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Saudi artist Abdullah Qandeel’s artwork is filled with strong, hand-painted lines, and this is exactly what he applied to a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ during a public artistic performance in Monaco recently.The artist’s trademark broad brushstrokes turned the angular hypercar into something a bit more human, but it can still roar its way through the city streets.Qandeel previously hand-painted a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and has been promoting artist-friendly digital tokens through new crypto offerings.Simply driving a supercar through the streets of Monaco isn’t guaranteed to attract attention these days. The roads there have seen more than their fair share of exotic wheels, but Saudi artist Abdullah Qandeel has discovered a way to make sure everyone at least glances at a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ: hand-painting it in public.
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Qandeel and a partner painted the SVJ in front of the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo in full view of plenty of tourists with smartphones. According to Supercars of Austria, which posted the above video of the artist at work on YouTube, the SVJ was not wrapped to protect the original exterior paint job, so what you see is what you get with this now mobile painting. You can also see that Qandeel painted the hypercar’s interior with the same broad brushstrokes as he used to cover the exterior in the video, showing his commitment to making a statement. The Superveloce Jota is not exactly a slouch on the track—it set the record for the fastest street-legal car to lap the Nordschleife with a time of 6:44.97 in 2018—but even without hitting those speeds, it’s still impressive to watch the hand-painted $600,000 car go on a roaring drive in the Principality.

A look through Qandeel’s Instagram feed shows that the artist’s style employs thick lines in many of his paintings, so the hand-painted Aventador fits with the rest of his work. There are also digital interpretations of the one-of-a-kind SVJ in the feed, proving that this wasn’t done in a fit of passion but as part of a planned public artwork. In fact, Qandeel previously hand painted a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in a similar style. Earlier this year, Qandeel got into the crypto-art game with the first “Artist Approved Non-Fungible Physical and Digital Token” (AP/AD-NFT) offering, which was based on his painting called “Ambition Man.” Qandeel used AP/AD-NFT to create a new category of NFTs that combined physical and digital assets to protect artists’ rights through enhanced “smart contracts” that contain the artwork’s IP and rights of usage.”I invite all creators and collectors across the world to join this Decentralized Positive Impact (DePi) movement and adopt AP/AD-NFTs, not only as the new standard for the creative industry, but as a determining factor for the future of our planet as well,” Qandeel told the Albilad Daily.
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CEO Mary Barra said GM is working on two new zero-emission commercial vehicles: a full-size battery-electric Chevy cargo van and a medium-duty truck that will use batteries and GM’s Hydrotec hydrogen fuel-cell technology.These new zero-emission vehicles will complement GM’s new BrightDrop business, which will offer electric delivery products like a warehouse-style motorized cart and the EV600 van.All of these cleaner commercial vehicles will join a GM EV lineup that also includes electric pickup trucks from Chevy and GMC and the Hummer EV. Get ready to add a few new lines to the list of electrified GM vehicles. On an analyst call this week, CEO Mary Barra said General Motors will introduce two new zero-emission vehicles for its commercial customers. These will be a full-size battery-electric cargo van that will carry the Chevrolet name and a medium-duty truck that will be powered by both the company’s Ultium electric batteries and its Hydrotec hydrogen fuel-cell technology. For those of you used to GM’s gas-powered vehicles, these new EVs could replace or complement the current Express van and Silverado 4500HD (pictured below).

General Motors

GM CEO Mary Barra announced the new vehicles during a conference call with analysts following the release of GM’s second-quarter results, but she did not offer many more details.The battery-powered van “will exceed the expectations of small-business owners, tradespeople, and everyone else who has been well served by the Chevy Express,” Barra said on the call. “We will have electric solutions for almost any hauling or towing job you can imagine.”Other upcoming GM electric models include electric pickup trucks from Chevy and GMC as well as the Hummer EV.

Earlier this year, GM launched a new business called BrightDrop and said it will offer electric delivery products for release later this year. The new electric vans will be designed for standard and “last mile” delivery solutions for commercial customers. Two vehicles have been announced so far. The EP1 is a small, electrified pallet that can be used by a person to move boxes around a warehouse or down a sidewalk. The EV600 is a more standard on-road delivery van, with a target range of 250 miles and 600 cubic feet of cargo space. Medium- and long-distance delivery vehicles are also planned. The first BrightDrop vehicles will be delivered later this year. Barra said both the new zero-emission van and truck announced this week “will complement BrightDrop and keep our commercial fleet market share growing.” She said the company will share more details about all of these electrified products in the future.
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Ken Block is no stranger to shenanigans behind the wheel of a rally car. And while in recent years those activities involved a vehicle with a Ford badge, Block has returned to his roots for 2021. The Hoonigan star currently finds himself campaigning a Vermont SportsCar–prepped Subaru WRX STI in America Rally Association events, something he hadn’t done since 2009. Now though, we have a chance to watch Block pit his Subaru against his other off-road racing machine: an 1100-hp Trophy Truck built for Baja.
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The battle of the race cars took place at the Team O’Neil Rally School in New Hampshire. Block and his crew were at the school for some test days ahead of the New England Forest Rally, which took place at the end of July. The race itself was marred by a retirement from Block, as the WRX STI suffered a gearbox failure. As unfortunate as that is for the team’s season, that trouble didn’t come until after this sweet showdown was filmed.

The video follows a simple premise: Block and crew lapped both machines around the practice stage several times to see which was quicker. The Subaru was clearly favored going into the event, as the WRX STI race car was designed for this very activity. That said, the Geiser Bros.–built Trophy Truck is a serious machine in its own right. It’s powered by a 7.7-liter big-block V-8 built by Dougans, which produces 1100 hp. The truck also packs a crazy suspension of its own, designed to cope with high-speed jumps in the Mexican desert. Of course the Trophy Truck is also about double the weight of the WRX STI and significantly wider. In fact, the truck struggled to fit down the stage in a few instances. In what is the least shocking outcome possible, the Subaru managed to be the quicker machine. The WRX STI posted a time of two minutes, 32 seconds, while the truck managed a best lap of two minutes, 55 seconds. The gap is pretty steep, especially considering the short length of the stage in question. Block did note that he is far more familiar behind the wheel of the Subaru at this point, perhaps suggesting the truck has some time to give yet. Either way, I think we can all agree that Trophy Truck rally racing should become a real series.
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Pagani has shown the first images of the Pacchetto Tempesta, a package meant to take the Huayra BC to a new extreme.The Pacchetto Tempesta includes a redesigned rear wing with a central fin, a new six-pipe exhaust, and even more power and torque from the V-12, for totals of 816 horsepower and 811 pound-feet.The Pacchetto Tempesta will be officially revealed on Friday, August 13, at The Quail as part of Monterey Car Week.The 2021 edition of Monterey Car Week gets underway this weekend. Ahead of an in-person reveal at The Quail next Friday, Pagani has shared images of its latest creation, the Pacchetto Tempesta, a series of upgrades for the already special Huayra BC. The Italian supercar maker says that the changes included in the package are designed for “further unleashing the car’s true racing attitude” and has provided a few details ahead of the official debut.

The new package is exclusive to the Huayra BC, an extreme, track-focused version of the ornate Huayra supercar that was priced at around $2.5 million. Pagani has adjusted the vehicle’s aerodynamics, crafting a revised front splitter, redesigning the front air intakes, and fitting a new rear wing with an integrated central fin. Pagani has also squeezed more power and torque out of the car’s Mercedes-AMG 6.0-liter V-12. The engine now churns out 816 horsepower and 811 pound-feet, up from 791 hp and 775 pound-feet in the “standard” BC. The V-12 will scream through a new six-pipe exhaust system, and Pagani also says the car has a new suspension and a Soft Driving mode for more comfort.

Pagani

Since Pagani has already built all 20 Huayra BCs, it is likely that the Pacchetto Tempesta is an upgrade that can be retrofitted for any owners who want it. Pagani also made 40 of the Huayra Roadster BC, but it’s not clear whether the package will be available on the topless version of the BC. More details should emerge when Pagani debuts the Pacchetto Tempesta in person at The Quail next week.
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Four vehicles used by Tom Hanks will be auctioned off later this month at the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction, including his on-set Airstream trailer and the 2010 Ford F-450 Super Duty used to tow it, a customized 1980 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser, and Hanks’ personal 2015 Tesla Model S P85D.Hanks used the Airstream trailer as a place to rest while shooting 18 movies between the 1990s and 2010s, including Forrest Gump and The Circle.Hanks ordered the trailer as an upgrade to the standard on-set cast trailers, and it has a full-size sofa inside that had to be customized in order to fit through the door.Even movie stars need to declutter sometimes. Tom Hanks, for example, has decided he no longer needs his 1992 Airstream travel trailer, which has been a part of his movie-making experience since he bought it in 1993. Hanks used the trailer on 18 movie sets over the decades, including Sleepless in Seattle and Forrest Gump in the ’90s all the way to movies like The Circle in 2017.Hanks bought and personalized the Model 34 Limited Excella trailer because he wasn’t impressed by the standard movie trailers he was spending time in during movie shoots. “I got it in the days when movies moved slower,” he told Bonhams Magazine. “I had spent too much time in regular trailers with ugly décor and horribly uncomfortable furniture, so I decided to buy a brand-new Airstream shell with an interior made to my own request.”That meant starting with an Airstream that had nothing but the kitchen and bathroom pre-installed, and he then added a regular-size sofa to go with the desk, futon platform and a small table and chairs. Over the years, Hanks also added stickers to the windows showing which movie locations the trailer was used on.

The trailer will be sold with plenty of the accessories and furniture Hanks and his movie-making friends used over the years. That means several espresso makers, teakwood chairs and table and an air conditioner autographed by Hanks. The Airstream 34′ Limited comes with the model’s standard equipment as well as the Excella 1000 package which includes AC units, a hot water heater and window blinds. The trailer also comes with electric leveling jacks, a rollup patio awning and a pair of propane tanks as well as a Honda ES 6500 120/240 volt generator. Bonhams said the trailer has been professionally maintained and was always stored inside when not in use.
The customized Airstream is just one piece of movie history that Hanks is offering at the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction on August 13. He’s also selling a small fleet of vehicles called the “Tom Hanks Collection,” which also includes the 2010 Ford F-450 Super Duty pickup truck that was used to tow the Airstream, Hanks’ customized 1980 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser and his 2015 Tesla Model S P85D. Bonhams said it expects the Airstream to sell for somewhere between $150,000 and $250,000, while the F-450 has an estimated value of between $70,000 and $100,000. The Land Cruiser should go for between $75,000 and $125,000 and the high-performance Tesla is estimated to sell for between $70,000 and $100,000.”You haven’t lived well until you survive a movie-stopping thunderstorm in an Airstream while on location in Carolina,” Hanks told Bonhams. “But, more than anything, an Airstream is gorgeous and cozy, which is why everyone who visited mine went away wanting one.”
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