 Climb Dance, the rally-porn film celebrating the Pikes Peak Hill Climb victories of Ari Vatanen in 1988 and Robby Unser in 1989 - and including footage from both drives - has been remastered in high definition. It was commissioned by Peugeot, maker of the four-wheel steering 415 T16 Grand Raid, the racecar that took both drivers to the top to overall victories.  When it's snowy outside, people usually like to hole themselves up at home with a movie and hot chocolate. But if we lived near a racetrack, we'd probably take advantage of that, instead. The madmen at RSR, a racing school based at the Nurburgring, took a Nissan GT-R with a snowboarder in tow to the fresh powder at Spa-Francorchamps. With the Nissan's 540 hp and AWD, the video's caption claims that they were able to hit speeds of over 120 km/h [74 mph]. Which isn't that fast for a car on this famous racetrack, but for a dude on a snowboard? Absolutely. This doesn't look safe by any stretch of the imagination. But it's something we've all thought about doing before. These guys just went and did it.  Look, there isn't much to say here besides what's in the headline. This is a five-minute video of a guy—two guys, actually—trying to start their 1983 diesel-powered Nissan pickup truck on a 22-degree day. It takes all five minutes for the old truck to fire up. And somehow, what should be an utterly boring (if not downright frustrating) video is completely and utterly compelling. Maybe it's the accents, as exaggerated as they may be. Maybe it's the surprisingly elaborate video editing—multiple camera angles! Smooth cuts! A completely overkill studio-quality microphone positioned to pick up the sound of that struggling, ice-cold engine! The YouTube description says this video was created for diesel parts supplier IDParts' annual Cold Start Contest, the rules for which are stone simple: "Film yourself starting your diesel in the cold, upload it to YouTube and send us a link!" We don't know if these guys won, but we hope they did. That 33-year-old pickup may be reluctant to wake up on a frigid day, but with the right loving touch, it doesn't let its owners down. As a petrolhead, there are certain things that we all want to do in our lives, events we want to go to, things we experienced, so heres a list of the 10 places and things you need to do as a petrolhead. 1. Visit the Goodwood Festival of Speed  One of the ultimate events that goes on every year for a petrolhead has to be Goodwood. The hillclimb that goes up Lord March’s driveway in West Sussex attracts some of the most amazing cars, from brand new pre-production cars to classic race cars. The wide variety of cars is one of the things that makes this event so appealing, and is now attracting manufacturers to come to Goodwood to show off their new performance cars as well. 2. Drive the Nurburgring  This one should be obvious for most people, but this should be the one of the most holiest of pilgrimages for petrolheads. Being completed in 1927, the Nurburgring is one of the oldest race tracks in the world, and is still the most demanding track in the world. Being built high in the Eifel Mountains in Germany, this means that there are extreme elevation changes throughout the circuits 13 miles. Even with the new speed limits in places in response to the tragedies that happened earlier this year, the Nurburgring is still one of the most intense tracks in the world. Bring your own car or rent one and experience it for yourself. 3. Go to the 24 Hours of Le Mans  The long and storied history of Le Mans starts back in 1923. This 24 hour test of man and machine is one of the most amazing spectacles in motor sport, with teams and drivers being pushed to the absolute limit. Nothing is more amazing than watching the cars drive into the night. 4. Go to Monaco on F1 weekend  Another race with a long and storied history, the Monaco Grand Prix is the crown jewel of the Formula 1 calendar and one of the most unique as well. The cars long ago outgrew the tight streets of Monaco, which is what makes this event so special. Although staying in Monaco and having tickets to the race can get expensive, it’s totally worth the money to go at least once in your life. 5. Go on a Roadtrip up the Pacific Coast Highway  I felt like I had to include something from America on this list and what better than driving along one of the most iconic roads in America. The PCH from Santa Monica to San Francisco is one of the most stunning drives in the world and should be experienced in a convertible of some sort. The road is pretty twisty as well, so grab something that’ll be fun to drive. So those are the top 5 things you should do as a petrolhead. Did I miss anything? Let me know and I might do a part 2.  Who doesn't love to watch a Ferrari on the track, especially if it's a special Ferrari that can lap the Nurburgring in less than seven minutes? We sure don't know of anyone. This particular Ferrari is a 599XX that, according to the video, sold for $1.78 million at auction two years ago. As you would expect from a car that costs more than many people will make in their lifetime, it sounds incredible. Even better, you won't have to struggle to see it since it's ridiculously-bright yellow. That's always a benefit, right?  Don't ever listen to anyone who says you can't drive a supercar in the snow. Sure, a Diablo VT 6.0 can't necessarily go everywhere a Range Rover can, but with all-wheel-drive, it acquits itself quite well. Don't believe me? Just watch this video of one doing donuts in the snow along with a Ferrari F355. With a low car like a Diablo, you have to be mindful of bottoming out, but otherwise, the all-wheel-drive sorts most everything else out. We here at Road & Track love rear-wheel-drive Lambos, but there are some clear advantages to all-wheel-drive. See? A Diablo is pretty much the same thing as a Subaru Outback, except it has a 550 horsepower, mid-mounted V12 and scissor doors. Otherwise, virtually identical.  This is the Porsche 919 Hybrid, a real beast of an endurance car. It took the German manufacturer to the FIA World Endurance Championship drivers’ and teams’ titles in 2015, as well as winning the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours. While we all know the LMP1 car is powered by a highly complicated turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with energy recovery systems, we haven’t actually seen official photographs. Well, that is until now. The 2.0-litre V4 turbo is claimed by Porsche to be the most “innovative drivetrain concept on the entire grid” and the “most efficient combustion engine Porsche has built so far.” The piece of engineering masterpiece features an exhaust energy recovery system, lithium-ion battery energy storage and hybrid management. All of this produces 900bhp. Aspects of it have even been picked up by road cars like the flat-four turbo-powered Porsche 718 Boxster. 
 Be honest: at some point you’ve thought about going on a cross-country road trip, right?
Lucky for us, Randy Olson, a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University, has planned the “perfect road trip.” With the aid of a sophisticated algorithm, Olson’s road trip lets anyone, anywhere hit all the landmarks in each of the 48 continental states in the shortest possible route. Just pick the point closest to home, and then drive around the country until you get back to the starting point. Here’s the list of the landmarks along the road trip: 1. Grand Canyon, AZ 2. Bryce Canyon National Park, UT 3. Craters of the Moon National Monument, ID 4. Yellowstone National Park, WY 5. Pikes Peak, CO 6. Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM 7. The Alamo, TX 8. The Platt Historic District, OK 9. Toltec Mounds, AR 10. Elvis Presley’s Graceland, TN 11. Vicksburg National Military Park, MS 12. French Quarter, New Orleans, LA 13. USS Alabama, AL 14. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL 15. Okefenokee Swamp Park, GA 16. Fort Sumter National Monument, SC 17. Lost World Caverns, WV 18. Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center, NC 19. Mount Vernon, VA 20. White House, Washington, DC 21. Colonial Annapolis Historic District, MD 22. New Castle Historic District, DE 23. Cape May Historic District, NJ 24. Liberty Bell, PA 25. Statue of Liberty, NY 26. The Mark Twain House & Museum, CT 27. The Breakers, RI 28. USS Constitution, MA 29. Acadia National Park, ME 30. Mount Washington Hotel, NH 31. Shelburne Farms, VT 32. Fox Theater, Detroit, MI 33. Spring Grove Cemetery, OH 34. Mammoth Cave National Park, KY 35. West Baden Springs Hotel, IN 36. Abraham Lincoln’s Home, IL 37. Gateway Arch, MO 38. C. W. Parker Carousel Museum, KS 39. Terrace Hill Governor’s Mansion, IA 40. Taliesin, WI 41. Fort Snelling, MN 42. Ashfall Fossil Bed, NE 43. Mount Rushmore, SD 44. Fort Union Trading Post, ND 45. Glacier National Park, MT 46. Hanford Site, WA 47. Columbia River Highway, OR 48. San Francisco Cable Cars, CA 49. San Andreas Fault, CA 50. Hoover Dam, NV As saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” So pack the family or grab some friends. Because this is a road trip you’ll remember your entire life. Chevy Chase, eat your heart out…  DETROIT -- Fiat Chrysler must offer to buy back from customers more than 500,000 Ram pickup trucks and other vehicles in the biggest such action in U.S. history as part of a costly deal with safety regulators to settle legal problems in about two dozen recalls.
The Italian-American automaker also faces a record civil fine of up to $105 million. In addition, owners of more than a million older Jeeps with vulnerable rear-mounted gas tanks will be able to trade them in or be paid by Chrysler to have the vehicles repaired. The settlement is the latest sign that auto safety regulators are taking a more aggressive approach toward companies that fail to disclose defects or don't properly conduct a recall. The Ram pickups, which are the company's top-selling vehicle, have defective steering parts that can cause drivers to lose control. Some previous repairs have been unsuccessful, so Fiat Chrysler agreed to the buyback, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Owners also have the option of getting them repaired, the agency said in documents released Sunday. The older Jeeps have fuel tanks located behind the rear axle, with little to shield them in a rear crash. They can rupture and spill gasoline, causing a fire. At least 75 people have died in crash-related fires, although Fiat Chrysler maintains they are as safe as comparable vehicles from the same era. Both the Jeep and Ram measures are part of a larger settlement between the government and the automaker over allegations of misconduct in 23 recalls covering more than 11 million vehicles. Besides the civil penalty, which was reported Saturday by The Associated Press, Fiat Chrysler agreed to an independent recall monitor and strict federal oversight. It's another step in NHTSA's effort to right itself after being criticized for lapses in some highly-publicized safety recalls. "Today's action holds Fiat Chrysler accountable for its past failures, pushes them to get unsafe vehicles repaired or off the roads and takes concrete steps to keep Americans safer going forward," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in the statement. In a separate statement, Fiat Chrysler said it accepted the consequences of the agreement "with renewed resolve to improve our handling of recalls and re-establish the trust our customers place in us." NHTSA has been involved in vehicle buybacks in the past, but never one of this size. A buyback usually happens when a problem is so serious that it can't be fixed and the vehicles need to be removed from service. Under the agreement, Fiat Chrysler has to buy back the Ram trucks for the purchase price, minus depreciation. It's unclear just how many Rams the automaker will have to repurchase, but the cash outlay could be substantial. According to Kelly Blue Book, a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 -- one of the smaller, less-expensive trucks involved in the recalls -- could fetch $20,000 in a dealer trade-in, assuming the truck has 60,000 miles on it and is in "good" condition. At that rate, if Chrysler had to buy back even a quarter of the trucks at issue, it could spend $2.5 billion. Fiat Chrysler said more than 60 percent of the trucks already have been fixed, and the company is allowed to repair and resell the trucks it buys back. The Jeep trade-ins could add to the tab, but they also could generate more new vehicle sales by getting customers into showrooms. Still, the total could strain the parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. The company posted a first-quarter net profit of $101 million and had more than $20 billion in cash and securities on March 31. The consent order that Fiat Chrysler agreed to requires it to notify owners who are eligible for buybacks and other incentives. Models included in the buyback offer are certain Ram 1500s from 2009 to 2012; the Ram 1500 Mega Cab 4 by 4 from 2008; and the Ram 2500 4 by 4, 3500 4 by 4, 4500 4 by 4, and 5500 4 by 4, all from 2008 through 2012. Also part of the offer are 2009 Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs and the Dodge Dakota pickup from 2009 through 2011. The fine against FCA beats the old record of $70 million assessed against Honda Motor Co. for lapses in recalls of air bags made by Takata Corp. Fiat Chrysler also received a $70 million fine, and must spend at least $20 million to meet performance requirements detailed in the agreement. Another $15 million could come due if the recall monitor finds any further violations. Earlier this month, the safety agency held a rare public hearing where regulators detailed a litany of shortfalls: failure to notify customers of recalls, delays in making and distributing repair parts and in some cases failing to come up with repairs that fix the problems. Some of the recalls date to 2011.  Tax The Rich, the YouTube channel that exists mainly to terrorize ultra-rare, ultra-expensive cars like the Jaguar XJ220, Ferrari Enzo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, has come out with its first video in two months, starring one of the rarest Ferraris of the past 40 years – the 288 GTO. Now, by Tax The Rich standards, its treatment of the 288 is better than what the Enzo or the Rolls (especially) got in their videos. The most cringe-worthy parts are in the very beginning, before transitioning to actual roads (yes, we know the 288 was originally meant as a Group B rally car, but that makes zipping about on grass and dirt in a very rare Ferrari no less difficult to watch). After that, it's more of the stuff we wish collectors would do with their cars – drive. Seeing and hearing this 288 GTO at full clip is a thing of beauty, and something we wish were a far more regular occurrence. Take a look below for the latest video from Tax The Rich. |
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