influence Archives

ETC: San Jose driver arrested for racing under the influence

Filed under: Motorsports, Safety

Don't Drink and Drive Racing, by its very nature, is a dangerous activity. It requires a high degree of concentration and focus on what the car is doing, what the track is like, and 1.2 million other tiny, constantly changing variables. And while a little liquid courage might help you win with the ladies the night before, it most certainly won’t aid you on the track. In fact, it’s probably the stupidest decision we’ve ever heard of anyone making.

Which would make a 64-year-old San Jose resident, named Leslie Charles Hunter, one of the stupidest people we’ve ever heard of. Hunter was arrested on Saturday after a race at Watsonville Ocean Speedway. The charges? Suspicion of driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol content level higher than 0.08 percent, according to the Santa Cruze Sentinel.

The police were called after other racers were forced off the track by Hunter’s aggressive and reckless driving during a race. Thankfully, no one was injured by this nitwit. Watsonville Ocean Speedway is a quarter-mile dirt oval. The results of Saturday’s race haven’t been posted yet, but we looked through Watsonville’s results archive and it appears that Hunter was a regular, running as Charlie Hunter (because who wouldn’t drop the name Leslie?) and routinely finishing in the bottom half of his class.

San Jose driver arrested for racing under the influence originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Kia design head “caves” to Korean influence with Naimo concept

Filed under: Concept Cars, Kia, Misc. Auto Shows, Electric

naimo concept

Kia Naimo EV concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Korean-made cars of the 1990s and early 2000s looked very… Korean. Not exactly a bad thing, mind you, but it’s tough to sell vehicles around the globe that cater to a specific region of the world. That’s likely one of the reasons why Kia hired former Audi designer Peter Schreyer to inject some much needed style into its lineup.

Schreyer tells Automotive News that there is no “Koreaness” about the Kia lineup, adding “to be honest, we don’t want the cars to look Korean.” A quick look at the 2011 Optima and you can see Schreyer is succeeding, but what about the Naimo EV concept? AN tells us that the jade color is reminiscent of Celadon-style pottery. The interior is covered in Korean oak. Schreyer tells AN that, at least in this case, the Korean factor is strong, adding it has design cues inspired by art specific to that country.

While the Naimo concept is a definite change of pace versus the rest of the Kia lineup, we’re thinking the little concept doesn’t mean to reveal a new styling direction. The show car was, after all, designed with the Seoul Motor Show in mind. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with playing to the home crowd.

Gallery: Kia Naimo Concept

Kia Naimo Concept

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Followup: Kia design head “caves” to Korean influence with Naimo concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Latest Aston Martin DBS prototypes suggest Rapide influence

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Aston Martin

Aston Martin DBS spy shots

Aston Martin DBS spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

The last time we spied the Aston Martin DBS, it was fitted with headlamps similar to those on the four-door Rapide. Now, though, a new DBS prototype has been spotted running the ‘Ring, and in addition to a change of headlamps, other visual modifications are on hand, as well.

As opposed to the older prototypes, this latest DBS has a more sculpted lower front fascia which will likely be what we see on the final production model. We fully expect power to be sourced from the same 510-horsepower, 6.0-liter V12 as the current car (not that we’re complaining). But will those Rapide-like headlamps find their way back onto the new car? We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin DBS spy shots

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Latest Aston Martin DBS prototypes suggest Rapide influence originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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