2005 Dodge Viper Srt-10 Convertible 2-door 8.3l Triple Black on 2040-cars

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Didn't get the toy you wanted for Christmas? Grab this '79 Dodge Macho Power Wagon

This Christmas, kids everywhere got tons of toys, but what about the grownups? Adults like toys, too, and we particularly like this 1979 Dodge Macho Power Wagon pickup for sale on eBay. Dodge plugged it as one of its "adult toys" back in the day, which makes it the perfect post-Christmas purchase for anyone who's feeling a little left out. Dodge began advertising a lineup of specialty trucks as "adult toys" back in 1977, during the period when trucks were first becoming personal-use vehicles rather than just workhorses. Dodge's specialty models ran though the end of the decade and included the Street Van version of its B-series panel van, the Macho Power Wagon 4x4 pickup, the Warlock short-bed stepside pickup, the Ramcharger SUV, and even a variant of the Ram 50 mini-pickup. The Macho Power Wagon was a 4WD W100 pickup with a Sweptline bed, and could be had in short- or long-wheelbase configurations. Two-tone paint included black on the lower body, the hood, and the roof. Tape stripes, painted spoke wheels, and a bed-mounted roll bar added to the look. This '79 Macho Power Wagon is a long-bed version, riding on a 131-inch wheelbase. It's powered by a 318-cubic-inch V8 with dual exhausts, mated to a three-speed column-shift automatic and four-wheel drive. Not the most manly powertrain, maybe, but it was the late '70s, and one's engine wasn't as important as one's graphics. This Power Wagon's visuals make an emphatic statement indeed, with the two-tone white and black livery set off with bright orange stripes, wheels, and most critically, POWER WAGON emblazoned on the bed and tailgate. It's enough that we can forgive the missing roll bar. Inside, we find a vinyl bench seat, a floor-mounted shifter for the two-speed transfer case, and a period-correct Craig cassette stereo. Factory A/C is also present. Sure, you could get a new Ram 2500 Power Wagon, but would that really have the gold-chain-in-a-bed-of-chest-hair swagger of this beast? If this Adult Toy speaks to you, we would point out that sometimes the best presents are the ones you get yourself. Related Video:

Autonomous tech will drive motorheads off the road

While autonomous technology could make car travel much safer and more efficient — and automakers and marketers are salivating over the prospect of a "passenger economy" that could potentially generate $7 trillion by 2050 — those of us who enjoy driving are not so stoked. Experts have predicted that as autonomous vehicles are deployed in large numbers, human-driven cars eventually could be outlawed on public roads due to the carnage they create, which is currently more than 41,000 deaths a year in the U.S. alone and climbing. Such scenarios have driving enthusiasts envisioning a "Red Barchetta" style nightmare becoming reality, making Rush lyricist Neil Peart a clairvoyant as well as one of rock's most badass skin-pounders. But there could be a couple of refuges left for motorheads, and they won't be on public roads. As Popular Science's Joe Brown points out in a recent editorial, we're seeing a wave of vehicles being offered by legit mainstream automakers that aren't made for public roads. The poster child of this vanguard is the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, which comes with a crate full of goodies that lets you turn the already formidable street-legal muscle car into a drag-strip dominator. Brown also notes that two out of five of the Ford GT's driving modes are for use on the track, "catering to the $450,000 machine's club-racing clientele." We're also currently enjoying the heyday of production off-road-ready pickups that kicked off with the Ford Raptor in 2009. The latest salvo in this escalating war of overachieving trucks is the Chevy Colorado ZR2 that can take on the likes of California's Rubicon Trail without issue. Brown also gives a shout-out to his magazine's Grand Award Winner, the Alta Motors Redshift MX, which "isn't even allowed on public roads" and is "meant for bombing around motocross tracks, big backyards and single-track woods trails." If you follow Brown on Instagram, you know that he's also a two-wheel aficionado, and he points out that sales of off-road bikes are leaving street machines in the dust. Sales of off-highway motorcycles rose 29 percent between 2012 and 2016, according to the ­Motorcycle Industry Council — compared to 6 percent for road-bike sales during the same period. "That's a nearly 400-percent drubbing," Brown remarks.

2003-04 Dodge Viper recalled for sudden airbag deployment

As if driving the old Dodge Viper (not the fancy new SRT model) isn't intimidating enough, imagine trying to wrangle that V10 beast and then suddenly having the airbags deploy. Yikes. That's apparently what could happen to some 3,660 Viper models from the 2003 and 2004 model years, and as such, Chrysler has issued a recall.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the car's airbag control module may fail, causing the bags or seatbelt pre-tensioners to deploy without warning while the vehicle is in operation. That's a dangerous scenario in any car, let alone one offering insane horsepower a near-total paucity of safety nannies should things get squirrely.
Owners will be notified this month about the recall, though a remedy is not expected to be available until later this year. Scroll down for the full NHTSA statement.