If you haven't heard of fashionista and Fiat heir Lapo Elkann, then where have you been, dah-ling?
In addition to running his own sunglasses label, Italia Independent, Elkann also sort-of runs a division of Fiat that does horrible things to any of the carmaker's products -- from Fiat 500s to Ferrari Californias -- at the owner's request. Want denim-covered seats or a diamond-encrusted ashtray? Get nattily tailored Elkann on it.
He's kind of an Italian male version of Eddie from Absolutely Fabulous. He loves nothing more than a party and, we assume, changes his entire wardrobe fortnightly in an effort to keep up with fashions. You also get the feeling his "no taste is no object" bespoke customising programme is something the family (he is the grandson of Gianni Agnelli and brother of FCA chairman John Elkann) gave him to keep him out of the way.
But now this foppish dandy is in a whole heap of trouble. You're thinking drugs, right? But, no, Elkann is in trouble with the NYPD as a result of a different caper.
The party person was arrested last weekend for filing a false police report alleging his own kidnapping, with the intent to acquire $10,000 to continue a party that had already been going for several days.
- REUTERS reports Elkann contacted his family saying he was being held against his will in a New York housing project and needed the funds to secure his release. Elkann's family contacted the NYPD, who tracked Elkann and a companion to a location to collect the cash, taking them in for questioning.
No other details are available yet. But you know what they say: orange is indeed the new black.
Vintage wartime car cache uncovered
In a surprising discovery, a cache of pre-war vintage cars has been found in a French quarry.
It is thought they were hidden to prevent their being seized during the country's occupation by Germany in the early 1940s.
Unfortunately, although the cars were cherished enough to be squirrelled away as the invading army goose-stepped its way towards Paris, not much thought was given to protecting them from moisture in their hidey-hole.
As a result, the machines are in bad shape. The quarry owner says some are too far gone to even risk moving.
To whom the cars belonged is still unknown. But the treasure trove of rusted metal isn't a complete surprise. Enough locals have known about the collection over the years to periodically break into the chamber and loot the cars for precious metals.
All this scavenging has meant the cars are now in a sorry state.
Here at The Good Oil, we'd love to see someone buy up the old bangers and exhibit them in their "as discovered" condition. It'd make for a great installation piece in a gallery. Because let's face it, they'll only go from bad to worse if they stay underground.
Get nostalgic to 80s slow mo heaven
You have no doubt seen the video that did the rounds a year or so ago that compiled all manner of early 70s Euro metal crashing at the Nurburgring. You know the one: it featured a seemingly endless wave of Volkswagen Beetles, BMW 1800s and Fiat 128s failing to take corners, set to pounding Krautrock.
Well, crash-junkies among you won't find anything in this new video to delight you (you sick puppies), but search "DTM Golden Years" on YouTube and you'll find a series of slow motion tributes to classic late 1980s/early 1990s metal -- specifically BMW E30 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz W124 racers going door mirror to door mirror, set to a Euro-trash techno soundtrack.
Yes, it's basically Bathurst but in German. Although BMWs had all but disappeared from the Australian touring car scene by the mid-1990s, they lived on under the original DTM championship for many years after.
IT makes us wish that back in the 1980s it was possible to watch DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft) racing on TV, because seeing this footage makes us feel we've missed out.