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Lisa Wells | Freelance Writer
@Lisa Wells, Ink.

HotCars •

10 Rare Cars In Forza Horizon 5

One of the main advantages of car-based video games is the fact that you can collect some of the greatest models ever made, and on that basis, few games do it better than Forza Horizon 5. Better still is that the scope for customization is huge once you’ve acquired one of these dream cars, and is often a great way for novices to learn the associated technical terminology and definitions for how these new upgrades work in real life.

Updated: Forza Horizon 5 remains one of the very best car games
HotCars •

Bill Gates Car Collection: A Look Inside The Billionaire's Private Garage [Ranked No. 3 at HotCars.com]

Microsoft Corporation cofounder Bill Gates led the lucrative company as CEO, president, and chief software architect until 2014. Today, Microsoft is worth $1.82 trillion. Gates is one of the world’s most prolific philanthropists.

As a pioneer in data and personal computing, the Seattle-born Gates once partnered with Apple Computer and collaborated with CEO Steve Jobs. The partnership notoriously ended in 1985 when Microsoft released Windows 1.0, its first operating system. Jobs turned against G
HotCars •

5 Most Reliable Audi Engines Ever (5 That Underperformed)

At the core of Audi AG is an ethos of excellence. The German automobile manufacturer prioritizes innovation, technology, and a refined driving experience in each production model. Innovation through technology is the company’s motto. Or, as Audi says, “Vorsprung durch Technik”.

Updated June 2023: Audi is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers and is almost constantly trying to refine and rework its engines to be the best on the market. To keep our readers in the know, we continue to keep this
HotCars •

10 Car Brands That Make The Most Durable Engines [Ranked No.1 at HotCars.com]

One way to find out which car brands have the most durable and dependable engines is to ask around, and perhaps talk with some mechanics. Another way is to do some serious research and find out which manufacturers’ engines stood the test of time under the scrutiny of industry leaders like Consumer Reports.

Here we are going to be looking at engines by automobile brands that have been awarded, under technical scrutiny, the best engine of the year. Ward’s AutoWorld is a long-respected automotive
HotCars •

Unlikely Gearheads: 9 Surprising Celebrities Who Love Cars

Some celebrities are famous for collecting cars, others simply amass them. You'd have to be living under a rock not to know about Jay Leno's massive collection. Same with Jerry Seinfeld, he's got more classic and rare Porsche cars than anyone. These comedians are enthusiasts who know a lot about their stash. Other wealthy stars buy them up. One rapper notoriously threw down $1.8 million on a brand-new Bugatti because it was the most expensive car in the world, had to have one. Then there's Justi
Orange Coast Voice •

For the Birds: H.B. shop helps you make fine-feathered friends

Perched at the corner of Adams Avenue and Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach near Mother’s Market is a shop that’s for the birds and anyone else who wants to add some nature to their backyard environment.

A step into this quaint store almost feels like a step into the outdoors. The sound of tricking water flows from the solar-powered water fountains and the walls are lined with an unbelievable variety of bird feeders.

Visiting the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop also seems more like an educa
OC VOICE •

Solar Initiative: Subsidies shine on corporations

It is no surprise that solar energy is coming to center stage in California, as a clean, productive and--one hopes--cost efficient energy alternative to the expensive and dirty, heat-trapping, carbon-releasing, peaked-out fossil fuels that cause global warming.
Even California's Hummer driving governor, Arnold Schwarzeneger, has jumped on the solar bandwagon by having expanded already existing solar energy incentive programs in 2004 with his image-greening "Million Solar Roofs" plan, also known as the California Solar Initiative (CSI).
The intent of CSI is laudable: to create a self-sustaining solar industry...
HotCars •

10 Times Ken Block Defied The Laws Of Physics

Ken Block shredded a lot of tires in his day, and he did it with finesse. In the driver seat, he controlled chaos with apparent ease. He made cars slide in impossible ways, and he did it with incomprehensible precision. Margin of error was measured in inches. He was a master.

Block's gravity-defying Gymkhana feats define his contribution to motor sports more so than his Rally Car racing days. It was after his success with DC Shoes and before Hoonigan Industries took off when Block turned to ral

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HotCars •

10 Rare Cars In Forza Horizon 5

One of the main advantages of car-based video games is the fact that you can collect some of the greatest models ever made, and on that basis, few games do it better than Forza Horizon 5. Better still is that the scope for customization is huge once you’ve acquired one of these dream cars, and is often a great way for novices to learn the associated technical terminology and definitions for how these new upgrades work in real life.

Updated: Forza Horizon 5 remains one of the very best car games
HotCars •

Here's Why Porsche Made A Roof Tent For The 911

It started in Stuttgart. Engineers at Porsche, one of the most respected German automakers in the industry, set upon the task of devising a rooftop tent (RTT) option, ostensibly, to provide outdoor enthusiasts with an overland opportunity. As road trip travel continues to trend, it does make sense that automakers are providing rooftop tents for adventuresome travelers, usually seen on rugged trucks and SUVs.

One thing led to another, and now the awkward looking contraption has been designed for
HotCars •

5 Original Death Race Movie Cars (And 5 From The Franchise)

The 1975 cult classic Death Race 2000 comedy inspired a string of contemporary underground Death Race movies. But it took until 2008 to see a remake. Death Race (2008), starring Jason Statham, is about a framed dude forced into a vengeful killing spree. It was this movie that solidified the actor's action film fate. Statham's character drives just as maniacally as he does as Deckard Shaw in the Fast and Furious franchise, crushing the weak in corresponding fashion. His performance in the gruesom
HotCars •

10 Car Brands You Didn't Realize Are Missing From Forza Horizon 5

The Forza Horizon 5 release was highly anticipated. Players could not wait to get access to the newest terrains. Speculation spun around which new cars would be coming to the game and, more anxiously, which cars would no longer be accessible. These discussions ruled chat boards.

If you aren’t familiar with the Xbox game, Forza Horizon is a fantastically popular franchise that feeds a subculture. It came about by the partnership of British based Playground Games and Microsoft Studios in 2012. Th
Lifestyle A2Z •

How Portishead Pioneered Trip-Hop

Trip-hop is a sound that originated out of Bristol in the early ‘90s. The bustling port city is located close enough to London to be pertinent but far away enough to do its own thing. Portishead, among others, did exactly that. The UK cultural hub of Bristol is a multi-ethnic menagerie with a bohemian vibe. It is decorated by its many graffiti artists and it is home to Banksy.

Lead vocalist Beth Gibbons and her boys revolutionized the trip-hop sound as did ‘90s bands Massive Attack and Tricky,
HotCars •

The Real Story Behind The '55 Chevy 150 In 'Two-Lane Blacktop'

The 1971 film Two-Lane Blacktop begins with rumbles, revs, and roars. Dialogue finally kicks in after a full five minutes. A nighttime drag race is underway, typical of the vintage in that Los Angeles area.

Drivers and spectators meet to goggle over greased up muscle and to watch cars challenge each other, usually at a remote location, preferably away from the authorities. The first scene sees the 1955 Chevrolet 150 and its challenger lined up nose-to-nose. The Driver (played by James Taylor) puts
HotCars •

10 Things You Need To Know About The Pagani Utopia, A Masterpiece Of Luxury And Power

The latest hypercar by Pagani Automobil is a dream come true for several hypercar enthusiasts. Horacio Pagani says this automotive chef d’oeuvre was inspired by art and science. He credits Leonardo da Vinci as his muse for creating the Utopia.

The Utopia follows in the footsteps of the Pagani Huayra. The track-only speed machine earned recognition as the ultimate hypercar. We had to wonder, could Pagani outdo itself with its Utopia 10 years later?

The automotive industry is veering sharply tow
HotCars •

Here Are 9 Of The Most Exclusive Rides Found In Celebrity Garages

You are an A-list celebrity. The world is your oyster, and you can easily purchase the car of your dreams. Anything you want. No holds barred. How about the fastest car in the world? Done. A Koenigsegg will get you there. The top speed of a Koenigsegg Jesko is 330 mph. That is phenomenal speed. At 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds, its acceleration is practically instantaneous. The driver can check the dashboard Analogue G-Force meter to see how many Gs they're under. If you’re brave enough, that is, to ta

Additional Published Content

Lisa Wells | Freelance Writer
@Lisa Wells, Ink.

HotCars •

The Most Important Models Carroll Shelby Ever Built

Carroll Shelby’s passion for racing drove his ambitions in the automotive industry. As a race car driver, he won worldwide competitions with Ferrari, Jaguar, and Maserati. Driving an Aston Martin, Shelby won the coveted 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was 1959, and he was a top contender, but a heart condition abruptly ended his career. Yet, Carroll Shelby’s legacy is extraordinary. He is the only individual to win Le Mans as a driver, as an automobile maker, and as a race team manager.

The idea of mak
HotCars •

15 New Cars We Will Stay Away From In 2023

With overall car ratings on this list below 50, it's safe to say these cars failed, as determined by Consumer Reports. As such, you won't find us picking any of these examples for 2023. If you've ever wondered what goes into the ratings by experts in automotive reliability, read on.

Updated June 2023: There are several things to consider before buying a new car in 2023. With the skyrocketing price tags for new vehicles, some cars are best avoided due to their substandard qualities and reliabili
HotCars •

10 Reasons Why Chevrolet Is Discontinuing The Camaro For 2024

News out of GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan affirmed the Chevy Camaro’s fate. For two years, we’ve been hearing official rumblings about the timeframe for the nameplate’s demise. In 2021, GM Authority announced a possible “farewell” special-edition option on the 2024 Camaro LT, SS, and ZL1, packaged as “Heritage Edition.”

The Camaro has been in the Chevrolet family for half a century. Chevrolet has been in business since 1911 when racer and engineer Louis Chevrolet and GM fo
HotCars •

10 Electric Cars That Lack In Charging Speed And Efficiency

An electric vehicle (EV) is different from both a hybrid and a full-fledged internal combustion engine (ICE). It’s a new ballgame when it comes to understanding efficiency ratings and power production. Terms such as “kilowatts per hour” and Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 charging capabilities come into play as significant indications of your EV’s overall caliber. For many, it is a foray into frustration of an otherwise simple process of getting the best performing car you can buy.

One new term i
HotCars •

Forza Horizon 5: Barn Finds Map And Hidden Car Locations

There are 14 barn finds in Forza Horizon 5. They are hidden throughout the open-world terrains invented by Playground Games. Players traverse jungles and deserts to find the 14 invaluable classic barn-find cars. But, players must progress in the game's story for “rumors” to pop up. Once an official Forza Barn Find Rumor is dropped, the general location of the car is revealed. Then, it’s just a matter of tracking it down.

For the truly impatient, there is a way to circumvent the wait-and-see gam
HotCars •

5 Porsche Engines That Belong In A Junkyard (5 That’ll Run Forever)

Porsche is a brand that has delivered the world's finest high performance sports cars like clockwork. Ever since the first Porsche 911 debuted at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, legendary sports cars have filed out of production. The same flat-six rear engine design introduced originally proved to be a consistent element of the car’s automotive simplicity. And its magic.

The unique looks of the Porsche 911 and its naturally aspirated flat-six proved itself in popularity and in racing.
HotCars •

Here’s How Much A Rolls-Royce Phantom Costs

The words, "Rolls-Royce" has rolled effortlessly off rappers' tongues since the early days, even before Snoop Dogg, with more Rolls-Royce rap references than any other brand. One music critic actually went back to his rap library and counted. This fun fact shows Rolls-Royce's supremacy as a status symbol. Not just in rap. Throughout pop music, Rolls-Royce has ruled in lyrical brand mentions. As it turns out, at least one Rolls-Royce corporate spokesperson is all good with it. Gerry Spahn said, “
HotCars •

10 Popular Dream Cars Everyone Wants That Owners Regret Buying

Landing a dream car comes once in a lifetime for some lucky owners. Others acquire extravagant dream cars as frequently as they want. For avid collectors, amassing cars is more like an entertaining investment strategy. Packing portfolios with Porsches is way more fun than allocating bond investments.

Whether you are buying your first supercar or garaging your tenth Aston Martin, no one expects the dream car experience to turn into a nightmare. After plunking down $100,000 on a brand-new perform
HotCars •

The 10 Most Bulletproof Inline-6 Engines Ever

Inline engines have been around since the dawn of the automotive age. Henry Ford's 1906 Model K performance hot rod boasted an inline six-cylinder engine. The 1908 Model T was scaled down to a 14 horsepower inline-4, something everyone could afford. Ford turned away from the six-cylinder until Chevrolet introduced its inline-6 in 1929.

Also known as the straight-6, this engine has proved to be an enduring and reliable configuration. Some say the naturally aspirated inline-six block is better th
HotCars •

10 Fascinating Facts About BMW M Performance Cars You Should Know

The BMW motorsport division was established in 1972 and quickly proved a contender on racing circuits worldwide. The first M labeled production car came later, after BMW had taken six European championships with its 3.0 CSL. At the time, according to Jochen Neerpasch speaking to Markus Flasch, both former heads of BMW M, BMW delegated tuners to boost power and performance, but did not have an established central racing division.

The brand wanted a designated motorsport subsidiary, separate from
HotCars •

10 Classic German Roadsters You Forgot About

The roadster goes by a wide range of names in automotive circles. First identified in 19th-century America as a roadster, we now call the sporty two-seater a spider, or a spyder, a cabriolet, and a two-seat convertible. Super Leicht (SL) is a roadster designation used by Germany's first automaker. SL means sports light or super light. It indicates a selection of refined German grand touring sports cars many of us would love to get our hands upon. Porsche is recognized the world over for its spor
HotCars •

Offbeat Marvels: Quirky Features In The Jeep Renegade

Jeep has always been a little bit different. It has a charming heritage. It takes pride in its beginnings as a trusty WWII Army reconnaissance vehicle and for being one of the first off-road brands. It’s unique. There is only one Jeep, never mind it's also Chrysler, Mopar, and Stellantis. If there is any consistent branding, it is that a Jeep SUV is fun to own.

Few examples illustrate this as well as the strategically placed Easter eggs found on the Jeep Renegade. These “Easter eggs,” as most J
HotCars •

10 Fastest Production Car Engines Ever Made

Advanced technology and futuristic materials are the stuff hypercars are made of. It is what delineates a hypercar from a supercar. Engineering ultra-high-performance machinery to push the limits of the past creates increasingly greater speeds, ever-improved weight advantages, and more efficient horsepower. The 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 pictured here in all its splendor is an example of advanced engineering. You will see it’s an engine that has been used in more than one hypercar.

The adv
HotCars •

10 Best Supercharged Engines Ever

When we think of supercharged engines, we think of American muscle. Big-block brands like HEMI in the Dodge Challenger and Charger and the Ford Mustang Shelby seem synonymous with supercharged power. Yet, muscle cars represent just one application of this type of engine. Superchargers are common and have always been used by every manufacturer.

What we like about superchargers is the output measured in solid digits. Horsepower, torque, acceleration rates, top speed, and displacement are what sup
HotCars •

10 Ways The Toyota 4Runner Outperforms Its Competition

The Toyota 4Runner has an enormous following of loyal enthusiasts. It’s not a fluke. This vehicle has amassed support by consistently delivering quality off-road equipment with well-designed performance options, and no shortage of standard perks. Throughout its four-decades run, Toyota has continually improved every aspect of off-road competence in this four-wheel drive SUV.

As for the competition, it is difficult to compete with the Toyota 4Runner in almost every category because it has a name
HotCars •

10 Rotary Wankel Engine Facts You Should Know

Once in a while, an out-of-the-box thinker comes along and reinvents the wheel. In this case, Felix Wankel reinvented the internal combustion engine. It was German engineering that pioneered the rotary engine.

Born in 1902 in Lahr, Germany, Wankel proved to be an engineering genius despite no formal education. Gaining his first patent in 1929, Wankel collaborated with German car brand NSU. They made a dual rotary engine car called the NSU Ro 80. It was a great success with the vehicle winning “
HotCars •

The 10 Sickest Cars Ken Block Left In The Dust with His Hoonicorn Mustang

The Hoonicorn was a 1965 Mustang extremely modified for Ken Block's Hoonigan brand. The fantastical beast mastered by Ford Racing is a sprawling conglomeration of mods that roars with a ridiculous 1,400 horsepower. Protruding under the hand-fabricated hood scoop are two oversized air intakes feeding high-powered combustion. Behind those donut-like intakes is the exhaust system, a pair of pipes that can spit out flames like a fire-breathing dragon. The Hoonicorn is a methane-fueled magical beast,
Daily Stuff •

Photographic Evidence Proving Wildcats are House Cats at Heart

The main difference, according to a 2014 study by the National Academy of Sciences, is that a house kitty’s personality traits are less aggressive and more prone to tolerate its human caretaker. But in some of the pictures here, you’ll see that big cats can be super affectionate too. These adorable photos are proof of the similarities between wildcats and your kitty at home.

People likely domesticated house cats thousands of years ago for rodent control. But, even after all these years, it’s in
Daily Choices •

The Loves, Losses, Labors, and Life of Marilyn Monroe

Monroe’s graceful movements were as gentle as a deer and as captivating as a Grecian goddess. She’s a classic Hollywood archetype. Nicknamed “the blonde bombshell,” the platinum idol was one of the most beautiful women in the world. So, what held her back? Hollywood. Read on for her story.

Marilyn Monroe was born to be a star. It was her destiny and she knew it. Growing up in and around Hollywood, the would-be icon would hide away in movie theaters bingeing on golden age movies for hours as an
Daily Choices •

Celebrity Couples Who Were Teen Sweethearts

In show business circles, staying married is like winning the lottery. Yet, here are stories of celeb couples who not only defied the divorce rate in Hollywood, but met as kids, survived adolescence together, and continue to enjoy a long and happy marriage.

How many couples do you know who met in their teens? Probably like one or two, right? It’s very rare that people who meet in high school, or even earlier, get married and share their lives together.
History A2Z •

The Finest Vintage Cars of the 1960's Golden Age

In the sixties, car racing came into its own. The rivalry between Ford and Ferrari, instigated by Ford after it lost a buyout deal for Ferrari, hit the asphalt and competitive racing at Le Mans and NASCAR tracks highlighted the world’s best cars. Let’s look at some.

The 1960s ushered in a revolutionary period in the automotive world. Cars were faster, sleeker, and more sophisticated. Luxury models and muscle cars came into their prime, satisfying America’s growing appetite for top-of-the-line m
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