Evergreen
-
Drivers have various reasons for starting in second gear, especially with a manual transmission. Perhaps first gear is too short, or snowy road conditions require lighter acceleration to avoid spinning the tires. But is that a good idea? Never fear because Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained is here to tell us about when it may make sense to start in second gear. He also takes the time to explain the differences between manual and automatic transmissions for a closer look at what's going on with your transmission and clutch. Jason sees one scenario where starting in second gear truly makes...
-
The Hudson Hornet was the fastest American car of its dayThe year is 1951 and you're driving a Cadillac Series 62. You're ripping down an empty road but you see something in your rear view mirror...it's gaining on you. Soon it catches up and blows your doors off. It's a Hudson Hornet, and it's the fastest American car in production that year. That bit of...
Jeff Glucker -
Why did McLaren name its latest supercar Senna?Ayrton Senna da Silva still looms large over the worlds of motorsport and McLaren. One need only utter the name and a flurry of thoughts related to speed, driving precision, and winning all come rushing to mind. Senna, who died in a tragic accident in 1994, spent the better part of his Formula One...
Jeff Glucker -
Here's how Audi is eliminating body rollToo much body roll is never a good thing. To tighten things up further, Audi has introduced a system featuring two electronic sway bars to nearly eliminate body roll. And who would be better to give us a walkthrough on how the system actually works than Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained. In the...
Sean Szymkowski -
Actual KITT from "Knight Rider" drives into Jay Leno's GarageSince he was five years old, Joe Huth has been in love with "Knight Rider." The show premiered in 1982 and ran for 90 episodes stretching four seasons. Now Joe is all grown up and he's managed to grab a piece of history associated with his favorite show: one of the actual KITT cars using during...
Jeff Glucker -
Riding in a rally race car is insane, dangerous, and not for the faint of heartA hand touches my shoulder from behind as I hear, “Are you ready?” I turn to see legendary rally driver John Buffum standing with two race helmets, sizes large and medium. Before I can open my mouth to answer, the calm, crisp 27-degree Wisconsin winter air is violently filled with the...
Joel Feder -
The purchase and ultimate delivery process that comes along with a supercar is a bit different than what you might experience when you buy the family sedan or truckster. Those vehicles are fine, but they don't deserve pomp and circumstance. A machine like the 2018 Ford GT, however, does. John Hennessey just took delivery of a new Ford GT, and he had his video crew document the process. It's a nice bit of insight into what Ford does for its most exclusive customers. The car arrives in the back of a covered trailer. It's rolled out and unveiled to what is, in most cases, a waiting throng. Just...
-
How do centrifugal superchargers work?Your car arrives from the factory. Bolted under the hood is an engine that makes modest power, and it does so by breathing just fine on its own. It could make more power though and that extra motivation could easily come by way of a bit of forced induction. It's time to supercharge your ride. But...
Jeff Glucker -
Porsche lists its top 5 most iconic race carsPorsche has tapped Derek Bell for the latest video in its Top 5 series. In this clip, Bell shares Porsche's list of of its most iconic race cars. Now might be the time to bail out of that conference call and find some earbuds. Bell should know about iconic race cars. He's won Le Mans five times...
Jeff Glucker -
A Mercedes-Benz 300SL restored by Brabus is a thing of beautyThe mad wrenches at Brabus know a thing or two about taking a modern Mercedes-Benz and twisting the wick until tremendous power figures are produced. Brabus isn't just about the new metal, as it turns out. The classic car division of the German tuning company exists to breathe new life into older...
Jeff Glucker -
Original and unrestored 1960 Lancia visits Jay Leno's GarageWith a current lineup consisting of just a homely hatchback, Lancia is certainly in a sorry state considering this is a brand that once competed in Formula 1 and built luxury sedans fit for heads of state. Lancia with a little help from Italian coachbuilders such as Pininfarina, Vignale and Zagato...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
These are the 5 fastest accelerating Porsche road carsPorsche is stepping up its production game for the Top 5 video series. The latest clip sees the automaker pitting a handful of its models against one another. We have road flares, an abandoned runway, lots of smoke, and a gaggle of modern Porsche models. The goal here? To demonstrate just how...
Jeff Glucker -
The Dartz Black Alligator, an utterly insane armored-luxury SUV from Latvia, may have some competition. Meet the Karlmann King, which reportedly costs in excess of $2 million. Auto Express reported Thursday that the King SUV comes from Chinese firm IAT, although it's not built there. In stead, a small European team assembles the King, which packs enough luxury to make Rolls-Royce and Bentley jealous. Certainly, no one will mistake the Karlmann King for a Bentley or Rolls-Royce, however. IAT said its goal was to design and build a "stealth" vehicle, but they didn't mean incognito. Instead...
-
Jay Leno revisits Gordon Murray-designed Light Car RocketGordon Murray is revered in the automotive design world. As he should be, considering that he's responsible for Brabham and McLaren Formula 1 cars that won many a Grand Prix. Oh, he also penned the supercar of supercars that is the McLaren F1. There have been a few other designs along the way...
Jeff Glucker -
Here are the Top 5 reasons you'll love the Porsche 911 GT2 RSPorsche loves cranking out Top 5 videos. Usually though, it factors in five models that fit a given topic. Today's different because the sole attraction in this Porsche video is the 2018 911 GT2 RS. We still have five things to talk about. So let's dive into the Top 5 thrilling attributes on the...
Jeff Glucker -
Hennessey's Exorcist Camaro is quicker in the 1/4 mile than the Dodge DemonYou can bet Hennessey Performance Engineering had one figure in mind when developing the Exorcist Chevrolet Camaro ZL1: the Dodge Challenger Demon's 9.65-second quarter-mile time. And it's not a surprise HPE was able to top the 9.65-second time with a 9.57-second quarter-mile run. Hennessey...
Sean Szymkowski -
Christopher Runge brings his automotive works of art to Jay Leno's Garage"We've got a $10,000 sound system right here," says Christoper Runge as he points towards the section of his car that houses the engine. Who is Christopher Runge? He's the founder of Runge Cars, which jumped into the spotlight when its "Frankfurt Flyer" was revealed in 2012. That car's official...
Jeff Glucker -
Goodyear Oxygene concept tire cleans the air as it rollsThe concept of tires hasn't changed radically for decades: they're round, they roll, they hold up your car. Companies have managed to manufacture better quality compounds and produce tires that grip, stop, and handle superbly, but Goodyear has a totally different idea for the future of the tire...
Sean Szymkowski -
With the right set of tires, nearly any vehicle is prepared for winter driving. A perfect example of this is the 700-horsepower Porsche 911 GT2 RS. When wearing winter tires, the car is capable of finding traction where you'd expect none to exist. Porsche highlights this fact by placing a GT2 RS in the snow-covered land of St. Moritz, Switzerland, and letting it loose...with a skier in tow in the video above. It's not just the modern Porsche that is ready for snow driving. A Porsche 911 S/T rally car from the early 1970s is also on hand and its driver is also eager for winter wonderland...
-
Uber-rare Jaguar XJR-15 stops by Jay Leno's GarageJay Leno is a very lucky guy. Not only does he have one of the best car collections on the planet, it seems like every day someone is taking a rare machine to his famous garage for a personal inspection. The latest someone is a man by the name of Jasbir Dhillon, who recently visited with an...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
What does GTS mean in Porsche speak?Porsche affixes quite a few surnames to its sports cars, but it's easy to simply take them at face value. Every name has a story, and the simple "GTS" badge is no different. The sports car brand tackled where the "GTS" name comes from in a new video series answering common questions about Porsche...
Sean Szymkowski -
Here are the 5 lightest Porsches ever madePorsche perfectly played with our emotions last year when it rolled out its Top 5 video series. The clips focused on a given subject and plucked out five Porsche models that best covered that subject, and these models spanned Porsche history. Now the automaker is back with a fresh Top 5 clip, and...
Jeff Glucker -
How did Volkswagen's diesel defeat device work?Every media outlet in the world covered Volkswagen's tangled web of lies and deceit as "Dieselgate" opened up and spewed the truth nearly three years ago. Its consequences are ongoing today, and VW's future trajectory has been changed forever. But, how exactly did VW's "defeat device" work? Jason...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mercedes created the world's most efficient racing engineMercedes-Benz dominated Formula One in 2017, and part of its success was no doubt due to its latest F1 powertrain. The big news surrounding the engine is the fact it achieves a 50-percent thermal efficiency. What's so special about that? Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained is here to tell us...
Sean Szymkowski