Chevrolet Reveals its Pimped Trucks for SEMA, Including New 2015 Tahoe and Suburban
Chevrolet has blown the covers off its concept trucks and SUVs on the eve of the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Besides the high-performance Silverado Cheyenne concept, the GM brand has brought five other Silverado-based custom concepts, as well as two studies based on the Tahoe SUV and one based on the Suburban.
The 2015 Chevrolet Suburban Half-Pipe Concept targets winter sports’ fans and is equipped to haul adventurers and all their ski and snowboard gear to the slopes. The SUV is equipped with Chevrolet Accessories’ roof rack and crossbars to mount skis and other equipment along with Chevrolet Accessories 22-inch wheels and center caps for a more distinctive appearance. The interior features a Blu-ray-based rear-seat entertainment system and leather-trimmed seats.
The Tahoe Black concept is an aggressive take on the full-size SUV thanks to the lowered stance, all-black profile and a custom aero-style body package. The blacked-out exterior trim, Chevrolet Accessories 22-inch wheels custom-painted dark gray, tinted headlamps and tinted windows all around also contribute to the Tahoe’s sinister look. On the inside, the Tahoe is trimmed in black leather with Carbon Flash Metallic trim accents.
There's also the Tahoe Police concept that offers a preview of how the future police version of the new Tahoe could look like. The SUV includes the Tahoe 9C1 police package’s standard equipment, including a 5.3L V-8 engine rated at 355 horsepower, a six-speed automatic transmission, 17-inch steel wheels, police-specific suspension and auxiliary battery for emergency equipment.
The Brad Paisley Signature Silverado is a signature-edition concept dedicated to country music star Brad Paisley, who collaborated with Chevrolet designers on the truck. The custom Silverado features a custom paint job, high-performance accents, a lowered stance and an amped-up sound system. Paisley’s logo is featured on the paint scheme, while performance upgrades include a hood extractor vent, tailgate aero lip and Borla exhaust system. On the inside, there’s a rear-seat entertainment system and a Kicker subwoofer.
Another Silverado dedicated to a celebrity is the Tony Stewart Silverado concept. The NASCAR driver and team owner collaborated on the design of the custom truck, which features Smoke graphics that symbolize his racing spirit, a Dark Tarnished Silver color, tinted headlights and taillights as well as several Chevrolet Accessories components. These are a tonneau cover, four-inch chrome assist steps and 22-inch wheels with a custom finish. The headrests feature Stewart’s signature.
The Silverado Volunteer Firefighter concept is not new, as it was previewed in September. The concept shows how the new Silverado can be adapted for fire departments. The Silverado Double Cab equipped with the Z71 Off-Road suspension features a series of rescue equipment and offers room for personal gear such as a turnout coat and pants, firefighter helmet, air pack and gloves. Outfitting includes tools and safety equipment needed in a support vehicle.
Also revealed in September, the Silverado Black Ops concept includes features designed to offer support in an emergency – including custom-fabricated lower body armor and a lockable, bed-mounted Truck Vault storage unit. It holds a solar power pack, a pair of gas masks, gloves, military first aid kit, folding shovel and rope, among many others.
Chevrolet’s 2013 SEMA lineup also includes the Silverado HD Dually tow vehicle, which demonstrates the hauling capability of the all-new 2015 Silverado HD. The crew cab concept is shown in Chevrolet’s SEMA Show display hitched to a custom trailer holding a COPO Camaro race car and with a new COPO racing engine and transmission in the bed.
By Dan Mihalascu
Guy Freaks Out After Car Flip, Mass Cops Ask for Help to Identify Flippers [NSFW Video]
Just imagine yourself leaving your car parked on the road only to come and find it turned upside down – in the literal sense of the word; not a happy thought, is it now…
Unfortunately, that scene played out a few times late Wednesday night and in the early morning hours of Thursday in Boston after the Red Sox won the World Series, when some rowdy fans, or shall we call them hooligans, crossed the line and started attacking cars.
We showed you a video of Boston cops saving one car from a flipping fate, but another one, a black Toyota Corolla, was not so fortunate. Now, Massachusetts State Police (MSP) have released photos from the act on social media channels with the hope that viewers can identify the vandals responsible for flipping over the compact sedan on Boylston St.
Here's the statement from MSP:
"The Massachusetts State Police are seeking assistance from the public in identifying those responsible for vandalizing a car on Boylston Street early Thursday morning following the Red Sox victory. Anyone with information about who was responsible, or anyone with photos or videos of the incident is asked to contact Trooper Brian Simpkins of the State Police Boston Barracks at (617) 727-6780."
The owner of the car, Chad Duncan, told the Boston Globe that he initially thought his Corolla had been towed, but soon realized what really happened. Duncan, who had leased the car last year, said it was totaled. "The whole top and side is crunched," he said adding that according to his estimates, he lost around $2,500, including $1,000 for his insurance deductible and $1,500 in new lease fees.
A video recording from the incident surfaced on YouTube. Before you watch it, we should warn you that the person filming it freaked out in the end…
Shout out to Maria for the submission!
Hats Off to Russia's…Most Impatient and Annoying Driver Ever
Who is this guy you're about to watch in the following videos? Some say he's a brash and inconsiderate Russian driver, and that he loves to prank and imitate Top Gear's television hosts. All we know is that his name is Andrey Rybakin and that you'd never want him to drive behind you on any type of road, street or…sidewalk.
The clip that brought Mr. Rybakin on our Offbeat News radar is a collection of dash-cam videos in which the young Muscovite is filmed breaking more traffic laws than we can count – he even tried to troll a police car…
You can see the video along with a few more that we found on the net, and if you happen to be aware of other noteworthy clips featuring Rybakin, just add them below in the comments box.
Suburban Mom Goes Rogue in Durango After Hit and Run
One would expect a mother driving a car with her toddlers inside to be extra diligent, you know, for the sake of her kids, if anything else. Try explaining that to 22-year-old Shifra Uzilov who led her two daughters, ages 1 and 2, in a wild, high-speed chase after she rear-ended another vehicle in Keego Harbor, Michigan, causing minor injuries to a seven-year-old boy.
Uzilov took off after the accident and tried to evade police cars that were on her tail reaching speeds of more than 80mph (over 130km/h) in her white Dodge Durango SUV.
"She was traveling at speeds in excess of 80 miles an hour when she veered over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic," Keego Harbor police officer Jim Cote told ClickonDetroit.
The woman then crashed into a patrol car before pulling over. Amazingly, that wasn't the end of the scene as she hopped out of the SUV and headed towards the police officers attacking them before they could subdue and handcuff her. Police said that drugs and alcohol did not appear to fuel her behavior, but they did tell WXYZ news that the woman had been in a fight with her husband for unknown reasons earlier in the day. Her two children were not hurt in the chase.
Boston Cops on Bicycles Stop Red Sox Fans from Overturning Car
Last night, Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, in Game 6 of the baseball World Series (never understood why they insist on that name, but that's a different story) earning their third championship in the last 10 years.
Good for them, but as is usually the case with important sports events anywhere in the world (remember what happened in Vancouver in 2011?); with the help of plenty of alcohol, some fans turned into rioters overturning and running over cars and climbing traffic lights until the early morning hours of Thursday.
As pointed out in a Huffington Post report, there were nine arrests made in connection to the riots.
While some cars were…mauled and overturned, we found at least one that was saved thanks to the efforts of some fine Boston police officers who did their job and chased away the rioters before they had the chance to turn over a Nissan sedan – and it was all captured on a video by Alan Wurman, which you can watch below the break.
People climb up to the top of traffic lights outside of Fenway (Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe) pic.twitter.com/VSeNXlTyFH
— Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) October 31, 2013
Some folks posed atop an overturned car outside of Fenway Park.(Jessica Rinaldi For The Boston Globe) pic.twitter.com/UU7ZVAlkn5
— Andrew Ba Tran (@abtran) October 31, 2013
More damage to vehicles on Boylston pic.twitter.com/XUITyBg8Ql
— JHammann (@JohnHammann) October 31, 2013
Car flipped over on Boylston pic.twitter.com/xchdqKnew3
— JHammann (@JohnHammann) October 31, 2013
California Cop Hands Woman Ticket for Driving with Google Glass; Was He Right or Wrong?
Many believe that using Google Glass while driving can be, if not a direct safety hazard, certainly a distraction (even automakers have admitted that it is), but is it currently illegal to wear them? A California cop certainly thinks so as he handed out a ticket to a woman who was reportedly initially pulled over for speeding.
On the ticket, the unnamed officer wrote that Cecilia Abadie was "Driving with Monitor visible to Driver (Google Glass)."
According to a CNET report, Abadie said the actual law informs motorists not to "drive a vehicle equipped with a video monitor, if the monitor is visible to the driver and displays anything other than vehicle information global mapping displays, external media player (MP3), or satellite radio information."
Abadie posted a photo of the ticket on her Google Plus page along with a post in which she's asking for help to understand whether the officer was right or wrong:
"A cop just stopped me and gave me a ticket for wearing Google Glass while driving! The exact line says: Driving with Monitor visible to Driver (Google Glass). Is #GoogleGlass illegal while driving or is this cop wrong??? Any legal advice is appreciated!! This happened in California. Do you know any other #GlassExplorers that got a similar ticket anywhere in the US?"
Without claiming to be legal experts, if you ask us, a lot depends on whether she was using the Google Glass (and for what use) or simply wearing the device. What do you think?
Cyber Criminals Sell Nonexistent Cars on Known Sites; One Makes FBI’s Most Wanted List
If you thought buying cars (and boats) on well known sites such as eBay Motors, Cars.com, AutoTrader.com and bikes on CycleTrader.com was a completely safe affair, and no criminals were posting fake ads to steal your money, you would be wrong. It seems that a lot of this type of cybercrime originates in Eastern Europe, but it's not limited there.
There are many known cases of this kind to have taken place, though most are low-level and don’t attract too much heat. However, the most recent case seems to be the biggest one the authorities have managed to piece together.
It involves six Romanian men and one Albanian, all in their thirties, who were indicted in the US for having collectively extracted some three million dollars from the bank accounts of unlucky prospective buyers looking to utilize the services of one of the above sites between the years 2011 and 2012.
The group was led by Nicolae Popescu, 33, and according to his FBI Wanted poster, he “is wanted for his alleged participation in a sophisticated Internet Fraud scheme where criminal enterprise conspirators, based in Romania and elsewhere in Europe, posted advertisements on Internet auction market sites for merchandise for sale.”
"Using forged documents and phony websites, for years Popescu and his criminal syndicate reached across the ocean to pick the pockets of hard working Americans looking to purchase cars," said Loretta Lynch, a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, according to a CNN report. She added that the criminals wrongly "thought their distance would insulate them from law enforcement scrutiny."
The names of all involved were passed on to Interpol, thus beginning their cat and mouse game with authorities. The current whereabouts of those charged are unknown, but it is suspected that Popescu may have “traveled to Europe.”
By Andrei Nedelea
BMW 3-Series Driver Goes All Rocky Down the Steps of Philly Museum of Art [Updated]
Disrespectful criminal, mischievous hoon or a victim of circumstances? We'll let you decide after we tell you the story of Emin Faki, 20, who was filmed earlier this week going down the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in a…1980s (pre-facelift) BMW 3-Series E30 Convertible.
The museum is not only famous for its vast collection of artwork, but also for the 72 steps before the entrance, which are collectively known as the "Rocky Steps" after Sylvester Stallone climbed them in the triple-Oscar-winning film Rocky and its sequels.
Local photographer HughE Dillon, who runs the website PhillyChitChat and lives nearby, captured the scene on video. He stated the following about the incident:
"I was driving down the BF Parkway home. Since I live across from the steps I know what looks normal there, two headlights didn't fit that bill. I got stuck at traffic light w/cars in front of me, so video starts as he's closer to the bottom."
Philadelphia police learned about the incident and according to a report from Philly, they questioned 20-year old Faki on Friday. The District Attorney's Office said it has already approved a felony charge of criminal mischief against the driver as the car caused around $8,000 in damage to the steps. However, police said that they will not be pressing charges just yet as they want to determine whether the car had any mechanical issues at the time causing the driver to go down the steps.
Dillon told the news daily he doesn't believe speculation that the car was parked on top and it started to roll down by itself with the driver jumping in to save it.
"At first I couldn' believe it," Dillon said. "I was a little nervous. I thought he was going to roll. He was so deliberate in every single step. And then he went down backwards. It’s difficult to do. When he got to the halfway point, he did a victory lap. There’s a big apron, probably 30 feet wide, and he drove up and back, up and back, four times. Then he had to do a K-turn at either end. When he got to the bottom, he did another victory lap, then drove off," he added.
First Video and Screenshot Credits: HughE Dillon
Update: We just discovered a second video shot from one of the people on the steps named Stefan Santacroce, in which we hear (but don't see) that the car rolled down on its own and that the driver jumped in to save it
Ever Heard of the Game Angry Bulls? This Romanian Traffic Cop Has…
When you are a traffic officer, the first and foremost thing you have to be careful about on the road is anything on wheels – from passenger cars to trucks and motorcycles. What they don't teach cops in traffic school is how to be on the watch and how to handle a bull on the loose…
The above scenario played out in the Romanian town of Braila when a 300kg (close to 700 pounds) bull escaped from a nearby farm and started running on the road. Shortly after, the animal crossed paths with the cop, and decided to play the charging game knocking him down.
Eventually, the animal was found, tranquilized and sent back to its owner, who will likely have some explaining to do.
Story References: JalopnikFord Boasts About its Police Interceptors Beating Dodge, Chevy in Michigan Speed Tests
Automakers love to boast about their police vehicles: last month we had Dodge tell us about the Charger Pursuit AWD setting the fastest lap for an all-wheel-drive test sedan at Grattan Raceway, now Ford has news regarding its police vehicles.
Ford says its EcoBoost-powered Police Interceptor sedan was faster than the Chevrolet Caprice V8 and Hemi-powered Dodge Charger Pursuit in Michigan State Police’s acceleration testing, while the Police Interceptor utility bested the Chevrolet Tahoe V8.
Preliminary results show the 365hp 2014 Ford Police Interceptor sedan with standard all-wheel drive posted a 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) time of 5.66 seconds, compared to 6.04 seconds for the Dodge Charger Hemi with optional all-wheel drive and 6.01 seconds for the Chevrolet Caprice V8.
The gap was even greater in 0-100 mph (161 km/h) testing: Ford Police Interceptor clocked 13.5 seconds, followed by the Caprice with 14.35 seconds and the Charger with 14.70 seconds.
Ford’s Police Interceptor utility vehicle powered by the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and fitted as standard with all-wheel drive sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in 6.28 seconds and to 100 mph in 15.51 seconds, compared to 8.22 seconds and 21.95 seconds respectively for the Chevrolet Tahoe powered by a 5.3-liter V8.
Michigan State Police also tested the base 3.7-liter V6 Interceptor utility, which was also faster than the Tahoe with 8.02 seconds and 21.0 seconds, respectively.
“Agencies tell us if the bad guys see the police vehicle quickly close in pursuit, they’re less likely to try to run," said Bill Gubing, Ford chief engineer. "If this can help reduce the number of high-speed chases, then we could improve public safety on our nation’s roads.”
By Dan Mihalascu
