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Watch This Guy Crash A Million Dollar Porsche While Trying To Show Off

10/11/2016

There are many questions and not many answers about the spectacular car crash you are about to witness. Here’s what we know: it happened in St. Tropez, it involves a Porsche 918 Spyder, and the guy who just crashed a million dollar car must feel like the world’s biggest idiot right now. Unless he can afford to buy another car. Then I guess he’s just an idiot with a lot of money.

tags: nathan finneman , porsche 918 crash , crash , colorado , breed of speed,

ENTHUSIAST PARKS HIS BMW E30 M3 IN LIVING ROOM TO ESCAPE HURRICANE MATTHEW

10/10/2016

Hurricane Matthew made landfall earlier this week, and automotive enthusiasts are scrambling to shack-up their cars before the winds cause undue damage. Some stuff their rides in their garage, or even rent out sturdy storage space to ride out the tropical storm. Other enthusiasts, like Instagram user Jalilsup, take things a little further.

As the storm approached the Florida coastline, Randy (Jalilsup) decided the best place for his pristine BMW E30 M3 was right at home. No, we mean it; to stave off damage, he drove his M3 right through the front double-doors of his house, parking it right in the entrance-way.

Although he was unable to drive it while the storm raged outside, he was able to spend some quality time with his BMW, including a sleep-over and a romantic breakfast. In the end, once the maelstrom passed his town, Jalilsup drove the E30 back out onto his front lawn.

Elsewhere, others weren’t so lucky. Reports emerged surrounding “moderate damage” to the venerable Daytona International Speedway, including damage to “lights, speakers, signage, fences, gates, awnings and palm trees,” according to a statement from the track.

Daytona might’ve gotten off easy. Severe damage was reported at the New Smyrna Speedway, where it appears an entire grandstand collapsed under the severe hurricane winds.

tags: breed of speed e30 m3 hurricane car safe garage nathan finneman colorado cool

Nathan Finneman: Not even Ford GT prototypes can get away from the cops

10/6/2016

The new Ford GT is set to be a fast car, but not even fast cars can outrun the police. Three GT prototypes were caught going "well above the posted speed limit" in Colorado, reports Vail Daily. The vehicles, in typical supercar fashion, drew a lot of attention from the police with the Avon police department, Eagle County Sheriff's office, and the Colorado State Patrol all lending a hand to pull the trio over.

The three supercars were cited going 101 miles per hour in a 50 mph zone, according to Jalopnik. Because that's more than 20 mph over the posted speed limit, the three drivers will be summoned to court in Colorado.

The prototypes were probably conducting high-altitude testing in Colorado when the boys in blue pulled the vehicles over. Testing a vehicle, especially one like the GT, can be a tempting venture. According to Vail Daily,the prototypes had data-collecting equipment, which the automaker is most likely using to put the finishing touches on the supercars before delivery of the vehicle officially commences.

Thanks to the GT's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that puts out more than 600 horsepower, saying the supercar is fast doesn't do the vehicle justice. With an expected top speed of over 200 mph, we're sure the prototypes could've gone much faster. One thing's for sure, with 500 applicants guaranteed to get a GT, this won't be the last time someone behind the wheel of the supercar has a run in with the law.

tags: nathan finneman , breed of speed, racing , cops , ford gt out run cops , nathan colorado , bos , ticket , funny

Nathan Finneman: The Bugatti that lay at the bottom of a lake for 73 years – the playboy owner didn’t want to pay the tax bill

10/4/2016

He didn’t want to pay the customs bill so he drove it over the Italian border to nearby Lake Maggiore — the customs officers pushed into the deep waters of the lake. The value of the car was less than the money owed and the customs officer was compelled to destroy it.

Hemmings.com writes: For the locals around Lake Maggiore on the Italian-Swiss border, the mythology surrounding the Bugatti in the Lake was well known. This particular 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia Roadster used to belong to Golden Age of Grand Prix driver René Dreyfus, who lost it in a drunken poker game to Swiss playboy Adalbert Bodé in Paris in 1934; Bodé soon left for home with his new machine, but with no cash in pocket, he was unable to pay its import duties when he was stopped at the Swiss border. Bodé walked away, leaving Swiss officials to dispose of his prize however they saw fit. In those days, a ten-year-old Bugatti wasn’t of significant value, so officials chose to roll it into the lake; its eventual resting spot was 173 feet below the surface of the water.

The story entered local folklore and in the 1960s a diver called Ugo Pillon decided to try and find it, and in 1967 he located it on its side about 50 metres down. The 1925 touring Type 22 Bugatti was built in Brescia in Italy and was first registered in Nancy, France. A small brass plate found on the car bears the name ‘George Nielly, 48 Rue Nollet, Paris’. It was registered in his name in 1930. The car had four cylinders, a 1.5 litre engine and could reach almost 100 miles an hour.

Later versions of the car were made in France, but this was known as a Brescia Bugatti, after the Italian town where it was manufactured. As to who owned it in Ascona, Switzerland, it has not been determined, however, auctioneers Bonhams believe the most likely candidate is Marco (Max) Schmuklerski, a Zurich-born architect of Polish descent.

He is known to have worked there for three years, designing a number of buildings, before returning to Zurich. It is possible he acquired the car while studying architecture at the famous Beaux Arts school in Paris where he may have met George Nielly. But Mr Schmuklerski brought it back to Switzerland without paying import duties. Another theory is that he bought the car from a French tourist or client in Ascona. Whatever the case, the car always kept its French plates and import duties were never paid.

Mr Schmuklerski is believed to have left the car behind when he left Ascona and it then remained stored in a builder’s yard. But customs officials became aware of the car’s existence and insisted on the import duties being paid. By this time the duties could well have amounted to more than the value of the well-used car which was 11 years old.

In the case of non-payment, the car had to be destroyed and the easiest way to do so was to tip it into the nearby lake. But should it ever be needed to be recovered a heavy chain was attached. However this finally corroded away and the car fell to the lake bed at a depth of 160ft.

It would seem that the Bugatti would forever remain there until a tragedy changed its fate. A young local man, Damiano Tamagni was brutally beaten and killed, and the diving club decided that they would try and retrieve the car and sell it to benefit the foundation created in his name to combat youth violence. It took more than thirty volunteers and nine months, but the Bugatti was finally lifted from the lake on July 12.

From there the Bugatti was put up for auction for the highest bidder. At Bonham’s Retromobile sale in Paris in 2010, the Type 22 Brescia brought a top bid of £228,000 – around $350,000 USD – much higher than the pre-auction estimate. The winning bidder? None other than the Mullin Museum in Oxnard, CA. The museum has decided to not restore the Bugatti and display it in its current condition. The Bugatti is displayed in its own room, walled off from the rest of the collection; the space is designed to invoke intimacy, and to roughly replicate the (minimal) light levels available at the bottom of the lake. All the better to help a viewer concentrate on the endless details that make the Brescia a must-see work of art.

tags; nathan finneman google colorado breed of speed cool car lake exotic lost barn find

Nathan Finneman: Watch This Car Crash When a Woman Pulls the Handbrake on Her Racing Boyfriend

10/2/2016

If you were making a list of the terrible, terrible things you can do to a driver while riding shotgun, pulling the emergency brake without warning would have to be near the top of the list. Seems like common sense—but apparently, that piece of obviousness evaded at least one person, who seems to have caused her boyfriend's car to crash horrifically by yanking the parking brake on him at highway speed.

The 35-second video, captured from the shaky helmet camera of a motorcyclist and uploaded to LiveLeak before being blasted around the Internet at the speed of light, reportedly comes from the city of Cuernavaca, Mexico. In the footage, a blue sedan seems to be trying to race the camera-toting motorcycle rider and his associate, when the passenger—reportedly the driver's girlfriend, according to the video's title—purportedly yanks up on the emergency brake in an effort to curb his speeding. (It's impossible to actually tell if that's what really happens, but the footage does show the rear wheels locking up, which would be consistent with an emergency brake activation.)

Unfortunately, the unexpected move sends the car out of control, causing it to slam into the center divider, flip onto its side, and pinwheel down the roadway before coming to a stop after several seconds.

It's unknown how badly the driver and passenger were injured, if at all. Considering the apparent severity of the crash, however, it seems unlikely they walked away without a scratch. Also, we hate to stereotype, but anyone dumb enough to surprise a driver by pulling the e-brake very well might be the sort of person lacking the good sense to strap on a seat belt.

tags: Nathan finneman colorado breed of speed crash cool crazy car bos insane ebrake pull

Nathan Finneman: Daniel Ricciardo dedicates Malaysian Grand Prix win to Jules Bianchi

10/2/2016

Daniel Ricciardo has dedicated his Malaysian Grand Prix victory to the late Jules Bianchi and says he has been "waiting" two years to do so.

The Australian took advantage of Lewis Hamilton's dramatic engine failure to lead home Red Bull's first one-two since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix. Ricciardo fended off teammate Max Verstappen's charge with a brilliant defensive drive, just moments before leader Hamilton's race ended up in smoke as his Mercedes caught fire.

After the race, a visibly emotional Ricciardo, who claimed his first win since the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix, told Sky that he had been wanting to dedicate a victory to Bianchi -- who died last year as a result of severe head injuries he suffered after a crash in 2014 at Suzuka.

"I want to dedicate this one to Jules, as well," he said. "I've been waiting for a victory and waiting to dedicate this to him.

"My life definitely changed after that incident. I'm extremely grateful and appreciative of everything that I've got. I'll dedicate this to him."

Ricciardo believes the win is a sign of how far Red Bull has come as a team over the last two years and was quick to pay gratitude to his family.

"After Monaco in particular was obviously mixed emotions. It was a hard one to take. I felt we've come through that, as a team we've learnt a lot. As a person, it made me a bit stronger. I think I've only got better since then."

"I want to thank my parents. They're not here this weekend but definitely without them... I think just simple things, the way they supported me growing up. I had a good upbringing, I'm thankful for that. I think it's definitely helped me get to this point. My sister as well."

Ricciardo lost out on an almost-certain victory in Monaco earlier this year, after a slow pit stop saw him finish behind Hamilton in second. The Red Bull driver said he felt his win in Sepang was deserved after losing out around the streets of Monte Carlo.

"Obviously Lewis got the lead and got his problem. I'm not really one for believing in a whole lot, but obviously it went the other way in Monaco. I'll take this today, no hard feelings to Lewis, but I'll definitely take the win."

tags: formula 1 , f1 , nathan finneman , breed of speed , bos , daniel ricardo , racing, car , europe , tribute

Texas Thieves Steal $250K in Wheels and Tires in Four Hours

9/1/2016

This past weekend, thieves broke into a car dealership in Texas and proceeded to steal the wheels and tires off 48 separate cars and trucks, leaving the vehicles on cinder blocks—and making off with roughly $250,000 in pilfered rubber and rims, according to local law enforcement.

According to the police department of Tyler, Texas, surveillance footage reveals the suspects entered through the fence at Peltier Chevrolet at approximately 1am on Sunday, August 21st, and proceeded to make off with the wheels and tires, local news station WFAA reports; the estimated total value of the stolen good is roughly a quarter-million dollars. While exact details were not available, a bit of elementary school math leads us at The Drive to infer that the crooks made off with 192 wheels and an equal number of tires. (The sad thing is, we actually punched "48 x 4" into the calculator to be sure.)

The Tyler-area theft is hardly the first time a group of nocturnal Texas-area crooks have made off with a bounty of wheels and tires. Dealerships across the state have been hit by this sort of act of mass rotational thievery, both in recent months and over the last few years; a Google search for "Texas wheel theft" reveals reports of similar mass thefts from dealerships dating back to 2011.

As a result of the rapid nature of the crimes and the string of related incidents, law enforcement in the state reportedly believes many of the crimes may be the work of professional wheel-jackers.

"By all the methods that they used, it usually indicates they're in a professional ring," Tyler P.D. officer Officer Don Martin said, according to WPXI. "They'll kind of hit [dealerships] randomly. They just came through Tyler and hit us."

If true, such a success streak suggests the Texas thieves are a bit better at their jobs then the Ohio man who was allegedly trying to steal the wheels off a GMC Yukon in a dealer lot last month when it apparently slipped off the jack and crushed him to death.

tags: breed of speed nathan finneman racing colorado news daily bos

Nathan Finneman: Ferrari crashes into wall on I-95 in Fort Lauderdale

8/31/2016

A white Ferrari crashed into a wall in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 Tuesday morning in Fort Lauderdale.

Sky 10 was above the scene at 10 a.m. and saw the left back tire of the white 599 GTB hanging over the side of the overpass approaching Interstate 595.

The car was facing the opposite direction as traffic.

It did not appear that any other vehicles were involved and the Ferrari did not appear to sustain significant damage.

A Florida Highway Patrol representative said no one was injured.

The crash remains under investigation.

tags: ferrari crash ft lauderdale nathan finneman drifto colorado crash exotic breed of speed bos breedofspeed

Nathan Finneman: Watch an off-road truck jump over an entire village

8/31/2016

Truck world records are falling thick and fast at the moment. Just days after Volvo’s Iron Knight becamethe fastest machine of its kind in history, Bryce Menzies’ 888bhp Pro2 off-roader has set a new benchmark for the biggest truck jump ever.

Bryce, a 29-year-old off-road racer from Las Vegas, landed an astonishing distance of 115 metres (379.4ft) from a purpose-built ramp in the middle of a ghost town in New Mexico, surpassing the previous record of 101 metres set by Tanner Foust in 2011.

An adjudicator from Guinness World Records was on site to verify the attempt, although they are yet to officially confirm the exact record that has been set by Menzies and his team.

The stunt is the result of six months of dedication, in which time the crew performed several trial runs at a secret location in San Diego. These test led to suspension modifications as well as time in a wind tunnel to help make the vehicle more aerodynamic.

tags: red bull truck jump bryce menzies nathan finneman colorado james finneman drifto captain drifto breed of speed breedofspeed

Ford is building cars without steering wheels, gas or brake pedals

8/24/2016

Last week, Ford announced it will launch a fleet of autonomous taxis in at least one city in 2021. But, unlike other automakers, Ford’s self-driving cars won't have a steering wheel, gas or brake pedals.

Most major automakers have said that they are planning to roll out a self-driving car sometime during the next five years, but the levels of autonomy vary. Many car companies have committed to semi-autonomous systems that enable the car to be completely autonomous in certain driving situations, but that still have a steering wheels so that the driver can take back control of the vehicle when needed.

However, Ford wants to make its cars fully autonomous because it sees these semi-autonomous systems as a possible liability. This is because people begin to trust the systems too much and fail to re-engage control of the vehicle when needed.

“We are not in a race to be first, but we are in a race to do the right thing, which is why we are building on more than ten years of experience on how to responsibly deliver a ride service that is fully autonomous that does not require a driver to re-engage,” Ken Washington, vice president of advanced research and engineering, told Business Insider.

“Our research has led us to understand that it [re-engagement] is very difficult to do and we don’t know how to enable that, so that is what led us to pursuing a full level four autonomous vehicle and this re-engagement issue goes away,” Washington said.

Ford, of course, is not the only company developing self-driving cars that has run into this problem of customers trusting self-driving systems too much.

For example, when Tesla first rolled out Autopilot, there were numerous YouTube videos that showed drivers testing the limits of Autopilot by taking their hands completely off the wheel while driving at fast speeds down a highway. One driver even sat in the back seat while the car drove itself down a freeway.

Now, Tesla and other car makers implementing these advanced drive assistance systems (ADAS) have always maintained that drivers are still required to monitor the driving situation and keep their hands on the wheel. But the fact of the matter is, once people get use to the technology, they will find ways to abuse it.

Ford wants to avoid this problem all together, which is why the company is ramping up its efforts to get its vehicles to level four autonomy.

However, at least in the beginning, Ford’s self-driving cars will still have some limitations.

For example, the cars will only be able to operate in geofenced areas within an urban area, meaning the company will set defined physical parameters that have previously been mapped by the company’s driverless test fleet.

Ford will also only provide the self-driving service in an area where the sensors on its driverless cars can “operate at their optimum performance,” meaning that it will not operate in certain weather conditions or in geographical locations that might interfere with how sensors collect data.

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