Fake car makes room for a fake ASIMO to be your fake driving companion

by Paul Miller

You know, we're realists, and we know deep down that cars in the future are going to drive themselves just fine without a humanoid robot to grab the controls and peer out of specially crafted front compartments. Even if a humanoid was doing the steering, he'd probably just jack into the car's full complement of cameras and sensors, merely using his CPU to plot a course from his comfy charging bay in the trunk. But we want to believe. Designer Derek Chik Kin Ng has come up with this Honda concept (one which we're guessing has no official collaboration with Honda) that packs a nice little front seat for your 8th gene ASIMO. The bot can hop out of the car and help you on your errands, make casual conversation as you drive, warn you of upcoming hazards, or take over controls when you're in the mood for some SpaceChess2000. Only thing he can't do? Actually exist.

Source;
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/06/fake-car-makes-room-for-a-fake-asimo-to-be-your-fake-driving-com/

Bugatti Veyron Replica Based on Honda Civic

People will always try to drive what they can’t reach, which is why the car replica market will always have demand. However, some replicas are more hideous than others and we’re here to give you one that deserves to go straight to the scrap yard.We are talking about a Bugatti Veyron wannabe, which was built on the platform of a 1992-1995 generation Honda Civic Coupe.

The Japanese car had received an eight-piece fiberglass kit, with the result being one of the ugliest pieces of machinery we’ve ever seen.The vehicle can be found in Florida and it was recently offered for sale on Ebay, with an asking price of $4,500. As expected, there were no bids at all...

Source;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/bugatti-veyron-replica-based-on-honda-civic-42884.html

The Bark Side: VW and Star Wars in Super Bowl teaser

Putty Puddy From Seinfeld Pitching Honda Outtakes Most Hilarious Commercial Ever

This gets so much funnier once we realize that he's parodying the eharmony cat lady below....

GM Gets Pranked at Chevy Event

By SHARON TERLEP

DETROIT—General Motors Co. officials were red-faced on Wednesday after software on a network at its headquarters was programmed to insert a derogatory remark on computer browsers after any mention of Chrysler Group LLC and several other competitors.

The prank came to light at GM's unveiling of a battery-powered version of its Chevrolet Spark small car at a five-day event marking the 100th anniversary of GM's Chevrolet brand. The event drew more than 200 journalists from around the world.

Selim Bingol, a GM spokesman, said the auto maker had nothing to do with the prank. GM has since corrected the problem.

GM officials said computer technicians found an unauthorized software program had been installed on a wireless router, and the program was altering the way Web pages were displayed to insert the word "sucks" after any mention of certain rivals on computers linked to the network.

Later in the day, GM said it had identified the culprit—a subcontractor who had helped set up the wireless network. GM didn't identify the company but said the subcontractor had admitted its role and intended the prank to be humorous.

"These guys are learning the definition of sucks," Mr. Bingol said.

Computers accessing the Internet via other networks at the company's headquarters were unaffected.

The word "sucks" appeared after mentions of Chrysler, Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., and Honda Motor Co. on any searches or references to those companies conducted on computers using the GM network. Web references were not permanently altered because the word was inserted only onto the displays of computers using that one network.

The word did not appear after mentions of Nissan Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co., or Volkswagen AG.

Source;
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204002304576626982322048592.html

Police in China changes Mercedes-Benz ML350 into Honda CR-V

You've gotta be kidding me....
Police in the good city of Fengchenggang in Guangxi Province re-badged their Mercedes-Benz ML350 into a Honda CR-V. There is a lot of criticism in China lately about local governments who waste taxpayers money. Police in Fengchanggang so made some changes to their 900.000 yuan ML350, a Honda CR-V only costs 200.000 yuan.

But the plan went wrong. Citizens of Fengchenggang were not to be fooled and posted pics of the Benz CR-V on the internet where ‘netizens’ had a field day ridiculing the local government as hard as they could. Best part: the police flatly denied they made any changes to their car. I guess it depends on what you call a ‘change’…

Source (via www.autoblog.com)
http://www.carnewschina.com/2011/07/08/police-in-china-changes-mercedes-benz-ml350-into-honda-cr-v/

Drunk Driving on the Beach sinks Infinity

This is so painful to watch that it is funny....

Source via autoblog/carscoop

Jalopnik: Virginia DMV accuses soccer mom of being sex pervert

Oh I had a chuckle over this one.
The Virginia DMV loves to hand out vanity license plates and then freak out and take them away. Remember EAT THE Kids First? Now the DMV's trying to pull the plates from a mom who just loves her two daughters.

Meet Dana Cobb, who has a Dodge Journey with those obnoxious stick figure logos on the back and a license plate proclaiming her love of the color pink and her two daughters. The license plate is "2INPINK," because she likes to dress her kids in pink.

She's had the plates for 12 years and, apparently, no one has complained until now. The local news had to talk around what it could mean but we can be more explicit.

*Edited out* (We are a family friendly blog) - follow the link below to read this part.

Who would think such a think thing? Only the Virginia DMV.

As we learned from Garth Yeaman's battle, the DMV takes in complaints over license plates and then sends those complaints to a panel of the dumbest, most prurient-minded, over-sensitive people they can find who then determine whether or not the plates are offensive.

Source;
http://ca.jalopnik.com/5805965/virginia-dmv-accuses-soccer-mom-of-being-sex-pervert

Ford VS Nissan Commercial

So, here's the commercial that Ford has become so offended over, lighten up....

The geniuses at Nissan Brazil's ad department dreamed up this ad for the Tiida (aka Versa) showing Ford engineers rapping with bikini-clad models about how much cheddar they make off the overpriced Focus. Ford's response? A lawsuit.

Nevermind that this may be the most eye-catching ad for the Focus ever; it's the rump-shaking rap lyrics that has Ford execs spitting out their caipirinhas, according to Reuters:

"All the luxury that I got, I got it with your money," the rappers boast, showing off their gold rings and chains. "Don't weep because you're paying extra money — your money was well spent, look what I do with it."

When the ad first appeared in February, Ford got a court order to take it off the air. It's now filed a suit against Nissan in Brazil, accusing the company of unfair competition and "improper brand use." Apparently slapping around the competition with hilarious ads isn't something Brazilian automakers have done in the past. Based on what lengths impoverished Brazilians will go to own a car, maybe Nissan has a point.

Source;
http://ca.jalopnik.com/5785705/the-awesome+sexy+hilarious-nissan-ad-that-fords-suing-over

Barn-find Bugatti Type 38 makes seven times its estimate at auction

Huh?!?
A 'barn-find' Bugatti amounting to little more than a loose collection of bits has sold at auction for more than seven times its estimate.

Completely dismantled, incomplete and lacking its engine and body, the 1926 Bugatti Type 38 was expected to fetch only around £9,000 when it went under the hammer at a Bonhams sale in Australia.

But seven telephone bidders fought against six absentee bids and five people in the Sydney auction rooms for what was described as a 'restoration project'.

After a tense showdown, a mystery bidder - identified only as 'living in the northern hemisphere' - triumphed, with a bid of £68,000.

When Robert Glover, Bonhams' Head of Motor Cars Australia, informed the lady owner of the winning bid, said an auction house spokesman, there was a 'stunned silence followed by a tearful thanks'.

As the picture reveals, the new owner has quite a job on his or her hands. All that remains are four sorry-looking wheels, battered fenders bearing traces of red paint, the radiator, a headlamp, steering wheel, rear bumper, axles, other assorted components, seat shells and what is left of the doors.

A Type 38 in concours condition, however, would be worth around £200,000.
Bonhams says that a 'handful' of Type 38s found their way to Australia via the London Bugatti agent. The car in question was first owned by a Dr Feather of Roma, Queensland but passed through various hands until it was sold to the vendor in the 1960s, by which time it had already fallen into disrepair.

At the same auction, a 1925 Bentley 3- litre sold for £203,000, while a right -hand-drive 1949 Jaguar XK120 Alloy roadster changed hands for £154,000.

Source (via Jalopnik);
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/classiccars/8140984/Barn-find-Bugatti-Type-38-makes-seven-times-its-estimate-at-auction.html

Worst Parking Job....Ever....

There's a Horse in that Car!

Don't know how or why....

Papercraft Ninjas Print, Build Life-Size Cardboard NSX Race Car

Wow, the time and effort that would have gone into this is incredible.... Epson sounds like a awesome place to work, my papercrafts (airplanes) never get this much press and I'm always told to stop....
Epson employees took advantage of their papercraft skills and giant printers to build an impressively detailed 1:1 cardboard replica of an Acura/Honda NSX Super GT race car. Build photos of what we consider the sexiest recycling project ever.

The papercraft JDM Honda NSX debuted at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon back in January, but it crossed our radar again when Nerdwa pointed out some photos of the incredible construction process.

It's actually quite similar to the normal routing for building a papercraft car, albeit at a gigantic scale. The frame they build for the paper body is especially cool. If you're inspired by this and lack the time/printing capability to pull off a full-sized version, Epson posted a bunch of the 1:24 scale instructions right here.

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5603637/papercraft-ninjas-print-build-life+size-cardboard-nsx-race-car

Doh! A1 rolls at public demo

What seemed like a good idea at the time....
Red faces for Audi as publicity stunt goes wrong.

The faces among Audi's crack driving team matched the colour of this rather worse for wear A1 this weekend.

The car was being driven up and down a specially-constructed half pipe in the Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels as part of the build up to the car's public launch.

But instead of demonstrating the car’s skateboard-like handling and fun-to-drive character, one of Audi’s drivers got carried away and rolled the MINI-rivalling hatch onto its roof. The good news is, nobody was hurt, and the car barely damaged. (which is where Audi should have promptly went into a safety rant....)

Driver and passenger were quickly freed after the car was pushed back onto its wheels.

According to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, Audi was keen that photographers didn’t take pictures of the stricken car. But a few snaps have leaked out of the innocuous event.

And while the crash is a slight annoyance for Audi as the build-up to the car’s arrival in showrooms begins, very few A1s are likely to be subjected to the full Tony Hawks X Games treatment when the car arrives here in late 2010.

Source;
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/252340/a1_rolls_at_public_demo.html