Dumb and Dumber, the Motoring Scene

[DACH]

Shocking video shows a man clinging to the hood of a car as it speeds down a Florida highway

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5885015/Shocking-video-shows-man-clinging-hood-SUV-speeds-Florida-highway.html

 

• A man was seen holding onto the hood of an SUV as it sped down I-95 in Miami, Florida
• It appears a woman was driving but her identity and the man's are unknown 
• At one point the car reaches up to 70mph as a man driving alongside them records the spectacle
• It is unclear why the man was on the hood and if he made it off safe

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5885015/Shocking-video-shows-man-clinging-hood-SUV-speeds-Florida-highway.html#v-2590070942595173178

 

[Carbon82]

Florida Man Tells Cops He Wasn't Drinking And Driving Because He Only Drank Bourbon While Stopped

 

Sometimes, you have to wonder if people in Florida want to keep the “Florida man” joke alive, thus continually passing the baton on depicting caricatures of human stupidity. A new Florida man, when stopped by cops recently, claimed he wasn’t drinking and driving because he only drank bourbon while stopped.

 

 

A woman in Indian River County, Florida called the police about man identified as Earle Stevens Jr. on June 27 saying he hit the back her of her car several times at a drive-thru, according to a police report on The Smoking Gun, a website that shares arrest records and other police documents. A deputy arrived to find out that Stevens didn’t have a driver’s license, according to the arrest report, and noticed an open bottle of Jim Beam bourbon in the passenger seat of the car.

 

The Indian River County Sheriff’s Department website logged Stevens, listed as a 69-year-old real-estate agent, as arrested the night of June 27 on charges of driving under the influence and not having a Florida driver’s license. The site listed him as released at 2 a.m. local time June 28 with a $1,500 bond. The report wasn’t available on the department website because it only allows downloads of reports from the past 10 days, but The Smoking Gun has the full record of it.

 

The deputy wrote in the report that Stevens had a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” on his breath and that his “speech was slurred and his eyes were red and glossy,” so the deputy asked how much he had to drink. The first time, the report said, Steven answered with “I don’t know, about three drinks.” The next time, the deputy wrote, he answered with “four drinks.”

 

But Stevens also told the deputy he felt “pretty good,” despite the arrest report describing him as not doing too well on sobriety exercises. He also had a unique interpretation of drunk-driving laws, according to the deputy’s report:

 

I asked him if he’d been drinking in the vehicle and he stated, “No.” When I asked him where he was drinking he stated, “stop signs.” He further explained that he was not drinking while the car was moving and only when he stopped for stop signs and traffic signals.

 

[Carbon82]

Second-Gen Ford GT’s ‘Cool’ Doors Are A Royal Pain In The Ass

 

Supercars must have cool doors; that’s the rule most of us grew up with, witnessing companies like Lamborghini, McLaren and even Ford putting out the most impressive door designs in the industry.

 

But some of these impressive door designs just don’t work in real life, no matter how cool the story behind them is. That’s the case with the Ford GT, which paid so much tribute to the original GT40 that used the same, motorsport-derived design.

 

* Jump to 0:18, 2:22, 3:15 & 4:15 to have a good laugh...

 

[DACH]

Cow Casually Strolls Into Mazda Dealership, Beats Up Cars

 

https://jalopnik.com/cow-casually-strolls-into-a-mazda-dealership-in-the-uk-1829844997

 

There’s a lot at steak as a human. If you break something, those involved will try to milk you dry financially—even when you really needed to punch that wall or kick that breakable item. But when you’re a cow? When you’re a cow, you can just moove it and groove it to your local car dealership and wreak havoc.

The best part is, nobody will tan your hide for it.

The Arnold Clark Automobiles Twitter account posted photos of a bovine visitor at Arnold Clark Stirling Mazda in the UK, saying it ran away from a nearby cattle market. The photos show the cow outside in the lot and inside the showroom, which is pretty impressive considering that a bunch of salespeople should have swarmed it at the door if they really wanted that commission money.

But making money is the opposite of what happened with this customer, even if it did have meaty pockets. British newspaper the Express & Star reports that the cow, obviously very upset when it herd that its species wouldn’t fit in thenew Mazda Miata, settled its beef with the car by ripping a mirror off of one. It then let the rest of its anger out on a Mazda 2 to cause £1,500 in total damage, according to the paper, or about $2,000 at current exchange rates.

Here’s what happened when the cow got inside the showroom, according to the Express & Star:

Telling The Scotsman about his “bizarre” experience, sales manager James Merrins said: “We were standing in the showroom then I saw one of my guys running towards us shouting ‘cow cow cow’.

“Next thing you know, the cow was in the showroom and it looked as calm as you like. But when the automatic doors shut behind it, it began to panic and that’s when we all ran for it into the offices because there was no way of stopping it.”

The paper reports that the mart the cow escaped from agreed to pay for the damage, because humans always get the blame, and that it sent over a bottle of whiskey to apologize for this udderly absurd situation.

[DACH]

Nissan to fire Ghosn for alleged financial misdeeds; Mitsubishi expects to do the same

http://www.autonews.com/article/20181119/COPY01/311199981/carlos-ghosn-arrested-fired

 

YOKOHAMA, Japan -- Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested in Japan, and the Japanese carmaker he once saved from the brink of bankruptcy now plans to fire the high-flying executive for allegedly being the “master mind” behind “significant” financial misconduct.

CEO Hiroto Saikawa, 65, in a stunning turn of events, accused Ghosn of three financial misdeeds and said the board on Thursday would vote to dismiss his long-time colleague.

Ghosn, 64, allegedly under-reported his income in official stock market filings. He diverted corporate investment funds for personal use. And he misused company expenses, Saikawa said. Ghosn was taken into custody earlier in the day after arriving at a Tokyo airport and charged with similar violations of Japan’s financial laws, local media reported.

It was bombshell development for one of the industry’s most storied executives and a man who created its biggest automotive partnership, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Ghosn oversees them all as chairman of the alliance, while individually chairing all three carmakers and concurrently serving as CEO of French partner Renault.

Following Nissan’s move to oust Ghosn, Mitsubishi issued a statement saying it would also recommend to its board of directors that it fire its chairman.

Ghosn’s arrest and pending dismissals cast new doubt on the future of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. Ghosn had been expected to step down as alliance chairman in the coming years, and he has been working behind the scenes to formulate a structure that will keep the carmakers working together while preserving their independence and brand identity.

Ghosn is one of Japan’s highest-paid executives, a perennial point of controversy in a country where even top executives typically take home much less than international counterparts.

 

At a late evening press conference, Saikawa, 65, said Nissan wants to preserve the alliance but saw this as an opportunity to change its management structure. He partly blamed the financial misdeeds on having too much power concentrated in Ghosn and a lack of transparency.

“This is a negative impact of the long regime of Mr. Ghosn,” Saikawa said, noting Ghosn has been at or near the helm for 19 years. “This is a good opportunity to revise the way we work."

Nissan fingered American board member Greg Kelly, 62, as Ghosn co-conspirator. He rose through the ranks as a director of human resources and close adviser to Ghosn.

“We have confirmed these two are the masterminds,” Saikawa said of Ghosn and Kelly, noting Kelly would be dismissed as well. “This is an act that cannot be tolerated."

Mitigating the damage

Ghosn is believed by Nissan to have under-reported his income over multiple years and misused corporate assets. While Nissan did not immediately comment on the magnitude of the alleged income under-reporting, the Jiji news agency said Ghosn under-reported nearly 10 billion yen ($88.7 million) in compensation as nearly 5 billion yen.

The Kyodo news agency said it took place over five years, from 2011 to the present.

Saikawa declined to give details citing the ongoing criminal investigation.

The downfall of Ghosn won’t affect the alliance, he said.

“The alliance partnership itself will not be affected by this event.”

But Saikawa blamed the alleged abuse on the concentration of too much power in one top executive for so many years. Saikawa said he would form a committee led by independent board members to root out the causes of the wrongdoing and prevent recurrences.

They will work with alliance partners Mitsubishi and Renault, when necessary.

Saikawa said this discovery adds impetus to the need for reforming the management structure linking Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi. In the future, it is important to avoid concentrating too much power in one person, he said. Instead, a sustainable system is needed, he said.

Saikawa said a top goal is to keep the management upheaval from affecting daily operations

“We have to make sure we minimize the impact on business partners and employees,” Saikawa said.

A representative for the Tokyo prosecutors’ office said it doesn’t comment on individual cases. Under Japanese law, prosecutors need to make official charges before a case can be brought to court. So Ghosn’s arrest doesn’t mean he will be found guilty. It’s unclear where he is now and how long the legal process will take.

Renault impact?

Renault, in a statement from its lead independent director and committee chairs, acknowledged Nissan's statement, but didn't announce any immediate action regarding Ghosn.

"Pending provision of precise information from Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Renault, the above directors wish to express their dedication to the defense of Renault’s interest in the Alliance," the statement said. "The Board of Directors of Renault will be convened very shortly."

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country holds 15 percent of Renault Group shares, said: “The government, as a shareholder, remains extremely vigilant about the stability of the alliance."

Macron and Ghosn have a contentious history; as finance minister under former president Francois Hollande, Macron had criticized the Renault CEO’s salary as excessive and pushed the state to increase its share in the automaker to the 20 percent level in 2015 from the previous 15 percent.

Ghosn has been contemplating his next career step as the companies look to change the pact’s structure,possibly through a merger. Ghosn gave up his role as CEO of Nissan last year and has said that he may step down as CEO of Renault before his four-year term ends in 2022, fueling speculation the alliance could lose its architect and main leader for the past two decades.

The carmakers have given themselves two years to decide on a possible merger between them or find an alternative mechanism to enhance their partnership, Bloomberg News reported in July. Ghosn said in September that the companies will “clarify everything” within the first half of his current term as Renault CEO.

“I am abandoning some jobs to delegate more, the more I consider the organizations are mature and capable to sustain by themselves with the new leadership,” Ghosn said in late September.

Fall from grace

Ghosn, one of Japan’s highest-paid executives, is joint chairman of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance and one of the industry’s most storied leaders.

This marks a stunning fall from grace for the man who pioneered Nissan’s comeback and has been credited for leading one of the auto industry’s few successful automotive partnerships, the long-running tie-up between Nissan and France’s Renault.

Ghosn expanded the alliance to include Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in 2016, by engineering Nissan’s purchase of a controlling stake in the smaller Japanese rival. Mitsubishi had no immediate comment on its plan of action following the news, a spokesman said.

Nissan did not say who would replace Ghosn as chairman.

Controversial compensation

The news also casts a shadow over the future of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. Ghosn had been expected to step down as chairman of the alliance in the coming years, and he has been working behind the scenes to formulate a structure that will keep the carmakers working together while preserving their independence and brand identity.

In Japan, Ghosn has been a controversial figure for his outsized salary, routinely the top among this nation’s auto executives. Nissan, as a whole, argues it needs to pay its executives more than the Japanese average to attract top-tier global talent in an international industry.

Nissan reported in securities filings that it paid him about 1.1 billion yen ($10 million) for 2016 and about $6.5 million in the most recent fiscal year. He reportedly took home about $8.5 million at Renault and about $2 million from Mitsubishi in the latest period. At Renault, his package for 2017 was narrowly passed by Renault shareholders, but only after he agreed to a 20 percent reduction.

Ghosn was sent by Renault in 1999 to take over a then flailing Nissan as COO. He became Nissan president the following year and was CEO from June 2001. He became co-current president of Renault in 2005 and chairman of Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. He relinquished his CEO title at Nissan last year.

Saikawa joined Nissan in 1977 and was its chief competitive officer from 2013 to 2016. He previously had roles as the chairman of the Management Committees of the Americas and Europe, as well as the executive vice president of purchasing.

Bus-ted! 4 Men Caught Trying to Cross Vehicles-Only Bridge Dressed as Bus.

https://www.insideedition.com/bus-ted-4-men-caught-trying-cross-vehicles-only-bridge-dressed-bus-48432

 

In an attempt to cross a vehicles-only bridge in Russia, four men turned to a unique disguise: A bus costume.

 

The men, lined up under the large yellow bus outfit, were spotted walking across the busy Golden Bridge in the Russian city of Vladivostok. However, they didn’t get very far before getting in trouble.

 

The endeavor was caught on film by a driver on the bridge, who called the bus costume “beautiful” and “art.”

 

In the video, the bus costume, along with eight legs, becomes visible and trafficappears to slow down behind it. Then, a guard approaches the group of masked pedestrians, quickly guiding them to turn around.

 

The bridge was built in 2012 and prohibits pedestrians to cross it even though is it the shortest way to get into the city center.

[Silviasam]

Thank you for sharing this informative article.

[DACH]

The one who threw the stone should go to hell.

 

Police believe concrete intentionally thrown from bridge, killing driver in I-24 crash

https://www.wkrn.com/news/driver-killed-in-crash-on-i-24-in-downtown-nashville/1608651388

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - A driver was killed in a multiple vehicle crash on Interstate 24 Tuesday morning after authorities believe a chunk of concrete was intentionally thrown from a bridge.   

It happened in downtown Nashville near the Shelby Avenue exit just before 5 a.m.    

Police said at this point in the investigation it appears likely the chunk of concrete was thrown from the Shelby Avenue Bridge.  

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has since inspected the bridge and determined the concrete was not part of the structure and more closely resembles a roadway curb.  

Police said Joe Shelton Jr., a Nissan employee, was driving to work when the concrete went through his windshield and hit him in the face.  

The 54-year-old's Nissan GT-R sideswiped a Toyota pickup truck and guardrail before coming to a stop on the Silliman Evans Bridge.  

Investigators are reviewing surveillance cameras in the area.  

The crash remains under investigation.   Anyone with information on the crash is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME.  

Nissan released a statement late Tuesday afternoon saying, “We are saddened to learn of Joe’s passing. Our deepest sympathies are with his family members, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.”

[Sdf4786k]

This one is real DUMB! Crashing own car just to chase away birds...

 

Guy Records Himself Crashing While Trying To Run Over Some Birds

 

https://twitter.com/i/videos/959865447939231744?embed_source=facebook

 

Some people really hate birds. One guy hated birds so much, he decided to record himself driving his car at some birds in a parking lot for Snapchat. It did not end well for him.

 

And let not forget that he had also committed another unsafe act (a traffic offence in many places): Using mobile phone while driving...    

 

must be bird poop on his car

Maybe his car kena this... 

 

Then want to sought revenge...

I will kill u.jpg

 

 

I have yet to see a ceramic coating company do this kind of demo.

[Carbon82]

Fastest record for have a license revoked / suspended?  

 

Teen Driver Loses His License Just 49 Minutes After Passing Test

 

For most young drivers, getting your license means being free to head out and enjoy the open road, either by yourself or with your friends, knowing that your world is about to expand as you no longer require public transportation or your parents to drive you around.

 

What’s not ideal is to have that dream taken away from you just 49 minutes into it, as was the case with an 18-year old in Germany, who was nabbed by a laser speed gun while traveling at almost twice the speed limit.

 

Authorities in the town of Hemer caught him doing 95 km/h (60 mph) in a 50 km/h (30 mph) zone, reports the BBC. The young man also had four of his friends in the car, which led police to speculate that perhaps he was trying to impress them by going fast.

 

“Some things last forever – others not for an hour,” German police wrote in their statement, sounding like something out of a sarcastic fortune cookie.

 

The teen, formally banned for four weeks, is also facing a €200 ($228) fine, two points on his license (once he’s allowed to drive again), plus a lengthened probationary period from two years to four.

 

Police also said that he would only get his license back after “expensive retraining,” which should prove to be an efficient deterrent against this type of behavior in the future. Let’s hope he has learned his lesson.

[Carbon82]

Volkswagen Driver Fails To Inflate Tires With DC Fast Charger

 

 

Some electric car stories can really lighten the mood and provide some humor and here is one of such stories from some right-hand-drive market (maybe Victoria, Australia).

 

As you can see, the two parked an internal combustion engine car at a DC fast charger (which was a bad idea to begin with) and started preparation to inflate the front tires! Can you imagine?

 

The driver grabbed the CCS Combo 2 plug and quickly figured out it's not going to work. Second try... with CHAdeMO plug didn't help either. Well, we've got a long way to go in regards to raising awareness it seems.

 

Click on the link below to check out the video:

https://twitter.com/i/videos/1138716708745699328?embed_source=facebook