2003 Nissan 350z Touring Coupe 2-door 3.5l 6speed on 2040-cars

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Nissan Altima plows under Ram pulling trailer in bizarre accident

If you've ever wondered whether it's possible to wedge a Nissan Altima underneath both a Ram pickup and a camper trailer it was towing, well, here's your confirmation. The improbable accident happened earlier this month in Virginia Beach, Va., on westbound Interstate 264. Virginia State Police tell WAVY-TV the 2011 Ram and its four occupants was pulling a travel trailer when the trailer's brakes locked up, stranding them in the second lane of traffic. That reportedly caused traffic to back up on the freeway, with troopers called to the scene for help. But the call was soon updated to a crash situation, and when police arrived on the scene, they found the white 2013 Altima wedged underneath the truck and trailer, right underneath the hitch. Police say the woman driving the Altima was trying to slow down and merge right to avoid the traffic logjam caused by the trailer when she instead rear-ended it and drove underneath it like a wedge. Which is pretty impressive when you think about it — especially since no one was hurt in the crash. The woman was reportedly using a hands-free device on a cellphone call at the time of the crash, WVEC-TV reports. No charges were filed, and she was reportedly able to free herself from the pinned Altima. Roof strength FTW! Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

This Leaf glows in the dark

Pessimists may say that it's weird to have an all-electric vehicle look like it's radioactive. But when it comes to an effort by Nissan Europe to publicize the idea of using solar energy to power one's house or car, that'd be missing the point. Either way, the car looks pretty cool. Nissan is looking to get more people to go solar across the pond, and has given an all-electric Leaf a special glow coating to get the point across. Nissan worked with inventor Hamish Scott to create a special coating that allows the Leaf's paint job to absorb enough sunlight to give off a glow for as long as 10 hours of darkness. Go up to the Nordic countries, and that's still not long enough to get through a winter's night, but for most of the Continent, that'd certainly be sufficient. Better yet, the coating, which catches ultraviolet energy, is fully organic, though it'd take some smart science people to figure out how that's the case. But the coating is said to last a quarter century, which is a little longer than Leaf batteries are expected to last. Check out Nissan's press release below and take a look at the 55-second video from Nissan UK. The manufacturer worked with inventor, Hamish Scott, creator of STARPATH, which is a spray-applied coating that absorbs UV energy during the day so that it glows for between eight and 10 hours when the sun goes down. While glowing car paint is already available, as are glow-in-the-dark car wraps, the bespoke, ultraviolet-energized paint created especially for Nissan is unique thanks to its secret formula made up of entirely organic materials. It contains a very rare natural earth product called Strontium Aluminate, which is solid, odorless and chemically and biologically inert. Feb. 12, 2015 Nissan in Europe is first car maker to apply glow-in-the-dark car paint EV pioneer Nissan is first manufacturer to partner with similarly innovative inventor to create paint that uses UV energy absorbed during daylight to glow at night Increasing numbers of LEAF owners expanding sustainability efforts by installing solar panels to their homes ROLLE, Switzerland – Nissan in Europe has become the first manufacturer to apply glow-in-the-dark car paint to showcase how its market-leading, all-electric LEAF is helping more and more people convert to solar energy at home Various third-party companies have applied non-organic glow-in-the-dark paint to vehicles before, but Nissan is the first car maker to directly apply such technology.

Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra flunk IIHS headlight test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put pickup truck headlights to the test and found that the majority of them were equipped with subpar units. The 2017 Honda Ridgeline was the only truck to earn a rating of "good." The large pickup truck test was comprised of the: 2016 to 2017 GMC Sierra, 2017 Nissan Titan, 2016 Ram 1500, 2016 to 2017 Chevrolet Silverado, 2016 to 2017 Ford F-150, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tundra. The Sierra's headlights earned a rating of "acceptable," the headlights found on the Titan and Ram 1500 were found to be "marginal," and the ones on the Silverado, F-150, and Tundra were rated as "poor." IIHS claims the F-150 was the most disappointing out of the large pickup trucks as both its halogen and optional LED headlights failed to provide adequate visibility during testing. The Ridgeline (which earned a "good rating"), is usually considered a midsize or small truck, though IIHS included it in the field of large pickups. The headlights on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, 2016 GMC Canyon, 2016 Nissan Frontier, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tacoma, which made up the small pickup truck group, all earned a rating of "poor." The IIHS claimed the Colorado had the worst headlights of any truck that was tested, as the base vehicle's units were only able to illuminate up to 123 feet in front of the car. The Ridgeline's headlights, for reference, were able to illuminate up to 358 feet in front of the vehicle. To conduct its test, the IIHS utilizes a special tool to measure how far light is projected out of the headlights in different driving situations. The trucks' headlights were tested in a straight line and in corners, while vehicles with high-beam assist were given extra praise. The headlights on the pickup trucks also mimic the testing that was done on small SUVs and cars earlier this year. Next year, automakers will need to fit their vehicles with headlights that earn a rating of either good or acceptable to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Related Video: