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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: The Art of the Heist » The Art of the Heist: General/Updates
[NEW] Red Audi A3 stolen at NYC autoshow
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firefox
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Joined: 28 Jul 2004
Posts: 333

 		[NEW] Red Audi A3 stolen at NYC autoshow
okay, so me and rose are chatting in irc, and she posts a link to the new audi [url=http://www.fourtitude.com/news/publish/Audi_News/article_1175.shtml]
RS4 Avant[/url] being car noobs we both agreed that looks like the car in the video.
oh but we were wrong!

looking back at the car specs on ian's site, i'm see A3 pop up but no RS4..a quick look at the A3 section reveals an interesting thread

the photo hes linked clinches the deal.

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
folks i think we've found our audi connection, same vin number, same phone number.


so, pretty interesting turn of events. Very Happy

(in the video, is ian stealing the car from the car thieves? hmm, does he want to steal it in the first place.. or bruteforce his way into its comp)

edit: well now the website linked from the phone makes sense... lol

PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 4:54 am
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rose
...and then Magic happens


Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Posts: 4117

 		about the A3
I wondered about the car in the A4 ads being the same as the one in the video only because the pictures of the A4 showed a blue car and the one in the video is red. I am able to identify cars pretty much solely by what color they are.

It is pouring rain this weekend so I will take a trip to the auto show today or tomorrow to see if the A3 is there. The A3 is the one mentioned as being missing on the notice tacked up in the window at the dealership as well. I plan to ask any Audi rep. that I can find questions about the missing A3 and why we didn't get to see it last night.

I noticed that in the forum thread you posted someone mentioned an Audi ad campaign being based on a stolen car. Who knew that car fans had forums? Think we should link them here?

Anyway, along with everyone else, I agree that the video where we saw Ian driving the car away from the chop shop was a sneak peak of the commercial that will be launched to advertise the game and the website. As we know, everything placed on the LRR website is part of the unfinished game that Virgil is creating. So this could just be his version of pre-game. Someone asked in another thread where Nisha is and why Ian went alone, isn't she out of the country? I thought she was but I need to check my notes again.

Maybe the ad here is similar to the ads used in the Urns game - which was to introduce the product and drive interest to the game website. But this game is already a more complex story, with developed characters and twisty plot, than the Urns game.
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:19 am
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Varin
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 		Re: about the A3
rose wrote:
I noticed that in the forum thread you posted someone mentioned an Audi ad campaign being based on a stolen car. Who knew that car fans had forums? Think we should link them here?


I say the more the merrier! Also, we may need some car expertise at some point Wink
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:35 am
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johnny5
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Joined: 17 Aug 2004
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 		Re: about the A3
Varin wrote:
rose wrote:
I noticed that in the forum thread you posted someone mentioned an Audi ad campaign being based on a stolen car. Who knew that car fans had forums? Think we should link them here?


I say the more the merrier! Also, we may need some car expertise at some point Wink


Well, as a former member of VWVortex, current member of AudiWorld and a car enthusiast, perhaps I can help somewhat.

Also, car enthusiast sites have a lot of crossover.
When BMW did the "driver" campagin, it showed up on BMW, VW, Audi, Miata, etc. sites.

PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:57 pm
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rowan
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Joined: 12 Apr 2004
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 		Re: about the A3
rose wrote:
As we know, everything placed on the LRR website is part of the unfinished game that Virgil is creating. So this could just be his version of pre-game.


I'm confused. I thought that LRR was a real (ingame at least) website, total independent of VKOC. I haven't seen any evidence that LRR is just an extension of Nisha: The Game. I know they are blurring realities, but I think to say that LRR is a game within NtG that itself is a game within the ARG AotH is just pushing it. Besides, why would Virgil create voicemails and emails that make him sound like a perverted middle-aged man who wants nothing more than to hook up with Nisha?

Yes, Nisha is working with Virgil on the game and yes Virgil is basing the game on Nisha's cases. But she is sending the information to him - not giving him complete access to her files. I've also not seen any evidence that NtG is going to be played out over the internet. From what I've read on it, it looks more like a Tomb Raider type game (big boobs and all).
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 4:45 pm
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johnny5
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 		OK, here's my take.
Ian and Will had attended..something at the dealership the night of the A3's theft. Perhaps using Ian's fake press pass to get into a private press only party.

[spec] Ian doesn't want the car, he wants what's in the computer. (that's why he tried to hack the bluetooth in situ) Not being able to hack it, he stole the whole car. [/spec]
Audi knows he has it and wants it back.
Later the same night, Ian tries to get CyberGrosse to fix the code so he can hack the bluetooth.
chat log wrote:

DJH4X: Long story....it's a car I need to keep track of
DJH4X: I knowq where it is till tomorrow so Im cool right now
DJH4X: But Im trying to get info out of it and bluetooth is being a biotch

[spec] He has to get the car back to Audi before they come after him hard, but the car has evidence that he needs. Maybe Gunther DLed something into it, then smashed his PDA to conceal evidence.[/spec]

Interesting stuph

PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 6:04 pm
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rose
...and then Magic happens


Joined: 26 Nov 2003
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 		NY autoshow
So I went to the autoshow and questioned every person there about the red Audi A3. This is the story they are saying today:

1. The car was there until late at night on March 31st.

2. The car disappeared for a "photo shoot" at the dealers which was supposed to only last for the day of April 1st. I specifically asked about the rumours it was stolen and no one there knew anything about that. They denied the theft story and said that it was a photo shoot. Each one- the detail guy, the merchandising rep and the dealer rep - said the same thing. I talked to them individually. They had nothing to say about the April Fools story of a theft.

3. The car is still missing from the spot of honor it held on an elevated revolving platform. Note that it was kept out of reach of the public, it was cordoned off, you could only look at it. The people there said it may be back tomorrow. The detail guys said he thought they kept it out because it was raining, he said he expected it back last night in order to get it ready for today. All of which leads me to believe they are not in on the game.

4. The car has a bluetooth wireless system but it isn't anything different than that available in a BMW or other car. It works with a bluetooth phone or other device. SO the system itself doesn't seem to be an innovation involving bluetooth, something else is going on with that. (which is odd because ian is the geek computer guy here and he seemed defeated by the bluetooth thing.)

5. The car hadsa GPS system too with the GPS antenna thingie (but also has a disc system you can put in for just North America navigation which is cheaper.) I asked about tracking the car and they said it could be tracked through GPS the same way Onstar or whatever system you use has. So it seems likely that Ian could be tracking the car through the GPS if he has some software hack to use.

6. The back storage area is pretty large but didn't seem big enough to hide a body...someone asked me to check on that. It is a hatchback opening. The seats fold down flat, but that would only work if you wanted to put a body in the back open to plain view....not too great from a concealment point of view.

SO they had no flyer or information about the theft like that given out last night. I tried really hard to find it. I asked each of them specifically about Ian stealing the car and they gave me a blank look. The detail guy thought it was odd that the car was taken, he says that rarely happens in the middle of a show, and even more odd that it wasn't returned. Hence the rain explanation he came up with.

But it is very strange-- and pretty cool from the story point of view-- that the car was there and now it isn't. I have a map of where the exhibit was to check against the information Ian had and a picture of the empty spot where it was -- but I need to upload those tomorrow.

By the way they had another model of the car there - a black one, which I sat in and looked around. It is a pretty nice car. They are marketing it for younger people in college or just out of college something like a GTI if you know what that is... I think it costs between $25,000 and $31,000 depending on what you get. So this car model would be a good one to use ARG marketing for - the other model we were looking at last night was much more expensive. This model is not available in the US yet - it will be in dealers to test drive around April 15th and for delivery in May or so. That may be relevant to how long the game will last.

----
As for Rowan's comment about the relationship between the two sites, I stick with my interpretation -- that the LRR site is the in-game site created by Virgil for his game --- which I based on the extensive email correspondance from Virgil to Nisha. I that the stuff we were seeing were Virgil's "game cases" from the things that Ian and Nisha said about the content of the game cases. So I guess we will see how it all sorts out!

----

Sorry I don't have time to drop into chat now. The auto show was a fun experience and a good example of how ARGs can take you into new places. I had never been before. But I just got home and I am going out again in a half an hour. I will try to be on later if I can. I hope I covered everything......


-----
Quick addition: the detail guy said that he drove the actual red car in the lot in Los Angeles. He wasn't clear about why he was driving it. Do we show the car in LA at all? If not, maybe it is heading out that way and they have already filmed it? I didn't ask him if he compared the VIN because: 1. I felt stupid and 2. There may only be 2 of these cars in the US in the moment, the missing red one that Ian stole and the black one which is sitting at the Javitz Convention Center. ( I have only the colors to tell them apart, I think that both of these models are "fully loaded" or whatever it is.) PS. The European model has two doors, the US has four doors - so there is no confusing that the model may actually be the European version. hehe - I think I did pretty well for someone who knows nada about cars. even if I do say so myself. Smile later guys.
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 8:28 pm
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yanka|tage
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 		Great job, rose!

I wonder now if this "there was no theft" story that they told you is simply due to the fact that the reps weren't clued in on the "game", or if that's the "official" new story that Audi is going with? I guess it can't really be the "official" story right now - since the recording at Audi's 866 number hasn't changed...

PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 9:03 pm
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chippy
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 		rose you are the very very best Smile

well done!!!
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 9:53 pm
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johnny5
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 		Re: NY autoshow
rose wrote:
SO the system itself doesn't seem to be an innovation involving bluetooth, something else is going on with that. (which is odd because ian is the geek computer guy here and he seemed defeated by the bluetooth thing.)


He had a program written by CyberGosse which wasn't working with the car's system.

Quote:

Quick addition: the detail guy said that he drove the actual red car in the lot in Los Angeles. He wasn't clear about why he was driving it. Do we show the car in LA at all? If not, maybe it is heading out that way and they have already filmed it?


The A3 had its US debut at the LA auto show in January.

Quote:

I didn't ask him if he compared the VIN because: 1. I felt stupid and 2. There may only be 2 of these cars in the US in the moment, the missing red one that Ian stole and the black one which is sitting at the Javitz Convention Center. ( I have only the colors to tell them apart, I think that both of these models are "fully loaded" or whatever it is.) PS. The European model has two doors, the US has four doors - so there is no confusing that the model may actually be the European version. hehe - I think I did pretty well for someone who knows nada about cars. even if I do say so myself. Smile later guys.


You did great! Thanks so much for going.

PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:03 pm
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Saint Cad
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Joined: 03 Apr 2005
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 		Problem with VIN
Audi claims that the car that was stolen was a 2006. The problem is that the 10th digit "5" indicates that it a 2005 model.

PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 3:51 am
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Ehsan
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Joined: 09 May 2003
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 		Re: Problem with VIN
Saint Cad wrote:
Audi claims that the car that was stolen was a 2006. The problem is that the 10th digit "5" indicates that it a 2005 model.


Usually cars imported to the US arrive 1 year late because foreign manufacturers choose other markets to launch new/redesigned cars. This is not the case for all cars since sometimes they launch US only models, but maybe in case of this Audi the new model was launched in Europe last year.

It could also be a misconception regarding the "naming" of the vehicle. Why would you call a car a 2006 model if it is launched in 2005? It's just a marketing gimmick, but the actual year is 2005, since 2006 is really in the future.

PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:26 am
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