One of the biggest fears of any car enthusiast is being paralyzed, and not being able to drive. This video, from Jalopnik on Drive, is about Michael Johnson, a guy who was paralyzed in an accident, but has still managed to become a professional race car driver. Michael has a very real chance of making his way to the IndyCar series, all without the use of his legs. No joke, this may be the most inspiring thing I have seen in quite some time. Hopefully we will see Michael spraying champagne at the Indy 500 in the coming years! Enjoy.
Many of you probably know about how Chris Harris exposed Ferrari’s rigging of press cars during magazine tests. Ferrari immediately blacklisted him after his article aired on Jalopnik (We did a reaction piece to it as well), which meant he would never be allowed to drive Ferrari press cars again, or purchase a brand new Ferrari for that matter too. Chris has had other ways of still getting Ferraris to road test, but this time he has actually landed himself one of Ferrari’s own press cars via some under-the-table means. The hilariousness of this video for me lies in how he proceeds to absolutely ring the car’s neck, beating the crap out of it on a racetrack like it is a Nissan drift car, or something. It would’ve been hilarious to see the angry looks of the Ferrari executives, in their well tailored suits, upon seeing this video.
I personally love Ferrari for who they are, arrogance included, but it is common sense that when you act the way Ferrari does towards people, they will take any chance they get to make a fool out of you. Needless to say, I will be laughing about this for the rest of the day. Another big win by the Drive Network and Chris Harris. Enjoy
Evo’s Harry Metcalfe shows us what it is like to live with a Ferrari FF in realistic circumstances. Sure Ferraris are great for race tracks, and romantic cruises to St. Tropez, but what about for doing your holiday shopping, driving your granny around, taking a ski trip with some friends, or, yes, even doing the rounds on a farm? Could a big V12 Ferrari be any good at those things?
If one day a magical genie came up to me and said “I will give you any classic Ferrari you want”, my choice would be this 275 NART Spyder. Yes that’s right, I would rather have this car than the legendary 250 GTO or 250 Testa Rossa. Why, you ask? Because I happen to be more of a road car person. I like racing cars just fine, but for me, driving perfection is found with the wind in my hair, and the hum of a great engine bellowing off the trees as I cruise by. Going on a real world journey in a great car may be my favorite thing to do, and it is the sole reason this 275 NART Spyder was commissioned by Luigi Chinetti back in the 1960’s. Continue reading Obscure Auto: Ferrari 275 GTB/4 N.A.R.T. Spyder→
Drive’s Chris Harris goes to Singer in California to see their bespoke built Porsche 911 and what goes into making it. The idea behind Singer’s car is that they have taken all of the best parts from every 911, and put them all into one car in an effort to make the perfect Porsche. All of the details are discussed in the video, but all I can say after watching it is “What a car!!!”. Yet another machine to add to my list should I win the Lottery. Enjoy.
This video is extremely entertaining, and it is good to see a proper driver driving a proper Bimmer (E34 M5) like he’s just robbed a bank or something. This video is just plain epic, but it is surely one of those things that walks a very thin line between awesome and insanely stupid. We don’t recommend any of you go and try this for yourselves, this guy was reckless enough for all of us, I think. Enjoy the hoonage.
The name “Mangusta” is one that gets all motorheads giddy. It’s the Italian word for “mongoose”–a perfect animal name for the car that it was bestowed upon. The De Tomaso Mangusta is still ranked highly as one of the best combinations of Italian style and American power, with its stunning, menacing early 1970s Giugaro lines, gull-winged engine bay, and stump-pulling Ford small-block V8 (a few had the 351 V8). Only 401 were ever built from 1967 until 1971, but in the 1990s and early 2000s, someone brought the name back–and the car had some strikingly similar characteristics to its namesake. Continue reading Obscure Auto: Qvale Mangusta→
I have been around cars for a long time now, and it has gotten to the point where I generally know what to expect when I get behind the wheel of something new. Many cars have some surprising features, but usually these surprises are more of a nice touch, a cherry on top of the ice cream sundae; if you will. Every so often though, I find something that completely throws my expectations out the window. The Chevy Siverado you see above belongs to my photographer friend, Dan Valanzola, who has spent countless hours turning it into something entirely unexpected. Continue reading Test Driven: 6.0 swapped 2000 Chevrolet Silverado (9/10)→
This custom International Harvester truck was at the cruise night in in Hopewell, NJ a few months ago. I must admit that I don’t know much about these trucks except that they are quite rare at this point. This particular truck has obviously been slammed and customized, with pure badassary seeping from every nook and cranny. Enjoy.
Yes, the Prius. A different sort of car than we normally feature in this section, yet a car that has had a resounding impact on the automotive world in recent years. Everyone knows a Prius when they see one, and most people know that the car has become as much a political statement as a mode of transportation. Whether you buy into the whole Green movement or not, there is no denying that the Prius has been an incredible marketing success. It paved the way for an entirely new sort of car in the world, one that puts priority on efficiency and cleanliness over all else. We all know the car, but behind every car there is a story to tell. This is that story.
Mind Over Motor 