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Video: Impala crashes into Land Cruiser… to hide from a cheetah

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Videos, Toyota

What would you do if a wild animal jumped into your vehicle through an open window during an African safari? What if said animal was an impala being chased by cheetahs? Though the scenario seems unbelievable, that’s just what happened to a group of tourists in Kruger National Park in South Africa, and it was all caught on video.

With the tour groups stopped, a motorist with a video camera handy happens to catch the unlikely sight of a herd of impalas (not that kind of Impala) jumping over the tarmac while being followed, quickly of course, by two cheetahs. The feline predators thought they had cornered one impala and were closing in for the kill when it jumped through the open window of a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado – South Africa’s version of the Lexus GX. Fortunately for the occupants of said vehicle, the cheetahs did not follow.

A short while later, one of the occupants in the Toyota fearlessly opens a door to let the poor animal out. It must have been its lucky day, because the cheetahs didn’t take pursuit. Check out the circle life get interrupted by this traffic jam in the video below.

Continue reading Impala crashes into Land Cruiser… to hide from a cheetah

Impala crashes into Land Cruiser… to hide from a cheetah originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swedish design firm crafts Beach Cruiser fit for The Hamptons

Filed under: Concept Cars, Europe, Specialty, Luxury

2012 Gray Design Strand Craft Limousine Beach Cruiser

2012 Gray Design Strand Craft Limousine Beach Cruiser – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Strand Craft Limousine Beach Cruiser is designed to shuttle the super-wealthy from luxury suites to their favorite resort’s pristine beaches in as much comfort and style as money can buy. Cooked up by Swedish firm Gray Design, the Beach Cruiser is powered by a 6.0-liter, 400 horsepower Chevrolet V8 pushing grunt to all four wheels, so guests never have to wait too long before hitting the sand.

Inside, Gray Design decked the Strand Craft out with the last word in luxury appointments. The upholstery is Alcantara set off with brushed aluminum and chrome accents on the dash and console. Watchmaker Breitling, famed for its relationship with Bentley, handled the instrumentation, while Swarovski Crystal accents take the opulence to obscene levels.

The Beach Cruiser’s stereo is a 15-speaker 1100-watt Naim audio system, which Gray Design says keeps sound quality optimal even with the limo’s canvas roof open. Strand Craft is mum on what this super shuttle will retail for, but you know what they say…

Gallery: 2012 Gray Design Strand Craft Limousine Beach Cruiser

2012 Gray Design Strand Craft Limousine Beach Cruiser

[Source: Gray Design, Strand Craft]

Continue reading Swedish design firm crafts Beach Cruiser fit for The Hamptons

Swedish design firm crafts Beach Cruiser fit for The Hamptons originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 09 Apr 2011 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota’s unstoppable Land Cruiser turns 60

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Japan, Toyota, UK

Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser turns 60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The year was 1951 and Toyota was hard at work creating a new all-terrain vehicle for military use. After much development, the Toyota BJ was the result of the Japanese automaker’s hard work, and the go-anywhere SUV quickly established itself as a capable workhorse. In fact, it was the first vehicle to be driven to Mt. Fuji’s sixth hill station, a climb rising 2,500 meters. After that feat, the Toyota BJ was applied to police fleets around the country. Sixty years and a name change later, the Toyota Land Cruiser is still running strong around the world.

The Land Cruiser name was applied to the BJ in 1954 and five million of these tough trucks have now been sold around the world. Evolving from the beloved FJ through the 20 Series and on to the 200 Series, the Land Cruiser has gained a level of luxury far removed from its distant BJ ancestor. However, it remains a capable off-road vehicle suited for tackling whatever this planet can throw at it.

Turning 60 is a big deal and Toyota has created two 60th anniversary models of the 2011 Land Cruiser, though these special edition models are currently being built for the UK only. Essentially, the anniversary Land Cruisers are fully-loaded versions of the well-to-do SUV sporting special badging and trim pieces. Follow the jump for Toyota’s official press release.

Gallery: Toyota Land Cruiser turns 60

Toyota Land Cruiser BJ soft top Type 25 BJ Land Cruiser Toyota Land Cruiser 20 Series Toyota Land Cruiser 50 Series Toyota Land Cruiser 60 Series

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota’s unstoppable Land Cruiser turns 60

Toyota’s unstoppable Land Cruiser turns 60 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota debuts Army Green FJ Cruiser Trail Teams edition… in blue

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Toyota, Off-Road

Toyota FJ Cruiser

Toyota issued a press release recently to discuss the updates to the 2011 FJ Cruiser. The release goes on to highlight the all-new Trail Teams Special Edition FJ, which wears Army Green paint. The photo above was attached to the release and highlights something else: someone at Toyota might be color blind.

Tritanopia, a form of Blue-Yellow colorblindness, can cause some green colors to appear light blue to the affected viewer. We would love to show those of you with standard color vision a photo of the Army Green FJ but we don’t have one available.

For our readers with Tritanopia, check out the sweet new Trail Teams Special Edition FJ shown above.

Everyone, regardless of colors seen, can hop the jump to read about the updates on the 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser. They include an upgraded standard audio system, improved rearward visibility and a new design for the available 17-inch wheels.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota debuts Army Green FJ Cruiser Trail Teams edition… in blue

Toyota debuts Army Green FJ Cruiser Trail Teams edition… in blue originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Police cruiser cam catches 100-mph highway jump and crash

Filed under: Etc., Videos

Ohio highway crash

100-mph highway crash – Click above to watch the video after the jump

We can’t help but hold our breath whenever we see video of cars being wrecked at speed. Take this incident, for example, in which Brennan Eden, age 19, slams his Pontiac Firebird into the concrete pillar of an overpass while doing over 100 miles per hour. Oh, and this was after he slid into the median and sent the car airborne and sideways. You’d never think it from watching the video, but Eden managed to survive the crash after being ejected from the car and no other motorists were injured – what a relief.

The accident took place on Interstate 675 in Beavercreek, Ohio and was amazingly captured via a dash-mounted video camera inside a local police cruiser that Eden just happened to pass at the right time. This kid should go buy a lottery ticket after thanking his lucky stars for this one. See the full crash footage for yourself after the jump. Thanks for the inbox full of tips on this one, people!

[Source: WDTN]

Continue reading Video: Police cruiser cam catches 100-mph highway jump and crash

Video: Police cruiser cam catches 100-mph highway jump and crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next-gen PT Cruiser imagined despite car’s demise

Filed under: Hatchback, Chrysler

Next-gen PT Cruiser idea

Rendering of a next generation Chrysler PT Cruiser – Click above for high-res image gallery

The end of production of the Chrysler PT Cruiser prompted a reader at the Cheers and Gears forum to try his hand at rendering what could have been a next-generation edition of the retro hatchback. It’s often been said that following up a retro design is particularly difficult, though admittedly, BMW has managed to do so with the Mini.

The artist, Andrew Currie, has taken his cue from Mini by retaining the original PT’s basic shape, with the biggest changes applied to the nose. A larger grille with four round, exposed headlamps still retains the flavor of the outgoing model. If the design were applied to a more modern platform with an up-to-date powertrain and better handling, it’s certainly possible it could have been successful. The problem is that such designs tend to be fashion statements, and you know what they say about “One day you’re in …” In part, Mini’s success has come by expanding the concept to different body styles including the Clubman, Countryman and the upcoming coupe and roadster. It’s not clear that a single PT variant could do the job.

What do you think, could a new PT Cruiser with modern running gear still succeed? Let us know in our poll after the jump.

[Source: Sector 329 Graphics/Andrew Currie via Cheers and Gears]

Continue reading Next-gen PT Cruiser imagined despite car’s demise

Next-gen PT Cruiser imagined despite car’s demise originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked sketch shows upcoming power cruiser from Ducati

Ducati Power Cruiser sketch – Click above to enlarge

Close your eyes and think of a Ducati motorcycle. Got it? Good. What’s in your head? We’d guess something fast, beautiful and… red. That about right? Despite having roots firmly in the sportbike minefield, clearly the Italian motorcycle maker has its sights set on expanding its market share by entering into new and previously untapped markets. Evidence? We’ll call the Multistrada Exhibit A.

And this sketch is about as strong an Exhibit B as you’ll ever lay your eyes upon. Sometimes dubbed the Mega Monster by the motoring press, this sketch gives us an indication of what Ducati has up its corporate sleeves for the upcoming EICMA motorcycle show in Milan.

As you can see, a liquid-cooled Testastretta V-twin engine with the Multistrada 1200’s 11-degree valve overlap angle, which smooths out power and improves fuel efficiency. We’re expecting something over 150 horsepower in this application, and ride-by-wire and traction control will also be present. There’s also a single-sided swingarm holding an absolutely massive rear tire (spy shots indicate it’ll be a 240, but we’ll see), USD front forks and monobloc calipers up front.

Naturally, Ducati’s trademark trellis chassis is in full effect, in this case used for style and not really for substance. Ducati does indicate that the power cruiser will sport a reasonable 40-degree lean angle, but we have to wonder about the potential handling characteristics of a bike with a raked-out front end and wide-for-the-sake-of-style rear tire.

For what it’s worth, assuming this bike is what we think it is, this is not the first time a European motorcycle maker has decided to dip a toe in the cruiser market. Way back in 1998, BMW released its R 1200 C range, and while the bike was much more technologically advanced than anything else on the market at the time (fuel injection, ABS brakes, telelever front suspension, single-sided shaft drive, etc.), it failed to reach the kind of sales figures hoped for by the German marque. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out for Ducati in November.

[Source: Ducati.ms via Asphalt & Rubber]

Leaked sketch shows upcoming power cruiser from Ducati originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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