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California is home to many weird and wonderful home-made vehicles, some more useful than other. But few can be as useful as the car pool table car which can do up to 160km/h on the freeway. A late model Chevrolet Monte Carlo is the base for this particular pool table. The roof was cut off, the vehicle then chopped in half and thanks to some artful but careful welding, a pool table on car wheels was added to the rear of the assembly. At the press of a button, hydraulic pads drop down from underneath the ta

Bystanders in an Ohio town were somewhat perplexed at the sight of a car being driven along the road with a cat tied securely on top of the bonnet (hood). On hearing reports of this occurrence from a series of worried locals, police responded rapidly in a bid to track the offending driver, an elderly woman. However the trail had already grown cold and the cat carrying car had disappeared from the roadway, leaving both police and residents somewhat mystified over the incident. A local animal charity commente

A pensioner on the UK’s south coast has decided to turn his wandering ways to water instead of the road. The divorced man opted to install his caravan on a catamaran, adding an outboard motor for propulsion purposes. The seaworthiness of the craft has not been fully tested and hopefully the man will restrict its movements to short trips in shallow waters on calm days. Also in the UK a pensioner has been spotted towing his boat to and from the nearby harbour using his mobility scooter. Luckily the boat is c

Polish police prevented a Punto from proceeding after spotting a cow jammed into the back of the car. The driver, a farmer, had been transporting the young cow back to his farm, using his Fiat Punto. The car had been modified with the addition of straw and a wooden interior so as to allow animals to be carried. The police were less than impressed however and told the farmer that the car was too small to be used in such a fashion. Instead, the officers instructed the farmer to walk the animal back to his pro

A car owner was rather upset when his vehicle was returned from a garage after servicing. The man checked his dashboard camera only to find footage of the fast Ford Focus being taken out for a high speed drive by a mechanic from the garage. While emulating the stars of the Fast and the Furious films, the Ford Focus was fired ferociously along urban routes. In all the camera recorded seven hours-worth of footage of the mechanic working on the vehicle and using foul language while doing so, as well as driving

A Turkish bus driver was banned following the release of a film clip made by a passenger. This showed the driver dancing in the aisle of his vehicle with other passengers, even as the bus thundered along the road at around 112km/h (70mph). The authorities were less than impressed with the man’s antics and he was fined and banned from driving. With future employment as a bus driver unlikely given his misdemeanor, it is not clear if he will make the life switch to dance instructor instead.

A cab driver in the US city of Philadelphia received a welcome surprise from a customer in the shape of a healthy tip. The driver had been talking with his customer during the short journey and admitted he had endured a long day behind the wheel. The kind-hearted customer decided to cheer the driver up, giving him a tip of US$989.

The modern automobile offers massive gains in safety over earlier generation vehicles. Occupant protection levels have been improved due to crash testing regimes that have ensured vehicles will not collapse catastrophically in the event of an impact. Braking systems are more effective and reliable, with ABS preventing skidding in wet weather conditions. The prospect of autonomous vehicles in the near future offer further safety gains to come. But right now, there is a problem. Too much technology is bein

A drunk driver in Dortmund, Germany caused commuter consternation when he mistakenly drove his Ford car onto tram tracks at a stretch where they ran along the surface. The line then dipped underground and the driver was unable to turn round, driving on until coming to a halt in an underground station. He stopped at the station and got out of his vehicle, leaving it on the tracks. Two police officers arrested him and bundled him away, leaving the transport officials with the job of moving the car. They had t

A British construction worker used a midi excavator to write a marriage proposal for his partner. With a paintbrush attached to the bucket, the man used the machine to spell out his romantic message. The woman, a teacher, accepted his proposal.

A driver reacted with fury following a fine in Finland for a speeding offence. The millionaire was hit with a fine of €54,000 (around £40,000) for driving at 22.4km/h (14mph) over the posted speed limit of 80km/h (50mph). In Finland a national database allows police to view the income of speeding offenders and to set fines in proportion. With the man earning a healthy €6.5 million/year, the fine was deemed appropriate by the authorities. The man however was less than impressed and posted his complaints onli

A British woman had rather a nasty shock while taking her young child to see African wildlife at a safari park in the UK. An amorous male rhinoceros first sniffed at her car and then repeatedly bashed into it, apparently mistaking it for a female of the species. Around €693 (£500) worth of damage was caused to the car, a grey Mitsubishi Warrior pick-up truck, although the woman and her toddler were unharmed. Luckily her choice of vehicle gave her and her child some protection against the over-excited creatu

In-car connection technology now allows drivers to order food while behind the wheel. The systems mean that drivers can track their orders while the fast-food providers can monitor vehicle location. This means that orders can be ready as soon as a driver arrives, ensuring that food is freshly cooked and still warm. It should also allow drivers to ensure the orders are correct. An interactive voice control system is used to place the order, so that the driver’s hands remain on the vehicle controls. The techn

The vagaries of cycling laws in New Zealand were laid bare in December after police arrested a naked, drunk cyclist. For police in Timaru, a major port city on the south-east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, it was too much. In the name of decency they would not just stand by and be taunted and teased right in the middle of the high street. Apparently a police sergeant said that the man had not been charged with indecent exposure. Instead, the ever vigilant police decided the main issue was his lack of

A quick look at corporate results for some of the major construction equipment manufacturers paints a somewhat confusing picture of current demand. Caterpillar, the world’s largest manufacturer of off-highway machines and for so long a bell-wether for the construction sector, recently released results showing a drop in profits. CNH and Volvo CE too have been similarly afflicted with a lower than expected financial performance, perhaps a major factor in Volvo CE's decision to pull out of a joint venture part