Growing up in the ‘80s, I assumed I was part of the generation that had the best kids’ toys: G.I. Joe, Transformers, Voltron. But after discovering this flawless miniature Volkswagen Camper Van that can actually be driven by a couple of toddlers, I’m genuinely envious of four-year-olds.

All my life I’ve been told that a car with a cape is an incredibly stupid idea. Magnificent childhood doodles were critiqued for being “aerodynamically-challenged,” and “downright dangerous to other vehicles on the road.” But 35 years after I abandoned my crayons, Hot Wheels and Star Wars have finally proven that a…

In Durham, North Carolina, there’s an internet famous train trestle bridge that’s been shearing the roofs off of tall trucks for years now. There’s lots of footage of the 11-foot-8-inch bridge eating trucks, but none as spectacular as this recreation the Slow Mo Guys created, which was captured in super-satisfying,…

Bad weather can make driving extremely dangerous, no matter who’s behind the wheel. But when it comes to dense fog, which makes it all but impossible for human drivers to see more than a few feet ahead of a vehicle, MIT researchers say they have developed a new imaging system that could eventually let autonomous cars…

Heads-up displays that use a car’s windshield as a screen are a good way to keep drivers informed while their eyes stay on the road ahead. But Daimler thinks it has an even better solution, and on its high-end vehicles it says it will soon introduce programmable, “million-pixel” headlights that project warning symbols…

The most important thing to happen in the world of cinema in 2018 will be the 25th anniversary of the original Jurassic Park, which will be celebrated with a mountain of movie-related merchandise including this tiny drivable replica of the fictional park’s Jeeps from Fisher-Price. Ages five and up? Sounds like a…

Last year I hit that birthday milestone when I’m apparently due to suffer a mid-life crisis and make some irrational purchase decisions. But as much fun as an exotic sports car might be, I don’t want that fiscal responsibility. I will, however, happily shell out $45 for Playmobil’s new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racer; a…

I realize that airbags have saved countless lives since they were introduced in the early ‘70s, but that doesn’t make the idea of having a giant pillow explode in your face any less terrifying. Especially after watching the explosive mechanism that fills an airbag in just 0.03 seconds detonate in super slow motion.

On its quest to free the world from the burden of fossil fuels, Tesla has unfortunately hit some speed bumps with the production of its Model 3. So instead of relying on batteries and electricity for power, perhaps the company should consider this four-wheeled contraption which runs on a gigantic spring-powered mouse…

The most useful place for a voice-activated digital assistant isn’t your office, kitchen, or living room. It’s in your car, where your hands and eyes should be pre-occupied with driving. So Garmin put Amazon’s Alexa in a new bare-bones navigation device that will ensure you’ll never get lost, and never get lonely, on…

Colin Furze is back with another bizarre invention that will make you wonder why more mad scientists haven’t embraced YouTube yet. This time he’s turned a BMW E30 into a drivable hot tub, complete with a pair of leaf blowers used to generate bubbles, and a barbecue grill in the trunk.

Does the thrill of accelerating a dragster to speeds of almost 300 miles per hour outweigh the tremendous risks involved with the sport? It’s hard to imagine David Tremayne wanting to climb behind the steering wheel again after he lost control of this dragster at speeds few of us will ever experience on four wheels.

When you can climb walls and swing between buildings, do you really need a car? In 1974 Marvel’s writers thought Spider-Man did, so they gave him a dune buggy that he could use to sit in New York traffic for hours. As weird as it was, it’s a memorable piece of Marvel history, so Hot Wheels is bringing it back as one…

Aside from turn signals, a car’s horn is really the only tool a driver has to communicate with other vehicles. (Besides gesticulating wildly out of the driver’s side window, of course.) It’s so loud and abrasive, however, that it always sounds like you’re screaming at other motorists, leading to middle fingers and…

Some road hazards are easy for drivers to spot and avoid, like a cavernous pothole, but others aren’t so easy to see. A wet road, or one covered in ice, can often be invisible to drivers, who don’t realize they need to slow down. But it turns out a car’s rubber tires provide all the clues necessary for a vehicle to…

I might be the only person at Gizmodo that likes Sphero’s new Cars toy. My co-workers hate the way the robot announces it’s going to sleep, and the long animated process it takes to wake up. They’re also horrified by the very existence of sentient automobiles and tractors that moo. But my colleagues are too caught up…

Think your office is cool and progressive because there’s a ping pong table in the corner? You’ll still be stuck at your soul-sucking cubicle desk most of the day, which is why these engineers created a giant slot car track that races across everyone’s desk, letting you compete while still getting some work done.…

Mark Rober, who we last saw engineering a dart board that guaranteed a bullseye with every throw, has just built what every car-loving kid always dreamed of: an epic Hot Wheels track that has tiny vehicles racing between floors, through swimming pools, and jumping over giant explosions.

If there are two things every stroller lacks, it’s a $3,000 price tag and the ability to make a child look like an unfortunate castoff from Downton Abbey. Luckily for all of us, however, a company called D.Throne has created an obscenely over-the-top electric car for kids that you can justify as an essential baby…