mod@tech

We haven’t reached the age in which everyone has a personal jet pack or a flying car, but you can reserve your very own Velo X Aerospace Velocitor X-1, a single-seat electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The Velocitor X-1 can take off from a space as small as a driveway. Once it’s airborne, an electric propulsion system with eight independent motors enable it to cruise for 45 minutes (plus reserve) or at speeds up to 70 mph. Velo X Aerospace adds, “Onboard sensors, LIDAR obstacle awareness, and automated stability systems work together to keep you clear of hazards and flying smoothly.” Once it’s time to land, the X-1 can be recharged to 80 percent in an hour.

Velo X Aerospace is currently accepting $5,000 deposits for the first 100 Velocitor X-1s, each priced at $156,000. Production is scheduled to begin in 2027.

Want to learn more about the X-1? Check out company president Galen Geigley’s presentation of it in our Product Showcase video below.

Some vehicles don’t fit neatly into a category — they create one of their own. The 1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS396 is one of those rare machines, blending pavement-pounding muscle-car performance with pickup-truck utility and unmistakable Chevrolet Super Sport swagger.

One lucky winner will take home this beautifully restored 1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS396, a vehicle that represents the absolute peak of the muscle-truck era. It’s a classic built for drivers who want big-block power, bold styling, and real-world usability. Click here

Picture opening the garage door and seeing this bold El Camino waiting inside. Turn the key, and the deep, unmistakable rumble of a carbureted Chevrolet big-block V8 fills the air. This is the sound — and the feeling — that defined American performance in its prime.

Under the hood lives a 396ci V8 rated at 350 horsepower, delivering effortless torque, confident acceleration, and the kind of presence that still stops conversations at car shows and cruise nights. The 1970 model year sits at the sweet spot of El Camino history, pairing aggressive Super Sport styling with some of the most desirable powertrains Chevrolet ever offered.

This El Camino SS396 was sold new in California and has received a frame-off restoration on a rust-free body, making it as solid underneath as it is striking on the outside. Click here enter now!

This 1970 El Camino SS396 is loaded with factory equipment that delivers both muscle-car performance and everyday comfort:

• 396ci big-block V8 (350 horsepower)
• Automatic transmission
• Factory air conditioning
• Power steering and power brakes
• Power windows
• Tilt steering wheel
• Bucket seats and center console
• Super Sport performance trim and styling

Entries support children’s and veterans’ charities, turning every entry into something meaningful. And for the lucky winner, there’s more good news: $21,000 toward federal prize taxes will be provided, making the win even sweeter.

Don’t Miss This Opportunity

• Entries close: April 23, 2026
• Winner drawn: May 6, 2026

Opportunities like this don’t come around often. Don’t miss the chance to win one of the most iconic Chevrolet muscle machines ever built. Enter now!

When it comes to many automotive enthusiasts, you shouldn’t take the term “car guy” literally. Most car guys I know appreciate not only cars, but trucks and SUVs as well. It’s the same with Jay Leno: he loves cars yet has a great time in this 1991 Dodge Ram 250 4×4 with a modified Cummins 5.9-liter turbodiesel I6.

Tim Stevenson of the YouTube channel Decent Garage built this restomod-ified rig as a show truck and tow vehicle. What exactly will it be pulling? A Royal Bobcat 1965 Pontiac GTO owned by one of Leno’s previous guests, Jordan “Joker” Smith.

Stevenson wanted to keep it looking largely stock, so he had a new grille made and refreshed the interior. However, Stevenson took the opportunity to upgrade the Ram’s performance. He notes that one of the biggest issues with these trucks is their stock braking hardware and performance, so he swapped out the factory parts for more modern 13-inch front rotors and 11-inch rear rotors. Of course, Stevenson also lifted it. To improve the ride quality, he installed a three-link front suspension setup with coilovers, longer rear leaf springs, and air bags.

Don’t worry—Stevenson didn’t skip the engine bay. When this Ram left the factory, its Cummins engine produced 160 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Now? Thanks to upgrades such as a thicker intercooler from a newer truck, larger injectors, hotter cam, compound turbos, and Banks Twin Ram intake manifold, its peak output is 660 horses and 1,562 lb-ft of torque. A Mercedes-Benz G56 heavy-duty six-speed manual and dual-range transfer case with a twin-stick shifter layout channel the power to the turnpike or trail.

Leno makes sure to let this Ram run wild on both surfaces. He puts his foot down and unloads that colossal power on the street, then pulls off at the first sight of a dirt path to gather some earth in the Ram’s tread blocks. It sure looks like he enjoys the bumpy ride more than a “car guy” (in the purest sense of the term).

I’ve long held a theory that the way a country’s inhabitants drive is a reflection of the entropy within its government. To add, an automotive market of a particular country can provide a look into its soul. This theory is not one that I can defend qualitatively or quantitatively, but it’s something that has had an empirical eye of mine for over 40 years.

When I was a kid checking out all the vehicles passing by my mom’s Buick Estate wagon, I was able to take in so many assorted brands from several continents. While most cars on the road came from Detroit, Kenosha, or Toledo, there were a few “foreign jobs” that came from a dealer or two that specialized in imports. They were curiosities more than anything else, but they helped me bear occasional witness to minor-league imports like Lancia or Rover.

Then, when my parents took the family to visit Argentina, it was like having another lesson in automobiles. All the European brands I was familiar with (and then some) had a strong presence in Argentina, though models not normally seen in the U.S. American brands were often popular. But those were generally captive imports that Argentina made into its own—the Ford Falcon being most notable, though arguably nothing stands as tall as the Kaiser-built IKA Torino. There also were European versions of American brands, such as Ford’s Taunus. (It’s worth noting that, in an earlier era, what we would consider American classics had a presence in Argentina.)

A visit to Peru when I was around eight years old showed me more of the same, but different. In retrospect, Peru was a different country with a different military junta having a different sovereign idea, which could explain the different automotive landscape that included, say, 1960s Opel Rekords I didn’t see in Buenos Aires.

When I was 12, I had the opportunity to go on trips to Switzerland and Italy. In my teens, I was able to visit Paris, Egypt, and Israel. Also, during this time, my dad would have business trips in Europe and bring me the latest automotive yearbook from France or Germany. It made me familiar with Iron Curtain cars (many Fiat-based), small-batch sports cars (Isdera, anyone?), Japanese cars with different home-market names, and several unique vehicles produced by small countries (like Turkey’s Anadol).

Then, when this Gringo ended up marrying a Colombian, I was completely surprised by the car scene when I first visited her homeland: tons of small South Korean sub-sub-compacts, several Frenchies and Italians, a few strong Japanese brands, a Brit here ‘n’ there, plus several Chinese brands with strange names and stranger styling. This experience gave me new insight into the cars that are available in a given country.

As such, I may judge a country by the cars on its road. Certainly, the intersection of cars, country of origin, and culture is an interesting one. We even witness this in America, where Toyota has a plant in Kentucky and can be considered American based on the percentage of American content, yet is it truly an American car? To this guy, they’re still Japanese cars derived from Japanese culture. There can be no confusion that these cars are not from Detroit.

Back to Colombia: It has me wondering what government rules are established to sell a car in the Colombian market, and how taxes can shape an automotive market. Japan is the famous example of this, but it’s not a Third World country. Other First World countries are no strangers to how economic nudges can dictate what people drive, as England once had three-wheeled vehicles like the Reliant Robin to take advantage of financial breaks within the British system (in this case, it was taxed as a motorcycle). Say what you will about taxes influencing consumer behavior, but the United Kingdom has never had a shortage of automotive fun.

That seems to be missing from Colombia’s market. My wife and I bought her parents a new car—a Renault Logan—but it was very clear that Renault treated Colombia as a “Developing Nation” because it appeared to offer cars with many modern conveniences on vehicles that were at least a decade behind in style and dynamics. (I suspect this to be the result of how the Colombian government regulates the auto industry.) Additionally, classic car culture is small (unlike in Argentina with its more established home-grown industry, though the heavy Italian presence helps), with few old cars to be found on the road—during Christmas 2025, I bore witness to a train of 1980s Mazda 323s traveling through a city with loud music (ugh, please no more Reggaeton!) blaring from their open hatches.

If cars can also reflect the spirit of the people, then clearly the Colombian automotive industry is not reflected by that. We as Americans are all too familiar with how our culture is exported to all points around the world, and Colombia is no different. For all the Shakiras and Vergaras that show us what it is to be Colombian, the truth is that they are packaged products to satisfy our own impressions. A deeper dive would find a country that celebrates hospitality, has close familial ties and respect for elders, loves music and dance, and has a general alegría de vivir more commonly associated with the French or Italians.

Wouldn’t it be cool to have a country like that producing its own automobiles to reflect its own character? Unfortunately, for now, Colombians seem to be forced to deal with mediocrity. Argentina’s past shows how they—a people with a strong cultural distinction from Colombia—had to endure three-on-the-tree Falcons into the 1990s. When the people have no choice but to tolerate mediocrity, they become accustomed to it. That was a reflection of Argentina at one time, but I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that Colombia suffers the same fate today, especially in the graces of globalism.

Right now on AutoHunter, you can find this 1954 GMC 100 five-window pickup, which is powered by a 228ci inline-six paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Finished in Burgundy Metallic over a burgundy vinyl interior, this half-ton truck from GMC’s New Design era is now offered by the selling dealer in Oregon with a clear title.

The five-window cab and the bed are covered in glossy Burgundy Metallic paint, which is accented with chrome bumpers and bright trim. Other exterior features include front bumper guards, headlight eyebrows, dual mirrors, body-color running boards, cab-mounted fuel cap, and single exhaust outlet. The tailgate can be lowered on chains, and opens to a bed floor lined with wood planks and stainless steel strips.

This truck rolls through small towns and the countryside on a set of 15-inch wheels equipped with Baby Moon-style covers, beauty rings, and 235/75 Sailun TerraMax H/T raised-white-letter radial tires.

There’s more burgundy inside the cab, including the vinyl on the bench seat. Additional features include power steering, heater, windshield defroster, and floor-mounted manual shifter.

Instrumentation consists of an 80-mph speedometer and gauges for the amps, oil pressure, fuel level, and water temperature. In addition, there’s a Sunpro auxiliary gauge under the dash. The odometer shows 88,962 miles, but this truck is mileage-exempt, according to its title.

A 228ci inline-six, which is connected to a two-barrel carburetor and four-speed manual gearbox, supplies power for runs to Home Depot or the ice cream parlor. Power brakes help this classic truck stop once it gets there.

If you want to make this handsome 1954 GMC 100 five-window pickup yours, don’t stop—keep bidding until the auction ends on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 11:45 a.m. (MST).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

It’s been said that in order to be important, you have to act important. Our Pick of the Day is the most important car for sale on the Internet, and it can pay for itself once Important You gets behind the wheel. This 1972 Cadillac Eldorado coupe is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by an important dealer in the town of Marshall, Virginia (itself an important place).

You’ll get folks like me who feel the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado (part of the Fleetwood series) was just about perfect, but I bet Bill Mitchell preferred the 1971 redesign. It’s important to note several important changes to the Eldorado, such as the evolutionary baroque elements and the sheet metal’s complex beveled stamping. An important change under the skin was the wheelbase being extended six inches, though total length was increased only by two. This gave the Eldorado a larger interior, capable of taking six passengers in comfort—an important feature for a Cadillac.

Changes for 1972 were minimal (but important):

• Coarser grille
• Hood accent stripes
• New Dual Comfort front seat option
• New badging
• New “net” horsepower rating

When discussing the move from gross to net horsepower ratings, it is important to give context because the horsepower drop was not as bad as it may initially appear. For 1971, the big 500ci V8 was rated at 365 gross horsepower; for what was basically the same engine, power output fell to 235 net for 1972. However, the truth is that horsepower didn’t fall at all as a quick glance at the 1971 AMA Specifications shows both gross and net ratings, the latter being 235. Blame the pen of some important Cadillac marketer, I guess.

While leather was an option for Eldorado coupes, convertibles came standard with leather. There were eight leather color choices: Black, Dark Blue, Antique Dark Jade, Antique Light Covert, Medium Maize, Antique Dark Saddle, Antique Dark Covert, and White; choose the latter and you’d also get to select one of four carpet colors: Oxblood, Jade, Black, or Blue.

Of course, the most important color for an important car is black. “Hey, now, Baby, get into my big black car,” sang Jack Bruce in Cream’s “Politician” – it’s quite deliberate why the important person was in a black vehicle. It’s also the reason we find this 22,000-mile 1972 Cadillac Eldorado coupe painted Sable Black with a black vinyl top. The seller claims it’s an “unrestored survivor” with “mostly original paint,” which may be important to certain people. Of course, being a car of importance, this Cadillac features air conditioning, Automatic Climate Control, power windows, power door locks, power seat, cruise control, auto-dimming headlights, motorized trunk closer, and remote side mirrors, among other important features. The interior looks to be the optional leather bench, which was an important upgrade from the standard cloth and fabric version.

For such an important automobile, you’d think the price would be out of this world. However, a quick glance at the ad listed on ClassicCars.com (an important website) shows the seller is interested in $26,000. That’s not a lot of money to show people how important you are.

Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com