I remember as a kid that the only thing I ever wanted to do was drive. I would sit on my Grandmothers dark green rug with my HotWheels cars for hours imagining the day when I would actually get my own set of car keys. These days however it seems like that has changed and that today’s kids would rather have a smartphone as opposed to an automobile. When I was a teenager the car was the ultimate expression of freedom, nowadays though, I’m not so sure. With all the technology that’s packed into today’s smart phones we can seemingly get anything we want at a moments notice. Need a plane ticket? No problem. Looking for a good restaurant? Still no problem. Want a cab to get there? Presto! Maybe I’m just getting older and more cynical, I’m not sure. I just hope that there are still kids out there who dream of still getting a car for their 16th birthday as opposed to an iPad.

Every year in August under New York’s Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE), there is a car show that brings together some of the baddest hot-rods in all of New York’s 5 boroughs. It’s put on by the Rumblers Car Club of N.Y.C and if you think you’re getting in there with your pretty 1971 Cuda’, then think again. The Rumblers are all about expression and the love of that 1950′s rockabilly lifestyle. The show includes rat-rods, vintage hot-rods, gassers as well as some home built creations that will simply blow your mind. Now sure, at days end these bad boys of the automotive world may not be for everyone. But we here at RL.com just thank God everyday that there are folks like this keeping the spirit of the hot-rodder alive.

Source: Chromjuwelen.com

Rumblers Car Show from Kadshah Nagibe on Vimeo.

Have you ever wanted a Segway scooter, but thought that having two wheels was one-to-many? Well ladies and gentlemen, here’s your solution. It’s called the RYNO Micro Cycle and it seeks to take transportation in an even weirder direction. The RYNO is for all intents and purposes, the worlds first electric production one-wheeled cycle. It employs a gyroscopic stabilizer to keep you pointed upwards and is said to be able to obtain speeds of 25 mph with a 30-mile range. Powered by a lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack, its recharge time is just an hour and a half. Not bad if you ask me. RYNO is not targeting the traditional scooter buyer, nor are they looking at the Segway customer. Instead their focus is for those who seek reliable green transportation with space saving capabilities.

It’s cool, but honestly this thing just screams FACE PLANT every time I look at it.

Source: Ryno Motors

Why is it that just because people have played Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsports that they think this prepares them for the rigors of driving on a real race track? I recently had a conversation with a gentleman who swore up and down that his 1-minute 56-second simulated lap at Infineon Raceway on Forza Motorsport 4 would most likely translate to a 2-minute time if he were actually on the track. He explained to me that his car (daily driver) was a slightly modified 2009 BMW M3, the same car he was running in the game, but because it was in fact a game, that it would only result in a 4-second loss if he were to run it at the track in reality – does that make sense? After listening to him go on and on about his car, skill level and how fast he was, I inquired as to how many times he’d been to Infineon Raceway and or a real race track. The answer was an unsurprising “0″. Now, while video games can give you a little insight in regards to track layout, I’m hear to tell you that if you’ve never been to a racetrack before, you’d be screwed big time if you showed up and tried to run flat-out.

Click through for the video…

In short THIS:

Is not the same as THIS:

It would’ve been so much easier if I was just into video games or something because there are times when being a car guy totally sucks. You see I don’t just like cars, I love them. In fact every aspect of my life revolves around them. I write about them, build them, race them, film them… hell, they encompass everything I do. Who knew that back in the day when I was playing with Matchbox and remote control cars that it would turn into an obsession that has taken over my life. The problem is this; I want everything, but the fatal combination of a writers salary and lack of space prevent this from happening. Sure being in the industry helps, as we get to drive press cars and go to different automotive related events, but still, that doesn’t change the fact that I jones for something different in the garage on a daily basis. Take this near perfect 1972 Ford Galaxie 500 that I spied recently on eBay. Folks, if I had the money this sucker would be in my garage tomorrow. Sure it’s big and cumbersome, but it’s a classic piece of American iron that I would love to use as a daily driver. Maybe it’s because it’s different, or maybe its because cars like this remind me of my childhood growing up in the 1970′s. Whatever the reason though, road yachts like this always get my blood pumping.

Understand that it’s not just vintage American stuff that excites me either. Take this old 1973 Mercedes-Benz 200-Series 280 SEL for example. It was build in a time when a Mercedes-Benz was still built like a tank. Cars of this vintage not only drove great, but they have a timeless style that even now, 38 years later, still looks great. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll hit lotto, or perhaps be in a position to get that 40 car garage I’ve always dreamed about. Either way though, there are times when being a car guy is a drag, as there are just so many wonderful rides out there and so little time to experience them.

Leave it to the skater crowd to try and reinvent the paint brush. Back in the day it wasn’t uncommon for skaters to come forth and take over any vacant pool they could find in the hopes of turning it into their own private thrash park. Sure pools were ruined, but the byproduct of that was some of the greatest skaters alive came into being. It’s now time for the skating community to give a little bit back and they’ve decided to do so by adding a little color into their world. Say hello to the D*Face spray paint skateboard interface, a method by which a high-tech remotely controlled spray can is mounted to the underside of a skateboard and used as the operator sees fit. Sure it’s weird, but quite honestly, who cares! Click through for the video and check it out.

Source: Youtube.com

I don’t think there is one adult amongst us that ever really wants to grow up. I mean really, what’s the point? We start off as kids with no money or freedom and then, if we’re lucky, we grow to adulthood and take on mass responsibilities that totally mess-up what we always tried to accomplish as kids. That being, to have fun. Now granted you can have fun as an adult, but it’s hard to recreate the same levels of excitement that one had experienced as a small child. There are however a few exceptions out there. This is Joe Ciaglia and to relive his childhood he’s created the largest functional skateboard in the world. It’s not easy to operate, nor is it overly safe, but rest assured that when he sets foot on it, he’s transported back in time to when he was an 11-year old boy.

Good times…

Source: Youtube.com

Ever since I moved out to the West Coast I’ve been noticing a trend amongst those who drive hybrids and electric cars. For one, they’re generally more aggressive behind the wheel and two, they seem to feel that because they drive an economy car that this gives them the right to act like complete assholes on the open road. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve been known to fracture an occasional traffic law from time to time, but these hybrid drivers, especially those who pilot the Toyota Prius, are in a class by themselves. On the highway for instance it’s more often than not that I see Prius drivers motoring at 80-85 mph through traffic. I’ve been flashed by them, tailgated by them and even flicked off by a few. I’ve also been chastised by owners while getting coffee for driving what they consider to be gas guzzling automobiles.

Back in NYC the Prius driver used these cars as they were intended – to get great economy. They drove them in a normal fashion and simply enjoyed their little hybrids. Out here in California though it’s almost as if owners used them as a way to be passive aggressive on the open road – “Yes of course I’m speeding and driving erratically, but I drive a Prius, so it’s ok…” Now I suppose I could be imagining this, but I highly doubt it. What I’m curious to know is, has anyone out there experienced a similar occurrence or am I the only one?

It’s true, drifting and electropunk go together like kibbles and bits. Granted the pairing of “Run With the Wolves” by Prodigy and a bunch of high-horsepower drift cars is a bit odd, but in the end it works out just fine. Seriously, combine tire smoke, stellar power slides and a song that makes you want to punch your neighbor in the eye and well, you’ve got magic.

Click through for the video and see exactly what I’m talking about.

Source: Youtube.com

Image: Profiles In History

If you’re a fan of the Back to the Future movies and have a sizable bank account, here’s an opportunity you won’t want to pass up. Profiles In History has one of three surviving DeLoreans built for the Back to the Future movies, and it will hit the block at one of the company’s auctions later this year.

Up for grabs is a car actually used in the filming of the third BTTF movie, complete with white wall tires, chrome hubcaps and assorted, tacked on bits from the 1950s (it IS a time machine, after all). Sadly, it’s not a functional time machine, so you can’t go back to 1984 and buy up all the available shares in Microsoft and Apple.

While seven DeLoreans were built for the three BTTF movies, only three are known to survive today. That’s the nice way of saying that this guaranteed-authentic example won’t be inexpensive to buy, but you probably won’t lose money on it either.

Whoever buys the car, which was previously on display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, will also help support the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is the world’s largest private funding source for research into Parkinson’s disease.