Etc : Car News And Reviews

When we think of vans, we’ve usually got images of dirty, formerly white utility vehicles, or those awful 1970s Chevy and Ford vans that had airbrushed artwork, a moon-shaped window on the side and a scuzzy bed in the back.

Pontiac introduced the futuristic Banshee concept in 1988. At the time, many observers expected it to be the next version of the Pontiac Firebird. With its clean lines, concealed headlights and taillights, and split rear spoiler, the Banshee was a bold vision for the future.

Two years ago, the Spanish banking group Santander planted the seed that a Formula 1 Grand Prix event could be held on the streets of London. Although it was an ambitious idea and perhaps closer to a flight of fancy than a reality, recent government action may be moving it one step closer to actuality.

Do you find yourself circling the block over and over again looking for a parking space, only to find some parkholes have taken up more than the necessary space with their cars? This concept car from Korea aims to make it easier to park in even the tiniest of spaces.

Volvo has announced a partnership with Apple to make their widely-used and hugely admired iOS operating system available to its drivers. The new user interface allows the driver to access the features of his or her iPhone directly through the center console touchscreen, voice commands and via steering wheel controls.

Rearview mirror technology hasn’t changed much since it was first introduced in the 1910s. Now, Nissan has announced a dramatic new step that may change the rearview mirror as we know it. Nissan’s Smart rearview mirror is the world’s first LCD monitor that not only provides clear rearward visibility under varying conditions but also allows the driver to switch from a normal rearview mirror to the LCD monitor mode.

We’ve seen some video from a crazy attraction in India where daredevils and lunatics drive motorcycles and beaters at high enough speeds to get them to cling to the wall of a cylindrical room. It turns out that Mazda attempted the same stunt on with one of its spritely little Mazda2 subcompacts a couple of years back, and it’s quite a sight.

Ultra Seven was a very popular children’s show in Japan in the late 1960s. The premise of the series was that Earth is under attack from extraterrestrial threats and the Terrestrial Defense Force must combat the constant threat.

These days, we take off-road vehicles for granted, but they’ve only been around for about 100 years. The earliest known off-roader was built as a custom job for Russia’s Czar Nicholas II who needed a vehicle that could handle difficult terrain.

While the official reveal of Koenigsegg’s upcoming One:1 is planned for the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, a couple of early pics have already leaked onto the Internet. Two images turned up on the Instagram account of one Quianyu Zhao, and they shows the showing off the lightweight, 1340 horsepower sports car being prepped for the show.

Here in the U.S. and in Europe, we take for granted the significant advancements in automotive safety which protect us from injuries or worse when in a crash.  While many automakers will jump to take credit for safety innovations, Mercedes-Benz engineer Béla Barényi was definitely a major force behind some of the most important car safety systems we find in cars today.

Ken Block’s rally racer was pretty much destroyed in a crash at the 2013 Lake Superior Performance Rally back in October. But it seems Hoonigan Racing and the rest of Block’s team are ready for the 2014 season and are returning with a new livery that’s sort of a black-and-white 8-bit tiger (covered in sponsor logos, of course).

Road America is one of the America’s great road courses with a long tradition of racing. Located in beautiful Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the track is a popular destination not only for pro drivers but also amateurs who want to get out on a track and for racing fans.

Volvo has announced an innovative new technology that would allow a delivery service like FedEx, UPS, and your local grocery to make package deliveries straight to your vehicle instead of to your home or office. The appeal of the service is obvious since many times a delivery service won’t leave a package in an unsecured location.

In 1999, Chevrolet introduced the Chevrolet Nomad concept, a new direction for the Nomad wagon which Chevy had produced in various flavors on and off since 1955. This concept was built on a powerful F-body chassis (the same as used in the fourth-generation Camaro) and had a 5.7-liter V8 under the hood.