How’s this for a Christmas present?  Ford knew it was onto something cool when it first combined its legendary F-Series with the iconic Harley-Davidson brand in 1999.  Now in its third year, the Harley-Davidson edition F-150 continues as the king of cruisin’ factory custom pickups.

The idea is pretty simple; take an F-150 SuperCrew and slap a bunch of Harley decals on it.  Ford’s done much more than that to distinguish the Harley F-150, though.  Both Ford and Harley-Davidson are celebrating their 100th anniversaries this year, so for 2003 their joint …

Unless you actually own a Mitsubishi Mirage, chances are you can’t picture one offhand.  While a decent little car, the Mirage has labored for years with a near-total lack of distinguishing features.  Like any self-respecting car company, Mitsubishi isn’t happy with that–especially not with the competition getting exciting.  Nissan’s Sentra SE-R, Mazda’s Protege MP3 and Subaru’s Impreza WRX have upped the ante for sporty compact sedans in a big way.  Enter the 2002 Lancer O.Z. Rally edition.

When it hit showrooms in August, the Lancer brought more than a new name …

You say L.L. Bean doesn’t build cars, and have no right to put their name on the new Subaru Outback?  Yeah, right.  Tell it to Eddie Bauer.  And Orvis.  And Harley-Davidsion.  And don’t forget to remind Nautica, Fila, Kona, Trek, Warner Bros., Lego and Neiman-Marcus while you’re at it.

Whether the association makes sense or not, specialty-edition automobiles pay off, for both the car manufacturer and whoever they decide to team up with.  For 2001, Subaru has gone the same route, with a special L.L. Bean Edition version of the popular …

It wasn’t your imagination; that minivan you saw the other day did have a Warner Bros. logo on it.  And it’s not one of those cheap badges you can get from the WB store, either.  No, this minivan is more than just mass transit for rugrats.  It comes with toys!  It also benefits from other improvements that Chevy has made to the Venture for 2001, with GM’s OnStar system, a parking assist system, and fold-flat captain’s chairs.

The Chevy Venture has always been one of those faceless minivans that sort of …

Sometimes a good car or truck just makes a bad fashion decision.  That seems to be the case with the 2000 GMC Jimmy Diamond Edition.  GMC’s loyal Jimmy compact sport-utility has been tarted up and decked out in an effort to make a style-intensive “special” edition.  It’s a good thing that they didn’t mess with the mechanical parts, if the crew responsible for the Diamond Edition’s style was in charge.

GMC’s Jimmy, along with its twin the Chevrolet Blazer, is one of the original sport-utility vehicles.  The nameplate was affixed to …

I could see my target ahead; a vicious drug dealer attempting to make his getaway in a sleek black Maserati.  There was no escape, though.  This lowlife thug didn’t know who he was dealing with.  I checked to make sure my sidearm and badge were on the seat next to me, then gunned my Mustang’s engine, spurring the 315-horsepower V8 to life and propelling the muscle car through a narrow gap between a lumbering city bus and a couple of taxis…

Okay, to be honest, it wasn’t a “narrow gap,” it …