Etc : Car News And Reviews

The Google Street View team continues their plan to map out as much of the world as humanly possible, this time taking their panoramic lens inside McLaren’s Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, UK. What makes this particular Street View special is that the facility isn’t open to the public, so for most of us, it’s the only opportunity we’ll get to see these amazing vehicles in such detail.

Bringing in a total of more than $26 million, the Ecurrie Ecosse collection owned by businessman and automobile connoisseur Dick Skipworth was recently auctioned off for record prices. The collection, from the legendary Scottish racing team that won two consecutive Le Mans 24-Hour races in 1956 and 1957 was made up of a number of Jaguars as well as a three-car transporter (which surprisingly sold for more than $2.9 million).

This artist’s rendering of the planned Honda Civic WTCC shows Honda’s plans for its 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) car, and it looks incredible. Due to a change in the WTCC regulations for 2014, Honda is able to increase the aerodynamics along with the tire width so we also see new wheel arch extensions.

We always assumed that crash testing vehicles involved just strapping a crash test dummy in the front seat, connecting the car to a winch, smashing it into a barrier, then inspecting the wreckage and viewing what the dummy’s sensors recorded.

While it’s not nearly as tricked out as Volkswagen’s one of a kind Design Vision GTI Concept, we’d still be happy to get behind the wheel of ABT’s upgraded Golf GTI. This blacked-out ride starts out with an amped-up turbo 2.0-liter four which has been fired up from the factory 230hp up to 300hp, resulting in a 5.8second 0-to-62mph time (0.6 seconds better than stock.)

Winter driving is something nearly all of us have to face at some point. Whether you live in Minnesota and end up driving on snowy roads for five months out of the year or whether you live in Georgia and only see snow and ice on a handful of days each winter, it’s important to know how to prepare.

Volkswagen has a new model for the 2014 Beetle range: the retro-themed Beetle GSR (German for “Yellow Black Racer”). The limited-edition (3,500 units) model is a re-interpretation of the 1970s GSR and comes with a distinctive yellow and black paint job with the “GSR” lettering on the side skirts.

With a light drizzle falling on the famed 12.9 mile Nürburgring track, the 505 horsepower V8 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 clocks in with an impressive lap time of 7:37.47. That time bests the published times for the Porsche 911, the Lexus LFA, and the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.

Part all-terrain buggy, part light aircraft, the Parajet Skyrunner is a flying car built on a lightweight, off-road chassis and powered by a Ford 1.0 liter Ecoboost engine. The Skyrunner is a capable vehicle both on the ground, where it has an off-road suspension, and in flight, thanks to its lightweight and reflex paraglider wing, although we’re not sure where you stow the paraglider after you’ve safely landed in front of Starbucks.

One of the biggest safety risks to drivers is the potential for a tire blowout. While today’s tires are more durable than ever, they still can fail catastrophically if they hit a sharp object in the road.