Amid mounting speculation that he had passed away, Turkmenistan leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has resurfaced on state television in a flurry of donuts performed next to a flaming crater.
The death-defying stunt was produced as part of a wider video that showed the leader was alive and well, but the scenes that got us interested involved a modified off-roader being driven precariously close to, what is essentially an active volcano.
We think it may be one of the most weird political statements ever made – but it also got us thinking – what type of cars do the world’s other dictators drive?
Click through the gallery above to find out.
We’ve all done it.
Stumbled upon on old photo album and decided to give it a flick for a rose-tinted hit of nostalgia and to have a fond chuckle at family Christmas snaps from 20 years ago. That laugh, however, quickly turns to horror as you instead focus on your daggy jeans, your cringe worthy sunglasses and horrible haircuts
We imagine that’s how the marketing teams that signed off on these embarrassingly sexist ads must be feeling.
The truly shocking thing, however, is that while sexism in advertising should have been stamped out decades ago, half of these commercials weren’t created in the Mad Men era. They’re modern.
Pontiac
Volkswagen
Mini
Dodge
Ulster Trader
Volkswagen #2
Fisker
Subaru
BMW
Hurst
A new 16-cylinder, 900kW supercar is brewing, one with performance that could challenge the mighty Bugatti Veyron.
And it’s being built in Australia.
The yet to be named supercar is the brainchild of Aussie entrepreneur Paul Halstead – the IT millionaire who built the Alfa Romeo-based Giocattolo in the 1980s.
But while his first shot at making an Aussie supercar failed (just 15 Giocattolos were sold), Halstead is confident his new, mid-engined Bugatti beater could succeed.
Very much in its infancy, the new car will be powered by a mighty Aussie icon – the race-bred GM LS7 V8.
Halstead plans to use two of the 7.0-litre powerplants, roll them over at 45 degress and bolt them together.
The 14.0-litre donk is expected to churn out 900kW which will be sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox.
Sounds promising on paper, but we might wait for a working prototype before we get too excited.
What you’re looking at here is the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
And it’s a dusty old Mercedes-Benz.
Not any old Merc, though. This Mercedes-Benz W196 was driven by none other than Formula 1 legend Juan Manuel Fangio.
Fangio clinched his second F1 world title in this car, which shattered the world record for a car sold at auction when it fetched 19.6 million pounds – or $32.6 million Aussie – at last weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The previous mark was set by a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rosso prototype which went for $17.9 million in 2011.
Fangio’s Merc was purchased by a private buyer over the telephone.
Crashes. We all love them, especially if it’s something particularly expensive being crunched.
If you’re the driver, though, crashing something rare and exotic is quite possibly the worst feeling in the world.
Spare a thought, then, for the drivers of these cars.
Entrusted with some of the world’s rarest cars – including a multi-million dollar Lamborghini concept, Aytron Senna’s Lotus Formula 1 car and a priceless Porsche 962C Le Mans racer – they all crashed at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
And happily for us, they all happened in front of 50,000 people, with live TV cameras to capture the shunts.
What’s the coolest era of Formula 1? Ask around and most people will tell you it was in the ‘early days’, when real men risked their lives to taste victory.
We reckon they’re right.
Current Mercedes F1 heroes punt two classic Silver Arrows around the Nurburgring – Hamilton at the wheel of a 1938 W154, while Rosberg sampled a 1954 W196 similar to one recently sold for $32 million.
Astons Martins are many things, but one could never accuse them of being ugly.
In fact, Astons are so good looking, the Vanquish was officially voted the world’s most beautiful supercar earlier this year.
Feast your eyes, then, on these beauties.
Created by Italian design house, and long-time Aston collaborator, Zagato, these special edition designs are even more breathtaking.
Built to mark Aston’s 100th anniversary, just two examples will be made, one based on the 2013 DB9 Volante and the other on the 2013 DBS coupe.
Gorgeous.
Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, needs a new set of wheels and it looks like the internet has given him the answer.
Yes, sick of his being ferried about in his Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Putin – Russia’s fearless, judo-chopping leader – has called on the internet to design him a new, more patriotic, car for his daily drive.
And this is what it’s come up with.
Created by Yaroslav Yakovlev and Bernd Weel, it’s a car that apparently “holds a majestic style that is full of classicism that mostly resembles power and authority.”
No other details have been revealed, but with its muscular looks, long bonnet and low-slung ride, we reckon it could be the perfect design to fit Putin’s…unorthodox character.
What do you think?
Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, needs a new set of wheels and it looks like the internet has given him the answer.
Yes, sick of his being ferried about in his Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Putin – Russia’s fearless, judo-chopping leader – has called on the internet to design him a new, more patriotic, car for his daily drive.
And this is what it’s come up with.
Created by Yaroslav Yakovlev and Bernd Weel, it’s a car that apparently “holds a majestic style that is full of classicism that mostly resembles power and authority.”
No other details have been revealed, but with its muscular looks, long bonnet and low-slung ride, we reckon it could be the perfect design to fit Putin’s… unorthodox character.
What do you think?
Remember the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG super-limo we showed you a fortnight ago?
The 430kW/900Nm S Class that blended all of Merc’s performance prowess with first-class lounge levels of luxury?
Well it seems Brabus – the German tuner infamous for taking ordinary Mercs and turning them into kilowatt-bending, torque-churning monsters – looked at the S63’s performance and laughed.
What you see here is the Brabus version of the S63 – a 545kW/1064Nm belter called the B63S-730. Or in simple terms, the most powerful performance pack Brabus offers.
Basically Brabus has taken the standard S63 and turned everything up to 11. That includes using gold heat reflection (like the McLaren F1) on the inlet pipes, two special Brabus turbos with more pressure and a new cooling system.
There’s also a new exhaust, engine mapping and ever a special aero kit to help reduce negative lift.
Oh and top speed? That’s electronicallylimited to 325km/h.
