As we head towards the second half of February without having had a real winter here in the Midwest, we’ll admit to being ticked off. Those Blizzaks we bought for our long-term Mini Countryman? We haven’t had much chance to put them to use. Nor have we had any occasion to enjoy the singular pleasure of driving a massively overpowered sports car on an icy road, enjoying , all while traveling under the legal speed limit, of course.
So what do we do to console ourselves? Watch videos on YouTube like this one, featuring the KTM X-Bow doing a little ice racing with an accompanying motorcycle/quad tandem. We love that this X-Bow’s owner is out getting down and dirty in the cold – and that he’s not willing to pull his buddies on a tube behind his race car.
clearly wants to get as much mileage as it can out of the “duel” it staged between its Hybrid and the S Hybrid. You’ll remember , ahead of the hybrid . got Guinness World Records to proclaim it the fastest accelerating full hybrid last year, which served as the inspiration for filming the online ad.
Now, a new video has been posted to YouTube, showing some behind the scenes footage of the filming of the ad. It’s not exactly earth-shattering stuff, as the parts we found most interesting were the shots of the camera chase car, which is neither an Infiniti nor a Porsche, but actually a .
While we like the spot, this second go-round with it had us contemplating other things. We always wonder about the effectiveness of comparing your brand to another when it’s clearly done to try and rub some of that competitive luster onto your own badge. And backing it up by throwing out a name that we most closely associate with ? We like the M Hybrid, and we’re happy to get more of a look at it, but if Infiniti really wants to impress, we’d like to see some more competitive comparisons, like how it performs on a road course or even how it matches up with non-hybrid models.
has found itself in a bit of tangle with the company’s Super Bowl ad featuring Clint Eastwood. In it, Eastwood speaks to viewers about “Halftime in America,” specifically referring to Chrysler’s recovery while drawing parallels with Detroit’s own resurrection.
If Chrysler was hoping to put its weight behind a second term for President Obama, it chose an odd spokesperson in Eastwood.
Republicans like Karl Rove have come out in opposition of the ad, saying the spot was overtly political. It doesn’t take massive leaps to see a potential correlation between the tagline “Halftime in America,” itself a play on Ronald Reagan’s famous “It’s morning in America” line, and the current election season. Yet, in a radio interview yesterday, Chrysler Chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne denied the advertisement was meant to do anything but stoke positive feelings toward the car company.
If Chrysler was hoping to put its weight behind a second term for President Obama, it chose an odd spokesperson in Eastwood. The actor has publicly spoken out against the auto bailouts in the past and even served as the Republican mayor of Carmel, California in the ’80s. Hardly seems like the guy for pro-Obama flag waiving. A representative from Eastwood’s production company told the Detroit Free Press, “The ad is not intended to have a political message, but rather one of American pride and job growth.”
As if stepping into the pre-election mess weren’t bad enough for Chrysler, the automaker also found itself in the midst of a copyright spat with NFL over the ad that saw the video yanked from YouTube just as it could have drawn the most traffic. The video later appeared on a separate channel. to watch the spot one more time.
The gritty Super Bowl commercial starring Clint Eastwood may not have been as much of a shock – or as universally well-regarded – as , but it’s certainly going to have cube-dwellers trawling YouTube to catch another viewing. Problem is, ran into some problems this morning. Viewers attempting to watch the commercial instead got a message saying “This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by NFL Properties LLC.”
When we reached Chrysler spokeswoman Diana Gutierrez earlier today, she could only say, “We are investigating right now.”
The video did become available on the Chrsyler YouTube channel by 11:00 AM Eastern time, though we are awaiting some explanation of what happened from Chrysler’s PR team. As a stopgap measure while the Chrysler channel was still down, the ad was posted to another Chrysler YouTube page, PentastarVideo. Still, Chrysler’s problems during a high-traffic part of the day means it must have missed plenty of eyeballs.
We’ve gotten various peeks at the Mercedes-Benz A-Class for a few months now, from the to to . Then, of all things in all places, a cyclist with a handlebar-mounted camera of the real deal while riding in Lanzarote, Spain for what we assume is a photo or video shoot.
If you liked the look of the patent drawings, then you’ll be happy with the glimpse here. It even looks close enough to the for us to give Mercedes props for truth-in-concept-car designing. There’s debate as to whether this is the , but regardless, the final version will be shown at next month’s . Until then, watch the video .
Motor Trend launched its new “Wide Open Throttle” news program on YouTube with a bombshell: “ Puts Hold on Coupe.” While it certainly gave us reason to click play, there’s just one problem. The report – claiming that not just the coupe, but multiple – may not be accurate.
Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell gave us the usual manufacturer disclaimer about not commenting on future product, but he did tell us, “There has been no recent radical shift in strategy” for the ATS. Reading between the lines, that either means an ATS coupe hasn’t gotten past the idea stage, or that GM is still working hard at bringing us a two-door version of Caddy’s fighter.
“On either end of the spectrum the reporting is inaccurate,” Caldwell said, referring to those who have opined that sedan that comes to market later this year, including a coupe, a convertible, a wagon, and a shooting brake.
“We do plan to do ,” Caldwell told us. “We haven’t yet called our shot of how we’re going to execute that.”
So what do we make of all this? We’re pretty sure that we’ll still see an sedan, and perhaps that could be it for ATS models if the standard sedan is not well received. If sales take off, however, don’t be surprised if Cadillac does move forward with at least one new bodystyle.
Click to watch the premiere episode of “Wide Open Throttle.”
has been spending big on Super Bowl advertising for a few years now, but its commercials have been hit or miss. Its ad for the big game in 2010 entitled “” was a hit for bringing toys from our childhood to life behind the wheel of a , but last year’s “” was a definite miss. Kia’s ad for this year’s Super Bowl, called “A Dream Car. For Real Life,” will likely be a hit.
The premise is simple: A fairy who visits bedsides with magic dust that guarantees good dreams accidentally trips over a slipper and spills his whole bucket of sprinkles on an unsuspecting, demographically targeted and non-threateningly handsome 30-something man. The resulting indulgent dream stars Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima, 80’s hair band Mötley Crüe (looking a little worse for wear, we might add) and UFC fighter Chuck Liddell. There’s also a school bus-sized sub sandwich being cut in half by lumberjacks and a roaring crowd of thousands of bikini-wearing beauties.
In the midst of all this REM-induced revelry is the , because what other car would your subconscious pick to impress Ms. Lima?
Kia has also published a five-hour-long video of Adriana Lima waving a checkered flag in slow motion on YouTube, because hey, if you’ve got her on set for the day, why not? to watch them both.
Why is it that everything looks cooler in slow motion? And the slower the better, especially when you’re dealing with one of those new-fangled high frame rate super cameras. Case in point? When you add a MG Midget, a serious amount of explosives and a 1,000 frame per second camera and you have some very compelling YouTube footage.
Hit the jump to look on as Speed TV’s Stuntbusters lay waste to what looks like a rather tired (and likely non-running) MG. There is nothing but really slow demolition and some Mary Lou Retton-style tumbling, but it’s totally worth your 1:09.
Reaction vids certainly aren’t in short supply. Whether it’s a , a , or a , these candid-camera-style videos are usually good for a few laughs.
More recently, the meme has been slathered with sex appeal to attract even more eyeballs. There’s , plus who just has pretty girls ride shotgun as he takes them for a ride.
We like it best when the passenger’s reaction is honest and unscripted, though. Like this example, in which a son takes his father for a ride in his pride and joy: a 530-horsepowerToyota MR2. Shot back in 2010, it’s not new, but we’d never seen it before and still get a kick out of the father’s response.
Do you love to hate speed cameras? We feel your pain. After all, no technology is foolproof, and we prefer our citations to come straight from a fellow human being. But what if the speed camera had a mind of its own? As in, a real brain inside its head?
Not sure where we’re going with this? Allow us to explain. Rémi Gaillard, a French funny man famous for his hilarious YouTube stunts ( ring a bell?), decided to play dress-up a full nine months before Halloween. Flashes fire, antics ensue.
We suggest you stick around to the very end, as the exhibition reaches it final, perhaps inevitable, conclusion. See for yourself in the video .
Remember when the dot-com ads started to flood the airwaves during the Super Bowl? The ads were almost always wacky, and half the time, we didn’t even know what was being sold. Well, it’s been a long time since the 1990s, and very few Internet-based companies are still hocking services during The Big Game.
Cars.com is one of the WiFi warriors that is still swinging for the fences, and some of their has been reasonably funny. Their 2012 ad is all about using Cars.com to gain confidence at the dealership, but we’re not sure what to think about it. There is something about a man with a freaky second head that doesn’t sit well with us, and we like it even less when noggin part deux is intentionally obnoxious. Seriously, we could do without the gyrating, it’s creeping us out. to preview the 30-second ad for yourself.
To the millions of Gen Xers sitting in cubicles listening to New Wave bands on Spotify, wondering how they ever got to be so out of shape, so gray, so middle-aged and so much like their parents, this little 10-second clip that showed up on YouTube yesterday promised something great – the return of a hero, a new chapter in the generational totem that is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Alas, amidst all the speculation that Matthew Broderick would be reprising his role in a belated sequel, comes this revelation: It’s just a teaser for a Super Bowl ad.
According to Jalopnik, the ad is for , and it will rehash all the best scenes in the original film. It’s a big enough deal that Honda has drafted Todd Phillips, he of The Hangover fame, to direct (John Hughes, director of FBDO, passed away in 2009). Of course, this means the 1961 250 GT California Spider will not be appearing, replaced, according to the report, by a .
Not to sound too Cameron-like, but if that’s true, it is depressing. Click to see the quick teaser video.
You won’t have to wait until February 5 to see the new Super Bowl commercial, as it’s hit the automaker’s YouTube channel in advance. Featuring an Eskimo who trades in his sled on an all-wheel-drive , it’s fun and decidedly more upbeat than last year’s .
Still, we kind of prefer the snowmen, which were more unconventional than the Eskimo ad’s predictable plot. This year’s ad also embraces two of the major Super Bowl ad tropes of recent years: adorable dogs and bickering couples. Neither of which is likely to win Suzuki any points for creativity.
Regardless, we have to admit that sliding a Kizashi at opposite lock across the frozen tundra looks like fun, and we think the underappreciated Suzuki is worthy of some extra attention. Click to watch the commercial in its entirety.
Well… let’s rephrase that. A newborn baby is a beautiful thing (most of them, anyway) as is the elation such a bundle of joy can bring to its new mother and father. The actual act of giving birth, on the other hand, is somewhat less than beautiful, at least to our non-rose-colored set of eyes.
Regardless, the proud pair of parents you’ll see in the video after the break decided to film their newborn baby’s birth with a handheld digital camera. For the sake of posterity, we guess. That’s not so uncommon, though we can’t imagine ever wanting to relive the experience in full high-definition glory over and over again.
We feel the need to add that, while childbirth is a completely natural process, childbirth in a car, on the way to the hospital, is not. And neither is driving with one hand while filming childbirth with the other. We’d argue that brings a whole new definition to the term “distracted driving.” That said, when the baby decides it’s coming… well, it’s coming. Maybe next time, try pulling over, eh? Either way, the birth was apparently so non-invasive that the mother actually made a few phone calls while holding her new baby.
Witness the glory of roadway childbirth in a segment from ABC’s Good Morning America, as well as the father’s unedited YouTube video footage. Umbilical cord and all… which is our way of saying that viewer discretion is advised. Seriously.
Oh, we almost forgot to mention that the parents plan on keeping the car for when the kid turns 16. We guess that’s better than selling it to some unsuspecting used-car buyer, no?
Back on Thanksgiving Day of 2011, when a C5 goes head-to-head on public roads against a C6 Vette – the older Vette spears into the passenger-side door of the newer Vette. The video was our , so we know that well over a million viewers saw the ill-advised drag race. We think that video illustrated that racing on public roads was a bad idea, but sometimes, accidents happen even without a race.
Hit the jump to see what happens when a pair of tuned-out Nissan 350Z models do their best impression of the Thanksgiving Day Melee. The YouTube page claims that the two cars were actually traveling at the speed limit (read: not racing) as part of a caravan of Z models, when the black, supercharged Z coupe tapped its throttle and lost control, veering into the passing lane and right into the path of a Z roadster.
Still, the collision looks like déjà vu all over again, except the quick video is better this time and we actually hear the impact and see the parts flying all over the freeway. The accident reportedly didn’t result in any serious injuries.
Elevating The Muscle Car Rivalry To A Whole New Level
versus . It’s one of the greatest rivalries in the world, joining the likes of Coke versus Pepsi and Michigan versus Ohio State. While the and can’t be credited as the first two vehicles to start the Blue Oval and Golden Bowtie wars, it’s fair to say the two muscle cars kicked the battle into high gear in the 1960s.
Wherever there are rivals, you can be sure there will also be healthy levels of both respect and distaste for one another. In fact, emotions from Ford fans following the debut of both the and culminated in Camaro lead engineer Al Oppenheiser being unwittingly cast in the lead role of another . Perhaps it was …
Of course, none of this ZL1 versus GT500 smack-talk will amount to anything if either car isn’t up to snuff. With that in mind, At Chevrolet’s behest, we traveled to the Bondurant Road Course just south of Phoenix, Arizona to put the 2012 Camaro ZL1 through its paces.
The two documentarians who made the Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, have turned their cameras on Detroit, feeling it “may well be a harbinger of things to come for the rest of the country.” In an excerpt of their new documentary, called Dismantling Detroit, Ewing and Grady look at a group of men who use American metal, in the form of vans and pickup trucks, to dismantle American metal, in the form of Detroit buildings.
The point is to get to scrap metal, and scavenging trade that has led to issues like power outages when thieves cut telephone lines to get to the copper. The men in Dismantling are likewise said to be engaged in illegal activity, but the results of their activity seem to be no more than one less abandoned building on the block.
Head to the The New York Times or to watch the clip and listen to a few other Detroiters’ takes on what might be happening, and why. Fair warning, the video contains some explicit, Not Safe For Work language.
The documentary will premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Being in a car crash can be scary enough, but doing it in a convertible at 130 miles per hour is simply terrifying. That’s what the owner of a Shelby Cobra replica went through, however, during a track day at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, California. As he was ending the front straight of the 2.5-mile course, something suddenly broke in the front suspension or steering. The car skidded on track for approximately 60 feet, then flipped sideways multiple times, flying off the track for more than 500 feet.
Fortunately, the driver of the Cobra came away from the incident unharmed with the exception of minor injuries to his knee and ribs. If you’ve ever wondered why that metal roll hoop is there on the driver’s side of the Cobra, just ask this guy.
Of course, the owner of the Cobra also had a GoPro camera running on his car that day, and it captured the amazing footage throughout the entire crash. The video has now gone up on YouTube, and we’ve posted it for you to see .
Speed TV’s Dumbest Stuff on Wheels is coming back for a second season later this month, and in case you don’t know what you’re in for, they’ve put together a “Best Of” compilation from Season One. It’s a simple concept, though: really bad ideas + wheels.
We’re sympathetic toward the folks attempting trics, because after all, crashing is part of perfecting. But the guy riding his motorcycle through the waiting room? And the lass above, headed straight at the camera like ? Not gonna end well. for five minutes of tragic hilarity.
Listen kids, if you’re going to pull off a successful Duke boys stunt, you need more than a J.C. Whitney horn. While we give these guys credit for the staging and the timing of the Dixie blast, there’s a lot of work that remains to be done. (Try brushing up on your , for starters.)
To watch the video, click . Just be careful to stick the landing.
