Videos : Car News And Reviews

There are few more annoying things when you’re driving a sports car with low ground clearance than encountering a speed bump. I speak from personal experience, having scraped the lowest plastic diffuser on my Jaguar F-TYPE countless times over the nasty bumps in my Chicago neighborhood.

Back in the 1970s, converting Volkswagen bugs into other things was a pretty popular pastime. I suppose it was the relative simplicity of their chassis design, and easily removable bodies that made them easy targets. One of the most amazing VW bug conversions I’ve ever seen has got to be the Brubaker Box.

If there’s one thing that Ken Block is known for, it’s his ability to drift through corners like few other drivers on the planet. For his Climbkhana Two video, Block got behind the wheel of his 914 horsepower F-150 Hoonitruck and drifted it through one of the world’s most dangerous roads.

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 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.

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.

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.