Autoblog

Police dash cams catch crook driving stolen cop car

George Kennedy — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:02:00 EST

This past Friday, police officers form the unfortunately named White Settlement, TX responded to a break-in at an antique store. The police arrived to catch Darren Porter in the act, arrested him, and put him in secure custody in the back of a cruiser... or so they thought.

In a scene more fitting of a lost episode of Dukes of Hazzard, Porter was somehow able to roll down back window of the Crown Vic and let himself out. All officers on the scene were still in the antique store, so with no one around, Porter decided to help himself to the driver's seat of his former place of captivity. From there, he embarked on a joyride with the cruiser.

Porter was off, with the local smokies none the wiser. Unfortunately for Porter and his getaway plans, his hands were still cuffed, and he was unable to keep control of the car. He eventually blew out a tire, drove off of the road, and fled when the car was no longer drivable.

Incredibly, the cache of firearms in the trunk was never accessed, but Porter is still at large. The video below should come as a warning to local law enforcement.

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Mercedes techs taking C63 AMG Coupe Black Series for joyride caught on video

Dave Pankew — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series is a whole lotta car. Not only is the name a mouthful, but the 510-horsepower German rocket can be a handful too, well, in the wrong hands. This wouldn't be the first time we've seen techs or valets getting their kicks behind the wheel of a vehicle that doesn't belong to them, but it seems some employees at one Ottawa-area dealer didn't get the memo.

Our tipster claims that a couple rogue techs at a dealership called Star Motors (formerly Carling Motors) decided to take out one of the 30 existing Black Series in Canada for a joyride. While we agree that some test drives of performance cars should be spirited to find performance-related problems, it's pretty clear these guys just wanted some kicks behind the wheel of this $115,000+ Autobahn assassin.

For over eight minutes they negotiate the streets of Ottawa near the Hunt Club Road dealership, breaking all kinds of laws, risking property and injury in the process. The police would gladly impound this Black Series for some of these speeds, and MB enthusiasts would gladly slap these guys in the face for redlining the motor for so long.

Why any tech would post this on YouTube is beyond us, as they're are only asking to be fired. The Internet has moved in for some e-justice and MBWorld.com has been set ablaze with nasty comments on the matter. Not only did they identify the location of the dealership, they have also sent the video, the original of which was removed from YouTube but then re-uploaded by a forum member, to Mercedes-Benz Canada HQ and are hard at work trying to find the possible owner to show him what's been done to his car pre-delivery. Check out the video by scrolling down.

Continue reading Mercedes techs taking C63 AMG Coupe Black Series for joyride caught on video

Mercedes techs taking C63 AMG Coupe Black Series for joyride caught on video originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thief steals Porsche 911, does donuts in police parking lot [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Humor

What is thought to be a band of thieves broke into eight cars at a park-and-ride lot in Salem, New Hampshire. Then it is thought they went next door to Cars, Inc. and stole a Mercedes-Benz, a Land Rover and a 2003 Porsche 911. The Mercedes and Land Rover getaway drivers reportedly went on about their business quietly. The Porsche driver, on the other hand, decided to flaunt what he got: at 2 a.m. he drove eight miles over the border to Methuen, Massachusetts, pulled into the local police station and did donuts in their front lot.

But wait, there's more: he took off, entertained himself for two hours, then went back to the police station at 4 a.m. and whipped up a few more hot, rubbery circles. A police cruiser was on scene and gave chase, but the 911 pilot got away.

A little later in Lawrence, MA, two miles from Methuen, someone called police to report a rolled 911. The stolen wheels were recovered, the thief in question was not. We have no doubt the Methuen PD - once the screaming stops - is preparing to put that Porsche through a forensic and DNA investigation that would make CSI proud. Scroll down for the news report from WHDH.

Continue reading Thief steals Porsche 911, does donuts in police parking lot [w/video]

Thief steals Porsche 911, does donuts in police parking lot [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AdSpotting: Kia "Joyride II" is warm, fuzzy and memorable

David Kiley — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:58:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Crossover, Kia, Humor

Kia Joyride II - Click above to watch the video after the break

Company: Kia Motors America

Brand: Kia

Medium: TV

Ad Agency: David & Goliath

Product: 2012 Kia Sorento

Campaign: "Joyride II"

What We Like: It's getting pretty hard to stand out. Seriously... another crossover? Kia has established a signature sound, look and feel for its ads. This ad, in fact, is a sequel to a TV ad that ran last year, and scored well with consumers. And anyone who knows anything about advertising will tell you that establishing a recognizable ad signature is very important if a brand wants to have an ongoing dialogue with car shoppers. Agency David & Goliath has done a really nice job the last two years of creating a presence on the airwaves for Kia. The ads are silly, of course. But they are fun to watch, and give you the idea that this is a premium outfitted vehicle with a decent interior and all the connectivity you really need. Lots of brands struggle with what they want to say and be. Kia is not one of them.

What We Don't Like: It's guilty pleasure, like actually opening the link of the kitten video one of your friends posted on Facebook.

Strategy: Over here! Over here! Notice me! Pay attention! When I come on the screen, pause and watch. Don't get a soda, or go to the john! Kia's vehicles have come a long way. The Optima, for example, is a huge surprise and for our money is actually better fitted out than its Korean cousin - the Hyundai Sonata. Kia's problems are two-fold: It still lags in third party quality rankings from outfits like J.D. Power and Associates, and it is not getting enough serious consideration from people who have decent credit scores.

Seriously, why else would you turn to hamsters and stuffed animals in commercials? It's to be remembered, and liked, especially by female buyers. After these ads run, online searches for Kia go up, and that's exactly the point of the exercise.

Grade: A-

Watch the commercial after the jump and give it your own grade below.

View Poll

Continue reading AdSpotting: Kia "Joyride II" is warm, fuzzy and memorable

AdSpotting: Kia "Joyride II" is warm, fuzzy and memorable originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dumb: Top speed runs on public roads. Dumber: Uploading them to YouTube

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:59:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Australia, Motorcycle

Click above to see "Canberra Joyride" parts one and two

Remember the guy who took his Lamborghini up to 219 mph on an Arizona highway? A Canberra, Australia man has done the same thing with his Kawasaki ZX-750, filming himself blasting up to 200 km/h (124 mph), sometimes in 60 km/h (37 mph) zone, and called it "Canberra Joyride," part of which is set to, of all things, P.O.D. Then he uploaded the video to YouTube and probably waited for the viewers to gush all over themselves.

It turns out that some of the viewers were the Canberra police. And they didn't gush; they performed their own top-speed hunt-and-capture mission and charged the man with doing 200 in a 60. We've all broken a law or two, but guys, a word of advice: filming high-speed runs is like filming your conjugal activities... not to be done. If you must, keep it on lockdown like D-Block at Folsom. Otherwise... well, you should know by now what happens. Follow the jump to check out the action for yourself. At the end of one video a caption reads "More videos coming soon." Those will probably be from the yard...

[Source: Paul Tan]

Continue reading Dumb: Top speed runs on public roads. Dumber: Uploading them to YouTube

Dumb: Top speed runs on public roads. Dumber: Uploading them to YouTube originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China's BYD Auto takes Jalopnik on Cobo Center joyride

Alex Nunez — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:53:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, Sedan, China, Green

BYD's Wang Chanfu and Jalopnik's Matt Hardigree say hi to the ALMS folks

Jalopnik's Matt Hardigree was minding his own business, speaking to representatives of China's BYD Auto following the company's Detroit Auto Show presser yesterday. BYD had just unviled its F6 DM, a dual-mode hybrid sedan. Discussions turned to taking the car on a brief ceremonial "test drive" that involved moving it a few feet with Matt riding shotgun. As company reps sprang into action, the chairman himself got behind the wheel -- and then it got interesting. You see, what was supposed to be a few feet turned into a not-particularly-legal drive through the show floor. The photo you see above shows BYD Auto chairman Wang Chanfu driving Matt through the ALMS press conference that was in progress at the time. A full firsthand account is posted at Jalopnik, and it is hilarious. Read it here.

[Source: Jalopnik]

China's BYD Auto takes Jalopnik on Cobo Center joyride originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why some folks don't trust valets

Alex Nunez — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Etc., Supercars, Lamborghini

You have a hot car. Your wallet is fat and you go places where self-parking is generally a foreign concept. When you have a Lamborghini Gallardo, the valet you toss the keys to will probably move it around six inches and leave it out front as eye candy for other arrivals. The risk, of course, is that said valet is an idiot who thinks Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a documentary and respects neither you nor your car.

That appears to be the mentality of "skory15," a valet and poster at LS1GTO.com who bragged about how he took someone's Gallardo out for a joyride without permission. You see, he had to, because it had been parked in front of his valet stand all day, "taunting him." A short time after he had done so, the owner came out, felt the engine cover, and confronted him. "Skory" lied about what he had done (he said he only "took it to the lot and back"), and the unwitting owner thanked him for being "honest." "Skory" then gave him free valet parking for the evening, thinking that made him some kind of hero.

More after the jump. Thanks to those who sent tips.

[Source: LS1GTO.com]

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Why some folks don't trust valets originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aussie boys borrow grandma's ride, hit the road

Chris Paukert — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 14:03:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Government/Legal

A pair of young Australian brothers who were apparently over eager to see their grandfather decided to clandestinely borrow their grandmother's red Holden Commodore on Sunday and set out to find him. The two boys drove around 60 miles, none of which would be news if the boys weren't ages 10 and six.

To their eternal credit, the two appear to be decent drivers-- they reportedly weren't driving erratically, and were only pulled over by police after some truckers had tipped off police. Once pursuing police flicked on their lights, the boys dutifully pulled over, then hopped in the back seat, ostensibly to make like they had been passengers the entire time.

Interestingly, the authorities spoke with the boys' relatives, and no further repercussions are planned.

[Sources: The Herald Sun; Bamca.org]

Aussie boys borrow grandma's ride, hit the road originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Jun 2006 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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