Awesome Rides

Czech car maker Škoda welcomes their sportiest car yet – the Octavia vRS – with a commercial that’s supposed to make us think their new ride is manly. Though it really just makes us want all the other cool stuff.

Thanks to its 5.7L V8, it can haul up to 1,500 lbs. and tow up to 10,000, but this burly beast is outfitted like a luxury car inside, with Lexus-grade leather, a premium JBL sound system, next-gen Entune, sat nav, and a huge cabin.

A two-seater car with a 550hp V10 Lamborghini engine. The Parcour is designed to be equally at home on gravel, snow and race tracks. Its exhaust system is above the gearbox to prevent them from being damaged when off-roading.

Maserati takes aim at major luxury car makers with its latest vehicle, the Ghibli – an elegant and aggressive 4-door sedan with a base price under $70,000(USD). We’re most intrigued by the upgraded S model, with its 410hp twin-turbo V6.

One lucky bidder will become instantly badass by winning the 1946 Indian Chief formerly owned by “the King of Cool” Steve McQueen at auction. The event will be covered live by NBC sports the first weekend of August.

For Aston Martin’s 100th birthday, Zagato created these two droolworthy rides. The DBS Coupe Zagato Centennial and DB9 Spyder Zagato Centennial, which dramatically overhaul Aston’s default styling with James Bond style.

Creative agency Nomoon put together this animated tribute to the last 70 years of the iconic little scooters, from 1943 to 2013. We had no idea Vespa made a car. Or a military scooter. Or a gyrocopter/submarine for that matter.

The latest variant of the luxurious S63 AMG sedan turns in an admirable 0 to 60 time of just 3.9 seconds, with the help of a 577hp 5.5L biturbo V8, and a 220 pound weight reduction. And how about that all LCD dashboard?

Wired takes us inside the Tesla Model S factory. It still amazes us that raw coils of sheet metal can transformed into such a beautiful and functional vehicle. While the plant employs 3000 humans, robots are the true star of the show.

Top Gear’s mystery man hops on a very special Honda lawnmower – modded with a VTR 1000cc motorcycle engine – to take it on the track and crank it up to a whopping 130mph. And yes, it still cuts grass.

As if the new Corvette Stingray didn’t have enough muscle, the guys at Hennessey can juice theirs up to anywhere from 600 and 1000hp, with their supercharger and twin-turbo upgrades. Optional body mods improve airflow and drag.

A limited edition replica of Bubba Watson’s BW1 hovercraft golf cart. It has a 65hp engine and can hover forwards and backwards while making minimal noise. Can’t afford it? Don’t worry: the cart will also be deployed in golf courses soon.

An offshoot of BMW’s Active Tourer concept compact car. It’s a hybrid that has a 1.5L engine and an electric motor for a total output of 190hp. It has a built-in carrier rack for two bicycles, rugged interior and a glass roof.

A look at the mechanical wonders of a Porsche Carerra 3.2 Engine as told through a time-lapse of an old engine being torn-down for restoration over the course of three months by Hoing Motorsports. Shot by Filmkooperation.

A restored 1964 Porsche Formula Vee race car and a restored and remodeled Volkswagen Type 2 pick-up. The latter wasn’t originally the carrier for the race car, but it is from the same year and has been modified accordingly.

A single-speed everyday cruiser, Solé’s Micklish bike is made from durable welded steel, with a matte black frame and gold accents. Wheels include Presta valves, and the riveted details on the Cionilli seat are spiffy. More colorways here.

Matt Sanders captures the release of Monster Energy’s Ernie Vigil and Nick Brocha after three long years in the pokey on 204 hp Triumph Daytona sportbikes – hotly pursued by a two lawmen in a road buggy and custom ride.

A rear wheel drive single-seat sports car based on one of the year’s most popular releases – the 2014 Jaguar F-Type. The Project 7 has an aluminum body, a 5L supercharged V8 engine with 550hp and 8-speed ZF transmission.

Motor Trend puts us behind the wheel of the ultimate Miata, a ride built to celebrate the little roadster’s 20th anniversary. This tiny beast has been upgraded with a supercharger, improved suspension, and grippy R-compound tires.

A promotional documentary about Ernie Adams and his collection of dwarf cars. The cars are street legal and modeled after classic cruisers. Ernie built all seven cars by hand and helped start a dwarf car racing scene.

It’s lost some of the lines and luster of the concept version, but the Series 4 Coupe is still a stylish ride. Available with either a 240hp or 300hp engine, and either a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission. More here.

The 1977 Lotus Esprit submarine that James Bond drove in The Spy Who Loved Me will be auctioned off on 9/8/13. It actually works, if barely. It can’t turn into a car though. Lotus should buy it back for all the good it did them.

The Balmain Boat Company sells flat-packed mini rowboat and sailboat kits. Each kit has most of what you need to build the boat, including nails and screws. It takes about 30 hours to put a boat together.