Articles by Karla Pincott

Rallying is an extreme sport -- and it requires extreme people. Not just the drivers who drift and flick their cars around gruelling circuits, but the co-drivers and navigators who support and pilot them, keeping calm as they call the route and directions.But this co-driver raises the bar on brave insanity. During the Rally de Campo Viera in Argentina, a team ran into trouble when their throttle pedal stopped working. While that would spell the end of the rally for most teams, this pair came up with a truly genius solution.The co-driver opened the bonnet, sat in the engine bay, and worked the throttle from there. With the bonnet up, the driver had to race with his head craned out the window to see. But they rallied on.ALSO SEE: Watch a giant boulder skim a car | videoAnd it seems they didn't hold back, either, with this bit of footage showing them attacking the corner hard -- the rear end drifting around, the co-driver delivering more throttle and pushing them out and down the road. We don't know what their eventual result was, but even if they didn't place well, there's no doubt they deserve applause for finishing at all.Watch video here.This reporter is on Twitter: @karlapincott 

The safety recall is to fix electrical and mechanical defects that could cause the vehicles to either stall while being driven, or to go into 'limp home' mode, where they can be driven only at designated lower speeds.The 2006-2008 Lexus RX 400h is being recalled for a problem in the car's hybrid system that could see solder on transistors become heat damaged -- particularly under high load or when towing -- activating warning lights and shutting down the system, causing the vehicle to either go into 'limp home' mode or shut down altogether. The Australian portion of the recall will affect about 1750 Lexus RX400h vehicles built from June 2006 to December 2008. Lexus said there had been no incidents related to the issue reported in Australia, but cautioned care while driving. "Motorists can continue to drive their vehicle, however are advised to avoid towing, or rapid acceleration until the vehicle has been inspected," Lexus spokesperson Beck Angel said. "Motorists are advised to stop driving and contact their preferred Lexus dealer if the engine warning lights illuminate."More than 100,000 Lexus IS 350, IS 350C and GS 350 vehicles from 2006-2011 are also being recalled for a defect in which bolts securing the variable valve timing control device may work loose, causing the vehicle to stop. Lexus has alerted owners that an abnormal noise in the vehicles may show early symptoms of the defect. Affected customers will be notified of the recall by mail at their last known address and asked to make an appointment at their preferred Lexus dealer, where affected parts will be replaced. For further information about the recall, customers can call the Lexus Customer Assistance Centre on 1800 023 009.

For the launch of the hot Ford Fiesta ST in New Zealand, the carmaker commissioned the creation of a branded hot sauce, and then unleashed it in Auckland’s restaurants and cafes. To that end, they sought out the world’s hottest chili, the feared Trinidad Scorpion, which registers 1.463 million on the Scoville scale that measures heat of chili peppers. To give you some idea of just how eye-watering that is, the bird’s-eye chili in your pad thai is a wimpy 50-100,000 Scoville units. So the Trinidad Scorpion is up to 30 times hotter than anything you’ve accidentally chomped down from your local takeaway. Ford distributed 3000 bottles of their edible fire to restaurants and ran a promotion in which people could win a bottle to take home. Where no doubt it will come in useful to start barbecues and strip paint. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Audi has revealed the first images of its new Quattro Concept due to be unveiled at next week's Frankfurt motor show, and its realistic detailing could seed a production vehicle. If that happens, expect it to be in a fairly limited edition, and to be priced towards the top of the Audi stable.Like the predecessor that bowed at the 2010 Paris motor show, the new Quattro Concept has the same lowered roof and sporty lines. But it gets a considerable performance boost, with a new hybrid drivetrain that delivers a combined 515kW of power and peak torque of 800Nm.That's a sizable lift over the previous concept's 300kW turbocharged five-cylinder 2.5-litre engine -- mated to a six-speed manual transmission driving all four wheels and getting them to 100kmh in 3.9 seconds.The new hybrid drivetrain consists of a 412kW/700Nm four-litre twin-turbo V8 from the RS6 and RS7, plus an electric motor -- powered by a 14.1-kWh lithium-ion battery -- that tips in 110 kW and 400Nm.An eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission sends drive to all four wheels through a new generation of the quattro al-wheel drive system. A 14.1-kWh lithium-ion battery powers the hybrid system. Audi claims the range to be 50km in all-electric mode, and the 0-100km/h time as 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 306km/h.The Quattro Concept also features a start-stop system and cylinder deactivation that cuts off four cylinders under partial load. But there’s a price for the new technology -- the newcomer is also podged up, tipping the scales at 1850kg -- about 550kg more than the previous concept's 1300kg.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Images of the BMW i8 in full production form have leaked ahead of its official unveiling at next week's Frankfurt motor show. The photos show it's kept a lot of the design from the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept -- which first appeared at Frankfurt in 2009, and has been a globe-circling showstopper in the years since.The concept's scissor doors have made the cut, although they're no longer made of tinted glass. And the producton i8 also gets the standout rear flying buttresses -- on what is one of the best-shaped derrieres in the car world.It sports different wheels, but arguably more handsome ones than the concept. And while the interior is understandably less space station and more current BMW cues, it retains the signature blue accents in the instruments cluster, and sculpted steering wheel.It also carries over the concept's petrol-electric hybrid system, comprised of a 170kW 1.5 litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine -- the highest power: displacement unit in the BMW stable -- and a small 96kW electric motor that work in tanden to deliver a combined 266kW and 570Nm.A six-speed automatic transmission delivers drive from the engine to the rear wheels, and the electric set-up looks after the front ones, with the weight distibuted 50:50 between front and rear.BMW says the i8 can charge in 3.5 hours from a domestic powerpoint to give an electric-only range of about 35km, while a full charge and fuel tank will give between 500-600km, depending on driving mode. And offer fuel economy of a miserly 2.5L/100km.The official 0-100km/h figure of under 4.5 seconds is helped by carbon fibre being used for the frame and passenger cell, along with being used as reinforcing in plastic components, plus lashings of aluminium -- keeping the weight trimmed to a slim 1490kg.Watch the video here.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Toyota has launched a new addition to the Camry range, with the arrival of the Atara R, which lowers the entry price to the Camry Atara nameplate, but offers a bit more than the base-model Camry Altise that is the Atara R’s starting point. Only around 2500 examples of the Camry Atara R will produced, with the Australian built special edition model coming with more than $3,000 of extras features compared with the $30,490 Altise, but costing just $1400 more. The exterior gets a dress-up with a front sports bumper and grille, sports side skirts, dual exhaust diffuser, 17-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps and a special-edition badge. The interior isn’t forgotten, with the addition of premium three-spoke steering wheel (with audio controls), 6.1-inch screen display audio and reversing camera with fixed guidelines. The Camry Atara R special edition is priced at $31,820, slotting in under the $33,490 Atara S, $35,990 Atara SX and  $39,990 Atara SL.

Hands up who else wanted to blast a ute around the Nurburgring after seeing Holden give the VF SS-V Redline a record run there. Okay, put 'em down… you're blocking out the sun.The Red Lion became the fastest ute to lap the 21km circuit, posting a 8m 19.47sec lap -- faster than many exotic sports cars – with Holden dynamics engineer Rob Trubiani at the wheel.Now you can have a shot at it (virtually) with Holden launching its 'World Record Ute' racing game for Apple and Android devices. Over four separate challenges, you can race your own lap, challenge Trubiani – appearing in 'ghost car' form, showing his lines through the corners – or race against your mates with customised leader boards and ghost cars based on their posted lap times.Get into the top 200 times and you get bragging rights on the global leader board – plus the added upmanship of having your mates notified you've shredded their standings. We've given it a tickle, and can report that while the tilt-control steering takes a bit of familiarity to control the sensitivity, the thumb controls for  braking, handbrake and acceleration are intuitive.Holden touts the game as having "realistic driving dynamics, handling and the awesome sound of the VF SS-V Redline Ute on full throttle". The engine sounds are certainly realistic – amazingly so, considering we were on a mobile – but using the handbrake at 200kmh didn't quite produce the result we were hoping for.The app was developed by Melbourne-based creative digital agency Visual Jazz Isobar, the studio behind HoldenVoltAR -- an augmented reality version of the Holden Volt's brochure -- and trivia app I'm Smarter Than You.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Ford is studying how robots communicate in space, to make cars communicate better here on Earth. The car giant is working with the space telematics department of Russia's St Petersburg Polytechnic University on a project that will help develop smarter cars that can 'talk' to each other.The three-year project will work towards technology to develop networks that connect cars with each other -- known as V2V, or vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Along with that, the research will also work on V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure) systems aimed at having your car communicate with traffic lights, street lights and other parts of the road system.Why work towards talking cars and roads? As traffic congestion increases in many cities around the world, a connected system is seen as one of the future potential tools to help ease it. Along with that, the researchers aim to improve response times for emergency services, particularly in cities where it's becoming difficult to get an ambulance, for example, quickly to an accident.Space robots are the focus of the research because their systems include multiple ways for the communication to get through -- so if one method fails, there are several fallback systems to take up the baton.“The research of fallback options and robust message networks is important,”  Ford technical leader in systems analytics, Oleg Gusikhin, said. “If one network is down, alternatives need to be identified and strengthened to reliably propagate messages between networks.”Three robots in particular will be the main focus of the project: Robonaut 2 -- which is currently doing duty on the International Space Station, the Eurobot Ground that is being developed specifically to work on the surface of other planets, and the humanoid DLR Justin robot. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Toyota has revealed the LandCruiser Prado's new styling and detailed some extra features that will arrive when it arrives here in October. The Prado gets a facelift both outside and in, with a new nose based on elements from the model's signature grille.Toyota say access to the third row of the seven-seater has been improved, and specification boosted. The interior styling has been given a makeover with new upholstery, accents, colour schemes and switchgear -- while the second and third row seats have been redesigned.It now gets daytime running lights across the range, trailer sway control for improved towing and an emergency brake signal. There has also been work done on the suspension, with revisions to the standard system and also the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System.However there are no changes under the bonnets. The Prado will carry over the current 202kW/381Nm 4.0-litre V6 petrol and 127kW/410Nm 3.0-litre turbodiesel engines.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

There are kit cars. And then there are KITT cars. We’ve seen several replicas of the star car from the hit 1980s Knight Rider show, but the detail in this one sets it apart.Detroit-based fan Chris Palmer spent three years building his Knight Industries Two Thousand, using five Pontiac Trans Ams and a raft of customised additions.The original KITT was based on a 1982 Trans Am (the successor Knight Industries Three Thousand was a Ford Shelby GT500KR) but Palmer used a 1991 Trans Am as the foundation for his project, saying it has a better drivetrain.He added panels from two 1982 and two 1983 Trans Ams to give his KITT the right look. The 91’s manual shifter was changed to look like KITT’s auto, and added the computerised cockpit and signature lit front bumper from pieces bought on eBay.It’s not his first Trans Am – he says he’s owned 15 or so – but it’s no surprise he says it’s the one that gets the most attention.This reporter is on Twitter: @karlapincott