Around the Tracks: McLaren F1 and April Fools galore

Here’s a handful of the articles, videos and social media posts that most caught our eye last week. Some of them are brand-new, others have been online for a while.

Enjoy them – just not too much, okay?

The McLaren F1 is a bona-fide legend, but it wasn't initially designed to be the 'fastest car in the world'.

Instead, Gordon Murray wanted to deliver Formula 1 technology for the road, with a central driving position, bare-bones steering wheel and a six-speed manual gearbox.

Here's a look at the car's conception, its early struggles and that now-legendary top-speed run.

In the first of a few prominent April Fools jokes in the auto industry, VicRoads announced the arrival of Meme Plates.

Based on popular internet jokes, the plates are a way to tell the world that, when you're not behind the wheel of your car, you're a master of internet culture.

Well, they would be a way to do that, if they were real.

In an April Fools joke some parents will wish was real, Skoda 'debuted' a noise-cancelling headrest.

Tired of hearing the kids arguing? Just press the 'Shhhh' button on the in-dash touchscreen, and the headrest-mounted system drowns out any screams or shouts from the back seats.

Check it out, and start dreaming.

Ever wanted an Aston Martin monster truck? Want no longer, because Project Sparta is on the way. Well, sort of.

This entirely fictional car-crushing machine is powered by the Valkyrie's powertrain, and will compete in this year's Monster Jam.

Once again, we repeat, this was published on April 1.