Tag Archives: Video

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Watch A Lotus Engineer Hoon The New Emira Around A Test Track

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Set to roll into production in the third quarter of next year, Lotus’ latest sportscar, the Emira, is rapidly approaching. And the British automaker has decided to let us see what it will look like when it’s rapidly approaching, leaving, and sliding through corners in a new video.

The car was driven by Gavan Kershaw, the company’s director of attributes and product integrity, who explained just what the company was looking to achieve when it designed its latest model.

“With the 3.5-liter V6 configuration and the supercharger, you start an acceleration from as low as 1,500 rpm and the car just pulls and pulls and pulls, getting stronger and stronger as the revs increase,” said Kershaw. “This is what a real sports car feels like.”

Read Also: Get A Look At The New Lotus Emira On The Streets Of New York

Filmed at Lotus’ Hethel test track, the video sees the Emira tackling tight chicanes, long sweepers, and everything in between. As you’d expect, it’s well-equipped to take on any corner.

“When you turn the car, the car stays really flat to the road and it gives you a sensation that the CMG is very low,” Kershaw explained. “Makes the car very enjoyable to drive, very responsive, intuitive to drive.”

And with four drive modes, it’s as adaptable as you could ever hope for. In Tour mode, it gets maximum stability control, whereas, in Sport, the Emira sharpens throttle response and allows itself to step out of line a little more. In Race, the digital instrument layout changes to give you a performance rev counter and yet more slip angle is allowed.

Finally, Fully Off turns off all of the stability control systems to put the car completely in the driver’s hands. Even in this mode, and indeed in every other mode too, ABS stays on to ensure maximum braking capability no matter how much you want to hoon.

This model, an Emira V6 First Edition, features a mid-mounted 3.5-liter supercharged V6 that, in U.S.-spec, makes 400 hp (298 kW / 405 PS) and up to 317 lb-ft (430 Nm) of torque. A six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmission are both offered, with the latter allowing the car to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standing start in just 4.2 seconds. Prices for the Emira are set to start at $93,900 when it comes Stateside.

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Richard Hammond Drives His Jaguar XK150 For The First Time Since Restoring It

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Richard Hammond is a very happy man. That’s because, for the first time since the body was taken off the frame, he can now drive his Jaguar XK150.

The car, part of a restoration that has been ongoing throughout the pandemic, was traded for a vintage Lagonda. Hammond reveals in his latest video, though, that when he got it, it was in a rotten state.

“It had been painted rather ugly dark red and underneath that dark red paint lurked, unbeknownst to me, a horror story,” explains Hammond. “It had had a hard, hard life. It had been crashed, bent, brutalized, and abused. And because, like a lot of these cars, it went through a phase of being worth two quid and a packet of crisps, it hadn’t been expensively repaired and restored. It had been bodged and lashed together.”

Read Also: Richard Hammond Gets His Own Car Restoration Show, Airs Later This Year

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Hammond and his team went through the process of painstakingly repairing it, which, since it’s an old Jaguar was hard. Millimetric precision wasn’t reality a priority for early postwar carmakers, not in the U.K., anyway. So, as Hammond puts it, there was as much building as restoration involved in this project.

With a completely rebuilt engine and hotter cam, a new diff, and better brakes the car drives brilliantly now, though. The only question is whether or not the decision to fit a slightly newer, but less precise transmission was a good idea.

To see him driving the car proudly really makes me wish I had a classic Jag of my own to toot around in, as well as some Amazon money kicking around to fund it and its restoration. Ah, to be a rich Brit.

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This Is How The 2023 Chevy Corvette Z06’s N/A V8 Delivers 670 HP

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The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was unveiled earlier in the week and promises to be unlike any other ‘Vette before it, largely thanks to its engine.

We have known that the C8 Z06 would feature a 5.5-liter naturally-aspirated V8 ever since the Corvette C8.R race car was unveiled with this same basic engine in October 2019. Recent rumors suggested the engine would be tuned to around the 617 hp mark for the Z06, so you can imagine our surprise when the car was announced with no less than 670 hp and 460 lb-ft (623 Nm).

Read More: 2023 Corvette Z06 Is The Ultimate C8 With A Furious Sounding 670HP Flat-Plane Crank V8

That horsepower figure makes this 5.5-liter flat-plane crank engine the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 ever used by a production car. It also gives the new car a 20 hp advantage over the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 used by the C7 Z06. Just how was Chevy able to extract so much power from this smaller-capacity engine without relying on forced induction?

To show how this was achieved, Engineering Explained has released an intriguing video that details all of the technology packed into this engine.

A key reason why the engine is so powerful is that it revs to 8,600 rpm and achieves peak power at 8,400 rpm, 2,000 rpm higher than the C7’s 6.2-liter V8. The car’s high-revving nature has been achieved through the use of a flat-plane crankshaft and the use of a short stroke.

Chevrolet has also engineered the engine with double-overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. It also featured dual valve springs, solid lifts, titanium intake valves, and sodium-filled steel exhaust valves. A complex intake manifold has also been designed with dual throttle bodies, dual plenums, three center valves, and four trumpets on each side.

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Slammed 2021 Cadillac Escalade Required Much More Than A Set Of Lowering Springs

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It is quite a common sight to see modified Cadillac Escalades roaming the streets in the States. However, this is the first heavily-modified 2021 Escalade that we’ve come across.

The latest-generation Escalade is one of the most luxurious SUVs currently on the market with a price tag that can exceed $100,000 for a flagship model. Evidently, the Escalade’s value didn’t dissuade the owner of this example from equipping it with a host of modifications.

Read Also: Cadillac Buyers Are Spending Over $102,000 On Average For The 2021 Escalade

This example is owned by a guy named Jake McKiddie who was recently interviewed for the Ridiculous Rides series on the Barcroft Cars YouTube channel. It may simply look like a lowered Escalade but much more work has gone into it than fitting a set of lowering springs.

Images from the build show that the chassis was completely removed from the SUV and totally rebuilt. It has also been equipped with 30×9 front and 30×11-inch rear wheels and an air suspension system that means it can be dropped so low that both the front and rear bumpers actually hit the ground. A set of enlarged Wilwood brakes have also been installed to better complement the massive 30-inch wheels.

Significant changes had to be made to the SUV’s interior to make this all work. In fact, a large chunk of the trunk is now taken up by the pronounced wheel wells, dramatically reducing cargo space. However, from the second row forwards, the interior of this Escalade is relatively stock.

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The Czinger 21C Is Insanely Fast, But Does The Driving Experience Match Its Performance?

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There’s a lot to talk about the Czinger 21C, from its 3D printed design to its ridiculous lap time at Laguna Seca, to its technological inspiration being the SR-71 Blackbird. But what no one knew until now about the highly limited hypercar is how it is to drive.

Top Gear’s Jack Rix has finally gotten the chance to sample this technological marvel that’s faster around Laguna Seca than a McLaren Senna.

To start with, the Czinger 21C certainly behaves in a manner that reflects the way it looks, which is to say, unusually. To start with, this preproduction model has a seven-speed sequential transmission with straight-cut gears. Using a hand clutch to get off the line, though, means that there’s a whole new learning curve for the vast majority of drivers and you’re fairly likely to stall it.

Read More: Production Czinger 21C Arrives As A 3D-Printed Hybrid Hypercar With 1,233 HP And A 281 MPH Top Speed

Once you’re up to speed, though, the gear changes are lightning-fast going both up and down the cogs and it’s pretty clear why a company obsessed with speed would have picked this transmission. Similarly, the unusual seating position takes some getting used to.

“You’ve got electric motors, two of them on the front axle in front of me,” says Rix. “And then the driver, and then the passenger, and then the V8 engine behind me, which means you’re a bit squashed up. The whole car is massively long and I’m tucked in the nose like some sort of turbo era F1 car.”

The result of the weirdness, though, is something that makes you feel alive. With a dry weight of 1,240 kg (2,733 lbs) and 1,233 hp (1,250 PS / 919 kW), the car is extremely fast. “Look, I knew this thing was gonna be fast,” says Rix. “But oh my word, the way that the throttle picks up, the way that the engine revs out – Ooooh! That was just a cheeky 9,000 [rpm]!”

He also says that it feels like an LMP car in which you can feel the downforce (650 kg at 100 mph) keeping you on the road.

“The steering is actually really good. I like it,” says Rix. “There’s plenty of feel. I talked earlier about the yoke steering wheel meaning you’ve got to keep your hands in the right place and right now they’re not going anywhere, because right now I’m trying to hold to this beast around Willow Springs.”

So the driving experience matches the insane performance. Sounds, then, like the 18 people who will be able to buy one will be very happy indeed.

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Watch Thieves Steal A Black Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

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The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is one of the most sought-after performance cars in the U.S. This desirability seems to be prompted the theft of one in Chicago recently.

This video was filmed at 5:00 a.m. in the morning of August 25 and initially shows a white Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT pulling into the parking lot and reversing into a spot right next to the Hellcat.

Two masked men then get out and at the same time, an accomplice in an orange Dodge Challenger also pulls into the parking area, reversing into a nearby space to keep a close eye on what was happening. Before long, a white Audi e-tron pulls in and also appears to have been driven by an accomplice.

Also: Looters Raid FCA Dealership Driving Off With Hellcats, Burn AMG GT In Mercedes Showroom

Over the following few minutes, the thieves manage to break into the black Challenger SRT Hellcat and are able to start it up. Before long, all four vehicles involved in the heist pull away.

It is difficult to say what tools the thieves used to steal the Dodge but it certainly took a lot longer than we have seen with recent relay attacks targeting vehicles with keyless entry systems. Relay attacks are often performed at homes where thieves use a device to receive the signals from a vehicle’s keyless remote. These signals are then transferred to a second device that allows thieves to open the doors and turn on the engine.

Dodge is aware of the popularity of the Challenger among thieves and recently introduced an Enhanced Security Valet Mode that limits the car to 2.8 hp and 22 lb-ft (30 Nm) unless the correct four-digit code is pinned into the infotainment screen.

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Jay Leno Preps For Doomsday With Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6

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One of the great things about Jay Leno’s Garage is the sheer diversity of vehicles covered by the man in blue.

In the last few weeks alone he’s tried a Chevy V8-swapped Datsun 240Z, celebrated 25 years of the Porsche Boxster, reviewed a classic 1967 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada, and taken a look at the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V.

But every now and again the big man comes across something really crazy, and they don’t come much crazier than the Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6.

The work of Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Apocalypse Manufacturing, the Hellfire 6×6 is the kind of car you buy when you live in a cold war nuclear bunker and need to make your yearly trip to the store to stock up on canned beans, dried milk and anti-tank mines. It’s a preppers’ dream.

Related: Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6 Is A $1 Million Off-Roading Beast

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Loosely based around a lifted Jeep Gladiator, the Hellfire uses a bespoke third axle, runs on ginormous 40-inch wheels and is powered by a mildly tuned 6.2-liter Chevy LS3 V8 developing 500 hp. If that’s not enough muscle for you, or you prefer to keep the Mopar bloodline pure, a 707 hp Hellcat V8 is optional.

There’s Kevlar paint and a style of cover for the 8-ft rear bed that Tesla’s lawyers will be interested to hear Apocalypse’s boss Joseph Ghattas openly admits to stealing from the company’s Cybertruck. And most crazy of all, Ghattas reckons he can deliver one in less than three weeks from the point of order.

Much like the majority of supercars almost never get near their top speed, Ghatttas admits that few of the 79 people around the world who’ve already bought an Apocalypse regularly go off road.

“At some point in the ownership experience you go off-roading in it,” Ghattas tells Leno. “But is it their daily thing? No. Mostly [it is used] to protect them from zombies.”

Leno seems surprised to find the Apocalypse handles and stops well, but candidly admits that it’s not his kind of car. We can’t imagine dropping $190,000 on one either, but like Leno, we’re happy to know the option is there for those who feel the need. And if that zombie uprising ever does happen, we know who to call.

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The Latest Porsche 911 GT3 Is An Absolute Weapon On A Racetrack

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The new Porsche 911 GT3 is more track-focused than any of its predecessors and as The Straight Pipes recently discovered from their first test of the car, it is an incredible performer.

As I’m sure you’ll agree, it is always a special occasion when Porsche announces a new-generation 911 GT3 and with the 992-generation, the German carmaker has proven once again that it has no equal when it comes to designing driver-focused sports cars.

The engine of the new 911 GT3 is a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six and that may sound familiar as it’s pretty much the same engine as the previous-generation car. It produces 502 hp and 346 lb-ft (469 Nm) and while the engine itself isn’t much of an upgrade over a 991.2-gen model, Porsche has made some significant upgrades that boost its performance.

Watch Also: The 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Improves Yet Again On A Winning Formula

For example, the new GT3 is the first 911 to feature a double-wishbone front suspension and this results in greatly improved turn-in and handling with not even the slightest hint of understeer. Porsche also went to town in developing a new aerodynamics package for the car which includes an adjustable front spoiler lip, a rear diffuser, and a manually-adjustable swan-neck rear wing.

Porsche claims the new car produces 50 per cent more downforce than the model it replaces when the rear wing is in its normal position. When switched to its performance setting, the car has a startling 150 per cent more downforce than the 991.2-gen! Talk about progress…

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A BMW M8 Gran Coupe From G-Power Has No Problem Exceeding 180 MPH On The Autobahn

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The BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe is one seriously impressive sedan and as this video shows, is more than happy to cruise along the Autobahn at high speeds.

As standard, the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 of the M8 Competition Gran Coupe churns out 617 hp and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque. The car featured is far from stock, though. In fact, it has been modified by the tuning specialists over at G-Power and according to AutoTopNL, pumps out 790 hp.

Read Also: G-Power’s G8M Hurricane RR Is A Clockwork Orange BMW M8 With 887 Hp

We presume this M8 Competition Gran Coupe has gone through the Stage 3 modifications that G-Power announced earlier this year. If that’s the case then it would feature new performance software, upgraded turbochargers, sport downpipes, a GP-Deeptone exhaust system, and four carbon fiber tailpipes.

G-Power says its boosted BMW delivers 808 hp and 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque, an extraordinary amount of power for a luxury sedan that offers levels of comfort, ride quality, and refinement to make it perfect for cross-continent journeys. While the video quotes a slightly lower number, 790 hp is still more than enough for any occasion.

This video doesn’t provide us with any performance times recorded by the car but does show it exceeding 180 mph (290 km/h) without breaking a sweat. We suspect that with enough open road in front of it, the car could probably hit 200 mph (320 km/h), if not slightly exceed it.

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Chevy Dealer Tech Took Customer’s C8 Corvette For A 148-MPH Street Racing Joyride

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If you have a GM vehicle equipped with the Performance Data Recorder (PDR), this might be your sign to start using it when you bring your car in for service. After the incident this past June involving a Chevrolet technician taking a customer’s C8 Corvette out for a 104-mph (167 km/h) joyride, a similar situation has has occurred, this time with street racing at speeds close to 150 mph (241 km/h)

The car was brought in to the dealership for an unknown, potentially serious engine noise that necessitated it be taken in on a tow truck. After the technician working on it resolved the issue, which apparently turned out to be a loose spark plug, he rightfully took it out for a test drive to make sure everything was in working order. However, what that technician didn’t know was that the car’s PDR was active, and it was recording the whole ordeal that followed.

See Also: Stolen C8 Corvette Destroyed As Thieves Try To Outrun Cops

Read More: C8 Corvette Split In Half In Crash But Its Engine (And Other Parts) Are For Sale

After some seemingly normal driving, the tech made his way onto the highway. Once he had enough room, he opened up the Corvette to about 115 mph (185 km/h), and did the same again on another highway. And if that wasn’t enough, the PDR video then shows him engaging in a street race with a Dodge Charger, weaving in and out of traffic and reaching speeds of up to 148 mph (238 km/h) at one point.

According to The Drive, after the owner found out what had been done with his car, the dealership offered him $500 worth of exterior and interior detailing, but seeing as the car was virtually brand new and already had a paint protection film installed, he was able to negotiate for an extended warranty. The owner told The Drive that he will have “no ill-will” against the dealership if they truly uphold their agreement.

The full video of the test drive has since been removed, but you can watch the street racing part, which was reuploaded to Reddit, below.