We've all seen people walking on fire. Back in the 60s when the hippies started doing it, this was strange and almost seemed surreal, but nowadays we turn a blind eye. Yet what if we told you there was a car that could walk on fire with no prior preparations - could you ignore that? Probably not!
That's exactly what Mazda did in a UK commercial that promotes the i-Stop system on the 3er compact. We saw the ad about a month ago and immediately though it was fake, done using special affects. But earlier today, Mazda UK released a behind-the-scenes video and the whole thing is very real.
Special effects experts built a giant metal grill onto which coals were placed. They were showered in gasoline and set on fire, after which stunt driver Paul Swift (Ross Swift's son) gingerly drove a Mazda3 hatchback onto the scorching blaze.
Amazingly, the fire doesn't detonate the tires or boil the gas in the tank. They even have the audacity to let the i-Stop system cut off the engine for a few seconds, after which it kicks back into life.
Besides the i-Stop system, which is standard across the Mazda3 range, you can also have the i-ELOOP brake energy regeneration system that saves even more fuel. We're big fans of the Mazda compact, especially when it offers so much more than a Golf for the same money. They also took a no-nonsense approach to engine building and decided against downsizing, which means no turbo lag and no out-of-warranty turbo repairs. Thank goodness for the Zoom Zoom guys!
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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