2025 marks the 20th anniversary of YouTube, the giant that’s grown to become the definitive streaming video platform. According to the company’s own metrics, there are now some 20 million videos uploaded to YouTube and more than 100 million comments left everyday. It is a fire hose of media.
Some videos are, of course, higher quality than others. Along with the viral YouTubers who blow up things and pull pranks, there are useful how-to videos on all kinds of DIY projects, either around the house or in the garage. Want to know how to replace your dishwasher or braze a repair on a vintage motorcycle? YouTube’s got you covered.
However, in the automotive sphere, perhaps YouTube’s biggest impact isn’t in the various well-produced modern shows but how it democratized streaming video. The motoring career of Ken Block probably wouldn’t have happened if you’d had to send away for DVDs of the first Gymkhana, but with YouTube links you could send to your friends, suddenly tire-shredding Subaru antics were just a click away.
Here’s a look back at some of the best automotive YouTube videos of the past 20 years.
Ruf CTR “Yellow Bird” on the Nürburgring
Even before Top Gear introduced us to the Nürburgring, enthusiasts were already familiar with the road thanks to one of the most thrilling videos ever shot. With test driver Stefan Roser at the wheel, a narrow-bodied yellow Porsche absolutely screams along the narrow tarmac, drifting through corners at maximum commitment. Modern Porsches have plenty of driver aids to help get the power to the ground, but Roser has just his own quick hands and skill. He’s not even wearing a firesuit, just a t-shirt.
The original video was released by Ruf as “Faszination on the Nürburgring,” and the version uploaded to YouTube has been watched more than two million times. As the original dates back to 1987, the resolution’s not modern, but the action on screen is the textbook definition of epic.
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Climb Dance
Fitted together with clips taken during practice sessions before Finnish racer Ari Vatanen’s victorious run up Pikes Peak, Climb Dance is a dialogue-free experience that lets an outrageously turbocharged Peugeot do all the talking. It was made before the road up Pikes Peak was fully tarmacked, and the 600-hp Peugeot 405 T16 is a complete handful.
Make that one handful. Coming to the top of Pikes Peak with the sun low on the horizon, Vatanen is suddenly blinded as he turns one of the last corners. Undeterred, he simply holds up his hand as a makeshift sunvisor and one-hand drifts the car to the finish. For rally fans everywhere, it becomes his signature salute.
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Senna and the Acura NSX-R at Suzuka
There are two easy ways to cosplay as Brazilian F1 hero Ayrton Senna: either don a replica of his signature yellow helmet or put on a pair of white socks and loafers. This next video is responsible for making those loafers legendary, thanks to a pedal cam that shows Senna working that heel-toe braking while hammering around Suzuka in a white Acura NSX-R.
Senna absolutely rinses this car, leaving pit lane in a cloud of tire smoke and taking the engine straight into VTEC territory time and again. How many Honda fans dreamed of this video while caning their own Honda Civics down a twisty back road? We can name a few.
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Best Motoring F40 vs Everyone
YouTube was also responsible for bringing Japanese shows like Best Motoring to a wider audience, and it wasn’t always just about forbidden fruit JDM content. Who wouldn’t want to see a Ferrari F40 take on Skylines and Supras, all with professional racing drivers at the wheel?
It’s basically Gran Turismo except in real life. You didn’t need to speak the language to enjoy the action.
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Nissan Maxima vs 911 Turbo
YouTube isn’t just for hero-worship; it can elevate the everyman. And it can also be really funny. The middle-aged gentleman filmed sitting in the driver’s seat of his Nissan Maxima looks like somebody’s uncle, but then he tenses up and absolutely blows the doors off a Porsche 911 at the drag strip.
The clip lasts just under a minute, but it’s long enough to hit viral meme status, with millions of views. The powershifts are fantastic, and you can’t help but cheer for the underdog modified Nissan versus the mighty Porsche.
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BMW M5 and Madonna
BMW commissioned filmmaker Guy Ritchie to create a series of short movies showing off its product, and this one’s probably the best of them. An unnamed driver (played by Clive Owen) is tasked with getting Madonna to the venue in a silver E39 M5, and she asks why he’s driving so slowly. Cue Blur’s “Song 2” and drop the hammer. It’s all good fun, and the E39 looks fantastic, a real reminder of BMW’s golden age.
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Gymkhana Practice
The original Gymkhana seems quaint now after years of destroying GoPro cameras and creating near-impossible stunts, but it still holds up for how raw and real it is. How many Subaru WRXs lost their bumpers to fans trying to emulate Ken Block’s mega-slides, and coming up a little short? Probably a lot.
From this one video, an entire entertainment empire grew. Sadly, Block is gone now, but all the videos he helped create are still being streamed today by thousands.
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Sabine Schmitz (Nearly) Does That Time in a Van
YouTube is still full of all your favorite segments from the glory days of Top Gear, and picking just one is hard. However, watching Nürburgring expert Sabine Schmitz hustle a cargo van around the circuit is too good not to share.
Schmitz became something of a motoring hero after this segment, her enthusiasm so infectious that you can’t help but be charmed. And her challenge to Jeremy Clarkson—“I can do that time in a van!”—is one of the best automotive gauntlets ever thrown down.
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