Speed Ticket Survey: Mercedes-Benz SL and Toyota Solara Drivers Top the List

We recently told you about how the angriest drivers in Britain tend to be behind the wheel of a BMW. Now we have some speeding/insurance info from the States, and it's a bit surprising.

According to Quality Planning, a division of Verisk Analytics Inc., American Mercedes SL drivers are at least four times more likely to get ticketed than a run-of-the-mill motorist who presumably drives a Camry Solara or...no, wait, the Camry Solara/Coupe and Scion tC come in at second and third.

Oddly, the Pontiac Grand Prix is still on the list and making waves (scroll down for the full list with stats).

Of the top ten most ticketed cars, Mercedes and Toyota can each lay claim to three: the SL, the CLS63, and the CLK63, and the Camry Solara/Coupe, Scion tC, and xB. In defense of its speedy vehicles, Mercedes' spokesman Robert Moran says, "These are fun-to-drive cars, and sometimes people have a little too much fun enjoying them."

On the other side of the spectrum, people-hauling SUVs were among the least ticketed as long as we exclude the Hummer H2/H3; the lowest was actually the Buick Rainier.

The lesson here, kids, is skip the sex-on-wheels Benzos and just go for an old Buick SUV is you want to avoid tickets. Or, you could just restrain yourself...but where's the fun in that?

By Phil Alex

Source: Verisk Analytics , Via: BusinessWeek

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GM Teases 2012 Buick Verano [aka the Opel Astra Sedan], Will be Built in Michigan

General Motors today released a new teaser photo of its upcoming 2012 Buick Verano compact sedan together with the news that the vehicle will be built alongside Chevrolet's new small car [we assume GM means the Aveo] at the Orion Assembly Center in Michigan. The Detroit automaker said it plans to invest $145 million to upgrade the factory for this reason.

"[The] Verano will bring premium styling, performance and content to Buick buyers wanting a smaller car than Regal," said GM North American President Mark Reuss. "The investment in Orion Assembly also extends GM's local small car footprint, again increasing the number of U.S.-made small vehicles available in showrooms."

Although the company did not get into any specific details on the new Verano, the cropped picture confirms our previous reports that it will be the same car sold in China as the 2011 Buick Excelle GT, which in turn is essentially the sedan version of the latest generation Opel Astra.

The small Buick is built on the same platform and shares basic engine architecture with the Chevrolet Cruze.

GM said the Orion Assembly is currently in the process of retooling the plant for the Verano and the small Chevy, with the improvements expected to be finished by summer 2011, which should allow for Buick to launch the car into the U.S. market before the end of the same year.

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VersaTile Art Car by Big Al

photo by Krazy Horse

"VersaTile" is 1971 Buick Centurion (455cu V-8) covered with over 600 pounds of ceramic tile and china plates and 100 caulk tubes of Silicone. Created by Al "Big Al" Bartell, this 5,200 pound behemoth is a mosaic masterpiece. Big Al spent six months carefully crafting "Versatile." The car defines opposites: sun/moon, day/night, heaven/hell, male/female, coyote/road runner...The sleek lines of this Buick make an excellent surface for the broken shards of tile and plates that Big Al collected from garage sales and from his family then meticulously glued them each into place. "VersaTile" is Big Al's first art car, but you'd never know it by looking at it. via

19 Donk Cars Covered in Candy Paint

Some time ago I posted a video about a cars covered in Cheetos and Doritos vinyl graphics, and the other day I found the ultimate Facebook car called a "Donk". I got some grief over it because one of my art car friends did not think it was considered an "art car". For me its a unique form of expression that deserves some face time here on Art Car Central. They also look like a lot of fun to drive around in so I managed to find 19 top corporate brand covered cars with famous cereal, snack and drink names. These "hi-riser" or "sky-scrapers" cars have gigantic rims ranging from 22" to 30"and extremely high ground clearance that resemble urban 4x4's,  are called "Donks". The term "Donk" came from the impala symbol on any Chevy impala from the year 1971 to 1976, because the symbol looked like a "donkey". It became popular in the south to cover these cars with name brands using vinyl car wrap technology. The most popular type of car used are Chevrolet models, namely the Impala, Caprice, Monte Carlo, and Chevelle. Other models that are frequently made into hi-risers include the G-body Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass, El Camino, Pontiac Grand Prix, and Pontiac Bonneville. So for your sweat tooth, cereal and salty snack enjoyment, I present to you 19 tasty Donk car treats.