Senin, 30 September 2013

Guy Crashes his Lamborghini Diablo, Shows the World How He Feels in Video


Ah, first world problems… If you thought that owning a Lamborghini is pure awesomeness 365 days a year, prepare for a reality check. Especially if you’re planning on buying a Lamborghini Diablo in the future, you should watch the following videos made by the owner of a 2001 model.

In the first video, Rob Dahm tells the story (a pretty long one in fact) of how he crashed the car while driving in the rain on used tires (a big double-no for any supercar owner).

The repair bill is not for the fainthearted: $11,000 for a set of four brake rotors (he couldn’t buy just one, they’re only available in sets of four), $10,000 to replace the carbon fiber front bumper and front fender, more than $4,000 for the wheels - and there's also a damaged suspension for which he didn't do the math yet. That's at least $25,000 for a car he bought used for $130,000. Ouch!

In the second video, he points out some inconveniences of the Lambo in a funny way, such as the fact that, although it’s a supercar, it still runs out of battery sometimes, and that the interior has no concept of ergonomics whatsoever. The video may seem annoying at first, but his remarks are simply sarcastic.

Finally, there’s a third video in which he shows what it’s like to drive the Diablo. If you want more, you can check out his YouTube channel where there are many more videos about his experience with the Diablo.

By Dan Mihalascu


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Meet Europe's 10 Biggest Automotive Money Losers


Everyone knows that the Bugatti Veyron is one of the most expensive cars to build and that VW loses a lot of money on each unit made. But while the Bugatti is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of losses per vehicle in Europe (€4,617,500 / $6,231,316), it is not the vehicle that inflicted the biggest loss on its company.

According to a research by brokerage firm Sanford C. Bernstein that was published by The Economist, the “honor” goes to the first generation Smart ForTwo, built between 1997 and 2006. The 749,000 units produced generated a loss of €3.35 billion ($4.52 billion) for parent company Daimler.

The main reason was that the automaker injected a huge amount of cash in the project, building a new dedicated plant, an all-new platform and 3-cylinder engines. As if that wasn’t enough, the Smart also failed to meet its sales targets by 40 percent. The maths show that Daimler lost €4,470 ($6,032) on each ForTwo it made.

Other vehicles, like the Fiat Stilo (2001-2009), simply failed to convince their target group of customers. The 769,000 units made were 70 percent less than Fiat’s estimates, bringing the company a huge loss of €2.10 billion ($2.83 billion), €2,730 ($3,685) per vehicle.

The top 3 is completed by the VW Phaeton, which is a rather different case as it was built simply to satisfy the personal whim of VW chairman Ferdinand Piech. Between 2001 and 2012, VW made 72,000 Phaetons and lost €28,100 ($37,910) on each of them. Total loss was €1.99 billion ($2.68 billion).

The top 10 of Europe’s biggest loss-making cars is completed by the Peugeot 1007 (€1.90 billion), first-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class (€1.71 billion), Bugatti Veyron (€1.70 billion), Jaguar X-Type (€1.70 billion), third-generation Renault Laguna (€1.54 billion), Audi A2 (€1.33 billion) and Renault Vel Satis (€1.20 billion).

By Dan Mihalascu

Story References: The Economist

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New Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Sounds Angry Around the Nurburgring


The all-new 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a lighter and more nimble replacement to the old model. This affects all variants in the range, but it should perhaps be most noticeable on the 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 AMG powered S63. It may be one of (if not) the last cars to use that engine, according to a report we did not long ago, so we might as well enjoy its sound while they last.

Below we posted a video of what is believed to be the S63 being driven around the often-painted the Nurburgring Nordschleife, courtesy of TouriClips, and I can say that it sounds just as good as I was expecting it to - no surprises here.

Moreover, it looks really composed and clean through the bends, though, that may also be a byproduct of it not being driven particularly fast around them – I can’t tell for sure, but it looks quite slow in and fast out, to me.

Regardless, it’s quite a sight on the track, and it can’t be any slower than its predecessor, since it carries around less weight, so it should be better at trying to be a sports car. It remains to be seen if it's sharper than the Panamera Turbo, but then again, the Porsche isn't as good as the S at being a plush limousine, nor does it look as classy and clean.

By Andrei Nedelea


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Student Says Grand Theft Auto Drove Him to Act Senseless, Stealing Truck, Ram Nine Cars


I get the attraction of Grand Theft Auto 5; publisher Take Two Interactive may be pushing its story and characters a lot, but they’re not really what reels people in and keeps them hooked. That job is left to the immersive open world that allows you to fulfill the grimmest of mass destructive fantasies (if you have such ideas floating around in your head, that is – some players seem to do…).

Those behind the game will always insist that their product is not to blame for any mirroring of the digital violence that is transposed into the real world, even if the perpetrators themselves say it drove them to commit their acts.

I'm not taking sides here, but at the same time, I feel that even with basic knowledge about the human brain, one should be aware of the sponge-like nature of the subconscious, which soaks up pretty much all that we see in an manner most have little control over.

With that in mind, do you think Zachary Burgess’ actions are in any way related to spending lots of time behind the controller playing the new game? He stole a truck from a parking lot with a female passenger still inside. Apparently, the driver had hopped out and went to a store, leaving the engine running.

According to NBC News, Burgess says he saw this as an opportunity to “see what it was really like to play the video game Grand Theft Auto,” so he drove off, and rammed nine cars in the same parking lot in his attempt to flee.

Do you find any of this odd from a 20-year-old freshman and lacrosse player going to Auburn University? He now faces multiple charges, the most severe of which is kidnapping.

By Andrei Nedelea

Video: WDSU/YouTube


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Shocking Video of Range Rover Running Over Several Bikers while Chased in NYC [Update IV]


Warning: some viewers may find certain scenes in the video to be distressing

A horrifying video of an appalling incident that took place in New York City between the driver of a black Range Rover and a large group of motorcyclists taking part in what is said to be an annual bikers' meeting has been making the internet rounds this morning. According to online commentators, the incident left one rider dead, several others injured, and the driver of the SUV in a coma, though, we have yet to confirm all this from official sources [Update: NYPD said that no one died in the incident and that the only person injured was the driver of the Range Rover].

The motorcycle-helmet-sourced footage surfaced on several sites including YouTube, from multiple authors, but at the time we wrote this piece, we hadn’t discovered the original source.

In the footage, we see dozens of bikers circling the black Range Rover and eventually slowing down to a halt (at the 50 second mark), then, all of a sudden, the SUV makes a run for it driving over several riders.

A group of motorcyclists then chases the SUV on the freeway until they catch up with the driver on the Cross Bronx Expressway exit, and attempt to attack (at 4:55), but he or she makes another run for it, crashing into another biker(s) in the process.

The motorcyclists hop onto their bikes and continue the chase until the Range Rover hits traffic, with riders then breaking the windows of the SUV, at which point, the video ends…

If anyone has more information on the incident including the original video, you can contact us through email or in the comments below and we'll update this report.

Update: We found what we believe to be the original video (date September 29), while an NYPD spokesman told the Mail Online that the driver was a man in his 30s with his wife and child of under the age of five. The spokesman said that the only person injured was the driver who was taken to the hospital for lacerations to his face and body and that contrary to online commentators, there were no other injuries or a death as originally reported. The incident is still being investigated.

Update II: More sources have corroborated the information mentioned above, including the NYpost, and in particular, that amazingly, no motorcyclist was hurt. We also learned that no arrests have been made - yet...

Update III: More information has surfaced online about the incident. According to the NY Times, the police said that the encounter began on 12th Avenue at about 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, adding that they believe, "the riders were in Manhattan as part of a planned but unauthorized event in which hundreds of motorcyclists were to assemble downtown".

Meanwhile, the name of the Range Rover driver who ran over the bikes and was later on assaulted by a number of riders has been identified by the NY Daily as Alexian Lien. His wife, Rosalyn Lien, was in the car at the time along with their young daughter. Lien, director of an e-commerce firm, has not been charged by police.

Also, Instagram user Redyredbx, posted new pictures from the incident along with a post that reads, " #wokeup 2 watching the video of that fuckin#range#rover that #RanOva #several #bikers and ran for miles but our #relentless #riders chase his ass down thru #manhattan #fuckin#Bastard #rip#Rider &#getBetter soon #riders"



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Update IV: It appears that the loose motorcycle gathering was an unauthorized event dubbed "Hollywood Stuntz". Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told the WSJ that his department had received intelligence on the group before Sunday’s run. “This is a major stunt event where motorcyclists from various locations come together,” Kelly said. “Their ultimate goal is to get into Times Square, which they did last year.”

We looked up the group's Statigram page, and found a posting from a one "Brian K." (or "briankiseljewsky") who appears to have taken part in the ride. He places the blame on the Range Rover driver while insisting that the bikers were out on the road just for fun. See his posting below.







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Skoda Releases New Info, Photos and Videos of Rapid Spaceback


Launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this month, the new Skoda Rapid Spaceback is the second body type of the Rapid, filling the gap between the Fabia and the Octavia. A combination between a hatchback and an estate, the Rapid Spaceback represents a more practical proposition than the sedan – and a better-looking one, if I may say so.

As the car’s launch on European markets begins in October 2013, Skoda has released more than 60 photos shot during the press test drive event that took place in Verona, Italy.

With an interior space identical to that of the Rapid sedan and a boot measuring 415/1,380 liters (14.6/48.7 cubic feet), the Rapid Spaceback is fitted with a double cargo floor in the boot, which can divide the space into two horizontal levels. Like the Rapid sedan, the Spaceback also has practical features like the ice scraper in the centrally lockable fuel filler flap, waste bin in the side door, ticket holder, multimedia holders, cup holders front and rear and the parcel shelf that can be stowed behind the rear seats.

The Rapid Spaceback debuts the Column-Electric Power Steering (C-EPS), which replaces electro-hydraulic power steering for weight-saving purposes.

The car is available with four petrol and two diesel engines at launch. The diesels are both 1.6-liter units with 88 hp (90PS) and 103 hp (105PS) respectively, while the petrol engines are a 3-cylinder 1.2-liter MPI with 74hp (75PS), two four-cylinder 1.2-liter TSI units with 84 hp (85PS) and 103 hp (105PS) respectively, plus a 1.4-liter TSI with 120hp (122PS).

All engines are available in the economical Green tec versions, with the most fuel-efficient being the entry-level diesel that averages 3.8 l/100 km (61.9 mpg US) and emits 99 g of CO2 per km.

By Dan Mihalascu


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