Tag: video

Video: Scandinavian homemade dyno is dangerously awesome

Filed under: Etc., Europe

home-built dyno

Home-built dyno is dangerously awesome – Click above to watch video after the jump

Tuning an engine can be a delicate procedure. There is a lot of time and patience required to dial things in just right. You can spend hours and big dollars adjusting parameters on an expensive professional dynamometer -or you can be a crafty Scandinavian and homebrew a dyno right in your yard.

Apparently, all it takes is the rear end from a heavy-duty truck, some straps and a quick skaal to Odin. The result is a snowed-in dyno that can tune all the V8-engine-swapped drift machines in the neighborhood. Click past the jump to watch ingenuity at work.

Continue reading Scandinavian homemade dyno is dangerously awesome

Scandinavian homemade dyno is dangerously awesome originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Nissan/PlayStation GT Academy winner Ordonez training for Le Mans on UK roads

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Nissan, UK, Racing

GT Academy training

Lucas Ordoñez takes off on a 24-hour road trip – Click above to watch video after the jump

Oh, what a life…

Lucas Ordoñez went from racing cars on his couch to sitting behind the wheel of a real-life Nissan LMP2 racecar. After winning the Nissan/Playstation GT Academy contest, Ordoñez earned a shot at putting his virtual skills to the test. He’s running a full Le Mans Cup schedule this year, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nissan is prepping him for a full day of racing, and to do that they’ve sent him and his teammates on a trip around England.

Armed with a Nissan GT-R, an RV, trainers and a dietitian, Lucas Ordoñez and his team will split driving duties as they travel around the country. The team knows this isn’t as dramatic as spending hours behind the wheel of a racecar, but it’s still a good warm-up to the real thing. Click past the jump to watch Lucas and friends on their research road trip.

Continue reading Nissan/PlayStation GT Academy winner Ordonez training for Le Mans on UK roads

Nissan/PlayStation GT Academy winner Ordonez training for Le Mans on UK roads originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: BMW 1 Series M faces off against Audi TT RS on track

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Audi, BMW

BMW 1 Series M Coupe and Audi TT RS

BMW 1 Series M Coupe vs Audi TT RS – Click above to watch video after the jump

Here’s a matchup made in heaven. The crew from Motor Sport Magazine took the time to pit the BMW 1 Series M Coupe against a fitting rival – the Audi TT RS. The two German sports coupes go fender-to-fender on track, and thanks to a few well-placed video cameras, we get to ride along for the action. There’s plenty of tail-wiggling glory from the smallest of the M family, but the TT RS seems more than capable of keeping the pace. With 340 horsepower to the 335 ponies of the TT RS, the 1 Series M Coupe has a slight power edge, but with all four wheels pulling in the Audi, the two are fit rivals.

While the video doesn’t actually capture any legitimate competition, it’s still fun to watch – and hear – these two pint-sized bruisers frolic around in a semi-controlled, off-street venue. We just wish it was us behind the wheel. Click past the break to check out the clip for yourself.

Continue reading BMW 1 Series M faces off against Audi TT RS on track

BMW 1 Series M faces off against Audi TT RS on track originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Abarth 500 Motore Centrale R230 burns through its shoes

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Fiat

Lucarelli Monza Motore Centrale R230

Lucarelli Monza Motore Centrale R230 – Click above to watch the video after the jump

What’s the point in moving an engine to the back to drive the rear wheels if you can’t light up those rear tires? That’s what the folks behind the Motore Centrale R230 have evidently figured, taking the mid-engined Fiat Abarth 500 for a spin or two around the back lot at a racing circuit.

The R230, for a quick refresher, is the first product of Lucarelli Monza, with an interior done up by Aznom. The comprehensive re-engineering of the car involved moving the engine – with some serious modifications – to the back of the car for entirely different dynamics from the Cinquecento on which it’s based.

We brought you initial details of the car’s development last month, followed by its unveiling at Top Marques Monaco. Now the same snap-happy videographers at Marchettino have given us footage of the R230 pulling donuts in a parking lot. And while the driver may not exactly be Tanner Foust, it’s worth a watch, so check it out after the jump.

Abarth 500 Motore Centrale R230 burns through its shoes originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: We lap Laguna Seca in BMW’s autonomous Track Trainer

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Videos, BMW

BMW Track Trainer at Laguna Seca

BMW 330i Track Trainer at Laguna Seca – Click above for high-res image gallery

You know what’s scary? Autonomous cars. What’s scarier? An autonomous car that can lap Laguna Seca at eight-tenths and post sub-two minute lap times all day long. BMW’s 330i Track Trainer can do just that. And we have the video to prove it.

Continue reading We lap Laguna Seca in BMW’s autonomous Track Trainer

We lap Laguna Seca in BMW’s autonomous Track Trainer originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Audi highlights the rigors of Le Mans in animated short

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Audi

A Day in the Life of an Audi Driver

A Day in the Life of an Audi Driver – Click above to watch the video after the jump

They don’t call it endurance racing for nothing. And the strain is placed not only on the car, but on the driver, as well. That’s all very well and fine to know in theory, but to highlight the rigors of racing around the clock at Le Mans, Audi has produced this stunning animated short.

The two-and-a-half-minute film called A Day in the Life of an Audi Driver features the team’s star driver, Alan McNish, and will be shown during the high-profile soccer match this weekend at Wembley Stadium between Barcelona and Manchester United, a team which Audi sponsors. It will also play in 3D for moviegoers going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the UK, and will spearhead a newspaper ad campaign as well as dedicated apps for various smartphone platforms.

Fortunately, we don’t have to wait for all that to watch the clip ourselves. All you have to do is follow the jump and click play, where you’ll also find details of the campaign in the full press release.

Continue reading Audi highlights the rigors of Le Mans in animated short

Audi highlights the rigors of Le Mans in animated short originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Cars 2 trailer remade in Lego Land

Filed under: Videos, Toys/Games, Celebrities

Cars 2 trailer in Lego

Cars 2 trailer in Lego – Click above to watch the video after the break

Cars 2 Lego charactersIf there’s a cooler child’s toy for adults than a box of Legos, we don’t know what it is. To wit, it’s possible to take a couple handfuls of Lego blocks and assemble a miniature car… or a couple hundred pounds of the bricks to make a full-size car. And since you’re apparently someone who, like us, obsesses over the automobile, there’s really no better way to spend quality time with the kids than joining them in a marathon session of Lego building.

But what if you have even grander Lego-based aspirations? The sky’s the limit as far as Legos go, as evidenced by the video you’re about to watch after the break. Combining two of our most recent we’re-really-too-old-for-this obsessions, one pioneering Lego building team recreated the entire trailer for Pixar’s Cars 2 using nothing but little plastic building blocks. Well, they may have cheated a little with lighting and, of course, cameras… but we won’t hold that against them for such a worthwhile endeavor.

See for yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading Cars 2 trailer remade in Lego Land

Cars 2 trailer remade in Lego Land originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 May 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Autoglass envisions the windshield of 2020

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Videos

autoglass windshield 2020

Autoglass windshield of 2020 – Click above to watch the video after the jump

We don’t spend much time thinking about our windshields, yet we spend a good portion of our lives looking right through them. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of room for improvement. The folks at Autoglass envision a smart windshield that does away with a nav screen on the center stack in favor of all the necessary information being displayed on your auto’s most important piece of glass.

Beyond the jump is a video simulation that shows what that windshield might look like from the driver’s seat. Among the displayed information is data for navigation, music, speed and fuel. The futuristic, king-of-all-head-up-displays also warns of pedestrians and an arrow even points to potential destinations.

Apparently, the windshield isn’t smart enough to know that the vehicle is driving on the wrong side of the road. And if you’re hoping the five-speed auto transmission will be dead and gone by 2020, it’ll be alive and well, at least according to this demo. Must be a Honda. Hit the jump to watch the windshield of 2020 in (simulated) action.

Continue reading Autoglass envisions the windshield of 2020

Autoglass envisions the windshield of 2020 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 May 2011 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Is the quickest way to charge a Nissan Leaf… by towing?

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Videos, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

Towing a Nissan Leaf with a Toyota Tundra

Towing a Nissan Leaf to charge it – Click above to watch video after the jump

When you have a Nissan Leaf with an empty battery, desperately need to get somewhere and there’s no charging station around, your options are pretty limited. For the moment at least, Nissan will gladly tow your EV at no cost, though something tells us the driver may have an issue with being your personal chauffeur. But there may be another alternative to help you get where you’re going. As one enterprising Leaf driver recently found out, towing the vehicle using a tow bar actually quickly charges the batteries thanks to the vehicle’s regenerative braking.

Now, as you can tell from the video after the break, this may not be the best thing for the Leaf’s powertrain. The owner’s manual specifically warns against towing in this manner unless it’s a dire emergency, and the Leaf’s computer seems all kinds of out of sorts after a brief tow session behind a Toyota Tundra. We wouldn’t be surprised if this even led to warranty issues down the line, too. The bottom line is that while the stunt makes for compelling internet entertainment, it’s not something we’d recommend trying at home. Be warned that the video may be a little NSFW due to some brief foul language (the audio is in Dutch, but there are English subtitles). Check it out after the jump.

Continue reading Is the quickest way to charge a Nissan Leaf… by towing?

Is the quickest way to charge a Nissan Leaf… by towing? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 May 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Saudi woman’s “right to drive” protest video circulates online despite gov’t. efforts

Filed under: Government/Legal, Videos, Middle East

Women's right to drive bumper sticker in Saudi Arabia

Manal al-Sharif’s campaign for women’s right to drive – Click above to watch video after the jump

The Arab Spring has brought a wave of change and reform to the Middle East, but that tide has seemingly stopped at Saudi Arabia. According to The New York Times, the Saudi government has effectively squelched a movement championed by Manal al-Sharif. The woman wasn’t campaigning for the overthrow of the government or the death of the country’s leaders. Instead, she was simply demonstrating for women’s right to drive in her country. Sharif posted videos of herself driving on YouTube and started Facebook and Twitter accounts that prompted other Saudi women to do the same.

That’s when the Saudi government stepped in. Sharif was arrested for her transgressions and her videos were removed from YouTube. Later, a Facebook page she had set up to instruct other women about how to get involved was deleted and a duplicate of her Twitter account began posting messages indicating that she had stopped her efforts.

But this is the internet, and nothing is gone forever. Copies of Sharif’s original message have reappeared on YouTube and an Al Jazeera report on her campaign is still available. You can check out the full report at The New York Times and watch the videos after the break.

Continue reading Saudi woman’s “right to drive” protest video circulates online despite gov’t. efforts

Saudi woman’s “right to drive” protest video circulates online despite gov’t. efforts originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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