Michael Van Runkle
2090 articles published since February 25, 2018
About Michael Van Runkle
Michael Van Runkle grew up surrounded by Los Angeles car culture, going to small enthusiast meets and enormous industry shows. He learned to drive stick shift in a 1948 Chevy pickup with no first gear and currently dailies his 1998 Mitsubishi Montero while daydreaming about one day finishing up that Porsche 914 project. He's written in various media since graduating from UC Berkeley in 2010 and started at HotCars in February 2018.
We Took The Ford F-150 Raptor R Off-Roading: Here's Why We Love It
Ford finally dropped a 700hp supercharged V8 in the F-150 Raptor, and it can truly take on the brutal Ram TRX.
How The New Polaris Factory Racing Team Will Help Lead To Better RZRs For Everyone
Polaris aims to win with the new Factory Racing Team's prepped RZR, but also wants the effort to help develop better customer vehicles.
EXCLUSIVE: What Formula Drift Champion Fredric Aasbo Thinks Of New Rules At Round 1 In Long Beach
Formula Drift returned to the streets of Long Beach with new qualifying rules, more prize money, and all the expected tire shredding action.
EXCLUSIVE: Driving Everrati's First Porsche 964 EV Conversion In America
Everrati transformed this classic Porsche into a classy EV with equal parts performance and refinement.
2023 Lambo Urus Performante Review: Living With The World's Most Hardcore SUV
Lambo upped the Performante's power and sharpened its handling to produce the most hardcore SUV on the planet.
EXCLUSIVE: Why Doug DeMuro Took A $37 Million Investment Into Cars & Bids... And Then Bought A Carrera GT
We talked to Doug DeMuro about his $37 million investment into Cars & Bids, then almost immediately revealing his purchase of a Carrera GT supercar.
EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Camo Car Shows Shelby Testing New 2024 Mustang Variant
Shelby looks ready to take a heavily camouflaged version of a new 2024 Ford Mustang for some heavy-duty track testing.
Side-By-Sides Draw Huge Crowds At 2023 King Of The Hammers UTV Rock Race
HotCars visits King of the Hammers to witness the gnarliest rock race in the world.
HotCars Checks Out The Semi-Secret Honda Museum In SoCal
Hidden in a nondescript office park in Torrance, Honda houses some of the brand's greatest automotive creations.
Corvette E-Ray First Look: Up Close & Personal With Chevy's New Hybrid C8
HotCars takes an exclusive look at the new hybrid E-Ray and how Chevy packaged electric assist in the C8 chassis.
EXCLUSIVE: Sebastien Loeb And Prodrive R&D Director Discuss The Hunter Off-Road Racer
Prodrive brought an evolved Hunter to Dakar with more suspension travel, bigger tires, and sustainable EcoPower fuel.
Up Close And Personal At Dakar With Audi's E2 Hybrid Rally Racer
The hyper-futuristic RS Q e-tron E2 demonstrates Audi's determination to take an overall win at Dakar.
Review: Making The Case For And Against An Automatic 2023 Toyota GR86
Buying an automatic GR86 seems silly but allows for greater focus on driving skills other than shifting.
2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Review: Driving A Legendary Unicorn
Mercedes-Benz came straight out of left field with the bold SLR McLaren's powerful supercharged V8 and iconic Silver Arrow styling.
HotCars' Best 2022 Pickup: Ford Maverick Hybrid
The Maverick combines efficiency and affordability in one simple package.
HotCars' Best 2022 European Sports Car: Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
Nothing beats the Cayman GTS 4.0's analog driving dynamics with a naturally aspirated flat-six in a mid-engined coupe.
2022 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Review: The Manual Transmission Makes All The Difference
A stick shift in a nearly $50,000 Tacoma might sound silly, but transforms a utilitarian pickup truck into a fun, sporty driver.
2022 LA Auto Show: This Year's Most Important Industry Developments
The LA Auto Show offers consumers a chance to get up close and personal with the year's biggest industry trends.
Track Tested: Dodge Challenger Hellcat Vs Chevy Camaro ZL1 At Willow Springs
Testing two of America's last modern muscle cars at Big Willow.
EXCLUSIVE: Driving Rod Hall's Baja 1000-Winning Ford Bronco
Rod Hall won the 1969 Baja 1000 overall in this fully prepped off-road race truck.