somewhere in the gears of justice. Either way, you can catch Vega's memorable thoughts on the car keying in the Pulp Fiction clip below. But consider yourself warned: the video contains explicit language as Not Safe For Work as it comes.

Chevy recalls 73k Cobalts for side airbag non-deployment

Chevrolet is recalling 73,424 examples of the 2010 Cobalt in the US and Canada because the driver's side curtain airbag might not deploy in a crash. These vehicles carry build dates between January 4 and June 23, 2010, and, specifically, 59,474 of them are in the US. "GM is aware of one crash with one injury that may be related to this condition," the company said in a statement. The problem occurs because of improper routing of the side-impact sensor wiring harness in the driver's door, and there can be a short circuit causing the curtain airbag not to deploy. The campaign to fix the issue will begin on August 26. Dealers will inspect the vehicles and will repair the issue on any affected examples. Related Video: GM Statement: General Motors is recalling 59,474 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt sedans in the U.S. because some of them may have been built with improper side impact sensor wire routing in the left front door. Dealers will inspect all suspect vehicles and any found with the condition will be repaired free of charge to the customer. GM is aware of one crash with one injury that may be related to this condition. Including vehicles sold in Canada, the total recall population is 73,424. RECALL Subject : Improperly Routed Side Impact Wire Harness Report Receipt Date: AUG 10, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V500000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 59,474 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) CHEVROLET COBALT 2010 Details Manufacturer: General Motors LLC SUMMARY: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles manufactured January 4, 2010, to June 23, 2010. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an improperly routed Side-Impact Sensor (SIS) wiring harness in the driver side front door. The misrouted wiring harness could cause an electrical short that disables the driver side curtain air bag. CONSEQUENCE: A disabled driver side roof-rail air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of that air bag, increasing the risk of injury to the driver. REMEDY: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the sensor's wiring in the driver's door and make repairs as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin August 26, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15075.

How two-state Chevy Spark EV outsold 50-state Volt last month

Is it really just about price? Last month, the Chevy Spark EV got a sizable price drop of $1,500 alongside a lowered lease price of $139 a month (down from $199). Those numbers, particularly that cheap lease, had a tremendous impact on how many all-electric Sparks GM sold last month. There were 920 Spark EVs sold in April, and the Spark EV is available in only two states: California and Oregon. Sales will start in Maryland in the third quarter of 2015, but there are no pre-orders taking place there, so all 920 were West Coast sales. To be more precise, there were about 864 Spark EV leases signed last month, since 94 percent of those 920 sales were retail leases. As Annalisa Bluhm from Chevrolet communications told AutoblogGreen, that level was, "simply insane." "In those states which offer Spark EV, you can get a 1LT Spark EV for less than a 1LT Spark, with more features" Bluhm said. "Factor in that you will save approximately $82 per month by abstaining from gas, and it's easy to see why people went crazy for the Spark." Let's put 920 into perspective. For one thing, it's crazy up from the 151 Spark EVs sold in March 2015 and the 97 sold in April 2014. It's also almost as many as GM sold all last year, and way more than two years ago. The General sold 653 Spark EVs in 2013 and 1,146 in 2014. To throw in a comparison with GM's longstanding plug-in champion, the aging Volt, the Spark EV came out ahead in the monthly tally for the first time ever. In April, the Volt sold 905 units. The plug-in hybrid's best-ever sales month was August 2013, when it sold 3,351 units. Counting all models and powertrains, Chevy sold 3,743 Sparks in April. So, does this success mean that Chevy is looking to bring the Spark EV to more markets? Bluhm said that GM is considering other states and is always looking at the business case, but has "nothing to announce yet." Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.