When first about the company’s Viper ACR whipping around the Nürburgring in 7:12, the world immediately began clamoring to see video of the lap in action. Well, clamor no more. SRT has officially released a video of the mighty Mopar doing the deed around the infamous German track. As you may recall, Tomball Dodge in Texas provided a set of brand-new 2010 Viper ACR models just for the task, as the Viper has been discontinued, and the trio was prepared for Nürburgring duty by the minds at Mintgen Motorsports.
With driver Dominik Farnbacher behind the wheel, team SRT was able to see the Viper around one of the world’s most challenging road courses in blistering time, beating out the unofficial record set by the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition by nearly two seconds. Farnbacher knows his way around a race car thanks to his extensive experience in the American Le Mans Series, Rolex Grand Am Series and the European Le Mans Series, among others. to check out the video.
The Fast and the Fabulous: Menace on the Mediterranean
We want a to feel both weighted down with that famous wafting substance and yet always ready to spool up fast and hard like an express train when there’s an opportunity to overtake the poor. One could see that as a dilemma for the automaker, as the world jumps on the “lightweight and green” bandwagon. But this, in reality, is a form of special dispensation we allow both Bentley and year after year. If Bentleys started feeling light or harried, we’d be less impressed.
We could see closing the roof of the new Bentley Continental GTC when we might, say, want to explore high-speed runs, but even then it would feel inproper; the GTC looks so damned good and inviting with that big roof down, it’d be a crime to enjoy it otherwise. We’ve recorded the roof action for you on video here, but only because it’s sort of required that we have you bear witness to the triple-layered folding lid. We didn’t close the roof once during our two days testing as the GTC is one of the purest forms of life on the sunny side of the street.
Top Gear showed us just how sturdy the pickup truck can be. The plucky Brit trio put one poor truck through a series of increasingly harder challenges until they finally strapped it to the roof of a building destined to be demolished. After pulling it off the pile of rubble that used to be an apartment building, the Hilux was eventually started up, and later driven into the Top Gear studio. Needless to say, this is one tough truck we’re talking about here.
Toyota knows its is tough, too, and the automaker has decided to play up this angle for a new series of commercial spots running in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Seeking to show just how unbreakable and manly its pickup is, the machine is put through its paces over hill and dale, from the desert to the top of snow-capped mountains… and it meets some strange blokes along the way.
It’s also so manly that it even makes dainty women into something barely removed from… well, her husband. to see for yourself.
Someone at the caught Group CEO Martin Winterkorn investigating a i30 as if he was just like one would expect from an intrigued engineer at a rival company. It might be too much to infer that the Herr Doctor is impressed by what he finds, but there is no doubt that he’s got some questions that will need answering when he leaves.
At about 1:45, while sitting in the cabin, he adjusts the steering wheel and begins to query his seconds on what he discovers. As far as our native German speaking helper could tell, Winterkorn wants to know how Hyundai managed to make an adjustment mechanism that doesn’t make any noise, going so far as to say, “How do they do it? can’t do it, we can’t do it… no clanging!” And then one of the gentlemen appears to answer, “We had a solution but it was too expensive…”
for the video and our best attempt to transcribe what Winterkorn says. Feel free to fill in the blanks in the comments, and we believe this officially means everyone is watching Hyundai. Closely.
Steve Millen and has talented team know a thing or two about turning products into Stillen rockets. The latest project to emerge from the tuning company’s garage is the supercharged you see above. The bolt-on kit is legal in all 50 states thanks to the thumbs-up from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and it comes with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty. You won’t care about emissions when you’re behind the wheel, though – the supercharger kit means this hotter Z now produces over 500 horsepower.
If you own a vehicle with the VQ37 engine, such as the 370Z or , you owe it to yourself and your machine to turn it into a sports car capable of embarrassing BMW M3 owners. The heart of the Stillen kit is comprised of a Vortech V-3 supercharger, which is fed via a cast-aluminum intake manifold, has a self-contained oiling system and runs on a V-belt design.
Stillen worked hard to make sure this unit fit under the stock hood, unlike the setup created for the Nissan 350Z. This time around there is no need for an ugly hood hump blocking your line of sight. to see the supercharged Stillen 370Z in action.
has created a full-size replica of the company’s new crafted from Lego bricks. The sculpture was created by 22 designers over the course of 2,500 hours. All told, there are 380,000 individual bricks at work, weighing in at a hefty 2,654 pounds, and a 768-pound aluminum platform supports the creation.
Ford debuted its Lego Explorer at its Chicago assembly plant before shipping it to the new Legoland theme park just outside of Orlando, Florida. The block Explorer will ride all the way down to the sunshine state in a transporter with transparent sides so fellow motorists can view the creation.
As an attraction at Legoland, the Explorer will welcome visitors to the Ford Driving School for children, which allows kids to get behind the wheel of their own scale vehicle at a max speed of three miles per hour. to check out a time-lapse video of Explorer being created as well as a full press release on the vehicle.
Normally, the best place to operate a motor vehicle is in the driver’s seat. Someone up near Montreal managed to capture a police officer who hasn’t quite figured that out. Instead, the cop is seen sitting on the hood of his cruiser while the automobile slowly rolls to a stop. We’re not entirely sure what’s going on here, and there’s a good chance that someone else is working the controls.
Still, it certainly looks like this cop is trying his hand at vehicular surfing. (He needs to take a lesson from Teen Wolf and stand on the roof.) to watch the clip. Also, a quick note to those capturing video on cell phones – turn your screens to the side, please.
We post a lot of videos showcasing things gone wrong, like , , and . They’re as addictive as the proverbial… well, you know. But when someone behind the wheel gets it right, that can be just as awesome.
That’s why whoever is behind the two wheels of this backhoe deserves a case of something congratulatory: in under three minutes he (or she) puts the earthmover into a dumptruck bed then back on the ground, and sticks both landings. for the video, and of course, don’t try this at your construction site…
Some automakers’ logos are fairly straightforward, while some have a bit of a story to them. But few are as legendary as the Prancing Horse that has become synonymous with .
So where did the logo come from? Ferrari’s set out to put the record straight with this brief journey through the history of the company’s icon, from the Italian WWI flying ace that had it on the side of his biplane through its adaptation as the logo of Scuderia Ferrari and the automaker that grew out of it.
The part Ferrari doesn’t tell you, of course, is how the company and arch-rival came to adopt such similar logos. Legend has it that the aforementioned Italian pilot adopted the logo from a vanquished German foe, who displayed the Prancing Horse logo of his home town of Stuttgart – the same city where Porsche is based.
The rest, as they say, is history, and you can see it for yourself in the brief .
When announced plans to bring the to its showrooms, the brand’s acolytes recoiled in horror at the thought of a bloated all-wheel-drive model joining the range. To prove that the new micro-crossover has the chops to live up to Mini’s race pedigree, Mini partnered with Prodrive to create the Countryman WRC. There was much rejoicing. Now EVO Magazine has put the little rally beast through its paces on a track.
The race-prepped Countryman looks quick and controllable, slicing through apexes and sending tires to the great smoky beyond. Maybe we should politely ask Prodrive to give our long-term Countryman the once-over. to check out the video for yourself.
, the is nothing short of a mechanical miracle. With two fewer cylinders than the previous generation, the big bruiser manages to retain the acceleration and handling prowess that M buyers have come to expect. But where exactly can you use the full breadth of the four-door’s 560 horsepower in a safe and legal capacity? The Autobahn, that’s where. One enterprising soul recently managed to point the long nose of the M5 toward the horizon on the German highway system, planted his foot in the carpet and held on all the way to 300 kph.
That’s a shave over 186 mph for those of you too disinterested to fire up your calculator, and impressive momentum in any vehicle, let alone a bone-stock family cruiser. to check out the video for yourselves. Just remember not to try this sort of insanity at home.
There are many ways to measure a car’s performance, and no shortage of benchmarks against which to judge them. The 200 mile-per-hour mark, for example, holds its share of bragging rights. And back in the day, Road & Track would hold shootouts to determine which cars made the cut and which did not. But now the magazine is back with a new benchmark, one that’s a lot tougher to beat: the two-second sprint to sixty.
There are only a few cars – that is, showroom-stock production cars – in the world that can run from 0-60 in less than three seconds. Most of them are all-wheel drive, have dual-clutch transmissions, and are made by one division or another of the Group. R&T admitted the , and to the exclusive club. Video of the affair is posted .
We’d like to see the , and McLaren MP4-12C give it a shot. What would you like to see in the next heat? Treat the comments section as a suggestion box.
The world’s oldest running car is officially up for auction. The 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trapardoux Dos-A-Dos Steam Runabout has been owned by the same family for the past 81 years, and perhaps even more remarkably, has only had four owners in 127 years. With a top speed of 38 mph and a range of 20 miles on a single tank of water, the steam-powered tricycle has made the trek from London to Brighton four times and participated in the world’s very first auto race. To be fair, it was was the only vehicle to show up, but that didn’t stop it from averaging 16 mph and clipping off a top speed of 37 mph over the 20 mile course.
If the Runabout’s motorsports credentials aren’t enough for you, the vehicle brought home double awards at the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours.
A total of 20 De Dion tricycles were manufactured, and of those, only six remain. This is the only operable example in existence, and if you want to make it yours, you’ll need to give your checkbook a workout. RM Auctions expects the De Dion to command bids between $2 million and $2.5 million. for a quick video on the vehicle.
is good at building race cars, and what the company learns on the track trickles down to its passenger vehicles. This is what makes driving them so rewarding.
In a new video, Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche Motorsport, discusses the link between Porsche’s track and street cars, and he also takes a look at the future of motorsports. to watch.
In the latest family commercial by , actual actors, loads of computer animation and a miniature set combine to create the illusion of a Godzilla-sized man made of people. He then steps out of his house to find that his Toyota Prius has morphed into four vehicles: a regular Prius, , and Prius Plug-In. This is the end of Mr. People Person, as he quickly disintegrates, leaving only his size-bazillion shoes and a bunch of little people behind.
Toyota’s narrative behind its Prius People Person ad states:
Not long ago, there was one model of Prius for everyone to share. But now that one Prius has become a family: There’s one for everyone. There’s the original one, the bigger one, the smaller one and the one that plugs in. They’re all a little different, just like us.
We’d say the spot makes sense conceptually, but it’s a bit over the top, and creepy to boot. See it for yourself and let the disintegration begin.
PickupTrucks.com asked five half-ton truck manufacturers to provide their best trucks for $30,000. The entries consisted of the 2011 1500 Extended Cab, 2011 Regular Cab, 2011 King Cab, 2011 Quad Cab and 2011 Double Cab, all of which were put through a variety of tests over four days in and around Detroit. Unlike a comparison that seeks model-feature parity, this one allowed for manufacturers to provide whatever they thought was best, which is how you get Ford supplying the only regular cab among the field.
After being run through load tests, brake tests, the drag strip, 0-to-60 and even an autocross run, the crown was given to the Ram 1500 Quad Cab. It didn’t scorch its competition, but it was always near the top of the field, which gave it enough to take the glory. There’s a video of the test , or to read the full piece.
Justin Bell and eBay Motors have teamed up for a new web-based car show called, fittingly enough, “The World’s Fastest Car Show.” The premise is pretty straight-forward, with Bell taking to the wheel of some piece of drool-worthy metal in the first half of the show before heading off to an event in the latter half. The inaugural episode features a stint in the delicious on Mulholland Drive as well as a stop in at Pebble Beach for a peak at the concept lawn.
Bell spends some time with a variety of concepts before deciding that the electrified Porsche 918 RSR is the belle of that particular ball. Race fans will likely recognize Bell as the same champion race driver who has campaigned at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA GT series. “The World’s Fastest Car Show” will debut a new episode each week. to check out the first episode for yourself.
Our favorite racing series just got a bit of competition, and it comes in a surprising form. We’re not saying this will take the place of the 24 Hours of LeMons, but it’s certainly captured our attention. Called the Power Wheel Racing Series, this form of electrified motorsports pits racers against each other as they pilot uprated kids toys around a track.
To put it rather simply: this is awesome, and we want in.
The series needs a bit of help, however, to go from a singular event into a full-blown season for 2012. The minds behind the mayhem have turned to Kickstarter, and they are accepting your cash in exchange for a differing level of gratitude based upon how much you’re willing to plunk down.
If you need some convincing, to learn more about the series. After that, head over to Kickstarter and .
What We Like: Placing Michael Showalter in your ads earns automatic bonus points with us. These spots are pretty funny, and Showalter is the driving force behind the humor. Also, it’s refreshing to see an automaker take a self-deprecating point of view from time to time.
What We Don’t Like: We think Toyota is basically saying that the new Yaris is as simple of an automobile as you can find. The tounge-in-cheek humor is used to mask the fact that the Yaris isn’t much more than an appliance on wheels.
Strategy: Toyota is really going out on a limb by using humor to highlight the fact that the new Yaris is a rather basic automobile. Still, the spots do manage to point out the fact that this vanilla machine has some solid features for its price point. Despite that fact, we’re torn on this campaign. The spots themselves, which you can view , are hilarious but ultimately come across as spoof material put together by a competing automaker.
Grade: C (We’re split, and this grade reflects our feelings. Showalter helped keep the grade from falling lower.)
Watch the videos and give it your own grade below. Also, if you use Chrome as your browser, you can head to for a more interactive experience.
is on a mission () to create something grander than just an electric vehicle. The German automaker’s stated mission is to reshape history and “redefine the boundaries of the way we live, and the way we move.”
The next step of the mission starts soon, using the all-electric 2012 BMW Active E. But first, BMW is seeking 700 mobility pioneers to lead this “all-electric era,” specialized individuals who the German automaker has dubbed “Electronauts.”
The steps to becoming one of BMW’s pioneering Electronauts are simple. First, you’ll fill out an . Next, you’ll complete a charging station consultation. Lastly, you’ll sign a closed-end, . to discover, via a 90-second clip, what becoming one of BMW’s history-reshaping Electronauts entails.
