Most race cars retire without fanfare; their exploits quickly forgotten for the latest round of quicker machinery. The cars that weren’t winners are often scrapped, forgotten, or scavenged for spare parts in service of their successors. Lucky ones get a more relaxed second life in historic racing series.

But what of would-be motorsport machines that never arrived at the starting line in the first place? They’re lucky to end up with a few lines in a listicle a decade after their stunted chance at glory.

The racing version of the eighth-gen Volkswagen GTI was headed down a similar path after Vee-Dub pulled the plug on all factory motorsport programs in 2020, midway through the GTI touring car’s development. The Volkswagen Motorsport staff was split up and reassigned to work on other projects within the company, and the prototype they’d been working on—the Mk8 GTI TCR—joined the brand’s museum inventory, unfinished.

The one-of-one work-in-progress subsequently traveled to the United States as a marketing and PR asset, trotted out to local circuits to reel off routine demonstration laps instead of traveling the world and angrily banging doors with the Hyundais, Hondas, and other competitors in TCR-class racing series. But fate had another path for this special GTI, and it would soon be yanked out of obscurity and onto one of the biggest stages in motorsport.

As part of the 50^th birthday celebrations of the Golf nameplate in 2024, VW decided to honor its hatchback’s venerable racing history with a special project that evolved into a plan to compete at the Nürburgring 24 Hours (N24). With just months until the race and without a factory racing division, building a new car was out of the question—but what about that old Mk8 GTI TCR prototype that’d been kicking around in America?

And so began the fast-tracked process of turning a half-finished racer into a world-class competitor. The Volkswagen Motorsport engineers who’d formerly been involved with the project the first time around were willing and eager for another go. They knew the car well and were champing at their bits to pick up where they’d left off, but they’d have to work at night after their day jobs, and they needed a little extra help.

And Max Kruse Racing was there to provide it. Co-founded and run by Volkswagen development driver, brand ambassador, and professional racer Benny Leuchter, the racing team complemented VW’s in-house engineers by providing invaluable experience with setting up and running a car in a 24-hour endurance race. Leuchter’s familiarity with Volkswagen Motorsport made the partnership even stronger.

The Mk8 GTI TCR prototype was shipped back to Germany, where it was immediately routed to Max Kruse Racing’s HQ in Duisburg. With a four-month countdown to the N24, time was of the essence.

The powertrain package was largely left as-is, with the most significant changes occurring on the software rather than hardware side. Namely, the ECU was adapted to run the newly developed Shell E20 fuel that would power the GTI in the N24. “The engine is the stock GTI gen-four 888 engine [a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder],” VW spokesperson Martin Hube told us at the Nürburgring. “We are competing in the alternative fuel class, so it’s running E20 that we are using together with Shell, [which is] capable of getting rid of nearly 50% of CO2. We wanted to show that a stock engine is capable of competing with this new [bioethanol] fuel under the hardest conditions. [The car] also gained some power because the fuel is a bit more than 100 octane.” The total output in the rechristened Mk8 GTI TCR—now called the Volkswagen GTI Clubsport 24h—is 348 hp, which is just about 50 more than the recently unveiled road-going version.

The GTI Clubsport 24h’s most noticeable augmentation, though, is its redeveloped aero package. Marketing is one reason for the revamp, seeing as the prototype featured the pre-facelift Mk8 GTI’s styling cues and would need to be updated to match the current model’s look. Win with a one-off car on Sunday, sell more base Golfs on Monday, or something like that . . . However, those with extra keen eyes for GTIs will notice that the Clubsport 24h has a mix of pre- and post-facelift design elements.

That said, the main impetus behind the aero makeover was performance-focused, with the engineers incorporating the latest principles into their old car’s new fenders, wings, splitters, diffusers, and every other wind-shifting bit and bob. The resulting look is the meanest looking widebody ever worn by a factory-backed Volkswagen. Like the prototype, the finished Clubsport 24h completes its silhouette with a chunky rear wing hung from swan-neck supports attached to the hatch, and a single very purposeful-looking center-exit exhaust.

With the bodywork buttoned up, it was time for the new roll cage and safety structures to be homologated with just a few weeks before the green flag, so the Clubsport 24h was flat-bedded to a testing and certification center in Spain to make sure everything was in order. With its up-to-date safety compliance in hand, it then headed back to Germany for last-minute shakedowns at Volkswagen’s test track in Ehra-Lessein. The VW engineers and the Max Kruse Racing team had just enough time to define the parameters and tolerances of their car’s systems—for example, how hot the gearbox oil could get without leading to mechanical failure, and which shift points to use to maintain the appropriate operating temperature—before it was time to put all their efforts to the test at the Clubsport 24h’s first-ever race.

There are less daunting debuts than a day-long trial by fire (and fog) at the Nürburgring, but the Clubsport 24h was immediately impressive upon its arrival in Nürburg. Before the race proper, the car set a new front-wheel drive racing car record at the track (which combines the shorter and more modern Grand Prix circuit with the infamous Nordschleife for a total lap length of just under 16 miles) during qualifying: With Benny Leuchter at the controls, the Clubsport 24h clocked a 8:53.239 lap to start the race at the front of its class.

On race day, the #50 car was to be driven by Leuchter, Johan Kristoffersson, Nico Otto and Heiko Hamme over the course of the 24 hours. Mother Nature had other plans however, and the dense layer of fog that immobilized the emergency services helicopter saw the race halted after 7 hours and 22 minutes. Track conditions were closely monitored as hundreds of thousands of fingers were crossed for a restart that never came. To the disappointment of nearly a third of a million people who’d come to compete at, watch and camp out next to this year’s race, the 2024 edition was the shortest in the N24’s 52-race history.

Despite that, the team behind the Clubsport 24h wasn’t upset with taking home the class win. The car finished in 43^rd overall, conquered its category, beat more than half the overall field of finishers, and fulfilled its purpose. “We wanted to show the people in the woods, the people around the track, that this car is really capable,” Hube said, “and now we have the fastest museum car ever made by Volkswagen.”

It still is a museum piece, after all. With one race and one class win under its belt, the Clubsport 24h’s next job is back under the marketing and PR umbrella, where it will be attending the annual GTI Treffen—the world’s largest hot hatch VW celebration—in Wolfsburg during the last weekend of July. But its time as a contemporary racer may not be over, either…

On that topic, Hube told Hagerty, “We have huge motivation now. We expected to be competitive, but we haven’t expected to come to the ‘Ring and record a record lap time. That shows the capabilities of this car, and the engineers have so many ideas for further development. We’re really inspired and there is an idea to use [the Clubsport 24h] as a development car for the next years. We have two more things to celebrate: in 2026 it will be 50 years of GTI. 2027 will be 25 years of R.”

Could this car’s successful second chance revive the defunct Volkswagen Motorsport department? “Now we have to convince the board that it’s necessary to be here [at the Nürburgring], that it’s necessary to present the Golf in front of the fans here. We have to come back.” Asked how they will convince the board, Hube smiles and says with typical German playfulness masked in straightforward phrasing: “It’s better to argue our case with a good result than with a bad result.”

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Germany’s Eifel Mountain region is perfect for early-summer camping and hiking. The forested peaks rise and fall through the fog and are populated by charming hamlets and farms, the edges of which are often lined with shocks of wildflowers. Rain clouds and bluebird skies trade places throughout the day before the sun sets about 10 p.m.

Peaceful.

That is, unless you arrive at any part of the Nürburgring Nordschleife during the Nürburgring 24 Hours (N24) race weekend, where a quarter-million fans show up, dedicated to a schedule that’s dominated by three things: drinking beer, grilling sausages, and watching cars hurtling up, down—and occasionally off—one of the greatest circuits in the world. The chirp of songbirds is replaced by the thrum of generators, a half-dozen Eurobeat tracks thumping out of temporary discotheques, and the constant doppler effect of racing engines near redline.

Unlike this year’s shortest-ever N24—red-flagged for nearly 17 hours due to dense fog that wouldn’t let up—the party rages at all hours, impervious to foul weather. The peace is thoroughly disturbed. 

In the weeks leading up to the ‘Ring’s premier endurance race, dedicated fans descend on the countryside to stake out their plots along the nearly 13 miles of asphalt. There they erect temples to Bitburger, Jägermeister, Paulaner, and Warsteiner.

Their plywood scaffold creations sometimes include mud-stained living room couches draped in Christmas lights. One setup even had an assisted-mobility chair on an electric track to ferry guests up and down. Plastic banners span these double- and triple-decker structures, broadcasting motorsport allegiances and beverage brands of choice.

On the trampled ground below, empty alcohol bottles and cans are stacked into pyramids, or unceremoniously piled up, or just flattened into the earth. Cigarette smoke wafts through the leafy canopies, joining the plumes of bonfires and barbecues that still linger in your clothes Monday morning. 

It is a wonderful place to be, and not just as a racing fan. The camaraderie is infectious, regardless of what team you’re rooting for. And believe it or not, it can be very family-friendly: Toddlers are perched on their parents’ shoulders, heads lolling, all top-heavy thanks to the comically oversized earmuffs that mom and dad insist upon. Little hands furiously wave cheap plastic flags adorned with car brand logos with the same enthusiasm of older diehards who’ve made this race an annual tradition. The kids are alright. 

And so are the adults. I lost count of the number of beers I had to politely turn down as I tromped around the perimeter of the circuit, pulling at my photographer’s credential to show that I was, despite my senses telling me otherwise, at work. In addition to watching one of the official Nürburgring-owned jumbotrons, I popped my head into a few tents to check out the race feeds to see what was happening on the rest of the course. Without fail I was offered some form of hot food, a shot of liquor or another bottle of beer.

After miles of trudging and eight hours of holding stiff photographer stances, my feet ached and my stomach pleaded, so I broke down and accepted an offered plate of currywurst. I was grateful for the kindness that endurance racing seems to foster.

On Sunday morning, the bonfires were fed with the wooden frames that provided the prior night’s grandstands. Some people were still drinking, some slowly packing their cars and campers, hot coffee in hand. It was quieter this year as the red flags for weather left the track empty since before midnight. People grumbled about that, but you know they’ll be back next year, just like they were the year before. The traffic jam to leave the ‘Ring is thick but quickly disperses once you get clear of the main parking and camping zones. They come from every direction and leave the same way. 

With the race over, the countryside quickly returns to its idyllic natural state. Sounds from the forests and farmland take up where the cars and crowds left off. Cleanup crews stab bits of trash with their pokers and a few service trucks prowl the circuit to make minor repairs to the guardrails.

We’ll all be back next year, weather permitting or not. See you there.

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In a recent Linkedin post, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer offered the first teaser of what is expected to be a special edition Golf GTI created in celebration of the Golf nameplate’s 50th anniversary. (Note: This is just the Golf name, not the GTI; the latter debuted in 1976, while the Golf debuted in 1974.)

The video teaser shows a blurred-out white Golf GTI cruising around the Nürburgring Nordschliefe’s famous Karussell corner. A “50 Years of Golf” slide appears at the end, giving us our clue as to what the occasion is.

In the post, Schäfer writes, “We are returning to the Nürburgring for the 24-hour race to celebrate the world premiere with the fans.” That race takes place the weekend of May 31, and VW’s newest Golf GTI will debut at 10:30 a.m. ET that day.

Note the small text that reads “concept car” at the bottom of the video. We’re a little surprised that’s on there because although the car pictured is a bit blurry, it doesn’t really look all that different from the current eighth-generation Golf GTI. However, part of the GTI’s ethos has always been somewhat understated exterior styling; the magic of a hot hatch like this is the ability to blend in when needed, but then to spark joy on a back road with an athletic chassis and an eager engine.

So what exactly is going to be special about this 50th-anniversary car? It’s tough to say, but the internet hivemind thinks we could be looking at a new version of the Golf GTI Clubsport. The Clubsport was a European-market version of the GTI unveiled in late 2020 that removed the rear seats, upgraded the turbocharger on the 2.0-liter engine to boost output to 300 hp, added an electronically locking front differential, and introduced a host of suspension tweaks to make the car more track-worthy. Then, in 2021, VW also dropped a limited-run Clubsport 45 model that added an Akrapovic exhaust and a roof spoiler among other bits to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the GTI nameplate. Sadly, neither model was offered in the North American market.

And while we’d love to hold out hope that this new model will make it stateside, the chances of that feel slim. European markets always get the hottest versions of VW’s everyman hatch, while U.S. enthusiasts often get short shrift. A shame, that—despite all the CUVs flooding our roads, there are surely enough V-Dub hot hatch faithful to scoop up every last example of a limited-run model.

But we digress—there’s another piece of context that makes this debut significant: This could be the last gas-powered version of the Golf GTI, period. Last year, Schäfer told German publication Automobilwoche that the eighth-generation GTI would be the last to feature gasoline-burning powertrains, meaning that all future Golfs would likely be electric.

If this is indeed the gas-powered GTI’s swansong, let’s cross our fingers and hope for something truly special. Then go ahead and cross your legs, arms, and whatever other body parts you can manage, too, in hopes that it will somehow wind up stateside.

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The most powerful example of Porsche’s Taycan electric sports sedan has lapped Germany’s daunting Nürburgring circuit a full 28 seconds faster than the Tesla Model S Plaid.

The time of 7 minutes 7.55 seconds eclipses Porsche’s previous best by 26 seconds or “half an eternity in motorsport,” according to Taycan model line boss Kevin Giek. It’s been achieved thanks to as-yet-unannounced updates to the Taycan believed to be included in a new Turbo GT model. From the images captured at the Green Hell you can see a massive rear wing, reprofiled front and rear bumpers and revised headlamps, but the key to this extraordinary lap time is a hefty power increase, believed to up the ante to almost 1000 hp.

For context the fastest production car ever to lap the 13-mile, 156-corner race track is the Mercedes-AMG One, which achieved the feat in 6:35.18. The fastest Porsche isn’t too far behind with a Manthey Performance Kit-equipped 911 GT2 RS managing 6:43.30, while the 918 Spyder lapped in 6:57.00. However when it comes to all-electric lap times the Taycan is perilously close to record taken by the 1900-hp Rimac Nevera, which turned in a time of 7:05.28.

The Taycan was driven by Porsche test driver Lars Kern who “pushed as hard as he could” over repeated laps on the empty circuit. “The impressive thing about it is that over several laps, Lars clocked almost exactly the same time,” adds Giek. Over to you Elon.

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Spy Photographers have captured images of what appears to be a C8 Corvette ZR1 development mule undergoing dynamic testing at the Nürburgring Nordschliefe in Eifel, Germany.

Holy wing, batman.

The ZR1 will be the gnarliest C8 yet, wilder than either the razor-sharp Z06 or the future-focused hybrid Corvette E-Ray. The photographers claim that the ZR1 was testing two different rear wing configurations, but we only see one in this gallery. That said, we did see another ZR1 mule earlier this year that definitely has a smaller wing on it, so we’ll roll with their claim.

There’s precedent for two different wings. The C7 ZR1 offered two different aero packages—the base one and a much more aggressive ZTK package which was capable of producing 1000 lbs of downforce. Expect a similarly bonkers number for the wilder of the two packages on the C8 ZR1, assuming that we will get two variants. Heck, there might even be active aero, a-la the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Aside from the rear wing, there are a few other bodywork tweaks that stick out. First, those vents on the hood: The ZR1 will, predictably, build huge amounts of heat from any number of high-performance engineering components. Those openings are likely heat extractors to help manage temps on the front brakes, or perhaps as an exit for the air flowing over one of the ZR1’s many, many heat exchangers.

Second: There are two little vents just behind the main intake channels on the sides of the car. We’ll speculate here: The ZR1 is expected to use an upgraded, twin-turbo variant of the LT6 DOHC V-8 engine that powers the Z06. In the ZR1, it’s rumored that this engine will be called the LT7 and could pump out nearly 800–850 hp. Perhaps those openings are separate intakes directly ramming air into the turbos? Maybe they’re new channels to blast ambient air onto the dual-clutch automatic transmission that’s going to be banging off gear shifts at a frantic pace? Cooling ducts for the rear brakes, which look extremely large? Whatever they’re for, we dig ’em.

As far as shoes go, the mule seen here has some ridiculously wide rear wheels, likely necessary to cope with all the power that this beast is going to be putting down. The fronts aren’t exactly svelte either, and the sticky rubber that’s sure to come standard here should make for exceptionally deft handling traits. (GM engineers are kind of wizards when it comes to that stuff.)

It’s unlikely that we’ll see any sort of hybridization in the ZR1—that honor will likely be reserved for the Zora, an even wilder version of the C8 that’s supposedly also in the works. If that’s true, the C8 ZR1 could be the final pure-ICE Corvette ever, a milestone that will certainly carry weight with collectors and enthusiasts down the road.

If the thing drives as menacing as it looks, it might be time for tracks everywhere to dust off those lap record boards. The new king of the Corvettes is coming.

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A Tesla Model S Plaid equipped with its new Track package has lapped the Nürburgring Nordshleife in seven minutes, 25.231 seconds to claim a new EV record.

Green car honors at the Green Hell have been passing between the US company and its German rival Porsche ever since a Taycan toured the circuit in seven minutes and 42 seconds in 2019. Tesla took its Model S Plaid to Germany in 2021, knocking almost seven seconds out of the Taycan time, then Porsche returned in 2022, tweaking the Taycan Turbos S with a performance kit to help deliver a lap time of seven minutes and 33 seconds, or just over two seconds ahead of Tesla.

Beat previous record by >8 seconds! pic.twitter.com/BLtZV9WGYM

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 3, 2023

Now Tesla has turned the tables once again. Fitted with its Track package, comprised of forged aluminum wheels with uprated Goodyear Supercar 3R tires, and carbon-silicon carbide disc brakes, with six-piston front, and four-piston rear calipers, plus software tweaks, the Model S Plaid ran rings around Porsche, with a sizeable eight-second improvement.

The Track package also gives the Model S Plaid a top speed north of 200 mph for the first time, now that it has the stopping power to cope. “Designed for the ultimate track experience, the Model S Plaid Track Package delivers high-speed stability, maximum cornering force and repeatable stopping power during high-performance driving while unlocking a top speed of 200 mph,” says Tesla.

We’re sure it won’t be long before Porsche fights back, but in the meantime, Elon and Tesla are celebrating. On Twitter of course.

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Civic Type R sets FWD record at Nürburgring

Intake: A 2023 Honda Civic Type R has set a new front-wheel-drive track record at the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany, considered the most challenging road course in the world. The Civic Type R, the most powerful Honda production vehicle ever sold in the U.S., lapped the track in 7 minutes, 44.881 seconds. The previous record was set six years ago by the previous-generation Civic Type R. The only performance difference from stock was the addition of  Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect tires, which are available through Honda dealers.

Exhaust: Said Hideki Kakinuma, Civic Type R Development Leader: “Since the start of sales in Japan in September 2022, we have received numerous customer feedback from all around the world filled with amazement and joy, far exceeding our expectations. However, we still had one more mission to fulfill, which was to claim the title as the world’s fastest FWD car with a record Nürburgring lap time.” The 315-horsepower Civic Type R has starting price of $42,895. For comparison, the current overall street-legal lap record is 6:30.705, set by the Mercedes-AMG One at the ‘Ring last October. — Steven Cole Smith 

131,700 Ram pickups recalled for stalling issue

Intake: Chrysler is recalling 131,700 2021 Ram 1500 trucks in North America equipped with the 5.7-liter eTorque V-8 engines over the risk of stalling out. The powertrain control module software may create an incorrect fuel mixture in the engine, which can stall it, creating a potentially hazardous situation. The engine can turn off without warning, possibly causing a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Exhaust: As of March 30, one accident and no injuries were reported in relation to the issue. Owners will be notified by mail beginning June 2, 2023. Dealers will update the powertrain control module calibration software for free. — SCS

Maserati’s second EV, the Grecale Folgore, debuts in Shanghai

Intake: Maserati unveiled another all-electric vehicle at the Shanghai Auto Show this week. The Grecale Folgore becomes the second EV revealed by the Milanese firm, joining the GranTurismo Folgore which was revealed late last year. The Grecale Folgore is a compact luxury crossover, while the GranTurismo Folgore remains a slinky-looking coupe that reportedly boasts nearly 760 hp. Maserati has committed to making electric versions of all its models by 2025, as well as exclusively electric vehicles by 2030. That means there’s a battery-powered version of the MC20 sports car in the works, as well as an electric Levante, and the Quattroporte.

Exhaust: While Maserati’s electrification strategy appears more conservative than some of its rivals like Mercedes or Audi, the Trident-adorned cars are already quite attractive looking, so perhaps the team feels no need to radically reinvent the lines of these machines to show how they can look with battery power. We’re quite fine with that. — Nathan Petroelje

Certain VW, Rivian models qualify for tax credits after all

Intake: Left off the original list, Volkswagen and Rivian have confirmed that certain electric models they make are eligible for tax credits under the U.S. Treasury Department criteria, says Automotive News. All models of the 2023 ID.4 are eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit this year. Said Pablo Di Si, CEO of VW Group of America: “This shows that we made the right decision to localize production of the ID4 in Tennessee and invest even further in battery production, components and innovation.” Also, certain Rivian R1S and R1T configurations are eligible for a $3,750 credit. While the Rivian SUV and pickup start in the $70,000s, most are expected to be configured at sticker prices higher than the $80,000 maximum threshold. That would make them ineligible for the credit.

Exhaust: Under the Inflation Reduction Act, buyers who meet income thresholds can get a tax credit of $3,750 or $7,500 for new EVs assembled in North America that also meet stricter battery sourcing restrictions. Those rebates “ramp up over time, maxing out at 80 percent in 2027 for minerals and 100 percent in 2029 for battery components,” Automotive News says. It’s apparent the list of eligible models is a moving target, so expect more additions and subtractions over time. — SCS

Volvo now has the Waze, and the means

Intake: Volvo has become the first manufacturer to offer the useful Waze navigation and information app to U.S. drivers as part of the car’s infotainment system. “Our in-car app library just grew one app larger today as Waze becomes available to all Volvo cars with Google built-in around the globe. Our collaboration also brings the in-car Waze app to drivers in the U.S. for the first time,” the company says. There’s a one-time setup for Waze after downloading the app in the Google Play Store in your Volvo car. “No matter who’s driving the car and what device they use, navigation with Waze will be just one simple tap away.”

Exhaust: The in-car Waze app helps make things easier by avoiding phone-related distractions while continuing to offer the functionalities that you’ve come to expect from the Waze app on your mobile phone. Displayed on Volvo’s infotainment system, the in-car Waze app “utilizes more of the center screen in the Volvo user interface you’re most familiar with, making navigation more comfortable with a bigger and bolder eye-level display area.” — SCS

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2023 Honda Accord looks sleek, goes heavy on hybrid

Intake: Honda has done a complete redesign of the Accord for 2023, and it looks and sounds impressive. “The all-new 11th-generation Accord is essential to our lineup as a critical driver of brand loyalty, and with hybrid models representing 50 percent of sales, a key part of Honda’s electrification strategy,” said Mamadou Diallo, vice president of auto sales for Honda. That electrification strategy is the hybrid Accord, which has a 2.0-liter gas engine and two side-by-side electric motors. Combined, it’s rated at 204 horsepower. The base engine is a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder, rated at 192 horsepower. The standard transmission is a CVT; no manual is offered. The car is “longer and sleeker,” Honda says, than the 2022 model. The interior is new, and the suspension has been upgraded. The Accord will be available in six trim levels, starting with the turbocharged LX and EX and topped by the hybrid-powered Sport, EX-L, Sport-L and Touring.

Exhaust: Possibly the best-looking Accord yet, the 2023 model has a distinctive, non-Honda look front and rear. The styling and the thrifty powertrains should keep the Accord on the best-selling car list, where it has been for the last five decades. — Steven Cole Smith

Audi’s biggest, nicest SUV finally adopts the family name

Intake: Audi has announced a new name for its flagship electric SUV. Formerly known as the e-tron, the vehicle will now be called the Q8 e-tron to signify that it’s the top of Audi’s electric-only lineup. The move places it in line with the regular Q8, the most expensive SUV you can buy from Audi that still runs on dino juice. The refreshed Q8 e-tron boasts a redesigned rear electric motor and optimized aerodynamics that should help boost range for both the regular SUV and the sportback models. In the U.S., the lowest trim of Audis big EV is the Q8 e-tron 55, which boasts an all-wheel-drive setup via two electro motors. It’s good for 402 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque in Sport mode. There will be a spicier version called the SQ8 e-tron, which packs three electric motors—a 166-hp unit up front and dual 131-hp motors out back—that will produce 496 hp and a whipping 718 lb-ft of torque. Both trims draw power from a 106-kWh battery pack. Audi is aiming for certain models of the Q8 e-tron to clear 300 miles of EPA-estimated range—a major step up from early renditions of this machine. The new Q8 e-tron will arrive in the U.S. next April, with pricing to be announced closer to the launch date.

Exhaust: Audi has had a tough time packaging and communicating its EV products to buyers. The e-tron started as a single SUV, but then you had the e-tron GT, a gorgeous swooping sedan that shared its underpinnings with the Porsche Taycan but was otherwise unrelated to the SUV save for the four-ring badge. Perhaps Audi has decided that reverting to a more conventional nomenclature (see Volvo, who nailed this on the first try with rival model EX90) is the best way to un-muddy the waters. Will it be enough? — Nathan Petroelje

Toyota teases next hybrid hatchback

Intake: Toyota teased an upcoming hybrid hatchback on social media with a minimalist outline of its profile and a date, November 16, which coincides with the Los Angeles Auto Show. Toyota didn’t even mention the word “Prius” but we all know that it’s the fifth-generation hybrid hatchback that it’s going to show off.

Exhaust: Toyota has promised a solid-state battery before 2025, and the Prius uses a small battery, so that would be the logical first commercial application of such technology. The current Prius Eco achieves its 58 mpg city, 53 mpg highway, and 56 mpg combined EPA rating thanks to an Atkinson-cycle 1.8-liter four-cylinder and a 0.75 kWh battery. No matter what kind of battery is used, we expect Toyota to continue its trend of increasing efficiency with each generation. — Brandan Gillogly

Getting the full tax credit for your new EV might be harder than you think

Intake: If you are thinking of buying an electric vehicle or a hybrid and automatically assume you are due a $7500 tax credit, you should think again. Or, more constructively, you should read this story on Elektrek.co titled, “Here’s every electric vehicle that qualifies for the current and upcoming U.S. federal tax credit.” The idea in theory is quite simple, the story says: “All electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles that were purchased new in or after 2010 may be eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500,” according to the U.S. Department of Energy. But it isn’t that simple. “You cannot simply go out and buy an electric vehicle and expect Uncle Sam to cut $7500 off your taxes in April. In reality, the amount you qualify for is based on both your income tax as well as the size of the electric battery in the vehicle you own.” The new Inflation Reduction Act means “there are a lot more parameters to be mindful of, like the requirement that the EV must be assembled in North America.”

Exhaust: And there’s another caveat: “For example, if you purchased a Ford F-150 Lightning and owed say, $3,500 in income tax this year, then that is the federal tax credit you would receive. If you owed $10,000 in federal income tax, then you would qualify for the full $7,500 credit.” Note the “three little words” that the government slips in front of the $7,500 credit – “may” and “up to.” – SCS

Suzuki announces new 776cc DOHC twin engine for 2023 GSX-8S and V-STROM 800DE

Intake: With increased emissions requirements and riders demanding ever more levels efficiency and technology, packaging has become more important than ever for motorcycle manufacturers. Hence why Suzuki announced this week that a new parallel twin has been born and will be found in two 2023 models. The 776cc engine sports a 270-degree crankshaft and twin balance shafts for smooth running and great traction. Of course it features throttle by wire and other standard features of modern engines, but interestingly, one of the big leaps forward for this compared to the V-twin of previous Suzuki engines is the ability to package a more efficient and power-boosting airbox with the newfound space behind the engine.

Exhaust: Suzuki put the lines far enough apart to read between with the inclusion of “permits design flexibility so Suzuki’s designers can create ideal chassis geometry for a variety of motorcycle types” in the press release. As an owner and lover of the SV650, this engine is likely a hint that the V-twin sporty standard is on the way out. I won’t mourn the loss of one of the worst kept secrets in the motorcycle world just yet, but I admit I am preparing for the eventuality. — Kyle Smith

Mercedes-AMG ONE says take that, Porsche

Intake: The Formula 1-derived Mercedes-AMG ONE hypercar just stomped the Nürburgring lap record for a road-legal production car by more than eight seconds. (Sadly, the car will not be road-legal in the U.S.) The 6:35.183 time for the full 12.94-mile lap bests the previous record, set by a Porsche 911 GT2 RS with a special performance package developed by Manthey Racing, which set a 6:43.300 on the same layout. Driver Maro Engel achieved the blistering lap on the AMG team’s final attempt of the day, which began just 30 seconds before the track was set to go cold. He had already broken the lap earlier that day but felt there was more in the car. Most impressive: the track was still wet in areas, which made for tricky conditions. The AMG ONE is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 coupled with an extremely advanced hybrid system that uses four electric motors for a combined system output of 1063 hp. Just 275 units will be built, and all have been spoken for at roughly $2.7M a piece.

Exhaust: Engel and the team of engineers accompanying him had to figure out the best times and locations to deploy the hybrid energy, where to recoup that energy, and where to let loose the drag reduction system (DRS) that boosts straight line speed. In some places, that meant abstaining from the maximum possible speed the interest of energy management. Looks like they’ve made the right calls. The on-board video below is truly mind-bending. — NP

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Another ’Ring record falls to Porsche

Intake: As day inevitably follows night, so Porsche sets a new Nürburging lap record with each new RS model. Today it’s the turn of the 911 GT3 RS to complete Germany’s 12.9-mile Green Hell in six minutes and 49.328 seconds. That’s 10.6 seconds faster than the 911 GT3, proving that aerodynamic advantage of up to 1895 lbs of downforce of the RS is worth paying for. The record-setting car was fitted with Porsche’s Weissach package and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, and driven by Jörg Bergmeister. It sounds like conditions were even a bit sub-prime for the lap, as well. “We lost a little downforce due to the strong, sometimes gusting wind, but I’m still very happy with the lap,” said Bergmeister. The lap time was not the fastest ever from a Porsche RS Model, however; a 991.2-gen 911 GT2 RS equipped with a special package from Manthey Racing lapped the 12.94-mile circuit in 6:43.300 on June 14, 2021. Still, the 911 GT3 RS’ time is roughly 1.2 seconds short of the current production car lap record, set by a Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, which has 202 more horsepower than the Porsche. Watch the onboard video of the lap above and the rest of your day will seem to pass very slowly.

Exhaust: In his review for Hagerty Henry Catchpole said “this new RS is capable of operating at a level most of us would struggle to reach,” and his point has just been reinforced by this new ‘Ring time. You may question the relevance of such exploits when it comes to road cars, but buyers want bragging rights for their $225,250, and they don’t come much better than this. We can’t help but look to the future and hope that a twin-turbo GT2 RS is on the way—what time will that thing manage around the Green Hell? —Nik Berg

Lotus salutes Emerson Fittipaldi with special Evija edition

Intake: The all-electric, all-wheel-drive Lotus Evija – which was a star of the Goodwood SpeedWeek two years ago – will be promoted in a special edition to honor driver Emerson Fittipaldi, who started his Formula 1 career in a Lotus in 1970, and went on to spend three more seasons with the manufacturer. The 2027-hp Lotus Evija Fittipaldi celebrates 50 years since Fittipaldi and Team Lotus won the F1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships. The black and gold color scheme commemorates the original Type 72 race car colors, and it also features rotary dials crafted from recycled original Type 72 aluminum, plus Fittipaldi’s signature hand-stitched on the dashboard. The Evija Fittipaldi’s designation is written in gold lettering on the side of the rear window. Black and gold Type 72-style wheels are complete with anodized center lock surrounds—red on the left side of the car and green on the right—as well as black and gold brake calipers. Decals that celebrate the Type 72’s race victories from the 1972 season are on the active rear wing, while a number 8 has been applied to the B-pillar. Fittipaldi raced with that number on his car during the 1972 season, including for his win at the British Grand Prix. A carbon and gold Lotus nose badge completes the exterior styling.

Exhaust: One of those cars that’s a serious collector’s item before it even rolls out the door, the eight examples of the Evija Fittipaldi are currently being hand-built at the factory in Hethel, with deliveries planned for early next year. Prices weren’t revealed but we’re sure it’s well north of $2 million. – Steven Cole Smith

Norton goes Commando once more

Intake: Britain’s Norton motorcycles is bringing back the classic Commando. Its new 961 Commando will come in SP and CR trims and is “a modern rendering of an iconic and timeless motorcycle that is unmistakably Norton.” The original Commando was a big hit for Norton when it launched in 1967. Over the next 15 years more than 55,000 models were sold and it was voted “Machine of the Year” by Britain’s Motorcycle News five years in a row. “Today, marks a momentous milestone as Norton unveils its best Commando 961 to date, built by the company’s team of passionate experts to the highest standards,” says Norton. The new Commando has a timeless look, but the oily bits are fully up-to-date. The 961 cc parallel twin motor develops 78 hp at 7250 rpm and drives via a five-speed constant mesh transmission and a single plate wet clutch. Suspension is courtesy of Öhlins, with adjustable twin shocks at the rear and upside-down front forks. Brembo braking components will handle stopping duty. The differences between the two trims are subtle: The SP gets conventional upright handlebars, while the CR gets sportier clip-on style bars and a tweaked polished steel headlamp. Color options are Matrix Black or Manx Platinum, and both are complemented by contrasting pinstriping in either gold or black. U.K. prices are from $18,595, but there’s no word yet on when it will reach the U.S.

Exhaust: Norton has had a troubled history, but has recently had a £100 m ($113 m) investment from its new Indian owners TVS Motor. The 961 Commando is the first fruit of this new era, and CEO Dr Robert Hentschel is understandably rather pleased. “It’s been some years since the sound of a new Commando engine has echoed through U.K. streets and we’re delighted to be able to offer our customers this experience once again,” he says. —NB

No three- or four-cylinder M cars, says BMW M boss

Intake: BMW has no plans to allow three- or four-cylinder cars to ever don the full mantle of its hallowed M performance brand, according to a new report from CarBuzz. “We’re not even going to do four-cylinder engines in high-performance cars,” said M boss Franciscus van Meel during a media preview day for the 2022 BMW M fest, which will take place at South Africa’s Kylami Grand Prix Circuit. “I know there are other companies [that] are doing that, but we’re not going to do that.” It was the same story when discussing high-output three-cylinders, too. The “other companies” that van Meel is referring to are Mercedes-AMG, who is replacing its thunderous 4-liter V-8s with hybridized turbo four-cylinders, and Toyota, who uses a turbocharged three-cylinder engine for its GR Yaris and GR Corolla hot hatchbacks. The recently unveiled 2023 M2 will be BMW’s last gas-only performance car, but it sounds like even as the next-generation models gain some form of electrification, those watts will still aid six- or eight-cylinder engines.

Exhaust: We always appreciate a performance brand boss taking a hardline stance on something near and dear to our hearts. BMW’s inline sixes such as the S58, which powers the M2, the M3 and the M4, are some of the best in the business. We’re glad to hear that it sounds like they’ll be around for at least a few more years. — Nathan Petroelje

Maserati’s new special edition Ghibli and Levante pay tribute to F1’s first female driver

Intake: Maserati has a new FTributo special edition for the Ghibli and Levante, which pays homage to Maria Teresa De Filippis, the first woman to qualify for a Formula 1 Grand Prix, having done so aboard a Maserati. In October 1955, De Filippis took part in the 39th Targa Florio, driving a Maserati A6GCS (shared with Luigi Bellucci). She would take ninth place overall. This was the turning point that would lead her, one challenge after another, to break down conventions and become the first woman to compete in Formula 1 in 1958, again in a Maserati 250F. It was at the Belgian Grand Prix, and she finished in 10th place. She also competed in the Portuguese and Italian races, and would have run in the French Grand Prix but she was not allowed, the race director telling her, “the only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser’s.”

Exhaust: De Filippis was a gutsy lady. She was a founding member of the Maserati Club in 2004 and went on to become the chairperson. As for the FTributo, its mostly a trim package with two colors, Grigio Lamiera and Arancio Devil, which is a saturated orange, “a combination of vibrant energy and audacity, to recall Maria Teresa’s nickname, ‘the she-devil’.” Different 21-inch wheels come on each color car. The rest of the changes are all inside, including special stitching in the leather upholstery. No word yet on when, how much or how many, but Maserati does say it’s a “limited edition.” — Steven Cole Smith

KTM 890 Adventure R takes subscription features to a new low

Intake: With updates to its popular middleweight adventure bike, KTM has announced a new “demo mode” that will activate all the technological features offered on 890 Adventure R for the first 932 miles (1500 kilometers). After that point, riders will then have to buy any feature that they want to keep on the bike for the ensuing miles. KTM says that demo mode is a great way to allow riders to try features like the traction control, cornering ABS, or other rider modes tuned for various terrains and know exactly what they are getting and whether or not such a feature would make sense to have on their bike before plunking down unnecessary lumps of cash.

Exhaust: On the other hand though, this really looks like the base MSRP (which is yet to be announced) includes these features only to have them taken away by a line of code after a few months of ownership. All the hardware is there and it is clearly functioning, so neutering the bike shortly into ownership is easily perceived as a money grab similar to the old drug dealer “first hit is free” joke. The KTM adventure lineup has a good reputation with buyers who are not scared to spend the money, so what’s with the gimmick KTM? — Kyle Smith

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Matt McFadden’s first lap around Germany’s Nürburging was in a rental car. Not one of those bad-ass ‘Ring rentals optimized with suspension work and sticky tires for blasting around the Nordschleife—the undulating 14-mile circuit that’s generally regarded as the most fearsome challenge in modern road racing. No, he was in a lowly Ford Mondeo family sedan rented from Europecar. And he couldn’t have been happier.

“I was keeping an audio diary of my trip to Europe,” he recalls. “After I finished my first lap, I pulled over to the side of the road and pulled out my microcassette recorder and said, ‘Now I know what I’m doing with the rest of my life.’ That’s literally all it took—one lap. I’m a guy who loves to drive anything, anywhere, any chance I get. I mean, I’ll drive a lawnmower. I used to go to the golf course with my parents just because they let me drive the golf cart. I’ve always driven fast on the road, and I love canyon roads. I got into track days, and then I started racing. By the time I got to the Nürburgring, I was doing well in Porsche club races. And I realized after that first lap that this is the greatest track on earth.

Since that lap in 1996, McFadden has raced nine times in the 24 Hours of the Nürburging and done a half-dozen shorter races and time trials. He also visits the track at least once a year to participate in public days, in a lightly modded R-model Mazda Miata that he stores in England for just this purpose. During the past two-and-a-half decades, he’s logged more than 1,000 laps around the Nordschleife, and he’s recognized as a rare American Nürburgring whisperer.

“Either you get it or you don’t,” he says of the course that Sir Jackie Stewart infamously nicknamed “The Green Hell.” “The combination of elevation, curves and speed make it the most challenging racetrack in the world. If you can go fast at the Nürburgring, you can go fast anywhere. A lot of tracks—especially the Formula 1-spec tracks —are boring if you’re not driving a car that’s really fast. The Nürburgring has all that history and the constant element of danger. It’s like bullfighting: You’re always on the edge of disaster.”

McFadden, 65, has been obsessed by racing since watching the opening sequence of the movie Grand Prix, in 1967. A career as a union sound boom operator in the film and television industry has enabled him to amass an eclectic collection of seven cars ranging from an Acura Integra with 305,000 miles on the odometer to a 911 RSR tribute car that he runs in vintage races.

In 2004, McFadden attended the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring as a spectator. “It’s like Burning Man meets Woodstock meets an endurance race,” he says. “Out in the woods, people get drunk, build porno theaters, fire all kinds of crazy fireworks. We saw a guy in a Supercup 911 pull over to the side of the track, get out of the car, jump over the guardrail, take a leak, get back in the car and keep on racing.”

Two years later, he spotted a piece of notebook paper taped to a garage door: “Driver Wanted.” Turned out that an English team had a seat to fill in its diesel-powered Alfa Romeo hatchback. The price was a paltry $2,000. Although McFadden had nearly a decade of laps during public days under his belt, he was intimidated by the prospect of wheel-to-wheel racing, day and night, rain or shine, on the Nordschleife. “But after a few laps,” he says, “I thought, ‘This is exactly like driving a public day, except somebody’s keeping score.’”

McFadden rented rides in a series of interesting cars for eight more enduros. He enjoyed plenty of thrills and chills, ranging from a stint in mist so thick that all he could see was the white line at the edge of the track to a costly crash that wasn’t his fault. Inevitably, the price to rent a ride ratcheted ever upward, reaching $16,000 for his last race in 2016. (Expect to pay more now.) Even more dispiriting, the character of the event changed as German manufacturers started competing with full-on factory teams racing pure-bred GT3 cars. The action on the track became more cutthroat, while the ambience in the pits grew less collegial. “I compare the race to doing cocaine,” he says. “You spend all your time fruitlessly trying to reproduce how much fun it was the first couple of times you did it. And it never is.”

Still, McFadden remains a hard-core devotee of the public days. Yes, the price has skyrocketed (from about $7 dollars a lap to $30 these days even with a favorable exchange rate), and the track is always crowded (unlike in the 1990s, when he once remembers sharing the circuit with only one other car). But he remains passionate about the sense of community and the adrenaline rush of roaring through the Fuchsröhre and around the Karussell.

McFadden suggests that anybody determined to master the Nordschleife should budget more time than he initially thinks is necessary (and factor in jet lag). Not only is the circuit difficult to learn, but the public days are limited and the hours are short. Also, it’s hard to get a clear lap, which is a problem if you’re chasing a lap time. Weather is another issue. “It’s going to rain,” he says. “It can rain for 10 minutes, and it can rain for three days. It could rain on one part of the track, and the rest of it is in full sunshine.”

McFadden advises newbies to study the track layout before traveling to Germany. When he started, the only training aid was the cult-classic in-car videotape—remember videotape?—of Derek Bell in a Porsche 956. Now, there are countless videos on YouTube, not to mention video games and racing sims showcasing photo-realistic versions of the track. But no matter how hard you cram, McFadden says you’ll be unprepared for the elevation changes, lack of runoff areas and sheer speed of the circuit, so be super-duper cautious on that first lap unless you want to enjoy your 15 minutes of fame in a Nürburgring wreck compilation video.

“I remember driving on the autobahn to the track, and we saw a gorgeous E30 M3,” he says. “He went out a little before us, and when we came along in the Miata, his car was in a steaming heap on the side of the road with the front bumper sticking out of the guardrail like an arrow. And he hadn’t even gotten past Hatzenbach, which is six or seven corners in!”

The Nordschleife repays the standard techniques of late apexing and keeping your eyes up, only more so. The circuit features a ton of connected corners, so if you’re improperly placed for the first one, you may not make it through the last one, hence McFadden’s emphasis on late apexes. Also, corner workers are few and far between on public days, so drivers have to look far ahead to avoid accidents that have occurred beyond their line of sight.

And crashes occur—all the time. “I warn people that you crash at the Nürburgring under one of two circumstances,” McFadden says. “The first lap, because you don’t respect it enough, and it’ll bite you. Or on that first lap when you think you know what you’re doing.”

McFadden speaks from personal experience. On about his seventh day at the track, he was confident enough to start drifting his rental BMW 316i four-door. But he carried too much speed into Eschbach, lost the rear end and spun into a guardrail. Fortunately, this was before rental car companies prohibited patrons from lapping on the Nordschleife, and insurance covered the damage. (In fact, McFadden immediately returned to the track in a replacement rental car.)

Although the circuit is fast and flowy, it doesn’t have many obvious passing zones, so track etiquette is crucial. “You don’t want to be that person– the driver who goes fast in a straight line and parks it in the corners so everybody stacks up behind you,” he says. On public days, all passing is supposed to be done on the left. But McFadden often follows Nürburgring endurance-racing protocol, which is to use your turn signal to alert passing drivers about which side you’re choosing. In races, after executing passes, drivers often hit their flashers to show their gratitude to helpful slower traffic. Hans Stuck would go a step further and flick the steering wheel to cause the rear end of his car to wiggle.

McFadden didn’t visit Germany during the pandemic. But like swallows returning to Capistrano, he made his annual pilgrimage to the Nürburging this past summer. “Every lap I do, when I came out of that last corner and pass under the gantry, I tap the steering wheel and go, ‘Thank you, car,’” he says. “Even now, 26 years after my first visit, every lap is still rewarding.”

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Porsche has retaken the honors for turning the fastest lap among production EVs on the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife track in Germany, with the Taycan Turbo S besting the 2021 record set by a Tesla Model S Plaid by just over two seconds.

“We’re delighted that the Nürburgring record for electric cars is back in Porsche hands,” says Kevin Giek, vice president for the Taycan line. “This lap time not only shows how much potential lies in our new performance kit, but also confirms once again the sports car genes of the Taycan.”

The Tesla’s lap was seven minutes, 35.579 seconds. The Taycan Turbo S took seven minutes at 33 seconds. At the wheel was Lars Kern, Porsche’s only performance test driver, and a man who has studied the twists and turns of the Nürburgring Nordschleife since he was a boy.

The sports sedan was equipped with the new performance kit and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) and aside from the required roll cage and racing seats was an entirely standard production vehicle. It weighs the same as the series-production car. A notary was on hand to verify the new record time on the 20.8-kilometer circuit in Germany’s Eifel region, while TÜV Rheinland confirmed that the record-breaking road car was a standard production model.

The performance kit includes 21-inch, RS Spyder–design wheels with road-approved, Pirelli P Zero Corsa sports tires that are now available for the Taycan. The performance kit has is a software update to the Porsche 4D Chassis Control so that it works in harmony with the sports tires. The system synchronizes all the chassis systems of the Taycan in real time.

“In the past, only thoroughbred super sports cars got into the 7:33 range,” says Kern. “With the new performance kit I was able to push even harder, and the car was even more precise and agile to boot.”

Lest you plan to buy a Taycan and set a new record yourself, be advised that the performance kit is presently only available in Germany. Porsche plans to produce the kit alone and make it available for retrofit.

This is the second time a Taycan Turbo has set the electric record. Elon Musk, the ball’s in your court. Kern, incidentally, holds the ICE road-going record in a Porsche 911 GT2 RS at 6:38.835.

The Porsche Taycan Turbo S starts at $187,400.

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Yes, this camouflaged Chevrolet Corvette C8 just looks like a Corvette with camo, and it is. But what it doesn’t show is underneath: This is the prototype for the new hybrid Corvette, which—in a tweet earlier this year—GM president Mark Reuss promised for 2023. Reuss also promised a fully electric Corvette, based on the same Ultium battery platform that underpins the new electric Blazer, but that’s a way off.

The hybrid Vette shouldn’t be. Designers were told at the outset that there would be a hybrid version, so placement of a small battery shouldn’t be difficult, with much of the hybrid system contained in the drivetrain. Main power should come from the existing 6.2-liter V-8.

How do we know these camouflaged Corvettes are hybrids? Because they wear the yellow stickers required by the Nürburgring for vehicles that have enhanced electrical components, to tip off safety workers in the event of a crash.

In a video earlier this year, Chevrolet teased an all-wheel-drive Corvette grabbing for traction in the snow. And this could be it, with the electric motor driving the front wheels. Speculation is that the all-electric Vette will definitely be AWD.

We are aware that Chevrolet filed a trademark for the name E-Ray, but at this point it seems more likely that name will be saved for an all-electric Vette than this hybrid. But we could be wrong.

Either way, we expect the hybrid could use a race-style Tremec transaxle that will help manage the hybrid system and generate power, along with some regenerative braking. And we haven’t ruled out plug-in capability.

Look for this car in the third quarter of 2023. And Northern dwellers, rejoice: You’ll be able to drive your Corvette all winter long.

The post Leaked (again): Hybrid Corvette, due in 2023, on the Nürburgring appeared first on Hagerty Media.

If “free-breathing, maximum track attack 911” is a phrase that gets you all hot and bothered, good news: Spy photographers at the Nurbürgring have captured camouflage-free images of Porsche’s latest, erm, free-breathing, maximum track attack 911. The 992-generation 911 GT3 RS will likely continue right where the outgoing 991.2-gen car left off: wings, wheels, and walloping power. Let’s dig in.

The hallmarks of Porsche’s RS—short for Rennsport—lineup are the massive wings, and track-first tuning mentality applied to every nut and bolt of the car. Think 911 Cup Car with a license plate, and you’re on the right path. This new car certainly has the wing to imply track-day hero: a massive, goose-necked ironing board hangs aft of the iconic sloping roofline. Interestingly, if you look closely at the pictures below, it appears that the upper horizontal component of the wing moves—akin to the DRS (Drag Reduction System) flap found on modern Formula 1 cars. Is the GT3 RS finally getting into the active aero game? That rear section would lay flat during the straights to reduce drag and increase top speed, then flip nearly vertical under braking or cornering to provide more stability and downforce in the twisty bits. Active wings on Porsches certainly aren’t a new thing—the 964-generation 911 Carrera had an electronically-deploying wing all the way back in the early ’90s. Still, we haven’t seen this treatment on the GT3 RS yet—in any of the previous generations.

Elsewhere, every part of the bodywork on this brute looks optimized for airflow, cooling, or some mix of the two. Vertical endplates shroud both sides of the front wheel to help stabilize the air zipping around the massive, center-lock front wheels, and the same sort of endplate can be found behind the rear wheels as well. Menacing air exhausts in the front fenders will probably help relieve pressure built up in the wheel wells, in addition to providing exits for the air used to cool the pizza-dish-sized front brakes. The huge cooling nostrils in the hood don’t look all that sexy, but when your car’s mechanicals (engine, gearbox, differentials, and more) are generating this much heat, you gotta flow healthy gusts of air over strategically place radiators.

Speaking of engine goodies, expect an updated and even more high-strung version of the naturally-aspirated four-liter flat-six found in the previous GT3 RS (and the new Cayman GT4 4.0, this car’s spunky mid-engined little brother.) That engine was good for 520 hp and 346 lb-ft of torque in its last go-around, and we’d expect those numbers to grow, if only by a touch; 355 lb-ft and 530 hp would be plenty, as this car isn’t about raw pace exclusively—the 640-hp 911 Turbo S has that area covered. Porsche’s telepathic PDK dual-clutch automatic will likely be the only box on offer here. If you want three pedals, the 911 GT3 has you covered.

It’s rumored that Porsche’s new apex predator will bow at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The marque has made no such allusions, but we wouldn’t put it past a well-oiled machine such as Porsche to come out with a mic drop like that. Whether it’s this weekend or sometime later this year, we can’t wait to see the new 911 GT3 RS revealed in all its bewinged, yowling glory.

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Nissan’s new Z beats Supra for value, can’t best 5.0 Mustang

Intake: 268 days after we first saw the reborn Z car, we finally know what it’s like to drive … and how much it will cost. The 2023 car ditches the numerals of its 300, 350, and 370 predecessors entirely and comes in two specifications. Both Sport and Performance come with the same 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6 in 400-hp tune, paired either to a six-speed manual or an automatic. To Nissan’s credit, there’s no upcharge for either gearbox, regardless of trim: The Sport starts at $41,015 and the Performance at $51,015. The additional 10 grand gets you 19-inch wheels clad in 240-treadwear Bridgestones and hiding larger brakes, plus a clutch-type mechanical limited-slip diff and rev-matching for the manual (automatic cars get unique shifter paddles). No, Nissan won’t let your cherry-pick the uprated brakes or the LSD for the base car. If you like your rear-drive performance Japanese-flavored, the base Z is a powerful argument against the BMW-engineered Supra, which has just 255 hp in base form and costs $3K more than the 400-hp Nissan. The margin narrows when comparing the 3.0 Supra with the Z Performance: The Toyota costs just $1100 more but gives up 18 hp to the Nissan. Willing to consider a few extra cylinders? A manual, 5.0-liter Mustang brings 50 more ponies to the party for $2345 less than the base Z. 

Exhaust: Pricing aside, you want to know whether the new Z fits you and your driving style. We drove it on track and street: Read our full-length review here.

This Autocar coal truck might be the world’s hardest-working pickup

Intake: Just one look at this 1916 Autocar coal truck tells you it means business: solid rubber tires, 14-pack leaf spring out back, and a big radiator that acts as a dashboard. Jay Leno likes getting this truck out from time to time, though it no longer needs to earn its keep. Capable of hauling 2.5 tons of material, it was used as a delivery truck in its early life. Now it stands as a great example of early trucks and their key selling points: Reliability and capability. Speed? Not so much.

Exhaust: In the early days of the automobile, its main competition was livestock. Horses can pull a cart all day if fed, watered, and well trained. Getting an early engine to do the same was no small feat. This explains why so many early engines were overbuilt, often to what seems a comical degree today. Leno is right when it comes to this engine’s ability to run for hours on end. Just look at the robust cooling system and how under-stressed the engine is. It might not be delivering coal anymore, but if this Autocar ever needed to, I think it would be ready to go right back to work.

F1 driver Charles Leclerc stuffs ex-Lauda Ferrari into wall

Intake: Last weekend, during the annual vintage exhibition at Monaco, current Formula title contender—and hometown boy—Charles Leclerc backed the Niki Lauda–driven 1972 Ferrari 312B3 open-wheeler into the barriers outside of the La Rascasse hairpin. Following the spin, the Monegasque driver quickly threw up his hands and disbelief and looked down at the pedals. According to motorsport.com, Leclerc was overheard saying, “I lost the brakes. I lost the brakes! I braked, the pedal was hard, and it went to the floor.” Earlier this morning, a photo published by autosport.com (and embedded below) reveals shards of the Ferrari’s left front brakes exiting under the side pod, shortly before the crash. Once the young driver regained composure, he was able to drive the wounded Ferrari back to the paddock despite the crumpled rear wing. The flat-12 powered grand prix star that Leclerc spun is owned by Methuselah Racing, an outfit based in Cologne, Germany.

Exhaust: Following the wreck Leclerc dispensed the tweet: “When you thought you already had all the bad luck of the world in Monaco and you lose the brakes into rascasse with one of the most iconic historical Ferrari Formula 1 car.” The incident is yet another notch in the young driver’s cursed history at the famed street course. In 2021, Leclerc qualified on pole for the Monaco Grand Prix. While trying to better his time on the proceeding lap, he crashed his Ferrari, rendering the car unable to compete on race day. Stuffing a vintage Lauda car into the wall is never a good thing, but maybe—to the optimistic Leclerc fanatic—last weekend’s crash expunged the last of Leclerc’s bad luck ahead of the modern Grand Prix this month. 

Charles Leclerc suffered brake failure when he crashed a Ferrari 312B3 at the Monaco Historic GP

Here’s the full story and exclusive photos https://t.co/NtGoViV4Rn

— Autosport (@autosport) May 16, 2022

Mission R–based prototype previews electric Cayman spec series

Intake: Remember that 1100-hp, all-electric concept racer that Porsche announced last year? Porsche’s begun track-testing that dual-motor setup and its supporting 900V architecture in a Cayman GT4 Clubsport chassis. Dubbed the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance, this all-wheel-drive prototype (or pair of them) boasts comparable output and charging stats to the initial Mission R study: 986-plus hp in qualifying mode, available only for a few laps, and 604 hp sustainable for 30 minutes (aka race mode). The battery pack can be zapped from 5 to 80 percent charge in roughly 15 minutes. The GT4 ePerformance also cribs the Mission R’s coolest feature: The batteries and e-motors are both cooled internally via a proprietary oil. Though 6000 parts are unique to this electric Cayman racer, Porsche initially developed this direct-cooling setup for the 919 Hybrid racers with which it last won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 2017.

Exhaust: There’s real tech transfer here as Porsche reinvents a spec-racing Cayman to parallel the next-gen 718 models, which will adopt all-electric running gear by mid-decade. Turn-key race cars like the 911 GT3 Cup and the Cayman GT4 Clubsport are extremely lucrative for Stuttgart, which sells more factory-prepped racers to customers than any other production-car manufacturer. This GT4 ePerformance indicates Porsche’s deep investment in a risky move: Executing an electric racer that delivers on the virtues of its combustion-powered spec-racing offerings: high durability and easy serviceability.

Delage wants to ’Ring up the ultimate lap time

Intake: Born-again French hypercar brand Delage is seeking to snatch the fastest production car Nürburgring lap record from Porsche. The company’s $2.3 million D12 looks every inch the racer with its styling as close to a Formula car as you’re ever likely to see on the road. The closed cockpit has a central driving position and a tandem jump seat for a brave passenger who will be squeezed right up against the car’s mid-mounted V-12 engine. Internal combustion produces 990 hp, while there’s an additional electric boost of 110 hp to bring the total to 1100 horses. With a dry weight of just 3000 pounds, the D12 is said to reach 62 mph from rest in 2.6 seconds and top out at 224 mph. The monocoque and even the wheels are carbon fiber, suspension is by an inboard contractive system as featured in F1 and, on that subject, the car has been set up by 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve who will also be on hand to offer driver coaching to the 30 buyers.

Exhaust: To beat Porsche, Delage will have to better six minutes 38.835 seconds set by Lars Kern in 2021 driving a 911 GT2 RS with a Manthey Racing performance kit., which adds aero and braking performance, reduces weight a tad but doesn’t add to the car’s 700 hp. With the Delage’s insane power output and race-car spec it looks like a shoe-in for the ‘Ring record. We’ll find out next year.

Are gold cars bad investments? It’s not black and white

Intake: Gold cars are the steepest depreciators among late-model vehicles, according to a study by iSeeCars. Number-crunchers looked at the prices of more than six million new and used cars between 2017 and 2020, and data mined to discover that of 13 popular colors gold ranked last with a three-year depreciation of 45.69 percent. By contrast, yellow cars fell just 20.4 percent over the same period. “Yellow may not be a widely desired car color, but there are enough people who want yellow, versus the number of yellow new cars being ordered, to make yellow cars more desirable than others on the used market,” explained iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer. Rare hues of beige and orange made up the top three while silver, white, and black came in eighth, ninth, and tenth.

Exhaust: It’s worth pointing out the vagaries here. Where does beige end and gold begin, for example? What criteria did iSeeCars use to suss out these “rare” shades, and did it account for gold-toned shades branded by the OEM as silver? The survey doesn’t account for make or model, either, so we don’t know whether more colorful (blue, green, red, yellow) cars tend to be enthusiast vehicles. These trivia tidbits aren’t quite so black and white.

The post New Z beats Supra on price and power, Leclerc bends Lauda F1 car, do gold cars suffer in resale? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Chevy’s 2022 Silverado ZR2 plunges into the off-road truck wars

Intake: The Bowtie just marked its territory in the raucous arena of full-size, off-road performance pickups. Meet the 2022 Silverado ZR2, the gnarliest dirt-flinging Chevy to leave the factory line. This flagship truck features Chevy’s 420-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 and all the off-road goodies you’d need to lay waste to your local dune land or rock garden, including front and rear e-lockers, underbody skid plates, meaty 33-inch tires, a nip-tucked front bumper for a better approach angle, and, best of all, trick Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers similar to those found on its little brother, the Colorado ZR2. While the ZR2 model is the main act, 2022 will also feature a host of new updates for the rest of the Silverado line, including a reimagined interior for all trims LT and up, featuring a sweeping 13.4-inch infotainment screen with built-in Google Assistant and Google Maps.

Exhaust: About time, eh? Expect this ballsy Silverado to be fully competent where the blacktop ends, but don’t put it in the same realm as Mopar’s outlandish TRX: Like the ’21 Raptor, it doesn’t have the sheer firepower. The magic of Chevy’s contender, in our eyes, is the all-American simplicity of its free-breathing V-8 compared to Ford’s techy twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6. What’s more, the interior changes for the 2022 Silverado look fantastic, finally bringing the interior into the same realm of ritziness as the Ram 1500 and Ford F-150. Whether or not this new ZR2 can dance like the Raptor remains to be seen.

GT 7 set for spring launch on PS5 and PS4

Intake: The long wait is almost over. Gran Turismo 7 is set to go on sale on March 4, 2022, and, along with the trailer above, a whole host of features and cars have been announced. There’s a return of past-favorites such as tracks like Trial Mountain and the High Speed Ring, a used-car dealership, and styling and performance parts upgrades. A full list of cars is yet to be published, but the trailer reveals some very special stuff including the Porsche 917 Concept, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, Ferrari FXX K, and Alfa Romeo 155 touring car. We also spied an eclectic bunch of classics—from a Willy’s Jeep and Aston Martin DB5 to what looks like an Alfa Romeo 6C. Every iteration of Skyline GT-R appears to be present, too. The graphics are another leap forward in realism, although the trailer is captured on a PS5; PS4 owners may not get quite such a depth of detail.

Exhaust: We. Can. Not. Wait. Kazunori Yamauchi—Mr. Gran Turismo—may always run late, but he always delivers. GT 7 looks set to become The Real Driving Simulator once again.

Tesla Model S runs rings round Porsche Taycan at the Nordschleife

Intake: Elon Musk claims that a Tesla Model S Plaid has just set an official world record for an EV lap of the Nürburgring with a time of 7:30.909. Musk adds that the car was completely unmodified and straight from the factory. The Model S time is over ten seconds swifter than the lap set by Porsche’s pre-production Taycan in August of 2019. Porsche’s benchmark was, however, achieved with its Turbo model and not with the Turbo S, so we can expect the Germans to be back soon to reclaim their honor.

Exhaust: Big-ups to Tesla for this achievement—that is indeed a rapid lap, and if it was accomplished with a standard car (with that crazy yoke, too), then the time is even more impressive. Seven-thirty is, however, still miles off the outright record set by VW’s ID.R at 6:05.336.

North Carolina will ban “Carolina Squat” truck mods beginning December 1

 

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Intake: North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed a bill last week that outlaws a popular pickup truck modification called the “Carolina Squat,” in which the front of a truck is raised and the rear lowered. Proponents of House Bill 692 , which was introduced several months ago, say the Carolina Squat—also known as the “California Lean” and “Tennessee Tilt”—is dangerous because the angle of the truck obstructs the driver’s view of the road and also compromises the truck’s brakes. According to the new law, which goes into effect on December 1, a vehicle is in violation if “the alteration of the suspension, frame, or chassis, the height of the front fender is 4 or more inches greater than the height of the rear fender.” Offenders will have their license revoked for one year.

Exhaust: Regardless of whether you think the Carolina Squat looks odd or even stupid, should people be punished for it? Before you answer that, let’s look at the data. Oh, wait, there isn’t any—at least none that has been shared. What is the justification for a limit of “4 or more inches”? How are the cops going to keep tabs on this? By adding a tape measure to their gun belts? While our ears are open to the safety argument, we’re wary of this regulation of automotive enthusiasm—however polarizing.

Ford’s closure of India plants dooms EcoSport

Intake: After suffering over $2B in operating losses over the past decade, Ford has decided to shut down its assembly lines in India. The decision goes into immediate effect for local-market vehicles, but manufacture of export models—such as the North American-spec EcoSport produced in Chennai—won’t go quiet until the second quarter of 2022. Ford still plans to export vehicles to India, however. Ford Business Solutions, which currently employs 11,000 people in the country in R&D, software development, and finance positions, will also continue. Except for about 600 employees, however, thousands of people who currently work at the Chennai and Sanand plants will soon be without jobs.

Exhaust: Ford has confirmed to us that North America can bid adieu to the cheapest Ford SUV after the second half of the 2022. The Blue Oval sold approximately 60,000 examples of the pocket-sized EcoSport in each of the last two full sales years (2019 and 2020). Not bad for what’s essentially a lifted Fiesta with a base price of $21,640. For $140 less, however, Ford now will sell you a compact pickup whose hybrid powertrain nets (a targeted) 37 combined mpg—8 better than the bed-less, top-heavy EcoSport. It’s called the Maverick.

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What would a successor to the famed CLK-GTR look like if it were built today using a wealth of F1 technology and hybrid power? Luckily we have the answer, as Mercedes has developed the AMG One hypercar with the goal of bringing efficient power and even short-range all-electric driving to the select few that will be able to own this exclusive hypercar.

Mercedes has teased the AMG One for years, and had hoped to deliver it to customers starting in 2020. Now it looks like the hybrid hypercar is finally getting close to a production reality as this spy video shows a pair of pre-production cars testing on the vaunted Nürburgring.

With no camouflage to break up the car’s shape, it’s clear that the AMG One will look just as the prototype promised, complete with a huge active wing, rear diffuser, center fin, and F1-inspired triple exhaust tips.

Just like its championship-winning F1 cars, Mercedes is using a 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 engine and a trio of electric motors to power its sleek hypercar. One motor, linked directly to the V-6’s crankshaft, helps power the rear wheels, while a pair of 120kW motors power the front wheels. In total, the AMG One is set to have 740kW of thrust, almost 1000 hp, but there’s a fourth motor that also plays a key role in performance. The single turbocharger is assisted by an electric motor on the turbocharger shaft between the turbine and the compressor. Its job is to spool up the turbocharger and eliminate lag, improving throttle response and allowing a larger turbocharger to boost the performance of the small V-6 to genuine hypercar levels. No surprise, this is another bit of technology that came straight from F1.

One thing we noticed in this video is how little noise the AMG One produces. While it’s tremendously powerful and promises a top speed of 350 kph (217 mph), the car is just as docile, when necessary, as you’d expect a Mercedes to be. It’s no small feat to adapt F1 engine tech for use in a reliable street hypercar, so we’re excited to learn how Mercedes tamed this beast for public streets. What’s obvious, for now, is that this car will be every bit as dramatic-looking in person as the CLK-GTR.

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The Chevrolet C/K pickup—also known as the GMT400—is a universally loved truck. The boxy, stout design is timeless, and we bet you knew someone who had one (or four) somewhere in these great United States. From towing to hauling to navigating farmland all over the country, C/Ks carried out truck duties with aplomb. A few, however, were destined for more international fates. Take this 1989 single-cab long-bed, for example, which now spends its days at and around the Nürburgring.

Wait, what?

Yep, you read that right. Misha Charoudin, a well-known Russian YouTuber who lives and works near the ‘Ring, purchased this ’89 C/K on eBay from a farm in Pennsylvania as a surprise birthday present for his friend and fellow YouTuber Robert Mitchell. Mitchell grew up with a C/K pickup in his family, had very fond memories of that boxy workhorse, and said he would love to own one again someday. (You may remember Mitchell as the person who raised some skepticism as to the integrity of SSC’s first Tuatara top-speed run, and whom SSC CEO Jerod Shelby subsequently invited to watch/validate the second attempt, which was both successful and verified.)

Charoudin, being the good friend he is, fulfilled Mitchell’s C/K dream by surprising Mitchell with this blue-over-blue sweetheart. Naturally, the two had to point the Chevy’s towards the 73-corner, 12.94-mile Green Hell. Because what else would you do?

There’s something so blissful about seeing a vehicle completely out of its element. Watching the pickup shuffle-hump its way over the ‘Ring’s famously nasty curbs with relative ease is more than enough to put the grin on anyone’s face. That the pair are sending it while sitting high atop an all-blue-everything bench seat makes the spectacle even more enjoyable.

Charoudin and Mitchell jokingly make a goal of passing someone—anyone, really—on the track, which may seem like a mammoth feat. Do they and the Chevy succeed? Watch the video below to find out.

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If fans of Sabine Schmitz have their way, the “Queen of the Nürburgring” may soon receive a royal honor. A petition being circulated on change.org aims to have a corner of the iconic German racetrack named after Schmitz, who died earlier this week.

The petition, started by Dale Lomas, has more than 30,000 signatures so far.

In 1996, Schmitz became the first and only woman to win the Nürburgring 24 Hours and later added a second victory there. Two years later, she also became the first woman to win the VLN Endurance Championship title. Schmitz won nearly 50 career races on the famous German circuit.

“The Nürburgring Nordschleife (North Loop) has between 73 and 170 corners, depending on how you count them,” Lomas writes. “Many of which are unnamed. I believe that, like Stefan Bellof, her impact upon the Nürburgring’s history (and motorsport) warrants the official naming of a section of the Nordschleife in her honor.”

Schmitz, 51, revealed last year that she had been battling cancer since 2017. Born on May 14, 1969, she grew up in Nürburg and naturally became interested in racing after meeting many F1 drivers who stayed in her family’s hotel. Her first lap of the Nürburgring was in her mother’s BMW at age 17, a feat she kept secret since she wasn’t yet a licensed driver. Schmitz estimated that she had completed more than 20,000 laps at the Nürburgring, one of the most challenging tracks in the world.

“I never had to learn the track,” Schmitz said. “It’s in my blood.”

One day soon, a corner of the famous racetrack may carry her name. You can help make it happen.

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Very few new cars offered today could be considered unabashed love letters to the fine art of driving. As the world increasingly favors tarted-up crossovers and electron-fed transportation pods, the list of holdouts is wearing thin. Despite diving head-first into EVs such as the Taycan, Porsche is very much committed to balancing the scales with magnificent, traditionalist sports cars from its hardcore GT lineup.

Now that we’ve gotten to know the 992-generation 911 a bit, all backroad barons and track day zealots can rejoice at having to wait no longer: The new 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 is here with 502 horsepower, six throttle bodies, and a sub-seven-minute ’Ring time.

Think of the GT3 as everything great about the 911 GT3 Cup race car, distilled into a car that is laser-focused for on-road driving satisfaction. “With a soul that’s born in the Motorsport, the new 911 GT3 sends a driver’s heart racing,” said Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. “Whether it’s a customer enjoying their favorite twisty backroad or taking to the track, the new 911 GT3 promises to be among the most exciting and rewarding cars we make.”

The headliner for the new GT3 is its engine, which makes it the sole naturally-aspirated 911 remaining in Porsche’s lineup. The free-breathing 4.0-liter flat-six spins to a stratospheric 9000 rpm, producing 502 horsepower and 346 lb-ft of torque at peak output. This engine actually debuted in the ultra-rare 2019 911 Speedster, but it has been optimized for duty in the rump of the 911 GT3 with new pistons. More internal-combustion geekery: Just like the engine in the 911 GT3 Cup car, this flat powerplant uses six independent throttle bodies to sharpen engine response.

Even the slightest twitches on the loud pedal will send the GT3’s tachometer flicking towards frantic oblivion, which sounds all right by us. When equipped with the standard seven-speed PDK automatic, Porsche says this GT3 will crack off 0–60 mph sprints from a standstill in just 3.2 seconds, on its way to a 197-mph top speed. (Corollary: Neither of these numbers speak to why this car exists, as it’s the intangibles of these 911s that make them worth celebrating.)

The new GT3 is based on the body of the 911 Carrera, but the front track width grows by 1.9 inches. We’ve actually seen this car before—as a body-in-black prototype. Thanks to extensive use of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CRFP) on the hood, rear wing, and fixed rear spoiler, the new car nevertheless weighs almost the same as the outgoing 911 GT3. Porsche also used lightweight noise-insulated glass on all windows to further trim curb weight.

There are real aerodynamic advantages to the new bodywork, too. A revised front fascia features integrated cooling intakes as well as an adjustable front splitter that can be tweaked for road or track use. The most notable visual change comes at the rear, where the massive rear wing is now suspended via swan-neck connections, as in various race cars nowadays—911 GT3 Cup car included. The rear wing is manually adjustable, just like the front splitter, so that the two can work in concert with one another to press the car to the ground at high speed. Even in the default setting, the new GT3 produces 50 percent more downforce than the car it replaces. Set the front and rear wings to maximum attack and you’ll enjoy a 150 percent increase in downforce.

It’s not just tricky aero-work that has us eager to set this new car loose on an open mountain road. For the first time, a Porsche GT3 car will utilize a double-wishbone front suspension setup. Porsche says this arrangement—derived from the 911 RSR and 911 GT3 Cup car—will give the new car even more direct and precise steering than its predecessor, improving mid-corner behavior and high-speed cornering stability along the way. The rear suspension uses a multilink design, just like the previous version, and despite the fact that this GT3 is based on the 911 Carrera body, it does not share any suspension components with that model.

The new car features massive 16.06-inch front brake rotors, a 1.1-inch gain over the previous GT3. While the standard units are iron, Porsche will offer its powerful Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) as an option, for a surely hellacious fee. The PCCB brakes weigh roughly half as much as the iron ones and will offer better durability for hard track use. At all four corners you’ll find GT-specific forged alloy wheels measuring 20 inches in the front and 21 inches in the rear. Relative to the previous GT3, the front wheels are a half-inch wider so that you can stuff even more sticky rubber in those front wheel wells. Despite being physically larger, the wheels are actually a total of 3.5 pounds lighter than those on the previous-generation car. A Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 ultra-high performance summer tire comes standard, measuring 255/35 up front and 315/30 in the rear. For the first time, Porsche says it will also offer a street-legal track tire, the Pilot Sport Cup 2 R—an option previously reserved for the GT2 RS and GT3 RS.

Inside, a multifunction steering wheel includes a new drive mode switch, a first for the GT3. Going from cruiser to killer is now as simple as twisting the dial on the wheel. Four-way sport seats are standard, but for additional coin, you can spring for 18-way adjustable sport seats or hardcore, full-carbon-fiber bucket seats, the latter of which shaves another 26 pounds from the car’s curb weight. There’s a GT-specific “track screen” that reduces the amount of information displayed in the two screens either side of the centrally-mounted tachometer, helping keep the driver’s focus where it should be: the next curve. An available Chrono package will add an analog stopwatch in the center of the dashboard, as well as a digital stopwatch in the instrument cluster to keep tabs on your lap times.

Speaking of lap times, the new 911 GT3 clocked an astonishing 6:59.927 lap around the 12.944-mile configuration of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. That’s an eye-watering 17 seconds faster than the previous-generation car. While the car is by no means designed purely to chase lap times, knowing that the car is part of the elusive sub-seven club will be a convenient bragging point for owners.

Pause a moment and bask in the noise and fury of the onboard footage from that lap, embedded below.

Just how much will it cost for the privilege to own the new GT3 when it arrives in showrooms this fall? Porsche hasn’t released any pricing details yet, but don’t expect it to come cheap given that the outgoing car stickered just shy of $150K.

If that seems like an outrageous price, consider this: Porsche is choosing to drag a deeply outdated formula—a rear-engine, free-breathing, manually-shifted, low-riding sports car—into the present day. While an EV-dominated future is creeping ever closer to the present, the 911 GT3 endures as an example of everything people love about driving fast, and for fun. Bravo, Porsche. We can’t wait to drive it.

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Another day, another Nürburgring Nordschleife record broken, or at least that’s the way it seems as car makers continue to one-up each other on the toughest race track in the world.

Today it’s the Mercedes-AMG GT 63S that tops the timesheet as the fastest luxury class car around the Green Hell. The 2021 edition lapped the 12.9-mile circuit in 7 minutes 27.8 seconds, recapturing a crown it lost just three months ago to the Porsche Panamera Turbo.

The AMG GT 63S ran the ‘Ring in totally standard guise, with the exception of a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tires and an aero kit, which are optional extras. Propelled by its twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter, 639 hp V-8 engine, driving all four wheels through its 4MATIC+ system and aided by active rear-axle steering and electronic limited slip differential, the car mastered the circuits 73 corners.

Former racer and AMG tester Demian Schaffert (some may call him Demian Driver) was behind the wheel and the circuit conditions were far from ideal, with damp patches and a low temperature. Nonetheless he was able to beat Porsche’s best by 1.3 seconds.

You can watch the record breaking run below and expect a follow up from Porsche very soon.

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BMW, in its infinite wisdom, has deemed the new 128ti not worthy of these United States of America. However, the car that brings back the iconic ti badge has a lot to live up to for European buyers, so no wonder it’s been screeching its tires around the Nürburgring.

The 128ti marks the return of Turimso Internazionale branding that first appeared on the 1800TI and 2002 TI in the 1960s, before being re-introduced in the 1990s on the 323ti and 325ti Compacts. The biggest change in the latest generation is a move to front-wheel drive, as the 1-Series essentially shares its platform with Mini.

Powering the 128ti is a 2.0-liter, twin-turbo, four-cylinder engine with 265 hp, driving power through an eight-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission. No manual is available. The car sits 10mm (0.4 inches) lower than standard on M Sport suspension, with stiffer springs and dampers and firmer anti-roll bars. The steering calibration is unique to the ti and a Torsen limited-slip differential is fitted, along with 18-inch allow wheels, and fatter Michelin Pilot Sport tires.

The 128ti is distinguished from the outside by its badging, red brake calipers, red side skirts and air intakes. Inside, the ti theme is carried through with a stitched logo on the center armrest, and contrast stitching throughout.

The 128ti costs €41,575 ($49,403) in its native Germany, and as BMW has declared that you can’t have one in America, you’ll have to make do with watching it being ragged around the ‘Ring in the video below.

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There probably aren’t that many entrepreneurs who feel the need to lap the Nürburgring on their way to a business meeting. But those that do are in luck—Porsche has set a new “executive car” lap record at the Green Hell with the 2021 Panamera.

Porsche test driver Lars Kern hustled the car around in just 7:29.81, as you can see in the video below. That’s 13 seconds faster than the outgoing Panamera Turbo S, despite the track layout being a tad longer now. Porsche hasn’t released any technical details on the new car other than revealing that it was wearing sticky Michelin Cup 2 tires to set the record. The twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 is expected to be boosted to 620 hp, while tweaks to the suspension and steering are also on the menu.

Kern’s lap is quite something to behold. As he bounces the Porsche over curbs and leans hard on the brakes and throttle it seems extremely stable for such a large vehicle being driven on a knife edge. Kern is the epitome of calm as he hits an indicated 297 km/h (184 mph) on the straight. We wonder if he had the massage seats on?

The post Ride along on Porsche Panamera’s ’Ring record lap appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It’s been a busy few days on The Green Hell of Germany’s Nürburgring, with BMW pounding out laps in its new M3 and M4, Bugatti putting miles on the Chiron Pur Sport, and Mercedes-AMG testing the GT-R Black Series.

First take a look at the M3. The latest M-car is set to deliver 480 hp from its 3.0-liter, twin-turbo straight-six, or 510 hp in Competition guise. The standard car will offer a six-speed manual transmission with the Competition switching to an eight-speed M Steptronic unit. Initially the M3 will come in rear-drive only, with the four-wheel-drive M xDrive being introduced later. The M4 is essentially the same spec, but with fewer doors and that gigantic grille. The official launch is September.

Bugatti’s Chiron Pur Sport will be limited to just 60 owners, but they’ll be getting a car that has had its suspension, steering and chassis control systems fined tuned on The Ring. The car features optimized aerodynamics, shorter gear ratios and new tires compared to the “regular” Chiron. Yours for just over $3 million if they weren’t already sold. YouTuber Mishka Charoudin joined Bugatti for a ride as you can see in the video below.

Finally, the latest Mercedes-AMG GT-R Black Series has also been spotted with a gigantic rear wing, designed so that it doesn’t take off at flugplatz. Other enhancements include a front grille derived from the AMG GT-R GT3 racer, wider arches and beefier front splitter. At the rear you can’t miss that massive double-deck rear wing and a new diffuser. Mercedes-AMG hasn’t released full details yet, but given that the standard GT3 makes over 585 hp, you can expect the Black Series to break the 600 hp barrier when it’s revealed later in the year. In the meantime enjoy watching it in action in the video below where we learn that is, at least, faster than a Porsche Cayenne.

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Between the two world wars, the west German countryside around Nürburg was carved into what has become one of the greatest road courses ever built. The Green Hell broke ground in September of 1925 as something of a local public works project for the Eifel region. Over $30 million went to construct the initial 17.5-mile course, thanks to the braintrust of Dr. Otto Creuz, Gustav Eichler, and Konrad Adenauer. Dr. Creuz had drummed up the idea as a way to pump money into the economically depressed region, and Eichler’s architecture firm designed the paved course as a somewhat-tamed version of the Targa Florio, tailored for road racing but better insulated from ocean squalls and free from Sicily’s muddy slogs. Adenauer, mayor of nearby Cologne, helped drum up political support in order to secure funding for the track.

This project would’ve been a major undertaking even today, when we have nearly a century’s worth of specially-designed machinery to chisel and pave the hills around the Nürburg castle. In 1927, however, coal-fired brutes and hand-thrown shovels graded the countryside into a flowing course. Construction wrapped up in 1927, and the Nürburgring boasted several configurations that essentially coalesced into the two-track configuration seen today.

June 18, 1927, marked the first race on the new course. Saturday’s schedule for the “Eifelrennen,” or Eifel Race, began with motorcycle races. Barely evolved from their motorized-bicycle roots, these two-wheeled terrors battled until Toni Ulmen with his 350-cc Velocette came out on top. On the following day, Mercedes-Benz began to establish its dominance with a 1-2-3 finish led by Rudolf Caracciola with a supercharged Model S.

Following the Eifel Race, the Nürburgring opened its lanes to the public as a one-way toll road. For a few bucks, you could run the course on evenings or weekends. Thanks both to amateur and professional drivers, the Nürburgring’s legacy was thus cemented as one of the most rewarding and challenging courses in automotive history.

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Due to COVID-19, Europe’s most challenging endurance race—the Nürburgring 24 Hours, which is usually held in May—has been postponed to September. One team looking forward to the 48th event was Toyota Gazoo Racing, who’s been competing at the ’Ring since 2007. However, after 13 consecutive years at full throttle and multiple cars developed along the way—headlined by the Lexus LFA—Toyota Gazoo Racing has to skip this round to focus on the 2021 race instead:

“Toyota mechanics and engineers had intended to participate in this year’s edition of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with a Lexus LC race car they created themselves and were proceeding with the necessary preparations. However, the global spread of COVID-19 has resulted in travel restrictions and the TGR team did not have enough opportunities to conduct driving tests in the Nürburgring on track, and this has had a substantial impact on the development of the race car. This year, the team was planning to run a new engine and peripheral technologies in the Lexus LC. In the present circumstances, however, and given how demanding the 24 Hours of Nürburgring is for race cars, it would have proven more difficult for the team and the race car to complete the 24 hours race in a safe manner.”

Toyota was all set to test its new twin-turbo V-8 at the Nürburgring, an engine which brings the promise of a hotter Lexus LC to the table, perhaps even with an F badge.

Now, as American team SCG prepares its new 004C race car for September, Toyota Gazoo Racing is planning for the 2021 event already, with avid racer and Toyota President Akio Toyoda adding the following:

“The other day, a friend who lives in Nürburg sent me a photograph of the “Nürburg cherry blossoms”—beautiful flowers that bloomed again this year. For the past 13 years, every year, the team and I have prayed for safety and pledged to make ever-better cars in front of those cherry blossoms before the race. We are unable to do so this year, and my disappointment is immense.

“Even in these adverse circumstances, and although I am far away in Japan, while looking at the photograph I once again pledged to continue making ever-better cars.

“We have chosen not to participate in this year’s race. However, together with all our mechanics, engineers, professional drivers, suppliers, sponsors, and partners, we will continue to take on the challenges of making ever-better cars. It is my hope that all our fans continue to watch over our activities and continue lending their tremendous support.”

Cherry blossoms resonate deeply within Japanese culture, with the centuries-old tradition of hanami calling people to flower-viewing parties, where they can reflect on the circle of life and nature’s ephemeral beauty.

In the hopes of better weather, the 2021 Nürburgring 24 is set to be held in June. Toyota Gazoo Racing says this additional time will allow them to prepare an even stronger team and car for that race, so they can fulfill the expectations of their fans. If anybody is committed, it’s Toyota:

Last May, Akio Toyoda raced the 24 Hours under a fake name in a GR Supra …

The post Toyota skips the 2020 Nürburgring 24 Hours to prepare for the 2021 event appeared first on Hagerty Media.

This livestream originally aired at 1 PM ET on Friday 17 April – you can view the recording of the broadcast here.

For over a decade, GM engineer Jim Mero developed the Corvette’s chassis on Germany’s hellish and lethal 14-mile Nürburgring racetrack. Not everything went according to plan. In this livestream, we’ll probe the secrets of sports-car handling and hear how Mero strove to break the seven-minute lap time barrier.

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