Before Buses, We Had CharabancsYou might have never heard the word charabanc before, except maybe in song lyrics. The word is from the French language, meaning "carriage with benches," which was handy when transporting a lot of people. There were such vehicles before automobiles, drawn by horses and carrying human cargo. Automotive charabancs likewise were used to take groups of people to special events like sports matches or on tours. As you might guess, putting this many people in an open top car was not safe, and the high clearance tended to cause them to topple over. And that's why they were eventually replaced by buses. Jason Torchinsky at Autopian learned about charabancs from song lyrics, and wrote up his research along with plenty of pictures of charabancs from the early 20th century.(Image credit: Ex-Biddles staff 2013) 
Inattentive Drivers Become Victims of "The Curve" The YouTube channel called The Turn is all about one curve in a rural road. It appears that people pay no heed to the warning signs and take the curve at full speed, with predictable results. We don't know where it is, but TheOGturn lives nearby and has a camera. TheOGturn tells us the speed limit is 25-30 mph on the road, and there are warning signs in both directions about the curve, with recommended speed of 15-20 mph for the curve. He also says there have been no injuries on that curve since he's lived there, but plenty of damaged cars and bruised egos. This is his first compilation video. We start off in winter, when you should be driving well under the recommended speed on snow-covered roads. But starting at #12, it's good weather. Starting at #14, they have sound, so be ready. There are plenty more of these videos at The Turn. -via Jalopnik​
Watch a Drone Camera Keep Up with a Formula 1 RacerSince you are here on Grand Blog Auto, you are probably the kind of person who would consider an F1 driver to be an athlete. If so, then you should also consider ShaggyFPV (Ralph Hogenbirk) to be an athlete as he pilots a camera drone to capture David Coulthard as he pushes to 310 kilometers (192 mph) per hour. Both are in control, pushing advanced technology machines to their limit. Not good enough? How about the challenge of following Max Verstappen round the corners of the 8-kilometer Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit? The world's fastest drone camera was developed by the Dutch Drone Gods in collaboration with Red Bull for just this stunt. Well, there's no doubt it will pay off in the future, to give race fans such a close look at the action. The drone looks like a rocket, and must act like one. The actual drone/F1 run begins about nine minutes in, but the road to the race is worth watching as well. -via Born In Space​
Birth of the Minivan: The Stout ScarabBefore the first Volkswagen Beetle was produced in 1938, there was another car named after its insect shape- the Stout Scarab. Both cars were rounded like its namesake, but that's where any resemblance ceased. Produced from 1934-'39, the Scarab boasted lovely Art Deco lines and featured four swivel seats for passengers in the rear section -plus a fold-down table for meals and games. The skin was aluminum, the fenders pushed up under the carriage, and the generous glass (for its time) was incorporated into the aerodynamic design. The Scarab sported a lot of details from the aviation industry, thanks to the experience of its designer William B. Stout. The Scarab has been called "the first minivan." But it was too innovative and too luxurious for for the 1930s. Few could afford the $5,000 price during the Great Depression, and few Scarabs were sold before they were discontinued. Read about this cool car and see plenty of pictures at Hagerty. -via Everlasting Blort ​(Image credit: Tim Bounds) 
The Tesla Basecamp Cybertruck Tent IRLSee if you can spot the differences between the two pictures above. on the left is an image Tesla released in 2019 to show its planned tent accessory to be used with its Cybertruck, which they named Basecamp. On the right is the actual product installed for a customer. Where's the awning? It has to be installed. Where's that pull-out kitchen? Not included. Where are the windows? I dunno. The Basecamp tent needs brackets on your Cybertruck that should be installed by a service center because they have to be in exactly the right places. You can't connect the tent to the truck's air conditioning. And there's no method of leveling it yet. Other than that, the $3,000 tent seems to be pretty good. Except you can buy a whole campsite's worth of camping equipment for that much. Read what early adopters are saying about the the Tesla Basecamp accessory at Electrek. -via Boing Boing ​
Ranking This Year's Most Disappointing CarsBy now, 2024 model cars have been available for at least six months. Which are the worst? Consumer Reports asked 330,000 of their members who drove a 2024 model car if they would buy or lease that model again. Then they ranked the percentage of those owners who said no. Since these are new cars, and may be new models that haven't worked the kinks out, you will be forgiven if you haven't heard of some of them. Topping the list is the Infiniti QX50, which 75% of owners say they would not purchase again. The price tag for the QX50 implies it should perform as well as a BMW or Mercedes-Benz, but owners complain about the disappointing fuel economy and its loud engine. The Volkswagen Taos is in second place, not surprising, since the Taos has suffered from six recalls since August of 2021. Nissan deserves a mention because they have three models in the top ten. Read more about these cars at Visual Capitalist. -via Digg​