This Bug Is a Feature: The Surprising Car That’s in More Video Games Than Any Other

by Gabrielle DeSantis

For many, car-themed video games are the first titles that spring to mind. Cars featured in popular titles car surge in sales as a result of video game exposure. Some cars find themselves in title after title. Legendary brands like Ferarri and Porsche make frequent appearances. But which car has appeared in the most titles?

The intricate relationship between the automotive and video game industries

Driving simulators | Michael Gottschalk via Getty Images

The development and release of Need for Speed in 1994 changed the relationship between the products and entertainment sectors. Never before have designers of physical products been so closely involved with game designers. Recreating the look, handling, and physics of high-performance cars take months.

According to some sources, design studio Polyphony Digital spent six months recreating each premium car in Gran Turismo 5. Every detail of each vehicle is painstakingly captured. Everything from seat stitching to tire treads is meticulously recreated.

Polyphony Digital spent six months of work-hours for each of the premium cars in Gran Turismo 5. Automakers have embraced video games as a new-age digital showroom where potential buyers can get an idea of what a car is like. A dealership could never match the accessibility and flexibility of a video game. Buyers now test drive their dream cars from their couch.

An unlikely hero emerges

When one thinks of cars ubiquitous linked to video games, images of sleek performance vehicles are the first to spring to mind. Futuristic, luxurious, and rare cars are popular choices giving players simulated driving experiences they may never have in real life.

That being said, many mundane daily drivers have made their way into video games as well. In fact, According to data analyzed by carwow, the Volkswagen Beetle is featured in more video games than any other car. With a total of 337 titles under its belt, the Beetle is an unlikely hero.

Fans can spot bugs in titles such as Need for Speed, Grand Theft Auto, and Gran Turismo. Ford is the most common brand to be featured with more than 8,700 simulated models hitting the digital streets. The Crown Victoria is a popular choice for police cars in many games.

The future of cars in gaming

Brick and mortar dealerships have never had more competition. Car shoppers can choose from social media, selling apps, online car sellers, and even vending machines when looking for a car. Online buying is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to buy a car.

Online shopping began to gain popularity before the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. After restrictions made in-person shopping difficult, virtual shopping only continued to grow. It’s unlikely that these car-buying trends will reverse.

Virtual shopping will continue to grow in popularity alongside technologies that can make the experience even more realistic. Augmented Reality hardware is becoming widely available. Gamers have been experiencing driving in games in whole new ways. AR virtual test drives could become a mainstream part of car buying.

Of all the cars featured in a video game, the Volkswagen Beetle coming out on top is fascinating. The relationship between video games and the automotive industry will only continue to grow. New car shopping could become the next mundane process to be gamified.

RELATED: Can Playing Racing Video Games Make You a Better Driver?

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Custom-Built Muscle Car Has a Ferrari V12 Under Its Hood

by Gabrielle DeSantis

There are some builds on YouTube that you can simply glance at and know that it was imagined with a seemingly never-ending budget. That’s exactly the type of build we’ll be looking at today with this Australian muscle car with a Ferrari V12 in the engine bay. While this certainly isn’t the very first Ferrari swap we’ve seen, it may just be one of the best-suited.

This unusual creation comes via the Castlemaine Rod Shop YouTube Channel covered by The Drive. Aside from its new engine, this muscle car gets upgraded suspension, wheels, and enormous brakes. In fact, this car started out life with less than 150 hp on offer, a figure that has grown considerably since then.

How does a muscle car fit a Ferrari V12 under its hood?

Since this muscle car Ferrari V12 build is largely about the engine, let’s start there. It’s a naturally-aspirated 5.7-liter Tipo V12 out of a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. While the 612 is far from the newest prancing horse, it still manages to put down around 533 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. The main figure here is the 7250-rpm redline, meaning this muscle car will have plenty to shout about.

The muscle car itself is called “Real Deal” and is an LC-model Holden Torana GTR, says The Drive. Originally, this small coupe left the production line between 1969 to 1972 sporting a naturally-aspirated straight-six engine under its hood. This resulted in a total power output of less than 150 hp at the time.

Part of what makes this car’s story unique is the fact that it got stuck in the U.S. last year as a result of the global pandemic. At the time, it housed a supercharged V8 which was removed and sold to Cleetus McFarland.

Here’s where the build gets tough

Ferrari V12 Muscle Car | Castlemaine Rod Shop

As you might imagine, fitting a Ferrari V12 under the hood of a muscle car is no small feat. Things get quite complicated once you try to actually make the engine itself work with other powertrain components. Thankfully, the 612 is a front-engined car, meaning this engine should be easier to fit than one out of a mid-engined car. Despite this, the engine itself sits quite high, requiring a massive hole in the front hood.

According to The Drive, this requires custom-made motor mounts along with a variety of other fabricated components. The end goal is for this car to utilize a Powerglide automatic transmission. As The Drive points out, this build is intended to be more of a cruiser than an all-out track star.

What other upgrades does this muscle car with a Ferrari V12 have?

An image of an Australian muscle car with a Ferrari V12 engine.
Ferrari V12 Muscle Car | Castlemaine Rod Shop

RELATED: Ferrari F8 Tributo Rental Car Gets Wrecked With a Cracked Frame Almost Immediately

Aside from the massive Ferrari V12 up front, this muscle car features plenty of other upgrades. For starters, we’ve got an air suspension setup on all four corners providing height and dampening adjustability. In keeping with the goal of being a cruiser, you’ll find massive wheels on all four corners with skinny rubber-band tires.

The rest of the car’s structure appears unchanged. However, given the massive amount of power that’ll live under the hood, a roll bar or metal cage certainly wouldn’t be too much to ask.

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Buying American? These are the Most American-Made Vehicles in 2021

by Gabrielle DeSantis

We hear all the time about how the Toyota This or Honda That is more American-made than some Chevys or Fords. That’s more of an urban myth than reality based on this latest study. Not that it is good or bad one way or the other but all five of the top American-made vehicles made in 2021 are actually made by companies headquartered in the US.

This survey was put together by cars.com. It looked at almost 350 vehicles before winnowing it down to 90 that actually met the criteria for being American-made. The criteria allowing vehicles to make the cut or not generally got lumped into five categories.

What were the criteria for what the Most American 2021 vehicles are?

Tesla Model 3 | Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images

Those categories are assembly location, parts content, engine origin, transmission origin, and US workforce. The category with the most significance in the survey was assembly location. But we know that everything from Toyota to Kia and BMW is made here. But if the vehicle is made in another country it uses a foreign workforce so right there it pretty much gets cut from contention.

The American Automobile Labeling Act requires automakers to determine how much of each vehicle’s content has origins in either the US or Canada. That factored into this survey. But the engine and transmission origin played a strong bias in determining what is most American. 

And the number one Most American 2021 vehicle is…

A blue 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 parked by a racetrack garage
2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 | Ford

So how did all of this shake out? Number one on the Most American list is the Tesla Model 3. It beat out the Mustang, which scored second in the rankings. Third also went to Tesla for the Model Y. So, is Tesla more American than any other manufacturer? 

The number four Most American vehicle went to the Jeep Cherokee, and number five was the Corvette. Both of Tesla’s cars are made in Fremont, California. The Mustang is made at Ford’s Flat Rock assembly plant. Jeep’s Cherokee comes out of its Belvidere, Illinois, assembly plant. And the Corvette has been made in Bowling Green, Kentucky, since 1981. 

Interestingly, the urban legend of Japanese-made vehicles being as American as Fords and Chevys is almost true for the number six through 10 rankings. The number six-vehicle goes to the Honda Ridgeline, with number seven also going to Honda with the Odyssey minivan. Numbers eight and nine are also made by Honda; the Pilot and Passport both made in Lincoln, Alabama.

The Toyota Tundra is the “Most American” full-size pickup

The pinnacle of trucks in Toyota's lineup: the desert tan Tundra on display
Toyota Tundra | Raymond Boyd via Getty Images

Number 10 goes to the Toyota Tundra which is made in Toyota’s San Antonio, Texas, facility. So the Tundra is more American than a Ram, Silverado, or F-150? According to this survey and its criteria, it is. What we consider the most American of vehicles, the pickup truck, has the Toyota Tundra as the most American of American pickups. 

Maybe the most interesting thing about American-made vehicles is that almost every sector of the continental US is accounted for. Tesla is in the West, the Mustang and Jeep come from the Midwest, the Corvette splits between the Midwest and South, with the Hondas and Toyota made in the South. God Bless America!

RELATED: The Most Reliable American-Made Cars You Can Buy

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What Is the Move Over Law, and Which States Have It?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Local and federal governments are always devising new ways to improve car safety for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Minimizing injuries and deaths on the road is a top priority. And one way that states are making streets safer is with “move over” laws, which protect first responders. What is a move over law, and how does it differ from state to state?

What is a move over law?

Move over laws concern emergency vehicles with flashing emergency lights. There are two types of move over laws, Extreme Tactical Dynamics explains.

One requires motorists to pull over to the right and stop when they hear sirens or see flashing lights, especially in their rearview mirror or at an intersection.

The other scenario involves drivers who see stationary flashing lights ahead in the same direction. When this happens, drivers should move at least one lane to the left, slow down, and prepare to receive additional instructions from emergency personnel.

What led to move over laws?

South Carolina was the first state to pass a move over law, signing the first-of-its-kind bill in 1996 after a paramedic was found at fault after a car struck him as he was assisting a passenger on the side of the road.

After several similar incidents, the Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Association decided on a national standard in 2000. Over the next dozen years, all 50 states followed suit and instituted their own move over laws fine-tuned to their own specifications. And in July 2012, Hawaii became the final state to pass its own legislation.

How the law differs among states

Because each state has its own legislation, it’s important to know the differences in the laws among states if you do a lot of interstate travel. Here’s how some of the most populous states have worded their laws, according to AAA:

California

California law requires motorists to slow down and exit the lane closest to stationary emergency vehicles with their lights flashing if it’s safe to do so. In addition, the state’s law extends the protection to tow trucks and Caltrans vehicles with flashing amber warning lights.

Florida

In the Sunshine State, drivers approaching emergency vehicles with flashing lights must leave the lane closest to the vehicles if it is safe. Otherwise, they must slow down below the posted limit “to a speed reasonable for road and traffic conditions.” Florida’s legislation also includes towing and recovery vehicles, utility vehicles, and road maintenance vehicles.

New York

New York law applies to authorized emergency response vehicles, maintenance vehicles, or tow trucks with flashing lights. When a driver traveling in the same direction sees one of those vehicles “parked, stopped, or standing on the shoulder or any portion of the highway,” the motorist must move from a lane immediately adjacent and reduce their speed to avoid hitting those vehicles.

Texas

In Texas, motorists must exit the lane closest to the emergency vehicle and reduce their speed to no more than 20 mph below a posted speed limit of at least 25 mph when approaching a vehicle covered by the law. In the Lone Star State, applicable emergency vehicles include tow trucks and state DMV vehicles and their workers.

RELATED: Snapchat Speed Filter Blamed for Young Men’s Deaths in 123 MPH Crash

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