A couple of days after police in Marseilles, southern France pulled over a microcar with a pony riding shotgun, authorities near Lyon had to deal with another kind of horsecrap a hot-rodder who thought he could evade the law via raw horsepower, but who also forgot to top off his gas tank.The citys Gendarmes de la Drôme explained via Facebook that it was prepared to hand out a red card to the driver of a Mercedes-AMG C63 in the late evening November 30 after clocking him doing 206 km/h in an already generous 130-km/h zone.“(The Valence motorway’s squad) caught up with said vehicle five kilometers (from the Pont de l’Isère on the A7) in a 90 km/h-limit zone where the vehicle was now clocked driving at 240 km/h. The Mercedes’ driver then used all the performance of his automobile to outrun patrolmen, but the latter did not give up,” reads the post, translated here into English.“The car is spotted 60 kilometers further, still traveling at crazy speeds. He will finally be found, stopped on the emergency shoulder, out of fuel because of its very high (fuel) consumption.”Indeed, despite the navy blue two-door coups sleek aerodynamics, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 must have sipped all 66 liters in its tank much faster than its driver planned.Finding the powerful car out of gas, sitting by the curb side after such a folle course-poursuite, would have been enough for the officers to impound this aspiring-Alain-Prost driver and his bolide.Thats when the offenders doubled down on their trouble. Sitting in the back seat, they told police the front passenger and driver had already fled on foot, leaving them behind. Nice try.“On December 4, after investigations that determined the role of each, the driver, a 32-year-old owner of a Saint-Etienne mechanic’s garage, is placed in custody for three crimes: Repeated excessive speeding (since he was already convicted for a more-than-50-km/h offense); refusal to comply with police orders, and so endangering others; and tampering with the vehicle anti-pollution device.” The police investigation also found the C63 unfit for public roads the cars engine control unit had been opened illegally, the exhaust system modified and a replacement alternator improperly installed. The Gendarmes figured the car was making well above its stock 503 horsepower, and thanks to its wonky alternator, was liable to have burst into flames at any point.The drivers will face a total five infractions when he appears in Criminal Court in June. Until then, hes banned from driving for six months. Authorities still have his AMG at the impound lot, too, according to the post, leading one commenter to suggest the police keep the car anyway, it is the right color just add flashing lights. And a larger fuel
Origin: This French garagiste flees the police at 240 km/h in a Mercedes-AMG C63… only to run out of gas
police
Tesla driver distracted by dog in car blames Autopilot after smashing into police
A Tesla Model 3 driver was checking on his dog in the back seat when his car, on Autopilot mode, smashed into two parked cars, according to a police report out of Connecticut.The incident happened on the states I-95 highway early morning Saturday, December 7.According to a post by the Connecticut State Police department, one of the vehicles the Tesla struck was a police car pulled over to the side of the road, assisting a separate vehicle accident.Both of the patrol cars assisting with the other accident had their lights flashing, and a flare was set up, so it should have been pretty easy for somebody to see them. Unless, of course, youre relying on your car to drive itself while youre turned around checking on your dog in the back seat, which is exactly what happened.The driver of the Model 3 was issued a misdemeanor summons for Reckless Driving and Reckless Endangerment, but luckily nobody nor any animal was seriously injured in the accident.The CSP issued a warning to remind motorists that although a number of vehicles have some automated capabilities, there are no vehicles currently on sale that are fully automated or self-driving.Tesla has not commented on the incident, and the investigation has not revealed whether or not the Model 3s brakes were applied prior to the collision, by either the driver or
Origin: Tesla driver distracted by dog in car blames Autopilot after smashing into police
Thieves stealing Toyota, Lexus vehicles using key fob ‘relay’, police warn
2020 Lexus RX 450hHandout / Lexus Dozens of newer Toyota and Lexus vehicles are being stolen across Ontario with a simple trick that allows the thieves to just drive the vehicle away, CBC News reports.To steal the vehicles, the thieves use an amplifier to boost the signal of the cars key fob, assuming its within range of the vehicle. The signal is then captured, and the car can be driven without the fob nearby. More than 100 vehicles from across Canada have been stolen so far.While Toyota and Lexus vehicles seem to be targeted most often, its likely any vehicle with a key fob could be broken into using this system.Most of the stolen vehicles are destined for resale in Africa and the Middle East, explain authorities, which probably has more to do with why popular Toyota and Lexus vehicles are swiped most often.Toyota has suggested owners put their key fob in a Faraday pouch, which shields the device from radio signals. Some owners have also resorted to putting their fobs in the microwave or the freezer.Owners should also consider equipping more safeguards against the thefts, David Shum, Toyota spokesperson, said in an email to the CBC, such as an aftermarket alarm system, steering wheel lock and diagnostic-port lock.Also, if it doesnt go without saying, dont leave your key fob near the front door where thieves can easily steal the
Origin: Thieves stealing Toyota, Lexus vehicles using key fob ‘relay’, police warn
News Roundup: Consumer Reports’ most and least reliable, Honda’s many CR-V options and police pull over the weirdest cars
2019 Lexus LS 500Handout Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.2019’s most and least reliable brands according to Consumer Reports 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature Al Charest / Postmedia Breaking news! Dodge has landed itself on the top ten list of Consumer Reports’ most reliable brands! That’s a first. Otherwise, the list was not so surprising, with Japan sweeping the top three (Lexus, Mazda and Toyota in that order) and Jeep, VW and Acura elbowing each other for position down at the bottom of the pile. Where does your brand land on the list this year?Anyone want to buy a $90k Corvette for $145,500 on eBay?A selfish Corvette buyer is fishing for suckers online with an ad for a build slot for a 2020 C8 Corvette. The listing is asking for $145,500 for what is, if you were to purchase it directly from the brand, a $90,000 car. Listed as ““BRAND NEW C-8 2020 CORVETTE FOR SALE ALLOCATED PAID FOR 1ST WAVE EARLY RELEASE,” the car is basically just a standard 1LT trim C8 with the free white paint, free silver wheels, $100 mirrors, US$5,000 Z51 package and less than $10,000 worth of other options. Do the math. Don’t buy the car. Honda’s CR-V gets lots of new options for 2020Honda has freshened up its popular SUV for 2020, giving shoppers even more options for trims and some new options like Remote Engine Start and heated front seats at the base level of the CR-V. The exterior gets a bit of a facelift, too, with some Civic-esque tweaks, two new colour options and 19-inch wheels. All models will run with a 1.5-litre turbo four. Pricing starts at $28,690 for the base model, which is exactly $1,000 more than last year’s. These are the strangest vehicles to ever be pulled over by policeAn electric three-wheeler homemade from balsa wood and duct tape. A couch on wheels capable of travelling over 140 km/h. A bumper car with another bumper car being pulled beside it, armstrong-style. These are a few of the most surprising vehicles to get pulled over by police. The couch got a ticket, but balsa-wood trike did not. Check out the full list here. Gone in 60 Seconds ‘Eleanor’ Mustang likely to fetch over US$1 million at auctionThe “Dream Car,” or the main ride of the 11 Mustangs used in the 2000 Nicolas Cage film Gone in 60 Seconds, is scheduled to head to auction in January 2020. And based on the sale of the last, less-of-a-star ‘Eleanor’ Mustang, which sold for US$1 million, this Shelby-inspired 1967 Ford will likely fetch more than the sum of the entire film budget of the original 1974 cut of the film. The movie car will go under the hammer at the Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Florida in January 2020. LISTEN: Toyota has led the hybrid charge for two decades, and as Toyota Canada’s Stephen Beatty tells Plugged In host Andrew McCredie, is now all-in on EVs, particularly fuel cell vehicles. The company’s vice president also has some interesting things to say about some provinces’ push to create electric vehicle sales quotas for 2030, and tells us about Toyota’s fascinating, and potentially game-changing, work with Quebec to produce green hydrogen. Plugged In is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.Is the player not working? Click
Origin: News Roundup: Consumer Reports’ most and least reliable, Honda’s many CR-V options and police pull over the weirdest cars
Custom Dodge Challenger gets stolen, wrecked in police chase, still makes it to SEMA
A Dodge Challenger show car with 1,000 horsepower was stolen just before this years SEMA convention and crashed but still managed to make it to the show floor on time.The car was built by Quintin Brothers Auto and Performance in Vermont, who sent it to Las Vegas where the SEMA parts convention is held. The Challenger was reported stolen on October 30, when it was swiped from the overflow parking lot of the Main Street Station Casino.According to local news, Nevada Highway Patrol was at some point dispatched to the parking structure of the Rio Hotel and Casino, where they found the stolen vehicle. In an attempt to stop the thief from leaving, an officer parked in front of the car, but before he could leave his vehicle, the Challenger rammed into the side of his cruiser and proceeded to escape the parking complex.The vehicle was later abandoned at The Boulevard Mall and then given back to its owners to display at the show. We were in shock, we couldnt imagine that anything like this could ever happen, shop co-owner Cole Quintin said. It looks like they were living in the thing, but they only had it for about 11 hours.The front end was smashed in the hit-and-run police chase, making it look more like a drift missile than a straight-line star. Were sure that with 1,000 horsepower it would burn up the rear tires either way. Props to the builders on still showing the car, even though everyone wouldve completely understood if theyd decided not to. The 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, unveiled at the 2019 SEMA Show, delivers sportsman racers a new, turnkey package loaded with suspension and chassis upgrades and is certified for NHRA and NMCA competition. Production is limited to 50 serialized units. Mopar Speaking of Challengers, Mopar itself had a little debut at SEMA heralding the return of the Drag Pak after a five-year hiatus. The fourth generation of the special edition makes more power than the previous version, according to Mopar, and the previous version made 1,200 horsepower and ran mid-7-second quarter-miles, so hold onto your socks for the official numbers.That massive output comes courtesy of a supercharged 5.8-litre V8 coupled to a manually shifted three-speed automatic transmission. Mopar will build 50 of the
Origin: Custom Dodge Challenger gets stolen, wrecked in police chase, still makes it to SEMA
Halifax police taking delivery of Canadian armored truck in 2020
The Halifax Regional Police will take delivery of a new armored vehicle come spring of 2020, a decision thats stirred up some controversy, Global News reports.The Terradyne Gurkha MPV will cost the municipality $368,000; that sounds like a lot of money, but its a lot less than the $500,000 the city had budgeted for.The contract was awarded to southern-Ontario-based Terradyne Armored Vehicles Inc. on September 23, according to Brendan Elliott, a spokesperson for the municipality. According to HRP, the vehicle will provide a level of safety for the officers and the public, while helping them address the climbing number of issues they encounter. It has also stated the vehicle would not be equipped with weaponry or aggressive equipment.Critics of the vehicle say it makes local law enforcement too militaristic, particularly in the context of being used to police marginalized and minority groups around the city.This isnt the first time armored vehicles have been used by smaller police departments, and the results have been mixed.Fredericton Police Force unveil their armored vehicle in April 2018, and Frederictons Emergency Response Team have used it a few times. The vehicle was also deployed in August of 2018 during the fatal shooting of two Fredericton police officers.The New Glasgow, N.S. police force decided they didnt need their armored vehicle after owning it four years. The 10-ton vehicle with rotating turret was provided to the town free of charge as surplus from the Canadian military, but the police chief said We really have not had any use for that since weve had
Origin: Halifax police taking delivery of Canadian armored truck in 2020
Quebec Road Rage video on Facebook: They should have called the police…
A video of a severe instance of road rage sparked between two Quebec drivers last weekend was captured on video and is now going viral on Facebook.Last Saturday afternoon, while traveling on the A-40 through LAssomption in Lanaudire, passenger James McKinnel spied some dangerous driving and got out his phone to record what was happening.In those 60 seconds, punctuated by cries of Les esties de jambons! The f**$ing hams! viewers can witness a white Volkswagen Jetta and a black BMW X3 engaged in some reckless manoeuvers on the traffic-dense highway.The video hit the news and found its way to the Sret du Qubec communications office. But it was nothing new, there. Spokesperson Capitaine Paul Leduc says every week the provincial police receive at least one video, if not two or three, involving reckless driving.In Quebec, said offense is subject not only to a $1,500 minimum fine and up to 20 demerits points enough to lose your drivers license but is also subject to criminal sanctions.If that road rage case would have caused a fatal accident and this one was very near to becoming a multiple-collision, says Capitaine Leduc these drivers might have been kept off the streets for a while, and faced up to 10 years of imprisonment.But although theres video proof of these actions and the license plates are easily recognizable, Sret du Qubec cant pursue the file. Without a confirmation of who was behind the steering wheel at the time the owner? Their kids? A thief? it cant investigate, nor send a summation. It means last weekends road rage video will go nowhere, besides on your relatives Facebook Wall unless the amateur cineaste lodges an official complaint and is willing to testify in court about what he witnessed.Only then would police officers have several means to catch these offenders, starting with images from surveillance cameras. In extreme situations, a reconstruction team could be called in to prove, for example, that this or that vehicle was traveling at such and such speed.When you see something like this, call the police. Dial 911 or *4141 and give us the details, emphasize Capitaine Leduc. At this point, we would have sent a patrol car and we would have asked Transports Quebec to turn its cameras toward the action. And believe me, there are a lot of those cameras in Montreals highway belt. We would have been able to collect videos needed for legal proceedings.There is one caveat, of course. Dont put yourself at risk, says Capitaine Leduc. We dont want you to cause an accident while trying to avoid another
Origin: Quebec Road Rage video on Facebook: They should have called the police…
Battery runs empty in Tesla Model S police car in mid-pursuit
A Tesla Model S police cruiser ran out of battery in the middle of a high-speed pursuit, the Fremont, California police department has confirmed.Fremont officer Jesse Hartman radioed in that he was chasing down a felony vehicle but that his Model S cop car showed just six miles (10 km) of range before the battery would be empty, reports The Mercury News.Hartman asked his dispatch to have another unit take over as pursuit lead after suggesting I may lose it here in a second; other gas-powered cars picked up the chase only to drop it shortly after due to the suspects driving getting way too reckless. The Tesla, meanwhile, had to recharge in San Jose before heading back to the station.The department told Roadshow its unclear why the Tesla wasnt charged that particular day, and noted the car had been through roughly two full shifts when the chase commenced at 11 p.m. on September 20. Though this was only the EV police cars second pursuit, a representative for Fremont PD said it performed well, and that theyre overall thrilled with the Tesla as a cruiser.Even gas-powered police cars have run out of fuel on the job, the representative noted, and other units were able to pick up this particular chase anyway before terminating it.While the car usually comes back with 40 per cent or 50 per cent of its battery range remaining, perhaps this will work as a lesson to remind them to always top it off at the end of every
Origin: Battery runs empty in Tesla Model S police car in mid-pursuit
Driver busted doing 228 km/h, say Ontario police
OPP Const. Jacqueline Dowhaniuk pulls a speeder over on Hwy. 401 eastbound. A man is accused of treating the Toronto areas Hwy. 403 like a race track.Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says a 20-year-old from Mississauga was stopped by police for allegedly doing 228 km/h on Hwy. 403 in Mississauga just before 1 a.m. on Thursday.The speed limit on the highway is 100 km/h.20 year old Male from #Mississauga stopped and charged after doing 228km/h on #Hwy403 in Mississauga. Audi S4 impounded for 7 days and licence suspended for 7 days. RV#SlowDown#TooFast#NoExcuse#7DayImpound#7DayLicenceSuspension pic.twitter.com/CZq9VL9Kin Sgt Kerry Schmidt (@OPP_HSD) August 8, 2019The unnamed driver had his licence suspended for seven days and his Audi S4 impounded for seven
Origin: Driver busted doing 228 km/h, say Ontario police
Police near Montreal say alleged car thieves liked Lexuses—a lot
2018 Lexus RX 350Handout / Lexus Two young Montreal men recently arrested by Longueuil police for car theft are alleged to have stolen 25 vehicles since last October, nearly all of them Lexus luxury models. Police identified the suspects as César Jose Ramos-Rosario, 21, who was arrested May 13; and Tommy Lapierre, 22, who was taken into custody May 17. The pair face a total of 31 charges, 25 of them for car theft, with 11 of the infractions committed in Longueuil. In 21 of the cases, the vehicles targeted were Lexus models. Four others were Toyotas. Police say the cars were destined to be exported out of the country. Police have recovered eight of the vehicles thus far. The suspects have been released on bail with various conditions including a curfew and a ban on contacting each other. Police in Montréal, Mascouche, St-Eustache, Laval, the Régie intermunicipale de police Roussillon and the Régie intermunicipale de police Richelieu-St-Laurent were part of the investigation that led to the
Origin: Police near Montreal say alleged car thieves liked Lexuses—a lot
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