You know what's not aces? When you're just trying to drink a little amber fluid and watch the Bathurst 1000 and the man treats you like a total bogan. What business is it of his how many coldies you drink when it's time to hit the turps? This makes us so mad we could eat a trough lolly! No doubt a pommy bastard thunk this 'un up...
And that marks the end of our silly attempt to sound Australian. However, it does not end our amusement over the fact that Australian officials have set a 24-beer per day limit on fans attending the Bathurst 1000. As in, you are allowed to drink 24 beers, but not 25. Cause you know, there's a huge difference. Why are they enacting this draconian alcohol policy? To cut down on booze-related crime of course.
If you don't know, the Bathurst 1000 is known in the Land Down Under as "The Great Race." Only V8 Supercars are allowed to compete. These days in Australia V8 Supercars consist of either the Holden Commodore or the Ford Falcon. That's it. Thousands of blokes and sheilas turn up in the town of Bathurst to watch the cars run, and turns out they like drinking.
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Whatever kind of cars you're into, Forza 3 looks like it'll have you covered. The XBox 360 driving game from Turn 10 Studios is quickly emerging to be the best simulator yet, packed with four hundred cars from fifty automakers on a hundred different tracks.
We've recently brought you screen shots and gameplay video footage of some of the most tantalizing machinery under the sun on Forza's virtual circuits – from American muscle cars and sport-utes to Bugattis and Japanese Super GTs – and now Turn 10 has announced a partnership with race organizers Down Under to include Australian V8 Supercars into the game as well. The additional car selection boils down to Holden Commodore VEs and Ford Falcons in a variety of actual liveries, so if you can't make it half way around the world to see the Aussie touring cars go wheel to wheel, you'll soon be able to drive them (virtually) at home.
Camaro5 forum member isszy caught shots of eight freshly minted Camaro convertibles in Australia. Spotted outside the Holden factory in Fisherman's bend, Melbourne, the poster said they all appeared to be left-hand-drive.
The tan-and-silver color combination isn't one we would have thought of – the black-roofed guy at the end is much more like it – but the roofline itself looks very good. The last we were informed by GM, the car should arrive next year as a 2011 model. Hat tip to Tim!
![The Ultimate Crossover: Samoa's plan to switch to left-hand traffic sparks motorist unrest [w/VIDEO]](http://www.niot.net/blog-images/the-ultimate-crossover-samoas-plan-to-switch-to-left-hand-traf.jpg)
Samoa's prime minister has decided to do something for his constituents who want to buy cheap cars: swap driving from the right-hand side to the left-hand side. The reasoning behind the move is that Australia and New Zealand are Samoa's biggest trading partners, and driving in the same manner they do -- like the English -- will let Samoans buy cheaper cars from the antipodes. Intriguingly, the prime minister also said the switch will help Samoans avoid tsunamis.
It's not exactly a shock to find that more than a few Samoans aren't happy about it. A local attorney has formed a group called People Against Switching Sides, and he was able to get 30,000 petition signatures in a country with just 200,000 people. Samoa's roads are already dangerous, and his reasoning is that this will only mean more injured and killed citizenry, not to mention a huge bill.
The government wants to hear none of it, sticking to its September 7th changeover date and saying it will be a national holiday. If footage a bus full of people traveling the wrong way down a training road is any indication, though, our advice would be to stick to walking.
While the automobile's total impact on the environment remains up for discussion, it's apparently pretty clear that cars and frogs don't really mix. Well, not if you're a male frog trying to get your croak on, at least. Scientists in Melbourne have found that due to traffic and machinery, a male frog's call can't be heard at great distances by female frogs. That's cutting down on the amount of frog sex to be had, and that, in turn, is cutting down on the number of frogs.
In the worst case cited, the popplebonk frog can normally be heard more than a half a mile away when there's no noise. But around busy roads you can't hear the popplebonk more than 46 feet away. Scientists said that animals are adapting to the noise of traffic, such as British birds that sing at night instead of the day. Don't ever doubt what Kermit said: it ain't easy being green.
Actor Eric Bana has a thing for auto racing. He also has a thing for his car, a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT that he's owned for 26 years, since he was 15 years old. He combined those passions after completing a two-year-long restoration of the car and entering the 2007 Targa Tasmania. Then he combined those with his passion for acting, and will release his film called Love the Beast about the car and the race in a little over a week on March 12. The movie's supporting cast includes Jeremy Clarkson, Jay Leno, and, um... Dr. Phil – possibly the oddest supporting cast since Weird Al Yankovic's UHF. Incredibly, for those who didn't follow the Targa Tasmania, the new trailer gives away the movie's twist, but it's probably worth it just to hear Clarkson ask "600 horsepower... and leaf springs?"
Police agencies across the United States are chock full of Crown Victoria cruisers. In all, there are over 80,000 Crown Vics on patrol, but the generations-old cruiser is finally getting consigned to history within the next year. That leaves a huge opening to any company that has a suitable replacement, and an Australian company thinks it has what it takes. Melbourne's National Safety Agency is working on newer, safer and more efficient technology for large markets like the US, UK and Canada, and they have a very solid partner in Holden. Holden builds both the Commodore and the Pontiac G8, giving the NSA both left and right hand drive RWD vehicles with powerful engine options. The very capable GM models also adhere to safety and emissions standards in several high volume markets.
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There's more than one way for Hollywood actors to go green. While most celebrities choose to go the way of Toyota Prius ownership, Eric Bana's chosen green ride is a 1973 Ford Falcon from Australia, a gas guzzler from a time that just barely predates most modern emissions equipment. That car, which is the title character in Bana's upcoming new movie Love The Beast, was modified to take part in the grueling Targa Tasmania Rally, and we doubt the list of upgrades included bits like catalytic converters and computer-controlled engine management systems. Other stars slated to appear in the new flick include certified motor-heads Jay Leno, Jeremy Clarkson and... um, Dr. Phil. So, what's the green angle? Bana's production company, known as Pick Up Truck Pictures, contracted an outside firm to calculate the total carbon emissions spent in the production of the film. To offset this carbon footprint, oxygen-exhaling trees will be planted to suck up their share of carbon dioxide and restore forest ecosystems. Ta-da!
Next year, Toyota Australia will begin local production of the Camry Hybrid. To celebrate this (and drum up some PR), Toyota Style Australia has created the HC-CV (Hybrid Camry Concept Vehicle) for the 2009 Melbourne Motor Show. What is that, exactly? Well, it's essentially the recently-updated 2010 Camry Hybrid, gussied up with a custom white paint color, a modified fascia, some snazzy wheels, blue decals and accents, and leather seats that incorporate the Hybrid Synergy Drive wave logo. Strip away the assorted pieces of flair, and you get the production car that's already been unveiled, only with the steering wheel moved over to the wrong side.
The woman you see in the picture above isn't an actual human -- she's a life-sized hologram. PDM, an Australian out-of-home digital media company, created the hologram to present "customers an entertaining way to gather product knowledge and information about Audi's offering." A load of tech and a 10 mm piece of perspex are what was needed to make the walking talking customer service rep. Of course, since we are still in the first inning of this technology, she's a bit stiff and not a little uncanny to watch. But as a sign of things to come, whatever her name is, she is our introduction to another corner of the car buying future.
