RideLust

When I was a kid I simply loved my Hot Wheels cars. I had hundreds of the little buggers and truth be told they help me become the car lover that I am today. One thing that always escaped me though were the race track sets. For some reason it just never seemed like I had enough track to build my visions. I would stay awake at night and dream of putting together a scaled down quarter mile drag strip or a replica of Daytona Speedway. Unfortunately though those dreams never came to fruition. Apparently though the guy in the next video had the same dreams I did because it seems as though he’s built what is literally, the coolest Hot Wheels track I’ve ever seen. We’ve got multiple loops, banked turns and more importantly, about a dozen engines to keep those suckers rolling. All in all I’d say he did one helluva’ job… I’m just sorry I didn’t think of it first.

Source: Youtube.com
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Why yes, that is a functional PDK gearbox biult from Legos...

Porsche 911 Turbos are impressive automobiles, with modern variants blending Grand Touring comfort with blistering acceleration and surprisingly agile handling. Early cars (the Porsche 930, to be exact) demanded a driver’s full attention at all times; lift mid-corner, and snap oversteer was the result. Get on the gas mid-corner, and snap oversteer was the result. Turn in with anything less than robot-like precision, and (you guessed it) snap oversteer was the result. In capable hands, the cars were amazingly quick but unforgiving, and I’d guess there are less than 100 drivers on the planet who could competently extract the last bit of performance out of a 930 without crashing. Read More…

Being a grown up doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your love for the toys of your youth. Sure it would be a bit odd if your wife caught you playing with an old G.I. Joe in the backyard, but what if you were able to take playing with toys to the next level. I mean what if you could create the ultimate toy box right in your own home. Performance artist Chris Burden did something similar when he created “Metropolis II”, a super-sized hot wheels track that’s 28-feet wide and over 10-feet tall in his studio. With over 1,100 cars constantly circulating the tracks 18 traffic lanes, the structure is more like something you’d find in a science fiction movie than in an artists studio. There is also a plethora of fully functional railways as well as a bunch of highly detailed sky scrapers. The cost for the structure was in the millions, which, according to Burden, was exactly what “Metropolis II” sold for. Who says you can’t be a kid again…
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The great thing about toys like Hot Wheels cars is that they have the ability to stimulate the imagination at a very young age. Cars like the Deora, the Sizzler series from the 1970′s and the original Twin Mill from 1969 have helped generations of car enthusiasts get their wings. Some of the cars, like the aforementioned Twin Mill are so cool that I suppose it was only a matter of time before they were actually built. What you are seeing here is the real life version of the original design that debuted in 1969. It comes complete with a pair of blown 502 cu inch big block Chevy’s that produce a total of 1,400 horsepower. It’s low slung, raw and the fantasy of every 11 year old kid out there. Obviously the Twin Mill wouldn’t make the best daily driver, but for a weekend cruiser, hell why not. Click through for the video.
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I wonder if Steve McQueen realized that he was going to become the new standard for “cool” when he was alive. Seriously, it seems that everything this guy did turned to gold. From a motor sports perspective you got to give him full props, as not only did he do all of his own stunt driving, but he raced cars and motorcycles as well. From what’s been said he was also pretty dapper with the ladies as well. Just about everyone tries to honor Steve McQueen at some point or another, and why not, he’s still a super marketable commodity even though he’s been dead and buried for quite sometime. The latest McQueen-esq pieces of merchandise to hit the market are the TAG Heuer Meridist phone series. The Gulf Meridist was inspired by Steve McQueen’s character in the 1971 film “Le Mans,” and features Gulf Oil’s signature light blue and orange color scheme. There’s no doubt that this is a pretty piece of electronic equipment, at least it is until the next version comes out. Either way though, it’s good to see that there are companies out there who still see fit to honor the, “King of Cool”.

Source: BornRich.com

When I was a kid, any toy car that you didn’t have to push was high tech. And the coolest go-anywhere cars were Stompers. Two speeds, four-wheel drive, interchangeable bodies and tires, and attitude a plenty.

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I’m not so sure that as a kid I’d want my toy cars talking to me. I mean hell, there’s got to be something left to the imagination right? This is Mattel’s new 1:55 scale version of Lightening McQueen for the upcoming “Cars 2″ movie from Pixar and Walt Disney Studio’s. It’s actually pretty amazing in the fact that not only do the eyes in the windshield move back and forth, but it also has a fully functional mouth that opens and closes. He’s also got working headlights and performs tricks like loopty-loops, figure-8′s and circles. Now while I think this is all well and good from a technology standpoint, I’m just curious as to what ever happened to just rolling a few Matchbox cars around on the floor and calling it a day. Who knows, maybe it’s me and I’m just getting old, but the last thing I’d want as a kid is Owen Wilson talking to me day in and day out while I’m playing with my cars. Click through for the video.
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No I’m not off my rocker and no I’m not in a bad mood. It’s just that when your a car guy you want every piece of 4-wheeled machinery that you can get your grubby little hands on. Sites like eBay and Bring A Trailer are constantly enticing me to purchase things with money I don’t have. Since this is Queens, NY I am sure I can find an Uncle Vito somewhere that would lend me the money, but odds are the vig would be astronomical and since I use my kneecaps daily I’d prefer not to go down that road. The issue is that most of the stuff I want is old. That means as a general rule you need to factor in double what you paid for the car just to keep it running. Porsche 914′s, old BMW 3.0csi Coupe’s and evil mid-60′s box Chevy Nova’s are always taunting me and it’s getting harder and harder to resist. Who knows, maybe it’s cabin fever or maybe it’s just that I haven’t driven my hot rods in 3 months. All I know is that if I don’t get into something soon with a carburetor, Uncle Vito may just be getting a phone call.

By the way – can you fit handicap controls to a ’65 box Nova? I think I may need them.

The Lotus Type 125. Image: Lotus

Thirty years ago, Lotus’ Colin Chapman watched an apparently fearless British driver rise through the F3 ranks. Chapman liked what he saw, and offered a contract to the driver, who was older than most just entering the big leagues; hence, Nigel Mansell’s F1 career was born. Mansell spent the 1980 to 1984 seasons with Lotus, before going on to race with Williams and Ferrari in F1, then later with Newman Haas in the U.S. CART IndyCar World Series. Mansell was fast in nearly everything he drove, and is universally praised as being one of the top 50 Grand Prix drivers of all time. For 2011, Mansell is again back with Lotus, though not in the capacity you’re probably imagining. Read More…

Part of Forbes' collection. Photo: Sotheby's

Do you still have the toys you played with as a kid? Better yet, do you have the toys your father and grandfather played with as kids? Hopefully, they kept the original boxes and didn’t abuse them too much, because old metal toys are starting to be worth serious money. Consider this: a collection of tin toy motorcycles that once belonged to publisher Malcolm Forbes just sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $15,000. If you factor in all the Forbes collection toys that sold at auction, the total price was $2.3 million, including $194,500 for a 3 foot long replica of the ocean liner Lusitania. I’m not saying your Transformers will fund your retirement, but I’m not saying they won’t, either.

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