Seat Ibiza ECOMOTIVE Sets World Fuel-Saving Record of 2.9lt/100km - 81.1MPG

We're always a bit wary of these fuel-saving records as the outcome always depends on a number of factors that include besides the car, the driver, condition of the roads, speed, traffic, weather etc., but whatev. According to VW Group's Spanish subsidiary, a Seat Ibiza ECOMOTIVE that's powered by an 80HP 1.4-liter diesel engine set a new record in its segment by covering a distance of 1,562 km or 971 miles on a single tank of fuel (45.53lt), resulting in an average consumption figure of 2.9 l/100 km or the U.S. equivalent of 81.1mpg.

Behind the steering wheel of the Ibiza ECOMOTIVE was Austrian long-haul specialist Gerhard Plattner who drove out of the Martorell facilities near Barcelona last Monday 27 April, after both the bonnet and the fuel tank filling mouth had been sealed. Plattner drove across Spain, France and Germany with the trip ending at the town of Göttingen, in lower Saxony, Germany.

Seat said that at some points along the way on motorways in Spain and France, Plattner brought the Ibiza up to cruising speeds of 110 km/h or 68mph- yes, that's not the kind of guy you'd like being behind in a one-lane country road.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Want a Car 'Made in the U.S.A'? Then Check the First Digit of the VIN Code

There's been a lot of talk lately about supporting the domestic (U.S.) manufacturers especially after the current crisis that saw Chrysler filing for bankruptcy and GM axing a bunch of brands including Pontiac, Hummer and Saturn. Everyone has their own opinion on this issue, but if your number one criteria for buying a car is whether or not it's made in the U.S.A., or whichever country you reside in for that matter, then you ought to check the vehicle's 17-digit-long Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) code that was standardized by SAE in 1981.

In particular, the very first digit of the VIN determines the geographical region the car is built in, regardless of where the manufacturer is headquartered. But while a #1, #4 and #5 should mean that the car was built in the USA, Kelley Blue Book's Classic Car Guide Editor, Phil Skinner, told the LA Times that only the #1 represents the USA, with the #4 and #5 usually meaning the car was made in another country.

Confused? So are we. If it's not made in the U.S., then why does it say so? Well, even though we spent a good three hours on the net searching to find what is the difference between #1 and #4 (or 4A-40) and 5# (or 5A-50), unfortunately we came up empty handed. If any of you happen to know the answer, please leave a comment below.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

VIN Code Country of Origin

• 1: UNITED STATES
  
• 2: CANADA
  
• 3: MEXICO
  
• 4: UNITED STATES
  
• 5: UNITED STATES
  
• 6: AUSTRALIA
  
• 9: BRAZIL
  
• J: JAPAN
  
• K: KOREA
  
• L: CHINA , TAIWAN
  
• M: THAILAND
  
• S: UNITED KINGDOM
  
• T: HUNGARY
  
• V: FRANCE
  
• W: GERMANY
  
• X: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
  
• Y: FINLAND, SWEDEN
  
• Z: ITALY

Teen Allegedly Crashes Audi S4 at 155mph, Police Supposedly Find Video Evidence on Youtube

According to a report from 'Channel 3000', a Middleton High School teenager driving an Audi S4 was involved in an accident that occurred earlier this month on a highway south of Verona. While there's nothing surprising about that, here's where the story gets interesting. It is reported that before the crash, the youngster was going 155mph or 250km/h and that one of the passengers recorded his 'accomplishments' on video which he then uploaded on Youtube.

The report goes on to say that the video was discovered by the police and that the authorities are "consulting with the district attorney about additional charges - possibly reckless endangerment because passengers were in the vehicle."

Truth is, we're kind of cautious about the details. For one, it is said that no one was injured during the crash - something that we find extremely hard to believe if the accident happened at a speed even remotely close to 155mph.

Furthermore, the video on Youtube shown here is not the original, it was uploaded by another user claiming that the original had been removed. We also checked the press releases from Dane County Sheriff's department and the Dane County Government, but didn't find anything on the specific crash/incident. We're not saying it didn't happen this way, but we'd like to see something more official before we make any conclusions.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Third Trailer Released, Audi R8 Decepticon Seen Again

Paramount pictures has released yet another extended trailer of its forthcoming Transformers film, 'Revenge of the Fallen' that will hit the big screen on June 24th. And just in case you missed out on the previous trailer, this one too gives us a short glimpse of the Audi R8-based Decepticon named Sideways that crashes through a building of some sort at around 52 seconds into the video. Hit the jump to watch the trailer as well as to check out the screen shots we took from the film.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

AVUS Issues Press Release on Audi RS6 'White Power' Name, Blames Translator

Dang the power of online media... Just hours after the release of AVUS Performance's modified Audi RS6 Avant that stirred a huge online controversy over its name "White Power" (see what was said on Carscoop here), as many people interpreted it as a racial slur, the German company issued an official statement apologizing to those that were offended. The tuning firm said that it was a matter of mistranslation from German to English blaming its press agency. AVUS also said that the car will be renamed simply to Audi RS6 V10 biturbo.

Our opinion? This whole matter brings to mind the Southpark episode "Chef Goes Nanners". In a nutshell, all the adults were in a racial fight over South Park's flag that depicted white figures hanging a black one on a scaffold, so they asked the opinion of the boys who debated the topic at school.

And while everyone thought that the boys were divided over the racial subject, in the end it is revealed that the boys hadn't even noticed the color of the figures shown on the flag. The whole time they thought that the issue at hand was capital punishment...

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

AVUS PERFORMANCE STATEMENT

Dear visitors, readers and customers,

We are very sorry and unfortunate for what has actually happened and is currently happening to our first press report. Due to a mistranslation of our latest project car - the Audi RS6 V10 biturbo - there were lots of radical right-wing rumors on all different blogs and pages that received our first press report. We distance ourselves from the project title - it was done by our press agency which obviously mistranslated our German project name into English. Furthermore we distance ourselves from anything that has to do with that group synonym and we would also like to say sorry if anyone got personally touched.

Deepest Regards

The AVUS PERFORMANCE Team

VW Creates Virtual Golf GTI VI Slot Car Race Game

Once in a while, automakers and their marketing teams come up with up an idea that's actually quite cool. Such is the case with Volkswagen's "GTI Project", a new virtual slot car game that you can play online from the comfort of your office chair -just don't get caught. The Scalectric track that was constructed by a team of 60 modelers and features some 200 scale buildings is truly massive measuring 30ft by 25ft (9.1meters x 7.6meters) while the Golf GTI slot car itself is a 1:43 scale replica. Give it a try and remember to have a little perseverance around the corners...

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

MINI Convertible Dresses Up for "I Kissed a Girl" singer, Kate Perry

You may not know her by her name, but we're pretty sure that you've heard Kate Perry's 2008 pop song, "I Kissed a Girl". So what has MINI got to do with Kate Perry, we hear you ask? Well, the British automaker decided to create a "Kate Perry" style Convertible for this year's Life Ball event, Europe's largest annual HIV/AIDS charity gathering. At last year's event, MINI came up with an erotic themed Clubman styled by lingerie firm, "Agent Provocateur". The Kate Perry-style Life Ball MINI Convertible 2009 is the work of "The Blonds", aka Puerto Rican Phillipe and US designer David Blond.

Aside from a design mock-up that shows a pink leopard-skinned MINI Convertible, we don't have any specific information on the car so we have no idea what it means to be styled for Kate Perry. Of course we could use our grimy imagination and the lyrics of her only well-known song to come up with an idea or two, but we'll behave - this time...

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

VIDEO: Foolish Cop in Patrol Car Chases Running Suspect in Apartment Complex

Sometimes there are no words to describe the reckless actions of people whose job is to serve the law without breaking it themselves. Take for example Lance Cpl. Alexander Richardson, a South Carolina trooper (Phil, we're expecting a comment) that was caught on video bumping a running suspect with his patrol car inside an apartment complex (!) in April 2007.

We don't know what the man did, but we do know that the trooper's actions were dim-witted as they not only posed an unnecessary danger for the suspect but even more significantly, for any innocent bystanders that may have been in the complex - can you imagine what would have happened if a kid was playing around in the area?

And while you'd expect a harsher punishment for the trooper, according to the Associated Press, a federal judge on Tuesday approved a deal that requires Richardson to perform around 100 hours of community service. Sounds more like a baby slap to the hand if you ask us.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Another Homemade Batmobile, this time from Batman Forever -with Video

There's something about Batmobiles that captures the imagination of handy-craft people like sculptor Bob Causey who built a drivable replica of the model seen in the 1995 film Batman Forever with Val Kilmer as the caped crusader. Like many other Batmobile replicas from various eras, this one too was built in a home garage and it comes with a full working interior and a rectractable hardtop that you can check out in action in the short video after the jump.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

1971 Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase 3: Giga 1/8th Scale Die-Cast Model

Being somewhat of die-cast model collectors ourselves, we couldn't bypass the chance to tell you about this giga-sized, 1/8th scale replica of the 1971 Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III from 'Icon Models' that will be produced in a limited run of 1,000 units each priced at a hefty $1,295 AUD - that's about €700 or US$925. For non-Australian readers, the GTHO Phase II Falcon is one of the most iconic muscle cars from the land 'Down Under' reputed at its time to be the fastest production saloon in the world.

The actual '71 Falcon XY GTHO Phase III was powered by a modified 351 Cleveland V8 engine that produced somewhere around 380HP. Mated to a 4 speed manual-gearbox, the rear-wheel drive Falcon was said to reach 60mph (96km/h) in 6.4 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds while its top speed was close to 230km/h (143mph). Only a mere 300 examples of the GTHO Phase III were built and fewer than 100 survive today. The past few years, prices for the much sought after Ford have skyrocketed to as high as AUD$800,000.

As for the die-cast version of the Aussie muscle car, the 60cm or 23.6-in. long 1/8th scale replica looks the part from the photos featuring many realistic details, but we'd like to see one up close before spending a grand on a die-cast model. According to the maker, the Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase 3 will be available during the thrid quarter of the year.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Poor Economy Linked to Increased Insurance Frauds -Suspicious Car Fires up 27%!

The ongoing economic downturn has been linked to a raise in the number of possible cases of insurance fraud in the U.S, according to a new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). An analysis of "questionable claims" that were classified as possibly fraudulent and were submitted by the more than 1,000 NICB member insurance companies in the first quarter of 2009, show a significant increase in these type of claims over the first quarter of 2008.

Examples of what the insurance companies call as opportunistic fraud include car owners that have trouble making payments on a recently purchased vehicle who decides to destroy their car and then report it vandalized or stolen.

According to the findings of NICB report, in the first quarter of 2009, suspicious car fires were up 27 percent (!) over the same period in 2008 while owner give-ups, which is defined as vehicles that were reported stolen by their owners when the owner is in fact making a false theft report, increased 24 percent from a year ago.

A previous analysis by NICB released in October 2008 that focused at owner give-ups from 2004 through March 2008, showed a connection between the number of owner give-ups and the rising cost of gasoline during that period. NICB claims that a large number of the give-ups involved less fuel efficient large sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks.

"Desperate times sometimes cause people to take desperate measures," said Joe Wehrle, NICB's President and Chief Executive Officer. " "Some people think it is okay to cheat an insurance company, but the fact is, they are breaking the law, risking jail time, and causing everyone else to pay more for their insurance coverage," he added.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

VIDEO: How to Instantly Fail a Breathalyzer Test

There's no need to spoil the surprise by telling you what happens in this short video, but rest assured you're going to crack up laughing. And even though we haven't the slightest idea of what the police officer or the drunk old man are saying, the video itself is worth more than a thousand words...

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

VIDEO: Lamborghini Diablo Crashes in Front of Crowd

This is one of those videos that you know is going to get a million hits on Youtube. During a racing event of some sort in Europe, an overly confident Lamborghini Diablo driver attempts to make a flashy exit from the starting point and amuse the crowd by pushing the pedal to the metal as he turns into a side road only to lose control of the 'raging bull' smashing it on a parked truck....

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Image Galore with 107 Photos

Get ready to take a ride into the past with our mega-gallery of the cars that shined at the 2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy that celebrated its 80th anniversary. The overall winner of the show was a dazzling 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Berlinetta Touring owned by American Jon Shirley that swept three prizes, including the coveted "Best Car of Show" by the jury, and the "Coppa d'Oro Villa d'Este" and "Trofeo BMW Group Italia" by public referendum.

Aside from the classic production and concept models, the 2,600 visitors who flocked to the grounds of Villa Erba in Cernobbio also had the chance to admire some brand new vehicles such as the Aston Martin One-77 that won the concept cars and prototypes award as well as the Bertone Mantide, Morgan Aero Supersports V8 and the Rolls Royce Ghost.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com