I finished 14 hours of automotive engineering videos for the video course back in October.  It's been a hectic few months and I'm finally ready to share some pretty exciting news: I've moved the video production to the UK.  To Manchester, to be precise.  And I'm building a proper studio where we can be more productive, more creative and shoot in even better quality.   Read more

I've had quite a few questions from people about why I chose to use an MX5 Miata for the video series. Was it sponsored? Am I an expert with them? Because I love them? The answer is... it just seemed the best choice at the time. Now, with hindsight, I realise it was the best possible choice in the world. Here's the story... Read more

We've been filming and releasing videos every week since getting into the new studio. The course now has 9.5 hours of pro-quality video, fully subtitled and I'm really proud of what we're producing! We're using CGI anywhere it helps understanding, and the general quality and feel of the videos is at an all-time high. Read more

We finished the first episode in the new studio and to celebrate I've put it up on YouTube so you can (hopefully) learn something new and also see the massive improvement in quality that we've made. Also.... shiny new CGI is working! Read more

Now that we're almost finished assembling the engine, I spent a couple of days last week fabricating a new stand so that we can start to assemble the other engine bay systems: coolant, ignition, intake and exhaust. Most of these are mounted to the bodyshell, but if we drop the shell on now then it's much, much harder for you guys to see - not to mention harder for us to film. So I hit on a better solution Read more

Would an engine be stronger or better if it used a chain instead of a serpentine or fan belt? Some engines use timing chains instead of timing belts, and chains are stronger - a timing chain shouldn't need to be replaced for the lifetime of the engine, while a timing belt definitely needs replacing and this can be costly. Read more

Over the next ten years, water pumps will probably be replaced with electric motors. They're more efficient, and easier to package up. And for hybrid engines they are all but essential. Oil pumps, on the other hand, will likely remain as pure mechanical pumps driven directly by the engine. Stick with me while we start with the basics - you'll learn a thing or two about engines along the way! Read more

Just a quick note to say the wrenches are out and we're filming the rest of the series right now, starting with the timing gear. Read more

It's been far too long since I wrote about the video course production. Purchasers of the course get email updates more frequently that I don't write here, but even then it's been too long. So here's the latest... Read more

It's funny how some interests (or trades) got onto YouTube very early. Woodworking has been popular on there since the video-sharing behemoth got started. I suspect this is because the US has a strong tradition of TV shows about woodworking - two great examples being Norm Abram's New Yankee Workshop and Roy Underhill's Woodwright Shop. With a plethora of channels available on cable, and a bigger population, broadcasters were able to air more niche, and thus detailed shows. Over in the UK we had four channels, and so if something wasn't going to appeal to at least 5% of the population (or it was cultural ) then it didn't stand a chance. Read more

In March we'll be at Eisenwarenmesse previewing all the new developments from Europe's top tool manufacturers. Look out for livestreams on the Facebook page and some great video content. There will be new modular workbenches. Read more

Back in the 50s, Chevrolet produced some wonderful videos and booklets about auto engineering. And these guides are still useful today. Their guide to differentials is still probably the clearest explanation of how diff gears work. But definitely not timeless is this guide to understanding women. It's an artifact of the era, thankfully mostly relegated to the bin, along with the orange that it's printed in. Read more

Big progress has been made and we're ready to film the reassembly of the car now, which is really the meat of the course. Read more

We started filming on Friday! It's been a long two months of preparation work to get to this stage, but finally the cameras are rolling and we're making this video course a reality. It was a stressful but enjoyable day, and I can't wait to see what comes out of the editing. Read more

It's hard to think back on what happened last week - it felt like a long week. Read more

The click of a ratchet wrench is the defining sound of a mechanic. Ratchets and sockets are extremely useful and versatile tools for the garage - in this article we explain how a ratchet works and what to look for when choosing one. Read more

After a solid week of working on the studio, I finished building the two-post lift and it works perfectly. The floor is finished and level, and we are ready to start bringing equipment and lighting into the studio. Read more

Just to recap, here's what we've done so far: Read more

It's been a busy couple of weeks. Here's what we've been up to: Read more

The car is here. We have a 2005 Mazda MX5 Miata and it's sitting in our studio in Budapest. It came from Germany. It's absolutely perfect for our needs. Thanks Mazda! Read more

It’s about time we started posting regular updates on progress with the Read more

Winter may be the time for holidays, fun, and generally being jolly, but the festivities can very easily turn into doom and gloom if you fail to take proper care of your car during this season. Winter places severe stresses and strains on any vehicle, and you need to take some very specific preventative measures to prevent breakdowns or malfunctions. Prevention is always better than cure, and in this guide, we will tell you how to keep your car in peak condition during the cold season. Here is what you need to do... Read more

This is how paperclips are made. I could watch it all day. Read more

Over the past summer, Lexus commissioned some creative London hipsters to create a full-sized cardboard version of the Lexus IS. Read more

Dreadful was the date of May the 8th, 1982. The whole world wept as the news of the death of Canadian legend Gilles Villeneuve spread like wildfire on all radio frequencies around the globe. He was dubbed the ‘last great driver’, the fastest driver, and with many other glorious titles. Some even went as far as to call him a miracle-worker. Jacques Laffite was one, famously quoted saying that no man could do miracles, and yet Gilles made you question that. Read more

In 2009 Porsche opened a museum in Stuttgart. Inside are a hundred cars, from the very first Porsche in 1898, up to the latest 919 LeMans hybrid. But it's the anonymous grey concrete building a few streets away that holds the real treats: over 300 rare and one-of cars racked up and stored under covers. Read more

Legendary California car builder George Barris, who created the original TV Batmobile, has died at 89. Read more

This set of five radial pistons can definitely cut a rug. Read more

Fancy yourself cruising the dusty highways of Iran in a Lamborghini Aventador? Don't let international sanctions, goats, or a lack of funds get in your way. A man called Reihani in the north-east of Iran managed to build his own for $50,000. He designed and manufactured the car in his own garage with bare hands, with a little help from his son. Read more

Old patents are beautiful. And they make gorgeous free art for the office. Read more

A French auction house has unearthed over sixty cars which have laid untouched for almost fifty years in a corrugated steel shed in the west of France. The discovered was made just three months ago after rumours of a cache of automotive relics was investigated. The collection is valued at between €12-15 million ($16-20million) and will be offered for sale in February. Read more

Car stunts are usually performed using small and not too heavy vehicles. But Lotus F1 did the opposite when they launched a massive truck over an F1 race car, breaking a world record of aerial distance of over 25 meters. Read more

Aston Martin has revealed its new DB10 alongside the announcement of the latest James Bond movie Spectre. Spectre stands for SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion, a global terrorist organization first seen in Dr No back in 1962. Read more

The 27-year-old owner of a McLaren P1 crashed his brand-new car, costing $1.2million, within 24 hours of collecting it from the dealership in Dallas. So far only 375 of these cars have been built, a number now down to 374. Read more

Who doesn't love the idea of a flying car? Slovakia-based Aeromobil have just demonstrated their Flying Roadster 3.0 prototype and started a regular flight-testing program in real flight conditions. Read more

Bose is best known for creating high-performance audio products, but their research activities go well beyond sound. For more than two decades, they have been researching a new system for automobile suspensions. The video below shows the effect of their suspension system. Read more

Chris Herridge spent eleven months painstakingly rebuilding the engine of his Triumph Spitfire Mk3 , and photographing the process. Over 3,000 photos later, and he created this amazing video of an engine being disassembled and rebuilt. Read more