Autoblog: News Thread

[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Hartge goes off-roading with the X3 "Hunter"

Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, SUVs, BMW, Lifestyle

Click above for a full resolution image
The closest BMW has ever come to having an off-road vehicle was sticking its V8 engines into Range Rovers. Even it's "Sport Activity Vehicle", the X5, rarely sees time off the pavement and sticks to hauling kids to school and soccer practice. Hartge has set out to change that with an off-road program for Bimmer SUVs, the latest of which is an X3 dubbed the "Hunter". The Bavarian tuner gives the mini-ute increased ground clearance with longer springs and shocks as well as spacers up front. An underbody stainless steel skid plate, shortened axle ratio, and automatic differential locks on both axles improve its exploring capabilities. All-terrain tires are a must, and they are mounted on Hartge's lightweight 18-inch "Classic 2" wheels. For the true enthusiast, Hartge offers washable seat covers and a "green look" interior. We doubt Land Rover and Jeep owners will be flocking to their local BMW dealership for a trade-in, but it's definitely one of the more capable off-road BMWs we've seen. The press release is after the jump, and you can view the X3 Hunter in action in the gallery below.
[Source: Hartge]
Gallery: Hartge BMW X3 Hunter


Continue reading Hartge goes off-roading with the X3 "Hunter"

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Man buys new truck with only pocket change

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Dodge


Paul Brant, 70, bought his last new truck 13 years ago. Ever since then he's been saving up for his next new one, which he bought Friday with $26,670 in rolled quarters and dollar coins. Clinton County Indiana Sheriff's deputies escorted Brant to Mike Raisor Dodge where the estimated half a ton of rolled coins was traded for a 2008 half-ton 4X4 Dodge Ram.

One of the dealer's sales reps, Keith Gephart, said they appreciated Brant's patronage, but all those coins presented a problem. "No bank wants to take them," Gephart told "The Times" newspaper in Frankfort, Ind. "We've got a Loomis armored car coming."

Brant, 70, says he is as thrifty as his father was, who, Brant says, used to take his family on vacation with the change he'd saved up.

By the way, when Brant bought his previous Dodge truck in 1994, he paid for the whole thing with all the quarters he'd saved up over 23 years. And with the nickels, dimes and pennies, he bought his wife a new Dodge Neon.

[Sources: "The (Frankfort) Times," and "The (Lafayette, Ind.) Journal and Courier"]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: AutoblogGreen for 12.24.07

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green


We don't want to brag, but AutoblogGreen got to test drive the Brammo Enertia electric motorcycle recently. It was a short trip, just a few laps around a parking lot, but man, what a deal. We're looking forward to a real test drive sometime next year.

The big green car news late last week was brewing hub-bub over the EPA and the California waiver to regulate emissions. Vice President Cheney was involved, Nancy Pelosi is not happy, and President Bush might be pulling his support for EPA head. What a week.

• EVS23: A ride on the Brammo Enertia electric motorcycle? Sweet (video)
• Elon Musk finally speaks publicly on what's going at Tesla, plans to stay independant, go public
• VP Cheney met with automakers before EPA denied CA waiver
• Bush pulling support for EPA head?
• XR-3 three-wheeled hybrid can be yours for $170, materials and lots of elbow grease
• New EV coming from Bollor&eacute;/Pininfarina partnership
• Pelosi to EPA head on CA waiver denial: "I vigorously disagree with your rationale," "strongly support the inquiry"
• Tesla's Roadster wins Autopia's Car of the Year award
• Uh-oh: Wired picks Tesla Roadster for annual Vaporware awards
• Popular Mechanics test-drive the Aptera and comes back impressed
• AutoblogGreen rides the Quantya electric motorcycle
• Possible Saab 9-1X sketch?

More headlines after the jump.

Continue reading AutoblogGreen for 12.24.07

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Chrysler performing emergency surgery on sedans

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Hirings/Firings, Chrysler, Dodge


The new Chrysler Sebring has rightfully become the de facto whipping boy for all things wrong with design by committee. But unlike the former stalwart for unbridled criticism, the Pontiac Aztek, one of the main gripes has been the deplorable interior Chrysler saw fit to torture its customers with. According to a supplier sourced by Automotive News, a crack team of designers - dubbed "Project D" -- has been assembled to address the ills inside Chrysler's mid-sized sedan.

The team is comprised of senior managers and directors who are returning as contract employees after walking out the door during the recent round of buyouts. We wish them the best of luck and hope, despite Chrysler's current cash crunch, that they can finally offer consumers some of the up-market materials found on the Sebring's closest competitors.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Report: Volvo to cut dealer network, U.S. corporate operations

Filed under: Hirings/Firings, Volvo
Things at Volvo haven't been going well for some time and the higher-ups at the brand are finally beginning to recognize that sacrifices have to be made. Sales of the Swedish marque have steadily declined since 2004, with an average of 400 new vehicles being sold at each of the 350 Volvo franchises, and Anne Belec, CEO of Volvo's North American sales operations, expects another serious decline - around 10- to 15-percent - in 2008. That means cuts are on the horizon, for both dealers and Volvo's U.S. corporate operations alike.

The first move will be to pair down Volvo's Stateside dealer network in an effort to match demand with the sales infrastructure. Volvo intends to make it a voluntary effort, but if dealers don't step up for themselves, Volvo has a "plan in place" to "craft a way out." Read into that whatever you choose.

On the product side of the equation, Volvo will begin to shy away from smaller vehicles, like the S40, V50 and S60 and focus more on its larger lineup, including the S80, XC60 and V70. There was no mention of Volvo's newest entrant into the hatch segment, the C30, but if scaling back compact vehicles is in the cards, that might leave future iterations - including a four-door variant - on the drawing board.

Despite all of this, the one thing that seems to be plaguing Volvo is a lack of brand identity. The Automotive News interview with Belec categorizes Volvo as a "luxury brand," something that Ford has been trying to hype in recent years. "Luxury" is a far cry from Volvo's original identity of manufacturing the world's safest vehicles, and with far more competitive offerings coming from Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, it's no wonder the Volvo is floundering considering its lack of focus on what it does best.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Detroit '08 Preview: 2009 Subaru Forester officially revealed

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, SUVs, Crossovers/CUVs, Subaru

Click image to enlarge

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Subaru_reveals_new_2009_Forester'; Subaru's Christmas present to everyone is the release of the first official photo of the 2009 Forester. The Forester's appearance has been one of the worst-kept secrets in all of autodom over the last few weeks, but nonetheless, here you go. Subaru's PR (read it after the jump) is scant on details except to say that the car rides on a longer wheelbase than the outgoing model, providing more interior room while growing overall length just 3 inches. Inside, expect to see upgraded plastics and ergonomics, with power coming from 2.5L normally aspirated and turbocharged boxer engines. From the angle shown, the JDM model depicted above still looks like the love child of a Chrysler Pacifica and a Mitsubishi Outlander if you ask us. We expect to have lots more on this new Forester in the coming days.

[Source: Subaru]Continue reading Detroit '08 Preview: 2009 Subaru Forester officially revealed

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Certified pre-owned Lexus standards get more lenient

Filed under: Car Buying, Lexus


Certified used vehicles are a beacon for new customers considering a brand switch. Lexus has recognized this for a while, and the luxury marque is trying to keep supply up with demand. Due to an apparent influx in certified used vehicle sales, Lexus will be a bit more lenient on what vehicles make the factory-approved cut, but Lexus execs are insistent that the new policies won't degrade the quality of vehicles available.

Rather than cutting back on Lexus' multi-point inspection, the automaker will increase the allowable mileage for a certified vehicle from 60,000 to 70,000 miles, while extending eligible vehicles to seven-year old models, up from the current standard of six years.

Matt Kaleba, the manager of Lexus' certified used-vehicle program, expects sales of the pre-owned vehicles to increase by about seven-percent, and, more importantly, get buyers back to dealers when they want to upgrade to a brand-new model.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Third Gen Lancia Delta could debut at 2008 Geneva Show

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Hatchbacks, FIAT


Serious rally fans will recall that once upon a time the car of choice in the World Rally Championship (WRC) was the Lancia Delta Integrale. The Delta S4 was one of the more successful Group B cars and for several years following the demise of that class and before the World Rally Car, various iterations of the Delta Integrale tore up the special stages. The first generation Delta road car lasted from 1979-94 and the second generation model hung on until 1999 before being discontinued. In 2006, Lancia unveiled a new Delta HPE Concept at the Venice Film Festival and it now looks like a new production Delta will be rolled out next March in Geneva. So far there's no word on whether there will be a new Integrale, but we can always hope.

[Source: WorldCarFans]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Flashback: 2005 VW Ragster concept

Filed under: Concept Cars, Time Warp, Convertibles, Euro, Volkswagen

Click image for hi-res photo gallery

Last week, we brought you some Brenda Priddy-commissioned renderings of what the 2012 Volkswagen New Beetle might look like, based on styling cues shown on recent VW concept cars and inside info Brenda Priddy & Co. has picked up along the way. By far the most interesting (to us, at least) was the Speedster rendering, which suggests a (presumably) low-priced sports car for everyman; a Boxster for those of us without the budget, so to speak. It certainly looked good (what fantasy rendering doesn't, after all?), and you don't have to go too far back in history to see that the VW people have been kicking around a speedster-ish design idea for a while.

In 2005 at the Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen introduced the Ragster concept. Essentially, it was a New Beetle Speedster that used fixed side roof rails (sort of like the Citroen C3 Pluriel), between which a sliding soft top rolled fore and aft. The windshield was shortened, giving the whole car a slick chopped-top look, further accentuated by twin racing stripes and big 19" wheels. It was (and remains) one of the cooler VW concepts of recent years, particularly because it seems so eminently doable. With the rumor that a Speedster is under consideration for the next New Beetle refresh, we couldn't help but think of the Ragster and wonder if the idea just hasn't stopped nagging at somebody in the VW nerve center for the last few years.

[Source: VW]

Gallery: 2005 VW Ragster Concept


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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Rendered Speculation: Mazda RX-8 refresh

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Spy Photos, Sports/GTs, Mazda


Japanese car magazines often use 'chopped photos willy-nilly, so take this with a grainy bit of salt, but it appears that a scan of the face-lifted Mazda RX-8 has hit the web. We'll know for sure if this low-resolution subterfuge is accurate or not when the actual freshened RX-8 has its sheet cleaved away at the NAIAS in Detroit. From what we can see, changes are pretty subtle, with the most visual revisions restricted to the front and rear fascias. There's a new grille treatment up front and the two flanking air intakes changed a bit, with the foglamps moving up to a position at the top of the opening. Mazda-philes will be able to differentiate the early and late RX-8s in a heartbeat, but the rest of the population will notice absolutely nothing. There are substantive changes beyond the styling, the chassis has gotten some attention, acceleration is said to be improved and inside there are supposed to be more upgrades. It sounds like the 2009 RX-8 is this model's mid-cycle freshening, and they're putting more goodies in the car to keep people interested in Mazda's sweet-handling four-place GT.

[Source: 0-60]

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Rumors swirling about Jaguar/Land Rover's new owners, suitors left out in t

Filed under: Jaguar, Land Rover
And then there were two. Reports are beginning to surface confirming that Tata and One Equity are the remaining bidders for Jaguar and Land Rover, with Mahindra & Mahindra officially bowing out of the race. M&M have apparently decided that the complexity of the sale, particularly issues surrounding intellectual property rights and the technological ties that bind the two automakers to Ford, would be too difficult to deal with in the long run. Ford's cross-pollination between Jaguar and Land Rover will be something the front runners at Tata will be required to deal with once the sale goes through, likely sometime next year.

However, AutoObserver has already called the race. In an article earlier today, the site reported that the sale of Jag and L.R. went through and that Tata has paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 billion for both marques. Unfortunately, there's no other source for this news, so we're going to chock it up to rampant speculation brought on by too much eggnog. Regardless, we'll keep an eye out for more developments.

[Sources: Times of India, AutoObserver]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Ugliest Car Ever: The Aurora (no, not that one)

Filed under: Time Warp, Etc., Safety, UK


"We pass the basket for a second collection this week at Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration so the parish project car can be finished." It didn't go down quite like that in the Branford, CT parish of Father Alfred Juliano back in the 1950s, but the priest did build a car of his own design that was partially funded by parishioners. I remember rifling through a stack of musty Mechanix Illustrated backissues in my misspent youth and coming across a feature on this vehicle, called the Aurora. A lot of people have declaimed the hideousness of Juliano's "safety car" throughout the years. It certainly has a peculiar reverse rake to its stance, while the flowing, organic form of the fiberglass body give the Aurora the appearance of a quickly departing Sea Ray , rather than an automobile headed at you.

Father Juliano had a lifelong automotive avocation and studied art before entering the priesthood. His intent with the Aurora was to create the world's safest automobile atop a salvaged Buick chassis. The body was hand-laid fiberglass and the bubbilicious daylight openings are rendered in plexiglass. Despite his efforts, things did not go well for Fr. Juliano. The car's press unveiling was a disaster, and Juliano ultimately ended up in financial trouble and was forced to leave his order. The Aurora was given to a garage to settle a debt, and that's where England's Andy Saunders tracked the vehicle down. Andy runs an auto import and customization business, and relishes a challenge. Restoring the Aurora was an arduous process, but as you can see, it's risen like Lazarus from the very disintegrated state Andy found it in. Since its restoration, the car has appeared at several events and museums, including Goodwood. Quite the resurrection.

[Source: NY Times, Photo: Andrew Saunders / NYT]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: VIDEO: Top Gear drives the M3, C63, and RS4

Filed under: Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Videos, Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz

Top Gear drives Germany's three small super saloons... well, in the M3's case, it's a coupe, but you get the picture The cars go against each other, as well as Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus F1 racer that won the 1972 World Championship, and has the same horsepower as the sedans. There's also the Stig, a Stig-ette in a white bikini and helmet, Clarkson dining on an apple run over at the apex of a turn, a measurement device that we can't mention here, and lots of unkind things said of M3 drivers. But it's just in time for Christmas, and it's in three parts, which means you can make Top Gear Christmas cheer can last all day. Especially if you have a new M3 on order.

[Source: You Tube]Continue reading VIDEO: Top Gear drives the M3, C63, and RS4

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Gran Turismo 5 celebrates the 'Vette with new scans

Filed under: Gadgets, Toys

Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the 1960 Corvette from GT5

GT5 will come with a 1960 Corvette, and we heartily applaud the inclusion. The car looks like it's had an afternoon session at a tuner shop -- nothing fancy, just a slight drop, some rims and wider tires. The rims could be a bit questionable, not in themselves, just on this particular car. However, if the physics have kept up with the tires, then the car will be much easier to drive on the track as opposed to the pencil-thin whitewalls the car wore on the showroom floor. Not that you're going to be flying past any GT-R's, but a nice wind-in-your-helmet lap in a car that requires true finesse to get the best out of it will still be a lot of fun. Click the gallery below for hi-res images of the classic 'Vette.

[Source: PS3 Fanboy]

Gallery: Gran Turismo 1960 Corvette Roadster


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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Dinan strokes the M5/M6's V10 to 5.7-liters, 628 hp

Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, BMW

The hefty price tag and somewhat limited availability of the BMW M5 and M6 ensures that only a select few get behind the wheel of a 500 HP masterpiece. That kind of power, coupled with the razor-sharp performance of a precision-tuned BMW suspension make for a driving experience rivaled by few automobiles on our planet. No matter how great these M-tuned Bimmers are, however, there are some who strive for more. That's why companies like Dinan are around to transform the sublime into the ridiculous.

If you have a passion for power and an additional $40,000 in your budget, Dinan can transform your "ordinary" M5/M6 into a race-ready athlete with the heart of the champion. For your 40-large, Dinan will take the 5.0L V10 that powers the "standard" M5/M6 and bore and stroke it to 5.7 liters. The end result is a legitimate road beast that cranks out 628 hp and 482 lb-ft. The additional hp under the bonnet of the Dinan M's still revs freely to 8100 RPM, and much of the torque is available as low as 3000 RPM. To keep Dinan's 5.7L flamethrower breathing freely, the engine tuner added high flow Intake/air mass meter assemblies, high flow throttle bodies, free flow mufflers and a racing exhaust. Sure the extra $40k can almost buy you a spare 335i, but if you want to make your M5/M6 even more exclusive, Dinan's solution is as good as any.

Thanks for the tip, slblack.

[Source: Dinan]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: VIDEO: First Knight Rider teaser trailer airs

Filed under: Etc., Videos

click above image to view teaser trailer

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/television/NBC_Airs_New_Knight_Rider_teaser_hear_Will_Arrnet'; Had you been watching Sunday Night Football yesterday, you would've seen the Redskins pound on the Vikings. Exciting stuff. If you blinked, got up to microwave some nacho cheese sauce or changed stations to watch the Amazing Race 12, then you may have missed the first official Knight Rider trailer to hit the airwaves.

The short spot will probably be the first of many that primes our nostalgic hearts for the return of Knight Rider as a network series, kicked off by a two-hour movie on February 17th. The trailer shows KITT covered on a stage, motionless until his light bar begins glowing red and doing sweeps. Note that because the Shelby GT500KR actually has a pair of nostrils, there are really two light bars this time. Then, we hear the slightly synthesized voice of Will Arnett say, "Hello Mike." Getting a little casual now, aren't we KITT? Your predecessor referred to his master as Michael. Kids these days.

Check out the trailer for yourself after the jump, which was graciously snagged from the broadcast by the folks at Knight Rider Online.

Thanks for the tip, Argot!

[Source: Knight Rider Online]

Gallery: The new KITT - OFFICIAL PHOTOS

Continue reading VIDEO: First Knight Rider teaser trailer airs

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: AutoblogGreen for 12.25.07

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green


AutoblogGreen rings in Christmas with, well, the same green car news we provide day in and day out year round. Highlights from yesterday's batch of stories include an in-depth review of the 2008 Toyota Highlander hybrid and our latest podcast, featuring Beau Boeckmann of MTV's Pimp My Ride. We're also a bit concerned that in the list of 30 most walkable American cities Detroit came in 18th while Honolulu didn't place. Just based on the weather, Honolulu should be near the top, no?

• In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2008 Toyota Highlander hybrid
• AutoblogGreen Podcast #16 - Pimp My Ride's Beau Boeckmann
• First electric Smart ForTwo goes to Coventry city council
• On Being An 800 lb Gorilla
• NYPD to test Vectrix electric scooters next month
• The Office's Dwight installed a gun rack in his Prius
• VIDEO: How dual clutch gearboxes work
• Top 30 most walkable American cities
• Soon, smoking in cars with children will be illegal in California
• Minnesota high school seniors can win $500 for biodiesel essay

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Nissan-Saurus: From the "what-could've-been" files

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sports/GTs, Nissan


At the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show Nissan unveiled a sporty concept with a design reminiscent of the Lotus Seven. It was an open cockpit design with bulging fenders featuring a 1.0-liter supercharged and turbocharged engine. The concept had a fitting name to go with its unconventional design, the Nissan Saurus. Rather than add more sensible features to the Saurus, such as a roof, Nissan marketed the concept as part of a pair. The Jura minivan concept was introduced as a practical compliment to the roadster. This approach was very radical for the Japanese market where space for two automobiles was unrealistic for most, so it was safely assumed the Saurus concept was never meant to see production. Surprisingly enough, the twincharged engine made its way into production in 1989 through the March/Micra Super Turbo.

Despite the impracticality of the Saurus concept, there was one department of Nissan that saw potential in the design. Nismo, Nissan's motorsports division, created the Saurus Cup race series in 1989. The series featured single seater sheetmetal tub racecars with fiberglass molded bodies replicating the Saurus concept. The car was also used for Nissan Racing School. The successor to the Saurus racecar, the Saurus Jr., is still used for advanced racing classes today.

Follow the jump to see more images related to the Nissan Saurus concept.

[Source: Grand JDM]

Gallery: Nissan Saurus

Continue reading Nissan-Saurus: From the "what-could've-been" files

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Honda readies new hybrid attack, calling the Civic Hybrid a mistake

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Japan, Tech, Honda
Honda CEO Takeo Fukui has said Honda will now take the hybrid war seriously, with a claim that, "The real competition has just begun." Honda is planning to come out with a hybrid-only model in early 2009 that will provide genuine competition for the Toyota Prius.

It seems everyone has been forced to play off the Prius' cues, such as when Fukui says that, "Until now, it has been an image-based competition, not a business-based competition." Which explains the Civic Hybrid being a misstep, because according to CNW research, 50-percent of folks who buy hybrids need the world to know it's a hybrid because they don't want people to think they are burning the remains of giant lizards.

How does Honda plan to get the consumer's attention a year from now? Primarily, sticker shock -- but the good kind. Fukui said he wants the car to come in below the price of the current Civic Hybrid, which is $23,235. The current Prius starts at $20,950, so Honda needs to count a fair number of beans if they want price alone to be the allure. Fukui did say, nevertheless, that he expected the car to have a lighter hybrid engine, which would give better gas mileage. But will either the Prius or new Honda hybrid get better mileage than the MINI Cooper D?

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Dodging a tow truck in Glasgow, with a Ram

Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Etc., Euro, Government/Legal, Dodge


Alan Love is a millionaire who apparently doesn't believe rules apply to him. Alan lives in Glasgow, Scotland and has a predilection for parking illegally. After getting his cars towed on numerous occasions he has come up with a novel way of avoiding that little problem: get a vehicle bigger than the tow trucks. In a country where high fuel prices cause most people to drive smaller cars, Glasgow authorities didn't have any tow trucks capable of removing Love's new three-ton Dodge Ram pickup. Love evidently pays his &pound;150 in parking tickets, but still believes he should be able to park wherever he feels like. Now that the escalation is continuing with the Glasgow City Council buying two new tow trucks capable of towing the Ram, the question is what will Love do next, buy one of these?

[Source: WhatCar?]
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