Copycat cars: Haven't I seen that design somewhere else?

Toyota Camry

Subaru Legacy

Look at the similarity of the taillights on the Legacy vs. the Camry...coincidence? Sometimes it's hard to conclude who is the innovator and who is the thief - cars are planned and designed years before we consumers see them, and often shrouded in secrecy. I wanted to point out a few more examples of copycats: design features that look all too similar. Click through for more.

R.I.P.D. movie car chase scenes sighted!

During a trip through downtown Boston a couple weeks ago, I came across a film crew shooting some awesome car chase / car crash scenes and snapped a few pictures. Later I did some more research and found out that the movie was R.I.P.D. (stands for Rest in Peace Department) starring Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, and Jeff Bridges, and is expected to be released in 2013. The plot is evidently about a murdered cop who joins forces with living cops to find his killer. Sounds like a good action movie to me, and anything with a blacked out Porsche Cayenne has to be entertaining. It must be a big-budget film given that a good part of the city was shut down for the weekend. Click through for some more pictures.

Can't buy an Opel GT in the US? Convert a Saturn Sky!

Opel Sky??

I recently stumbled upon this well-executed conversion of an ordinary Saturn Sky into an Opel GT. The front logo, rear end, space between the seats, and even the center of the wheels were swapped to the Opel logo. The steering wheel still had the Saturn logo, and the seats were still embroidered with the word "Sky", but no one would be able to tell from afar. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Aston Martins are rare, but an Opel is non-existant in the US...talk about exclusive! I always wondered how much money it would cost to convert a Peugeot or Renault to comply with US regulations. Even if it were possible, finding a good mechanic to do repairs would be quite tricky (and expensive). But this Saturn would be quite affordable. Click through for some more shots:

Pointless red plastic

I passed the '11 Accord on the way from work yesterday and I realized Honda added unattractive red taillight extensions on the trunk itself. I think they are for reflective safety purposes, but they just don't look good. I wanted to point out some other examples of excessive red glass in recent history: