Fun Stuff

We had an early look at the Honda Mean Mower when they first revealed the project last year, and dubbed it Lawn Order SVU (special velocity unit). For that preview of their Stig-worthy grasscutter, they gave it a backyard run with Honda racer and 2012 British Touring Car Championship winner Gordon Shedden’s gardening gloves helming the wheel and gumboot stomping the pedal. After another six months of spannering in their skunkworks garden shed at Honda's British Touring Car Championship partner, Team Dynamics, the team has emerged to do a track run that has claimed a speed record for World's Fastest Lawnmower, hitting an average of 116.57mph (187km/h).That trumps the previous record by nearly 50km/h. And to qualify, it still had to be able to cut grass -- although possibly not on the Guinness World Record endorsed speed runs.The Mean Mower is based on a Honda HF2620 Lawn Tractor, but has been given a completely rebuilt chassis and a 1000cc engine from a Honda VTR Firestorm motorbike. It also benefits from a customised six-speed automatic transmission with F1-style paddle-shifters, a Morris Minor steering rack, Scorpion exhaust system and a Cobra sports seat to replace the normal ride-on pew.“The original brief for Mean Mower was to create the world’s fastest lawnmower – and now it officially is, by some distance! We are all delighted to hold a Guinness World Records title and we’d like to thank everyone who was involved in what has been a challenging yet incredibly exciting project,” Honda UK said in a statement.So now, looking at the overgrown Carsguide backyard, we are saying "c'mon lawn ... bring it on. We'll see you on the weekend".Watch the desktop version of the Honda mower sets world speed record video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

The wealthier streets of the Middle East are a traffic jam of supercars, where Ferraris, Bugatti Veyrons and Lamborghinis are as common as Corollas in an Aussie carpark.So how does the status-conscious gazillionaire stand out in that crowd? By adding cats to the household, and posting photos of them on social media. And we're not talking your usual internet cat meme. These are lions, tigers, cheetahs and leopards.The king of the cars is Humaid AlBuQaish, who has more than 425,000 followers on Instagram keen for snaps of his menagerie of big cats and exotic supercars -- garnished with his own up-close-and-personally-near-those-claws-and-teeth poses.And while he seems to be unworried about scratches to his body, he's even less concerned about the same fate befalling his collection of supercars. Several of his photos show his pets climbing on and over the cars, often joined by their owner.His photos are blatant enough to remove any suspicion of the big cats being illegally kept: a problem that has recently arisen in the Middle East, with more than 200 confiscated every year in the United Arab Emirates alone.AlBuQaish's social media profiles don't mention what he does for a living, but the number plates on his cars are largely from Sharjah, the third largest of the wealthy Emirates. And judging by the low numbers on the registration plates -- a local sign of traditional status rather than just mere money -- he's a young sheikh, and possibly part of the constitutional monarchy of the Al Qasimi dynasty that has ruled there since 1972.What is clear is that when it comes to internet cat photos, everybody else may as well pack up their cameras, phones and tablets. AlBuQaish is the winner, all paws down.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Take a remote-control version of the new Subaru WRX STI and ... oh, about eleventy thousand paddle pop sticks tightly woven into an exploding strip. Which one is going to win that race? The stick bomb is powered by the tension released when you remove one stick from the construction, unleashing a domino fall of wooden wonderfulness.The Subaru in real life is powered by 2.5-litre four-cylinder boxer engine, developing 225kW of power and 407Nm of torque, and getting that to the all-wheel drive system via a six-speed manual transmission. And in real life it would probably beat the stick bomb.But RC model in this video is powered just by a charged battery -- and it's neck-and-neck for what turns out to be one of the most engaging car stunts we've seen. Both face off on a circuit that involves speedy straights, (miniature) G-force inducing corners and some tricky side-by-side action.The video took about three days to create – with the team reportedly working nearly around the clock – and then film with an arsenal of static cameras and 25 GoPros, creating a ‘bullet time’ sequence in the middle of the footage. To see how it was done, have a look at Subaru's making of video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott Watch the desktop version of the Subaru WRX STI vs stickbomb video here.  

What's the worst that could happen?Watch the desktop version of the bad driver squeezes through tight lane video here.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s passion for military machinery is well known, having bought the first civilian Hummer in 1992 and collected several others, and now he’s got his hands on an ex-US Army tank.A 44-tonne M47 Patton tank in particular, and he’s raffling the opportunity to join him for a day of crushing objects, smoking cigars, and working out with the legendary muscle man.“I finally have achieved my lifelong dream.. to finally possess my own f(bleep)ing tank. I’m inviting you personally to Los Angeles, to crush things in my tank with me,” Arnold says.It’s all in the name of raising money for the After-School All-Stars charity, which provides after-school education and fitness programs for students across several US states. Proving he’s got a heart the size of his biceps, Arnold is matching each donation dollar for dollar.The raffle is open to international entries, so be sure to throw your hat in the ring here. This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn Watch the desktop version of the Arnold Schwarzenegger tank video here.   

You don't get much idea of the storyline from the teaser footage -- despite it being a long-ish 2.5 minutes -- but there's enough of a taste to let you know what's in store when the film is released in June.The action kicks off with Optimus Prime in a very sorry semi-truck state being hauled to a barn, where a probe into the vehicle's materials, and some jolts of power, reawaken the transformer mode. At that stage, he looks in severe need of a wash and wax as well.However, a bit of barn-busting action when the men in sunglasses turn up to take him proves he's been restored to ...erm, prime condition.Other cars appear in the trailer, including the black and orange Chevrolet Camaro SS (Bumblebee) transforming in a museum and later out and about but in four-wheeled form. And there are also some fuzzy cameos from a green Corvette Stingray we think will be the autobot Crosshairs, what looks to be an Audi R8, and another SS -- concept matt black with orange trim that seems to be a later incarnation of Bumblebee. This fourth in the Transformers franchise stars Mark Wahlberg as struggling inventor -- and autobot reviver -- Cade Yeager, and the continuing voice of Peter Cullen, the original and still only tones for Optimus Prime from the 1980s TV series through all four movies.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch the car bot action of the new trailer on our desktop site. 

The born-again event will also have a stronger family focus, will include everything from bicycles to classic cars, and is promised to deliver the sizzle that’s been missing as traditional motor shows have died in Australia.The multi-million dollar event is being born from the death of a joint venture that was intended to deliver a world-class Australian show that would alternate between Sydney and Melbourne. Falling attendances and a massive slump in car company support led to the cancellation of plans to continue with an old-school event.Now the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce, which ran the Melbourne Motor Show for generations before its partnership with the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, is working flat-out on a revival for 2015.“We’re calling it a motoring festival. It will probably be in March 2015 and we’re looking at a range of venues including Sandown and the Showgrounds,” the executive director of the VACC, David Purchase, reveals to Carsguide.“We need to look at something for everybody. Consumers want more interactive shows and the manufacturers are looking for shorter events, in different venues, and they want them cheaper.”Purchase says the VACC has done extensive research and is using a sellout event in Britain, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, as one of its inspirations.“It needs to be everything on wheels, with something for every member of the family. It will be more broadly based, it will be much more interactive, it will be a combination of indoor-outdoor, and it will have a range of displays and exhibitions."It will have new cars, although we won’t have every brand, and we’ll have to get used to that. I expect that we will have some classic car displays, low-volume production cars, motorcycles, even bicycles.”Apart from the show element, Purchase says the event will be used for the announcement of Australia's Best Car Awards and the VACC’s automotive design awards.“We will have a fashion parade, children's activities, a black-tie Premier’s dinner. It’s a trial in the sense that we’ve never done it before, but the traditional 10-day static motor show has had its day and this may be the future.”This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

Nobody likes getting stuck in traffic, especially during warm weather. And no animal enjoys it either, judging by this footage of a lion spotted in the back of a vehicle during a street stoppage in Dubai.The surprised motorist sitting behind the Nissan Armada SUV -- carrying the lion in the cargo bay -- filmed the beast as it paced around in the confined area, looking out the window and seemingly trying to find some shade.No information has emerged about why or where the big cat was being carted in the car. But curiously, and somewhat bravely, there's no cage or cargo barrier separating the big cat from the driver. We can only hope the lion became more comfortable when the traffic congestion eased and the Nissan started moving again. And that it didn't get irritated enough to start taking its frustration out on the upholstery -- or its fellow passengers.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincottWatch the live lion carried in the boot of car video on our desktop site. 

British teacher Sarah Brooks and her fiance Jans de Klerk were celebrating their engagement with a trip to South Africa's famous Kruger National Park where they were almost killed.In footage of them taken by someone following their car, they are seen pulling up just metres from the elephant on a dirt road. Their blue Volkswagen is parked as the elephant begins to walk towards them, and while they try to reverse and drive off, it is too late for them to escape.The elephant starts ramming the car and then suddenly tips it upside down a few times before pushing it off the road. Those filming the terrifying ordeal start reversing to drive off themselves in a state of panic. Ms Brooks was gored in the back of her upper thigh by one of the elephant tucks in the attack while her fiancé suffered minor injuries.The person who filmed the attack, who wished to remain anonymous, told News 24 it looked like the tourists had been trying to drive past the elephant but it was clear the elephant was agitated. The News 24 reader said they wanted to warn the tourists but feared that beeping their horn could upset the animal more.Kruger National Park general manager William Mabasa said the elephant was put down after it rammed the car off the road and "trampled" it. Mabasa said people should not be quick to criticise their decision to kill the animal."Our rangers reported that the same elephant bull had been involved in previous fights with other dominant bulls since it has been in musth phase," he said. Ms Brooks was flown to hospital where she was treated for several days.Watch the video footage of the elephant rolling a car on our desktop site. 

Nissan made a splash at Tokyo motor show in November, and it's intent on carving itself a name at the world's racetracks too. Its latest outing is on Japan's Sodegaura Forest Raceway, with video showing it deftly handling the track.Watch the Nissan GT-R Nismo hit Sodegaura track video desktop version here.The GT-R has already set a lap record for 'volume production car' at Germany's Nurburgring with a time of 7:08.679. Critics will quickly point out that's nearly 12 seconds behind the Porsche 918 Spyder's Ring record of 6:57, but the key differences are the 918 being a small production run -- and much more expensive than the GT-R.Watch the Nissan GT-R Nismo Nurburgring video desktop version here.   Helping it get those results is a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 that develops 37kW and 22Nm more than the current standard version, reaching 441kW of power and 650Nm of torque. Official performance figures are yet to be confirmed, although Nissan was suggesting an almost other-worldly 0-100km/h time of 2 seconds in motor show presentations.Read our road and track test review of the Nissan GT-R Nismo and GT-R Premium.The GT-R Nismo will go on sale in overseas markets early this year, but Nissan Australia is still working on a business case for Nismo models here, so there's no guarantee we'll see it locally any time soon.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott