VIDEO: Mark Higgins' Awesome Save at 150MPH at the Isle of Man TT

We’ve already told you about former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins’ record lap on the famous Isle of Man TT Mountain Course driving a US specification 2011 Subaru WRX STI in a previous article here, but today, we stumbled upon two in-car video clips, courtesy of Road & Track magazine. Aside from smashing the late Tony Pond’s long-standing record in a Rover 827 Vitesse from 1990 by more than two minutes, Higgins also displayed some amazing driving skills saving the day when the WRX STI started swerving at 150mph (241km/h) after he hit a small bump on the road. In the video you can hear Higgins saying "Biggest moment of my life there...".
Commenting on the incident, Dominick Infante, National Manager, Product Communications, Subaru of America, said: “The WRX STI performed incredibly well at near flat out speeds and Mark drove impeccably. His save at Bray Hill at 150 MPH was some of the best driving any of us have ever seen." Buckle up and watch the two in-car-videos after the break.

Source: Youtube / Road&Track

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VIDEOS

This is what Happens when a Limousine, Convertible and Yacht Meet

In today's highly competitive auto market, one would think there are no new niches left to explore. Well, it's pretty true, except for imaginative individuals like the crew from Sweden’s Gray Design, which also penned the Saab supercar. Enter the world of the Strand Craft Limousine Beach Cruiser, a vehicle that looks like a crossover between a limousine, a convertible and a yacht – yes, you read correctly, a yacht. Essentially a beach shuttle, the Stand Craft has been conceived for luxury hotel chains willing to offer their clients premium service. More specifically, to carry six passengers from the hotel to the nearest beach as fast and as comfortable as possible.
Crafted by luxury boat maker Strand Craft, the Limousine Beach Cruiser is designed for the sunny parts of the world. Its looks confirm it: the car (or should we say yacht?) features an opening canvas roof, chromed hubcaps and wooden inlays. It also sports an even more extravagant interior with Alcantara leather, brushed aluminum, chrome, a Breitling-made instrument panel and Swarowski crystals.
To keep the passengers entertained until they arrive at the beach, the Limousine Beach Cruiser is fitted with a 15-speaker Naim sound system that has a 1100 Watt amplifier to ensure the best audio quality even when the canvas roof is opened. Finally, the car is powered by a 6.0-liter Chevrolet V8 engine with 400 horsepower, enough to offer the car a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph). The eight-cylinder unit is linked to a Haldex-based all-wheel drive system.
There's no info on pricing, though if you don't own a luxury hotel you probably can't afford it.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Bloomberg’s Adam Haynes on the Aston Martin Cygnet

You can’t spell, “Cygnet” without, “cynical marketing ploy”. The Toyota iQ-derived stocking stuffer iPhone accessory subcompact has prompted a neat little op-ed piece by Bloomberg correspondent (an ex-pat Aussie) Adam Haynes that includes some fascinating dialogue from Aston Martin insiders. Most of our readers will know by now that the Cygnet exists purely to counteract the 120 grams of CO2 per kilogram EU carbon restrictions to be introduced in 2012. With a combined CO2 g/km rating of 400, Aston Martin’s current fleet of high performance vehicles could never match this.
Company Design Director Marek Reichman justifies the Cygnet thusly:
“In cities, there’s less and less space on the road; less and less space to park. And the world is a changing world and I think as a brand if you don’t start to change and move with the times then there’s a fear that you get left behind and you become static.”
A statement that jokingly makes me worry that Aston Martin’s next move will be to start rebadging the Toyota Avensis as a Lagonda… Cygnet Brand Manager Andy Haslam is a little less pessimistic:
“We can continue to build sports cars and we continue to improve them. What Cygnet allows us to do is not have to compromise how we want to build our sports cars.”
The £30,995 1.3 L hatch, which sells for more than twice the price of a range-topping Toyota iQ, will be limited to 1,500 units a year. Some 400 advanced orders have been placed at the time of writing. Unconfirmed rumors (mainly spread by yours truly) of a Ferrari-badged Fiat 500 or Maybach-badged Smart ForTwo continue unabated.
You can check out Bloomberg’s video below and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

By Tristan Hankins

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More Screaming Passengers from the 2011 Red Bull Car Drift Event in Lebanon

We don’t know about you, but we certainly enjoyed watching the video of a male passenger freaking out during a ride around a drift course, so we decided to do a little bit of online research to find out what it was all about. We discovered that the joy ride was part of the Red Bull Car Park Drift 2011 event and it took place in Lebanon. The man behind the steering wheel of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI is 34-year-old Abdo Feghali from Lebanon. He is a professional rally driver who also participates in drift contests and events such as the one organized by Red Bull.
If you liked the first video we showed you, then follow the jump to watch the reactions of the same male passenger, this time sitting at the back between two women (oddly enough no one was wearing seat belts…), as well as some new footage of other people that took a ride including the beautiful lady you see pictured above.

VIDEO

Kia Launches Soul Hamstar Special Edition in the U.S.

The success of the popular Hamster advertising campaign that promoted the Soul in the U.S. in 2010 inspired Kia to launch a new special edition model of its boxy crossover model. Previewed by the Hamstar concept at the 2011 SEMA show, the red and black 2011 Hamstar is the sixth special edition Soul. The car sports unique exterior graphics and interior refinements, including a 315-watt audio system with pulsing speaker lights. The limited-edition Hamstar Soul is based on the Soul+ trim level and wears custom Hamstar artwork, including a black star graphic with the signature Hamstar script logo on the hood and the tailgate, plus matte black stripes on the sides. It also gets body colored bumpers, fog lights, a rear spoiler, black 18-inch alloy wheels with silver edges, black fender vents with integrated turn signal indicator and a matte black fuel door.
Inside, the Hamstar Soul features bespoke Hamstar floor mats, black leather upholstery, heated front seats, automatic climate control, leather wrapped steering wheel and gearshift lever, and push button start with smart key. The Audio Upgrade Package includes a center speaker, subwoofer, 315-watt external amplifier and speaker lights.
The Hamstar Soul is powered by a 142HP 2.0-liter petrol engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission and is priced from $20,295 (€14,200).
"The Soul was designed to stand out in a sea of sameness and we are committed to keeping it fresh, fun and relevant in the marketplace and the special edition Hamstar Soul is the latest embodiment of that philosophy," said Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing & communications Kia Motors America.
Scroll down to watch Kia's Hamster commercials.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Chrysler Tones it Down a Notch with its New Imported from Detroit Campaign for the 2011 Town and Country

The refreshed 2011 Town and Country minivan is the point of focus in the latest commercial in Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit” campaign. The new TV spot is called “The Quiet Ones” and it takes us to Michigan and the state’s 2011 hockey champions, the Novi Wildcats, featuring one of the team members, Mason Pew. Despite some strong statements such as “Some are quieter than others” and “You’ll find them with their heads down working their butts off”, the new commercial lacks the power of Chrysler’s previous ads, especially when you compare it to the original spot starring Eminem and the 200 sedan.
Aside from the Eminem ad, Chrysler has also launched two TV spots for the new 300 saloon starring Detroit Lions defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, and fashion designer John Varvatos.

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Audi A7 Made Out of Paper by Taras Lesko

Graphic designer, Taras Lesko, is known for possessing a pretty artistic set of hands, having gained fame for some of his elaborate works made out of paper. But his latest work is defined not just for the intricate work done on it, but also for its general awesomeness.

It took Lesko 285 pieces of paper to make 750 parts for this 4 ft x 2 ft x 2 ft scale model of the Audi A7. The man logged 245 hours of work to get it done. The finished product is nothing short of amazing, and the elaborate work wasn’t isolated on the exterior too. Even the A7’s interior, complete with the infotainment system, was carefully crafted to make it look like the real thing.

Source: Audi USA