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Video: Repo Games reality show gives debtors chance to win their pink slips

Filed under: Videos

repo games trailer

Repo Games trailer – Click above to watch the video after the jump

We’ve never had a car repossessed, but we imagine it’s a painful ordeal. That doesn’t mean that it won’t make a great game show, however, as the producers of Jersey Shore have created Repo Games. The premise is simple; real repo guys are taking real cars, but with a twist. If a vehicle owner/contestant answers three out of five questions correctly, the vehicle isn’t towed, and the winner gets to keep the vehicle outright.

Spike TV, which will air the show, says that people from all walks of life sometimes have trouble making their car payments. Still, we’re guessing that many of the show’s contestants will be hard-luck types. Hit the jump to watch the three-minute promo video. Many of the questions from the clip appear to be absurdly simple, though the answers aren’t always that easy to come by.

[Source: EW via YouTube]

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Video: Repo Games reality show gives debtors chance to win their pink slips originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virginia offering you the chance to name your own rest stop?

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

Virginia freeway rest stop The beautiful state of Virginia is reportedly looking to offset some of the $20 million it costs to operate and maintain its 42 rest stops, and perhaps you can help. NBC Washington reports that the state is selling the naming rights to each of the stops to help raise revenue needed to keep the facilities open.

Former Governor Tim Kaine apparently closed 19 of the facilities back in 2009 as a cost-cutting measure, but current Governor Bob McDonnell re-opened the structures eight months ago, promising to find other ways to raise the needed money. Also being discussed is the idea of using prison labor for maintenance. Somewhere, somehow Warden Norton is pleased.

Meanwhile, we’re wondering whether “Autoblog: Obsessively Covering This Rest Stop” has a ring to it. Let us know what you’d name a Virginia rest area in Comments.

[Source: NBC Washington | Image: Virginia Department of Transportation]

Virginia offering you the chance to name your own rest stop? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Bob Lutz gives Lotus a 60% chance of success

Filed under: Lotus

Bob Lutz in front of reporters

If anyone knows about turning things around, it’s Bob Lutz. After all, he was a naval aviator, and those guys can pull some serious G forces. He’s also widely credited with keeping Chrysler alive for longer than it might have been otherwise. But what’s he up to these days?

Well for one thing he’s sitting on the senior advisory board for Lotus, giving Dany Bahar and company some guidance as they endeavor to usher the House that Colin Built into a new era. And an ambitious endeavor it is, rolling out five new models all at once while expanding its motorsports program tenfold and then some.

So what does Lutz think of Lotus’ chances? Well he’s optimistic, but cautiously so. Lutz reportedly gives the prospects at least a 60 percent chance to succeed, but importantly, he thinks it’s more viable than the company’s current path. According to Lutz, “It’s a risk. But I’m quite certain it stands a better chance than the Lotus status quo, which for sure would eventually lead this great brand into terminal decline.”

In other words, while there are no guarantees, it’s a good plan – not a perfect one – and it’ll take some good ol’ fashion elbow grease to make it work – something Lutz knows all about.

[Source: Autocar | Image: Stan Honda/AFP]

Report: Bob Lutz gives Lotus a 60% chance of success originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRacing star gets chance to try real thing at Road Atlanta

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Toys/Games, Racing

Most people would love a chance to show their stuff behind the wheel of racecar. Problem is, most people probably wouldn’t be any good at actually driving one. We can all try to hone our skills through the use of racing simulators, but just how much can they actually teach you without the visceral feedback and life-or-death consequences that you can only get from real life? Apparently, they can teach us plenty. One person in particular, who goes by the name Greger Huttu, got to put his virtual racing prowess to the test.

Greger Huttu hails from Vaasa, Finland, where he can be found spending putting a lot of time into the iRacing simulator. Huttu is not just good at the game, he utterly dominates it. For the last six years, he’s turned 2,581 laps and led for 2,339 of them. He’s won every race from the pole position, including the iRacing World Championship that netted him a cool $10,000. Still… he’s never actually driven a real racecar, and the folks at Top Gear were curious to see if he actually could.

Top Gear flew Huttu out to Road Atlanta – one of America’s toughest tracks – and stuck him in a Star Mazda racer. Both the track and the car are familiar to Huttu because he’s experienced both in the iRacing simulator. How did he do? Quite frankly, he did amazingly well. Entering corners at 100 miles per hour, which is just 10 mph shy of where experience drivers come in, Huttu was able to rip off clean lap after clean lap and eventually came within three seconds of what the experts consider a solid time at Road Atlanta.

The difference between a professional driver and a professional simulator driver soon became apparent, however, as Greger Huttu’s body began to be affected by the G forces. The pros work hard to stay fit for a reason, and the toll on Huttu resulted in a helmet full of vomit. Though he wanted to continue, Huttu had to eventually throw in the towel because his body could take no more.

Still, his accomplishments are pretty remarkable and suggest that a good simulator can indeed prepare the armchair racer for a car and a circuit. Head over to Top Gear to get the full scoop on Huttu and his real-life racing adventure.

[Source: Top Gear]

iRacing star gets chance to try real thing at Road Atlanta originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leave a Facebook comment, win a Top Gear prize pack: Last Chance!

Is your DVR set? Are you inviting people over? What plans do you have to watch the premier of Top Gear USA tomorrow (10PM EST/9C on the HISTORY Channel)? While you’re thinking about it, why don’t you spread the word about our last Top Gear prize pack to give away and enter yourself. The winner will receive a prize pack worth $200 that includes a Top Gear-branded remote-controlled car, Top Gear-branded Auto Roadside Kit and History Channel fleece.

In order to enter, simply “Like” the Autoblog Facebook page (if you already have, thanks), then check the FB page in a few minutes for this post to appear on our Wall (it’s live now!). Once it’s live, leave a comment on that Facebook post (here’s the link again) to enter the giveaway. Feel free to “Like” the post itself so your Facebook friends can see the giveaway, and remember to allow direct messages in your Facebook privacy settings. So no one gets confused, we’ve turned off commenting on this post since only a comment on the Facebook post will earn you an entry.

To enter giveaway #3:

“Like” the Autoblog Facebook page. Leave a comment on the Facebook entry titled “Leave a Facebook comment, win a Top Gear prize pack: Last Chance!”
You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the U.S. only.
Limit 1 entry per person.
The entry period ends at 2:30PM ET on Sunday, November 21.
At that time, we’ll select 1 winner from the eligible commenters to receive a Top Gear USA prize pack valued at $200 that includes a Top Gear-branded remote-controlled car, Top Gear-branded Auto Roadside Kit and History Channel fleece.
Make sure your Facebook privacy settings allow for direct messages to receive notification in the event you win.
Standard giveaway rules apply for everything else.

Leave a Facebook comment, win a Top Gear prize pack: Last Chance! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By the Numbers: Your statistical chance of dying in an unrepaired recalled Toyota

Filed under: Safety, Lexus, Toyota

Lexus Safety Experience

Lexus Safety Experience – Click above for high-res image gallery

Toyota has recalled and fixed over five million cars. The entire Toyota and Lexus lineup will feature the company’s new Smart-Stop brake override system for the 2011 model year. Yet the automaker still faces criticism that it builds unsafe vehicles. Will driving an unfixed Toyota lead to your death? Not likely.

According to The Detroit News, a panel of experts was recently dispatched to study the causes of sudden acceleration. In its research, the panel found that the current risk of dying in a traffic accident is rated at 1.05 deaths for every 100 million miles traveled. If you drive a Toyota product, which has bit repaired been fixed as part of the recall, the rate rises modestly to 1.07 deaths. Statistically speaking, that’s one Toyota recall-related death for every five billion miles of driving. Toyota has fixed over 60 percent of the vehicles in the recall and they don’t appear to be slowing down.

We’ve heard many a borderline-hysterical comment from readers stating that they would rather walk than risk driving a vehicle made by Toyota. If you do that, statistics suggest you are 19 times more likely to die. Mile for mile, the risk of walking alongside the road is that much higher than driving on it. Just sayin’.

Gallery: Lexus Safety Experience

Lexus RX 350 at the Lexus Safety Experience

Photos by Drew Phillips/Copyright 2010 (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: The Detroit News]

By the Numbers: Your statistical chance of dying in an unrepaired recalled Toyota originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IndyCar offers fans a chance to design 2012 aero kits

Filed under: Motorsports, Design/Style

2012 IndyCar Concepts – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Indy Racing League announced a “new”chassis for the 2012 season, but left open the possibility for other companies to design the “clothes” that chassis will wear. The hope was that some new names will enter the running if the teams only have to spend development dollars on the aero bits rather than designing and building a whole car. So far names like Boeing, Honda and Lotus have been mentioned, but there could be dozens of entries by the time the 2012 season starts. Would you like to add your own name to that list? The IRL has posted several renderings of the new Indy Safety Cell and is allowing you to post your designs in a gallery for all the world to see. The top design could make some hitherto unknown graphic artist famous.

You can click over to the IndyCar website to get more details or check out our gallery to download the renderings and get started on your 2012 IndyCar. The basic chassis will still be built by Dallara, which is going to open a new plant right alongside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It will be sold to teams for a fraction of what the current chassis costs, but the teams will also have to buy a new engine and bodywork to complete the package. The whole setup will still cost teams far less than in the past, with the hopes that more businesses will find it affordable to enter the 2012 IRL championship… and save open-wheel U.S. racing in the process.

Gallery: 2012 IndyCar aero kit concepts

[Source: Indy Racing League]

IndyCar offers fans a chance to design 2012 aero kits originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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