Autoblog UK

Britons are renowned for their love of the car - our overclogged streets and motorways bear testament to that. But now it seems we're actually a nation of caraholics who will get up to just about anything in the comforts - or confines - of our four-wheeled friends.

Yes, it seems the great British drivers just can't wait to get their clothes - and their rocks - off while behind the wheel. A new survey by online insurers who shall remain nameless and who clearly have too much time on their hands, has shown that more than two-thirds (67%) of us have had sex in our cars with almost half (49%) of us having automotive sex more than twice. They don't say if the respondants were actually on the move or not whilst joining the 67-percenters club although the way some people suddenly change lanes on the motorway these days who knows what's going on in their nether regions.

And how does the company concerned link this to car cover? Here's their marketing director: "With Brits spending so much of their time behind the wheel, it's no surprise that many relationships begin, blossom or even end on four wheels. However, as a responsible insurer, [we] would like to point out that drivers should always concentrate on the road ahead otherwise it would invalidate your car insurance cover." So, now you know.

Is this Carry On-style jape scraping the bottom of a very deep barrel and have we just played swiftly into their hands? Of course. Now, where's my commission?

If you're looking for an unusual Christmas decoration, Porsche Gelderland in the small Dutch town of Heteren could provide you with some inspiration. The local dealership has had a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S completely coated in chocolate. Master chocolatier Jan Blancken melted 175 kilos of the stuff and used it to covert the bodywork of the Porsche. For good measure, he spread a few kilos of white chocolate onto the headlights. The photo gallery shows each stage of the creation of this masterpiece which is set to decorate the showroom in the run-up to Christmas. The Porsche has 385 horsepower tucked away under its sweet bonnet. The technical specification of the brown racer will now presumably have to be supplemented with its calorie count.

Don't know what to get your other half/little one/gran/in-laws for Christmas? Look no further, here's a present that would make anyone happy: a road kill calendar.

The gory little number, featuring foxes, badgers and other woodland creatures has been released just in time for Christmas and is supposedly a massive hit already.

The "artist" behind this delightful idea is a Mr Kevin Beresford. The 57-year-old man travelled the UK for a while, stopping at gruesome sights of dead animals and snapping away.

He claims having received a large amount of orders already and believes the provoking photos are a refreshing change to the usual calendar material: "I think customers are fed up with Peter Andre's six-pack and want something different. It's good to push the boundaries" he adds.

Now it's really a matter of taste. Which do you prefer checking out over your morning coffee? Peter Andre? Or a pureed badger?

The last thing you would want to do if you had one of the 200 existing Bugatti Veyrons would be to suffer a tiny scratch, let alone drown it altogether in 3ft of salty water.

Unfortunately this is exactly what happened to Gilbert Harrison in La Marque, Texas.

The car enthusiast and collector got distracted by a pelican and drove his £1.25million pride and joy into a nearby lagoon, destroying its powerful engine, 16 cylinders and four turbo chargers in about 15 minutes.

The poor man has only himself to blame. Well, him and the pelican I guess. If you have something as nice as a Bugatti you shouldn't take your eyes off it, even if a flock of dodos was passing by: a) because it's so damn nice, b) because it's so damn expensive and c) because it's so damn rare.

Seriously, what was he thinking?

If you collect exotic cars you should at least make sure you're able to handle them otherwise, as Harrison demonstrated, you could be praying your insurance company has a very sympathetic attitude.

Watch the footage of the car plunging in the lake (warning: this video contains swearing)

And watch it being dragged out

Playing Russian roulette has apparently become slightly boring and predictable. That's according to the Bulgarians, who decided it was about time to come up with a better, riskier and stupider version of the game.

The rules are simple – take a car, race it insanely fast through red lights at night against others and see if you make it first and alive. If you do, you could win up to £5,000. If you don't, well...

With a large selection of deaths on offer – embedded in a post, underneath a truck, off a ravine, choking on your air-bag etc, this game is much more exciting than the old Russian roulette with its one and only option.

However, there is a strict set of rules you will have to follow in order to get your money. For example, if you touch your brakes or crash into a pedestrian you will be disqualified and can wave bye-bye to the mullah. That is whether the pedestrian dies or not.

The game started in the busy streets of Sofia at the end of the summer and is very popular among SUV male drivers in their early twenties. The little daredevils are keeping the authorities busy as they try to tackle the problem. The illegal races are also attracting large and blood-thirsty crowds of spectators, who inadvertently might end up being part of the game.

Kids, don't try this at home...

Last week in Hamburg, the well-known New York street artist Craig 'KR' Costello gave a Mini a paint job in his so-called 'Krink' style. This involves applying the paint in such a way that it runs down the surface, looking as if it has been laid on too thickly. In the case of the Mini seen below, the silver streaks appears to trickle down the bodywork plus the rear and side windows. KR Costello made a name for himself in the 90s with his distinctive signature style. Ultimately, this led to the Krink brand name and line of products. You can find examples of his work in all the major metropolises of the world, in vestibules, on walls or in underground railway stations.

If you were going to sail across the Irish Sea, a 100 quid French saloon car would probably not be your transport of choice - especially in October.

But high seas or not, a Renault Laguna was what four friends from Ireland decided to charter for a 23-mile trip from Donaghadee Harbour to Port Patrick - and remarkably, the amphibious craft carried them across in one piece.

Skipper Peter Martin and his 'crew' Carl McConkey, Rick Miles and Mark Farrell, left the Irish port at 9.30am on October 31 crammed aboard the modified Laguna and reached their destination seven hours later.

This was a huge step forward for the team after the dismal failure of their first attempt in 2007 when their craft, Sir Galahad, sank within four minutes of setting sail.
Not wishing to embarrass themselves again in front of the large - and sceptical - crowd that had gathered, Martin and his mates left nothing to chance, sticking an outboard motor on the back - perhaps an improvement on the standard engine - as well as attaching plenty of foam to the car.

"Nearly everyone on shore thought we wouldn't make it, but confidence rides high on the boat", Martin said. "At one point some of the crew even got in a little fishing."

The cruise wasn't some bizarre protest at Irish Sea ferry prices but rather a trip in the name of charity - and with £3,000 raised, the four can regard that as a job well done.

Sir Tristram sea trials:
Launching Sir Tristram:

Diamonds might be a girl's best friend but a £140,000 supercar might just come close as one footballing WAG has just found out.

Melanie Slade, the long-term girlfriend of Theo Walcott, has just been presented with a brand spanking new Ferrari California by the Arsenal striker to celebrate her 21st birthday.

According to The Sun, the physiotherapist student is 'over the moon' and has already got personalised plates for the car.

It's a bit of a step up from the Volkswagen Beetle he bought her three years ago and the insurance premiums for the Ferrari are probably more than the Beetle was worth, but with a 193mph top speed we imagine Mel will find the upgrade more than makes up for the cost.

We have already been given some hints about the storyline for the sequel to the 3D animated film 'Cars'. Lightning McQueen, his pit crew and new chief mechanic Mater travel round the world to five different venues for the Race of Champions. The countries visited are Japan, Germany, Italy, France (24-hour race) and England (London, to be more precise). In a case of mistaken identity, Mater saves the life of British secret agent Aston Martin (alias Finn McMissile) and is drawn into the exciting world of espionage. Below is another gallery of Cars-style vehicles.

Pixar CARS : new models

Disney Pixar are currently working on the production of 'Cars 2', sequel to the 3D cartoon 'Cars'. The new film (full title: 'Cars 2 World Grand Prix') is due for general release in June 2011. The first one in the series delighted audiences of all ages. To whet your appetite in the meantime, we present a photo gallery with a few models in the 'Cars' style.

Pixar CARS: More new models