Category Archives: Motorsport

Motorsport

See Naughty Bear Run For Freedom After Getting Stuck Inside SUV

Encounters between vehicles and wildlife seldom end well, but this video at least offers a happy ending for flesh and blood creatures. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the interior of this third-generation Toyota RAV4, in which a young black bear took up unintended residence for a few hours. And it wasn’t for a nap.

Recently shared on YouTube through ViralHog, the incident took place in rural Virginia on June 6. According to the video description, the vehicle owner headed out around 10:00 AM local time and, upon approach, noticed the airbags were deployed and the windshield was cracked. That’s when the bear was spotted inside, lunging towards the window. We imagine that was quite a horror-movie moment, but thanks to a Facebook post from Mindy Maine, we don’t need to imagine. In a word, yikes.

 

For reasons that should be plainly obvious, nobody went inside or even opened a door. Instead, authorities were notified and a conservation police officer showed up in about 90 minutes to help out. Rather smartly, a rope was tied to the door handle so it could be opened from the safety of another vehicle. After a few moments, the bear hopped out and scampered away, looking none the worse for wear. It’s unclear exactly how long the creature had been inside; comments on the video say the SUV had been unlocked and the bear entered at some point through the night.

The Facebook photos show the RAV4 essentially gutted on the inside. The dash was torn apart, headliner ripped down, seats shredded, all in addition to the smashed windshield and deployed airbags. Presumably, the bear had been in there for quite some time and was antsy to get away. Per the Facebook post, the vehicle was written off as a total loss by insurance.

Dealing With Bears

This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve seen bears inside vehicles. Lest we forget the brave woman using her authoritative mom voice to chase a bear out of a GMC Sierra Denali, but is that a smart way to deal with bears? We checked in with the state of Colorado, where bears are certainly plentiful.

The best defense is to keep bears out in the first place, which means always locking the doors. They’re smart enough to use door handles, and if there’s some tasty food inside, bears can smell it. Don’t keep food in the car, or if you’re camping, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) recommends storing it in bear-proof lockers well away from cars and tents.

If a bear is already on-site (or any dangerous, wild animal for that matter) it’s best to contact authorities first. If there’s an immediate threat, CPW advises people to not turn and run. Make loud noises, wave your arms, anything to make yourself look big and scary. Bears generally don’t consider humans as food sources, but a bag of chips inside an unlocked pickup truck is a midnight snack just waiting to happen.

As we move into the summer months, bears will be extremely active. Stay safe out there, everyone.

Motorsport

BAC Expands US Operations, Brings Bespoke Program Closer To Customers

BAC, the Briggs Automotive Company, ended 2022 by building its 150th Mono and expanding its retail network around the world. This year, the company will continue to grow, with the bespoke manufacturer expanding its dealer network with three new locations across the US.

The three new dealerships will be Philadelphia, Greenwich, and Newport Beach. BAC partnered with RDS Automotive Group to operate the facilities, including servicing and aftersales. The expansion will make it easier for customers to access the BAC Bespoke process, a customization program offered for the Mono.


Motorsport

Check Out The Toyota Toilet That Was Three Years In The Making

Yes, there will be plenty of jokes surrounding this story. But before the toilet humor commences, let us first applaud Toyota for creating a legitimately awesome solution for folks who can’t get around as easily as most. Nobody likes using the porta-potty at public events, but imagine the difficulties for someone in a wheelchair. This Toyota Toilet solves that conundrum, and with a bit of style no less.

It all started back in 2019. The folks in Toyota’s Vision Design Division were given the unlikely task of designing a toilet, but not simply a plastic booth with a Toyota logo. The request was for a toilet that could be mobile and easily accessible to those with special needs. Wheelchair users obviously come to mind, and with outdoor toilets at temporary venues seldom user-friendly for anyone, the Japanese automaker felt obligated to go a few steps beyond the requirements.


Motorsport

Watch Audi TT RS Roadster Hit Its 173-MPH Top Speed In Autobahn Run

It wasn’t much of a shock when Audi announced that the TT was dead after 2023 in the US. The brand’s boss suggested in 2019 that the two-door model’s future was already in doubt. The car retains the original’s sporty quirkiness and packs quite the performance punch as it prepares to leave the automotive stage. A new video captures the Audi TT RS Roadster reaching its top speed on the German Autobahn.

The Audi TT RS Roadster uses the brand’s turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five engine. It makes 400 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque that is pumped to all four wheels. The convertible can reach 62 miles per hour in just 3.9 seconds. It has an official top speed of 155 miles per hour but an option can increase that to 173 mph. However, the video shows the speedometer reading a bit more than that – 290 kph, which is 180 mph.


Motorsport

Best Spy Shots For The Week Of June 5

Motor1.com puts up spy shots of upcoming vehicles practically every day and sometimes more often than that. If you want to stay on the cutting edge of what’s on the way check out this list of all of the glimpses of development vehicles from the past week.

The updated BMW 1 Series boasts a new front fascia with a large, trapezoidal grille with triangle-shaped air openings at the sides. This one has quad exhausts at the back, indicating it’s a higher-spec, sporty trim.


Motorsport

Mercedes First To Receive Level 3 ADAS Approval For Use In California

Mercedes-Benz becomes the first automotive company to receive certification from California state to sell standard-production vehicles equipped with Level 3 conditionally automated driving. Basically, this means that certain Mercedes models can be driven in the largest US automotive market without interaction between the driver and the machine under certain conditions. The driver must still be ready to take over if the system disengages, though.

The automaker’s Drive Pilot system will be available as an option on the 2024 S-Class and 2024 EQS models and the first cars equipped with the tech are expected to be delivered to customers in late 2023. The same system made the German brand the first automaker in the United States to offer Level 3 automated driving back in January this year when Drive Pilot was certified for use in Nevada.


Motorsport

Ford Mustang GT3 Debuts Ahead Of Competing At Le Mans In 2024

The FIA GT3 racing class regulations allow for modifying a sports car for taking it racing. Now, the Ford Mustang GT3 debuts at Le Mans ahead of competing in the famous 24-hour race in 2024.

The Mustang GT3 uses the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse as a starting point. The body features a more prominent front splitter and canards in the corners. Additional lights are on the outer sections of the grille. The hood gains a pair of massive outlets.


Motorsport

Alpine A424_β Debuts To Mark Brand’s Return To Top Tier Endurance Racing

Alpine, the French performance brand under Renault’s umbrella, has been racing in FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMP2 category for the last decade, but the company is finally ready to make a return to WEC’s premier category next year. Alpine’s 2024 LMDh challenger is the A424_β, which makes its official debut today ahead of this year’s 24 Hours of LeMans race.

Let’s start with the name. The firm says it “respects the tradition of Alpine’s winning Endurance cars, 24 echoes the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2024, and β designates the final phase before its launch.” The automaker also explains the exterior design of the race car features the brand’s future light signature that will be also seen on production vehicles, while its interior is inspired by road-going supercars.


Motorsport

Toyota GR H2 Racing Concept Debuts To Preview Hydrogen Le Mans Race Car

Toyota has been very active lately, revealing a number of interesting concept cars previewing future models and technologies (see the related links below). That activeness comes to its culmination with the GR H2 Racing Concept unveiled today at the Circuit de la Sarthe in western France ahead of this weekend’s 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. The hydrogen-powered endurance race car concept was revealed by Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s chairman.

The automaker doesn’t release technical specifications for the hydrogen engine prototype, only saying it is 5,100 mm long and 2,050 mm wide. This makes it slightly longer and wider than Toyota’s LMP1-H Le Mans Prototype, which is 4,650 mm long and 1,900 mm wide. The Japanese firm also confirms powering the race car concept is a mix between a hydrogen engine and a hybrid system, but this is literally everything we know about what’s happening under the skin.