Free Republic

The Monterey Car Week auctions are where the beautiful members of the landed gentry go to blow obscene amounts of money on cars, and at yesterday’s RM Sotheby’s auction, one of them took Cobramania to new heights. This 1962 Shelby 260 Cobra known as the CSX 2000 just commanded $13.75 million at auction. ... RM Sotheby’s has a ton of detailed information on this legendary car, but it is notable for being the very first Shelby Cobra. It arrived in the U.S. without a motor in February 1962, and Carroll Shelby and his partner Dean Moon then threw in a...

Crystal Cruises has spent three years planning the Serenity’s voyage to prevent Titanic-like scenarios (and is requiring $50,000 in evacuation insurance for passengers). The Canadian and American coast guards and federal bodies including Transport Canada are also overseeing the trip. Such preparation is “unprecedented,” Mr. Hutchinson said. “We’ve seen a level of planning that suggests to us the company is taking seriously the conditions they’re going to face.” The British RRS Ernest Shackleton icebreaker is escorting the ship, along with two helicopters to assess ice conditions. The Serenity is outfitted with a forward-looking sonar, searchlights and a navigation system that...

When Top Gear brought together the latest Audi R8 V10 Plus, Porsche 911 Turbo S, McLaren 570S and Nissan GT-R on a runway, they must have guessed that the former acceleration king doesn't have a chance against the younger breed. The GT-R is almost a decade old now, and despite having 565 horses and all-wheel drive, it's been proven that even a GT3 RS can beat it both in a straight line and around the bends. It's also the cheapest car of the lot, so fair is fair. On paper, the Audi R8 V10 Plus should demolish a McLaren 570S...

Two New Jersey Transit buses collided Friday in a horrific t-bone crash in busy downtown Newark, killing one person and injuring at least 19 others, according to the county prosecutor's office. The identity of the person who died wasn't immediately known. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka told a news conference that the fatality was one of the bus drivers, and that 7 of the injured were in critical condition.

The HVA takes a look at the story of the first Chevrolet Camaro built visiting with its stewards and marque historians. The first Camaro built is being recognized as No. 15 on the HVA National Historic Vehicle Register program in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) to be archived in Library of Congress.

All seven victims in the Silver Spring explosion are now accounted for, while the intense investigation into the deadly blast that destroyed an apartment building kicks into high gear. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the explosion at the apartment complex. Investigators have been on scene since last week. Seven bodies have since been recovered from the rubble. Police believe, unfortunately, some of those may belong to people still reported missing. Recovery and rescue efforts continue in Silver Spring. A week later, the rubble and debris is as prominent as ever in the deadly fire and explosion that shook...

The Airlander 10 - which is part plane and part airship - took off from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire. Its original test flight on Sunday was postponed, but it finally left the ground at 19:40 BST. The £25m aircraft measures 302ft (92m) long and is about 50ft (15m) longer than the biggest passenger jets. ... Christened the Martha Gwyn, the aircraft was first developed for the US government as a surveillance aircraft but the project was shelved amid defence cutbacks. ... The huge aircraft will be able to stay airborne for around five days during manned flights. HAV claims it...

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X is the 33rd season of Survivor (for those unfamiliar with the show, there are two seasons each year). It begins Wednesday, September 21, 2016 on CBS at 8/7c with a special 90 minute episode. References: Official Survivor site at CBSWikipedia article There will be twenty new players - no returning players - divided into two tribes of ten players each, divided by age. Survivor: New Millennials vs. Gen X cast and twists revealed This season will be held in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. This is a different place than where Survivor: Fiji was held. The...

Mexican authorities are scrambling to rescue at between 12 and 16 victims who were taken at gunpoint from an upscale restaurant in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta. On Monday afternoon, the Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Breitbart Texas through a prepared statement the ongoing investigation into a large kidnapping.

It is the end of an era in Las Vegas as one of the most famed hotels and casinos on the Strip was demolished in the early morning hours of Tuesday. The final tower of the Riviera was reduced to little more than rubble a little over a year after the city's first high-end casino shut its doors in May of last year. Long known as a classic mob joint featured in films such as Oceans 11 and Diamonds are Forever, the Riviera also hosted the residences of famed Vegas performances including Liberace and Dean Martin during its heyday.

Here’s one more group millennials are ignoring as they spend time glued to their smartphones — airline personnel. About 61% of millennials admitted to hiding behind electronic devices in order to avoid interacting with airline staff, according to a survey market-research firm Mintel conducted among 2,000 adults. Beyond millennials, less than half of Generation X — those born roughly between 1965 and 1980 — say they avoid airline personnel, and less than 37% of baby boomers said so. Automated technology is increasingly replacing people for cost-savings and convenience, and few travelers still value the human touch in the process.

Canada’s Baffin Island is home to the highest concentration of unclimbed cliff faces on Earth. Naturally, the remote island has become a mecca for elite mountain climbers, known as alpinists. The pilgrimage is often made from Yosemite National Park in the United States, since the two attract a similar cadre of adventurers looking for a challenge. From the Yosemite mountaineering community, alpinists Cheyne Lempe and Dave Allfrey made one particular mountain the target of their climbing crosshairs: the Great Pillar. Even for a pair who are part of a young generation rising through the ranks quickly, a climb like the...

FREEPers, I need a little advice. I am in the market for a late model used car. We have had good success in our family with Toyotas; owned three or four of them in all and are quite happy with their track record. Also, it has been about six years since I bought a car, so I don't know if the "game" has changed much. I have bought from the "Carmax" guys before, and I know they don't haggle. But I found what was supposed to be a "Dealer Certified" car from a Toyota dealer a few miles from home....

Friends - I wanted to let you know that Dad died very peacefully last night about 9:30. He was here at home surrounded by people who love him. My dear friend Julie Adams and I were flanking him in bed, my husband Robert was nearby and Gertie was curled up next to the bed. Dad was listening to Baby the Rain Must Fall when his breaths spaced out and he drifted up and out during the last chorus - catching a ride on the Perseids to his next Great Adventure. It was a very good death. More stories to tell...

CENTER CITY, Pa., A couple traveling on a stretch of Pennsylvania freeway captured video of a woman steering her car with her feet while using both hands to text. Sarah and Shawn Delong captured video of the woman using her feet to steady the steering wheel while traveling on the Schuylkill Expressway in Center City. "Someone is going to get killed, that's why I was so mad. You see people on their phones all the time, but that took the cake," Sarah Delong told WPVI-TV. "For a good 20 minutes we were in her vicinity whether it was beside her...

Extreme and gruesome violence has turned a city once beloved by holidaymakers from around the world into a war zone. Acapulco, on Mexico's Pacific Coast, has been gripped by such bloody chaos in recent years that it has been dubbed one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Shocking new photographs captured in little more than two months on the streets show just have horrifying life there has become, with death seemingly able to strike anywhere in the city.

As the number of migrants requesting asylum in Germany rises on last year’s figure, the country’s tourism industry is suffering. July saw 74,545 people make applications for asylum in Germany, according to the Ministry of the Interior, almost double last year’s figure for the month.

A Chinese tourist spent nearly two weeks in a German migrant hostel after mistakenly applying for asylum when he actually wanted to report a theft... A translation app confirmed Mr Schluetermann's suspicions that the tourist had got entangled in the asylum system by mistake. "It came up with phrases like 'I want to go on a trip abroad'," he said. It emerged that the tourist had plans to visit Italy and France.

Are cruise ships prepared for the threat of terrorism? As I have contended for a long time, in my opinion no. Cruise lines are still calling on dangerous ports. They are still sending passengers on unescorted shore excursions in buses without armed security personnel. Cruise ships can't prevent terrorists from overpowering their unarmed security guards on most cruise ships and running up the gangways. (Some European cruise lines, like Costa, have weapons). Few lines are conducting anti-terrorist drills. The rare anti-terrorism training drill conducted by local and federal agencies are not even conducted on cruise ships. Few lines have installed...

Just as construction crews were putting the finishing touches on Interstate 22 this week, rumors began to circulate that the road's completion may set off a chain of events that could destroy humanity and bring civilization to it's knees. According to a Wikipedia article created last night, Interstate 22, formerly known as "Corridor X" and "Ye Olden Highway," is considered to be North America's very first construction project. Native American documents dating back to 800 AD show plans to clear a path from Memphis to Birmingham, giving Midwestern tribes of 19-22 year-olds the quickest route to destroying Alabama's pristine beaches...