If you’ve recently made a trip to the mall, your local Starbucks or even to your local car dealership, you’ve noticed that many retailers have started decorating their stores for the holiday season. Well, a Porsche dealership in the Netherlands is going beyond just adding some lights and a Christmas tree to its store.

To decorate his dealership, Mark Weghe of Porsche Centrum Gelderland invited out the general manager of Barry Callebaut Group (one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world), Eric-Jan Straathof, to cover a brand new 911 Carrera S in chocolate.  Of course before Mark let Eric throw chocolate over a brand new Porsche in his dealership, he wrapped it neatly with plastic.

The chocolate covered 911 Carrera S will remain in the dealership until the end of year. If you’re thinking “oh it will easily melt away,” think again – the temperature in the showroom will be kept under 27 degrees Celsius until 2009 comes to an end.

Chocolate Covered 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S:

- By: Kap Shah

Source: Porsche (via autoblog.nl)

During a parade lap at the Italian automaker’s Ferrari World Final, CEO Luca di Montezemolo managed to get a new Ferrari California stuck in a gravel trap on the track in Valencia, Spain. Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were on board waving to the crowd as Montezemolo randomly turned the steering wheel and ended up in the gravel pit.

Embarrassing? Yes. Nonetheless, Ferrari had another California waiting for Montezemolo to continue his parade lap.

Click through for the video.

Part 1:

Part 2:

- By: Kap Shah

In a little childish like video, General Motors took a shot at electric-vehicles saying that the charging the EV to its full capacity takes several hours after the battery is depleted.

While GM admits electric-vehicles are cool, its says electric-vehicles with range extender, like the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, are cooler.

Click here for more news on the Chevrolet Volt.

Check out the video after the jump.

2011 Chevrolet Volt:

2011 Chevrolet Volt:

- By: Stephen Calogera

Owning a car over $1 million is a huge responsibility and probably entails a lot of stress.

Meet this Bugatti Veyron owner who dropped the ultra supercar into a saltwater lagoon near Galveston in Texas. Apparently the owner (who wishes to remain anonymous for many reasons) was distracted by a low-flying Pelican leading him to jerk the wheel and veer into the lagoon in approximately two feet of salty water.

The man escaped with no injuries. As for the Veyron, the engine reportedly ran for a quarter of an hour before dying.

You can check out a video of the Veyron being pulled out of the lagoon after the jump.

Source: YouTube (via PistonHeads)

If you spend time driving home while listening to the FM radio, you’ve most likely heard of Justin Bieber, a new teen idol that is signed to Usher’s label. Bieber is currently spending 48 hours with P. Diddy who has just promised him his $200,000 Lamborghini Gallardo when he turns 16.

Right now a little part of us wishes we were Bieber – wait, no we don’t.

Either way, these are things that will probably piss you off about famous people so feel free to express your hate in the comments section below.

Click through for the video.

- By: Kap Shah

Source: YouTube (via KickingTires)

We’ve seen our fair share of supercar accidents here at egmCarTech. However, we’ve never met a driver that has been involved in at least 10 exotic car accidents over the last 3 years. According to the guys at WreckedExtoics, the anonymous 73-year old Florida business man managed to destroy the Ferrari 360 Spyder pictured above, a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Bugatti EB110, a classic Ferrari Dino, a Ferrari F430, 1909 Ford Model T, a 1950 Yenko Camaro and others.

We think its time he gives up his driver license or gives up on driving cars that are out of his control.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: WreckedExotics

Michael Schumacher, one of the world’s greatest drivers, and Salvatore “The Maestro” Calabrese, one of the world’s greatest bartenders, teamed up to show how drinking and driving don’t mix.

The video shows Schumacher showing off his extreme driving skills in a Maserati GranTurismo S as Calabrese tries to mix the perfect cocktail.

Thanks for the tip Mike.

- By: Kap Shah

There is not much to say except that this is the coolest Halloween costume we’ve ever seen. We wonder if this guy will go to the steps as a Chevrolet Camaro and then transform into Bumblebee and scream “TRICK OR TREAT!”

Because that’s what we would do – but we are geeks and car enthusiasts who would get excited about things like that.

Click through for the video.

- By: Kap Shah

During last night’s The Tonight Show, FoMoCo decided to tempt Conan O’Brien’s love and affection for his green 1992 Ford Taurus SHO with the new 2010 Ford Taurus SHO.

During the 7 minute skit O’Brien, who is feels that there could never be a better performance sedan than his 1992 Taurus SHO, is tempted by Amy Marentic, Ford’s Group marketing manger for Taurus, who teaches O’Brien a thing or two about the 2010Taurus SHO.

To say the least, O’Brien is not impressed and still loves his 1992 SHO.

Click here to read our review on the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO.

Follow the jump for the clip from last night’s The Tonight Show.

Review: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO:

Review: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO:

Press Release:

STEADFAST LOVE OR LATEST SEXY HEAD-TURNER? WHY IS FORD MESSING WITH CONAN O’BRIEN’S LOVE LIFE

* The 2010 Taurus SHO takes on the challenge to win over Conan O’Brien’s affection, trumping his beloved green 1992 Taurus SHO as part of a skit on NBC’s “The Tonight Show”
* The Taurus SHO returns as the sporty version of Ford’s new flagship introducing a new generation of premium performance and fuel economy with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost™
V-6. This engine delivers V-8 levels of power – with an estimated 365 horsepower –
without compromising its V-6 fuel economy
* To view the video of “The Tonight Show” sketch with the new 2010 Taurus SHO, visit www.thefordstory.com

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 30, 2009 – Ford Motor Company used its head-turning 2010 Ford Taurus SHO in an attempt to break up Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien’s “marriage” on national television.

The TV star’s long-running relationship with his 1992 Ford Taurus SHO was challenged when the all-new 2010 Taurus SHO made an appearance on the late-night comedy show on Oct. 29. A national audience saw firsthand whether O’Brien’s steadfast love for his Jewel green SHO could be tempted with this latest sexy head-turner from Ford.

O’Brien’s second-generation ‘Super High Output’ Taurus has been the focus of the late night comedian’s skits many times including during O’Brien’s premier as host of “The Tonight Show” earlier this year.

During the skit O’Brien, who is confident there could never be a better performance sedan than his ’92 Taurus SHO, is tempted by the 2010 model’s 365-horespower V-6 and its high tech features. Amy Marentic, Ford’s Group marketing manger for Taurus, teaches O’Brien a thing or two when it comes to the Taurus SHO.

Find out if the new 2010 Taurus SHO can win over O’Brien at www.thefordstory.com.

“We were very excited to get the chance to expose Conan to a much more modern and innovative Taurus SHO,” Marentic said. “There’s no comparison when it comes to comparing his nearly 20 year-old SHO to our new flagship but it was a lot of fun challenging him to find something about the new SHO to joke about.”

The allure of “the sleeper” sedan
Introduced in 1989, Taurus SHO was conceived as a discreet performance-oriented sports sedan, ideally suited to the automotive enthusiast needing the room and capability of a four-door full-size car. Known and loved for its high performance and unassuming exterior, Ford Taurus SHO was launched in limited production through 1999, with more than 100,000 were sold.

Two key factors made the original Taurus SHO sedan a favorite of the automotive cognoscenti, right out of the gate. The critical element, a Yamaha-developed 3.0-liter V-6 engine delivering 220 horsepower, delivered thrust through a five-speed manual transmission. The SHO twist was design subtlety.

Traditional American high-performance cars shouted their intentions with racing stripes, hood scoops and raised white letter tire sidewalls. Taurus SHO was understated, stealth.

The original Taurus SHO generated a loyal following of owners and enthusiasts, with an active club more than 1,000 members strong, an online forum with more than 10,000 registered users and a Web site (bringbackthesho.com) specifically devoted to convincing Ford to resurrect the SHO. The 2010 Taurus product development team spent significant time listening to SHO enthusiasts.

2010 Taurus SHO off to a strong start
Launched this past summer, the all-new Taurus including the Taurus SHO is off to a strong start and even bucked the industry trend in September with sales 60 percent higher than a year ago.

The Taurus debuted to rave reviews from the automotive press, and early customer demand validates the critical acclaim. Customers are especially interested in the Taurus SHO, achieving higher-than-expected take rates of 20 percent of the overall Taurus mix.

The foundation of the new 2010 Taurus SHO is a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 engine. This advanced powerplant generates an estimated 365 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 350 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3,500 rpm, resulting in significantly improved power, torque and fuel economy compared with larger, normally aspirated engines. This also is Ford’s most powerful EcoBoost engine.

A key element of the authentic SHO formula is the subtlety of its unique exterior design cues.
Features include sporty premium painted wheels, wrapped in standard low-profile 19-inch Goodyear Eagle or optional 20-inch Michelin high-performance tires, a decklid-mounted spoiler and twin chrome exhaust tips.

Police arrested a man who allegedly kidnapped a dealer during a test-drive of a Honda and drove the car more than 1,000 miles from Massachusetts to Wisconsin. Officials said that a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper pulled over the 32-year-old man on Friday for speeding, reckless driving and operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent.

The man will be sent back to Massachusetts to face charges of kidnapping.

The adventure began Thursday afternoon when the man and the Honda dealer went on a test-drive and the man refused to turn back around. The salesman escaped the vehicle when it slowed down at a toll near Massachusetts.

- By: Kap Shah

Source: CBS News (via Jalopnik)

“Last week I wrote about my recent trip to America, and to be honest it didn’t go down well,” Clarkson said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on the receiving end of such a blizzard of bile. One man called me an ‘imbosile’. Hundreds more suggested that it’d be better for everyone if I just stayed at home in future.”

“You know the Stig. The all-white racing driver we use on Top Gear. Well, we were filming him walking through the Mojave desert when lo and behold a lorry full of soldiers rocked up and arrested him. He was unusual. He wasn’t fat. He must therefore be a Muslim.”

No details on why The Stig was arrested. Separately, Top Gear.com is reporting that the Stig was arrested in Dublin “by a FRIENDLY POLICEMAN following an ALLEGED INCIDENT of some kind.”

No idea who or what to believe here – but we thought we’d let you know.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: TimesOnline

Kerry Callard, 29, and her friend Alec Goff, 28, thought it was pretty funny to drive by kids waiting at a bus stop and splash them with water after a downpour. In fact, they thought it was so funny that they uploaded a video of it on YouTube with exciting commentary by Goff who was riding shotgun.

Police eventually received complaints after the video made its way around to YouTube viewers who didn’t find anything funny about Callard and Goff’s prank. Police said that Callard voluntarily contacted them and that she may prosecuted.

Callard said she was only doing because the she thought the kids were enjoying it (not sure how true that statement is).

While we found the video a little amusing, we felt awfully bad for the kids. What’s more amusing is that Callard and Goff, have nothing better to do in their late twenties than splash little children waiting for their bus.

Click through for the video.

Source: Telegraph (via Jalopnik)

- By: Omar Rana

Earlier this week, Toyota showed us the first pictures of its new FT-86 Concept, which will make its world debut at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show later this month. When introducing a new sports cars, especially a spiritual successor to the Toyota AE86, a popular sports car of the 1980s, there is no question what color it should be displayed in.

“Sports cars have to be red, but we wanted a new red,” said Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer. “So we came up with shoujyouhi red, the traditional red color of a Japanese monkey’s backside.”

We’re just left wondering what the color would be called when the FT-86 makes it into production? Have any suggestions? Let us know in the comments section. We’re going to start off with “Japanese monkey backside red.”

Click here to read our original post on the Toyota FT-86 Concept and make the jump to see the high-res image gallery.

Refresher: Inspired by the sporty 1980s Corolla AE86, the production version of the FT-86 will carry a 2.0L boxer Subaru engine sending power to the rear-wheels. Production is reported to start in 2011 with prices starting above $20,000.

Toyota FT-86 Concept:

– By: Omar Rana

Source: NYTimes
Monkey Image Source: Flickr

Thanks for the tip Seth!

Last week, we brought you a new BMW commercial called “Jump for Joy.” Apparently, there is a Part 2 to the commercial, or an extended version, that features a little comical shot at BMW’s German rival Audi.

Whatever you do, BMW warns you to not try this stunt at home or if you own an Audi.

Click through for the video.

- By: Omar Rana

Imagine driving up to your £2m ($3 million) Cotswolds house and finding six bags of horse manure dumped on your driveway and front lawn? How would you react? Well, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson was fairly amused by the actions of seven members of Climate Rush who dumped manure on his property and raised a banner outside his house reading: “This is what you’re landing us in.”

The environmentalist group said that they targeted Clarkson because he promotes polluting cars that will ultimately lead to global warming.

One of the members, Tamsin Omond, granddaughter of the founder of Climate Rush, said that she was a fan of Clarkson and Top Gear, but thinks Clarkson’s attitude towards climate change is encouraging the world to drive cars that emit high amounts of emissions.

“I love Jeremy. I love fast cars. I love progress,” she said. “But I learnt some things and those things terrify me. I learnt that climate change will make my future unrecognisable. I know that I’ll not have the same choices that Jeremy has now. If we keep on loving the fossil-fuelled lifestyle then by the time I hit 49 the world will be too busy coping with the impact of climate change to bother about how big an engine is possible.”

Clarkson’s response to all this?

“”It’s nice of them to buy me something for my roses,” Clarkson said. “I must buy them a patio heater.”

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Telegraph

We’re looking forward to the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show next week so get ready for a lot (and we mean a lot) of posts starting Tuesday, September 15. We’re going to be taking a short break for now so that means it’s time for our Miscellaneous Thoughts post with some random findings on the Internet.

Steven-O and Tom Green jump on Lamborghini Murcielago: Jackass Steve-O and friend Tom Green decided to jump on their rap producer’s $500,000 Lamborghini Murcielago after a long night of clubbing in Hollywood. You can check out the video over at TMZ. – TMZ

New York driver gets 56 tickets in 13 mins: Police say that 21-year old Joshua Bracci racked up 56 tickets in 13 minutes after leading them on a 111 mph chase in upstate New York. Ouch. – Jalopnik

Ever wonder how Google Street works? Google Japan has come up with a new short film showing all of us how Google Street works. Check it out after the jump. Google (via Jalopnik)

- By: Omar Rana

About two days ago, we brought you a teaser for the Mini Coupe Concept and the upcoming Mini Roadster Concept, both of which will make their world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show next week. If you though teaser no.1 was awkward and freakish, wait until you see teaser no.2 called ‘Same.’ The series will end with teaser no.3 – coming very soon.

So far Mini has taken the covers off the Mini Coupe Concept. We’ll see the Roadster Concept next week in Frankfurt. Stay tuned.

Click through for the video.

Mini Coupe Concept:

Mini Untamed Two – Same:

Mini Coupe Concept:

- By: Stephen Calogera

Yes, we know that this our first Miscellaneous Thoughts post for the week and it’s already Wednesday. We were taking a bit easy on Monday during Labor Day and were recouping most of Tuesday. Either way, we’re all back here and are working our butts off to bring you the latest automotive news updates (and a lot of its pouring out with the Frankfurt Motor Show just days away). Either way, it’s that time of the day for us to gather up some random findings from around the Internet. So here we go…

Lexus IS 350 gets fuzzy or the U.S. Open: Lexus is known for creating sports-themed cars – and we mean literally. Earlier this year at the U.S. Open of golf, Lexus revealed golf-ball dimpled Lexus LS. During the U.S. Open for tennis going on these days, Lexus is displaying a Lexus IS with a fuzzy tennis-ball exterior. Imagine getting that car dirty. – KickingTires

Women drunken driving arrests on the rise: According to a report by the NHTSA, the number of women arrested for driving drunk has increased nearly 30% from 1998 to 2007. At the same time, the number of men arrested during the same 10-year period fell by 7.5%. – KickingTires

Eli Manning’s Toyota Commercials: If you’ve been keeping up with watching Football you’ve probably seen Eli Manning’s Toyota Commercials. If not – you can check them out after the jump. – KickingTires

Eli Manning Toyota Commercial – Photograph:

Eli Manning Toyota Commercial – Wife Calling:

Eli Manning Toyota Commercial – Day Dream:

Eli Manning Toyota Commercial – That was Eli:

Eli Manning Toyota Commercial – Chest Bump:

Eli Manning Toyota Commercial – Paper Football:

- By: Omar Rana