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These 'blind' automotive world record stunts have to stop

Drivers setting world records "blind" – wearing a blindfold or with something obscuring the windshield – is the new thing for some reason. First it was an Alfa Romeo Giulia setting a blind lap at Silverstone with help from a spotter trailing behind, and now this: a stunt man doing a J-turn within a narrow path with nothing but a Nissan Juke's cameras guiding him. He matched the "sighted" J-turn record, flipping the car around in a space about 7 inches longer than the car. I have two issues with these stunts. First, there are just too many world records. Yeah, I said it. Are these meaningful? Is someone else likely to ever attempt this feat? No, because it's just marketing, both for the manufacturer and whoever's still trying to sell those annual books. Stuff like the fastest production car is fine with me. Heck, I'll even take unofficial Nurburgring times – the kind where the drivers can actually see. Second, I'm all for stunts, but do something cool! And preferably something that could only be performed with that particular car, if you're going to make an ad out of it. Yes, the Juke has an Around View Monitor system, which stitches together feeds from four cameras to make it look like the car is being filmed by a drone hovering overhead. I happen to love 360-degree cameras – they let you see things that are just not visible from the driver's seat and make parking and low-speed maneuvering really easy. But the Juke isn't the first car to offer one, and the feature isn't even new to the car. Nissan was at least forthright enough to admit that this professional driver (on a closed course!) had a bunch of practice. But this really says more about his precision driving skills than about the car, or the camera. And just so we're clear, you really shouldn't try to park a car without looking out the windows, even if you have fancy cameras. So what's next? Pretty soon there will be a record for blindest blind stunt. Let me know when someone actually does something interesting. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla Model X towing drag race, Porsche 918 salvage auction

Watch an Alfa Romeo 4C drag race against a Tesla Model X towing an Alfa Romeo 4C. The ridiculous (or, perhaps more appropriately, ludicrous) race appeared in MotorTrend's Instagram, which was then shared on Facebook by Tesla Motors Autopilot Program Director Sterling Anderson, along with the comment, "Fun fact: many high-performance cars cross the quarter mile line faster when towed by a Model X than they do on their own four wheels." While we can't quite see the actual results of the drag race in the video, it appears to be a close one. Check it out in the video above, and read more from Electrek. A Porsche 918 Spyder has gone up for auction. Unfortunately, it's a salvage auction, and said performance plug-in hybrid is totally mangled. The gut-wrenching photos reveal an even sadder detail, as the car's odometer shows it only logged 92 miles before being involved in what appears to have been a terrible wreck (though the listing describes the miles as "not actual"). The current bid on the Copart auction site is up to $106,000, and the listing shows a $600,000 repair estimate. The very expensive hunk of metal and carbon fiber is located in Long Island. Check out the listing for yourself, or read more at MotorAuthority. GKN Driveline says that German drivers are more interested in plug-in hybrids (especially with all-wheel drive) than conventional hybrid cars. In a poll of more than 1,000 drivers commissioned by GKN, 75 percent preferred PHEVs to standard hybrids, while 61.2 percent said that 50 kilometers (31 miles) of electric range is enough for their daily driving duties. About 81 percent are "wary of hybrids," most believing them to be a poor value. 52 percent said their ideal car would combine a plug and all-wheel drive. "We believe that plug-in hybrids with all-wheel drive make sense," says GKN Automotive President of Engineering Peter Moelgg, "and the public's positive response to vehicle programmes that offer this combination – like the Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine, BMW i8, and Porsche 918 Spyder – can only continue to grow." Read more in the press release below. NEW RESEARCH REVEALS GERMAN DRIVERS PREFER PLUG-IN HYBRIDS Lohmar, Germany, 22 March 2016: Drivers now consider plug-in hybrid vehicles to be more attractive and practical than conventional hybrids, a survey commissioned by GKN Driveline has revealed.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio caught testing under the cloak of darkness

With Americans still going crazy over compact SUVs and crossovers, the upcoming Alfa Romeo Stelvio is the Italian automaker's latest attempt at regaining its status as a household name in the US. Photographers managed to capture a prototype testing at night with very little camouflage to hide the SUV's overall design. These photos are the clearest ones we've seen of the upcoming SUV. The prototype's front end is extremely similar to the Giulia's with two oval-shaped outlets on the side of the fascia with a v-shaped grille in the center. The headlights, which are surrounded by black tape, also mimic the units found on the Giulia. The ruffles in the camouflage on the hood suggest that the Stelvio gets a pair of vents. The profile of the crossover is much more round than previous prototypes depicted with the overall shape mimicking the Jaguar F-Pace, but much smaller in size. The taillights, surprise, surprise, also resemble the same ones found on the Giulia. There's no way to know what type of engine is powering the Stelvio prototype, but the two tailpipes and skinny tires point toward something much more subdued than the twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 that puts out 505 horsepower in the Giulia Quadrifoglio. We expect the production version of the crossover to get the same gasoline and diesel options as the Giulia, depending on where the vehicle is sold. The Stelvio – and this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone – looks like a larger, taller Giulia. While the prototype looks ghastly with its camouflage, we expect, and hope, that the SUV will look a lot better at its debut, which could take place at next month's Los Angeles Motor Show. Related Video: Featured Gallery Alfa Romeo Stelvio Spy Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Design/Style Spy Photos Alfa Romeo Crossover SUV alfa romeo stelvio