McLaren Ahoy! MP4-12C Arrives in North America, Priced at a Measly…$229,000

We'd tell you to get your bank accounts ready if we didn’t know better, because at $229,000, not including a $2,400 destination and port processing fee, we somehow doubt you can afford the new McLaren MP4-12C without selling your house.

The British automaker not only informed us that deliveries of the MP4-12C "are now underway to customers in North America and Canada" (apparently, Canada split off the continent and nobody took notice) but the company also released a video of the first supercars driving off the cargo vessel Taisko in Baltimore, MD.

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The Story Behind Joe, the Man who Excavated his Basement Using Only R/C Scale Models

We don't know what's more astounding; the fact that for the past seven years, someone had the patience and the know-how to dig his basement using only radio controlled scale models, or that his feat went by unnoticed by the viewing masses for such a long time.

Whatever the case, we were surely amazed by Joe, who prefers to be known by his first name only, and his devotion to his favorite hobby.

After we published the story last week, Joe, who is from Saskatchewan, Canada, came into contact with Carscoop to give us an insight on his incredible hobby and how it became to be.

Here's hoping that after reading his story that follows below, some readers will rethink their assumptions about Joe and his work.

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Canadian Digs Out Basement Using Only Radio Controlled Scale Tractors and Trucks...Since 2005!

Excavating a basement using professional machinery is nothing new but doing it with radio controlled (RC) scaled models is something unheard of. Welcome to the little big world of Joe, from Saskatchewan, Canada.

For the past 7 years (!), Joe has been digging out his basement at an average annual rate of 8 to 9 cubic feet using nothing more than RC tractors and trucks!

And we're talking about the whole nine yards here - he starts by transporting the excavator on an RC truck to the basement, unloads it, digs and uses other trucks to transfer the dirt up to the ground through a spiral ramp! He even has a miniature rock crusher!

"I feel quite fortunate to have stumbled onto this basement excavation idea, it's been a great past time to date dreaming up new ideas to tackle different projects along the way," Joe wrote on the Scale4x4rc forums where he also posted pictures and videos of his feat.

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Police Seize Chevrolet Impala Taxis in Canada for…Street Racing

Now here’s something you don't often hear about. Canadian police seized the vehicles of two motorists for racing on Yonge Street in Toronto. Nothing new except that these two drivers were racing their Chevrolet Impala…taxi cabs!

We don't know who the winner was from the Beck Taxi versus Royal Cab derby nor if they managed to actually complete the quarter mile on the public road, but Canadian news sites reported that the two cabbies were formally charged and had their licenses suspended for seven days.

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Canadian who Drove Ferrari Enzo into the Atlantic Says he's "Gonna do Bigger, Better Next Time"

You may not recall Zahir Rana’s name, but you will surely remember his bright yellow, Edo-prepped Ferrari Enzo taking a dive into the Atlantic last September, since the incident was recorded and subsequently posted on YouTube where it made quite a splash.

Now, if you can afford to buy an Enzo, customize it to the tune of 860-horses and compete in a race with it, then the US$100,000 tab for repairing the damages sustained during this unscheduled plunge into the water may seem like small change.

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic Recalled as Some Cars May be Missing…a Brake Pad!

General Motors has found itself in a somewhat embarrassing situation as the Detroit-based automaker revealed that some examples of its newly launched 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact model might be missing an inner or outer front brake pad.

The automaker said it became aware of the problem on November 29 when a customer brought a 2012 Sonic into a dealership complaining about noises coming from the brakes. The company noted that here are no known crashes or injuries related to the issue.

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Hyundai Canada Pitches a Scented Veloster for Christmas Trees

A lot of advertisers try to capitalize on the Christmas season to draw our attention on their clients' products, but few actually manage to succeed. One of the efforts that did manage to grab our attention this season comes from Hyundai Canada.
Instead of a tree-shaped air freshener for cars, Hyundai Canada and its advertising agency Innocean Canada came up with a novel idea of sending customers a Veloster shaped freshener for their Christmas trees. A simple yet effective idea.
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GM Confirms Next Generation Impala, will Invest $68 Million to Prep Oshawa Plant

The Impala is a historic nameplate for Chevrolet with roots that go back to the golden era of American automobiles, the 1950s, and it's one that General Motors isn't about to let go despite the fact that the series has faded away into mediocrity these past years.

Today, the Detroit-based company confirmed plans for the development of a brand new Chevy Impala and announced an investment of $68 million to prepare its Oshawa Assembly Plant in Canada for the production of the next generation sedan.

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Surprise, Surprise: Canada's Most Stolen Vehicle is the 2009 Toyota Venza, Pontiac Aztec Makes Top 10

Who would have ever guessed that car thieves in Canada have a thing for the Toyota Venza? Yet, the 2009 model year version of Toyota's crossover topped the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s [IBC] top 10 most frequently stolen vehicles this year.

The 2009 Venza takes the crown from the 2000 Honda Civic SiR Coupe that was last year’s number one stolen vehicle but dropped to third place in 2011, just below the 1999 Honda Civic SiR Coupe.

The Japanese carmaker's models prove to be very popular among Canadian thieves as the 1998 and 1999 Acura Integra Coupe also made the list taking the 9th and 10th spot respectively.

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Acura CSX: Canada's Posh Honda Civic Sedan

As some of you readers rightly pointed out in our post on the upcoming 2013 Acura ILX compact sedan, the TSX is not Acura's cheapest offering in North America. This dazzling title goes to the Canadian market CSX.

It doesn't take much to see that the CSX and the previous, eighth generation of the Honda Civic sedan are one and alike minus some discreet styling changes at the front and at the rear, and a more posh interior with all the extras ticked.

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New Hyundai Elantra Sales Soar to 216,331 Units in the U.S. and Canada in 2011

While the economic climate may not be ideal, Hyundai is enjoying a success this year in North America as it has eclipsed the 600,000 annual sales mark for the first time in its 25-year U.S. history.

Leading the way in both Canada and the USA, is the redesigned Elantra that saw its sales increase by 43 percent, from 151,735 deliveries in 2010 to 216,331 this year, setting an all-time record for the model series.

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Next Chrysler Minivan to be Sold as a Rebadged Dodge Only in Canada

Lately, there has been an abundance of news regarding the Chrysler Group's future plans. About a month ago, the automaker's CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters that the Chrysler Group would stop selling duplicate offerings to provide each of its brands a stronger and more unique lineup.

As part of the firm's revised plan, Marchionne said at the time that the company would only offer a replacement for the Chrysler Town & Country discarding the Grand Caravan from Dodge's range.

And while that may be true for the U.S. market, the Detroit News is reporting today that the Dodge Grand Caravan will most likely live on in Canada, which would not get the next Town & Country.

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Video: Road Rage Quickly Escalates to a Boxing Match but Ends with a…Handshake! [NSFW]

"Road rage" is described as any display of aggression by a driver of any type of vehicle against another motorist because of something that happened on the road.

And while most drivers will experience road rage in some form or another in their driving history, in most cases, these incidents leave only verbal insults ringing in their ears.

But once in a while, you get that crazy driver that will launch a physical attack and then…all hell breaks loose. And that's exactly what happened during this incident, which according to one of our readers, took place in the U.S. Ottawa, Canada.

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Thai Floods Force Honda to Halve Production at U.S. and Canadian Plants, New 2012 CR-V to be Delayed

After Toyota, Honda is the next Japanese carmaker to announce significant production cuts at its North American plants due to component shortages caused by three months of disastrous flooding in Thailand.

And is the case with Toyota, the production cuts for Honda come just as the company was recovering from the effects of the March earthquake and tsunami.

Honda said that as the flooding in Thailand continues, a number of its suppliers in Asia are currently unable to maintain parts production to its assembly plants in the U.S. and Canada.

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VW Releases New Beetle Apple App that Interacts with Billboards

Mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular these days as tools to market products and services. This has not escaped the attention of automakers and their respective advertising and marketing divisions, which try to create apps to draw the attention of consumers.

Following the recently launched FT-86 app by Toyota, Volkswagen of Canada has also released its own interactive app to promote the new 2012 Beetle named "VWJuicedUp".

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1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Special Edition Abandoned in Santa Monica Garage for 40 Years!

The Mercedes 300SL Gullwing is most certainly one of the most coveted and valuable classics, and the inspiration behind the modern-day SLS AMG. In its time, it was considered as one of the best sports cars in the world.

Thus, if you lived in the 1970s and your parents gave you a 1955 Gullwing as a graduation present, you’d probably cherish every moment behind its wheel. And that’s what Tom Wellmer did in 1971 – until the transmission went haywire. Instead of taking it for service, Wellmer just left it in a Santa Monica garage – and it remained parked there for the next four decades!

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Video: Watch a Modded Ferrari Enzo Take a Dip into the Atlantic Ocean

Between 2002 and 2004, Ferrari built a limited run of approximately 400 Enzo supercars. Understandably, being such an extremely rare car, when an Enzo bites the dust, or rather in this case, the sea, the news makes headlines.

This particular accident involved a 2003 Ferrari Enzo tuned by Edo Competition that was driven by Calgary car dealer Zahir Rana at the Targa Newfoundland Rally in Canada.

At some point during the race, Rana lost control of the Italian supercar after hitting a hard bump on the gravel sending it straight into the ocean…

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Chrysler to Sell Fiat Doblo in the U.S. and Canada under the Ram Brand

In a move that perhaps shows more than anything else how intertwined the automotive industry is today, the Fiat and Chrysler Alliance announced today plans to sell the Fiat Doblo van in the U.S. and Canadian markets under the Ram brand.

You may recall that GM's European division Opel, will debut its own rebadged version of the Fiat Doblo called the Combo at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show .

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Canadian Police Confiscate 13 Supercars after Youngsters Speed Race [with Video]

Ocean’s 13 got away with stealing diamonds, earning millions of cash and ruining their adversary’s life. British Columbia’s 13, 12 young men and one woman, all under 21 years old, got away with racing each other, reaching speeds of over 125 mph (200 km/h) on a metro Vancouver highway with a $196 fine each.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that the cars impounded had a combined value of $2 million. These are the supercars that were temporarily seized:

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Mad (Cow) Science: How Canadians Plan to Turn High-Risk Proteins into Bio-Plastic

In the wake of Canada’s 2003 bovine spongiform encephalopathy outbreak (that’s Mad Cow Disease to you and me), the Canadian government barred the use of BSE infected tissue – including the skull, brain, eyes and spinal cords of cattle – in the production of any and all byproducts.

Fearing that such tissue would merely end up in the landfills of North America, University of Alberta Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science associate professor David Bressler is looking to turn these waste materials into – among other things – bio-friendly plastic for the automotive industry.

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