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Evolution of Hot Wheels
In 1968, Hot Wheels made their debut with the Custom Camaro. The die-cast cars have been racing across bedroom floors ever since. In honor of their 50th anniversary, Donut Media put together this timeline featuring some of the toy brand's most iconic releases.
Garage Built Formula One Car
Growing up to be a racecar driver is a dream lots of kids have — but very few ever make it. Mišo Kuzmanović made the dream come true, by designing and building his own track car in his garage. After thousands of hours and over $27,000 spent, Mišo is living the dream and even driving it on the streets of his hometown.
Why Cars Are More Safe Now Than Ever
There was a time when car safety was an afterthought. No airbags, seat belts, crumple zones — just a bench seat, steel dash, and non-collapsable steering column were all that you had to stop in the event of an accident. Ford offered optional lap belts in the 50s, and in 1959, Volvo introduced the first three-point seat belt. Since then, the odds of surviving have increased exponentially, and with driverless cars on the horizon, the most unsafe thing in the auto might be gone completely.
J-Deite RIDE
You're an adult now, and toys just don't do it anymore. You need something bigger, something better, something that will be the envy of your friends and neighbors. That's the J-Deite RIDE. The world's first life-size Transformer, the RIDE goes from steerable to car to a 14-foot-tall walking robot. Your childhood dream is finally here.
Porsche Icons
Few automakers can match Porsche's success on the road, on the track, or off of either. If it can be won, Porsche has won it. From purpose-built race cars to the won-everything 911, Porsche has one of the most iconic lineups ever. Take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the most successful Porsches in the companies history.
Teslonda
Hot rods have been an American institution since the advent of the automobile. With the rise of the electric car, there was some worry about the decline of the DIY culture around cars. That's turned out to be a totally unfounded concern — and this Tesla-powered 1981 Honda Accord proves it. Using a Chevrolet Volt battery pack and Tesla electric motors, the Teslonda can go 0-60 as fast as a Bugatti Chiron for a lot less money.
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Casper Pillow
A good pillow can be the difference between a night of restful sleep and a literal pain in the neck. The team at Casper knows this and designed a pillow that provides comfort and support regardless of your sleeping position. They've invented a unique pillow-in-pillow with a firm inner core and a soft outer shell. Thanks to the even fill distribution of silky fibers, the pillow won't lose its shape. It's also finished with breathable percale cotton to keep airflow moving and your pillow cool. It's even machine washable. Take advantage of the 100-night trial, and if you don't love it, Casper will give you a free refund.
Presented by Casper.
Timex Waterbury Traditional Chronograph
Timex has been in the watch business for over 160 years and as a tribute to their heritage, the company has created the Waterbury Traditional Chronograph. The watch celebrates classic timepieces with a timeless design, featuring a 42mm stainless steel with a polished finish. The dial offers a date window, an INDIGLO Night-Light, Arabic numerals, and hands powered by a quartz movement. It's finished with a natural leather strap, completing the traditional aesthetic.
Presented by Timex.
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The Most Legendary BMWs Ever Made
If you're going to make great cars, they need to be on the track — and BMW has been taking its cars racing since 1936. Renowned for practical cars with impeccable driving dynamics and reasonable price tags, BMW has made cars and motors that have been wildly successful on and off the race course. Donut Media picks the best of the best from BMWs legendary racing history.
POV Motorcycle Ride In The Indian Himalayas
Totaling 10,000 miles, Robert Jan van der Kaaij spent 81 days traveling through 14 countries on his motorcycle. The journey started in the Netherlands and eventually lead him up this narrow mountain road in the Indian Himalayas. At one point, the snow was so bad he had to hitch a ride on a truck to finish the trek. He took us all along for the crazy, white-knuckle ride in this POV video.
Get Up to Speed on F1
It's the most prestigious racing series in the world. Rich with history, the highest tech in motorsport, and some of the most glamorous sporting events of the year, Formula One is the pinnacle of racing. Donut gets you into in the action with a quick primer on the history of F1 and what to look for on the grid for the 2018 season.
How to Correctly Pronounce Porsche
It's one of the most famous and successful manufacturers ever — and it's the only one whose name has two different pronunciations. So is it Porsch or Porsch-uh? Jalopnik calls in the experts for the final word on how to say the word Porsche.
All About the Toyota Land Cruiser
It came from Japan to conquer the world — and no, we're not talking about Godzilla. This is the Toyota Land Cruiser, a 4x4 that's been everywhere you can go with four wheels, and even a few places you can't. Donut gives you the scoop on everything you need to know about Toyota's famous offroader if you plan on putting one in your garage.
Building the Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron set the standard for the hypercar craze. Over 1,000 horsepower from a 16-cylinder, quad-turbocharged motor reaches the ground through all four wheels to a top speed of over 260 MPH. The car is an amazing technical achievement — and watching how it's hand-assembled reinforces what it takes to make such an amazing automobile.
The Evolution of Ferrari
From the 125 S in 1947 to the FXX K Evo, Ferrari's passion for automobiles has been on display on and off the track. Almost every Ferrari is an icon, but this video hits the highlights of the most important models in the company's 70-plus year history.
Everything You Need to Know About the 911
It's changed a lot for having changed so little, but the Porsche 911 is still the gold-standard for sports cars. Easily the most accomplished car of all time, there hasn't been anywhere where the 911 hasn't succeeded. Donut Media gives you all the info you need on the 911, from beginning to the latest version.
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Casper Wave
The result of three years of research and millions of data points, the Casper Wave is a breakthrough in mattress design. Underneath its handsome exterior, you'll find the new, proprietary Natural Geometry System. It uses five layers of foam to mimic the natural contours of your body at 36 specific points, adjusting naturally to your shoulders and hips without sacrificing support, and keeping your spine properly aligned. Like the original, it uses open-cell foams to keep you cool at night. Designed and assembled in the USA.
Presented by Casper.
Squarespace
This is your month to discover new opportunities and follow through with your passions. Squarespace lets you bring your ideas to life with easy-to use tools and award-winning templates that help you achieve your goals. Whether you're kickstarting a business or looking for ways to showcase your portfolio, Squarespace allows you to bring your ideas to life in a fresh and exciting way. Spring into action! Get started with a Squarespace website today.
Presented by Squarespace.-
Airstream Factory Time-Lapse
Everyone has a dream of traveling across the country in an Airstream. All of those dreams start in Jackson Center, Ohio. This short time-lapse goes inside the factory to give a glimpse at the process behind crafting those iconic aluminum trailers.
Mid-Drift Refuel
BMW just broke the Guinness World Record for the longest vehicle drift in 8 hours, crushing the previous by over 140 miles. But that's not the real news. While driver Johan Schwartz was cruising around the track, Matt Mullin and Matt Butts would refuel the M5 from another M5, while in motion. This moving pit-stop allowed for the car to keep going and set the bar for a seemingly unbeatable record.
Dissecting the Auto
With the AI revolution already beginning and autonomous vehicles almost here, cars still look like... cars. Architecture firm oiio studio wants to change that, with a radical dissection of the automobile as we know it. Breaking it down into it's essential, people-moving parts, oiio imagines a vehicle that does exactly what it needs to. They also threw in a bonus shot of a Blade Runner-style Los Angeles at the end too.
Backyard Hot Wheels Track
This two-story Hot Wheels track is not only our childhood dreams come true but maybe our adult ones too. Measuring in at 141 feet long, the track starts at a bedroom window and travels down a wooden bridge. From there, the car twists and loops at an average speed of 3.8 miles per hour throughout the entire backyard. Because it is so elaborate, just one view wouldn't do. The run was filmed at three angles, including an ultra-slick first-person view.
Best 10 Supercars of the 00s
The 2000s was the death knell of the supercar. Once upon a time, supercars were cramped, uncomfortable, impossible to see out of, and temperamental. Then came the 00s, and suddenly, you could drive a 600+ hp car in the city like it was a Honda Accord. Before the outrageous hypercars of the 2010s, here were the best supercars of the 00s.
Slow-Mo Wrecking Ball
The Slow Mo Guys know the way to our hearts — through slow-motion destruction. It never seems to get old. So in their latest satisfying video, the guys head to a junkyard to send a four-ton wrecking ball through a few cars, filming the whole thing at just 1,000 frames per second.
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Weed, Money, and the 1979 24 Hours of LeMans
Racing is expensive, but if you have the cash, anything is possible. The Whittington brothers were part of the team that won the 1979 24 Hours of LeMans, but how they ended up there is a classic 70s story. Rumors of the brothers pot smuggling and paying off officials are nearly canon, from LeMans to NASCAR to the Indianapolis 500. John Ficarra tells the story of the time the Whittington brothers went racing.
Life-Size TIE Silencer
Last year, Colin Furze blew the mind of every Star Wars fanatic when he built an almost life-size AT-AT. This year, he pledged his total allegiance to the Dark Side by constructing a full-size replica of Kylo Ren's TIE Silencer. The fighter measures in at 46 feet long, 23 feet wide, and 14 feet tall and is made completely of steel. As if that isn't enough, he enlisted James Bruton to also make a fully-functioning BB-9E.
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Best Supercars From the 90s
The 80s gave us the supercar. The 90s took the supercar and pushed it to the limits of what was capable in something legal to drive on public roads. From limited-production homologation specials to the still-awesome McLaren F1, the 90s turned out cars that can still hold their own today.
10 Best 80s Supercars
Supercars have never been subtle, but the 80s saw some of the wildest examples ever made, from companies as traditionally conservative as Mercedes and BMW. Everyone knows the Countach, Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959, but lesser-known modes like the BMW M1 and Ruf CTR "Yellow Bird" raised the bar for street cars to another level. Donut counts down their 10 best from the decade of excess.
Evolution of the Toyota Supra
All the Gran Tourismo kids remember the Toyota Supra — or at least its 1987-1994 editions. For all its affordable swagger, the Supra had much humbler beginnings as an option on the Celica platform. Donut takes you all the way back to where on of the most iconic cars of the 90s started.
Riding a Cafe Racer Through the Dolomites
Through the scenic Dolomites of Northern Italy, two friends run freshly built Kawasaki Kz400s down the winding mountain roads. Joe and Stefan are childhood friends, and recently finished building their bikes together and celebrated with a run through the beautiful mountain vistas.
Evolution of the Jeep
From its beginning as the hardscrabble war hero to its current incarnation as a capable-yet-civilized everyday driver, the Jeep has evolved like few other cars. Donut captures every stage in the life of the American icon over the last 77 years.
Waymo's Self-Driving Car Demo
Eight years in development and Google's Waymo is ready to introduce its self-driving cars to the world. While they aren't quite ready for the public, they're extremely close. This demo shows a car in action and what the future of drive will look like.
