Videos : Car Reviews And News

You’d think that car companies had been crash testing vehicles since the dawn of cars. But the idea didn’t come along until the 1930s, when General Motors conducted the first known crash tests. Other automakers would gradually follow.

While most of us associate the short-lived DeLorean DMC-12 with Back to the Future, there was a time when the DeLorean Motor Company thought the car would be a huge success with sports car enthusiasts. Here’s a look at how DMC pitched the car to its prospective dealers back in 1981, including its innovative design, construction and lofty safety and fuel economy ambitions.

Sure, we’re all about real cars here on 95Octane, but we occasionally enjoy playing with toy cars too. So sit back and enjoy for the next five minutes or so, and watch and hear what it would be like to sit behind the driver’s seat of a scale electric slot car.

These days, you can find spoilers on everything from a McLaren 720S to a Toyota Camry TRD. These rear wings can be simply decorative, or add a significant amount of downforce. Many supercars even feature active spoilers which can raise or lower depending on their speed, but I’ve never seen an active wing that’s quite as amazing as the one on the Zenvo TSR-S.

I can’t imagine laying a paintbrush to the exterior of any of my cars, let alone a Lambo. But one trusting Lamborghini owner allowed Miami artist Alexander Mijares to do just that. The result of his efforts is actually quite stunning, and makes the already distinctive Gallardo just that much more eye candy for bystanders, transforming the matte blue car into an art exhibition on wheels. While I’m not sure that any paint job is ever as good as the factory one, I have to say I’m quite impressed by the work that Mijares did to this Lamborghini.

While the latest models of the Dodge Challenger and Charger are impressive, there’s still something so perfect about their classic 1970s incarnations. Take, for example, this beautifully-restored 1973 Challenger R/T, featured by Hagerty Classic Cars. It looks just spectacular in red and black, and there’s nothing quite like that baritone muscle car exhaust note to remind you that you’re alive. Even with a 426 HEMI under the hood, a Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye has this car beat hands down in the horsepower department, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this car has more character than its modern descendants.

It’s not insane enough that these Saudi stunt drivers headed down the highway in their Hyundai balanced on just two wheels. Nope. They had to take things to another level – by changing the wheels on the car while the opposite side’s wheels held the vehicle’s weight and propelled it forward. Given how tricky the cheap jacks they include with cars can be to use, I suppose this could come in handy, but I don’t recommend trying this at home even if you could figure out how to drive your car like this.

Do you like the non-reflective look of matte finish cars? Well, BMW has gone and given one car the ultimate matte finish paintjob – using an extremely light absorptive paint made by Surrey NanoSystems called Vantablack VBx2.

Ever wondered what things looked like inside an engine when it’s running? This video gives you a glimpse into the inner workings of a hot rod’s V8 engine, thanks to a special clear valve cover. What’s interesting to note is just how clean the rockers and springs look at idle.

If you like to off-road after dark, you need a good LED light bar. There are plenty of aftermarket options out there, and a couple of truck makers even offer them as a factory option. But I can say with a high degree of certainty that none of them are as bright as the one that rctestflight installed on a truck.

Fresh from the factory, most cars come with at a shiny clear coating to give it a shine and to protect its painted finish. I’m not sure how many coats OEMs typically apply, but I can say with 100% certainty that they don’t use 35 coats.

While this video clip is just 17 seconds long, there’s still something immensely satisfying about it. After all, it features a 1986 Porsche 911 doing donuts in an unusual location – on a sandy Oregon beach.

The McLaren Senna is one of today’s ultimate supercars. Not only does it pack a mid-mounted 789 horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine, but it’s got the kind of aerodynamic elements normally reserved for track-only race cars. It’s also about a million bucks, and the kind of car you expect to see either meandering slowly down the streets of Monaco by some billionaire, or perhaps taking a few hot laps around the Nürburgring.

The 1980s were an odd decade. While they produced many iconic objects and styles which are still appreciated to this day, they also produced a boatload of bad cars. Sure, there were some needles in the haystack, but for the most part, we got dogs like Cadillac Cimarron, the Mercury Lynx, the Geo Metro, the Pontiac Fiero, and yes, the Yugo.

Serious car enthusiasts will tell you, there’s nothing quite like a pop-up headlight. These design relics not only gave cars more of a “face,” they offered a great way to improve aerodynamics while driving during the daytime, while still offering illumination at night.