I’m a huge fan of the BMW built Mini Cooper. My mom has a Type S and there’s very few cars I would feel as safe putting her in. As a bonus, it’s her all time favorite car she’s ever owned (and my parents have owned almost 45 cars in almost 50 years of marriage) and I can’t blame her, the car is a hoot! However, many have questioned how safe the car actually is due to its pint sized chassis. The following pictures should allay any  worries about how safe the Mini Cooper really is:

The above are pictures take at the scene by a fireman with a camera phone. Below is an account of the incident:

These pictures were taken by one of the firemen who were called to the scene, with his camera phone. The officials who responded to the accident could not believe that the Mini (and I) sustained so little damage. The other vehicle involved is a Chevy Tahoe. I was driving south on a one-way street and the other driver was driving west, also on a one-way street. The other driver ran a red light (that had been red for a long time) and appeared in the intersection just in front of me as I came through. I didn’t even see them. I hit the passenger’s side of Tahoe head-on, and the Tahoe rolled. In one of the pictures, you can see the Mini-shaped dent in the vehicle that is on its side. The driver of the Tahoe was unhurt and did get a ticket. She was also insured.

It’s great to see everyone was ok, but there’s a certain part of you that has to say, “Ha! That’s for acting like you own the road.” Such a huge portion of the SUV drivers out there act as though they own the road, ignoring other cars while merging, not using turn signals and, as above, running red lights.

Source: Jalopnik

Cars have personality.  Some may be boring, others extreme and overbearing.
Some cars lack personality, and this is arguably the case with most new model vehicles.

Enter the new Z-car from Nissan, aesthetically pleasing and a heritage of performance and pure driving pleasure. The Z is an immovable object and an unstoppable force, at the same time.

Nissan has always kept some passion in the Z brand, and the new model
ignites something inside, demands attention.
This vehicle clearly states, before even being started, that it will not
be like any other “blast-from-the-past” remake of a classic.

Some will mock the design techniques, and ask for “this” or “that” until
the car looks the exact same as the previous model.
What would be the point?  When should there be designs for cars of the future?
So ensue arguments over such new designs.

The car is sharp, clean, and beautiful. First impressions? Now that’s a Z car.
I like this design, and would enjoy more forward thinking like this from all car manufacturing companies.
And I’ll bet if you sat behind the wheel for 5 minutes,
you’d forget about those “silly” headlights.

-J

Another story from the trashy gossip file brings us this picture of The Hill’s Lauren Conrad in West Hollywood yesterday, showing off her brand new $118,000 Audi R8. There have been rumors Lauren makes approximately $75,000 per episode, which means she “acted” a full 2 hours worth of air-time to score the sexy Audi (and pay for the taxes, fuel, purse to go along with the car). Say what you will about the fake reality life, she’s driving an R8 and most of us are not. If nothing else, the next owner can probably be safe in knowing the car wasn’t abused, other than perhaps excessive mocha-lattes in the cup holders.

Source: TMZ

Coming to you from the trashy gossip file, according to TMZ, Sylvester Stalone has recently been plotting to bring the grizzled Vietnam veteran John Rambo back for a fifth installment of the action movie franchise.

Rambo returned in 2008 to battle the Burmese army, 26 years after he took his big screen bow in 1982’s First Blood. However, the question in our minds is going to be whether he’ll be rocking this black Volkswagon Pheaton sporting red trim molding (ala GTI) and blacked out wheels. Just think about how much ammo and guns that beast could motor along the autobahn. Whether or not he’ll be rocking out with the VW on screen, it’s a car we can all agree rocks in real life. The 62-year-old ends the brief interlude with TMZ.com, “Rambo hopefully will be back. We’ve just got to give you guys a story that’s worthwhile.”

Source: TMZ

This evening I was talking with my in-laws about their anniversary celebrations and they went to see a movie. One particularly noteworthy for an automotive website. Flash of Genius is a new film starring Greg Kennear and is the story of Robert Kearns, the inventor of the intermittent windshield wipers for the automobile. It’s a story of basic American inginuity and greed of automobile corporations who refused to give proper credit and royalties to someone whom they considered “small potatoes” and could ignore. Working in his basement, Kearns devises the first intermittent wiper from off-the-shelf components and tested it in a fish tank. In 1967 he patented the idea. He later demonstrated the concept to Ford executives, but wouldn’t tell them how it worked until he had a deal. After Ford ripped it off and reneged on the deal, he sued in them in 1978 and Chrysler for similar reasons in 1982. After numerous lawsuits and counter suits, Ford lost. The court said Ford’s infringement was not deliberate, and Ford agreed to settle with Kearns monetarily for $10.2 million with an agreement of no further appeals (and no admission of wrongdoing). It wasn’t until 1992 that the Chrysler verdict was decided. The initial Chrysler court decision was challenged and eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court who ruled in 1995 against Chrysler. They were evetually ordered to pay Kearns $18.7 million (with interest). By 1995, after spending over $10 million in legal fees, Robert Kearns received approximately $30 million in compensation for the work he completed on the intermittant windsheild wiper.

Flash of Genius is a great movie for guys who like gadgets. It’s a movie for engineers and everything they devote their passion to. For those of us who love to create things, Flash of Genius brings an intriguing real life story to the screen and lets ‘car guys’ into a part of the car we all take for granted. I highly recommend Flash of Genius to anyone looking for an intellectual and inspirational drama. Greg Kennear reflects the character of Robert Kearns well and I would expect he would be proud of this movie and it’s depiction of his story.