A short film made in 1976 by Claude Lelouch, showing a high speed drive through Paris.

On an August morning in 1976, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris. No streets were closed, for Lelouch was unable to obtain a permit.

Geezer

It was later revealed that a Merecedes was used and the sounds were dubbed over. Here's part of the Wiki entry

Shot in a single take, it is an example of cinéma-vérité. The length of the film was limited by the short capacity of the 400 foot 35mm film reel, and filmed from a (supposedly) gyro-stabilised camera mounted on the bumper of a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9.[citation needed] A photo has surfaced that seems to reveal an Eclair cam-flex 35mm camera with a wide angle lens, and a typical "speed rail" hard mount - no gyros - on a Mercedes. This model, which could reach a top speed of 235 km/h (146 mph), was only available with a 3-speed automatic transmission. Yet, one can hear gear changes up into 5th, as well as heel-and-toe down-shifting with a high-revving engine indicating speeds of well over 200 km/h. Calculations made by several independent groups showed that the car never exceeded 140 km/h (85 mph)[1], while another[2] estimated that the car had peaked at 220 km/h (136.7 mph). Lelouch himself claimed that the top speed achieved was over 200 km/h, somewhere between 230 km/h and 240 km/h.[3] It is suggested that the sound was dubbed with the noise of Lelouch's Ferrari 275GTB, which has a corresponding number of gears and a similar engine note.

Mini's latest teaser is bizarre, I think I like it.

via INHABITAT

On Friday, Ford and GM released their figures for the 3rd quarter of 2008.

GM admitted that it needs $11bn in ready money every month in order to pay its bills. Yet its liquidity statement suggests that it will not be able to continue trading past the second quarter of 2009... Of course any takeover talks with Chrysler have been halted. Plus, with Renault-Nissan also pulling out, you wouldn't bet against Chrysler being the first casualty.

Ford only made a $129m loss in the 3rd quarter BUT burned through $7.7bn in cash. Unless they can cut-back enough to see them through 2009, they too will become bankrupt.

Following Fannie Mae and Goldmans, can the USA bail out three motor-manufacturers aswell???

Better Obama than Bush to try!

Good work on the election Seth.

This year's announcement that Ford would be bringing the Fiesta to the US market has sparked my interest for yet another epic adventure.

Seriously, who better to deliver the new Fiesta to the United States than the foremost American experts on Fiestavus adventuring, the Bad Colonies Motoring Cooperative. I am sure you can envision it, the team reunited, following the path of their former adventure across Europe and Asia. Instead of stopping in Mongolia, we would just keep on cruising to Detroit, hand delivering a battle tested Fiesta to the public. In the process, stirring up a storm of viral marketing to launch the world's greatest wee vehicle.

Motor Trend is reporting that the next generation Ford Fiesta will be sold in the U.S. by late 2008, about a year after it's introduced in Europe. The new Ford Fiesta is based on the same platform as the Mazda2 that was officially introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March. We lamented at the time neither the Mazda or its Ford counterpart would ever be sold on U.S. shores, but apparently Ford had decided before the Geneva show that the Fiesta would be bound for the U.S.
www.autoblog.com

You can drive a Fiestavus from England to Mongolia and only lose a Patrick, a wife, and a tire along the way. Now you can get big mileage while doing it. No hybrid here, just Fiestavus magic. Possibly coming to the US in a few years. I, for one, will be fully backing it. Fiestavus for life.

Peugeot is just one of the companies currently showcasing their latest and greatest at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. One of our favorites offerings from this year’s offerings is the Hymotion 3 concept vehicle, which facilitates urban mobility by bridging the gap between an electric scooter and a car. The lean small-framed vehicle has a maximum speed of 70mph and gets an incredible 118mpg.

Inhabitat