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Dan Neil pokes fun at the celeb cars of 2014

Look, we try really hard not to pay any attention to the Kardashians and their vapid reality TV empire. But, as troubling as that brood may be, occasionally we're impressed and/or horrified by their four-wheeled conveyances. In fact, that curiosity extends beyond talentless reality stars with rotund glutes to celebs in general. That's why we're enjoying Dan Neil's sometimes biting take on the celebrity cars of 2014. Besides paying tribute to Kim K, husband Kanye West and the adorable Lamborghini that their spawn rides about in, Neil also takes a look at LeBron James' turn as a Kia spokesman and boxer Floyd Mayweather's trio of Bugatti Veyrons. Matthew McConaughey is a focus of Neil's as well, thanks to his oft-panned advertisements for Lincoln (and the raucous parodies they inspired), before finishing on the high, with Jerry Seinfeld and his new Porsche 918 Spyder. Take a look at Neil's recap of the celebrity cars of 2014. News Source: The Wall Street Journal Celebrities Humor Bugatti Kia Lamborghini Lincoln Porsche Videos porsche 918 spyder celebrity dan neil

Porsche 912 is no longer the brand's black sheep

If you haven't looked recently, prices for many vintage Porsche 911s are now well out of the realm for mortal men to purchase. However, the growing values have their advantages because they mean that the 912 is being better accepted as a member of the Porsche family. In a new video, Petrolicious talks to one owner about his mildly modified example while the coupe zips through the backroads and city streets of France. Launched around the time of the 911, the 912 shared its body but retained the four-cylinder engine from the 356, rather than the new six. The older mill helped make the 912 cheaper to buy, but it also tarnished the coupe in the eyes of Porsche fans for years. Much like the four-cylinder 914 and 924, the 912 just seemed like a black sheep in the shadow of its more powerful brother. Following two massive changes to his life, Julien Borne bought a 1967 912 as a project to get back on the road. After hours of welding, wrenching and beating out panels by hand in his grandparents' neglected country house, he crafted this gorgeous example. Check out the video to hear his story, as Petrolicious shows why the model's stigma is wearing off.

Modded budget Mazda Miata takes on new Porsche Boxster in more challenges

Earlier this month, our friends across the pond at Auto Express released the first in a two-video series that would see them try and build up a second-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata that could best a standard Porsche Boxster around the track. While that first video detailed the mods to the MX-5 - a supercharger, some suspension upgrades and a new set of super-sticky rubber being chief among them - and set baseline lap times for the stock car, today, we have the results of the 5,000-pound ($8,200) upgrade job.
Of course, we aren't going to spoil those for you. You'll need to watch the full video, which recaps the upgrades before digging into a comparison of both straight-line-speed differences between the 2.7-liter Porsche Boxster and blown Miata, as well as their behavior and lap times on the track.
Take a look and let us know what you think in Comments.