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Around the tracks: A BMW 4 Series ute, a creepy surveillance van for sale and a Supra crash

Plus, inside the updated Airstream and a faux manual in Japan.


When we’re not creating it ourselves, the CarAdvice team spends a lot of time finding and consuming motoring content from all over the world.

Here’s a handful of the photos, articles, videos or social media posts that most caught our eye last week. Some of them are brand new, others have been online for a while.

Enjoy them – just not too much, okay?


1. The BMW 4 Series in ute form

How do you make a controversial design even more divisive? Turn it into a ute, of course.

The facelifted BMW 4 Series has certainly been successful as a conversation starter, spurning a thousand spinoffs and speculative designs thanks to its giant kidney grille.

But one of the latest creations based on the 4 Series is... disturbing. In the most wonderful way.

Behold, the rendering no one asked for: a BMW 4 Series ute, courtesy of X-Tomi Design.

Somehow we can't see this one taking off.


2. This look inside the 2021 Airstream

Apparently, since we're all stuck at home with air travel on hold, camper vans, motor homes and trailers are making a comeback.

Perfect timing, then, for iconic US trailer brand Airstream to drop its updated Flying Cloud and International models for 2021.

For campers craving a more luxurious experience, the interiors of both models have been updated to provide even greater comfort, with considerations made for things like the al fresco dining setup, the curtain fabric offerings, the kitchen finishes and the floorplan flexibility.

You can see all the photos at Car and Driver, but we're particularly impressed with the pastel blue banquette and mountain views in the promotional shots.

In case you were wondering, the new Flying Cloud starts at US$78,900 while the International starts at US$91,900. That's more than AU$100,000 each – one expensive camping trip.


3. This 'fake manual' electric car

What do you do when you want to cut down on emissions but still teach people how to drive? You use an all-electric car with a fake manual transmission, of course!

At least, that's what driving schools in China are doing, according to Jalopnik, with something called the 'Chery New Energy eQ2 Driving School Version'.

In a nutshell, it's an EV dressed up as a conventional, internal-combustion car with full manual transmission.

As Jalopnik explained: "The Driving School variant adds a tachometer, clutch pedal, and five-speed shifter. All of which, are, of course, fake. Well, the parts are real enough, but what they do is all an illusion.

"The various inputs of clutch and shifter work with software in the car that cause it to behave like a manual, ICE car, with shift points, simulated engine sounds, and it can even 'stall' if you let off the clutch too quickly."

You can read the full story here.


4. This Toyota Supra test drive ending in disaster

We've all heard test-drive horror stories, but perhaps none ending as destructively as this one.

A new Toyota Supra was left in tatters in New York this month after two people allegedly took it on a test drive from a dealership and ended up wrapping it around a tree.

Photos from the scene of the crash were posted to the local fire department's Facebook account, revealing just how bad the wreck was, with vehicle fragments scattered all around the scene and the front bonnet destroyed.

One of the passengers sustained injuries in the crash – which occurred only one mile (1.6km) from the dealership – but thankfully no pedestrians or other drivers were harmed.

A 2020 Supra starts at $84,900 plus on-road costs and boasts a top speed of 250km/h.


5. This creepy surveillance van up for sale in Chicago

Need to stake out the neighbourhood? This US government surplus site has you covered with its latest offering – a 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager kitted out with surveillance equipment.

For a minimum bid of US$2200, you could be the proud (?) owner of this extremely dodgy-looking van with its blackout windows, roof-mounted periscope camera (disguised as an innocent orange roof light), flat-screen monitor and DVD recorder.

You can see the full listing and all the photos here – it all looks like something out of a budget Jason Bourne movie.

Nothing suspicious to see here, folks...

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Susannah Guthrie

Susannah Guthrie has been a journalist for over a decade, covering everything from world news to fashion, entertainment, health and now cars. Having previously worked across titles like The New Daily, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, People Magazine and Cosmopolitan, Susannah now relishes testing family cars with the help of her husband and two-year-old son.

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