Video: 17-year-old swaps old phone for Porsche Boxster on Craigslist

Filed under: Convertible, Videos, Porsche

Click above to watch the video after the jump

If you don’t currently own a Porsche Boxster, you probably wouldn’t mind having one in the garage. Seventeen-year-old Steven Ortiz turned wishes and hopes into hard work and determination to finally land a shiny silver 2000 Boxster, but he didn’t tap into a trust fund or bust open a few piggy banks to meet his goal. All he used was an old cell phone, Craigslist and a lot of time.

Ortiz bartered that phone for an iPod, then traded the iPod for a dirt bike and from the dirt bike came a series of cars, an SUV and finally one mighty attractive drop-top with an engine in the boot. The man just got his license and he’s already rocking a Porsche… what a country.

The local ABC affiliate in Glendora, California interviewed Ortiz, and from the limited shots of the car, the man’s Boxster looks far better than even the smartest of smart phones. Hit the jump to watch the video for yourself, and if you’re thinking of asking Ortiz to swap some old junk for an Italian exotic, his friends already beat you to it. It’s apparently harder to do than it sounds.

[Source: ABC News]

Continue reading Video: 17-year-old swaps old phone for Porsche Boxster on Craigslist

Video: 17-year-old swaps old phone for Porsche Boxster on Craigslist originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Subaru’s new ads and their double-entendres

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Subaru

Subaru take the public for a ride in the 2011 WRX STI sedan – Click above to watch video after the jump

Call us sadistic, but there’s something undeniably hilarious about yanking random people off of the street and plopping them into the passenger seat of a sports car. Throw a talented race driver behind the tiller, and you’ve got an unmatched recipe for entertainment. Subaru has decided to take a stroll down that path with a slew of new ads designed to introduce the new 2011 WRX STI sedan to the public. The company asked rally driver Dave Mirra to shuffle a few folk around under an overpass in the 305 horsepower turbo four-door, filmed the whole thing and called it a day.

Subaru has unveiled a total of five 30-second spots with a variety of regular Joes (and Janes) riding shotgun in the winged machine. The company is calling the campaign Get More Gs, and Subaru is quick to point out that the phrase is meant to equally focus on g forces as much as that “oh geez” feeling you get from slinging the car through a slalom. We see what you did there, Subaru. Hit the jump to enjoy the videos. Now… where can we get a skull antenna topper?

Gallery: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI: First Drive

Photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Subaru]

Continue reading Video: Subaru’s new ads and their double-entendres

Video: Subaru’s new ads and their double-entendres originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Fifth Gear joins David Coulthard on the Isle of Man with Benz’s SLS AMG

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, UK, Luxury

Fifth Gear’s Tiff Needell tries to outdo David Coulthard in the SLS AMG – Click above to watch video after the jump

David Coulthard was called to the Isle of Man to pilot an SLS AMG for a scene in a 3-D film. To ensure that DC could strut the coupe’s stuff, some of the island’s roads were closed to the public. That meant a place with no speed limits also had no traffic. And that meant Fifth Gear’s Tiff Needell felt the need to join DC and take the wheel himself. His goal: beat David’s top speed of 160 miles per hour. The sound of him making the effort alone is worth following the jump for the video.

Gallery: Alubeam 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Mexico

[Source: Fifth Gear]

Continue reading Video: Fifth Gear joins David Coulthard on the Isle of Man with Benz’s SLS AMG

Video: Fifth Gear joins David Coulthard on the Isle of Man with Benz’s SLS AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Seat touring car flips into crowd at Brands Hatch over weekend

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Hatchback, SEAT, UK, Racing

That’s not gonna buff out – Click above to watch video after the jump

If you’ve ever found yourself as a spectator at a race track, it’s easy to lull yourself into believing that you’ll be as safe as can be just so long as you keep a crash barrier between your brittle bones and the lightspeed chunks of metal blasting by. Thing is, that’s not always the case. The interwebs are full of videos of cars gone airborne, leaping guard rails and tire walls by leaps and bounds to come crashing down in the middle of a passel of spectators. We can officially add the video after the jump to that list of horrors.

According to our English cousins, Portugese driver Francisco Carvalho had a bit of a mishap at this weekend’s World Touring Car Championship event at Brands Hatch. Carvalho was competing in the Seat Leon Euro Cup Race when he received a nudge from a fellow racer. Instead of losing a position, Carvalho’s car was sent veering off of the course and into a crash barrier before bouncing end-over-end and vaulting back over the wall. The crash sent a crowd of race marshals fleeing before the car came to a stop, but amazingly enough, no one was injured. Not even Carvalho. Hit the jump to see the devastation for yourself.

[Source: YouTube via Autoblog UK]

Continue reading Video: Seat touring car flips into crowd at Brands Hatch over weekend

Video: Seat touring car flips into crowd at Brands Hatch over weekend originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Remember, Honda?

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Honda, Design/Style

Honda/Acura NSX remembrance film – click above to watch the video

Up until the last few years, Honda was known for being one of the most engineering driven companies in the world. Soichiro Honda instilled a remarkable spirit of innovation in his staff, driving the company to spawn amazing ideas like the CVCC engines of the mid-1970s, the oval-piston NR750 race bike and the fuel cell powered FCX Clarity. As of late, though, the Japanese automaker has been looking a bit ‘behind the curve’ with models like the Insight, Accord Crosstour and CR-Z lacking the cleverness, spark, and class-leading competence that made past Honda models so iconic.

Thus, it might be a good time to take a look back at what made Honda so great. One of the all-time highlights of the company’s road car portfolio remains the Honda/Acura NSX. Although both Nissan and Toyota toyed with the idea of building mid-engine exotics, only Honda actually put one into production. The influence of the NSX on its market segment extended far beyond its commercial success. The NSX was the first “exotic” to demonstrate that you could combine everyday driveability and reliability with supercar performance. Before the NSX, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and the like forced drivers to make all sorts of compromises in order to have their performance at one’s disposal. It’s fair to say that the supercars of today are far better all-around drivers today thanks to the lessons taught by the NSX. Unfortunately, Honda shelved plans for a successor model, so in many respects, one could argue that the spirit of the everyday supercar remains alive in the Audi R8.

Perhaps Honda’s product planners and beancounters alike would do well to take a stroll down memory lane and revisit what once the company great. We can’t think of a better way than to check out the dramatic video tribute to the NSX after the jump. Thanks to everyone for the tips.

Gallery: Acura NSX

[Source: Format67 via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Remember, Honda?

Video: Remember, Honda? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Next generation Hyundai Elantra caught practicing its parking?

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Videos, Hyundai

Next generation Hyundai Elantra parking – Click above to watch video after the jump

The next Hyundai Elantra was revealed a few months ago at South Korea’s Busan Motor Show. It’s been revealed again, this time outdoors, in a parking lot where it appears to be practicing parallel parking maneuvers. Hyundai’s small four-door has grown in size, which helps it wear those stretched ‘fluidic’ design cues rather nicely. Once a portrait of anonymity, the Elantra’s now as good-looking as its big brother, the Sonata.

When the restyled Hyundai Elantra arrives next year, we expect it to be motivated by a 1.6-liter gasoline direct-injection engine with 138 horsepower. And we have a feeling those new looks are going to make people take a good, long look at the Elantra in liew of say, a Civic or Corolla.

As for parking jobs like this? We have a feeling they’ll be a lot easier than these drivers are making it look. If they had to find street parking in, say, New York, they’d run out of gas before they successfully stashed the car. Follow the jump to see the video, which does nothing to make parking seem any less mundane than it is. Hat tip to Avery

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Elantra / Avante

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Next generation Hyundai Elantra caught practicing its parking?

Video: Next generation Hyundai Elantra caught practicing its parking? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: BFGoodrich takes body modification to a new level

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Safety, Videos, Humor

BFGoodrich gets sticky – Click above to watch video after the jump

We don’t exactly envy the ad gurus charged with marketing tires. While a new set of sticky rubber may get our imaginations fired up in a hurry, the rest of the motoring public could typically care less about compounds, tread blocks and treadwear ratings. Despite being one of the most important components of any vehicle, tires just don’t get the love or attention they deserve. That sort of apathy is exactly why most tire manufacturers are forced to get creative when it comes to rolling out new ad campaigns.

BFGoodrich is attempting to fire up some sales with its new Bolt On campaign. Instead of blathering on about stopping distances or cornering ability, the company has gone through the trouble of attempting to demonstrate just how big of an impact a new set of tires can make for a vehicle by using body modification as a metaphor. Trippy. Hit the jump to see the first of a series of ads as well as a behind the scenes look at the making of the spots.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: BFGoodrich takes body modification to a new level

Video: BFGoodrich takes body modification to a new level originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X SE ready to smoke some rubber

Filed under: Videos, Mitsubishi


2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X SE – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Mitsubishi is hyping its latest entrant into the Lancer Evolution X family with a new video of the SE tackling two of California’s greatest racetracks.

The Special Edition blends the GSR and MR models to create a mid-range Evo that’s slightly easier on the wallet, but it doesn’t skimp on the good stuff. A Twin-Clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission is mated to the standard turbocharged 2.0-liter four, while two-piece Brembo front brake rotors, Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs round out the performance mods. Mix in the same “diamond black” paint job from the SE edition of the Evolution IX, a rear lip spoiler, Xenon XID headlamps, heated Recaro bucket seats and a set of 12-spoke wheels and you’ve got yourself a genuinely special Evo on your hands. Hit the jump to see the SE taking to track, complete with gratuitous powerslides and tire-shredding four-wheel drifts.

Gallery: 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X SE

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X SE ready to smoke some rubber

Video: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X SE ready to smoke some rubber originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Corvette Racing Episode 6 – 2010 Le Mans recap

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Chevrolet, Racing

Episode six of the Corvette Racing Track to Street series went up this week and as expected, it’s a recap of what went down at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month. 2010 marked the 50th anniversary or the American sports car’s first appearance at the French endurance race and a parade of 50 ‘Vettes took to the track prior to the race.

The first French appearance of the works Corvettes in the GT2 class started off well, with the cars starting first and second in class after the Risi Ferrari F430 time was disallowed. The Corvettes ran strong for the first 16 hours before both eventually succumbed to engine failures. Team manager Doug Fehan promises the C6.Rs will be back for blood in 2011. Check out the video after the jump.

Gallery: Le Mans 2010: The Race

Gallery: Le Mans 2010: Qualifying and practice

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Corvette Racing Episode 6 – 2010 Le Mans recap

Video: Corvette Racing Episode 6 – 2010 Le Mans recap originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video PSA: The Aussie female guide voice on your Garmin is as attractive as you’ve always hoped

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Videos, Australia, Celebrities, Humor

Karen Jacobsen, GPS voiceover artist – Click above to watch video after the jump

There may come a day when personal GPS devices go the way of the dodo. As direction services on our handheld devices become ever savvier, more and more consumers are ditching their old dashboard-mounted screens in favor of the ones they already keep in their pocket. Fortunately, even if our Garmin or TomTom devices become relics, odds are we’ll still be able to get turn-by-turn directions on our smartphones. That’s a good thing, too, because otherwise a whole generation of lost motorists would never be able to find their way while listening to Karen Jacobsen call out directions.

Who is Karen Jacobsen? While she happens to be a Queensland native who now spends her days writing music and playing in a three piece band, she’s also the most popular GPS voice on the planet. Jacobsen spent a total of 50 hours in a recording studio rattling off everything from directional phrases to single words, locations and every letter in the alphabet so that we would have the pleasure of listening to her Aussie accent as we bumble down the highway. Hit the jump to see an interview with the muse of maps as well as a sample of her singing.

[Sources: AOL News, KarenJacobsen.com]

Continue reading Video PSA: The Aussie female guide voice on your Garmin is as attractive as you’ve always hoped

Video PSA: The Aussie female guide voice on your Garmin is as attractive as you’ve always hoped originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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