Nissan Brazil Strikes Again with an Ad for a Family Minivan that You’re Never Going See in the U.S. [NSFW]

Back in March, Nissan do Brasil aired a commercial, which drew the wrath of Ford’s local arm for making claims that the Detroit automaker charges customers too much for its family models. But while Ford’s people only saw a Focus and a pair of rappers dressed as engineers chanting about the money they made by overpricing the hatchback, some viewers were also captivated by the curvalicious bikini-clad models…
Now, Nissan of Brazil returns with a new TV spot, this time for the Livina 7-seater compact minivan. While the Japanese carmaker avoids referring to a specific rival, the theme appears to be similar: scantily dressed female models dancing provocatively and a tagline aimed at the competition. And oh; towards the end of the clip you may notice the Livina and young family of four (not that we’re complaining about the appearance of the ladies…).

Honda USA Shows Some Personal Appreciation to its Facebook Fans

Recently, Honda USA’s facebook page hit the one-millionth fan mark. To show its appreciation, the Japanese brand responded with some personal gestures that, unlike the look of some of its more recent models like the Civic, took some of its fans by surprise.
For example, in response to a fan that mowed the Honda logo on his lawn, the Japanese company carved his name into the corporate headquarters next to the main entrance. Another fan that showed his love for Honda with a tattoo of the brand’s logo was surprise to find out that Honda's vice president of marketing got an airbrushed tattoo of his name and face. Finally, a fan that received a Honda haircut was emulated by a Honda associate who carved the fan's name in his hair.

The Most Affordable Techart Porsche Ever: New Collector’s Edition GTStreet Scale Model

When it comes to tuning Porsche models, Techart is one of the most renowned aftermarket specialists in Germany. This time, however, the tuning firm has something far smaller but also, far more affordable in store for us. We are talking about Techart’s new Porsche 911 Turbo-based GTStreet collector’s edition die cast model. Available only in 1:43 scale, production of the miniature Porsche is limited to just 300 units with pricing set at €59.90 (including 19% VAT in Germany) or about US$89.

Take that Google: Dodge Rebels Against Robots in New 2011 Charger Commercial

The future, as we imagine it now, may be full of robots doing all kinds of things for us humans, including driving our cars. As some scientists over at Google recently proved, driver-less vehicles may become a reality sooner than we expect, so here's what an automaker that produces cars for drivers has to say about this issue.
In the Chrysler Group’s latest commercial for the 2011 Dodge Charger called “The Future of Driving”, we are presented with a gloomy future, in which robots control all aspects of our lives, from choosing our diet and wardrobe to even walking our pet dogs. The hero of the commercial has nothing to say about all these things, but when a robot invites him to sit on the passenger seat of his own car, things get a little bit out of control...

VIDEO: Fast 5 Movie Goers Cause Automotive Mayhem Outside of Theater in Detroit

Fans of all kinds and sorts of the much talked about Fast 5 film went “fast and furious” at a theater parking lot in Detroit before and after a midnight release of the movie on Thursday. Steven Pham, a professional photographer and automotive enthusiast, happened to be one of those early moviegoers and filmed some of the hoonery that went on up until the boys in blue showed up to put an end to the tire-burning games.
We came in contact with Steven and here's what he told us:
"After seeing the trailers for Fast Five, there was a lot of hype in the automotive community. I'm pretty sure every car enthusiast is a fan of the series, if not, then there is something wrong with them. Sure each movie has some sort of unrealistic scene, though I think it adds to the movie in a "wtf, did that really just happen?" kind of way.

Everything that went on in the parking lot outside of the theater before and after the movie was hysterical. Cars revving it up, dozens of people doing burnouts and donuts and to the one guy that was playing the Tokyo Drift soundtrack with his subs. It was like a short film in between all of the Fast and the Furious movie series, except without girls walking around and dancing in bikinis."

Study Reveals Steering Wheels Are Nine Times Dirtier than a Public Toilet

This disturbing conclusion comes from a UK survey done at the request of home store B&Q. While 80 bacteria are found on each square inch of toilet, around 700 harmful bugs lurk in the interior of a car and specifically on the steering wheel, gear stick and back seats. The study also revealed that 42 percent of motorists regularly eat meals while driving.
“A car is the perfect place for germs to breed, especially if you eat in it and leave litter or uneaten food around. To avoid potential health risks it would be wise to regularly clean your car inside and out,” said doctor Ron Cutler, director of biomedical science at Queen Mary University, London.

Nissan gets Creative with Smoking Billboard at New York Auto Show

It might not be an award winning campaign, but Nissan’s new outdoor board placed right outside the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center during the 2011 New York Auto Show (April 22 to May 1 for the public) is sure to grab attention and increase awareness for the firm’s all-electric Leaf family car.
The two-sided Smokeboard was created by the Japanese firm’s advertising partner TBWA\Chiat\Day, which is the American division of the advertising agency TBWA Worldwide.
On one side, the billboard features an actual working tailpipe that emits fumes into the air (with the agency stressing the fact that the exhaust is environmentally friendly…) and a headline that reads, “The auto show has over 1,000 of these”. On the other side, there’s a photo of the Leaf and a caption that says “But only one 100% electric, zero-tailpipe Nissan Leaf”. Check out the ad in action in the clip after the jump.

VIDEO: How Not to Take a Corner with a 14-Wheeler Truck

Vehicle accidents happen on the road everywhere and every day. However, some mishaps could be easily avoided if the person behind the wheel has his or her head screwed on the right way. For example, take a look at this video showing a 14-wheeler truck overturning on a busy road in Wenling City in eastern China's Zhejiang Province; this is not the way you are supposed to turn into a corner with such a heavy and long vehicle.
As you can see in the closed circuit TV footage that captured the incident as it happened, the driver of the lorry was apparently in a hurry to pass the traffic light and speeded through the crossroad only to overturn and drop the container on its side. According to media reports, officials said by-passers narrowly avoided being hit. Watch the clip right after the break.

12 Million Out-Of-Control Bees Close Californian Highway

Following an accident that involved a truck carrying up to 12 million swarming –and apparently pissed off- bees, Californian authorities were forced to close an area of Highway 99 that’s near Sacramento this passed Sunday. The truck, that was loaded with hundreds of crates each filled with up to 30,000 bees, flipped over while entering the highway on its way to Yakima, Washington. Once out of the crates, the bees swarmed over an area of Highway 99 and stung officers, fire-fighters and tow truck drivers that were trying to help clear the accident.

Via: kcra

Video: French Devise Innovative Alternative to Spare Tires

They say necessity is the mother of invention, but we doubt that’s the case with these fun-loving Frenchmen who decided to attach a little board on wheels on the rear tire of their Citroen Saxo. -Video after the jump

2020 Apple iMove Study: Macintosh thinks differently as it hits middle age

A while back there was a rumor going around that Apple and its overlord Steve Jobs were going to be getting into the city car game. Although nothing official has been announced in the years since those rumors started - and Google looks ready to shut down anything Apple has coming with its driver-less cars - the iMove, an independent design study, is likely close to what people were thinking as soon as Apple mentioned "car".

Designed by 20-year old Liviu Tudoran, the iMove is simple, smooth, cute, and most of all, blends right into the Apple product lineup of pods and user-friendly design.

The exterior uses "photocromic material" to adjust the exterior hue of the vehicle (at least on the transparent parts) based on a variety of presets. Think of it like the Mustang's MyColor gauges, but on the outside of your ride.

Have a look at the pics below (and use our new edit function, if necessary) to check out some of the designer's ideas and explanations behind them. While the spelling may be a bit off, the idea seems to be fairly on.

The iMove, though currently just a sketch and rendering, will be right at home in the cities of the future. I'll take mine in Vintage Mac Beige please.

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VIDEO: Chinese Biker Survives Accident thanks to some Crazy Kung Fu-Like Moves

Talk about lucky; here's a video of a Chinese motorcyclists who seemed to have all the right moves when he slammed into a little carry-all truck. As you can see from the clip after the jump, he was either extremely skilled or extremely lucky to be thrown off his ride the way he was.

If this accident weren't captured on CCTV, it would be the kind of stunt I'd expect to see in some 90's Jackie Chan movie. In that case, however, there would be people swarming the guy and dude would be using the formerly-known-as-a-motorcycle debris to whoop evildoers' behinds instead of probably being in shock. Hey, at least one or two of the surrounding drivers stopped to lend a hand.

Any (I'm guessing) Mandarin speakers out there, feel free to throw us a translation of the text in the comments below.

Rare Find: 1984 Lincoln Continental with Factory Installed BMW Straight-Six Turbo Diesel

Did you know that Lincoln offered its mid-1980s Continental sedan and Mark VII coupe models with a factory-installed BMW straight-six turbo diesel? It may sound bizarre -to say the least- but it is true.

The BMW-sourced 2.4-liter inline-six turbo diesel engine, which was used in the shark-nosed 1980s 524TD, delivered an output of 115HP and was backed by a ZF four-speed automatic transmission. It was available optionally in 1984 and 1985 on the Continental sedan and Mark VII coupe models instead of the standard 140HP 4.9-liter gasoline-fed V8.

One of these extremely rare [since few buyers opted for the diesel] BMW-powered Lincolns has been found for sale on Craigslist with the asking price set at $2,800.

Here's the seller's description:

"This is a limited edition from Lincoln, it is only 1 of 2500 ever made. It has a 2.4 liter BMW turbo diesel form the factory. This car is in very good condition, It has always been stored for the winters and has no rust. The mileage is unknown because the odometer is digital in it dosen't work. It runs and drive great. It was purchased from an estate sale about 5-7 years ago. This car is all original. Seats are NOT ripped but worn a bit. This is a Rare car you will not find another one of these for a long time."

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Found: Oldest Porsche Import in the USA is a 1952 356 Cabriolet

The owner of the "Strawberry Red" 356 Cabriolet pictured above has earned the bragging rights for owning the oldest Porsche model sold in America. The discovery was made as part of the My Porsche Classic Search, which was launched in August to celebrate the brand's 60th anniversary.

The Porsche Classic Search was conducted online with owners having to submit documentation that their Porsche was one of the earliest in its category to be retailed in the USA.

The oldest documented sale was this rare 1952 356 Cabriolet owned by Dr. Robert Wilson of Oklahoma City, Okla. According to the company, Wilson's car was imported in November of 1952 by Austrian businessman, Max Hoffman, in New York, who brought the first Porsche cars to the U.S. beginning in 1950.

The 356 Cabriolet, which is powered by a 60-horsepower 1.5 liter engine, was discovered in a salvage yard by Wilson many years after landing on this side of the Atlantic. Wilson bought the car and painstakingly restored it to its original condition.

Porsche said its search also yielded the discovery of an even rarer and older model, a blue 1950 356 Cabriolet owned by Richard Brumme of Annapolis, Md, which was one of the very first series production 356s built in Stuttgart, after the company relocated from Gmund, Austria. However, this car was not actually retailed in America so the title went to Wilson's 356.

Aside from the oldest Porsche sold in the US, the company also made a list of the oldest models in each range:

1965 911: Barry August of Clarksville, Md.


1965 912: Steve Torkelsen of Wilton, Conn.


1970 914: Ralph Stoesser of Marco Island, Fla.


1977 924: Jay Hoover of New Haven, Ind.


1977 928: Jim Doerr of Richmond, Va.


1983 944: John Denning of Covington, Wash.


1992 968: Jeffrey Coe of Trumball, Conn.


1997 Boxster: David Adrian of Worcester, Mass.


2004 Cayenne: Adam Reichard of Magnolia, Texas


2005 Carrera GT: Robert Ingram of Durham, N.C.


2006 Cayman: Eugenie Thomas of Martinez, Calif.

The Stuttgart-based firm said it plans to honor the owners of all of these cars with an exclusive badge issued by the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, and by featuring photos of the cars at the new "Sixty Years of Porsche in America" exhibit, which opened in the museum on Oct. 12. Furthermore, Wilson's 356 Convertible will make its way to Porsche's LA Auto Show stand in November.

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Vipervette is the latest project to kill two performance nameplates in one go

The 1986 Vipervette is exactly what you think it is: part Dodge Viper, part Corvette, all painful. Riding on a 1986 Corvette chassis, the Vipervette is said to have inherited its body (and not much else, apparently) from a 2000 Dodge Viper. Because of this hodge-podge mix of machinery, we have a car with some very awkward proportions.

The car is motivated by the '86 Vette's power train - a 5.7-liter V8 and a 4-speed stick - so don't expect to be going anywhere in too much of a hurry. Inside is more of the 1980's, with the Corvette interior color-coded to line up with the Viper exterior (meaning it's the mighty played-out red and black).

At least it's based on a relatively modern car, so it's got common amenities like power steering, power windows, the Viper's removable top, and a CD player. There's no telling about the quality of the project's fit and finish, but if you're interested in finding out for yourself, this little monster can be yours for the low, low price of $12,250.

For that money, I'd pass and get a cherry 1980's Corvette (and still have money for a vacation, to boot).

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