ISIS' Favorite: The Toyota Pickup

Toyota Hilux pickups, an overseas model similar to the Toyota Tacoma, and Toyota Land Cruisers have become fixtures in videos of the ISIS campaign in Iraq, Syria and Libya, with their truck beds loaded with heavy weapons and cabs jammed with terrorists. 

ISIS propaganda videos show gunmen patrolling Syrian streets in what appear to be older and newer model white Hilux pick-ups bearing the black caliphate seal and crossing Libya in long caravans of gleaming tan Toyota Land Cruisers. When ISIS soldiers paraded through the center of Raqqa, more than two-thirds of the vehicles were the familiar white Toyotas with the black emblems. 

The Internet has gone crazy with a particularly odd conspiracy theory: somehow, Toyota has been supplying the fighters of the Islamic State with pickup trucks. Those making the claim, including the Iraqi Ambassador to the United States, point out that the Toyota trucks ISIS fighters drive in Libya, Iraq, and Syria often appear brand-new. 

Toyota has a “strict policy to not sell vehicles to potential purchasers who may use or modify them for paramilitary or terrorist activities." It is impossible for the company to track vehicles that have been stolen, or have been bought and re-sold by middlemen.

Is Toyota somehow responsible for outfitting ISIS with pickup trucks? No, of course it's not. A combination of Japanese consumer tastes, a lucrative worldwide used car market, thermodynamics, and sheer manufacturing output pretty much guarantees any organization that subsists off found, "liberated," and captured goods will standardize on white pickup trucks. The region has plenty of white pickup trucks for ISIS to acquire without ordering them new and direct from Japan.

Simply put: It's practically guaranteed that any paramilitary force in the Middle East will standardize on white Toyota pickup trucks.


The Toyota/ISIS conspiracy might be a harmless, silly rumor were jobs not at stake. Any association with a group that burns people alive and chops off heads is not conducive to good business. Through no fault of its own, Toyota's good reputation is taking a beating. The irony is, despite all the damage ISIS has done throughout the Middle East, it's ill-informed reports from the West that are causing the damage this time. 

The Most Powerful Ferrari Ever Made

With a top speed of 227 MPH, the Ferrari F12 is Ferrari’s fastest road car ever. Quicker than the hypercar LaFerrari, quicker than an Enzo. It is astonishingly fast – and not just in a straight line, either. It goes around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track quicker than either of those two as well.

Although Ferrari has been making front-engined V12 grand touring sports cars for the road for almost six decades, the car to which the new F12 owes its biggest debt is probably the 275 GTB of 1964.

Thing is, from behind the wheel, if you don’t clock the fact it has 730hp and can hit 62mph from rest in 3.1 seconds, you might be forgiven for thinking it was ‘just’ a replacement for the 599GTB. It’s that approachable, that friendly and easy to drive. It even looks elegant and, although beautiful, relatively understated with it. 

Built by Scaglietti, the F12’s monocoque underbody is made of 12 different aluminium alloys and contributes to a 20 per cent gain in torsional rigidity compared with the 599, as well as a 70kg overall saving.

The car is clothed in aluminium, too, its panels sculpted according to Ferrari’s unique ‘aerodynamics via subtraction’ philosophy. The arcing channels cut into the bonnet form the so-called Aero Bridge, diverting air from the base of the windscreen and using it to reduce drag around the wheelarches.

Flaps in the front valance open when the brakes warm up, providing cooling when needed and less drag when it isn't

Carbon-ceramic brakes and magnetorheological dampers are standard. Power comes from a 6.3-litre V12 with normal aspiration and direct injection. It produces 731hp and 509lb ft of torque, sent via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

The car’s headline 731hp is the eye-catching figure – if you want more power than that, you can only really get it in production cars costing at least three times as much as the F12 – but its 509lb ft of torque is just as important. Eighty per cent of that torque is available from just 2500rpm.

As this is a Ferrari – and a V12 Ferrari at that – discussion of its value or sticker price or running costs are all but redundant. Nevertheless, as the numbers are amusing and eyebrow-raising, we’ll indulge your interest. The F12's list price of just under $240,000 is less than that of a Lamborghini Aventador and other assorted exotica, but more expensive than practically anything else. And that’s just for starters. No example will leave the factory (or the dealer) at that level. With its paint job alone costing over $15k, no example will be found for under $300,000.

The F12 can be defined  as a Supercar, not GT car – you'll note that we're inclined to make the distinction. Because although the F12 has an extremely habitable interior and decent-size boot – plus a vast fuel tank that turns its laughable economy into a usable range – this is still a car that, at heart, is dominated by its performance. And, well, look at it!

Brabus High-Performace Tuning

Frankfurt, Germany:

Every September, the city hosts the world's biggest auto show. This year it attracted over 850,000 visitors during the week-long event. Visitors can expect to see up to 140 brand new car revealings developed by manufacturers from 44 different countries and visit over 2100 exhibitors. 

One of the main exhibits at the show is Mercedes-Benz who revealed 5 new production models and a concept car in the most recent show.

Nearby this major exhibit were many smaller companies that specialize in the tuning and upgrade of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Among these could be found a high-performance aftermarket tuning company by the name of Brabus.

Brabus is the largest tuner behind the in-factory tuner, AMG. The company tunes over 40 models of Daimler brand vehicles, adding major performance and luxury customization options. Brabus's primary focus is to achieve maximum engine performance through the increase of horsepower and torque. Customers can either buy cars from Brabus, or send in their car to be customized and/or overhauled. Customers ordering a car directly involves Brabus purchasing a particular model from Mercedes and then modifying it according to the customer's requests. Brabus is known for providing expensive tuning and custom solutions. Brabus also offers cosmetic modifications including low profile spoilers, bodykits, carbon fiber splitters, and multi-piece alloy wheels. Brabus offers extensive customization options for the interiors of their vehicles.

Notice the leather on nearly every surface!

 -Other upgrades include racing LSDs, open racing exhaust systems, twelve-piston disc brakes, and engine remapping. Customers can also have complete engine overhauls, or have new crate engines from AMG modified for them.

-The company holds many world records. Some of these include:

-In 2006 Brabus Rocket clocked in new record for street-legal sedan at 362.4 km/h (225.2 mph). The Rocket was based on a modified Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class W219 model.

-In October 2006 Brabus made another record (for a sedan) with this car at 365.7 km/h (227.2 mph). The price of the car is 348,000 euros.

-A world-record speed of 330.6 km/h (205.2 mph) set on the high-speed test track in Nardo, Italy; Brabus added to its extensive collection of automotive records with a Maybach 57 powered by a 730-hp (720 hp SAE net) / 537-kW Brabus SV12 S Biturbo engine(s).

-In the beginning of 2012,the world’s fastest street-legal sedan Brabus Rocket 800.

Brabus Rocket 800: Top speed of 230MPH in a vehicle that weighs nearly 5,000 pounds! $600,000

Gallery of some Brabus modified vehicles:

Brabus 6x6

Brabus G-Wagon (850HP)

Brabus Tuned SMART FourTwo

Recalls

Volkswagen Emissions Scandal: Biggest Recall Ever?

On October 15th, 2015, German auto maker Volkswagen announced that it will recall millions of diesel vehicles across Europe, beginning in 2016. The automaker hasn't yet announced full details yet, but in a statement, Volkswagen said repairs "will begin in January 2016 — at no cost to our customers." The recalled vehicles, including 2.4 million in Germany, contain "defeat devices" that optimize their engines to perform well during emissions testing.

However, if Volkswagen eventually expands its recall to include all 11.5 million of its vehicles around the world said to be affected in this recent scandal, it will become the third-largest car recall in history where the car maker was responsible for the issue.

The recall is massive. However, it doesn't even top the charts as the biggest automobile recall of all time:

#3 Here's a look into some of the largest auto recalls of all time:
1971: General Motors
Number of recalled vehicles: 6.7 Million

More than a dozen models from the 1960's and early 1970's had defective engine mounts that could lead to unexpected acceleration, and not the fun kind.

#2
1996: Ford
Number of recalled vehicles: 15 Million 

Ford is responsible for the second-largest recall of this kind.Beginning in 1999, the US automaker recalled nearly 15 million vehicles separate recalls, because they were equipped with faulty cruise-control switches which occasionally caught fire.


#1
1980: Ford
Number of recalled vehicles: 21 million over 10 model years

Ford is also responsible for the largest auto recall of all time. In 1980, Ford was forced to recall 21 million vehicles over 10 model years for an issue that caused some cars and trucks to slip out of park. It was, and still is, the biggest single-issue car recall on record, in which the auto maker was at fault. (Ford’s initial response was to give owners warning stickers to place on their dashboards, rather than repair the vehicles.)

Apple Car?

Automobile production might seem a stretch for a company more accustomed to making handheld electronic gadgets and software. While Apple has yet to make any official announcement, or even to comment on the speculation. So how can we be sure that Apple is truly going into the auto industry? Well, we can't be 100% sure at this point, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest their interest.

CNN money studies have suggested that these reasons for our speculation:

1. Apple has been hiring a ton of car battery and auto engineers

Over the past few years, Apple has hired engineers who built prototypes at Bentley, made vehicles quieter at Chrysler and Hyundai, and managed crash dummy tests.

2. The company has also been hiring automotive executives

Doug Betts, a longtime auto industry executive, moved to Apple from Fiat Chrysler earlier this summer. Betts had previously been Fiat's quality chief. Before that, Betts worked at Michelin, Toyota, and Nissan. Currently, he works in Apple's Operations unit according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2014, Apple hired Johann Jungwirth, who led research and development for Mercedes-Benz in North America. He specializes in Internet-connected cars and autonomous driving. Now, Jungwirth is "director of Mac Systems Engineering." And, according to publicly available employment records, Apple has also hired a number of recruiters from Tesla. 

3. An Apple-leased van filled with sensors has been driving around a San Francisco suburb

Unmarked vans loaded with cameras and sensors have been spotted driving around Brooklyn and a suburb of San Francisco. The car in California is leased to Apple, CNNMoney has confirmed with California state records. The sensors indicate the car is conducting more than just Google-style street mapping, according to engineers familiar with self-driving cars.

4. Competitors are already welcoming the challenge

"I certainly hope Apple gets into the car business," Elon Musk said during an earnings call earlier this year. "That would be great." But Musk has previously said he'd like to see as many electric car competitors as possible. Investors have also speculated for some time that cash-rich Apple would be well positioned to buy Tesla and its high-flying stock.

5. Car makers welcome the idea too

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobile, (FCAU) has said he's open to partnering with Apple. "I think we should encourage that dialogue," Marchionne said this spring. "All of us should encourage it." On the other hand, Marchionne also added that Apple and other tech companies would pose a tremendous threat to the auto industry if it moves into the sector. "If they show up and they are truly successful, with their cash piles and know-how, they could fundamentally hurt this industry," he said.

6. Investors believe it would be a good move for Apple and the car industry

Most of Apple's revenue comes from one product -- the iPhone. Even as the company expands into wearables with the Apple Watch, and enterprise business with bigger iPads and an IBM partnership, Apple still hasn't found another blockbuster product. A bold new idea that consumers can already relate to may help over the long term. "A car would provide much-needed diversification away from the iPhone," analysts from Jeffries said in a report this month, "But the earnings per share contributions from the car may not become meaningful before the iPhone decelerates." A potential Apple car would have a bigger impact on the automotive industry, which is "ripe for disruption," the analysts said. Other investors have said that Apple's entry into the market could push "broader consumer acceptance of electric vehicles."

Spotting

We are an endangered species, you and I. We lovers of speed. We devotees of power, performance and noise.“Go away”, we are told, “and take your carbon-fiber and your fire-spitting V12s with you” There’s hardly a place out here for us anymore, not amongst all the commuters and congestion. Not in this growing age of safety and restraint, where practicality trumps adrenaline. Where the ratio of miles to the gallon is championed over horsepower to the weight. The evidence is everywhere. You and I are being squeezed out, pushed aside and hunted down at every hairpin turn. It’s a communal celebration of horsepower, torque, grip, leather, technology, beauty. And it is these fleeting aspects which we spotters hope to capture before its too late.

"A Car spotter is a person who is typically strongly interested, in an amateur capacity, in car spotting, which is observing or photographing interesting, vintage, rare, modified, and/or exotic supercars on public roads. Car spotters can be found worldwide." [Wikipedia]

Ferrari LaFerrari spotted in Chicago, Illinois