CAR WEEK: NEW CAR SMELL

We love the smell of a new car as much as the next guy, but it really isn't good for you. Read more.

CAR WEEK : GUMBALL 3000

The first place prize for the 1971 Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash - Los Angeles to New York race was a gumball dispenser. This race spurred movies such as The Cannonball Run with Burt Reynolds and the 1976 film, The Gumball Rally. Drawing inspiration from the real 1970's race and the aforementioned movies, Maximillion Cooper started the current rally version of the race in the summer of 1999. Gumball 3000 has been an incredible success and has since gained the reputation as road race for the modern era. Each year, jaw dropping footage is captured and turned into a dvd documenting the race. Check out the 2003 Gumball 3000 right here [1 hour 37 minutes]. You should also check out the official Gumball web site.

CAR WEEK: 32 HOURS 7 MINUTES

32 Hours 7 Minutes is the record time it took to drive from Los Angeles to New York on October 15, 1983 during the last running on the US Express (originally 'The Cannonball Run'). Die-hard adventurer Erwin G 'Cannonball' Baker, the greatest cross-country record breaker of them all, set 143 American distance records including a 53 and 1 half hour coast to coast solo drive averaging over 50 mph - in 1933! Inspired by the great man and in defiance of the then introduced 55 mph US speed limit, rebellious journalist Brock Yates launched the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. Later the race became known as the US Express, but the Los Angeles to New York route remained intact. 20 years after the final race, the footage was put together to create the gripping documentary, 32 Hours 7 Minutes. Watch the trailer or visit the site.

CAR WEEK: HONDA'S NEW COMMERCIALS

As a car company, Honda has done pretty well. As far as commercials are concerned, Honda's are some of the best. Check out a few of their amazing commercials:

→ CHOIR - Inspiring audio made entirely by a 60 person choir.
→ COG - A truly amazing spot that must be seen. [more info]
→ THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM - An epic journey.
→ EVERYDAY OBJECTS Simple yet so effective.

CAR WEEK: THE TRUNK MONKEY

Originally created in January, 2000 by Sean Sosik-Hamor, the Trunk Monkey concept consists solely of a trained monkey and a steady source of ice cold high-quality import ale or lager. The Trunkmonkey lives in the trunk of any vehicle and helps to automate weight transfer at the rear wheels during spirited driving maneuvers. Redeveloped for The Suburban Auto Group, you can now control road rage with your vehicle's trunk monkey option. Check out the original Trunk Monkey here.

Also of note is The Trunk Monkey Theft Retrieval System. We want one regardless of the cost! Learn more about The Trunk Monkey here.

CAR WEEK: SMART CAR SMART PARKING?

This was spotted early yesterday morning near us. Smart Car, yes. Smart parking, no. Parking like this will put a new meaning to the term "door dings". That's the risk you take when you park like an ass.

CAR WEEK: PARKING LOT PROBLEMS

If you own a super car then I'm sure you have encountered this problem before - parking in Paris. Our friends at Top Gear were in Paris to test drive three cars - a Pagani Zonda F, a Ferrari F430 Spider and a Ford GT. The real test came when they had to get the high end sport cars out of the parking structure.

CAR WEEK: THE MODERN PARKING LOT?

While in Los Angeles we spotted the modern parking lot. As if using your eyes to find a free spot wasn't simple enough, this automated display tells you how many parking spots are available on each level. The problem at this parking lot on this particular evening was that it was so busy that it couldn't keep up. The moral: if you really need to rely on a bright display to direct you to available spots, maybe you should be using the vallet parking.

CAR WEEK: THE MODERN PARKING LOT?

Not really parking lot, but more of a car vending machine. Autostadt in Wolfsburg is essentially Volkswagen's theme park for cars enthusiasts. The town is Germany's version of Detroit, except clean and a tourist attraction. Among the incredible museums and interactive displays, there is the futuristic car delivery service. Basically, you order your new car online or at a dealership and then go to Autostadt to pick it up. Once there, the system is completely automated as an elevator ascends to one of the 20 stories in search of your new car. It is brought down from one of the Car Towers, you're handed the keys, your picture is taken, the glass doors open and your brand new car appears. What an experience! [Also of note is Volkswagen's Glass Factory.]

CAR WEEK: TOP GEAR - BUGATTI VEYRON

Simply put, the Bugatti Veyron is the world's fastest, most powerful and most expensive car. For $1.25 million US, you can purchase the car's 1000 horsepower and use them to rocket yourself to the car's top speed of 252 mph... although you'll use a tank of gas every 12 minutes at that speed!

→ Read what Jeremy Clarkson had to say about the car.
→ Watch The Top Gear Bugatti Challenge: Italy to London.
→ Unbelievable - The Veyron at top speed!

You should really read about the making of the Top Gear Bugatti Veyron vs. plane - Italy to London race.

CAR WEEK: TOP GEAR - FUN WITH CARS

In our continuing CAR WEEK SERIES we find ourselves continually going back to those guys at Top Gear for entertainment. Enough said. Check these out...

→ How to beat a radar speed camera.
→ Car versus 747 jet engine backwash.
→ Top Gear soccer.
→ Car Darts.

CAR WEEK: TOP GEAR - CHALLENGES

The more we watch BBC series Top Gear, the more we like it. An interesting element to the show are the 'challenges' that take place. Usually they are along the lines of car versus man or car versus other modes of transportation. Here are some rather captivating challenges from the show...


→ London to Monte Carlo: Aston Martin DB9 vs. 200 mph train.
→ 800 miles on one tank of gas in an Audi A8 diesel twin turbo.
→ London to Oslo: McLaren SLR Supercar vs. powerboat.
→ London to Verbie, Switzerland: Ferrari 612 vs. 500 mph plane.
→ Video game vs. Reality - Jeremy vs. Gran Turismo.
→ Evo Ralley vs. Norweigen Olympic Bobsled Team.
→ Irish Guard snipers vs. Jeremy in a car.
→ Lotus Exige vs. an Apache Attack Helicopter.
→ Nurbrgring Race Track Challenge... in a van.
→ Range Rover Sport vs. British Army tank - Missile Lock Test.
→ Italy to London: Bugatti Veyron vs. Cesna.

How are some of these challenges possible? You should know that much of the exterior footage of the car driving is actually shot on the way back from the challenges with The Stig driving. The footage inside the cars are shot during the race with a static camera mounted inside the vehicle. Top Gear assures us that everything is real and the outcomes are legit. Read the production notes from the Ferrari vs. plane challenge here.

CAR WEEK: TOP GEAR - NSX versus GRAN TURISMO

This is the first in a short series of posts relating to cars. Boring? Not at all. For the most part, the posts will be exciting, entertaining and possibly even intriguing. So here goes, the first posting for car week...

The long running BBC series Top Gear, is the most engaging car show we have ever seen. It combines captivating hosts with compelling show concepts that grab the viewers attention throughout. The show was seen briefly in North America on The Discovery Channel, but word on the street is that a US version is in the works. Hopefully it won't suck because part of the allure of the original UK show is the sharp wit of host Jeremy Clarson. The other factors that play into the show's success are the great concepts, beautiful cars and stunning camera work.

A Top Gear episode that we want to point out is the one in which Jeremy Carkson felt that since he mastered driving a virtual NSX around a virtual race track in the video game Gran Turismo 4, that he could drive a real car around a real race track - Laguna Seca - at least as fast as his did in the video game. So Clarkson flew to California where a NSX and an empty race track awaited him for the 'video game versus reality race' episode. Watch it here.

PARIS, 1978 - 140mph

On an August morning in 1978, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive at breakneck speeds throughout the heart of Paris. No streets were closed, as Lelouch could not obtain a permit. Reaching speeds of nearly 140 MPH in some stretches, the driver completed the course in about 9 minutes - a good thing as the camera was only equipped with 10 minutes of film. The footage reveals him running real red lights, nearly hitting real pedestrians, and driving the wrong way up real one-way streets.

Upon showing the film in public for the first time, Lelouch was arrested. To this day he has has never revealed the identity of the driver and an air of mystery continues to surround the film. Was this really possible? Was the car a Ferrari 275 GTB as we are led to believe, or was it Lelouche's Mercedes. Was the sound on the film from the actual car or a different car? Numerous questions have led people to try to debunk the film. An interesting and informative article can be found here. Regardless of what you believe, it is still a pretty incredible little film. Remember... it was filmed in 1978.

Recently the film was restored and remastered resulting in a stunning DVD worth checking out. It is also online here.

*UPDATE - This film is actually owned by Spirit Level Films and they are doing a good job at removing the movie from the internet. With that said, the links above to the movie may not work and if that is the case, I urge you to seek it out or better yet, buy the DVD... it is worth it!