Swimsuit models 1200 hp Supra is now in pieces

Jessica Barton is more known for her modeling in swim suits, than her hot Supra and participation in drag racing. Truth is, Jessica is a car nut, and loves to take on the guys at the local drag strip in her 1996 1200 hp Toyota Supra turning in 8 second quarter miles. This car was not just a weekend warrior either. There was a good chance that when Jessica showed up for work, she would be driving the Supra.

Source: Instagram

Sometime between 10 pm and 4 am last Wednesday some car thieves decided they wanted her pride and joy. Barton offered a $5,000 reward to anyone that knew the whereabouts of the Supra. Unfortunately  it was too late. The car that took 8 years and six figures to build, was chopped and in pieces when it was found in a dirt lot somewhere in Florida.

Jessica commented,  ”I could never just build another one. It’s impossible to do all this again. It’s a devastating loss to me.” She will no doubt be back at the dragstrip as soon as she can, but seeing her in something other than the Toyota will seem strange to many.  In the below video you can ride with Jessica as she blisters off one of her sub 9 quarter miles.

Who says crime pays?

This is a great story of a nice “barn find” and maybe a good lesson on how crime certainly did not pay for this guy. The Corvette you see in this picture is a 1989 Corvette convertible with only 67 miles on it, that had never been titled in its life. How the heck does that happen?

Turns out a desperate Irish immigrant in a moment of haste decided to steal the car from a dealership back in 89, and then once he had the car in his possession, decided that being arrested and possibly thrown in jail, was not what he came to America for.

He then rented a storage unit and socked away the Corvette so noone would find out about his momentary lapse in judgement. 23 years later and after paying nearly double the cars value in storage fees, he decided to hire an attorney and fess up. The car was taken by the insurance company, who sold it on Ebay for $39,741, or about what the sticker price was of the car back in 1989. As far as the thief goes, considering he had lived in constant fear the last 23 years and had spent $70,ooo in storage fees, the authorities felt he had probably learned his lesson and let him go.

Source: clublexus.com

Christmas Humor

So what do you say when you open up that fruitcake, or that sweater that you would only dare to wear at your families Christmas party? Here are some recommended comments that may get you off of the hook. Feel free to use them at will.

10. Boy, if I had not recently shot up four sizes, that would’ve fit.

9. It would be a shame if the garbage man ever accidentally took this from me.

8. Perfect for wearing in the basement.

7. Well, well, well…

6. I really don’t deserve this.

5. Gosh, I hope this never catches fire!

4. I Love it, but I fear the jealousy it will inspire.

3. If the dog buries it, I’ll be furious!

2. Sadly, tomorrow I enter the federal witness protection program.

1. To think  this is the year I vowed to give all my gifts to charity.

Source: ahajokes.com

The black boxes are coming!

In the near future Congress could pass a bill that would make mandatory use of the black boxes that a few manufacturers are putting in cars now. The reality is that about 85% of new cars already have this recorder already in them. If it does pass, all new vehicles made will have an EDR (Event data recorder) installed in them, that will record 15 data points that are mandated by the government. So what are these “data points”, you say?

1. Any change in forward crash speed
2. Maximum change in forward crash speed
3. Time from beginning of crash at which the maximum change in forward crash speed occurs
4. Speed vehicle was traveling
5. Percentage of engine throttle, percentage full (how far the accelerator pedal was pressed)
6. Whether or not brake was applied
7. Ignition cycle (number of power cycles applied to the EDR) at the time of the crash
8. Ignition cycle (number of power cycles applied to the EDR) when the EDR data were downloaded
9. Whether or not driver was using safety belt
10. Whether or not frontal airbag warning lamp was on
11. Driver frontal airbag deployment: time to deploy for a single stage airbag, or time to first stage deployment for a multistage airbag
12. Right front passenger frontal airbag deployment: time to deploy for a single stage airbag, or time to first stage deployment for a multistage airbag
13. Number of crash events
14. Time between first two crash events, if applicable
15. Whether or not EDR completed recording

Many have expressed concern for their privacy, and have asked if these boxes will be used to record any other data in the future. Safeguarding this data will be something that needs to be addressed, no doubt.

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

2013 SRT Viper

The 2013 SRT Viper promises to be like no other Viper that Chrysler ever made in previous years. At the unveil of the new Viper at the New York International Auto Show SRT’s CEO went into detail about all the many changes that are on the new Viper. Here is the video of the unveil that goes into great detail. SRT is not allowing any embeds of their video so we will have to settle for a link. One thing is for sure, whether you are a Viper fan or not, you will have to take your hats off to the effort that the people at SRT put into this super car.

 

Hurricane Sandy Cars

CarFax has reported that in previous hurricanes, as many as half of the flood and water damaged vehicles made it back out onto the road again. Many went to people that had no idea that the car or truck they were buying had at one time, been up to its roof in water. The federal government requires all totaled vehicles to be put in a nationwide database, but as you might expect, people have found ways around this and many once totaled        vehicles are running around with clean titles where an unsuspecting buyer may purchase without realizing the cars history.

Once a car has been submerged, no matter how well you think it has been dried it out, will never be the same again. Especially if it was salt water. There area certain signs that may give you a clue that the car you are looking at, was once in water.

• Look for corrosion in unusual places. If there is rust in spots that are not exposed to rain or salt it could be a bad sign.
• A musty smell in the vehicle
• Mud in unusual areas in the vehicle, such as on the seat belt when you pull it out.
• If there is a spare tire well in the trunk, open it up and see of there is water sitting in there anywhere, or signs that there was water in the well at one time.

Sure, the midwest may seem a long way from the east coast, but rest assured, these cars will be spread all over the United States. So keep an eye out and inspect any vehicle you are interested in, thoroughly.

Great car accident excuses.

Many of us have been in automotive accidents and no one likes to admit when it was their fault. Although most won’t lie, sometimes the wording that is used can be quite humorous. All in the name of , “it wasn’t really All my fault”. Here are some great ones that insurance companies have heard from their insured. Enjoy.

• I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way.
• As I approached an intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.
• My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle.
• The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention.
• I had been out shopping for the garden all morning. I was driving home and as I approached the junction a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision so I could not see the other vehicle.
• I was on the way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.
• I told the police that I was not injured, but on removing my hat, I found that I had a fractured skull.
• I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought.
• The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
• The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again.
• I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.

Source:  www.slinkycity.com