fun Archives | AutoDepot

ETC: Mini pokes fun at Anthony Weiner using fake Twitter account

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Mini, Humor

Mini, never one to pass on a marketing opportunity, has pounced on the plight of embattled New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, who seems to have an issue with sending pictures of his genitals to young women. Observers will notice that this is the second time the unfortunately named Mr. Weiner has been in the spotlight for his picture messages.

Capitalizing on Weiner’s alias, Carlos Danger, Mini has created an account on Twitter – @CarlosDMotor. With a note on the profile page listing “Danger” as the account’s middle name, it’s sent out just one tweet, containing the message, “Wanna get your hands on my stick?” Attached to the Tweet is a scantily clad Mini Cooper S, with a towel around its “waist” snapping a picture. Too soon? To borrow the brilliant pun from AdWeek, the “auto erotica” was the idea of Mini’s marketing agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners. Click below for the full tweet.

Continue reading Mini pokes fun at Anthony Weiner using fake Twitter account

Mini pokes fun at Anthony Weiner using fake Twitter account originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Jul 2013 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “ETC: Mini pokes fun at Anthony Weiner using fake Twitter account”

It’s been fun, Autoblog…

Filed under: Etc.

Kawasaki GPz 750

Carter Edman recently wrote something for the ever-excellent Ride Apart that neatly sums up the allure of the motorcycle. The piece was an open letter to those fine people who love nothing more than to regale riders with every horror story they’ve ever heard about a bike, and while the text is littered with plenty of “hell yes!” moments for those of us with a pair of riding gloves to our name, one paragraph in particular struck me dead on.

You want to know what’s truly dangerous? Not taking any risks. Hanging out with like-minded middle-of-the-roaders. Absorbing the same brain-ossifying shit from media factories every day. Jogging. Putting helmets, flotation devices, and auto-deploy epi-pens on your kids every time they leave the house. Passivity. Not paying attention to where your car, or your life, or your country is going.

How true. How many of us wake up, fall into our routine, fall back asleep and repeat the process the next day? For me, the best part of riding a motorcycle, aside from the excellent hair that accompanies a three-hour ride, is the challenge. It’s more than a risk. Every time I jump on the bike, it teaches me something about control, patience, grip and momentum. I’ve been riding for over three years now, and grabbing the handlebars requires no less focus now than it did on day one. Every ride has the potential to serve up a situation that puts me out of my comfort zone, and for that, I love it.

Edman’s words are heavy on my mind, as this marks my final post on Autoblog.

After three years of driving some of the most interesting cars on the planet, meeting and working with a slew of talented people and writing day in and day out, I’m leaving to join the madness at Road & Track. Autoblog has been the best working experience of my life, and the chance to interact with this site’s army of dedicated readers has been a legitimate honor. But it’s time to take the next risk. It’s been fun.

It’s been fun, Autoblog… originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “It’s been fun, Autoblog…”

Videos: Mini has some fun with the Countryman WRC

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Mini

mini countryman wrc

Mini takes the Countryman WRC out for some spins – Click above to watch video after the jump

Mini is excited to get back to rally racing, and its hoping the new Countryman WRC will be a good tool for the job. The automaker has been all over the place to show off its pumped-up racer, and, thankfully for us, cameras were brought along the whole way.

We have five videos waiting for you after the jump. In the first three, driver Kris Meeke does his best Ken Block impersonation by tackling a mini (or is that Mini?) Gymkhana course. The other two videos show a bit of Mini’s racing history and give a look at the official launch of the Countryman WRC.

[Source: Youtube]

Continue reading Videos: Mini has some fun with the Countryman WRC

Videos: Mini has some fun with the Countryman WRC originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Videos: Mini has some fun with the Countryman WRC”

Video: Vicki from Fifth Gear takes BMW’s M3 GTS out for some fun in the rain

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, BMW, Racing

Vicki Butler-Henderson in the BMW M3 GTS

2011 BMW M3 GTS – Click above to view video after the jump

Vicki Butler-Henderson has driven her fair share of amazing cars. She started racing karts when she was a kid, has been an instructor at Silverstone and has been a TV host and automotive journalist since the mid-1990s. Suffice it to say, it takes a lot to impress Ms. Butler-Henderson.

As the following video shows, the 2011 BMW M3 GTS managed to do just that. She describes exactly what she loves about the GTS while hooning its wheels off around a very wet, very slippery test track, and between guttural sounds and breathless description, Butler-Henderson points out that the M3 GTS’s prodigious power, phenomenal brakes and telepathic steering make it “an amazing, amazing car.” Click past the jump to check out the footage for yourself.

Gallery: BMW M3 GTS

[Source: Fifth Gear via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Vicki from Fifth Gear takes BMW’s M3 GTS out for some fun in the rain

Video: Vicki from Fifth Gear takes BMW’s M3 GTS out for some fun in the rain originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Vicki from Fifth Gear takes BMW’s M3 GTS out for some fun in the rain”

Video: Drifting BMW i3 proves rear-wheel drive cars have more fun

Filed under: Europe, Videos, Hatchback, BMW, Electric

2013 BMW i3

2013 BMW i3 – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Footage from cold-weather testing of the BMW i3 in Sweden has surfaced, showcasing the all-electric city car’s rear-wheel-drive platform and penchant for getting sideways. These are still early tests, as the full production i3 isn’t expected to be ready until 2013.

Still, with 150 horsepower on tap from a rear-mounted electric lump, the little BMW could well be a barrel of laughs, as well as an environmentally-responsible mode of transportation. Of course, we wouldn’t expect much range with these kinds of antics…

The BMW i3 sports an aluminum body around a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic passenger compartment, and will be considered a premium micro car when it hits showrooms. How premium? Expect the price tag to creep past $40,000. See how much fun electric drifting can be in the video after the break.

[Source: YouTube via GMotors]

Continue reading Video: Drifting BMW i3 proves rear-wheel drive cars have more fun

Video: Drifting BMW i3 proves rear-wheel drive cars have more fun originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Drifting BMW i3 proves rear-wheel drive cars have more fun”

Video: Dodge commercial pokes fun at Snowpocalypse

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Dodge

2011 Dodge all wheel drive vehicle drives by other cars stuck in the snow

2011 Dodge all-wheel drive commercial – click above to watch the video

All-wheel drive is available in the 2011 Dodge Charger, Journey and Durango, and with all of the widespread snow this winter, Chrysler is hoping you’ll want every edge you can get.

To get the word out about its all-wheel drive lineup, Dodge is running a new TV commercial that pokes fun at the typically panicked behavior that ensues whenever the weather report calls for snow. After the local grocery stores have been stripped bare of milk and bread, you’re going to have to go out of your way to restock anyway, so you might as well have a secure, confident way to do it, right? Dodge thinks its AWD offerings turn epic winter weather into little more than flurries. Does Auburn Hills have another hit on our hands from a seemingly reinvigorated Chrysler advertising effort, or is this one a dud? Check it out after the jump, then let us know in ‘Comments.’

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Video: Dodge commercial pokes fun at Snowpocalypse

Video: Dodge commercial pokes fun at Snowpocalypse originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Dodge commercial pokes fun at Snowpocalypse”

Autoblog Podcast #207: Fun CR-Z, Lincoln’s new designer, the return of the Dodge Viper

Filed under: Podcasts, Etc., Buick, Dodge, Lincoln, Nissan

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Episode #207 of the Autoblog Podcast is staffed by Chris Shunk, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Chris Paukert. We hit the Autoblog Garage first and then salivate at the possibility of a non-hybrid Honda CR-Z. The defection of Max Wolff to Lincoln from Cadillac is next, and we ponder what that might mean before turning our attention to the return of the Dodge Viper as a 2013 model. We finish with your questions at the end for an hour and thirty-two minutes total. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #207: Fun CR-Z, Lincoln’s new designer, the return of the Dodge Viper

In the Autoblog Garage:

2011 Buick Regal
2012 Dodge Durango Citadel
2011 Nissan Versa

News Topics:

Non-Hybrid Honda CR-Z
Max Wolff tapped to reinvigorate Lincoln styling
Viper is coming back

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman, Chris Paukert
Runtime: 1:32:44

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #207: Fun CR-Z, Lincoln’s new designer, the return of the Dodge Viper originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Autoblog Podcast #207: Fun CR-Z, Lincoln’s new designer, the return of the Dodge Viper”

Video: VW’s Fun Theory creates a speed camera lottery

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Videos, Volkswagen

VW Fun Theory

Volkswagen’s Fun Theory speed camera lottery – Click above to watch video after the jump

Volkwagen’s Fun Theory experiments have been all about proving that people will do the right thing if you make the right thing fun to do. For instance, people threw recyclables into a bin just to hear the noise it made. The latest hijinks come courtesy of Kevin Richardson, an American whose idea was selected for the next Fun Theory experiment.

This time, the challenge was to make driving the speed limit rewarding, and Richardson’s idea was a speed camera lottery. Although it doesn’t sound the least bit compelling, his idea worked. We won’t spoil the surprise here, so follow the jump to see it in action.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: VW’s Fun Theory creates a speed camera lottery

Video: VW’s Fun Theory creates a speed camera lottery originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: VW’s Fun Theory creates a speed camera lottery”

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Women, motorcycles and stunts throughout history [w/video]

Filed under: Performance, Videos, Motorcycle, Specialty

Jessica Maine, the modern stunt woman – Click above to watch the video after the break

Representing nearly ten percent of all motorcycle owners worldwide, female riders have remained the fastest growing segment in the two-wheeled marketplace for several years in a row. But being a chick on a bike has not always been quite so socially acceptable – especially when you don’t like to play by the rules!

When Margaret Gast made her first attempt at conquering the Monodrome (a.k.a. ‘The Wall of Death’) back in the early 1900s, no one would have dreamed of sporting the pink leather chaps or high-healed riding boots found in modern motorbike dealerships. In fact, it would not be until the age of disco when a women named Kerry Kleid fought for her right to race that the AMA gave out its first professional license to a female rider. It probably didn’t hurt that she had a reputation of being able to wheelie whatever she was riding…

Those pioneering women of motorcycle stunt might just say that girls like Tena “Stunt Blondie” Colbert, JoJo Farmer or Suzanne “Gixxie” Hamilton have it too easy these days. But the truth is, these girls are still raising their front wheels in a largely male dominated sport. And, at least judging by the photos, we don’t think they will be taking a back seat anytime soon. For the full chronology of stunt crazy moto-women, head on over to spotmotorcycles.com, and be sure to check out the video of Jessica Maine after the break… apparently gravity has no gender barriers. Thanks for the tip Ken!

Gallery: The women of stunt motorcycles

[Source: Spotmotorcycles]

Continue reading Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Women, motorcycles and stunts throughout history [w/video]

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Women, motorcycles and stunts throughout history [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Women, motorcycles and stunts throughout history [w/video]”

Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Ford, Reviews

2011 Ford Fiesta SES shown

2011 Ford Fiesta SES – Click above for high-res image gallery

Remember when economy cars offered few concessions beyond roll-your-own windows, rear window defrosters and AM radios? It was only a handful of years ago that features on our 2011 Ford Fiesta SES tester would’ve qualified it for premium car status – if indeed items like Bluetooth, SYNC, a capless fuel fill and knee airbags were even available.

There’s no denying the steady trickledown of luxury goods into workaday iron, and the Fiesta is rolling proof.

As you might also recall, back about 10 years ago, Ford executives and those charged with its British outpost, Jaguar, worked themselves into a froth over the possibilities offered by ‘The Democratization of Luxury’ – boldly and conveniently overlooking that when a premium feature becomes affordable to everyone, it ceases to be a luxury at all. And while this sort of marketing doublespeak was the undoing of the ill-conceived Jaguar X-Type – and perhaps the undoing of Ford’s ownership of Coventry’s favorite feline altogether – there’s no denying the steady trickledown of luxury goods into workaday iron, and the Fiesta is rolling proof.

Of course, any automaker can lash a bunch of features onto a car and call it a day, but it’s not a real value unless all of those baubles and braze-ons are bungeed to a platform and drivetrain whose creators have that whole engineering ‘special sauce’ thing figured out. In other words, the democratization of luxury is one thing – but does the Fiesta deliver the democratization of fun? Click through to the jump to find out.

Gallery: Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES

Continue reading Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun

Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun”