Russian content creators are strapping luxury cars on top of SUVs in the latest attempt to go viral online.
Two Russian content creators have posted their latest attempts at going viral online – by driving SUVs with luxury vehicles attached to their roofs.
A Rolls-Royce Ghost was seen strapped on the roof of a Hummer H2 SUV while driving through an unknown Russian street, as first reported by US media outlet CarScoops.
Uploaded to the YouTube channel RB life, the first-generation Rolls-Royce Ghost was seen tied down multiple times and anchored at the Hummer’s front, side and back bars for stability, while supported by a wooden platform.
The bespoke Rolls-Royce Ghost is reported to weigh more than 2300kg, with the Russian YouTuber responsible for the video needing a crane to hoist the luxury vehicle onto the Hummer’s roof.
It’s believed the maximum roof load on a Hummer H2 is 300 pounds or approximately 136kg. The SUV seen in the video is supporting more than 10 times its reported carrying capacity while it drove through a city.
While this random attempt to go viral online might seem financially irresponsible, the video has attracted more than 14,000 views at the time of writing.
Based on the YouTube monetisation rate of between $US1.61 ($AU2.43) to $US29.30 ($AU44.27) for every 1000 views, the Russian content creator could have possibly earned somewhere in between $US23,464 ($AU35,454) to $US427,018 ($AU645,330) for the video.
However, it isn’t the first time a luxury vehicle has been spotted on the roof of an SUV in Russia.
The first video of this latest online trend was spotted when a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class was seen on top of a Toyota LandCruiser.
The luxury Maybach S-Class W222 in the video has a weight of 2000kg, while the Toyota LandCruiser 100 Series has a reported maximum roof load of 200kg – with the SUV seen in the Instagram video also supporting 10 times its carrying capacity.
Uploaded by Russian influencer chebotarev_life on Instagram – the Toyota SUV can be seen with the luxury vehicle on its roof, supported by a wooden platform while driving on an unspecified dirt road and city streets in Russia – with the user claiming these two vehicles will be sent to one of his subscribers.
Various Instagram commenters were in disbelief but found humour in the video, with one commenter stating “You know the saying Mercedes to be proud and Toyota to drive”, while another said “We are waiting for the report from the State Security Service”.
Some companies have attempted to market their product because of the online attention this latest trend has garnered. US roof-tent specialists Go Fast Campers (GFC) added to the Instagram post: “Our topper can do that too”.
Both Russian content creators have not specified if the vehicles were damaged while filming the viral videos.
Parking on a nature strip or grassy area may seem like a great way to be guaranteed a safe parking spot, but can it get you in trouble?
If you’ve ever been tempted to park on the nature strip of your property, either to protect your vehicle on a narrow street or to avoid parking further away, chances are you’re not alone.
Nationwide, plenty of motorists generally opt to park their vehicle on a nature strip as a last resort when there’s no nearby parking available – but is it illegal?
Suburban residents have long debated the legality of parking on nature strips – with those living in narrow streets calling for more lenient policing of the issue due to the potential damage passing vehicles could cause to parked cars, or the inaccessible street parking at the front of their property.
In February 2022, residents of Hinchinbrook – a suburb approximately 25km south-west of the Sydney Central Business District – spoke to media claiming they were “unfairly targeted” by their local council when the Liverpool City Council issued illegal parking fines.
The Inverall Avenue residents were allegedly forced to park on their nature strips in order to allow local traffic to move through the narrow road without damaging their vehicles.
More recently, in February 2023 a reader messaged Drive and asked, “I’ve been repeatedly told off by my neighbours for parking on my nature strip. Are they getting upset over nothing or am I in the wrong?”.
With such a contentious topic endlessly making its rounds online sparking opinions from the vast majority of the public, Drive decided to find out if parking on a nature strip is illegal.
Is it illegal to park on a nature strip?
Yes, it is illegal to park on a nature strip under the Australian Road Rules that all states and territories generally observe.
These rules state parking on a nature strip is not permitted and could leave motorists with a hefty fine – however, it is up to local councils on how this road rule is enforced.
Section 197 of the Australian Road Rules states: “A driver must not stop on a bicycle path, footpath, shared path or dividing strip, or a nature strip adjacent to a length of road in a built-up area”.
The rule further explains the exceptions when it states motorists are permitted to park on nature strips “to which a parking control sign applies, and the driver is permitted to stop at that place under the Road Rules, or the driver is permitted to stop under another law of this jurisdiction”.
However, some local councils provide an exemption to this national road rule and are more lenient in their policing.
Western Australian councils like Wanneroo, Cockburn and Swan permit nature-strip parking as long as the motorist is given permission by the property owner or occupant. WA council Busselton allows property owners, occupants and permitted drivers to park on their nature strip.
Tasmania also permits motorists to park their vehicles on nature strips as long as the “driver is the owner or occupier of a private residence on adjacent land that is contiguous with the nature strip”.
What are the fines for illegally parking on a nature strip?
While some motorists have tried to avoid the fines by leaving one or two wheels on the road while their car is parked on the nature strip, beware as local council parking inspectors can still fine drivers an unspecified amount of demerit points and money for this illegal parking act.
Though it is up to local councils’ discretion in distributing fines and penalties for breaking the road rules, the Australian Road Rules provide a general penalty guideline for drivers found to be in violation of the road rules.
In Victoria, illegally parking on a nature strip can incur three penalty units valued at $576.93.
NSW road rules state motorists can be fined a maximum of 20 penalty units or $2200.
Similarly, Queensland can fine drivers a maximum of 20 penalty units ($3096) for disobeying the road rule.
South Australia fines motorists $212 for stopping on a nature strip.
For Australian Capital Territory (ACT) drivers, illegally parking on nature strips can result in a maximum fine of 20 penalty units valued at $3200.
WA road rules state motorists found to be in violation of the nature strip rule can incur a $50 fine.
Tasmania can fine drivers up to five penalty units valued at $975 for breaking this road rule.
And finally, in the Northern Territory (NT) drivers can be fined $50 for parking their vehicles where it is prohibited, according to the NT Traffic Regulations 1999.
A New Zealand café owner was shocked to see his stolen Holden ute returned days later at the same car park where he left it.
A New Zealand café owner was left in disbelief after seeing his stolen vehicle returned four days later at the same car park where he left it before going to work.
Varun Chada, owner of Kati Street in Auckland reportedly finished work at 2:00pm on 15 November 2023 when he noticed his Holden Colorado was missing after heading back inside the restaurant to grab something.
After obtaining his neighbour’s security camera footage, an unidentified man can be seen allegedly taking the vehicle and driving off.
In a surprising twist of events, Mr Chada was shocked to see the car reappear, with a handwritten apology and new toys for his child inside the vehicle.
The suspected car thief claimed he was “drunk and needed a ride home” before returning the vehicle to the owner.
Mr Chada said there was no damage to the car and none of his property was stolen, much to his surprise.
“They took the tent off but they put the tent back on. They could’ve stolen the tent and some other stuff but it’s all in there,” he said to the New Zealand Herald.
“I’m not condoning what they did is fine, but I mean, they gave it back and they said sorry so, I don’t know, I’m just stoked to get back, put it that way.”
Mr Chada claimed posting to Facebook helped the recovery of his stolen vehicle.
“Lots of customers shared it [the post] when it went missing … I think social media definitely helped me get it back as well,” he said in a media statement.
Though the vehicle was safely returned back to the owner, a police spokesperson allegedly told media they were still investigating the event.
“Despite the return of this stolen vehicle to its owner, police are continuing to investigate the theft, and are following positive lines of inquiry,” they said in a previous media statement.
I purchased the car from an online auction for $3200 in September 2022, and I traded the car in with another car in September 2023.
Owner: Alasdair
I purchased the car from an online auction for $3200 in September 2022, and I traded the car in with another car in September 2023.
To get an RWC, the car needed a new rocker cover gasket and that was it. I also opted to get new rear brakes, which would have been needed soon, as well as a new battery and a basic oil and filter service.
The car had done 13,000km and I put on 4000-odd kilometres over the year. The reason for buying the car was that I wanted a second, cheap, manual car as I prefer manuals but needed an auto for my wife’s car. I have always liked this shape of Polo (pre-facelift, quad headlamp) since reading new car reviews for them back when they first came out.
Over the year I had it, the only issue I had was a very slow coolant leak, which turned out just to be the o-ring on the coolant level sensor and was only $14 to fix. Unfortunately, I didn’t see in the auction listing photos that the roof lining was sagging, which cost $600 to fix but they did a great job. What I liked about the car was how nice it was to drive – very solid and ‘grown-up’ to drive, without feeling stodgy like a later 2008 Polo I’d driven.
With only 55kW, I did find myself using lower gears than in other cars I’ve had, but it is such a light, sweet little gearbox and the engine has a nice growl to it. I don’t know if it had power steering or not, but the steering feel was also good. I would swap this car every week or so with my other car, a 2021 Kia Picanto GT-Line auto (also a car I would recommend), and in terms of actual driving feel and feedback, comfort and ride quality, the 2003 Polo was much more enjoyable to me than the Kia. Although, the Kia being 19 years newer obviously had better equipment levels and safety.
In saying that, if you are on a budget or you are just like me and gel with cars from the early noughties, give one a go – you may be pleasantly surprised. I only sold it and the Kia as the garage at my new house had a lip that scraped the exhaust of those two cars, so I traded them both for an older CX-5 for the ground clearance. Then realised I never park in the garage anyway… D’oh.
Have you ever dreamed of living in Streety McStreetface Street, Warnieville? Here’s your chance.
Melbourne City Council has announced plans to allow the public to suggest names for new roads and locations in the city.
Names proposed for roads must meet the 1998 Geographic Place Names Act to ensure they are not duplicated or offensive, and support the local community interests – and they can can be submitted by community members, landholders and developers.
The draft policy will defer naming proposals back to the community, with a preference for “Aboriginal language names and the names of women who have contributed to Melbourne’s historical development.”
According to the Council, this is intended to “correct the imbalance” of naming representation in Melbourne – which in the past 20 years has seen 50 new roads named after men, 23 named after women, and six the use local Aboriginal language.
The scheme will cover new roads, laneways, localities, and public places.
This means that – as amusing as it would be – Streety McStreetface Street is unlikely to get a look in, but Camira Way could very well be in with a chance.
As well as being a rather infamous piece of Holden’s history, a Camira is an Aboriginal term that means ‘windy’.
To keep the Holden theme, Maloo (storm), Monaro (high plains), Torana (to fly) and Barina (summit) would all be considered as part of a new road or place name.
If established, the new policy will set out a process where the community can submit suggestions, have these reviewed by the relevant Registered Aboriginal Party or historical society, and then proceed through a council approval process.
As well as using community consultation for new roads, the policy applies to existing places that may seek to be renamed under the new guidelines.
Previous examples of governing bodies turning to community consultation for names haven’t always gone to plan, with the now iconic ‘Boaty McBoatface’ result of a public vote for the name of a new British polar research vessel.
The research agency had to intervene against an overwhelming majority vote and name the ship the RRS Sir David Attenborough. However, in recognition of the public vote, one of the ship’s autonomous submarine drones was named Boaty McBoatface.
After 28 races the 2023 Supercars season is over. Here are a handful of our favourite things from the year and what to look forward to in 2024.
With last weekend’s Adelaide 500 run and won, another season of the Supercars Championship – formerly known as V8 Supercars – is over.
While the final standings show Brodie Kostecki as the champion with a hefty margin to second place, the results do not reflect what an important – and mostly tumultuous – year it was for those in the sport.
From one of the sport’s stars calling time to Ford threatening to take its bat and ball back to Detroit amid year-long disputes, these are the five most important take-aways from the 2023 Supercars season.
1. Brodie Kostecki and Erebus are deserving champions
Brodie Kostecki wins the Supercars Championship just three seasons into his full-time career
In 2021, Erebus Motorsport started the season with two new rookie drivers in Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki, each having risen through the junior ranks but billed as rough around the edges.
Erebus was founded in 2013 after team owner Betty Klimenko purchased what was Stone Brothers Racing – a three-time title-winning outfit in the mid-2000s – and endured three troublesome years running Mercedes-AMG E63s without official support from the German car-maker.
In 2016, the team moved from the Gold Coast to Melbourne, started racing with Holden and began to forge its own path – a decision which was rewarded with a Bathurst 1000 win in 2017 – before its line-up was refreshed in 2021.
Fast forward to 2023 and only a handful of wins had been delivered since, though not long into the season Erebus was racking up wins, with both Brown and Kostecki firming as the greatest opposition to the all-conquering Triple Eight team of three-time champion Shane van Gisbergen and talented young gun Broc Feeney.
Throughout the year it felt like the bubble would burst at some point, that Kostecki or Erebus would let the pressure get to them while Triple Eight and Shane van Gisbergen kept improving, but the charge never eventuated and Kostecki became one of the few drivers to win a championship in same year as taking their first win.
Like van Gisbergen, 26-year-old Kostecki has ambitions to go to the US and race in NASCAR – highlighted by a one-off appearance earlier this year – but his relative dominance of the 2023 season shows he’ll be around to keep the #1 on his Chevrolet Camaro for the foreseeable future.
2. Shane van Gisbergen is one of the greatest Supercars drivers in history
Shane van Gisbergen wins the 2023 Bathurst 1000
It speaks volumes about SVG’s talents that his retirement was saluted by his competitors and lauded as a tough day for the sport, as the three-time champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner leaves Supercars to chase his own NASCAR dream.
From the opening round of the season in Newcastle it was clear this would be a tough year for the Kiwi, who – despite being arguably better suited to low-downforce cars such as the new-generation Supercars – could not get comfortable or happy in his Camaro.
Well-publicised disagreements with Supercars management did not help the cause, and by mid-year – off the back of a stunning win on debut in NASCAR’s first street race – it seemed SVG would be leaving the sport sooner than expected.
Many doubted whether his head was in the game, but a crushing victory at the Bathurst 1000 with fellow Kiwi Richie Stanaway cemented van Gisbergen’s status as one of the greats.
A double-DNF (did not finish) in his last full-time Supercars weekend for the foreseeable future had an odd sense of familiarity, given when SVG had announced his ‘retirement’ from V8 Supercars in 2012 he ended the season in the same way.
However, the final weekend of racing will hopefully be nothing more than a footnote on a career which netted 81 wins (fourth highest of all time) and 41 pole positions (equal fifth-highest) from late-2007 to 2023.
3. The young guns are here
Second-year driver Broc Feeney (right) won this year’s Sandown 500 with seven-time series champion Jamie Whincup (left)
In a sport where champions tend to linger past their prime or leave for other ventures, it’s reassuring to know the next generation of stars are making their mark.
Brodie Kostecki will become much better known as a result of his championship win, while now-former team-mate Will Brown moves to fill the seat of van Gisbergen alongside Broc Feeney – a line-up of drivers aged 25 and 21, respectively.
In the final race of the season, Matt Payne – a 21-year-old rookie from New Zealand – took his first Supercars win in dominant fashion, leading from the front row.
Matt Payne celebrates his maiden Supercars race win
For 2024, he’ll be joined at Grove Racing by Richie Stanaway, with the Kiwi duo aiming to take the Ford Mustang-running team to the front of the pack on a consistent basis.
Speaking of Ford teams, Tickford Racing is expected to retain eight-season veteran Cam Waters (aged just 29) alongside 27-year-old Thomas Randle next season, with the pair showing strong pace with podiums, poles and three race wins (all courtesy of Waters) this year.
Though 31 years old is young in relative terms, two-time Bathurst 1000 winner Chaz Mostert endured his first season without a pole or victory in 2023 – largely attributed to the underperformance of the Ford Mustang (see point below).
Next year he will be joined by 20-year-old Kiwi rookie Ryan Wood, whose elevation from the Super2 support series comes within a year of his debut in the category.
4. Supercars made mistakes, but it wants to learn from them
The year-long debate about parity between the new ‘Gen3’ Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang dominated headlines and left fans with a bitter taste in their mouths, but Supercars aims to change that in 2024.
To cut a long story short, Supercars is meant to be a series where all cars are equal in performance, or at least in theory.
Very early on there were signs the Mustang was at a serious disadvantage, with the crux of the issue being that it wore its rear tyres out more than the Camaro due to a lack of downforce as well as differences between the two cars’ V8 engines.
Even with Ford effectively threatening to quit the sport after 2024 – as first reported by Drive on the eve of the Bathurst 1000 – Supercars and all Chevrolet teams bar Erebus voted against giving the Mustang aerodynamic upgrades ahead of the Bathurst 1000, effectively taking the Blue Oval out of the running.
Post-Bathurst the changes were made due to the sport’s regulations, and what followed were four successive Ford wins – albeit with the first two coming down to the wire against Chevrolets.
Over the off-season Supercars is conducting proper wind tunnel testing with the cars in the US, a significant improvement compared to the airfield test regime used before the Camaro and Mustang hit the track.
It’s not known whether the recent turn of form, changes in management within Supercars and the upcoming testing program have satisfied Ford enough to make them stay in the sport, but when cars roll out onto the track next year they will continue to do so with manufacturer support.
5. Supercars can still produce great racing
Supercars tends to lean heavily on classic races from the 2000s to mid-2010s when it promotes its hard-and-fast racing, but 2023 showed the sport is heading back to its prime – especially when all of the cars are within a chance of fighting each other.
There was a proper battle in Perth between Shane van Gisbergen and Brodie Kostecki for the win, which resulted in the pair rubbing panels but not ending up in the fence.
At the Gold Coast, it was Kostecki who had to fight David Reynolds for the win, ultimately having to settle for second.
The advantage of the new cars has been the reduced downforce compared to years gone by, which results in less turbulence from the competitor in front, longer braking zones and slower corner speeds – all of which points to cars being closer together.
While the Ford teams had to race for 10 out of the 12 rounds with a hand tied behind their backs, the final four races showed next year could be anyone’s.
What did you enjoy about the 2023 Supercars season and what are you looking forward to in 2024? Let us know in the comments below.
Whether you’re a novice driver or a parent guiding a teen, we’ve got the information you need to make the right choices on your journey to becoming a confident and responsible driver.
Driving lessons are a vital step towards gaining independence on the road, but understanding the costs involved is equally crucial.
To help you get behind the wheel with confidence, we’ve uncovered the average price of driving lessons in Australia and looked at which factors influence the cost.
The average price of progress
If you or a loved one is about to get behind the wheel for the first time, it pays to make sure you’re informed about the road rules.
Safety on the road is a shared responsibility, and learning to drive is no different than going to school. There are no short cuts, and progress can be slow for some, and fast for others.
But amid a cost of living crisis, tracking down driving lessons near you can make lessons more affordable or put them out of reach for some.
At the cheaper end of the scale, you can expect to pay around $50 for a one-hour lesson with an independent driving instructor. Well-known driving schools usually charge between $60 and $120 per a one-hour lesson.
We found 60-minute lessons for $75 with VIP Driving School in Melbourne and 50-minute lessons for $88 with RACT in Launceston. Expect to pay around $800 for a block of 10 lessons.
However, some driving schools do offer discounts for university students, so ask what’s available when shopping around for the best deal near you.
Factors affecting the price tag
There are lots of reasons that the prices of lessons differ. For starters, you can expect to pay more in swanky neighbourhoods or city areas compared to regional areas.
For that reason, you might want to explore available lessons a few suburbs away from you to see if it’s worth trekking across town to save a few bucks on your lessons.
Whether you’re wanting automatic or manual driving lessons can also impact the fee charged by the driving school given that manual lessons are a more technical lesson.
While the details won’t be made public, the type of insurance cover held by the teacher may also impact the fees they charge. The type of car you’re learning in could impact the price.
Getting the best value
Let’s face it, you’re not going to be a pro behind the wheel after one lesson, so look out for bulk packages.
One-off lessons for an hour here or there will cost more than if you sign up for a block of 10 lessons, which usually attract a discount of between five to 10 per cent. Also check if there’s a cancellation fee involved, and bear in mind that missing lessons could mean you need to fork out more on lessons.
Find a good driving school and sign up for a package to save money, and reserve a regular lesson with an experienced instructor to make sure you’re getting the benefit of consistent lessons.
This also means that the driver will be able to structure each lesson to your learning needs, so that you get consistently better at each lesson as your approach your driver’s test.
Bear in mind that the cheapest lessons won’t necessarily provide the best value for money.
Other factors to bear in mind include the teaching style, pass rate of their students, how many lessons they recommend are required, and the type of car the lesson will be given in.
But like all things in life, you get what you pay for. You’re going to want to avoid the old cranky teacher and find someone willing to put in the hard yards to help you learn what it takes to be safe behind the wheel.
And remember, don’t feel pressured to book lessons in with the first instructor you speak to!
Like most things in life, it’s worth shopping around for the best deal.
