Brian Johnson in concert. Image: Matt Becker

AC/DC front man Brian Johnson is teaming up with Fifty Plus Racing of Chattanooga, TN, to support the Austin Hatcher Foundation, which helps to fight pediatric cancers. Johnson will suit up in Nomex to raise money for the “Highway To Help” program, which is looking to rase $1 million in donations during next year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Johnson, an accomplished vintage racer and certified car guy, will join teammates Byron DeFoor, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Jim Pace and Carlos DeQuesada behind the wheel of a Riley-BMW Daytona Prototype. It looks like the partnership may continue beyond Daytona as well, since Fifty Plus Racing has also committed to events in Watkins Glen, and Indianapolis.

Johnson tells Autoweek that, “We’re committed to running in all three events. If we have to cancel something or move something (presumably relating to AC/DC) we will.”

If you want more details, or want to make a donation, head on over to the Austin Hatcher Foundation / Highway To Help website.

Image credit: Matt Becker, Creative Commons 2.0

VW's 2010 TDI Cup Street Edition Jetta. Image: Volkswagen

Volkswagen and Audi are recalling certain models equipped with the 2.0-liter TDI turbodiesel engine to repair a potentially leaking high pressure fuel line. Affected by the recall are some 168,275 models, including:

- 2009-12 VW Jetta TDI sedans, built between May 2008 and September 2011
- 2009-12 VW Jetta TDI SportWagens, built between May 2008 and September 2011
- 2010-12 VW Golf TDI hatchbacks, built between May 2009 and September 2011
- 2010-12 Audi A3 TDI wagons, built between September 2009 and September 2011

Vibration in a high pressure fuel line leading to the number two fuel injector can cause cracking, leading to a potential fuel leak. In the presence of an ignition source, a fire can result, although Volkswagen reports that no fires, accidents or injuries have occurred as a result of this defect.

The recall is expected to begin in November, once dealers build up stock of replacement parts. VW and Audi dealers will install an improved fuel injector line to the number two injector and will add vibration dampers on all injector lines. Owners with questions or concerns can contact Volkswagen’s customer service hotline at (800) 822-8987, or the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.

Source: NHTSA

Image: Yuri Long

If, for some unknown reason, you really want to get into a car accident, the best place in the country to live is Washington, DC. In DC, your chance of having an accident goes up by 107 percent compared to the national average, which probably explains why so many law firms call DC home.

Looking at the top 10 cities for bad drivers, 8 of 10 are in the Northeast. New York City doesn’t make the list, coming in 22nd in the country for accident rate. Surprisingly, Boston doesn’t make the cut, either, but that has more to do with Allstate not selling auto insurance in Massachusetts than it does with the ability of Boston drivers to avoid accidents.

Here’s the complete list of the top-10 worst driver cities, along with your increased likelihood of getting waffled while driving through:

1 Washington, DC, 107%
2 Baltimore, MD, 89%
3 Glendale, CA, 81%
4 Newark, NJ, 71%
5 Providence, RI, 67%
6 Philadelphia, PA, 60%
7 Hartford, CT, 60%
8 Jersey City, NJ, 58%
9 San Francisco, CA, 57%
10 Alexandria, VA 56%

Source: Autoweek

The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Image: Mercedes-Benz

If you’re Mercedes-Benz and you’re launching a new version of the legendary Geländewagen in Australia, you probably want to demonstrate how rugged and off-road capable your new truck is. What better way to do so than to pick a trail known to be among the most challenging in the world, like the Canning Stock Route that traverses the unforgiving Australian Outback? Some 1,150 miles long, the Canning Stock Route was used by early 20th century ranchers to get cattle to market. It really hasn’t been improved in the century since, and driving its length is a strain on both driver and machine.

Mercedes-Benz had such confidence in their new G-Wagen that they shipped in seven to drive the Canning Stock Route from end to end in a planned 14 days. The good news is that all seven remained “drivable under their own power;” the bad news is that only one, a heavy-duty version designed for military use made the journey intact. Six of the seven G-Wagens suffered broken rear shock absorbers on the seventh day of the trek, requiring Mercedes to fly replacement parts in on chartered aircraft. The sole survivor was a G-Wagen G-Professional model that Mercedes was considering importing into Australia. I’d say that demonstration proves there’s a a viable market for it down under.

Source: Autoblog

Wait, you mean this is a career option?

The premise is simple: no one would give the keys to their car to someone who’s obviously drunk. To prove this point, a Brazilian bar asked their valet to tie one on before reporting for duty. As expected, not one patron willingly relinquished their car to the staggering drunk valet. Here’s the kicker: printed on the valet parking ticket was a message that read, “Never let a drunk driver take your car. Even if that driver is you.” As the video below shows, the concept is so brilliant that we wonder why it hasn’t been done before.

Source: YouTube, via The Car Connection

Ford's Iosis Max concept, the new Capri? Image: Ford Motor Company

Autoevolution reports that Ford will bring back the Capri in honor of the car’s 40th anniversary. That sounds like good news to us, but here’s were the good news ends. Unlike the original car, which was front engine and rear drive, the replacement Capri will be front engine, front drive. Also unlike the original car (the 1970’s version, at least), the new Capri won’t be good looking. In fact, it’s rumored to be styled on the lines of the Iosis Max, a concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009.

There’s no word on which markets will get the new Capri, but judging from the engine choices the United States won’t be one of them (and based on the car’s appearance, we’ll call that a good thing). In markets where the Capri will be sold, buyers can opt for turbodiesel engines making between 130 and 197 horsepower, or gasoline engines ranging from 148 to 200 horsepower. Ford claims the fastest version will make the run from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in six seconds, with a top speed of 155 miles per hour. We’d call that irrelevant, since it still isn’t fast enough to outrun ugly.

Source: Autoevolution

Have you ever been to a point in your life where you’ve just said, “Enough is enough!” Well that’s exactly what happened to one Porsche owner whose 911 just wouldn’t cooperate. The dearly departed 911′s chronic engine problems were apparently enough to push the owner over the edge to the point where he’d rather see the car get destroyed then sink another dollar into it. To fulfill his wish the car was donated to Massachusetts group Comm2A, an organization dedicated to preserving the second amendment of the United States Constitution. The car was towed to a firing range where 140 members of the group pumped more than 10,000 rounds of live ammunition into the silver Porsche. Brent Carlton, president of Comm2A stated,

“We’re incredibly grateful to the owner for donating the car and he seemed more than happy too – he took the first shot.”

On a good note the unhappy Porsche did manage to raise $4,000 for the organization from event participants. Only in America people… only in a America.

Source: swns.com

I’ll be honest, if I could park my 1968 Dodge Charger in my living room I absolutely would. You see I love my car to no end, which is why it doesn’t surprise me that Jon Ryder of Sheffield, England did just that. John is the proud owner of a yellow Ferrari 355 Spider and it was his goal to enjoy his baby 24 hours a day. For car guys our rides are pretty much an extension of our personalities, so it seems only right that we’d want to take care of them in the same way we take care of all of our prized possessions. Ryder, a steel worker by trade, gains entrance into his living room by means of a specially designed garage door that’s hidden from view with a few curtains.

“I’ve owned the Ferrari for more than three years and the novelty still hasn’t worn off. I still smile every day at owning my ultimate dream car. It’s my favorite piece of Italian art and it takes pride of place in the house.”

According to Ryder converting his living room into a full fledged garage / man room took about £900 (around $1,500 U.S.) to complete, and upon closer inspection of his room we’d say that it was worth every penny.

Source: Bornrich.com

Maybe it’s me, but I always thought that the majority of us used our brains to drive our beloved automobiles. According to Autonomos Labs though it appears I was wrong. By utilizing drive by wire technology and a host of EEG (Electroencephalography) sensors fitted to a head piece, a computer is able to interpret multiple brain patterns in regards to direction and acceleration. Autonomos Labs did this experiment as a proof of concept to showcase this technology so I wouldn’t expect anything like this in the near future. What this technology does do however is show us what is, and what may in fact be possible in the future. This is all pretty cool stuff if you ask me…

It’s actually quite amazing that some people are able to function at all. This is Crystal Leija, the DUI degenerate that drove through the home of one John Rauchbauer at 2 a.m. this past Saturday morning. Leija had apparently left the bowling ally where she’d been drinking in St. Petersburg, FL and while in transit managed to hit a parked car, two fences and mailboxes before plowing through Rauchbauer’s house. The car had gone straight through the homes front wall, through the living room, dining room and then to Rauchbauer’s horror, the room where his two sons, ages 4 and 10 slept before coming to a stop in the back yard. One of the boys, 10 year old Taylor, was found hidden beneath the rubble inside the home by Rauchbauer’s brother-in-law who was nearly killed in the incident. 4 year old son Hayden was luckily found outside amongst the rubble as he had thankfully been carried on his bed into the back yard as the car passed through the house.

The kicker to the story came when Crystal Leija stumbled out of her car and stated, “If you give me $1,000, I’ll help you find your kids,”. According to TampaBay.com, Leija was charged with driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury, DUI causing personal injury, DUI causing damage to property or person, and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage. Rauchbauer, his brother-in-law, fiance and most of all his two sons are lucky to be alive after this incident. Leija was being held in jail on $6,150 bail.

Source: TampaBay.com