RideLust

When I made my car related predictions for the coming year, I said that gas would top $4.00 a gallon by the end of 2011. I also said that it probably wouldn’t slide back below $3.00 per gallon, as we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. Recent political unrest in the Middle East appears to have accelerated the timeline for that gasoline price jump, and energy tracking company DTN is predicting that it’ll rise even higher. In fact, they say we should be prepared to spend as much as $5.00 per gallon by this summer. Read More…

Blair poses with a $300 RX-7

I’ll warn you up front that this video is nearly an hour long. If you’ve ever been a fan of Japanese cars, Japanese culture or (better yet) Japanese car culture, you’ll want to watch the whole thing. Go ahead and pour yourself a second cup of coffee, now, before you kick off the movie. Trust me, it’s worth watching, because it really does go to show that hot rodders are the same the world over: build the best car you can based on the budget you have, flog the snot out of it in competition and buy another when you finally kill it. Whether you’re talking about Mustangs, Hondas, or 660cc Suzuki Kei cars, the rules simply don’t change. Video below. Read More…

F1 champ Sebastian Vettel at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. Image: Andrew Griffith

Coming as a surprise to no one, the island nation of Bahrain has opted to cancel the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix due to political unrest within the country. Officially, it’s because Bahrain wants to focus on “overcoming tragedy, healing divisions and rediscovering the fabric that draws the country together,” in the words of Bahrain’s Crown Prince. Unofficially, it’s because they couldn’t guarantee the security of F1 crews, drivers and race fans from around the world. Regardless, recent events in Bahrain really put things into perspective: compared to political upheaval and loss of life, even an F1 race seems pretty damn insignificant. Read More…

VIP Tower, Bahrain Circuit. Image: Navin Shetty Brahmavar

The 2011 F1 season opener in Bahrain is less than a month away, so recent protests in the kingdom have raised a red flag for F1 organizers and teams. A test session in Bahrain is scheduled for March 3, which means that a significant number of team personnel will be in-country for two weeks or longer. If civil unrest does escalate, teams want assurances that their personnel and assets will be safe. Organizers of the 2011 Gulf Air Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix have issued a statement, but failed to go into any level of detail. Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit, was quoted by Autoweek as saying, “The safety of all Bahraini nationals, expats and overseas visitors is a priority at all times in the kingdom, and at the Bahrain International Circuit our focus at the present time is on delivering another successful event… We are monitoring the situation very closely indeed in association with the relevant authorities and will respond appropriately to any further developments.” Read More…

The open road is yours for the taking. There is so much to see in this great country of ours: whether it’s a 30-foot tall Uncle Sam in New Mexico, or Dorothy’s house (or something like it) in Liberal, Kansas. Or maybe you want to see all of America’s treasures in one trip? It may take a while, but you could do it (but we recommend having a good car insurance plan just in case your car dies before your determination does). Your road trip is out there waiting for you – so depending on where you want to go, let’s take a look at how quickly you can get there.

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Queensland, in northeastern Australia, has been plagued by flooding since October of 2010. Three quarters of the state has been declared a disaster area, and the current damage estimate in US dollars exceeds $10 billion. Some 22 deaths have been attributed to the flooding, caused by an extremely unusual combination of “worst case” weather events. This video, shot by a Toowoomba resident on January 10, shows just how quickly flood waters can turn violent. If you live in an area prone to flash floods, you’re taught from an early age to never drive across a flooded stream or drainage canal, and this footage shows you exactly why. As soon as the water rises enough to float your car, you’re just along for the ride. Watch the video after the jump. Read More…

Morning rush hour traffic in Beijing. Image: Australian Cowboy

In 2010, some 850,000 new cars were sold in Beijing, China. Since the city is already notorious for traffic congestion and air pollution, city officials realized that something had to be done to prevent perpetual gridlock. That something is the implementation of a lottery system for Beijing residents who wish to purchase new cars, effective immediately. The first lottery drawing is scheduled for January 26, when some 20,000 lucky motorists will be chosen from over 100,000 (and counting) entries. Lottery drawings will be repeated monthly, capping the number of new Beijing license plates available each year at 240,000. Read More…

Let’s get one thing straight up front: despite Ms. Coates’ opinion to the contrary, the world IS filled with dangerous places, and she IS mad to travel like she does. If I had to toss out an estimate, I’d say that 75% of people are good, 20% are utterly indifferent and 5% are the ones you don’t want to run across in a dark alley. Still, those are pretty good odds, especially if you have a taste for adventure. If you want to see the world, riding a motorcycle is arguably the best way to do it, and any of BMW’s GS (for Gelände / Strasse, or field and road) bikes would make a superb mount.

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Image: Gulf News

Here’s an interesting concept: rather than relying on signage to convey a drop in the speed limit, officials in Abu Dhabi City have paved stretches of road in red asphalt (not to be confused with the driver’s education horror film, “Red Asphalt”) to warn drivers of the change. Signage is still posted, and the new speed limit is also painted on the road surface, giving drivers three clear indicators of the change in speed. Since the new system only went into effect last Saturday (New Year’s Day), it’s too early to tell if it’s had an impact on reducing speeds, but it certainly is eye catching.

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Visiting Paris? Bicycles are always welcome. Image: Pline

Paris, France, wants you to leave your SUV at the city limits. Drive an older Mercedes diesel, or something else that belches particulates and sucks down gas like Lyndsay Lohan sucks down martinis? Paris wants you to leave that outside of the city as well. In fact, if what you drive isn’t compact and fuel efficient, don’t plan on visiting Paris behind the wheel after next year. The city is in the process of restricting “gas guzzling” vehicles, although they have yet to precisely define what fuel economy will be needed to make a vehicle exempt. The ban would limit access to congested areas of the city during certain times of day or certain times of the year, unless drivers were behind the wheel of a “green” vehicle. Paris isn’t the first city across the pond to institute such a ban, as London and Berlin already have gass-guzzler restrictions in place.

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