Autoblog

Goodyear uses the old "surprise gymkhana road test with stunt driver" routine

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:44:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Humor

It's a familiar tactic: if you want a customer to know what a car can do, you've got to get them in it and take them for a ride. To truly impress a customer, though, you've got to take them, *ahem,* for a ride. It works so well that NASCAR driver Carl Edwards recently did it with Ford engineers in a Taurus SHO - the very sedan those engineers worked on.

So when Goodyear wanted to show off the finer attributes of its Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season tire, it grabbed Ben Conrad, director of Ken Block's last two Gymkhana videos, to choreograph some shenanigans. A Goodyear tire store in California was used as bait - an actor posed as a salesman who got his fellow store helper, professional stunt driver Danny Downey, to take customers for a little demo in a BMW.

We don't know what the conversion rate was, but there were probably a few tires sold that day. Have a look below to watch the videos.

Continue reading Goodyear uses the old "surprise gymkhana road test with stunt driver" routine

Goodyear uses the old "surprise gymkhana road test with stunt driver" routine originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear Live to attempt Deadly 720 double loop

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety

Successfully piloting an automobile around a giant loop is no easy task, but it's just not spectacular enough for the crew of Top Gear Live. Billing it as a world-first event, the live show's stunt drivers will attempt to spin their way through a giant loop twice in succession during the Top Gear Festival in Durban, South Africa on June 16 and 17.

Dubbed the Deadly 720, the loops themselves stands 26 feet tall and weigh eight tons. A custom-made buggy featuring an accelerator lock that allows the driver to put all his concentration on navigation will enter the loop between 24 and 26 miles per hour. Any deviation from that predetermined speed will result in a failure by the event's calculations.

"There are absolutely no margins for error, which is probably why no one has ever been mad enough to try it before," says Top Gear Live Creative Director Rowland French. Read all about the planned stunt by scrolling down below.

Continue reading Top Gear Live to attempt Deadly 720 double loop

Top Gear Live to attempt Deadly 720 double loop originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PopMech offers a video history of the automotive barrel roll

Zach Bowman — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Budget, Etc., Videos, Chevrolet

Rob Dyrdek's "kick flip" stunt in a Chevrolet Sonic effectively sealed his place in the hallowed halls of stunt driver lore. As it turns out, actually pulling off a 360-degree barrel roll in a vehicle is one of the most challenging stunts one can perform. Driving on two wheels? Cakewalk. Knocking down a series of buses stacked on their ends? As easy as sucking pea soup through a crazy straw. The barrel roll requires stacks of mathematical calculations to account for everything from the vehicle's weight to its speed and the exact rotation angle of each ramp.

But Dyrdek wasn't the first guy to successfully execute such a bit of insanity. He's one of a select few stunt drivers to do the deed, and Popular Mechanics has taken a look at those who have tackled the automotive barrel roll in the past. Dyrdek's stunt was actually an almost exact replica of the Astro Spiral Jump as performed in 1972 at the Houston Astrodome. That exercise used a significantly classier AMC Javelin, however. Head over to Popular Mechanics to check out the video series and click past the jump for a clip on the Astro Spiral Jump.

Continue reading PopMech offers a video history of the automotive barrel roll

PopMech offers a video history of the automotive barrel roll originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stunt driver attempts to play dominoes with row of busses

Zach Bowman — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos, Humor, Specialty

The Crusher at Evergreen Speedway - Click above to watch the video after the jump

This may not come as a shock, but as kids, we desperately wanted to become a stunt driver. Maybe it was one too many McQueen movies or a few too many hours soaking up Knight Rider reruns, but we were always smitten with the no-consequences glory of a good fender-to-fender bust up. That's exactly why we have the utmost respect for the man in the video after the jump.

Josh Beckel has earned a reputation for himself as a guy who's willing to do anything behind the wheel in and around Washington state, and he recently attempted to set a world record by crashing a car into not one, not two, not three, but four buses standing like dominoes.

Beckel is known as The Crusher for obvious reasons, and he more than lived up to his namesake at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington. How'd he do? You'll have to hit the jump to see for yourself.

Continue reading Stunt driver attempts to play dominoes with row of busses

Stunt driver attempts to play dominoes with row of busses originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speed saves? Saleen Mustang stunt driver evades gunman

Siddharth Raja — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Ford

On his way home one night, Chris Wilks was driving his black 1999 Saleen Mustang in Dallas when a mysterious Chevy Avalanche drove up beside him as though the driver wanted to say something. Used to the attention his 425h-p muscle car attracted, Wilks thought nothing of it and kept on driving. Up ahead, the two vehicles came to a stop light, and suddenly the passenger in the Chevy pulled out a gun and fired at the Mustang.

Wilks accelerated out of the scene, the bullet missing both the driver and car, but eventually the crazed Chevy caught up and began firing once again. Using skills learnt during a previous stint as a stunt driver, Wilks managed to get away once again and then dialed 911. He then began chasing the pickup himself in an attempt to get its license plate.

Barreling down the highway at 100 mph, the pickup eventually lost control and crashed into a shed containing a propane tank, which exploded. Nobody was seriously injured and police managed to arrest an 18- and 19-year old after finding a .45-caliber pistol. Sadly, Wilks may now be selling the car that possibly saved his life.

Thanks for the tip, Matt!

[Source: Dallas News]

Speed saves? Saleen Mustang stunt driver evades gunman originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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