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Around the tracks: Toyota proves hydrogen cars can sound good

Plus, Porsche releases a European hip-hop culture guide book.


When we’re not creating it ourselves, the CarAdvice team spends a lot of time finding and consuming motoring content from all over the world.

Here’s a handful of the photos, articles, videos or 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?


1. Hydrogen-powered Toyota Corolla race car sounds great

Toyota is developing a hydrogen-powered Corolla race car it plans on entering into a Super Taikyu endurance race next month. However, unlike other hydrogen-powered cars, the Corolla race car uses an internal combustion engine (ICE), and its exhaust note sounds just like a regular hot hatch.

In the video you can see the central-exit exhaust emitting a warbly noise on start-up, which develops into a gruff roar as the race driver powers out of pit lane.

Instead of using a hydrogen fuel cell to power an electric motor, the prototype race car uses hydrogen to power a regular combustion engine. It doesn't contribute any CO2 gases, apart from a negligible amount emitted through burning oil lubricants during the combustion process.

Toyota's prototype proves there's hope for us petrolheads in an alternative-fuelled future!


2. Porsche publishes travel and cultural guide on hip-hop in Europe

Porsche and music journalist Niko Hüls have partnered up to release a new book, titled 'Hip-Hop Culture – A Road Trip through Europe'.

The 212-page travel and cultural guide is published as a special edition of Porsche's Christophorus magazine, which documents Porsche culture.

The guide sheds light on on the development of urban hip-hop youth culture in European cities through the eyes of 17 European-based artists. Each one has made significant contributions to the hip-hop scene in Europe over the past 25 years.

Portraits, destinations, interviews, and stories all feature throughout the magazine which can be purchased from back2tapebook.com. All proceeds will be donated to the Viva Con Agua charity.

Down with the sickness, Porsche.


3. Driver jumps across drawbridge as it's rising

Security cameras this week caught footage of a Daytona Beach, Florida driver smashing through a barrier and completing a real-life Blues Brothers drawbridge jump.

Perhaps the driver was late for an appointment or simply needed a bit of an adrenaline hit, but the damage to the drawbridge barrier and recklessness involved haven't gone unnoticed.

The death-defying stunt was condemned by local police who are currently on the hunt for the culprit.


4. Two police cars wrecked after cops drag race each other

Speaking of dumb car stunts, two police officers from Washington D.C., USA have each totalled their police cruisers while drag racing one another in a suburban street.

It is understood that the cars were travelling at speeds of up to 100km/h before they lost control and crashed, one of them ending up through the wooden fence of a local homeowner.

Four officers were involved in the crash, which are said to be new to the role - potentially explaining the immaturity on display here.


5. Man completes nerdy mission to park in every single space in local parking lot

For the last six years a Bromley, UK man has kept a spreadsheet listing every parking spot he's used at the local supermarket, in a bid to park in them all.

He's just completed the set, having parked in all 211 spaces at his local Sainsbury's supermarket.

Not wanting to look like a total lunatic walking around and numbering each space, Gareth Wild instead created an organised and numbered top-down spreadsheet that he could mark off once he returned home each time.

It's not exactly the most interesting achievement in the world, but everyone has their own version of Mount Everest, right?


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Tom Fraser

Tom started out in the automotive industry by exploiting his photographic skills but quickly learned journalists got the better end of the deal. With tenures at CarAdvice, Wheels Media, and now Drive, Tom's breadth of experience and industry knowledge informs a strong opinion on all things automotive. At Drive, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.

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