Fun Stuff

A clever lass will generally find a way to park her car … especially if a man’s been silly enough to say she’s not capable.

At least one pedestrian fell into a mess of glass and concrete but miraculously, no one was seriously injured.

The Carsguide office is divided. It’s possibly to hammer on the door of the laws of physics, but it’s going to take a hell of a car…and a hell of a driver.Reportedly, the stretch of highway that this ad was filmed on is in BC in the Fraser Canyon. The Tunnel  is China Bar on Hwy 1 just north of Boston Bar. The bridge is  Alexandra, just 2k north of Spuzzum, BC. 

An annual competition to uncover new young talent has just begun, with big prizes and a potential tie to the local makers on the line.  The task is to design a car for 2020.It can be done as a computer image, a sketch, a scale model or even a story - but the objective is just the same, and it has the backing of the VACC.  The industry body is putting up substantial prizes as high as $3000 for the student and their school."What will the cars of the future look like? How will they be powered? What safety features will they have and how environmentally friendly will they be?," asks David Russell of the VACC.  "If you know the answers to these questions, and you are a secondary or tertiary student, you should enter VACC’s Target 2020 competition."The contest is in its fifth year but, for the first time, is not linked to the Melbourne Motor Show. The tie-up will resume next year, when the all-new Australian International Motor Show comes to Victoria in July, but for now the VACC is going alone."We do this to encourage students to think about the future of the automotive industry and the prospects of an automotive career. Not everyone will beocme a car designer, but those with an interest might become motor mechanics or panels beaters or take on other jobs in the industry," Russell says.  "It's also to encourage those with a talent to use that talent. They could be a car designer of the future." The first entries have already landed at the VACC and as many as 500 are expected.  There are three categories - model making, drawing and design, and essay - with a secondary and tertiary winner in each category. The prizes for the first two categories are $3000 for the student and another $3000 for their school, TAFE college or university, with the essay winners earning $500 for themselves and another $500 for their school.“Previous winners of Target 2020 have gone on to have successful careers in the automotive design industry. We know of students who have worked for Holden and Ford as a direct result of entering this industry recognised event. It is a great opportunity for the next generation of designers to show-case their talent," Russell says.But there is another big challenge facing the Target 2020 organisers. They will have to shift the goalposts soon to continue the relevance of the competition.  "Every year we are bowled over by how good the concepts are. The imagination is impressive, as is the attention to detail."But we have to move it forward pretty soon. 2020 is coming up fast and car companies are already working on that timetable. We think 2050 might be a nice round number for the future of the competition," Russell says. For details on the competition, including entry details, go to: www.target2020.com.au 

The Swiss city of Fribourg has dressed an actor in the angel kit, and has him standing by the side of the road waving at drivers who exceed the speed limits – which range from 60km/h in towns up to 120km/h on the highways.  Police in that area say it has the highest count of speeding infringements in the country, and they want to send a strong message to drivers, about 130 of whom die each year on Switzerland’s often mountainous roads."The idea is to provide a sort of concrete protection, to have a real angel telling drivers to be responsible," Fribourg police spokesman Benoît Dumas has said. "To have a physical presence like that makes the message more visible, and it's out of the ordinary."  The appearance of the ‘angel’ ties in with a television campaign for safer driving, in which a hurrying motorist runs over an angel.The winged actor – whose name is being kept secret, possibly for fear of damaging his future theatrical career – is scheduled to make his angelic appearances for 20 hours a week in different locations around the Fribourg region until October.There is no evidence yet that the campaign has reduced road toll or speeding. And it’s possible they might have more impact with a better-dressed figure, although hiring – for example – one of the Victoria’s Secret angels might be too expensive even for Switzerland.

Nitro makes it possible with new options for 2010. Fishing will never be the same!