Skip to main content

Just in time for Burning Man – Jellyfish 12000 up for grabs

If you’re heading to Burning Man next week, you still have a chance to be a major participant with your own art car. Also called mutant vehicles, these fully customized mobile parties include lights, sound, and dance floors. One of the most well known, The Amazing Jellyfish From The Year 12000 aka Jellyfish 12000, is for sale on eBay for $88,000.

Essentially, the winning bidder will get a portable two-level dance studio with audio, lights, and DJ booth set up and ready to go. The designer/builders described Jellyfish12000 as a “mobile, technological, interactive piece of mid-century modern sci-fi sculpture.” The mutant vehicle is powered by a quiet Honda EU3000 generator hidden under the floor with a breathing snorkel.

Recommended Videos

According to the eBay listing, Jellyfish 12000 is built on a 1978 Dodge Sportsman van chassis with a 1-ton axle and V8 engine. It’s 12.5 feet tall, 17 feet wide, and 24 feet long — all listed measurements describe the vehicle when it is set up to party. It has an airbag suspension and weighs 9,500 pounds.

The motorized mutant seats 18 and can carry 23 people, even when moving slowly across the desert. The 5,700-watt audio system is lighted and animated by an “audio-reactive network of 3600 24-bit RGB LEDs” running custom software.

According to the listing, Jellyfish 12000 cost more than $140,000 in materials, audio equipment, computer equipment, and electronics. Labor included more than $200,000 in time value for more than 7,500 person hours from software, electrical, and mechanical engineers, artists, craftspeople, welders, and mechanics.

Jellyfish 12000 is already registered for Burning Man 2016, held this year from August 28 to September 5. If you buy it, the purchase includes training. A one-year support contract is negotiable.

Jellyfish 12000 isn’t only suitable for Burning Man. You can take it to other events or parties. If you’re not interested in buying your own mutant vehicle but want to head out to Burning Man, ticket info is here.

Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more
Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

Read more