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NHTSA fines Ferrari $3.5 million for missing reports

Ferrari will pay a $3.5 million penalty for family to comply with oversight requirements set forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The federal agency that oversees road safety in the United States announced Friday morning that Ferrari had not submitted early warning reports for the past three years. These reports help the agency identify potential or existing safety threats.
In the wake of the rolling recalls for defective General Motors ignition switches, there has been considerable scrutiny of NHTSA's handling - or mishandling - of these early warning reports. Friday's fine is an indication the agency is taking its enforcement mandates more seriously, albeit against a manufacturer that has no large-scale presence on American roads.

Topiary Joe sculpts the ultimate in green cars

Efficient cars are all the rage these days, but Joe Kyte has made a business of crafting some of the coolest green cars around – literally. Kyte is better known by his nickname Topiary Joe, and in addition to being a talented artist, he is also a real gearhead. Kyte has been creating topiaries for the last 20 years. It began when he was marketing greenhouse products to Walt Disney World and saw their plant sculptures. He realized that he could do that and since then, has done around 3,400 pieces. His most intriguing creations are the rolling sculptures that move and turn. Prices for those start at about $18,000 and can be as high as $30,000. While, the wheels are machine-bent, Kyte said all the other parts are done with a table vice and a Lincoln Electric arc welder. Topiary Joe is taking the Porsche (pictured above) to Palm Beach later this year to sell or says he may donate it to Porsche North America. If you really want it, the sculpture is currently on Craigslist for sale for $24,000. Topiary Joe has also had a life-long love of cars. "I was driving my first MG Midget before I was 14," he told Autoblog. He grew up in Oak Ridge, TN, where the Manhattan Project was partially developed. He says the town was full of recent college grads driving Mercedes, and he caught the bug. His automotive mentor was a nuclear physicist who taught him to repair and restore the Mercs. Kyte has completed commissions for Sandals Resort, Dreamworks, Absolut, and many more. Among his favorite creations is the Ferrari that he created at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that is now exhibited at the airport each year before the race. Check out his website for a wider look at his work.

Ferrari planning special Schumacher tribute to mark injured racer's 45th birthday

Michael Schumacher may have completed his Formula One career with Mercedes-Benz, but the German racer will forever be associated with the Scuderia Ferrari, where he spent the better part of a decade winning just about everything. And as the seven-time World Champion continues to fight for his life following a skiing accident, the Tifosi are in the midst of organizing to pay tribute to one of their greatest heroes as his 45th birthday approaches.
According to the Scuderia's Facebook page, it's calling on Scuderia Ferrari Clubs from across Europe to show up at the Grenoble Hospital where Schumacher is being treated for a "silent and respectful" event to honor the injured champion, whose birthday is tomorrow. There's also a tribute being run on the Scuderia's website passing along the team's thoughts as Schumacher tries to recover from his injury.
The latest reports on Schumacher indicate that his condition continues to be stable, but he remains in a medically induced coma. News of the circumstances surrounding his ski mishap continue to trickle out, with the latest report from The Mirror heartbreakingly suggesting that Schumacher was actually attempting to help a friend's daughter who had fallen herself when he had his own tumble.