Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[<i>Top Gear</i> draws fire for 'glorifying' 210 MPH ticket. Only it's a fake. [w/VIDEO]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/21/i-top-gear-i-draws-fire-for-glorifying-210-mph-ticket-only/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/21/i-top-gear-i-draws-fire-for-glorifying-210-mph-ticket-only/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/21/i-top-gear-i-draws-fire-for-glorifying-210-mph-ticket-only/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Top Gear talks Bugatti speeding ticket - click above to watch video after the jump

ESPN sports columnist Bill Simmons proposed a 72-hour reportage moratorium for the web - that way, news could be vetted before was broadcast to the entire universe. Had that been in effect, the story of Orange County resident Philip Robert Odegard might not have ended up on Top Gear and then upsetting Scottish authorities.

Odegard posted an image of a speeding ticket on his Flickr page. The ticket claimed he was busted doing 210 mph in a Bugatti Veyron in a "65 mph max" zone. Odegard's epic tale made it into the latest episode of Top Gear, where the hosts excitedly talked about the speeding ticket in their news section. Scottish Councillor Mike Raeburn then lambasted Top Gear for refusing "to see the effect this continual reinforcement of the 'speed is good' message has on viewers, particularly younger ones." The head of the Scottish Campaign Against Irresponsible Drivers also had harsh words for Top Gear.

The issue here, however, isn't speeding - it's speciousness. Odegard wasn't busted in a Veyron doing 210. According to some digging done by the O.C. Register, Odegard wasn't busted by the California Highway Patrol at that speeds in any car, let alone a Bugatti. He was clipped in a 2004 Infiniti doing 100. Which is a tale that probably wouldn't have ended up on Top Gear. Somewhere, at the bottom of this, though, it's still all Jeremy Clarkson's fault. You can watch the footage in question after the jump (talk of the ticket comes at around 4:15).

[Sources: Scotsman; O.C. Register; YouTube]

Continue reading Top Gear draws fire for 'glorifying' 210 MPH ticket. Only it's a fake. [w/VIDEO]

Top Gear draws fire for 'glorifying' 210 MPH ticket. Only it's a fake. [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>california highway patrolCaliforniaHighwayPatrolchpfakejeremy clarksonJeremyClarksonocorange countyOrangeCountyphilip odegardPhilipOdegardscotlandspeedingspeeding ticketSpeedingTickettop gearTopGearukTue, 21 Jul 2009 15:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Counterfeit Ferrari ring busted in Rome]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/29/counterfeit-ferrari-ring-busted-in-rome/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/29/counterfeit-ferrari-ring-busted-in-rome/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/29/counterfeit-ferrari-ring-busted-in-rome/#commentsFiled under: , ,


More than twenty years ago, Pontiac dealers sold their two-seat Fiero with a special "option" called the MERA. Essentially a complete re-body over the Fiero's then-advanced space frame, brand-new cars rolled out of the showroom looking much like a Ferrari 308. Over the next two years, 247 Fiero MERA models were built before Ferrari dropped a legal hatchet on the operation, and Corporate Concepts was forced to end production of their "kit."

We had put this blasphemy out of our minds until this week, when police in Rome uncovered a counterfeit car operation once again making fake Ferraris. In the Italian case, real customers (the police called them "car fanatics on a budget") were found to be paying upwards of $30,000 for each of these pseudo-Ferraris. The police report mentions that "donor cars" were involved, but they don't name names.

Photos released by the Italian police quickly confirmed our fears. In one image, a dusty red crackle-finish intake manifold proudly bears the Ferrari name. We recognize it as the 2.8-liter, 140-hp V6 that powered the Pontiac Fiero GT in 1988. The interior bares more irreverence as a knock-off Ferrari steering wheel tries to hide 80's-era GM switchgear. It is painfully obvious that the "Polizia" have stumbled upon an illegal reincarnation of the Fiero MERA, but this time on sacred Italian soil and offering more than one model. It is hard to imagine a criminal ring going this far to make a buck, but we are more stupefied by the knuckle-heads who actually paid them for these cars.

Thanks for the tip Mike!

Gallery: Counterfeit Ferraris

[Source: Reuters]

Counterfeit Ferrari ring busted in Rome originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Corporate ConceptsCorporateConceptsCounterfeitFakeFerrariFieroItalyMERAFri, 29 Feb 2008 13:34:00 EST<![CDATA[Wisconsin police use cardboard cut-outs to slow speeders]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/09/wisconsin-police-use-cardboard-cut-outs-to-slow-speeders/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/09/wisconsin-police-use-cardboard-cut-outs-to-slow-speeders/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/09/wisconsin-police-use-cardboard-cut-outs-to-slow-speeders/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Neenah, Wisconsin has such a speeding problem that it can't keep up. Even with a full court press of law enforcement, drivers continue to speed and have even sped by other motorists receiving their obligatory revenue-production invoice. In an effort to keep drivers on their toes while also leaving time to fight real crimes, the Neenah PD will post cardboard cutouts that look like an officer pointing a radar gun in strategic locations. Like something out of Weekend At Bernie's, the paper tigers will be rotated with living, breathing officers so that the ruse has a chance of effecting change. At this point, it's less about filling the coffers and more about quelling an epidemic of overly-velocitized drivers.

[Source: Winding Road, Photo: brentkmoore.blogspot.com]

Wisconsin police use cardboard cut-outs to slow speeders originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cardboardcardboard copCardboardCopcopfakefake copFakeCopneenahofficerpolicespeederspeedingtrafficwisconsinWed, 09 Jan 2008 07:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Rust stickers thwart stupid thieves from stealing your car]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/20/rust-stickers-to-prevent-thieves/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/20/rust-stickers-to-prevent-thieves/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/20/rust-stickers-to-prevent-thieves/#commentsFiled under:


There's nothing more eye-catching to a thief than a new car or bike. Your brand new pride and joy is just asking to be stolen, especially if you leave it parked on the street. That's why designer Dominic Wilcox made stickers to fool stupid thieves into thinking your wheels aren't worth stealing.

Despite the fact they look quite convincing in the photos. Wilcox doesn't offer any guarantees his stickers will actually work. He does say, however, that he placed them on his bike and it hasn't been stolen yet. What more evidence do you need?

Part of the appeal of owning a new car is showing it off, which you clearly can't do with these stickers applied. However, if that means you get to keep the aforementioned item from being stolen while parked in unseemly parts of town, it's all good.

[Source: Dominic Wilcox via MoCo Loco]

Rust stickers thwart stupid thieves from stealing your car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fakefake rust stickersFakeRustStickersstickersThu, 20 Sep 2007 18:03:00 EST<![CDATA[CarPool Kenny eases you into HOV lane the illegal way]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/12/carpool-kenny-eases-you-into-hov-lane-the-illegal-way/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/12/carpool-kenny-eases-you-into-hov-lane-the-illegal-way/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/12/carpool-kenny-eases-you-into-hov-lane-the-illegal-way/#commentsFiled under: ,

We're surprised that this gag can be retailed without disclaimers. CarPool Kenny is an inflatable head and torso that is marketed on the premise that you can cruise the carpool lane in passengerless peace, your inflatable pal offering impunity. People have tried this, and many have had their ruse detected. When you do eventually get hooked by the long arm of the law, it's going cost a lot more than this $20 useless hunk of plastic. Think hundreds.

Your odds of getting caught are likely rather high, since police officers tend to operate on the assumption that all is not what it seems, and Kenny looks so fake that he's just asking to get busted. Our own healthy sense of schadenfreude would kick into overdrive if we cruised by a schmuck whose bluff got called.

Using one of these things to circumvent the rules just means you'll bypass a jam and have to attend to being productive sooner than the rest of us left surfing for that mythical NPR station that's not fund-raising.

Thanks, Jason, for the tip.

CarPool Kenny eases you into HOV lane the illegal way originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car pool kennyCarPoolKennydummyfakegaghovinflatablejokemannequinpersonTue, 12 Jun 2007 19:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Intrepid Chinese make their own Jeep Wrangler]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/12/intrepid-chinese-make-their-own-jeep-wrangler/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/12/intrepid-chinese-make-their-own-jeep-wrangler/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/12/intrepid-chinese-make-their-own-jeep-wrangler/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click the pic above to see a gallery

This faux Jeep gets a pass, because it comes out looking so close to the real thing, though Jeep faithful will likely pick it to pieces. Pieces is how the story begins, with a Bejing Jeep 2020 that has a tryst with a Sawz-all. Predictably, the 2020 gets all broken up after its torrid affair, and needs to be put back together. Two talented Chinese bodymen took up the mantle and reinvigorated this unloved, down and out conveyance.

The outcome sees the Jeep better than has ever been, which is the hope of anyone who ever partakes in an intervention, isn't it? While this facsimilie has been whipped up most of the way around the world, it's definitely got some Jeeper spirit going on. There's plenty of backyard-assembled CJs here in the homeland that don't look anywhere near as good as this totally fake Rubicon. Sure, the paint's not great (well, it does look shiny, that counts), and the mechanicals are a crapshoot, but the caution (and safety equipment) be damned attitude that these fellas show as they forge ahead and make something from nothing is true Jeep ethos. Besides, we'd much rather cruise the streets of China in the red faux Rubicon than the Chairman-Mao Green thing it started as. It's not the first time someone's made a replica out of a totally unrelated car, anyway. We're not generally fans of the practice, but we see the effort here and applaud the results.

[Source: China Car Times via Hemmings]

Gallery: Chinese Jeep replica

Intrepid Chinese make their own Jeep Wrangler originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bodyworkchinafakejeepreplicarubicontributewranglerTue, 12 Jun 2007 11:24:00 EST<![CDATA[Fun things to do with your MR2: Ferrari 360 replica]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/11/fun-things-to-do-with-your-mr2-ferrari-360-replica/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/11/fun-things-to-do-with-your-mr2-ferrari-360-replica/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/11/fun-things-to-do-with-your-mr2-ferrari-360-replica/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


click the pic above to view a gallery

Why is it that people feel the need to saddle perfectly good cars with replica bodywork to make them look like exotics? There's nothing wrong with the last generation Toyota MR2, true, it's no Ferrari, but then again, you can buy an entire MR2 for very much less than a Ferrari 360; an amount closer to the downpayment, most likely. We'd keep the bodykit away from the MR2 and spend the extra dough on suspension and engine mods. If you really must project the image that a Ferrari brings (you know - this car costs more than your house, and I'll sell it for more, too. Yes, that does make me better than you) you could follow the lead of this MR2 Spyder's owner.

If you can stomach the truncated proportions that haven't survived scaling well, your MR2 will make a solid basis for you to become a total poseur. From what we can see, the car pictured has had time and energy lavished on it. The extra-wide door gap is not pretty, but overall, there's a lot of detail here, and the pictures show something that's reasonably turned out, instead of a total hack job. It's a very well done tribute, in fact. At least you can be fairly certain that the MR2 will have more uptime than the Ferrari, and when it does need to go see the doctor, the prescription's cost will lean more toward ibuprofen, not radical walletectomy.

Gallery: Toyota MR2 Ferrari 360 replica



[Source: Carscoop]

Fun things to do with your MR2: Ferrari 360 replica originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>360bodykitfakeferrarimr2replicatoyotaMon, 11 Jun 2007 10:22:00 EST<![CDATA[Fake side vents are blowing hot air]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/29/fake-side-vents-are-blowing-hot-air/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/29/fake-side-vents-are-blowing-hot-air/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/29/fake-side-vents-are-blowing-hot-air/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It's a pretty serious charge to level at what is, admittedly, a trend. But John Manoogian, Cadillac's lead exterior designer, believes that fake side vents will wipe out the current trend of stylized-yet-functional side vents. Manoogian says "I've seen Chrysler 300s where guys are buying these stick-on portholes, and I'm thinking, 'What are these people thinking?' They are literally stick-on parts." Yet imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if every other carmaker (including Saturn) and aftermarket shop has hopped on your coat tails... we'd think you'd pat yourself on the back. Sure, it might be aesthetically disappointing to see your lovingly crafted design turned into a chrome flake applique, but that's what happens to trends. Besides, there are far more egregious styling fakeries, as in companies copying significant chunks of another maker's entire design language, that haven't managed to kill original automotive expression. We doubt the lowly side vent spells the end. It's intriguing, though, when Manoogian says, "When it gets to be that ubiquitous, then we are going to have to say, 'We need to do something different here.' " Exactly. Isn't that what car designers are for?

[Source: Auto News - sub. req'd]

Fake side vents are blowing hot air originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 May 2007 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>air ventsAirVentsfakefender ventsFenderVentsgmjohnmanoogiansidestylizedventsTue, 29 May 2007 11:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Fake Ferraris flowing out of China?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/29/fake-ferraris-flowing-out-of-china/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/29/fake-ferraris-flowing-out-of-china/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/29/fake-ferraris-flowing-out-of-china/#commentsFiled under: , ,



A few Autoblog readers have sent us a link to this video news report about fake Ferraris being produced in China. The European Union is starting to get really miffed about the influx of counterfeit items, like Ferraris, and is considering upping the punishment for offenders to four years in prison and a 300,000 Euro fine. That's about $378,000, enough to buy yourself a real Ferrari.

We're not quite sure which Ferrari the news piece is referring to, so kudos to whichever reader can accurately tell the rest of us which model the Italian automaker only produced six examples.

Fake Ferraris flowing out of China? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Apr 2006 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fakeFerrariSat, 29 Apr 2006 11:18:00 EST