guides

Yamaha is a company mostly associated with motorcycles and musical instruments. There are also the occasional collaborations between Yamaha and certain carmakers – mostly (but not limited to) Toyota – where they design engines for high-performance vehicles. Some more notable examples are the Toyota 2000GT, Ford Taurus SHO, Lexus LFA, and others. What many don’t know, however, is that in the 1990s, Yamaha decided to build a car of its own. It was called the OX99-11 and although it ultimately failed, there are many interesting facts about this weird-looking supercar, which we are now sharing with you.

Nissan unveiled the all-new fifth-generation (R53) Pathfinder back in February. It was scheduled to go on sale in the summer. Well, the wait is finally over. The Pathfinder went on sale earlier this month.

This model has been overhauled from the ground up. It receives a far more rugged exterior and a modern yet functional interior. There are four trims to choose from. S, SL, SV, and top-spec Platinum.

The 2021 Chicago Auto Show is underway right now. It is being held between July 15-19 at McCormick Place south of Downtown, Chicago. Pretty much all of the mainstream auto manufacturers will be present at the venue. Considering how the EV trend has really taken off, there will also be a slew of electric vehicles on display, from legacy and EV manufacturers alike. The Chicago Auto Show is the first major auto show to return since the pandemic began, and these are the cars to watch out for!

The BMW 2 Series is arguably the hottest model of the brand right now. Its roots can be traced back to the 2004 E87 1 Series, which was a hatchback, but later coupe and convertible models were spun from it. Eventually, the “1er” became front-wheel-drive, but luckily for us, the coupe version, now called 2 Series, still had a rear-wheel-drive platform. The M240i, in particular, is currently the most exciting of the bunch (until a proper M-version arrives), with its B58 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six that makes 374 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm). However, at nearly $50,000, there are a lot of worthy alternatives, and here are some of the best out there.

The upcoming GT-R has to be one of the most anticipated super sports cars in recent times. Nissan has been working on a complete model redesign for its flagship sports car for a while now. Looking back at Nissan’s history, the Skyline GT-R, which has long been the icon of Nissan’s sports cars lineup, is currently in the third generation of models with the GT-R name, following the first generation from 1969 to 1973 and the second generation from 1989 to 2002.

The Ferrari 296 GTB is currently the latest and hottest car to come out of Maranello. The design of the car is an epic blend of Ferrari’s past and present, reinterpreting some elements from the 1963 Ferrari 250 LM. Although Ferrari’s latest mid-engine car looks stunning, the 296 GTB engine is also worthy of praise for its engineering solutions. It may have two cylinders less than what we’re used to, but Ferrari promises that it more than makes up for it with clever engineering. Here are 10 interesting facts about the Ferrari 296 GTB’s V-6 engine.

I just finished watching the Duke of Richmond, the founder of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, take to the wheel of the brand new Lotus Emira, which just launched earlier this week, up the legendary hill climb. I am glad to report that the Festival of Speed is back for 2021 after a gap of nearly 18 months.

The Festival of Speed or FOS is a 4-day event that takes place around about the same time as the British Formula 1 Grand Prix every summer. It is a hill climb event and is touted by many as the celebration of motorsport. Every kind of car and motorcycle imaginable takes part in the event from all over the world. Be it vintage cars, old F1 cars, Rally Cars to the latest Electric Hypercars, Goodwood has you covered. 

The Goodwood Festival is also famed for bringing out rare and distinctive cars from private garages to race on the legendary course. There’s also a retro fairground, a revival auto show with scores of vintage cars, a revival cinema, and a Bonhams exclusive auction.

Here are some of the most anticipated cars to watch out for at this year’s event.

Porsche is a brand synonymous with some of the best sports cars in the world. That said, there are people out there who enjoy modifying their cars, in order to create something that’s truly theirs. And while aesthetic mods like “smoked” taillights, changing the rims, or adding spoilers are as common as ever, some people go the extra mile and swap the whole drivetrain or even transform their Porsche into a completely different model. With this in mind, these are some of the most successful Porsche conversions ever made.

In the car world, there are certain vehicles considered to be the holy grail of tuner cars. However, the most desirable versions can be a bit pricey, especially as demand increases. Take, for example, the manual, twin-turbo Supra Mk IV, which costs a fortune compared to its automatic counterpart. There is, however, an alternative solution to spending tons of money on the desirable spec, which is buying the less desirable automatic version of the car and do a manual transmission swap. Is it worth it? Donut Media has provided the answer in a detailed video that showcases the process.

The first production car with a recorded speed was the 1894 Benz Velo that had a top speed of just 12 mph. Few verified records exist from that point until around 1950, when the Jaguar XK120 set a production car speed record of 124.6 mph (not to be confused with the tuned prototype that managed to hit 133 mph) From this point on, it became a trend for automotive publications to do their own top speed test. Even the venerable McLaren F1 was tested by Car & Driver, and in 2005 we got our first government-official speed record set by the Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 and verified by German inspection officials in 2005. It was that moment when the official challenge between manufacturers kicked off, and since then there have only been a handful of cars up to breaking the record. This list covers the top 10 fastest cars in the world, ranked from slowest to fastest.

The Porsche 911 is a car that doesn’t need an introduction. Since 1964, the rear-engine sports car from Stuttgart has set the benchmark for performance cars around the globe. That said, every family has a black sheep, and sadly, the 996 generation of the Porsche 911 has been branded as one. According to many, it was a deviation from Porsche’s traditional way of doing things, but we are here to tell you that the 996 was, in fact, superior to all its predecessors when it came out - here’s why.

By now, it’s painfully obvious that Toyota isn’t interested in reliving the glorious 1990s. Back in those days, they had the SW20 MR-2/MR-S, the Celica GT-Four and SS3, and let’s not forget the venerable Supra Mk IV. However, sports cars cost a lot to develop and their market niche is insignificant compared to something like a Corolla. You can see why, nowadays, Toyota has two front-engine rear-wheel-drive sports cars and both of which are not pure Toyota products – the GR Supra and GR86. The latter, though, is more worthy of the Toyota badge and here’s why.

When you think Ford, you think the GT40 or the Mustang, both of which American models with great heritage. Before the Mustang became global, however, Europe had its own equivalent of the pony car. The Ford Capri was a rear-wheel-drive, 2+2 coupe that could be both a commuter and a weekend warrior. Although the Capri name, as we know it, has been retired, it has a long history and we are about to share with you everything we know about the car, sometimes referred to as “the European Mustang”.

Mercedes is certainly no stranger to motorsports. The German brand has been at it for the better part of the last 100 years. The company was involved in Grand Prix as early as 1923, with their teardrop-shaped Benz Tropfenwagen and then there was LeMans incident from 1955 where a 300 SLR crash-landed into the stands. Mercedes dominated the FIA GT1 class in the 1990s, but that was followed by some interesting developments with their Mercedes CLR, which apparently acted more like an airplane rather than a car. As a result, it managed to flip, and not just once.