RideLust

Maybe we’ve been unduly harsh on Smart through the years. Sure, Mike and I would rather stuff a live weasel down out pants than drive a Smart, but that doesn’t mean their cars are wrong for everyone, or in every situation. Take this ad, filmed for Smart in China, which shows how useful a Brabus edition Smart Fortwo can be if you’re a pro basketball player trying to track down an art thief. There’s no way Bryant could have hunted the guy down in a Bentley or Maybach, which goes to show that Smart Fortwos do have value for urban dwelling, crime fighting, basketball superstars. Video below. Read More…

As years go, 2011 hasn’t started off on the best note for me. Compared to Ken Block, however, I can’t complain: he hasn’t fared well in any single WRC event run to date, and had a massive crash in Portugal that destroyed the Monster World Rally Ford Fiesta in the pre-race shakedown stage. He’s got some downtime in April since his wife is due to “pop out (their) 3rd kid”, but he’s back to his usual balls out schedule in May. His next WRC event is the Rally of Argentina on May 26, but don’t expect Block to be idle until then, since there’s plenty of testing and tuning to do. He’d tell you what his schedule is himself, but it’s still not finalized for the remainder of 2011. Despite suffering a 16 g crash just days before the interview below, Block seems none the worse for wear and we wish him all the best for the rest of the season. Read More…

If you picked up a car magazine in the 1970s or 1980s, chances are good you’ve read stories or editorials by David E. Davis. Considered by many to be the founding father of modern automotive journalism, Davis’ career in publishing began with a job selling ads for Road & Track magazine. His undeniable talent as a writer soon led him to a job writing for Car and Driver magazine, where he spent the bulk of his career as a writer or editor. Ultimately, he would go on to start Automobile magazine, take over the Winding Road web publication, and return to Car and Driver as recently as 2009. Davis died on Sunday, of complications following bladder cancer surgery. Read More…

Ken Block logs some flight time. Image: RallyMania

Go big or go home could be Ken Block’s personal trademark. The Rally / Gymkhana / X-Games driver was shaking down his Ford Fiesta WRC car, in preparation for this weekend’s Rally of Portugal, when he experienced a “fourth gear incident”. In other words, Block was hammer down when he lost control, rolling the car five times and sending both himself and co-driver Alex Gelsomino to a local hospital for evaluation. The good news is that the pair were uninjured in the spectacular crash; the bad news is their car was a write-off, at least for this weekend’s event. Both Block and Gelsomino are back in the U.S., where they will begin preparation for the upcoming Rally Argentina, scheduled for May 26 to 29. Read More…

*Photo courtesy of: Gossip Center

Paris Hilton is turning quite a few heads these days, even more so than usual. Not only did she get a new Lexus LFA for her birthday but she may be more into cars and racing than we give her credit for. Especially since her announcement a few months ago that she was planning to sponsor a motorcycle team. Yes, you read that right, soon the lady in pink will be coming to a race track near you. This venture all started when she was approached by team partner and founder of SuperMartXe, Nano Barea, to lend her image to the team. Miss Hilton immediately got on board and decided not only to lend her image but to take ownership of the team. Her SuperMartXe motorcycle team plans to compete in this years 125cc Moto GP World Championship to which she’s signed a five year contract which will include her attending multiple racing events.
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Ron Dennis, who won't be driving an MP4-12C until September. Image: McLaren Automotive

As the head of McLaren Automobiles and the former leader of McLaren’s F1 efforts, Ron Dennis knows a thing or two about automobiles. Apparently, he’s got a passion for driving as well, but doesn’t always pay attention to details like speed limits and red traffic signals. A magistrate in Woking, UK, just slapped Dennis with a six month license suspension for running a red light, which put him over the point limit allowed UK drivers. Despite Dennis’ pleas for leniency, the judge followed the letter of the law in imposing the sentence and the required $400 fine. I’m sure that he’ll be able to find a suitable chauffeur for his six month suspension, but just in case I’d like to offer my own services. Please feel free to ping me via the site, Mr. Dennis, and I’m sure we can work out a trade: six months of chauffeur services, in exchange for room, board and a new MP4-12C sounds fair to me.

Source: Motorauthority

Everyone here knows that Sabine Schmitz, driver of the famed Nurburgring BMW M5 Ring Taxi is one of the hottest car chicks ever. She’s got girl next door looks and a right foot that makes performance cars do all sorts of freaky shit. However with BMW pulling the plug on her beloved M5 due to rising liability and maintenance costs, it was rumored that our bubbly blond uber woman was going to soon be out of a job. However, thanks to Team Frikadelli Racing, tourists all over the world can still revel in speed, as Sabine will now be able to hurdle riders into oblivion in a new Porsche 997 GT3 RS aptly renamed, “Race Taxi”. I’ve got some seat time in a 997 GT3 RS and I can tell you that it makes a BMW M5 look like a 600 lb belly dancer with a gut full of chocolate donuts. Keep in mind that the price for riding side saddle next to the Queen of the Ring ain’t cheap at $730.00, but quite frankly… who cares? This would be a dream ride and if I had the scratch (and lived in Germany) I’d plunk down my moola’ in a heartbeat.

Source: Speedbee.de

A person is selling on eBay what he claims to be the beloved motorhome of Lars von Trier, acclaimed director of such family friendly hits as The Idiots and Antichrist.

The vehicle is a 1992 Dethleffs Advange, with 74,520 miles. The “buy it now” price is $150,000.

Von Trier is known to have a deathly fear of flying, adding some credibility to the listing, which describes the vehicle as: “Lars´ only way of travel for a period of more than 10 years…” Yet not only was it a means of transportation, but also an incubator of creativity.  Adds the listing, “Some of Lars´ biggest ideas went from idea to script in this vehicle.”

One downside, though: the smell. The director states, “Looking forward to get rid of the smell of Diesel. Hope a potential buyer likes this smell, as Diesel has been poured over the floor several times.”

Apart from the odor, the disturbing and baffling pouring of fuel inside one’s own travel and living quarters, and of course the price, it’s totally worth it because it’s not only a vehicle, it’s also a home. In other words, it’s a house you can race. Plus, it was Lars von Trier’s racehouse. Even better. And if you’re a fan of his, this is your chance to own the very place that may have inspired his scenes of appalling torture, mutilation, and graphic Willem Dafoe sex. A total win-win!

Act quickly – bidding ends February 21st…

If you’ve ever been in a Mini Cooper before then you know that they’re actually pretty spacious inside. In fact the front passenger compartment is so big that I have absolutely no problem squeezing my 6’4″ 245 lb body in there. Sure the back seats are a bit snug, but my guess is that you wouldn’t be using them to often anyway. That is unless you’re part of the Pilobolus Dance Company, a troupe that managed to get themselves into the Guinness Book of World Records by cramming an amazing 26 people into one. What’s even more amazing is that the car was not modified in anyway, shape or form and the participants had to stay in their for an agonizing 5-seconds with the doors shut. The dancers could be no taller then 5-feet and were required to be as flexible as possible. I have to say that this is something that I never would have thought possible, but I’ve got to hand it to them as they pulled it off in style. Bravo!
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The Lotus Type 125. Image: Lotus

Thirty years ago, Lotus’ Colin Chapman watched an apparently fearless British driver rise through the F3 ranks. Chapman liked what he saw, and offered a contract to the driver, who was older than most just entering the big leagues; hence, Nigel Mansell’s F1 career was born. Mansell spent the 1980 to 1984 seasons with Lotus, before going on to race with Williams and Ferrari in F1, then later with Newman Haas in the U.S. CART IndyCar World Series. Mansell was fast in nearly everything he drove, and is universally praised as being one of the top 50 Grand Prix drivers of all time. For 2011, Mansell is again back with Lotus, though not in the capacity you’re probably imagining. Read More…