When was the last time you just went for a drive? (Automotive Advertising)

Here's a new commercial for the VW Golf. I actually thought it would be American made, but it was created at DDB, London, and is just stunning. The music, and the images create that night drive feeling, when you're driving around, just for the sake of driving. A time to motor on the streets that are so crowded during the day, but are so quiet and peaceful at night. It's not about going as fast as you can because it's empty. It's about enjoying the drive because it's you, and no one else.

Visit www.night-driving.com to see the great website that goes with this campaign.

Spotted: 2007 Ducati 1098 S Tri Colore (Automotive)

While over at one of my favorite breakfast spots in Newport today, I came across this beautiful 2007 Ducati 1098 S Tri Colore. It is by no means a cheap ride, costing approx. $30,000 here in the U.S. and even more abroad. I spoke to the owner for a second. He had only had the bike for 3 weeks, but was loving it. Check out the official website for the bike here.

If you are a real motorcyle or Ducati motorhead jump over to this website here that has embedded youtube videos of one senior designer , Gianandrea Fabbro, giving an impromptu speech on the bike's creation (the 1098S in general and not the specifically tricolore), from "paper to the street." (desmo.com)

Peugeot's Ad is Magic (Automotive Advertising)

This is the type of car ad I'm looking for these days. Innovative, and very creative but fitting perfectly with the message of the car it's advertising. It's a European ad, which isn't too much of a suprise. From the beginning it has a very Euro feel. Something about it just radiates emotion and style that often comes from across the pond campaigns. The Peugeot 1007 and Peugeots in general aren't sold here in the U.S. which may allow for more risk taking when it comes to marketing, but either way, bravo, bravo.

Commercial Credits:
Peugeot 1007 – Easy Life
Agency: Euro RSCGArtistic
Director: Alexei Berwitz
Copywriter: Angus Wardlaw
Agency Producer: Marianne Cherchevsky
Director: Antoine Bardou-Jacquet
Production Company : Parizan Midi Minuit
Producer: Franck Montillot
Post Production: Buf
Music: “La Breeze” from Simian
Illustrators: Petra & Jean-Francois Moriceau

Absolut's New TV Campaign is Awe Inspiring (Advertising)

Another non-automotive tv commercial for all of you. It's just too damn good not to share.

I advise visiting this site (http://adpawn.ovh.org/) to see the other tv spots and print ads for the campaign.

Oh Good God Green STi!! Nooo (Automotive)

Edited 5-24-07

I saw this on the road yesterday. I don't know if it's cruel of me to share it, or my duty so that such injustices don't happen again. You can be the judge.

After some discussion with my NASIOC.com buddies, it has been deicded it is a WRX TR with an STi wing. I apologize for my mistake, but the title rolls off the tongue a bit easier with the STi I think.

For Your Entertainment: The Car Chases of Film

Inspired by Jalopnik.com
For those of you viewing this through facebook visit the original post for embedded content


Ronin Chase 1




Ronin Chase 2




The Rock




Matrix Reloaded Part 1




Matriz Reloaded Part 2




The French Connection




Bullitt




Bourne Identity




Bourne Supremacy




Terminator 2 LA River




Blues Brothers




Original Italian Job Part 1




Original Italian Job Part 2




Gone in 60 Seconds Part 1(new version)

Jalopnik Finds Out Why VW Built a 650hp GTI (Automotive)

Updated with new photos 5/23/07

Pictured above is an insane engineering exercise from VW. Mounted midship in this mutant GTI is a twin turbo 6.0 liter W12 putting out 650hp and 750nm of torque. Clearly the modifications are extensive, and include changing the vehicle to rwd. 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 325km/h (202mph for us yanks) As amazing as all this is, it forces the question why? What made Volkswagen engineers build this monster? Top Gear again proves it dominance over automotive destiny. Jeremy Clarkson can provoke the creation of insanity like no other. Watch the clip below to understand. The official VW press release and footage from the unveiling follow.

Leave conventions behind and let ypur passion awake - since the beginning these were the roots of the GTI idea. Until today they got more than 1.67 million drivers into their spell. Long has the Golf GTI been an icon. A mark for itself.

Since 1982 Golf GTI celebrate it annually in the Austrian Land at the Wörthersee. Thousands come.Volkswagen placed a Golf before them: the Golf GTI W12-650 showcar. This sports car is a inclination before the GTI friends at the Wörthersee, people for whom the GTI is a myth.Stronger, broader, faster A Golf was never stronger, broader or faster. It seems that the Golf GTI W12-650 comes directly from the racing course. A Golf that runs like the Pace Car of the 24 hours of Le Mans. Its name means: W12-Cylinder, 650 HP (477 KW with 6.000 rpm). A Show car, not more, not less. Nevertheless it shows what enormous potential the Golf has to offer.

3.7 seconds, 325 km/h, 750 Newtonmeters Its 6,0 Liter Biturbo engine is longitudinal and placed directly behind the driver and the front seat passenger. The Golf GTI W12-650 differentiate itself in this way from the classical central engine car. A 6-speed automatic transmission transfers 750 Newtonmeters (at 4.500 rpm) to the rear axle. It catapults the Golf GTI W12-650 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds. With a maximum speed of 325 km/h the Golf GTI W12-650 leaves behind nearly all of the world's supercars.

Width 1.88 m, 235er tire in front, 295er tire in the back Automotive engineers and designers united under Volkswagen Golf GTI W12 650its 1.88 meters (series: 1.76 meters) spread and 1.42 meters (series: 1.50 meters) flatten body. The chassis components of the Golf GTI W12-650 were adapted directly from supersports cars. The wheels are of course made from a light alloy and because of the gigantic wheel dimensions a specially engineered tire had to be made.
70 millimeters lower, 160 millimeters broader The goal was clearly defined - despite the partially dramatic technical changes the study should remain completely clear that this is a Golf GTI. Therefore as much parts as possible were taken from tha classical GTI like: the headlights, the doors, the front hood and the tail lamps. The axles were pushed 70 millimeters into the body.

The largest problem was to supply the 6-litre central engine with sufficient air and to produce sufficient drift at the rear axle without watering the silhouette of the Golf GTI W12-650. Therefore the C-columns were re-designed in such a way that they lead air to the engine. The rear side windows run inward, so that two channels develop between the disks and the C-columns on the left and on the right to drive air to the engine.The Carbon fiber roof is a diffuser Innovative building of the body also prevented that the lines of the Golf GTI W12-650 to get ruined by a putting on a roof wing. The study carries the wing inward. The roof is part of an enormous diffuser, which provides sufficient drift to the rear axle. It's made from carbon fiber and leads air under the normal tail spoiler.

Interior with racing ambitions The leather is Alcantara. On the middle range of the armatures are Three rows of auxiliary instruments. Transparent "Flip UP" switch guards for central functions like the disconnectible ESP look like taken directly from the race track.
Fire extinguishers are integrated in the place of the glove compartment to also remind us of the race. Because of weight reasons "stripped" the door linings are complete; only lattices are used, which grant a complete view of the interior mechanics of the door.

Special thanks to http://www.jalopnik.com/, http://www.zercustoms.com/, and http://www.autoblog.com/ for first bringing this thing to my attention.

Rare Photo Inside the BMW M3 Laboratory (Automotive)

Nearly every automotive enthusiasts imaginable is excited about the new BMW M3, even if some don't want to admit to it. BMW's reputation for amazing M cars sets expectations high, but their exhaustive engineering and R and D delivers. Inside the June 2007 issue of CAR magazine is an article about the new M3 and the M division in general. Included are some rare photos from inside the M workshop. As a car junkie, these are just plain cool. I've never seen a bunch of M3 is various stages of assembly. For fear of being attacked by European automotive journalists I won't post all the pictures from the article, so go find this issue in Barnes and Noble or your local newstand. The other articles inside the issue, including The Greatest Ferraris, is worth the extreme UK price. Have a good weekend.

For Sale: My OEM 2005 STi 17" x 8" Gold BBS's and Tires

I apologize for using my blog as a sales forum. : )
$1400 OBO Available for pickup in Newport Beach
2005 Sti BBS's in Gold with Factory Equipped Tires (Bridgestone Potenzas RE070 in 225/45-17) with a lot of tread left, lugs included. Cleaned them up today.

Email me at matt.talbot@gmail.com or contact me through

nasioc.com and iwsti.com - whiteguyblacksti

Super Small nic in the pain, only visible on englarged image

The only sizable mark on all four rims

Teaser Picture of New Rims for my STi

Click to enlarge

18 x 8.5 Advan RS's in Gold (50 offset). g-Force T/A KDW-2 in 235/40-18

NSX Modified Type R style (Automotive)

NSX Modified Type R style (Automotive)

Lucky Rabbit's Foot, Hilarious Commercial (Advertising Non-Automotive)

I wanted to share this commercial with all of you, despite no automotive relevance. Everyone needs a laugh on a Wednesday to get through the week, right?

30 Second Spot


60 Second Spot

Thick Skin Consumers, So Push the Limits! (Advertising)

Article of Inspiration: http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=116600

I came across this article in on adage.com today that talks about how consumers have much thicker skin than advertisers think. I rather you spend your time reading the article, than what I have to say, but there are a few short comments. Consumers do have thick skin, but it only pertains to content they choose to watch. Commercials are forced upon them, so anything they don't want to see is very offensive. However, advertising creatives need to take risk to try new things. Pushing the limits can be very dangerous with certain products that can have claimed effects on behavior. (Car ads that show aggressive driving and then get blamed for an accident) I'm not for advertising that causes accidents or injury, but agencies must take more creative risks, especially in the automotive industry where status quo is so strong.

Saab and Saturn should be a perfect example of a companies with new and improved product coming out and coming, that has a great back story, and some niche following already. They could really push advertising in some innovative directions, especially Saab. I hope something special comes out of it.

Transcontinental Car Run Record Broken...to Glorify Speeding

For the hard facts of this story, check out these links.

Jalopnik 1 here
Jalopnik 2 here

From Autoblog here

Nothing gets your adrenaline going like a cross country race against time, but all this positive coverage on something that involves a ridiculous amount of speeding is a little hypocritical. This comes a short time after the deaths occurring during the Gumball Rally which may or may not have been the fault of the Gumball driver. (I would assume it was, but that probably isn't fair) I really want to love this record breaking story, but in a country were speeding and the following higher level charge of reckless driving is such a big deal, I can't cheer on naively.

To make it cross country in the time stated, their Ferrari 550 would need to average 87mph, including any and all stops. While their vehicle was equipped with extra fuel cells, I imagine at least three or four stops were made for fuel, at a minimum. Regardless, it's safe to say they were traveling above 150mph for a good portion of the run. I am a car and speed nut as much as the next guy, but glorifying speeding of such epic proportions might have some negative effects on enthusiasts driving nature and perception of it's consequences. It's strange that we can read numerous exciting stories of drivers greatly exceeding the speed limit for almost 3,000 miles, but can be put in jail from driving 100mph on an open freeway. Or maybe I'm just jealous.

Ferrari 599 GTB Spotted! (Automotive)

Had to snap a picture of this 599 GTB today. It looks great in this silver car, but it looks great in every color. Not a bad 200mph daily driver for the trip to the gym. If you want some more information check out this first drive from Edmunds here and a Road and Track article here.

Audi RS5 to Follow BMW 335i Method for Power (Automotive)

Thanks to those sexy European journalists over at Car magazine, we now have some quality renderings of the new Audi RS5. Switch out those overly bling rims for those multi spoke RS4 pieces pictured below, and we may just have the production version.







The big news however is the power boost the the RS4 sedans V8 engine for the RS5 couple. Rumor is Audi's adding two small turbochargers to the motor increasing hp to approx. 450 but torque to 500ft lbs. It's easy to scoff at the modest 30 hp gain from TWO turbo chargers over the NA RS4 motor. However the torque gain, 183 ft lbs, is just ridiculous and a perfect match for the traction friendly awd. In my own personal experience, I gained 70 ft lbs with my Stage 2 modifications on my Sti and the difference was immediate and smile inducing. An increase of two and a half times that is hard to imagine.

For all those skeptics out there, check out the jump in performance from a BMW 330i to the twin turbocharged 335i. It is a proportionally similar 45hp and 80 ft lbs gain, but makes for an absolutely awesome and very well reviewed vehicle, that has hit 0-60 in 4.8 seconds with a quarter mile time of 13.5 seconds at 106mph conservatively compared to a 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds and quarter mile time of 14 seconds at 100.3 (Taken from Motor Trend) for the 330i.

In short, I think the small hp and huge torque gain twin turbo idea for the RS5 is brilliant!

Original Car Magazine Article (here)

An Awesome Evian Ad (Advertising)

This is an awesome piece of advertising. (non-conventional as it's much longer than a 60 second TV spot) It was created for Evian way back in 2003, but it's just as good today as it was then. It has absolutely nothing to do with cars, so I apologize to those bent solely on motoring, but it is worth a viewing.

Ferrari F430 conv. Spotted (Automotive)

Came across a hot F430 today at the same location as the LM002 a few days ago. It had an absolutely gorgeous color combination of charcoal gray exterior, with a deep red interior. If this gets you going, check out Miami Vice, the movie . It gets a fair amount of screen time in the beginning, with flames shooting out of the exhaust and all.

Happy Mother's Day

Toyota Says Entire Lineup Hybrids by 2020 (Automotive)

http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/toyota/toyota-cutting-hybrid-costs/ (Thanks jalopnik.com)

I don't have much to say beyond the original article on this topic, but I believe it's an important movement/issue to bring up. If a company as large and forward thinking as Toyota is willing to stake so much on hybrid technology, I have to take it seriously. Hybrids have already proved themselves as great eco cars, but can they make every car better. I believe the answer is yes. It's just a matter of cost effectiveness. This push will develop hybrid technology more quickly, making it more efficient, more powerful, and cheaper. I would be fearful of hybrid abuse if this was being carried out by a company other than Toyota. At a less reasonable company, every vehicle might get a hybrid addition making them all more powerful with approximately the same or slightly better gas mileage, rather than replacing each vehicle in the line up with the same vehicle equipped with a one size smaller engine with hybrid technology.

The Lexus LS600h has got some interesting reviews(not all raving positive), but I believe this vehicle gives a real taste of combining hybrid technology into a platform not traditionally considered hybrid friendly. If the price was not unreasonably more than a LS460 (because of cheaper hybrid technology, rwd, and similar options), it could make a significantly better vehicle overall. (The gas mileage would be more competitive without the awd and the advances in hybrid technology would make it lighter and just plain better) At this point in hybrid technology the LS600 is a great achievement. The GS450h might be an even better example because of its V8 beating performance, from it's hybrid v6.

Current vehicles on the Toyota horizon are further evidence of this ultimate hybrid permeation. The new FT-SH, a successor of the Supra (here), pictured at the top of the post should be here in 2009 sporting a V6 with hybrid technology. This should make for a great car, that probably would have sported a non-hybrid V-8, based on the power evolution performance vehicles have followed for the last couple generations. (or a beefier twin turbo 6 cyl.) The high performance sports coup category has not been in the hybrid realm until recently. Thanks to the electric Tesla roadster and vehicles like this Toyota, these barriers will be gone.

Audi TT Ads Embrace DVR (Automotive Advertising)

Audi TT DVR Spot 1

There is a new television campaign for the Audi TT and a new spot for the Audi A4. Autoblog has made them available through youtube(with the necessary slow-mo recap included), and they are now embedded here.

The first spot, shown above, is 1 of 2 for the Audi TT that utilizes the prevailence of DVRs. This isn't exactly groundbreaking. Sprite's Sublymonal campaign has done some cool DVR specific stuff as well as GE with it's One Second Theater and KFC's Buffalo Snacker campaign. However, in Audi's instance the quickness of it all actually pertains to a feature of the vehicle, the shift speed. The spots equate other things that happen quickly, with the time it takes Audi's amazing DSG transmission to change gears (0.2 seconds). It puts it into perspective. I personally always rewind and slow-mo any hidden content I happen to see during commercial breaks. Then again, I'm a bit of an advertising nerd and thus may not represent the everyman tv/dvr user. Even being the new harsh automotive advertising critic I am, I still really enjoyed the ads. They embrace DVR, and don't hide from it. They manage to create a feeling of mystery and intrigue with the stark design, (lots of black) minimal but significant sound effects, and cinemetography. Last but not least, the shot of the TT going from right to left on what looks like an abandoned freeway just hits me the right way

The thrid spot posted is strictly for the Audi A4 and is not DVR specific. As an enthusiast, I just want to sit back and say "COOL!", but being a critic I must say the jokes at the LS460's self parking expensive will get old. (Hyundai is doing it with their Azera ad too) It would work much better in an ad for a vehicle that actually competes with the Lexus. I could see the same concept done with a BMW 750i or il making much more sense. Plus such driving would match BMW's Ultimate Driving Machine image. Just one man's opinion of course.

Audi TT DVR Spot 2


Audi A4 Non-DVR