Awesome Cars

This amazing clip shows the meticulous handcrafting of a tiny V12 motor. How tiny? The crankshaft could fit in your palm and the cylinders are only 11.3mm wide. It’s alive at about 8:07.

The Crew Transport Vehicle, aka the Astrovan, ferries astronauts to the launch pad. The modified motorhome has been in use since 1984, and is probably the 2nd favorite vehicle of the astronauts.

A more in-depth look at the low, sleek and curvy Rimac Automibili Concept One electric supercar, narrated by none other than inventor and company founder Mate Rimac. More footage here.

VW recently redesigned the Beetle, but we think this is taking it a bit too far. Somewhere up the road, there’s a passenger lying on the side of the road in the other half of this car.

A beautiful 1957 Ferrari 250 GT is about to roll out onto the stage at the Mille Miglia North America. Too bad nobody bothered to nail down the stage floor before driving it out. Fortunately, the car is okay.

ICON founder Jonathan Ward’s latest restoration project involves upgrading an old vehicle’s guts but preserving, highlighting and accenting its original state, rust and all. More here and here.

The fastest Jaguar drop-top yet, it has the same supercharged 550hp 5L V8 found in the coupe, making it go from 0-60 mph in just 4.2 seconds. Also has a wider bumper and carbon fiber trim.

It has a 5.8L supercharged V8 engine with 650 HP and 600 lb-ft of torque. Top speed? 200mph. You’ll need the Brembo brakes, launch control and improved transmission to tame this beast.

The Mercedes-Benz SF1 is a literally edgy concept car designed by Behance member Steel Drake. It’s probably just an independent project, because the aesthetic is more Lambo than Benz.

Starting out as a Mercedes CL 600 coupe, BRABUS revs its biturbo V12 up to 800hp, increasing engine displacement from 5.5L to 6.3L, unleashing an insane top speed of 217mph.

We first spied Local Motors’ Rally Fighter back in 2009. The latest build offers a 6.2L, 430HP V8, with 424 lb-ft of torque. Oh, and you get to spend 6 days in their shop to help build your own car.

Richard Hammond and James May tap into Top Gear‘s bottomless coffers to recreate some of the most memorable car stunts and scenes from movies. Available on DVD & Blu-ray (Region-free!)

The DeLorean Motor Company is partnering with Epic EV to build an updated, all-electric car. It’s said to be capable of maxing out at 125 mph with 260 hp and cost about $90,000-100,000.

The crisp and clean e-tron Spyder concept is 5+” longer than the R8 and has an all-new plug-in diesel hybrid-electric drivetrain. The 69-cell lithium-ion battery pack lasts 9.1-kilowatt hours.

Its name might not roll off the tongue, but we’ll forgive any car that can crank out 1000hp, and looks as sick as this ride from automaker Genty. Only 15 will be made, and no, you can’t afford one.

A coffee table book by Pulitzer Prize-winning auto columnist Dan Neil featuring 100 of the most beautiful cars of the 20th century. This may be the closest you can get to owning these works of art.

Two guys pull up at an intersection and start honking at each other. It starts off as a small duel, but ends with an epic outburst of honking, the likes of which you’ve never seen nor heard.

SLP Performance has created a new 69 piece edition of the legendary ZL1 Camaro; their vehicle boasts a custom built 427 CID engine with 750 hp, Brembo brakes and 20″ rims. (Thanks Vince!)

A simple upgrade for car doors that automatically pops up to prevent chipping the paint of off the adjacent vehicle. Let’s hope it doesn’t lull people into swinging their car doors open willy-nilly.

The power-hungry tuning experts at Underground Racing can fit the already speedy Audi R8 with custom twin-turbo systems, turning the dial not just to 11, but to 1500. As in 1500 horsepower.

These full-scale replicas of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, Porsche Spyder and an Auto Union grand-prix racer were made entirely from old car parts and scrap metal by Giganten Aus Stahl.

The new Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition replaces the Black Edition with 10-spoke gloss black diamond turned wheels, carbon fiber mirror heads, carbon rear lamp in-fills, and smoked rear lights.

MB celebrates its 125th year with the F125. Its emission-free hydrogen-powered electric motor gets up to 650mi in one charge. Good thing there’s still time to rethink the somewhat sterile look.