Code Retard

Mercedes just release the details on the ESF 2009 concept car which employs an airbag brake system called “braking bag.” Yes you read that right. ESV, the name given to this concept car, stands for “Experimental Safety Vehicle.” The car also has inflatable metal, yes you read that right, which remains folded until a collision, when a small gas generator causes it to blow up and protect the vehicles passengers.

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We love video games and we loves cars, and we love it even more when the two things come together. So of course we couldn’t pass up on this opportunity to show you a crazed Street Fighter nut dressed as Ryu demolishing some poor car in a junk yard. We don’t know what’s funnier: the fact that he’s trying to recreate the bonus stage where you beat a car to dust in the game or the fact that somehow doesn’t feel as satisfying as playing that stage in the game. We don’t know what we were expecting. Here’s the reference video below:

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Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hachette Filipacchi Magazines. Originally headquartered in New York City, the magazine has been based in Ann Arbor, Michigan since the late 1970s. Car and Driver was founded as Sports Cars Illustrated in 1955. In its early years, the magazine focused primarily on small, imported sports cars. In 1961, editor Karl Ludvigsen renamed the magazine Car and Driver to show a more general automotive focus. 2005 marked the 50th anniversary of Car and Driver.

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Someone was actually dumb/brave enough (you decide) to get into a Mario costume and go cruising the streets on his go kart for a Mario Kart style adventure. It’s actually pretty funny and you’ll see Remi getting power-ups during the "race" and even manage to throw a banana under a motorcyclist’s wheel complete with the familiar Mario Kart soundtrack playing in the background.

To pimp its elite AMG brand, Mercedes Benz is letting you make your very own AMG snowflake on their website with wipers, rims, a shift knob, and some other AMG goodies. Head on over to the AMG snowflake cardmaker, which shows off your creation falling as a white SL drives by below. Create your own holiday message and then blast it to your friends.

HomeLink is a universal garage door opening system comes in a variety of vehicles, usually as a luxury add-on. HomeLink can be found on a number of car manufacturers and works with a number of garage door manufacturers. New technology in garage door openers has resulted in a rolling code security system, obsoleting the old dip switch remote controls that could be “guessed” open by anyone willing to try all the combinations. Rolling code garage door remote controls don’t have any dip switches to set, instead they must “learn” how to open a garage door from the actual garage door motor unit. While programming the stock Chamberlain or Genie garage door remotes with the corresponding manufacturer is usually an easy process, getting your vehicle’s HomeLink to play nice with a rolling code system is a different story. Read more »

Alex Roy reviews Top Secret Audi R8 loaded with a ton of “stealth” features include four GPS units, two radar detectors, police scanner, CB radio, kill switch for all rear lights, high-speed broadband Internet with Wi-Fi running on a tablet PC, power ports, takedown lights, a remote-controlled exhaust bypass valve, and a liquid-cooled infrasonic wave pulse generator.

We did some digging and found out the owner of the R8 is named Andre Betz

Pictured here with holding a trophy:

BMW GINA Light Visionary Model: Premiere

BMW GINA Light Visionary Model: Trailer

BMW GINA Light Visionary Model: Design

A big Nintendo fan and Toyota (Corolla?) buff modded his engine cover to look like the old-school NES controller pad. Looks like it was a simple repaint since you can still barely see the words “vvt-i 16 valve” on the engine. Too bad that gem’s hidden under the hood. Suggestion for next mod: transparent hood. Props if you can identify the vehicle. Read more »