THAT MUST BE ONE BORING PREACHER: 7-year-old boy steals dad's car to avoid church

If this kid applies as much energy to his schoolwork, he's gonna be one successful dude.

Police in Utah were in for a shock when they spotted an erratic driver recently. After following the white Dodge Intrepid for a spell, the pursuing officers watched as the driver parked the car, jumped from behind the wheel and ran into his father's house. Standard fare, you say? Not quite.


The driver was actually a seven-year-old boy who had pilfered his dad's keys to skip out on going to church. The officers opted to let the parents handle disciplining the youngster rather than subject him to the legal system, but cautioned the dad to keep his car keys in a more secure location in the future.

Good call.

You can check out video from the chase for yourself... The police say the kid did a pretty good job of keeping the car under control, but did run one stop sign. As Ricky Bobby would say, "I wanna go fast."

How come girls never engage in these kinds of capers? Why is it always boys?


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

At Least He's Honest

Jalopnik:



Hat tip: BadBlue Cars.

I don't think you're going to be outrunning this particular cop car...

In this case, the $550,000 Lamborghini Aventador Squad Car:

In a city of boundless bling, Dubai police also are in hot pursuit after adding a nearly $550,000 Lamborghini to its fleet.

The sports car, painted in green-and-white colors of the Dubai force, will not likely be roaring after law breakers. Instead, it will be mostly dispatched to tourist areas to show - in the words of deputy police director, Gen. Khamis Matter al-Muzaina - "how classy Dubai is."


Local media reports Thursday say the Italian-made Lamborghini Aventador is the crown jewel of a wider upgrade in Dubai police wheels. The force also is adding some American muscle car Camaros.

...the Lamborghini Aventador has a maximum speed of 217 mph and accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds...

Dubai seeks to show it has rebounded from its debt crisis with brash plans that include the world's largest Ferris wheel and a satellite city named after the city-state's ruler.

My only question: what do you do with the perp?


Related: Luxury Cars Abandoned in Dubai


Hat tip: BB.

Obama Department of Energy grants loans based on careful technology review and campaign contributions, but mostly campaign contributions

Watchdog group Cause of Action offers the following illustration that perfectly depicts the corruption laced throughout the Obama administration:

Cause of Action was able to determine, through publicly available data combined with a FOIA production, that for corporations who have received a loan guarantee of any amount, the likelihood that it made campaign contributions increases significantly. Of the data available, 95% (.95) of DOE loan recipients with less than $1 billion in annual revenue documented political contributions by the organization or senior level staff. Comparatively, only 31% (.319489) of similarly sized organizations that did not receive loans made political contributions in one way or another...

...The program itself, while touting its ability to create jobs, has proven riddled with pitfalls and failures and may in fact be taking away jobs from other areas of industry—ones that may prove more valuable to the citizens who fund DOE LGPs with their tax dollars.

As if to highlight this abuse of the public trust, Obama's failed electric car company Fisker is essentially closing its doors, having burned a fifth of a billion dollars. $200 million of your money.

Once again, the American public lost when the Obama administration attempted to pick “winners and losers” in the free market. Today the electric car company Fisker Automotive, which received nearly $200 million in taxpayer money, is laying off three-fourths of its U.S. workers.

The Anaheim, CA-based start up has failed at pretty much every level – especially when it comes to the company’s ultra expensive luxury electric hybrid, the Karma (what a name!), which is assembled in Finland and received a green-energy loan to transition the assembly to the U.S., something that never happened.

This losing tax-subsidized venture joins other past losers like the Obama-subsidized Volt that gets 40 miles per battery charge, or like the Obama-subsidized Tesla that turns into a “brick” when the battery completely discharges and then costs $40,000 to repair.

This is really just the latest manifestation of the administration’s crony capitalism as their green energy buddies benefit from this atrocious waste of taxpayer money. Americans really need to get outraged by these wasteful ventures. As we’ve seen time and time again, We the People are always stuck subsidizing the left’s “losers.”

So what’s the solution and where do Americans go with our outrage? Stand up against the crony capitalism and elect only those who understand and will let America’s marketplace dictate economic successes, instead of letting politicians (some who have never run any business nor even worked in the private sector) choose free enterprises’ winners and losers. Take a stand, friends. Nothing will change unless you do.

- Sarah Palin

When the complete history of the Obama administration is written, it will make Nixon's years in office look squeaky clean by comparison. I kid you not.


Hat tip: Seth.

Possibly the Most Diabolically Cool Station Wagon Ever

Executive Summary: Daddy like.

Everyone knows that the Chevrolet Corvette is offered in both a coupe and convertible version - quite usual body versions for a sports car. In the past few months, however, another body version has become famous: the shooting brake. While we are pretty sure Chevy will never offer a shooting brake Corvette, the guys over Callaway have developed such a model.


Even crazier is that, if the company will have enough orders for it, the new AeroWagon - as it is being called - will be put into production. Callaway is currently taking orders for the model and announced the modifications will cost about $15,000.

The car’s rear hatch will be made of carbon-fiber structural components, which were developed using Callaway’s proprietary Resin Transfer Molding process. This way it will be both lightweight and strong. Callaway also announced that its new model will exceed 200 mph, making us believe it will use something different than the standard 450-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 engine seen in the new Stingray.

Because every American family needs a station wagon capable of 200 mph.


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

OBAMANOMICS 101: Four out of Five Americans aged 18 to 34 say economy makes it hard to afford a... car

Not a home. A car. Ain't Democrat policies grand?


It's indeed ironic that the millennials who overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama are going to be those devastated most by his policies in the years to come.


Hat tip: Jalopnik.

Smart Car: Driver killed after her micro-sized vehicle hits a... motorcycle

"Smart" isn't the brand name I'd use to describe a vehicle like this.

A woman who died in hospital after a collision between her car and a motorcycle in Surrey has been named as Freda Lawry.

The crash between the Smart car and the bike happened on 27 January on the A245 Byfleet Road in Cobham...

The motorcyclist, a man in his 30s, was taken to George's Hospital in Tooting, where he remains in a serious, but stable condition, Surrey Police said.

President Obama's mandate for vehicles to reach 54 miles-per-gallon over the next few years means that more people will needlessly die. And that's not me guessing, that's the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency.

In order for auto makers to hit the government imposed mileage standards new cars will have to lose weight. Strong metals like steel will be replaced with light weight metals or plastics. But while these cars of the future will get great gas mileage they will also have less bulk to protect drivers and passengers from injury or death in a crash.

...The NHTSA, Brookings Institution, Harvard School of Public Health, National Academy of Sciences and USA Today discovered a shocking reality. Even past and current mileage standards have resulted in thousands of additional fatalities, and tens of thousands of serious injuries, every year – above what would have happened if the government had not imposed those standards.

They also learned that drivers in lightweight cars were up to twelve times more likely to die in a crash – and far more likely to suffer serious injury and permanent disabilities.

Increasing mileage requirements by a whopping 19 mpg above current rules will make nearly all cars even less safe than they are today.

When President Obama says, in regards to gun control, "if we can only save one child," we know he's engaged in demagoguery.

Thousands die each year thanks to insane CAFE standards and Democrats could care less.

GEE, WHO COULDA PREDICTED IT? Sales of Electric Vehicles Collapse in January

Never mind that the United States sits on hundreds or thousands of years of fossil fuel supplies. Never mind that. The federal government wants you to drive electric cars. The problem is, you ain't buyin' em.

EV sales had shown minor signs of life in the last quarter of 2012, only to collapse sharply in January. “Sales of the Chevrolet Volt, the Toyota Prius Plug-In and Nissan Leaf each had deep dropoffs in January from December,” Reuters says.

“Even after accounting for the fact that January is one of the slowest months of the year for auto sales, the dropoff for plug-in electric cars was considerable,” Michelle Krebs of Edmunds told the wire. According to Krebs, consumers are opting instead for less-expensive standard hybrids, rather than plug-in electric cars. OEMS blame other factors, such as limited supply, model year changeovers, or changeovers from Japanese to U.S. production, as it is the case for the Nissan LEAF. GM says January sales were down for the Volt because people bought before the end of the year to gain the 2012 tax credit. Which may have been the power behind the last quarter rise of the still tiny segment...

Ain't central planning grand?

I mean, how many billions of dollars did this administration waste on electric cars and batteries when the technology just isn't ready? When the full history of the Obama green energy program is written (starting with Solyndra, Fisker, A123 Systems, Tesla, etc.), it will make the Teapot Dome Scandal look like a shoplifting incident.

Thanks to Chief Justice John Roberts' outrageous Obamacare decision, though, it would seem the federal government has the legal right to command you to buy electric vehicles. So we got that goin' for us.


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

DADDY LIKE: Mercedes to unveil Porsche 911-fighter, the SLC

Schwing!

...Car Magazine is reporting that the Porsche 911-fighting "Baby SLS" coupe could be on sale by 2015. Riding on a modified SLS AMG chassis, the smaller and lighter SLC could be priced in the sub-$100,000 price bracket.

We'd already heard that the new car would feature conventional doors (instead of SLS-like gullwing doors), but this report focuses on some of the possible powertrains Mercedes-Benz is likely to use. At launch, the SLC could offer a pair of V8-powered models – a 485-horsepower SLC and a 585-hp SLC S – both being powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. About a year after launch, a new V6 model could emerge giving the SLC an estimated 333 horsepower and its lowest price point.

It also sounds like the car's name hasn't been completely finalized as some people within Mercedes are favoring a return of the SLR name.

One can dream, can't one?


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

The Infiniti Q50 -- the forthcoming replacement for the G37...

Personally, I would take a rain-check on the reported hybrid and diesel nonsense:

Feast your eyes upon the all-new 2014 Infiniti Q50. Say what you will about Infiniti's new Q and QX naming system, but after looking at the new Q50 unveiled today at the Detroit Auto Show and checking out its feature list, we're having a hard time coming up with any additional criticisms. The highlights of the Q50, which goes on sale this summer in the US, include the eye-catching design, innovative cabin technology and a fuel-efficient hybrid model.

The Infiniti G has always had a focus on leading-edge styling, and its replacement is no different... Compared to the current G Sedan, the Q50 is longer, wider and lower than its predecessor, and it's also more aerodynamic with a drag coefficient of just 0.26, putting in between the Chevrolet Volt (0.28) and the Toyota Prius (0.25).

...There are also numerous apps that come preloaded into the system, and a new i-Key feature allows the car to recognize up to four different keys, allowing each driver to customize as many as 96 vehicle settings. As for the rest of the interior, it gets the same styling we've come to expect from Infiniti.

The base engine for the Q50 is carried over from the G37 with a 3.7-liter V6 producing 328 horsepower and 269 pound feet of torque, but the big news in the powertrain department is the addition of a hybrid model. Using a similar system to what is now known as the M35h (soon to go by the Q70 name), the Q50 Hybrid is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 paired to a 50 kW motor and compact lithium ion battery to give a total power output of 354 hp. Fuel economy estimates were not released for the hybrid, but in the M35h, this system is rated at 27 mpg city and 32 mpg highway; being newer and lighter, we wouldn't be surprised to see much better numbers for the Q50 version. Both versions of the car use a seven-speed automatic with rev matching, and the Q50 will come standard with rear-wheel drive and offer all-wheel drive as an option. Additional powertrains will eventually be added for global markets, but these have not been announced either.

A separate report last week confirms that the G37 Coupe will be replaced with a Q50 iteration, but photos of said configuration are scarce indeed.


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

Dude, we can't quite decide whether the grille should be placed high or low... but don't worry, we'll just do both!

That was my initial reaction to the AutoWeek cover shot of the 2013 Toyota Avalon

Is it just me, or does it look like the design committee couldn't agree where to put the grille, so they threw in two?

Experience the radically new, radically disturbing Avalon!


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

Look, Ma, No Wheels!

Photographer Renaud Marion imagines a world in which cars require no direct contact with the ground.

The shots depict cars throughout many eras of motoring that look normal except for one thing: they have no wheels. The models used include a Jaguar XK120, Cadillac DeVille (shown above), Chevrolet El Camino and Camaro, and Mercedes-Benz SL and 300 roadsters.

Perhaps one day when our future becomes our past, you'll be able to walk the street and see with your own eyes the rust and patina of age on our nation's fleet of floating cars. Until then, Monsieur Marion's photographs will have to do.

Given the rate of technological change -- especially nano-tech and applied quantum physics -- this kind of innovation doesn't seem all that far-fetched, does it?


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

SCHWING: Audi R8 Spyder

Maybe the president could redistribute an Audi R8 Spyder to some deserving young blogger.

...the V8 I drove is still the 424bhp 4.2-litre V8 - and that certainly didn't need to change. Personally I've always preferred it to the mellifluous 518bhp V10, which although more powerful, doesn't quite have the raw, raucous engine note and savage response of the V8. Audi claims a 0-62mph time of 4.5secs for the S Tronic V8, against 3.6secs for the V10, but I always thought Audi cheekily skewed those figures to make the V10 look good...

...No changes have been made to the all aluminium double wishbone suspension, the heavily rear biased 4wd system, nor the 43:57 weight distribution. The R8 is an effortlessly rewarding car to drive. It pootles about majestically, suspension so supple and accommodating, but has the ability to raise its hackles and change its personality in a split second. I'm still not sure that even a 911 does this better. What you discover on a good road is a car that's pin-point accurate, with lovely feelsome steering and body control that's rock solid, yet utterly placid. Accusations of blandness are ludicrous, they only come because of the ease with which the R8 goes about its business...

Daddy like.


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

WHAT EVERY AMERICAN NEEDS: A DeLorean Hovercraft

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

Great Scott! It's only a blimmin' DeLorean Hovercraft! Is this Dr. Emmett Brown's latest invention? A symbiotic hybrid of two of Back To The Future's greatest props: the Hoverboard and The DeLorean DMC-12? We're not sure, and don't really care. We're just glad it exists...

...Check the vid... to see a DMC-12 waft along San Fransico Bay on a cushion of air (potentially at 88mph), do a beach landing, followed by a pirouette, and then continue on its way like nothing happened.

We don't know who's driving (maybe the Libyans?), but we're just glad that someone had their camera phone unholstered and got this on digital tape. Meanwhile, we're also trying to get confirmation it runs on a hybrid nuclear / petrol motor requiring 1.21 jigawatts to charge...

No word on a "Mr. Fusion" power-plant option.


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

HOLY HEART ATTACK, BATMAN: Detroit Auto Show Reveals Acura NSX Getting Closer to Reality

Look up carlust in the dictionary and you may see this tight little number:

You could imagine it going on sale looking just like this, when it reaches showrooms in about two years from now. Honda’s people weren’t giving much else away, but we’ll eat our origami swans if it doesn’t have the petrol-electric powertrain and 4WD we speculated on last year. The petrol engine, mostly likely a 3.5-litre V6 with 400bhp, will be correctly placed in the middle of the car and power the rear wheels. Then there are two electric motors up front: one for each wheel, operating independently to sniff out grip and see-off understeer, plus another one in the transmission at the rear to boost engine power when asked. Together, the electric motors will most probably add about 100bhp to the powertrain, bringing the new NSX to 500bhp overall.

This version – probably one or two steps away from the final production model – is also slightly smaller than before, but we’re talking about a few millimeters trimmed here and there. Overall, the proportions are as low and taut as an Audi R8. In fact, standing beside it, with the roofline just above your waist, it’s hard to fathom how they’ve crammed all those motors inside. If it stays like this, you could be looking at one of the most exciting cars we’ll drive this decade.

Excuse me for a second. I think I may have soiled myself.


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF OWNING A SUPERCAR: Spit Flames Out of Your Exhaust on Demand

Dude.

Better take some TUMS.

There are many benefits to owning a super car: breakneck acceleration, eye-catching design, unreal handling, superb braking, the list goes on and on. Some super car owners, like those that own the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, can add “shooting flames out of the exhaust” to that list.

Imagine just sitting in your driveway with your Aventador running, a camera behind you recording the rear of the car, and just stepping on the throttle to hear that special “pop”, knowing that the fires of 690 horses is erupting out of your exhaust in a brilliant display of power, consuming anything dares to get in its path of rage.

Yet another reason not to drive an electric car.


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

NECK BRACE REQUIRED: The Fastest Ferrari Ever

Top Gear got a hold of the F12 Berlinetta and lists a few of the stunning metrics...

Let’s not get carried away, because we need to put this car into context first. And the best way to do that is to put some facts at your fingertips. So, open brain and absorb the following: it has 730bhp and 509lb ft of torque, stats which give it a 211mph maximum and a 0-62mph of 3.1secs. 0-124mph is dealt with in 8.5secs, so 0-100mph must be around the 6.5 second mark. That makes this an astonishingly fast car – Ferrari’s fastest ever road car, in fact. Quicker than the Enzo, quicker than the 599 GTO. And not just in a straight line. It gets round Ferrari’s own Fiorano track faster than both of them, too.

...It has the sharpest steering rack of any Ferrari, carbon ceramic brakes that now have more top end bite, and bodyroll has been reduced by 30 per cent from the 599. Turn in is 20 per cent faster, and you’ll use 15 per cent less steering angle, the engineers claim.

But it’s been so well honed. The brakes, steering, throttle, gearbox, all do exactly what you expect. There’s no slack or slop at all, so you always know where you are with it. It sounds ridiculous to say that a car with 730bhp (the same as a Pagani Huayra, let’s not forget) is a doddle to drive, but this one really is. It drives cleanly and precisely...

And speaking of the Pagani Huayra...


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT TELL THOMAS FRIEDMAN: "Air Pollution From Cars Is Killing Everyone In Beijing"

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has, on numerous occasions, praised the governmental structure and leadership of the People's Republic of China. To do so, he studiously must ignore Red China's "re-education" camps, its slave laborers, its systematic persecution of religious practitioners, and its controlled economy. The latter requires government approval and intervention for virtually every business in the country and has spurred the growth of a corrupt and dangerous form of crony capitalism.

And then there's the PRC's destruction of the environment:

No one would ever go to Beijing for its crisp air and clear skies, but smog problem in China's capital has, evidently, gotten way out of control.

NPR reported Saturday that the smog in the second-most populous Chinese city was thick and causing people's eyes to burn, with residents being urged to stay indoors...

...It's so severe that the level of pollution was, according to NPR, "literally off the charts," because the U.S. Embassy's smog index stops at 500 and the projected index in Beijing was closer to 800. Things in the 300 or higher range are usually pretty bad to begin with.

The contributing factors to heavy smog? Cars, of course, which have exploded in popularity in the last decade in China, and in Beijing in particular. There have been measures to slow the car congestion, but things like limiting the amount of new vehicle registrations have just made people stand in long lines. And talk offering rebates on electric vehicles sounds like a great idea, until you remember that it's coal producing most of the city's electricity.

Perhaps we should require Thomas Friedman to run the Beijing Marathon before publishing future advertisements for Communism.


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.

FRIGHTENINGLY UP-TO-DATE NEWS: For Regular Americans Only

Washington, DC - Citing a growing need for accurate news sources, spokesman Biff Spackle announced the addition of several channels to the BadBlue family of news sites.

"Regular Americans deserve better sources for timely and accurate news," Spackle said in a prepared statement, "And BadBlue's unique technology monitors social networks 24 hours a day, every day, to find out what's really happening, without the spin and bias that the alphabet channels promote."

In that vein, Spackle and a scantily clad spokes-model unveiled a new automotive channel (BadBlue.com/cars) as well as an entertainment channel (BadBlue.com/cars). The complete BadBlue lineup includes:

BadBlue.com

BadBlue.com/cars

BadBlue.com/fame

BadBlue.com/money

BadBlue.com/tech

Check 'em out. If you have any complaints, feel free to call Spackle on his direct line: 1-800-555-1212.

DUDE.

I wonder what the EPA thinks of these particular vehicles?

Yes, they're fitted with Mercedes' now well-proven 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 sending power to the rear wheels - we won't get the four-wheel-drive versions in the UK - producing 557bhp in the ‘standard' E63 AMG (interestingly, 5bhp more than an M5).

But in the E63 AMG ‘S' version, that power rises to a whopping 585bhp - that's 28bhp more than the standard car and also 28bhp more than the old ‘Performance pack' previously optionable. Not only that, the ‘S' gets a differential lock on the rear axle that Mercedes claims helps increase traction, "especially on the race track". There's a gauntlet if Top Gear ever heard one...

The difference it makes is actually quite astonishing. 0-62mph in the standard E63 takes 4.2s (0.1s quicker than before). In the E63 AMG ‘S', 0-62mph takes 3.6s, which is 0.1s faster than a Ferrari FF. Faster than a four-wheel-drive Ferrari!

You'll find the AMG seven speed ‘Speedshift' sports auto ‘box as standard, complete with four modes (manual, sport, sport + and controlled efficiency). Both E63 versions get steel springs up front, and three-way adjustable air suspension at the back, with components built from aluminium. As expected, cycle through the ‘Comfort', ‘Sport', and ‘Sport+' modes, and you increase the likelihood of spontaneously combusting your passenger's mid-afternoon snack.

Merc has fitted ventilated and perforated 360mm discs all round (six pistons up front, four pistons on the rear) for the standard E63 AMG, finished in silver with white AMG lettering. The ‘S' gets the same, only with red calipers.

But, if you buy the E63 AMG ‘S', you can option ceramic high-performance composite brakes. They're 402mm in diameter, 40 per cent lighter than the standard ones and get a special paint finish. Press down too hard on these and you'll create a black hole in the Milky Way. 402mm. Sheesh.

Three letters: A. M. G.


Hat tip: BadBlue Car News.