Autoblog

Art and automobiles share an uneasy crossroads. Automotive body design is certainly art, but the expression tends to be curtailed by the demands of commerce. Design a car that leans too far towards pure art, and the market will reject it. The symbiosis of needs has served the automotive industry well for the past century. On the fringes are the folks who perpetrate art for art's sake against the automobile. Most of these works are less accessible, though sometimes, there's a consociation that successfully melds higher concept art with the automobile. We're not talking about growing grass on your Riviera here.

British artist Benedict Radcliffe has created a full size rendering of a Toyota Corolla, making the world a more surreal place. The work is essentially a line drawing of the car rendered in three dimensions. Cool. Radcliffe's previous wireframe Impreza was more in line with the pure art mindset, as the Corolla was commissioned for use in a video production. The white painted sculpture lends the photographs a surreal retouched look, and we're kind of bummed we weren't able to turn up the actual commercial, as the couple of shots of the car on set look impressive with the reflective black floor. We can't help but wonder what they chromakeyed behind it, too.

[Source: Skirmisher.org]

Not long after announcing the largest vehicle recall in Chinese history, Honda announced today that it won't be leaving the U.S. out of its recall roundup. The Japanese automaker revealed a new recall for the United States that affects 165,000 vehicles that could develop engine problems from a sealer material that may leak onto wires in the engine and cause them to snap. Multiple complaints about the problem have been filed at Honda HQ, though none have led to crashes or injuries.

The affected vehicles include the 2005 Acura RL, TL and TSX, the entire 2005 Honda Accord lineup (include the Accord Hybrid), 2005 Honda Odyssey and 2006 Honda Ridgeline. There are other recalls being announced in various markets around the world for the same problem, but Honda declined to reveal how large the scope of this recall is in raw numbers. Clearly, though, this is the same issue that sparked the giant recall in China. So, in total, we know this engine problem accounts for a recall affecting at least 693,406 vehicles wordwide, but likely more.

If you think your vehicle is affected, you can call Honda at (800) 999-1009 for more information.

[Source: Detroit News]