All Entries Tagged With: "Video"
Not Created Equal: AWD Systems Tested
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube
GIVEN the winter storm that’s about to set upon half of the US, it seems like an apt moment to take stock of just which awd systems cut it – and which don’t. Needless to say, they’re not all created equal. This old German TV clip shows a random selection of vehicles that four driven wheels. There’s a BMW 3-Series, a Volvo V70 Cross Country, a Lexus RX, a Mitsubishi Monterro, just to name a few. The challenge is fairly simple – which one can get furthest up the hill before the combined forces of gravity and snow halt progress? The winner may surprise you.
DIY: Removing Door Panels E38 7er & W210 E-Class Illustrates Design Similarities
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: Door Panel Removal Videos E38 7-Series & W210 E-Class
HOW a car is put together says a great deal about the caliber of the engineering and design teams at work behind all the marketing hype and brand imagery. Layout is, to be plain, where the rubber meets the road.
It’s intriguing then to remember that despite being distinct marques, Mercedes-Benz and BMW’s cars are rather similar. Besides sharing part suppliers, there’s Teutonic commonalities in how each company manufactures their autos.
Consider these two videos as cases in point. Both are illustrative DIY films on how to remove the interior door panels without resorting to crowbar and hacksaw. We see a helpful technician work off an E38 gen. BMW 7er’s door panel (and burn his finger in the process) and another tech do the same (albeit more orchestrated and professionally edited) for a Mercedes-Benz W210 gen. E-Class.
The two cars share surprisingly similar construction traits, though it’s clear that the E-Class represents the older school formula of leaving the bulk of the electronics on the console and not the door. Seems wise, in hindsight.
Have a look.
Audi versus… A4 Advert Showcases Rivals
By Gunnar Heinrich :: YouTube
GOT to hand it to ‘em, Audi has some cheek.
Aside from Hyundai and GM which only use vague verbal or written references to their competition, Audi actually let us a visualize its marketplace rivals by showcasing their models stacked against the other guys.
In this particular advert, the Audi A4 squares off against the Lexus IS, Mercedes C-Class, and BMW 3-Series. Apparently, the A4 claims to be bigger and more fuel efficient than any of its contemporaries.
It doesn’t hurt that we can differentiate the two by noticing the Audi in diamond black and the rest trimmed in a grey-ish beige.
This spot reminds us of another rivalry that was recently exploited for one side’s publicity efforts…
YouTube: W108/W109 S-Class Photo-Montage Set To Jazz
By Gunnar Heinrich | YouTube
AS we wind the work day to a close here on the east coast, a soothing review of Stuttgart’s past is in order.
This video TRT: 07:49 is a photo montage of the W108/W109 Mercedes-Benz Sonderklasse from the 70s (remember, the W109 refers to 300SEL only).
A mixture of jpegs from the web, period film screenshots, and company archival footage all featuring 280SE and 300SELs; what’s noteworthy about this video is that it’s set to classic jazz rhythms of Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio.
A good effort by the YouTube poster. And a slick way to unwind.
What’s Japanese For: “I’ll Take Them Both!” ?
V12 majestics. BMWs 750iL and 850i on display. Screen shots below.
Extraordinaire! Bugatti Drives Royale Through Paris
By Gunnar Heinrich | YouTube
FEARFUL, yet compelled, I watched.
There’s nothing quite like viewing someone pilot the world’s greatest and most exclusive automobile (only six exist and prices at auction ranged recently from $8 – $20 million) - around one of the world’s most treacherous roundabouts – l’étoile de Paris.
It doesn’t help our nerves to watch as careless Parisian mopeds crowd this 21 foot long chariot like flies swarming a legendary thoroughbred.
Caroline Bugatti shows plenty of, how shall we say, chutzpah!
C’est belle, sa rêve!
Porsche’s Unapologetic Family Tree Ad
By Gunnar Heinrich | YouTube
FROM what dreams may come?
This is a sharp, slickly edited advert for the Porsche Panamera. The tag line: “four uncompromised.”
The production ticks off all the goodies in a tight package: namely showcasing the new four door GT – the Panamera – midst a delightful circus of whizzing flat-6 turbos, claiming its place in a line of thoroughbred performance and race cars while referencing the early ambitions of the company’s eponymous founder- Dr. Ferry Porsche.
In so much that the Carrera GT gets plenty of camera time, you have to feel a little wistful for Porsche’s now-discontinued super car.
ADLX Redux: Silver Cloud Two Years On
By Gunnar Heinrich | YouTube
PERIODICALLY, people will ask me: of the cars you’ve reviewed which one’s your favorite?
This kind of question will almost always be put in a seemingly rhetorical manner as though the questioner already expects to know the answer. Rolls-Royce’s Phantom Coupe seems to be a clear contender for the top spot. As does the latest M3 (two-door). For a smaller sect – the Camaro SS.
But almost no one seems to anticipate my reply: the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.
Overall, it’s the experience that counts. In the case of this white James Young stretched wheelbase saloon, I felt connected to the 50′s Royce in a way that seems to have been anesthetized in modern transport.
Coupled with the fact that this particular Cloud was gorgeous, especially grand, and well looked after, I was experiencing a true time capsule of post war luxury in its most rarefied form.
Would I have gotten more of a thrill from a Gullwing Mercedes, a Jaguar XK120, or a Duesenburg? Perhaps.
But for one weekend in the waning summer days of 2007, this Silver Cloud showed me a new meaning to iron clad craftsmanship and solidified the concept that quality is truly timeless.
