Some people are just pathological. At first, it was amusing that Fresh C280, a member of the MDStreetScene forums, would claim to own a Mercedes CLS55 AMG. How a 19-year-old affords a car that normally retails for around $100,000 is the first thing that made everyone on the forum suspicious. A story about a digital camera becoming a sewage buoy was also an immediate head scratcher, since the pic he posted supposedly came from said camera. Further cementing the obvious dementia was the claim that the picture was taken during a dyno run in New York. It could be New York, except right now it's chilly early spring in the Empire State, and the dyno run picture clearly shows garage bays with the doors flung open and leaves on trees. It gets better as it becomes clear how many balls this kid's trying to juggle to hold up his story. There's a nice little synopsis that debunks the girlfriend angle – even though it's supposedly her car.
It didn't take long for total pwnage to occur when Fresh C280s fellow Maryland car enthusiasts did a little detective work. The car is actually owned by a CarDomain member named Xavier, who hails from Florida and showed up with proof of ownership around 30 pages in. All of the pictures posted to the MDStreetScene bulletin board were stolen from the actual owner's CarDomain page. This is weirder than the guy who thought up direct exhaust injection. The makings of a character study are all there – apparent delusional schizophrenia, a longing to be somebody, a sad little existence, and completely self-inflicted massive public humiliation. There's even a cameo by a famous lolcat. It doesn't get better than this, folks, the thread is only a day old so far. Check it out for yourself, it gets good around page 6. Oh, and Fresh C280's quote at the bottom of his posts is oddly prescient. Thanks for the tip, Terry!
Autoblog Podcast #83 was judiciously held back until after the embargo cleared, but we can now talk freely. The biggest news this week is the official unveiling of the Corvette ZR-1/Blue Devil. Powered by the new LS9 supercharged small-block, the car's performance is sure to be astounding. After laying eyes on the un-camoflaged car, hood porthole and all, we have to ask: is it overwrought? From ridiculous speed to ludicrous wordsmithing, we talk about the Nissan FORUM concept mainly for the chance to bash the hilariously composed press release. Maybe it was written in Japanese and they just passed it through translation software before releasing the announcement.
While we're being scornful, we turn our gaze to the new Knight Rider. We've been keepig an eye on all the news, and let's just say we expect the show to fail. The new Mustang-based KITT, even in Attack guise, is no Super Pursuit Mode original KITT. We wrap up with some discussion of Hyundai's move toward a turbocharged 2.0-liter direct-inject engine (GEMA?) and take that off into a discussion about the expanded selection of good, inexpensive, and powerful coupes. The finale is some speculation about the rendering of a new McLaren supercar, as well as analyzing the absurdly high price of the BMW 1-series. 43 minutes will do it, see you next week!
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click image for high-res gallery of the Nissan FORUM Concept
Next month in Detroit, Nissan will show the world the FORUM, a minivan design study that probably hints at styling cues and features being considered for whatever's destined to replace the Quest. After reading Nissan's hyperbolic press release (it's pasted after the jump), one might think the FORUM is single-handedly capable of restoring the American nuclear family dynamic through its feature set alone. Seriously, there's a line in there that calls the vehicle a "unique family 'togetherness' space." I have one of those, too: it's called a house.
The FORUM's most touted features are its trackless doors, b-pillar-less construction, and swiveling 2nd row Turntable Seating. The doors utilize a new patented hinge that allows for sliders without the unsightly track line on the bodywork. That, combined with the elimination of the b-pillar, allows the side of the van to be opened wide for easy access when the front door is also open. In reality, the pillarless construction is probably just there to better show off the concept's interior, which is highlighted by a motorized, swiveling second row seat that can be rotated 90 degrees to look out the side of the van, or 180 degrees to face the third row passengers.
Other interesting features include a small built-in microwave sized just right for popcorn, wireless tv monitors, an audio muting/intercom setup called "Time Out," second and third row surveillance cameras "Kids' Cams" and the around-view parking assistance system introduced on the Infiniti EX35. Is it the ultimate family pod? Well no, since the concept has no engine. Nissan says a clean diesel would be a natural fit for it if it were to arrive in the marketplace, though.
UPDATE: High-res images of the Nissan FORUM Concept's live reveal added to gallery.
click image to enlarge and view more sketches of the Nissan Forum Concept
We bring you the third sketch of the Forum Concept to be officially released by Nissan ahead of the vehicle's debut at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. As we've reported previously, the Forum is a futuristic people mover that may or may not contain styling cues destined for production. It could forecast a replacement for the Nissan Quest minivan, or it could herald an altogether new vehicle, or it could be a designer's flight of fancy. Regardless, this is the second interior sketch released by Nissan, this time showing a pretty neat trick: the second row bench, the entire second-row bench, can swivel 90-degrees either way or 180-degress to face the third-row seats. Sure, you don't get the center aisle that two captains chairs would provide, but getting in the way back seats should be a lot easier with second-row turned 90-degrees. Nissan calls it "Turntable Seating", a name that sounds warmed over by marketing types, which is evidence enough that it's being considered for production. We would've called it "Centrifugal Seating" or the "Whirly Doo". Alas, that's probably why Japan's #3 automaker doesn't sign our checks.
Nissan also tells us that the Forum Concept includes a "console-mounted microwave oven." Hot-Pocket, anyone?
Nissan has a new family-hauler concept lined up for the upcoming Detroit Auto Show called the FORUM. The vannish machine boasts trackless sliders, no B-pillar and maybe hints at what's in store for car buyers when the current Quest ultimately runs its course. In addition to the sketch you see above, Nissan made the world's shortest press release available. In fact, it's so short, we're not even going to bother putting it after the jump. Here it is:
Nissan FORUM Concept Set For 2008 NAIAS Debut
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 30, 2007) – Nissan's exploration of the next generation of family transportation, the Nissan FORUM Concept, offers distinctive styling with innovations including trackless sliding doors and no B-pillars. Created at Nissan Design America, the FORUM Concept makes its public debut at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
Seriously, it would've been just as effective to have it simply say, "This is the FORUM. It'll be in Detroit." Anyway, we'll be in Detroit too, and we'll tell you all about it then.
Our good buddy Mike Levine over at Pickuptruck.com has updated his report on the story surrounding the failure of 20 camshaft in the 2007 Toyota Tundra's 5.7L V8 engine. Levine noticed that Toyota has already posted on two internet forums expressing regret to Tundra owners over the incident. Though the author's name was not provided, identical posts were published by "TMSUSA" on ToyotaNation.com and TundraSolutions.com that address customer concerns and provide this expression of remorse: "Although the number of affected Tundras is very small, we very much regret that even one of our trucks was manufactured with a camshaft processing flaw and certainly any inconvenience caused to our customers."
Meanwhile, Levine also tracked down a consultant who confirms the estimate we originally reported that it will cost $5,000 to swap out each engine that experiences a failed camshaft. Toyota will certainly pay the estimated $100,000 to repair the 20 trucks already known to have experienced a camshaft failure, but the looming question that's yet to be answered is how many more trucks might need to have their engine replaced? Toyota Spokesperson Bill Kwong told Levine, "Our dealers have approximately 1,600 new Tundras nationwide for disposal as a loaner vehicle while a customer's truck is being repaired, and that doesn't include older Tundras and Tacomas." While meant more as an assurance that the company will do whatever it can to help out customers who find themselves with an affected engine, that statement also implies Toyota is at least prepared for the number to grow.
Take one part Acura RSX, add two parts moron, a pinch of speed, whoops, too much! Crashing into someone and speeding away is a bad idea in any case, but with the internet shrinking the globe, it's especially dumb now. Members of Canada's Beyond.ca automotive forums came to the rescue of a Mercedes driver that absorbed the kinetic energy these young knuckleheads didn't manage to scrub off in time. A quick thinking forum member just happened to be right there with his DSLR and monster lens and snapped several nice, clear pictures of these jerks zipping away from the scene. Beyond.ca member three33 created a post asking others to be on the lookout for a silver RSX that'd cracked up his buddy's car. In a masterstroke of serendipity, fellow forum member CalgaryDave (whose pix show up on Beyond as his friend TypeS - long story, explained here with more details) was just a little further back. Thinking quickly, CalgaryDave hopped out into the street and captured incriminating evidence that removes any chance of lying your way out of it. PWNED. Don't mess with the internet.
Four days ago we brought you in-depth coverage of Audi's publicity parade on Park Avenue, featuring the new R8 supercar, the R10 Le Mans racer and the 1938 Auto Union Type-D "Silver Arrow". The attention-grabbing event marked the North American debut of the R8 as well as the opening of Audi's new high-tech 6,400-square-foot "Forum" showroom on Park Avenue in mid-town Manhattan.
For your viewing pleasure we have for you today an impressive and dramatically-filmed video of the R8 making its way down Park Avenue, driven by none other than New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The video not only captures the finer details of Audi's new range-topping halo model, but the overall mood and atmosphere created by the high-octane spectacle.
Not only is this video definitely worth watching, but you'll probably go back to the start and watch it again (and think you're watching HBO).
Audi has been investing heavily into "the Audi experience", creating a brand identity revolving around and beyond its products. Now the company has joined the league of luxury automakers that offers a European delivery program.
European delivery programs offered by German and Swedish carmakers allow North American customers to fly to the factory in Europe to take delivery of their car personally. The option can save several thousand dollars off the price of the car, more than enough to pay for the trip. While there, customers can tour the factory, then drive their car around Europe before having it shipped back to North America. You get a cheap vacation in Europe and a cheaper car. In launching their own program, Audi joins Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Saab and Volvo in offering their customers the package.
Audi delivery starts at the Audi Forum showroom near the factory in Ingolstadt, Germany. In addition to receiving their new wheels in person directly from the factory, customers can tour the assembly line, the factory museum and other attractions at Audi HQ. The best part is you get to see what your new wheels can do flat out on the Autobahn!
Want to read more about European delivery? Try this article from About.com.
Recently a privileged video released without Mazda's permission was leaked onto the internet. In the video, a member of the Mazda National Dealer Advisory Council states, "Mazda is well aware of the negative impact on the scores caused by the RX-8 surveys. They agreed with us that the situation had to be changed. And so, effective July 1st, RX-8 will be continued to be included in the survey, but the scores will no longer be included in the results."
For some owners, the RX-8 has mechanical gremlins that continually occur (a complete list of service bulletins can be found here). Squeaky brakes, for instance, are one issue that has received three Technical Service Bulletins, according to zoom44, an administrator of the rx8club forum. Some owners never experience the issue while others have visited dealers several times to get it fixed. Other issues range from repeated engine flooding to reported cases of engine failure on certain models in hot climates. Whether these gremlins are caused by faulty design or poor service work is a hot debate on the RX-8 forums.
The tight community of RX-8 owners, however, supports each other in their quest to keep the Zoom-Zoom going. To help each other out, rx8club forum members have even begun a listing of Mazda dealerships at which owners have had both good and bad experiences having service work performed on their cars.
This video that has angered RX-8 owners happened to be seen by zoom44, who attempted repeatedly to get a response from Mazda concerning the statement. After several attempts and no reply, zoom44 decided to post a link on the rx8club forum to the video that's currently hosted on Google Video (though likely not for long).
Autoblog Podcast #83 was judiciously held back until after the embargo cleared, but we can now talk freely. The biggest news this week is the official unveiling of the 
Recently a privileged video released without Mazda's permission was leaked onto the internet. In the video, a member of the Mazda National Dealer Advisory Council states, "Mazda is well aware of the negative impact on the scores caused by the RX-8 surveys. They agreed with us that the situation had to be changed. And so, effective July 1st, RX-8 will be continued to be included in the survey, but the scores will no longer be included in the results."
BREAKING: GM and Chrysler talking about merger
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z again, with interior shots
2010 Mazda3 unveiled ahead of LA Auto Show
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z caught undisguised
GM on Corvette ZR1 cancellation rumor: "Not true."
Knight Rider: The Liveblog -- Season 1, Episode 3
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3, return of the "hummer"
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chevy Corvette Z06
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
Paris 2008: Le Day 1 Wrapup
