From Russia with Gold Porsche 911 is solid all over

Full Article Via Off Beat Earth [Link]

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Sold A Lemon ? why cars are failing MOT tests

How do you know when you’ve bought a lemon? When you take your car for its first MOT and it fails.

A BBC Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed many best-selling cars are failing their very first MOT despite being just a few years old.

Figures released by VOSA, the government agency that oversees the test, detail which cars pass, which fail and why.

Full Article Via BBC [link]

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Tiger Woods Deal is over claim GM

Tiger Woods no longer gets free cars from General Motors. No worries, we're pretty sure Tiger can afford to pay for his own ride anyway.

General Motors Co. says an agreement with Tiger Woods that allowed the fallen golf star to have free access to its vehicles is over.

Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi%3Ff%3D/n/a/2010/01/13/financial/f073547S01.DTL%26tsp%3D1#ixzz0cjAV2lPC

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Yungas ‘Death Road’ [TopGear] The Most Dangerous Road in the World

Having enjoyed the Christmas episode of Top Gear and after the laughter had finished I was struck by the incredible reality of the danger presented to the cast and crew during their trip to Bolivia. The programme has fantastic script writers and i think sub consciously they brought about a fantastic piece of reality to the programme whilst it may have been unintentional. It just goes to prove that its very easy to take for granted the fact that travel in the UK is realatively easy, many of the Bolivians risk their lives everyday just making a journey that is required for them just to survive.

By @JezZBean

Background

‘Road of Death’ or ‘Death Road’ as it’s called, the Yungas Road, in the Yungas region of Bolivia has one of the toughest terrains in the world. Reports estimate ‘killer-road’ takes 200-300 lives each year. Due to the dangers associated with the road, the Inter-American Development Bank christened it the “world’s most dangerous road” in 1995. The road includes crosses marking many of the spots where vehicles have fallen.

The North Yungas Road (alternatively known as Grove’s Road, Coroico Road, Camino de las Yungas, El Camino de la Muerte, Road of Death or Death Road) is a 61 or 69-kilometre road^[1] leading from La Paz to Coroico, 56 kilometres (35 mi) northeast of La Paz in the Yungas region of Bolivia. It is legendary for its extreme danger and in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the “world’s most dangerous road”.^[2] One estimate is that 200 to 300 travellers were killed yearly along the road.^[2] The road includes crosses marking many of the spots where vehicles have fallen. Via Wiki

“The Yungas road is not merely a passageway to the thick dense jungles of Bolivia, but is in itself a rite of passage.”

Jonathan Derksen (2002)

Death Road

Yungas road earned its reputation because it has the highest death toll per year than any other road in the world. At least 25 vehicles fall off the road per year and more than 100 people per year lose their lives on the Yungas Road in Bolivia.

The Yungas road was built by prisoners during Bolivia’s 1932-1935 war with Paraguay and continued many years after. It has been the only route linking northern Bolivia and the Yungas Valley to La Paz. The road is carved into the sides of the mountainside and it can have vertical drops of more than 1,500 (457m) feet just off the road and it has no guardrails.

The two-way road often times no wider than a single car, has blind corners and hairpin turns. It has been the only route from the farmlands of the Yungas Valley up to the capital in La Paz. There has been a staggering death toll: in one year 300 people died in cars, bus loads of people and trucks have plunged over the sheer cliff sides. via Travel-bolivia.com Link

Accidents

The North Yungas Road in Bolivia is reported to have a fatal accident every other week, 100-200 people perish there every year. It is said to be the most dangerous road in the world and has earned the nickname “The Winding Road of Death“. In the 1930s the road was built by prisoners of war.

The North Yungas Road leaves the city of La Paz,  the world’s highest capital city at 12,000 feet. It leads to Coroico, 56 km (35 miles) northeast of La Paz. In July of 2003, a safer route opened in an attempt to route traffic away from the dangerous road. View slide show of winding road of death. It is one of the few routes that connects the Amazon rain-forest region of northern Bolivia, or Yungas, to its capital city. Because of the extreme drop-offs, single-lane width, and lack of guardrails, the road is extremely dangerous. Speaking of accidents, due to the remoteness of the area, if you go over the edge it will be hours before a rescue crew can reach you. The first responders to accidents are usually the fellow motorists.  via Prettysleepy |link|

Some incredible pictures of Yungas.

Via Hottnez

More than 100 people were killed when a bus veered of Yungas road into a canyon on July 24, 1983. It is said to be Bolivia’s worst road accident.

This picture really brings home the reality of this incedible road.

Considering the risk of accident the nearest Ambulance station is almost 2 hrs away in La Paz

Very Close

As a blog writer i think  the world is  best described in pictures, this is truly a remarkable place, unique and purposeful but not without the risk and danger. You are clearly taking your life into your own hands in order to complete a remarkable journey only matched by that of everest. My last pictures are dedicated to all of those individuals , groups and families who have embarked on the incredible journey and taken on the incredible challenge of the “Death Road” Bolivia.

RIP

So, we have the stories and the pictures and i would like to conclude the article with a video dedicated to Top Gear and the Yungas Death Road, what an incredible programme not only have you brought us laughter but its been a education. Like my page on Yellowstone this will probably end up as one of the most remarkable places in the world that i have never seen although i would never say never !

I hope you have enjoyed the article please leave a comment or tweet it on.

Yungas “Death Road” Top Gear December 2009

references:

Whitaker, Mark (2006-11-11). “The world’s most dangerous road” (Podcast). BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6136268.stm
. Retrieved 2007-05-10.

Mostrous, Alexi (2008-04-25). “British cyclist Tom Austin killed on Bolivian ‘Highway of Death’”. The Times.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3814406.ece
. Retrieved 2008-04-25.

The North Yungas Road in Bolivia is reported to have a fatal accident every other week, 100-200 people perish there every year. It is said to be the most dangerous road in the world and has earned the nickname “The Winding Road of Death“. In the 1930s the road was built by prisoners of war. The North Yungas Road leaves the city of La Paz,  the world’s highest capital city at 12,000 feet. It leads to Coroico, 56 km (35 miles) northeast of La Paz. In July of 2003, a safer route opened in an attempt to route traffic away from the dangerous road. View slide show of winding road of death. It is one of the few routes that connects the Amazon rain-forest region of northern Bolivia, or Yungas, to its capital city. Because of the extreme drop-offs, single-lane width, and lack of guardrails, the road is extremely dangerous. Speaking of accidents, due to the remoteness of the area, if you go over the edge it will be hours before a rescue crew can reach you. The first responders to accidents are usually the fellow motorists.

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The mad world of overloading [pics]

Moving Home

Hard Drive

Not Far now

Car Boot sale Sunday

Wonky The Donkey

Ok just One more Move up !

Jaws 8 i think were goin a need a bigger boat ?

Did you Shut the door!

The only Taxi in Town

I said One more Bag

Tesco Free Bus only on thursdays

He was a stones throw away

Animal welfare under cover

im not sure which one was yours

I spy with my little eye !

dont laugh its know as art

i no thats how it should work but try telling them !

I need a bag for my tractor

Wheres nan ? in the back

spring ! Onions

Far too heavy!

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The amazing Asian art of the ‘jingle truck’

It takes six weeks to build a ‘jingle truck’, the brightly decorated lorries that rumble through the city of Peshawar. Adnan Khan meets the men who paint them and discovers how their work reflects the inner lives of the drivers of these massive murals on wheels.

‘Think of it this way: when a man gets married, his bride is decorated for him – she is made as beautiful as she can possibly be. For a truck driver, his truck is his bride,” says Baqir Khan, a Pakistani trucker.

read full article |link|via The National .

Check out some more stunning pics of this unique art!

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Wrong Way! [sat nav files]

Sat-nav feels like state-of-the-art technology, but it’s a century since the first auto-navigation device was invented and,  there are fears such systems are starting to erode local knowledge.

Ring Ring ! Hello , hi could you tell me where my delivery is ?

Sat-nav blunder sends Asda van crashing down narrow footpath , and he’s not on his own!

Despite the Edenfield path being about three foot wide and surrounded by dense foliage, the driver seemingly ignored common sense and instead blindly followed his electronic directions.

|article|

Check out the SAT NAV files …..

First ever SAT NAV

Too Late !

Sorry couldn’t resit this One!

Somewhere in Snowdonia ” Of all the scenarios I had dreamt up before the off of things going wrong, one of the worst actually happened today- the sat nav started playing up, turning itself on and off repeatedly”.

A bride feared she had been jilted after a sat-nav blunder left her groom struck in a narrow country lane.

The latest satnav blunder is pointing hundreds of drivers to a bridge that has never existed. via mail-online

A LORRY driver got stranded for seven hours in a muddy field after his Sat Nav sent him down a country lane on a “short cut” through Snowdonia.

Eyes on the road!

A Swedish couple seeking the golden beaches of the Italian island of Capri were disappointed when their GPS navigation system led them 400 miles off course, landing them instead in the industrial northern town of Carpi.

No need for SAT NAV

Crash and Carry

Told You!

“Not a Golf, But like a Golf, but a hatchback”

Maxi Damage!

Its round the back Dear !

well dont just stand there ! get me out

Do a u turn , and less of the back chat !

I cant plug it in !

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Grit the Roads you B…………..ds

Blame it on the moonlight , blame it on the sunshine , blame in on the Grit-man, blame it on everybody!

Well lets take a look.

More travel disruption as heavy snow moves south
Forecast of 40cm of snow in southern England raises concerns over repeat of transport disruptions affecting north

The Gaurdian 05/01/2010

More than 16 inches of snow to fall across south

Over 16 inches of snow is expected to fall across parts of the south of England over the next 24 hours bringing many major towns and cities grinding to a halt.

The Telegraph 05th January 2010

Heavy snow causes transport chaos as Britain slips into work late

By Wil Longbottom  7:50 AM on 18th December 2009 Article

Trapped: Presenter Davina McCall,took this picture from her car after she was trapped on the A21 in Kent Dec 09

So taking into account this again is Britain in mad winter panic and we Can’t cope mode the world is about to end i did some research and its amazing what was reported in the last 10 years.

Lets start in 2004

We blame the High street demise on yes you guessed it ” the weather What in April ? “

Grim weather slows boom on high street article

April 1, 2004

The impact of “atrocious” March weather in dampening shoppers’ enthusiasm for spring clothing ranges was partly blamed by the CBI for the abrupt slowdown in retail activity.

Overall, a net balance of plus 17 per cent of retailers reported higher sales last month — down from the buoyant figure of plus 26 per cent in February.

Clothing and footwear chains bore the brunt of the sales disappointment, with the sales balance for the sector slumping from plus 23 to minus 14 per cent.

Article  times-online

Worst Winters!

Reported on a BBC website in 2004 ,

Looking over the last 150 years there have been several notable winter events in the UK

The coolest period in the middle of the last millennium is referred to as the ‘Little Ice Age’. In British terms it ran from medieval times until 1850. Ever since that time our climate has been getting warmer but even in today’s warmer climate, snow and ice still cover our highest mountains during the winter months.

Having said that winter in the UK rarely sets in before December. The coldest months are still usually January and February. There haven’t been to many cold winters recently in the UK and the number of days with snow cover are becoming fewer too. It’s getting harder and harder to make a snowman in Southern England! Many young children living here are still waiting to see their first white Christmas. If global warming predictions from the Met Office’s Hadley Centre are correct they may never live to see it. The predictions for the next 50 years are that our winters will become milder, wetter and windier. The last white Christmases in London were 1906, 1916, 1927, 1938, 1956, 1964, 1968, 1970,1976, 1981, 1996 and 1999.

The Mail Online Reported , 18 January 2005

Deep snow causes Scotland travel chaos

Heavy snow caused travel chaos across Scotland today as the country was braced for gales of up to 70mph.

Up to 10 inches of snow fell in parts of central Scotland overnight making road conditions hazardous.

Gritters worked through the night but black ice caused a spate of accidents.

Drifting snow and icy patches forced the closure of the A93 between Braemar and Blairgowrie, the A81 between Callander and Aberfoyle and the A85 between Killin and Crianlarich, which were described by police as “treacherous”.

Read more Article

February 2007 Mail-online

Winter whiteout as heavy snow causes misery on roads and railways,Drivers were warned to stay off the roads for at least 24 hours following heavy snowfalls.The cold snap blocked busy routes and brought misery to rail and air passengers.Some stranded travellers demanded to know why bad weather that had been forecast for several days could cripple the transport network.The turmoil is believed to have cost firms up to £400million in lost productivity with around one million employees missing work.

Read more: Article

Winter 2008

Winter January 2009

So thats the weather panic put to bed, its winter what do people expect it happens all over the world in Poland it is -4 and snow , the USA is under snow , Norway -10 , Latvia -9. I also remember Britain blaming the grit for all this mad panic well Britain only have themselves to blame, the problem still exists and once again when the grit runs out we then blame someone else ,
“We could stockpile more salt but would have to pay millions for huge depots to keep it in and taxpayers would have to pay for it with a council tax rise and I don’t suppose taxpayers would be happy with that.

“The Salt Union says on its website it can produce 100,000 tonnes a week but is struggling to produce 30,000. What’s happening to the other 70,000 tonnes?”

The Salt Union spokesman said the 100,000 figure related to the maximum it could supply councils if it had full stock levels. She said the maximum it could extract at any time was 30,000 tonnes a week. A spokesman for the Local Government Association suggested. Article

At the ‘ Cold Comfort ‘ confrence in Cardiff 2008 Mike Hawkins explained

” Conventional grit which many of us have seen on UK roads and car parks during winter is produced from mined rock salt, and is generally quite dry. As a result of it’s dryness, it can fail to adhere to the road surface, leaving untreated patches on roads even after they appear to have been gritted. One solution has been the use of molasses, from sugar production, to coat the grit thus making it more ‘sticky’. Many highway and road authorities are now changing to pre-wetted grit, which is a mixture of rock salt and brine spread onto the road surface. However, the use of pre-wetted grit introduces different problems in relation to freezing temperatures and a decrease in skidding resistance created by adding a wet substance to the road surface.

Well all this panic has got too much for someone who decided to take his anger out on the local council by getting an abusive tax disc and ranting on a blog site. Read More |link|

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Vend me over

A vending machine provides snacks, beverages, lottery tickets, and other products to consumers without a cashier. Items sold via these machines vary by country and region. via Wiki.

Give a man a fish, they say, and he'll eat for a day. Teach him to fish, and he'll eat forever—as long as he has bait.

Chris Shipley is opening Demo with MooBella, a vending machine that dispenses custom ice cream mix-ins. "Every consumer can become a Ben, or a Jerry," the CEO says. And this is a tech conference, so be advised: The machine is Linux-based and has distributed management. But how good is the ice cream

|link|

|link|

ipod vending

Pizza Vending

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DeLorean on [ebay] is relisted @ US $89,000.00

The previous “Buy It Now” buyer backed out, so this amazing car is still up for sale.

That being said, PLEASE don’t email me only to ask if it really travels through time, or if it comes with Plutonium, or if it can fly, I’ve heard it all by now.  Also, PLEASE DON’T BID unless you are serious, you can afford it, and you are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol (like the guy who ruined the last auction). 4days to go So get your Bids in Bid Page >>>>
http://xr.com/4utf

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Why you should never cheat your partner!

Premiership referee Mark Clattenburgs £40,000 Porsche. His ex-girlfriend Susan Clegg was arrested in 2008

Some guy cheated on his wife and was caught after he accidentally sent her a text message meant for his mistress. She came home, and the rest is soon to be penis-chopping history

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Awesome cars the police have to chase us with ……

If no speed limit is your motto and you live in the UK I have bad news. Apparently the Metropolitan Police teamed up with Caparo, Britain’s supercar manufacturer to create the cool F1-looking police car, Caparo T1 RRV (Rapid Response Vehicle) that can go from 0 to 100mph in just 5 seconds

The Italian Police have a Lamborghini Gallardo

and the London Police have a Lamborghini Murciélago LP640

Look what Gremany have!

Texas

Ok Who bought that ?

NYPD

New in Kuwait

The Auckland metropolitan

America

UK Lamborghini Gallardo

Australia Alfa Romeo GT

Mitsubishi EVO X Signed Up By Victoria Police

Jaguar UK has launched a high performance Police pursuit vehicle based on its award-winning Jaguar XF Diesel S model.

The police department in the UK city of Humberside is replacing their aging Subaru chase cars with Lexus IS-Fs

Mitsubishi launched a police-liveried version of its Lancer Evo X FQ300

Saved the best until last....

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Pivo 2 Unbelievable cuttie

Still waiting to be made <(^;^)>

As the Frankfurt Auto Show  has finished, it is came time to open new shows and to view new cars, the next show, that I am going to pay my attention at is – Tokyo Motor Show.

The funniest and the most unusual model of this show will be (I am almost sure) an electric-powered Pivo 2 concept car from Nissan manufacturer. Pivo looks like a space ship and has the most bold design of the year and may be the following years as well.

The Nissan Pivo is a concept car created by Nissan. The Pivo was first introduced at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. The car is essentially a 360 degree rotating three-seater cabin on a chassis of 4 wheels, and hence eliminates the need for reversing and makes parking easier.

The Pivo is powered by a lithium-ion battery. The car’s futuristic design incorporates large doors for easy access to the cabin and large windscreens and windows for high visibility. As well as the fully rotational cabin, the Pivo features Nissan’s Around View Monitor system. This reduces blind spots (areas of the road which cannot be seen from the driver’s position) by displaying the outside surroundings on screens mounted on the inside of the car’s A-pillars, located on either side of the windshield.

An updated version of the concept, designated Pivo 2 was unveiled in 2007. The wheels have been moved to rotating pods that allow the car to drive in any direction. Along with the rotating cabin, this allows the car to pull up next to a parking space, and instead of conventional parallel parking, the wheels and cab simply rotate 90°, and the car drives in sideways. The rotating cab also now has only one door (the front of the cab itself), allowing passengers to exit or enter from any direction desired.

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20 lost & forgotten cars of the world

We dream about them,we save up to buy them,we get one,we clean them,we spend money fixing them,we give them a name,they breakdown and then we abandoned them Why!.

……..a few abandoned cars of the world!

Austin A30

Chrysler airflow

Hupmobile

Rolls Royce

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/6205/dscf4302gv9.jpg

Rare Fargo Sportman

http://sportscarforums.com/f7/abandoned-exotic-cars-you-have-got-24280.html

By now, I’m almost sure everyone here is aware of this car, the 38 Bugatti Atalante found inside a barn, tucked there for decades, then going out and starring a BJ auction in where it sold for almost a million, as is, but its soooo awesome I just had to put it here. Greatest barn find ever?

Alfa Bertone, Porsche 356, Mercedes Benz.

The pic above was one of a massive Barn find in Portugal check out the story

http://www.intuh.net/barnfinds/afa20.htm

Pair of Jaguars xks?

Real jackpot finds that cause the biggest stir.

The 1940 Barn Dodge

blog.cardomain.com/.../22/64-corvette-barn-find/ check out the rest of the pics fantastic find

They sure do! Take a look at this 1952 Cunningham that turned up in America.

found a haggard 65 panel/camper

And Finally my favoriote

DeLorean abandoned in a forest here in northern California. He learned about the car from local rumors, and after a lot of work he found it. Thought you guys would be interested in this.

Other links and articles worth a look

The Last Days of Rome: Abandoned Supercars of Dubai, Part II

The London Times calls the failure of Dubai’s economy “the modern equivalent of the last days of Rome.

” Nothing gives evidence to the grandeur that was once the hub of the oil economy like the tens of thousands of abandoned cars parked around the city.

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Own the ‘Back to the Future’ DeLorean and Be Awesome

On sale at ebay

Well, if you’ve been looking for a Delorean Time Machine, look no further. This is the most screen accurate Back to the Future Delorean Time Machine replica to ever appear on eBay. It is a real masterpiece. You might be asking yourself why it’s so expensive? Well, try to build a super-accurate Delorean Time Machine yourself, and you’ll quickly see how time consuming it is. That last 20% of accuracy takes 500% more time and effort.

click on logo for sale page………….. currently on US $60,201.03 with 7hrs to go ..

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