Behold! A car shaped like a banana, seen driving about the streets of New York City. Steve Braithwaite and his brother Spade (a/k/a "The Dirty Brothers") are the proud owners of the Big Banana Car, inspired when Steve glanced at a bowl of bananas at a gas station and thought, "I could build a banana car!" he told us. And so he did, taking a 1993 Ford F-150, removing the sheet metal, building the skeleton shape of a banana over the engine and suspension, covering it all with chicken wire, and sculpting it into a banana shape. An airbrush artist painted the banana for free. Because it's a car shaped like a banana!

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Learning to drive can be an embarrassing experience. One or both of your parents is in the car with you clinging to the armrests for dear life, you are being cursed relentlessly by surrounding drivers, and your mistakes are very public. That's why we kind of pity this kid who crashed into the Nevins Street subway station in Brooklyn yesterday. The teenager was driving with his father on Flatbush Avenue when he, according to the New York Post, "lost control, jumped the curb and smashed into the railing and sign."

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Here is a sort of adorable video of President Obama's car getting stuck as he leaves the U.S. Embassy in Ireland today. First he's dropping his Blackberry all over the tarmac, then he falls prey to a stealthy driveway slope? Such a regular guy, except for that leader of the free world/killing Osama Bin Laden part. The crowd's screams of horror when the car gets stuck are especially endearing. Noted: This car is reportedly called "The Beast" for its bomb-proof capabilities.

New York City has just six Lexus taxis. That's out of over 13,000 cars, with most being Ford Crown Victorias. The Lexus RX 400h or RX 450h hybirds cost over $40,000, with a typical cab hovering around $28,000 -- but there's actually no financial incentive for having a nicer yellow car. "But cachet?" the New York Times reports today. "Most definitely." Come on, guys, grow up.

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The struggling automakers of the United States have taken to Twitter for a little boost in popularity, hoping to humanize their brands. This week, that down-to-earth realness became a little bit too real when someone behind the official @ChrystlerAutos account tweeted, "I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to fucking drive." The message was quickly deleted, but not before some oh-so-shocked followers (see above) retweeted the message. The company behind Chrysler's social media presence will not have their contract renewed.

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Uber, the San Francisco-based car service start-up, is expanding from California to New York City beginning "in a few short weeks," TechCrunch reports today. Do we need more cars? Do we need to pay more money for more cars? Maybe in the outer boroughs! But what if it will run you as much as three times more than a standard cab or livery service?

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Mazda is recalling over 65,000 cars because yellow sac spiders have been found nesting in fuel hoses, the Daily News reports. The spiders have only taken to inhabiting Mazda6 models; probably due to their aerodynamic design, 5-star crash safety rating and responsive handling. That, or because there is an infestation at an auto parts supplier or the Michigan assembly plant, as the LA Times reports. Runnin' Scared reports that THEY ARE IN YOUR HAIR, OH MY GOD THEY ARE CRAWLING IN YOUR HAIR!

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Early on Thursday morning, two cars raced down the Long Island Expressway at 145 mph only to both crash right after exiting the highway. The Dodge, which carried three people, hit a Gulf gas station pump and ignited (surveillance video above), while the Mitsubishi hurtled into the fence of a Hooters. Everyone was okay, so it's acceptable to ooh and aah at the below cell phone video of the aftermath.

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The historic "Icicle Audi" via EV Grieve/Steve Sandberg

Alternate-side parking rules are finally back after several weeks of a mayoral pardon due to Blizzard-pocalypse 2011. And now the city is on the warpath, having issued 9,910 summonses on Monday alone, reports the New York Times City Room blog. That's twice the average per day, and the blog points out that the city could make up to $500,000, or even more, based on an average fine of $55 per violation. Well, that would help chip away at the enormous ($38 million-plus) cost of cleanup.

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Gilt Group, the site that sends way too many emails for sometimes incredible shopping deals on fashion, makeup, and various travels and services, is now going automotive. In a partnership with Volkswagen, from Wednesday through Friday they've been giving giving subscribers the opportunity to buy a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta for only $5,995.

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