Video: Inside line drives a trio of Fast Five cars

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Chevrolet, Dodge, Celebrities, Specialty, Off-Road

1965 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

Fast Five 1965 Corvette Grand Sport – Click above to watch the videos after the jump

The fifth installment of the Fast and the Furious series, Fast Five, is ready to debut this summer, unleashing another round of “nos”-fed hilarity. In anticipation of the promised vehicular mayhem, they guys at Inside Line caught up with Dennis McCarthy, the man behind the stable of hot rods featured in the movie.

The first is a one-off, tube-frame monstrosity of an offroad car hauler lovingly dubbed “Mongo.” Mongo was designed to assist Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in filching exotic cars from a moving train. To our eyes, Mongo looks ready to do just that, sporting a 600-plus-horsepower 502-cubic-inch Chevrolet V8, 7:10 gears and 18 inches of suspension travel. According to McCarthy, Mongo did his own stunts, completing a 75-foot jump and driving away unscathed. Wow.

The next sample on today’s palette is possibly the most famous car to come out of the Fast and the Furious franchise, Dom Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger. Though the car in the film sports a 900-horsepower supercharged Hemi, keeping costs low dictated a slightly tamer set up for the actual workhorses of the film. In stuntman-ready trim, the Charger sported a 400-hp Chevy small block (sorry, Mopar fans…) capped by a gutted BDS blower just for effect. According to IL, it’s loud, scary to drive and uncomfortable, just the way any self-respecting mock up should be.

The final car on the list is the star of the show, a replica of a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, build by Mongoose Motorsports. It features the ubiquitous Chevrolet 502 big block, backed up by a Borg Warner Super T-10 four-speed stick. The combination rides on C3 Corvette suspension, which struggles to handle nearly 600 horses stuffed into a featherweight frame.

After weeks of abuse at the hands of Hollywood, none of the cars are feeling as healthy as they once were. That said, they all still run, which can’t be said for hundreds of other cars used in the movie. Added to that, they’ll all still burn up the rear tires with poise, showing they still have their dignity. Click past the jump to see all three cars in action.

[Source: YouTube via Inside Line]

Continue reading Video: Inside line drives a trio of Fast Five cars

Video: Inside line drives a trio of Fast Five cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: A look back at the history of the Volkswagen Beetle

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Budget, Videos, Volkswagen

A history of the Volkswagen Beetle

A history of the Volkswagen Beetle – Click above to watch video after the jump

Our cohorts over at AOL Autos have gone through the trouble of creating a video to take a look at the history of the Volkswagen Beetle. With the People’s Automaker pulling the covers off the 2012 Beetle at this year’s New York Auto Show, there couldn’t be a more fitting time to crack open the history books and dive into the car’s past. Editor-in-Chief David Kiley narrates the informative clip and covers everything from the vehicle’s unfortunate beginnings to its widespread popularity in Germany and around the world.

The video features plenty of classic footage of workers assembling the Bugs themselves as well as more than a few great vintage advertising spots. There’s even an airborne Beetle for your viewing enjoyment.

Kiley helps remind us that the “New” Beetle was largely responsible for helping to save Volkswagen in America back when the brand was struggling to get a grasp on our market. Hit the jump to check out the clip for yourself.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: A look back at the history of the Volkswagen Beetle

Video: A look back at the history of the Volkswagen Beetle originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hockenheim recreated on ice, Porsche taken out to play

Filed under: Europe, Videos, Porsche, Off-Road

tiff needell driving on ice

Tiff takes to the ice in a RWD Porsche 911 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Imagine a vast frozen plain of iced-over lakes located 50 miles from the Arctic Circle. Now imagine 500 acres of that expanse converted into a playground for cars. The region is known as Lapland, and it stretches across Norway, Finland, Sweden and Russia. Laponie Ice Driving has turned a portion of it into five icy tracks, two of which are full-scale replicas of famous racing circuits: Le Castellet and the Hockenheim Ring.

Fifth Gear’s Tiff Needell ventured out to this frozen tundra to experience the traction-deficient racing for himself. Using a Porsche 911 GT3, Tiff set out to establish a quick time around the iced Hockenheim replica. Former BTTC racer Yvan Muller is on hand to show him how it’s done. Click past the jump for the slick action.

[Source: Fifth Gear]

Continue reading Video: Hockenheim recreated on ice, Porsche taken out to play

Video: Hockenheim recreated on ice, Porsche taken out to play originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: EVO pits Audi RS3 vs. Subaru WRX STI Spec C vs. Ford Focus RS vs… Ferrari Enzo?!

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Hatchback, Audi, Ford, Subaru, Ferrari

Evo Magazine hot hatch comparison

Evo Magazine hot hatch comparison – Click above to watch video after the jump

Occasionally, we can’t help but think we were born in the wrong corner of the globe. With our penchant for diesel fuel, wagons, hatchbacks and forced-induction four-cylinders, something tells us we would have been right at home growing up on the old continent.

Why all this musing on our misplaced youth? The goons at Evo Magazine have just released a new teaser video for the rag’s upcoming issue, and the cover story is rife with all sorts of metal we don’t get to play with here in the Land of the Free. The editors lined up three of the meanest hatchback bruisers available in the EU and matched them up against a mighty Ferrari Enzo. That’s right, an Enzo. Go big or go home, fellas.

The contenders include a Ford Focus RS, a Subaru WRX STI Spec C and the blistering new Audi RS 3 Sportback. For those of you who are keeping score, our chubby yank hands won’t even get close to touching any of that hardware in our neck of the woods. How’d the three musketeers stand up to the might Italian stallion? Your guess is as good as ours. We’ll have to pick up the next Evo Magazine to find out. In the meantime, check out the video after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Georgian!

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: EVO pits Audi RS3 vs. Subaru WRX STI Spec C vs. Ford Focus RS vs… Ferrari Enzo?!

Video: EVO pits Audi RS3 vs. Subaru WRX STI Spec C vs. Ford Focus RS vs… Ferrari Enzo?! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: “Sexual Transmission” is hilariously disturbing

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Humor

sexual transmissions

Cue up Marvin Gaye and watch Tony “fix” this car – Click above to watch video after the jump

How much do you love your car? Do you know what it takes to keep it happy? We thought we did, but it turns out we’re not doing everything we can to satisfy our cars needs. In the video shown here, Cory and Tony are two friends out for a drive when Cory’s vehicle starts acting up. Tony knows just what to do, and things get a little… blue.

Click past the jump to view the clip, but we have to warn you that its subject matter might be Not Safe For Work. The language on display is likely fine. Maybe. We’re really confused with our emotions at the moment, but we think we finally know how to fix Zach Bowman’s International.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: “Sexual Transmission” is hilariously disturbing

Video: “Sexual Transmission” is hilariously disturbing originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Volvo teases Concept Universe for Shanghai

Filed under: Sedan, Videos, Volvo, Shanghai Motor Show

volvo universe concept

Volvo Concept Universe teaser – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Volvo has ambitious plans to double its current volume by 2020, and a big component of that plan is to penetrate the Chinese auto market. That plan makes abundant sense given the booming Chinese market, and it helps that the automaker is now owned by China’s Geely.

A major step toward reaching that goal comes when the Shanghai Motor Show opens to the media next week, as Volvo will unveil the Concept Universe. We are a little short on details at this point, but Volvo predictably saw fit to tease us ahead of its debut. The short post-jump video shows little more than some sketches, a large, covered vehicle, and an outline of a very sleek sedan.

Is the Concept Universe a precursor to a range-topping S90 that Geely chairman Li Shufu seems to want? Could it be a four-door coupe? Heck, some of the sketches almost make it look like like the big Volvo concept will be a fastback. We won’t know for sure until next week, but in the meantime, you can hit the jump to watch the video for yourself. Hat tip to Alex!

[Source: Autoblog.it]

Continue reading Video: Volvo teases Concept Universe for Shanghai

Video: Volvo teases Concept Universe for Shanghai originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Fiat 500 does 360-degree vertical loop at AutoRAI

Filed under: Coupe, Etc., Videos, Fiat

Fiat 500 vertical loop

Stunt driver Steve Truglia loops a Fiat 500 – Click above to watch the video after the break

If there’s an automotive spectacle that rivals the jump in sheer visual excitement, it’s got to be the classic vertical loop (aka loop-de-loop or loop-the-loop). There’s just something special about seeing a car go vertical, then upside-down and back all in one swift motion that makes the crowds go bonkers… and Shell (purveyors of gasoline that they are) used such a stunt to good effect at the 2011 AutoRAI show in The Netherlands.

Waiting for you past the jump are a trio of videos that include different angles (in-car and out, plus a bonus behind-the-scenes look) of a specially prepared Fiat 500 coupe tackling the famed vertical loop, which looks like a giant spoked bicycle rim more than anything else. Most of the videos are in Dutch, but the stunt driver, Steve Truglia, speaks English… so you won’t be completely lost.

Click past the break to see it all go down for yourself.

[Source: Youtube]

Continue reading Video: Fiat 500 does 360-degree vertical loop at AutoRAI

Video: Fiat 500 does 360-degree vertical loop at AutoRAI originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ken Block and Zoo bikini model strap in for makeshift Gymkhana ride

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Ford, Racing

Zoo bikini model and Ken Block Gymkhana

Zoo bikini model and Ken Block on Gymkhana course – Click above to watch the video after the break

It’s a tried-and-true stunt: Take one professional driver (at least as often as not, it seems, Ken Block), put them in a fast car. Add one beautiful woman, a bunch of cameras, and stir. The result? Generally, lots of screams and nearly as many clicks on Youtube. We suspect the internet clicks will indeed come, but this particular video is suspiciously absent of screaming girls.

Judging by her lack of aural outbursts, we’d say that this particular bikini model, who was apparently plucked from the pages of Zoo Magazine, actually enjoyed her time in the passenger seat with Mr. Ken Block, he of Gymkhana fame. She even gives him a nice pat on the back upon exiting the Ford Fiesta Focus WRC racer.

This video was shot at a Gymkhana circuit at Battersea Power Station as a promotional event for the launch of DiRT 3, and both the video and GPS data overlaid over the screen were captured and recorded by a Racelogic Video VBOX. See it all go down for yourself in the video after the break.

[Source: Youtube]

Continue reading Video: Ken Block and Zoo bikini model strap in for makeshift Gymkhana ride

Video: Ken Block and Zoo bikini model strap in for makeshift Gymkhana ride originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Spy shooter spends time with the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Videos, Chevrolet

chevy malibu spy video

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Spy Video – Click above to watch video after the jump

Spy photographer Jim Dunne has spent 28 years of his life shooting vehicles that weren’t necessarily meant to be seen. For that reason, Dunne and automakers probably don’t always get along all that well, but the longtime spy photographer got together with General Motors to discuss the cat and mouse game played between OEMs and the spy shooters. That’s a fun story, but the real carrot is that the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu is the subject matter for the video.

Hit the jump to watch the nearly three-minute-long video. The entire clip is shot with a well-disguised 2013 Malibu in plain sight, and you can plainly see HID headlights plus some of the contour lines that will make up Chevrolet’s next-generation sedan.

malibu infotainment storageIn other Chevy Malibu news, GM has added another teaser shot of the sedan’s new interior. This time The General shows that the MyLink infotainment screen can flip out, revealing considerable storage room for your tech toys. Check out all the teaser pics in the gallery below. GM will unveil the 2011 Malibu on Facebook on April 19, and we expect to see the car in person at the upcoming New York Auto Show.

Gallery: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu teaser

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Spy shooter spends time with the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

Video: Spy shooter spends time with the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Mitsubishi Evo IX goes airborne at 2011 Targa Tasmania

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Mitsubishi, Australia

targa tasmania crash

Kym Illman’s Mitsubishi Evo misses a turn – Click above to watch video after the jump

Apparently, “left four and a half after crest” is code for ‘hold on tight!

Kym Illman and co-driver Kirrilee Gentleman were cruising along a late stage of the 2011 Targa Tasmania. Their Mitsubishi Evo IX was running well and Gentleman was shouting out the guidance so Illman could keep pushing. Apparently, however, the pair got mixed up on one crucial route point – a slow left immediately following a fast straight with a crest at the end.

As Gentleman tried to point out the rapidly approaching “left 4.5 after crest,” Illman was trying to clarify what he heard. They didn’t have time for that, however, because the car went light over the crest while traveling approximately 190 kilometers per hour (118 miles per hour). Again, left four and a half after crest!

“LEFT FOUR AND A HALF AFTER CREST!”

Brakes don’t work too well in this particular situation, so the Evo flew right through the turn, and wound up in the Tasmanian countryside.

“Sorry.”

Thankfully, neither driver or co-driver were hurt. The video cameras were rolling, providing footage from two angles. The first angle shows us Kym and Kirrilee’s vantage point while the second reveals just how violently the jolt shock the co-driver. Illman was wearing a HANS device while Gentleman, sadly, was not. Click past the jump to see the clip.

[Source: Youtube]

Continue reading Video: Mitsubishi Evo IX goes airborne at 2011 Targa Tasmania

Video: Mitsubishi Evo IX goes airborne at 2011 Targa Tasmania originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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