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Around the tracks: A Commodore ute for sale in the US, a neglected Testarossa and a ceiling fan for your car

Plus, the world's highest paid automotive influencer and one man's Corvette epiphany.


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. This Holden Commodore ute up for sale in the USA

We might spend our time lusting over some America-only cars, but it turns out some Americans think the grass is greener in Australia.

While a Holden Commodore ute might once have been a dime-a-dozen on Australian streets, it turns out it's something of an oddity for our American friends.

Take this 'Pontiac G8 ute conversion' that's up for sale in Kentucky, which is essentially a Commodore ute rebadged with a the Commodore-converted Pontiac front.

Kentucky Auto Trader has listed the car for a whopping US$30,000, a price sure to make any current Commo ute owner do a double-take.

"Totally hand built with factory parts imported from Australia, where this would be known as a Holden Ute," the Facebook listing reads.

"This body was never imported into the US. Pontiac had a Ute prototype that was never produced. This is a clone of that prototype. It runs and drives great. Stops fast and straight. VERY quick ride."

We all want what we can't have, it seems.


2. This Australian influencer topping the list of the world's highest-paid car bloggers

In an effort to celebrate some homegrown success, it's worth highlighting one Australian car lover who made headlines this week: Alex Hirschi, better known as Supercarblondie or "that girl with the cars", as she describes herself.

The Brisbane-born car content creator, who has 6.4 million Instagram followers, 9 million Facebook followers and 3.6 million YouTube subscribers, was revealed to be the top-earning "carfluencer" in the world for 2020.

According to research released by comparison site GoCompare, Hirschi's annual income is estimated to more than AU$2 million, with the Dubai-based social media star commanding as much as £25,000 ($45,174.71) per Instagram post.

Earlier this month, Hirschi received some blowback when she covered her brand new Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge in questionable neon green paint. Thankfully, she later revealed it was a prank.


3. This legally blind man who regained his vision and immediately bought a Corvette

If you're in need of a story to make you smile this week, look no further than the tale of Canadian man Mike Schickerowski.

As covered by The DriveMike's story began when he was born with a condition that rendered him legally blind.

Just a few years ago, Mike signed up to have an experimental surgery to finally fix his vision and – thankfully – it worked.

Naturally, the first thing he did was to get his driver's licence at the age of 44 and the second thing he did was to buy himself a yellow C7 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.

"Some people said, 'Oh, it's Alberta, you need a truck,' and sure I like trucks—they're nice—but everybody's got a truck," he told The Drive.

"After getting my learner's license in April 2019, I had really only driven one vehicle, my wife's Yukon, before purchasing the 'Vette later in August.

"[T]he acceleration and power blew me away and I knew that it deserved respect...I bought it because I loved the look but quickly realised how amazing the steering, braking, and suspension were. I realised then that she was so much more than just good looks."

You can read the full story here.


4. This forgotten Ferrari Testarossa, parked on the side of the road for 17 years

Most people dream of stumbling upon a forgotten car find worth tens of thousands of dollars – some people have it sitting in their driveways.

British YouTuber Ratarossa has a habit of locating long-lost Ferraris and restoring them to their former glory.

One of his more recent finds was a Ferrari Testarossa that had been parked on the side of a street under the hot Puerto Rican sun for 17 years – abandoned by its seemingly disinterested owner.

Ratarossa tracked down the owner – who has owned the car since new – and discovered he was willing to sell it for US$30,000, or around AU$41,685.

Given even the cheapest Testarossa examples sell for around US$90,000, Ratarossa explained, that gives you around US$60,000 to pay for shipping and restoration – not a bad deal.

Sadly, the car has been sold since the video was published, so we'll have to go and find another abandoned, affordable Ferrari elsewhere.


5. This man installing a ceiling fan in his car

It's summer in the United States, which means people are relying on their car's climate control system more than usual.

But this man who, in his own words, "designs unnecessary products", decide to forego the traditional air-con in favour of a ceiling fan affixed to his car's roof.

See below for the glorious footage, posted to Reddit. Somehow, it's almost making us want one?

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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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