Google Street View Car spotted at Wegman's on Sheridan Drive in Amherst.
BUFFALO, NY - As many viewers have noticed, there's a new car making it's way around Western New York roads this summer. Google has sent at least one of its Street View cars to take updated images of the area's roadways.
WGRZ.com has created its own interactive Google car map to show locations that the car has visited in WNY, but we need your help. If you've seen the car, be sure to use the form next to the map to tell us where and also share a photo of the car if you have one.
2 On Your Side talked to a local mechanic who took care of the car first hand."It's been bopping around Gasport and Terry's corners for a couple of days so we've seen it," described Timothy Durfy, manager of Durfy Auto Shop in Gasport.
Durfy says the driver of the Google car had to make an appointment to get new tires and the alignment taken care of as the vehicle undergoes extensive wear and tear. The Street View cars are driven by local drivers, hired by Google short-term and they drive on public streets in the area, gathering images for the Google Maps and Street View websites.
"With all this use, it just couldn't handle the "beating and banging on our potholes," as Durfy put it, but, "it's got better tires on it now."
It's the unique appearance of the car that has really caught the attention of Western New Yorkers. Not only does the car have a vinyl wrap on it, completely covering the car in images of Google Maps, but it also has a giant hydraulic attachment to the top, equipped with a camera to photograph its surroundings.
"It looks like a monster coming down the road because it's a little Subaru and it's got this... something out of a movie hanging off the top of it," explained Durfy.
As indicated by Deanna Yick, a Google employee, this mysterious attachment is the driving force behind the Street View car.
"The latest car has 15 lenses taking 360 degrees of photos. It also has motion sensors to track its position, a hard drive to store data, a small computer running the system, and lasers to capture 3D data to determine distances within the Street View imagery."
With all this technology on board, the cars are able to take pictures of everything that you could see from your car window, including passerby on the sidewalks. So keep your eyes peeled for the Google car in your neighborhood this summer as you could end up online... like some of these folks.
Follow the steps to remove your home from Google Street View.
Click on the video above to watch Marissa Bailey's story on the car, shot by Ben Read.
WGRZ-TV