Lamborghini has shocked a family in Erie, Colorado by presenting them with a new Aventador S supercar.
The unexpected arrival of the Aventador was to acknowledge the dedication of Sterling Backus, who has spent the past two years working to 3D print his own Lamborghini.
Although the real Aventador will be spending only a few festive days with the family, it will at least serve as a reminder as to what Backus is working towards.
From the screen to the street
The story began when Sterling’s 12-year-old son, Xander, was playing on the Forza Horizon 3 Xbox One racing game. Xander found himself consistently picking the Aventador to use in the game.
This prompted the simple question from Xander to his father of whether they could build their very own Lamborghini to use in real life.
Working as a physicist, Sterling Backus decided it would be a cool project to attempt, and would also help promote science and technology subjects to kids.
Armed with a $900 desktop 3D printer, Sterling then set to work designing and printing the various parts and panels needed to create a life-sized Lamborghini replica.
Some 24 months later the project is still ongoing, with Sterling having spent around $20,000 on parts and materials to create the replica. The chassis beneath the body panels is made from steel and, unlike the V-12 engine in the real Aventador, this one is powered by a Chevrolet V-8.
Backus has been keen to point out this is not a direct copy of the Aventador, and has modified each body panel slightly with his own design touches. This should avoid any accusations of copyright infringement or intellectual property theft.
The commitment of Sterling Backus to the project, which has been documented on his special Facebook page, has been enough to win approval from Lamborghini.
Story of authentic passion
Katia Bassi, Chief Marketing and Communication Officer of Automobili Lamborghini, commented that: “Lamborghini is against any attempt at counterfeiting. However, a true story of such authentic passion deserves to be featured, which is why we chose to tell of Sterling’s and Xander’s project in our 2019 Christmas video”.
The video tells the story of how the project came to life, along with the reaction to Xander Backus finding a real Aventador S within the family’s garage. Driving the real Lamborghini more than likely going to inspire Sterling Backus to finish the project even faster.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is usually reserved for the most famous movie stars. But now a car is joining them. Congratulations are in order for the biggest movie car, the Chevrolet Suburban, which has received its own Award of Excellence star.
No, it’s not an Aston Martin riddled with bullet holes, or a time-travelling DeLorean. It’s not an ocean-dwelling Lotus, nor a ghost-busting wagon. It’s an all-American Chevy SUV.
Why? Well, the Suburban has had the most on-screen appearances of any motor vehicle, since its first iteration in 1952. Across television and film, Suburbans have been in front of the camera 1,750 times.
You can watch a bulletproof, gadget-laden Chevy fight off SWAT teams with Sam Jackson behind the wheel in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And in 2020, similar models will be appearing in Black Widow.
“For six decades the Chevrolet Suburban has been Hollywood’s longest-working actor,” said Rana Ghadban, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
“Appearing in classic feature films and on must-see television shows, the Suburban is a well-established industry mainstay. With the Chevrolet Tahoe also making an impact in movies and on television, it’s impressive to have both vehicles now join an illustrious group of actors and characters that are forever known as Hollywood legends.”
The Suburban is the long-wheelbase sibling of the Tahoe. If you combine the film careers of these movie star brothers, they’ve had more than 2,500 on-screen appearances. The Tahoe has an average of one on-screen appearance every year since its introduction in 1995.
It’s claimed the new Chevrolet models, just revealed, have been designed with Hollywood in mind.
“The popularity of Suburban and Tahoe in film was first inspired by the real-life roles they played in the military, in law enforcement and family trips around the world,” said Tim Kozub, design manager for Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe.
“Today, their role in Hollywood inspired the design of the all-new models, as we integrated the sense of capability, action, and importance associated with Suburban and Tahoe on screen.”
Would you buy yourself a classic Ferrari if you had to assemble it yourself? If so, this could be the perfect opportunity to own an iconic Daytona.
The car was once a gleaming 1971 365 GTB/4 Berlinetta (affectionately known as the ‘Daytona’), but it hasn’t been driven since 1974.
This UK-market car, collected from the Ferrari factory in May 1971 by its first owner, was taken to the Monaco Grand Prix along the Italian Riviera. That’s the Daytona-driving dream, right?
The car was driven and serviced accordingly for the following three years, but the Daytona dream soon turned to a nightmare. The story goes that it left the road and tumbled down a slope, which damaged it. The chains used to recover it then damaged it even more.
Multiple custodians took it on over the next 45 years, wanting a project. One even relieved it of its roof to turn it into a GTS/4 Spider recreation, but never followed through.
It sat fallow for 30 years until 2006, when work finally got underway on a restoration. With some expert coachwork and painstaking parts-sourcing, its bodywork is probably in better condition than when it left Maranello. Yet there’s still work to be done.
It’s offered now as a partially finished project, with the original V12 engine and boxes of parts ready to go. Some of the parts to be supplied with the car are brand new.
The engine will need work, but its internals are apparently in good condition. Original, too, is the instrument cluster, with a believed-to-be-accurate 26,117 miles on the odometer.
This is a DIY Daytona, with everything needed to build a complete car. We say ‘DIY’ in a light-hearted way. You’ll almost certainly want the help of a specialist to get it across the line. You’ll need to decide what colour to paint it, though. Once complete, it should be perfect for someone who wants to drive their Ferrari, rather than simply own a garage queen.
You’ll be able to bid in this Daytona, and its associated bits, on Collecting Cars in the new year.
Tired of hearing about how important tyres are? Tough, says a driving school, which is trying to get the message across early to new drivers.
It’s believed the majority of new drivers are under-educated when it comes to tyres. Of course, what puts many off being attentive to the quality and condition of their rubber is expense. However, a high quality tyre can actually reduce the cost of ownership, as well as make the car safer and reduce your environmental impact.
M1 motorway is being resurfaced with recycled tyres
Red driving school has partnered with Michelin and Kwik-Fit on its campaign to get tyre education across to drivers. Red says 68 percent of its customers buy a car within three months of passing their test. It wants to educate students more broadly on what to prioritise when maintaining their car. Tyres, it says, should be much further up the list of priorities.
It’s a well-trodden mantra, but tyres are the most important safety feature on your car. They’re key to the function of both the steering and brakes.
“Michelin and Kwik-Fit play vital roles in ensuring tyre safety in the UK, and we are thrilled to be partnering with both businesses to open up the conversation to the learner driver community,” said Ian McIntosh, CEO of Red Driving School.
“The partnership recognises our commitment to promoting the highest levels of road safety for all our customers. High-quality, well-fitted tyres are a vital part of staying safe on the road.”
Even though the current ‘992’ Porsche 911 has been with us for more than a year, the previous 991 remained in production, albeit only the very special versions. The final 991 to be made is a Speedster, a limited model that pays homage to Porsche’s 70-year heritage, and is based on the GT3.
This Speedster is the last of 233,540 991s produced since 2011. This represents just under a quarter of all the 911s ever produced. The one-millionth 911 was made during the 991’s tenure, too. Porsche challenged its fans to spec the milestone model.
“Porsche stands for both tradition and innovation,” said Michael Steiner, chief research and development officer at Porsche.
“This is reflected nowhere more clearly than in the core of the brand – the 911. The 911 replaced the 356 in 1963 and, in the decades that followed, our rear-engine model grew into an unrivalled sports car icon.
“The 991 generation in particular has set new standards in terms of performance, drivability and efficiency. It fills me with pride, as well as a touch of sadness, to have to send it off into retirement. For myself, I can say that the 991 has given me enormous pleasure.”
The 991had many challenges to overcome in its lifetime. Electric steering, a lack of manual gearboxes, fires, and the arrival of turbocharging, are perhaps some of the greatest obstacles the 911 has faced.
Somehow, they did it. Some variants of the 991 will go down in history with the 911 greats. It also birthed some of the fastest 911s ever made, including a fettled version of the GT2 RS that continues to hold the production car lap record around the Nurburgring.
The 991 was well-represented in racing as well, with the outgoing RSR winning its class at Le Mans (in the famous ‘Pink Pig’ livery, and filling La Sarthe with a searing flat-six soundtrack on the way).
The 991, with the odds initially stacked against it, will be remembered fondly.
Tesla has begun rolling out its super-fast V3 Superchargers in Europe, with the first appearing in London at the Park Royal service centre.
This also represents the 500th Supercharger station to open in Europe, following the network’s introduction in Norway in 2013.
Tesla V3 Supercharging: what it means
V2 Superchargers already offer an impressive rate of charging for Tesla cars. Their maximum power output was recently upgraded from 120kW to 150kW. The V3 units move things on massively, offering a peak output of 250kW.
For context, pictured is a Tesla charging at a rate of 1,021 electric range miles per hour. It shows 20 minutes remaining on the charge to get to 100 percent from 18 percent.
An important aspect of V3 charging is that power isn’t split between you and another car sharing your stall. So you get that maximum output more of the time.
Tesla says V3 can provide 75 miles of charge in five minutes, at maximum capacity, to a Model 3 Long Range. Overall, the company reckons it will halve the amount of time drivers spend charging. Average charge time at V3 stalls should be around 15 minutes, or 225 miles, which is close to a full fill-up for some lower-end cars.
Charging this quickly might sound like it could damage the battery. Indeed, there are certain preparations the cars can make before being plugged in. ‘On-Route Battery Warmup’ is a feature that rolled out to Teslas when V3 Superchargers first appeared in March. Cars that are navigating to a Supercharger will ready their batteries to the correct temperature.
‘We are excited to continue to build the most extensive and advanced network in Europe whilst keeping the charging experience as affordable and convenient as possible for all our customers,’ said Tesla.
‘When we opened the first European station in Norway in 2013, driving across multiple countries in a fully electric car was inconceivable and seen as a unique accomplishment. With the Supercharger network, long distance EV travel has become the new normal. Every day, thousands of Tesla owners undertake a road trip through Europe and stop at Supercharger stations.’
Last year, Highways England’s traffic officers responded to 611 road incidents on Christmas Day. Proof, if proof were needed, that life goes on after everyone has driven home for Christmas.
Included in the 611 incidents were 343 breakdowns, 24 collisions and 17 instances of animals on the motorway.
There were 310 collisions on England’s motorways during the four days before Christmas Day – half the total number of collisions attended to by Highways England across the 12-day festive period.
Little wonder Highways England operates 24/7, 365 days a year to keep traffic flowing.
Spare a thought for the traffic officers and control room operators who will be keeping the roads clear on Christmas Day. For some, it’s a case of keeping it in the family.
Take husband and wife Greg and Angela, who will be patrolling the A38 and M5 in Devon. “Christmas Day may be a bit unusual for us but we want everyone to have safe Christmas journeys and we can celebrate later!” Angela said.
“And our Christmas message to anyone driving is to check your vehicle before you set off – to help ensure you get to your destination safely.”
Meanwhile, father and son Nick and Phil Shaw will be monitoring the motorways and A-roads of the East Midlands from the control room in Nottingham. Back in the South West control room near Bristol, mother Beverley and son Tom will be keeping eyes on the region’s roads to handle any incidents and maintain the flow of traffic.
‘Prevention is better than cure’
South West Operations Manager Beverley said: “It’s the first time Tom and I will have worked the Christmas Day shift. We’ll be up at 4.30am for our shift, and we’ll get in a little earlier to ensure our night duty team can get back and get some sleep before enjoying their Christmas.
“I usually prepare dinner for my family and parents, Tom included, but this year the preparations will be done a little earlier and the celebration will just be a little later –it’ll also mean an early night as we’re both back in for the Boxing Day shift.
“It’s certainly going to be a family affair on Christmas Day as my husband, Andy, has promised to bring in bacon butties for all the control room operators.”
The traffic officers are urging motorists to carry out a few simple checks to their vehicles – and to make sure they have plenty of fuel – to avoid spending Christmas Day on a motorway verge.
Phil Shaw advised: “Prevention is better than cure. By preparing for the journey, checking tyres, oil and so forth, it will make sure people don’t break down in the first place and everyone has a happy Christmas.”
How to avoid a Christmas breakdown
Highways England has issued five tips to avoid a breakdown while you are driving home for Christmas:
Lights: Ask someone to help you check the lights, including the brakes and reversing lights
Oil: Use a dipstick to check you have enough oil and prevent your engine from seizing up
Fuel: Always keep your fuel tank at least a quarter full and fill it up to the top ahead of a long journey
Tyres: Check the pressure and tread depth of your tyres to make sure they are safe and roadworthy
Screenwash: Keep your screenwash container topped up so you can clear dirt off your windscreen
AA customers who break down can now give the operator their exact What3Words address when calling for help.
The What3Words app is available to download for free for iOS and Android smartphones, or via the online map at What3Words.com.
The system should be useful if you’re not 100 percent sure where you have broken down, or for duplicate addresses. What3Words has placed similar sounding addresses far apart, and homophones (words with the same pronunciation but different meanings) have been removed to avoid confusion.
If you break down in a rural location, you can guide the recovery truck straight to the car, rather than describing the spot as ‘somewhere between two villages’.
‘Strange but smart’
Edmund King, AA president, said: “Breaking down in an unfamiliar location can be a daunting experience for anyone. This simple solution helps drivers to identify where they are – and helps us find them even faster.
“By using the latest technology we are continuing to enhance our services. Using three everyday words might seem strange but is a smart way to get you back on the road.”
Chris Sheldrick, CEO and co-founder of What3Words added: “Earlier this year, What3words was rolled out by emergency services across the country. One of the key areas that our system proved invaluable was on long stretches of motorways and unnamed rural roads.
“These locations can be incredibly difficult to describe and when responding quickly is crucial to keep people safe, the precision and ease of three words can save vital time in locating someone in need of help. The AA have been quick to see this same benefit, ensuring that their control rooms are trained to use What3Words to locate callers and dispatch help exactly where it’s needed.“
Professional racing driver Ollie Webb, who has previously driven cars on closed circuits at more than 250 miles per hour, has been sent on a speed awareness course.
The Le Mans racer was caught speeding, doing 52 miles per hour in a 50 zone in the middle of the night.
In a post on Instagram, he gave details on the circumstances of his speeding faux pas. “Speed awareness course tomorrow, first one ever and for 52 in a 50 on the M6 at 3am in the truck lane.”
Not to have his festive spirits dampened, he added “nothing will get me down though, as it’s finally starting to feel like Christmas”.
In another previous post, he noted how impressed he was with French hypercar maker Bugatti’s 300 mph record earlier this year, and reminisced about his escapades at 250 mph and beyond.
There is an irony, then, that he should be pulled up for going just 2 mph over the limit. While no speeding offence is necessarily tolerable, ordinarily, there is room for manoeuvre.
Ten percent plus 2 mph is generally the accepted range for discrepancy, meaning you should technically be able to “get away” with 57 mph in a 50 mph zone.
One commenter on his Instagram post shared exacerbation about the strictness of the situation, saying “the world has gone mad. 2 mph over the limit! Where’s the common sense,” to which Webb responded, “exactly”.
Still, there is humour in the darkest of times. Commenters on his Instagram post haven’t wasted any time in having a laugh about it.
The old “who do you think you are, Stirling Moss!?” advert springs to mind.
Ollie has had a varied career in racing, starting with karting, moving through lower-level formula racing, hill climbs and into GT racing. He’s a European Le Mans Series Champion, and a Dubai 24-hour winner. He’s also spent time in the LMP1 hot seat at Le Mans.
While the average police car might be a Vauxhall Astra or Hyundai i30 with a livery and lights, there are many exciting and exotic pursuit vehicles, too. From Autobahn-storming super saloons to blues-and-twos Lamborghinis, these are the police cars you don’t want to see flashing in your rear-view mirror.
ABT Audi RS4-R
The standard Audi RS4 isn’t the sort of car you can be caught in a chase with and still get away. Nonetheless, renowned Audi tuner ABT Sportsline has given the car added muscle befitting an elite member of the force. This 530hp RS4-R was displayed at the Essen Motor Show in 2019. Schnell!
Ford Ranger Raptor
Meanwhile, in the UK, our police force has got something in stock for rural getaways. The new Ford Ranger Raptor is a baja-bashing beast of a truck, with trick Fox Racing shocks and knobbly tyres. You’re not getting away, even if you trade that stolen Golf R for an ATV.
Ford Focus ST Estate
Even if you stick with the Golf, you’ll need to be quite tasty behind the wheel to get away from the new liveried Focus ST wagon that’s just joined the fleet. In days past, it was the fast Fords being nicked and chased after…
Honda Civic Type R
A police force in Australia has taken delivery of a 320hp Honda Civic Type R. The hot hatch will join New South Wales Police officers on the Eyewatch social media initiative, aimed at building relationships between law enforcers and communities. Keep clicking to see other cool police cars from around the world.
Black Badge and ‘blues and twos’
If you’re hoping to add some sparkle to a police station event, it helps when you have the home of the world’s most famous luxury carmaker on your doorstep. Which explains why this one-off Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge made an appearance at a Chichester police station open day. Unsurprisingly, there are no plans for it to join the Sussex Police fleet of patrol cars, but it would certainly be a relaxing way to accompany an officer to the station for questioning.
Porsche on patrol
Bad news for criminals in Austria: the country’s police force has taken custody of a Porsche 911 for motorway patrol duties. The turbocharged 991 Carrera has all the equipment it needs for service, including blue lights and a radio system.
BMW X4 by AC Schnitzer
A lifestyle SUV-cum-coupe might be an unusual choice for a cop car, but hey, even the police have to look good, right? This is BMW’s X4 ‘Polizei’ modified by German tuners AC Schnitzer for the Essen Motor Show.
Performance
The German police machine is only an X4 20i, so it’s not packing the triple turbo straight-six from the M3 and M4. Still, AC Schnitzer has tuned the 2.0-litre turbo motor from 184 to 245hp, dropping the 0-62mph time to a respectable 6.7 seconds. Should be enough to keep up with any opportunistic joyriders.
Wales tail
The New South Wales (NSW) Police Force in Australia also uses a fully-liveried Porsche 911 for patrols. Any criminal is likely to think twice before trying to out-run it.
Porsche 911
The 911 can hit 62mph in less than five seconds, although the NSW Police force says that this car will mostly be used to attend community events where “the fascination of a Porsche in police decals is helping to break the ice especially with youths in disadvantaged areas”.
Porsche 911
This is certainly one of the coolest police cars around, but it has more competition than you might imagine. Here, we’ve collected some of the most eye-catching and unusual vehicles ever to wear a police logo and a set of flashing lights.
Dodge Charger Pursuit
This is the Dodge Charger Pursuit, a seriously mean-looking machine that became available to US police forces a few years ago.
Dodge Charger Pursuit
The Charger Pursuit is far from being all show and no go, either – it’s available with a 375hp 5.7-litre Hemi V8 and comes with upgraded suspension and a reinforced chassis.
Police forces with more modest pursuit goals – or greater concern for fuel economy – can opt for the rear-wheel-drive V6 version.
Lamborghini Huracan
The Italians are known for their flair and style, and it seems that extends to the country’s police force, too. Even before many customer orders were fulfilled, the Italian State Police took delivery of its brand new 610hp, 202mph-plus, 5.2-litre V10-engined Lamborghini Huracan police car in spring 2014. Now you’re going to need an Aventador to get away from them…
Chevrolet Tahoe
Named after a Californian lake, the Chevrolet Tahoe is the perfect US cop car. A bull bar ensures chases are over before you can say “stay in the car, sonny”, and its go-anywhere ability means offenders aren’t getting away even if they take a detour through the desert. It looks menacing, too, and there’s a couple of spotlights to help catch suspects in dark alleys.
Greater Manchester Police Pride Hyundai i30
There are plenty of Hyundai i30 police cars dotted around the UK, but none quite as colourful as this. The Greater Manchester Police ‘Pride Police car’ was created to reach out to the LGBT community during Manchester’s Pride Festival and decked out in the event’s rainbow flag colours.
Renault RS Megane
The French are a pretty patriotic bunch when it comes to cars, and that extends to what the gendarmes drive. From Paris to Poitiers the French force can usually be seen driving a battered old blue Megane or Scenic; this racy Renaultsport Megane 265 is a cut above the rest.
BMW 4 Series
German tuner AC Schnitzer regularly toys with police cars and one of its most recent creations is this BMW 428i complete with Polizei graphics and flashing lights on the roof. Before being put into service with Germany’s finest motorway cops, AC upgraded the engine to 294hp so it should be powerful enough to chase down speeders on the Autobahn.
Ferrari FF
First, a Lamborghini and now a Ferrari FF – the Dubai police force is building an impressive fleet of supercars to track speeding motorists in the desert. With four seats, the FF makes more sense than a Lamborghini Aventador as a cop car, and it’s just as potent: the £227k motor has a 6.2 V12 putting out 650hp and capable of 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 208mph.
Chevrolet Caprice
New York City police officers man a checkpoint in Times Square, using their Chevrolet Caprice cop cars to block the road. Notice the rubber bumper bars to ram other cars off the road. The US cops don’t mess around if they want you to stop.
Lamborghini Aventador
It’s known as the capital of bling, so when it comes to policing Dubai, it takes a special kind of cop car to keep up with the 200mph+ hypercars you regularly see in the Emirate city.
Step forward the Lamborghini Aventador – one of the many jaw-dropping cars on the Dubai police force’s fleet.
Lamborghini Aventador
While it’s clearly more of a marketing exercise, it is expected that the Aventador will have a practical purpose as it tries to reign in the propensity for young male drivers to speed on the quiet desert roads. The Dubai police force has imposed strict new punishments for drivers who speed above 124mph, with hefty fines and even jail sentences on the cards.
Lamborghini Aventador
The £250k Aventador is perfect for the task: its 6.5-litre V12 engine produces 700hp and 508 lb/ft of torque and can hit 62mph in 2.9 seconds. Flat out it’ll reach 217mph. Fast as that is, it will still struggle to keep up with a Bugatti Veyron…
