Videos auto news

Video: Tony Hawk jumps Lexus LFA on skateboard

Give a Lexus LFA to an auto journalist and there's going to be an attempt to drift it. Give that same LFA to the gents at Blendtec and they're likely to see if it, or at least a piece of it, will blend. Then turn that LFA over to Tony Hawk to use for his birthday and he will, naturally, line the thing up outside of his office and see if he can ollie it.

Sure, he had the help of a generous ramp, but we can't blame him. The LFA is $375,000 of sensitive parts that wouldn't react well, nor inexpensively, to flying skateboard trucks. Scroll down to see the 44-year-old Hawk do what he does best.

Continue reading Tony Hawk jumps Lexus LFA on skateboard

Video: Watch Genki Hagata pull off the world's greatest motorcycle save

We officially have a new motorcycle hero. Genki Hagata rolled his Yamaha YZF-R6 out onto the track during the second AMA Pro Supersport qualifying session at Sears Point recently. Partway through his out-lap, the bike lost traction in the rear before abruptly regaining it. We likely don't need to tell you that scenario almost always results in a one-way ticket off of the saddle in a not-so-glorious highside. But not for Hagata. The racer exhibited nothing less than super-human strength by clamping onto the handlebars and holding on for dear life.

Miraculously, it worked. After the bike settled down, Hagata managed to cling to the machine as it rode upright until he was able to fling himself back into the saddle. The guy's efforts kept the Yamaha off of the asphalt, but cost him a spot on the grid. Hagata missed the cut-off by a few tenths of a second. Still, we haven't seen heroics like this in a long spell. Scroll down to check it out for yourself.

Continue reading Watch Genki Hagata pull off the world's greatest motorcycle save

Video: Canadian motorist hits moose, loses memory, yet makes it to work on time

We will cop to having arrived at work suffering from memory loss, but never from hitting a moose. At least not that we can remember, anyway.

It's a story that verily defines "news of the weird," courtesy of CNN: A Canadian woman not only hit a moose with her car on her way to work, she drove some 25 miles after the collision, unaware that she had struck the beast. But this was no glancing blow. The force of the impact killed the moose, but not before it had shattered the windshield and peeled back the roof of the Michelle Higgins' Chrysler Sebring.

The woman was traveling on the Trans-Canada Highway in Newfoundland, according to the report, when the accident occurred. When Higgins arrived at work - on time, mind you - she had blood streaming down her face and was unaware of what had transpired. Her injuries included two broken bones in her neck, bruises, a hoof print on her forehead... and memory loss. Scroll down to watch the remarkable video report from CNN.

Continue reading Canadian motorist hits moose, loses memory, yet makes it to work on time

Video: Buick begins airing Marisa Miller Enclave ad

Not long ago, Buick released the behind-the-scenes video of its Enclave commercial with Marisa Miller, and now the supermodel's 30-second spot has begun airing. Note: This is a spot for the current Enclave, not the refreshed 2013 model the debuted during April's New York Auto Show.

The Sports Illustrated staple and lingerie model might just be the first person ever to wear a swimsuit in a Buick ad. We could say more about it, but that would delay you from watching Ms. Miller and the Enclave in action. So just scroll down and check out the video, why don't you.

Continue reading Buick begins airing Marisa Miller Enclave ad

Video: Saab victorious in inaugural Swedish Touring Car race

The sequel to Frankenstein is being written in Swedish, by Saab. The ostensibly former car company could teach the good doctor about life after death, having earned itself more good news by winning the inaugural race of the Swedish Touring Car series. Team Tidö's black 9-3 racer was on pole and carried that lead all the way to the checkered flag. Driving it was Linus Ohlsson, whose past triumphs include taking third in the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia series.

Just to be clear, all the cars in the series are silhouette racers, with Saab, Volvo, BMW and Citroën bodies placed over a spec chassis. Still, it was the body with the Griffin badge that beat the rest, and we all know Saab's faithful could use something to cheer about these days. Scroll down for a video recap of the race; it's in Swedish, so hit the CC button for English subtitles if you need 'em.

Continue reading Saab victorious in inaugural Swedish Touring Car race

Video: Hit and Run is speeding towards a theater near you

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of appropriate ages, your requisite dose of big-screen fast driving is here. And it looks pretty darn funny, too.

The movie in question is called Hit and Run. It was written and directed by Dax Shepard, who also stars in the film alongside such notables as Bradley Cooper, Tom Arnold, a couple of girls named Kristen, a custom '67 Lincoln Continental hot rod and a 700-horsepower off-road racing buggy. The comedy (not to be confused with the 1924, 1938, 1957, 1959, 1966, 1975, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 or 2011 movies of the same name) centers around a guy whose past as a bank-robbing getaway driver comes back to haunt him, forcing him and his girlfriend to hit the road.

It tickles us in all the right places, but we'll let you judge for yourself from the trailer down below. Look for it at local theaters from August 24.

Continue reading Hit and Run is speeding towards a theater near you

The List: The List #0187: Escape an Automotive Attack

It's one thing to protect yourself on the road against bad drivers who might cut you off or ride your bumper on the highway. It's quite another to do that when those drivers have guns and want to kidnap the diplomat in your back seat. While the latter scenario may sound unlikely, many drivers in law enforcement, security and the military go through training to prevent the success of just such an attack-on-wheels.

Learning how people in the protection business escape an automotive attack is on our list of 1,001 Car Things To Do Before You Die, which means it's on Jessi and Patrick's list too. We sent them to the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving to enroll in its four-day Executive Protection/Anti-Kidnapping program. Their course instruction includes valuable skills like what to do when your driver's been shot, the proper way to do a J-turn and how to perform a textbook PIT maneuver, among other things.

Even if your life isn't in jeopardy from a phalanx of baddies in hot pursuit, the end game here is a finer understanding of using automotive physics to one's advantage and improving one's car control skills.

Click here to watch The List #0187: Escape an Automotive Attack.

Have an RSS feed? Click here to add The List.

Click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick.

Continue reading The List #0187: Escape an Automotive Attack

Video: This SEMA show car goes 182.4 mph

By and large, the machines created for the SEMA show in Las Vegas are built for lounging around under convention center lights and not much else. All those go-fast parts we see bolted on do little more than collect lustful stares from from the crowd. But Creations n' Chrome set out to discover just what their bolt on additions to its Ford Mustang were good for. Under the outrageous 3dCarbon bodykit sits a Vortech supercharged 5.0-liter V8 good for around 580 horsepower at 8 psi of boost on stock internals. KW served up a set of Variant 3 coilovers, and Hotchkis took care of front and rear sway bars.

The crew rolled the blown Mustang out the to the Mojave Mile for a top speed run. The machine racked up a final velocity of 182.4 mph, though the final seconds of the run looked anything but stable (we hear there was a 20 mph crosswind). Still, we're impressed at the machine's performance. For perspective, the Boss 302 is only good for 155 mph. Check out the video for yourself below.

Continue reading This SEMA show car goes 182.4 mph

Video: Lamborghini Gallardo driver shows how not to gun it at a light

You are the driver of a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo, and you've been waiting at a traffic light for something like an entire minute. That glowing red orb of light has been the matador's crimson cape to your bull, taunting you, holding you back, making you very, very angry. So crush the gas pedal a few times and let your V10 snort for all to hear - when the light turns green, everyone's going to know you are not to be toyed with.

You get the green flag and drop the hammer... and all of a sudden you - and two motorists in the oncoming lane - wish you could take it all back and do it all over again. Softly this time. Have a look at the Lamborghini video below for a guide in how not to take off from a light. The action starts at 0:40.

Continue reading Lamborghini Gallardo driver shows how not to gun it at a light

Video: Hennessey Ford GT hits 212.9 mph in the standing half-mile

Mark Heidaker's Hennessey Ford GT is back to work snagging records. Sean Kennedy once again took to the wheel of the machine at the Houston Half Mile Shootout, and just as before, the duo didn't disappoint. Kennedy was able to pilot the wicked GT to an astonishing 212.9 miles per hour in a mere half mile, successfully snagging the world record in the process. Not too shabby.

As you may recall, this same team walked away with the standing mile world record back in March. At that time, Kennedy shot the GT to 257.7 mph in the allotted distance. We have to wonder what these guys have up their sleeves for the next stunt. Click Scroll down to check out the understandably quick half mile video for yourself.

Continue reading Hennessey Ford GT hits 212.9 mph in the standing half-mile