The year is wrapping up and it is almost time for Christmas. With that in mind, we have some gifts for all of our faithful readers: The best car videos of the year.
They range from silly to incredible, but all of them should help get you through the difficult times you will soon be facing as your great aunt Gertrude descends on you.
So, without further ado, let’s begin the countdown.
10. Jeff Gordon Pepsi
This video shows NASCAR star Jeff Gordon playing a cruel prank on a car salesman. Gordon puts on a fake beard and takes a Camaro for a test drive. Once he has the salesman in the car, he starts acting like he’s on the track at Talladega. The terrified salesman squeals and curses as Gordon hammers the mighty Camaro around.
This is a promotion for Pepsi so a lot of it is probably staged. I don’t know how much of this is faked, but frankly I don’t care. I love the idea that Jeff Gordon is out there terrifying car salesman.
9. Enzo Rally Car
This one is short, sweet, and a bit silly. One of the saddest things about most hypercars is that most are never driven to their limit, let alone on anything but pristine roads. Sure, cars like this may as well be transportation art, but, for all the work that goes into making them what they are, it’s depressing that they don’t get driven.
So getting to see someone thrash their million-dollar Enzo on bad roads is just a bit special. Major props to whomever was willing to do this to their baby.
8. Formula 1 Highlights
Formula 1 is an incredible sport. The technology is astounding, the speeds are incredible, and the racing can be a bit boring … Sorry, but it’s true. Watching a whole season of F1 is a bit of an imposing challenge for someone who doesn’t love the sport.
That’s why this video is great; it captures all of the best parts of the sport and it does it all in less than four minutes.
7. Digital Trends Fiat 500 Abarth Review
A tall guy reviewing an Italian subcompact. No, its not Top Gear in the ’80s, it’s Digital Trends. Seriously my editor, Nick Jaynes, made me put this in here.
On the other hand, it is a very good video – particularly the writing and directing, which are the bits that I helped with. Also, unlike the rest of these videos, it offers some serious and valuable consumer advice … sort of.
6. Sebastien Loeb’s Pike’s Peak
The Pike’s Peak hill climb is one of the most demanding events in motorsport. At 12.42 miles and 4,720 feet of elevation over 156 corners, many of which are on gravel, this is just an absolutely insane circuit.
What’s even more ridiculous than the hill itself is watching Sebastien Loeb cover it in a record-breaking 8:13. The filming quality is lacking in points, but that hardly diminishes one of the most spectacular driving achievements you will ever see.
5. 11 foot 8 Bridge Crashes
We couldn’t do a list like this without including some crashes. However, because we like being different, we decided to do some more contemplative. This video shows a very low bridge that exists in a town that is apparently inhabited by the world’s least observant truck drivers.
So sit back and relax and watch this mesmerizing video of truck after truck opening itself like a can of sardines on this 11-foot-8 bridge.
4. Ghe-O Rescue
What has four wheels, can cross rivers, snow, mud, hills, and is built in Romania? Don’t know? Then for the love of god watch this video. This amazing off-roader is capable of taking the fight to mother nature … and winning.
If you are worried about the impending zombie apocalypse, then I highly recommend this as your best chance of survival.
Sure Bucharest is a lovely city, but the Ghe-O Rescue is the best reason to visit Romania that I can think of.
3. Homemade Nissan Maxima Ad
It wasn’t easy in a year that contained Ron Burgundy, but this is the best car ad of the year. And it is for an ancient Nissan Maxima. I know, this sounds dreadful, but watch it. The filmmaker was trying to unload his old jalopy, and had the bright idea to make a car commercial parodying the worst clichés of the luxury car world.
2. Ken Block’s GYMKHANA Six
No list of car videos would be complete without some of Ken Block’s GYMKHANA madness. Seriously, this man can do things with cars that just do not jive with my understanding of how physics work.
In this video he not only brutally violates the laws of nature, he does some insane things with construction equipment, Segways and Lamborghinis out of the new Need for Speed game. If anyone ever wants to invent an abstinence program that works, all they need to do is just distract middles choolers with these videos.
1. Volvo Trucks and Jean Claude Van Damme
A slightly washed up martial arts action hero and a Volvo semi-truck? Doesn’t exactly sound like the makings of something amazing, does it? But guess what; it just happens to be our number one video, not to mention one of the best pieces of video ever to land on Internet.
The stunt itself is amazing beyond belief. What really makes this work, though, is the film-making. The video and the voiceover put together are just something astounding.
