What a Steal... Thieves Nab $94,000 BMW 7 Series at Detroit Motor Show

While we're done covering the automotive action from the main show floor of the Cobo Center, the Detroit Motor Show continues to make headlines, albeit for the wrong reasons. A BMW 750i xDrive (or 750iL xDrive) worth either $94,000 or $140,000 (depending on the news site....) was stolen near the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit. And what has that got to do with the Detroit Show, we hear you ask?

Well, the 7-Series was part of a fleet of BMW sedans that were used by the Bavarian automaker's executives and guests during the press days of the show. According to Police reports, the gray bimmer was being loaded into a transporter bound for New Jersey when the handler stepped away momentarily leaving the keys in the vehicle. That's when the crafty thieves stepped in and drove away with the 7er. Video report after the jump.

Source: 7Abc

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British Man Fined for Warning Other Drivers of Speed Trap by Flashing Lights

If there’s one thing all car enthusiasts can agree on, it’s that speed cameras are a nuisance. Back in the good ol’ days, you would see the van or a sign indicating a fixed camera long before you came to it. You’d slow down, pass by it and then speed up again. Don’t be shy, we all do it. Now, these so-called “life savers” hide behind bushes in unmarked vehicles, all the while speed related deaths and injuries continue to rise.

In what I’ll fancifully describe as the government’s latest bid to demoralise its citizenry, a British man has been fined £175 (US$279) and ordered to pay £265 (US$412) in court costs and surcharges after flashing his lights seven times at oncoming motorists in July of last year. Why was he flashing his lights? To warn them of a speed trap, of course.

The man, Michael Thompson, was in the Grimsby Magistrates’ Court last week where the verdict was handed down. The charge was “willfully obstructing a police officer”, which Mr. Thompson disputed in his hearing. He claimed that he was trying to warn motorists of the trap to prevent them braking suddenly upon sighting it – a cause of many-a rear-end collision.

Mr. Thompson was pulled over by police in his home town of Grimsby. In the hearing, it was revealed that the officer told Mr. Thompson that what he had been doing was perverting the course of justice, to which he replied, “I don’t believe that’s the case.” The officer then said, “I was going to let you off with a caution – but I’m not now.”

In my opinion, it’s hard to see how it that could be perverting the cause of justice, unless “justice” is catching motorists speeding and not preventing accidents. When questioned whether the case was absolutely necessary, a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) responded:

"Cost is not a consideration in our decision to prosecute. When a file is provided to the CPS from the police, it is our duty to decide whether it presents a realistic prospect of conviction and whether a prosecution is in the public interest. In accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors a prosecution was deemed appropriate.”

Though Carscoop does not endorse speeding or breaking the law, it’s hard to see how this latest case is in the public interest. You would think getting motorists to slow down through blackspots (this being the original purpose of speed cameras) would be more important than revenue raising, but then I don’t work for the British government. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Via Telegraph

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A Chrysler Sebring-Based Bentley Replica that could Actually Pass for its Inspiration

Here’s a scary admission for you: I actually don’t mind the first generation Chrysler Sebring. It was sort of “Mustang-lite” in the styling department and is still a lot better looking than the latest incarnation of America’s middle-age spread, the almost universally despised third generation Sebring. And, as you no doubt know by now, here at Carscoop we love us some eBay-found Euro reskins of fifteen plus year old American cars.

Today’s entrant is this, dare I say it, rather convincing replica of a 2009 Bentley Continental GT convertible or GTC based on a ’96 Chrysler Sebring Convertible. Fashioned in ghetto / Saudi Arabian sheik white with the typical, so-not-a-Bentley blinger rims that’d make even Lil’ Jon a lil ill, our wanna-B (you see what I did there?) comes complete with 175,000 miles on the clock and a full fibreglass body.

Before it leaves the seller’s hands, he or she claims to be fitting new carpet, a new windscreen, new door mirrors and a custom dual exhaust with genuine Bentley tips. All the buyer needs to do, we are told, is reupholster the seats, install a Bentley dash and centre console and fit a new convertible top, a new sound system and a sat nav system. And et voilà, your very own Bentley - sort of.

You have to admit, US$21,100 (€16,302) isn’t half bad for something that looks this good. You could get a ’96 Sebring for a lot less, but who wants one of those? You certainly can’t pick up a second-hand Bentley for this sort of money, that’s for sure. So, what’s the verdict? Would you or wouldn’t you? Let us know in the comments.

By Tristan Hankins

Link: eBay

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The Ladies of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show

To be honest, we were expecting the 2011 Detroit Auto Show to be a much more glamorous event. Unfortunately, the press days offered little in terms of surprises, with manufacturers mostly flying under the radar or playing the tedious EV/hybrid card. Thank God for the ever smiling, curvaceous booth ladies, who ended up saving the day. Get a taste of some of the electrifying presences at this year’s NAIAS, in our gallery after the break.

By Csaba Daradics

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VIDEO: Dacia Duster Commercial Redefines “Insulting” [NSFW]

This here commercial for Dacia's low-cost Duster SUV is the work of Dutch advertising company Artcore. We should warn you that the ad is a 1 minute and 46 second parade of almost continuous swearing. While we can appreciate some over-the-top creations, we just can’t see this ever airing, at least not during daytime hours. But even if the commercial somehow made it on your TV set, we doubt that this is what Dacia wants to promote.

The commercial has been labeled as “banned” by various internet sources, but it seems to have been produced to showcase a radical idea, rather than to be purpose driven advertisement. The foul-mouthed clip is available right after the break.

By Csaba Daradics

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Anything but Ordinary: Jeremy Westerlund’s Rolls-Royce Apparition

In my opinion, über-luxury sedans are a little bit staid. Yes, from an engineering standpoint they are all very impressive and the technology incorporated into them is often state-of-the-art. You have to admit, though, that very few of us would drool over a Maybach the way you’d drool over a Lamborghini. Even the unshakable Rolls-Royce Phantom, the last word in personal luxury, is a little...well, dull.

So when a student designer like Jeremy Westerlund comes along with a design as interesting and unique as the Rolls Royce Apparition, all you can do is stare. Here is a personal limousine that, if it were built, would be 23 feet long. A car that features yacht-like styling and mahogany inserts on the wheels.

Clever design features abound, like the spare wheel secreted into the bodywork at the front like 1930s Rollers, an open cockpit for the driver and the twin rear windows that mirror the shape of the headlights. It’s like something out of a science fiction film, and a heck of a lot more interesting than some of the so-called concept cars Rolls-Royce has show in the past five years.

Though don’t take my word for it. Voice your own opinion in the comments section below. Is Westerlund’s Apparition a styling triumph or a design disaster?

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Jeremy Westerlund via Autoblog

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