
Steve Sutcliffe was wrapping up Autocar's annual 0-100-0 test when a well spoken Japanese gentleman wandered over and started checking out the cars. Now what would you do if you had a car park full of supercars, a private track rented for the day and a Formula 1 driver hove in to view?
Give him the keys then grab a video camera? Evidently Steve thinks the same way. Rather than let Taku embarrass Steve's 0-100-0 times "because he's small and lighter" (yes Steve, we're sure that's the only reason he'd be quicker...) Autocar let him off the leash on the full track. Click through to see what Taku, who drives a classic Mini Cooper in the UK and a Honda Beat when in Japan, got up to in his first few minutes in a real supercar -- and why he got red flagged all too early.
Taku, who lost his F1 drive when Super Aguri folded earlier this year, has an official test with Scuderia Toro Rosso on September 18th. On the basis of this video alone, it's a fair bet that Red Bull will finally have a popular spokesperson for the Japanese market next year.
Takuma Sato gatecrashes Autocar's party
Friday, September 5, 2008 at 5:30 AM Posted under Tags : aston martin, AstonMartin, autocar, lamborghini, porsche, takuma sato, TakumaSato, video
Hubinette's BFG Charger kicks like a mule
Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 3:42 AM Posted under Tags : BF Goodrich, BF Goodrich drift, BF Goodrich drift kicks football, BfGoodrich, BfGoodrichDrift, BfGoodrichDriftKicksFootball, video

Pro motor sports may draw immense crowds, but on the boob tube, the football is king. That could be the reason Team Mopar and BFGoodrich utilized the pigskin in its latest TV ad showcasing controlled drifting. Hit the jump to see Samuel Hubinette pilot the Mopar drift Charger to and through a tee'd-up football as the rear quarter panel plays placekicker. Though not as cool as the commercial that shows Hubinette sliding the Charger through an aircraft hanger, it's definitely worth a look.
Jaguar XF-R caught on tape
Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 4:07 AM Posted under Tags : jaguar, jaguar xf, jaguar xf-r, JaguarXf, JaguarXf-r, sedan, sedans, spy video, SpyVideo, video, videos, xf, xf-r

The coming Jaguar XF-R has been caught in the valley of death. It was accompanied by a Jaguar XJ mule and shepherded by a fleet of Land Rovers charged with blocking the all-seeing eye of someone's Sony Handycam. Fortunately for us, they failed. The driver of this particular prototype XF-R couldn't keep his foot off the throttle, as at different points in the video you hear the growl of a big displacement V8 and the accompanying scream of a supercharger. Other than vents in the hood to let that 5-liter V8 breathe, the body modifications look to be exceptionally tame. With 500 horsepower, however, its acceleration should be quite the opposite.