Not so long ago, we told you about the special edition satellite navigation device by TomTom which features the voice of the Stig (!) and Jeremy Clarkson, both of TopGear fame.

Now due to a clause found in BBC’s own contact, this device had to be pulled off the shelves. According to the BBC, all its presenters “must take particular care not to endorse any product or service which could be covered in the programmes on which they work.”

Since this TomTom device could have easily been featured in an episode of TopGear, it would breach the contract rules and thus cannot be allowed to be put on sale.

However, the issue only came out after the device had already gone on sale. A reported 54,000 of these TopGear special edition sat nav’s have been sold thus far, however the BBC is not allowed to make any money due to its breach, and thus will have to donate all proceeds from its sale to its charity – BBC Children In Need.

Similarly, TomTom will also make a donation from its profits to a charity of its choice.

Clarkson, who had nothing to do with the brokering of this deal will also make no money from this transaction. However, anyone who currently owns this now very rare TomTom Go Live TopGear Edition, could sell it for a profit.

No word yet if this BBC clause will effect the new Forza4 video game, which also features the voice of Jeremy Clarkson.

[Source: The Guardian]

When Marty McFly met up with Doctor Emmet Brown at the Twin Pines Mall in the wee hours of Saturday, October 26 1985, he was stunned at the Doc’s latest invention, a timing traveling DeLorean DMC-12.

He was equally stunned at the choice of fuel. “Wait a minute Doc, are you telling me this sucker is nuclear?”

“No, no, no,” replied the Doc, “this sucker’s electrical.”

While Back to the Future might have become a cult sci-fi classic, the idea of an electric DMC-12 is now very much a reality thanks to the efforts of the revitalized DeLorean Motor Company.

Last month, DMC owner Stephen Wynne, showcased such a vehicle to a enthusiastic crowd, at the company’s Humble, Texas headquarters near Houston.

Wynne said that his engineering team have spent four years working on the EV DeLorean and plans to bring the car to market in 2013, for a price of around $90-$100,000. He also said that the car is capable of  generating the equivalent of 260 hp and reaching a top speed of 125 mph from it’s Epic electric powertrain.

The unveiling came as a bit of a surprise for members of the DeLorean Owner’s Association, who had gathered at DMC HQ for their annual get together.

“We’ve been talking about it for some time but we have stopped giving people completion dates because things weren’t going to plan,” Wynne said. “So we quieted down on what we’re doing.”

Besides the EV another DeLorean, equipped with a supercharged motor that essentially doubles the output of the car’s original 2.9-liter P-R-V 130 hp V6 engine also shocked and wowed onlookers.

Other announcements included a new lightweight underbody structure for a car that visually, has remained unchanged since 1981.

Yet despite the car’s commercial failure, Back to the Future fame and subsequent status as an ‘80s icon have kept the DeLorean flame alive for three decades. In 1995,  Stephen Wynne acquired the remaining inventory of parts and cars which had been sent to Ohio when the Belfast factory was shuttered in 1983. Beginning as a parts, service and restoration operation, the ‘new’ DeLorean Motor Company has now expanded to building entire cars, using original parts and tooling.

“So far we’ve built 41 of them,” says Leif Montin, who has been around DeLoreans for more than 30 years, starting in 1979 when he went to Belfast and served as plant manager.

“It was a tragedy when [DMC] folded, and it wasn’t necessary,” Montin said. “John DeLorean made some disastrous decisions that made the company fail. Fortunately, Stephen Wynne picked it up and did a marvelous job. We build better cars today than what the factory did then. It’s amazing, really; a 30 year-old car that’s as popular today as it was then. Thanks to the job [the new DMC does] the DeLorean will live forever.”

[Source: DMC]

Dan Wheldon was one of the driving forces behind the new-for-2012 Indy Car chassis, completing countless laps in pre-season testing.

But with Wheldon’s tragic death at the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16th looming over the series, chassis maker Dallara has decided to honor Wheldon by naming the 2012 chassis after him.

“Dan lives in the memory of everybody at Dallara. He has been a true champion; not only because of his many victories, but and above everything else, because he has been a true and warm man to all the people he encountered,” said company boss Gianpaolo Dallara.

Wheldon achieved all 16 of his victories with a Dallara chassis. The official name of the car has yet to be announced.

[Source: Autosport]

While the BMW 3-Series diesel  never really took off in the North American market, diesel powered Bimmers make up about 50 percent of European 3-Series sales, and the brand reports similar numbers for the X5 in North America.

BMW USA execs admit that there’s still an issue of convincing customers regarding how well modern diesels operate, but also said that oil-burners may be crucial to meeting future CAFE standards. While this left the door open for a diesel 3-Series, BMW USA has ruled out a 3-series wagon, stating that volumes would be so minimal that it would be difficult to justify selling it Stateside.

Ian Robertson, BMW’s head of sales and marketing, also derided the auto industry’s obsession with cylinder count and displacement, stating that BMW’s forthcoming nomenclature would reflect performance rather than the actual displacement – the new 328i, for example, would actually use a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder rather than a 2.8L 6-cylinder engine.

[Source: Inside Line]

A truck containing a teleprompter and audio gear used by President Barack Obama was stolen in Virginia, prompting questions about security lapses.

The gear, estimated at about $200,000, was parked in a van at a Virginia hotel parking lot ahead of Obama’s visit to the area.  The van was said to be carrying audio equipment, podiums and even the Presidential seal, which only Obama is allowed to stand behind. The truck was eventually recovered, but details about the equipment’s status has not been made public.

The truck was said to be unmarked but wearing government tags, and observers are questioning whether this was simply a random vehicle theft that happened to be carrying important cargo, or whether the goods were specifically targeted by thieves.

[Source: NBC12.com]

10. Toyota Yaris 3-Door: $14,115

You can sound polite and say “inexpensive” but if you’re strapped for cash, the most important question when shopping for a new car is: what’s the cheapest car on the market? AutoGuide has got the answer, along with the nine runners up.

Toyota‘s warmed-over Yaris makes the 10th spot on our list with a base price of $14,115 for the 3-door model. The pricier 5-door will run you $15,150.

Using a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder like many of its counterparts the Yaris makes 106-hp and is rated at 38-mpg on the highway making it one of the most efficient models in its class, but not the most efficient. Growing three inches overall, Toyota claims the new car has 68 percent more cargo room than the outgoing model, which it shares a near-identical resemblance with. Standard on all models is air conditioning, nine airbags and power windows.

If you want to complete your Willie Nelson memorabilia collection, you’ve got to bid on a tour bus that was used by the country music star.

Willie’s tour bus will be for sale at the Classic Car Auction of Toronto on October 21 to 23 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. It will take its place alongside cars and trucks from 1912 to 2010.

This Eagle Model 10 motor coach came into Willie’s possession in 1986 and he and his band toured with it for several years. It’s adorned with hand-painted murals, comes with six beds, twin lounge areas, a bathroom with shower, and separate audio-visual systems.

If the tour bus doesn’t interest you, you can bid on other cars such as a 1926 Chrysler Model 58 Touring, 1936 Cord Phaeton 810, 1956 Monarch Rideau, 1997 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe and a 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Dale Earnhardt Edition.

If you need more details, visit Collector Car Productions’ website.

[Source: Autos.ca]

If you can’t afford the real thing, chances are you can’t afford the watch. Inspired by Lamborghini, a new watch designed by Adriao Valente will set you back a cool $35,100.

This magnificent timepiece, dubbed the AV-L001, is made from Karbonyte, an alloy that uses carbon fiber element. It comes in six bright colors: Nero Tartarus (Karbonyte color), Giallo Hyperion (yellow), Rosso Eos (red), Grigio Menoetius (slate gray), Bianco Ophian (white), and Green Icaria (green).

Taking its shape from the speedometer, AV-L001’s hours match the Arabic numerals on the black dials, with 3, 6, and 9 showing the hours. The movement of this watch is based on the mechanical Engine 001 movement. To protect your investment, it comes equipped with a sapphire crystal cover that is anti-reflective and scratch resistant. Strapping it to your wrist is rubberized strapping that features stitching to match the main casing of the timepiece.

The AV-L001 is a limited edition set with numbered models, so if you can afford the $35,100 price tag, put your order in now.

[Source: Oh Gizmo]

For the past decade, China’s economy has continued to expand with little sign of slowing down. Volkswagen took advantage of an opportunity to continue offering its past models such as the Volkswagen “Jetta King” (Mk2 Jetta), the Volkswagen Bora Classic (Mk4 Jetta), as well as various Audi vehicles in the Chinese market in order to optimize its foothold.

But Volkswagen is not the only automaker in on the clever, cost-cutting idea. Haima, a Hainan island car company that once had a  joint-venture agreement with Mazda, continues to produce the Haima3 (pictured above), simply a rebadged and face-lifted Mazda 323, along with many other past Mazda products under its new management, First Automobile Works.

Those that are familiar with Mazda products can readily identify the Haima Family as a rebadged Mazda Protege and the Haima7 is a tastefully updated Mazda Tribute, itself a rebadged Ford Escape. Even the diagonal “i” in Haima and its emblem boldly draws its design influence from the current Mazda logo.

GALLERY: Haima Family

[Souce: China Car Times]

When the production versions of the Toyota FT-86 and Subaru BRZ sports coupes are unveiled at this year’s Tokyo Auto Show neither could look anything like the concept cars we’ve been shown. That’s because according to one report both automakers have sworn to not reveal a single panel of production sheetmetal until the official debut. By default, that means everything we’ve seen up until this point will change. How significant the change, only time will tell.

Few details have been confirmed about either car, but what we do know is that the rear-drive machine will come powered by a direct-injection 4-cylinder boxer engine and is expected to deliver around 200-hp. A limited slip differential will come standard and the car is touted to have the lowest center of gravity of any production car.

Look for the U.S. market Scion FR-S to bow at the New York Auto Show several months later.

GALLERY: Toyota FT-86

[Source: CarAdvice]

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