Off to a good home

We blogged last week about the crushed remains of Daniel Briant's car being auctioned on TradeMe. As Stuff reports, the auction has concluded, and the lump of metal has a new home:

A car crushed in Lower Hutt under boy-racer laws will now play a part in educating children about road safety.

Last month Paraparaumu boy racer Daniel Briant had his pride and joy Nissan flattened at Macaulay Metals in Lower Hutt - the first car crushed under boy-racer legislation.

The car was listed on Trade Me last week by the scrap metal yard with proceeds going to Youthline.

After a frantic round of bidding between Greenchilli1971 and Redman01 yesterday afternoon, Greenchilli1971 won with a bid of $818.

That bidder was today been revealed as Auckland's Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT), which plans to put the crushed car on display from next month to help educate visitors about road safety and the dangers associated with transport.

More than 26,000 school children visit the museum each year.

The museum will also use the car to show the science and technology behind pneumatics and hydraulics - the technology which crushed the car.

It would also allow the museum to explore issues around recycling.

Macaulay Metals human resources and marketing manager Joanne Roelofs yesterday said the sale price was a "nice number for Youthline". 

We're pleased that these remains will have an educational purpose. We're also delighted that Youthline will benefit to the tune of more than $800; at least some good has come from Daniel Briant's foolish driving exploits.

So here's a suggestion for MOTAT; buy a Nissan Laurel of similar vintage to the lump of metal, trick it up based on photographs from the public domain, and have a "before and after" display for aspiring illegal street racers. Who knows; the message might even start to get through!