Dash cam footage captures apparent keying of $140K Aston Martin, man arrested

By Trevor Mogg Published August 19, 2015

When you have a dash cam inside your car, you never know what you’re going to get. Actually, most of the time you’ll shoot nothing more than a boring drive along a familiar road, but hey, you could capture a boulder crashing right in front of you, or, even a passenger plane coming down just meters ahead. Sadly, you might also capture someone vanadalizing your car, but at least your dash cam footage might offer some vital clues as to who was responsible.

An owner of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage may have been hoping to capture nothing more than admiring glances with his dash cam, but instead filmed a man apparently taking a bunch of keys to the side of his supercar.

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The $140,000 vehicle was parked outside a grocery store in London when the alleged incident took place.

The footage shows a man pushing a stroller in front of the car – right within view of the dash cam. The suspect then appears to take a set of keys from his pocket before approaching the vehicle and apparently scraping them along the side of the car, causing an estimated $14,000 worth of damage in the process.

When the owner returned to the car, he saw the damage, checked the camera footage, and called the cops.

The incident happened in June, though police only publicized the video this week. Considering the clarity of the dash cam footage, you won’t be surprised to learn that police arrested a man on Tuesday.

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Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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Buy Now, Upgrade Later: Slate’s $25K Truck Flips the Script on EVs

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A new electric vehicle startup—quietly backed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos—is building something bold in Michigan. Not just a car, but a whole new idea of what an EV company can be. Slate Auto is a stealthy new automaker with one mission: ditch the luxury-first EV playbook and start from the affordable —which most drivers actually seek.
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But Slate truly seems to approach EVs in a very different way than most: It isn’t debuting with a six-figure spaceship-on-wheels. Instead, it's targeting the holy grail of EV dreams: a two-seat electric pickup truck for just $25,000. Yep, twenty-five grand. That’s less than a tricked-out golf cart in some neighborhoods. Slate is flipping the Tesla model on its head. Tesla, but also the likes of Lucid, BMW, and to a certain degree, Rivian, all started with high-end vehicles to build brand and bankroll future affordable car. But Slate wants to start with the people’s pickup—and letting it grow with you.
This isn’t just a cheap car. It’s a modular, upgradeable EV that’s meant to be personalized over time. Buy the basic model now, then add performance, tech, or lifestyle upgrades later—kind of like building your own dream ride one paycheck at a time. It’s a DIY car for a generation raised on customization and subscriptions. The company even trademarked the phrase: “We built it. You make it.”
Backing up this idea is an equally bold strategy: selling accessories, apparel, and utility add-ons à la Harley-Davidson and Jeep’s MoPar division. You’re not just buying a vehicle; you’re buying into a lifestyle. Think affordable EV meets open-source car culture.
Slate's approach isn't just novel—it's almost rebellious. At a time when other startups risk folding under the weight of their own lofty ambitions, Slate is keeping things lean, scalable, and customer focused. The company reportedly plans to source major components like battery packs and motors from outside suppliers, keeping manufacturing costs low while focusing energy on design, experience, and upgrade paths.
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Cars

Kia EV9 and EV6 now fully qualify for the $7,500 tax credit – except for one trim

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AR driving at last – this Android Auto feature could mean navigation on smart glass

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A heads-up display while driving has always been the dream use of AR glasses and now it looks like that could soon become a reality.

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