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Showing posts with label Offbeat News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Offbeat News. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Video: Pedestrian Crossing from Hell


If there was ever a pedestrian crossing from hell, this is it. True, we can’t see if there’s a pedestrian light on the other side of the road, but come on, the drivers seen in this video didn’t even attempt to slow down and let the man pass the crossing in safety let alone stop.

Watch the incident for yourself in the video after the break.

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Starship Trooper: Mercedes-Benz Bodied Acura Integra Convertible


If you’re still with us and haven’t gone out looking for a bug swatter, there’s more of this lime-green creation to be seen in the video after the jump.

Judging from the cuts on the front fenders and the shape of the bonnet, we reckon it’s a mid-1990s Acura Integra Coupe.

The proud owner of the vehicle chopped off the roof to turn the Japanese coupe into a convertible model and then proceeded with the styling transformation that includes a custom body kit imitating the looks of many Mercedes-Benz roadsters and the customary trick doors.

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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

It Came From eBay Hell: Custom Made Canadian “Woodie”


One of my all-time favourite cars is the 1948 Ford Super Deluxe. The station wagon and Sportsman convertible variants were the last true “woodies” and in my mind the best looking of the bunch.

On the opposite end of the scale is this hand-built woodie pick-up from Quebec, Canada. It’s like a child’s drawing of a pick-up truck come to life or maybe the first car designed and built exclusively by the Amish.

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Video: Berlin Parking Lot Sits Atop Hitler’s Bunker


No doubt, World War II was a dark period in history. And even though many years have passed since then, the Nazi regime has a way of surfacing to the limelight – or so to speak. Like Adolf Hitler’s secret bunker that was found under a Berlin parking lot.

Unsurprisingly, most people, both German and foreigners, had no idea that they were parking their cars above the place that Hitler spent the last five months before his defeat and the fall of the Third Reich.

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Naughty Fiat 500 with a Very, Very Suggestive License Plate


We’ve seen some pretty weird license plates over the years, some funny, some meaningful, some witty and others just plain nasty. No need to explain why you’d be better off staying very far away from the one pictured above.

The…suggestive license plate belongs to a Fiat 500 city car that was spotted at a South African showroom by Carscoop reader Jeff G.

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Monday, July 18, 2011

Double Standards, or how (Not) to Sell Cars to Women


In the 1950s, products for women were no doubt designed and marketed by men. Take for example the 1955 Dodge Le Femme, a truly absurd car (by today’s standards) that came with a matching purse, raincoat and umbrella as well as a bright pint interior with rose-patterned trim.

It’s the equivalent of offering a car today with a…tampon dispenser in the glovebox.

Across the pond there was the Daimler 104 Ladies’ Model with electric windows, a simplified gear change (no, I did not make that up), an umbrella and a vanity case under the dashboard.

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How to Fail in Placing the Top on a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport


While not the completely hassle free experience you’d expect from a roofless exotic hypercar priced closed to $2 million, the placement of the secondary fabric top on the 1,000-horsepower Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport is supposed to be an easy task – or so the French-based boutique carmaker says.

Well, try telling it to the stars of this video that seems to have been filmed somewhere in London. The owner of the Veyron Grand Sport and two of his mates appear to be having serious head-scratching moments in their attempt to place the fabric top on the exotic model.

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Video: Scuderia Ferrari's First Visit to the Moscow City Racing Event


This past Sunday, Russia’s capital city hosted the annual Moscow City Racing event. It was the fourth time in a row that the racing show was organized in Moscow and the first to feature the Ferrari Formula 1 team.

After the press conference, Scuderia Ferrari test driver Giancarlo Fisichella first drove a California in the usual parade, and then last year’s F10 Formula 1 car on the streets of Russian capital.

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The Ditch: Can You Guess How Many Rally Cars will Make it Through?


An evil…ditch was just waiting to claim a victim at the Rally Finland - or so the Youtube poster claims that this is where the following incident(s) took place.

Watching the first few rally cars pass through or rather drive into and out of the ditch on the side of the road it becomes clear that it’s not a case of if, but when we’ll see a car taking a plunge. Enjoy the clip after the jump.

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Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Best Car Ad You’ll See Today: Volkswagen Tiguan Translator


We’ve seen more car-related ads trying to capture our attention than we can remember, but very few actually manage to pull it off like the way the Brazilian division of the BBDO advertising agency did with its “Volkswagen Tiguan: Translator” commercial.

The TV ad was created to show off the SUV’s hands free park assist system. Being that the whole point of this commercial is the element of surprise, we won’t spoil the ending by telling you what happens. Enjoy the clip after the break,

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Would You Pay $50,000 for Kate Middleton’s Used VW Golf?


Say want you want about the media’s obsession around Britain’s newly-wed royal coupe, Kate and Williams, but for some people, like Sonny Brazil, it’s a gift from the heavens.

You see, Sonny’s father Al, bought Kate Middleton’s inky-blue 2001 VW Golf hatchback back in 2009 from her brother James for a reasonable £1,400 (about US$2,300 or €1,600 at today’s exchange rates).

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Friday, July 15, 2011

D'oh! Ferrari 458 Italia Driver Starts Drag Race with Dodge Viper in…Reverse!


Before you watch the following video, take a minute to ponder this: You are sitting behind the steering wheel of an exotic, brand new Italian supercar, getting ready to drag race a V10-powered Dodge Viper on the quarter mile strip in front of a crowd of 100, or perhaps even more people. But when the race begins you start rolling backwards…

Oh yes, that’s right; the owner of the Ferrari 458 Italia that you’re about to see in the clip and who was pitted against a Dodge Viper at the ICAR motorsports complex situated just outside of Montreal in Canada, paddle shifted his car’s dual clutch auto transmission into reverse!

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It Came From eBay Hell: 1993 Jaguar XJ6 “Airport Limousine”


In the glory days of air travel – when you could still smoke and fly without the fear of being groped and fondled by security personnel wearing latex gloves– some passengers were lucky enough to commute from the terminal to their hotel in the back of an airport limousine.

These stretched cars, with their multiple rows of seats and doors, were essentially the primitive precursor to the modern day shuttle bus.

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The Price of Parking: Colliers’ Releases Results of 2011 Global Survey


The results of Colliers International’s 2011 Parking Rate Survey are in for the U.S., Canada and the rest of the world, and there are few surprises.

The U.S. national median monthly parking rate is US$155.22, with the highest being midtown Manhattan at US$541 and Renoa at US$45 the cheapest. In Canada, Calgary topped out at US$486 followed by Toronto at $342 USD and Montreal at $305 USD.

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Flower Power: Alfa Romeo MiTo "Inked" by Louise Dear


Alfa Romeo has commissioned a one-off art piece to mark the UK launch of its congestion charge free MiTo 1.3 JTDM-2 Sprint, which is powered by an 85-horsepower turbo diesel that emits 95g/km of CO2 . Read more »

Thursday, July 14, 2011

DIY: How to Drive Your Face into the Sand


Scooters can be a fun alternative form of transportation and recreation, especially during summer vacations. However, as with any other motorized bike or any type of vehicle for that matter, you really need to keep your head up – literally.

Despite the comical end of this young man’s attempt to fool around with a scooter, we reckon that using his face to dig a hole in the sand sounds much better than the alternative ending had he managed to ramp his way over the lump of sand… Follow the break for the video.

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Porsche Restored 1973 US-Spec 911 T Coupe Awaits Lucky Owner


One of the main attractions of the Porsche Club of America’s (PCA) parade in Savannah, Georgia from July 31 to August 7, will be a fully restored, US-Spec 1973 911 T Coupe. What’s more, one lucky winner of a raffle will get to own it.

The idea behind the “Revive the Passion” project, as the restoration process was named, came up four years ago in Daytona and involved offering a classic, instead of a new car, to the winner of the raffle. The search begun and the suitable car was found near LA. It was then presented at the 2010 edition of the Porsche Parade event.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Buying a New Car? Why Not Bundle A European Holiday


Did you know that there are holiday packages that bundle airfares, accommodation and cosmetic surgery? It’s a sort of incentive program for women (and some men) to have their surgery done overseas and is especially popular in Britain and Australia. Well, as some of you may already know, there are similar programs for people who want to buy a new car.

These so-called, “European Delivery Programs” are offered by companies as diverse as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volvo. Effectively you’re bundling a discount European vacation with your new car purchase.

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How do you say Ferris Bueller in German? 14-Year old Borrows Dad’s Brand New Ferrari for a Joyride


A German couple living in Berlin was returning from a trip to Spain on Tuesday, when the Polizei stopped them on a motorway and detained them for questioning. The reason? The parent’s 14 year-old son had taken their new €200,000 (US$280,000) Ferrari (the police didn't reveal the model, just the make) for a spin, initiating a police operation for his capture that lasted many hours!

"The 14-year-old was unable to resist the temptation," the police told the AFP. "When an acquaintance of the family noticed the car and the boy were missing, he suspected theft or even an abduction."

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Video: Guess What Scared a 1,200 HP Bugatti Veyron Super Sport at Goodwood…


There’s nothing faster, short of a Formula 1 car, than a Bugatti Veyron, right? In particular, a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport boasting a 1,200HP quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine, four-wheel drive tech and a 258 mph (415 km/h) top speed. Whoever is behind its wheel must feel invincible, right?

Well, actually, no. A few days ago, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a Veyron Super Sport that was ready to begin its climb up the hill pulled over and let another car start first. What car was that?

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