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

Monday, July 25, 2011

$202,000 Porsche Taxi Cab Takes Bangkok by Surprise


While New Yorkers get ready to embrace a new generation of boxy taxis like the Ford Transit Connect and the Nissan NV200, city dwellers in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, were introduced to a different and far more appealing form of the yellow cab: a Porsche Boxster sports car. Read more »

Fraudsters Claiming Luxury and Exotic Cars as Farm-Use Vehicles to Save on Insurance!


If you’ve ever owned a car that’s even slightly upmarket or exotic, you’ll know that insurance premiums can be a real headache. However, some owners are combating this by claiming that their vehicles – among them Porsches, Mercedes-Benzes, Audis and BMWs – are for…farm-use.

In other words, the insurance companies are being led to believe that these high priced luxury and exotic models are being used to haul bales of hay and the like and rarely leave their owner’s properties. In turn, these owners are paying as much as 20% less on their insurance premiums.

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Video: Man versus Wild…Radio-Controlled Car


Undoubtedly, the video you're about to see would have elicited a chuckle or two even if the radio controlled missile-car hit a by-stander, but the fact that it knocked the person holding the remote control off his feet (we mean that literally) and into the air makes it twice as fun to watch.

See the incoming RC for yourself in the video after the break.

Read more »

Friday, July 22, 2011

Stretch it Real Good: 2011 Chrysler 300 gets into the Limo Business


Even though Chrysler’s new 300 is being marketed as a more elegant and mature proposal than its predecessor, that doesn’t mean it won’t garner the same amount of attention from extreme tuners, rappers, professional athletes and of course, your occasional limo builder, as the previous model did.

Only a few months after it hit U.S. showrooms, and we have if not the first, at least one of the first stretch limousine transformation of the 2011 Chrysler 300.

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The Hackable Car, or Why Technology is Making Our Cars More Vulnerable to Attack


The modern automobile is a microcosm for our networked society. Everything from the brakes to the dual-zone climate control and from the windscreen wipers to the CD player is connected through a Controller-Area-Network (CAN) bus.

Like the nerves in our bodies, this network passes information from one component to another. It allows the anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control to work in unison, disconnects the cruise control when you step on the accelerator and allows the headlights to switch themselves on in low light conditions.

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Honda Odyssey Wears its Carlashes to the Beach


Truth to be said, the third generation of the Honda Odyssey is about as exciting to look at as a bowl of cheerios. And no, adding carlashes will definitely not change our view on the Japanese minivan’s styling or rather, the lack of it. Read more »

This is what a New BMW 1 M Coupe Looks Like after a Heavy Fender Bender


The brand-new BMW 1 M Coupe hasn’t been around from more than a few months, but we already have the first recorded accident of which we know about.

The unlucky owner of the car, who is from South Korea, posted these photos of the mishap over at the BMW 1Addicts forum. He said that he was the first customer to receive one of the 80 BMW 1 M Coupes scheduled to arrive in the South Korean market.

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It Came from eBay Hell: The “Camaro or Her” Edition


In a very different “It Came from eBay Hell” piece than what you are normally used to seeing on Carscoop, we bring you the best automotive advert that you’re going to read today on the popular online marketplace.

While we can’t verify the story behind the “Her or the Car?” edition, the owner of this 2010 Chevrolet Camaro claims to be selling his beloved muscle car due to a divorce. But let’s not take the spotlight away from him.

Enjoy the seller’s humorous narrative and comparo on the specifications of the Camaro SS and his…soon to be ex-wife after the break.

Read more »

London Slaps Barack Obama’s Motorcade with a $194 Congestion Fine


The long-standing diplomatic brawl between the US Embassy in Britain and the local authorities over the subject of congestion fines continues.

In this latest episode, Barack Obama's presidential motorcade has been fined £120 (about $194 or €137) for not paying the £10 congestion levy during his official State visit to Britain back in May.

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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Video: Crazy Nissan 350Z Accident Results in Awesome Parking Job!


An extremely violent accident involving what appears to be a Nissan 350Z (we could be wrong on the model though) that flew over a wall at a parking lot and which could have ended in a drama, surprisingly turned into the most awesome parking job we have ever seen on film. The driver even came out unhurt and checked the car as it was a mere fender bender!

Don’t believe us? Hit the jump and check out the spectacular video for yourself.

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Spanish City Offers Lifetime Tram Passes in Exchange for…Cars


In the Spanish city of Murcia, the local pollies have come up with a unique solution to their burgeoning congestion problem.

Residents have the opportunity to trade in their cars for a lifetime pass on the city’s newly introduced tram system. Severiano Arias, the director of Murcia Transvia Society, explains:

“The point is to take cars out of circulation for the environmental benefits this brings. So we are only accepting working cars not ones ready for scrap heap because that would not serve any purpose.”

Read more »

Lotus Evora S Patrol Cars to Assist Italian Police Force


Not to be outshined by their compagni over at the highway patrol unit and their Lamborghini Gallardo cruisers (that is, when they don't crash them...), the Arma dei Carabinieri, a division of the Italian army that polices both military and civilian populations, has received a pair of bespoke Lotus Evora S sports cars. Read more »

It Came From eBay Hell: 1998 Mauck Executive


If you hit the jump, you’ll find a short clip from the 1977 cheesefest Supervan, where our heroes are being chased by the police. The titular van was built by the self-anointed King of the Kustomizers George Barris, who also has a cameo in this mess. And that’s all I have to say about this.

It was the funkadelic 1970s and Georgie had to earn his keep with Mrs. Barris. Now take a look at this one-of-a-kind 1998 Mauck Executive found on eBay. From BC Benjamin Auto Sales in Great Neck, NY comes the Son of Supervan: the Mauck Executive.

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Ford Marketing Boss Jim Farley Allegedly Tells GM to Stick it in Upcoming Book


We’re not used to automotive execs using foul language or trashing the competition when speaking out in the open and/or in public, so we were somewhat surprised with some of the comments allegedly made by Ford Motor Company Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Jim Farley.

According to Jalopnik, the Ford executive who joined the Detroit automaker in 2007 after nearly two decades at Toyota and Lexus, was quoted in a book as saying that he is “going to beat Chevrolet on the head with a bat” and that he hates GM.

And oh, Farely reportedly dropped the “F’ bomb on the General as well….

The quotes you’re about to read are said to have come from early copies of the book "Once Upon A Car” from New York Times reporter, Bill Vlasic. The book is scheduled for release to the public in October this year.

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Fail: Cop Impounds Ferrari but Doesn’t Know How to Start it Up….


A British police officer trying to impound a Ferrari F430 Spider (probably somewhere in London) was caught on film by a by-passer having a hard time figuring out how to start up the exotic Italian supercar.

Too bad for us but...luckily for him, the man behind the video camera was nice enough to point out the shiny red ‘ENGINE START’ button on the steering wheel (honestly, how can you miss it?). Watch the amusing clip after the jump.

Read more »

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.

Read more »

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.

Read more »

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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