No, it wasn’t the ‘goriest of all’ that you were thinking. On fact, no one got hurt when a truck carrying 8,000 gallons of printer ink crashed over an interstate in Peabody, Massachusetts recently. As you can see in the image, you can see the various ink colors sprawling all over the scene.

Massachusetts Dept. of Environment Protection spokesman Joe Ferson said that there are 16,000 pounds of red, blue, and yellow ink cartridges got splatted in the crash, which, according to him, came from an Indianapolis-based printing company.

Thanks very much to Mr. Winslow Townson of the Boston Globe for this image.

It has been a pretty good year for Ford, so far, as sales of their F-15- SVT Raptor keep jumping up like ‘leaping lizards’. Consumer Marketing Manager Marc Lapine annoucned that January was their best month ever with 900 units sold, while February added 740 more. This was revealed during the press introduction of the new 2011 SuperCrew Raptor in Sault Saint Marie in Michigan. For both the SuperCrew and SuperCab Truck variants, there are already 1,072 Raptors sold from the 2011 model year with 8,614 Raptors sold for the 2010 model year.

Hence more of the itch to get hold of one. Sigh.

How it is fun to be a Boy Scout in Tennesse! They must have double the fun right now aside from the great outdoors they are experiencing. Nissan recently donated a pair of Nissan Frontier Pickups to support their organization plus to benefit the environment and educate them youngsters.

Steve Lambert, president of Tenessee-based Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation President  Steve Lambert personally handed over the Radiant Silver and Super Black King Cab variants to the Boy Scouts. Being the largest youth-serving organization in the region, the Middle Tennessee Council has more than 37,000 youth and adult volunteers.

This is very handy whenever they go on a trail or pitch their tents on the woods. Good for Nissan’s public relations, too.

Now this I better check out myself: Ford is now at the drawing boards with the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power and Folsom Technologies to develop a hydraulic hybrid F-150 which can achieve 40 mpg or higher. This, maybe, is in response not only to the rise in fuel prices but also Chrysler’s Town and Country. PickupTrucks.com has the full details on how the hydraulic system works when it rolls out in the streets in the future.

With this tie-up, Pacquiao also opened the doors for the company to penetrate the Philippine market since there have been lots of politicians and other luminaries interested in their customization business. In fact, the company is now planning to put up a facility in a former US Naval Base in Subic Bay north of the Philippines. “It would be an honor to have Pacquiao do the ribbon cutting, being a walking endorsement of the company’s products.” Watch the video by Balitang Amerika here.

It’s actually a challenge to find the perfect off-road vehicle that can function as effectively on jagged paths as it could on concrete avenues. And that is where this Hummer makes the difference: it tops all considerations when it comes to finding the ideal off-road machine—performance, check; ground clearance, check; dependability, check; safety, check;  drive system, check.

With the SUV putting out about 393 horsepower, hauling over 8,000 lbs. of load,  and showcasing an antiskid system and anti-rollover technology, we can say that, indeed, this Hummer is a keeper!

It may be too early to look back but it’s just inevitable. Now to watch out for new candidates to take after 2010’s best off-road vehicle.

Ever since its launch last year, I have never in my life casted any doubt on this monster. Now, it’s reaping what it sows as the accolades keep pouring in. One of which is Four Wheeler Magazine, which recently awarded the Pickup of the Year to the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor for its off-road exploits. From the aesthetics to its performance, the Raptor scored with flying colors leaving a speck of dust to its nearest competitors. As Four Wheeler Editor Douglas McColloch have said it, “The SVT Raptor is every four-wheel-drive enthusiast’s dream of what a factory pickup truck should be.”

Among its nearest competitors are the Ford Super Power Stroke Lariat FX4 and the Chevrolet 2500 Silverado Z/71 Duramax. Expect the whole story when it comes out on the March 2011 issue this January 21.

Another crossover will soon meet its demise after the year ends. Honda’s 2011 Element will be the final model of production. To recall, it is pretty much the same model that rolled out eight years ago. This makes it Honda’s oldest model and one of the oldest models presently selling in the States. The current model features Honda removing the Sc trim it added in its 2007 model year. Also, there’s no more navigation trim on the EX trim anymore. We haven’t got a word why the move was announced. Maybe, it was due to poor sales or something. No word has gotten out yet either as to what will replace the Element.

Wow, this is another burden to us motorists when the government has to focus more on the issues which affects a larger number of the population than spending money of this small problem. The National Traffic Administration has recently proposed that trucks, minivans, cars, and buses with a GVW of 10,000 lbs or less to have mandatory backups cameras.

Even though there is a statistic which invloves 292 people who died every year with 18,000 injured from backingup incidents, this is nothing compared to the thousands of incidents of impaired dirving. The governemt must rethink of setting their priorities straight.

Have you seen a four-wheeled yacht. Thanks to the guys over at German customizing firm Startech, this Land Rover Defender 90 is not only an off-road warrior in the offing, but also glimmering with sleeks styles and tuning.

The celestial white paint finish says it all. While the running boards complement its rugged looks, the interior is to die for with teak wood trims with offset navy blue leather and Alcantara. The color-keyed headlamp surrounds, grille, Recaro seat shells, and 16-inch wheels all highlight the lavish looks of this off-roader. I say they’ve had a beautiful and classy job of converting it to almost the real thing—without the sail, of course.