Autoblog

It may be difficult to tell from the pictures, but this used to be a Ferrari F430 Spider. That was until its driver, baby on board, managed to total the car on the A58 highway in Holland.

Miraculously, both the driver and his child were spared their lives, despite bring thrown outside the car during the accident. We hope that when he goes to replace the Ferrari, this guy gets something a little more manageable with a back bench where he can properly strap down a child seat. Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, perhaps?

[Source: Brabants Dagblad via Carscoop]

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Close your eyes, we're going to play a little automotive word association. Just one round. Think of "malaria" – now what vehicle are you associating with the unfortunate disease? It could only be the Land Rover Defender, the go-anywhere, no-nonsense sport-ute that has probably traveled more malarial swamps and barren deserts than any other vehicle in history. Granted most marketing firms would not recommend that their clients associating their product with a debilitating disease, but this marketing association is geared towards raising funds to eliminate the disease. That's good.

Land Rover Netherlands has teamed up with designer Piet Boon to produce a limited edition Defender. The Dutch designer has added some minimalist details to the truck, equipped with LR's 2.4-liter turbodiesel, in return for €56,900, a portion of which goes towards the Drive Against Malaria foundation. Like the previous Piet Boon Edition of the Range Rover Sport, only 15 will be made available, so if malaria is your cause, you live in Holland, and you're in the market for a new truck, we'd like to meet you better get yours now.

[Source: Piet Boon Design via Land Rover Owner International]

We already know that overseas, police cars are not the full-size cruisers we have patrolling our highways in America. But come on, there's a limit.

This Fiat 500, all decked out in police striping and with a little flashing light on the roof, was snapped while parading around Amsterdam with the Dutch police. Unfortunately, the text that came out of the online translator was about as intelligible as a tourist swaggering out of an Amsterdam "coffee shop", but as far as we can tell the car was used purely for demonstration purposes, much like Scotland Yard has displayed constabulary-striped supercars and F1 racers, before the law-enforcement markings were removed and the car went back to civilian duty.

It's a far cry from the Spyker C8 or the BMW M3 that the Dutch police showed recently, but this 500 just looks so darned eager to serve and protect, doesn't it?

[Source: AutoWeek.nl]

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In Europe, no niche remains unaddressed, it seems. Business owners looking for a hottish-looking ride in their delivery vehicles were offered the Transit SportVan earlier this year by Ford. It combined the utility of the Transit with the optics of a Focus ST, what with its Performance Blue paint, snowflake-pattern rims, and Le Mans stripes. We're sure the 500 owners who scored one of the limited-edition trucks are pleased with their selections. Ford isn't alone in addressing this segment, however.

In the Netherlands, Opel has gotten into the game with the Vivaro VPC. The Vivaro is, like the Transit, a panel van. Apparently, GM sees an opportunity to sell 100 tricked-out versions (at € 34,900 each) to Dutch commercial customers who wish to make their delivery rounds in something more sporty-looking than the average panel. It comes in the same blue paint used on the Opel OPC cars, rolls on OPC wheels, and wears a full appearance package including color-matched everything, an aggressive front fascia with intrgrated foglights, and dual, trapezoid-shaped exhaust exits in the rear. The VPC moniker is the final, and most obvious, hat tip to the OPC performance wing of the car division. A 2.5L CDTi turbodiesel with 143 horses supplies the power, and it's mated to a 6-speed manual. As for the driver, the cab's no penalty box either, as evidenced by two-tone leather and Alcantara Recaro sport seats that look as if they've been pilfered from a GT1 car. Delivering goods has never been so good.

[Source: Opel via Autoblog Spanish]

When an ad agency supporting Chrysler's Netherlands Market Performance Center created a viral ad for the Dodge Nitro that depicted a dog being electrocuted by the vehicle, they were so smitten with their work that they decided to put it on YouTube. The timing of the spot couldn't be any worse here in the US, where dog cruelty is making front page news. Chrysler execs in Auburn Hills, MI were quick to pull the ad from YouTube and go into damage control, as Chrysler spokesman Jason Vines called the spot "far beyond the bounds of what the company considers appropriate". Vines also pointed out that viral marketing in Europe is a little more over the top than it is here in the States, and anybody that has seen some of the old Ford KA internet spots knows that sort of insensitivity wouldn't float here. What surprises us is that any multinational automaker can air advertising without at least one high-ranking executive looking at it first.

[Source: Auto News (subscription req'd)]

Honda may have dropped the "BAR" from its name following the full acquisition of the team, but Spyker is planning on picking it up again. Fellow Dutch companies Spyker and Heineken have announced a deal they've got brewing to open an F1 sports bar in the Netherlands. The agreement will also see Heineken served exclusively at all Spyker trackside events, although no mention was made of any sponsor's logos appearing on the car.

Not much is known about what the bar will look like, or where it will be specifically located, but assuming they want to get in on the euphoric bar scene in Holland, it won't be in The Hague. Looks like we'll have one more place to head to in Amsterdam, fellas.

Full press release after the jump.

[Source: Spyker]

This particular nugget came from our sibling site Engadget, which reported on the "multimedia car radio of the future."

In conjunction with a few select partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) is developing an entertainment system that will feature "built-in satellite radio and generous timeshifting functionality" too. It comes via a special antenna that will likely become a factory-installed option on certain vehicles. It's described as a "flattened mobile antenna integrated into the bodywork," that will pick up "Ku" band signals already used by communications satellites.

Obviously, using existing satellites makes this much cheaper and more feasible. The best bit, however, and the part that makes this different than current US satellite radio services, is that the service will include timeshifting. You know, just like TiVo. The ability to listen at a later time. It is likely that the service will feature a "cache or hard drive-based system" so listeners can pause or rewind broadcasts. Not a lot of other details right now, but word has it you might spot a prototype system mounted in a BMW if you happen to be near the Noordwijk Space Expo in the Netherlands.

[Source: Orbitcast via Engadget]

Following DaimlerChrysler's announcement that it will be stopping production of the SMART ForFour sedan, partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has stated it will end production at the company's Netherlands plant as well. The Japanese automaker still plans to manufacturer engines for DCX's SMART two-seaters.

Both companies have not yet determined when will be the last day of production. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun states, though, that Mitsubishi will be seeking financial compensation for DCX's abrupt termination of their partnership in the ForFour.

[Source: Nihon Keizai Shimbun via AFX News Limited via Forbes]