From da Vinci to the drone: a brief history of the helicopter

The idea of a machine that could fly from a vertical takeoff was first mooted by Leonardo da Vinci as far back as the early 1480s. Over the next four hundred years or so, inventors, engineers, and aviation pioneers developed the idea of a rotocraft, in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally-spinning rotors. The first modern helicopters appeared in the late 1930s, and today they are a familiar sight in skies around the world. More recently, the advent of the quadcopter, often referred to as a drone, has seen da Vinci's original concept come full circle. Intrigued? Click through the following gallery for a brief look at the history of the helicopter.

Tesla Delivered Only 443,956 Vehicles In Q2 2024, Produced 410,831

Deliveries slightly exceeded expectations in Q2 2024.

General Motors Sold A Record Number Of EVs In Q2 2024

After a long and painful road, GM's grand Ultium plan is finally paying off.

The new Land Rover Defender Octa is the most powerful and capable Defender ever

Land Rover’s most extreme, powerful and capable variant of the Defender is here

A Seat At “The Table” Was A No-Barriers Experience

Hosted by Alicia Keys and Mercedes-Benz, the event beautifully merged the world of music and food together.

SH1 Bulli Point at Taupō confirmed as roading priority for regional council

Waikato Regional Council has confirmed the notorious stretch of SH1 is a priority.

Koenigsegg Will Replace Jesko that Burned to the Ground

The Swedish hypercar company traced the fire to a hydraulic leak.

29 creative ways to modernise your motorhome

Here's how to revamp your RV with clever ideas to make your tiny home on wheels a practical pleasure on the road

Honda's New Battery Packs Can Power Your Scooter or Your Home

Meet the Honda Power Pod e:

The Average Electric Vehicle Now Sells For Less Than A Tesla

Plus, investors don't care Tesla's Q2 was a bloodbath and how one of the strongest auto unions in the world is dealing with EV job losses

September 2024 Guitar World lesson videos

The one with Andy Wood's debut GW video – and Joe Bonamassa's 1957 Gibson Les Paul Junior!

Polestar's Sales Are Down Yet Again In Q2 2024

Will the launch of the Polestar 3 improve the results?

Get Ready, BMW Just Teased Its Off-Road R 1300 GS Adventure

Does anyone fancy a 'Long Way Round'?

How to practice mindfulness while commuting

For those who travel to work, the daily commute can be a tense time of delayed and overcrowded public transport, traffic congestion, road closures, and aggressive drivers. Often, the commute is used to reply to emails or make mental to-do lists for the days ahead. But why not use this time to practice mindfulness? Research shows it's a great way to improve concentration, reduce stress, and lighten moods. If you'd like to know how to de-stress to and from work, click through this gallery.

First Drive: The Valour Is Proof Aston Martin Can Still Make a Perfect Car

With a V-12 and a manual, this car is special. But it's only for a limited few.

He’s All Go locks in Greyhound of the Year title after winning fifth Group 1 race of season

The greyhound has amassed 20 wins from 23 starts.

The greatest Yacht Rock songs of all time

Popular in the late 1970s and into the '80s, there are some notable tunes of the ilk (smooth rhythms, light or "breezy" vocals, well-polished and produced) from earlier in the '70s that fall into this category.

‘Game-Changer': Kia EV3 Gets Over 10,000 Reservations In 23 Days

People are talking an EV demand problem. What demand problem?

This KTM Dirt Bike Is Probably More Than You Can Handle, Sorry

If your name isn't Manny Lettenbichler, keep moving.

Logging truck crash blocks Auckland's Kaipara Coast Highway

Motorists should expect delays while the road remains blocked for several hours, police say.

Tesla Rolls Out New FSD Version, Beta Testers Say It’s ‘Phenomenal’

It still has many flaws, but users say refinements are big over the previous version.

What EV Slump? Hyundai and Kia Break Sales Records for Electric Cars

The EV9 and EV6 are up 112 percent, and Ioniq 5 is close to 20,000 sales through the first half of the year.

21 luxury Vauxhalls

Ducati hints at reduced factory bike presence on 2025 MotoGP grid

Gigi Dall’Igna says there will only be three GP25s on the MotoGP grid next year

Four Three-Row Electric SUVs Raced From Colorado To Vegas. Charging Got Tricky

A Tesla Model X, Kia EV9, Rivian R1S and Mercedes EQS SUV compete for the title of ultimate electric family SUV.

Inside Spain's smallest city - where fewer than 300 people live and the streets are too narrow for cars

Welcome to Frias. Despite its minuscule size, it retains a city status that was granted in 1435 by King Juan II of Castile.

Nissan Z Sales Are Way Up This Year

But the GT-R has suffered a major decline.

Every driver in the UK has been given a four-word warning

Stellantis Sales Are Tanking, Folks

Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and Chrysler are way down but the Italian brands are actually up.

Ferrari Purosangue: The Most Fun SUV Ever

Don’t be fooled by its shape. The Purosangue sounds and handles like no other four-door on sale. For half a million, it better.

The Pagani Huayra Finally Gets a Manual

The new Huayra Epitome gets a gated seven-speed and 852 horsepower.

The best modern and retro campervans and RVs ever made

Homes on the go: let's take a look at the best road-going abodes built to take on anything

20 of the coolest rally cars

Xpeng’s New EV Sedan Is Actually A Hatchback With A Record-Setting Drag Coefficient

The $20,000 Tesla Model 3-rivaling Mona M03 has a three-foot-long active air intake and a huge, 22 cubic feet trunk.

Tesla Needs A Radical Strategy To Turn Around. How About Acting Normal?

Tesla's global car deliveries dropped for the second quarter in a row. What would it take to turn things around?

Van life to Wimbledon debut at 29: Billy Harris' hard journey to SW19

For years Billy Harris travelled between lower tier matches in his converted Ford Transit van sleeping in McDonald's car parks and living off cans of tuna.

Chinese firms eye Morocco as way to cash in on US electric vehicle subsidies

Chinese firms eye Morocco as way to cash in on US electric vehicle subsidies - Investment in electric vehicle manufacturing is booming in Morocco, a country that neighbors Europe and enjoys a free trade agreement with the United States

Toyota GR86 Outselling the Subaru BRZ Five to One

A huge discrepancy in sales poses the question: Why?

Tesla's Sales Of Chinese-Made EV Keep Shrinking

In June, sales of Teslas built in China—for that country and for export—were down 24% year-over-year.

This Map Reveals The Average EV Fuel Cost Savings Potential By State

In some states, the savings are almost three times higher than in others.

36 big classic car birthdays in 2024

No, Volodomyr Zelensky's Wife Didn't Buy a Bugatti Tourbillion

The first lady of Ukraine appears to be the target of Russian propaganda, as the war between the two nations rolls on.

600 helpers, 10,000 working hours - How the Norisring DTM circuit is built in two weeks

Norisring is preparing to host its annual DTM round this weekend. Here’s a look at the Herculean effort it takes to transform the streets of Nuremberg into a 2.3km circuit.

Triumph 400cc records 50,000 sales in the first year

Bajaj Auto Ltd and Triumph Motorcycles are celebrating a significant milestone: the first anniversary of the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X motorcycles, manufactured in India, which have achieved over 50,000 units sold in 50 countries worldwide.

2024 John Deere Classic tee times, TV coverage, viewer's guide

Ladies and gentlemen, start your (tractor) engines! The PGA Tour is back in the Quad Cities for the John Deere Classic, featuring two-time event winner Jordan Spieth, last year’s victor Sepp Straka and Jason Day for the first time since 2011. This will be Spieth’s first time competing in the tournament since 2015, a year in which he also won. So he...

The best electric pick-ups on sale today

June new vehicle sales the worst in a decade, possible relief on the way from Transport Minister Simeon Brown

Utes a rare strong point in sixth straight month of falling sales.

Dangerous driving causes serious collision between Mazda and Subaru on Australian highway

A video captured the moment of an accident, caused by dangerous driving in Queensland, Australia, where a Subaru Outback abruptly braked in front of a Mazda3 in the fast lane.

Park in Taiwan creates a miniature replica of the famous Suzuka circuit, from the Japanese F1 GP

There is an impressive replica of the famous Suzuka track, from the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix, at the Kaohsiung-Suzuka Circuit Park in Taiwan, an island located 180 kilometers east of China.

‘Women feel even more left behind’: How electric cars drove a gender divide

The car industry’s “woman problem” has long been a subject of criticism, from macho advertising to the lack of female-shaped crash-test dummies. It was hoped that the dawn of electric vehicles (EVs) might offer a useful moment to turn the page – but on current trends, electric car cheerleaders risk being disappointed. Worrying research by online de...