It is incredibly ironic, I feel, that you can buy a new Audi R8 with a good old fashioned, solid steel, open H-gate gearshift, but you cannot buy a new Ferrari with the gearshift they helped make the object of boyhood dreams. Well at least my boyhood dreams. Ferrari don’t even make a manual transmission for this car.

This driver might have been wishing they had, as he’s in reverse for the start of this race against a Dodge Viper. The Viper does start off with a massive burnout, which might have made the Ferrari driver a bit nervous, overlooking the large R on the display. Well that was embarrassing.

If both cars are stock, its likely the Ferrari would have edged the Viper over the quarter mile as it reaches 100km/h from standstill in 3.4 compared to the Viper’s 4.6. But then again, if you’re going to race an old Viper against a new 458, chances are you’ve done a little work under the bonnet. Tuning company Hennessy has been known to extract 1000hp from the old buck.

Let us know if you’ve seen the Ferrari 458 matched up against anything special lately. Post videos below!

Ciro De Siena – OverdriveTV

The first ad is titled ‘Anachronistic City’. The 30 second ad conveys that Sonata is not like the conventional hybrid vehicles. The ad attempts to acknowledge the appealing package of the vehicle which has incorporated much advanced sophisticated technology.

The ad showcases a variety of early generation devices in order to display their innovativeness regardless of time. It makes a point about how all technology evolves. Altogether eight ads make the whole campaign strategy.

The all-new Sonata was the first mid-size car to receive a five-star crash test rating under National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new, more stringent 2011 system.

It also received Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick honor. Above all The 2011 Hyundai Sonata lineup is a finalist for 2011 North American Car of the Year.

The very well-equipped Sonata Hybrid comes at $25,795, and the incredibly well-equipped, tech-feature-packed Premium version will be available for $30,795.

The series, which will feature the motorsport phenomenon, aims to showcase rural New Zealand and modified old cars in the craziest ways possible, and then thrashing them through mud, along river beds, or any accessible harsh terrain.

The teaser of the series, which has been posted on YouTube has already attracted more hits numbering more than half a lakh.

The pilot features David White driving blindfolded and it was shot at Takapau and Waipawa. “New Zealand …New Zealand men … New Zealand cars … one sport … one TV show … Paddock Hacks coming soon,” says the YouTube trailer.

The publicity material of the program says it is the usual weekend entertainment event of many people in New Zealand that has inspired the creation of such a television series.

Producer Top Shelf has pointed out that this is a show made for everyone who loves the smell of petrol and New Zealand’s can-do attitude. The series will travel throughout New Zealand.

Here’s the teaser for you:

To mop up the dirty lot who skip the ID, papers, tax or anything legal and drive a vehicle, nine departments including the police, tax, customs, home and SARS (South African Revenue Service) will conduct thorough checks, making super road blocks as per the report.

The moral of the story would be ‘Keep Off South African city roads – on December 4^th’, not because you don’t have papers, but because you may be killing a lot of time on the roads.

This improved version of service will surely lock down a majority of the society off the roads on December 4^th and the remaining on the roads. The tribe who can’t live a day without touching the roads with their wheels, will get the real taste on Dec 4, it seems.

The charges can pop from anywhere. Say, you got through the SARS showing that you have got tax papers, officials from other 8 departments will be queuing behind. No more better time pass.

Once you get out of these levels (if you are lucky enough), the ultimate task will be to waggle through the labyrinths of state sponsored traffic jam.

Well, the blocks are meant to nab the tax evaders, fugitives, or anybody who have “something to hide from the home department” (That’s a dangerous clause, baby, better go in birth suits).

That’s the job of the cops. Happy they are doing it. And, since it is announced well in advance, let’s hope they will get some with rogues with so poor memory.

The idea has taken birth at the Shenzhen Huashi Future Car-Parking Equipment Company. The so called 3D Express Coach is expected to be completed by the end of next year. More pictures below:

The awesome bus will travel on rails and straddles two lanes of traffic, allowing cars to drive 15 feet below where its passengers are seated. It will hold 1,200 people and travel up to 50 miles per hour.

Its $7.5 million price tag is roughly one-tenth of what it costs to build a subway of the same length. The gigantic bus is expected to solve Beijing’s traffic problems. But what if the idea is transplanted to some highway in South Africa? It really won’t work in South Africa. We do not want to think twice before agreeing with the friend who sent us these pictures. Check out the photo below to know what we are talking about!

They say Lamborhinis are hawt and that they know how to attract a crowd of onlookers.They say the Murcielago is the last true Lambo and that it is the last of a breed of hairy chested, fire breathing supercars. They even say it looks like a bat flying through the fiery gates of hell even while its just standing on the side of the road.

All we know is don’t play with matches around one of them because apparently they’re made from really flammable stuff…

This sad sight is a Murcielago burning on the side the road somewhere in Holland. Why it’s burning or how the fire started is irrelevant. The real news here is that the world is not losing an awesome car.

CES is one heck of a show at the beginning of the year and even the auto giants across the globe want to make their presence felt at the event. Kia will be one of the automakers present at the event and it will introduce the UVO infotainment system for the North American vehicles.

The UVO is based on the Windows Embedded Auto Software that will help Kia introduce a number of features in the products to be sold in North America. The UVO system will compete with the Ford Sync technology that was introduced in 2007 and has been useful in rendering a number of features that range from connecting devices to receiving voice commands and real time traffic updates. Just like the Ford Sync, Fiat’s Blue&Me system is also based on the Microsoft technology but the infotainment unit is not found in their North American Cars. The UVO will be launched today at the CES 2010.

This post is bad news once again. A $1.1Million Pagani Zonda F has crashed in the streets of Hong Kong. The pictures tell the tale of one of the last ever Pagani Zondas to roll off the production line before the new one comes sometime next year.

Lots of damage, and it’s going to be lots of money to fix that baby.

What you see in the above picture is what happens when you “clip” a Seat coming out of a gas station at an undisclosed speed and smash into a row of parked cars.

At least that’s what the Italian Police wants you to believe. The crash took place after the driver of the vehicle attended a function at night promoting safe driving. Oh the irony of it all.

It was also driven by one of 20 Italian Policemen that were trained to handle the power of the Gallardo for chasing bad guys.

But I smell a rat. I think what more than likely happened was something more like this -

You’re driving along in your superfast Z06 – a vehicle that is capable of incredible feats of accelaration.  As you approach the rail crossing you see there is a train fast approaching. The adrenalin starts to pump as you realise that because you’re driving you Z06 – a vehicle capable of incredible feats of acceleration – you should be able to make it across before the train crosses the road.  You mash the gearlever into 3rd and stomp the accelerator hard. The force with which the car lunges toward the track is brutal.

No way is the train going to beat you. 400meters away and you’re winning, easily. 4th gear. 300m, 250m – why is that train suddenly moving so quickly. 200m. The gap feels like it’s shrinking quicker than you’r approaching. 150m. You’re not going to make it. 100m – With all the power in your right leg muscles you stomp down on the middle pedal. The intense accelerative powers suddenly changes into the exact opposite force as the huge tyres on your ‘vette squeals under the pressure of shedding the speed in time.

50m – It’s not going to happen and your eyes search to the side of the road to find something to throw the car into – anything but the train that’s now looming ominously ahead of you like a moving wall of crunching metal. But there is nowhere to go except straight.

20m – You brace for impact. The car still moving toward the train at too great a speed. All that is left is for you to close your eyes and hope for the best. Terror grips you as you realise this is it. Your heart beating fiercely as it tries to get out of your chest, away from the speeding train. Impact, then darkness.

This is a completely made-up recollection of what might have happened with this poor Z06. Terrible end for a great car. What more than likely happened is someone ran out of gas on the train tracks and got his ass handed to him by a freight train.

Glad this didn’t happen to me.