Brain...Jammed Vandals Destroy Seven New Toyota Models at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Auto shows seem to have become risky business for car manufacturers. After the BMW 750i that was stolen at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, now more disturbing news comes from the Chicago Auto Show, where the Toyota booth attracted unwanted attention.

According to local newspapers, seven new Toyota models had their interiors vandalized by three young men, aged 20, 21 and 28. We don't know what really caused this deviant behavior, but one report attributes it to the fact that the three vandals were allegedly angry "about American jobs going overseas".

And it seems they wanted the Japanese cars to suffer badly, judging from the tools they used - screwdrivers and razor knives. The three young men were arrested on Wednesday evening before the show's closing time when guards noticed them acting suspiciously around a Toyota Camry. The mess they made inside the seven cars is substantial: dashboards were left smashed and ripped, seat upholstery sliced, windshields scratched, speakers cut open and turn indicators broken.

According to the police, the damage to the cars is estimated at $30,000. Interestingly, they had no preference for a particular model, vandalizing a Camry, a RAV4, a Land Cruiser, a Prius, two Tundras and one Lexus ES350. Funny thing, no accelerator pedal or floor mat were damaged...

Brain...Jammed Vandals Destroy Seven New Toyota Models at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Auto shows seem to have become risky business for car manufacturers. After the BMW 750i that was stolen at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, now more disturbing news comes from the Chicago Auto Show, where the Toyota booth attracted unwanted attention.

According to local newspapers, seven new Toyota models had their interiors vandalized by three young men, aged 20, 21 and 28. We don't know what really caused this deviant behavior, but one report attributes it to the fact that the three vandals were allegedly angry "about American jobs going overseas".

And it seems they wanted the Japanese cars to suffer badly, judging from the tools they used - screwdrivers and razor knives. The three young men were arrested on Wednesday evening before the show's closing time when guards noticed them acting suspiciously around a Toyota Camry. The mess they made inside the seven cars is substantial: dashboards were left smashed and ripped, seat upholstery sliced, windshields scratched, speakers cut open and turn indicators broken.

According to the police, the damage to the cars is estimated at $30,000. Interestingly, they had no preference for a particular model, vandalizing a Camry, a RAV4, a Land Cruiser, a Prius, two Tundras and one Lexus ES350. Funny thing, no accelerator pedal or floor mat were damaged...

Pagani Zonda F Driver Survives 199mph - 320 km/h Crash After Spinning Out of Control

There are very few (if any) people that can lose control of their car at 199mph or 320km/h and live another day to tell the tale. But that's exactly what happened to a 28-year-old German driver of a black Pagani Zonda F and his 21-year-old [sic...] Lithuanian passenger, after the young man lost control of the $1.5 million supercar earlier this week on Italy's A10 autostrada.

According to reports from Italy, the driver was going around 320 km/h (198.8 mph) when the car spun out of control hitting a guardrail on the right, losing a wheel, overturning and then colliding with a Mercedes, with which the driver was allegedly racing on the highway. Both the driver and the passenger of the supercar, as well as the driver of the Mercedes, came out unscathed.

Italian daily Corriere Della Sera also reported that the owner of the Pagani Zonda F had been fined last April on the same highway after he was clocked traveling in a Lamborghini at triple digit speed.

Pagani Zonda F Driver Survives 199mph - 320 km/h Crash After Spinning Out of Control

There are very few (if any) people that can lose control of their car at 199mph or 320km/h and live another day to tell the tale. But that's exactly what happened to a 28-year-old German driver of a black Pagani Zonda F and his 21-year-old [sic...] Lithuanian passenger, after the young man lost control of the $1.5 million supercar earlier this week on Italy's A10 autostrada.

According to reports from Italy, the driver was going around 320 km/h (198.8 mph) when the car spun out of control hitting a guardrail on the right, losing a wheel, overturning and then colliding with a Mercedes, with which the driver was allegedly racing on the highway. Both the driver and the passenger of the supercar, as well as the driver of the Mercedes, came out unscathed.

Italian daily Corriere Della Sera also reported that the owner of the Pagani Zonda F had been fined last April on the same highway after he was clocked traveling in a Lamborghini at triple digit speed.

Jump Fail: Chevy Silverado Flies Right Into Dirt Ramp [Video]

Larry the Cable Guy might disagree, but trying to perform a crazy jump / stunt in a beat up Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on a dirt track, doesn't sound like a sane idea. Fortunately, this brainless daredevil had mother luck on his side when he used his truck to dig a hole in the dirt ramp. Watch the video right after the break.

Jump Fail: Chevy Silverado Flies Right Into Dirt Ramp [Video]

Larry the Cable Guy might disagree, but trying to perform a crazy jump / stunt in a beat up Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on a dirt track, doesn't sound like a sane idea. Fortunately, this brainless daredevil had mother luck on his side when he used his truck to dig a hole in the dirt ramp. Watch the video right after the break.

225 lb Mother Killed in Crash, Peugeot Admits Not Crash Testing for Heavier Drivers

On the 20th of January, 2009, 56-year-old mother-of-three Judith Evans was killed when her Peugeot 107 hit a Vauxhall Vectra in a head-on collision in Buckinghamshire, UK. The matter recently went to court where it was heard that the victim sustained multiple fractures and chest and abdominal injuries which the Thames Valley Police noticed were unusually severe given the force of impact.

Experts from Peugeot and Vehicle Safety Consultancy Ltd believe that the 107 should have provided good protection for this sort of crash, and yet this was not the case. Why?

Evans' Peugeot 107 met all EuroNCAP safety standards, with the 107 and it's Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo siblings having scored four stars in a 2005 test. It was fitted with front seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters along with front and side body airbags for both driver and passenger.

The investigation suggests it may have to do with weight. Not the weight of the Vectra compared to the 107, as Peugeot has suggested, but the weight of the 107's driver.

You see, Mrs Evans weighed close to 16 stone (102 kg / 225 U.S. lbs). Meanwhile Peugeot, following European regulations, never tested the 107 with a dummy weighing more than 12 stone 14 lbs (78 kg / 172 U.S. lbs). As such, the safety features built into the 107 weren't calibrated for a heavier occupant.

The Evans's family lawyer, asked Peugeot safety expert Richard Zeitouni: "Have you tested with any dummies more than 78kg?" Mr Zeitouni, replied that Peugeot had not.

Mr Horner then asked: "So you have not tested with a weight of dummy that corresponds to 50% of the male population?"

Mr Zeitouni answered: "When we designed this car we found it was good, adequate protection for the majority of occupants. It's an official dummy, a regulation dummy."

Peter Gloyns, a mechanical engineer from Vehicle Safety Consultancy (VSC) Ltd made this comment:

"The accident raises a serious question over the stability of the response of the total restraint system for an occupant of this build and weight in an accident of this severity in which it would be hoped that good protection could be offered."

The driver of the Vectra sustained fractures in her kneecap and internal bruising, but was otherwise unharmed in the crash.

A spokesperson from Peugeot told UK daily 'The Independent' that the company had no comment to make at this stage.

We'll have more on this case as we get it.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Independent

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225 lb Mother Killed in Crash, Peugeot Admits Not Crash Testing for Heavier Drivers

On the 20th of January, 2009, 56-year-old mother-of-three Judith Evans was killed when her Peugeot 107 hit a Vauxhall Vectra in a head-on collision in Buckinghamshire, UK. The matter recently went to court where it was heard that the victim sustained multiple fractures and chest and abdominal injuries which the Thames Valley Police noticed were unusually severe given the force of impact.

Experts from Peugeot and Vehicle Safety Consultancy Ltd believe that the 107 should have provided good protection for this sort of crash, and yet this was not the case. Why?

Evans' Peugeot 107 met all EuroNCAP safety standards, with the 107 and it's Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo siblings having scored four stars in a 2005 test. It was fitted with front seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters along with front and side body airbags for both driver and passenger.

The investigation suggests it may have to do with weight. Not the weight of the Vectra compared to the 107, as Peugeot has suggested, but the weight of the 107's driver.

You see, Mrs Evans weighed close to 16 stone (102 kg / 225 U.S. lbs). Meanwhile Peugeot, following European regulations, never tested the 107 with a dummy weighing more than 12 stone 14 lbs (78 kg / 172 U.S. lbs). As such, the safety features built into the 107 weren't calibrated for a heavier occupant.

The Evans's family lawyer, asked Peugeot safety expert Richard Zeitouni: "Have you tested with any dummies more than 78kg?" Mr Zeitouni, replied that Peugeot had not.

Mr Horner then asked: "So you have not tested with a weight of dummy that corresponds to 50% of the male population?"

Mr Zeitouni answered: "When we designed this car we found it was good, adequate protection for the majority of occupants. It's an official dummy, a regulation dummy."

Peter Gloyns, a mechanical engineer from Vehicle Safety Consultancy (VSC) Ltd made this comment:

"The accident raises a serious question over the stability of the response of the total restraint system for an occupant of this build and weight in an accident of this severity in which it would be hoped that good protection could be offered."

The driver of the Vectra sustained fractures in her kneecap and internal bruising, but was otherwise unharmed in the crash.

A spokesperson from Peugeot told UK daily 'The Independent' that the company had no comment to make at this stage.

We'll have more on this case as we get it.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Independent

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VIDEO: Chinese Biker Survives Accident thanks to some Crazy Kung Fu-Like Moves

Talk about lucky; here's a video of a Chinese motorcyclists who seemed to have all the right moves when he slammed into a little carry-all truck. As you can see from the clip after the jump, he was either extremely skilled or extremely lucky to be thrown off his ride the way he was.

If this accident weren't captured on CCTV, it would be the kind of stunt I'd expect to see in some 90's Jackie Chan movie. In that case, however, there would be people swarming the guy and dude would be using the formerly-known-as-a-motorcycle debris to whoop evildoers' behinds instead of probably being in shock. Hey, at least one or two of the surrounding drivers stopped to lend a hand.

Any (I'm guessing) Mandarin speakers out there, feel free to throw us a translation of the text in the comments below.

By Phil Alex

Via: Gizmodo / Jalopnik

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VIDEO: Chinese Biker Survives Accident thanks to some Crazy Kung Fu-Like Moves

Talk about lucky; here's a video of a Chinese motorcyclists who seemed to have all the right moves when he slammed into a little carry-all truck. As you can see from the clip after the jump, he was either extremely skilled or extremely lucky to be thrown off his ride the way he was.

If this accident weren't captured on CCTV, it would be the kind of stunt I'd expect to see in some 90's Jackie Chan movie. In that case, however, there would be people swarming the guy and dude would be using the formerly-known-as-a-motorcycle debris to whoop evildoers' behinds instead of probably being in shock. Hey, at least one or two of the surrounding drivers stopped to lend a hand.

Any (I'm guessing) Mandarin speakers out there, feel free to throw us a translation of the text in the comments below.

By Phil Alex

Via: Gizmodo / Jalopnik

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Lambo Fought the Lights and the Lights Won

Pop quiz, hot shot: what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Answer: This.

The irresistible force: a silver-colored Lamborghini Gallardo tearing down the strip. The immovable object: a traffic light pole in Laval, Quebec. The result: well, you can see for yourself.

We don't much about physics, but we know that a) energy is never created nor destroyed, merely transformed and b) expensive supercar / wet road + stationary object = gold photo opportunity.

Our guess is that the Lamborghini will need a new front bumper, and given how much parts and service on those things cost, it might be cheaper to buy a new Chevy Malibu.

So here's a Top Tip; If you are driving a quarter of a million dollar supercar down a wet road and the lights turn yellow, apply brake pressure slowly and evenly. Otherwise you may skid, and in a 500+ horsepower supercar on a wet road, things like traction control won't do diddly-squat...

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Montrealracing

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Lambo Fought the Lights and the Lights Won

Pop quiz, hot shot: what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Answer: This.

The irresistible force: a silver-colored Lamborghini Gallardo tearing down the strip. The immovable object: a traffic light pole in Laval, Quebec. The result: well, you can see for yourself.

We don't much about physics, but we know that a) energy is never created nor destroyed, merely transformed and b) expensive supercar / wet road + stationary object = gold photo opportunity.

Our guess is that the Lamborghini will need a new front bumper, and given how much parts and service on those things cost, it might be cheaper to buy a new Chevy Malibu.

So here's a Top Tip; If you are driving a quarter of a million dollar supercar down a wet road and the lights turn yellow, apply brake pressure slowly and evenly. Otherwise you may skid, and in a 500+ horsepower supercar on a wet road, things like traction control won't do diddly-squat...

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Montrealracing

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