Category: Entertainment

There is something about comedians and cars. The king of comedian car collectors is arguably Jay Leno, who was once the king of late-night TV. Jerry Seinfeld also has an impressive collection, including an untold number of vintage Porsches. But not to be outdone is Gabriel Iglesias, whose large collection of vintage VW Transporters rivals his larger-than-life persona. 

Known as Fluffy, Gabriel Iglesias has long had a thing for Volkswagens, with the Type 1 and Type 2 or Transporters being his favorite. He’s even worked the Transporter into his act, referencing it and driving one onto the stage at Dodger Stadium during a standup performance. 

Whether you call VW’s small van a Bus, Transporter, Kombi, Samba, or Bulli, the air-cooled version was originally made from 1950 to 1979. It came in different styles and configurations, including a minibus, panel truck, pickup truck, and camper. The air-cooled versions were powered by everything from a 1.1-liter flat four-cylinder engine making 24 horsepower to a 2.0-liter 70-horsepower four-cylinder. 

Fluffy’s VW Transporters also come in different styles and use a variety of engines. In addition to the original air-cooled flat-four VW powerplants, several Buses were converted to Subaru engines, and several are electric. All of them are in immaculate condition and are ready to drive. The collection is what Iglesias lovingly calls the “Gabriel Iglesias VW Fluffy Museum,” which he says is like “Disneyland for people who love Volkswagen.”

Iglesias bought his first VW Transporter, a 1968 Volkswagen Type 2, for $700. Today his bus collection is worth over $3 million. He also owns a mixture of other cars, including both vintage and modern muscle. The collection may not be as vast or diverse as the one Jay Leno has cultivated over the years, but it is impressive in its own right.  

Old VW Transporters have grown in popularity and appreciated in value in recent years. The new VW ID.Buzz which is expected out next year will likely only increase that popularity. Available in a regular and long wheelbase version the new electric microvan should appeal to people wanting a practical electric vehicle as well as lovers of original vintage VWs. 

So, you think you’re an expert on all things Radwood? For those unfamiliar with the term, this refers to vehicles built from 1980 through 1999 – the rad era, if you will. It was a time of wedge shapes, soft body lines, vivid colors, and tri-spoke wheels. And this video from our friends at Knight Rider Historians delivers a rare look at some cool concept cars of the day.

It comes in the form of a behind-the-scenes video taken during the filming of 1993’s memorable action flic, Demolition Man. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Sandra Bullock, and Wesley Snipes, it depicted a peaceful Southern California society in 2032 rocked by the destructive bad guy (Snipes) and more destructive good guy (Stallone). There’s much more to the plot than that, but you didn’t click this video for a cinematic pop culture lesson. You want to see that red Pontiac Banshee, among many other concepts from the halls of General Motors.

GM was heavily involved with the movie, sending its A-list of concepts to help 1993 filmmakers create a vision of life 40 years into the future. The aforementioned Banshee stands out with its pointed nose, steeply raked windshield, and eyeball-searing shade of red. Dedicated Knight Rider fans will remember the Banshee as inspiration for the “new” KITT featured in the TV movie Knight Rider 2000, hence the Knight Rider-Demolition Man connection.

But wait, there’s more. Much more.

The gullwing police cars were the GM Ultralite concept from 1992, receiving perhaps the most screen time of all vehicles in the movie. The 1989 Cadillac Solitaire also made a prominent on-screen appearance, though if you look closely in the film you’ll also see the 1988 Cadillac Voyage and 1990 Cadillac Aurora. You don’t need to look closely at this behind-the-scenes video, however. Despite its futuristic shape, the Aurora is the silver concept with the tremendously loud V8 engine.

Other GM concepts that barely appeared on-screen are showcased wonderfully in this hour-long video. The GM HX-3 was a curvaceous minivan concept, and sports cars were well-represented thanks to the Corvette Stingray III and Pontiac Sunfire concepts. There’s even a preview of the third-generation Chevrolet Camaro in the form of the 1989 Camaro California IROC concept. The Buick Wildcat and Oldsmobile Aerotech II – prominent concepts from the 1980s – also made appearances.

For better or worse, the future isn’t remotely shaping up like the one envisioned in Demolition Man. There isn’t a single SUV in fictional 2032 San Angeles, California, which we can’t help but find terrifically ironic considering how SUVs absolutely dominate the automotive landscape in real-world 2023. There are still nine years to go, however, and some automakers are still investing in sedans. Holding out hope for a racy red Pontiac or a long-roof Oldsmobile might be foolishly optimistic though. Oldsmobile ceased to exist in 2004, followed by Pontiac’s demise in 2010.

The Grand Tour released an extended clip from the upcoming Eurocrash special that showed Richard Hammond crashing once again. He was racing a Soviet-era open-wheel race car when a part fell off, which led to the engine blowing up. Other than a hurt leg, he was fine. The episode premieres June 16.

Hammond has a successful start by immediately getting ahead of some cars ahead of him. We see him quite the battle with a bright blue car. 

Then things go wrong. After looking closely at the video, it appears that a bolt and washer fall off from the front of the engine. However, Hammond doesn’t notice. Then, oil starts spraying behind him. This makes the track very slippery, causing many of the cars behind Hammond to spin.

The engine goes up in a puff of smoke, presumably from oil starvation. Hammond spins, and then the scene cuts to Jeremy Clarkson and James May hearing about the crash. Maybe in the final version, we actually get to see the impact to get a better idea of what goes wrong.

Then, the jokes start. May outfits his Crosely as an ambulance with an emergency light and stretcher. He drives off to rescue Hammond, but the old car keeps stalling.

It looks like some cinematic magic might be happening. For example, the oil slick is no longer on the track. Also, it’s hard to imagine the crew waiting so long to take care of Hammond if he says his leg hurts after a car crash.

Eurocrash has Clarkson, Hammond, and May driving across former Soviet countries in Central Europe in some very weird cars. Clarkson has a Mitsuoka Le-Seyde. Hammond is behind the wheel of a Chevrolet SSR, and May picks a Crosely convertible.

Those vehicles aren’t the only weird machines in the special. An earlier trailer shows May driving a Praga Bohema supercar. Clarkson barely fits in a Skoda 1100 OHC sports car. The Klein Vision AirCar that combines an aircraft and an automobile also takes flight.

The stunts in the special include driving their cars through an off-road course while horseback-mounted archers shoot arrows at them. The guys also steal a wax statue of 1992 Formula One driver’s champion Nigel Mansel. 

Hammond has experienced quite a few crashes, some of which have been potentially deadly. He suffered a broken leg and brain injury in his Vampire jet dragster wreck. Another incident resulted in a Rimac Concept One bursting into flames and completely burning up.

The Toyota GR Corolla becomes a stunt car in several familiar cinematic scenarios for the final video of the brand’s “The Pitch” advertising campaign for its performance vehicles. Toyota Gazoo Racing North America drivers Frederic Aasbo, Ken Gushi, and Ryan Tuerck are among the team behind the wheel in this clip.

The ad campaign has fake Toyota executives butting heads with the creative folks who are trying to make entertaining commercials. This one starts with a GR Corolla sliding around a dusty, abandoned Old West town. Unfortunately, the execs aren’t happy with all of the dust, so the creators have to devise another plan.

A complete change in setting is the solution. A snowy mountain replaces the dirty Old West town. It gives Toyota another chance to show off the GR Corolla’s off-road ability while the hot hatch tries to avoid a helicopter.

The execs still aren’t happy, so the creatives pitch something retro. The hot hatch speeds past an old woman with a broken, first-gen Corolla. The GR driver says, “It’s a trap. Have you ever seen a Corolla broken down?”

The old lady rips off her wig and starts to chase the GR Corolla in the classic model. This leads to a GR Supra and GR86 joining the crew to speed through a city set. The GR Corolla even gets onto two wheels and drives between the other vehicles.

The final stunt is the biggest one. The GR Corolla jumps over an abandoned gas station.

Toyota will run this ad on social media and digital video platforms from June through August. 

While Toyota shows the GR Corolla doing stunts here, the company has a recent history of being strict about warranty claims if owners take their vehicles onto the track. It denied an engine warranty claim for a GR86 in 2022 after a photo turned up of the owner drifting the car. However, the owner eventually got the automaker to honor the claim. In 2023, the automaker initially didn’t accept a claim when a GR86 engine blew up during a track session but later reversed that decision.

The GR Corolla is available in three trim levels in the US: Core, Circuit, and Morizo. Toyota plans to build more of them for the 2024 model year after only making around 8,000 examples of the 2023 version for the United States. Plus, the Circuit grade returns for 2024 rather than the original plan for it to be a one-year model.

All versions of the GR Corolla use a turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder. It makes 300 horsepower and 272 pound-feet of torque in the Core and Circuit models. The Morizo has 300 hp and 295 lb-ft. A six-speed manual is the only available gearbox.

Compared to the Core, the Circuit gains parts like front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials. The body gains a power bulge on the hood, a carbon-fiber roof, and a rear spoiler.

The Morizo has shorter gearing than the other models. Removing parts like the rear seats, rear speakers, and rear wiper helps shed 106 pounds from the Circuit. It rides on 18-inch forged aluminum wheels. Toyota only offered 200 of them in the US for the 2023 model year.

Before this commercial, Toyota used the executive and creator characters in an ad for the GR86 (embedded above). The sports coupe slid through an empty mall with a GR Supra. This clip was from before the GR Corolla debuted, but the spot included the hot hatch as a cameo to tease the then-upcoming vehicle.

The first commercial in this campaign (above) was all about the GR Supra. The video ended with the car doing a huge jump.

The latest installation of the Mission Impossible franchise features a car chase in Rome, a city known for its unpredictable traffic, narrow streets, and cobblestones. These elements add a level of tension and unpredictability to any car chase, more so if you’re driving one-handed.

The new movie is called Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and stars Tom Cruise, back as Ethan Hunt, and Hailey Atwell as Grace. Handcuffed together, they try to evade bad guys and the police, all while Cruise threads the Roman traffic using only his right hand to pilot a BMW 5 Series.  

According to stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood, Cruise does all his driving one-handed, even while sliding the BMW around corners. Usually, this would be easy to fake, except the BMW Cruise is driving is missing all its doors. At one point, Ethan and Grace ditch the BMW, hoping to escape unnoticed in another car. A gray Ferrari sits on a quiet side street. But while Ethan has his sights on the Ferrari, an old yellow Fiat 500 appears, ready for the second part of the chase. 

At first, the Fiat looks like an homage to the Citroen 2CV Roger Moore piloted in the “For Your Eyes Only” Bond film. But the Fiat 500’s looks are deceiving. It sounds electric, a lot like Ken Block’s Audi Hoonitron, and performs several drifts and burnouts. At one point, Christopher McQuarrie, the director of Dead Reckoning, mentions that the Fiat was extremely unpredictable, seemingly with a mind of its own, and that he couldn’t have made a more difficult sequence to shoot. 

For Cruise, the chase comes down to one thing, how do they involve the audience? “I just want to give them that thrill,” he says. For that reason, the chase was filmed on location in Rome, Italy, using real cars, trucks, and motorcycles in all of the sequences. 

This summer has already featured several blockbuster movies with cars playing a major role in the action. In addition to “Dead Reckoning,” there is “Fast X” which was released last month and is presumably the last installment of the franchise to feature the original cast. It was followed by Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, which premiered last week.     

The Ford F-150 Raptor R is the latest off-road-capable rig to visit Jay Leno’s Garage. The muscle truck’s program manager and engineer Tony Greco joins the denim-clad comedian to offer additional insight about the pickup. Let’s see how the video compares to other recent showcases of rugged machines on his channel.

The guys spend the first 17 minutes of this video discussing the truck’s specs and development. The Raptor R packs a version of the 5.2-liter supercharged V8 from the Mustang Shelby GT500 that makes 700 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque. The revisions make torque more plentiful throughout the rev range.

Leno’s first statement after driving the Raptor briefly is: “Horsepower can cure any problem.” Later in the video, he grins while accelerating. There’s also a moment where he possibly hits triple-digit speeds, but he claims to be going slower.

In comparison, Leno spends roughly three-quarters of the video touring the Jeep-Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire. However, he rides solo when taking the six-wheeled truck on the road, which lets him be a bit more opinionated. Leno says he feels like Tony Montana from Scarface pulling up to the disco. “Say hello to my big, giant friend,” he quips. In Leno’s opinion, it handles better than you’d expect, given the massive size and just under 6,000-pound weight.

Leno finally goes off-road while checking out the EarthRoamer LTi pickup camper. Using a Ford F-550 Super Duty with a turbodiesel 6.7-liter V8 as a starting point, this truck has a living space in the back, instead of a cargo bed. There are also extensive modifications for handling rugged terrain.

Leno gets a full tour of the interior amenities and then gets behind the wheel for some dirt trail driving. This includes going over some steep grades. Since RVs aren’t something that Leno usually experiences, he has a whole lot of questions for Earthroamer’s customer experience manager. He spends over 40 minutes with the truck camper.

The Grand Tour Eurocrash special will take former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May across former Soviet countries in Central Europe in some absolutely absurd cars. The new trailer offers a great glimpse of the automotive action and antics. The show premieres Friday, June 16.

The theme for the hosts’ cars for this special appears to be picking the weirdest vehicle possible. Clarkson has a Mitsuoka Le-Seyde, which is a particularly baroque-looking automobile with underpinnings from an S13 Nissan Silvia. Hammond has a Chevrolet SSR, which is a retro-modern combination of a pickup and a roadster. Finally, May has a Crosely convertible, which he admits he bought while drunk.

The stunts this time include driving these vehicles onto a cargo plane while the aircraft is speeding down the runway. They also check out some Soviet-era open-wheel race cars, and Hammond crashes.

The guys also sample some other, odd machines. May drives the Praga Bohema with a Nissan GT-R-derived twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 making around 700 horsepower. Clarkson gets behind the wheel of the little Skoda 1100 OHC sports car that weighs a mere 1,212 pounds, and only two of them still exist. We also see the Klein Vision AirCar deploy its wings and take flight.

A few stunts are also on display in the trailer. The hosts drive through an off-road course while horseback-mounted archers shoot arrows at their vehicles. In addition, a car goes down what appears to be a ski jumping hill. Plus, a bunch of guys carry away May’s Crosely.  

The lone bit of non-automotive action involves the guys stealing a wax statue of Nigel Mansel. Although, the figure barely resembles the 1992 Formula One driver’s champion.

The Grand Tour allegedly ends in late 2024 because the show’s distributor Amazon no longer wants to work with Clarkson. The massive retailer and streaming company reportedly doesn’t plan to commission any more episodes of the show or Clarkson’s Farm beyond what it already has orders for, according to the show business publication Variety. The alleged reason for this decision stems from Clarkson’s controversial statements about Meghan Markle in a newspaper column in December 2022. Clarkson apologized for the remarks.