It's been a strange winter. Filming of a Jaguar in October was interrupted by snow, and the later filming of Mark Tashjian's E36 M3 was a great, warm day in November. But the weather during the shooting of this film, an interview with Paul Kelly about his Subaru STI, made some shots a lot foggier than I had anticipated. While it's not a winter wonderland, it's certainly a film I recommend you watch. Stay tuned for more updates to the Real Drivers series, including some with new film gear that's in the mail.
So, 2011 is coming to an end (and already has, for a number of you readers), and with it ends a great year for both new cars (what with releases such as the refreshed Mustang. production versions of the Toyobaru/Subieyota, and more) and old cars. In the website's first half-year of existence, I've already produced 10 videos (released, that is), seen some amazing vehicles, and met a number of interesting people. Even as I write this, I'm preparing a special recap video to accompany the brief gallery below, and you'll probably be able to see that soon. For now, though, take a look at the gallery for some reminders of what HRL has done since June 2011.
Snow or not, it's that time of the year. Whatever you celebrate, HittingRedline wishes you a happy holiday! And while the car world goes into winter hibernation, don't forget that this website will have some more video and photoshoots over the winter months. But for now, enjoy the time with your family and friends, and don't forget about all those winter project cars.
This lightly-modified E36 belongs to a friend of mine, and over the weekend, I filmed it with a GoPro to test the car mount system. It works quite well, and eventually turned into a mini-videoshoot. I've got some other stuff on the way (though, with snow approaching, you never know), but for the time being, here's this video:
I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of steampunk, but I love learning about ideas that could’ve been. The monowheel is a perennial favorite of mine (and one that would do well to return today), as well as Henry Ford’s early experiments with ethyl alcohol-powered cars - which had been a feature on many Model T’s until the technology was killed by the Prohibition. It’s a shame that some ideas, especially that one, were abandoned irreversibly (in the mainstream, at any rate) by chance.
One such topic I’ve recently become aware of, however, is the wood gas car. Like the ethyl alcohol car, which ran on that because it could be made easily on a farm, it was born out of necessity. During World War II, wood gas (also known as producer gas) vehicles became a popular and essential substitute for gasoline and diesel, which were rationed for military use. And it wasn’t just one side, either; the technology was popular throughout Europe, everywhere from Scandinavian countries (with over 110,000 between the three of them) to central Europe (France was especially notable, having 65,000 during the period). Germany actually had around half a million wood gas vehicles during the war.
As a car enthusiast growing up in the Age of Information, I have played just about every racing game to come out from the late ‘90s to now. I’ve seen the evolution (some would say, “fall”) of the Need for Speed series from a fun-loving Lamborghini-versus-Ferrari staple to the dark, superficial tuner mess it has ultimately become, and watched the simulator genre rise from an overly-detailed racing driver training tool to a fair medium with paths of entry for casual and hardcore racers. While the racing sim genre may seem like a narrow niche, there’s a surprising number of games within the category; rally, road course, oval, street. Developers will come and go, too, like the aforementioned NFS (with its simulator-oriented Shift offshoot) and Codemasters’ long-running Colin McRae rally series (which left the simulator genre for the Americanized X Games vibe with DiRT).
In world of real driving (and real racing), there is a great deal of debate over whether these types of games help drivers or not, and how much the player needs to truly achieve a realistic experience - so let me set the record straight on the benefits of racing games.
It may be difficult to find sports cars in November (especially here in already-snowy Vermont), but a few people are still driving them, like Rob Tobia and his Jaguar E-Types, and Mark Tashjian, with an E36 BMW M3. Mr. Tashjian was kind enough to give an interview and allow me to film his car, so here's the finished product. If you prefer it, the video is on Vimeo now.
While the Jaguar E-Type videoshoot (for the future-series, "Real Drivers") was just that, I did shoot a few pictures while around the two amazing cars. Here, for your enjoyment, is a mini-gallery of those shots. As students of Jaguar history might be able to identify, the red model is a Series I car (a 1966, in this instance), and was the recipient of a full and thorough restoration a number of years ago. The second, a 1971 Series II coupe, is also a very impressive machine, albeit one that can be driven with less weight on preservation.
Anyway, enjoy the gallery, and be sure to keep an eye out for future "Real Drivers" videos (and photos) in the future.
Last Friday, despite the snow, I went to talk with long-time E-Type enthusiast Robert Tobia about his two Jaguars. His cars are astonishingly well-kept, especially the Series I roadster, though they are always a work in progress; while I was there, the Series II coupe was dismantled, awaiting the installation of a freshly-machined head for the 4.2-liter engine. It was great talking with Mr. Tobia, and he even provided a VHS of driving footage from that same car. Check out the full film below.
If you want the Real Drivers series to become a regular release, let me know in the comments.
It’s fun to take note of the car designs in science fiction; whether the vehicles fly, swim, or drive, the designs almost always reflect a certain condition or environment. The same is true with many concept cars as well, with the inevitable auto show appearance of some concept car that seems better suited to filtering the atmosphere on Venus than, say, hitting a pothole. But despite the outlandish designs that populate the auto show circuits and CGI artists’ screens, the biggest obstacle in the construction of these vehicles is safety regulations. Otherwise, building these peculiar sculptures is completely plausible. Even the really outlandish ones.
One of these seemingly problematic features is the wheels, and that is the subject of this piece. As it turns out, the sidewall-less tires with honeycomb-pattern interiors that you often see in science fiction concept art or as entries in military vehicle contests are not as impossible to create as you might think. Known as airless, or non-pneumatic tires (NPTs), these durable, flexible designs are a surprisingly practical and obtainable devices. Read more about Strange as Fiction: The Non-Pneumatic Wheel
An event or car I film is often accompanied by a gallery of photos. From Cobras to Californias, get your fill of car, bike, and car show images in HRL's galleries.
Videos of cars and car events are the pride of HittingRedline. Visit the YouTube channel for the latest films, and check back every few weeks for more videos.
Like the videos and pictures you see? Are you selling a car or organizing a car event? If you live in the New England area (or the Vermont area in particular), I will soon be offering options for those who need quality photos and videos of their car or event.
