Auto Trends

In case you have not been brought up to speed on the story is of the DWI Hot Rod La-Z-Boy, I’ll do my best to oblige. Last summer (2008), Dennis LeRoy Anderson, age 62, fashioned what would become one of the most famous Lay-Z-Boys in the history of, well, La-Z-Boys. He took your standard run of the mill recliner, threw an 8-horsepower lawnmower engine in the back, a stereo, headlights (in case you want to drive it at night), a cup holder (for your beer?), NOS bottle (not functional), custom blue flames, and the patented sticker on the rear which reads, “Hell Yeah It’s Fast.”

So far so good.

Mr. Anderson liked to bring his La-Z-Boy to the bars in his hometown, drink beer, and watch Vikings football. When the game was over, he mount up on his ride and head home. On this particular occasion (August 31^st, 2008), Anderson had about nine or ten beers, lost control of what I’d imagine to be a bit of a difficult “vehicle” to handle, anyway, and ran into a parked car. The police were called out, and despite of the unusual nature of the situation, Anderson was arrested with a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) charge.

This past October 22, 2009, Anderson was finally brought to justice, pleading guilty to the charge, and his beloved La-Z-Boy was forfeited to the Minnesota police department. Well, the police chief had the choice of keeping the vehicle and using for trips around the office and in parades, or offer it up for sale. Well, they have decided to go the sale route, and the auction can be found here on eBay. The auction will run through this weekend, ending oTuesday Morning (November 3^rd).

At the time of writing, the bidding was already up to $37, 300.00.

The City of Proctor, Minnesota Police Department, has listed a bit more information about the vehicle under its description:

Known as the world famous DWI Motorized La-Z-Boy style Chair, year built unknown. This is a unique vehicle located in Proctor Minnesota.  The vehicle has been obtained from a DWI forfeiture and has not been restored. Engine: Briggs and Stratton Model # 19070 Type: 5641 with electric start.  Transmission type unknown and is sloppy. The vehicle has front lights, rear tag light, radio, cup holder, rear roll bars and other custom options, missing the seat cushion.  Curb weight of vehicle is unknown, length is 52” and width is 45”.  This is a great parade vehicle or a terrific business draw. Be the only one in town with a unique vehicle like this.  This is not a street legal vehicle.

SHIPPING INFORMATION

This vehicle is local pick-up only. This vehicle can be pick-up at the City of Proctor, Minnesota Police Department by you or a transport company that you arrange Monday Thru Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will not ship nor arrange shipping.

The Motorized Chair is the DWI Forfeit Vehicle that has been reported by the news media worldwide and is being sold as- is and ownership will be transferred on a bill of sale.

Happy Bidding (as they say)!

[Photo via Crime Scene KC]

Fancy_some_music_?, originally uploaded by lauronsky

The photo above is not the actual prototype, but I think it will give you a pretty good idea of what we’re talking about here.

You can’t say that you didn’t see this one coming. MIT researchers are currently knee deep in a project that will create an artificial companion to go along with you on your daily jaunts. The project has been dubbed AIDA, which stands for Affective Intelligent Driving Agent.

The software will be designed to function as a co-pilot in much the same way as our loved ones, when riding shotgun. AIDA will keep track of your speed, whereabouts, and offer directions/assistance when asked.

Since the software will be wired directly into the vehicles computer monitoring system, AIDA will also function as a driving nanny, letting you know when you are speeding, wasting gas, driving recklessly, etc.. A built-in scanner on the dash will follow the expressions on the drivers face. Using the facial signals of wrinkles and droopy eyelids, AIDA will take note when the driver appears sleepy, fatigued, or in a bad mood, offering suggestions to remedy the situation.

AIDA may one day offer a driver everything from company (during a long drive) to solace (when feeling sad). For instance, if the driver is sleepy, AIDA could attempt to keep the driver awake through a game or a story. If the driver is experiencing road rage, it would follow a protocol designed to talk the driver out of their bad mood. If AIDA’a attempts failed, it would suggest the driver pull over and take a break.

To aid in the drivers compliance to the robot, AIWA will most likely take the form of a human-like companion. Not sitting in the seat, mind you, but rather a human image placed on a screen in the front of the dash. It would be programmed to fluctuate its voice patterns, blink, smile, wink, and maybe even tell a few jokes to kick off your day.

The program will be connected to wireless Internet, allowing up to the minute information on traffic, storm watches, and ice warnings. The system will also keep track of fuel prices, recommending the most inexpensive places to fill-up.

AIDA will adapt over time to recognize the drivers routes, habits, and moods, becoming a better and more efficient co-pilot over time.

Source: Computer World

It may be almost Halloween around here at Auto Trends, but I’m not talking about a cool scary mask, or a new Friday the 13^th movie, but rather your standard, everyday automotive shop creeper… with a serious love of heights!

Your standard creeper has been around for decades. It keeps your back clean, allows you to move around on the garage floor to various areas of the underside of your vehicle with relative ease, and can actually make the chore of changing your oil, an acceptable task. Heck, I know of a mechanic or two who has even been known to fall asleep on one of these a time or two.

But come to think of it, after decades of using one, we were missing half of the equation. The top portion of the equation. Imagine how nice it would be to arrange yourself to conveniently levitate around the top portion of your engine. The convenience to slide around the various nooks and crannies, without the necessity of physically climbing into the engine bay (been there, done that).

I didn’t even know what I had been missing, until I was introduced this Fall to a rather innovative product. It is called The Elevator and it is manufactured by Nomad. Basically it is an elevated shop creeper, which works particularly well on large trucks, SUVs, and other 4X4s. It has various heights it can be adjusted to, ranging from anywhere around 3-feet to 6 ½-feet suspended off the ground.

It features a relatively comfortable padded top, grippers to help you climb aboard, a tool tray, so you won’t find yourself climbing up and down. It also has soft touch bumpers, to protect the finish of your vehicle while sliding it in and out from the underside of your vehicle. About the only things this unit doesn’t include is a pillow, cup holder, and big screen television.

It doesn’t come cheap at around $650 for the entire assembly, but for those of you with a less than perfect backs, you just might be able to pay it off in a couple of years with the reduced number of trips to the orthopedist and masseuse. If you know how to weld, you might also be able to facet one together yourself, if you’re game. Either way, this is a pretty cool garage helper for the serious hobbyist.

[Photo via Nomad Manufacturing]