Autos

DRIVERS is a series highlighting influential individuals in the HYPEBEAST sphere and their passion towards all things automotive. The approach is simple: what is car culture to you, and why do you have a passion for it? Each contributor is given a chance to shine light on their personal vehicle or vehicles, and asked to remark on how they are driving culture forward, both metaphorically and literally. It’s not often that cars cross over into other lifestyle realms: fashion, music, and art seem like the easier categories to match with automotive. But how about grooming and skin care? That’s the case with Patricks, and its founder Patrick Kidd. Patrick and his eponymous brand are on a mission to bring luxury skin care and grooming products into the world for men to slow down thei...

The North American car show SEMA has kicked off, and staying true to itself, it is already playing host to a number of wild concept cars — including Ford‘s latest offering, the Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT concept. “Inspired by Carroll Shelby’s own dream for electric performance,” this concept car draws from some of the most important Shelby cars such as the Mustang GT350 and GT500 as well as the marque’s history, evident in the car’s signature off-white and blue livery that’s complete with stripes and Shelby branding. The aesthetics are absolutely on-point for a “could be” Shelby-tuned Mach-E, with the car sitting on 20″ one-piece forged Monoblock wheels that are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires before being subjected to a su...

Chevrolet made a big statement in its off-roading department at this year’s SEMA automotive industry show with the unveiling of “The Chevy Beast.” Built on a modified Silverado truck chassis, “The Chevy Beast” concept off-road SUV is a desert racing machine that was put together with off-the-shelf performance parts. Packing a Chevrolet LT4 650-horsepower 6.2L V-8 supercharged crate engine, the off-roader features a shortened frame, a 4130 Chromoly tubular safety structure, a 91-inch track, a long-travel off-road suspension system, five-link rear suspension, 37-inch off-road tires, 20-inch beadlock wheels, a Brembo Big Brake Upgrade System, and Baja Designs off-road lighting. “The Chevy Beast concept takes the popularity of high-performance off-road truck...

Toyota‘s Gazoo Racing (TGR) division is responsible for some of its most notable cars such as the new GR Yaris and the A90 Supra, but it also heads up the GR Heritage Parts Project which produces spare parts for vintage cars. Following on from its line of parts for the A70 and A80 Supra, the Toyota 2000GT, and the 40 Series Land Cruiser, TGR has announced that it’ll start producing parts for the AE86. The AE86 designation actually refers to an engine, specifically the 1.6-liter DOHC 16-valve (4A-GEU) engine that was found in the Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno. “Levin” and “Trueno” are the words Toyota used to distinguish the sports iteration of the Corolla and Sprinter, and are held to high esteem in the JDM car community — let alone within the ...

Audi has unveiled the all-new A8 in a multitude of guises, but what underpins each is the next-level technology that’s sure to filter into the rest of the German marque’s line-up in 2022 and beyond. Available as a three-liter V6-powered A8 55 TFSI Quattro, as well as a four-liter V8 version that comes in the A8 60 TSFI Quattro and the A8 L 60 TFSI Quattro — with these latter two both hitting 62 MPH in just 4.4 seconds regardless of their size differences — Audi offers an A8 for almost anyone looking for their next luxury sedan. The V8 is also capable of utilizing just four of its eight cylinders to reduce fuel consumption when required, and for those that are more concerned about economical driving, a diesel engine and a plug-in hybrid iteration are set to come soon...

NOVITEC‘s N-LARGO program takes already wildly impressive automotives and enhances them to entirely new heights — and that’s exactly what’s been performed with the brand’s take on the Ferrari F8 Spider. Following on from its “standard” customization of the F8 Spider and an N-LARGO iteration of the hardtop F8 Tributo, NOVITEC N-LARGO presents just 15 hand-finished builds of the F8 Spider, including this particularly fetching one in purple. Naturally, the supercar features an extensive amount of customized parts inside and out. Starting with the twin-turbo V8 engine, NOVITEC has bumped it to produce 818 HP and 903 Nm of torque, resulting in a 0-62 MPH time of just 2.6 seconds and a top speed of over 211 MPH. N-LARGO carbon fiber bodywork extends the ...

For car enthusiasts, driving is about more than just the technical specifics. Open Road explores not just what these cars do, but what they mean. Whether it’s an old, new, or exotic model, HYPEBEAST is looking beyond the stats to unpack the simple pleasures of automotive. “This is rear-wheel drive… right?” I asked as I approached the car, humbly parked on a busy, construction-filled Chelsea street. “Yes, the STO is rear-wheel drive only,” replied the public relations rep. I smile and nod behind my facial mask in acceptance, all while gulping and nervous of what I was about to face for the next three hours. Lamborghini was kind enough to lend us a final production model version of the 2021 Huracán STO, its most hardcore street-legal version of the “entry-...

Just a few weeks after announcing he will be selling his Wyoming ranch for $11 million USD, Kanye West is putting up his fleet of SUVs and trucks for auction. It is reported that the vehicles are available for bidding at Musser Bros. Auctions and include a 2016 F-350, a 2017 F-250, a 2018 F-150 Raptor, a 2019 F-150 Raptor, a XLT Max edition 2020 Ford Expedition and a Limited Stealth edition 2020 Ford Expedition. The listing went official last month and many have already shown interest. All of Ye’s cars have the iconic matte black wrap feature. Bid winners can throw in an extra $250 USD to have the wraps removed, should they want to. All vehicles are four-wheel drives, perfect for off-roading buyers. Since it seems that Kanye is moving away from Wyoming, it makes sense that he is also...

Following successful flight tests of the Traveler X2, EV car manufacturer XPeng recently revealed its newest flying car concept at its 1024 Tech Day, where the company showcases its latest innovations. Developed by its affiliate HT Aero, which has raised $500 million USD in Series A funding, the unnamed vehicle is slated to enter mass production by 2024 at a cost of less than $157,000 USD. Unlike most urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles, the XPeng flying car is also capable of driving on regular roads thanks to a foldable mechanism that retracts its rotors. Equipped with an environmental perception system that can evaluate surroundings and weather, as well as a flight control algorithm to help pilots avoid obstacles, the vehicle is designed to operate in urban areas and will be sold directly...

Star Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert has just shown off his love for Naruto by giving his Lamborghini Aventador SVJ a full anime-inspired wrap. Done by Miami’s Alex Vega of Auto Firm, the orange and yellow wrap features main characters Naruto and Sasuke on the hood, and Minato and Madara at the doors. The wrap reportedly cost $10,000 USD which is just a fraction of the price of the supercar where its starting price is well over half a million dollars USD. Check out the wrap below. There aren’t any detailed photos just yet, but apparently, the wrap also glows in the dark. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alex Vega (@theautofirm) In other automotive news, Kanye West to auction off fleet of Wyoming cars. Click here to view full gallery at HYPEBEAST

This year at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Jeep unveiled a custom-built Wrangler Overlook concept that extends the off-road vehicle to carry three passenger rows. Even longer than the Wrangler Unlimited by an entire foot, the Overlook concept creates extra space at the rear to fit in a third row of passenger seats, making it the perfect touring vehicle. Accompanying this extra capacity is a raised roof sitting five inches taller than the standard Wrangler which carries added windows for a better view of your surroundings. Those up in the front row even get a single-piece roof with a pop-up glass section for a truly immersive experience. Windows and added passenger count aside, the Wrangler Overlook also receives a number of changes elsewhere. The hood itself is custom made, paired with a nar...

On October 29, Toyota unveiled its brand new bZ4X electric vehicle, marking the first model of its new bZ (beyond Zero) electric vehicle series. The bZ4X is the first vehicle model created by the Japanese automaker as an entirely battery electric vehicle (BEV) and was first unveiled earlier this year as a concept vehicle. Additionally, the production-ready model is the first vehicle to be built on Toyota’s new BEV platform. The all-wheel-drive SUV features a clean exterior design and debuts a new “hammerhead” front shape. A focal design of the bZ4X is the chassis-incorporated battery unit beneath under the vehicle floor to provide a low center of gravity, front/rear weight balance and high body rigidity. Additionally, the SUV includes separate electric motors for each axle to benefit off-r...