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The Internet is chock-full of adorable pet videos and Jackass-style human clips, but it isn’t very often when the animal is the one surviving the ill-advised act. That’s typically not our cup of tea anyway, but when you throw in a spanking new Lamborghini Murciélago and a happy ending and we’re likely to bite.

Beyond the jump is video of a squirrel that cheats death by Lamborghini. The earth-hugging bull is minding its own business at over 100 miles per hour during The Ultimate Lamborghini Experience 4 event at California’s Fontana raceway when said squirrel decided to cross the track. What comes next is a bit of a miracle, as the squirrel manages to time its crossing in a most perfect manner. We’re not sure who is luckier – the squirrel or the LP670-4 SV driver – but it does look like the furry critter may have had its tail docked a bit in the encounter, so let’s hope he’s okay. Hit the jump to watch the video for yourself.

UPDATE: Video is now embedded after the jump.

Continue reading Behold the World’s Luckiest Squirrel

Behold the World’s Luckiest Squirrel

According to a 2011 census, India has a population of 1,210,193,422 people. That’s 17.47 percent of the world’s population living on just 2.3 percent of the planet. The only place more crowded is a new In-N-Out at lunch time. Health officials in India are looking for novel ways to drum up interest in sterilization clinics, and one in particular has resorted to prize giveaways. The top draw? A new Tata Nano.

According to The Times of India, Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan is offering a variety of prizes for men who come into their clinic and put the clamps on their own private ball state swim team. Besides the Nano, prizes include motorcycles, TVs and kitchen stand mixers.

Rajasthan, India offering free Tata Nano in exchange for your sterilization

The vehicles are no longer novel, their yellow stickers have faded from years of exposure to the sun and, after six years of enjoying the privilege, it’s now time for California’s hybrid owners to suffer with the rest of us in the state’s traffic-clogged non-High Occupancy Vehicle lanes.

Starting today, July 1, some 85,000 yellow stickers issued to owners of certain hybrid vehicles in California expire. Now these hybrids have to fall in line with gas-guzzlers, truckers and the millions of other vehicles that sit at a dead stop in the “regular” lanes of California’s highways and watch in envy as carpoolers whiz by at 55-plus miles per hour in dedicated HOV lanes.

Only three hybrid vehicles – Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid – qualified (rated 45-plus miles per gallon) for the yellow stickers. Now, owners who choose to cruise solo in HOV lanes in those gas-sipping hybrids will face steep fines.

Hybrids rejoin California gridlock as HOV stickers expire today

It’s winter time in the land down under, and General Motors has arrived at the 2011 Melbourne Motor Show with a handful of new Holden models. Australians will soon see the 2012 Holden Colorado, 2012 Barina and 2011 Cruze Hatch arriving on dealer lots.

The Australian Colorado gets buff body lines and stylish LED running lamps in the bumper (at least on premium trims). Holden’s Sonic, known in Oz as the Barina, is powered by the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine we get here, which can be paired with a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Finally, the 2011 Holden Cruze Hatch is the five-door we would love to see arrive stateside wearing a Bowtie.

The Holden Cruze Hatch has already hit UK and Korean showrooms in its Chevrolet guise. The diesel-powered Holden Colorado goes on sale next year. Expect the Barina to arrive towards the end of 2011.

Dive into all three Holden vehicles by clicking past the jump for the full press release on each. Also, be sure to look through the galleries below.

Continue reading Holden reveals own versions of Chevy Colorado, Sonic and Cruze hatch

Holden reveals own versions of Chevy Colorado, Sonic and Cruze hatch

Did you miss the chance to catch Senna in theaters? Did you also miss it when Netflix accidentally allowed you to watch it via their online service? Stop punching yourself in the face because Senna is heading to theaters around the country for a limited time. This means you have no excuse to miss the flick this time around. Get your butts to a theater in one of the following cities on the following dates:

• August 12th: New York and Los Angeles
• August 19th: Chicago, Philadelphia, Cambridge, San Francisco, Berkley, D.C., Detroit, San Diego, Miami, Nashville, Dallas
• August 26th: Atlanta, Minneapolis, Denver
• August 29th: Seattle
• September 2nd: Indianapolis, St. Louis

If you’re a Formula One fan who happens to live in NYC, you have another event worth adding to your calendar. City Winery is hosting a live viewing party of the British Grand Prix. During the event, organizers will share an exclusive peek at Senna. If you’re interested, be sure to head to the City Winery web site and make reservations.

SENNA documentary announces dates and cities for limited release

It took more than a couple of legal strategems, but New York City’s mayor Michael Bloomberg has outwitted the city’s powerful yellow taxi lobby. The State Legislature passed a bill making it legal for New Yorkers to hail livery cabs from the street. What’s a livery cab? It’s a private taxi, unmarked, often a Town Car, usually found in areas in and outside of Manhattan that aren’t well served by yellow taxis. They don’t run on meters, either; a fare is agreed upon between the rider and driver.

It is illegal for livery cabs to pick up ’street hails,’ as they’re called, and the yellow taxi industry wants to keep it that way. Blooomberg has been trying to get that changed, and did so by circumventing the City Council, which has usually supported the taxi industry. Assuming governor Cuomo signs the bill into law and it sticks, livery cabs would need to buy medallions and be fitted with roof signs, fare meters and GPS trackers, and be painted in specific colors to denote their role. And there are still places, like Midtown and the Financial District, where they would be forbidden from picking up fares.

Livery-cab trips would also come with a $0.50-cent surcharge, the money going to support mass transit. But neither that nor the possibility of more taxi service for more NYC residents has kept the yellow taxi industry from howling, with a representative saying it “will stop at nothing” to protect its interests.

NY legislature green lights plan to let pedestrians hail livery cabs from street

Review: 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser [w/video]

While the full-size sport utility vehicle is one of the automaker’s slowest-selling vehicles on U.S. shores – and one of its most expensive – those who’ve owned one tend to become very loyal fans.

Long Term: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, June 2011

The exterior design is anonymous, the interior feels cheap, and none of the noises it makes are confidence inspiring. On the flipside, the new Jetta, particularly when powered by diesel like our long-termer, impresses in ways that take more time to bubble up to the surface.

Official: 2012 Range Rover Evoque officially priced from $43,995* with 28 HWY MPG

$43,995 (not including destination) will get you behind the wheel of LR’s smallest, most efficient ‘ute.

Also of interest:

• Xplore gets adventurous with Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Toyota announces Plus Performance Package for Prius hybrid
• Report: Five Saudi women in custody for breaking driving ban
• Porsche gearing up for 2014 return to Le Mans [w/video]
• FIA confirms 1.6-liter turbo V6 F1 engines for 2014
• Official: V8 Supercar Series coming to Austin in 2013

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What you missed on 6.30.11

Classic cars change hands all the time. What brings them to the spotlight is usually one of several factors. It might have a track record distinguished by race wins. It might be in particularly good shape. It might have had a starring role in a major motion picture. It might be a particular rarity from a small production run, or maybe it served to showcase the manufacturer’s offerings at a major auto show. Having all these factors come together on one specific automobile is a rarity, but that’s what we’re looking at with this stunning 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spider.

One of only 35 built, Ferrari displayed this Spider at the 1955 Brussels Motor Show, after which it was brought to America by famed importer Luigi Chinetti who sold it to his rival Porsche importer John von Neumann in Los Angeles. Neumann set the Monza on an aggressive race program up and down the West Coast that saw it win twice and score another nine podiums at various sportscar racing events, bringing on board, among others, no less a talent than Phil Hill to man the wheel.

Most notably, the car was driven by Fred Astair in a fictionalized post-apocalyptic grand prix in the movie On The Beach. Since then, chassis 0492M has been part of several prestigious collections, but after a comprehensive two-year restoration is now heading to the auction block at Pebble Beach, where RM Auctions will be putting it up for grabs with prices reportedly expected to top $3 million. With a 260-horsepower 3.0-liter DOHC four similar to that found in the 500 TRC that RM sold for $4 million at Villa d’Este, this Monza Spider is described by one noted Ferrari expert as the best she’s ever seen.

Follow the jump for more details in the auction listing and scope out the spectacular high-resolution images in the gallery for a closer look.

Continue reading ‘55 Ferrari 750 Monza speeds from show stand to race track to silver screen to auction block

‘55 Ferrari 750 Monza speeds from show stand to race track to silver screen to auction block

What a terrible feeling. You walk outside, ready to head out to work or maybe to a friend’s house, and your vehicle is gone. Auto theft is a $6.4-billion-per-year problem. In fact, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration built a handy infographic to illustrate just how big of a problem vehicle theft has become.

For example, in the time it took you to read this far, one vehicle has been stolen – statistics show that one motor vehicle is stolen in the U.S. every 33 seconds. By the time you’ve finished this post, there is a good chance two or three vehicles will have been lifted. And if you’ve already been relieved of the ownership of your vehicle, there is only a 57-percent chance of getting it back.

The likelihood of getting your vehicle stolen varies depending upon the state you live in. NHTSA tells us that California has the highest auto theft rates, followed by Florida, Texas, Illinois and Georgia. And if you live in Laredo, Texas, we’d suggest getting a club, and a lojack…. maybe throw in a pit bull to stand guard. After all, this Lone Star town has the highest auto theft rate in the nation. And we thought Laredo was best known for its authentic Tex-Mex…

While auto thefts are a huge problem, NHTSA points out that nearly half of all thefts occur because of mistakes like leaving the keys in the ignition or leaving the doors unlocked. Click on the image to the right to enlarge and take a closer look at some very sobering motor vehicle theft statistics.

Infographic: NHTSA helps you crack down on auto theft

This past weekend, Chip Yates checked off “make an amazing run up Pikes Peak” from his list of things to do to demonstrate the potential of electric-powered transportation. Coming second in the Exhibition Powersport class, his time of 12:50.094 bests the first-ever electric motorcycle effort made last year by over four minutes.

The run would no doubt have been more impressive had it not been for the 2.6-mile stretch of unpaved road. The bike went from hanging with the top ten to dropping just inside the top 100 on the dirt section. Overall, Yates finished in 30th place.

One thing is for sure, the 240-horsepower bike has crazy acceleration when it has clean pavement beneath it, and Chip says he’s gunning for a top 10 or better result when he gives it a go on next year’s completely paved surface. Hit the jump for the full run and enjoy the sound of the UQM motor’s sweet electric music winding out up the mountain.

Continue reading Watch Chip Yates blow away electric motorcycle record at Pikes Peak

Watch Chip Yates blow away electric motorcycle record at Pikes Peak

Our long-term 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI started its year-long journey with us last month and spent the most amount of days in June under my care, so while I’ve already passed on its keys to a number of other editors, it’s my job to tell you how it fared in its first weeks.

As we mentioned when introducing our long-term Jetta TDI, this 2011 model is vastly different than the 2010 model we had last year. The most noticeable difference is that, unlike the 2010 Jetta and many model years before that, the 2011 doesn’t give a very good first impression. The exterior design is anonymous, the interior feels cheap, and every noise the car makes, of which there are lots, is anything but confidence inspiring.

The new Jetta, particularly when powered by diesel like our long-termer, impresses in ways that take more time to bubble up to the surface. You’re not going to know right away that it can easily clip along at a Prius-smacking 50+ miles per gallon on the highway, like it did for me on the numerous trips from Cleveland, OH to AOL’s offices in Dulles, VA. On my first trip to Dulles with the Jetta TDI, I was so shocked by the trip computer displaying an average of 53.2 mpg that I stopped near the end to fill up and manually calculate the fuel economy. The trip computer turned out to be conservative; I really averaged 53.31 mpg.

Keep your eyes locked on the official Autoblog Facebook page for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (@therealautoblog, look for the #ablongterm hashtag).

Continue reading 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, June 2011

2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, June 2011

Fast. Lightweight. Eminently enticing. There are a lot of things you could call a Lotus, but perhaps “ambitious” would be the most suitable. The company’s been snapping up former Ferrari personnel en masse, unveiled five new concepts at the same time last year, and plans on returning to producing its own engines to bring them to market.

Now it seems that Lotus has its eye on a rather boastful prize indeed: that of the fastest supercar built in the UK. That’s quite the goal when you consider it’ll be up against the likes of the McLaren MP4-12C and Aston Martin One-77. To get there, Lotus reportedly plans on turbocharging its new V8 up to 612 horsepower, and stripping out the new Esprit to pump up the power-to-weight ratio from both ends in Superleggera fashion.

As it stands, the naturally-aspirated V8 is anticipated to produce 562 horsepower from its 4.8 liters of displacement. Lopping off a couple of cylinders or chopping the block in half could also give Lotus six- and four-cylinder versions of the modular engine for use in a variety of cars. But while the engine may be raced initially (for example in a new LMP2 car) and shoehorned into the other products Lotus plans to bring to market, its first road-going application is expected to be in the new Esprit.

Lotus to turbocharge new Esprit into UK’s fastest supercar?

Formula One racing engines have been dropping cylinders like advanced trigonometry classes over the past couple of decades. The V12s gave way to V10s in the mid 90s. Those were replaced in turn by the current V8s in 2006, and now it’s been confirmed that by 2014 two more cylinders will drop off the block for V6 propulsion.

Confirmation comes from the FIA, whose World Motor Sport Council adopted via fax vote the suggestion put forth by the Formula One Commission after consultation with the teams. The new regulations will take effect in 2014 instead of the four-cylinder formula that was set to take hold in 2013.

Displacement will drop as well from 2.4 liters to 1.6, but don’t expect a big drop in performance, as the lost cylinders will be replaced by a turbocharger. The overall package, then, marks a little bit of history repeating. Until they were dropped in 1989, many of the cars on the grid were powered by 1.5-liter turbocharged V6 engines (like the ‘84-spec Honda unit pictured above), although this time they’ll be coupled to a new Energy Recovery System that will replace the current Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). Official announcement after the jump.

Continue reading FIA confirms 1.6-liter turbo V6 F1 engines for 2014

FIA confirms 1.6-liter turbo V6 F1 engines for 2014

No automaker has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans as many times as Porsche. Not Audi, with its ten wins to Porsche’s sixteen, or Ferrari’s nine. But those were all a long time ago. In fact, Porsche’s most recent was with the 911 GT1 back in 1998.

Since then, Porsche has been pussyfooting around at the iconic round-the-clock race. The successor to the GT1 was aborted and turned into the Carrera GT road car. Sure, the RS Spyder (pictured above) has performed admirably in the LMP2 class, and 911s fielded by privateers have dominated the GT classes for years. But it’s been over a decade since Porsche has competed for an overall win.

That’s about to change, however, as Porsche has announced, through the video and press release after the jump, its intent to return to Le Mans to challenge for the win in 2014. To get there, Porsche plans a new LMP1 car, although it has released little in the way of details on what form that car will take.

If you’re wondering where this leaves Audi, which falls under the same corporate umbrella as Porsche, the Ingolstadt-based automaker’s team posted on Facebook that the decision was made independently by its Stuttgart-based sister company and that it looks forward to the competition. So we won’t expect Audi to be dropping out any time soon for lack of anything to prove, even after ten victories out of twelve years, nor supporting the Porsche entry like it did with Bentley’s in 2003.

Watching Porsche take on the likes of Audi, Peugeot, Aston Martin and the other automakers anticipated to be joining the field in the coming years ought to produce some nail-biting race action. But in the meantime, you can scope out the video and press release after the jump and the gallery of high-resolution images showcasing Porsche’s rich Le Mans heritage.

Continue reading Porsche gearing up for 2014 return to Le Mans [w/video]

Porsche gearing up for 2014 return to Le Mans [w/video]

While Victor Muller is on a money hunt, the rest of Saab is hoping to produce and sell cars. The Saab 9-5 SportCombi is one of those cars, and we’ve been itching to learn more about what version of the handsome wagon we’re going to get (provided the company is still around to produce them). Consider that itch scratched. A pre-launch brochure for the North American 9-5 SportCombi has found its way to the Internet, and it’s loaded with information.

According to the document, the 2012 Saab 9-5 SportCombi will utilize the 220-horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which is paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox and Saab’s Cross-Wheel Drive system (XWD).

Saab has decided to fill the inside of this new 9-5 SportCombi with upscale standard equipment, so it’s likely to be on the pricier side. The standard equipment list includes a panoramic moonroof, heated seats, keyless start, a cooled glove box and a navigation unit that’s controlled via eight-inch touchscreen. Bundled option groups include the Technology Package (lane-departure warning, park assist, bi-Xenon cornering lights, and head-up display) and Rear Passenger Package (rear seat audio, dual eight-inch screens with DVD player and wireless headphones and tri-zone HVAC).

No word yet on pricing, so stay tuned, but in the meantime, you can check out the brochure in its entirety by checking out the gallery below.

Saab 9-5 SportCombi specs revealed for U.S.

Carlos Ghosn has the honor of being the highest-paid foreign executive of any Japanese company. The Nissan CEO brought home a staggering $12 million for his efforts at the automaker last year alone, which marks a 10-percent increase over his take-home pay last year. For the sake of comparison, The Economic Times reports that Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota Motor Company, drew just $1.6 million in compensation and stock options last year.

It’s not as if Ghosn has been sitting on his hands, though. The executive helped lead Nissan to increase its net profit from $524.6 million from March 2008 to March 2009 to $3.95 billion the following year, and he doesn’t seem to be anxious to slow down anytime soon. Ghosn just unveiled a new business plan for Nissan called Power 88, which is supposed to help Nissan capture a total global market share of eight percent. Currently, the automaker holds onto around 5.8 percent of total market share.

Nissan’s Ghosn earned $12M in 2010, making him Japan’s highest-paid foreign exec

Combine rising raw materials costs, reduced production capacity and manufacturing bottlenecks, and the result for the world of tires is this: not enough hoops to satisfy automaker demand. According to Automotive News, even before The Great Recession hit, a Bridgestone tire executive said that plant closures alone killed 71 million units of capacity in the U.S. New factories and factory expansions are on the way, but they won’t run at full power until 2013.

Current production is also slowed down by having to construct low-volume tires and niche sizes, with more specialty cars and more sizes on the market. On top of that, the prices of materials like steel, carbon black and rubber that go into tires have risen an average of 52% in each of the last two years, sending tire prices “up very sharply.”

Although it’s predicted that “the shortage won’t be resolved any time soon,” from the looks of it car manufacturers are in control of the situation – as well they must be, since they can’t sell cars without tires. OEMs haven’t discussed what its done to the bottom line – or how much of the cost is passed on to buyers – but if you see spec sheets begin to list more tire makes as original equipment, maybe this is why.

Today’s scarce automotive supply? Tires

“If you buy this truck, I’ll come deliver it,” Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally told his friend Rob Johnston. Proving that his pledge was more than just an empty sales tactic, Mulally stayed true to his word and dropped in at Satcher Ford in Aiken, South Carolina to personally hand over the keys to Johnston’s 2011 Ford F-150. Johnston’s likely still marveling at the luck that comes from having friends in high places, chuckling that “the CEO of Ford brought my little truck down to me” while taking delivery last Friday.

Maybe it’s a new type of sales perk Ford could offer. Who wouldn’t want, say, a Boss 302 dropped off by Parnelli Jones? There’s a rich tapestry of Ford drivers in NASCAR available for Ford Fusion buyers, too. It could even be a line-item on the order form. Pay a little more for personal celebrity delivery, and the public figure of your choosing gets a vacation in an unlikely spot, like the overnight Mr. Mulally spent at Aiken’s Willcox Hotel. If anything, it’s a way for Mr. Mulally to spend time outside of Dearborn and speak with the public that buys his company’s products.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally personally delivers F-150

Take three wheels, add one 115-horsepower V-twin engine, a five-speed manual gearbox and barely enough metal bits and pieces to hold it all together. Blend and half-bake. What do you get? The Morgan Threewheeler. We’re in lust.

If we were to strap ourselves into one of these crazy contraptions, we can think of only one accessory needed to truly do the machine justice, and you can see exactly what we mean in the video after the break. An old-timey Morgan deserves an old-timey set of goggles, no?

If you happened to find yourself sitting behind the three-spoke steering wheel of a Morgan Threewheeler, what would you do? How about a bunch of donuts followed by a one-wheel burnout in the middle of an empty parking lot? Yep, sounds about right.

Live vicariously through the man with the goggles in the video after the break.

Continue reading Morgan Threewheeler drifts back into history

Morgan Threewheeler drifts back into history

We’re suckers for well-shot automotive videos, and our friends at Autoblog Canada (eh?) came across a good one. Filmmaker Stephen Brooks spent time at New Jersey’s Wall Speedway to take in a Formula Drift event, and left with plenty of good stuff. His lens work is sharp, his footage is entertaining and his interviews provide a touch of insight into the minds of the folks in this industry.

If you’re a drifting fan, a few familiar faces step in front of Brooks’ camera to talk about their favorite sideways motorsport. Click past the jump to check out Drifting the Gauntlet, and see if you can spot where Brooks was influenced by the film Days of Thunder.

Continue reading Drifting the Gauntlet takes a look at life turned sideways

Drifting the Gauntlet takes a look at life turned sideways