Etc : Car News And Reviews

The 2016 F-Type V6 S will be the first Jaguar in years to offer a manual transmission. So in the interest of making sure its drivers don’t stall out or burn out their clutches, the British automaker has released a handbook called The Manual Manual.

Nissan is headed to the streets and to the world of YouTube to show off the technology behind what it’s calling the “world’s cleanest car.” The Nissan LEAF is finished with Ultra-Ever Dry paint which is able to repel just about any liquid.

Colin Furze is one of the world’s foremost authorities on hacking together awesome things. He’s built everything from Wolverine’s claws to a jet-powered bicycle, to the world’s fastest baby carriage. For his latest build, he turned his attention to the red-headed stepchild of the automotive world, the venerable, three-wheeled Tuk Tuk.

Last year, the SR Auto Group created an incredible Lamborghini Aventador that was built to tackle snow-covered mountains. But you can experience driving an all-wheel drive Lamborghini through the snow yourself as part of Lamborghini’s Winter Accademia 2015.

I recently had a chance to drive a number of vehicles at ZF’s TechAcademy. Each of these cars, SUVs and trucks highlighted an aspect of drivetrain, handling or steering technologies available today. Perhaps the most compelling technology I encountered was “AKC” or Active Kinematic Control – an impressive rear-steering technology which dramatically improves cornering for performance vehicles.

Audi brought together some of Europe’s best chefs in the mountains of Italy to demonstrate their passion for cooking and to participate in the Audi Driving Experience. Part of the fun was taking the 560hp Audi RS6 Avant on to the ski slopes for a bit of slalom racing, hill climbing, and good old fashioned fun in the snow.

Collision avoidance systems are becoming more commonplace in new cars. These systems help prevent accidents by alerting drivers when they’re going too fast to safely stop, and serve as a reminder to take evasive action before running into another car.

We all love Ken Block’s amazing Gymkhana drift racing videos and, while there have been many imitators who’ve driven vehicles from Freightliner semis to tiny RC cars, perhaps no one does it better than Ken Box, who does it in a cardboard box.

From Wikipedia: “A clown car is a prop in a circus clown routine. A common example of such a routine involves an implausibly large number of clowns emerging from a very small car, to humorous effect.”

After successfully conquering Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary traveled to one of the world’s most remote lands and became the first explorer to reach the South Pole by motor vehicle, driving a Ferguson tractor in January of 1958. 

Reddit’s most popular auto subreddit, r/cars, recently took part in a survey with two simple questions. What’s your dream car, and what car do you hate the most? It’s interesting to see the dream car answers, but even better to see the cars that everybody hates.

Tesla Motors recently paused production for two weeks at its Fremont, California facility. During the downtime, the production line was upgraded to add capacity to its body shop, improve efficiency of powertrain assembly and to provide better facilities for Tesla workersThis time-lapse video captured some of the work, as well a provides a brief glimpse into vehicle production.

The Bugatti Veyron is about as a dramatic a car as you can get. Between its insanely powerful drivetrain and its unique styling, there’s no mistaking a Veyron for any other car on the road. One of the most dramatic variants of the Veyron was the Grand Sport 16.4 669, a stunning, special edition of the 1,001 horsepower beast which featured a combination of red and chrome body panels, and a rich and creamy tan interior.

Subaru previously gave us just a brief glimpse of the virtual supercar they’ll be bringing to the world of Gran Turismo 6, the Subaru VIZIV GT Gran Turismo. The project was built by Subaru as part of the commemoration of Gran Turismo’s 15th anniversary – as a gift to the players of the renowned racing game.

The Lexus RC F is an impressive two-door sports coupe we thoroughly enjoyed driving. But maybe a coupe isn’t for everyone and you’d prefer to see the RC F as a shooting brake instead. X-Tomi Design took a stab at what that might look like and, frankly, I really like the result.