Funkengroovin' News and A Dog On A Car

Remember the Dog On The Car mentioned here, here, and here? Well, there's a new dog in town, just about a block away from the other one, along Canal Road, in Maadi. The old Dog On A Car hasn't been on top of a car for some time now. We think he's a pet Baladi, whereas the one below is definitely a street dog.

NEWS:

The 5 Most Dangerous Cars for Teens

There's always VW accidents throughout the news, when VB does her weekly search for articles. This one involves a diplomat, and for those of us who have lived overseas, who are subject to the local laws, diplomatic immunity is always a thorny issue.
'Drunk diplomat's wife' kills man

"Adonis Ndudule, 24, from Ormonde View in the south of Johannesburg, stopped a few hundred metres before the 14th Avenue offramp when the engine of his Volkswagen Beetle started giving trouble."

"A member of ER24's emergency services apparently passed the Beetle just before the accident and had seen the car with its flashing hazards parked in the emergency lane.

Ndudule was inspecting the engine, which is mounted in the rear of the Volkswagen Beetle, when he was hit from behind by the Clio. He died on impact."

"A search on the eNaTIS vehicle system revealed that the Clio was registered to the Malaysian embassy."

""We were not allowed to arrest her at the scene - even though she may have been reckless - because she has diplomatic immunity," said Inspector Edna Mamonyane, Johannesburg' s metro police spokesperson."

From Jalopnik:
The Car That Started Murilee On His Vehicular Downward Spiral: Hubert The Hatred Bug

"Here's a story I've been meaning to tell since I started writing for Jalopnik: how it came to be that I love junkyard-built, low-budget, primered-out heaps so much. You can blame this '58 Volkswagen!"

Irvine, California:
21st Annual VW Classic Weekend - Kit Car Event Coverage

Meyers Manx Dune Buggy - A Legend Returns

"Well, he is back...and back with a stylish vengeance. Meyers took the simple Manx dune buggy design and has brought it to the next level-the Manxter 2+2. The Manxter 2+2 takes the original concept into the 21st century with tried-and-true ideas and cutting-edge technology and style."

Check out the photo of the "VW bus his company takes to trade shows."
Growing company makes scents

"Tom Conroy knows what Bank of America smells like.

He can also tell you the scents for Macy's, McDonald's and Westin Hotels.

Conroy is chief executive officer of ScentAir, a Charlotte company that creates aromas and sells them for use in stores, museums, at special events and other venues."

Porsche 911 still roars after all these years

"The 911 was revealed in 1963 as an updated, more powerful version of the Porsche 356, which was essentially a Volkswagen Beetle wearing running shoes. Like its VW ancestor, the 911 had an air-cooled, rear-mounted engine, but it was a larger flat-six engine whose signature off-beat growl was a far cry from the unmusical flatulence of the Beetle."

"Consider this though (and leaving aside the barn-burning GT3 and GT2 racing models for now), a modern 911 Carrera- has 385 h.p. and is available with a twin-clutch PDK transmission that lets it rocket to 100 kilometres per hour in slightly more than four seconds with a top speed of 302 km per hour. Yet it will only burn slightly more than eleven litres of fuel for every 100 km of city driving: about the same as a V-6 Honda Accord. It's quiet and refined as only a German sport-luxury car can be, but open it up on a twisty road and the lively spirit of the '60s original can be felt underneath all the satellite navigation and heated seats."

Mercury? De Soto? Call It a Winner

"Combining a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan and panels from 11 different cars, including a 1957 De Soto, Steve Heller won the Collectible Car of the Year contest."

U.S. Cash for Clunkers? Not Yet

"The concept of retiring old cars met opposition from car enthusiasts concerned that classic models, valued either as restoration projects or as sources of spare parts, might be scrapped. But it has the backing of public transit advocates, environmentalists and economists, and is seen by some legislators as a better use of tax money than making loans directly to failing automakers.

Under a Senate proposal called the Voluntary Retirement of Fuel-Inefficient Vehicles, consumers who voluntarily turn in cars or trucks that get less than 18 miles a gallon would receive vouchers worth up to $4,500 to help them buy more economical replacements."

From the Washington Post:

"How much do you know about car safety? Take our quiz and test your knowledge -- what you don't know could hurt you."

(Below): Homemade sheesha pipe.




LOST!
The new season starts here in Cairo tonight, on Showtime Series channel. VB is going to dinner, with an out of town guest. Showtime usually (but not always, as is the case with The Tudors) reruns programs the following afternoon. VB would like to see the VW Bus, as it shows up again this season. She's not sure she wants to try keeping up with a show she hasn't watched for several seasons, which was confusing to begin with. Maybe she'll just check out episode "316" (link below) when it airs, and leave it at that.

Who's VW bus is used in television show LOST?

(Old, but with photos of the Bus.)
LOST finds the VW Bus

Lost Episode Recap: "316"

(Below): A scene from Road 9, Maadi.



Tomorrow (Wednesday) there will be a non-news Funkengroovin'.