We’re all advocates of law-enforcement officials that go to great lengths to help and protect their citizens from rowdy rascals like this kid on a Citroen Saxo. Having said that, though, we couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit after watching this video of the kid elusively evading the police in a merry-go-round car chase in Coleshill, England.
The car chase stemmed from a police crackdown in the area, forbidding what’s called illegal car cruise events. Clearly, the patrol cars wanted to make an example of the wily driver, except that they couldn’t catch him. In their attempts to do so, the driver went around all available lanes, speeding up, slowing down, running in reverse, and crossing the middle divider as the pursuers tried in vain to catch him.
In the end, the driver of the Citroen sped away only for the police to find the car abandoned about 12 miles away with the driver still at large. We sincerely hope that the police catch this hooligan soon before he attempts to endanger any more lives.
But, still, you gotta give props to this kid for his elusiveness and driving skills. We haven’t seen the police made fun of like that since the days of the Three Stooges.
The 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed took place this past weekend and featured a steady stream of car shows, birthday celebrations, a Bonhams auction, and of course, the annual Goodwood Hill Climb.
Eventful as it always is, this year’s installment of the Goodwood Festival of Speed saw a number of world debuts, including that of the McLaren MP4-12C and the Skoda Octavia vRS. On top of that, a couple of automakers also celebrated milestones of their own with one celebrating the 50th anniversary of its most iconic model with a sculpture in front of the Goodwood House, while the other celebrated their 100th anniversary in what can be considered as an invasion of all their UK models.
Not to be outdone, Bonhams also auctioned off some of the world’s rarest and most exclusive models over the weekend, raking in millions and millions of dollars in the process.
Then there’s the annual Goodwood Hill Climb, which features 50 of the fastest cars on the planet taking turns running up the 1.6-mile Goodwood driveway that leads to the front of the estate. The car that took that title? You’ll never guess if you don’t read past that jump.
On that note, head over after the jump to get your 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed recap!
Last Sunday, the second episode of Top Gear’s 17th season aired and like most of the shows these days, we were treated to some hilarious segments, a rather pointedly pointless car review, some canned and scripted studio jokes, and - for once - a surprisingly fast lap on the Kia Cee’d. Par for the course for Top Gear.
In this episode, James May will tell you things about the Aston Martin Virage that you already probably know. This is then followed by a highly-entertaining hot hatch triple threat madness along the streets of Italy that included finding a dog, an ice cube, and branch from a cedar tree.
Comedian Russ Noble also stopped by for a little chat with Jeremy - an entertaining interview by our measure - after which the former strapped on his helmet for his hot lap on board the show’s Reasonably Priced Car.
The show concludes with a sort of dream of dreams, at least as far as Jeremy Clarkson was concerned: three laps around the Monaco Grand Prix. It probably didn’t matter that the cars they were driving were the same three hot hatches they drove in Italy. At the end of the day - Clarkson especially - had a blast to finally drive their way around Monaco’s world famous street circuit.
BMW UK is offering a new special edition 3-Series offered for both coupe and convertible models. Called Sport Plus Editions this model is based on the existing M Sport trim level and adds a package of styling and functional enhancements designed to highlight the dynamic qualities of the BMW 3 Series.
For the exterior this new package adds 19-inch double-spoke light alloy wheels, a new rear bumper with integrated body-colored diffuser and Jet Black mirror casings. For the coupe version there is also a rear lip spoiler. The interior will add Black Dakota leather with M-piping and Royal Blue stitching and aluminum "Edition" door sills to further distinguish these models from their regular M Sport counterparts.
Despite this new features, the BMW 3 Series Sport Plus Editions is only at £1000 ($1,600 at the current exchange rates) more expensive than the standard 3 Series Coupe and Convertible M Sport models. And if you will also pay another £750 ($1,200) you will also get an upgrade to BMW Professional Multimedia Navigation and an upgraded Harman Kardon speaker system.
Following last year’s Peugeot RCZ Asphalt, the company has now opened its ordering books for the 2011 RCZ Asphalt LE. What’s the difference? This new model is limited to just 75 right-hand-drive units for the UK as opposed to the 500 units offered last year. Each model will be priced at £29,995 - or around $48,000 at the current exchange rates.
The new Asphalt LE edition will be distinguished by a special matte Telluric - that’s fancy for gray - body and can be ordered only with the top-of-the-range GT trim version. The Asphalt package also includes a black roof, "Asphalt’ badging, and 19" Solstice black alloy wheels complimented by matching black brake calipers. For the interior, the package adds bespoke "Asphalt" branded and stitched Nappa leather trim, an Alcantara / leather steering wheel and gear stick, and bespoke "Asphalt" sill covers and floor mats. The list of standard equipment includes front and rear parking aids, auto lighting (with approach and follow me home modes), Peugeot Connect Media Navigation, and a top-of-the-range JBL sound system.
The RCZ Asphalt LE will be powered by the standard 1.6-liter THP petrol engine producing 200 HP and 188 lb-ft of torque. This power is good for a 0-60 mph sprint time of 7.6 seconds.
UPDATE 08/29/11: Peugeot has announced that in addition to the new HX1 Concept, their booth at the Frankfurt Motor Show will also carry the RCZ Asphalt Limited Edition. The special edition RCZ was introduced back in July, but will only make its public debut in Frankfurt in the coming weeks. Be on the look out for the car because, according to Peugeot, only 75 models will be released.
