Archive for March 2008
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
March 1st, 2008 9:00 AM
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A Vancouver man led police on a low-speed chase through a busy city street. The man was traveling at about 3 mph on his lawn mower before police could nab the man.
Now, authorities are checking local law to see if they can charge the man with a drunken driving charge. Currently, the books show nothing of intoxicated driving charges a person operating a lawn mower.
Police received a call from the man’s neighbor – who haven’t met – who claimed the man had rode his lawn mower through his fence gate and threw a lawn chair through his window. When police arrived, the man drove the mower across a boulevard and down the city street attempting to run down an officer.
+ Yahoo News: Roger that. It’s a man on a lawn mower
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
March 1st, 2008 8:00 AM
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Driving down through an out-of-the-way neighborhood or winding rural road is somewhat of a rare luxury for most. But, for those that live in these areas, it can be hell. As in getting your mailbox smashed every weekend by thrill-seeking teenagers, kind of hell.
In my neighborhood, where I grew up, it happened a lot. My mailbox was destroyed on several occasions – so much so, that my father and I built a large mailbox from brick to detract would-be smashers.
Another father-son duo, Greg Fisher and his son Dustin, in Hatley, Wis. also grew weary of their mailbox receiving a fatal blow four times in two weeks, that they conducted a stakeout in their front yard to catch the vandals.
(More details after the jump)
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Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 29th, 2008 6:00 PM
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Cars and music have seamlessly been intertwined since, well, nearly forever. And, there are a lot of songs out there about cars. We here have been discussing what the best song about cars is.
A lot of songs were thrown around with no real winner – Chuck Berry’s “I Want to Be Your Driver”, Ministry’s “Jesus Built My Hot-Rod”, Beatles’ “Drive My Car”, Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac”, Ween’s “El Camino”. The list goes on for miles. But, we want to know what auto-related song is your favorite. Let us know in the comments.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 29th, 2008 5:30 PM
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A few months back, Italian coachbuilder Zagato announced it was working on a project with Bentley. Yet, no details ever surfaced, until now.
The Zagato-designed Bentley will be based off the Continental GT Speed – to be called the Bentley Zagato GTZ. We don’t have the details of what Zagato may have done under the hood, but the front fascia has a new design – maybe a Veyron-inspired grille.
We’ll let you in on all the details next week at the Geneva Motor Show.
+ World Car Fans: Leaked: Bentley Zagato GTZ Ahead of Geneva Debut
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
February 29th, 2008 5:00 PM
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Mitsubishi has released a document today that outlines the company’s plans on a global level for the next couple of years. While the rather long press release contains, we’re sure, many and varied interesting pieces of news, our eyes first strayed to the North America portion of the “Regional Strategies” section. That paragraph reads in part,
The company will also expand sales by, for example, marketing the new model of the Lancer Evolution released in January 2008 and adding a sport hatchback Lancer model hereafter.
Which is great news for those of us who’ve been crossing our fingers for a U.S. version of the tidy Prototype-S concept Mitsubishi is bringing to Geneva next week. Subaru of America may just have a fight on its hands.
(Click through the jump to read the full Mitsubishi press release or on the thumbnails to check out a Prototype-S gallery.)
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Written By: Winding Road Staff
February 29th, 2008 4:30 PM
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In Spain in February, press reps from Munich hauled us into a dark corner of a bar and told us that we could shoot both the Mini and Mini Clubman John Cooper Works versions prior to their Geneva show debuts. Original art of any hot pocket-rockets from Mini is too good to pass up, so we jumped at the chance.
Continue –>
Written By: Seyth Miersma
February 29th, 2008 4:00 PM
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For those of us who’ve always thought that the 912 or the 914 were some of the most unheralded members of the Porsche family, say hello to the 212 Skibob.
This small and collapsible skibob (basically a bike for the slopes) was built through collaboration by the Arvoa Company and Porsche design. Made in limited quantities for enthusiasts, the Porsche sled features a rather sophisticated setup (you know, for a skibob) of front and rear shock strut suspension. It’s also able to break apart, with the ski components stored inside of the hollow fiberglass body. Maybe most incredibly, despite its slight build, the 212 is made to carry two riders.
Without even touching the question of whether this should be listed outside of eBay Motors, we were rather surprised to learn that the starting bid for the 212 was a healthy $800. But the seller assures potential buyers that true enthusiasts are willing to pay more than double that. There’s only a bit of winter left folks, get to bidding.
+ eBay Motors: 1970 Other Makes PORSCHE AROVA 212 Skibob
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 29th, 2008 3:30 PM
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Mercedes-Benz is claiming they will have lithium-ion batteries in its upcoming S400 BlueHybrid that will go on sale in Europe by mid-2009, following to the U.S. by the third-quarter of 2009.
If Mercedes-Benz can keep to schedule, the S400 BlueHybrid gasoline-electric will be the first series-production car to rely on lithium-ion technology.
“What we have here is a groundbreaking key technology that is going to be a decisive factor for the future success of the automotive industry,” said Thomas Weber, head of Mercedes-Benz research and development.
(More details and press release after the jump)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
February 29th, 2008 3:00 PM
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Less than a week before the production Ford Kuga is scheduled to be presented for public review at the Geneva Motor Show, the first example has rolled off a German production line.
Ford’s Saarlouis production facility finished up the first of what the company expects to be around 45,000 Kugas per year. That would make the small crossover about ten percent of the German factory’s overall volume. Currently, the plant produces Ford’s European Focus, and C-Max.
Sales of the cool new Kuga are scheduled to begin (European only, don’t get any ideas America), in the summer of this year. Click on the galleries below to see a Kuga being born, they’re so cute when they’re little, or to see some official Ford images.
+ CarScoop: First Ford Kuga Rolls Off Production Line
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
February 29th, 2008 2:30 PM
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More big changes are in store for New York City’s commercial fleet, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday that the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission is planning to increase economy demands of private -hire “black cars.”
This cross-section of commercial vehicles, mainly limousines and town cars, will be required to achieve averages of 25 mpg by 2009, and 30 mpg by 2010. That’s a substantial jump from the current 12-15 mph average for New York’s estimated 10,000 black cars, and would seem to limit the new vehicle choices to gas-electric hybrids unless some European diesel vehicles are permitted.
(Click through the jump to read on.)
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Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 29th, 2008 2:00 PM
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General Motors has announced it will stop production at its Fort Wayne, Ind., Flint, Mich., and Oshawa, Ontario truck assembly plants after second shift tonight. The production halt is from “parts shortages” due to the UAW strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc.
GM already halted production at its Pontiac, Mich. truck assembly plant earlier this week.
(More details after the jump)
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Written By: David E. Davis, Jr.
February 29th, 2008 1:30 PM
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We used to see William F. Buckley with some regularity during my second tour of duty at Car and Driver. He had a Manhattan office somewhere around Third Avenue and Thirty-Fourth Street and often ate lunch in a little counter joint nearby.
I introduced myself to him at a Magazine Publishers Association dinner in Detroit, and we had a fifteen-minute conversation about peanut butter. That night he told the best political joke I ever heard, to wit: “Lyndon Johnson was absolutely on top of the world following his 1964 landslide victory. He vowed that he would attend every one of the several Inaugural Balls being thrown by the Democratic faithful.”
“On the appointed night he set out with Ladybird, but she was exhausted after one party and went home to bed. Somewhere along the line that evening he met Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and invited them to join him for a drink in the Oval Office. A Filipino mess attendant appeared as if by magic and took their drink orders, and when the drinks arrived Lyndon sat in his big chair on one side of the presidential desk and Burton and Taylor sat on the other. Lyndon raised a glass of Bourbon that looked like a Pyrex malted milk can and said, ‘You know, among the three of us, I reckon that we have screwed about every citizen in this great republic!’”
Next >
Nissan Confirms Upcoming G37 Convertible, 'Mini SUV' 
Ford Readies 2009 Focus Coupe for American Idol Reveal
Ford Planning to Revive F-100?
Ferrari California Revealed!
Lamborghini Picks L.A. for U.S. Headquarters
