Behind The Scenes: Hot Wheels Design Studio [w/Video]

Hot Wheels' vice president of design Felix Holst has spent some time chatting to Cool Hunting about the brand's design philosophy at its Design Studio at Mattel's headquarters in El Segundo, California, in a new video. According to Holst Hot Wheels has evolved from being focused on muscle cars and V8 engines to being all about technology as a reflection of the new generation they're designing for.  He explains the benefits of designing over 240 vehicles a year that aren't limited by rules and regulations, saying in a studio that's driven by pushing the boundaries, it's a question of just how wild they can get.  The video really captures not only the men's passion for their jobs but the fun they have doing it. Small wonder Holst says he'd never go back to car design, and reveals the studio is packed with qualified car designers who chose Hot Wheels over conventional jobs in the industry.  We also hear from Hot Wheels Car Maker's designer Julian Payne, who explains how the new Car Maker – which gives you the chance to mold your own custom Hot Wheels at home – works.

Brabus tunes up the Mercedes-Benz CL and an S-class

Brabus, tuner of all things Mercedes-Benz, has set its engineers loose on the all-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz CL and S500 models for the winter. The tuners add power, remove the standard speed limiter and add a custom exterior package. Both cars will be on the Brabus stand at the Essen Motor Show, which is like the SEMA of Germany.

2013 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Revealed

Porsche has revealed the latest version of the 911 GT3 Cup – the first track car from Porsche based on the 991 911 – in Weissach. Porsche has built the new 911 GT3 Cup for its one-make racing series – the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup – and it comes with plenty of promise for more track success. The GT3 Cup gets a 3.8 litre flat six which delivers 460 horses to the back wheels through a six-speed dog-type ‘box operated by paddles on the steering wheel.