The name alligator is an anglicized form of the Spanish “el lagarto”, meaning “the lizard”, a name which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator. Currently, there are only two living alligator species: the American Alligator and the Chinese Alligator. Until now.

According to Car magazine, under a Project named Alligator, Aston Martin & Mercedes Benz are planing a wide-ranging tie-up to collaborate on engines, hybrids, transmissions and even entire platforms.

Here are the highlights of the so called Alligator project:

- Mercedes engines power future Aston Martins
- AMG’s 6.3 liter V8 would make its way into the Vantage models
- Diesels and Hybrids from Mercedes would be used in Astons
- Whole platforms to be shared by top-end models
- 8 speed automatic tranny for AM sports cars
- Maybach and Aston would be cooperating on future models

There is more info coming in CAR magazine’s September issue. For now however, we’ll just have patience and wait for more details on the Alligator Project.

Our love for Texas knows no end, its certainly one of those states that has its share of people who have more balls than common sense. Take Mr. William Johnson of Brazoria, Texas.

En Route to burgling a house, he came across a wild American Alligator and actually thought it would be a good idea to wrestle it, and put it in the back of his Buick Lucerne. After arriving at the house, he found he had trouble moving a big screen television by himself, so what did he do?

He actually recruited a neighbor!! The neighbor was surprisingly willing to help rob his other neighbor, right up to the point where he saw the gator, then said “Alright, I ain’t got nothing to do with it.”

The alligator turned out to be a horrible accomplice as state troopers managed to find the would-be thief fairly easily, and hauling one off to jail and the other off to a preserve. To make things even more interesting though, they also found Johnson had a nearly five-foot water moccasin. And even though he had a snakebite, it didn’t seem to bother him.

I couldn’t make up the story if i tried. Head on over to ABC news for the story.

All i can say is this guy is way cooler than me. All I have in the back window is a little dog whose head goes up and down, up and down.