Tag: video

Video: Diesel Power finds the ultimate modified oil-burner

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Videos, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Diesel, Off-Road

For nine years, Diesel Power magazine has run the Diesel Power Challenge, this year’s grindfest being “a week-long torture test that features seven events, nine trucks, 8,000 horsepower, and nearly 15,000 pound-feet of torque.” The road to being crowned “the most powerful truck” starts with a dyno run, and then continues through the completion of a CDL-style obstacle course, an eighth-of-a-mile drag race while towing a 10,000-pound trailer, a quarter-mile drag race without a trailer, a fuel economy test in the mountains and finally a sled-pulling test through a 300-foot-long packed-mud pit.

What kind of trucks get into such a fight? Last year’s winner, for instance – who upgraded his truck this year to prove he didn’t “luck into the win” – drives a 2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty with a 6.4-liter Power Stroke V8 upgraded with a custom intake, Elite Diesel triple turbos and a two-stage nitrous system. Another competitor has a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 powered by a 5.9-liter Cummins inline-six, upgraded with Garrett turbos, dual-stage nitrous, a seven-inch exhaust stack and twin fans built into the bed to cool the Sun Coast Omega transmission. The numbers on that truck: 1,255 horsepower, and 2,063 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. Naturally, as the image above might suggest, things don’t always end well.

You’ll find all five videos covering this years challenge below. A scene in the dyno video sums it all up perfectly: a competitor leaves his nitrous on too long and the crew is treated to some ominous poppings, he leans out the window, throws both hands up and shouts, “Amer’ca!“

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Diesel Power finds the ultimate modified oil-burner originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: The fireproof history of Sparco Motorsports

Filed under: Motorsports, Safety, Videos

A blue patch with white embroidered letters that spell out “sparco,” all in lower case – you’ve seen it so often you ignore it, it’s such a common site on drivers’ suits and racing seats. But there’s so much about Sparco that probably few know – us included.

The 35-year-old Italian firm was started by two rally drivers after the FIA mandated fireproof clothing for racers to combat a spate of injuries and deaths due to fires. One of the founders just happened to be the son of an Italian businessman who made equipment for fire departments and knew all about Nomex. Voila, the marriage of “safety and Italian design” was commenced.

Sparco does more than make suits and own-brand seats, though. The “largest manufacturer of safety equipment in the world,” the company produces seats and seat forms for manufacturers like Aston Martin and Ferrari, and it makes carbon parts for Bugatti and Lamborghini. You can get the rest of the story by watching the video below.

The fireproof history of Sparco Motorsports originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Aug 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Motor Trend holds World’s Greatest Drag Race for the third time

Filed under: Videos, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ford, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Racing, SRT

World's Greatest Drag Race video

As part of Motor Trend‘s Best Driver’s Car competition, the buff book has held its third iteration of the World’s Greatest Drag Race. With an airfield and a dozen of the world’s finest performance cars at its disposal (oh, and a helicopter), the MT team did what any good group of enthusiasts would do, and tried to figure what car could cover a quarter mile the quickest. World’s greatest drag race, indeed.

The contestants, as MT points out, cover a huge variety of engine types, drivelines, aspiration types and body styles, making for a genuinely varied and interesting field of competitors. Here’s the full list of cars taking part.

Aston Martin Vanquish
Audi R8 V10 Plus
Bentley Continental GT Speed
BMW M6 Coupe
Ford Focus ST
Jaguar F-Type V8 S
Mercedes-Benz E63S AMG Wagon
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series
Nissan GT-R Track
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S
Porsche Cayman S
SRT Viper

Quite a lineup. The group includes one previous winner, the Nissan GT-R, which took the original World’s Greatest Drag Race, before being unseated by the Lamborghini Aventador last year. Let us know who your pick is to win in Comments, and then scroll down to watch the full video from Motor Trend.

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Motor Trend holds World’s Greatest Drag Race for the third time originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Magnus Walker soliloquizes in his Porsche 911 at night

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Porsche

Magnus Walker drives his 1971 911 hot rod in his latest video by Obscura.

Magnus Walker, a prolific Los Angeles clothing designer who has also carved out a respected spot for himself in Porsche world, has had yet another video made about him and his sizable Porsche collection. In this latest video, Hong Kong-based Obscura magazine focuses its video cameras on Walker and his 1971 Porsche 911 track car (yes, the one that appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage) as he speeds around Downtown LA and Little Tokyo late at night.

We’ve heard Walker’s story many times before. He’s not like the average Porsche owner, perhaps a tad more passionate than most, and he builds 911s like he designs clothes: his way. Sure, we might be a little envious, but can you blame us? View this very slick and entertaining nighttime video entitled Disturbing The Peace below.

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Magnus Walker soliloquizes in his Porsche 911 at night originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: The Crew open-world racer gets Gamescom walkthrough trailer

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Toys/Games

The Crew gameplay trailer and walkthrough

It’s easy to get excited about Gran Turismo 6 and Forza Motorsport 5, but the next-generation of video game consoles are showing signs of bringing new twists on the traditional racing simulators to market. Besides the Playstation exclusive game, DriveClub, there’s the multi-platform title The Crew. Developed by a band of UK developers, we covered this game when it first arrived at the E3 conference back in June. Now, with the Gamescom conference in full swing, we’ve gotten another taste of The Crew‘s social focus and how it integrates into the game, along with another taste of vehicle customization.

The video, narrated by Julian Gerighty, the game’s creative director, gives our best look yet at how The Crew differs from traditional racing games. Its strong emphasis on social gaming may be off-putting to some gamers, but we like the idea of a teamwork-oriented racer. Take a look at the whole gameplay trailer from Gamescom below, and let us know what you think in Comments. Is a social racing game going to work?

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The Crew open-world racer gets Gamescom walkthrough trailer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Huge rack causes roadway mishap

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Humor, Russia

Big rack problems

Russia. As much as that sprawling, Eurasian country has given us, nothing – not even vodka – can rank above the country singlehandedly turning the dash cam into a spectator sport. Thanks to various safety issues, those diminutive little video cameras are a necessary part of life in the former communist country. While we’re sure they spend most of their lives recording meaningless miles, every once in a while, they capture something truly extraordinary.

Take a look below for what could be the next great Russian dash cam video, discovered by English Russia. The short but amusing video involves the transportation of what looks like a large animal sculpture in a dump truck. Oh, deer.

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Huge rack causes roadway mishap originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Chevy C7 Corvette gets dyno’d

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Chevrolet

Edmunds Corvette Stingray dyno pull

Edmunds has gotten a crack at the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and has done what many of us have been aching to do since the sharp new sports car debuted on a frigid Detroit night – put it on the dyno. Using a Blade Silver Metallic Stingray, complete with the seven-speed manual transmission and the optional Z51 Performance Package, the team at Edmunds ran the C7 through a number of pulls.

The results were remarkably consistent, with a two-horsepower variation across four runs. After the initial sprints, the team took the Vette out for a few more dyno pulls, just to confirm the numbers. The average came out to 411 horsepower at the rear wheels and 407 pound-feet of torque, which is extremely impressive. Scroll down to watch the full video from Edmunds.

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Chevy C7 Corvette gets dyno’d originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 2014 Kia Soul gets new ‘Totally Transformed’ hamster commercial

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Crossover, Kia, Humor

Kia Hamsters

The lovable, anthropomorphic hamsters from Kia are known for electronic dance music, head bopping, and of course, a certain funktastic Korean box-on-wheels. With a new Soul on the way, the adorable rodents need to be ready to appear alongside the resculpted crossover. Only one thing could get them ready in time – cue the training montage.

The commercial, called Totally Transformed, features Lady Gaga playing in the background, along with gratuitous footage of the hamsters shedding some weight. The Kia designers also get some attention, as they’re hard at work designing the hamsters’ new ride. Take a look below for the full, 91-second spot.

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2014 Kia Soul gets new ‘Totally Transformed’ hamster commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Nissan Patrol attempts Guinness record with 170-ton cargo plane tow

Filed under: SUV, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Nissan, Middle East, Off-Road

Nissan Patrol SUV pulls 170-ton cargo plane for Guinness world record.

Yesterday, Nissan teased us with a video showing a Patrol pulling up to a 170-ton cargo plane at an airport in the Middle East – we could only assume that the not-for-America sports utility vehicle would attempt to tow the jet.

Well, somebody leaked the official Nissan video, which indeed shows the Patrol successfully pulling the plane 30 meters for what reportedly is a Guinness world record. While Guinness hasn’t confirmed the record on its website at time of writing, the 170-ton jet would be the heaviest plane ever towed by a production automobile. The video was taken down quickly, but another video shot by an observer at the event was posted for our enjoyment. We figured Nissan would move to repost the official video sooner rather than later, and it did.

The Patrol seems to have no problem towing 340,000 pounds, but let’s just say it wasn’t a quick ordeal. Check out the official and unofficial video of the tow below, as well as Nissan’s teaser video. In a reversal of fortunes, we also threw in another, somewhat smaller but perhaps just as impressive vid, just for fun.

Note, this isn’t the first time a passenger vehicle has towed a massive air-bound machine behind it. See here and here, and for another record-breaking tow record, click here.

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Nissan Patrol attempts Guinness record with 170-ton cargo plane tow originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Porsche 911 GT3 dukes it out with MP4-12C on track and GT-R on spectacular roads

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Nissan, Porsche, UK, Comparisons, McLaren

EVO tests Porsche 911 GT3 vs Nissan GT-$

The Porsche 911 GT3 has always been a favorite among auto journalists and car enthusiasts alike, but with the introduction of the new 991-generation GT3, which is the first GT3 with electric power steering and no manual gearbox option, how does it stack up to the competition from McLaren and Nissan?

Evo‘s Jethro Bovingdon attempts to answer that question by pitting the rear-engine Porsche against the mid-engine McLaren MP4-12C on a racetrack and the front-engine, all-wheel-drive Nissan GT-R on some amazing, twisty European back roads. We won’t give away the victor of either comparison, but we will say that, in Evo‘s test, the McLaren’s 141-horsepower advantage doesn’t give it as much of an edge over the Porsche on a racetrack as one might think, and the lack of a manual gearbox and the inclusion of electric power steering on the GT3 isn’t detrimental to enjoying the car on a back road.

Watch the video below to find out which car Bovingdon prefers on road and track – we think you’ll be happy to see him drift around turns every chance he gets.

Continue reading Porsche 911 GT3 dukes it out with MP4-12C on track and GT-R on spectacular roads

Porsche 911 GT3 dukes it out with MP4-12C on track and GT-R on spectacular roads originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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