By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Even though I’m a huge James Bond fan, the movies starring Pierce Brosnan never really did it for me.  There were some great scenes, to be sure, but overall I think they were a little too cheesy and gadget-laden.  That said, the scene in Tomorrow Never Dies where 007 uses a mobile phone to drive his BMW 7 Series from the back seat was awesome. So when I saw that the Spirit of Berlin—which has been building a fully autonomous vehicle—had created an iPhone app to control one of their projects, I  was totally intrigued. Even if you’re scared of being enslaved by the machines like I am, you have to admit this this pretty rad. Check out how just tilting the phone turns the wheel!

By Fireball Tim

Movie Car Design Master

Now, to come up with a top ten ain’t easy. But as a franchise, there’s only so many. So here’s the best of the best according to this Fireballed opinion. See these one after the other, and in that way, you get to get as totally sick as possible… leading to taking the next day off from work …and watch the next franchise. (See how I just figured that out? I’m just so cool that way.)

What was I saying? …Oh, yea. Bar none, the best Action Genoirs of our time. Is Genoir a word? No. But I don’t care, so here we go…

NUMBER 10 – ITALIAN JOBBERS

Minis on a Mission. Fun to watch, (not so much Walberg). They used 90 MINIs in this film to catch all that action. And screwed up all 90. Yea, nice.

Continue reading "The Top 10 Movie Chase Franchises" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

First off, I know I should really say “bullet-resistant,” because you can’t really make a bullet-proof car. After all, there are munitions that can take out tanks. That said, Mercedes’ E-Guard is still pretty sweet, even if it’s the kind of thing I hope I’ll ever need. Seriously, if I wanted to be someplace where traveling involved taking enemy fire, I’d have gone to work for the Marine Corps and not StreetFire.

Last night, my best buddy Jamie and I caught a 12:01AM showing of Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond flick. And while Casino Royale was killer—I honestly think Daniel Craig plays 007 even better than Sean Connery—Quantum was just plain wicked. Sure, the title is stupid, but hey, nothing’s perfect. Anyway, here’s the news:

• The North American International Auto Show in Detroit is a pretty big deal, as you can imagine. Unfortunately, this year it will have a little less high-end sheet metal to drool over, because Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Land Rover have all decided not to travel to Motor City this year. LA Times
• When people start talking about Bond cars, one of the rides that always comes up is the Lotus Esprit that turns into a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me. It’s not my favorite, but if you’ve always wanted to own it, now’s your chance. It’s hitting the auction block in London. Jalopnik
• For the last couple of days, I’ve been driving around in the new Challenger R/T, and I think it’s wicked. So I was disappointed to learn that right now, Ma Mopar is busy handing out 30 million in bonuses to 50 of its execs. I know it’s weird, but to most Americans, 30 million sounds like a lot of money. Freep
• While there’s been speculation that the General might sell off a whole slew of its brands, CEO Rick Wagoner has just stated that Hummer is the only one that’s actually on the block. As you can imagine, there are companies lined up around the block to bid… Motor Authority

Troops deployed in Iraq have to deal with plenty of garbage when they’re over there, including the not insignificant people-constantly-trying to kill you thing. So in my opinion, if a soldier wants to bring an adopted puppy back to the States, they should be allowed to. Bring Ratchet home! Anyway, here’s the news:

• Top Gear has already headed to the Land Down Under, and is set to launch a Stateside show for us Yanks. So what’s next? A Russian version. And if the wild rides I’ve seen on English Russia are any indication, this show should make the insanity of the Britain-based original look like nap time in Kindergarten. Top Gear
• Ok, 007 is cool, and Aston Martins are even cooler. But how Bond crazy do you have to be to pay well over list price for a car that’s been ditched into the drink? Because that’s what some uber-fan shelled-out for the waterlogged remains of a DBS crashed during Quantum of Solace filming. Wow. WhatCar? via Autoblog
• So it turns out that loyal enthusiasts aren’t the only ones who think a merger between GM and Chrysler—General Mopar?—is a bad idea. United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger doesn’t like the idea either, because he thinks the potential pairing means job cuts. Detroit News
• Tata has been on a buying streak lately, but it looks like the company isn’t looking to pick up Ford’s stake in Mazda. Hey, the Blue Oval can’t count on Tata to buy up everything it’s looking to unload. There’s still Jag and Land Rover to deal with, remember? Automotive News

Though it’s kind of trippy, there’s actually more Aston Martin action in this Coke Zero spot than there is in the actual Quantum of Solace trailer. And even though I think diet soda makes about as much sense as light cigarettes, I still like the old-school Bond vibe of this commercial. Apparently, the soundtrack is a instrumental version of the Jack White/Alicia Keys track that will be the new flick’s theme, and while I still wish Amy Winehouse had pulled herself together enough to contribute the music—listen to "Back to Black" and try to tell me that wouldn’t have been awesome—it still sounds good. And hell, anything will be better than the crappy Chris Cornell cut they used for Casino Royal. Yuck.

Some of the guys around the office weren’t all that impressed with the new Quantum of Solace trailer, but I thought it was pretty sweet. Of course, I’m a James Bond super-fan, so my opinion is hardly objective. The action doesn’t start until about three-quarters of the way through, but in my opinion, it’s worth the wait. I particularly like the footage of 007′s Aston Martin DBS ripping down a dirt road, as it reminds me of taking the Apache Trail during the Bullrun. What do you think about this clip? Hot or not?

The news that esteemed watch-maker Jaeger Le-Coultre will release a watch which can pop the locks of Aston Martin’s mind-numbingly sexy DBS was all over the web yesterday, and as cool as I think both Astons and hyper-fancy watches are, I think this idea is a little silly. First off, from my understanding, the trick timepiece won’t actually start the car, so you still have to carry the key—or, in Aston parlance, the "Emotional Control Unit"—to go anywhere, and, I’m sorry, this watch doesn’t look like something James Bond would sport. In the books, 007 wore a Rolex Submariner, which, of course, is expensive and elegant. But it’s elegant like a crowbar is elegant: it has clean lines, does its job well and can take being bashed around. There’s a pic of the Jaeger Le-Coultre after the jump, but in my opinion, it looks a little too precious, and as someone who currently carries the text of everything I’ve had published over the past ten years, some of my favorite skate videos, and a burly music collection around in my pocket, I’m just not impressed that a company can make a transponder small enough to wear as a bracelet. But that’s just my opinion, what do you think about this watch? Hot or not?

Continue reading "Aston Martin Transponder Watch: Hot or Not?" »

Matt Whitton and Rick Dyer are claiming that they’ve found a Sasquatch corpse deep in the Georgia woods, and I think it’s hilarious how much coverage this "discovery" is getting. Seriously, this morning, it was on the front page of MSNBC! And while I don’t know for sure if Sasquatch are real, given that the message on the pair’s Bigfoot tipline says they’re out looking for "leprechauns and the Loch Ness monster," I think they might be pulling a fast one. Anyway, here’s the news:

• The new XKR is one of the most beautiful cars Jag has ever produced, and the performance-oriented XKR-S should be even more fun to drive than the standard kitty. Too bad we won’t be seeing it stateside. AutoWeek
• It’s probably not 007′s first choice, but the Ford Ka is set to make an appearance in Quantum of Solace, the sure-to-be awesome, unfortunately titled new Bond flick. Freep 
• BMW’s X5 SUV now comes in a "Security" edition that can supposedly weather small explosions and stop bullets from a .44 Magnum. The funny thing? Handgun fire really isn’t all that difficult to stop. So what is this thing for? Motor Authority
• The General is putting a lot of effort into delivering the Volt on time, and it seems like folks are excited about it. After seeing some teaser shots of the car’s updated styling were released, the stock closed 10% up. AutoObserver

Up to this point, most of the news about the new James Bond flick, the unfortunately titled Quantum of Solace, has revolved around accidents on the set. And while 007′s Aston Martin does spin a full 360—and perhaps sustain some damage from machine gun fire—in this clip, we’re at least spared any shots of crumpled British iron. As someone who loved Casino Royale, I have high hopes for the next installment of the series, and if this clip is any indication, Quantum should be bad ass.