If you had the chance to go on a driving adventure with a celebrity, which one would not make your list? In Britain, that celeb turns out to be controversial Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

According to research by Continental Tyres, British drivers wouldn’t want Clarkson as their co-pilot during a 4×4 drive across the Sahara Desert. Continental Tyres polled 2,000 drivers as part of the launch of this year’s Conti 4×4 Trophy, an epic off road challenge where contestants drive a Hummer across the Sahara Desert.

“Jeremy Clarkson might have motoring credentials but either his calamitous road trips on Top Gear, his lack of practical skills or his outspoken views mean most people would leave him behind,” said Tim Bailey, spokesperson for Continental Tyres.

In terms of who they would want to share the journey with, men would like to bring Kelly Brook along for the drive, while women chose Robert Pattinson to rev their engine.

Here is the complete list of the top ten worst celebs to go on driving adventure with:

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The architectural team of Craig Hodges and HsinMing Fung (the two founding architects of HPlusF) have taken on unique projects in the past, adding their style to the Hollywood Bowl and Egyptian Theater. For HPlusF’s latest architectural undertaking, they put a cool new spin on the Hummer brand by turning it into a home.

Dubbed the HummerHaus, this design is just a concept. The modular capsule-style dwelling features eight identical Hummer body shells that are wrapped around a steel skeleton. The duo was inspired by their love of innovative technology, and they used their background in industrial, theatrical and residential design to create this cool concept.

The HummerHaus comes equipped with a host of features, including 12 volt electrical systems, OEM refrigeration, heating, and media components. It also infuses eco-friendly components into the design, such as geothermal storage tanks, photo-voltaic cells, and soy insulation.

This concept is an innovative idea of how old vehicles could be repurposed once they are no longer fit for the roads. Would you live in a house made from recycled Hummers? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below.

[Source: Autoblog]

You don’t mess with GM, as a car salesman and a trucking company owner found out recently. They’ve been charged by the FBI for allegedly selling more than 200 Hummers overseas with phony titles and collecting more than $500,000 in unearned incentives from General Motors.

Steve Romshek, a former salesman at the Huber dealership in Omaha (that’s the one that sold the Hummers), has been arrested, while Marilyn Maskill, owner of an Overland Park, Kan., trucking company, hasn’t been arrested yet. According to an Associated Press report, the crafty pair sold the Hummers in 2005 and 2006 to a small broker in Chillicothe, Mo. The Hummers were then resold overseas and exported to Nigeria, Germany, Canada, Japan, just to name a few countries. With the fraudulent titles, they were able to pocket more than $500,000 in unearned incentives from General Motors – and that’s money they shouldn’t have been eligible to collect. In total, the pair is facing 11 counts of wire fraud and one charge of conspiracy.

As for the Huber dealership, they cooperated with FBI investigators and settled things General Motors and regulators a few years back. They also had to pay a $100,000 fine to a state licensing board, but admitted no wrongdoing. It’s interesting to note that this fine was the largest ever handed down by the Nebraska Vehicle Industry Licensing Board.

It’s still unknown whether or not the couple who owned the Missouri car brokerage will be charged.  They could be on the hook, as they bought more than 200 Hummers from Huber in 2005 and 2006.

We’ll keep you posted when we hear of any further developments. Until then, don’t try to mess with GM – they mean business and apparently have the FBI’s number on speed dial!

[Source: USA Today]

In his book, “Car guys versus Bean Counters,” the indomitable Bob Lutz talks about many things relating to General Motors. He talks about how the company is now on track, giving credit to former CEO Ed Whitacre and his replacement Dan Akerson.

He talks about how the company went from being obsessed with numbers and statistics, to building quality cars and trucks as its number one priority.

And he also talks about the passing of GM’s late, lamented brands, Hummer, Saturn and Pontiac. While Hummer is described as being the target of left-wing activists and politically viewed as the automotive anti-Christ, even though to quote Lutz himself “an H2 doesn’t burn any more fuel than a V12 Mercedes,” he says it was too bad that Saturn didn’t make it, because GM had given the division it’s best ever lineup, with offerings like the Aura sedan and Astra hatchback.

As for Pontiac, it’s this one that he laments the most. Not only did GM’s sporty division already boast a great lineup with cars like the G8 and the Solstice, but before the decision was taken to shutter the brand, Pontiac was also working on another sporty, rear drive offering, likely based off the Alpha platform.

Unfortunately, now we’ll never know what could have emerged from the Arrowhead division and that’s just too bad. As Lutz says, “Pontiac was virtually destroyed by the fact that we had a new head of Pontiac division about every eight months, and every head had a brand-new idea for its product direction.”

Perhaps a sign of what could have been, we’re reminded of an incredible looking Pontiac coupe design model (above) that we recently stumbled upon at GM’s North Hollywood Design Studio. How cool would that have been?

[Source: Ward's Auto World]

Outspoken curmudgeon and former GM badass-in-charge Bob Lutz has been popping up from retirement, serving as a consultant to General Motors and Lotus. And his former company’s bankruptcy restructuring left the company “in good hands,” he said.

Speaking at a conference, Lutz said that the outsiders who served as CEO and CFO during the two-year restructuring had “no history of running the auto industry in the U.S. the wrong way.” And, he continued, it included the elimination of the four brands from the mothership: Hummer, Pontiac, Saturn, and Saab.

“It was the environmental anti-Christ,” Lutz admitted about Hummer. Saab was a drain on resources and only appealed to university professors, while Saturn was a sales disappointment. But—as he spoke like a true car guy—Pontiac was the one ”I personally regret went away,” said Lutz.

There’s only one solution, Lutz: screaming chickens on all future Loti.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2011 Dakar Rally is almost upon us, though like the last two events, it will be run exclusively in South America (in Argentina and Chile). So in truth it should probably be called the Patagonia Rally, since Dakar is in Senegal, Africa and the event hasn’t been run there since 2007 because of security issues.

Nevertheless, name issues or not, as in past years, the 2011 Dakar, which begins on January 1st,  promises to be an exciting and grueling event. And if you can’t get in the action physically, then you can ride along with the Toyo Tires/Speed Energy team which is campaigning two Hummer H3s, one of which (shown above) is to be driven by legendary NASCAR hotshoe Robby Gordon and co-driver Kellon Walsh, who will attempt to win the 5,903  mile event.

In order to monitor their progress, Toyo Tires has put up a Dakar blog which which chronicles the adventures of the team leading up to and during the event. It features written posts, videos and photos, allowing fans up to the minute information relating to the progress of the two Hummers as they traverse the unforgiving terrain on each stage. For more information and to get the latest updates, click on the link below.

[Source: Toyo Tires]

General Motors has announced a massive recall of 1.5 million vehicles over concern that their heated windshield washer fluid system could catch fire. No solution for the problem is available and so GM will give owners a $100 rebate (yup, $150 million in total) for the loss of the feature on their vehicle.

GM had previously recalled vehicles with this system back in August of 2008 for the same issue, and even refused to pay the supplier (Micro-Heat) for the new HotShot system to cover the costs. Micro-Heat was then forced to file for bankruptcy.

Affected vehicles include: the 2006-2009 Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, Hummer H2; the 2008-2009 Buick Enclave and Cadillac CTS; the 2007-2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, Saturn Outlook and the 2009 model year Chevrolet Traverse.

Of the total 1.5 million vehicles recalled 1,365,070 are in the U.S., 98,794 in Canada, 26,228 and in Mexico.

[Source: FreePress]

Cara-what? The Carabinieri, Italy’s paramilitary police, are famous for their sharp liveried Alfa Romeo sedans, which can be seen driving around the streets of Rome, Genoa, Milan and other glamorous locales we know about only through movies and stereotypical depections of la dolce vita.

The Carabinieri have traditionally chosen the Alfas for their driving prowess, but a Sydney, Australia-area police force has chosen the cute-as-a-button Alfa Romeo MiTo for “community outreach” work. The MiTo joins a Hummer H3 and a Holden Commodore, but we think that younger children in particular will respond will to the Alfa’s diminutive size and toy-car-like styling.

[Source: Autoblog]

The last Hummer H3 is destined for an Avis rental car fleet, after it left the factory on Monday, May 24th 2010. GM actually shut down production of the H3 in July, 2009, but kept the plant going to fill a special order of H3s made by the rental firm.

GM is shuttering the Hummer brand after an attempt to sell it to Chinese automaker Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd fell apart. An effort to clear out remaining Hummer models has seen GM offer zero percent financing and generous cash incentives to clear out leftover inventory. An estimated 200 workers will lose their jobs in July as a result of the end of Hummer production.

[Source: Autoguide]

GM is recalling 2006 through 2010 Hummer H3s are being recalled because the faux-hood louvers can detatch and hit another vehicle.

The retaining clips on the hood louvers can malfunction, and according to a severe warning issued by NHTSA “… could strike a following vehicle and cause injury and/or property damage.” GM says that no deaths or injuries have resulted from this issue, aside from motorists having to suffer the ignominy of driving a Hummer H3.

The Hummer brand is slated to die at the end of the year, after an unsuccessful attempt at selling Hummer to a Chinese automaker.

[Source: NHTSA]