Autoblog

Kiwi ute drift goes all wrong, then all right

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:01:00 EST

A New Zealand man, for reasons only clear to himself, decides to attempt a Starsky & Hutch drift around a corner in a ute that can only kindly be described as vintage. With that opening, you're no doubt expecting the obligatory "of course it all goes wrong and he crashes."

And that, indeed, is what happens.

What he does next, though, is something straight out of a ridiculous Grand Theft Auto videogame scenario, and the payoff is terrific. See for yourselves in the video below.

Continue reading Kiwi ute drift goes all wrong, then all right

Kiwi ute drift goes all wrong, then all right originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulme CanAm supercars said to be struggling to find investors

Zach Bowman — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Earnings/Financials, Specialty

Hulme CanAm - Click above for high-res image gallery

It seems like every day, a new startup flashes a rendering on the interwebs claiming to be the next big thing in the automotive world. Maybe it's a mid-engine supercar or an all-electric savior that's come to deliver us from dino juice. Either way, only a handful of these ever make it from dream fodder to something that actually puts rubber to the pavement. Few know that better than the crew behind New Zealand's Hulme CanAm.

The car has been the stuff of Kiwi dreams for nearly eight years now, but according to Yahoo! Xtra Sport, a recent lack of funds may force the company behind it and its investors to reconsider the future. After failing to raise $5.2 million USD through an IPO for construction of a facility to build the CanAm and development of the car, Hulme is now forced to refund what money it did accumulate. Investors will be getting checks in the mail.

So what happens to the LS7-powered exotic? At this point, apparently no one knows. Hulme had attempted to raise its capital through New Zealand investors only, so it's entirely possible that the company will begin looking outside of the island nation for a little financial help. For now though, the ambitious project appears to be in serious trouble.

Gallery: Hulme CanAm

[Source: Yahoo! Xtra Sport]

Hulme CanAm supercars said to be struggling to find investors originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulme CanAm now available for order - Hurry, just 20 available

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Specialty

Hulme CanAm - Click above for high-res image gallery

Nearly four years after its debut, New Zealand-based Hulme Supercars has finally opened up the order books for the CanAm, but if you want one, you had better move fast. Hulme will build only 20 examples of the CanAm and they are going on a first come, first serve basis. To get on the order list, prospective customers will have to submit a £10,000 fully refundable deposit (that's around $14,400 at current exchange rates). Production of the CanAm won't start until the fall of 2011 and Hulme will hold a private showing and test drive sometime before the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Hulme will put the deposits in a trust account that will be returned for any prospective customers that decide to cancel. For those that decide to take delivery, the $700,000+ purchase price includes two business class tickets to Auckland, New Zealand for final fitting of the car and some local driving time. Once the customer is satisfied, the car will get shipped to its final destination.

Gallery: Hulme CanAm

[Source: Hulme Supercars]

Continue reading Hulme CanAm now available for order - Hurry, just 20 available

Hulme CanAm now available for order - Hurry, just 20 available originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hero or Villain? Kiwi bandit filling "boy racer" exhausts with expanding foam

Dan Roth — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:59:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Humor

BRRRAAAAP! It's music to the ears of a subset of car nuts. Noisy exhaust setups are hardly a new phenomenon, but the fashion for mufflers that intentionally buzz as much as possible is a more recent development in the pantheon of annoying things others do. Exasperation with the muffler rap has led a New Zealand vigilante to start terrorizing cars equipped with what he or she describes as "boy-racer exhausts" in a written manifesto sent to the Marlborough Express.

Using the handle "Phantom Expander," the self-righteous vandal has taken to filling the tailpipes of offending cars with self-expanding foam. So far, the four-hour set time of the foam has been the saving grace for the Phantom's victims, most of whom have been able to clear the exhausts before the intended plug has dried. Vehicles with fully clogged exhausts will not start, and repairs could get expensive if other components are damaged.

For now, the foam bandit roams free, but it's only a matter of time before someone gets caught with a can of "Great Stuff" in their hand. Will it be the constabulary or a car owner that catches them? For the foamer's sake, it might be best to get nabbed by the police so that they can keep all of their teeth.

[Source: Stuff.co.nz]

Hero or Villain? Kiwi bandit filling "boy racer" exhausts with expanding foam originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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