autoMedia.com is starting something new this week! Lots of events have been in the news, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel are the highlights we found at each. Consider this your carnival of cribnotes to items of interest in the automotive arena.
AutoBlog: Now's Your Chance: Repo'd Nissan GT-R up for auction
It's barely got 3000 miles on the odometer and already the owner has defaulted on his Nissan GT-R car loan, so the bank is putting it on the auction block at Matley's Richmond Auto Auction today in Virginia. Blogger Dan Roth says he'd "be hiding this thing in a garage more secret and secure than *** Cheney's undisclosed location while we sold an organ or two on the black market to pay its bills." After all, "You've got a spare kidney, but it's not like the GTR comes along every day."
Los Angeles Alternative Transportation Examiner: 145 mph on chocolate?
Matt Kelly, the Los Angeles Alternative Transportation Examiner asks "is that milk or dark chocolate?" Apparently, he says, "London scientists have unveiled what they hope will be one of the world's fastest biofuel vehicles, powered by waste from chocolate factories and made partly from plant fibers. The car "fuel" is vegetable oils and chocolate waste that has been turned into biofuel." The car, named the "WorldFirst Formula 3 racing car," will go on display at several races including the European Grand Prix and Britain's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Bring your own sweet tooth.
iMotor Friday Fun: Motoring Look-a-likes
The folks over at iMotor got chatting the other day about how some people just look like other, more famous, people. So they created this photo gallery of ten auto industry celebrity look-alikes. You've got to review the selection of photos in this gallery to truly appreciate how well they did their homework! And I promise you, some of them are going to make you laugh out loud! (For instance, what auto industry mogul do you think of when I say "Monopoly Man"? or How about "Emperor Palatine"?) Plus, if you let them know what you think, they might just make another batch. ... I'm picturing Betty Boop and Danica Patrick...
Left Lane News Review: 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet
"The cougar - the female variety, not the Merc' - in the late-model Porsche Boxster slowed as she drove past. As our eyes caught, my heart fluttered a little and I grinned in her direction. But she didn't see me. No, she saw the Cab - the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet." In his review at Left Lane News, Mark Elias asks, "Could this be one of the most impressive two-seat sports cars ever made?" A direct descendant of the shape that made the brand famous upon its introduction at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, it's still able to turn heads 40 years after its debut (as demonstrated by the aforementioned platinum blonde in West Palm Beach).
The Detroit Bureau: Smile For the (Speed) Camera! Radar camera maker nabbed by his own gear
Some folks wind up being hoisted on their own petard. In Tom Riall's case, he's been nailed by his own camera. According to Paul Eisenstein, "The 49-year-old Riall is chief executive of the home affairs division for the British company Serco, and one of their best-known, if most-reviled, products is the radar-triggered camera that's been used to catch countless U.K. traffic offenders as they push past the local speed limits." Even more ironically, Eisenstein says, "it was the third time the balding executive was captured playing fast and loose with the speed laws, which are being more and more heavily monitored in the U.K. after years of lax enforcement. You know that old adage that says "turnabout is fair play?" Looks like this speeder got his just rewards!
AskPatty: Mother's Day Gift Guide
Yes, Mother's Day is just a few days away. Jody DeVere knows choosing the right gift can be a challenge, so she's gathered up some gift ideas that should be perfect for your car-loving Mom. Some are practical, some are elegant, but all of them will please a Mom-on-the-go -- regardless of whether she's cruising a beatup old minivan, or tearing up the tarmac in a Porsche Cayenne. If you still need a mother's day gift idea, be sure to check out this gift guide full of things perfect for your first and most important chauffeur.
Motor Trend: Toyota's January-March Global Loss Beats GM
Todd Lassa highlights an important fact that may have been overlooked by folks who might be too focused on our domestic automotive concerns: "If you're one of the holdouts who believe the depression in the automotive market has only hit the weak, Toyota's results released Friday ought to put that to rest. The World's Number One automaker posted a January-March loss of the equivalent of $6.9-billion, beating GM's first-quarter loss of $6 billion. To make it clear; these numbers are for all global operations. While GM counts January to March as the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, Toyota works on a March-to-March basis, so it has just closed the books on a fiscal year. For March '08 to March '09, Toyota posted an annual loss of 560.4 billion yen, or $5.9 billion."
The Car Connection Spy Shots: 2011 BMW 6-Series
There it is: the tightly cropped front bumper shot of a heavily disguised 2011 BMW 6-Series. According to Marti Padgett, the next-gen 6-Series will be getting an evolutionary new shape; though from the crazy, swirling wrapper on the test mule in the photo, he says it's tough to tell how much exactly will change with the new version of BMW's hefty supercoupe and convertible. But like the new 2009 BMW 7-Series, Padgett says it's likely the same styling themes will get a little more mature and will turn back the clock on the company's controversial "flame surfacing" that's been a point of contention for most of the decade. I just want the awesome paint job for my own car!
Thanks for joining us for this week's auto blog carnival. Check back next week for another installment. Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? We'll have information soon that will help you submit ideas to us. Until then, have a great weekend!
Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor
