Arcade Driver

Take the wheel

Pick any car from the garage and drive it. Real power, weight, and gearing drive the physics, and the engine note is synthesised live from the cylinder count. Shift at the redline, chase the horizon, and feel the difference between a Miata and a Veyron.

0

mph

N

Gear

0.0x1000 rpm

Tacho

0mph

Speed

Start your engine

Drive with the keyboard or the on-screen pedals. Sound is synthesised live, so turn it up. Hold the throttle, climb the revs, and upshift before the redline turns red.

W

ASD

Throttle / Steer

↑↓

Shift gears

Space

Brake

On a phone? Touch the left half of the screen to steer and the right half to accelerate. The simulator models each car\'s real power-to-weight ratio, gearing, and redline, so a 1,500 kilogram turbo bruiser pulls very differently from a featherweight naturally aspirated screamer.

The Garage

Every machine, catalogued

A hand-built collection of the most significant cars ever made, from the 1886 birth of the automobile to the electric hypercars of today. Search by name, filter by era, country, drivetrain, or class, and sort by the numbers that matter to you.

Head to Head

Compare the numbers

Line up to four cars side by side and see who wins on power, weight, acceleration, top speed, and more. Add cars from the garage using the compare button on each card, or pick them here.

No cars selected yet. Head to the Garage and tap the compare icon on any car, or use the empty slots above to add up to four contenders.

Drag Strip

Light it up

Pick two cars and race them down a quarter mile. The simulation uses each car\'s real power-to-weight ratio and acceleration figures, so you can settle the eternal arguments. Does the lightweight beat the powerhouse?

Lane 1

Lane 2

Ready

The model estimates the full acceleration curve from each car\'s 0-60 time, top speed, and weight, then runs both down 402 metres. Real-world results depend on grip, gearing, driver skill, and launch, so treat this as a spirited bench-racing tool rather than a stopwatch.

Engine Sound Lab

Hear the difference

Twelve engine configurations, synthesised live in your browser using the Web Audio API. Each one is modelled on its real firing order and character, so you can hear exactly why a cross-plane V8 burbles, a flat-plane V8 screams, and a flat-six warbles. Pick one, then work the throttle.

0rpm

The synthesiser stacks oscillators tuned to the firing frequency of each cylinder count, adds the right harmonics for the engine\'s character, and modulates pitch and volume with the throttle. It is an impression rather than a recording, but the differences between configurations are real and audible.

Under the Skin

How a car works

Every car is a conversation between a handful of systems: the engine that makes power, the transmission that manages it, the suspension and tyres that put it down, and the aerodynamics that shape the air. Tap any hotspot to explore.

Powertrain

Tap a hotspot

Select any of the glowing points on the diagram, or use the buttons below, to learn how each major system of a car works and why it matters to performance and feel.

140 Years

The story of the automobile

From a single-cylinder three-wheeler in 1886 to electric hypercars that out-accelerate fighter jets off the line, the car has reshaped the world more than almost any invention. Here are the moments that mattered.

By the numbers

First car1886Benz Patent-Motorwagen

Cars built, all time~2bn+and counting

200 mph barrier1987Ferrari F40

300 mph barrier2019Bugatti Chiron

Knowledge

Speak car

Over two hundred terms explained in plain language, plus deep-dive answers to the questions enthusiasts actually argue about. From apex to wastegate, from why weight beats power to whether the engine will ever truly die.

Glossary

0 terms

Deep Dives

the questions enthusiasts argue about

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