Gear Patrol

Toyota’s sports car submission has been woefully absent from the automotive scene since the MR-2 Spyder bit its last customers in 2005. Well the Scion FR-S ($24,930) has something to say about that. Recently introduced with its sister vehicle, the Subaru BRZ, the FR-S is a game changer for the automaker. Initially, Toyota wasn’t too…

Audi’s S4 has been on the scene since 1991 as Audi’s performance response to BMW’s M3 and Merc’s C-Class AMG. Quick, sophisticated and a sleeper in its own right, the S4 still tended to reserve itself for those who wanted solid performance and creature comforts but didn’t necessarily pine for the M3′s razor handling and…

We covered the handsome 2012 Hyundai Veloster at the beginning of last year. And though we are fans of the aggressive hot hatch look, this hatch has been less than hot in the performance department. Well, Hyundai listened and has just revealed the 2013 Veloster Turbo. Even though it’s a mere 1.6 liter displacement engine,…

Given the chance to ride motorcycles in the winter, a sane rider might politely decline, but what’s life without a few two three-wheeled thrills? On a recent invitation by Ural Motorcycles we did just that, responding “yes, please” (pronto) while simultaneously reaching for our bags, and multiple changes of underwear. Next stop, cold and soggy…

Admit it. If your wife/girlfriend was cool enough to let you put a hulking driving simulator in your living room, you wouldn’t hesitate for a nano-second. Well, if you do ever get the green light (good luck), behold the bank draining option that is the Motion Simulation TL1 Driving Simulator ($18,600). Built in collaboration with…

Apply for a coveted spot at REDucation-X, and you might as well begin working on your Oscar speech now. Shooting on the RED EPIC or SCARLET have quickly become the gold standard in the world of independent film, as well as commercial and industrial shoots. The intensive, hands-on program provides students with practical knowledge of…

Earlier this year, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced its retro-tastic Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph at the annual Salon International de Haute Horlogerie in Geneva. The watch made just about everyone’s “Best Of” list (including ours) with its creamy “aged” luminescent markers, textured dial and old-school pump-style chronograph pushers. The watch was homage to a watch JLC never produced…

Over thirty years ago, a racing legend made his debut at F1, though his sterling career would sadly be cut short by a freak accident. Aytron Senna, as many of you have seen in the much acclaimed documentary Senna, possessed mad driving skills and the kind of talent that emerges but rarely, not just in…

The dystopian Neo Tokyo of 2019 described and depicted by Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira may be as likely as our Mayan predicted destruction, but that didn’t stop the team at Japan’s Znug Design from having a crack at building Tetsuo Shima’s bike. The ZecOO ($70,000 projected) is easily one of the best looking, and possibly priciest…

When you think hybrid or electric, the environmental mindset overtakes all else. But what if electric power happened to be the best choice from a design and power perspective? The minds at motorcycle startup firm, BRD, took that very angle with their revolutionary BRD Redshift motorcross bike. Aside from the beautiful tri-color paint scheme, the…

We think the term “all terrain vehicle” is used a bit casually these days. Sure that 4×4 or side-by-side can go off-road, but anything too steep or deep and it quickly becomes dangerous or useless. That’s why we’re stoked about the Argo 8×8 750 HDi ($19,500) – an eight-wheel amphibious mutant that will dominate snow,…

The Audi TT started out as an exercise in modern Bauhaus Auto Union design and it’s been hugely successful in both 2+2 and roadster versions. Though neither car has been deemed especially quick, that all changes with the TT RS, a balls-to-the-wall 2+2 that makes other sports cars sweat like an elk in Ted Nugent’s…

Let’s get this out of the way. The 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S crushes miles. It crushes miles on grand tours, it crushes them on B-roads, it even crushes them on boring commutes. From the moment you turn the key — Porsche thankfully forgoes the start button frippery — to the raucous score of the…

At first glance, the Doubleback looks like your average VW Transporter van. Pushing a single button, however, completely transforms the popular European passenger carrier into a home away from home in just under a minute. Thanks to the extra room provided by the extendable pod, the central cabin serves as a fully functioning kitchen, complete…

Shaw Speed & Custom churns out some pretty sweet bikes. But what about for the budget conscious? We can’t all throw down tens of thousands for the bike of our dreams. Their most recent custom job, the XL1200R made use of a 2006 Harley Sportster XLR1200R they had in stock as the “guinea hog.” The…

Not that the previous generation BMW M6 was a slouch, but lately the German automaker has eschewed their naturally-aspirated-only mindset and gone all forced induction on us. The 2013 BMW M6 has been the latest beneficiary of this Bimmer revolution. Boasting a 4.4 liter V8 with 560 hp and 500 lb feet of torque, the…

When it comes to cars, we spend most of our time fixated on rides that churn through a gallon of gas faster than a fat kid eats twinkies. Yet for all of our love for “driver’s cars”, we still acknowledge that practicality should be a major consideration when it comes to selecting a primary ride….

A 7-passenger, all-wheel drive electric crossover with gull-wing doors that hits 60 mph in 4.4 seconds? Sounds like stuff of the future. Not for Elon Musk. The storied CEO of Tesla motors, who unveiled the Model X ($50,000+) this morning announced that the third Tesla model will be available in early 2014 and manufactured alongside…

Jeep’s are legendary for their ability to go anywhere, but what do you do when you get there?. The At Action Camper ($53,500) is designed for extended expeditions into the bush, and features 6’3? of interior headroom, a king-size bed, three-burner stove, sink, 40 liter top-loading refrigerator, integrated dining table, chemical toilet, plenty of storage…

In America, the hatchback has long fought an uphill battle — garnering the scorn and disdain of image conscious buyers who prefer the look of a sedan or coupe. The thing is, regardless of mass public opinion, we think hatchbacks are great, especially on smaller vehicles where the proportions, engineering and design seem to jive…

Another Porsche 911? Really? What else can they change with this automotive icon? Prepare yourself. No miniscule aesthetic changes such as little headlight and taillight tweaks. That’s for sure. This new version — known inside Porsche as the 991 — is different beyond expectations. 90% of the new car is reworked. With a stretched wheelbase…

The Porsche Boxster is surely here to stay as evidenced by its success, critics’ raves and the fact that Porsche has done it up even better than before with an early taste of their all-new 2013 Porsche Boxster. Though the reworking is nothing earth-shattering, the sheetmetal is clearly an upgrade. It’s downright gorgeous in our…

With the annual watch trade show, SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) about to get underway in Geneva, now is as good a time as any to revisit one of the stars from last year’s show, the Officine Panerai PAM00372 ($10,400). For those who are new to the game, Officine Panerai was originally founded…

Recently, we hopped into the 9th generation E-class for an extended test on the unfamiliar (to us) roads of Miami. Over the span of a week, we logged nearly a thousand miles hurtling our Mercedes-Benz E350 Sport everywhere from South Beach to Little Havana, from the University of Miami to Dania Beach and we’re still…

It’s an answer to a question that nobody asked. The four door luxury sports ‘coupe’, an oxymoron, frankly. But the odd thing is, it works. The Mercedes-Benz CLS Coupe spawned it all and showed the world that a car can be rakishly good looking, have a low roofline, four doors and still be utterly desirable….

There are cutting edge TVs, and then there’s Toshiba’s Regza 55X3 (known as the ZL2 in Europe) whose spec sheet reads like it was DeLorean-ed back from 2015. The 55-inch set is one of the first consumer TVs to sport a 4096 x 2160 pixel resolution (or Quad Full High Definition), which already gives it…

Talk about a match made in motoring heaven. Merc and Ducati have partnered to create a worthy collaboration of two and four wheeled beauties. The Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG and Ducati Streetfighter 848 adorned in ‘Streetfighter Yellow’ showcase performance in a rare color that MB might just bring to their line of cars if enough…

Cold harsh winters will kidney punch many of us soon, but it doesn’t have to be all pain and no snowy terrain. That is, as long as you have transportation like the Arctic Cat ProCross F 1100 Turbo Sno Pro Limited ($13,800). Sporting a fancy pearl white, orange and black paint scheme, it surely stands…

The Alfred Dunhill antarctic whisky cabinet is a soon-to-be heirloom that any fan of fine booze and craftsmanship can appreciate — even if few on this earth could ever afford such an extravagance. The three bottles included in this set are faithful replications of Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky from the 1907. In case…

The Local Motors Rally Fighter is literally the Frankenstein of the car world and looks like the love child of the Dark Knight’s tumbler and a Maserati Gran Turismo. If its arresting form seems strangely familiar to you, it’s probably because of the crowd-sourced origins of the Rally Fighter’s design, which utilizes a hodgepodge of…