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Valet gives Ferrari 458 keys to wrong Florida man

A Florida man is suing a resort and valet company after a valet attendant gave the keys to his yellow 2014 Ferrari 458 Spider to the wrong man, who then took it on a joyride in what police believe was an attempt to impress a woman. Because of course it was. The mishap dates back to July 2017 at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the valet attendant told police things got very busy, and that at some point, a man, identified as Levi Miles, then 28, asked for keys to the Ferrari. He was accompanied by a woman, identified as Chloe Rimmer, 24. In the police report, the man "seemed to be impatient" and was "demanding," the Times reports. He told the valet the ticket was inside the car and that he would bring it back. Instead, the valet told police the two sat in the Ferrari for "quite a while." Figuring he wasn't getting a tip, he stopped paying attention, and the couple eventually drove off. Police soon pulled them over as they prepared to get on a freeway ramp because the taillights weren't working. Police also said the driver appeared to be having "difficulty" driving the car. So basically, had he known how to turn on the lights and was capable of driving the thing (admittedly, Ferraris can be tricky), this plan totally would've worked. For a bit longer at least. Then again, the police also found about 2 grams of cocaine on the center console so that might've had something to do with the driveability issues. Police eventually arrested Miles and Rimmer. He had told the officer he was a Marine driving his father's car. He denied knowing about the drugs. He reportedly acknowledged trying to distract the valet attendant from demanding the valet ticket and said he knew the car wasn't his. "Miles stated the vehicle and keys were given to him by (the) valet," the report reads, "so technically he did not steal the vehicle." Miles faces charges of grand theft of more than $100,000, possession of cocaine and habitually driving with a suspended or revoked license. Rimmer was charged with possession of marijuana after police found a gram of it in her purse.

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.

Sebastian Vettel risks losing F1 championship lead in Sunday's Italian Grand Prix

MONZA, Italy — Sebastian Vettel has been on the podium at Ferrari's home Italian Grand Prix for the past two years, but anything less than a win on Sunday could cost the German the lead in the Formula One championship points race. The Ferrari driver is only seven points clear of Lewis Hamilton, the difference between first and second place, with his Mercedes rival fresh from last weekend's pole-to-flag success in Belgium and 5-4 up on race wins. Hamilton won at Monza in 2014 and 2015 and was runner-up last year to now-retired teammate and eventual champion Nico Rosberg. The Briton has also been on pole at the "Pista Magica" for the past three years. But Ferrari has closed the gap, and Vettel can count on a wave of local support at the historic Milanese track where he took his first grand prix victory with Toro Rosso in 2008. "I think Monza is never a critical race for Ferrari. I think it's the nicest race," the four-times world champion told reporters ahead of a weekend that will also see his team celebrate their 70th anniversary. "We have a lot of support, so I'm really looking forward to it already." Vettel, with a new three-year contract signed only last weekend, won at Monza with Red Bull in 2011 and 2013 but has yet to do so in Ferrari red. If he does, he will become the first driver to win the race with three different teams since Britain's Stirling Moss in the 1950s. In 2015, Vettel's first season since switching to Ferrari, he finished second. Last year he was third. "We've been second, we've been third, so maybe we can get the last step on the podium that is missing," said the 30-year-old, adding that there was no reason for Ferrari to fear any circuit from now on. Hamilton will also have plenty of fans, with the locals respecting a true racer, and can make history with a record pole position after equaling Michael Schumacher's all-time tally of 68 in Belgium. The Mercedes driver knows he needs to make the most of the moment in the last European race of the season, with Ferrari likely to have the upper hand again once the action switches to Singapore. "Clearly we have not a bad car on the straights. I imagine it's going to be very, very close in the next race," he said after Spa. Red Bull, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo in his ancestral homeland and smiling following his third place in Belgium, will again be the best of the rest although Max Verstappen is likely to have grid penalties following his retirement in Spa.