Due to the harsh conditions experienced at such an extreme elevation, the 40-foot antennas have to be assembled 17 miles away then trucked to their new home across the Chilean desert. This truck — one of two — nicknamed "Otto" (we're assuming it's got something to do with the Stephen King short story "Uncle Otto's Truck") — lifts the antennas onto its own back, takes 7 hours to make the trip, then precisely installs them onto concrete foundations using lasers for precise alignment. We're told

"The ALMA antenna transporter is motorised by 2 powerful engines of 500 kW each - i.e. as much as twice a Formula 1 engine - that drive individually each of the 28 wheels. These powerful engines are necessary to climb the 10% slopes that exists on the Chajnantor site and to bring the 240 tons of the vehicle and antenna from the 2900m high base camp to the observing site at 5000m altitude. The transporter has on board a power generator to keep the antenna and its cryogenic systems alive while being transported. "

[Alma Observatory via Wired]

Pulloa, who also brought us the Punta Arenas Peugeot 404, has this to say about his find:

What I've got here, is a (to me) a very rare car. Its a Commer Cob. As I am fairly young , before this, (and a previous encounter, where I took pictures with my cellphone, but they were crap, so I never sent them) I have never seen this car before. After my first encounter with this unknown car, I told my father about it, and he told me that Commers were very common in my city a few decades ago, but there have totally disappeared. I found this example in a parking lot in my city, Punta Arenas, Chile.

I searched wikipedia for more info about the brand and the model. What I got is that Commer was a "British manufacturer of commercial vehicles which existed from 1905 until 1979" and that "The Commer brand was exported widely, with examples, albeit collectors' vehicles, still running far from the UK manufacturing base". Just like this case.

The Cob, was a small delivery van based upon the Hillman Husky. If you search pictures of it, you'll notice the similarities. Strangely, the Cob was, as I said before, the delivery van version of the Husky, so the majority of the photos I found in Google show versions with no rear windows.

As you can see in the pictures, is in pretty good state, mostly because, i believe, it's not used as a daily driver, probably used more like a weekend car. Nevertheless, I think it's a pretty cool car, in very good shape.

Well, I haven't got much to say about this car.It's a Peugeot 404. It was in a pretty good condition, although it looked like it was repainted, so probably that wasn't the original color. Nevertheless, it looked great, with the chrome details looking good, and no visible rust, although It was a bit dirty. I think these cars were common in my country, specially in the northern part of my country, but in my city, they are a very rare sight. It's actually, the second i have seen here. The other, was, actually, in a scrap yard.

This Gran Torino Brougham from the year 1974, was imported new to Santiago de Chile.
Around the year 1990 it was sold to the owner which I bought it to, it was taken to a southern city called Los Angeles (Not California). There it was well maintained, it was used as a second car, only to drive around the weekends, not a daily driver. Around the year 2004 the owner had to leave Chile, this is when I bought it, the car travelled a distance of 500km with only changing the fuel filter, this means it was in good condition, at least the engine and transmission, when it arrived I noticed that it had some oxide; low part of the doors, fenders, trunk door and the trunk itself was ruined by oxide. Now the restoration begins, all the parts corrode by oxide were cut of and replaced by new metal, the chasis was in good condition so nothing was done there.
After the paint, which was done using the same colors, well originaly the roof had a white vinyl cover, which was taken out and replaced by a pearl white color, no more vinyl. When all the paint and metal was done it was taken to an electric to change completely the cables, and take out all the none original butons, maybe in the states this does not happen very much but here in Chile it is very common to find cars that have an enourmous amount of cables and buttons. Well the electric system was left original, exept for the third brake light and the sylvins were changed to halogen lamps, the orginal AM radio and A/C were left, both working to today. The next step was to complete the car, brand new Cragar ss rims were installed with wider tires (265 back and 245 front), this step completely changed the appearance of the car, it gave it a more aggressive look. All the emblems were installed, the F-O-R-D In the front did not come with the car, but it was an optional for this model so, it still maintains the originality, the other hood ornament (The brougham one) was not installed because personally I don't like it, yes I should not have left that hole in the hood, but I still have the ornament in the glove box. When the car was ready it was taken to get out that v8 sound, independent 2" exhaust lines were installed with mufflers, and inox steel tips, I orderd a pair of Flowmaster mufflers but they came too late, even though, the car sounds very good and it passes every thing legally.
The engine was only enhanced, stickers and stuff like that, it is original a 351 Windsor, also the transmission was left inttact. The car runs great, no smoke, 100%, just gas and you can go anywere, last year I went to the mountains (El Colorado) a ski resort and no problems.
The gas price has gone very high so I don't use it very much now, it has become a second car, the price of a liter of gas here costs $1.20, so you would imagine it's not very cheap to use as a daily driver, I used it every day for about two years. I have owned it for about 4, one year was completely used in restoration, and now I enjoy it in the weekends.

The 2009 race is scheduled to go 6,000 kilometers and run from Jan 3rd to the 18th, beginning and ending in Buenos Aires and running through both Argentina and Chile. Details on the route are thin, but the 2009 Dakar site is already up and running. Lobbying for tickets to South America has already begun in earnest, with Wert mentioning something about budgets and overlords. [Central European Details via Sportbusiness] [South American Rally via Dakar Website"</>]

Dear people with mad Photoshop skillz; women don't care. And unlike you, they hate your mother's basement. Still, mad props to this cat for doing something so unlikely that no one would even suspect it's a prank. He fooled Motor Authority, Motor Pasion and even our usually skeptical selves. Probably Autoblog, too. Well, at least Frank. Kids: beware teh internets. Real pic below the jump.

– Jonny Lieberman

Chilean Police Enzo is a Fake [AutomoBlog]

Related:
Chile Gone Crazy: A Ferrari Enzo for the Customs Boys [Internal]

If you have to ask how Chile's customs department can afford to trick out a Ferrari Enzo in their institutional colors of flat lime and Virgin Mary white, you've never heard of "foreign direct investment" (or you think "Los Cara de Pelota" is a soccer team). But we kid the Chileans cryptically. Who cares how customs got hold of a rare Enzo, or why they'd desecrate it with a coating so hideous it would make a hardened narco-trafficker beg for salvation. Hmm. Maybe they're on to something. – Mike Spinelli [Update: Commenter "Maximum" PeteJayhawk debunked the photo as a mere Photoshop job. Here's the original.]

The Chile Customs Police Enzo [Motor Authority]

Related:
TechArt Builds Police Porsche to Promote Safe Tuning [internal]