Yes, the sales of little Japanese Kei trucks (it’s pronounced “kay”) were up in 2023, one reason they have been getting a lot of attention from the media. The compact haulers, built to conform with Japan’s keijidōsha class of light vehicles, are practical as well as cheap and charming, so smitten American buyers have been importing them from their home markets at a higher rate. But we should keep things in perspective: According to the Japanese Used Motor Vehicle statistics, 7594 Kei trucks were imported into the U.S. last year. Ten years ago, before many of these Japanese market vehicles met the 25-year age limit to legally import into the U.S., that number was 797.

Meanwhile, Ford sold 750,789 new F-150s in 2023. Those who suggest that the backlash from state governments seeking to keep Kei trucks off the road is even partly motivated by the desire of manufacturers of full-sized pickups to keep the market for themselves, a view that has also been represented in the media, are probably incorrect.

Governments keeping them off the road is the other reason the tiny, right-hand-drive Kei trucks have been in the news, and we blame Rhode Island. While the federal government writes the rules controlling the importation of foreign market vehicles like Kei trucks, it’s up to individual states whether or not you can register and drive them on the road. According to multiple sources, Kei trucks are street-legal in 19 states. But in Rhode Island there are only 30 or so Kei trucks on the road so, as they’ve done in many places, Kei trucks have sort of driven under the radar when it came to the law.

Until this happened, as told last month by the Providence Journal: “Imagine this: You import a mini-truck from Japan after calling the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles and being assured that you’ll be able to register it here. Several years later, you receive a notice from the DMV: The Japanese mini-truck’s registration has been revoked, and you’ll need to hand over the license plates.”

One of those owners was a constituent of State Senator Louis DiPalma, who began asking questions. Apparently, the state DMV had, since 2021, been re-evaluating its decision to issue registrations for Kei trucks based on existing law, and recently started demanding that owners return their license plates.

Publicity ensued, and the story was picked up by a raft of media sources, and officials in other states began asking questions about what their DMVs were doing about the danger represented by allowing Kei-sized vehicles on the road. Citizens began picking sides, and the next thing you know, outlets like NBC News and The Economist are reporting on the Kei kerfuffle.

And the whole mess is confusing. In Wyoming, you can drive your Kei truck on any road but an interstate highway. In Georgia, the Motor Vehicle Department conclusively insists that Kei vehicles “are not ‘street legal.’ Kei vehicles are barred from titling and registration.” That said, “…both customers and county tag offices have been confused by the title and registration laws relating to these vehicles. Due to this confusion, certain customers have successfully, albeit unlawfully, had their Kei vehicles titled and registered in Georgia.” Gee, whose fault is that?

Angry Kei truck owners have pointed out that motorcycles and scooters are allowed on public roads, as are hundred-year-old, 20-horsepower Ford Model Ts: Are they any safer than a Kei truck? In some states, the battle over Kei rights is getting downright contentious. Kei truck owners are banding together to advocate for fair treatment; the Texas Kei Vehicle Advocates, for example, report that they’ve already been successful in getting the state to reverse its ban on titling Kei trucks. A memo issued April 4 by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles said, “The department has revised the titling and registration requirements for these vehicles. Effective immediately, mini vehicles are required to be titled and must be registered if operated on public roadways.”

This cultish American enthusiasm for Kei trucks likely calls for an explanation. While we are talking about the tiny, single-cabover pickups or microvans that you’ve likely seen, say, doing maintenance on a golf course, “Kei” refers to more than that.

Kei is short for kei jidōsha, which is Japanese for “light motor vehicle.” A vehicle that is considered a Kei—and this has changed over the years, dating back to 1949—is, since late 1998, the following: Has an engine no larger than 660cc (about 40 cubic inches); no more than 63 horsepower; is no longer than 3.4 meters (just over 11 feet), and no wider than 1.48 meters (just under five feet). By comparison, the 2024 Nissan Versa, one of the few remaining small cars sold here, is 14.7 feet long and has 122 horsepower.

Since—obviously—the tiny Kei is not built to the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, only Kei vehicles that are older than 25 years can be imported into the U.S., because vehicles that elderly aren’t subject to FMVSS. That’s why the newest Kei vehicles you see for sale in America are typically 1999 models.

There are also Kei cars, including some sporty ones like the Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino convertibles, and the Autozam AZ-1, built by Mazda and featuring gullwing doors: Those three are especially appreciated by American collectors, and quite a few have been imported. Decent Beats and Cappuccinos start at under $7000, while the rare Autozam AZ-1 starts at about $12,000, and can climb to over $30,000.

But it’s the Kei truck that is pulling in the (relatively) big numbers, and there are many companies in America that want to sell you one. Among them is Japan Car FL, based in Oldsmar, Florida, just south of Tampa. They have been importing JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) vehicles since 2018. The small, family-owned company advertises that they are licensed, bonded and insured, which is important in the JDM world, because not every company is.

Among Japan Car FL’s Kei vehicles is a 1999 Honda Acty Kei truck with four-wheel-drive, air conditioning and custom wheels for $10,850, and an air-conditioned 1999 Subaru Sambar Classic Kei microvan for $12,250. Each, says Japan Car FL, “comes with a clean Florida title, and is ready to be driven home on the day of purchase.”

While Japan Car FL handles all types of JDM imports, the business is driven by Kei trucks and microvans, said owner Lana Kashchuk. “There has been an increase in queries as they become more and more popular. It’s the top seller.”

Buyers vary. Some customers use them for work—Kei trucks are affordable, maneuverable, and their small engines are easy on gas. Many have six-foot beds that rival bigger trucks in cubic-foot capacity. “We have a lot of small business owners who buy them for tree-trimming, pool service, that sort of thing. But we also have customers who use them instead of golf carts locally to take them shopping or to Home Depot, or they drive them on weekends to go to the beach,” Kashchuk said.

There’s no problem in Florida—for now, anyway—to get them registered and tagged. The state now officially refers to them “mini trucks,” for use on roads where the speed limit is 35 mph or less. “But at the same time they are not branded as ‘low-speed vehicles’—they are not golf carts, so they get a regular tag and a regular title,” she said. “We have a lot of customers who aren’t having any problems or issues because they have a license plate like any other car, and they have a title like any other car, but it says ‘MT’—mini truck.”

Modern Kei trucks and microvans have no problem keeping up with the normal flow of traffic—that 1999 Subaru Sambar Classic, for instance, has 54 horsepower, and is good for 70 mph. Yes, they may technically be limited to roads where the speed limit is just 35 mph, but many traffic officers will look the other way as long as a Kei isn’t holding up the show.

As in most states, you can’t register a vehicle in Florida without proof of insurance. You can insure Kei trucks, but you may have to shop around for an agent familiar with the category, Kashchuk said. “It all depends on the agent. He or she might be confused about the shorter VIN number—because it isn’t the usual 17 digits and letters like a typical U.S. car, and because they may have a model name that is not familiar to them, not in their system.” As far as financing, Japan Car FL works with several companies that make loans on Kei trucks.

Even as states struggle to decide exactly what a Kei truck should—or should not—be allowed to do, there will likely still be a market for them, if for no other reason than because they are reasonably affordable. And cute.

Oh, and what’s happening in Rhode Island, where this confusion arguably began? Senator DiPalma is co-sponsoring legislation that would restore the ability of Kei truck owners to register their vehicles, and get license plates. That’s the good news. The bad news for Kei lovers: The new law would only apply to the 30-odd Kei trucks that are already on the road there, for use “until they can’t function anymore,” DiPalma said. There is no provision for adding any new Kei trucks to Rhode Island roads.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post The Kei Kerfuffle: States Struggle Over What To Do With These Tiny Trucklets appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Yes, of course, we miss the Subaru WRX STI, even though it could be a bit, well, frantic. An acquired taste, and arguably a bit extreme as a daily driver, unless you live on a dirt road in the mountains of Colorado. But knowing it was out there was a comfortable confirmation that extreme performance vehicles were still available without a six-figure buy-in. Subaru dropped it from the U.S. lineup in 2021, and there are no immediate plans to bring it back.

As a consolation prize, though, meet the 2025 Subaru tS, which, we’re told, stands for “tuned by STI.” It will make its first appearance Sunday at Subaru’s Wicked Big Meet at the Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, a legendary half-mile oval owned by the Arute family, a name familiar to most racing fans in New England. The annual Wicked Big Meet is the world’s largest gathering of Subaru enthusiasts.

If you’re headed there, here’s a primer on the WRX tS so you can ask informed questions when you see it.

The Wicked Big News is that the tS features a new STI-tuned suspension with electronically-controlled dampers. It has Brembo brakes—six-pistons up front, two in the back—in the signature gold color, with larger pads and rotors. Rubber is the 245/35 R19 Bridgestone Potenza S007, chosen for their increased wet and dry grip and improved braking performance. Its wheels are finished in satin gray.

The outside mirrors, roof-mounted shark fin antenna and rear spoiler are painted Crystal Black Silica. There’s a tS badge on the rear deck, next to taillights that “glow with a look inspired by volcanic magma,” Subaru says.

Under the hood: The familiar 271-horsepower, 2.4-liter turbocharged Subaru boxer engine, connected to a six-speed manual transmission. Active Torque Vectoring is also standard as is, of course, Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.

Inside, there’s a new 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, which offers improved legibility and the capability to show additional information to the driver, including map display and route guidance. Gone is the power moonroof, deleted to save weight and provide some headroom for helmeted occupants. There’s also an 11.6-inch center information display and touchscreen for multimedia, climate control, and vehicle configuration settings. Drive Mode Select, which you could previously get only on the WRX GT, controls those dampers by offering Comfort, Normal and Sport settings.

WRX tS owners will be sitting on Recaros, which have a “Y-shaped design at the center of the seat backrest that embodies a design concept in which the sides and shoulder blades of the occupant are securely supported to maintain proper driving posture.” Upholstery is charcoal Ultrasuede with blue accents and a WRX tS logo embossed on the front headrests and carpeted floormats. The driver’s seat is eight-way power adjustable.

Subaru says the WRX tS will be at dealers the first quarter of 2025. Price? Doesn’t say. The base WRX starts at $32,735, plus $1120 for shipping. Prices rise for the Premium, Limited, TR and GT models, with the GT topping out at $44,215, much of that going towards the automatic transmission that has an eight-speed manual mode.

The existing TR is closest in content to the tS, including the moonroof delete, Brembo brakes, 19-inch tires and wheels, the six-speed manual transmission and Recaro buckets, and it starts at $41,655, before shipping. So we’d guess the new tS might start at a price close to the GT, somewhere around $45,000.

It’s still not an STI, but it’s probably the closest we’ll get until the next-generation model shows up.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post Meet the 2025 Subaru WRX tS, Likely the Closest We’ll Get to an STI appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The new-for-2023 Subaru Solterra, the company’s only electric vehicle, practically had “first effort” written all over it. Essentially a kissing cousin to Toyota’s first electric, the bZ4X (arguably the worst-named import since the Merkur XR4Ti), the Solterra SUV gave Subaru an electric toe to dip into the water, and claim its share of those $7500 federal tax credits.

An aside: That tax credit is applicable for leases only. Since the Solterra is built in Japan (65 percent Japanese parts, 35 percent Chinese, says our window sticker), the $7500 can’t apply towards purchase. The main difference between the bZX4 and the Solterra, by the way, is that the Toyota is offered in front-wheel-drive, and the Subaru is exclusively all-wheel-drive.

For 2024, the Subaru Solterra has enough updates to make it feel like a plucky second effort. Mainly, it charges more quickly: For 2023, Subaru said that on a DC fast charger, the battery could reach 80 percent capacity “in about an hour,” which lagged the competition. For 2024, it’s down to about 35 minutes. It can also charge, Subaru says, “significantly faster” in cold climates than the 2023 model.

Range is the same as in 2023, an estimated 228 miles from a full charge for base models with 18-inch tires and wheels, or 222 miles for models with 20-inchers, which includes this test vehicle. Our test Solterra was delivered with a 94 percent charge, which, said the dashboard, equated to 198 miles’ worth of juice. By comparison, Kia says the 2024 EV6 Wind e-AWD has an estimated range of 282 miles, and a combined 320 horsepower, which is 105 more than the Solterra, at a comparable base price to our test vehicle.

Size-wise, the Solterra measures out to match most of the competition. Length is 184.6 inches, one inch shorter than a Ford Mustang Mach-E. Width is 74.1 inches, a tenth of an inch wider than a Kia EV-6. The Subaru has 23.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place, 63.5 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks folded down.

Inside, it’s roomy for four, a little tight for five. The interior has an upscale look and feel; the exterior styling is pretty busy and angular, but in the cockpit, the design is mostly conventional, aside from the new oval steering wheel. I like flat-bottomed steering wheels like this one—they make sliding into the driver’s seat easier.

In the middle, there’s a wide console, leading up to the 12.3-inch multifunction touchscreen. Instruments and controls, while not exactly intuitive, are reasonably easy to figure out. The sound system, a 576-watt, 11-speaker Harmon Kardon was just fine, but most premium stereos are consistently good nowadays.

Specs: 2024 Subaru Solterra Touring

• Base price/as tested: $44,995/$54,558
• Powertrain: Dual electric motors, one at the front axle and one at the rear, with a 96-cell, 72.8 kWh lithium-ion battery
• Combined Output: 215 hp; 249 lb-ft of torque
• Layout: All-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger SUV
• Estimated range at full charge: 222 miles
• 0-60 mph: 6.7 seconds
• Competitors: Toyota bZ4X, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Kia EV6

Outside, the design doesn’t look particularly like a member of the Subaru family. I kind of like it, but opting for the “Elemental Red Pearl” paint also gets you “Galactic Black” trim (the colors cost an extra $890, the peculiar names are free), plus those big charcoal arches over the front and rear wheels that sort of blend in with colors like gray or blue, but contrast loudly with the red. Not everyone was in favor of it. The bZ4X has the same plastic cladding—neither company tried very hard to differentiate the exterior styling. Nor the driving style, for that matter.

Being a Subaru, the company’s marketing does what it can to paint the Solterra as an off-roader, but that’s a stretch. Yes, it has 8.3 inches of ground clearance, but that’s barely more that the Toyota bZ4X’s 8.1 inches, and Toyota press materials make only a passing reference to “off-pavement exploration.” Both companies offer Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud settings, and Grip Control and Downhill Assist Control, both using the same name for all those self-explanatory settings, sort of unusual for two separate brands.

Another aside: In case you were wondering (I wasn’t, but maybe you are), the name Solterra “was created using the Latin words for ‘Sun’ and ‘Earth’ to represent Subaru’s commitment to deliver traditional SUV capabilities in an environmentally responsible package,” the company says. That’s likely one reason the comfortable seats were trimmed in polyurethane “StarTex,” which definitely isn’t leather. Base models use “cloth.” Helpfully, Subaru explains that polyurethane is “synthetic plastic,” presumably in comparison to plastic that grows wild in nature.

On the road, the Solterra, despite having just 215 total horsepower, has more punch than you’d expect, and our 0-60 mph time of 6.7 seconds isn’t bad. During quite a bit of local and highway driving, I never wanted for more power. That said, the base AWD Ford Mach-E comes with 266 horsepower, and Ford says the 0-60 mph time is 5.2 seconds. Not that owners are likely to drag-race either vehicle.

The Solterra handles nicely in town, but its long suit is its highway performance. The rather basic independent suspension—MacPherson struts and coil springs up front, double wishbones in the rear—offers a smooth ride on all but the most uneven pavement. The steering has a precise feel on-center, and doesn’t require continual adjustment to keep the Solterra going in a straight line.

I didn’t have the opportunity to comprehensively test out the Solterra’s off-road capability; the cow-trailing we did could have been mastered by a Ford Crown Victoria. I don’t doubt that the Subaru could handle some moderate obstacles, and it certainly has enough electronic assistants to help navigate a variety of surfaces. Before I tackled anything challenging, though, I’d want a more aggressive tire tread than what’s available on the Solterra.

The Solterra is offered in Premium, Limited and Touring trim, with Touring being the top of the line. Our Solterra was a Touring model, with a starting price of $51,995, a significant step up from the Premium’s $44,995. With freight ($1345) and a handful of small options, our test car listed for $54,558.

For that, you get about everything you’d want, from a panoramic moonroof to a 360-degree camera to the handsome alloy wheels, plus a long list of electronic safety features. Like the Subaru-Toyota marriage that birthed the successful Subaru BRZ and its near-twin, the Toyota GR86, this Solterra/bZ4X collaboration works very well.

2024 Subaru Solterra Touring

Price: $54,558

Highs: Upscale interior; excellent ride, especially on the highway; comfortable seats front and rear, best-in-class ground clearance.

Lows: Middling range and charging time, polarizing styling, pricey unless you just want an electric Subaru.

Takeaway: If you can live with the range and mediocre power, pretty much a viceless electric SUV with some moderate off-road chops.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post 2024 Subaru Solterra Test Drive: Adding a Credible EV to the Lineup appeared first on Hagerty Media.

In Colorado, where I live, four-wheel-drive Subarus have been beloved ever since the first 4WD Leone-based models appeared in showrooms in the mid-’70s. Because of their popularity in the Centennial State for nearly 50 years, the car graveyards along the I-25 corridor amount to museums of the history of the Pleiades-badged brand in America. Today we’ll take a look at an absolutely loaded Subaru wagon, found in a boneyard just outside of Denver.

When we talk about U.S.-market Subarus of the 1970s and 1980s, we need to first discuss the way that Fuji Heavy Industries named their cars on this side of the Pacific. The Leone, as it was known in Pacific markets, debuted in the United States as a 1972 model, but that name was never used here. At first, they were designated by their engine displacements, but soon each model was pitched as, simply, “the Subaru” with the trim levels (DL and GL were the best-known) used as de facto model names. The exception to this system was the Brat pickup, which first showed up as a 1978 model. Things in the American Subaru naming world became even more confusing when the non-Leone-derived XT appeared as a 1985 model followed by the Justy two years later, and the Leone finally became the Loyale here for its final years (1990-1994).

The Leone began its American career as a seriously cheap economy car, mocked in popular culture for its small size (but still getting a shout-out from Debbie Harry). Sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team and gradual addition of size and features allowed Subaru to sell the higher-end Leone models for decent money as the 1980s went on.

In 1987, the absolute cheapest member of the Leone family in the United States was the base front-wheel-drive three-door-hatchback, coming in at an MSRP of $5857 (about $16,345 in 2024 dollars). Known to Subaru dealers as the STD, it was disappointingly never badged as such.

At the very top of the 1987 U.S.-market Leone ziggurat stood today’s Final Parking Space subject: the GL-10 Turbo 4WD Wagon. Its price started at an impressive $14,688, which comes to a cool $40,990 after inflation. A naturally-aspirated 1987 GL 4WD Wagon could be had for $10,767 ($30,047 in today’s money). In fact, the only way to spend more on a new 1987 Subaru (before options) was to forget about the Leone and buy an XT GL-10 Turbo 4WD at $15,648 ($43,669 now).

There weren’t many options you’d need on the feature-stuffed GL-10, but this car’s original buyer decided it was worth paying an additional $955 ($2665 in today’s bucks) for the automatic transmission. That pushed its out-the-door cost to within spitting distance of the price of admission for a new Volkswagen Quantum Syncro Wagon and its $17,320 ($48,335 in 2024) price.

Subaru was an early adopter of turbocharging for U.S.-market cars, with the first turbocharged Leone coupes and wagons appearing here in 1983. This car has a 1.8-liter SOHC boxer-four rated at 115 horsepower and 134 pound-feet, pretty good power in its time for a vehicle that scaled in at just 2,530 pounds (that’s about 700 fewer pounds than a new Impreza hatchback, to give you a sense of how much bulkier the current crop of new “small” cars is).

Subaru was just in the process of introducing a true all-wheel-drive system as we understand the term today in its U.S.-market vehicles when this car was built, and both 4WD and AWD systems were installed in Subarus sold here from the 1987 through 1994 model years. (Beginning with the 1996 model year, all new Subarus sold in the United States were equipped with AWD.) Subaru fudged the definition on its badging for a while by using a character that could be read as either a 4 or an A, as seen in the photo above.

I’ve documented a discarded 1987 GL-10 Turbo 4WD Coupe that had genuine AWD (called “full-time four-wheel-drive” by Subaru and some other manufacturers at the time), and it had prominent “FULL-TIME 4WD” badging and a differential-lock switch. This car just has the 4WD switch on the gearshift lever, like earlier 4WD Subarus with automatics, so I am reasonably sure that it has a 4WD system that requires the driver to switch to front-wheel-drive on dry pavement in order to avoid damage to tires or worse. But even as the current owner of two Subarus and a longtime chronicler of junked Fuji Heavy Equipment hardware, I cannot say for certain about the weird 1987 model year. Please help us out in the comments if you know for sure!

This car has the sort of science-fiction-grade digital dash that was so popular among manufacturers (particularly Japanese ones) during the middle 1980s.

It also has what a 1987 car shopper would have considered a serious factory audio system, with cassette track detection and a trip computer thrown in for good measure. This stuff was standard on the GL-10 that year, and you needed that righteous radio to fully appreciate the popular music of the time.

The odometer shows just over 120,000 miles, and the interior wasn’t too thrashed, so why was one of the coolest Subaru wagons of the 1980s residing in this place? First of all, there’s a glut of project Leones available in Colorado’s Front Range at any given moment. Second, all of the most devoted enthusiasts of these cars in this region already have hoards stables of a dozen with no space for more; I let my many friends who love these cars know about this one and they plucked at least a few parts from it before it got crushed (sorry, I shot these photos last summer and this car has already had its date with the crusher).

So, if you’re a vintage Subaru aficionado living where the Rust Monster stands 100 feet tall, head to the region between Cheyenne and Colorado Springs and find yourself a project Leone to bring home. We’ve got plenty here!

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post Final Parking Space: 1987 Subaru GL-10 Turbo 4WD Wagon appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Back in 1997, Prodrive built the first Subaru Impreza of the World Rally Car era, a set of regulations that took over from Group A in the World Rally Championship. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the WRC97 that Colin McRae, Piero Liatti, and Kenneth Eriksson all drove to the 1997 Manufacturers’ title, the same company in Banbury produced what it claims is a road-going version of a WRC Impreza. It’s called the P25.

Some have suggested that the P25 is a restomod of a 22B (or P1), but although it looks very similar, it is quite a different car under the skin. In fact, the skin itself is different, because almost all the P25’s bodywork is made of carbon fiber. In its lightest, pared-back track spec, it weighs just 1150 kg (2535 pounds). The EJ25 engine is also substantially upgraded and produces 450 bhp (444 hp) and 442 lb-ft of torque, meaning a 0-to-60-mph time of under 3 seconds. Sport Plus mode also brings Anti-Lag to the party, which does nothing for fuel economy and everything for response and entertainment.

There is a bespoke suspension, a new interior by Callum Designs (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), AP Racing pedals and brakes, a choice of seats, and a hydraulic handbrake in addition to the electric parking brake. But perhaps the centerpiece of the whole car is the gearbox: a Prodrive six-speed sequential with helical cut dog gears. It’s operated by a single paddle that you pull toward you to change up and push away to change down. There is also a fly-by-wire clutch that you don’t need to touch at all when you engage the rather spectacular launch control.

Sadly, only 25 P25s are being produced, and each starts at £552,000. The P25 also won’t be for everyone, as it is undoubtedly a pretty focused and at times raw experience. But it is also hugely involving and exciting, and it lives up to those claims of being a WRC car for the road.

As with the other, very different rally restomod that Henry Catchpole drove earlier this year, the Kimera EVO37, the world is a slightly brighter place for the P25’s existence. Even better, there is a suggestion floating around that this could be just the start for a new road-car arm of Prodrive, so watch this space. We’re hoping for an older, four-door Impreza next, with a manual transmission and unequal-length headers.

And we’d love to be able to take it to a track …

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post <em>In the Driver’s Seat:</em> Henry Catchpole on the Prodrive P25 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

For the 2024 model year, Subaru adds some special pop to the sporty 2+2 BRZ, and the changes are not under the hood. They’re below what’s under the hood.

This enthusiast brand and its enthusiast car, which is now in the third year of its second generation, just got some upgrades to be more, well, enthusiastic about. The latest tS model, tuned by Subaru’s STI performance division, plusses out the already fun-to-drive BRZ in a couple of different ways.

First, Subie swaps out the standard dampers for Hitachi’s Sensitive Frequency Response Dampers (SFRD). These marvels of modern driving tech mechanically adjust internal valves, making micro corrections as they respond to road imperfections. The rears only receive single-mode dampers, but you won’t care because they’re tuned to the same specifications as the front SFRDs. Expertly tuned by STI, the BRZ tS gets transformed into a formidable driver’s car. Uneven pavement, potholes—I was shocked, no pun intended, at how little these left the BRZ unsettled. Regardless of imperfect road conditions, my passenger and I could have sipped tea without a spill.

The tS also gets upgraded stoppers with 12.8-inch ventilated discs. Squeezing you to a stop are four-piston Brembo calipers—painted gold, thank you so much. At the rear, the car is equipped with 12.4-inch discs with dual-piston gold Brembos. Steering feels light, but not too light, and quick, must-have characteristics on hairpin turns, where the BRZ handles like a much more expensive car. Turn-in feels sharp and body roll mitigated to a whisper.

Packed with a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder boxer engine, the BRZ, a joint venture with Toyota, gets moving with 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque that peaks at 3700 rpm. If that doesn’t sound like much, factor in its 2846-pound curb weight, and things become more interesting.

A smooth-shifting six-speed transmission comes standard, but you can order the BRZ with an automatic if you’d prefer. Most BRZ buyers don’t: with a 73.8 percent take rate on the DIY gear selector, Subaru is succeeding where most car companies are failing—it’s saving the manuals. Though redline arrives at 7000 rpm, the gear ratios feel well-tuned. Second and third do the heavy lifting when carving canyons, even though you don’t get into the meat of the powerband until close to 4000 rpm. Because the car is so light, however, that doesn’t feel as though it hampers performance.

Around the 18-inch allow wheels wrap 215/40 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires, which afford the BRZ excellent grip under the right conditions. Driver beware in the rain, though: I found out the hard way, on a wet, tight turn taken too quickly, that even with nannies, the BRZ’s back end can quickly get away from you.

Specs: 2024 Subaru BRZ tS

Price: $31,315 (base), $36,465 (as tested)
Powertrain: 2.4-liter boxer four-cylinder, six-speed manual transmission
Horsepower: 228 @ 7000 rpm
Torque: 183 lb-ft @ 3700 rpm
Layout: rear-drive, two-door, four-passenger coupe
Weight: 2846 pounds
EPA-rated fuel economy (city/highway/average): 20/27/22 mpg
Competitors: Toyota GR86, Honda Civic Si, Hyundai Elantra N

You may not get more power in the tS than you do in a regular BRZ, but with both brake and suspension improvements, you’ll have free rein to push what you do have far further. The BRZ has a naturally low center of gravity—at 17.95 inches, slightly lower than the mid-engine Corvette—which helps make this lightweight rear-driver epic amounts of fun to drive.

If you’re afraid to have too much fun, then Subaru has you covered. Even equipped with the manual transmission, EyeSight, Subaru’s suite of advanced safety technology, is now available on all BRZs. That even includes Subaru’s Adaptive Cruise Control, though it won’t make a complete stop for you. The rules of physics still apply: If you’re using ACC on a manual BRZ, you can still stall out on the freeway. You also get a pre-collision warning and braking system, lane departure, and sway warnings, though thankfully the systems are easy to disengage if you’re planning on a spirited canyon drive—and I highly recommend you do.

Subaru swathes the interior of the tS in black cloth with trim-specific blue stitching and seat accents. The sport-designed front seats offer the driver enough support but aren’t uncomfortable during a longer haul. The surprisingly plush interior is rounded out by a leather steering wheel and boot cover, a large-enough 8-inch multimedia touch screen, which integrates Smartphones, Bluetooth, and XM technology, a 7-inch digital gauge screen, and red STI badging and accents.

From the outside, in addition to those blingy brakes, you’ll know you’re driving a BRZ tS by the script on the front grille. “BRZ tS” also appears on the rear decklid, but what you won’t find back there is a wing, which used to grace the tS in previous iterations; Subaru omitted the wing to help keep costs down.

Speaking of, the Subaru BRZ tS gets a sticker price of $35,345. That doesn’t include Subaru’s $1120 destination and delivery fee. For a fun performance rear-wheel drive car with a manual transmission, a sport-tuned suspension that lives up to the hype, and brakes to get it all safely to a stop that sounds like a deal. The BRZ Premium, which is the entry-level trim, starts at $30,195.

While some folks might remain unaware of the BRZ’s existence, all the right buyers know. According to Subaru’s sales statistics, BRZ buyers rank as some of the brand’s youngest customers, showing that Subaru is doing a second thing that most manufacturers can only dream of: keeping driving alive for the next generation.

2024 Subaru BRZ tS

Highs: Transformative suspension upgrades. Solid, confidence-inspiring brakes. Smooth-shifting gearbox.

Lows: Surprising low fuel economy. Infotainment screen on the small side. No additional power in the sportier trim.

Verdict: New tS upgrades put the already spirited BRZ into true driver’s car territory.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post 2024 Subaru BRZ tS: Next level appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The TR designating the second-highest trim level of Subaru’s WRX used to mean “tuner ready.” For the 2024 version, “track ready” might be more appropriate, says the company. If the location of the press junket location was to be taken literally, TR could also mean Targa Ready: The drive was held on a 91-mile historic racecourse around the Italian island of Sicily, the site of the famous Targa Florio race, held from 1906 to 1977.

Still driven by a 2.4-liter DOHC turbocharged engine, the WRX TR doesn’t get power upgrades. That four-banger limits drivers to 271 horses and 258 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers don’t disappoint, however, especially around twisty roads where straight-line speed doesn’t matter. Torque feels plentiful as it comes on full at 2000 through 5000 rpm. This tried and true mill pulls the WRX TR’s 3430 pounds nicely and the standard AWD keeps the car plenty balanced and stable.

In 2008, TR meant the base model WRX, stripped and available on the cheap so customers could tune, modify, tweak, customize, hot rod, or whatever else they wanted to do to their vehicle. For 2024, the TR is closer to the top of the model lineup, with performance enhancements already built in.

This TR comes equipped with upgraded Brembo brakes including 13.4-inch cross-drilled rotors and six-piston monoblock red calipers up front and 12.8-inch drilled rotors with two-piston monoblock calipers in the rear. There’s also a larger master cylinder controlling all that formidable stopping power, which is highly necessary around the twisting roads in Sicily, from the original Floriopoli pit garages up to Caltavuturo, which sits 2000 feet above sea level, and back down to the Mediterranean. Those brakes were at the ready when an unexpected pothole—or, worse, a crevice—appeared out of nowhere, demanding the full attention of the driver.

The Sicilian roads have seen better days; half of them seem to have fallen away, with cones and extreme caution signs in their place. There, the suspension upgrades were welcome. The weather swirling around Mount Etna, the volcano that is the island, cares not that drivers prefer smooth, unbuckled pavement and has left the roads an undulating mess.

Up front the WRX TR gets slightly stiffer springs and the dampers, . As a driver, I’d have preferred to push the car a bit harder, but conditions forbade it. That being said, with Subaru’s full-time AWD, controlled by a viscous coupling differential that splits torque from right to left 50/50, the WRX felt balanced. The torque vectoring system is brake-based and effective. Torque steer feels well-managed and minimal. In extreme conditions, the suspension felt jouncy and unpleasantly talkative. I had an opportunity to test the BRZ tS which has been upgraded with a different set-up and the two-door felt more composed under the same circumstances.

Specs: 2024 Subaru WRX TR

Price: $33,855 (base), $42,775 (as-tested)
Powertrain: 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder turbocharged boxer engine, six-speed manual transmission
Horsepower: 271 @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 258 lb-ft @ 2000-5200 rpm
Layout: AWD, four-door, five-passenger sedan
Weight: 3430 pounds
EPA-rated fuel economy: TBD
Competitors: Honda Civic Si, Toyota GR Corolla, Hyundai Elantra N

The 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels, finished in satin gray, look great on the TR. Subaru retuned the steering for a bit more feedback, and Bridgestone Potenza S007 performance tires that come standard point exactly where the driver wants them to go.

At this price point, the WRX feels like a well-put-together car. And buyers are agreeing: According to Subaru, sales of the 2023 WRX will post as the second-best ever for this generation, and 79.3 percent of second-gen customers have chosen the manual transmission. A continuously variable-type transmission comes optional on the WRX TR and can be operated in a manual mode with paddle shifters. Even though few customers will experience it, Subaru’s engineering efforts here have paid off; the CVT is not a bad option.

Recaro Ultrasuede seats secure you in the cockpit, which offers drivers a litany of standard amenities and creature comforts, including an 11.6-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. Graphics are clear and the processor works quickly, and there are also enough buttons and knobs to prevent drivers from looking away from the road when trying to perform basic functions such as temperature and volume control.

When you must look away, EyeSight—Subaru’s suite of safety features that includes advanced tech like adaptive cruise control, lane centering assistance, and lane departure prevention—helps keep you in line with pavement markings. On the TR the moonroof has been deleted to subtract weight and add head room in the event you’re wearing a helmet and tracking your car.

Fuel economy numbers for the TR haven’t been published yet, however, the 2023 WRX model wasn’t the most efficient car on the road, posting a 22 combined city/highway number with the manual and a 21 combined for the automatic. It’s likely the 2024 numbers will look similar, though the TR might take a small hit with its added weight.

The base model WRX starts at $32,735 minus Subaru’s $1120 destination and delivery charge. The WRX TR starts at a moderate-by-today’s standards $41,655. The top-of-the-line WRX GT asks that buyers part with $44,215. Unlike other brands with enthusiast cars, Subaru has strongly encouraged its dealer network to not add on a steep markup. Maybe that’s why it is so beloved. Take note, sellers of the Toyota GR Corolla.

While the Targa Florio road race concluded its impressive 71-year run in 1977, the name lived was adopted for an off-road rally race on the European Rally Championship circuit from 1978 until 2019, and yes, there Subaru took the top step on the podium in both 1995 and 1999. While driving in Sicily might have been a bit of a stretch for the Japanese brand, there’s still some Italian in Subaru’s bloodline.

2024 Subaru WRX TR

Highs: Improved, sportier suspension. Brembo brakes add to driver confidence. The torque vectoring and AWD systems give the WRX solid handling and performance credentials. Manual transmission standard.

Lows: Dampers display a good deal of jounce on uneven pavement under severe load. Some feel the new exterior design pales to that of the previous generation. No additional power for the TR or “track ready” model.

Verdict: The WRX TR nicely plusses a solid daily driver, though it lacks some refinement at speed on imperfect roads.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post 2024 Subaru WRX TR: Same power, more kit appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Though he was primarily known for the high-flying, tire-roasting antics of his Gymkhana stunt driving videos, Ken Block frequently competed in high-level rallying, too. Block, who passed away in a tragic snowmobile accident early last year, took the green flag at plenty of national and international rally events over the course of his racing career.

Now, one of his early rally cars is up for auction on Bring a Trailer.

The car in question is a 2004 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS, which the listing says was used by Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino in X Games rally events. The car was prepared for Open Class rallying specifications in 2006 by Vermont SportsCar (VSC), the longstanding technical partner of Subaru of America, which supports the automaker’s factory-backed rallying program.

In the hands of VSC, this thing underwent quite a transformation. The 2.5-liter flat-four was ditched in favor of a smaller-displacement (2.0-liter), turbocharged unit, again of the flat-four variety. The engine is paired with a KAPS five-speed dog-box manual transmission (read: straight-cut gears and no synchros) that sends power to all four wheels via a driver-controlled center differential and Cusco limited-slip front and rear differentials. The engine runs a MoTeC M880 ECU, a GReddy aluminum radiator and intercooler, and a SPAL cooling fan. A Prodrive 34mm Turbo restrictor is also noted; this was likely fitted to ensure the car’s compliance with contemporary rallying specifications.

Suspension hardware includes Öhlins shock absorbers, as well as rear suspension links and 20-mm front and rear antiroll bars from Cusco. You’ll find 15-inch Speedline Corse wheels wearing 215/65 BFGoodrich tires at all four corners, and a full-size spare in the trunk. All of the braking hardware has been upgraded as well, and there’s a Tilton bias adjuster inside the cockpit to fine-tune the car’s behavior when stopping.

That cockpit also features Recaro racing seats, Sabelt six-point harnesses, a roll cage, carbon-fiber dashboard and door panels, and more. The seller does note that the seat and harness certifications have expired, however, so if you want to battle the clock at your nearest rally event, you’ll likely have to pony up for new chairs and belts.

According to the Carfax report that accompanies this listing, the car sustained water damage in 2005, resulting in it being declared a total loss. (That incident is probably what qualified it for conversion to rally car, but we can’t say for certain.) Currently, the car’s Oregon title carries a Reconstructed brand, and previous salvage and no-actual mileage titles were issued in 2005 by New Hampshire and in 2006 by Vermont. While those documentation obstacles will likely make it hard to legalize the car for everyday road use in some states, this Subie might be the perfect candidate for your next ride if you’re looking to get into or are already serious about competing in rallying.

Win the auction, and you’ll get a build book detailing the car’s specifications that has been autographed by co-driver Alex Gelsomino. The car also carries the autographs of Ken Block and Travis Pastrana, both X-Games and rallying legends.

So just what will this thing hammer for when the auction wraps up next Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. ET? As of this writing, the leading bid sits at $46,250. This question is a bit more complex, owing to the car’s connection with one of rallying’s modern-day heroes. Will Ken Block’s ownership push the value of this thing sky-high? Probably not, but the connection could be worth some extra money to certain bidders.

We also have to take into account that this is not an official World Rally Cross (WRC) car, which is a knife that cuts two ways: On the one hand, it is not a bleeding-edge dirt missile that will rebel against all but the best pilots. Even if you’re a moderately skilled driver, you could get plenty out of this thing around a rally stage. On the other hand, those WRC cars are by far the most sought-after from this generation of the sport; we’ve seen WRC Imprezas of similar vintage sell for £610K (nearly $765K USD). While this one’s connection to Ken Block will certainly add to its appeal, don’t go holding your breath for a new rally-car record.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post How much will this ex-Ken Block rally car go for? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Traveling from Japan to the U.S. can take a lot out of you if you’re not prepared. The jetlag is a killer and, even if you’re flying business class, you’re going to have a few aches and pains as you stagger down the jetway toward home.

As it turns out, the trans-Pacific journey can be hard even if you’re a car, too. At least, it was on my car.

In early 2021, I bought my dream Subaru, a 1998 WRX STI Type R Version 4 Spec V Limited. That’s a long-winded way to say this is Subaru’s high-performance version of the Impreza coupe, one never released here in the U.S. I bought that car in 2021, but it didn’t turn 25 until March 2023. Since foreign cars under 25 are generally illegal to import, I had to store it in Japan.

I paid for covered storage in a garage. However, as I later learned, my car spent those two-and-change years sitting on top of a parking garage in the sun. When the car finally made it to me in New York it was utterly filthy and the paint was in bad shape. That, as it turned out, was just the beginning.

Making my dream Subaru look as good as I wanted was going to take some work. Here’s my journey.

The state of the car

After years of waiting, I couldn’t stop smiling as the car rolled off the transporter. When I got it home and into the garage, however, my excitement was tempered by all the work I could see ahead of me. For starters, it was disgusting, covered in grime from all that time sitting in Japan, plus whatever else it had picked up on the boat over and at the port in Seattle.

The windows were covered in writing from a yellow grease pencil. Every one of the four wheels had been curbed and chipped at some point during transit and, if that weren’t bad enough, somehow a big chunk had been taken out of one of the sidewalls.

After I doused the thing in soap and gave it a good bath, I spotted even more problems. A few panels had clearly been resprayed, but a scuff on the front bumper looked fresh, likely also imparted during shipping. There were dozens of chips and other little imperfections.

I decided to start with the wheels.

Wheel repair and restoration

I make a real point of avoiding curbs and taking good care of my wheels. So, having all four of the Subaru’s gold Rays wheels showing real signs of abuse was just too much for me. I looked into DIY options, but all looked well outside of my skill set. So, I decided to send the wheels out to the pros. A local shop made them look like new for about $175 per wheel.

The center caps, though, I decided to handle myself. These aren’t just any Rays wheels, they’re an ultra-lightweight model designed specifically for Subaru, and they have carbon fiber center caps to prove it. Those caps, though, were dull and scuffed up like everything else.

After a thorough cleaning, I broke out my favorite plastic repair set from Novus. It’s a three-step series of concoctions designed specifically for delicate plastics. I guessed it would work on carbon fiber too, and I was right. The end result was stunning. Those caps now gleamed beautifully.

Finally, I mounted a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires to replace the old, damaged rubber, and then we were in business. That just left the rest of the car…

Grease pencil on glass

One of the shippers somewhere had scrawled a bunch of identifiers all over the windows of my Subaru in what looked like yellow grease pencil. I had no idea what any of it meant, all I knew was that it had to go. This stuff usually comes off pretty easily, so I reached for some Invisible Glass, my usual go-to cleaner, and got to wiping.

I got precisely nowhere. That writing was baked on there good and proper.

I got more serious, pulling out a bottle of Goo Gone, my usual go-to for more persistent cleaning. Goo Gone did a little better than Invisible Glass, but I still wasn’t making much headway.

My next attempt was straight alcohol, and that did the trick—eventually. I had to mist on a layer, let it sit for a minute, then scrub like hell. I repeated that process two or three times on each pane, finally breaking out a razor for the really stubborn marks. It took nearly a full hour but finally, it was all gone. This glass was clean.

Paint restoration

I confess I’ve never been an expert on paint care, and so I was lucky to get a little expert consultation from Mike Pennington, one of the paint gurus at Meguiar’s. Over video chat, I gave Mike a tour of my Subaru and the sad state of its paint. He suggested two potential paths: a low-effort version that would deliver “fair” results, or a high-effort process for restoration-level results. When I said I was game for a little elbow grease, he sent me a box full of goodies.

Multiple boxes, as it were.

After a fresh bath for the car, I started with the clay bar, which if you’ve never used one is a slightly gooey, sticky bar of stuff that you simply rub on the paint, using quick detailer as a lubricant. That stickiness is key. The clay slides over the smooth paint but adheres to stuck-on deposits like pine tar or pollution. Within a few passes, I could see it all gathering on the formerly white clay.

That process took about an hour, and then it was time to get serious with Speed Compound. I’d used polishes and polishers before, but nothing so serious as a dual-action polisher, often called a DA. That was paired with a stiff foam-cutting disc. This is the most intensive step, so I was advised to go slowly. I made four passes over every part of the car, an agonizing process that took a whopping two hours.

But, the results were immediately apparent. That scuff on the front bumper? It was completely gone. Lots of other nicks and scrapes disappeared as well. But, I have to say that plenty of chips and deeper gouges were made even more apparent, highlighted by the compound gathered. Those will require more serious fixes later, but all things considered, for a 25-year-old Subaru that spent a few too many years in the sun, things were starting to look good.

With tingling fingers from the shaking DA and a sore back from all the effort, I was dreading doing it all over again with the Finishing Polish. But, this process went much more quickly. Applied on a softer foam disc, the slippery polish went on easily. And, with only two passes required, I was done in less than an hour.

The paint was really glowing now, but I still had one more step: wax. Pennington suggested Hybrid Ceramic Liquid Wax, which is purely for protection. Compared to all that had come before, and with the paint now glass-smooth, this part was easy. It took me less than 30 minutes to do the entire car.

The results

It was a hard day’s labor that gave me a lot of respect for all the great detailers out there, folks who hopefully have a healthier back than I.

Regardless, the aches and pains were worth it. No, I can’t say the car looks like new. It has its share of battle scars, plus a few areas where the sun-tortured paint is simply starting to flake away. All that is going to require a more radical intervention. But that classic World Rally Blue, scuffed and dull before, now gleams in the sun. I’m back to smiling whenever I see it.

There is, however, the not-so-small matter of the interior, which if anything is even more tired than the paint. That, though, is a project for another day.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post How I made my 25-year-old import look like new appeared first on Hagerty Media.

What a happy little car this 2024 Subaru Crosstrek is, all painted up in Pure Red. This is a modern Subaru, so in contrast there’s plenty of charcoal body cladding and trim, too. It’s a handsome-enough, new-enough package for Subaru to call the 2024 Crosstrek the third-generation model, but in reality it seems more like the second-and-a-half generation.

The test car we drove is a mid-level Premium model, with the smaller 2.0-liter horizontally-opposed direct-injection four-cylinder. The boxer engine purrs at idle as smoothly as a Honda, something you can’t always say about Subaru engines.

Coupled to a “Lineartronic” continuously variable transmission, one of the less annoying CVTs we’ve experienced, the powertrain is as spunky as the rest of the car. But that’s more of an attitude thing; it is objectively slow, with just 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque pulling all four wheels via Subaru’s permanent all-wheel drive. Curb weight is 3300 pounds—heavy enough so you should plan your freeway merges in advance. The CVT has shift paddles with eight preset ratios which in normal driving don’t have much use but probably help with towing.

Fuel economy is EPA-rated at 27 mpg city, 34 highway and 29 combined, which we actually beat by one mpg during our week-long loan. The gas tank is big, 16.6 gallons, which should be good for a range in excess of 400 miles.

As it has been since the 2013 model-year launch of the original XV Crosstrek, today’s Crosstrek utilizes the same platform as the Impreza. It does feel a little more distinctive this time, though. The chassis is 10 percent stiffer than last year, and dual-pinion electric power steering from the WRX is more responsive. The exterior has been tweaked with a new grille and headlights, and a more “sculptural” body, whatever that means. The cabin is quieter, Subaru says.

Specs: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Premium

• Price: $26,195 (base); $29,685 (as-tested)
• Powertrain: 2.0-liter fuel-injected, dual-overhead-camshaft boxer four-cylinder; automatic CVT
• Horsepower: 152 @ 6000 rpm
• Torque: 145 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
• Layout: All-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger small SUV
• Weight: 3296 lbs.
• 0–60 mph: 8.8 seconds
• EPA-rated fuel economy: 27 mpg city, 34 highway, 30 overall
• Competition: Hyundai Tucson, Kia Seltos, Nissan Rogue

Inside, the cloth front seats are surprisingly comfortable, and rear seats can handle two adults and a third in a pinch. There’s an 11.6-inch multimedia screen, with, for the first time, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The sound system is fine, no better.

Blind spot detection with lane-change assist and cross-traffic alert was an option, as was a small sunroof and an all-weather package. Emergency steering intervention is included with the lane-change assist.

The Crosstrek has a real “right-sized” feel: large enough to handle a small family but still nimble. Cargo room is an impressive 19.9 cubic feet with the 60/40 rear seats up, 54.7 cubic feet with the seats folded down. There were also reasonably beefy ladder-type roof rails. And if all that isn’t enough, the Crosstrek can tow 1500 pounds, which would make it even slower.

The LED headlights are steering-responsive, a nice touch. Also helpful: A tire-specific pressure monitoring system.

On the road, the Crosstrek drives bigger than it is, which for a car like this is a compliment. Handling is especially good for the class, with the new steering system proving its worth. Acceleration is leisurely, as you’d expect, so if that’s a dealbreaker the Crosstrek’s optional 182-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder (standard on the Sport model that costs $2850 more) may be of interest. Still, the base 2.0-liter version we drove cruises without effort at 70 mph.

The ride is better than you’d expect in all conditions. All Subarus are marketed as having some degree of off-road chops, and the Crosstrek, with 8.7 inches of ground clearance, is no different. However, if you’re serious about going off road, best opt for the (pricier) Wilderness model that brings an additional half-inch of extra ground clearance, more capable suspension, all-terrain tires, and a metal front skid plate. Don’t expect to be charging through the Darien Gap in either model, but you’ll have confidence and a measure of control on dirt, sand, mud, or snow—more so with the Wilderness.

Inside, instruments and controls are easy to get used to. Yes, there’s a lot of hard black plastic, but at least it’s attractively designed, and most of the trim feels robust. The vinyl-covered steering wheel, on the other hand, feels downmarket.

Base price of the Crosstrek Premium is $26,195, with $2245 in options. List price is $29,685, not bad for a very useful all-wheel-drive hatchback-wagon. It’s a viceless, basic-transportation car that should meet its owners needs and bring a welcome dose of trailhead fashion.

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Premium

Highs: Good-looking, functional little hauler for a small family. Permanent all-wheel drive good for adverse conditions. Plenty of useful standard features. Good mileage.

Lows: CVT better than most, but still a CVT. Underpowered. Lots of plastic in the interior.

Takeaway: Hardly a penalty box, the Crosstrek is ubiquitous at ski slope parking lots and rock climbing gyms for good reason.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Premium: Right-sized transportation priced just right appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Larry Chen is my internal-combustion substance dealer. In the latest episode of Capturing Car Culture with Larry Chen, he profiled a Northern Ireland car dealer, KG Motorsports, that specializes in my personal automotive holy grail: rally cars.

Rally machines are production cars that have been massively modified to thrive while running flat-out on any surface—asphalt, gravel, or snow. Perhaps you’ve watched them ludicrously drift around gravel turns or fly over crests and land without damage.

“I told you not to lift.” More than 20 years ago, when I was driving in a Minnesota rally, my co-driver sternly admonished me with these words via my headset because I had removed my foot from the throttle. We were running about 100 mph on a tree-lined dirt road, at night, ascending a hill. The headlights illuminated the sky rather than the road. This was my first rally, the roads were utterly unfamiliar to me, and I had only met the co-driver the day before. I was scared. Understandable, right? My co-driver, however, was unfazed by risk and only cared for speed. These rally folks, I thought, are mental. Bloody brilliant.

Around the same time, I joined World Rally Champion Colin McRae in England for a press junket that included a brief drive in his Impreza WRC rally car. McRae was fearless—with a reputation to either crash out or win any given race. During a quick ride with McRae in a muddy forest, I was not the cool cucumber co-driver and only pride kept me from asking him to slow down. That was when I learned that the best drivers possess an almost supernatural confidence. Even a crumb of doubt can result in a microsecond of hesitation, which can be the difference between the car staying on the road or not.

I asked McRae where he got his skill. The Scottish-born driver, who died in a helicopter crash in 2007, was known to lay on a thick, indecipherable accent when he wanted to, and I must have failed some test because I couldn’t understand a word. All I remember is me asking, “What?” and McRae looking annoyed. Maybe he was miffed that I got to drive his Subaru, which you can see in this video.

The car was built by Prodrive, which started with Subaru’s entry-level economy car, tore it to the bare metal shell, and then spent hundreds of hours welding and fabricating it into a robust racing machine. The rules at that time dictated about 300 horsepower and four-wheel drive. From behind the wheel, the car felt like a tank and was unfazed as I blitzed over ruts and slid across a field. I’ve long thought that a professionally built rally car is the one-car solution, a Swiss-army knife on four wheels that has the finicky bred out of it. Until Chen’s video, however, I’d cleared my head of the cars, because they’re financially out of my reach. Now they’re high up in the fantasy rotation.

Another fantasy is that I’ll one day live where I’m surrounded by choice driving roads. On the slim chance that might happen, I bought another Mazda Miata last weekend. As I’ve mentioned before it’s a good time to buy, and I was able to pick up a silver 1990 MX-5 with 35,000 miles for 11 grand, a reasonable price according to the Hagerty Valuation Tools. I fear that low-mileage early Miatas, which are still around, will get scarce and expensive and I wanted to lock one in while I could. The early cars came in four colors—red, blue, white, and silver—and fewer than 10 percent were silver. I won’t bore you again with another love letter to the car, but this is my fifth Miata and probably the last car I’d sell.

In other Hagerty Media news, we’re still getting terrific responses from our Patina material. My colleague Joe DeMatio interviewed a materials expert to investigate how the plastics of post-1980 cars might age. His interview provoked rich conversation. There are plenty of folks who don’t admire shabby, preferring shiny metal, and our own Dave Kinney made the case for perfect. Our hot-rod guru Brandan Gillogly beautifully presented this modified “Bat Outa Hell” Model A. There’s so much more on Hagerty.com that I hope you check back regularly and sign up for our newsletters.

For many of us, winter is coming so get out and drive this weekend. If you do, stop along the way and talk to people. I fear we’re losing our ability to connect, and cars are ideal conversation starters.

P.S.: Your feedback is very welcome. Comment below!

Please share this newsletter with your car-obsessed friends and encourage them to sign up for the free weekly email. The easy-to-complete form is here. And if you’d like to support the efforts of Hagerty Media, please consider joining the Hagerty Drivers Club. 

The post Never Stop Driving #70: Subaru Cocaine appeared first on Hagerty Media.

When Subaru trotted out the fifth-generation WRX in late 2022, we were thrilled that one of the most economical avenues to daily-driven performance was back for another round. Then, things quieted a bit. The cladding-heavy look did not prove popular, even in the context of past WRXs that have never been style statements. First-drive reviews came out and the car left some drivers rather cold. (You can read our two takes here and here.) Will the new WRX TR sweeten the pot?

Maybe. Consider the arrival of the 2024 WRX TR a modest but earnest attempt to reignite the WRX’s scruffy, fast-and-loose persona that won it hoards of fans in decades prior. The TR will top the existing WRX lineup, bringing with it a host of upgrades that, on paper, should sharpen what many felt was the softest version of the car yet.

Opt for the TR and you’ll get new six-piston Brembo brakes up front, along with two-piston stoppers in the rear. There are larger pads and rotors all around, as well as a new, larger brake master cylinder. That hardware is shrouded in new TR-specific 19-inch wheels, painted satin grey and wrapped in 235/35 R19 Bridgestone Potenza S007 performance rubber.

Revised suspension features stiffer springs and revised dampers, along with a retuned steering rack, which Subaru says will “provide the WRX TR with better body control and steering response while maintaining ride quality.”

Inside, the sunroof has been removed in the interest of weight savings. Driver and passenger will enjoy Recaro seats with gray ultrasuede material contrasted by red stitching. This bit is pretty important to WRX fans, as it’s the first time for this current-gen car that Recaros have been offered in conjunction with a six-speed manual; previously, you could only get chairs like that in CVT-exclusive WRX GT. A wise move.

The WRX’s 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer motor doesn’t get any tweaks for the TR. Peak power remains 271 hp available at 5600 rpm. The boxer’s 258 lb-ft of peak torque is available from 2000–5200 rpm. Of course, Subaru’s full-time all-wheel-drive system is standard, and the WRX TR will only be offered with a manual transmission.

Also standard on the WRX TR—and offered for the first time on a Subaru with a manual transmission—is the brand’s EyeSight driver assistance technology, which offers convenient features such as adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, lane departure warning, and more. Pricing will be announced closer to the time of launch, says Subaru. Expect the WRX TR to arrive in dealers early next year.

This is not the first time a TR badge has graced the WRX lineup. Back in 2006, Subaru offered the WRX TR (TR then stood for “Tuner Ready”) as an even cheaper entry point for the WRX family. For $1000 less than the contemporary WRX’s asking price ($23,995), the TR came with all of the mechanical goodies that made the WRX special, albeit with unpainted mirror caps, cheaper seats, and a steering wheel absent any leather wrapping. Not so with this 2024 WRX TR, which sits at the top of the trim heap.

Automakers dredging up old badges to spark some interest in a model is not a new thing. While the TR badge might now signify the peak of a model range rather than the bottom, we’re just happy to see Subaru take steps to inject the WRX with a little more fizz—especially since our dearly beloved STI isn’t coming back.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post 2024 Subaru WRX TR gets Brembos, Recaros, but it’s no STI appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Anyone paying even the slightest attention to the automotive world realizes that the station wagon is the automotive equivalent of what paleontologists refer to as a “dead clade walking.” Taken from the film Dead Man Walking, the term refers to groups of animals that barely survive an extinction event; instead, they linger for a bit and then finally die out.

The mainstream abandoned wagons for SUVs decades ago, but a small subset of enthusiasts recognize them for what they are—cars as rewarding to drive as their sedan counterparts, with some added practicality. The cognoscenti refer to them as long-roofs, hipster short-form to distinguish them from their grandparents’ Colony Parks and Country Squires. The holy grail is a manual-transmission long-roof.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s out there from the last 25 years, with some purely subjective ratings.

1999–2004 BMW E46 and 2005–11 E90 Touring

Fun to drive: 5 / 5
Reliability and maintenance expense: 3.5 / 5
Pros: Safe, solid, sporty, and handsome
Cons: With BMW parts prices, minor irritations can add up quickly.

BMW was somewhat late to the game in offering wagons in the United States. Mercedes had been doing so with regularity since the 1970s, but it wasn’t until the early ’90s that BMW decided to offer the E34 5 Series Touring (or wagon, in BMW-speak) in the states. By the time the car’s successor—the very pretty E39—was introduced, manual transmissions had become almost mythical in the RWD-only 5 Series. The 3 Series was the real sweet spot for BMW wagons in the U.S. market. The E46 generation (1998–2005) was the first officially offered here (there are many gray-market E30 and E36 wagons in the U.S. and almost all are manuals). Sold in six-cylinder 323i and 325i form in either RWD or AWD, these are great and highly sought-after cars that will do 300,000-plus miles with the usual BMW maintenance to things like seals, axle shafts, cooling systems, and power windows.

The car’s successor, the E90/E91 (2006–13) was equally desirable, with added refinement and power. Many of the pain points are the same, with the addition of a failure-prone electric water pump. Expect to pay anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000 for a manual depending on miles, condition, and options. Rear-drive cars are prized for their lightness and simplicity and carry a slight premium in warm climates. A good E46 or E90/E91 is probably the gold standard for European performance wagons, both in driving enjoyment and reliability.

2003–08 Mazda 6 Sport Wagon and 2002–03 Protégé 5

Fun to drive: 3 /5
Reliability and maintenance expense: 4 / 5
Pros: Fun to drive; relatively inexpensive parts and maintenance
Cons: FWD only; horribly rust-prone; lack the safety of Euro wagons

Maybe the most overlooked manual-transmission wagon is the 2002–08, or first-generation (GG1), Mazda 6. While it takes a knock for being FWD-only, the long-roof 6, dubbed the Sport Wagon, was offered with a five-speed manual, most commonly paired with a Ford-supplied Duratec 3.0-liter V-6. It wasn’t a bad setup and made 204 horsepower. Sadly, there was no Mazdaspeed 6 wagon. The vehicle was handsome, reliable, and a decent performer, but outside of the West Coast, they’re getting very hard to find today.

The same can be said for the other Mazda manual wagon, the Protégé 5. Based on the entertainingly simple Protégé sedan, the 5 wasn’t your average hatch, but a small wagon, almost unique in the marketplace in the early aughts, and certainly extinct now. Back in 2001, Car and Driver called its driving dynamics “scintillating” and said that the car had real personality: “Cheeky. Insolent. Pert.” Like the 6, the Protégé 5 seems to hold up well mechanically, and 200,000 miles doesn’t seem uncommon for West Coast cars that haven’t succumbed to body rust. Even though the price delta between the two models was significant when new, nice examples of either the 6 or the Protégé 5 seem to trade in the $6000 to $7000 range.

2009–19 VW Jetta/Golf SportWagen

Fun to drive: 3.5 / 5
Reliability and maintenance expense: 3 / 5
Pros: The newest cars on the list, some of which are still under an impressively long 6-year/72,000-mile post-Dieselgate warranty
Cons: Somewhat underpowered, irrespective of model; the usual Volkswagen quality issues.

Modern VW wagon offerings in the U.S. consist of the Passat, Jetta, and Golf. Manual Passats ended with the B5 generation (1997–2004). The 1.8 Turbo and VR6 cars both came with five-speed manuals, as did the TDI. The oldest are now approaching 30 years old, and consequently, most B5 Passats are worn-out bags of trouble. And as tempting as the unicorn status of a 275-hp, 4Motion (AWD) Passat W8 manual wagon might be, (about 100 were sold in the U.S.), the maintenance hassles of daily-driving a VW this old and complex are way too daunting. A Mk 4 Jetta VR6 manual wagon was a sweet little ride, but they’re mostly gone, too, and I haven’t seen one in at least a decade.

The consolation prize is the fact that late-model Jetta/Golf SportWagens are quite decent cars, and not uncommon with manual transmissions. The most desirable is probably the last of the line—the AWD Golf Alltrack wagon, which was discontinued after the 2019 model year. Manual-transmission Alltracks are still worth close to their original MSRP, in the mid-to-high twenties.

2008–12 Audi A4 Avant

Fun to drive: 4/ 5
Reliability and maintenance expense: 1 / 5
Pros: Beautiful inside and out, excellent driving dynamics
Cons: Abysmal reliability record

Audi has a long history of building sporty wagons with manual transmissions. The 100 (5000) based cars from the 1980s were all equipped with manuals if you opted for the Quattro AWD system. And let’s not forget the Porsche-engineered-and-assembled RS2. These days it’s a blue-chip, $75,000-plus collectible.

The B8 A4 Avant was the last Audi wagon to offer a manual transmission in the U.S. They’re gorgeous inside and out, and lovely to drive, albeit quite scarce with a manual. But having personally known two people whose 2.0L turbo A4s have suffered catastrophic, post-warranty engine failures, and one other whose 50,000-mile car had a quart-every-600-miles oil habit, it’s hard to recommend an A4 to anyone in good conscience.

2003–07 Volvo V70 R

Fun to drive: 5 / 5
Reliability and maintenance expense: 2.5 / 5
Pros: Handsome; insane inline-five turbo engine
Cons: Pricey parts and service

For most of its history in the U.S. prior to the early aughts, Volvo offered a manual-transmission wagon. Outside of one of Paul Newman’s V-8–swapped 740 wagons, the holy grail is almost certainly the P2-generation V70 R wagon. Its maniacal turbocharged inline-5 made almost 300 hp, and while RWD would have been a hoot, the car was offered only in AWD form. Six-speed manuals were rare, and those who opted for this were treated to one of the most artfully designed shifters outside of a gated Ferrari box. Well on their way to being full-fledged collectibles, cars with average miles are mid-teens, and the best, low-mileage cars can break $30,000. A small price to pay for what might be one of the greatest manual-transmission wagons ever.

2005–07 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Wagon

Fun to drive: 5 / 5
Reliability and maintenance expense: 3 / 5
Pros: WRX style, power, and grip; infinitely modifiable
Cons: The usual Subie flat-four head gasket issues every 90,000 miles or so

In the early aughts, the non-Birkenstock wearers in Subie showrooms were drooling over the WRX. You could excuse them for overlooking its more practical sibling, the Legacy 2.5 GT Wagon. With AWD and the same 250-hp 2.5-liter turbo flat-four as the WRX, a five-speed Legacy GT wagon is truly something special. Although it’s the same body as the far more common Outback—albeit with a functional hood scoop, shorn of body cladding, and riding far lower—the Legacy GT Wagon was actually quite handsome. Since one of these is just as tunable as the WRX, finding a stock, manual-gearbox model with low miles is nearly impossible, but the market has yet to catch on to how special these cars are. About $15,000 or so buys a nice one.

2004–11 Saab 9-3 SportCombi

Fun to drive: 3 / 5
Reliability and maintenance expense: 4 / 5
Pros: Quirky looks, nicely appointed inside, GM serviceability, bargain prices
Cons: Orphan status and uncertain support going forward

Saab offered wagons in the U.S. off and on for about four decades, but the only one it sold in volume was the 9-5. Top spec 9-5 Aero wagons with a five-speed are quite rare, and the few good ones that remain generally have asking prices in the ten-grand range. Most, however, are 200,000-mile examples with asks of about half that. Perhaps more interesting, though, is the last-generation 9-3 Combi. Sadly, GM had actually started to do some OK things at Saab right around the time the wheels fell off the Swedish brand. The last generation of the 9-3 and 9-5 were pretty solid, but only the GM Epsilon-based 9-3 was offered as a wagon. As you may have noticed, nearly every Euro brand has to have a clever name for “wagon.” Saab’s, unsurprisingly, was the oddest: “Combi” is Saab for wagon. And quite a decent wagon it was. With its vertical taillights and upswept profile, it was quirky like a Saab should be, and nicely appointed inside.

The 9-3’s 2.0-liter turbo GM Ecotec four managed a wholly adequate 210 hp. Most were FWD, but somewhere around 10 to 20 percent of them were ordered with AWD. Saab called this model the SportCombi X. The manual version of this car is the true 9-3 wagon unicorn. The final version of the 9-3 racked up a reasonable reputation for reliability and maintenance costs. This is backed up by the fact that most of the cars you’ll see advertised have between 150,000 and 225,000 miles on them. FWD manual 9-3 wagons with under 100,000 miles are around $9000 or so. A similar manual 9-3X might bring around $13,000 to $15,000, if it’s really nice. The largely unfounded concerns about parts seem to be keeping Saab values down.

2011–13 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

Fun to drive: 5 / 5
Reliability and maintenance expense: 4 / 5
Pros: Insane power and acceleration with braking and chassis to match; wicked good looks
Cons: Six-figure price, rarity

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

Via Hagerty Insider

The post 10 modern manual wagons collectors should watch appeared first on Hagerty Media.

On the sixth of October, 1973, Syrian and Egyptian forces launched coordinated surprise attacks on Israel, crossing the Suez Canal and taking the Golan Heights. They launched the offensive on Yom Kippur, the most sacred holiday in the Jewish calendar, when many Israeli soldiers would be absent from the front line. The invading troops were well-armed with Soviet equipment. Israel nevertheless mobilized rapidly and pushed back. One volunteer, Adolfo Neufeld, wrote a memoir of the fierce fighting at the front. He titled it To War in a Red Subaru.

Why not To War in a Honda Civic? If you lived or spent significant time in Israel during the latter half of the 20th century, you know exactly why. For decades, the streets of Haifa or Tel Aviv were home to one Subaru after another—tens of thousands of them. A Subaru sedan was as much a people’s car to the Israelis as a Citroën 2CV was to the French, or a Beetle to the Germans. Subarus were hard-working machines, simple, and relatively durable: the cars of a resilient people.

Subaru’s very presence in Israel was a statement of defiance. To understand why, we must go even further back in the fraught history of Israeli-Arab relations. In the winter of 1945, just months after Japan surrendered, ending WWII, the newly formed Arab League and its seven member states instituted an economic boycott on the Jewish business community in Palestine. Israel officially declared its independence in 1948, triggering a series of wars and tense armistices. During this time of increased hostilities, boycott efforts against Israel grew.

The primary boycott was intended to stop trade between Israel and nations in the Arab League. However, as tensions between East and West began to spread throughout the already polarized Middle East, secondary and even tertiary boycotts emerged. By the late 1950s, Arab League nations were banning goods from third-party countries that sold to Israel: An automotive company, for example, could sell cars in Israel or in Arab League countries, but not in both.

For Japan’s growing automobile manufacturing industry, this situation presented a conundrum. Israel was a better market for the small, economical cars the Japanese already favored; since fuel was cheaper in oil-rich Arab League states, customers could favor larger vehicles. Fuel prices were much higher in Israel, as were the taxes on engine displacement.

On the other hand, larger manufacturers like Toyota and Mitsubishi didn’t want to lose their Arab League markets. Behind the scenes, the Japanese government likely felt pressure to cater to the Arab League, as Japan depended heavily on oil imports from the Middle East. Many Western companies bowed to the boycott, notably Air France, which denied overflight and landing access to Arab League states. When Israel resoundingly repulsed the Arab invading forces during the Yom Kippur War, the boycott expanded to oil produced by Western countries, in part precipitating the first of the 1970s oil crises.

If you were a larger company, you either toed the line or tip-toed around it by exporting through a third party. If you were Subaru, with basically no exports to speak of, there was the option of blowing the boycott off completely. And that’s exactly what Subaru did.

Some clue as to why Subaru took this approach can be found in biographies of American serial entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin. According to Bricklin, he had early on secured distribution for Rabbit scooters from Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Subaru’s parent company). Well, almost, anyway:

“I get a Telex together to Fuji, telling them how excited I am, and how do I order a couple thousand scooters,” recalls Bricklin. “I get a Telex back asking who am I, and don’t I know that they sold their [Rabbit] factory to Israel, and that they’re in the process of dismantling it?”

Where exactly the tooling for the Rabbit ended up is unclear (according to some, it was dumped in Tokyo Bay to help build a man-made island). But Bricklin’s story does indicate that Fuji Heavy executives were talking with Israeli importers, and in the late 1960s, those talks had paid off.

By this time, FHI was building cars under the Subaru nameplate, including the homely-yet-cute little 360 that Bricklin had brought to the United States beginning in 1968. Though the 360, which resembles a shrunken VW Beetle, failed to catch on in the North American market, Subaru officially began exporting cars to Israel in 1969. By 1971 it had introduced the Leone compact car, known in Israel only by its trim level: DL, GL, and so on. In 1972, sedan and wagon variants were added. Subarus began flooding into the Israeli market.

For a decade and a half, Subaru basically had Israel all to itself. Demand was so great that the sales staff at Subaru dealerships developed a reputation for having slightly rude and condescending behavior. They knew you were going to buy the cars—why couldn’t you get on with it?

Daihatsu and Suzuki then began selling cars in Israel in the 1980s, imported through a third country. But the number of cars sold by either brand was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the volume of vehicles Subaru moved there. In 1987, Subaru sold more than 20,000 vehicles in Israel, a country with a population of 4.3 million. In that same year, Subaru sold just 144,000 cars to the U.S., whose population was nearly 56 times as large. An Israeli was eight times more likely to buy a Subaru than was a buyer in the United States.

“Israelis aren’t car snobs,” says Nir Kahn, design director for Plasan, an Israeli armored vehicle and composites manufacturer. “Subaru was good value, tough, and reliable, and that’s all we wanted in the ’80s. Interestingly, although Subaru is pretty much synonymous with AWD in most markets, most here were FWD, even the Brats.

“They’re still around. There were so many of them in the ’80s and they’re totally indestructible, so it’s not at all unusual to see them still today—and as daily drivers, not kept as a classic.”

So common were Subarus on Israeli streets in the 1980s and 1990s that the brand name became a catch-all term for “car,” like Kleenex is for tissue paper. The ubiquity of the Japanese cars even spawned an Israeli saying: “Meet you by the white Subaru.” The expression is a sarcastic one, indicating that the speaker hasn’t been given anywhere near enough information to go on.

In other markets, Subaru only gained traction with the launch of the more polished Impreza, in 1992. In the U.S., the company burnished its outdoorsy image: Today, you can’t visit any hiking trailhead in a national park without bumping into a half-dozen Crosstreks or Foresters.

Israeli-spec Subarus seem, from the outside, far less interesting to enthusiasts than, say, the WRX, but the legacy (no pun intended) of those Leones is just as interesting. A battered and boxy Subaru DL—the lowest trim of the Leone with nonetheless standard air-conditioning, given the climate—seemingly possesses zero personality. It’s about as generic as a 1980s Japanese sedan can get. But a vehicle doesn’t have to excite to matter; because they defined the landscape in Israel for decades, these humble sedans now provoke nostalgia. They no longer rule the roads in Israel, but Leones still have a following.

Kahn, the Plasan design director, works mostly on armored vehicles, but you can find composites made by his company on some pretty potent road vehicles. Much of the carbon-fiber aerodynamic bits on a Viper SRT-10 ACR were made by Plasan via its Vermont operation, which also made parts for the C7-generation Corvette Z06 and ZR1.

Kahn, however, drives a Subaru. It’s a bit more gearhead-friendly than an off-white Leone: one of the last previous-generation BRZs imported into Israel. Toyota stopped trying to sell its version, the GT86, in Israel entirely, as the dozen or so buyers each year who wanted the rear-drive sports car only wanted the Subaru version. It’s one small reflection of how, decades later, the six-starred badge means something to Israelis.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post How Subaru became the people’s car of Israel appeared first on Hagerty Media.

For rally enthusiasts of a certain age, the word Subaru conjures images of a very sideways, blue Impreza with Collin McCrae at the helm. His over-the-limit driving helped the marque win three consecutive manufacturers’ titles in the World Rally Championship (WRC) from 1995–97.

However, for a brand so strongly associated with stage rallies, Subaru has been conspicuously absent from the top class of the motorsport. The last time a factory-backed Subaru raced in the WRC was in 2008. The marque pulled out at the end of the year due to difficulties caused by the global financial crisis. Subaru instead focused its factory efforts on regional rallies, with drivers such as Travis Pastrana, Brandon Semenuk, and the late Ken Block dominating the North American rally scene in purpose-built STis.

Now, however, there are rumblings that Subaru’s leave of absence from the WRC may soon come to an end. According to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Subaru is interested in returning to the WRC in the near future with the support of partial owner Toyota. “It’s not a secret I had a good meeting with Mr Akio Toyoda, and I asked him what we can do [about enticing more manufacturers into the WRC] and I listened to someone who is passionate. And he mentioned Subaru,” explained Ben Sulayem.

Building a car for WRC won’t be a problem for Subaru, as the regulations don’t require a homologated chassis anymore. However, the engine does need to be homologated, and this has been a sticking point for the brand’s return. In 2011, FIA mandated that engines must not be larger than 1.6 liters. Subaru does not currently have a suitable engine, and could not justify the costs to make one in-house. But with a borrowed power plant from Toyota, we might not have to wait too long to see a World Rally Blue Subaru back on the international stage.

Even if it returns without the signature warble of a flat-four engine, seeing Subaru once again take the flag at rallies across the globe would be a welcome sight for the brand’s most ardent enthusiasts. Cross your fingers.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post Toyota could power Subaru’s return to WRC appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There are so many nuances and trends in the old-car market. Identifying and reporting on them is one of the reasons Hagerty Insider exists. When you’ve been around the hobby long enough, though, you start to see familiar patterns, even with cars that are a little newer to the hobby. Take Japanese cars, for instance.

In the 1970s, there was no such thing as a collectible Japanese car.

(This is what’s known in the storytelling business as setting the stage, so fans need not freak out about this characterization, because it gets a lot better for Japanese cars as collectibles … mostly).

Sure, there were the oddities, the antiques and the oddballs, but they were not taken seriously in North America and Europe, where the “real” collector cars came from. Or so many said.

At the dealership where I worked in the 1970s, an interesting Japanese car, a Toyota 2000GT, passed through. My guess is that this came about because of the James Bond connection—a chopped top “convertible” version appeared in 1967’s You Only Live Twice. I remember a few things about the 2000GT that came our way. It was red, had a wooden dash, and I could almost, but not quite, fit my 6’4” frame into it, even though at that time I had a much more limber (and quite a bit smaller) teenage body. The other things I remember include the excellent build quality, and the fact that we sold it to a Toyota dealer who put it on his showroom floor. He used it as a sales tool that would call attention to the fact that Toyota had a bit more automotive history than what Americans saw in the the Corolla sitting next to it.

Though Japanese brands gained traction across the industry, including with legitimate enthusiast cars, their collector status, or lack thereof, remained pretty much the same throughout the 1980s and 1990s. But for those aware, the Toyota 2000GT was starting to turn more heads.

“They have no soul,” I would hear from most car guys back then in regard to cars from Japan. “They build nothing but disposable cars,” or “they only make automotive appliances.”

In reality, everything had changed back in 1970 with the introduction of the Datsun (now Nissan) 240Z. That car did everything well, was affordable, good-looking and, dare I say it, up to the minute and hip. It had soul, performance (okay, it was quick and nimble), and was anything but an appliance. The color palette offered was early Skittles, the transmissions were mostly manuals, and it was the car to have if you were young, single, and had a job to afford the payments.

The 240Z started a trend that took a while to fully take hold. As an appraiser and the publisher of the Hagerty Price Guide, I follow markets as well as individual cars, and the 240Z has been one to watch. It took a long time for the 240Z to break the $25,000 barrier as a collectible, but ever since that happened, there was no looking back. Unsurprisingly, the 240Z brought the 260Z, the 280Z, 300ZX and a host of other cars from Japanese manufacturers to the collectible party, and festivities have been in full swing ever since. Cars that were originally introduced to the American market as well as JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) cars have been on a tear.

What happens next should come as little surprise. With values heading upward in the marketplace, people tend to get cocky. Now, instead of “never collectible,” the new normal is “they will always increase in value.” Sorry gang, but guess what? Even Japanese collector cars are subject to the whims of the market. Collectors who are in their 30s haven’t yet witnessed a downturn in the Japanese collector car market, but that doesn’t mean those cars are immune.

Some, but certainly not all, of this crowd’s favorite Japanese cars have hit the tiniest rough patch. Is it time to run for the exits? Is this a hair-on-fire three alarm emergency? Not even close. I’m just here to tell you that you know a market is beginning to mature when market forces start to temper initial enthusiasm.

Perhaps this is a totally appropriate time for youthful critics to say “OK, Boomer” and stop reading, or vent to Insta their friends about bad information from an automotive dinosaur who has no idea about today’s market because “this time, it’s different.” No, it’s not different, and it’s possible to make, or at least save, a considerable sum of money by simply paying attention.

Let’s go back to some really good Japanese collectible news. Many of the sales at the auctions in Monterey this year showed record prices for Japanese collectibles. Broad Arrow sold a 1995 NSX Type R for $632,000, which is just about twice what one sold for on Bring A Trailer. More good stuff? How about $1,105,000 for Lexus LFA at RM Sotheby’s? That’s the first non-Nurburgring Package car to cross the million dollar mark at auction. (An event we predicted back in 2019.) Going back to Datsuns, Mecum had a 1969 240Z that sold for a hair-raising $132,000. Great news, indeed.

But on the not-so-lucrative side, Mecum also had my personal favorite, a lime-green four-speed 1972 Datsun 240Z, one of 37 completed Vintage-Z program cars. That was the very unusual factory sponsored deal where early Z cars were restored using all-original factory Z parts, and they then sold through a small group of Nissan dealers as a “new-ish” (my word, not theirs) car, complete with a factory warranty. A few of these have since sold for $100,000 and more, but this one was a steal at just $66,000. The list of cars with a factory, or factory-approved restoration is not long, and because most of them have a Prancing Horse on the hood, the commensurate values exceed $1,000,000, and sometimes way more.

Bonhams had the biggest dollar car at Monterey in the Ferrari 412 P, but also a notable no-sale: the very special Subaru Impreza 22B-STI prototype, #000 of 400. This was the first prototype for 1998 WRC rally car homologation, and it is exceedingly original with just 70 kilometers, or about 49 miles showing. Bids stalled out at a reported $365,000, its pre-auction estimate was $450,000 to $550,000.

Markets go up, down, and occasionally sideways, which is another way of expressing that the market is staying stable. Do Japanese cars still have staying power in the marketplace? Yes, absolutely. Will JDM cars continue to rise? Are their North American market siblings the better way to go? It might be time to make those buying decisions for the long term, and not just for the here and now. Will a 60-year-old you be just as excited about driving a right-hand-drive car as a 40-year-old you? The Japanese car market, like its consumers, is maturing.

You have decisions to make. Maybe now is the time to sit or cut sushi.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

Via Insider

The post The Japanese collector-car market is maturing appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Even if you’ve seen it before, please stop what you’re doing and watch Mark Higgins in a Subaru WRX STI set an Isle of Man TT Mountain Course record in 2016. For my money it is some of the bravest, wildest driving ever recorded.

Mr. Higgins beat the previous lap record—also held by him—by almost 2 full minutes, clocking in at 17 minutes 35 seconds. His average speed? A blistering 128.73 mph. The man has won the British Rally Championship three times, he’s been a stunt driver alongside Top Gear’s “Stig,” as well as for the James Bond films Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die.

I met Higgins during a visit to the U.K. for the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed. While there I got to drive the Prodrive P25 and the Prodrive-modified 2023 Subaru WRX, but one of the absolute highlights of the trip was riding alongside this ace hot-shoe in his old WRX STI Time Attack car around a section of track at the Millbrook Proving Ground.

I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie, although my typical outlets for adventure involve skiing steep and snowy mountains, riding sketchy trails on my mountain bike, and embarking on various rock and ice climbing adventures. Instead of a climbing harness it was instead a race suit, fireproof balaclava, and helmet. I stepped into the Prodrive-prepped Subaru, strapped in, and away we went.

Though this car is fundamentally a last-generation WRX STI, it’s closer to a purpose-built time-trial weapon than a stock Subaru. The WRC-like performance numbers remain impressive: roughly 600 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque from a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four engine that revs to 8500 rpm. Thanks to the kind of weight savings one expects from a race car—no carpet, door panels, lightweight bucket seats, and a roll cage in place of the rear bench—the total curb weight is about 2645 pounds. That power-t0-weight ratio is comparable to that of a GT3-class race car.

As we navigated through Millbrook to make our way to a reserved section of track, I was giddy with excitement. Amid Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 and T.33 prototypes, as well as various McLaren and Jaguar camouflaged test mules, I was about to join the fray and zip around a track in highly practiced hands. Which reminded me to ask something of Higgins.

“Mark, when did you last drive this car?”

“Not since 2016 when we set the record.”

Oh.

The course marshal gave the thumbs up, and as if Rihanna’s “Work” was still blasting out of every radio speaker, Higgins put down the hammer on this 2016 rally machine. Perhaps it’s because I was having an out-of-body experience, the STI seemed an extension of Higgins’ own body. His calm demeanor, laser focus, and unflappable confidence suggested he could have done the whole circuit blindfolded.

I was smiling ear to ear for the entire thrill ride. Neither words, nor video (although I did include some video below) can fully express the feeling of what those 90 seconds were like. On one section of the track, Mark was going flat out up a hill. At the crest of the hill, all I could see was sky through the windshield.Would we keep going? End up in orbit somehow? As earth came back into view, the track cut hard to the left. If one had no knowledge of what was on the other side of that crest, at the speeds we were doing, it would soon turn into a dangerous and impromptu rally ride on grass and dirt. But Mark knew the track as well as the car, went hard on the brakes the moment we landed, and perfectly navigated the tight turn with plenty of cushion to spare.

In that instant, my perception of what people and cars were capable of changed. As if that last maneuver was utter business as usual, we come out of a left turn, accelerate flat-out on a downhill section, go hard on the brakes to set up for a sharp right, then push through the apex into another short straight. Higgins’ technical prowess is playing out through the windshield and under my butt faster than my brain can process it. Through the supercharged mental fog I notice a decent-sized hump in the upcoming straight. Yes please! Mark hammers the throttle and, for a brief moment, we’re airborne, all 4 wheels off the ground. Even if was for less than a second, we were flying.

No matter how many YouTube clips of rally racing and trophy trucks I’ve watched over the years, I am always blown away by the suspension systems that allow these vehicles to settle on the ground after taking flight. It’s all the more astonishing to me given the violent bounce and shudder I experienced in the 1974 Saab Sonett I launched as a very dumb teenager back in the late ’90s. The experience was, for better and mostly worse, astonishing.

There was absolutely no impact upon our landing. The suspension seemed to suck the car down to the pavement, hugging the road surface as if it missed it and didn’t want to let go.

The sensation was addicting, and I would opted to pass out before voluntarily disembarking from the TT-winning WRX. But there ride was over after a few hard runs, so I shook Mark’s hand, thanked him repeatedly, and climbed out of the car. My whole body tingled for several minutes, the insane ride over as quick as it happened.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post I caught air in a record-setting Isle of Man TT Subaru WRX STI appeared first on Hagerty Media.

We have generally warm feelings toward the 2023 Subaru WRX. It is a solid mainstream sports car. My colleagues Grace Houghton and Sam Smith wrote of their time in the 2022 WRX Limited and Premium trims, respectively. Not much changes for the 2023 model, which means Mr. Smith’s main takeaway still holds true: “A WRX as it ever was—a little larger and less talkative, but the same idea.” And, ever since Subaru decided to ditch an STI version for this WRX generation, the current car is about as good as it will get for the foreseeable future. Unless Prodrive gets its way.

Yes, that Prodrive—the motorsport industry geniuses behind Subaru’s dominant WRC-winning cars from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s. The same maniacs building the P25, a run of 25 highly modified, 400-hp late-’90s Imprezas in the mold of the beloved STI 22B. In partnership with Subaru, Prodrive spruced up this 2023 WRX with bespoke parts from the P25 to explore what a few straightforward upgrades could bring to the table.

It’s important to note that there is no current plan for these parts/upgrades to be offered by either Subaru or Prodrive, but enough demand could move that needle. So with that, here are 5 reasons why this particular one-off 2023 Subaru WRX could fill the STI-shaped hole in our hearts:

1) It has a proper spoiler!

If you’re gonna drive a fast car, you gotta look the part, right? One of the most noticeable differences between this Prodrive-tweaked WRX and the stock model is the addition of a big ol’ wing on the back, almost identical to the one on the $600,000 Prodrive P25. In grand WRX tradition, it screams, “Hey look at me, I’m an STI!”

No doubt it produces additional downforce high speeds, but honestly it just looks awesome … and that’ll would enough for many fans.

2) Upgraded brakes, wheels, and tires

Prodrive installed AP Racing brakes for its one-off WRX, which are almost identical to the ones on the P25: six-piston calipers and 380mm discs in the front, and four-piston calipers and 343mm discs in the rear. Bespoke P25-style 8.5J x 19 ET45 wheels wrapped with Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires (255/35 R19) complete the package to add a significant improvement in handling and braking over stock. No, the wheels aren’t gold like the BBS ones that came on the 22B and later U.S.-versions of the STI, and that seems to be a distinction Prodrive is keen to make.

3) Death to black plastic wheel-arch cladding

There is enough black plastic cladding on ubiquitous crossovers, in Subaru’s lineup and elsewhere, that WRX should have been spared. Though it’s never been a beautiful car, this latest WRX is especially unpleasant-looking. Prodrive tinkered with the styling a bit, adding wheel arch extensions which increase the overall car width by 30mm. It’s a subtle change that visually makes a big difference. In addition to the extra width, Prodrive also painted the plastic wheel-arch accents the same color as the body. The result is a much cleaner, sportier appearance, one that differentiates it from the rest of Subaru’s lineup.

4) Chassis and suspension upgrades

Prodrive stresses that stiffer anti-roll bars front and rear yield much sportier-feeling handling when charging hard into corners. Bilstein dampers—built specifically to Prodrive’s specifications—along with upgraded and lowered suspension springs provide additional stability for track-day shenanigans. These are parts that Prodrive tested extensively during its P25 development process with pro rally driver Mark Higgins, so it’s carefully considered kit.

5) Custom ECU tuning

What if I told you that without touching anything under the hood, it would be possible could squeeze another 30 horsepower out of your 2023 WRX? Prodrive did just that with the magic of ECU software tuning, dialing in the various ones and zeroes to improve everything from pedal feel and throttle response a higher redline. Those extra revs are a big source of the additional horses, and one Prodrive engineer said, “it doesn’t die as soon as the stock version when you’ve got your foot planted.” Lap after lap around Millbrook could be done almost exclusively in third gear, with plenty of shove right up until the tach limit.

So what will become of this one-off WRX? Will it simply be an exploration of possibilities? Or will STI enthusiasts and shadetree tuners the world over demand these sorts of options from the factory? (In the case of the Sparco racing seats, for example, it’s possible that some modifiers will simply take inspiration from this prototype and try to replicate elements of it.) Neither Prodrive nor Subaru would provide a solid answer as to whether a full kit or a la carte parts would be offered for the standard WRX, so only time will tell. Until then, we may have come to grips with the very real possibility that the next STI will be a hybrid or electric one. But with Prodrive’s tight ties to Subaru—in addition to its involvement with with the all-electric Extreme E and Formula E motorsport series—that may lead to a new kind of STI for a new generation.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post 5 ways a 2023 Subaru WRX by Prodrive would fill the STI void appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It had only been two hours since I’d touched down in London on an overnight flight. Still foggy, I walked up to the left-side door of the Prodrive P25. “Sir, it’s right-hand drive,” the company engineer politely pointed out.

Typical. Yank shows up in England for the Goodwood Festival of Speed to drive a $563,000, limited-production Subaru restomod and immediately embarrasses himself. Of course, if you’re one of the 25 people lucky enough to have ordered a P25, the modification and engineering experts at Prodrive will make it for you in right- or left-hand drive.

The inspiration for this very special Subie is the legendary 22B STI, the late-’90s super-Impreza built to commemorate 40 years of the brand as well as its third consecutive World Rally Car championship title. At first glance, the P25 looks almost exactly like a 22B, the only glaring difference being the lack of gold BBS wheels. It weighs even less in reality—under 2650 pounds—thanks to Prodrive’s extensive use of carbon fiber composite for the front and rear quarter panels, hood, trunklid, roof, sills, bumpers, and rear wing.

I know a bit about the 22B—that it “officially” made 276 hp from its boosted flat-four, that Subaru only made 400 of them, that it was fitted with a five-speed H-pattern manual transmission. The Prodrive P25 is more expensive, more exclusive, and with more than 400 hp a lot more capable. It’s a long, long, way off from any ordinary Subaru Impreza, the 2.5 RS version of which has always been a dream car of mine.

I sat down in the snug driver’s seat and had a look around, confused. Humbled again—no gear lever!

The Prodrive rep gently reminded me the P25 was fitted with a six-speed sequential racing gearbox, operated by a single paddle shift and an automated manual clutch. In the absence of a traditional shifter (not to mention two handbrakes: one for parking and one for initiating slides) the P25’s clutch pedal had been throwing me for a loop, but I came to learn its two simple applications: It only needs to be depressed to access first gear from neutral, or for returning to neutral when you want to come to a stop. The paddle behind the steering wheel selects the next gear up.

Briefing complete, I lurched forward and pulled out onto the access road of Millbrook Proving Ground, which has a dizzying mix of access roads and test tracks of all sorts. There was a special section reserved just for us. I pulled into the right lane and started into the traffic circle—again making a fool of myself. Ever-gentle, my Prodrive co-driver pointed out that I was going the wrong way. Adjusting accordingly, I successfully navigated the traffic circle at a slow speed before exiting and heading to the test track.

Once there I let loose, stunned by the P25’s ripping performance. Even in the hands of an amateur it instantly makes you feel like a race car driver—the instantaneous throttle response, the shifting of helical-cut gears that happen in a mere 80 milliseconds, the insane grip of the Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires. (You can read a full breakdown of the P25’s specs here, from its launch event at last year’s Festival of Speed.) The P25 accelerates with brutal ease and hugs every corner. By the fourth lap I was becoming addicted to every thrilling sensation, plotting ways to quit my job, make a quick half-mil, get my hands on this car full-time. I was a kid again. And like a kid, I was oblivious to the full scope of the P25’s performance potential.

To show us what the car was truly capable of doing in the proper hands, Subaru and Prodrive arranged for eight-time Rally America champion and two-time ARA champion, David Higgins, to take us for a few hot laps. I’m not even sure Higgins pushed the P25 to its the absolute limit, given this was an engineering prototype of a wildly expensive limited-run car, with a passenger he had literally just met clenching every muscle in his body a mere foot away. Even in that context, what Higgins did behind the wheel went far beyond any existing concept I had about speed on four wheels.

I unconsciously giggled through every tight turn as the rear of the P25 slid sideways, quickly regained traction, and rocketed toward the next turn. My smile grew wider when my head snapped forward as Higgins slammed on the brakes, dipped the nose of the car forward and effortlessly maneuvered through the tight chicane at the end of the longest straight on the course. It was pure, violent, unadulterated bliss. And an experience I won’t soon forget.

Needless to say, my few laps with Higgins had fully shaken me from my jet-lagged stupor. What a glorious tribute Prodrive has delivered in honor of a Subaru I’ve long loved. The whole experience brought me a renewed sense fun, of the joy that driving can provide. Once the adrenaline subsided, I resolved to stay at my job, but maybe spend my few lunch breaks browsing the classifieds for a used 2.5 RS. Even with an STI engine swap in it, a P25 it would never be. But even a wisp of my jet-lagged stint in Prodrive’s crazy creation would be a memory worth returning to.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters. 

The post Driving the Prodrive P25 brought out my inner car-crazy kid appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The Japanese car market is hands down the most interesting part of the collector car world at the moment. As an emerging segment, it’s more unpredictable, the rules are more fluid, and it skews far younger than the rest of the collector car market. All of this makes perfect sense given the fact that we’re talking about cars which as little as ten years ago weren’t on the radar of most traditional (read: older) collectors. But the people who grew up playing Gran Turismo and devouring the latest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise knew better, and taught the rest of the market a thing or two about what’s cool.

I’m hesitant to refer to it as the Japanese car market since that makes it sound far more monolithic than it actually is. In reality, it’s extremely diffuse, and a bit confusing, particularly for outsiders looking in. And frankly, although I’ve owned every flavor of early Z-car, I still fall into that category. Nevertheless, I can parse the market into some distinct categories and share some current trends.

Japanese Royalty

The established royalty of the Japanese car world consists of cars like the Toyota 2000GT, Mazda Cosmo, the Nissan Fairlady Z432, and early Skyline 2000 GT-Rs. The highest-spec, post-1970s Skylines, the Zanardi Edition Acura NSX, and the best of the MK IV Supra Twin Turbos, Subaru/Prodrive WRXs, and the Acura Integra Type R are probably destined for this group as well.

The 1960s and 1970s cars in this category represent the most stable part of the market. That makes sense, since these were the first cars to really take off and they’ve had ample time to find their buyers and evangelists. The established royalty seem fully priced at the moment, while the ’90s and newer cars seem to have no immediate ceiling, at least in the case of low-mileage, unmodified cars. Because of the demographic they appeal to, their best days are clearly in front of them.

U.S. Market Blue-Chippers

After the royalty, the bluest of the blue chip Japanese cars that were commercially available in the U.S. when new consist of the following: 1967 Datsun 2000 Fairlady Roadster, the Honda S600/800, the Datsun 240Z, the Z32 generation Nissan 300ZX Turbo, the Honda S2000 Club Racer, The third-generation (FD) Mazda RX-7, the second-generation (GD/GG) Subaru WRX, and the first-generation Acura NSX. R-Package NA Miatas should probably be thought of as near blue-chippers at this point, too. Though the Datsun/Nissan Z cars have seen values slip recently, most of the above are still at least modestly on the uptick, and all still have a significant upside.

The only impediment to collecting and enjoying these cars is parts support, which tends to lag behind other imported collectible cars, particularly those from BMW and Porsche.  Bargains are few and far between among the blue-chippers, but you don’t have to move that far down market to find some nearly equally interesting cars.  Either generation of Nissan 240SX (assuming you can find an unmodified one), and first-generation RX-7s seem like good deals. The RX-7 really was the spiritual successor to the 240/260/280Z and the price delta between the two cars just seems too wide at this point. Chalk it off to the usual rotary scare stories that seem effective in frightening people off.

Freakishly Low Mileage Examples of “Disposable” Cars

Most Japanese cars of the 1960s through the 1990s were simply low-cost (albeit high-quality) transportation and they were used as such, often racking up lunar miles in the process of being driven into the ground. While mechanically nearly bulletproof, cars that found homes outside of the West Coast usually saw their sheet metal dissolve after a few harsh, salty winters. Thus, the survival rate of once-numerous, fairly ordinary cars like first-generation Civics, Corollas and Accords is miniscule. Those that have survived tend to be street-parked, 300,000-mile-plus Los Angeles cars that evaded cash for clunkers and are still somehow able to pass smog.

With that, it’s no surprise that clean, low-mileage examples can bring eye-popping money via online auctions.  Need proof? A minty 32,000-mile California 1979 Honda Civic CVCC (with a two-speed automatic no less) sold on Bring a Trailer last year for $36,225 after fees. Simply have to have the best early Corolla out there?  A ’74 SR-5 Coupe with 29,000 miles drove bidders crazy recently on the same online auction site. This one was a five-speed manual, and predictably, also from Southern California. It made $37,275 after fees. Sales of low-mileage freaks are great fun to watch—who doesn’t like time-capsule early Japanese cars? In these kinds of sales, there’s just no telling whether a given car will set a record or fly under the radar. Cars sell for what they sell for, and each one represents a very limited opportunity—as many observers have noted, there may well be more Ferrari 250 GTOs extant than concours-condition early Civics.

Recently-Legal JDM

The car that’s captured the spotlight over the last couple years as the Japanese domestic market car to have is the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R. The Nürburgring-bred R34 pushed the era’s boundaries for tech and performance, with some variants capable of sub-eight-minute Nordschleife times. American fans of the R34, and there are many, have been drooling over the few Show or Display cars that have made it here, and are counting the days until the 25-year rule kicks in.

The entry point for a Show or Display R34 GT-R, landed in the States with appropriate papers and customs clearances, starts around $200,000. While some speculate prices may come down as supply increases with more model years becoming legal, I wouldn’t count on it. This car is enjoying more than just a moment in the sun—it’s an icon that is now getting its due. I’m not sure the private import pipeline has the bandwidth to satisfy the truly voracious demand any time soon any more than the other side of the globe can satisfy Americans’ love for vintage left-hand-drive Land Rover Defenders.

It’s not just the GT-R dominating Japanese import headlines. The Mitsubishi Pajero Evo, a homologation sport utility special famous for Dakar Rally dominance, has recently reached 25 years of age and is making a splash in the U.S. market. The Pajero ticks a lot of boxes: it’s relatively rare at around 2500 units produced, its proportions, air scoops, and aero ooze personality, and sport utilities are now firmly a fixture in the collector world. We’ve noted three recent online auction sales of clean Pajeros for around $50,000, and we fully expect interest, and prices, to continue to grow.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

Via Insider

The post Dissecting the thriving Japanese collector car segment appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Blue-green pines whizzed past the window. As I straightened the wheel and pointed the Ford toward the next cone, my eyes snapped to the speedometer. On the previous run, I had lost control in the same place and spun at half that speed.

I braced for the same result. This time, though, the left front wheel dug through the slush and mud and grabbed. The little car pirouetted around the cone and began pawing toward the next turn. I aimed for the fourth cone. Then the fifth and sixth—set, sashay, straighten, scramble for traction. I got it right. I kept getting it right. I felt like a hero.

The car was doing maybe 30 mph.

The words “driving school” can conjure images of belting around a paved road course, wrestling some weapons-grade machine like a gladiator fighting a grizzly. Those schools are certainly special, and if that’s your dream, godspeed. But in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, I found something different, something I didn’t expect to love as much as I did: Over three days and a dozen or so hours of seat time at the Team O’Neil Rally School, I probably exceeded 50 mph twice. I repeatedly ran out of skill going half that fast.

But oh, when I got it right. 

Rally racing means driving as fast as you can, on closed public roads, in production-based cars, as a codriver reads pre-written notes on speed and conditions. To teach that, the O’Neil school uses a 583-acre private dreamland three miles from the Vermont border. Founded by five-time American rally champion Tim O’Neil, the school offers one of the country’s premier programs for those who want the car control to go faster, and to be safer and smarter, on a loose surface. Students are provided cars and trained on two large gravel skidpads, in that slalom, and in a maze of unpaved trails and road courses in the surrounding woods. 

Earlier this year, I signed up for an O’Neil hallmark, the three-day rally course. Our small group of students started in front-drive Fiestas, then progressed to all-wheel-drive Subaru Imprezas. From the word go, the instruction walked a line, blending actual stage-rally driving techniques, useful mostly in competition, with real-world car-control exercises aimed at keeping you out of a ditch when the white stuff flies.

Chris Cyr is Team O’Neil’s CEO. “The whole sport of rally,” he told me, is about taking “the conditions, and the road, and the environment that you’ve been given, and becoming a better driver.” That approach is evident in the design of the school’s exercises, and in how they’re run in any weather, but also in more subtle ways. Before we had even set foot in a car, the instructors gathered to announce a mindset: Know the limits of the car, the road, and yourself, they said, then drive to the lesser of the three.

After a short classroom orientation meant to lay out what we’d be working on over the next three days, our small group of students was thrown right in. You just start driving, running skidpad and slalom with an instructor in the right seat, trying and learning different techniques. The point is to understand how rally driving blends heroic-looking slides and adaptation but isn’t as unattainable as it might seem.

Unseasonably warm weather had melted the snow on the school’s upper skidpad the week prior, but a cold snap had caused the wet ground to freeze solid the night before we arrived. The surface started out feeling like a parking lot, but that changed in a hurry.

“Mind the changing surface as the temp climbs here,” an instructor said early on, between exercises. “Your braking points are going to change. The amount of weight transfer you’ll need to get the car to wake up and actually turn will change.” Like clockwork, just as he said, the skidpad and slalom course softened as the sun rose, going from blacktop-adjacent to ankle-deep soup. Grip that had been there on our first few passes was suddenly nowhere to be found. We kept driving anyway. As Cyr had suggested, learning to adapt was the point.

A front-drive Ford Fiesta was never the first vehicle that popped to mind when I thought “rally car.” Before going to O’Neil, that driveline layout was the last I’d have considered when imagining the ideal tool for an unpaved road. Again, though, the Fiestas were a way to learn. These Fiestas, provided to O’Neil through a long-standing partnership with Ford Performance, lacked traction control, antilock brakes, and brake boosters. 

Getting the car to wake up at speed was an exercise in un-learning pavement habits. “We already know that you know how to lift, because that’s everybody’s instinct,” explained Travis Hanson, O’Neil’s chief of operations. “We want you to understand that the brakes are the most important tool in controlling a car.”

In those first few exercises, when the Ford began to push wide through a corner, I would instinctively lift off the throttle. Asking for less speed, I thought, would eventually bring the tires back into a traction window where they’d hook up and pull me around the cone. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Keep that throttle matted,” my instructor said, earnestly. “A locked tire has no directional ability. We use the brakes as our traction control, to manage wheelspin, but we have to keep the front tires churning through a corner if we’re going to get the sort of grip we need to redirect the car. That’s the throttle’s job.”

Keep the throttle pinned . . . on a front-drive car . . . to turn?

Rewiring my brain around the idea took the better part of a day. Nevertheless, the concept eventually began to make sense. Dozens of reps with immediate feedback just locked the process into my head.

Then the white stuff arrived. As can occasionally happen in the mountains in winter, four inches of snow blanketed O’Neil’s compound between the school’s first and second days. Rather than plow the course, we were simply pointed at the first cone in a slalom and instructed to feel it out. (“There are no weather delays in stage rally!” one staffer said, not-unserious.)

There were plenty of hairy moments, but you would never have known it from my instructor’s demeanor. Every coach had patience in spades, calmly explaining what went wrong each time I bungled an exercise. If I wasn’t understanding a concept, they’d try a different approach, allowing me to ask questions or make inferences along the way. 

Their greatest talent wasn’t in being exceptional behind the wheel, though there was plenty of that to go around. Rather, as Cyr explained, being a coach at Team O’Neil means putting relationships first: “Soft skills are the most important variable. Everything else we can train, but how are you as a people person? How do you engage people, and do you enjoy educating?”

Just before lunch on that second day, we had the chance to work on the pendulum turn, known in the rally world as the Scandinavian Flick. Nailing the maneuver requires turning the car away from the corner, loading the inside tires, then timing the traction spike and subsequent weight transfer just right in order to pivot the car back around, for a straight shot through the corner.

The move is easier to show than explain. Ever flipped on a rally highlight video on YouTube and noticed how the race cars seem to float over the surface just before a sharp turn, constantly managing a bit of slip, almost backing into a corner, never quite pointed directly down the road? That’s what they taught us to do.

So much of getting any car to turn is about weight transfer—how each wheel is loaded at a given moment. Turns out, a pendulum means shifting that weight forward enough to unload the rear tires, to let them slide. And that becomes much easier as you add pace, which I certainly did not have enough of in my early attempts. As I tried to harness the Ford’s inertia, it just plowed on straight, refusing to turn, mowing down cones along the way.

Eventually, after some stern instructor encouragement to “GO GO GO FASTER KEEP IT FLAT NO SERIOUSLY FLAT,” I was able to carry enough speed. The Fiesta whipped into the first part of the flick quick enough that, as I lifted off brake and throttle simultaneously, the front wheels dug in and the rear tires flung the car around, aligning us perfectly with the corner’s exit.

Getting the move right had me so buzzing with adrenaline that I tried to skip lunch. (No dice. The instructors knew to keep blood sugar levels high.) But the afternoon promised new magic: It was Subaru time. 

The all-wheel-drive layout now synonymous with rallying is a hallmark of the Japanese brand, and the 2000–07 Impreza used in O’Neil’s school fleet is widely regarded as a perfect starter platform for a real rally car. Before we could belt in, we were briefed on the mechanical differences between the Subarus and the Fiestas: Power-assist brakes were back, and we now had welded center differentials, four driven wheels, and a whole lot more weight to manage.

Here again, the building blocks of O’Neil’s curriculum were intentional. The Subarus cars didn’t turn as readily as the Fiestas, a byproduct not just of the additional driven wheels, but of the extra weight in play. Where throttle was useful help for changing direction in the Fiesta, adding gas while turning in the Impreza would simply pull the car forward, essentially halting your rotation. Braking to manage weight shift became even more important, but those middle inputs—turn, brake, straighten the wheel, release the brake—came in the same sequence we’d been working to learn in the Fords.

Jumping from one vehicle to the other didn’t alter the laws of physics, it simply adjusted what I needed to pay attention to when asking the Subaru to turn.

Every driving school should have a good crescendo on its final day. At Team O’Neil, that meant a full-blown rally stage, one we were told to run with as much pace as we could comfortably muster.

If it had just been a winding dirt road—draped on a mountainside, covered in fresh snow, with trees a few feet away—that would have been enough to ratchet up the pressure. (“Our trees are not, in fact, made of rubber,” explained an instructor. “Please don’t test that.”) But no, the final exercise course went through parking lots and past classroom cabins. At one point, it even featured an off-camber, decreasing-radius corner, with Team O’Neil’s main office building just to the outside.

On the spotting lap, my instructor sat at the wheel and casually pointed out a badly scarred tree on the course’s downhill side. “Do your best not to mess this corner up,” he said, casually. “Was riding with a fella who overcooked this one and we ended up upside-down in that tree. Kinda put a damper on my Christmas Eve.”

(Side note: I would make a terrible rally codriver. I think too much about what could go wrong. At that moment, my stage notes would have read, Trees possible here. Not rubber.)

We swapped seats. I clutched out of first gear in that Fiesta, about run through a course with perhaps 34 separate opportunities for disaster. (Not that I counted or anything.) Over the sound of gravel machine-gunning the Ford’s unibody, I could clearly hear the blood rushing through my ears.

The corners arrived quickly. I had expected a panicked and ham-fisted first lap of that road, but feeling took over. After three straight days of thinking about weight transfer, I knew enough to slow down my inputs and think: Mete out braking force just so here to keep that outside front wheel loaded. Turn in early there, trusting the throttle to churn the wheels. Keep some brake in it to make sure you don’t spin the tires up and lose all traction. Patience . . . turn, then brake, then wait . . . no a little longer . . . more . . . boom, around comes the back end.

The lap culminated with a sprint up a hill to a jump. Not wanting to overstep, I lifted before the crest, the Fiesta going momentarily light but not taking off. Hands shaking with adrenaline, I slowed to a stop and looked over at the instructor.

“You didn’t wanna send that?” he said.

“We’re allowed to?”

“You came all this way to a rally school and you don’t wanna try one of the best parts of rallying?”

Noted. We hopped into a waiting Impreza. I pounded back down the hill for another lap.

As I’d previously discovered, the Subaru gathered a head of steam much quicker than the Ford. Overcooking a corner became a real risk, but again, instinct—which I didn’t have just days earlier—took over. The car came alive, sliding through each corner and chomping the space between them in a way I’ve never experienced on a paved track. I don’t know if we even saw 40 mph. Didn’t check, didn’t care.

This time, as I pointed the nose up the hill marking the course’s end, I didn’t back out. The Impreza sailed over the crest, departing earth and lifting me in the seat, up against the belts. It landed with a soft thud and we coasted to a stop.

For a driving enthusiast, the feeling you get climbing out of a car after making it “work” can’t be beat. Shifting weight on the road, changing traction on command, running an engine up and down a tachometer, inviting the car to dance—that stuff can make you feel like a hero. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of incredible moments at the wheel. It might sound crazy, but none were as exciting as nailing a dirt cone slalom in second gear in a 120-hp hatchback in the New Hampshire woods. A spot in Team O’Neil’s three-day rally course will run you $4800. The school’s flagship offering, a five-day version of the same class, is $7500. I’m not naive: Those aren’t small sums. But the payoffs—a few hero moments of your own plus the skills to reduce your chances of kissing a ditch in winter—are more than worth it.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters. 

The post Team O’Neil rally school makes you feel like a hero—even at 30 mph appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Corvette Z06 will pace the 107th Indianapolis 500

Intake: For the 20th time since 1978, a Chevrolet Corvette will pace the field for the Indianapolis 500 this year. It’s the 34th Chevrolet to pace the Indy 500, dating back to 1948. This year’s Z06 pace car features a Red Mist Metallic exterior paint, a two-tone Jet Black and Sky Cool Gray interior with Torch Red accents, and forged aluminum wheels finished in Tech Bronze. It’s powered by a 5.5-liter LT6 engine with 670 horsepower, making it the highest-horsepower naturally aspirated V-8 engine ever to hit the market in a production car. It’ll be the first hardtop convertible version of the Corvette to pace the race.

Exhaust: “We are honored to be pacing the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 with the Corvette Z06 convertible,” Scott Bell, Global Chevrolet vice president, revealed. “Chevrolet and IndyCar share the same spirit of competition, and we are proud the Z06 will lead the pack across the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.” The 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 28. — Steven Cole Smith

End of the road for Mercedes’ slinky CLS-Class 4-door coupe

Intake: Mercedes-Benz has announced that the CLS-Class 4-door coupe sedan will cease production at the end of August. A statement provided to Hagerty by Mercedes spokeswoman Cathleen Decker said the following: “In consideration of the global growth potential, and as part of our strategic product portfolio planning, we have decided to end the lifecycle of the CLS on August 31 with the changeover of the E-Class to the 214 model series.” Last year, the company announced intentions to streamline its portfolio and strip out some of the excess that was filling hyper-niche areas, a decision that appears to have led to this result. Mercedes now sees the E-Class as a fitting platform to take over the ground that the CLS used to cover. Decker’s statement also mentioned that the EQE and EQS electric models have eaten into the market that the CLS would normally try to conquer. Thankfully, Mercedes-AMG’s raucous 843-hp AMG GT 4-door coupe will remain.

Exhaust: As automakers rush to make the expensive transition to electrification, trimming small-volume models from the gas-burning portfolio comes as no surprise. Since the CLS-Class and the E-Class share underpinnings, it makes sense to whittle that duo—which are cars, remember, and those don’t sell like they used to—down to one more thoughtfully-executed model. We’ll be sad to see the slinky styling go, but we’re far from surprised by the move. — Nathan Petroelje

Lexus teases a larger three-row SUV called the TX

Intake: Lexus has released an image of the Lexus TX, with the caption, “Something big is coming!” That’s a reference to the TX’s three-row seating. It’s expected to be a sibling of the Toyota Grand Highlander, which has already been shown. The pair will be built in Toyota’s Indiana plant. Car and Driver found Lexus trademarks for the names TX350 and TX500h that suggest it will offer both gas V-6 and hybrid versions.

Exhaust: The TX will give Lexus a new three-row SUV, adding to the smaller existing three-row RX L, which is pretty cramped in the back. Like most big Toyota and Lexus SUVs, it should sell like the proverbial hotcakes and run forever. We expect to see the whole vehicle soon, perhaps before June. — SCS

Polestar cutting production, staff

Intake: Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar lowered its 2023 production guidance on Thursday and said it would cut its staff by 10 percent, citing a delayed production start for its Polestar 3 and a challenging environment for the industry, says Reuters. Polestar now expects to produce between 60,000 and 70,000 cars this year, versus the previously predicted 80,000. “It has been a tough quarter for EV startups, who face mounting competition from new Chinese players as well as from more established brands,” Reuters says. “An ongoing price war started by Tesla, in addition to high interest rates, has put a further squeeze on the already cash-strapped startups.

Exhaust: Polestar said the production start of its Polestar 3 would be delayed until the first quarter of 2024 instead of the initial mid-2023 start. The company said the delay was due to Volvo Cars, which produces its cars and is delaying its own EX90, having to do further software development and testing. — SCS

Nikola pivots toward hydrogen

Intake: Nikola, the manufacturer of big electric tractor-trailer trucks, is pivoting toward hydrogen for the North American market, according to Automotive News. “Nikola is retooling its strategy. Executives said they’ll refocus operations in North America with an emphasis on fuel cell trucks and a nascent hydrogen refueling business, HYLA.” The Phoenix-based manufacturer, like most startups, is burning through cash, losing upwards of $150 million per quarter, and holds about $150 million in cash and receivables on its balance sheet. About half of Nikola’s spending can be attributed to ramping up production of fuel cells.

Exhaust: Hydrogen is a viable fuel for big trucks, and it would seem, in North America anyway, that Nikola is deeding over the electric big-truck business to Tesla, and attacking from a different direction. Nikola closed at 86 cents per share on Tuesday and opened at 83 cents per unit on Wednesday. Over the past year, Nikola shares have declined 85 percent. At this time last year, Nikola traded at $5.57 per share. — SCS

Subaru ramping up electric production

Intake: Subaru plans to sell 400,000 electric vehicles a year in 2029 by adding a second EV production line in Japan, signaling a dramatic ramp-up as it tries to get 40 percent of its global sales from electrified vehicles by decade’s end. As part of the rapid expansion plan, Subaru said it will also roll out four all-electric crossovers by the end of 2026, a jump from the single vehicle in the brand’s current portfolio, says Automotive News. All of the upcoming EVs are expected to be offered in the U.S., incoming CEO Atsushi Osaki said.

Exhaust: Subaru has been late to the EV party, but appears to be making up for that. In a quarterly call, Subaru announced that operating profit nearly tripled in the company’s fiscal year ended March 31. “Under the roadmap,” Automotive News said, “Subaru will add a dedicated EV assembly line at its Oizumi plant in Japan as early as 2027, with capacity for 200,000 vehicles a year. That will complement a line at the nearby Yajima plant that will deliver capacity for 200,000 EVs a year from around 2026.” — SCS

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post Corvette Z06 to pace Indy 500, Mercedes axes CLS-Class, Polestar cuts production appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Automotive history is littered with “almosts”—cars that had the tools for success but nevertheless fell short. Despite the proper performance, design, and styling chops needed to turn heads and win over hearts, circumstances conspired against them. When thinking back fondly on their respective eras, we instead remember their peers.

The 1980s are full of such motoring melancholia. It was a decade of transition. Manufacturers shook off the shackles of late-’70s malaise and embraced exciting new technologies like turbocharging, electronic fuel injection, and computerized vehicle controls. Japan was a hub for much of this technological innovation, leading to beloved sports cars like the Mazda RX-7 Turbo II and Honda Prelude Si (with four-wheel steering).

With so many brands rolling so many different dice, it was clear that not every intriguing new avenue was going to pay off, regardless of how much money or effort was invested. Here’s a closer look at three might-have-been sports car contenders that never quite achieved the same respected status.

Mitsubishi Starion / Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler Conquest

Mitsubishi was on the leading edge of the Japanese sports car craze at the beginning of the 1980s, and the Starion was its primary weapon. The car arrived on the scene just after the turbocharged edition of the Nissan Z and the rotary-powered Mazda RX-7, joining other newcomers like the Toyota Celica Supra. (A major European interloper in this space was the Porsche 944.)

At first blush, the Starion had all the right ingredients. Its sleek hatchback shape concealed an enormous (for a four-cylinder) 2.6-liter engine under the hood, turbocharged to produce 145 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of twist in base spec.

That went up to 178 horses and 223 lb-ft when the ESI-R edition appeared at the decade’s mid-mark. This wide-body version of the Starion offered additional visual punch to go with its turbocharged muscle. By the time the model had run its course in 1989, the intercooled ESI-R (or TSI in Chrysler Conquest parlance) was pushing out over 190 horsepower, managed by a limited-slip rear differential, stopped by four-wheel disc brakes, and controlled via a fully independent suspension at all four corners.

Today, the Starion is a cult car appreciated most by Mitsubishi fans. It does not enjoy the same mainstream recognition lavished on more celebrated contemporaries like the rotary-powered Mazda RX-7, which despite its stranger powertrain rode on a stick axle for the early part of the decade.

Let’s consider two primary reasons why the Starion is still being overlooked by today’s collectors. For one, both the Starion and its badge-engineered Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler Conquest twins (collectively known as Starquests) were swept from the market in 1989 after only a single generation of production. That disappearance before the turn of the decade meant the Starion missed out on cementing its reputation during the JDM boom of the 1990s, an era that burnished the reputations of its Toyota, Nissan, and Mazda contemporaries. Second, Mitsubishi never again offered a rear-wheel-drive sports car in North America. It chose instead to focus on its Diamond Star Motors (DSM) partnership with Chrysler that yielded turbocharged high-end all-wheel drive and entry-level front-wheel drive sports cars, like the 3000GT VR-4 and Eclipse GS-T respectively.

Mitsubishi’s dealer network was also nowhere near the same size as those of Toyota, Nissan, or even pint-size Mazda, each of which had a head start on Mitsubishi establishing roots in the United States. Although its partnership with Chrysler for the latter half of its production helped boost sales, even in its best year the Starion/Conquest twins couldn’t touch half of the volume Mazda was claiming with the fairly niche RX-7.

For a long time, rare did not mean desirable for classic J-tin fans. The Starion’s fortunes might be changing, however; a 1989 Starion ESI-R in #3 (Good) condition is now worth $20,900 on average, which is up a whopping 80 percent compared to this time last year. That’s just a smidge above the #3-condition value for the RX-7 Turbo, at $20,500.

Subaru XT

Subaru’s entry into the ’80s sports car sweepstakes was considerably weirder than what Mitsubishi had to offer. Introduced in 1985, the Subaru XT marked a number of firsts for a baby brand still finding its footing in North America. Its aggressive wedge shape looked like nothing else in a showroom filled with sensible wagons and sturdy hatchbacks, and Subaru was quick to boast that the XT’s collection of deflectors, spoilers, and skirts made it the most aerodynamic car on the market at the time.

Open the door and you’d see the coupe’s pistol-grip steering wheel layout and digital dashboard were light years away from the GL and the Brat’s more basic interior. Height-adjustable suspension and a four-wheel drive system were in the mix, too, with high end models featuring an electronically-activated part-time setup that no other Japanese coupe could match at the time.

Under the hood was more of a mixed bag. Base models were saddled with a sub-100 horsepower four-cylinder engine hastily grabbed from the parts bin, and even the XT Turbo, with its 140 lb-ft of torque and 110 horsepower, was at risk of being left behind at stop lights by such sporting luminaries as Chrysler’s Voyager SE Turbo minivan.

Sensing how out of step the XT’s performance was with its extroverted looks, Subaru eventually gave the XT a 2.7-liter flat-six engine that improved output to 145 horsepower and just over 150 lb-ft of torque (while also introducing the option of full-time all-wheel drive).

Chances are you’ve never seen a Subaru XT in the metal. Fewer than 8000 examples were built from 1985 to 1991 (with the 1990 model year inexplicably skipped by the brand’s North American division), which makes it the rarest model on the list. So why did Subaru buyers stay away from the XT?

It’s instructive to look at Subaru’s buyer market when the XT arrived on American shores. The coupe’s doorstopper shape landed on the brand’s sensible, value-conscious customer base like an alien ship at the local farmer’s market, perhaps causing more consternation than fascination. (Subaru would immediately make the same mistake again with the SVX coupe’s upmarket attempt in the early ’90s).

Well before the rally craze of the 1990s, Subaru had at this point zero reputation in international motorsports to latch onto, nor had it ever sold a performance car in the United States. The XT was completely untethered from any potential springboard to respectability with customers outside its sphere of influence. Combine all of that with a botched launch, by the time the XT6 arrived in ’88 the chance to straddle the sports car/grand touring line (like the Supra or the 300ZX) came and went before the XT6 could make a dent.

Even today, the XT has no ties to the rallying reputation Subaru eventually built, and its part-time four-wheel drive and adjustable suspension may seem to some more of a liability than a bonus after four decades. Forever outside looking in, the XT occupies an abandoned branch of the Subaru family tree that even brand evangelists haven’t tended to. The best examples in the world are worth $13,500 on average, but#4-condition (Fair) examples are worth just $1600.

Nissan 200SX

The AE86 Toyota Corolla has become the default image for Japanese sports car fans picturing affordable 1980s fun. Aided and abetted by a starring role in a certain tofu shop delivery manga and anime series, the Corolla far outshines its near-identical contemporary rival, the Nissan 200SX. Also known as the S12 Silvia, this rear-wheel-drive, pop-up headlight coupe-and-hatchback combo had all the same moves as its Corolla antagonist when it arrived in 1984; yet in 2023 it’s more likely to be misidentified at a distance as a Toyota than celebrated as an equally fun-to-drive Nissan.

Like the AE86, the 200SX started out with four cylinders under the hood, but it one-upped its Toyota competition by supplementing its 105 horsepower base motor with a turbocharged, 1.8-liter unit that was good for 120 horses (4 more than the high-revving Corolla GT-S). By 1987 the AE86 was history, but the 200SX soldiered forward with even more muscle, snagging the 3.0-liter V-6 from the base 300ZX and lobbing a 160-horsepower hand grenade into the sport compact performance scene.

Still, the fact that the S12 Silvia both outgunned and outlasted the AE86 Corolla didn’t matter. After 1989 the 200SX was gone, and in its place arrived the Silvia that everyone remembers: the S13. Sold as the 240SX in the U.S., the larger, long-hooded coupe finished off the thunder theft that the AE86 started, and the 200SX’s name was rarely spoken again.

There is an argument to be made that Nissan’s focus on the Z is part of the reason the spotlight shone less on the 200SX. A company selling the same V-6 engine in both a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive hatchback and a much more expensive, sporty GT car would have a hard time convincing buyers to pay more for the more expensive car on the other side of the showroom. This wasn’t a problem in Toyota showrooms, where the Supra was so clearly differentiated from the AE86.

The next-generation Silvia, the S13, arrived in America entirely absent the turbocharged fury with which it prowled Japanese streets. The S13-gen 240SX was outfitted with the KA24DE truck motor—a four-cylinder that never crested 155 horsepower even when it was carried over into the next-generation S14 in 1995. Though some blame high insurance rates for anything with a turbocharger, it’s easy to imagine Nissan being concerned about a turbo S13 Silvia sapping ZX sales, which were a tidy profit center in the U.S. market. Naturally, fans of the S13 and the S14 on our shores engaged in judicious JDM engine swapping to unlock the performance potential of the 240SX platform, helping elevate the Silvia to its current drift royalty status.

The 200SX got neither the AE86’s pop culture cred nor did it enjoy the aftermarket attention showered on its 240SX successor. Until some copyright-avoiding media powerhouse reboots an alternate-reality edition of Initial D and calls on the Nissan to assume the starring role, it’s unlikely to ever reach a similar level of collector significance.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post This trio of ’80s Japanese sports cars could have made their mark appeared first on Hagerty Media.

More than any other brand, Subaru has built its sporty image on the dirt, gravel, snow, and tarmac of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The sport is even in the name of the car that built Subie’s reputation: WRX stands for “World Rally eXperimental.”

Though it has been 20 years since Japan’s sixth-largest carmaker won a WRC title (driver or manufacturer)—the brand withdrew from the WRC in 2008—Subaru has been a strong rallycross competitor since. The heritage and enthusiasm from Subie’s time on the big stage remains, however. For fans of a certain age, the image of a blue and yellow Impreza leaping and sliding across the dirt is as memorable as Michael Schumacher bombing around Monaco in a red Ferrari.

More and more Subaru rally cars of older vintage have been coming to market. Why? The sport’s historical legacy is gaining recognition, and historic rallying is growing in popularity, especially in Europe. So, even as Mecum and Barrett-Jackson conducted large, muscle-heavy auctions mid-April, our attention turned across the pond to the Bonhams Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale. There, a 1999 Impreza WRC99 driven by one of the sport’s all-time greats, Richard Burns, was among the highlight lots.

Piloted to a stage win at Monte Carlo in 2000 and now fully restored, this World Rally weapon brought £448,500, or $556,902, including fees.

By the time this car hit the special stages, Subaru’s trophy case was already packed. After a modest competition start in the 1980s with the Leone, Subaru contracted with the British racing outfit Prodrive in 1989 to prepare its cars and run the Subaru Rally team. The initial weapon of choice was the Legacy, which was moderately competitive but not a title contender. Then, for 1993, a smaller, lighter, more nimble, and more promising choice arrived—the Impreza.

Subaru finally came out on top in 1995, with Colin McRae clinching the driver’s title and Subaru taking the manufacturer’s title in an Impreza decked out in the now-famous blue and yellow of British cigarette brand 555.

Subaru followed up with another manufacturer title in 1996 (Mitsubishi’s Tommi Mäkinen won the driver title). Looser homologation rules were introduced for the 1997 season to attract more teams to the WRC, but Subaru still managed to secure its third manufacturer title that year. The streak was broken in 1998, though, as Mitsubishi and Mäkinen took both championships.

Which brings us to 1999. Colin McRae departed the Prodrive-run Subaru team for Ford. Englishman Richard Burns, who had driven for Subaru in the early ’90s, returned to take McRae’s place. It was second place for both Burns and the team that season, during which he won the rallies at Acropolis, in Australia, and in Britain, and took second place in Finland and China. The car profiled here, chassis PROWRC99.011, was Burns’ mount for the Monte Carlo Rally, where he and codriver Robert Reid took second in three stages and took first in another before ignition issues forced the car’s retirement.

After Monte Carlo, Prodrive sold the car to a privateer who won several rallies in the French and Belgian Championships up until 2003. It wasn’t done, though, and sold to another owner who won the French Gravel Championship with it in 2004. A gravel regular for the next several years, it finally retired from competition in 2011 and was then restored in France over the course of five years.

Its original builders at Prodrive fully inspected it earlier this year. Included in the sale were lamp pod lights, a second set of wheels, and even the old Windows laptop that serves as its programming computer.

As for Richard Burns, he was runner up in the 1999 and 2000 seasons before finally taking his first driver’s championship in 2001, edging out Ford’s McRae by 2 points. Sadly, though, he died in 2005 of complications from a brain tumor. He remains the only Englishman to have won a driver’s title in the WRC.

At the Goodwood sale, Burns’ Monte Carlo Subaru fell within its £430,000–£520,000 presale estimate, bringing it in line with other Subaru greats that have crossed the auction block in recent years. In general, historic Subarus tend to sell for more than other modern rally cars. Some have brought prices in the low six-figure range, but more historically significant ones have brought quite a bit more.

In 2017, Colin McRae’s 1996 WRC test car sold for £230,625 (nearly $300K at the time), but in 2021, Petter Solberg’s 2004 Rally Japan–winning Impreza sold for £369,000 ($522K), and a barn-find Impreza driven by both McRae and Carlos Sainz Sr. sold for $360K worth of Bitcoin in Australia in 2020. Ex-Burns Imprezas have included one of his 2001 cars that sold for £392,500 ($462K) last August and his 2000 Rally GB–winning car that sold for £610,000 ($865K) nearly two years ago.

Represented as “the most original WRC car in the world,” that is the most expensive Subaru ever sold publicly, but this 1999 car is a clear runner-up. Consider the price paid as evidence that interest in 1990s rally cars isn’t a fad but a maturing part of the market.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

Via Hagerty Insider

The post Half a million for a 24-year-old Subaru? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Second-gen Kona retains gas alongside electric power

Intake: Hyundai showed the 2024 Kona at the New York Auto Show, and to say the styling is polarizing is an understatement. Since we first saw the new base model in December, this debut was for the 2024 Kona Electric, the Limited, and N Line variants. Kona is positioned as an “upscaled multiplayer in the small SUV segment, led by a 201-hp, all-electric variant that offers advanced safety, convenience, and outstanding electric range of 260 miles based on preliminary Hyundai internal estimates.” (That’s a whole two miles more than the 2023 Kona Electric.) The ’24 Kona also offers a choice of two gasoline powertrains. The first is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine that produces an estimated 147 hp, mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The N Line and Limited trims offer a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine generating an estimated 190 hp, with an eight-speed automatic. The second-generation Kona will arrive at U.S. dealers this summer, and the Kona Electric will be available in late fall.

Exhaust: In an unconventional move, Hyundai developed the new Kona platform with an electrified powertrain first, in line with the company’s accelerated electrification strategy announcement that it will bring 11 new Hyundai EVs to market globally by 2030. — Steven Cole Smith

Crosstrek heads to Wilderness, or wants to

Intake: Subaru’s most outdoorsy vehicles, each dubbed Wilderness, have a new sibling. If you remember the first installments in the Wilderness series, the Outback and the Forester, you won’t find any surprises in the Crosstrek version. The “Wilderness” name brings both cosmetic and mechanical changes to the 2.5-liter, 182-hp version of Subaru’s smallest SUV: Longer springs and shock absorbers bring a 0.6-inch lift, increasing ground clearance to 9.3 inches. Approach and departure angles improve by 2 and 3 degrees respectively, while breakover angle increases by 1.4 degrees. (Final figures: 20.0, 33.0, and 21.1 degrees.) The CVT sports a new, low final drive ratio of 4.111:1, down from 3.7:1. The white-lettered tires are the same found on the Outback and Forester Wildys—Yokohama Geolanders—wrapped around the same black, 17-inch five-spokes. Up top sits a roof rack rated for a 700-pounds (static), for all your rooftop camping desires. The biggest news to camping fiends is the towing capacity: Thanks to a transmission oil cooler, the Crossterness can tow 3500 pounds. Price-wise, the $33,290 Wilderness slots above the Crosstrek Sport but below the range-topping Limited and, like all other 2.5-liter-powered Subarus, will be built in the U.S.—a first for the Crosstrek model.

Exhaust: We really thought the next Wilderness would be an Ascent. Subaru’s three-row SUV is growing stale, while the Crosstrek just got a hefty (though not exhaustive) overhaul for 2024. But call us simps—this Crosstrek’s aggressive outdoorsiness is kinda adorable, and that water-resistant upholstery really does come in handy. — Grace Houghton

Off-roadiest Sierra swaps gas V-8 for turbodiesel six

Intake: GMC’s most off-road-oriented light-duty pickup is getting a heart transplant for the 2024 model year. The Sierra 1500 AT4X will now default to the 3.0-liter Duramax straight-six turbodiesel engine, which replaces the 6.2-liter gas-burning V-8, the only engine option for the ’22 and ’23 model years. (You can still get the 6.2 on the ’24 Sierra 1500 AT4X; it’s just an option.) The Duramax six is now in its second generation, with advancements including revised pistons, a retuned turbo, new injectors, and better thermal management features allow it to produce 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque, gains of 10 and 7.6 percent over the first-generation unit from two years ago. The engine joins other rugged off-road hardware on the AT4X including front and rear electronic-locking differentials, those magical Multimatic DSSV dampers, and a suit of underbody armor to help you pick your way through tricky trails.

Exhaust: While we always love a good GM small-block, the low-end grunt of this diesel is a huge plus off-road. Around 20 percent of all Sierra 1500s were optioned with the second-gen Duramax when it arrived last year on other Sierra trims, and GMC expects the take rate among buyers of the 2024 AT4X to be even higher. — Nathan Petroelje

Honda recalls almost 564,000 crossovers for frame corrosion

Intake: Honda has issued a recall for nearly 564,000 older CR-V models for corroding frames, according to Automotive News. The recalls cover 2007–11 CR-Vs that were sold or ever registered in salt-belt states including Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and more. According to the recall document filed with NHTSA, Honda says that the de-icing agents (salt or similar) “could enter the rear frame through drainage/positioning holes when the vehicle is driven through flooded areas or puddles at high speeds.” Over time, the accumulated mixture could cause corrosion to the frame’s internal structure, potentially resulting in the rear trailing arm of the CR-V’s suspension system falling off. Not great, though Honda told NHTSA that it has not received any reports of death or injuries related to the issue. The fix will involve dealers inspecting the rear frame for corrosion and determining a resolution based on whether the rear trailing-arm bolt can be removed. If the bolt can be removed, the dealers will attach a support brace to the rear frame. If the bolt can’t be removed, or if it falls off with the support brace, dealers will either further repair the frame or offer to repurchase the vehicle.

Exhaust: Owners of 2007–11 CR-Vs that would be affected by this recall will be notified starting on May 8. This is Honda’s 7th recall of 2023, and the total number of vehicles affected now climbs to 1.5 million. Earlier this year, Honda had to recall newer Pilot, Passport, and Ridgeline models for detaching sideview mirrors. This recall seems a bit more serious, so don’t delay getting to a dealer to get yours checked out. — NP

Where did all the cheap cars go?

Intake: That’s the title of a research piece on Edmunds.com that chronicles the frankly startling climb in car prices over the past five years. According to Edmunds, just 0.3 percent of new vehicles sold last month were $20,000 or less, compared to 8 percent five years ago; 4 percent of new vehicles sold were $25,000 or less, compared to 24 percent five years ago, and 17 percent of new vehicles sold were under $30,000 compared to 44 percent five years ago.

According to Edmunds data, the average transaction price for a new vehicle was $47,713 in March 2023, while five years ago, the average new-vehicle transaction price was $35,794, which translates to a 33 percent jump. We’re definitely paying more, and trucks and bigger SUVs are the main reason. Last March, 17 percent of vehicles sold were $60,000-plus, compared to 6 percent five years ago. And 10 percent of vehicles sold were $70,000-plus, compared to 3 percent five years ago. Trucks have made a startling jump: 50 percent of full-size trucks sold were over $60,000, compared to 5 percent five years ago.

Exhaust: Edmunds’ prediction: “Now that low rates are no longer available to enable higher-dollar purchases, demand will grow for lower-priced vehicles. American car shoppers may not have the same enthusiasm for them as much as their bigger, flashier counterparts—but they will find that these options are what’s actually financially feasible in today’s credit environment.” – SCS

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post Hyundai’s Kona grows edgier, lifted Crosstrek tows 3500 pounds, and more appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Carla writes:

My 2006 Subaru Forester clatters each morning when I start it. After a couple of minutes, the noise goes away and I don’t hear it again until the next morning when I start the car. It has 202,000+ miles on it.

I’ve read that it might be bad spark plugs (it is almost time to change them), or the tensioner on the timing belt (recently replaced with new kit) or a bad valve-cover gasket that seals itself after the engine heats up (changed at 174,000 miles along with the head gasket). I’ve read other ideas like cheap oil filter (I use Subaru oil filters) and a few other ones.

I’d like to hear if you have other thoughts.

Sajeev answers:

Engine clatter upon startup is usually more of an oil pressure or a timing-chain guide issue. The latter is clearly not relevant on your timing belt–equipped Forester, so I am focusing on oil pressure right after you twist the key. While an oil filter that lacks an anti-drain-back valve can reduce start-up oil pressure to the point of clatter, that isn’t applicable here, either. The other items you noted (plugs, valve cover gasket, belt tensioner) are highly unlikely to be an issue.

What we have here is the classic issue of old engines misbehaving like old engines normally do. Low oil pressure upon startup is sometimes just a cost of doing business at your mileage. High-mileage oil formulations aren’t likely to help with this noise.

Perhaps replacing the oil pump would fix the clatter, but a cheap part with expensive labor just doesn’t seem worth it at this stage in the engine’s life. Not to mention the fact that the oil pump may not be enough on a motor with this many miles under its belt: Only a full teardown and rebuild can determine that.

And well, it looks pretty easy if you watch this video:

If you love your Forester—more than any replacement you could afford—then you might be tempted to spend the cash to fix this issue. Except you must not, because you should wait until something worse happens under the hood. Doing so now is throwing money at a problem that doesn’t need a solution.

Bottom line: Be okay with that startup clatter, as it isn’t appreciably hurting anything. Worry about fixing it (with an engine rebuild or replacement) when the noise becomes more frequent. Or louder.

Have a question you’d like answered on Piston Slap? Send your queries to pistonslap@hagerty.com—give us as much detail as possible so we can help! Keep in mind this is a weekly column, so if you need an expedited answer, please tell me in your email.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post Piston Slap: Forester’s worrying clatter from low oil-pressure? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Is this Ram’s Maverick-fighting, new Dakota?

Intake: With small trucks returning to the market after a lull, Stellantis is getting back into the act with the truck seen here, wearing far less camouflage than we’ve seen in the past. We’re expecting it to be named something like Ram 1200, since it’s smaller than the existing 1500 half-ton. That said, Ram could also bring back the Dakota name. We’re looking for a four-cylinder engine, possibly from the European stable of Stellantis, who owns Ram, though our spy shots show dual exhaust pipes along with a coil-spring rear suspension. We’re also expecting the transmission to be a nine-speed automatic, possibly with four-wheel-drive standard. The overwhelming and unexpected success of the Ford Maverick has definitely spurred production by Ram, and we expect to see the product as early as by the end of this year.

Exhaust: Most everyone gave up on small trucks, when Ford killed, then upsized the Ranger, and GM went larger with the Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon, and Mazda and Mitsubishi stopped building their own pickups. Dodge was well-positioned with the Dakota, but the price became so close to the 1500’s during the glut of pickups that there wasn’t enough price separation between the two products. Nissan forged ahead with the Frontier, which is set to take over for the Titan, and Toyota roughly stayed the course with its pricey Tacoma, as our last tester listed for $50,000. There’s definitely a market for a smaller, cheaper pickup, as the mad dash for a Maverick illustrates. Let’s see if Ram prices its new truck comparably, meaning in the mid-to-high $20,000 range. If it’s in the mid-$30,000 range or higher, Ram may be missing this newly discovered sweet spot of the market. — Steven Cole Smith

Watch Gordon Murray sign off on the T.50 hypercar

Intake: The Gordon Murray T.50 is ready for the road after its designer took it for a final drive on his favorite route. In the last video of a series on the car’s development test driver Dario Franchitti takes the finished T.50 to Murray’s home where he takes it out on the very roads that he drove when working on the McLaren F1. During hundreds of thousands of miles of testing the naturally aspirated V-12 machine has been put through its paces in the heat of the desert and the cold of the arctic. It’s been hurled around race tracks and tested on roads all over the world, but it’s this one drive through narrow English lanes that is the most crucial of them all. Enjoy the video.

Exhaust: “This really is the next F1 and that was my intention four years ago,” concludes Murray. “I didn’t really want to deliver a car that was in another world from the F1, it just had to deliver what that car did, but just better.” — Nik Berg

Presidential Imperial limousine hits eBay

Intake: A rare piece of mid-century American history has surfaced on eBay, with around 15,000 miles on the odometer and a lifetime of stories. This 1964 Crown Imperial Ghia Presidential Limousine was used by the JFK and Johnson administrations. The seller has accumulated various media items showing this Imperial in action as a presidential limousine and offered a host of photos to prove its stellar, museum-quality condition. The limousine currently has a “Buy It Now” price of $300,000, with the chance to make an offer to the seller instead.

Exhaust: Presidential connection aside, all Ghia-bodied Imperial limousines are far more exclusive than their Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 counterparts. While starting life as a “mere” Imperial, these were shipped to Ghia’s coach building factory in Turin, Italy, for a unique wheelbase, body, roofline and doors. According to ch300imp.com, only 10 Crown Imperial Ghia limousines were made in 1964. Rarer than any Cadillac, then … but only one such Imperial has become automotive royalty. — Sajeev Mehta

Alfa Romeo’s Tonale is ready for America

Intake: We’ve seen, and driven, the similar Dodge Hornet, but now Alfa Romeo has started production of the North American–specification Tonale. In Sprint trim the compact SUV will be priced at $42,995, the Ti will be $44,995, and the range-topping Veloce will be $47,495 (plus $1595 destination charge). The Tonale’s MSRP thus fits neatly under that of its bigger SUV brother, the $46,200 Stelvio, and Alfa says that drivers who opt to lease the Tonale will be able to take advantage of the $7500 federal EV tax credit, since the Tonale is only available as a plug-in hybrid. A 1.3-liter four-cylinder turbo engine is supplemented by a 90-kW electric motor for a total of 285 horsepower, which Alfa claims is the best in its class. The Tonale can travel 30 miles or more on electric power alone thanks to its 15.5 kWh battery and comes with all-wheel drive. Among other innovations is a rapid-response Frequency Damping Suspension system that dynamically adjusts to the road and driving style. Pre-orders are open now with the first deliveries in June.

Exhaust: The Tonale breaks new ground for Alfa. Not only is it the first compact SUV from the Italian firm, it’s the first step on its road to electrification. Will this stylish but small SUV capture the heart of America? — NB

Another outdoorsier Subaru en route

Intake: Subaru vehicles are already known for their outdoorsy, go-anywhere schtick. Though all the brand’s vehicles, with the sole exception of the BRZ sports car, have full-time all-wheel-drive, Subaru isn’t above dialing up the aesthetic to attract more buyers. The Wilderness nameplate does exactly that, and we’re about to meet the third Wilderness-ified Subaru. First introduced in March of 2021 on the Outback, then on the Forester the following September, the Wilderness variant adds more (yes, more) texturized plastic body cladding, badass five-spoke matte-black wheels, copper-colored accents, and the beefiest roof rack Subaru’s yet offered—700 pounds max on the Outback, 800 on the Forester. It’s slightly more than looks, too: Each of those Wilderness models gets white-lettered Yokohama Geolander tires, a slight (less than 1 inch) suspension lift, a re-tuned (continuously variable) transmission, and the most powerful of Subaru’s generally adequate four-bangers. In just a few days, at the New York auto show, we’ll meet the third vehicle to be Wildernized.

Exhaust: These upgrades don’t make sense for the lower-slung vehicles in the Subaru portfolio (Legacy sedan and Impreza hatch), and the Crosstrek just got a shiny new generation for the 2024 model year, so it doesn’t need more hype. The Ascent could use some excitement: In five years, the three-row SUV has gotten … a bigger grille and a black-out trim package. — Grace Houghton

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post Ram’s Maverick rival, buy JFK and LBJ’s limo, Subaru’s ascent to Wilderness? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

This article originally ran on this site in June of 2021. After seeing Jeff Dunham’s Bricklin SV-1 on Jay Leno’s Garage yesterday, we couldn’t help but think of Subaru of America, a company founded by the same man who designed that odd, gull-winged sports car and gave it his name: Malcolm Bricklin. Enjoy! —Ed. 

Everybody loves a good origin story. Bruce Wayne’s parents. Peter Parker’s uncle. Kal-El’s trip from Krypton. The story of how a humble motorscooter helped found one of the most recognized brands in America is just as compelling.

It’s hard to imagine now, when you have to be a guy who started a payment-processing company with his dad’s money to eventually launch rockets and build electric cars, but back in the 1960s, ordinary schmoes with a decent suit and a dream could launch an international business. That’s what was going on with Malcolm Bricklin circa 1966, a young guy just out of college with a few bucks left over from a building supply company he started after leaving the University of Florida.

Bricklin had moved back to the Philadelphia area and was hungry for the next big thing. “I got introduced to a man by the name of David Rosen,” Bricklin says in an interview with Luminary’s Driven Radio Show. “David would put things like cigarette machines in bars and restaurants around the Philadelphia area.” Bricklin wasn’t much interested in selling cigarettes, but Rosen told him: “I got this thing in Italy that they’ve been bugging me about, and I think you’re perfect. It’s called a Cinebox.”

Bricklin described the Cinebox as a “visual jukebox,” where for 25 cents, a patron would see a short film along with wild movies in the mold of the Beatles’ 1964 hit film A Hard Day’s Night. Bricklin went to Milan to see the movie booths, which were built by Innocenti Corporation, the Italian conglomerate which also built Lambretta scooters under license.

Bricklin loved the idea and signed on immediately, only to find after a visit to Hollywood that nobody produced the kind of short music movie, what MTV would eventually launch as the music video in the ’80s. Instead, all he managed to find was R-rated pornography.

“Although I enjoyed watching it,” Bricklin says, “that’s not the business I wanted to be in, and I couldn’t convince anybody to make me a musical film.”

The impasse led to a rather desperate discussion with Innocenti, and one that would eventually set Bricklin on the path to become an automotive industry executive. The company had a warehouse in Long Island with 25,000 Lambretta scooters that, for whatever reason, it simply couldn’t sell in America. Bricklin went to the Lambretta facility in Long Island and found that “They have two nice guys, they speak broken English from Italy, they take two-hour lunches, and if you want one of these things you gotta send them a check.” The, after some indeterminate amount of time, the scooter would appear.

“It’s not a really good way to sell something that very few people want,” said Bricklin.

So he recommended that Innocenti fire their erstwhile Italian salesmen, set Bricklin up in an office in the Time and Life Building in Manhattan, and provide him $5000 a week. To Bricklin’s surprise, Innocenti agreed, offering him a one-year contract to move the bikes.

Through a connection, Bricklin hit on success: He ended up selling a thousand, then many multiples of thousands, of scooters to the New York City Police Department, first as a way to make New York City’s parking enforcement officers mobile, and then to put cops on wheels in Central Park, when that jewel was considered one of the most dangerous places in the city. Bricklin and his partner took out a $15,000 ad in the Police Gazette advertising the Lambrettas, with a testimonial from the NYC police. “By using the Lambrettas in Central Park, it kind of opened up the park. It sort of made it a place where you could actually go and enjoy the park. It really did cut down on the crime,” Bricklin says.

Buoyed with his New York City success, Bricklin went looking for other opportunities to put Americans on two wheels. He found some traction selling scooters to gas stations who would rent Vespa and Lambretta scooters in tourist areas. “I saw that they were getting $15 an hour to rent these things,” Bricklin says. “That was at a time when these things only cost a couple hundred dollars. We’re talking about a real return on investment.”

But there was a huge issue in the rental market: the manual transmission. At the time, most people did know how to drive a car with a manual gearbox; but riding a scooter was something else entirely. Vespas and Lambrettas shifted gears via a twist of the left handgrip. It’s not particularly challenging if you own one and have time to acclimate, but if you’re just renting the two-wheeler for a couple of hours in Florida, you’ll stand a decent chance of getting hurt. Most of the companies that rented these bikes had little in the way of insurance and would get sued out of existence after their first summer.

Bricklin handled part of it with a dollar-per-rental insurance fee to State Farm, but the danger still remained, until he read something intriguing. “I read a little ad in the Wall Street Journal, about a guy who has 450 Rabbit motor scooters in the New England area,” Bricklin recalls. “So I fly to Boston to meet him, and he has himself a little airplane, and he has 450 scooters on rental, and they have automatic transmissions. Oh my god, I think I died and went to heaven. I’ve got automatic transmissions and I have insurance.”

The Rabbit was the product of Fuji Heavy Industries, which had been in the transportation and aerospace business since 1953. The first Rabbit scooter, the S-1, was essentially a reverse-engineered version of Powell’s two-wheeler, a crude machine with an eight-inch wheel and no suspension. In 1957, though, Fuji set out to build a better bike than the Italians, and succeeded. Their top-of-the-line model was the Fuji Rabbit Superflow S601, a true luxury scooter that beat anything available at the time with innovative features that made riding one as easy as twisting the throttle.

These bikes used the basic scooter design pioneered by Lambretta: a sheetmetal body hung from a strong tubular steel chassis. Attached to that engine was a beast of an engine: A 200-cc engine capable of rocketing these handsome bikes to 65 miles per hour. While Vespa and Lambretta owners would be kicking their bikes over for years to come, the Rabbit Superflow S601 came standard with electric start, another feature that would make these bikes a lot more appealing to the swells renting bikes on Martha’s Vineyard. The rear suspension was an air shock, which riders could inflate or deflate depending on whether they were carrying a passenger.

The key, though, was the Superflow torque converter. This wasn’t some belt-drive snowmobile transmission; it’s a fluid-filled converter like you’d find in front of a TH350. Riders would step through the Rabbit’s attractive bodywork, turn the key, push the start button, release the parking brake, and whoosh off to their destination at fifteen bucks an hour. “Made for the enjoyment of a gentleman,” claimed the marketing materials from American Rabbit Corporation, the San Diego-based importer of these innovative bikes (more on them in a minute).

As if to accent the “gentleman” part of the marketing plan, in 1959, Fuji paid for a barnstorming tour of Europe for fledgling conductor Seiji Ozawa, who would later become the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 29 years. “Seiji Ozawa had pestered companies all over the country for sponsorship that would fund his voyage to Europe and help fulfill his dream of learning classical music in the place of its birth,” read an article in the Bangkok Post. “Only one firm—Fuji Heavy Industries—was prepared to take a gamble on this precociously talented young man, supplying a moped to help him get around the continent.” The “moped” was a Rabbit S201. At each stop, the guitar-wielding, scooter-riding Ozawa set up connections between local distributors and his Japanese benefactor.

The Japanese scooters were an easy sell for Bricklin, who agreed to partner with the Boston-based Rabbit rental agent and pay off the $75,000 loan he had obtained with a local bank. For his investment, Bricklin allowed his partner to keep the rental revenues, and he secured the North American distribution of these amazing bikes.

Or so he thought.

Remember American Rabbit Corporation? They were the sole distributor in the United States, not Bricklin’s new partner. “I get a Telex together to Fuji, telling them how excited I am, and how do I order a couple thousand scooters,” recalls Bricklin. “I get a Telex back asking who am I, and don’t I know that they sold their [Rabbit] factory to Israel, and that they’re in the process of dismantling it?” The last Fuji Rabbit scooters had rolled off the line just before Bricklin inked his deal.

Bricklin suddenly found himself with $75,000 invested in a distributorship through some kind of a forged contract. “All they know is that they have to be nice to me,” Bricklin says, recalling his first trip to Fuji. “We meet with the board, and everybody’s really sorry I got screwed.”

To salve Bricklin’s hurt feelings and his bedraggled pocketbook, Fuji executives took him on a tour of the plant, where he saw the Subaru 360 and the upcoming Star, marketed in Japan as the FF-1. “I really wanted that car,” Bricklin remembers. The 360 was the product he was offered, though. Thanks to a 1000-pound threshold, the 360 wasn’t required to comply with NHTSA’s new FMVSS safety requirements, something that Bricklin figured he could exploit for the first few years until a proper car like the FF-1 came his way.

Bricklin founded Subaru of America to import the 360, on the strength of America’s love for small air-cooled, rear engine cars like the Volkswagen Beetle, but the 360 was never greeted warmly here. A 1970 issue of Consumer Reports labeled the car “Not Acceptable,” essentially sealing its fate in a cresting wave of consumer advocacy after the publication of Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed in 1965. In 1971, Bricklin left Subaru and launched a racing franchise—essentially a go-kart track with adult-sized cars—called FasTrack, which he used as a means of disposing of 10,000 360s he had imported. Bricklin hired Meyers Manx creator Bruce Meyers to develop a fiberglass body for the cars, and fitted them with nerf bars.

The idea never took off, but Bricklin continued to push forward. He developed his own car, the Bricklin SV-1, in 1974; imported Zastava automobiles from Yugoslavia under the Yugo brand beginning in 1985; and, in 2002, embarked on a three-year quest to be the first importer of a Chinese automobile into the United States.

53 years later, Bricklin is still hustling. In 2013, Rolling Stone called him “brash, bombastic, and pathologically prone to betting the farm on pie-in-the-sky automotive endeavors.” With a network of 600 dealers from coast to coast, and a new 250,000-square-foot headquarters in Camden, New Jersey, Subaru of America proves that Bricklin wasn’t the P.T. Barnum he’s often made out to be. And according to Subaru’s national sales training manager, Mike Whelan, there’s still a Fuji Rabbit in SoA’s collection.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post How MTV’s DNA, the NYC police, and a forged contract led to Subaru of America appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Want a better understanding of what’s driving collector-car values? Sign up for the Hagerty Insider newsletter.

You think the blood is baddest between Ford and Chevy folks? Wait until you catch a forum fracas between the Subaru squad and the Mitsubishi militia. Ever since the two Japanese automakers first locked turbos back in the early 1990s, it’s been an endless game of tribal Top Trumps between Subaru’s WRX STI and Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution. Of course, now that they aren’t duking it out in the World Rally Championship, the winner between the two is more open to interpretation—but what does our valuation data say?

While the first JDM Evo landed in 1992 and the first WRX STI in 1994, American enthusiasts had to wait about a decade for each to officially arrive on our shores. For the purposes of this value showdown, we’re comparing the 2004–2006 WRX STI, a range covering two distinct sub-generations known colloquially as “Blob-eye” (2004–2005) and “Hawk-eye” (2006–2007). The Mitsu Lancer Evo beat the STI to the punch with its USDM arrival for the 2003 model year, so we’re tracking the first two generations of Yankee Evos between 2003 and 2006, a span covering the Evo VIII (2003–2005) and the Evo IX (2006).

Both the Evo and the STI have benefited immensely from the ongoing value surge in the Japanese collector car market. Since the STI’s induction into our Price Guide in 2016, Condition #2 (Excellent) 2004–2007 STIs have grown 88 percent from $21,9220 to $41,320 as of this writing. As is the case with most collector cars, the pandemic market madness was a boon for the first USDM STI, which has enjoyed a 22 percent boost since January 2020. Even during the market’s ongoing cool-down lap, values for excellent condition examples are up 12 percent in the last year.

The Evo’s trajectory tells a similar story. Values of Evo VIIIs in equitable Condition #2 are up 82 percent since 2016, from $18,783 to today’s $34,317. Zoom in, and Evo VIIIs are up 40 percent since Jan. 2020. The subsequent Evo IX breaks away with a Condition #2 value increase from $23,925 to $57,800 at the time of this writing—a whopping 141 percent boost since 2016. The Evo IX gained the most from the superheated market, enjoying a 97 percent slingshot since Jan. 2020.

There are a few threads to tug on here. First, it looks like the STI appreciated better early on than equivalent Evos, rising 54 percent between September 2016 and January 2020. In the same timeframe, the Evo VIII jumped 30 percent, while the Evo IX finished last at 27 percent—a nonetheless strong number. But pay close attention to the Evo IX; it is easily the most valuable of the three in today’s market ($43,475), outstripping the average values of both the STI ($34,950) and the VIII ($29,791).

We have a few theories explaining the STI’s staying power and the Evo IX’s meteoric rise. First, the final Lancer Evo dipped out for the 2015 model year, while the STI stuck around until 2021, at which point Subaru announced the current-gen (VB) WRX will not spawn a hotter STI variant for the foreseeable future. Subaru had longer to cultivate and grow its fanbase, while Mitsubishi’s enthusiast catalog ended the minute the final Evo was sold.

Age demographics among quotes sought for the Subaru are also noticeably broader than those for the Mitsus. According to our data, Millennials make up 45 percent of quotes for the STI, with 21 percent from Gen-X, 24 percent from Gen-Z, and nine percent from Boomers. Compare this to the Evo VIII, where 60 percent of quotes come from millennials and only 13 percent from Gen-X, and 16 percent from Gen-Z. Curiously, the Evo VIII attracts the same interest from Boomers, with nine percent.

Again, the Evo IX is a stand-out. Millennials make up the majority of the quotes at 74 percent, with the remaining split evenly between Gen-X and Gen-Z. Boomers show negligible interest in the Evo IX, making this the “youngest” of the three cars in question.

So what’s the deal with the Evo IX? Snoop around Evo forums, and you’ll find the IX is considered a stronger, quicker, and more capable, ah, evolution of the VIII. The IX strengthened certain areas of the powertrain and added variable valve timing, and is the one to get if you’re keeping mods light.

The post America’s first WRX STIs and Lancer Evos are more popular than ever appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Lia Block, daughter of late rally driver/internet sensation/Chief Hoonigan Ken Block, has revealed the livery she’ll be using to compete in the American Rally Association this year. Her Subaru BRZ will wear a snow camouflage motif with gold wheels and a big gold Hoonigan “H” silhouette to commemorate a Subaru WRX STI livery Ken Block designed back in 2005 that used snow camo and a DC Shoes logo.

Block made the announcement via Instagram, saying, “This year is going to be a tough one. But I’m happy to be back doing what my dad loved and what I still love. Excited to also be switching to this RWD Subaru BRZ this year to race the @ara_rally Championship. The snow-camo and gold design is an homage to my dad’s very first livery he created back in 2005. It was also the livery that he ran in the Gumball 3000 that same year. ”

We love the new BRZ in stock form and this one is even better. The snow camo and gold livery look every bit as good on the two-door Subaru as they did on the four-door and is a fantastic way to celebrate her father’s legacy.

We’ll be looking for Lia and the sharp little BRZ in the American Rally Association this year and wish her and her team the best of luck!

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post Lia Block’s 2023 rally car matches her father’s first appeared first on Hagerty Media.

A few weeks ago, we published an article that placed you, the reader, in a hypothetical traffic jam. All around you were cars from various eras and manufacturers, sporting badges with confusing or unknown meanings.

The mix of letters and numbers clinging to trunk lids and fenders with double-sided tape are a kind of a secret language that’s always satisfying to decode. More often than not, once we’re out of the car, or the mystifying acronym is out of site, we forget to search online for the solutions to these little puzzles.

So we decided to save you the time and give you the rundown on six more badges you might encounter in the wild.

Check them out!

COPO

If you know, you know that Chevrolet’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) system gave dealers the means to get cars from the assembly line that the company didn’t publicize or specify on its order forms. The system was initially meant for ordering fleet vehicles, but of course it was also manipulated to build hot rods.

The ZL1 code, for example, was what an aspiring racer needed on their order form to get the all-aluminum 427 big-block that was originally designed for Corvette race cars … but the engine shortly found a home in Camaros. ZL1, by the way, was never an official Chevrolet designation until 2012, when it became a trim on the baddest track-focused Camaro in the lineup.

VTEC

Engines are tuned for the jobs they need to perform. That could mean low-rpm response for pleasant city driving, high-rev shove for a track-slaying sports car, or stump-pulling torque for a work truck. But what if you need an engine to respond to a variety of situations?

Honda’s solution: VTEC.

The four letters stand for Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control System. The tech can be traced to the 1984 New Concept Engine program, and it became a staple of Honda engines in the 1990s.

Utilizing two camshaft profiles and a valve lifter that is only actuated during high-rpm use, VTEC engines functionally have two cam profiles that can be tailored individually for optimal performance across different rev ranges.

These days nearly every manufacturer employs some version of variable valve or lift timing, and even big V-8 engines like Chevy’s small-block can run on four cylinders to save fuel. Some variable setups have better reputations than others, but none has the following or associated lore of Honda’s VTEC, which young tuners to this day respect.

SH-AWD

2005 doesn’t sound like it was so long ago, but check your calendar. It’s been eighteen years!

The automotive landscape in the mid-aughts was radically different than today’s. All-wheel drive was just starting to become common in mainstream cars, and Acura was on the forefront of developing new technology to compete with that of longtime experts Subaru and Audi.

Short for Super Handling All Wheel Drive, SH-AWD doesn’t earn Acura any points for naming creativity. But the Japanese brand should be credited for designing one of the first all-wheel-drive systems with true torque-vectoring capability.

Technically an evolution of the VTM-4 (Variable Torque Management four-wheel drive) system that debuted in 2001, Acura’s SH-AWD can send up to 70 percent of engine torque to the rear wheels and actively distribute up to 100 percent of that torque to a single left or right wheel to aid handling and traction.

SH-AWD is still in use today, in everything from the MDX family hauler to the show-stopping NSX supercar.

SHO

Ford gave birth to a beast when it shortened Super High Output to SHO and stuck the badge on the back of the Taurus for 1989. Luckily, the Yamaha-built, 220-horsepower V-6 backed up the bold name, along with a sport suspension, upgraded brakes, and cast-aluminum wheels.

The SHO was supposed to only last a few years, but after selling 15,519 Taurus SHOs in the very first year—at a hefty price of $19,739 (equal to about $45,840 today)—it proved a special model worth keeping around.

The first-generation cars (1989–91) have already achieved collector-vehicle status. Ford even brought the moniker back for the 2010 model year until it died with the Taurus in 2019. With Ford now using its Focus-famous ST badge on sportier SUVs these days, could SHO be gone forever?

STI

Short for Subaru Tecnica International, this group was created in 1988 to develop a worldwide image of competitive motorsports associated with the Subaru brand. (No, we didn’t leave out the “h” in Tecnica. That’s how Subaru wants it spelled.) The abbreviation quickly became synonymous with the highest-performance cars Subie sold, and these cars made their mark on rally stages around the world.

Early STi cars were Legacy-based, but the platform swapped to the Impreza’s in 1992 and ultimately took the form of the 1994 Impreza WRX STI, which sadly didn’t make it to U.S. shores for sale until the 2004 model year. If turbocharged boxer engines shoved into rally-infused four-doors are your thing, the STI is your flavor of fun.

Though early examples are now bonafide collector cars, Subaru made the strange choice of discontinuing the STI (all caps, as of 2006) for this latest iteration of the WRX.

RFVC

Back to Honda-land, but this time we are talking two wheels … and a badge that is literally cast into parts rather than stuck on to a body panel.

The Radial Four Valve (combustion) Chamber is a complicated way of saying “hemispherical cylinder head,” but it did keep Chrysler’s patent lawyers off everyone’s back.

In an effort to improve airflow, the four valves that control air and fuel flow through the cylinder were canted outward slightly, making a shallow dome with its apex at the spark plug.

Honda wasn’t the first to develop this design and was arguably late to implement it when the new-for-1984 XR-series bikes hit the market. However, like so many other manufacturers, Honda was keen to highlight the technology as a bragging point in marketing efforts. This design is widespread across a variety of modern engines, but it’s the Hemi crowd that still toots its horn the loudest.

For its part, the RFVC casting can still be found on the Honda XR650L, which has remained virtually unchanged since 1993.

***

The post Can you decode these 6 badges? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Let’s not kid ourselves: Being a car enthusiast can be a pricey endeavor. Like any hobby that involves expensive gear and gadgets (golf, photography, skiing, boating …), keeping a fun weekend car is often dauntingly expensive.

We’ve found 12 vehicles made in 1993 or later, each of which costs less than 20 grand in running and driving condition. Each has plenty of creature comforts, and some have real handling prowess. All are vehicles that you can enjoy owning, tinkering with, and possibly showing off at your local car show or caffeine-adjacent cruise-in.

We know that $20,000 is not cheap, but we’ve selected vehicles that are well-preserved for their age, with values based on the Hagerty Price Guide’s 1-to-4 vehicle-condition rating system. (For the full breakdown of our scale, click here.) Vehicles in #3, or Good, condition are very well maintained and ready to hit the road, though they will have cosmetic flaws visible to the naked eye. #2 condition, or Excellent, vehicles drive and present like new.

Let’s get started.

2006 Dodge Charger SRT8

#3 (Good) value: $16,900

It sure doesn’t feel like Dodge returned to Hemi-powered muscle cars 17 years ago, but here we are. The 6.1-liter Hemi in the early Chargers is down a bit on power compared to the current crop of 6.4-liter beasts, although the 425-hp output and snarling exhaust are enough to make you forget the comparison rather quickly. Also, the tall, aluminum intake manifold on the 6.1-liter easily makes it the best-looking third-gen Hemi to ever go into a Charger, so pop that hood every chance you get.

The earlier Charger models have just the right amount of brawny flair to make them stand out in a sea of FWD sedans. They’ve got to be some of the best buys in muscle sedans today.

1995 Subaru SVX L AWD

#2 (Excellent) value: $16,600

There were many strange and interesting vehicles to come out of Japan in the ’90s, so we’ll forgive you if you’ve forgotten—or never even knew—about the Subaru SVX.

The two-door, four-seat grand tourer was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who also penned the DeLorean DMC-12 and original Golf. The SVX has a striking greenhouse dominated by curving side windows that necessitated a rather unique solution to allow the vertical portions to roll down. We drove one of these quirky coupes and enjoyed the smooth, 240-hp 3.3-liter flat-six and the stares that the rare coupe drew from confused onlookers.

Considering the SVX was a low-volume car and the sole recipient of its flat-six engine, this car might be expensive to maintain long-term. On the other hand, it does turn a lot of heads for 16 grand.

1993 Ford Taurus SHO

#2 (Excellent) value: $10,300

Who doesn’t love a sleeper? Ford pumped out hundreds of thousands of boring, reliable Tauruses every year, making it the most popular car in America from 1992–96. The majority of them were equipped with an automatic transmission and a 140-hp, pushrod, 3.0-liter Vulcan V-6. Optional on sedans and standard on the heavier wagon, the 3.8-liter Essex V-6 brought additional torque (but no additional power) thanks to increased displacement.

The SHO (Super High Output) model, on the other hand, featured a DOHC version of the 3.0-liter with an improved block and an all-new top end developed by Yamaha. Doubling the number of valves meant the V-6 could breathe a whole lot better, allowing it to rev to a peak of 220 hp at 6200 rpm. The additional 80 horsepower completely transformed the SHO and enabled it to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in under seven seconds when equipped with the manual transmission. In 1993, an automatic was optional for the first time and nearly 3 out of 4 buyers preferred it, with contemporary reviews from Motor Trend praising the automatic version’s smoothness.

Whichever SHO you pick, five-speed or auto, expect it to fly under the radar and bring a smile to your face.

1999 Ford Mustang Cobra SVT

#3 (Good) value: $16,000

The Ford Mustang GT has been a great performance bargain for years. For that reason, it’s easy to forget that, in the early days of the Modular V-8, the standard GT wasn’t terribly exciting. With its “Performance Improved” two-valve cylinder head, the 1999 Mustang boasted 260 hp, an increase from 225 hp the year before.

There was clearly more in Ford’s Modular V-8, and the 1999 SVT Cobra unlocked it thanks to DOHC, four-valve heads. The massive heads and imposing intake, topped with a coiled cobra, looked great under the hood, but owners were disappointed with the model’s performance. Ford recalled the cars and replaced the intake manifold, stating that the initial run of manifolds had been miscast and didn’t flow as intended. The factory made good with a new intake, cat-back exhaust, and a new tune, making the 320-hp 4.6-liter the most powerful naturally aspirated Mod motor to go into a factory Mustang until the fabulous Coyote debuted for 2012.

We’ve got good news for fans of convertibles: The droptop Cobra is even more affordable, with a #3 (Good) condition value of $14,900.

2000 Chevrolet Corvette

#3 (Good) value: $17,400

Corvette made several big moves when the fifth generation (C5) launched for the 1997 model year. Not only did chassis and layout improve by leaps and bounds, with the switch to a torque tube and rear-mounted transmission, but the fifth gen ushered in the LS1 V-8. This was the first application of the third-generation small-block, the only engine that had any chance at dethroning the original Chevy small-block as the go-to V-8 for the average Joe’s engine swap.

Low-mileage, well-preserved Z06s of this generation still provide excellent value, but enthusiasts have known about them for quite a while. It’s no secret that this 2023 Bull Market pick is a fantastic track machine. However, the base C5 still offers plenty of road-hugging grip, and it has a hatch that makes it a practical grand touring machine. (The trunk is pretty well known, at this point, for its ability to swallow two golf bags.) Plus, if you are so inclined, the Z06 suspension goodies are a bolt-on affair. Prices have softened a bit on the entry-level C5s, with values down 11 percent since October of 2022.

1991 Honda Civic Si

#2 (Excellent) value: $15,600

With a standard manual transmission and manual steering, the original Civic Si was a pure, mechanical joy. Later models added more finesse, but even with smoothed edges, they are still a visceral experience. We’ve seen prices for Honda hot hatches and coupes skyrocket over the last several years, and the prices for the 1991 model have gone up 25 percent since this time last year. For buyers of a certain age, these are prime collectibles. Get behind the wheel and you’ll understand why.

2004 Porsche Boxster S

#3 (Good) value: $18,000

Let’s not put too fine a point on this: It’s a droptop, mid-engine Porsche that you can drive for less than $20,000.

2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP

#2 (Excellent) value: $18,500

The Pontiac Solstice was made during a time when General Motors was taking risks and putting quite a lot of low-volume vehicles into production. Enthusiasts should take advantage of the spoils.

Yes, there’s a serious lack of luggage space thanks to some interesting packaging decisions that make this car rather impractical for a long trip, much less a daily driver; but the Pontiac Solstice and its Saturn Sky platform-mate are quite fun to drive, often described as smaller Corvettes. The Solstice GXP and its cousin the Sky Redline are powered by 260-hp, turbocharged Ecotec 2.0-liter inline-fours and their generous wheelwells can fit a decent amount of tire to provide lots of grip.

Values for these attractive convertibles are holding steady and a #3 (Good) condition GXP can be had for just about half ($10,700) of this list’s $20,000 threshold.

2006–2007 Subaru Impreza WRX

#3 (Good) value: $15,300

Subaru finally gave American buyers the chance to own a rally-bred WRX in 2002 and a generation of buyers has reveled in the nimble, AWD performance compact in both sedan and wagon versions.

WRX fans have lots of opinions on whether the Bugeye (2002–3), Blobeye (2004–5), or Hawkeye (2006–7) version looks best, and we can make arguments for all three of them. However, it was only the Hawkeye that got a displacement boost, using the 2.5-liter EJ255 rather than the 2.0-liter powerplant used by its predecessors. There’s a downside to the increase in displacement and torque that came from this new engine, as the mill is notorious for head-gasket issues. Hopefully by now these cars have enough miles for their owners to have sorted those out, and you’ll be able to find a driver-condition (or #3) car and enjoy AWD turbo motoring.

If you prefer a different look, and a bit more luxury, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X Aero wagon uses the same 230-hp turbo four and has an identical price tag.

2002 BMW Z3 3.0

#3 (Good) value: $15,500

Sometimes Miata is not the answer. The most powerful non-M version of the classic BMW roadster, the 3.0-liter iteration of the Z3 packs an M54 inline-six that delivers a smooth 228 hp suitable for spirited driving or for road-tripping. Where else are you going to get an inline-six roadster at this price and with looks this striking? Prices are up just over five percent compared to a year ago, perhaps pulled in that direction by the less common Z3 coupe, whose values are up by more than 25 percent.

2006 Pontiac GTO

#3 (Good) value: $19,800

Imported from Australia, the 2004 GTO brought a capable chassis with independent rear suspension, a powerful V-8, and a comfortable interior—available in quite the color palette—to fill in while the Camaro was on hiatus. The GTO’s detractors bashed it for being a hot-rodded two-door version of a family sedan with some hood scoops thrown on, completely forgetting that the original 1964 GTO was a hot-rodded two-door version of a family sedan with some hood scoops thrown on.

Contemporary reviews from buff books were positive and the rather sedate design has aged nicely. While the car was launched in 2004 with a 350-hp, 5.7-liter LS1, 2005 and 2006 models received a 400-hp, 6.0-liter LS2, making them the most desirable models in the short production run. This one barely squeaks onto the list: Enthusiasts know a good thing when they see it, and prices have remained steady.

2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

#3 (Good) value: $19,300

Not everyone’s idea of a weekend drive includes a road, so we couldn’t finish this list without a 4×4. The inaugural Jeep Wrangler Rubicon seemed like the perfect vehicle to wrap things up.

The 2003 model year saw not only the introduction of the Rubicon package, with its beefier Dana 44 axles, dual lockers, and 4:1 low-range, but also a mid-cycle update across the TJ Wrangler lineup that included an automatic overdrive transmission replacing the prior three-speed auto. Of course, a five-speed manual was also optional and the Rubicon’s deep low-range would make three-pedal crawling a much simpler affair. It’s been 20 years since Jeep launched the Rubicon trim, and the prices on the TJ (1997–2006) Rubicons continue to scramble up, so it might not be long before spending $20,000 on a TJ Rubicon means a trail-battered example that requires serious repair.

For those of you who want to spend less than $20,000, there are still plenty of viable project vehicles, especially if you don’t mind sacrificing some late-model conveniences. If you prefer to do some wrenching and restoring of your own, your options are even more vast. Scored a good deal on a modern collectible such as these? Let us know in the comments below.

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post 12 modern, collectible vehicles under $20,000 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Production-spec electric Ram REV debuts during Super Bowl

Intake: A clever one-minute ad during the closing half of Super Bowl LVII showed the actual Ram REV, something we hadn’t seen until then. The looks are toned down considerably from the Ram prototype that was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but it’s still identifiable as something different from the regular Ram. Details on the REV remain sketchy—the website does announce that “a sophisticated front full fascia and lower grille surround complement this electric truck’s already heroic demeanor,” but that’s about it. Mostly the site shows how you can become a Ram Insider+ by sending them $100 to reserve your place in line when the truck goes into production next year, with delivery in the fourth quarter of 2024. That gives Ford and GM quite a jump on their electric trucks before the Ram REV makes its entrance.

Exhaust: It’s undeniably a good-looking truck, but so are the Ford and GM electrics. Ram will need some innovative engineering and features, something more than a “heroic demeanor,” and it needs to reveal them soon if it wants customers to wait a year and a half before buying an electrified pickup. — Steven Cole Smith

Subaru issues a “do not drive” on some 2023 Solterras

Intake: In what amounts to a re-recall, Subaru is issuing a “do not drive” advisory on 1182 Solterras made for the 2023 model year. These electric vehicles were the subject of an earlier recall requiring the replacement of original hub bolts. Subaru identified an issue with vehicles repaired at two port locations by one particular team of contractors. The teams did not properly complete the repair procedure resulting in the potential for significantly under-torqued bolts. Out of an abundance of caution, Subaru is recalling all vehicles repaired at all port locations supported by the third-party contractor. Vehicles without the original hub bolt recall and vehicles repaired at other facilities are not affected.

Exhaust: For all potentially affected vehicles, Subaru retailers will inspect the hub bolts and, if necessary, retorque to the specification at no cost to the customer, who will be instructed not to drive their vehicle and to contact their retailer to have the vehicle towed for inspection. Towing will be offered at no cost. — SCS

2024 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport get a refresh

Intake: Volkswagen’s largest SUVs, the seven-passenger Atlas and five-passenger Atlas Cross Sport get a refresh inside and out for the 2024 model year, with the vehicles available in the third quarter of this year. Outside, there’s a new front-end design and greater differentiation between Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport. On both cars, a wide chrome four-bar grille is framed by LED headlights with the newly standard adaptive front-lighting system. At the rear, both models add a larger spoiler, lengthening the overall roofline of the vehicles and giving them a sleeker side profile. Atlas Cross Sport models add a more aggressive rear diffuser than the previous generation, further differentiating the two models. All trims get new wheel designs, ranging from 18 to 20 inches with machined alloy and black finishes available. R-line trims up the ante with a gloss-black grille, 21-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, and signature R-line badging. Under the hood, power will come solely from a four-cylinder turbocharged and direct-injection engine with 269 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. The six-cylinder engine goes away.

Exhaust: We’ll miss the VR6 engine, but the four-cylinder actually has more torque, and towing capacity (5000 pounds) remains the same. An eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive are standard; Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system is available across the model lineup. — SCS

Lucid linked with Aston Martin when AMG arrangement ends

Intake: Luxury EV startup Lucid Motors is in talks with Aston Martin, according to a new report. A story by well-connected German journalist Georg Kacher in Car and Driver suggests that a partnership between the two companies would literally electrify Aston Martin’s business, while offering Lucid expertise in vehicle architecture, design, and personalization. It would also give Lucid access to Aston Martin dealers worldwide. Why would Aston Martin need this trans-Atlantic hook-up when it already has an agreement with Mercedes-AMG? Kacher suggests that the rapid exit of former AMG boss Tobias Moers from his job as Aston’s CEO in 2022 means that the German-British relationship is souring. There’s no suggestion that Mercedes would pull the plug early on the arrangement, but an insider told Kacher, “AMG and Pagani—that’s true friendship. AMG and Aston is merely a business case with a fixed expiration date.”

Exhaust: Aston Martin’s 110-year history has been plagued with financial instability and the company seems like it’s almost always up for sale. Under Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin has been floated (though the share price isn’t exactly buoyant) and refinanced, but it will need a strong partner in order to develop the electric vehicles it will be compelled to produce before the decade is out. Lucid comes with big backing in the form of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, but there’s another potential bidder in the form of China’s Geely. Boss Li Shifu is an Aston Martin fan and already owns a sizable share of the British brand which he could be looking to increase, and with Geely comes EV expertise in the form of Polestar and Lotus. —Nik Berg

John Deere debuts electric zero-turn mower

Intake: Yes, we know it’s not a car, but it has a motor and four wheels, so allow us to present the first electric zero-turn riding mower from John Deere, as the company begins a serious electric campaign. The Z370R Electric ZTrak has a 42-inch deck and is designed for residential customers, and it’s capable of mowing two acres between 110-volt charges to its sealed lithium-ion battery. Reportedly it’s almost silent and vibration-free.

Exhaust: The price is $6399, and it comes with a 5-year, 200-hour battery warranty. That’s about double the cost of a conventional 42-inch John Deere 20-horsepower zero-turn mower. — SCS

Lyft takes a hit as Uber advances

Intake: The ride-sharing service Lyft lost more than a third of its market value on Friday after a “bleak forecast fueled worries that the company’s price cuts to avoid being a distant second to Uber in the North American ride-sharing market would squeeze profits,” reports Reuters. The story quotes analysts who predicted that any additional business at Lyft would not be enough to offset lower prices. Uber and Lyft have been “locked in a battle for market share” with latest earnings showing Uber’s global presence and more diversified business were “giving it an edge over rideshare- and U.S.-focused Lyft.” Lyft shares hit their worst day on record after closing 36.4 percent lower, as the sell-off erased over $2 billion in the company’s market value and nearly all of its share price gains this year.

Exhaust: The battle is reminiscent of the Sirius and XM fight for superiority in the satellite radio business. In the end, there was only room for one, and the companies merged. Maybe that’s the future here, too. — SCS

Build the world’s smallest street-legal car

Intake: “The Peel P50, produced in the early 1960s, was the smallest production automobile in the world. And now a new kit allows handy folks to build their own replica, although this time, it’s electric,” says Electrek.co. Peel went out of business in 1965, but a new company, known as P50 Cars, has created a replica that is “much easier to get your hands onto than one of the original 50 production models.” This P50 uses a 4-kW motor that is good for speeds up to 28 mph. The British manufacturer says it takes about 50 hours to assemble. The kit starts at £10,379 (approximately $12,600).

Exhaust: Sure it’s just a light vehicle, limited in speed and utility like a road-equipped golf cart, but isn’t it cute? Check out the P50 website here. — SCS

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it.

The post Meet Ram’s electric pickup, Subaru recalls its EV, Lucid to partner with Aston Martin? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

This (and every) Valentine’s Day, we take a moment to celebrate two becoming one. We buy cards, chocolates, and dozens of roses to mark the couplings which lead to a successful and long-lasting relationships.

In the car industry there’s plenty to cheer as well, as these ten happy manufacturer marriages prove.

Toyota and Subaru

Toyota and Subaru hooked up in 2008 in a marriage of convenience when the Japanese giant took a 16.5 percent share of its smaller rival. After a four-year honeymoon period, their first offspring was a set of terrific twins: the Toyota GT86 (née Scion FRS, for the U.S.) and the Subaru BRZ.

Toyota did most of the design and engineering work, but the cars’ character came from their shared Subaru flat-four motor. Just the right amount of power and just the right amount of grip made the BRZ/GT86 siblings a hoot to drive and drift. The first generation lasted nine years with a follow-up arriving in 2021 that’s every bit as entertaining … with yet another name change for the Toyota, to GR86.

Lotus and Chevrolet

Lotus has been married and divorced more times than Donald Trump, having formal relationships with General Motors, Bugatti’s Romano Artioli, Proton, and now Geely.

During its seven-year hitch to GM, Lotus Engineering was brought in to work on a number of GM group products including the Isuzu Piazza Turbo, the Vauxhall/Opel Lotus Carlton, the Dodge Spirit R/T, and the C4 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1. For the “King of the Hill,” Lotus designed a 5.7-liter, 375-hp aluminum block, quad-cam, 32-valve V-8, and installed adjustable Bilstein suspension to live up to the “handling by Lotus” moniker.

Mercedes and AMG

The story of AMG actually began inside 1960s’ Mercedes-Benz when Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher worked together on the 300 SE racing engine. They left to form their own business Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach in 1967 and by 1971 were world famous after their “Red Pig” AMG Mercedes 300 SEL won the 24 Hours of Spa.

Alongside continued racing success Aufrecht and Melcher moved on to tuning Mercedes’ road cars, developing their own engines from 1984. In 1990 the quality of AMG’s engineering was recognized by Mercedes and the pair signed a cooperation contract. In 2005 AMG was acquired by Mercedes leading to the in-house skunkworks that we know so well, thanks to cars ranging from the C36 to the wild One.

AC and Shelby

When this small British sports-car maker and all-American racer hooked up, there were fireworks. Carroll Shelby identified the little AC Ace as a potential race winner if it could just pack a bit more of a punch and enlisted Ford for a motorsports ménage à trois.

The Shelby Cobra and its small-block V-8 would make history at Le Mans, Daytona, Monza, and the Nürburgring, to name but three of its famous victories. In the 60 years since it was conceived, the Cobra has continued to be built on both sides of the Atlantic in numerous iterations. A legend that lives on and on.

McLaren and BMW

The story of the McLaren F1 has been told many times over, but if it weren’t for the relationship forged between Gordon Murray and Paul Rosche at BMW, would this midengine beast have been such a spectacular success?

Murray had been looking to the Formula 1 team’s engine supplier Honda to provide a V-10 but the collaboration didn’t work out. BMW’s M Division came to the rescue with a bespoke, 6.1-liter, 620-hp V-12, quite possibly the best engine ever built by the German brand.

Mercedes and Porsche

In the early days of Mercedes’ romance with AMG, the company was also conducting a one-car stand with Porsche. The result of this dalliance was the 500E, a high-performance version of the W124 E-Class, which was hand-assembled by Porsche.

It was powered by a five-liter V-8 from the SL roadster, with uprated brakes to cope, and building it was anything but simple. Each one had to be shuttled the 20 miles between Mercedes at Sindelfingen and Porsche in Zuffenhausen. Mercedes provided a kit of parts to which Porsche added the car’s flared front fenders, then the 500Es would be back to Benz for painting, before taking a last trip to Porsche for final assembly. It was a complicated arrangement, but made for one of the most exciting sedans of the early ’90s.

Porsche and Audi

Porsche’s affair with Mercedes fizzled out when the last 500E was built, but few rebound relationships produce better results than the RS2, which Porsche built for Audi on the same production line.

Porsche started with the sensible B4 Avant—and went all-out on its 2.2-liter five-cylinder engine. In addition to a bigger turbo and intercooler, plus uprated injectors, Porsche upgraded the powertrain’s cooling and induction and exhaust systems to justify the “Powered by Porsche” cast on the engine’s cam cover. Porsche-branded Brembo brakes sat behind Porsche Cup alloy wheels and the interior was given a retrim with Recaro seats and white instrumentation. Quattro AWD empowered the RS2 to hit 62 mph in just 4.8 seconds—faster, indeed, than the pure-blooded Porsches of the day.

Fiat and Mazda

New Mazda Miatas don’t come along often, just once a decade since the car’s 1989 debut, in fact. Even though the Miata had just hit the million mark, the Japanese knew they’d need a partner to help fund the fourth generation (interally known as the ND), launched in 2014.

Enter an international marriage between Japan and Italy. At first it appeared that Alfa Romeo was being wooed to build a new Spider, but in the event it was Fiat that accepted Mazda’s offer and so its 124 would be built alongside the Miata in Hiroshima. Mazda stuck with revvy normally-aspirated engines, and styled the car around its sleek Kodo Soul of Motion design language. Fiat opted for a turbocharged motor and a more retro look, ensuring that the siblings had quite different characters.

Dodge and Lamborghini

Lamborghini and the Chrysler group had a six-year attachment after the Americans came to the Italians rescue in 1987. Chrysler money ensured that the Countach got a replacement in the form of the Diablo, but there were strings attached. Chrysler used its exotic partner’s name on ill-conceived concept cars like the Portofino sedan and the Bertone Genesis minivan, but one very good thing did come out of the affair: the Dodge Viper.

Chrysler commissioned Lamborghini to transform an iron-block V-10 truck motor into an engine fit for a sports car. Recast in aluminum, Lamborghini’s eight-liter version produced 400 horsepower, giving the Viper the bite it needed. In fairness, it wasn’t a completely one-sided relationship, as the Diablo was penned by Chrysler’s Tom Gale, who also designed the Viper.

Ford, Volvo, and Aston Martin

Aston Martin couldn’t say no when Ford made a very decent proposal to take over the British brand in 1987. Arguably the most successful offspring of their decade together was actually the result of a throuple with Volvo.

For the 2005 V8 Vantage Aston Martin needed higher-end touchpoints than the Blue Oval had in stock, but the recent addition of the Swedish brand to Ford’s Premium Auto Group meant items such as the key and pop-up infotainment system could be sourced from the now-shared parts catalog. A three-way marriage of convenience, you might say.

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.

The post 10 automotive marriages made in heaven appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Want a factory-built V-8 Wrangler on 37s? $113,820, please

Intake: Each April, Jeep brings a roster of factory-customized off-road concepts to its customers’ biggest off-road festival: Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. That roster of concepts usually includes a few ideas that Jeep will bring to showrooms—like this V-8-powered, special-edition Wrangler, present at EJS 2022. Built to celebrate 20 years of the hardest-core Wrangler, this Jeep boasts the biggest tires the V-8-model has yet offered from the factory: A set of 37-inch BFGoodrich KO2s, which American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) will fit to your V-8 Wrangler along with its 2.5-inch DualSport RT Suspension System (with Bilstein 5100 shocks) and all the skid plates and bumpers you could desire. The optional, $21,130 package improves the 392 Wrangler Rubicon’s ground clearance by 1.3 inches while also improving the approach angle by 2.6 inches and the departure by 1.6. Still goggling at that price tag? As awesome as this fully warrantied beastie is, it’s not for you: Jeep and AEV are only building 300 examples of these 37-shod Wranglers: 150 of the V-8 Wrangler Rubicon, at $113,820 a pop, 150 of the hybridized turbo-four-powered Wrangler Rubicon 4xe, at $94,358. The rest of us will have to fight over the “regular” 20th Anniversary trucks, which ride on the 35-inch rubber included in the Xtreme Recon package.

Exhaust: Before you get pissed at Jeep for building such an awesome truck and making it so unattainable, put yourself in the OEM’s shoes. Aftermarket shops, AEV among them, have been putting V-8s in Wranglers and uplifting them with 37s for years. To distinguish its own 20th Rubicon anniversary–celebrating model, Jeep had to control supply. The strategy is neither creative nor new, but it’s well-proven. — Grace Houghton

Ford reduces its stake in Rivian

Intake: Ford has cut its stake in Rivian from 11.4 percent at the end of 2021, to 1.15 percent, reports Reuters. Shares of Rivian, which declined to comment, were down 2.5 percent before the bell. Ford, which wrote down the value of its Rivian investment by $7.4 billion in 2022, has been paring down its stake amid production struggles at the Irvine, California-based company. The new stake, disclosed in a Wednesday filing, comes a week after Reuters reported Rivian’s plans to lay off 6 percent of its staff to cut costs amid “falling cash reserves on the back of mounting economic worries.”

Exhaust: We’ve been more than impressed with the Rivian products we’ve tested, and they deserve a better fate than what they’re seeing. With Ford preparing to spend billions on its own electrification strategy, Reuters said, this move comes as no surprise. — SCS

Bronco Raptor owners will have their own Off-Roadeo

Intake: Building on the Bronco Off-Roadeo experience, which gives Bronco owners a chance to let the vehicle stretch its legs in a safe off-road environment, Bronco Raptor owners will be able to participate in “an authentic and immersive high-performance experience,” Ford says. Beginning this summer, new Bronco Raptor SUV owners will be able to put the Bronco Raptor through an “Ultra4 Racing-inspired, desert-dune conquering and Baja rock-crawling adventure outside of Las Vegas,” says Ford. “Bronco Raptor customers want to experience their SUVs in the Ultra4-inspired habitat it was developed for,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Just like the King of the Hammers race, our Bronco Off-Roadeo Raptor Experience  combines all of the thrilling and unforgiving terrain and conditions of the Mojave Desert with professional off-road instructors and school-provided Bronco Raptors.”  Included with the purchase of a 2022 or 2023 Bronco Raptor, customers receive a full day of professionally-instructed driving experience at a basecamp facility at Mt. Potosi, home of Bronco Off-Roadeo Nevada.

Exhaust: Taking a page from Jeep’s playbook, Ford has developed a dedicated owner base by showing Bronco owners how good the vehicle is off-road. More than 31,000 Bronco owners and guests have attended or registered to attend Bronco Off-Roadeo at its four locations in Texas, Nevada, Utah, and New Hampshire. — Steven Cole Smith

The old Crosstrek can’t come to the phone right now

Intake: Why? Because its manual transmission is dead. You’re looking at the newly refreshed, 2024 model year Crosstrek, now with new sheetmetal, that (just garishly) huge 11.6-inch touchscreen, and, for the first time, wireless Apple CarPlay. Subaru’s loud and proud that, despite all these improvements, the 2024 Crosstrek has the same MSRP as the 2023 model … but it’s being a little sneaky. The clue is in the transmission: The cheapest 2023 Crosstrek you can buy stickers at $23,645 and comes with a six-speed manual. The number Subaru’s shouting from the rooftop of the animal shelter: is $24,995, the cost of a 2023 model equipped with the CVT automatic transmission—a $1350 upcharge. Fun fact: 2024 marks the first year that any Crosstrek is made in the U.S. and not in Japan. Pick a Sport or a Limited if you want to support domestic production.

Exhaust: It’s fun for us “save the manual” enthusiasts to snark, but Subaru’s playing to its customer base, which just wants a rugged-looking, nicely sized, all-wheel-drive crossover that shifts for itself and is not heinously expensive. And let’s face it: The manual Crosstrek didn’t exactly tingle the spine. — Grace Houghton

Lexus back on top  of J.D. Power dependability study

Intake: Lexus has returned to the top of the annual J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, outranking all brands, including Kia, which had the top spot on last year’s list. Kia fell to third, but it remains the highest-performing of the mass-market brands, Automotive News says. The top 10 brands: Lexus, Genesis, Kia, Buick, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Hyundai, Mini, and in tenth, Nissan. The bottom five: Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Audi, Lincoln, and Land Rover. Tesla would rank in the bottom five, the study says, given its score, but the “Brand is not rank eligible because it does not meet study award criteria.” The study tracks problems per 100 vehicles over a 12-month period by owners of three-year-old vehicles, in this case the 2020 model year.

Exhaust: No huge surprises this year—Kia continues to outperform all the mainstream brands, and that’s commendable. One small surprise: Mitsubishi beat out Toyota and Hyundai. — SCS

Ram electric truck gets a name

Intake: Ram confirmed Thursday that its first battery-electric pickup truck will be known as the Ram 1500 REV. The announcement  “is the latest step in Ram’s electrification journey” to bring the industry’s finest electrified options to market. “At Ram, we started a revolution last year as we invited consumers along on the beginning of our electrification journey, gathering their feedback on exactly what they are looking for in an electric pickup truck,” said Mike Koval Jr., Ram brand CEO. “We look forward to delivering our first EV pickup–the all-new Ram 1500 REV–to those consumers next year. We are confident the Ram 1500 REV will push past the competition, offering what will be the leading combination of attributes customers care about the most: range, payload, towing and charge time.”

Exhaust: Koval Jr. said the REV is a “direct descendant’ of the Revolution concept they showed at the CES expo in Las Vegas last month.  A little late to the electrification party, it will be interesting to see what sort of innovations the brand brings as it attempts to outclass the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Chevy Silverado EV. — SCS

The post Jeep’s Tonka-tired 20th birthday present, Braptors go to school, Lexus tops dependability study appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There’s no car quite like the Subaru WRX. Not in 2023, anyway. The spacious Subaru sedan has: a 271-hp, turbocharged engine whose twin banks of two cylinders are arranged end-to-end, “boxer” fashion. A manual transmission. Four driven wheels. Five seats. And a starting price of 30 grand.

We’re thrilled the WRX is back for a fifth generation, something that was not guaranteed from a brand that makes far more money off its humdrum crossovers and SUVs. That said, fans are rightfully peeved that Subaru hasn’t done much to improve the car’s performance since the first models came to the U.S. in early 2000s. The 2002 WRX made 227 hp from a 2.0-liter turbo-four and hit 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. Even with 44 extra horses and 2.4 liters of displacement, today’s version isn’t much quicker. (Subaru didn’t provide an official 0-to-60-mph figure, but based on our unscientific test and the results of some of our competitors, 5.8 seconds is a reasonable estimate).

Almost two decades later, one could argue that the WRX is still trading on street cred earned by that OG hotted-up Impreza which Subaru first homologated for road use as part of its participation in the World Rally Championship (WRC).

Subaru withdrew from the rally series in 2008, but the WRX continues to fly the flag for all-weather performance in the brand’s lineup, even as the car strays further and further from its roots: As of 2015, the first model year of the fourth-gen (VA) car, the WRX was no longer based on the Impreza. As of 2022, it evolved onto the global platform shared with SUVs like the Forester, Outback, and Ascent. There won’t even be an all-out STI version of this WRX, as there has been for each previous generation, which means the iconic combination of WR Blue (for World Rally) paint and gold BBS wheels may soon fade into the history books.

Many of the brand’s most visible fans—beanie-wearing YouTubers who love the WRX’s attainable price and tuner-friendly four-pot—are barely old enough to remember any of the brand’s six WRC titles. But the appeal of a scrappy hero like the WRX endures, especially when that hero has no direct competition.

The WRX remains a tantalizing one-car solution for the enthusiast on a budget, especially if you live where winters get nasty. True, all-wheel drive is represented in hot hatches old and new (see more-expensive VW Golf R and limited-production Toyota GR Corolla), but there are no sporty sedans in the $35,000 range that spin all four wheels, all of the time, via a manual transmission. The question is whether the Subie’s novelty—and legacy—are enough to mask its flaws.

It’s a tough call. We tested a loaded Limited model, whose dash-mounted screen is as uselessly large as its graphics are 2000-late. With the car’s trunk and back seat laden with a 90-pound dog and weekend bags, a mysterious chime rang for minutes at a time and for no apparent reason, over rough highway pavement at 70+ mph, dimming the music and providing no alert message to help diagnose the situation. The Premium model tested by Hagerty’s Sam Smith in May bricked its electrical system twice in 300 miles. The Limited’s 11-speaker Harman Kardon stereo, despite the volume, was still hollow in character. The plastics are cheap, dark, and everywhere.

Then again, the WRX is a better all-rounder than it ever was. As it shifted the WRX to that global platform, Subaru lowered the center of gravity, stiffened the chassis, and increased the suspension travel. The clutch pickup may be high, and the pedal relatively stiff, but the ride strikes a nice balance between sporting and squishy: None of the Crosstrek or Outback’s gooshy, teeter-totter ride here—you can commute in this car and still get a grin flogging it on the twisties.

That stiff chassis and all-wheel-drive give the WRX a planted, secure feel, even on cold, wet back roads. A broad torque band and pedals well-spaced pedals for heel-toe shifts encourage you to spin the revs up, seeking 5600 rpm, at which horsepower peaks. You can easily forget the unrefined interior, even if the controls don’t lend a feeling of delicacy: The shifter clunks rather than snicks, the turbo-four is hardly sonorous, and the steering wheel is fat and Vibram-esque to the touch. But a car that’s happy to rev and always stable on its feet? That’s the good, clean fun we want from a daily driver on the weekend.

Shoppers weighing the Recaro seats exclusive to the auto-only, $42K+ GT trim against the performance chairs of cheaper models should prioritize gearbox over seats: You can replace the latter far more cheaply, and the seats found in the Limited are fine—neither great nor awful. Our main complaints were the brake pedal, which engages slowly and feels numb and disconnected, and the exhaust; Hyundai’s front-drive Elantra N sedan brings fun pops and crackles from the factory, and this WRX sounds underwhelming.

Specs: 2022 Subaru WRX Limited (manual)

• Price, base / as-tested : $37,490 / $37,490

• Powertrain: 2.4-liter, turbocharged boxer four-cylinder; six-speed manual transmission

• Horsepower: 271 @ 5600 rpm

• Torque: 258 lb-ft @ 2000–5200 rpm

• Layout: All-wheel-drive, front-engine, five-passenger sedan

• Curb weight: 3390 pounds

• EPA-rated fuel economy (mpg), city/highway/combined: 19/26/22 mpg

• 0–60 mph: 5.8 seconds (est.)

Even if you live in fairer climes, you’ll find the WRX both practical vehicle and fun around town. The trunk is cavernous, the cabin easy to see out of. (At least when the sun isn’t spearing through the sunroof and glancing off the 11.6-inch screen into your eyes.) All 258 lb-ft of torque are available to shove around the car’s 3400-odd pounds at low-to-moderate engine load (2000–5200 rpm), lending the WRX manageable spunk and scoot.

Performance-minded Subaru fans should also consider the excellent, rear-drive BRZ. This two-door coupe has fewer adult-sized seats and frills, but it’s 10 grand cheaper, comparably equipped, and a far more deft handler. If you also have an SUV to handle big loads and long distances, and can afford multiple vehicles with more specialized talents, the WRX’s one-size-fits-all proposition becomes irrelevant.

In fact, if you aren’t committed to the Subaru brand, more polished contenders beckon. Honda’s front-drive-only Civic Si is just as entertaining, with an interior and price tag ($29,000) that best the WRX’s. And if you’re looking at the $36,990 WRX Limited, the comparably priced Acura Integra A-Spec boasts a fantastic audio system and fancy adaptive dampers. The VW GTI‘s dual-clutch transmission is the best automatic gearbox in the space. A Mustang or Camaro look like real sports cars, and an Elantra N promises more out-of-the-box track capability.

The truth is that there are a number of compelling, daily-drivable sports cars in adjacent genres, though admittedly few with all-wheel drive at this price point. Despite some improvements, however, Subaru failed to raise its own bar here. The latest WRX offers nostalgia to brand loyalists, but it’s a characteristic dimmed by clad-heavy “life-styling” that echoes the more charming Crosstrek and Outback.

Even to an expectant and sympathetic buyer, the 2022 WRX is less magical than the stories foretold. We wouldn’t blame the Subaru faithful for investing their loyalty in previous generations, or simply looking for new heroes.

2022 Subaru WRX Limited (Manual)

Price, base / as-tested : $37,490 / $37,490

Highs: True all-weather capability, manual transmission, all in a practical three-box sedan. It’s not a truck or SUV—hallelujah!

Lows: Busy interior dominated by plastics. Cartoonish touchscreen is not as useful as it could or should be.

Takeaway: A rally legend that’s become a tame lion, for both better and worse.

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it.

The post 2022 Subaru WRX Manual Review: Unique is not enough appeared first on Hagerty Media.

We recently asked about the worst engines you’ve experienced in your lifetime, and you certainly delivered. Perhaps too well, as the responses were overwhelming. How on earth could we cover all the bad engines made over the years? Our solution to this (wonderful) problem was thus: we thinned the herd down to responses that specifically included personal experiences that add a little more value than just the usual re-hashing of the same stories you’ve heard elsewhere.

Let’s get right to it!

The Iron Duke four-cylinder

Charles A Parent said that the worst engine he ever owned was a Pontiac Iron Duke that “constantly ate Throttle Position Sensors and cracked the cast iron exhaust manifold three times.”

While the inclusion of TPS sensors suggests it might be the later TECH IV design, combining that with a four-speed shifter “that was prone to locking, in or out of gear” caused him to Lemon Law the car.

VW Type 412 1.8-liter flat-four

Hagerty Community user lasersailor came in strong with this one:

“I’ve got you all beat. 1679cc flat 4 in my parents 1972 VW411 wagon with a wimpy 3-speed auto transmission. Two fires caused by improper fuel injection repair at the so-called dealer in Florida. The 2nd fire caused near total immolation. Plus it was slower than a Pinto or Vega.”

Toyota 3VZ-E V-6

Hagerty Community member John Nichols gave a very balanced perspective on one of the more desirable and durable engines from Toyota, because sometimes tearing into something can turn into quite a shock:

“I recently got involved with a 1992 Toyota V-6 rebuild. The truck had a blown head gasket, the oil was full of water. Obviously these vehicles have a huge cult following of being amazingly reliable which I’m sure is well deserved.

HOWEVER when things do start to go it will cost you and assembly must be performed like a surgical operation. Parts and pieces and shrouds, crossover exhaust converters not to mention miles of vacuum lines weird little filters and of course the timing belt alignment are all part of the problem, not to mention the famous under the manifold sensor wire.

Ordinarily working on engines can be kind of fun be it a small block or an English roadster, although you have to make little tweaks often and pay attention to detail the reward of a few hours attention is measurable performance improvement.”

Chrysler 2.2-liter four-cylinder

This one might spark some controversy, as Chrysler’s 2.2-liter engine was designed specifically for a new platform and a new automotive reality. That said, Hagerty Community member David likely had an older model, but his experiences are certainly worth a read:

“As I recall memories of the early 80’s K Car with that darn 2.2 liter I feel a tension headache coming on. That engine had more use as a boat anchor, and I remember my poor dad spent more time and dollars repairing shoddy engineering design.

Crazy but true, when I got my licence and started to drive – I took that K Car to town and the engine actually fell out of the car! The front motor mount failed in the middle of an intersection. I guess even the car itself was sick of that engine and tried to spit it out.”

I reckon that A. Raymond had it even worse, but at least the dealership asked him a rather hilarious question:

“I had a Chrysler 2.2 non turbo forced upon me as a young fellow. Driving home from work in rush hour traffic, the engine decided it was time to digest itself. (It had 25,000 miles on it at the time.) The dealership accused me of ‘racing’. I laughed long and hard at the suggestion and told them I wouldn’t be doing too much racing with 88 hp.

After begrudgingly replacing the motor under warranty, I drove it another 3 months before selling it to another unfortunate schmuck. It was the worst thing I have ever had the displeasure of having to drive. I look back now and still laugh at that ‘you must have been racing’ suggestion.”

Oldsmobile Quad 4 four-cylinder

Brian was pretty sick of the Iron Duke in his 1985 Cutlass Calais, noting it was reliable but also “noisy and weak.” So imagine his delight when the Quad 4 made a splash in 1987:

“I was so excited to get one of the first Quad 4s. More power and much quieter. My love affair ended at 67,000 miles when it had a complete meltdown out of warranty. My very last GM car.”

And then we heard from Tom:

“Yes, I had the Quad 4 in a Pontiac Grand Am. Delightful, until the head gasket failed. Dealership near my work (different state from purchase point) tried really hard not to cover the failure but, after showing how much coolant I was adding, did a cheap fix. Probably tore it down to only replace the head gasket because it failed again, just out of warranty.

At that point, I was back where I bought the car, and they repaired it again, but it still didn’t seal. Any time I got in traffic, it would overheat and blow out the coolant. Tried checking the cooling system (radiator, etc.) without finding any issues. Aluminum head must have been significantly warped by that point. Finally sold that car. Too bad as it was fine as long as it was moving.”

Honda CVCC four-cylinder

Dan T Man takes us over to Honda, a brand we don’t usually hear about in this context. But he noted that the “1751 CC engine in the original Honda Accord was known to develop a head gasket leak between the #3 and #4 cylinders every 30,000 miles.” He said that it ran fine otherwise, and learned that “when the engine lost about 50 rpm at idle it was time for another change” of the head gasket.

AJD went further:

“My first brand-new car was a 1977 Honda Civic CVCC. Within 60K miles it had eaten 3 water pumps and blown its head gasket. The head gasket had been recalled but would not be replaced until blown. It really blew up nicely and the engine never ran right again.”

Buick 3.8-liter (Malaise Era) V-6

Don’t take this as a slam on Buick’s tried-and-true, 90-degree, 3.8-liter V-6. Odds are the problems that Dwayne Wertman experienced came from the Malaise Era engineering mounted to its induction and exhaust systems.

“I bought a new 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass V-6. The engine would ping and rattle just trying to keep up with traffic. Often times it would stall in the intersection. I returned to the dealership on many occasions. It was a really good dealership, [because] after eight months they bought back and all I lost was tax and license.”

eagerdever drives home the point of this being an issue from the 1970s and early 1980s:

“I experienced oiling problems accompanied by valve train noise and the engine light in a 3.8 V-6 in a ’79 Olds Cutlass wagon. I’d stop and let the engine cool down, and then be on my way. The crankshaft finally broke in half. Because it broke on the diagonal, the engine continued to run, though poorly. A co-worker had similar problems with that engine in a Grand Prix, replaced under warranty. Another co-worker lost the engine in his Buick Skyhawk (the Buick version of the Chevy Monza). All three were due to poor oiling.”

Mitsubishi 4G54 four-cylinder with Mazda sprinkles

While the Buick was a victim of engineering mandates of the era, apparently Mazda shot themselves in the foot with a half-baked design made with no third-party intervention!  Check out Arthur Hill’s fascinating tale of deceit:

“In 1988, as my family grew to 4, I needed to trade my Toyota 4X4 Pickup for one of the new ones with actual back seats to hold the two children. Unfortunately Toyota did not produce one until a few years later, but Mazda had a very nice looking B2600 4X4 that had back seats. This truck had the worst engine I ever had to deal with.  I quickly discovered that if you really put your foot into it under a load, the engine would stutter and almost stall. Many trips to the dealer failed to solve this issue.

Finally a mechanic took me aside and admitted that Mazda rushed the truck into production without having an engine big enough, so they used a Mitsubishi 2.6 engine instead, but to make it easier to work on for their service people, they adapted their own accessories including the carburetor. Under load the only way the engine could get enough fuel was to link both barrels together all the time.

Needless to say, Mazda dropped this truck and you never see any on the road. Terrible truck with a terrible engine, but the actual Mitsubishi 2.6 engine was probably fine in their own vehicles.”

Mitsubishi 4G54/Chrysler HEMI 2.6-liter four-cylinder

No, not that Hemi. Or that one. We’re talking about the hemi-headed Mitsubishi 2.6-liter used on the Chrysler K-car and its derivatives. Chris Harshman said that the “worst engine I ever had was a 4-cylinder Mitsubishi engine in my 1982 Dodge 400. I used to joke with my friends that I could accelerate from 0-to-35 in 12 seconds.”

Subaru boxer flat-four/flat-six

BobJ chimed in with one of the more offensive engines in modern history: the head gasket-munching Subaru boxer. But unlike other stories here, he made the same mistake twice.

“Had a 2005 and a 2010. Both blew head gaskets. Out of warranty but I complained and Subaru of America paid for half. Everyone complains about poor head gasket design & construction but I also wonder about open deck block design.”

GM 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder

Hagerty Community member Rob keeps us in a more modern era, with a problem with the Ecotec 2.4-liter mill in his 2010 Chevrolet Equinox.

“Here’s a counterpoint for everyone who marvels at the reliability of modern cars. Launched just after GM’s bankruptcy, I should have known they probably cut corners on validation but couldn’t pass up a nice sized SUV that cracked 30 mpg.

It went through numerous high pressure fuel pumps. The timing chain tensioner went bad. The variable cam timing system went out and timing chain would slap like crazy when you started it. It had a bad heat treat on a pin in the cam shaft. Started burning over a quart of oil every 1000 miles and was rebuilt under warranty just before 50k Powertrain warranty expired. And I never got anywhere near 30 mpg on the highway.”

Ford 1.5-liter Ecoboost four-cylinder

Steve notes that his 2015-vintage, 1.5-liter, Ford EcoBoost engine is “absolute garbage compared to every other engine I’ve had the pleasure (or displeasure) of operating.” His example needed a new long block after 60,000 miles, and this helped him create a visionary notion about the EcoBoost’s promise of power and efficiency in a single engine:

“The reality is that you can’t have it all and ultimately lose out due to the extra complexity and stresses on the engine. I am not sure if the other EcoBoost variants are like this and I don’t care to find out personally.”

Holden Starfire four-cylinder

Mr. Nigel Utting takes us to the Land Down Under, reminding us that “GM Holden came up with an abominable 1.9 liter 4 cylinder named the Starfire.” The lack of power likely made Nigel’s comments far from the minority, with fuel economy numbers there were disappointing to boot:

“Based on a cut down six, this god-awful thing used to have a couple of seconds delay between hitting the accelerator and responding, a bit like downloading revs of the internet with a slow connection.”

Ford Cologne V-6

While Ford of Germany contributed greatly to the automotive landscape in Europe and the USA alike, Patrick Abbott reminds us that the Cologne V-6 wasn’t necessarily one of them. His example “regularly destroyed rocker arm assemblies and main bearings” while Richard Eaton was truly cursed with a lemon:

“I purchased a new, 1990 Ford Ranger with the 2.9-liter V6. Should have seen this coming when the transmission had to be replaced 4x for porous castings, and then both heads cracked under a recall. But then less than 50k miles after those heads they were again cracked sufficiently to turn the oil white in 1000 miles. Never again will I buy Fords.”

The Oldsmobile Diesel V-6

TerryTwoUtes picked up an example of an engine that history hasn’t looked too favorably upon: the Oldsmobile diesel.

“My parents had a ’78 Oldsmobile Delta 88 diesel, the dreaded 350 diesel engine derived from the gasser engine. After about 5–6 blown head gaskets and even one full short block replacement, it was finally traded off. Only good thing was GM trying to save face and all of those repairs were covered under extended warranty.”

Cadillac HT4100 V-8

Speaking of obvious punching bags, Hagerty Community member Coffeyclan reminds us all how low Cadillac went upon the introduction of this “High Technology” motor:

“The worst was Cadillac’s HT4100 engine. Acceleration was at a snail’s pace, the timing chain went bad twice, etc, etc, etc. I sold this car before the warranty ran out!”

Detroit Diesel “Fuel-Squeezer”

The one, the only, the legendary DUB6 threw us a curveball, thanks to his experience driving commercial trucks:

“In the mid-’70s, I drove longhaul truck for a fleet operator that leased their rigs. Most of the trucks had Cat engines and either 13 or 18 speed transmissions. As fuel prices rose during the embargo period, the leasing company offered up a Kenworth needle-nose with Detroit Diesel “Fuel-Squeezer” and 6 speed tranny to test out. Guess who was low enough on the pole to get picked to drive it for what was supposed to be 3 months?

That thing was so gutless – and the gear ratios so far apart – that even on the slightest grade, I was lucky to be able to manage 20 mph, loaded. Empty, it might get to 50 downhill, but then of course, there would be a corresponding upgrade. Fuel squeezing? Hardly. Most of the big Cats were averaging 4.5-5 mpg. This little longnose managed about 6.0 – mostly because the throttle had to be just about wide open all the time just to maintain forward momentum.

Maybe would have been fine for a flat-land operation, but in the mountainous WEST, it was pretty sad. My trips started taking up to twice as long as was projected, and several appointments would be missed every week. After about 8 weeks, the truck went back to Kenworth!”

Toyota 18R-C four-cylinder

Let’s be clear on one thing: This isn’t a slam on all Toyota 18R engines, only the California-spec motor aimed at reducing emissions. Pete notes that the 18R-C was never designed for durability:

“I am a car guy and former auto mechanic. By far the worst designed and engineered engine was a Toyota 18R-C. I have had experience with more than one, and they all burned valves every 15,000 miles even after Toyota did a factory upgrade to “fix” the problem (which it did not). I drove the car for 75,000 miles and did 5 valve jobs before I woke up and sold it for $500, it did have a good clock though.”

Chevrolet 2300 four-cylinder

Of course the 2300 motor would make the list, as there were three negative comments to this effect. It didn’t help that the early Vegas weren’t the most reliable dance partner, and NCB chimed in with a personalized tale of ownership:

“I owned a 1973 Vega GT. Yes, I’m dating myself. First, and worst car I ever owned. Engine overheated due to poor cooling system design which led to scored cylinder walls in the aluminum block. It drank oil! Bad valve stem seals and “rusting away to nothing in 5 years” were icing on the cake. MotorTrend Car of The Year in 1971!”

 

The post According to You: The worst engines you’ve experienced appeared first on Hagerty Media.

At 25 years old, the cars that America has been denied come of age. Under federal DOT rules, as soon as a model hits this milestone it can be privately imported, so with each new year come new gems for car fans looking for something a bit different to drive.

Here are 23 examples of foreign fun that will become legal in the U.S.A. in 2023.

Urban collective

For a city runabout with a small footprint the year 1998 has a curiosity of compact cars to consider. First comes the cute Honda Capa, born out of the Japanese automaker’s “Small is Smart” philosophy. A little too large to be a kei car, it came with a 1.5-liter motor and continuously variable transmission, and plenty of headroom thanks to its boxy design.

Over in Germany, Volkswagen’s Lupo might have got its name from the Latin for wolf, but really this three-door hatch was quite sheepish, unless you opted for the 1.6-liter GTi.

Back in Japan, the first-generation Nissan Cube was launched and couldn’t have been named more aptly. Based on the Micra platform it developed a cult following and the third generation, launched in 2009 even made it to the U.S.

However, by far the most popular city car of 1998 was the Tata Indica, the first car from India’s Tata Motors (which ten years later would buy Jaguar Land Rover). The basic runabout soon became the best-seller in its class and had sold a million units within ten years. It would be easy to find one, and it’s guaranteed you’ll never see another at the grocery store.

A family affair

If you’ve got people to move and you’re feeling especially brave, then 1998 has three options. The Fiat Multipla took its name from the wonderfully bizarre 600 Multipla of the mid-1950s and was no less unusual. Its sea-creature styling contained a 3×3 seating arrangement which made it a very spacious and practical wagon despite not being especially long. You could even remove the rear seats to turn it into a van. The 1.9-liter JTD diesel was the best version at the time, while a wide track meant it would tip into corners with enough enthusiasm to upset the family.

Russia’s optimistic answer was the Lada Nadezhda—an ungainly all-wheel drive MPV, which despite its name meaning “hope,” few people had enough to buy it.

Nissan’s Almera Tino, by contrast, did quite well, providing no-frills, cost-effective transport for families in Europe and Japan. Nissan even used Mr. Bean to advertise it, which presumably allowed Rowan Atkinson to buy another Aston Martin.

Slick sedans

The year 1998 brought a tidy selection of unobtainable sedans that could never grace U.S. soil … until 2023. Alfa Romeo was absent from America from 1995 to 2008 (when the 8C went across the pond), so the Alfa 166 was not sold Stateside. It carried over the charming 2.0-liter twin spark and 3.0-liter V-6 engines from the 164 it replaced, along with a 2.4-liter diesel. Top-of-the-line models received a lovely Momo leather interior, but it failed to sell in serious numbers.

The Rover 75 launched the same year, and its retro stylings appealed to patriotic Brits who were reminded of the glory of days gone by. The car’s 1.8-liter K-Series and K V-6 engines were excellent and the 75 drove well, but the car ultimately failed to save the firm.

Toyota, meanwhile, could do no wrong, despite offering up the Progrès which arguably cannibalized off other Toyota and Lexus models. Power was from a 2.5 or 3.0-liter V-6 and it featured the world’s first GPS-guided automatic transmission. (Since it was only sold in Japan, don’t expect that trick to be much use if you import one.)

Also in Japan, the mentalists at Mitsuoka got hold of Nissan’s perfectly sensible Primera, grafted a ridiculous retro nose onto it and called it the Ryoga. Mechanically it would be a sound enough buy, but aesthetically … that’s a whole different story. A matter of taste.

Plans hatch

1998 was a good year for fans of sporty little hatchbacks. Peugeot replaced its legendary 205 with the 206, which was more sophisticated, if a little less entertaining than its predecessor. The real fun from Peugeot came in the form of the second-generation 106 Rallye, however. Now powered by a 1.6-liter motor and stripped out to save weight and finesse handling.

Renault took a different approach with its RenaultSport Clio 172, opting to fit a two-liter 16v VVT engine into the little Clio and spawning a whole new series of hot hatches.

Malaysia’s Proton, having recently taken ownership of Lotus, decided to put the British sports car firm to work on its humdrum Satria to make the Satria GTi. Wearing “Handling by Lotus” tags and a sporty body kit it was far more than just badge engineering and genuinely quite a thrill to drive.

Rally-ready rockets

Mitsubishi’s annual updates to the Lancer Evolution were already in full swing and, for 1998, that meant the Evo V was the car of the moment. Chief among the enhancements over the earlier IV were a new bodykit with adjustable rear wing, a wider track, and some engine fettling to include a revised turbo and pistons, although the 276-hp remained the same due to rally rules.

Its rival, and undisputed champion, was the Subaru 22B. This wide-bodied two-door was built to celebrate Subaru’s 40th-anniversary and its third consecutive victory in the FIA World Rally Championship. 400 were made for Japan and sold out immediately, while a further 24 made it to export markets. One fetched $312,555 in 2021, making it the most expensive Subaru ever sold.

Track attackers

Britain’s Ascari was having some success in the British GT Championship when it decided that selling a road-going version of its FGT would be a good idea. Work began in 1998 on the Ecosse, a BMW V-8-powered, 420-hp supercar. Top speed was claimed to be in excess of 200 mph, but just 17 were built.

That’s mass production compared to the Mercedes CLK LM of which only one Strassenversion was ever made. A road-legal homologated version of the German company’s GT1 race car, which won every round of the 1998 FIA GT season but failed to finish at Le Mans, it was sold to a collector in Japan. Now residing somewhere in Europe, after achieving €2 million in 2016, you’d need very deep pockets to acquire it.

4×4 fun

Should you fancy the odd off-road excursion, what could be better than a 25-year-old odd off-roader nobody minds getting filthy? Kia has clearly come a long way from the days when it was selling a lightly re-purposed military vehicle called the Retona, with a two-liter diesel engine that meant it could barely get out of its own way.

The Lada Niva Travel was no better. Developed by Russia’s VAZ, it was supposed to replace the almost unstoppable Niva and was even sold as a Chevrolet for a while.

India had the Tata Safari 4×4, powered by a Peugeot diesel engine and with styling seemingly stolen from the Ford Maverick. Nonetheless it had a solid 12-year run. Our final off-road offering is actually worth considering.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Pinin, also known as the iO or Shogun Pinin, is a pretty stylish, compact 4×4 that got its name from the Pininfarina factory in Italy where it was assembled. Reliable, capable and with a dash of Italian flair, what’s not to like?

The post 23 funky foreigners you can import in 2023 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

615-hp “Megazilla” keeps Ford’s crate V-8 party rockin’

Intake: Two years after teasing its name, Ford has finally revealed the “Megazilla” crate engine and some of the specs on the meanest version of its 7.3-liter V-8 yet. We first saw the details posted at Motor Authority, who kindly included a photo of the display that Ford posted near the engine with its healthy specs: more than 500 lb-ft of torque from 2500–6000rpm, peak power of 615 hp at 5800 rpm, and peak torque of 640 lb-ft at 3800 rpm. Those power and torque numbers come by way of forged Mahle pistons and Callies H-beam rods, CNC-ported cylinder heads, and a unique intake manifold that should make it an easier fit in classic cars.

Exhaust: This new-school, pushrod big block is not even Ford’s most powerful, as it offers 572-cube crate engines that produce 655 hp. Those are based on the 385-Series engines that haven’t been in production use since the late ’90s. This one, however, will make for an excellent choice in restomods looking for a fuel-injected V-8 from the Blue Oval, especially if it might be a tight squeeze. The factory 7.3-liter used in the Super Duty produces its peak of 430 hp at 5600 rpm and this crate engine manages to churn out an extra 185 hp by spinning just 200 rpm faster, suggesting those CNC-ported heads are mighty efficient at flowing air. Also, its 2000-rpm spread between torque and horsepower peaks shows that the engine isn’t high-strung and peaky, another sign that this will be a fantastic street engine when it goes on sale in the second quarter of 2023. — Brandan Gillogly

McLaren seeks inspiration from the skies with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

Intake: McLaren and Lockheed Martin are teaming up in a “technology collaboration” which will “focus on deploying a new Skunk Works’ design system, developed for the world of aviation, into the realms of high-performance, cutting-edge automotive supercar design.” McLaren adds that the new system will enable the British supercar maker to set “parameters for high-speed systems more accurately and swiftly than traditional design methods.” It also gives McLaren an excuse to park its new Artura next to the Lockheed Darkstar hypersonic jet from Top Gun: Maverick. The aircraft is a fantasy, but the collaboration should result in real-world benefits for McLaren.

Exhaust: Anyone hoping for a stealth-capable supercar is likely to be disappointed, as the partnership appears to concentrate on deploying the Skunk Works’ design software for automotive use rather than using any actual aerospace features in future McLarens. — Nik Berg

271,694 Subaru Ascent SUVs recalled for fire risk

Intake: Subaru has announced a recall of nearly 272,000 units of its Ascent three-row SUV. The affected models, ranging from the 2019 model year to the 2022 model year, pose a risk of catching fire. Subaru says that a ground bolt for the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater may have been improperly fastened, which could melt the ground terminal and surrounding components, increasing the risk of fire when the PTC is in use. Subaru says that no crashes or injuries have been reported due to this issue. Owners are advised to park their Ascents away from garages, car ports, and other structures, and are also advised not to leave the vehicle unattended while the vehicle is running. To see if your vehicle is affected, head to this website, or head to the NHSTA website and enter your 17-digit vehicle identification number. If you Ascent is part of the recall, Subaru says that all retailers will replace the ground bolt, and inspect the ground wire and connecter, replacing all additionally affected components at no cost.

Exhaust: For all the noise you hear about electric vehicles posing huge fire risks, it’s worth remembering that gasoline-powered cars are still fire risks as well. In fact, statistically speaking, EV fires are far less likely to occur than fires in gasoline-powered cars. Kudos to Subaru for handling the mistake openly and working to rectify the problem. — Nathan Petroelje

Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) joins ESPN in its third season

Intake: Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) has a new home in ESPN. On Monday, the spec racing series announced a multi-year agreement with the sports channel as it leaves CBS. In addition to the new broadcasting partner, SRX will ditch the traditional Saturday short track racing schedule it has maintained in its first two seasons and move to Thursday night. NASCAR, IndyCar, and champions from other disciplines will compete on six consecutive Thursdays, from July 13th through August 17th, to determine the 2023 SRX Champion. Dubbed “Thursday Night Thunder,” this concept is a throwback to a grassroots racing series that ESPN aired in the 1980s and ’90s. “Thursday Night Thunder is where guys like me, who were just starting our careers in USAC, got the chance to make a name for ourselves because of its presence on ESPN,” said Tony Stewart, SRX co-founder and 2021 SRX champ. “It’s great to see Thursday Night Thunder return, but also be part of it all over again with SRX.”

Exhaust: Surely, the stateside swell in Formula 1 enthusiasm has boded well for ESPN, as it currently owns exclusive North American broadcasting rights to the series. And on the eve of a monumental NASCAR television contract, filled with high dollars and unknown suitors, this SRX acquisition could be an opportunity for ESPN to stamp itself as a motorsport authority. Time will tell. Until then, you should tune into SRX this summer. In its first two seasons, the short track super series has delivered on the drama, with plenty of flaring tempers and fantastic finishes. — Cameron Neveu

Is this the world’s longest Hot Wheels track?

Intake: A former NASA engineer claims to have built the world’s longest Hot Wheels track, at over half a mile in length. Science vlogger Mark Rober built the track inside his Crunch Labs warehouse and used more than 75 official Hot Wheels speed boosters to propel a tiny car through a crazy series of switchbacks in order to cover sufficient distance to exceed the current Guinness World Record of 2464 feet, four inches set in Australia in 2020.

Exhaust: Rober’s record hasn’t yet been officially recognized by Guinness, but Christmas has still come early for the excitable engineer. “As a kid making Hot Wheels tracks was kind of a big deal, so I figured now that I’ve got this massive space why not make the world’s longest Hot Wheels track?,” he says. Seems a plenty good reason in our eyes. — NB

The post Ford’s 640 lb-ft “Megazilla” crate engine, 271K Subarus recalled, world’s longest Hot Wheels track? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Subaru brings back the Impreza 2.5 RS

Intake: We’ve shown teaser photos for the Subaru Impreza twice in the last week: Now, here’s the whole car, as revealed at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Impreza debuted 30 years ago at the 1992 L.A. show, offering customers a “value-packed compact car with available Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive,” Subaru says. That still applies. The Impreza also laid the foundation for the WRX, the performance car with rally championships spanning four decades. The big news is that the sixth-generation Impreza sees the return of the once-beloved 2.5-liter RS hatchback, with 182 horsepower and alas, no manual transmission, only a CVT automatic, although it does have paddle shifters choosing from eight predetermined ratios.

Exhaust: In the lonesome days before the WRX was available stateside, the 2.5 RS was as good as Subarus got. If only we could get this new, sharp-looking hatch with the current WRX’s potent guts. Today’s reborn RS iteration is functionally a Civic Sport competitor, with similar lukewarm performance but no manual transmission option. Color us curious. –Eric Weiner

Six of nine NACOTY nominees are electric

Intake: The nominees for the North American Car, Truck, and SUV of the Year were announced Thursday afternoon. Twenty-six vehicles were voted semifinalists from an initial field of 47 eligible vehicles, and a second vote by NACTOY’s 50 jurors, all of them journalists for different outlets, determined the nine finalists following an extensive test-drive and evaluation period. The jurors vote based on elements including automotive innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction, user experience, and value. The three finalists for each category, in alphabetical order, are: North American Car of the Year: Acura Integra, Genesis G80 EV, and Nissan Z. Truck of the Year: Chevrolet Silverado ZR2, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Lordstown Endurance. Sport Utility of the Year: Cadillac Lyriq, Genesis GV60, and Kia EV6.

“Our nine finalists for 2023 represent a diverse cross-section of this year’s best new vehicles, ranging from sports cars to powerful pickups to three electric utility vehicles—which is the first time in our history that all three finalists in a specific category are battery-electric,” said NACTOY president Gary Witzenburg.

Exhaust: The winners will be announced January 11. The 2022 winners were the Honda Civic, Ford Maverick, and Ford Bronco. Full disclosure: I’m a NACTOY juror. –Steven Cole Smith

Kia Seltos freshened for 2024

Intake: The refreshed 2024 Kia Seltos, which made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, gets a mildly updated look outside, and inside, a segment-first available panoramic display with two 10.25-inch screens. There’s also a new trim package called the X-Line exterior package that adds a new front grille design, unique 18-inch wheels, a black bridge-type roof rack, and gloss-black door garnish. There’s more power for the optional 1.6-liter turbo-GDI engine, up 20 horses to 195. It can be paired with an available eight-speed automatic transmission instead of the current seven-speed. (Standard is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 147 horsepower and a CVT.)

Exhaust: The Seltos is one of the more satisfying small SUVs, and the added muscle and the extra gear for the 1.6-liter package should make it more fun to drive. Look for the 2024 Seltos is the first half of 2023. –SCS

Garage 56 Camaro tests for 2023 Le Mans

Intake: In 2012, the organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most prestigious sports-car endurance race, set aside an entry called Garage 56 for a vehicle that showed genuine, and often untried, innovation to run as an exhibition. Not much has happened with Garage 56 since that first year, when the bizarre Delta Wing debuted, but 2023 should be interesting: Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet have entered a Camaro that started life as a 2022 NASCAR Cup Car and has been morphing into a serious road racer. The Camaro tested for three days at Virginia International Raceway driven by 2010 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller.

“It’s a huge milestone for us,” Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition and Garage 56 program manager Chad Knaus said—Knaus, of course, being best known as Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief during Johnson’s championship years.

“It doesn’t go without its challenges of course, but that is why you come to the racetrack to test. With all the people here and all the resources that have been here at VIR today, it shows the importance of this program and what a big commitment it has been from everybody.”

Exhaust: You know what would be interesting? If the Garage 56 Camaro has hybrid power, like the 2023 IMSA GTP cars will. NASCAR is, after all, expected to go the hybrid route for its Cup cars sooner rather than later. We aren’t saying the Garage 56 car will be a hybrid, just that the choice would be … interesting. –SCS

Report: NASCAR developing a wet-weather oval package

Intake: NASCAR is working on a package that would allow races to continue in the rain on short oval tracks, says Road & Track, citing “multiple sources in the NASCAR paddock.” The story continues: “Like the package used on road courses, it will include a windshield wiper, flaps behind the wheels, rain lights on the back of the car, and Goodyear rain tires, of course.”

Exhaust: This has been under discussion for some time, with TV a major advocate: Any rain delay usually lasts an hour or more, and you can hear the channel changers clicking across the country when the action stops. We can see it maybe working at Martinsville, Bristol, or Richmond, but anywhere else? Certainly not a given. –SCS

Bradley bites the Bullitt

Intake: Bradley Cooper is set to star as San Francisco cop Frank Bullitt in a Steven Spielberg–directed remake of the 1968 car-chase classic Bullitt. They each have some big driving boots to fill, with Cooper taking over from King of Cool Steve McQueen and Spielberg replacing Peter Yates in the director’s chair. According to Variety, instead of being a shot-for-shot reissue, the new Bullitt will be a different story, scripted by Josh Singer, who co-wrote Spielberg’s The Post. The original Bullitt was a huge hit, generating $42 million in ticket sales on a $4 million budget and winning an Oscar for Best Film Editing (for the chase sequence, we hope).

Exhaust: Cooper and Spielberg are a promising pairing, but what about the cars? A Shelby Mustang GT500 and a Charger Hellcat would be the obvious choices, but if the eco-police are involved, the new Bullitt could debut the first on-screen EV car chase with the Mustang Mach-E GT. Good luck to the sound effects team with that.—Nik Berg

Erik Buell’s Fuell electric motorcycle order books open

Intake: Buell built its reputation on building Harley-Davidson-powered sports bikes, but now founder Erik Buell has switched over to electric and even renamed the firm Fuell. (We sighed, too.) Having launched a high-end e-bike called the Flluid in 2019, Fuell now has its first proper electric motorcycle almost ready.

The Fllow has been designed as a daily driver, rather than an out-and-out sportster, with a top speed of 85 mph courtesy of a 35-kW (47.5 hp) hub motor of the rather exotic, transverse-flux variety. Weighing in at 396 pounds and carrying a 10-kWh battery pack as a structural element of the frame, it will accelerate to 62 mph in a claimed 2.7 seconds, which makes it swifter than Harley’s Livewire One. A realistic range of 150 miles is said to be achievable, with prices starting at $11,995. Customers are being invited to put down a $200 deposit and if, 3000 reservations are received, production should go ahead.

Exhaust: The high specification, Tron-inspired styling, and low price look great, but the funding isn’t in place yet. Question marks remain over whether Buell will get his Fuell flowing. We hope he does. —NB

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it.

The post Impreza 2.5 RS returns, NACOTY finalists announced, will NASCAR go racing in the rain? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Lamborghini shows the new off-roadable Huracán Sterrato

Intake: For those Lamborghini sports car owners who are intent on, for whatever reason, intentionally driving their cars off-road, we present the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, which is entirely off-roadable. We know because we watched this video that has the Sterrato doing all sorts of un-Lambo-like things, unless you are old enough to remember the Lamborghini LM002 (1986-1993, kids). No specs available yet, beyond a V-10 and heavy-duty all-wheel-drive. Here’s a link to the video: Please turn the sound off if you’re in your 10th-grade math class.

Exhaust: Lamborghini’s answer to the Porsche 911 Dakar (we can’t wait for those comparison tests) debuts in person in Miami on November 30, which seems like a good reason to go to Florida. Plus, it’s gonna be cold in Michigan…  — Steven Cole Smith

Speaking of Lamborghini… boss pins hopes on e-fuels

Intake: As Lamborghini, like every other carmaker, gears up to go electric, CEO Stephan Winkelman says that company is hoping that carbon-neutral synthetic fuels will keeps its engines firing in the future. Speaking to carsguide.com Winkelman said that although the first fully-electric Lamborghini will be on sale “from the end of this decade”, he added that “When it comes to alternatives to battery electric vehicles, we only see one—synthetic fuel. Synthetic fuel as a total is carbon neutral, it has advantages but also has difficulties in terms of supply quantity and infrastructure. This is all something which has to be clarified by legislation and the industry if they want to go down that road,” he said. “We don’t need to decide today, but I can only see full electric cars or synthetic fuel as an alternative. I don’t see other ways for us.”

Exhaust: Winkelman is far from being the only one backing e-fuels as an alternative energy source. Porsche has invested many millions in the technology, with a carbon-neutral factory producing fuel in Chile and a second site in Tasmania, Australia underway that will produce 100 million liters of the green go-juice a year from 2026. — Nik Berg

Toyota teases new fifth-generation Prius

PRIUS WORLD PREMIERE 11.16
ワールドプレミアまで、残り2日！https://t.co/h8jpW9GYbk #HYBRIDREBORN#PRIUS #プリウス pic.twitter.com/7vEuotvGFW

— トヨタ自動車株式会社 (@TOYOTA_PR) November 14, 2022

Intake: Prius sales have been falling steadily, which some analysts blame on the styling, and the fact that midsized cars in general are weakening, as well as the obvious increase in competition. Toyota takes another swing at a fifth-generation model, which the manufacturer will reveal on Wednesday. As a placeholder, Toyota has released another of those candlelit profiles of its taillight. Toyota first showed the current generation Prius in 2015, notes Automotive News. It was one of the first vehicles within the group to use the new TGNA global vehicle architecture that is also expected to underpin the new car.

Exhaust: The current Prius Eco is EPA-rated at a healthy 58 mpg city, 53 mpg highway, with a range of 633 miles. It’ll be interesting to see if Toyota can beat that with the new model. — SCS

Porsche Macan Electric due in 2024 with 603 hp and 300-mile range

Intake: Porsche has dished some details of its upcoming electric Macan SUV, the first of which is that it will, imaginatively, be called the Macan Electric. It will be built on a new platform called PPE, have a 100 kWh battery pack and be available in rear- and all-wheel drive configurations with around 603 horsepower and 730 lb-ft of torque on tap. The rear motor will be mounted behind the axle, 911-style, to give a slight rear weight bias to aid handling, while rear-wheel steering will also be included.  Air suspension will be offered and drive will be via a single-speed transmission, unlike the Taycan’s two-speed unit. It will share the Taycan’s 800-volt charging architecture so owners will be able to charge up from five to 80 percent charge in 25 minutes using the fastest chargers. Although Porsche hasn’t confirmed the car’s predicated range the company said it will be significantly greater than its first EV, which the EPA pegs at 250 miles.

Exhaust: The hefty battery pack and high power are to be expected, but the rear motor positioning is interesting, showing Porsche’s commitment to 911 principles in a post-combustion era. — NB

NHRA finale at Pomoma; Force loses his body

Intake: The Camping World National Hot Rod Association 2022 season wrapped up Sunday at Pomona Raceway, just outside Los Angeles, crowing four season champions: Ron Capps in Funny Car, Brittany Force in Top Fuel, Matt Smith in Motorcycles, and Erica Enders in Pro Stock. The most dramatic moment of Sunday’s race was when Funny Car veteran John Force, 73, driving a “Chevrolet Camaro,” blew up a supercharger and the explosion was enough to send the entire body flying. Force was shaken, but, as usual, did not appear stirred.

Exhaust: The NHRA  had a successful season, with plenty of good racing, albeit with an occasionally short field in several classes. We’re looking forward to the 2023 season, which starts in March at Gainesville Raceway in Florida. — SCS

Ford’s F-150 Raptor R is one thirsty super truck

Intake: The EPA has released fuel economy figures for Ford’s F-150 Raptor R, the 700-horsepower supertruck that we’ve been wanting to see from Ford ever since the Ram TRX stepped into the ring. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, 5.2-liters of supercharged fury, 37-inch tires, and a penchant for rooster tails do not an efficient pickup make: The 2023 Raptor R is rated for 10 mpg city, 15 mpg highway, and 12 mpg combined. That’s on par with the TRX, although the Raptor manages one extra mpg on the highway. (The Ram’s fuel economy figures: 10/14/12, city/highway/combined.) If you want to slay dunes with monster tires and slightly fewer trips to the pump, Ford does offer a Raptor with 37-inch rubber and the EcoBoost V-6 engine, which achieves 15/16/15 mpg, city/highway/combined. Otherwise, the normal Raptor on 35s will reach 15/18/16 mpg city/highway/combined under a prudent foot.

Exhaust: If you’re the type of person shopping for a truck that can flatten acres of gnarly terrain at paces that would make a Corvette blush, you probably aren’t too offended by these numbers. Raptors and TRXs don’t sell on pragmatism. But, if the rise in popularity of some older gas-guzzling SUVs is any indication, sometimes the tradeoffs for what you get are worth it come the time of reckoning at the pump. You won’t hear us knocking you for choosing a 700-horsepower dune slayer. — Nathan Petroelje

OK, Subaru, for the last time…

Intake: We showed you the candlelit roof outline of the new Impreza hatchback that will debut later this week at the LA Auto Show: Now here’s part of the grille.

Exhaust: You owe us, Subaru. — SCS

The post Off-roadable Lamborghini, fifth-generation Prius, Porsche Macan Electric appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Heritage is king here at Hagerty. The relative freshness of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86, however, is cause enough to celebrate an encouraging fact: Affordable performance is not a thing of the past. Petite, rear-drive, haunchy little 2+2 coupes. Naturally aspirated four-cylinder mounted in the nose. Nearly mechanically identical, with standard six-speed manual transmissions. Lightweight. Low center of gravity. Divine steering. Both on sale, right now, for around $30,000.

In the future, sentences that start with “Back in the day” will refer to right now.

Part of the appeal of the “Toyobaru” twins is that they aren’t saddled with the baggage of a historical moniker. The much-hyped Supra and Nissan Z have a lot to which they must measure up. Subaru and Toyota introduced the first-generation BRZ and Scion FR-S (as the GR86 was first badged) for the 2013 model year, to wide acclaim. Among very few weak spots was a lack of mid-range power, which has been addressed for this second generation. Once again, these back-to-basics sports cars demand no malt-milkshake nostalgia. Cheap thrills, in the best possible sense.

Apart from a handful of bushings and steering knuckles, and mounting points for the rear stabilizer bars (whose diameters differ by one centimeter), these are the same car under different skin. The subtle hardware differences are noticeable primarily during on-limit driving, but neither is necessarily better. Sprinkles or pop rocks, on the same delicious cupcake base.

Same seven paint colors. Same row of silver plastic “switches” on the center console. The shared engine cover has “Toyota” and “Subaru” molded into the same black plastic. Navigate to the Wikipedia page for the BRZ and you are redirected to the page for the GR86 coupe.

This sameness has been observed since the beginning of the coupe’s original run a decade ago. As the story goes, Toyota engineers Tetsuya Tada (now revered as “Mr. 86”) and Yoshinori Sasaki were hard at work developing a sports car. “If you want to make an enjoyable sports car, it should be front engine, rear-drive, like the Toyota Sports 800,” Sasaki told Top Gear back in 2013. “That car had a flat-two engine, and we liked the low center of gravity, but Toyota didn’t have this kind of engine. Around the same time we were planning the 86, our relationship with Subaru had just begun. Both sides were thinking hard on a collaboration.”

The collaboration came in the form of a Subaru boxer engine stuffed between the fenders of a slinky 2+2 coupe. Thanks to the compact 2.0-liter flat-four, the cars that rolled out of Subaru’s Gunma Plant in central Japan possessed a low center of gravity that helped lend them remarkable agility. Stateside, the cars arrived with MSRPs starting in the mid-$20,000s, which was on par with the Civic Si and VW GTI. They landed as either a Subaru BRZ—an acronym that signified its Boxer engine, rear-wheel drive layout, and the word “Zenith”—or as a Scion FR-S. (When Scion folded after 2016, the latter became the Toyota 86.) The first-generation collab was—and still is—a joy to drive, carrying on for nearly a decade until the two manufacturers ceased production in 2020 to focus on this—the next iteration.

The duo’s new coupes arrived earlier this year with 20 percent larger engines and updated styling, retaining their high fun factor and reasonable sticker price. As before, a Torsen-type limited-slip differential comes standard. Subaru kept its BRZ model name, Toyota rebranded its counterpart as the GR86 to reflect the increased emphasis on its factory motorsport efforts, championed by Gazoo Racing.

Second verse, same as similar to the first.

Underneath the hood, a 2.4-liter boxer engine offers a bit more juice compared to the old one (228 hp, up from 205 horsepower in 2020). Most importantly, the new engine successfully eliminates the mid-range torque plateau that left so many drivers underwhelmed. Overall, there is a 15 percent increase in torque (184 lb-ft) over the previous generation.

Indeed, the added grunt is a welcome boon. Combined with a 2900-pound curb weight—seriously trim for a modern car—both the Subaru and Toyota feel lithe whether on the open road or race track.

Our head-to-head test with these two vehicles confirmed that they are worthy sequels to their predecessors, not to mention inspiring subjects for multiple “would you rather” arguments. To suss out the effects of the small differences between the BRZ and GR86, we drove them at Michigan’s GingerMan Raceway earlier this summer, piloting each across the state a couple of hours from our editorial office in Ann Arbor.

So, given the choice between a 2022 Subaru BRZ and the 2022 Toyota 86, where did we land?

Cameron: Subaru BRZ

If you were to cover the badging and the distinctive front fascia of the two cars in a kind of parking-lot Pepsi Challenge, I’m not sure I would be able to tell the difference between the two. At least not with confidence. The distinctions between are them minor, but my preference for the Subaru BRZ is wrapped up in its curves, the particular way it behaves on track, and my personal brand affinity.

In general, both coupes are a hoot to drive on a road course. There’s a reason you see first-gen examples at open track days, drift events, autocross—all of it. The sensation of speed is constant, even heightened compared to cars with much more power.

These are go-karts with CarPlay and room for a full set of wheels and tires.

You can feel them working under you—the gentle body roll whispering about weight transfer, the brake pedal communicating variations in the road surface as you scrub speed before a corner. They’re rigid enough to feel planted and inspire confidence, yet plenty forgiving for the novice racer. It’s hard to imagine better modern tools in showrooms today, at least for learning the handling tendencies of a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car. Seasoned track rats, too, will enjoy hucking them around corners.

Though each rides on MacPherson-type struts up front with a double wishbone out back, little suspension differences between the two influence the handling at speed. The BRZ is the less serious, more playful twin, with a hollow front anti-roll bar (compared to the 86’s solid rod) and a smaller rear bar than its counterpart. The trade-off is that the Subie seems less forgiving under early throttle and has more of a tendency to push the front wheels when you aren’t patient on corner entry. Under braking, both are stable. The real fun happens when you roll off the brake pedal as you dial in steering, at which point the BRZ will slide its rear end just so, straightening out as you gently add throttle and exit the corner.

The GR86 has a snappier personality, less fluid but more precise. Even on the road, spirited driving in the BRZ is a moonlit sway, whereas the 86 is a red-hot flamenco.

Perhaps to mirror this playful nature, the BRZ’s front fascia wears a permanent smile, with rounded edges in the grille and body lines. I think this better reflects the mission of this car, which so engages drivers likely buying their first sports car. The sharp-and-solemn 86 front clip reminds me of the guy who treats every week of fantasy football like he’s playing in the Super Bowl.

I also prefer the BRZ for its engine. Yes, it’s the same as the Toyota’s, but I respect that the flat-four is a Subaru product. The marque’s boxer is synonymous with rally racing, and despite its grainy exhaust note, I can’t help but think back with affection to the stalwart EJ-series boxer-four that put so many Subies in victory lane. Imagine a small-block Chevy in a Ford Mustang; or rather, don’t, because it makes my skin crawl. A Subaru engine belongs in a Subaru.

Maybe only the most attentive buyers will exhibit similarly inside-baseball reasoning. The deciding factor may well be just what they can get their hands on, or that they’re from a Subaru family, or they want to one day move up to a GR Supra. Whatever the case, drivers have two excellent options in the new BRZ and 86.

Specs: 2022 Subaru BRZ Limited (manual)

• Price: $27,995/30,495 (base/as-tested)
• Powertrain: 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, DOHC 16-valve; 6-speed manual
• Horsepower: 228 hp @ 7000 rpm
• Torque: 184 lb-ft @ 3700 rpm
• Layout: Rear-wheel drive, four-passenger, two-door coupe
• Weight: 2835 lbs
• EPA-Rated Fuel Economy: 20/27/22 mpg (city/hwy/combined)
• 0-60 mph: 6.0 seconds
• Top Speed: 140 mph

Specs: 2022 Toyota GR86 Premium (manual)

• Price: $27,000/30,300 (base/as-tested)
• Powertrain: 2.4L 4-cylinder, DOHC 16-valve; 6-speed manual
• Horsepower: 228 hp @ 7000 rpm
• Torque: 184 lb-ft @ 3700 rpm
• Layout: Rear-wheel drive, four-passenger, two-door coupe
• Weight: 2833 lbs
• EPA-Rated Fuel Economy: 20/27/22 mpg (city/hwy/combined)
• 0-60 mph: 6.1 seconds
• Top Speed: 140 mph

Grace: Toyota GR86

With these twins, I find their lack of pretense endearing. These are sports cars, first and foremost, wearing brand badges that will impress nobody. The revamped sheetmetal is a nod to attitude—the Toyota more so, in the case of the swaggering ducktail that comes on the Premium model—but the interiors are far from staid. Unless you’re the kind of hard-core minimalist who considers heated seats an indulgence, there is nothing distracting inside these interiors—no voice assistants, gesture controls, or cutesy digital graphics. Adjust the mirrors via the pad on the door panel, yank/slide the seat into position, perhaps plug in your phone to CarPlay. No drive modes to program, no seat settings to code to a button. On the manual models, there’s not even Subaru’s notoriously beepy lane-assist to deactivate. You and the car. It’s really that simple.

Both Japanese houses have clearly spent development resources differentiating the handling behavior between the BRZ and GR86. In addition to the elements Cameron mentioned above, the spring rates and damper tuning of each system are unique. You don’t have to be a pro driver to notice the difference in personality, either. After several sessions around GingerMan, the GR86 proved pickier about the line it preferred. Fail to open your hands upon corner exit at the speed it likes, and the back end will let you know. The BRZ tolerates more slop in this regard before it reacts, and even then it does so gradually whereas the Toyota, as the kids say, claps back.

I like that in a car.

The Toyota had already won my eye for looks and motorsport cachet, but I was pleasantly surprised when its sassier on-track tendencies revealed themselves. The Subaru is friendlier, but the Toyota’s more specific about what it wants. As a relatively green driver who is still working on her sensitivity to driving dynamics, I appreciated the clarity. Knowing that, if I owned one, I could futz with the setup myself sealed my opinion: Get the one you like, and change what you don’t.

And if we’re going to compare rally pedigree, dear Cameron, allow me to point out that Subaru’s rally glory days are gone. Toyota is the one unleashing a WRC-engined, all-wheel-drive and locking-diff hatchback for the street.

Track driving aside, one should not underestimate the wonder of cheap, rear-drive, naturally aspirated fun. Especially in The Year of Our Lord 2022, it’s a revelation. In that very glow, I spent plenty of time over the course of ten days driving both and on the street in the Toyobaru twins. If there’s any weakness at all between the two of them, it’s that neither is an especially refined highway car; there’s too much drone from the four-pot, something even the supposedly premium stereo can’t mask. And the suspension likes to ping-pong over expansion joints, which gets old even within the span of a couple of hours. Fair to say, though, drivers looking to smile every time behind the wheel will tolerate these minor nuisances. It’s arguable that the Camaro and Mustang offer added performance for similar money, and there’s always the trusty Miata, but none combine the BRZ/GR86’s tossability and sheer driving joy in a daily-driver package.

Sure, it’s a little early to be talking about heritage. Let’s just say we have a good feeling about the long-term prospects of these two.

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it.

The post Review: 2022 Subaru BRZ vs. 2022 Toyota GR86 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Ranger Raptor unveiled in Baja race truck form

Intake: Ford of Australia is teasing another look at the upcoming Ranger Raptor truck, this time in race form. Set to do battle at the Baja 1000 on November 18th, we see how Ford turned a production truck into something worthy of motorsport. After stripping the interior accoutrements worthy of mall crawling with the family, the crew-cab pickup began initial testing with Kelly Racing in the Australian Outback. Final testing was with Lovell Racing in Johnson Valley, California, just a few hours away from the main event in Ensenada.

Exhaust: While not legal for road use, this race truck is likely very similar to the Ranger Raptor we will see next year, as specifications available on Ford of Australia’s website, complete with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 similar to the one found in the Bronco Raptor. Considering how much Ranger engineering is in the Bronco’s template, there’s a very good chance that the Ranger will now raid the Bronco’s parts bin for bespoke Raptor parts that are ready (and legal) for road use. —Sajeev Mehta

Chunky Chinese flying car takes off

Intake: China’s Xpeng has successfully flown a flying car for the first time. The AeroHT looks like a fairly unassuming electric SUV with a hefty roof box in ground mode, but as it readies for flight it deploys eight rotors just like a scaled-up consumer drone. It can then take off and land vertically, hover and fly forward and backwards. Weighing in at more than two tons, it can’t fly very far at the moment, however. A single charge will only take it “a few dozen kilometers.” Despite the AeroHT’s size it only has room for two travelers—and they need to weigh less than 400 lbs between them. The driver/pilot uses the steering wheel for direction changes in the air as well as the road, plus an additional lever for vertical and horizontal movement. “We believe it will be the first car that can both drive and fly and is fully electric and intelligent,” says an Xpeng spokesman.

Exhaust: How many times have we been promised flying cars in the past only to be presented with machines that may take to the skies, but would be pretty useless on the road? It might look a bit ungainly, but Xpeng’s effort does genuinely appear to be potentially both roadworthy and airworthy. There’s clearly much work still to be done, but maybe we’re a step closer to a genuine flying car future. —Nik Berg

Ducati Diavel gains two pistons, sheds 29 pounds

Intake: The Ducati Diavel is big muscle that just got a bit bigger thanks to the V-twin that gained 100 percent more pistons to become a V-4. The 1158cc Granturismo engine pumps out 168 horsepower and 93 foot-pounds of torque which combines with an established chassis to create a machine that is sporty yet can happily cruise main street and let the exhaust note tell the story. It’s a deeper exhaust note thanks to cylinder deactivation that runs only the front cylinders when under light load. Open the throttle and bring all four pots online and you better be holding on tight.

Exhaust: It’s an amount of performance no riders really need, but don’t call it unnecessary. The Diavel is the picture of a muscle bike and also is known to be quite comfortable. A V-4 in a cruiser chassis is total overkill but we are here for it and thoroughly enjoy the idea of ripping off shifts through the factory quickshifter as the 240mm rear tire grapples for traction between Launch Control interventions. What more could you want out of a main street bruiser? —Kyle Smith

This 911 GT3 has a sacrilegious Subaru engine swap

Intake: Whether it’s built for speed or just to cause consternation this Porsche 911 GT3 will definitely be a talking point at SEMA this year. Instead of its 3.6-liter normally-aspirated flat-six motor, the 2007 997 has a turbocharged EJ25 four-banger boxer from a 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI installed over the rear axle. Built by DevSpeed for Japanese oil firm ENEOS from a crashed and stripped donor car, the Scooby-Stuttgart mashup gets a BorgWarner 7064-C turbo, a Vibrant intercooler, Deatchswerks injectors and fuel pumps to help it on its way to 550 horsepower. That’s a major hike from the original Porsche’s 415 horses, plus the engine alone is some 170 pounds lighter than the factory unit. A Subaru STI six-speed transmission is installed, along with BC coilovers and Rotiform alloys. Wider bodywork comes from VAD Design in the U.K. and to cap it all off the car is finished in the famous blue and yellow livery worn by Subaru to numerous World Rally Championship victories.

Exhaust: Maybe it’s been born to troll, but the power and weight advantage this car has over a standard GT3 does mean it should stand up to scrutiny. See it for yourself at SEMA or just wait for the Twitter storm. —NB

Bentley announces limited-edition hybrid Bentayga

Intake: Move quickly if you want one of the just-announced Bentley Bentayga Odyssean Editions — the company is only building 70 copies of what it’s calling “the most sustainable Bentayga.” The first Odyssean Edition was launched in 2021 on a Flying Spur, and similar to the Flying Spur Odyssean, the new Bentayga limited edition takes advantage of the benefits provided by a hybrid powertrain, specifically a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 and a “new and improved” 18.0 kWh battery coupled to an electric motor, allowing for a range of 28 electric-only miles. Total horsepower is 456, and Bentley claims a 0-to-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds, and a top speed of 158 mph. The SUV’s Odyssean Edition is available for orders this month, with production starting in early 2023.

Exhaust: We didn’t know that there was a cry among Bentley customers for more sustainability in their special editions, but maybe there is. Seventy customers, anyway. No price has been announced but we’d guess it will be one of the less expensive special Bentaygas at about $168,000 for a base hybrid, and we figure adding on at least $25,000 for the Odyssean Edition. —SCS

Dodge “grenaded” seven engines en route to special edition

Intake: In direct opposition to Bentley’s “most sustainable” special editions, Dodge’s “last call” for special-edition Chargers and Challengers ran into a rocky patch when the company was putting its final Hellcat engine on the dyno, running a grueling certification test for what is believed to be the most powerful Hellcat engine yet, which was to go in an as-yet undisclosed car for the SEMA show. Unfortunately, according to a conference call with Tim Kuniskis, Dodge CEO, they lost seven engines as they tried to complete the certification process, so the SEMA car will be delayed. “It’s not so easy to do,” he said, speaking of the certification process. “We run these things on wide-open throttle for hours and hours on end, 24-7. The testing on these things is just brutal. So far we’ve grenaded seven engines, but I think we’ve got it figured out.” The horsepower output is likely north of 850, since Dodge already hit 840 horses for the Demon.

Exhaust: The Hellcat engines have been surprisingly reliable, even though customers have often run them to the maximum and beyond. You have to love a CEO that not only admits it when his engines blow up, but is committed to making the engine work at what is likely an unexpected, and substantial, cost. Oh, yes, of course, we also love the Bentley Hybrid, too; after all we aren’t Neanderthals— but we really love those big Dodge V-8s. —SCS

Uber shares “surge” as company forecasts profitable quarter

Intake: Finally some good news for the rideshare company: Reuters says Uber Technologies forecast fourth-quarter operating profit above Wall Street estimates,  sending its shares up 10 percent. With the pandemic trending downward, it has opened up a need for travel that Uber is addressing. “Consumers are shifting their budgets to services, Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi said, compared to the two years of COVID-led lockdowns when they had limited spending to basic needs,” according to Reuters. Revenue in Uber’s rideshare segment rose 73 percent in the third quarter.

Exhaust: Uber is a valuable resource when those of us who can’t stop driving, have to stop driving briefly, anyway. Good to know we have a reliable ride to our mechanic’s shop to pick up our cars. —SCS

The post Ranger Raptor teased for Baja duty, Dodge “grenades” 7 test Hellcat engines, a flying car from China? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Elon Musk will deliver first electric Tesla semi trucks December 1

Intake: Five years after debuting his electric semi truck, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, said he will begin delivery of 15 trucks to Pepsi by the end of the year, starting December 1. Pepsi, says Automotive News, has a contract for 100 of the trucks. The trucks supposedly have 500 miles of range, and Musk has said in the past that he has deposits from Walmart and Anheuser-Busch for the trucks. AN speculates that Musk’s interest in the trucks was spurred by the Senate passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which made heavy-duty electric trucks eligible for as much as $40,000 federal tax credits.

Exhaust: On the website for the truck, Musk says it has “Badass Performance,” generated by three electric motors, and can “accelerate from 0-60 mph in 20 seconds, fully loaded, and maintain highway-level speeds even up steep grades.” Tesla’s “semi chargers” will recover up to 70 percent of the range in 30 minutes, and “operators can see estimated fuel savings of up to $200,000 within their first three years of ownership.” Pepsi seems like a good first rollout customer, since its runs are relatively short compared to most over-the-road truckers’. —Steven Cole Smith

Wheels no longer fall off Toyota’s EV, sales resume

Intake: Toyota’s BZ4X production electric vehicle will resume sales after the company resolved an issue in which its wheels could loosen and potentially fall off. The recall covers 258 units of Toyota’s EV sold in the U.S., but the 403 affected examples of its Subaru sistership have reportedly not been “sold to dealers or retail purchasers.” The older NHTSA report mentions that the “investigation is ongoing,” but according to Automotive News, Toyota chief technology officer Masahiko Maeda says it missed the issue “because we didn’t conduct the assessments based on a premise that the quality of wheels would be so off.”

Exhaust: Toyota’s CTO suggests a bad batch of wheels is to blame, but no further details were given. That said, if you’ve ever bought aftermarket (or refinished) wheels only to learn that the lug nut recesses have too much paint on them, I reckon you know exactly what Toyota is going through right now. Can we wager that Toyota dealers are grabbing a paint meter, then sanding a little off so the lug nuts can do their job? — Sajeev Mehta

NASCAR drivers frustrated by safety concerns with new Cup car

Intake: Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman will both be out of the NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend because of concussions, one reason NASCAR driver and team owners are speaking out about the safety of the new-for-2022 NASCAR Cup car. Both Busch and Bowman backed into the wall; the complaint centers around the belief that the new cars are too stiff, with the car transmitting the shock of a crash straight to the driver rather than absorbing it. While Bowman and Busch are the only two drivers to miss races with concussions, the Associated Press “learned of at least two other drivers who believe they suffered concussions earlier this season.” Drivers have long been reluctant to admit they may have a concussion for fear of missing an important race or losing their seats altogether. “We have done really well in the last 10, 15 years with safety in so many ways. But this car, from the rear impact, it’s just like you’re sitting on a piece of steel. We need to fix it as soon as we can,” team owner Rick Hendrick told AP.

Exhaust: This is not a new problem, but in the past few weeks, the number of very prominent drivers, such as Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick, who have spoken out about it makes it a very real concern. NASCAR is working on the issue, but it won’t be an easy fix. —SCS

Charge Cars to debut limited-edition ’67 electric car in Los Angeles

Intake: Charge Cars, a British company, will host its electric Mustang-lookalike’s North American debut in Los Angeles later this month, but we can see the ’67 now. Just 499 examples of the ’67 will be built and each will feature a steel chassis with carbon-fiber bodywork. Its 535-hp, all-wheel-drive system is enough to propel the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and its floor-mounted batteries will deliver a range of up to 200 miles. The exterior is very familiar, but the interior is all new and the two-seat configuration has a large luggage area and a modern design.

Exhaust: We must admit that the lines of the classic fastback look good—the basis of the car is clearly a ’67 Mustang—yet Charge Cars never mention its pony car roots. Strange, huh? We’re all for electric conversions when the original car didn’t have a stellar powerplant, but that was not the case with early Mustangs. Is that gorgeous interior enough to make up for the absence of a high-strung small-block? —Brandan Gillogly

Two top sports car teams looking for a female driver

Intake: Kelly-Moss Racing has extended a dozen invitations to female racers to come to Putnum Park Raceway in Indiana to try out for a seat at Kelly-Moss. During the shootout, the women will be evaluated both on and off track. This intensive event will involve assessment of track times, technical communication with engineers, understanding of car dynamics, interview skills, sponsorship value, fit with the team and more. The funding for the 2023 race season position includes 16 races, 6 tests, race entry fees, and a Porsche GT3 Cup car for the races and tests. Meanwhile, Heart of Racing, an IMSA team, is doing essentially the same thing, with a funded ride in an Aston Martin in GT4 competition at stake. The shootout will be held at the Apex Club track outside Phoenix. They are still taking applications: Apply here by October 23 to be considered.

Exhaust: These are no publicity stunts: These are top-notch professional race teams offering a solid season to selected female racers. Should be interesting to watch. —SCS

Australian Supercars could visit the U.S. as soon as 2024

Intake: Australian Supercar fans on this side of the Pacific, get excited, as the V-8-powered touring car series could be making a rare visit to the United States as soon as 2024. In an interview with Autosport, Supercar chairman Barclay Nettlefold revealed that top brass are examining the possibility of joining select Formula 1 grand prix as an undercard. And, in case you missed it, F1 is rapidly expanding into North America. Next year, Supercars will also roll out its new Gen3 racer—which includes a new Chevy Camaro (rather than the stalwart Holden Commodore) and a Ford Mustang (below). “We’ve got global relevance now,” said Nettlefold. “We’re the only touring car really focusing on that. I would love to see us as category support in the Americas. How powerful would that be for Ford and General Motors.” This wouldn’t be the first time Supercars have traveled stateside, having held a standalone event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2013, putting on a great show.

Exhaust: If you’ve never watched Australian Supercar competition, you’re missing out. The V-8 powered Mustangs and Commodores (soon to be replaced by the Camaro) make for epic showdowns of close racing, daring maneuvers, and dramatic finishes. Should they seal the deal and partner with Formula 1, this could be the perfect pairing of rip-snorting rumblers and high-tech open-wheelers; a well-rounded weekend for those in the grandstands. Though, with Formula 1’s recent expansion into the United States, you have to wonder if NASCAR isn’t already making the same pitch to F1 behind closed doors? After all, NASCAR’s NextGen stocker processes some similar pieces to its Aussie counterparts (sequential shifter to wide, low-profile slicks), which has presented a natural transition to more road course racing. Wait, I have an even better idea: let’s put Supercars tourers and NASCAR stockers on the same track to vie for the title of supreme V-8 racer. —Cameron Neveu

The post Musk promises semis by December, Toyota finally fixes loose wheels, NASCAR drivers not happy with new car appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Los Angeles is an incredible place to be an automotive enthusiast.

Car culture courses thick and pure through L.A.’s veins like grease dripping from a street taco. There’s as much automotive variety in this city as there is cultural diversity; if there’s an automotive niche—or a niche of a niche—you can find it on full boost in southern California.

Certain streets and parking lots shimmer with a perpetual parade of interesting cars, a patchwork quilt of gleaming hypercars, buzzing imports, hopping lowriders, and sunburned survivors. You’ll meet some of the most welcoming and wonderful people out on the streets, with communities and clubs for every type of enthusiast. And the roads! Oh god, the roads. When I die, bury me somewhere alongside Angeles Crest.

Los Angeles is an awful place to be an automotive enthusiast.

Tainting this kaleidoscope of vehicular wonder is a toxic stew of hassle and sunk cost. Traffic, exorbitant gas prices, lobotomized drivers, and the omnipresent threat of the overzealous LAPD are the obvious bummers that tamp the physical act of driving, but it’s hidden frustrations that can make ownership a nightmare.

As of this writing, the average price of a home in L.A. is right at $1 million. So, if you’re an enthusiast of regular means, you live in an apartment, which means you automatically must fight for parking if you live in one of the many buildings who do not offer assigned spots. This is annoying if you own a car. It is all-consuming if you own several cars.

Regular street parking almost invariably leads to regular dents, dings, and scrapes. If you’re near the ocean, the marine layer will render anything old into a pile of brown dust. Something breaks? You’re working on it where it lays unless you bring it to a shop. If you have assigned parking at your apartment, you’re usually forced to bring it to a mechanic anyways, since the majority of complexes do not allow you to work on your own car for anything beyond a battery replacement or bulb swap. Ask me how I know. And you’re going to want to keep your car in tip-top mechanical shape, considering I can think of fewer scenarios scarier than a blown radiator on the side of the 405 at rush hour.

This is to say nothing of the physical hazards of L.A.’s rotten infrastructure. Hollywood’s silver-screen representation of L.A. has done nothing to prepare visitors for the deteriorated roadways that await their hapless rental Camry. Busted stretches of highway expansion joints on the main arteries interrupt conversation and will convince you of a newfound flat tire. A significant portion of parking lot entrances are perplexingly steep and apex at a sharp point, while the interiors of some L.A. garage structures can prove treacherous for even a Mini Cooper.

Don’t stray too close to the dips and missing chunks bordering the edges of surface streets, lest you seek catastrophic sidewall damage. If you take any of the strange V-shaped drainage ditches scattered around the city at speed, you can expect to leave the concrete some gratuity in the form of oil pan fragments and the fidelity of your control arms.

In short—this is not a place friendly to the average classic car enthusiast.

I love classic cars. I’ve dedicated my career and most of my rapidly dwindling brainpower to the worship of the older stuff. It’s a shame, then, that I am mentally unfit for relying on a classic car for regular transportation in Los Angeles at this time. As a professed neurotic, driving anything through the City of Angels that could be considered unreliable or problematic is an exercise in hyper-fixation and weaving anxiety from the threads of tranquility.

Hold up—did I just hear ticking? Is that my lifters? I just had the oil changed—maybe the mechanic put in the wrong oil. He’s a specialist with three decades of experience with this particular car, but people mess up, you know? I bet there’s catastrophic engine failure brewing, I just know it. I know it! Then, I’ll be stranded. Then—then!—I’ll have to call Hagerty roadside services, and wait while they thread through the same traffic jam that did in said engine. Man, isn’t the shop rate at my place like $200? This is going to cost five-figures. How much is this whole car worth? God, there goes my weekend—no, my month.

Oh. It was just the A/C compressor cycling on and off. Haha! We’re good!

I know, I know—I need to relax, I need to chill. It’s not like this mania is fueled by a history of disastrous automotive incidents, either. My family’s 1981 Porsche 911 SC never once died on me, nor did my cranky and very sketchy 1974 VW Baja Bug I daily drove in college. So far, my 2002 Carrera has been rock solid, as was my 2005 Pontiac GTO. In fact, it’s the traditionally reliable stuff that’s left me stranded. My unmodified 1999 Miata caught fire en route through the Mojave desert—thank you, cheap coil pack!—a few months after I grenaded the valvetrain of an automatic 2016 Corvette Stingray convertible press car.

Point is, even if it’s possible to drive a classic every day in Los Angeles, it simply isn’t enjoyable. My daily driver for the past six months has been a 1998 Volvo S70 T5. This five-speed, front-wheel drive turbobrick is a grand Swedish thing with oodles of character and barrels of torque—or is that tjörk? In theory, it’s the sort of modern classic that a young collector can use as an actual car. In reality, the air conditioning doesn’t work, the engine is absurdly thirsty for a 2.3-liter, some parts are hard or impossible to come by, and I don’t always want to drive stick in gridlock when I just want to get the hell home. Yeah, I don’t think it’s fun driving manual in traffic. Sue me!

I needed a new car before summer hit and I sweated through the seats of my Volvo. No, not a different car, a new car. Something I don’t have to pay out the nose for and won’t burn my ass in severe depreciation when this wild market starts to settle. Something with a known history, something that I can sustain simply with oil changes and tire rotations for 100,000 miles while I spend the big bucks on keeping my 996 on the road. Naturally, I made a list of all the hot hatches, compact sports cars, and generally interesting rides that would scratch the fun rash during errands and not turn to stapled Jell-O when snaked through Malibu canyons.

I bought a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek Sport.

Please, stay your jeers and hatemail—this has already triggered every sort of identity and existential crisis that you can imagine. A crossover. No, a CVT crossover. Are you ok, man? Have you considered medication? Therapy?

Yeah—this is my therapy. Air conditioning, CarPlay, and the zone-out CVT is what keeps me sane during my daily trudge through L.A. Plus, the Crosstrek is, dare I say it … good. Plenty powerful, big enough to carry my stuff, small enough to park anywhere.

So why do I feel so bad? Modern car culture has warped me to feel ashamed that I would trade character for comfort, and acceleration for A/C. For many enthusiasts, there is no Goldilocks option. If I moved back to rural Michigan or my hometown of Dallas, you can bet your lugnuts I’d have found something with a stick and a stoke—but not in L.A. I can’t do it, I just can’t do it.

Maybe I’m a cautionary tale. Southern California, the place were America’s love affair with the automobile really took flight, has become utterly inhospitable to car lovers of ordinary means.  That likely will become even more the case if Californa succeeds in upholding its 2035 gas ban, leaving regular-joe enthusiasts to fight over a dwindling supply of fun ICE cars.

Or, maybe, I’m just maturing. Our own McKeel Hagerty has gone on record that we’re here to save driving—not necessarily commuting. I still have my (manual) 996 for weekends and short trips, and I’d add an MGB GT to the fleet if the coastal air wouldn’t melt the poor thing down to its tires. Save the special cars for the special drives. For the rest of it, there’s my Crosstrek.

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark us.

The post L.A. forced me to stop daily-driving my classics—maybe, for the best appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Audi hints at 600+ hp Performance variant for RS6

Intake: Nobody who’s experienced the wallop of twin-turbo V-8, all-wheel-drive German muscle that is the RS6 would say the Audi wagon needed more power. But that’s the writing on the wall, according to a report from Australia’s Wheels. An Audi spokesperson recalled that the prior-gen RS6 was offered with a higher-output Performance variant and went on to say that, “We recently launched the R8 RWD as a Performance, so you can be pretty sure that we will follow up the Performance strategy [in the RS6].”

Exhaust: At present, the RS6 makes 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, and it’s unclear how much a Performance variant would add. We know the powertrain has more to give, because the Lamborghini Urus’ version of the 4.0-liter engine has 641 hp. Given that the R8 Performance model swaps out its standard cast iron rotors and adjustable suspension for carbon-ceramics and a fixed-damper setup, in addition to gaining extra power, we’d expect similar changes for the RS6. Standard on the RS6 is an adaptive air suspension and conventional rotors, though a fixed-spring/adaptive damper setup and carbon-ceramics are optional. We’d expect these to be standard on the Performance version and for Audi to extend the same suite of upgrades to the mechanically similar, liftback RS7. —Eric Weiner

Subaru Outback tops IIHS’ more-rigorous side-impact test

Intake: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety let it be known in 2019 that new and tougher side-impact tests were coming to further differentiate models and to challenge automakers to improve driver safety. (The current procedure is 15 years old, and, as of 2019, 99 percent of new models aced it.) The third trial-run of the new test has certainly upped the ante: Seven midsize cars, each of which earn a “good” rating under the old test, did not fare very well under the new. Only three of seven tested earned “good” or “acceptable” ratings. “The Subaru Outback is the only midsize car to earn a good rating,” said the IIHS. “With somewhat higher levels of occupant compartment intrusion, the Hyundai Sonata and Volkswagen Jetta managed acceptable ratings. The Honda Accord earned a marginal rating, and the Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry earned poor ratings.”  The more rigorous test, the IIHS said, uses a “higher impact speed [37, versus 31 mph] and a heavier [4200- vs. 3000-pound], more realistic movable barrier representing a more modern striking vehicle” than before. However, it won’t be integrated into IIHS’ official award criteria until 2023, when the Institute will require a “good” or “acceptable” rating for the lower-tier Top Safety Pick award and a “good” rating for the title of Top Safety Pick+.

Exhaust: The IIHS said that overall, the midsized cars did not perform as well as the first groups of small and midsized SUVS tested earlier under the more-aggressive procedure. “One reason,” the IIHS said, “could be their lower ride height.” That might explain why the more SUV-like Outback out-performed the other cars. Regardless, some manufacturers have some work to do. Check out the test results here. —Steven Cole Smith

Watch Nico Rosberg collect the first production Rimac Nevera

VW drops price of Chattanooga-built ID.4 electric SUV

Intake: Volkswagen has a new, cheaper, entry-level model of its 2023 ID.4 electric compact SUV that starts at $37,495 plus $1295 in shipping, with an all-new battery pack, upgraded exterior and interior design, new aluminum-alloy wheels, and an updated center console. Now assembled in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the ID.4 is offered in three trim levels—Standard/Pro, S, and S Plus—with the option of 62-kWh and 82-kWh batteries and rear-wheel- or all-wheel drive. The entry ID.4, now called the ID.4 Standard, is equipped with the new 62-kWh battery, allowing for a lower price of entry and a preliminary, manufacturer-estimated range of 208 miles with 201 horsepower. The ID.4 Pro continues with an 82-kWh battery that allows for an estimated range of 275 miles, while ID.4 AWD Pro models add an asynchronous motor to the front axle, resulting in a bump to 295 horsepower, and an EPA-estimated range of 255 miles. A loaded ID.4 tops out at $53,995, plus shipping, and before the potential $7500 federal tax credit.

Exhaust: Price reductions are always welcome, especially with EVs. That said, we’re torn: $3700 more per car would have gone a long way toward fixing a few of our complaints (nauseating suspension tune, poor interior quality) with the base ID.4. —Sam Smith

The post Audi’s hottest wagon could get 600+ hp, Outback only “car” to ace new side-impact test, ID.4 drops price appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Strange shotgun marriages happen in the cylinders of engines due to the intense heat and pressure of internal combustion. For example, nitrogen and oxygen are not naturally attracted to each other, chemically speaking, but they are thrown together by the detonation of fuel to produce oxides of nitrogen. Likewise, carbon and oxygen get it on during the explosion to form carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Unusual pairings are also happening in the auto industry these days. Under intense pressure to increase electric vehicle output this decade, car companies hope to save money by sharing the multibillion-dollar costs of converting to electrification. In what is likely the biggest deal yet, General Motors and Honda announced back in 2020 that they would couple up to develop an electric crossover set to debut in 2027 with a highly ambitious price point of under $30,000. “By working together, we’ll put people all over the world into EVs faster than either company could achieve on its own,” said GM CEO Mary Barra.

GM has been in bed with Japanese automakers before, having produced cars with Toyota, Suzuki, and Isuzu at various times. Honda remained self-reliant during the wave of corporate mergers that rushed through the industry in the 1990s and 2000s, although the fiercely independent automaker did form some limited strategic partnerships. Perhaps you recall the 1993–2002 Honda Passport, which was built by Isuzu, or the 2004–07 deal in which Honda supplied GM with V-6 engines for the long-gone Saturn division.

It’s thought that GM’s early bet on battery development combined with Honda’s long experience in packaging and producing smaller vehicles at a profit will complement each other. Also, Honda is behind in electrification and surely needed a friendly partner outside of Japan, now that the demand seems to be rising for EVs. First-quarter 2022 EV registrations in the U.S. were up a startling 60 percent over the same period last year, totaling nearly 160,000 new battery-electric vehicles, or 4.6 percent of the market.

The first cars to appear under the GM-Honda alliance will be the Honda Prologue (get it?) in 2024, plus an EV for Honda’s luxury Acura division. The sub-$30,000 crossovers will come later as the industry works through the daunting cost disadvantages of electrics.

Meanwhile, Toyota has taken on multiple partners to speed EVs to market. In 2017, it formed an EV-development cooperative with Mazda, and starting this year, Subaru dealers will stock a $46,220 electric crossover called the Solterra, which is just a Toyota bZ4X wearing the thinnest of brand disguises.

Toyota’s motivation for sharing with Subaru may be that Subaru has barely touched its supply of tax incentives that rewards buyers of EVs with a $7500 federal tax credit. Each automaker can sell up to 200,000 electric and plug-in hybrids before the tax credit starts phasing out under a plan passed by Congress in 2008. Tesla and GM have hit the limit, and Toyota and Ford are expected to this year, but EV newcomer Subaru is only getting started (a proposal to drop the 200,000 limit and expand the credit to $12,500 appears dead in Congress).

Though some marriages may flourish, others are already on the skids. Last November, Ford broke off its engagement with electric pickup maker Rivian, ending their agreement, announced in 2019, to jointly develop an electric pickup and SUV. A few months later, Amazon—an early Rivian investor that had previously said it would buy 100,000 electric delivery vans from the startup by 2030—hopped into bed with Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, instead. The retail behemoth said it would purchase the company’s electric ProMaster van, due in 2023, as well as supply in-car software and cloud services. As Shakespeare observed, “Hasty marriage seldom proveth well.”

The post A surge in EV demand is sending automakers to the altar appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Ever had your eggs prepared by the Rollie Hands-Free Automatic Electric Vertical Nonstick Easy Quick Egg Cooker?

No? Let me explain how it works. Just crack several eggs into a hole at the top of the thermos-shaped egg cooker. After several minutes, convection pushes out an edible tube from the same hole in which you placed the raw eggs. Boom. Or not—in the amount of time it takes the Rollie to deposit a steaming egg log on your plate, you could pan-fry an egg to perfection.

Sorry, Sharper Image. The Rollie, the strawberry slicer, the quesadilla maker, are only good for one job and hog drawer space or countertop real estate when not in use. Most of these “unitaskers,” as television chef Alton Brown calls them, could be collectively dropped in the nearest garbage bin and replaced by a multi-use tool, such as a knife or a fork with little to no turbulence in future food preparation.

I think we can all agree, save for possibly the inventor of the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Maker, that multi-use tools are fantastic. A chef’s knife, a hammer, a drill press—amazing. Recent years have produced a new type of multi-faceted tool: the off-road-capable crossover. Distant relatives of the AMC Eagle and the Subaru Brat, each of these trail-ready models perches atop a unibody platform—Honda’s Pilot Trailsport, Ford’s Bronco Sport, Subaru’s Outback Wilderness—and arrives in showrooms trailing a cloud of silt. Subaru has gone back to Wilderness well, with a two-track-worthy version of its Forester.

Last week, Subaru delivered a 2022 Forester Wilderness to our editorial office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Rolling on the group’s Global Platform, the fifth-generation Forester is the stubby middle child in Subaru’s lineup. It’s never been regarded as a looker, either. The Wilderness trim is an immediate glow-up, though—black wheels, copper accents, white-lettered tires, and Autumn Green Metallic paint glinting in the summer sun. This is the best-looking Forester to date, but it comes at a cost. Our test Subie’s sticker: $35,795 (nearly $10,000 more than a base Forester).

For that amount of dough, it better cook the eggs and slice the strawberries.

The Wilderness package was introduced by Subaru this year, joining the existing Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, and Touring trims. The orange-accented bundle features all the badges, accents, and flair that an outdoorsperson can handle. That mountain-flaunting crest could be affixed to a tent, a portable stove, or the flatbill hat of some free-climber, and nobody would look twice. Out of all the trim levels, the new option best aligns with Subaru’s crunchy vibe; so much so it’s a wonder that the firm waited until this long to roll it out.

Though the increased body cladding and badging are rather bombastic, it’s important not to write off the Forester Wilderness as cosplaying off-roader. There are real, mechanical upgrades: Like the Outback, the Forester Wilderness receives a mild lift (less than an inch) for increased approach and departure angles. The copper-capped roof rack is improved over that of years past, and rated to withstand more than 800 pounds of heft. Should you take this Forester overlanding, you can confidently set up shop on the roof.

The drivetrain has subtle adds, too. Subaru tuned the gearing on its CVT for better low-speed climbing and mated the transmission to its 2.5-liter Boxer engine (the largest mill available for the Forester) which puts out 182 horses and 176 lb-ft of twist. There’s also an eight-speed manual mode available in all Wildernesses. The drivetrain isn’t quick by any means, but that’s not really the point. What matters is the unit’s ability to haul 3000 pounds (more than the Bronco Sport, and just a shade under a four-cylinder Chevy Colorado’s towing capacity). A decent towing capacity, sure, but should you really want to tug something down the two-track, you might opt for the Honda Pilot Trailsport, which can tow an astounding 5000 pounds.

The Forester’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system delivered sure-footedness on most occasions and its X-MODE terrain selector—which controls wheel slip under 25-mph for a variety of surfaces—worked well off pavement. The white-lettered Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tires are great for loose gravel and mud, though you sacrifice a ton of road feel over standard radials. On-road, the raised suspension isn’t doing the ride quality any favors, and the entire paved affair feels like driving a used CRV.

Subaru’s Eyesight driver assist tech works well, providing it isn’t raining. While navigating rather intense showers, the system notified me that it was punching out for the remainder of the storm, when I arguably needed the support the most. (NB: This problem isn’t unique to Subaru’s system.)

No matter, life behind the wheel is good. This Forester’s interior is tastefully complex and a reminder that, despite its roughin’-it attitude, the Wilderness package is designed as a relatively posh (in Subaru’s world) trim level. There are plenty of upscale of materials and a variety of tessellating patterns throughout the cabin. The chairs, which come stamped with “Subaru Wilderness” in the headrest, might be the best part about this trim level. Comfortable and rugged. Subaru’s StarTex water-repellent upholstery is a wonder, easily wiping clean even after you accidentally track clay onto a seatback. (Don’t ask me how.)

The eight-inch-tall touchscreen functions fine. Even better, Subaru positions much of its vehicle telemetry, which includes anything from HVAC to pitch angle, in the digital screen above the infotainment screen. This proper separation of telemetry from entertainment allows you to glance at a map—or artist credits—without toggling between the two.

The interior’s only short-coming is the Harman Kardon nine-speaker audio system, which is borrowed from the Forester’s Premium trim. The speaker set doesn’t give the depth of sound that you’d like to have in a $35K+ vehicle, and you’re already paying more, since it’s part of an $1800 option package that also includes the StarLink navigation system and gesture-capable controls.

Therein lies the rub. This is an upscale vehicle. Its implied mission, though, is to provide a thoughtful solution to those who want a daily driver that is off-road capable. A vehicle with the ability to carve trails without rigid stick axles, fussy transfer cases, or obnoxious tire slap. It aims to be a multi-use tool but costs far too much. Consider this: for the Subie’s steep sticker, you could purchase a new Hyundai Venue (which is easier on gas, too) and have $15,000 left over to devote to a used Wrangler. This “knife,” as advertised by Subaru, costs just as much as the Rollie, the strawberry slicer, and the quesadilla maker lumped together. Unfortunately for Subaru, the Forester Wilderness will be most compelling to budget buyers once it hits the used market.

Earlier this winter, editor Grace Houghton shook down the Outback Wilderness. She concluded: “If you want a gnarly Outback and don’t have time to build one yourself, the Wilderness is for you.” The problem with the Forester is that, unlike the Outback, most Subaru shadetree mechanics aren’t opting for the stubby crossover as an overlanding canvas. And if you’re truly serious about off-roading over Rubicon-style trails in a unibody truck with a rear hatch, you’d be better suited in a Bronco Sport in Badlands trim, for about the same amount of cash.

Lucky for Subaru, that’s not exactly what its buyers will be cross-shopping. Subie shoppers are notoriously loyal, wrapped up in the company’s brand identity and superior safety ratings. Their tough decision on the lot will be a choice between the Wilderness and the Outback. In that case, you have two perfectly capable multi-use tools to choose from.

And neither of them will lay a steaming egg tube on your plate.

***

2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness

Price, base/as tested: $33,520 / $35,795 (base Forester: $25,895)

Highs: The best-looking Forester ever, a trim level that goes beyond chairs and flairs, 800-pound-rated roof rack

Lows: Expensive, lackluster on-road handling, subpar sound system

Summary: Subaru finally delivers a spec that aligns with its outdoorsy buyers on its compact crossover, but it comes at a hefty price.

The post Review: 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Short of the WRC machines once driven by McRae and Burns, you’re looking at the ultimate Subaru Impreza. And, with no coincidence whatsoever, it’s being built by the same people: Prodrive.

Called the Prodrive P25, and making its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, this is the Impreza formula taken to its logical conclusion. The name is something of a hint as to its reason for being, at 25 years since the two-door Impreza WRC made its debut, and a reference to the 25 cars Prodrive will build.

1997’s Impreza WRC replaced Subaru’s Group A machines which took the WRC constructors’ titles in 1995 and 1996—as well as taking Colin McRae and Derek Ringer to WRC driver and codriver titles in 1995.

WRC regulations introduced in 1997 changed the series’ homologation requirements. While manufacturers still needed to build 2500 units of a particular body style, they no longer needed to build a specific homologation special.

This divorcing of road and stage meant that more manufacturers could take part—the era saw the introduction of WRC machines from the likes of Skoda and Peugeot, without wild all-wheel drive machines in their road-going ranges—and led to more extreme shapes on the stages.

This brought about one of the great misconceptions about the road car this new Prodrive P25 most closely resembles: 1998’s Impreza 22B. While wide-arched like its rally cousin, those arches weren’t actually required for homologation; the 22B was simply a deeply desirable homage to McRae’s weekend wheels.

That’s more or less the purpose of the Prodrive P25, too, though here things are a little more serious than they were with the 22B.

The underlying structure is the same: a two-door Impreza WRX, as originally sold on the Japanese market. But here the modern interpretation begins to diverge from its forebear, with extensive use of carbon composites for the front and rear quarter panels, hood, trunklid, roof, sills, bumpers, and rear wing, as well as carbon door cards and lightweight race seats inside. Peter Stevens, who was involved with the original Impreza WRC, has turned his hand to this one, too.

Prodrive’s fitted a rally-style dash display and data logger, and rather than faffing around with mood lighting and DAB radio, the car’s functions instead let you change useful things like throttle response, engine mapping, and anti-lag. You also get dual handbrake functionality: a modern electric handbrake for boring things like parking and a WRC-style fly-off lever for doing skids.

Not that it hasn’t been trimmed nicely: It’ll still seat four (unless you ask Prodrive to ditch the rear seats and install a cage), and there’s a mix of leather, Alcantara, and carbon trim.

There’s a bit more under the hood than the 22B had. Prodrive has taken Subaru’s latest 2.5-liter flat-four and reengineered it, swapping out the pistons, connecting rods, and cylinder liners and given it a new valvetrain with variable cam timing.

It’s also attached a Garrett motorsport turbo, a new intercooler and airbox, and slung an Akrapovič titanium and stainless-steel exhaust system underneath. The upshot? More than 400 hp and 440 lb-ft, along with a 3.5-second 0-to-62 mph time.

If you’re a “save the manuals” type, then there’s good and bad news about the transmission. The bad: The gearbox is not an old-fashioned H-pattern manual. The good: It’s a racing sequential with helical-cut gears and 80-millisecond changes via a steering column paddle. Oh, and WRC-style launch control to help with those acceleration runs. Front and rear limited-slip differentials, and an active center diff apportion power to all four wheels.

The Impreza’s basic suspension layout is as you’d expect—struts at all four corners—but the uprights are machined aluminum, the track has grown to 1770 mm, and the dampers are adjustable units from Bilstein. Springs and antiroll bars are new too, naturally, while unsprung mass comprises 380 mm and 350 mm front and rear discs, Prodrive 8.5x19in wheels, and 235-section Bridgestone tires.

The car you’ll see at Goodwood will be Prodrive’s development mule, with extensive testing due after its public appearance. Customer car deliveries begin later in the year, each priced beginning at £460,000 (~$563,000) plus VAT: £552,000, or roughly $675,900 as of this writing. Even at that figure, those 25 cars will no doubt find homes fairly easily—perhaps more than a few of them alongside authentic WRC cars of the era…

Via Hagerty UK

The post Prodrive P25: All-out, $563K Impreza restomod poised for Goodwood debut appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Would you pay $600K for the ultimate Beetle restomod?

Intake: With a plan to limit production to just 22 cars, Milivié Design may lay claim to building most exclusive Beetle on the road. Customization, mechanical and aesthetic, is an integral part of Beetle history, but Milivié Design takes things to new extremes. Each build takes 1000 hours, says the shop, and every one starts with a hand-selected, original chassis that is artfully modified until only the silhouette remains familiar. Power comes from a Type 1 flat-four punched to 2.28 liters and mated to a Porsche Carrera 2 transaxle. All this custom can be yours for $600,000.

Exhaust: Buying a turn-key build is generally the easiest and most cost-effective avenue to restomod ownership, but this price point is … ambitious. Singer Vehicle Design has certainly popularized bespoke cars on a vintage chassis, and its “reimagined” air-cooled 911s have inspired other shops to apply a similar treatment to dozens of other makes and models—not just Porsches, but G Wagens, Broncos, and Land Rovers. Does the VW Beetle have enough panache to justify such a high-dollar treatment—especially if you have to explain why you spent over half a million dollars? That’s for you to decide.

Porsche settles fuel-economy lawsuit for $80M

Intake: Volkswagen Group and its Porsche division have agreed to a class-action settlement worth at least $80 million to resolve claims it skewed emissions and fuel economy data on 500,000 Porsche vehicles in the U.S. According to court documents—and reported by Automotive News—the settlement covers 2005 through 2020 Porsches. Owners accused Porsche of physically altering test vehicles, impacting emissions and fuel economy results. Impacted owners will receive payments of $250 to $1109 per vehicle. Porsche confirmed the settlement in a statement, but said it has “not acknowledged the allegations in these proceedings.”

Exhaust: Although Porsche says “the agreement serves to end the issue,” that’s likely wishful thinking—or perhaps it refers only to the legal aspect of the situation—since the settlement doesn’t do much for Porsche’s reputation. Making matters worse, the automaker is directly connected to Volkswagen, which dealt with its own emissions/fuel-economy cheating scandal five years ago and paid more than $20 billion to settle U.S. criminal and civil actions.

Pagani goes long with the Huayra Codalunga

Intake: Pagani Automobili has always gone to great lengths to create the most exotic of hypercars. Now, however, the Italian brand has extended things even further with a run of five longtail Huaryas, each destined for one of Pagani’s most loyal customers, who have paid more than $7 million each for the privilege. In fact it was two of these clients who approached Pagani with the idea of a Codalunga (Italian for “long tail”) in 2018, and subsequently worked closely with the firm’s Grandi Complicazioni special projects team to design the cars. The Codalunga is just over 14 inches longer than a regular Huarya, but despite increasing in size the goal was actually to simplify the design.

“We decided to use the simple linear style of the Huayra Coupé as the starting point,” explains Horacio Pagani. “We made the Huayra Codalunga longer and smoother, as if it had been caressed and molded by the wind, to design lines that were even more elegant than the coupe. We drew inspiration from the long tails of the 1960s that raced at Le Mans, which had very clean lines. The Huayra Codalunga comprises very few essential elements; we have taken away rather than added. Simplifying is not at all straightforward, and this vehicle is, above all, the result of a complex pursuit of simple ideas.”

Powered by an 840-hp V-12, the Codalunga could become the most rapid Pagani to date, as it is lighter and more aerodynamic than the Huarya and the brief was to create “a model which would feel at home on the roads as well as on display at international concours events.”

Exhaust: Pagani is set to release its all-new car in September, and what a way for the Huarya to bow out this is. Despite the brief from the very discerning customers who prompted Pagani to build the Codalunga, the chances of seeing one of these on the road is negligible, but hopefully concours attendees will get the opportunity to lust after this longtail.

BMW’s M3 Touring is the fastest wagon to lap the ‘Ring

Intake: Seven minutes, 35 seconds and six hundredths. That’s how long it takes the new BMW M3 Touring to tour the Nürburgring. To put that into context, this time makes it faster than its stablemates the M5 Competition and M4 GTS, and more rapid than such exotica as the Honda NSX, Ferrari 458 Italia, Lexus LFA, and even the Bugatti Veyron. No longer will drivers turn up in a Touring as their track-day support car, it will actually be their track day car. Watch the video above to see how BMW M pulled it off.

Exhaust: As if we didn’t already have enough reasons to petition BMW to bring its new speed wagon stateside. Who’s signing with us?

You’ve never met a Family Huckster like Travis Pastrana’s

Intake: Leave it to the folks at Hoonigan to ready something utterly insane for this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The graphic-clad brick you see before you began life as a modest 1983 Subaru GL wagon, but thanks to a collaborative effort between Hoonigan and Subaru Motorsports USA, it’s morphed into a sequentially shifted bolt of white lightning that Hoonigan star Travis Pastrana will point up Lord March’s famous driveway later this month. Gone is the GL’s wheezy, 52-hp flat-four: In its place sits a modern, boosted-to-the-moon flat-four that makes an astonishing 850 hp. That fire-breather is bolted to a six-speed sequential gearbox which routes power to all four wheels in true Subaru fashion. There’s an electropneumatic wing out back, plus two active wings in the fender flares of the rear wheels. Each can be raised or lowered depending on downforce needs, but Pastrana has no illusions about the aerodynamic virtues of an ’80 family hauler: “An active rear wing is helpful to an extent, but the ’83 wagon flies about as well as you would imagine … kind of like a brick. This makes the jumps way more sketchy but also more entertaining and less predictable.”

Pastrana will take to the hill in his bonkers creation—known as “the Family Huckster”—at Goodwood’s annual Festival of Speed, which takes place next week, June 23–26.

Exhaust: This isn’t Pastrana’s first time up the hill; last year, he campaigned a heavily modified Subaru WRX STi nicknamed the “Airslayer.” That car, by the way, was the star of Hoonigan’s Gymkhana 2020, which saw Pastrana tear up his hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. We can’t wait to watch Pastrana and many other stars of the automotive world rip up the hill next week.

The post $600K Beetle restomod, 850-hp “Family Huckster,” Huayra’s long tail send-off appeared first on Hagerty Media.

In 1997, Subaru won the World Rally Championship with its Prodrive-prepped Impreza. Now, 25 years later, the British rally firm is launching a limited run of 25 restomod models called the P25.

Details are still a little thin, but Prodrive says the car will have more than 400 hp, a six-speed semi-automatic paddle-shift transmission, and a carbon fiber body styled by Peter Stevens. It will be based on the Subaru 22B with engineering overseen by David Lapworth, who was in charge of the WRC-winning car, and unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

“The original 22B Impreza is considered the most iconic of Subarus and highly sought after. We wanted to enhance everything that made that car so special by applying the very latest technology to create our own modern interpretation of a car that’s established a place in motoring history,” says Prodrive boss David Richards.

Prodrive is a dab hand when it comes to creating desirable, low-volume road cars as you can see below.

Cornering the market for the Mazda RX-8

The Mazda RX-8 had already been on sale for a couple of years, offering four-seats, “freestyle” doors, and, of course, rotary power, when Mazda UK sought Prodrive’s help to spice it up a little in 2006. The Banbury boffins wisely left the engine alone and set to work on the suspension. Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks replaced the standard items, significantly stiffening and lowering the car, while unique alloy wheels and a new rear silencer were also added. It was a pricey upgrade, but made for a significantly more satisfying drive, and 800 were sold.

Adding adrenalin to Alfa Romeo

The Alfa Romeo Brera was a concept car made real. However, its gorgeous looks were let down by a rather lacklustre driving experience, and Alfa Romeo UK felt that it wasn’t doing the brand’s sporty reputation much good as it wallowed and lurched though Britain’s country lanes. A large check was written to Prodrive, which spent a year developing a chassis setup that the car deserved. Lower and stiffer Eibach springs were installed, along with Bilstein dampers and Brembo brakes, and the car was completely transformed for 2007, driving as beautifully as it looked for the 500 lucky Alfisti who bought one.

Unleashing the ultimate Range Rover

Although performance enhancement is what Prodrive is best known for, the firm’s ability to produce low-volume, hand-built models attracted the attention of Land Rover in 2011. The Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate was to be the most luxurious Landie ever, with—among other plush points—a yacht-deck teak loadspace and iPads for rear passengers to play Angry Birds from their individual electric seats. The original run was set at 500, but Prodrive ended up building 714 of them.

Subaru specials

To capitalize on Prodrive and Subaru’s stage successes, the two firms collaborated on a number of streetable special editions. First up, to celebrate Colin McRae’s drivers’ title in 1995 were 200 Series McRae models, based on the standard Impreza Turbo but with a mid-range boost, gold Speedline alloys, Recaro seats and uprated suspension. Four years later, when Richard Burns won, 444 RB5s were sold, with an optional Prodrive Performance Pack to increase power and Prodrive suspension for upgraded handling. However, it was the 1000 Prodrive P1s, based on the Japanese market Type R two-door that marked (until now) the high point for Prodrive and Subaru road cars, with its wide body, OZ alloys, modified suspension, and an STI-standard 280-hp motor. The 2004 WR1, built to celebrate Petter Solberg’s WRC title and several other later models may have packed more punch, but it was the Peter Steven’s designed wide-bodied P1 that stuck in the public’s imagination as the most impressive Impreza from Prodrive.

Carbon for McLaren

The Subaru wasn’t the only P1 that Prodrive had a hand in. McLaren’s 2012 hybrid hypercar had its carbon fiber bodywork and interior made by Prodrive in Banbury, although the cars were assembled in Woking.

A raider for the road

In 2021, Prodrive announced it would build the Hunter—the world’s first all-terrain hypercar. Essentially a road-legal version of the Bahrain Raid Xtreme machine built for Sebastien Loeb to tackle the Dakar rally, this 600-hp all-wheel-drive monster had its styling tamed a little by Ian Callum and was made more user-friendly, with a six-speed paddleshift transmission replacing the race-spec sequential gearbox, but otherwise retained the speed and off-road ability of the Dakar car.

The prototype that caused Clarkson to lose his lunch

In 2006, Prodrive revealed the P2—a crazy concept that saw the platform of the Subaru R1 kei car fitted with a WRX STi engine and a host of Prodrive parts developed for racing, such as an anti-lag system and active center and rear differentials. The bodywork was by Peter Stevens, so it looked pretty smooth, but driving it made Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson throw up.

The post Prodrive’s 400+ hp P25 won’t be the rally shop’s first road car appeared first on Hagerty Media.

BMW’s CSL Hommage concept could become a $650K reality this year

Intake: BMW is set to bring back the 3.0 CSL as an über-limited, coachbuilt special, reports bmwblog.com. BMW showed its CSL Hommage in 2020, but at the time said it was just a concept. Fortunately, it seems, the Germans have had a change of heart. The car will be based on the M4 CSL but will be more powerful, more track-oriented, lighter, and styled to acknowledge (but not ape) its 1970s heritage. Bmwblog.com claims that while the new CSL will use the M4 as a base it will be largely new, with a coachbuilt body, no rear seats, power boosted to 600 hp, and a manual transmission. Apparently just 50 are to built to celebrate 50 years of BMW’s M division and the price is set to exceed $650,000.

Exhaust: That’s an eye-watering price to place on nostalgia, especially because the most recent M4 is a far cry indeed from the E9-based “Batmobile” homologation special. If you set your sights a bit (okay, a lot) lower than that ’70s icon, and focus only on the current, G82 generation, this Hommage could distinguish itself as the highest-powered M4 with a manual transmission, a gearbox currently restricted to the “base” M4 (the soon-to-be-revealed, non-Hommage M4 CSL will most likely be auto-only.) Enough to justify 650 large, though? We doubt it. 

Subtle glam for Phantom ahead of electric Rolls debut

Intake: Can you improve upon perfection? Rolls-Royce believes so, and has given the flagship Phantom II a “light touch” facelift. The small amount of cosmetic surgery is mostly a nose job, with a new horizontal line between the running lights above the Pantheon Grille, which is also illuminated à la Ghost. The headlights feature laser-cut bezel starlights, and the RR badge and Spirit of Ecstasy now stand out a little more. Milled stainless-steel wheels with triangular facets are now an option, although we’re rather taken with the 1920s-style stainless steel discs. Customers can also opt for a stealthy black trim for the grille surround and window surrounds. Inside there’s no change to the design, but a special Platino one-off has been developed to showcase how Rolls-Royce can develop a luxury interior that doesn’t rely on leather alone. The front seats of the Platino are cow-hide, while the rears are trimmed in a combination of silk-like Italian fabric and another material made from bamboo fiber.

Exhaust: Big changes are in store for Rolls as it prepares to debut its first all-electric model, the Spectre, later this year. Now isn’t the time to alienate customers habituated to the marque’s traditional, combustion-powered products—especially not its most expensive one. These subtle changes avoid outdating the 2022 MY car while offering a few bits of eye-catching glam. Nice.

Subaru isn’t abandoning its, uh, Legacy

Intake: Subaru has announced a raft of updates for its Legacy midsize sedan, the marque’s longest-running nameplate in America. New for 2023, the Legacy Sport trim will finally score an engine worthy of its (mildly) more aggressive styling: The 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder also found in the new Subaru WRX. The mill is good for 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. Other Legacies make do with a free-breathing 2.5-liter flat four wheezing out 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque. Both engines pair exclusively with Subaru’s sleepy CVT automatic. There’s a new front fascia on all trims, with a larger grille and redesigned LED headlights and fog lights. Sport and Touring XT Legacies—the priciest two trims in the lineup—receive a heated steering wheel as standard. In an effort to retain its reputation as one of the safest automakers out there, Subaru equipped the top-trim Legacy Touring XT with an additional wide-angle camera for the forward-facing safety suite (which it calls EyeSight) that can help the car recognize pedestrians and bikers quicker when approaching intersections at lower speeds. Pricing and availability details will be released at a later date.

Exhaust: Despite announcing its first electric-vehicle production line today, Subaru is not leaving the aging Legacy in the dust just yet, despite anemic sales. This sedan was Subaru’s second worst-selling nameplate last year, moving 22,766 units to outsell only the aging BRZ. (For context, Toyota moved more than 13 times as many Camrys last year.) The engine transplant for the Sport model proves that Subaru knows how important this vehicle is to its brand image … and, given its collaborations with Toyota, how desperately it desperately needs to retain a few purebreds.

MotoGP has a tire-pressure problem

Intake: MotoGP has a single tire supplier and that puts teams in an interesting predicament: The front tire is critical to a motorcycle’s performance, and if your front rubber doesn’t provide the right amount of grip, you literally cannot compete. Michelin’s front slick is notoriously fussy, and new information has come to light in Motorsport Magazine that Ducati riders Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin have been flagged in a leaked document (shown above). The two are on separate teams, but their bikes’ on-board tire-pressure monitoring systems, which track both pressure and temperature, reveal that each rider ran an illegally low front-tire pressure during the entire Spanish Grand Prix. Due to a so-called gentleman’s agreement, there has been no repercussions for those breaking the tire-pressure rules, but other times are calling for change—at least, for enforcement of the rules rather than what amounts to looking the other way.

Exhaust: This problem is not unique to MotoGP. Most spec-tire racing organizations have minimum pressures set by the tire supplier. Both World Superbike and Formula 1 have minimum settings intended to keep the tire casings from premature failure. The Ducati teams (and riders, though they likely are not aware of exact tire pressures when rolling onto the grid) are shaking hands with danger in their quest for increased front grip, but it’s only a matter of time before the decision will bite them, whether through punishment from Dorna or an at-speed failure. Rules are meant to be enforced, and it’s time that all teams got on board.

The post BMW ponders $650K CSL Hommage, Subaru honors Legacy, MotoGP’s tire-pressure problem appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The road felt like a secret, but then, it always has. Tall firs and redwoods north of Santa Cruz, trunks like Grecian columns over snaking pavement. The look is California as foretold, without the NIMBYism and housing insanity or any of the other stuff that makes so much of the Golden State feel like a cross between paradise and cruel joke.

Skyline Drive is just a road on a ridge above a city. If you are heading north, the Bay Area sits below, outside the passenger window, under a blanket of haze. The ocean is left, five miles to the west. When the wind is right, you can smell the fish.

I lived close by, once. Before the second tech boom really took hold, when everyone was talking about how San Francisco real estate could not possibly get any more expensive and still hold ordinary people, and then it did get more expensive, and then the ordinary people up and left, and they couldn’t stop talking about that. To know the old Bay Area often means to miss it. And know that it is probably not coming back.

This is fine, of course; some bits of existence are simply not meant to be dragged into the future. Which brings us to the 2022 Subaru WRX, and how I took one to Skyline a few weeks ago, and how it is possible to sit in a brand-new car with a legendary name, a machine Car People are supposed to like very much, and have the whole thing just ring… dead.

What we have here is a factory-fresh relic. A 271-hp, flat-four, all-wheel-drive, turbocharged, manual-transmission wooly mammoth, brand-new and given a ground-up redesign for 2022. But you cannot discuss Subaru or the WRX without noting where that car company has been and wants to go. In 2019, the last year before pandemic supply-chain problems, Subaru sold more than 700,000 cars in North America. In the same period, Toyota Motor North America moved almost 2.4 million. American Honda did 1.6 million. Mitsubishi, a waterline reference more sad than useful, saw just 121,000.

The Toyota comparison is relevant. More than a decade ago, at the media launch of the all-new 2008 Impreza, Subaru representatives told journalists that the brand wanted to “be Toyota” in North America. I was in that crowd and I have read Where the Suckers Moon, and so I raised an eyebrow. In hindsight, I should have raised two. Toyota has spent long decades building products expressly designed to be something to everyone and everything to nobody. Subaru, by contrast, spent much of those decades struggling with image and focus, attempting to blend a past as a quirky niche manufacturer (Horizontally opposed engines for charmingly dubious reasons! Vermont Birkenstocks! Rally cars!) with modern mass needs.

Result? The goal that once seemed impossible is now merely improbable. In 2010, Subaru sold 263,000 cars in America. By 2019, the company had bloomed to more than 700,000. The roots were not wholly abandoned, albeit not always for the better. (SUVs with… flat-fours? Thirty years of head gaskets as consumables! No more factory rally team, but we will sell you cars that remind you of those days, and that are consciously quirky, kinda!)

Strong-selling Subarus were once an acquired taste, with their quirky drivelines, logical interiors, and frameless windows; the company’s machines now feel more like department-store variations on a theme, AnyCar USA plus the sound of Colin McRae.

In 2008, the Impreza was Subaru’s volume leader. That perch is now held by the Forester SUV. The WRX, then as now, existed as submodel, a hot-rodded Impreza. When the name was launched, in 1992, Subaru said that it stood for World Rally eXperimental. As in World Rally Championship, where WRXs have won six titles and a record 46 rallies. Historically, the badge has meant turbocharging, all-wheel-drive, and big speed in subpar conditions. Also a sense of competition—with the Mitsubishi Evo, once the WRX’s showroom and WRC rival; with purebred sports cars, which offer more compromise but rarely more back-road pace; with Subaru’s traditionally tame image.

Witness now, as Monty Python said, the violence in the system: The Evo was discontinued in 2015. Subaru left the WRC in 2008, which makes the WRX no longer a homologation special, not built to legalize a road car for competition. The hot-rod WRX STI died last year and won’t return on the current Impreza platform. Nor is performance image a huge concern; Subaru’s own BRZ coupe carries that water nicely, a track-day and back-road favorite.

Which means the WRX is just sort of… here. The new engine, a 2.4-liter flat-four, makes 271 hp at 5600 rpm and 258 lb-ft at 2000. Its predecessor, a turbocharged 2.0-liter, produced 268 hp at 5600 rpm and 250 lb-ft at 2000.

The new WRX shares no exterior bodywork with the ordinary Impreza. It is also slightly wider and nearly three inches longer than the outgoing WRX. Subaru claims the new suspension is softer in tune; the driveline is said to be more isolated, for reduced NVH. There is an available CVT automatic, though our test car wore the standard six-speed manual.

We will now list the good stuff. Mostly because the rest makes the car awfully hard to love.

***

THE GOOD STUFF

• There are hints of WRX heritage. The short intercooler hood scoop, visible from behind the wheel. The traditionally lumpy exhaust note, like an underwater Volkswagen. The long front overhang. That famously agricultural—but satisfying!—shifter, where you can occasionally feel a shift cable sticking and squicking around in the sheath.
  .
• It is fun around town, obviously mechanical. The engine seems happiest and most linear in part-throttle commuting. As if it were intentionally designed to be fulfilling at two-tenths, in traffic.
  .
• It’s easy to forget how common that quality once was in new cars. The driveline feels purposeful and burbly at low speed, and smooth shifts are easy. You drive around relishing how the car knifes through traffic, as if you know something the rest of the world doesn’t.
  .
• The 2.4 is both smoother and less laggy than the old 2.0-liter. Albeit not by much.
  .
• Brake feel is nice: progressive, and short pedal travel.
  .
• That flat-four offers broad torque—peak grunt runs from 2000 to 5000 rpm. That said, the engine seems most content in the middle of the band. The angled tach (three grand is near 12 o’clock on the dial) has been WRX habit since 2015; a cynical person might note that it seems designed to con you into small throttle openings and short-shifting, for minimal turbo lag.
  .
• Sudden changes of direction are fun, helped by a relatively stiff rear suspension and differentials that quickly unlock. The rear axle follows the front quicker than you expect, given the long nose overhang and relatively long wheelbase.
  .
• In fine Subaru tradition, the front tires give up first. Driving quickly in tight quarters means being patient with the front rubber. You have to lean into the car’s substantial ability to pivot on closed throttle.
  .
• Turbo lag is significant. A charitable individual might recall historic kings of lag, perhaps the Porsche 930, and label this effect charmingly dramatic. If you’ve driven a modern Mercedes or BMW, you’ll roll your eyes.
  .
• As on the standard Impreza, outward visibility is the beans.

***

As for the rest: Start with that flat-four. It offers rubber-band power delivery and a flywheel seemingly made of lead. Redline runs begin with a face-plant of lag and too often end with a slam into the 6100-rpm limiter, because the engine gives no real torque taper or pitch change at high rpm, no hint of approaching end. You either watch the tach like a hawk or shift purposely low, shortchanged on rhythm.

Or take the basic chassis. The platform used here now underpins every new Subaru save the BRZ. While you do not immediately notice the new length and width, you do not not notice. As on the base Impreza, the rear seat is cramped for a five-foot-ten adult, headliner meeting hair. Ride quality is annoying at best and fidgety at worst—there’s a surprising amount of head-toss and stiff-kneed bobble, even lightly loaded and high in the available wheel travel.

The base Impreza gets either a 6.5- or 8.0-inch infotainment screen. Neither feels small. Buy a WRX, you get an even larger, 11.6-inch unit. Its graphics look like a PlayStation menu from 2004. The UI is a clunky attention magnet, as if designed to keep your eyes off the road. That screen can remind you of birthdays and anniversaries or tell you the weather in a distant city. It can also show you throttle percentage or fore-aft chassis angle, instead of more traditional rally-car items like torque distribution and driveline temperature.

Department of redundancy department: The console screen can tell you if your coolant is COLD or NORM. Which is not wholly useless information, though it is doubled by the damped, and unit-free, coolant gauge at the bottom of the tach.

The steering offers very little feel; the wheel gives a hint of self-centering effort on initial turn-in, then goes essentially dead. Neither speed nor load will wake it, and the chassis isn’t particularly communicative, either. Road noise is extensive—highways send the factory Harman/Kardon stereo gutless, buried in road boom.

The death here is by a thousand cuts. WRX cabins are always noisy, you say? Sure, but when the end product gives such feedback chutzpah, who cares? Part of the charm, they tell you! On that note, isn’t it delightful how my test car’s electrical system bricked itself twice in 300 miles, ignition on, for at least ten minutes? Isn’t it neat how fender cladding can make a Subaru look like an early Nineties Volvo Cross Country or Audi Allroad, a cosplay leftover from the time when everyone wanted to sell an SUV, even if they didn’t actually have an SUV to sell? And really, you ask, doesn’t the joy of a fast Subaru come from hammering down some paved goat path while the shocks and suspension travel soak everything up?

Almost forgot: That talent is still there, if muted. The chassis feels stiff-legged, aimed mostly at smooth pavement.

Twenty years ago, this badge helped define a brand. Like the Mitsubishi Evo, the WRX didn’t initially come to America. When the two models were finally sold here, in the early 2000s, it was a Christmas morning: One day, this country had zero supercar-eating rally-homologation specials; the next, two of the greatest.

What’s left? Absent that moment, one excellent Mitsubishi, one factory WRC team, the STI? A hint of old Toyota. A news story without headline. A once passion-soaked car whose execution now feels too much like habit.

It seemed a secret, once. This is still a Subaru, still a WRX. But it’s iced with a sense of indifferent stewardship, and those three famous letters now land as just another car. An echo of the way things were, too concerned with where we’ve been to suss where we ought to go next.

***

2022 Subaru WRX Premium

Price: $30,600 / $33,100 (base / as-tested, Premium model)

Highs: A WRX as it ever was—a little larger and less talkative, but the same idea. Broad torque band, hugely tractable. Can be had with a manual.

Lows: Road noise, ride quality, competent but uninspiring engine and chassis. Disappointing fuel economy (19/26 city/highway with the manual, and the CVT is thirstier). Optional collision-avoidance system and adaptive cruise not available with a clutch pedal.

Summary: A respectable update for a classic name that just never feels special.

The post Review: 2022 Subaru WRX Manual appeared first on Hagerty Media.

As enthusiasts are often a cliquey, tribal bunch, certain cars seem to only get attention from one type of collector. This collector “type” could follow any signifier we can use to categorize enthusiast demographics, a tag ranging from income, nationality, region, gender, and age. That last one is a bit of a data doozy; defining generational trends is one of the easiest ways to organize enthusiasts groups and predict future collectibility—or lack thereof.

For example, many semi-obscure JDM imports like the 1993–96 Toyota Chaser are almost entirely ignored by older generations, while collectors under the age of 40 account for 88 percent of insurance quotes for the Japanese sedan. On the other end of the spectrum, collectors from the baby-boomer-and-older generations make up nearly 90 percent of quotes for the 1967–1990 Avanti. With collectors over 60 years of age, nostalgia drives much of the market; the sexagenarian collector also accounts for over 80 percent of quotes for the 2002–2005 Ford Thunderbird and 2003–2006 Chevrolet SSR.

Meanwhile, Gen-Xers continues to defect from the standards of their parents. Too young for retro-inspired boulevard cruisers and too old for obscure Japanese imports, Gen-X has fixated on vintage SUVs, requesting 63 percent of quotes for the iconic Land Rover Defender and providing the majority of interest in the wild GMC Syclone and Typhoon.

What about vehicles that are equally beloved by everyone? We’re talking about cars that, if three examples rolled up at a car show, would be just as likely to be owned by any one of the three generations. Surprisingly, these demographic unicorns do exist. By sifting through three generational buckets—boomers and older, Gen-X, and millennials and younger—we’ll use the difference between the largest and smallest quote shares to determine generational spread.

The closer the quote share of each generational bucket is to a perfect third (or 33 percent), the smaller the generational spread and the more universally beloved the car. For example, the 1964–1967 Pontiac GTO has a generational spread of 53, because the difference between the largest quote group (comprised of boomers and older, at 61 percent) and the smallest group (millennials and younger, at 8) is 53 percentage points.

In total, there are 55 vehicles for which the generational spread is 10 points or lower. A full list is at the bottom of this article, but we picked some of the most interesting vehicles that receive near-equal ownership interests from our three age buckets.

1968–76 Mercedes-Benz W114, W115

Number one with a bullet.

With a generational spread of zero and a perfect one-third quote share to each of our three age groups, the Mercedes W114 and W115 has something for everyone, likely due to its variety of engine options paired with stylish coupes and sedans. The only real generational skew is that diesel-powered 220D and 240D sedans are preferred by millennial and younger collectors who submit over 45-percent of quotes. Older collectors are drawn toward coupes, while gas-powered sedans have an almost perfect generational share.

The W114/115's successor is also surprisingly neutral. Mercedes' W123 presents a generational spread of only 8 points, with boomers, Gen-X, and millennials submitting 38, 32, and 30 percent of quotes, respectively. Mercedes isn't the only multi-generational German sedan; BMWs in general are beloved by all ages, with the 2000–2006 BMW 3-Series (E46) and 1996–2003 BMW 5 Series (E39) both offering a generational spread of 3, placing them in the top ten of lowest deviations. However, the sporty M3 and M5 skew younger with millennials providing 47 and 42 percent of insurance quotes.

On the other hand, German sports cars fall on a wide generational spread. Porsche's massive catalog of classic cars make them a favorite at car shows, but few are affordable enough to get equal ownership, leading to the semi-affordable 944 and 924 as the only Porsches with generational spreads below 10. Interestingly, the 2013–2016 Porsche Cayman has a generational spread of only 11, with millennials accounting for 27 percent of quotes, contrasting the 2013–2016 Boxster's large generational spread at 54 percentage points with collectors over 60 submitting the majority of quotes.

1986–95 Suzuki Samurai

They just don't make cars like they used to, and in the case of the tiny-'n'-tinny Suzuki Samurai, that might a good thing. As an honoree of the 2022 Hagerty Bull Market List, our magazine team became acquainted with a convertible Samurai and left with these notes: "Fast only if driven over a cliff; at the end of every rocky trail is a chiropractor's office." That last part makes it surprising that 33 percent of quotes come from collectors 60 and over. Perhaps its ruggedly adorable design and its ability to punch above its size appeals to collectors of all ages, contributing to only a 7 point generational spread.

The adorable Samurai far from the only Japanese truck on this list. The first two generations of Toyota Tacoma as well as the 3rd generation 4Runner have generational spreads of 5 or less, with Gen-X submitting slightly more quotes than the rest. The 1980-1986 Datsun/Nissan 720 is the only Japanese truck in our top group with more quotes from millennials, but still presents a generational spread of only 4.

1991–96 Subaru SVX

From any perspective, the Subaru SVX was an odd creation from Japan's infamous Bubble Economy era. Instead of competing with hard-edged sports cars like the Toyota Supra, Nissan 300ZX, or Mazda RX-7, Subaru built a comfortable GT as their top car of the 90s. At the time, the SVX's 230-hp, 3.3-liter flat-six was the largest engine Subaru ever produced, and was rumored to be too powerful for any of its existing manual transmissions. Of course, only offering an automatic hurt the SVX's future collectability, but the $10,000 average value is hard to ignore when compared to the far pricier contemporaries. Transmission aside, the unique styling and large glass canopy with supercar-like half-windows created a cult following; it's comfortable enough for older collectors, and obscure enough for younger ones.

Japanese cars are mainstays of cross-generational appeal, despite generally skewing younger. The Toyota Celica and Supra from the 1980s have near-equal interest from all generations, as does the Nissan 370Z. The iconic 1991–1996 Acura NSX just barely makes the list with a 10 point generational spread, favoring Gen-X. Strangely, the 1991–1996 Dodge Stealth has a generational spread of 7 while the mechanically identical Mitsubishi 3000 GT skews much younger with a generational spread of 24.

1996–2002 Dodge Viper

There are few cars more iconic than the second-generation Dodge Viper, especially in blue with white stripes in GTS form. Originally sold during the boomer's prime buying years, the Viper became a poster car for Gen-X and millennials who grew up with it heavily featured in video games and movies.

Aside from the somewhat controversial 2003–2006 Viper—receiving a majority of quotes from collectors over 60—all generations of Viper have a fairly low generational spread with Gen-X showing slightly more interest. With a generational spread of only 4, the second-gen Viper is the one with the most universal appeal. On the other side of the sports car spectrum, the Alfa Romeo 4C and Lotus Elise surprisingly make the list with generational spreads of 5 and 7 points, respectively, despite missing the qualities that our generations appreciate—boomer comfort, Gen-X practicality, and millennial affordability.

2003–04 Mercury Marauder

The Marauder is in a class of its own. It's the only post-millennium American sedan to appear on our list, and with good reason. Following the "ride softly and carry a big stick" attitude set by the Buick Grand National and Chevrolet Impala SS, the later Marauder packed a 302-horsepower 4.6-liter V-8 enrobed by understated-yet-aggressive styling. Just over 11,000 Marauders were sold during two years of production, which is about 95 percent less than total Grand Marquis sales over the same period. Surprisingly, the average age of its buyer was 18 years younger (51 vs. 69) than the bog-standard Grand Marquis.

Less surprising is how American muscle sedans play well with the younger generations. The 1994–1996 Chevrolet Impala SS and Buick Grand National receive the majority of its quotes from Gen-X and millennials, which account for generational spreads of 23 and 29, respectively. With a generational spread of only 4 points, the Marauder appeals to collectors of all ages, which bodes well for future collectability.

The post 5 classics that appeal across generations appeared first on Hagerty Media.

GMC readies Canyon AT4X to take on Ranger Raptor

Intake: This summer, GMC will unveil a new trim for its Canyon midsize pickup—the AT4X. We first saw this trim on the 2022 Sierra half-ton, pitched as the most off-road worthy Sierra you could get from the factory and packed with trick Multimatic dampers, serious underbody armor, e-locking diffs, and meaty Goodyear mud-terrain tires. Expect the same recipe for the Canyon, whose styling will likely borrow heavily from that of the Colorado ZR2 but whose interior will be much nicer, in true GMC fashion. The teaser photo shows new 17-inch wheels wrapped in chunky Goodyear rubber, some shapely fender flares, and rock sliders to protect those pinch-welds and rocker panels. No powertrain details are provided yet, but we’d be surprised if a new engine bowed here; both the 308-hp 3.6-liter V-6 and the grunty 369 lb-ft 2.8-liter Duramax diesel four would serve perfectly. (We don’t expect the lowly 2.5-liter four-cylinder to be offered on the AT4X, as all but the most basic of Canyons get either the six or the diesel already.)

Exhaust: With the likes of the forthcoming Ranger Raptor headed to our shores, it’s a logical move for GM to give the Canyon an extra jolt of off-road energy to keep it competitive. Our (slightly unorthodox) test of a 2022 Colorado ZR2 Bison revealed much to like about GM’s midsize truck platform, but you won’t hear us complaining if GMC’s variant offers more luxe interior. Expect that sort of luxury to come at a cost, however. Given that a V-6-powered, crew cab, short-box Colorado ZR2 can clear $45,000, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Canyon AT4X’s window sticker started with a five.

Bentley breathes life back into the oldest T-Series

Intake: The very first Bentley T-Series is back in the British brand’s hands for a total restoration. The car originally emerged from the factory in September 1965 and was dispatched for various trials and tests around the world. Lost in storage for many years the car was discovered and a team of apprentices stripped it back in 2016, but the revival was short-lived as Bentley put the project on hold. Now, however, its 6.25-liter V-8 engine has been fired up for the first time in more than 15 years and the bare chassis has been driven, to prove that its ingenious self-leveling suspension, Hydramatic gearbox, and four-wheel brakes are functioning. The next phase will be the coachwork, which Bentley says will be completed in 2023 when the car will be added to its heritage collection.

Exhaust: While some brands are selling off their heritage collections it’s brilliant to see Bentley adding to its own moving museum. T-Series VIN 001 marked the beginning of big things for Bentley, with 1,868 examples sold, and its long-lasting V-8 engine would only be retired in 2019.

2023 Outback wears edgier suit, offers smart rearview mirror

Intake: If you’ve been wishing your Outback had a little more attitude but can’t justify the $40K Wilderness, Subaru sees you. For 2023, all Outbacks except the Geolandar-equipped Wildy get more plastic war paint: a bigger grille atop a more rugged lower bumper framed by black plastic blades, plus the prominent wheel-arch cladding flaunted by the new WRX. The top Touring trim gains a snazzy digital rearview mirror, which relays the feed from the existing rear camera suite to the “smart” glass. The Onyx Edition, previously only available with the higher-output, 260-hp turbocharged engine, can now be specced with the other Outback powerplant, the 182-hp naturally aspirated boxer-four, reducing its unique offerings to water-repellant, grey upholstery and dark exterior trim. 

Exhaust: Subaru, like every other automaker, sees the popularity of dark appearance packages and doesn’t want to exclude more frugal buyers. An extra piece of safety-minded kit on the Touring model is wise, given its $38K starting price, and consistent with the brand’s safety-minded ethos. Otherwise, the 2023 MY updates prove that Subaru’s smart enough to not fix what ain’t broken in its trademark offering.

Next-gen Mustang’s schnoz leaked by forum

Intake: The face of the refreshed Ford Mustang previously seen only behind heavy camouflage has now been unearthed in its (likely) production form by a Mustang forum. The new pony car sports a front fascia that has the grille and headlights sharing the same contour as the hood’s shutline, and the grille/lower bumper vents are significantly larger than before. A new set of six-LED headlights also appears to be part of the equation.

Exhaust: While the current-generation Mustang is a retro-inspired looker with the subtle profile and proportions of an Aston Martin touring coupe, this redesign is angrier, more in-your-face. The larger grille looks like an evolution of the outgoing model, as if “S650” Mustangs will be able to unhinge their “jaws” to eat bigger prey. Which begs the question: How much more aggressive must the next-gen Cobra look to out-gun a mere EcoBoost ‘Stang?

Honda confirms Civic Hybrid, plus all-new hybrid versions of CR-V, Accord

Intake: Earlier this week, Honda unveiled a long-term plan to unveil 30 EV models globally before the decade is out. In the short-term, however, the big H is focusing its might on something more immediate: its hybrid portfolio. Honda will unveil battery-aided versions of its “core models,” the CR-V, Accord, and Civic. This is the first we’ve heard of hybrid plans for Honda’s handsome 11th-gen Civic, although it will be the last of the three nameplates to get the powertrain overhaul. An all-new CR-V hybrid will arrive later this year (replacing the existing model), with a new Accord hybrid following close behind. Honda is swinging big with forecasts here, too; it expects hybrid versions to eventually make up half of the sales mix for each model. With a Civic hybrid on the horizon, Honda will also cease production of the Insight, an efficiency-minded hybrid based on the last-generation Civic.

Exhaust: Since the forthcoming Civic hybrid will compete for the same customers as the Insight, but offer a newer platform and tech, it’s only logical that the Insight will exit stage left. The current, fifth-gen CR-V debuted in 2017, so it’s already due for a makeover. A hybrid CR-V debuted in 2019 but, given the rate at which battery tech has developed in the past three years, we’d expect what’s coming to be far more efficient than 25/33 city/highway. Ditto for the Accord. That 50 percent sales mix is a big deal, too; Honda sold over 361,000 CR-Vs and more than 202,000 Accords in 2021, a decidedly down year. If it could achieve a 50/50 mix with hybrids, that would be a serious boost for its CAFE numbers.

Toyota to save the manual with a three-pedal Supra

Intake: Toyota has confirmed that a stick-shift Supra is on its way. “Toyota Gazoo Racing sports car customers and fans have spoken and we’ve listened. A Toyota GR Supra with an all-new, tailor-made manual transmission is coming soon,” says a very short press statement. Teaser images show that the manual Supra will wear red badging to distinguish it from the standard eight-speed automatic. It’s not clear whether three pedals will be available on both four and six-cylinder Supras, but BMW only mates a manual transmission to a select few straight-sixes, including the M2, M3, and M4 (in select regions). “Developed to meet the demands of driving purists, the Toyota GR Supra Manual Transmission has been engineered to offer enthusiasts something that is closer to the Gazoo Racing DNA and will enhance the driving experience,” says Toyota.

Exhaust: Now that’s what we call a Good Friday! The announcement is hot on the heels of the reveal of the GR Corolla, and is another example of how Toyota making a strong-case as the go-to brand for gearheads.

The post Canyon AT4X eyes Ranger Raptor, next-gen Mustang’s face leaked, three-pedal Supra (finally) appeared first on Hagerty Media.

As a car-loving kid in the 1990s, I grew up with an abiding love for American performance cars like the Mustang and Corvette, as well as an automotive lust for exotic European cars like Porsches and Lamborghinis. However, thanks in no small part to Gran Turismo, my mom’s red Celica, and the transparently biased automotive journalism of the era, I kind of had a thing for Japanese sports cars, too. When tuner culture took over in the early 2000s and I began to edge ever closer to getting my driver’s license, I began to pine for a late-model performance car that I could spice up with a few choice bolt-ons.

I was never particularly fond of body kits with massive wings, neon underglow, or over-the-top vinyl graphics, but I certainly wasn’t above a nice set of Enkeis, a cold-air intake, lowering springs, and a 3-inch turbo-back exhaust. Living in the snow-covered Rust Belt, Subarus had an understandable appeal as a year-round sports sedan that could handle all of our crazy weather with finesse and still be fun when the sun eventually came out. It wasn’t to be, though—ever responsible, I instead opted for a Jeep XJ Cherokee that was both cheaper to insure and had more space to haul parts for the ’78 Mustang II project car I bought for $200 from my bus driver when I was 14.

As the years wore on, I would own a handful of cool Japanese cars, including a Mazda RX-7, a Datsun 510, and even a right-hand-drive Toyota Celica that was a little older than the one my Mom had owned. However, I was still yet to enjoy the simple pleasures of owning a true bolt-on Japanese performance car, denying myself once again when I ordered a Mazda2 instead of buying the RX-8 that was sitting in the showroom. As before, I took the responsible path, and while the Mazda2 has been an entertaining commuter and a giant-killing weekend autocross machine, it never really was much of a performance car. After 120,000 miles and nearly a decade of routine oil changes (and not much else), I was ready for something new.

After spending some time with a few Subaru-loving friends, I began shopping for my new car. This time, I was going to be responsible, as usual, but this time I was going to make damn sure that I drove away with the bolt-on weapon of my dreams. I’d always liked the Subaru Impreza WRX. As a kid, I still distinctly remember the excitement of the 2.5RS when it debuted, thinking things couldn’t get any better. They did, though, when the adorable-yet-aggressive bugeye WRX showed up a few short years later. Even in the pre-COVID car market, gently used WRXs (is there such a thing?) held their value remarkably well, and given the difference between interest rates on new and used cars, it was entirely possible to end up paying more for a used one than a new one over the life of the loan.

The choice was made to order a brand-new 2019 WRX. I decided on a mid-spec Premium model with no sunroof and few frills, although I did plan on checking the box for the Recaro seats and red-painted brake calipers. Naturally, the plan was a manual-transmission model in World Rally Blue—what kind of monster would order one in any other color? I don’t buy new cars often, so this wasn’t something that I planned on taking lightly. I decided to test-drive one and do as much research as I possibly could before putting down a deposit and finalizing my order. There was a Subaru dealer in town, so, one gloomy Saturday afternoon, after cleaning my chicken coop, I brushed the straw off my flannel and changed into some less-poopy shoes before paying them a visit.

Now, by this point, I knew that the WRX tended to attract a boy-racer clientele that was at odds with the rest of Subaru’s earth-friendly, dog-loving, goody-goody-granola image. I also suspected that this might make the prospect of a test-drive a difficult one, as I was more than certain from my limited time in the car business that these cars were catnip for joyriders and time wasters. I was a qualified buyer, though, and my wife had purchased a car from this dealer group less than two years prior. When the salesman agreed to a test drive, I was relieved. This particular dealership was located near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park which, for my money, contains some of the best driving roads in the country. I was eager to explore the lower limits of the WRX’s driving dynamics to see if it was a car I was willing to spend the next decade driving.

After waiting for about an hour for the salesman to locate the lone manual-transmission WRX on the lot, we set out towards the park. I was warned not to try any funny business, and I assured the salesman that I’d keep it well below 4000 rpm and the speed limit. After a jaunt of just under half a mile down an arrow-straight section of two-lane heading into the park, I was instructed to turn into a parking lot, turn around, and head back towards the dealership. When we returned, the salesman eagerly asked me what I thought of it. I was incredulous, but (mostly) polite. “What I thought of what?” I was informed that test drives were kept short to keep the mileage low and to deter joyriders. I informed him that this policy did a great job of deterring actual customers as well.

After heading home, I decided to do some more research on the car itself. Facebook groups had long supplanted forums as the source for model-specific info, so I opted to join a local Subaru group with the intent of going to a few events, meeting some owners, and discovering what these cars were like to live with. I requested to join said group, and I soon received a message from an administrator who informed me that, while my enthusiasm was appreciated, the group was only intended for current Subaru owners. I was a little surprised – I hadn’t experienced this sort of exclusivity in any of my other marque-specific groups. I was told that, when the time was right, I could submit a photo of my car to him as proof of ownership, and I would be allowed in. I sent him a photo of some rolls of steel sheet sitting outside a factory. The group admin was not as amused by this as I was.

Still undeterred, I posted about the experience on Facebook and a friend set me up with his friend from Subaru of America. He went out of his way to set me up with another dealership that was more than happy to let me test drive a WRX for as long as I wanted, and while I enjoyed the car, I wasn’t exactly in love with it. No big deal, though—some tasteful bolt-ons would take care of that, right? I put in my order and wrote a check for the deposit. I even applied to be a “Subaru Ambassador” and placed on a lengthy waitlist for the exclusive privilege of spreading the boxer gospel with free keychains and other branded trinkets.

At this point, I set about reading up on the direct-injected FA20 engine found in the WRX. As with many DI engines, carbon buildup was an issue. In some cases, owners of stock cars claimed that engines were self-destructing before 30,000 miles. Of course, there was a fix—a tune and a catch can. Unfortunately, this fix would understandably void my warranty in ways a nice set of wheels, a short shifter, and a cat-back wouldn’t. At that point, I had to take a step back and think about what I was about to do. The whole point of buying a new car—especially a new Japanese car—is dependability and reliability. I called the dealership, canceled my order, and got my deposit back. No new Subaru for me.

A couple years later, in the spring of 2021, I’d start shopping for a new car again. In the end, I finally ended up with the high-strung, brightly colored, turbocharged, limited-slip-and-Brembo-equipped tuner car of my dreams: a Grabber Yellow Ford Mustang with the EcoBoost High Performance Package. I’m still friends with that nice guy from Subaru corporate, though—and I ended up talking both my sister-in-law and her husband into buying Subarus. While I may have cooled on the WRX, the rest of the Subaru product lineup is easy to recommend to my less car-obsessed friends and family who value attributes like “practicality,” “value,” and “safety” more than “it’s loud as hell, and it’s bright blue!”

Two weeks ago, after a three-year wait, I was finally welcomed into the Subaru Ambassador program. I received a branded pullover made out of recycled water bottles. I think I’ve earned it.

Cam VanDerHorst is a stand-up comedian and lifelong car enthusiast from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He has no interest in putting Rally Armor mudflaps or rainbow-colored pointy lugnuts on his Mustang, although he’s definitely considered a Cobb Accessport with the requisite custom-painted faceplate.

The post Low Class Yuppie: My near-Subaru experience appeared first on Hagerty Media.

In the pilot episode of David Simon’s cruelly underrated Treme, a trombone player who has been hired for a funeral “second line” parade inquires as to the identity of the deceased. Upon being given the name, the musician replies, “I thought he been dead.” Truthfully, my first response to the news that Subaru was discontinuing the STi was something along those same lines. They still make the STi?

Well, of course they do! Well, until recently they did, anyway. It just hasn’t gotten any faster since … 2004. Return with me now, reader, to survey the automotive landscape of 2004! There was the 331-horse E46 M3, the 260-horse Mustang GT. The Porsche 911 squeezed 320 hp out of its fragile 3.6-liter boxer. Chevy fans had … a Camaro that had effectively zero horsepower because it wasn’t for sale. The C5 Corvette was still around, however, offering buyers 350 horses from the LS1.

The 2.5-liter U.S.-market STi that appeared for 2004 was a low-cost cat among the pigeons. It made 300 horses stock and could be pushed much further than that, thanks to a strengthened transmission. (Tuners who went too far, however, would meet the shortcomings of the “open deck” American STi engine in hurry.) All-wheel drive made it a stoplight killer against more expensive and powerful hardware. The STi was great fun to autocross, rally, club race. There was a point in history where you could hear the distinctive Beetle-ish music of a catalyst-delete STi at every single trackday, everywhere you went, and it was usually running right up front. Few cars have made that kind of reputation in that kind of hurry.

Having almost instantly converted a significant percentage of America’s automotive enthusiasts into the kind of tiresome people who wear Subaru Blue rally jackets in public, the nice people at Fuji Heavy Industries took that momentum and … uh … well, first they did nothing, then they made the STi into a hatchback that nobody wanted, then they brought back the sedan but made it heavier, then they … well, I seem to recall that there were definitely some special editions in the mix. But the car never really went any faster or harder than the 2004 U.S.-market original. A final “S209” Edition cost $63,995; like guitars from the Fender Custom Shop, the S209 was primarily sold to middle-aged people with near-infinite funds who were trying to recapture a sliver of an idealized youth.

It had 341 horsepower. Mathematically speaking, that would be like Ford offering a 2019 Shelby GT350 with 311 horsepower.

Not only has the STi been allowed to tread water in public, over the past two decades Subaru has allowed the WRX to hunt on the STi’s land, so to speak. A $500 tune will make your WRX faster than any STi ever built for our market. There was about a five-year period where the WRX and STi had the same engine. To put it in terms that my fellow Ohio hicks can understand, the STi stopped being a “WRX Z06” and started being a “WRX 1LE.” And while Subaru has been shy about adding power, it hasn’t had the same concerns about curb weight. The sedan has been putting on mass in a manner that would shame Carnie Wilson, going from about 3200 pounds to about 3500. (If you don’t feel that’s fair to Ms. Wilson, feel free to put my name in there instead; I’ve gained seventeen pounds in the four months since the end of my SCCA season and I need to lose every single one of them to fit in my Radical come May.)

So yeah. I thought the STi been dead.

But now it’s dead for real. We all saw this coming, I think. The 101-octane, neckbearded, rally-blue crowd was always an embarrassment to a company that positioned its vehicles in advertising as necessary-evil adjuncts to a lifestyle primarily centered around dogs and leisure travel. One of your humble-but-hateful author’s greatest pleasures in life is to visit lift-service mountain-bike parks and watch the Outback/Crosstrek crowd writhing with the effort of getting their bicycles and gear off and out of their jacked-up economy cars while I simply pull my Guerilla Gravity Megatrail off the tailgate of my truck and lift my bag out of the spacious bed. There is absolutely nothing you can do with a $35,000-plus outdoorsy Subaru that you couldn’t do with a 2003 Honda Civic on new tires.

Well, I guess you can always do a set of wheel bearings.

I rented an Outback a few years ago and found it to be pleasant but feckless. To our modern Eloi, who primarily display wealth through an increasingly insane and ersatz affectation of woodsy cosplay that makes Justin Timberlake’s Man Of The Woods look as sincere and authentic as A Love Supreme, the Outback’s willful lack of aggression is a feature, not a bug. Without checking, I’d be willing to bet serious money that the WRX and STi have owners with the lowest household income, least impressive education level, and most reactionary politics of any Subaru model. Subaru doesn’t really want to do business with these people any more.

Shame, really, because the WRC-jacket crowd was fiercely loyal to the company and its products. Year after year, they willingly bought high-priced “performance” sedans that were easy meat for Charger Scat Packs and similarly lowbrow vehicles. They purchased the accessories, wore the clothing, attended the events, identified as WRX/STi people first and foremost. The “flame wars” between Subaru and Mitsubishi fans made the Camaro/Mustang schism look like two English noblewomen discussing the finer points of dog breeding over tea. Many years ago I was vaguely affiliated with a bunch of degenerate street racers and I can tell you that the dislike between the “blue cars” and the “red cars” occasionally spilled over into actual fistfights. Automakers spend billions of dollars on marketing to generate a shadow of that loyalty, but Subaru made money by selling four-cylinder crapboxes at 40 grand and up to people who then had the company logo tattooed onto their bodies.

Goodbye to all that. The company’s decision can be summarized in meme form like so:

Oh, well. The current WRX is actually pretty decent and will keep up with a V-6 Camaro in most circumstances. You can still buy it. Should you? I’m of two minds about this. The first is that the best way to encourage companies to build desirable cars is to buy the close-to-desirable ones they’re currently selling. This sounds counter-intuitive, but I’m aware of many a corporate meeting where the bean-counters said, “If they won’t buy the Si, why would they buy a Type-R?” or something along those lines. Normal, sane human beings can easily see why buyers would stay away from a half-baked effort while still being ready to vote with their checkbooks for the real thing, but that’s not how corporate lizards work. So if you want to encourage Subaru in the production of a real future STi, instead of some Mach-E-ish tragic wagon, it would help matters if you bought a WRX, like, right now.

Or you can look at it like this: We should all stop doing business with corporations who hate what, and who, we are. If Subaru would rather play granola pattycake than bust out a Colin McRae tribute, then you should let them do it and give your business instead to a company with a demonstrated commitment to “ICE” performance cars. About 30 years ago, I remember making this same argument about buying a BMX racing bike from companies like Trek and Specialized. “They have contempt for BMX, and they’re only trying to make a buck, so we should deal with BMX-centric firms instead,” I whined. Turns out I was right and then some; those big bike companies only saw BMX as a feeder series to “real cycling,” not as an end in itself.

I personally think that we are about five years away from running headlong into the very real consequences of trying to jerry-rig (apologies to my fellow Germans, but not really) an EV infrastructure on the unstable foundation of a failing national electric grid, exceptionally fragile supply chains for the requisite raw materials, and the intrinsic limitations of current EV capabilities. When that happens, there will be a headlong rush back to the safety of conventional powertrains. At that point, maybe Subaru will bring a real STi back. But if that happens, I’ll be right there to channel my inner Jonah Hill: “PEOPLE DON’T FORGET!” The STi been dead!

The post Avoidable Contact #141: Killing (the STi) in the name of appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Subaru’s WRX STI is dead … for now

Intake: Subaru’s WRX STI has long represented the pinnacle of performance for the brand, eschewing the granola-munching reputation associated with the Outback and Forester for a rally-born, no-holds-barred rowdiness. With the new WRX now in play, we expected a hotted-up STI version to be waiting in the wings, but those hopes were in vain. Subaru of America confirmed via a statement that it has no plans for a purely gas-powered STI, and that the model will go on hiatus for the duration of this current WRX platform. However, Subaru is looking into electrification options for the performance variant. “As the automotive marketplace continues to move towards electrification, Subaru is focused on how our future sports and performance cars should evolve to meet the needs of the changing marketplace,” said the statement.

Exhaust: The death of the outgoing STI was largely a result of its ancient EJ-series 2.5-liter flat-four, and it would seem Subaru was unwilling or unable to replace that venerable powerplant. Rally fanatics are certain to lament this news, but a future hybrid STI isn’t without precedent. The FIA World Rallycross, the top tier of competition for the fire-spitting, dirt-slinging cars made famous on forested jumps and winding mountain roads, has gone hybrid for the 2022 season under the Rally1 technical regulations. Subaru’s STI originally made a name for itself dominating these international battlegrounds in the late 1990s, trouncing the competition and notching manufacturers championships in 1995, ’96, and ’97 with the stars like the late Colin McRae at the wheel. While we’re no doubt bummed to hurry up and wait for a new STI, we’re hopeful for what a hybrid-assisted machine may bring to the table. More power at the very least, right? Maybe even a re-entry into rallying’s premier championship?

Aston Martin’s final V12 Vantage will go out with a bang

Arriving 16.03.22#AstonMartin #V12Vantage #NeverLeaveQuietly

— Aston Martin (@astonmartin) March 11, 2022

Intake: Aston Martin is teasing the imminent arrival of the final V12 Vantage on social media with the hashtag #NeverLeaveQuietly. Powered by a 700-hp, 5.2-liter twin-turbo V-12 paired with an eight-speed automatic, this latest V12 Vantage is expected to be a limited edition swan song model. “V12 Vantage, the final descendent of its lineage, marks the end of an era. Crafted with unapologetic power and luxury, it overtakes the senses through its unmistakable and deafening V12 Aston Martin roar,” says Aston Martin. All will be revealed—and heard—this Wednesday, March 16.

Exhaust: The last ever front-engined V-12 Aston Martin sports car looks set to be quite something. Sharing its engine with the V-12 Speedster, it certainly won’t leave quietly. The Vantage’s successor is likely going to be all-electric, so consider this a fitting ending for this chapter of Aston’s smallest sports car.

Porsche and Pixar are creating a Sally Carrera-inspired car for charity

Intake: She’s real! She’s real! Well, she will be soon, anyway. Commemorating the 20th anniversary of Sally Carrera, from Pixar’s Cars franchise, Porsche is creating a unique tribute car that will be auctioned for charity. (If the math doesn’t seem to add up, it’s because Pixar and Porsche are marking the anniversary of the car—Sally is a 2002 911 Carrera—not the original movie, which came out in 2006.) The Sally-inspired Porsche will wear unique features like Sally Blue paint, custom wheels, and badges. The character is modeled after Dawn Welch, the real-life proprietor of the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Oklahoma. The Sally Carrera will eventually be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s, and all proceeds will support programs for girls and young women through Girls Inc., as well as the USA for UNHCR (a UN refugee agency), to provide aid to children and families affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

Exhaust: This isn’t just a cool idea from an automotive perspective, the project will benefit those in need. We’ve all seen Pixar-inspired cars and trucks at events, but only one person will own one created by Style Porsche in Weissach and Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur in Stuttgart. It’s a win-win that the entire community of Radiator Springs can be proud of.

A sensational stable of Prancing Horses is headed to auction

Intake: An incredible private collection of Ferraris is set to go under the hammer at The Artcurial Rétromobile Auction on March 18–19. Held at the annual Salon Rétromobile in Paris, the Ferraris are part of the Maître Étienne Léandri estate. Léandri, a wealthy Monégasque collector, was a lifelong fan who was known as “The Ferrari Lawyer” and owned five of the most sought-after Modena motorcars ever made.

Up for grabs are a 1989 F40, a 1996 F50, a 2003 Enzo, a 2010 599 GTO F1, and a 2013 LaFerrari. Léandri clearly enjoyed his collection, as the F40 covered 13,284 km in his hands. He also drove 4760 km in the Enzo and 3390 km in the GTO. The F50 and LaFerrari are barely broken in by comparison, with 1318 km and 952km, respectively. Léandri’s collection also included a 2010 458 Italia, a 2009 Fiat 500 Abarth Ferrari Dealers Edition, and a 2003 Lamborghini Murciélago, which are similarly bound for the block.

Exhaust: This single auction will be a great opportunity to chart the current values of the Ferrari’s “Famous Five”. Most affordable is expected to be the 599 GTO, which is estimated to sell for €500,000 to €800,000 ($548,000-$877,000). Perhaps surprisingly, the F40 is next at €1.3m-€1.6m ($1.42-$1.75m), while the Enzo and LaFerrari are both predicted to go for €2.2m-2.8m ($2.4m-$3m) . Top of the tree is the F50, which Artcurial estimates will go under the hammer for €2.7m-€3.5m ($3m-$3.8m).

De Tomaso P72 teased in cold weather testing

Intake: Ever since De Tomaso announced that it would move its operations stateside as part of Mission AAR (Automotive American Renaissance), we’ve been wondering how things are progressing on the stunning P72 supercar. Thanks to a snowy teaser video released by the Italian-Argentine-American firm earlier this month, we now have our answer. Witness the P72 enduring cold weather testing in the frigid climes of Switzerland. Even with camouflaged coachwork, the curvaceous P72 looks great on the snow, and the supercharged Ford Coyote V-8 engine—tuned by Jack Roush, no less—sounds like pure heaven. All 72 examples of the P72 will feature a six-speed manual of the firm’s own design, which should only add to the appeal for potential customers.

Exhaust: The P72 is an homage to the Pete Brock-designed Shelby-De Tomaso P70, a gorgeous mid-60s racing project involving Carroll Shelby, Brock, and Alejandro De Tomaso. As far as lineage goes, that’s some lofty company. With a base price that’s “determined at $1,000,000 USD” it’s clear the P72 isn’t for most folks. But if you are so inclined, you should register your interest to get on De Tomaso’s waiting list.

Kyle Jergensen wins 2022 Mint 400

Intake: After a solid qualifying session, Kyle Jergenen and codriver Shawn Shanks weathered 400 miles of Nevada desert and outlasted the competition to take the win in their Brenthel Industries Unlimited Truck. Along with the win, they’ll take home a $10,000 contingency check from BF Goodrich.

Exhaust: Last year’s winner, Rob MacCachren, took the lead midway through the race when Ryan Arciero fell out due to engine trouble. Jergensen kept up the pressure, and when MacCachren also fell back due to engine trouble, Jergensen took the lead and didn’t look back. The Mint 400, in its 15th year back after 20 years on hiatus, is making a great case that it’s America’s must-see off-road race and makes it easy for spectators to get a great look at the action. Congrats to Jergensen and Shanks on their first-ever Minto 400 victory!

The post R.I.P. Subaru WRX STI, Aston’s last V-12 Vantage, Porsche and Pixar bring Sally Carrera to life appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Porsche’s Le Mans prototype wraps first international track test

Intake: Porsche’s next-gen endurance-racing prototype is 1200 miles closer to its 2023 competition debut. Though the German automaker won’t contest the FIA’s new top class until 2023, putting it on a similar schedule to rivals Cadillac and Ferrari, its prototype has left Stuttgart’s Weissach test track to continue development on the international scene. At the Circuit de Catalunya this week, the drivers and engineers of Porsche Penske Motorsport began to evaluate tire performance and make sure that the turbocharged V-8 engine and hybrid systems complied with the intricate Balance of Power rules of the LMDh class. (Among other nuances, these dictate that the electric motor can only kick in above 75 mph. Since the V-8 only powers the back wheels, drivers will be wrangling four or two driven wheels within a single lap.) Porsche bumped up time on track as well, more than doubling the car’s mileage from its previous outing.

Exhaust: Despite boasting 19 overall wins at Le Mans, Porsche has much to prove with this car. It owes much of its last victory at Le Mans, in 2017, to the implosion of rival Toyota’s effort. Porsche has been absent from the prototype class since. Mark your calendars for June 11—and stay tuned for news of the homologated car, due this autumn.

This is one smoky Porsche drift nobody wants to see

Intake: A massive car transporter ship is currently drifting, abandoned in the Atlantic after a fire took hold. The good news is that all 22 crew have been rescued. The bad news is that around 2500 cars, including Porsches, Bentleys, Audis, and Volkswagens are on board. The 656-foot Felicity Ace was evacuated on Wednesday near the Azores, approximately halfway through its journey from the port of Emden in Germany to Davisville, Rhode island. Porsche said it believes that 1100 of its cars were loaded on the ship, while Bentley confirmed that 189 vehicles were on the Felicity Ace.

Exhaust: Customers who fear their cars may be aboard the stricken vessel have been advised to contact their dealers for updates. A Porsche statement says, “While it remains too early to confirm what occurred and next steps, we are—along with our colleagues at Porsche AG—supporting our customers and our dealers as best we can to find solutions. Anyone concerned by this incident and the implications on the car they’ve ordered should maintain in contact with dealer with which their order was placed.”

Base 2022 WRX hovers at $30K

Intake: For those about to hoon, or at least to run their hooning budgets, Subaru has released pricing for its all-wheel-drive pocket rocket, the 2022 WRX. The next-gen model starts at $29,105 and, if you add the ($70 higher) $995 fee, you’re looking at $30,100. That’s a barebones car with no options … but including the familiar six-speed manual transmission paired to a 271-horse, 2.4-liter turbo four. A $1680 premium over the outgoing model, for new suspension, driveline, and sheetmetal? Not too shabby. Those in colder climes will skip straight to the Premium trim, which adds heated seats and windshield wiper de-icers. The big 11.6-inch touchscreen, 18- rather than 17-inch wheels, and LED foglights on the Premium account for a $2500 upgrade from the base car; a $1875 upgrade nets you an 11-speaker Harmon Kardon stereo and a moon roof. The Limited trim starts to feel a bit luxe—which it should, for $36,990 (or $39,240 with the CVT). It starts with the big touchscreen and the audio/moonroof upgrade and adds headlights that track with steering inputs and 10-way adjustable seats trimmed in faux suede. The new GT trim tops out the regular WRX at $42,890. Unique to the GT are electronically controlled dampers, Recaro front chairs, and matte-grey 18-inch alloys. 

Exhaust: Subaru’s trying to move the WRX upmarket, and at first glance, we’re skeptical. Sure, you get Recaros and the fancy dampers in the GT trim—but that’s 2021 WRX money, and a CVT is the only option. Why not save your money for the STI? If spending our own money, we’d opt for a stickshift Premium with the Harman Kardon audio. Fun on a budget is the whole idea, after all. 

Lotus will “Electrify and add lightning” to its first SUV

The beating heart of a new generation Lotus. ‘Electrify and add lightning’. Welcome Type 132. https://t.co/p3wLgdv9KP #LotusType132 #LotusCars #AeroKings #LotusEV #LotusHeart #ForTheDrivers pic.twitter.com/8LbYZDAAKX

— Lotus Cars (@lotuscars) February 16, 2022

Intake: Lotus has given its Twitter followers a glimpse of the electric powertrain that’s to be fitted to the upcoming Type 132 SUV and come up with a new take on Colin Chapman’s famous quote: “Simplify and add lightness.” Instead, Lotus says it will “Electrify and add lightning” to the car, and has released a series of teaser videos on its website, which uncover very little, focusing on macro details of the Type 132, described as “The beating heart of a new generation of Lotus.” More will be revealed soon.

Exhaust: The first electric SUV from the British sports car brand will be neither simple nor light. The Evija weighs in at 3700 pounds and to give the Type 132 a range of more than 400 miles, Lotus will have to fit a hefty battery pack. No matter how Chapman-like the architecture, there’ll be plenty of mass to move.

Bugatti honors the Type 30 on its 100th anniversary

Intake: 100 years ago, Bugatti unveiled the Type 30, a racing car with the brand’s first eight-cylinder engine. The 2.0-liter inline, originally planned for 3.0 liters, was redesigned for its smaller displacement to fit in new Grand Prix rules. The 24-valve, overhead-cam engine produced up to 100 PS (98.6 horsepower) and pushed the car to speeds up to 145 kph (90 mph). In addition to its engine performance, the Type 30 set itself apart from its competitors with technological advancements such as front brakes. Imagine the luxury!

Exhaust: Considering most of its contemporaries, the Type 30 must have seemed like something from out of this world when it debuted. Bugatti owes much to this early racing pioneer. Even today, the craftsmanship is impressive and deserves to be celebrated on its 100th anniversary.

Dodge rewards Drag Pak racers with $10,000 contingency

Intake: Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak racers will now take home a $10,000 prize from Dodge with any National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Factory Stock Showdown or National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) Factory Super Cars event win. That’s 14 opportunities to take home the biggest prize from any manufacturer in either series, giving Drag Pak competitors multiple shots at taking home a five-figure winner’s purse during the 2022 season. NHRA Stock and Super Stock class winners and runners-up will take home $1000 and $500, respectively.

Exhaust: The glory days of factory-backed drag racing was in the 1970s, but Dodge’s $10,000 prize, in addition to its contingency support for other racers flying the Mopar flag helps grassroots racers that need the support the most.

The post Porsche’s Le Mans racer wraps 1200-mile test, new WRX starts at $30K, Dodge’s drag-racing honeypot appeared first on Hagerty Media.

At heart, Subaru’s Outback is an affordable, kid-hauling, all-wheel-drive long-roof unfazed by gravel, slush, and mud. The Wilderness trim shown here, new for the 2022 model year, doubles down on the Outback’s outdoorsy persona, adding a 0.8-inch lift and a roof rack with a 700-pound capacity. Fear not, though: The Subie’s golden-retriever-like amiability remains intact.

In this era of off-roading Lamborghinis and dune-pounding pickups, there is no better time to burnish a vehicle’s adventuresome persona. Hardly a Subie commercial wraps without showing a vehicle bumping along a rugged trail or parked on a sunny summit. The Outback Wilderness won’t leave any Wranglers shaking in their 35-inch boots, but that’s not this Subie’s job: It’s aimed at those who need a rugged family vehicle and can afford to pay extra for some off-road cool.

Our tester rang in at $39,965, a whopping $10,050 above a base Outback and just $1845 above a base Wilderness. The latter difference accounts for the Wildy’s only available option, a package that adds onboard TomTom-branded navigation (clunky and irritating), reverse automatic braking (poorly calibrated and occasionally irritating), and a sunroof (airy, welcome, quite nice). Shockingly, that $40,000 price tag places the Wilderness only sixth in the eight-model Outback lineup, beneath the leather-appointed and more fuel-efficient Limited XT and Touring XT. In addition to the lift and rack, the Wilderness gets the turbocharged, 260-hp flat-four and waterproof upholstery of the Onyx Edition XT, plus burly 17-inch alloys wrapped in Yokohama Geolandar all-terrains (more on these in a moment), a retuned continuously variable transmission, a wider rear track, edgy black fender cladding, and a smattering of yellow accents.

Though the lift makes this Outback appear a bit gawky in photos, the wagon has attitude in person. Up front, a wide honeycomb mesh replaces the base Outback’s grille slats and lower air intake. The bumper is also Wilderness-specific, dwelling atop a silver skid plate. There’s a lot of black plastic here, yes, but that also means lots of paint protection. The matte-black hood panel ties in nicely with the semi-gloss rims, and the contoured fender flares emphasize the increased ground clearance: 9.5 inches to the base Outback’s 8.7. The rear fascia sports another Wilderness-specific heavy-duty bumper, plus the smoked taillights that are so fetching on the lower-spec Onyx Edition XT. That chunky roof rack and some palm-sized Wilderness badges top things off.

The yellow accents continue in the interior, where they’re integrated into the shift lever and steering-wheel spokes. The clothing-like tags stitched into the door-panel seams are a bit fussy, as are the giant “Wilderness” logos pressed into the headrests, but they also serve to remind you that you’re in A Special Outback. Unfortunately, the cabin doesn’t quite live up to the sticker price; plastics abound, both rubberized and high-gloss, and the instrument cluster still incorporates analog gauges. The Wilderness model does get the Outback’s largest available touchscreen, but that flashy, 11.6-inch affair is mostly just frustrating. Don a pair of polarized glasses to survive January snow glare and half the display shimmers illegibly. Touch response is slow and inconsistent, and routine adjustments of things like heated seats, music, or navigation require substantial eyes-off-road time. CarPlay is only available via a wired connection.

On the road, and especially from a dead stop, the Wilderness is an eager companion. That CVT works overtime to make sure the engine feels punchy off the line, and the rest of the driveline enhances that personality: Peak torque (277 lb-ft) arrives at 2000 rpm, and the 4.44 final-drive ratio is slightly shorter than the standard Outback’s 4.11. The downside is the rough stop/start system, which gives the impression that the Subaru is falling into a coma at stoplights and jerking awake in a full-body shimmy when brake pressure is released. Thankfully, this system can be disabled with a single tap on the center screen.

Stoplight antics aside, acceleration is confidence-inspiring, and body motions are surprisingly well controlled for a vehicle nearly 16 feet long. Forgiving dampers and tall tire sidewalls do an excellent job of insulating the interior from pockmarked pavement. The Subaru’s setup is so forgiving, in fact, that you tend to forget the abuse to which it’s being subjected. Surfing over a rutted, half-frozen dirt road at 45 mph is uneventful right until you bottom the suspension on a nasty hole. Highway tire slap is minimal, though the cabin does a poor job of muting engine noise. (Then again, you didn’t buy a Lexus, did you?) The lane-departure system is, as with all Subarus, beeptastic and slightly paranoid, but it’s easily defeated in the submenus.

So, should you get one? If your heart’s set on leather upholstery and superior fuel economy, you’ll want to look at the upper-shelf Limited XT or Touring XT. (Plus, you don’t have to deal with the Wildy’s slightly higher step-in and load height.) If you’re an Outback loyalist with an appetite for car camping, the factory warranty and ladder-style roof rack will likely charm you. (The rails and crossbars of previous Outbacks weren’t great for roof tents, and most aftermarket products wouldn’t clear the average garage ceiling.)

The price here is the greatest sticking point, and it helps to remember what that money can buy. If you’re willing to look outside the Subaru fold, Ford will build you an optioned-out Bronco Sport in Badlands trim for $38,985. That snub-nosed SUV not only boasts tidier proportions than the Outback Wilderness—trouncing it in approach, departure, and breakover angles—it also comes equipped with legitimate off-road kit, like a Dana twin-clutch rear diff that can mimic a locker, a front camera, Ford’s “off-road cruise control” system, and a rock-crawling mode with 18:1 crawl ratio. You also get a heated steering wheel—a piece of equipment bafflingly absent from the Outback Wilderness catalog.

The easy move here is to dismiss the Wilderness as a poser. Its off-road capability is limited by that CVT, the relatively pedestrian underpinnings, the lack of a transfer case, the long-nose proportions. Subaru has done nothing here that the brand’s hard-core fans haven’t long assembled for themselves with the help of the aftermarket. It’s also not particularly cheap; sacrifice the Wilderness schtick and you can step up to Subaru’s three-row Ascent SUV for just $1000 more. Still, Subaru may have hit a subtle home run here: The company has taken a supremely practical vehicle, already beloved by young families, and made it even cooler.

If you want to rock-crawl, go buy a Jeep. If you want a gnarly Outback and don’t have time to build one yourself, the Wilderness is for you.

***

2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness

Price, base/as tested: $38,120 / $39,965 (base Outback: $28,070)

Highs: The attitude, the 700-pound-rated roof rack, the waterproof upholstery, the fact that it’s essentially the same Outback we know and love.

Lows: Glare-happy infotainment screen, engine noise that permeates the cabin, shuddery start/stop, not a screamin’ deal like lower Outback trims.

Summary: A factory-backed gift to the Subaru die-hards that preserves hallmark Outback virtues like usability and practicality.

The post Review: 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness appeared first on Hagerty Media.

We’re only a few weeks into the real thick of it up here in northern Michigan, but old man winter has made himself comfortable. With the arrival of the snow and ice in many regions comes necessary precautions, whether that be in the form of plowed roads, dedicated winter tires, or adjusting one’s driving style. Of course, it also means a renewed battle with that timeless, corrosive adversary: road salt. How best protect a beloved car from the scourge that is this chemical foe? Oil-coating or other rust-proofing protectant is one option, but some enthusiasts decide to come at the problem from another angle entirely.

Enter the winter beater, a machine burdened with the often thankless task of enduring salty roads for several months on end, year after year. These stalwart gladiators risk oxidization so that other, more cherry cars may live.

We recently asked you, the Hagerty Community, to share vehicles that you felt were great winter beater candidates. Your responses were swift, numerous, and shockingly varied. Without further delay, here are six categories (and one bonus group) that cover the most popular types of vehicles you choose to offer up to the sodium-chloride demons.

Front-drive sedans/hatchbacks

For many of you, the logic of winter beater selection is fairly straightforward: Get the weight of the engine over the driven wheels to best press them into the snow for optimal traction. This strategy, coupled with the fact that this layout is generally (current hellish realities notwithstanding) very affordable in the late-stage used market, has all the makings of a solid winter beater. Among the responses that included these types of vehicles, there were a few predictable ones, like the Ford Focus SE wagon. One user shares of his fleet of Chevy Cavaliers employed over the years. Yet even in this humble category there were a few surprises, including a Fiat 128 Wagon and a low-slung Plymouth Breeze.

Subarus

It should come as no surprise that a brand known for permanent all-wheel drive would be common fodder as winter beaters. The svelte but low-riding Subaru Legacy received a handful of shoutouts, as did the Outback and Forester. We’re particularly jealous of a commenter by the name of wdb, who enjoyed a 2005 Impreza STi during many a snowy month. Their remarks about this rally-bred ripper sum it up best: “I prayed for snow when I had that car. It was so much fun that it should have been illegal.” Thank goodness it’s not.

Ze Germans

Deutschland is no stranger to snow, and a handful of German vehicles were mentioned in your responses. On the more practical side, user AGC1962 had plenty of good things to say about their 2003 BMW X3 with six-speed manual and snow tires. Audi’s 5000 also popped up as a solid winter machine, no doubt thanks to its robust quattro all-wheel drive system. By far the most surprising vehicle on this list was the Volkswagen Beetle, which received more than a handful of mentions. An air-cooled machine with no radiator may not sound like a good idea in the winter, especially given the famously rudimentary heating system; nevertheless, a few of you crazies were adamant that a rear-engine, rear-drive Beetle made for a staunch snow chariot. (On a mildly related note, those of you sliding Beetles through the snow sound like a lot of fun.)

The Swedes

If Germany is no stranger to the white stuff, Sweden is one of snow’s dearest friends. Accordingly, the Volvo and Saab crowds were out in force in the responses. User Tomcat59 has employed many a Saab for winter duties, including 95 wagons, 99s, 900s, 9000s, and a pair of 9-3s. On team Volvo, ecuriekansas put it plainly: “Any 240 or earlier Volvo. Accept no substitutes. Having had 122S and 240 winter cars, they are sturdy, warm and you can stuff a small planet in either car.” Hauling ass with Pluto in the boot sounds like a grand old time. Associate Editor Grace Houghton can confirm—she rocks Hakkapeliitta winter rubber on her 240, which has transported all manner of furniture and random flotsam. Long live the brick.

Pickups

The workhorses of the vehicular world don’t call it quits when the snow flies. An assortment of pickups came up in the responses, from Nissan Hardbody pickups, to Ford Rangers and Toyota Tundras. While a 4×4 system is a big plus for this category, it’s not mandatory, as evidenced by those of you loading the beds with salt or sand to boost traction. Trucks wear the most visible scars of how harsh the salty roads can be—cabs and beds rust away in what seems like no time at all, but so long as the frame remains somewhat intact there’s use left in these brutish beaters.

Rear-drive American iron

We’re casting a wide net here—the ties between a 1949 Dodge Meadowbrook and a ’65 Corvair Monza four-speed are only so tenable—but the variety and sheer number of winter beaters of this ilk was noteworthy. 1951 Chevy two-door? Check—216 cubic-hamster engine and all. ’77 Plymouth Volaré two-door? For the paltry sum of $150, to the salt you go! Camaros of all types, including the ’68 pictured above with a hood held down by a rope? That’s good for at least a full winter’s service. A good set of tires and a bit of weight in the back proved sufficient for many readers. If it works, it works.

Bonus: Cheap, warm, and well-tired

An underlying theme to many of these responses was that many were simply the right price at the right time, which makes sense. A winter beater is not a forever thing, after all; more than one of you noted that you drove your sacrificial lamb of choice until it simply rusted out from under you. At which point you would simply rinse and repeat as needed. Provided it could heat a cabin, fire up in sub-zero temps, and be fitted with proper winter tires, just about anything works in the snow for you brave and industrious souls.

The post 7 types of effective winter beaters, according to you appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Shelby American’s latest F-150 Raptor is as gonzo as you’d expect

Intake: Shelby American just announced its new take on the Ford F-150 Raptor and, as expected, things have indeed been taken up a notch—or four. The Shelby Raptor takes Ford’s twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 and tacks on new intake components, a performance exhaust, and an additional intercooler to coax 75 more horses out of the engine, now up to 525 total. A BDS suspension lift, functional off-road bumpers with LED lighting, and 37-inch BFG KM3 mud terrain tires on 18-inch alloy wheels bolster already impressive capabilities where the road ends. This limited-production truck will feature a serialized plaque in the custom interior, and the whole package can be yours for $124,820, including the cost of a donor truck.

Exhaust: The F-150 Raptor is already ludicrously capable in stock form, but these add-ons elevate the visual presence immensely, and who doesn’t want an extra 75 ponies cranking under the hood? There’s also the prestige of getting added to the official Shelby Registry, no doubt an appeal for a certain type of clientele.

4-rotor Mazda 3 to take on Pikes Peak

Intake: “Mad Mike” Whiddett, the drift driver known for his wild RX-7 builds, will campaign a four-rotor Mazda 3 at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. The car, rendered in bold Red Bull livery, was shown off via Instagram. The RWD car will make somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 hp, and features some gnarly aero to help keep this screamer planted as it ascends the famous race route.

Exhaust: Rotary engines remain one of the best ways to turn gasoline into noise, so be prepared for one heck of a show as the car tackles the daunting climb up the mountain this summer. With the high altitude and thin air, the four-rotor will need all of the help it can get to cram air into the combustion chambers, so we’re looking forward to learning more about the turbocharged beast nearly as much as we’re looking forward to simply hearing it race.

Subaru halts customer orders for 2022 BRZ

Intake:Intake: If Subaru hasn’t already confirmed your order for a 2022 BRZ, you might have to sit tight for a while. Order books for the debut model-year of Subie’s second-gen rear-drive sport coupe are closed, according to a new report from CarBuzz. Subaru spokesperson Jessica Tullman told Hagerty verified the report but provided the following clarification: “The Sold Order allotment was met but customers can go to a Subaru retailer to purchase a 2022 BRZ.” Translation: special-order BRZs are toast for this year, but dealer-lot examples are readily available.

Exhaust: The second-gen BRZ (and its Toyota GR86 twin) arrives with some key improvements, among them a new 2.4-liter, 228-horse flat-four engine which replaces the anemic 2.0-liter four-pot found in the first-gen car. Our first-look review of the 2022 BRZ showed that the new engine did wonders to address the 2.0-liter’s infamous mid-range torque dip. Here’s to hoping dealer stock skews heavily toward cars equipped with six-speed manual transmissions.

Mashed potatoes: Spuds scattered across Minnesota expressway after semi-trucks collide

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced the eastbound I-94 near CSAH 19 in Albertville is closed after an accident caused a semi truck to drop its cargo – potatoes – on the freeway. No timetable has been given when the road will reopen https://t.co/vs2qYVLxDM pic.twitter.com/Reqqt3oBRy

— Wright County, MN (@WrightCountyMN) January 20, 2022

Intake: There was a quite a mash-up on a Minneapolis-area expressway Thursday morning when two semi-trucks collided and one dumped a load of potatoes onto the roadway. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Police say other cars were struck by the potatoes and debris from the crash, and traffic was closed in the eastbound lane of I-94 near Albertville for hours.

Exhaust: We’re relieved that no one was injured in the rush-hour accident and also happy to report that nothing was baked or fried. Some of the potatoes were indeed mashed in the accident, however. In case you’re wondering (or maybe it’s just us), the other semi was not loaded with meat or eggs, or we could have kept this joke going for another two paragraphs. Happy Friday!

Another year passes, another David Brown Speedback is delivered

Intake: British car-telier David Brown says it takes 8000 hours to built each of its Speedback grand tourers. That’s 333 full days, so it’s no wonder it’s been a year since the last Speedback announcement. The latest hand-built model is one of ten Silverstone Editions, and, like previous Speedbacks, sits on Jaguar XKR underpinnings, complete with a five-liter supercharged V-8. The body is all panel-beaten aluminum and styled to be reminiscent of the Aston Martin DB5. The Silverstone edition adds some new aeronautical flourishes including body-colored sill extensions, 20-inch “Afterburner” alloy wheels and a jet-inspired, rifled quad exhaust. The interior, meanwhile, is lavishly trimmed in oyster leather and open-pore wood.

Exhaust: Just painting this Speedback in metallic black took eight weeks, so it’s no wonder the price runs to $700,000. If your budget won’t stretch that far then David Brown’s Mini Remastered models are a mildly more affordable $100,000.

257 mph Czech Chiron driver causes upset on no-limits Autobahn blitz

Intake: A Czech millionaire has been slammed by Germany’s Transport Ministry for using his car exactly as its maker intended. Radim Passer filmed himself driving his Bugatti Chiron at up to 257 mph on the A2 Autobahn between Berlin and Hannover, and posted the film to YouTube where it has over five million views so far. Like much of Germany’s Autobahn network, the six-mile stretch Passer used has no speed limit, so he wasn’t breaking any laws. He said that he had “visibility along the whole stretch” and that “Safety was a priority, so the circumstances had to be safe to go.” Nonetheless, the German Transport Ministry was quick to state that it “rejects any behavior in road traffic that leads or can lead to endangering road users.” Drivers are required to “only drive so fast that the vehicle is constantly under control,” the Ministry added.

Exhaust: In the video you can clearly see that Passer waits for a dead straight and clear section of three-lane road, and during run, he passes only a handful of cars, all of which are in the inside lane, so he has used some common sense. The car also looks remarkably stable throughout. We just hope he checked his tires carefully before the attempt.

The post Shelby’s gnarly Raptor, Subaru closes BRZ order books, mash-up on Minnesota highway appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Travis Pastrana picks ’83 Subaru GL for 900-hp Gymkhana makeover

Intake: Ken Block may have been the first to bring automotive Gymkhana to the little screen, but after 10 videos and a few side projects, Block stepped aside from these stunt-packed videos in 2020 and handed the wheel—literally—to Travis Pastrana. (If you’re unfamiliar with the Gymkhana videos, make sure you’re seated. Leaping lakes, drifting around obstacles with an eyelash-worth of clearance—the visual drama in these videos belies some truly amazing car management skills.) Those of us addicted to tire smoke and precision driving have experienced some slight withdrawals but thanks to an announcement yesterday there is an end in sight—with an unexpectedly retro twist.

Exhaust: The car of choice for Pastrana is an interesting one: a Subaru GL wagon. Unlike Ken Block’s wild WRX STI, this now-900-hp machine was never intended to tingle spines when stock. Its original water-cooled flat-four made a whole 71-hp—in an era when Volvo’s equally brickish 240 made an astounding 131. We don’t know what lurks beneath the hood of Pastrana’s reborn wagon, but it’s clear that this machine has evolved far beyond its original calling. We’re interested to dissect the mechanical setup here: Travis is known for jumping cars, and the GL doesn’t seem primed for low-earth orbit. However, he does mention that its squared-off corners help him to better locate the corners of the car for closer proximity driving. Close-shave antics were a staple of the early Gymkhana videos, so despite the new driver, this Subie may signal a return to the past in more ways than one.

Decommissioned Staten Island ferry sells for $280K

Intake: New York’s recently retired John F. Kennedy ferry, which completed its final trip in August 2021 after spending five decades shuttling passengers back and forth from Staten Island to Manhattan, was auctioned for $280,100 by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services. The minimum bid for the 1965 ferry was originally listed at $250,000, but it was cut in half just a few days ago, which sparked some interest … and a lot of it. There were 36 bids for the 277-foot ferry. According to the listing, the hull remains in good condition, but the boat was listed in poor condition due to mechanical propulsion issues, which is why it was decommissioned.

Exhaust: We’ve seen some big boat sales over the years, but this is definitely one of the biggest—in terms of size, at least. Since we’re lovers of history, we hope this iconic New York ferry is repaired and finds new life transporting passengers in a less stressful environment, perhaps as a tour boat?

Theon Design adds a supercharger and active suspension to the Porsche 964

Intake: British Porsche restomod maker Theon Design has developed what might be the most advanced 964-generation 911 ever made. The car, named BEL01 as it’s the first car Theon has built for a customer in Belgium, has been fitted with active damping by TracTive, which provides a number of different settings for road and track use. Meanwhile, the classic 3.6-liter flat-six gets a Rotrex supercharger and water-methanol injection system to boost power to 456 hp. The car is finished in aquamarine paint based on a 1950s’ Porsche 356 hue and, like all other Theon commissions, has been assembled to the exact specification of the lucky Belgian customer.

Exhaust: Britain’s answer to Singer Vehicle Design appears to have taken the 911 mod game to the next level, but insists that its alterations are still in the spirit of the original. “The innovations on BEL001, both in terms of its engine and suspension, reflect what Theon Design is all about. We’re driven by a determination to hone and sympathetically enhance the classic 911 recipe, using design-led innovation, dynamic focus and close partnerships with expert suppliers to create the ultimate iteration of the world’s most iconic sports car,” says founder Adrian Hawley.

Peugeot previews 9X8 hypercar

Intake: Prior to launching its assault on the Le Mans 24 hour race this year, Peugeot handed over its 9X8 hybrid hypercar to photographer Agnieszka Doroszewicz to highlight the radical racer’s design. The result of an internal competition in Peugeot’s design department the 9X8 was developed around the key words “iconic,” “efficient,” and “emotional.” Design Director Matthias Hossan says: “Despite the quality of the many proposals that came out of our internal design competition, one was quickly established as the chosen theme. It broke the codes of the previous generation of endurance cars. The idea posited was that this would be less of a previous generation race car and more identifiable as a Peugeot. It needed to bring together more than just fans of motorsport, as this would be a sports car that could in theory be driven on the road as well as the race track.”

The 9X8 wears a new “roaring lion” badge and claw-like light signature to make the car stand out at night, while its wingless design is an extremely bold move considering no car has won Le Mans without a rear wing since 1971.  Powering the 98X is a 2.6-liter twin-turbo V-6 which sends 680 hp to the rear wheels, with extra boost coming from a 270 hp electric motor/generator driving the front wheels to put its claws into Toyota at the La Sarthe circuit.

Exhaust: Peugeot re-enters endurance racing full of confidence having won with the 905 in 1992 and 1993 and the 908 in 2009. “This 9X8 is a true milestone in motorsport,” said Peugeot’s drivers when they first saw it. “There will be a before and after Peugeot 9X8, and we will be lucky to have been part of it.”

EV sales overtake diesel sales in Europe

Intake: The rise of EVs scored a major milestone last month as European sales of EVs surpassed those of diesel-powered vehicles for the first time, according to a report from the Financial Times. Data compiled for FT by a third-party analyst revealed that 176,000 EVs were sold in December of 2021, while just 160,000 diesels found new homes in the same month.

Exhaust: Context is key here, so let’s lay out a few factors influencing this change in status: Diesel sales have been on the decline since the Volkswagen “Dieselgate” scandal in 2015. Meanwhile, western European countries have been ramping up serious subsidies for electric vehicles to reduce their carbon footprints. Europe’s fuel crisis last year also meant some folks couldn’t fuel their cars for quite some time, which prompted a surge in interest in EVs.

The post Subaru GL gets rad, 900-hp makeover, a British restomod to rival Singer’s, Euro EVs outsell diesels appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There’s a big wide world of cars out there that, because of federalization laws or market-specific offerings, never make it to dealer lots here in the US of A. Buying a brand-new car from a foreign market and trying to import it on your own is nearly impossible, but it is possible to secure an exemption from certain red tape and regulations that allow you to register a car here. In that scenario, the vehicle in question just has to be 25 years or older. America’s so-called 25-year rule (it’s 15 years up in Canada) means that until the quarter-century clock runs down our favorite unobtanium cars, all we can do is watch them on YouTube or drive them on PlayStation.

One fun thing about the 25-year rule? Each year a new crop of cars becomes eligible for import. Below are 10 cars we’ve been looking at, all from the class of 1997, that meet the criteria import to the U.S. at some point during 2022. The list covers a melange of JDM greats and European delicacies (and one Aussie) which certain dedicated fans have been watching from afar for years in anticipation.

Remember, though—your experience with importing any out-of-market vehicle will vary depending on which state you live in. Federal law is one thing, but states also reserve the right to enforce their own regulations. You’re out of luck if you live in California, for example, and in 2021 some states in New England (Maine and Rhode Island, namely) began deregistering Japanese-market mini trucks for some strange reason.

Parts and service for a foreign-market car is also a whole different ball game. They don’t carry Renault alternators at Pep Boys.

As always, homework for the dizzying import process from docks to driveway is an absolute must should you be determined to go it alone. Buying from a reputable dealer that specializes in foreign-market imports will come with a premium, but these outfits will often fully handle the paperwork so you don’t have to. Nobody wants to have to look over their shoulder, worried that Uncle Sam will one day come with a tow truck sending an innocent Skyline GT-R to the crusher.

Alfa Romeo 156

Launched in late 1997 and built until 2005, the 156 isn’t the prettiest car in the world. And with Stelvio SUVs now meandering around suburbs, an Alfa Romeo isn’t as exotic a sight as it used to be for Americans since the brand’s 20-year hiatus between 1995 and 2015. It also hails from right in the middle of the company’s front-wheel-drive era.

So what does the 156 have going for it? Well, it’s an Alfa Romeo, and Alfa Romeos are both attractive and nice to drive. The most desirable engines are the Twin Spark 16-valve four-cylinder, and the 2.5-liter double overhead cam Busso V-6, both of which look good and make a pleasant sound. Other solid options included a Momo leather interior and mahogany steering wheel, Recaro seats, and lowered suspension. Fast wagon fans will pine for the 156 Sportwagon model, but it didn’t arrive until 2000. See you in 2025!

Honda Civic Type R

The third Honda with a Type R badge (after the NSX in 1992 and the Integra in 1995), the original 1997 Civic Type R is based on the sixth generation of Honda’s bread-and-butter-compact car, and Honda gave it a similar treatment to the hopped-up Integra but in an arguably prettier hatchback body. Lighter and stiffer body and chassis, upgraded brakes, close-ratio gears, limited-slip differential, and minimal sound deadening are all part of the mix, while on the inside there are Recaro seats, a titanium shift knob and a Momo steering wheel.

The star of the Civic Type R show is the hand-ported B16B engine, a 1.6-liter four that screams out 182 hp at 8200 rpm and can scoot this hottest of hatches to about 140 mph. This being a VTEC Honda, though, torque is basically an afterthought with just 118 lb-ft at 7500 rpm.

The Integra Type R, which sold briefly in the States, is already a proven modern collector car, as are clean examples of the 1999–2000 Civic Si coupe. This JDM Civic on steroids, then, is maybe the most anticipated car from the class of ’97 for American gearheads, some of whom have wanted one ever since playing the first Gran Turismo.

Holden Commodore (VT)

GM’s Down Under subsidiary—Holden—never technically sold cars in America, but chances are you’ve seen one before. The 2004–06 Pontiac GTO, 2008–09 Pontiac G8 and 2014–17 Chevrolet SS all shared Aussie underpinnings courtesy of Holden. And if you look up close, it’s not uncommon to see the Chevy bowtie badge or the Pontiac dart swapped out by owners in favor of a Holden lion.

If we turn back the clock a little bit further to 1997, that’s when Holden introduced the third generation of its large family car, called the Commodore. Also known as the VT-series Commodore, it was available with a variety of engines and as a sedan or station wagon. Enthusiasts, though, naturally gravitate toward the Commodore SS with its 262-hp 5.0-liter V-8 and five-speed manual. Like the later Holden-based Pontiacs and Chevrolets, the Commodore is a charming sleeper—a muscled weapon that nonetheless looks like something your accountant might drive. The right-hand drive might, however, let on that this is no ordinary sedan.

Subaru WRX STi Type R (two-door)

Subaru WRXs are a favorite among tuners and vape enthusiasts, and since the early 2000s it has been one of the most popular ways for young Americans to go fast in a variety of weather and road conditions. Outside of America, though, the WRX goes way back to 1992, and in 1997 Subaru introduced a new two-door model.

Called the WRX Type R STi, it served as the basis for the later and more hardcore 22B. The 22B (which turns 25 years old next year) has since become a legend, but the ’97 Type R was the first two-door WRX.

Renault Kangoo

There is no shortage of vans to choose from in America, but let’s say you own a French restaurant or bakery. Maybe you want to serve croissants in Euro-correct style. Maybe you want a company runabout with a little more joie de vivre than your average Ford Transit.

Enter the Renault Kangoo, which isn’t just fun to say, it’s also one of Europe’s best-selling multipurpose vehicles. The first gen Kangoo debuted in late 1997 and could be had in either standard form or a panel van, called the “Kangoo Express”, with a variety of four-cylinder engines a choice of front- or four-wheel drive.

BMW M Roadster (European spec)

This one’s a bit of a stretch, I admit. BMW already sold the M Roadster in this country from 1998–2002. Back in 2020, Hagerty even suggested that buying one was a great idea. (We were right.) However, in a classic case of us Americans getting watered-down versions of hot foreign cars, the M Roadster sold on our shores came with an S52 straight-six engine good for 240 hp. Plenty to have fun with, but pretty pedestrian compared to the 316-hp S50 that came in the rest of the world’s M Roadsters.

Importing a Euro-spec M is an expensive way to chase some extra horsepower, especially when you could just shop for the upgraded 315-hp (S54-powered) M Roadsters (and Coupes) that came to the U.S. for 2001-02. But, if you really wanted to, you can do so in 2022.

Ford Puma

Built from 1997–2001 at the Ford plant in Cologne, Germany and based on the Mk 4 Fiesta, the Puma is a neat little hot-ish hatch that looks a bit like a shrunken-down eighth-gen (1999–2001) Mercury Cougar. Pumas came with a Zetec four-cylinder of 1.4, 1.6 or 1.7 liters, driving the front wheels.

From a driving and collectibility standpoint, the most interesting of these euro Fords is the “Ford Racing Puma,” of which 500 were built for the U.K. market. They came with special brakes, wider bodywork, suspension upgrades, a front splitter, Speedline wheels, a stronger gearbox, an optional limited-slip, a racier interior, and a more powerful engine. The Ford Racing Puma didn’t come out until 1999, however, so you’ll need to wait another couple of years to ship one over.

Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution

A different kind of Evo, the Pajero Evolution may be an SUV but it’s still a rally weapon with a motorsport pedigree to rival that of its Lancer-based cousin. Mitsubishi built two-door Pajeros for competition beginning in the early 1980s, and they found great success in the Paris-Dakar Rally, winning the event in 1985, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, and 2003–07. Pajeros have won the Dakar Rally more than any other automobile.

To homologate the Pajero Evolution for the Dakar Rally’s T2 class, Mitsubishi built 2500 road-going Pajero Evolutions from 1997–99. Powered by a 3.5-liter 24-valve V-6 with a dual plenum variable intake, the Pajero Evolution also features double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, fender flares, two shark-fin like appendages on its tail, a prominent hood scoop, skid plates, and mud flaps.

LTI TX1 London Taxi

Introduced by London Taxis International (LTI) at the London Motor Show in October 1997, the TX1 took over black cab duty from the old, iconic Austin FX4 that dated way back to 1958.

Is a TX1 black cab fun to drive? With a four-cylinder Nissan diesel engine, not in the traditional. Is it nice to look at? Well, not really, as it was shaped for max practicality by designer Kenneth Grange, whose resume mostly includes kettles, food mixers, clothes irons, and washing machines. But it is unmistakably a London taxi, and for the automotive anglophile it sure would be a neat way to ferry around a few friends (to and from the pub). Too bad Uber cars need to be 15 years old or newer.

Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO 400R

Technically the 400R came out in late 1996, but it’s our list and we’re adding it. It’s also the priciest car of the group, with a seven-figure value in the Hagerty Price Guide, and by far the fastest. It’s essentially an R33-generation (1995-98) Skyline GT-R turned up to eleven—both the hottest R33 and extremely rare, to boot. Just 44 examples are considered to have been built, so anybody shopping for one will probably have to be patient. Not to mention rich.

Borrowing from NISMO’s Le Mans program, the 400R is lowered nearly 2 inches from the standard GT-R and features Bilstein dampers, NISMO springs, NISMO brake pads, and a unique brake master cylinder with a stopper to reduce fore/aft movement and improve pedal feel. The hood and driveshafts are made of carbon fiber, while the exhaust, strut tower bar, and shift knob are titanium. A full body kit features a special front bumper that directs air more efficiently to the intercooler. The 400R’s RB-X GT2 engine has a reinforced block, forged internals and upgraded intake and exhaust. Despite Japan’s famous “gentleman’s agreement” to limit published horsepower figures to 276 ponies, the 400R proudly boasts 400.

The post 10 sweet cars you can import in 2022 under the 25-year rule appeared first on Hagerty Media.

As an enthusiast, it is always heartening to see a young person fall in love with a vehicle. This boy could have been no more than three, but he circled the truck pop-eyed and open-mouthed, caught in the orbit of a new obsession even as his parents impatiently called. You can see why, of course. This thing’s just the right size for a toddler to drive.

This is a 1971 Suzuki Carry, a pint-sized truck that somehow slipped through various importation loopholes and ended up landing in Canada decades ago. It is a kei-class vehicle, properly a keijidōsha, Japanese for “light automobile.” Built to satisfy certain restrictions in size and engine displacement, kei cars are extremely popular across the Pacific because they skirt much of the punitive tax structure that makes owning a car in Japan so expensive.

For the most part, keis are boxy, simple things that look like they’re made out of Duplos. On the narrow streets of Tokyo, they fade into the background, especially the most popular versions, which are boringly pragmatic attempts to maximize interior space while minimizing footprint.

Over here, however, the Carry reads as a golf cart gone rogue. Its quad headlights give it the face of a jumping spider. It looks like you could stick it in your pocket and walk home. North America is experiencing its own small truck renaissance with the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, but, in many parts of the world, this is what a truly compact work truck looks like.

Reluctantly, the Carry’s small admirer is coaxed back to his stroller with a juice box. A few other bystanders seem mildly interested, but no one stops to take a picture. In the lull, owner Keith Measures folds his lanky frame into the driver’s seat, and cranks the engine over. The Suzuki clears its throat. Now everyone looks.

Reeennn-dinga-ding-ding-dinga-ding-ding! The Carry’s tax-restricted 360cc engine is a two-stroke affair, mounted in the middle. Thanks to 1970s muffler technology, it sounds like we’ve run over an entire motocross event. It’s obnoxiously loud, and heads everywhere instantly swivel towards us. Measures furiously works the column shifter, flooring the tiny accelerator pedal. The Carry putters up a nearby hill at a donkey’s pace.

Driving a slow car fast is one type of fun, but whipping a molasses-slow, ear-splittingly loud minitruck is an entirely different flavor of thrill. Well, “thrill” is perhaps the wrong word. The experience is more like a comedy routine. Everything seems so ridiculous, from the Mexican blanket interior to the near-useless lap-belts. Never mind watching for crossovers—we’d be in dire straits if we hit a squirrel.

As whimsical as this cartoon-sized fare seems, the Carry is an actual truck. In 1971, this is how plumbers and construction workers and road crews got to work in Japan. Even weirder, it’s how a lot of tradespeople still get to work here in Vancouver. More on that trend in a bit.

First, an examination of the drawbacks of classic kei ownership. Measures’ truck is basically a rescue operation. A full restoration is technically possible, but parts are very expensive, especially considering the size of the truck. It would Measures cost as much or more to mechanically sort out the Carry’s engine, brakes, and suspension as it would for him to set up a contemporary Datsun 240Z.

He doesn’t drive the Carry often—he has other project cars that require less effort to drive around town. Yet Measures can’t seem to let the little Suzuki go. It’s too rare and interesting.

South of the border, another machine shows the beguiling charms of the working kei. Jamie Cavett of Belfair, Washington, has dubbed her 1970 Subaru 360 Sambar “Stanley.” The name fits. Available as a van or truck (the Cavetts also have a truck version), the Sambar comes with a tiny two-stroke engine like the Carry’s. It, too, accumulates speed with all the urgency of a mantlepiece collecting dust. Stanley frequently gathers crowds at local shows, but he typically arrives to the venue via trailer.

Overall, the collector kei market seems very healthy. It holds a few surprises, too. Though mini sports cars like the Suzuki Cappuccino and Honda Beat are fan favorites, Hagerty’s analysts were slightly shocked to see that the Subaru 360 sedan—“cheap, ugly,” and a massive flop in period—quadrupled in value in a single year.

Assessing a value for the Measures’ Suzuki Carry or the Cavetts’ Subaru Sambar is more difficult, since neither model is yet tracked in the Hagerty Price Guide. Ironically, though many may not classify the Carry or the Sambar as investment vehicles, they’re now far rarer than most kei-class passenger cars. Your chances of seeing a gull-winged Autozam AZ-1 at a car show are far higher than spotting something more humble, like the Carry.

However, at least in Canadian markets, you’re almost guaranteed to spot a more modern kei truck on your way to the corner store or shopping mall. Hundreds of these found their way into shipping containers and ended up here, especially on Canada’s west coast. They’re too small to haul big loads, but for small gardening firms and other light duties, they offer a blend of practicality and advertising. Further, a modern kei truck comes with a four-stroke, 660cc engine that can handle city driving just fine. It even boasts amenities like an automatic transmission and air conditioning.

They’re toylike, true, but a hoot to drive. In fact, in the UK, Honda’s heritage fleet includes a Honda Acty van that was once driven by none other than Sir Stirling Moss. It sounds absurd, but if you live in a built-up area like London, what need does a famous racing driver have of a powerful Mercedes? A mid-engined microvan will do fine.

Perhaps even more than fine. Cult classic Japanese car show Best Motoring once fielded seven Daihatsu Midget IIs in a single-make “race,” and it’s absolutely some of the most compelling television you’ll ever see. There’s no subtitles here, but none are needed. It looks like so much fun.

If modern kei trucks and vans have edged closer to the mainstream, the classic versions remain way out on the fringes of enthusiasm. They’re important to preserve: Toyota 2000GTs and Mazda Cosmo may be rare artworks, but kei trucks and vans are the way ordinary people got to work in the early days of the Japanese auto industry.

Even without knowing the history, the delight of these machines is clearly evident. There was no need to explain what the Carry was to the young passerby who fell in love with it. He simply liked what he saw: an unusual little truck—tiny, but full of joy.

The post Japan’s pipsqueak work trucks (and vans) are a-o-kei appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There are many newcomers to the three-row SUV party, yet there is no standard dress code. Some automakers, like Kia and Hyundai, are using the opportunity to impress families who have outgrown their Sorentos or Sante Fes with Tellurides and Palisades—long-wheelbase creations trimmed in brushed aluminum and generously sized touchscreens. Other companies are hopping on of-the-moment trends, donning a few flashy outdoorsy accessories; for this strategy look no further than Toyota, which is building a TRD version of everything, or Honda, which just announced its TrailSport line to up its dirt-road street cred.

For its three-row Ascent, Subaru has humbly—and wisely—chosen to don the same slightly rumpled, unpretentious outfit it wears to everything.

The 2022 Ascent is essentially the Outback recipe adjusted to seat seven, rather than 5. First introduced for the 2019 model year, and built in Lafayette, Indiana, this largest offering in the Subaru stable rides on a stretched version of the brand’s modular Global Platform and offers a single, 260-hp engine integrated with a full-time all-wheel drive system. Since the Ascent’s initial launch, changes have been incremental: a rear-seat reminder in 2020, steering-responsive headlights and lane-centering (rather than just lane-keeping) for 2021. The big news for 2022 is the Onyx Edition you see here: a fifth trim level that sits squarely in the middle of the Ascent price range ($39,120 including $1125 for destination). It’s arguably the most compelling choice of the bunch.

Though the Onyx Edition comes with a full complement of black exterior trim and 20-inch alloy wheels—all of which suits this un-elegant SUV well—the most desirable feature can be found inside. Subaru’s waterproof Star-Tex upholstery is standard on and unique to the Onyx Edition, as it is on the equivalent Outback. (This trim level adds $5700 to Ascent’s base MSRP of $33,420.) The one feature not shared with the Onyx Outback is the big, 8.0-inch touchscreen; with the Ascent you’ll have to make do with a 6.5-incher unless you spec the next higher trim, the Limited. The creatively-named Optional Package for the Ascent Onyx Edition is a $2200 affair that adds a rather impressive moonroof, a power rear tailgate, rear automatic braking, and a heated steering wheel.

This $2200 upgrade also adds keyless access, a feature that caused your author a degree of distress. One evening, the Ascent decided it not to recognize the presence of the key fob and refused to start. The infotainment screen and dashboard remained on, as if the system was in accessory mode. The culprit ended up being a quirk of the Ascent’s electronic innards; I consulted the interwebs and reset the system with a 15- or 20-second hold of the start button, until the button’s red light turned green. A prod, with our foot on brake as per usual, finally woke the buzzy 2.4-liter turbo flat-four. Thankfully, this electronic temper-tantrum did not occur during our jaunt to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, in which the Ascent served as a weekend base camp.

During the rest of the 1000-mile odyssey, the Ascent behaved itself perfectly. The engine, while noisy, proved surprisingly punchy even paired with a continuously variable transmission. Merges and highway passes were never stressful, though the tradeoff for that on-boost power was a bit of surging low-speed behavior. On the highway, wind and tire noise were surprisingly reasonable for a car in this class. That left us with the mental clarity to pay close attention to the Ascent’s driver-assist features, which are a mixed bag: The Ascent followed other cars and modulated its speed flawlessly, but the lane-centering tech was somewhat twitchy. The system isn’t reassuring in heavy or even moderate traffic, where it is ostensibly meant to be most useful.

This all-terrain-equipped test vehicle did, however, confidently scramble its way across deeply rutted dirt roads and surfed its way through some very sandy trails with no complaints. X-Mode can only be activated at speeds below 13 mph but will execute downhill braking at speeds in the 20s and 30s. The big SUV never feels like it’s running away, though the crunch of the individual-wheel braking can be disconcerting at first.

You won’t be surprised or delighted by much in the Ascent’s interior, but there is nothing functional awry here. Cupholders abound in the console and lower door pockets (though few fit a 32-oz Hydroflask or Yeti tumbler). The stash space in the front-row console is generous and deep, and there’s a shallow tray integrated into the passenger side of the angular dash that’s perfect for narrow items like snack bars or pens. Front and rear visibility is good, though there’s no trick live feed to help monitor your blind spot, à la Hyundai, Kia, and Honda. The moonroof and waterproof upholstery are the high points here (testament to the utilitarian nature of this vehicle): The latter demonstrated an impressive ability to trap sand in its crevices but proved immune to water and grease. Even the branded Onyx Edition carpets are a dirt-disguising blend of black and grey.

The front seats were very comfortable, even for your five-foot-seven author (though I cannot recommend them to aspiring car campers as a substitute for a bed or even for flat ground.) The third row folds flush with the floor, but don’t expect the second row to yield an impromptu playpen for your kids: The floor is stepped stadium-style between the second and third rows, and while the second-row seats do scoot and even fold (nearly flat), a continuous surface is not possible. Dogs will be comfortable napping in the trunk, in a pinch; their humans will not.

Unlike the Telluride, which in top trim possesses a genuine wow factor, the Ascent will not convert badge-agnostic owners to Subaru’s open arms. The Ascent’s insistence on wearing flannel to a cocktail party (so to speak) also says something about the brand, which appears primarily concerned with building loyalty among its existing customers. Even so, Subaru’s three-row is not a frumpy flop in the marketplace. It actually outsold its Kia competitor in its first year on the market by over 20,000 units, though its numbers have trended downward since.

A new Ascent won’t turn heads. What it will do, however, is provide Outback or Forester owners with growing families exactly what they expect: Good value, utilitarian looks, and full-time all-wheel drive in a vehicle that happily takes the slings and arrows of everyday life.

2022 Subaru Ascent Onyx Edition

Price (base/as tested): $39,120 / $41,320

Highs: Gutsy powertrain. Waterproof seats. Takes abuse cheerfully. Affordable.

Lows: Noisy powertrain. Ugly exterior. Unrefined cabin peppered in plastics.

Summary: The Onyx Edition delivers everything Subaru buyers know and love about the Outback—with more seats and more cargo room.

The post Review: 2022 Subaru Ascent Onyx Edition appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Subaru’s Right to Repair “solution” is rather petty

Intake: Subaru’s Starlink telematics records a slew of data and relays it to Subaru service locations to help technicians repair its cars more efficiently. However, Massachusetts recently passed a Right to Repair law that stated third-party shops should have access to this data as well so that owners aren’t forced to go to the dealership for repairs. As reported by Jalopnik, Subaru chose to get around this by removing Starlink for every vehicle sold in Massachusetts.

Exhaust: This seems like a petty way to solve the issue, on Subaru’s part. As more states push for similar legislation, automakers will hopefully come up with more elegant solutions.

Take a moment to salute NHRA legend John Force

Intake: On October 29, 2000, John Force won his 10th NHRA Funny Car championship.

Exhaust:  John Force was on one heck of a winning streak in the ’90s and early 2000s. He won the NHRA Funny Car championship 10 years straight from 1993 to 2002, a feat that no other racer has come close to accomplishing. Including his 1984 AHRA win, Force has 17 champion titles, making him the most dominant Funny Car driver in drag racing history. To catch up on Force in 2021, read our profile here. 

Ducati’s most powerful Multistrada is named after America’s mountain

Intake: Ducati’s new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak has just laid climb to the title of the most powerful adventure bike in the world. Its V4 Granturismo motor makes 170 hp, and has a Race mode with softer rev-limiter and a special quick-shifter for “aggressive downshifts.”  There’s a suite of chassis changes that include lighter Marchesini forged aluminum rims and Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension with an “event based” mode, which automatically adjusts the setting according to the user’s riding style. A single-side rear swing arm is installed, there’s an Akrapovič titanium-and-carbon silencer and various carbon trim pieces to add to the Multistrada’s sportier styling. The riding position is said to be more ergonomic and to enable more extreme lean angles and the brakes, thankfully, have been taken from the Panigale.

Exhaust: Ducati says the new Multistrada V4 Pikes is ready “to rule all mountains,” not just its namesake, and will arrive in showrooms this December priced from $28,995.

Rolls-Royce “Black Badge” Ghost goes to dark side armed with more power

Intake: Rolls-Royce has unveiled a new line of its V-12-powered Ghost four-door. Called the Black Badge Ghost, it’s already garnered over 3500 commissions worldwide, according to Rolls. You can have your Black Badge Ghost in one of Rolls’ 44,000—no, that’s not a typo—“ready-to-wear” paint colors, or you can create your own. Rolls says most folk go with the signature black, which uses 100 pounds of paint to create the industry’s darkest black. The Ghost’s 6.75-liter twin-turbo V-12 now boasts more horsepower and torque—gains of 28 and 37, respectively, for total output of 591 hp and 664 lb-ft. Inside, there are plenty of opportunities to apply the infinity symbol, the trademark icon for all Black Badge Rollers. Elsewhere in the cabin, all trim is darkened to further amplify the noir atmosphere of the interior.

Exhaust: For the right clientele, this Black Badge Ghost will strike a chord. That said, our minds and hearts are silent on this one. It’s neat, and an unsurprising move from Rolls, who has seen its “alter ego” Black Badge sub-brand balloon in popularity since unveiling it on the Wraith and the Ghost in 2016. If we’re honest, however, we’re more excited for the first all-electric Rolls.

Aston Martin’s V-12 Vanquish turns 20

Intake: Aston Martin’s first new car of the 21st century would also be the last model built at its historic home in Newport Pagnell. The 2001 V-12 Vanquish was a radical departure from previous models built at the Tickford Street factory as it used a novel bonded aluminum tub, carbon-fiber panels, a paddle-shift transmission, and, as the name suggests, a six-liter V-12 engine featuring drive-by-wire technology. Compared to the concurrent DB7, it was a spaceship. The Vanquish famously marked Aston Martin’s return to the 007 franchise in Die Another Day, after Bond spent years behind the wheel of BMWs, announced with the immortal line from John Cleese’s Q: “Aston Martin calls it the Vanquish, we call it the Vanish.” Built for six years, 2589 were assembled before Aston Martin moved to its new home in Gaydon and marked the end of an era.

Exhaust: As awesome as the V-12 Vanquish was its designer Ian Callum was never entirely happy with the end result and he revisited the design as a showpiece for his new design agency Callum. The Callum Vanquish 25 is a half-million-dollar reimagination of the original with more than 350 design tweaks and improvements. An early standard Vanquish in #1 (Concours) condition, meanwhile, runs to just over $83,000 according to our valuation experts. As it nears modern classic status, now might be the right time to pick one up. If that’s still out of your budget, enjoy the gallery above. 

BMW makes six-cylinder, two-wheeled grand touring even more luxe

Intake: Riders searching for the smooth pull of a big six-cylinder engine have only a few choices, and BMW’s K1600 is one of the top options. Yesterday BMW announced the new updates for the 2022 K1600 lineup and the feature list is long, but also includes a few subtle items worth highlighting. For example, the 1649cc inline six engine’s power output stays the same, but peak power comes 1000 rpm lower to make the bike easier to ride. A giant 10.25-inch TFT dash gives plenty of room for navigation, and adaptive headlights will light the way to whatever route you choose—including underneath the machine when you arrive so you can find solid footing for your kickstand.

Exhaust: The contest between the K1600 and Honda’s Gold Wing is a great one in the motorcycle world. The Gold Wing has a DCT option that the K1600 doesn’t currently and that might sway some buyers, but the K1600 is very comparable and also roughly $1500 cheaper when looking at base prices ($22,545 for the K 1600 B, $23,900 for the Gold Wing.) It really comes down to your preference between the BMW’s narrow inline-six or the Honda’s horizontally opposed configuration. We don’t think there is a wrong choice.

The post Subaru’s Right to Repair “solution,” Ducati’s up-to-11 adventure bike, Aston recalls an era’s end appeared first on Hagerty Media.

I recently asked folks in the Hagerty Community to submit their candidates for the most undervalued classics, and I received answers that were both insightful and surprisingly varied. The results go to show the diverse backgrounds of our Community fans, but they also make for good content elsewhere in the Hagerty mediaverse. (If you haven’t joined our Community, it’s not too late.) That said, commentator Inline8OD was keen to my grift, so I had better give credit where credit’s due:

PS: You do realize Hagerty runs these me-too articles, fans these flames to get free consensus of current value because they’re an insurance company, despite the everything-for-everyone window dressing of this site and magazine.

Oh man, it would be sweet if your boy Sanjeev got mad Hagerty street cred for his online antics! In reality, the Hagerty Valuation team makes objective decisions on hard numbers generated from transaction data, not my crowdsourced/anecdotal data. Since this article won’t cause the Hagerty Price Guide to so much as shiver, I can proceed unabated to show you which cars “we”—yours truly and the Hagerty Community—think are undervalued.

2006–10 Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky

The GM Kappa twins were suggested by both JimR and hyperv6 in the Hagerty Community on the basis of their well-tuned chassis, handsome styling, and increasing obscurity (both belong to discontinued GM brands). While the Solstice’s short-term history was far less pleasant than that of the contemporary Miata, the fortunes of the Kappas twins could be due for a shift: Witness this rare, museum-quality GXP that in October of 2021 for $86,500. By itself, however, the sale won’t reset the Kappa-twin market. For right now, you can enjoy the thrills provided by either the Solstice or the Sky for a reasonable price.

1992–97 Subaru SVX

The Giugiaro-styled Subaru SVX has the chops to make it on the list, thanks to spaceship styling and a decadent interior worthy of a GT coupe. Performance was respectable thanks to a 230-horse flat-six, even if the automatic transmission was neither awe-inspiring nor particularly durable. But gearbox choice is not the point: Community user Gen2rt compares the SVX to the DeLorean-in terms of styling (same designer, window-within-a-window concept) and praises the low center of gravity allowed by its boxer engine. Even better, I’ve observed the trend of manual transmission/WRX powertrain swaps in person, and such creativity truly gives the SVX a new lease on life. A SVX-WRX is, in my biased opinion, the coolest vehicle to ever wear the Subaru badge.

1989 Shelby Dakota/ 1989–91 Dakota Sport Convertible

Community user pdprince offered a real gem that was unique when new and remains quite rare today. The 1989 Shelby Dakota and the related Dakota convertible were unexpected “halo” vehicles that injected more personality into Dodge’s mid-size truck, and hopefully got some tire kickers to pull the trigger on a regular Dakota instead. Pdprince also raised a good point when suggesting that Shelby should have offered the convertible with his hotted-up powertrain and tuning package, too. If the Texan did, these coulda been the early 1990s reincarnation of the Dodge Lil’ Red Express, which are currently valued at $25,600 in #2 condition (i.e. Excellent condition). But Dodge and Shelby didn’t combine both notions, and that’s probably why the halo Dakotas made the cut for this list.

1996–02 Pontiac Trans Am WS6

Hagerty Community user Talso4146 still feels that WS6 Trans Ams (and the Camaro SS?) are undervalued, especially the 1998–2002 models with the LS1 motor lurking beneath the sleek hood. How can you argue with that combination? The fourth-generation F-bodies had sleek proportions that looked far more American Muscle than their stocky, global-platformed successors. Both the LT-1 and LS-1 mills offered serious fun with the T-56 manual trans, and the WS6 came with even more power out of the factory-shipped box. Everything about these cars suggest they should appreciate to the values of older F-bodies, but they have not … yet!

1972–79 Lamborghini Urraco

Not all Lamborghinis are created equal, but a Lambo is still a Lambo, right? Community user Keefe thinks the Urraco is the car to watch, as it’s an original “Lambo under Ferruccio, entry-level and affordable!” Originally designed to be a more affordable, more competitive vehicle to the likes of the Dino, the Urraco continues to trail the values of sisterships Espada and Jarama by tens of thousands of dollars. Which is a shame, because I think it looks better than both and deserves a larger share of the limelight.

1975–96 Jaguar XJS

Among the XJS’ 21-year production run, Community user karofsky suggests that 1995 might be the best year for quality and reliability, and that the XJS “compares quite favorably to the Mercedes 450 SL of the same era. I suspect prices for ‘excellent drivers’ could be in the mid $20K [range] in a few years.” Indeed, we’ve asked ourselves why these classic Jaguars aren’t worth more, and perhaps its because of the costs of ownership paired with the deity-like legacy of its predecessor. But no matter, the XJS’s tough circumstances make them a bargain for the amount of performance and prestige.

1970–82 Alfa Romeo Spider (Series II)

Much like the Jaguar, the Series II Alfa Romeo Spider is somewhat overshadowed by its predecessor. Community user gator749 thinks their rarity (from attrition by rusting) should cause these models to appreciate in value soon, particularly the handsome early versions with chrome bumpers. Gator749 went further and pointed out that “a very high quality ’71 just sold for $37,000,” which makes sense, as this clean ’73 sold for $38,000. Could this Alfa be poised to appreciate quicker than the others on the list?

1990–95 Corvette ZR-1

“All years of the C4 ZR-1 Corvette” are under-appreciated according to 66427vett, and he’s got a good point. While C4s in general are a depressed market, the ZR-1 was called King of the Hill for good reason: It beat Ferrari Testarossas and completely outclassed its C4 brethren. And yet the ZR-1 is worth no more–sometimes much less—than the one-year only 1996 Corvette Grand Sport, which boasted far less performance (but far more retro striping). And with that in mind, I agree with 66427vette’s remark that the fourth-gen ZR1s “have shown modest increases recently but are still a bargain that are likely to appreciate.”

2017–20 Fiat 124 Spider

While I previously noted the resale value superiority of the Fiat 124 Spider over its Miata blueprint, Community user LionShooter suggests the prices are even more appreciative, to the tune of increasing “by $15,000 in the past year.” Is it possible that a ritzy Italian interior and a turbocharged engine paired with Mazda engineering is about to explode into the realm of the big-dollar modern classics?

1992–2000 Lexus SC

The appropriately named Lexusman offered an example that just about everyone appreciates: The flagship Lexus SC300 and SC400 coupes. Our man behind the prestigious L brand makes special note of the “original five-speed SC300s, I estimate there are 500 or less original unmodified five-speed SC300s still in existence, out of an original total of 3800 1992–1997 models.” And while values have likely increased since we last questioned this model’s unexplained affordability, the sheer long-term value of this stylish Lexus relative to other luxury coupes (cough, that Jaguar up there) suggests the SC300 and SC400 have far more headroom in the classic car marketplace.

2005–08 Dodge Magnum

“I like the 2005–2008 Dodge Magnum, especially the ones with the Hemi V-8,” says Hagerty Community user George-85. It’s hard to argue with the concept of a modern American station wagon with a taut suspension and eight cylinders of rumbling fury under the hood! We’ve noted that prices for the SRT model have skyrocketed (kinda like those of Cadillac’s CTS-V wagon, but that’s another story) and even a low-mile R/T for $17,000 this year. Which likely means prices are rising, collectors are on the hunt, and you better get one for cheap while you can!

1991–2007 supercharged 3.8-liter Buick V-6s

I know that’s not a car, but Hagerty Community user Seisen is on to something when they note “GM 3.8 Supercharged V-6 cars are neat but un-loved—many models of Buick, Pontiac, Olds and Chevy to chose from.” While classic car folks are supposed to be pining for V-8 Cadillacs of the era, the tarnished reputation of the Northstar V-8 likely scared off too many owners back in the day for that to ever happen now. Enter Buick’s venerable 3.8-liter mill with a huffer added on top, available in sporty flavors from Chevrolet and Pontiac, super-cushy examples from Buick, and unbelievably stealthy sedans from Oldsmobile. Even this low-mile, naturally aspirated 3.8-liter-equipped Buick Park Avenue sold for impressive money, which suggests a supercharged Park Avenue Ultra in the same condition would sell for far, far more. In your author’s opinion, it’s only a matter of time before this happens, marking one of the few instances when a Buick blows the doors off a Cadillac of the same vintage.

1977–95 Porsche 928

Forget about the internationally famous movie car that sold for disgusting money, as Hagerty Community member Michaelmotorcyc has a valid point for other Porsche 928s on the market. He suggests that a “well-maintained, driver-quality” Porsche 928 checks off a lot of boxes for classic car ownership, and anyone who has driven one will agree. Of course, he notes the “928 GTS is already sought after” but there are only so many of those later, low-production examples available. At some point the cheaper ones, especially the 5.0-liter S4s, will appreciate in value like their big brothers. It’s only a matter of time, so enjoy the regular 928s while you still can.

What did “we” collectively miss? I’d love to read what you think, because as stated above, that’ll help me give Hagerty more free information to boost my credibility within the organization. Do it for Sanjeev me!

The post According to you: 13 undervalued vehicles you can enjoy on the cheap appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Subaru, Prodrive, Colin McRae, Ari Vatanen, Richard Burns. They’re all familiar names to any fan of rally history. A car up for auction this month has a connection to all of them. Not only was it piloted by all three of those title-winning drivers, it was also the first Subaru Impreza to score points in the World Rally Championship (WRC). Now restored, the Group A Subaru will cross the block later this month at Artcurial’s Automobiles Sur Les Champs auction in Paris. It’s a sale full of the funky French and other European cars we love as well as several historic rally cars, including an Alpine A110 and an ultra-rare Group B Citroën BX 4TC. But the blue-and-yellow Impreza, chassis #93-004, is the clear star of the sale.

More than any other carmaker—fight us, Lancia and Audi fans—Subaru built its performance image on the dirt and gravel of international rally. All-wheel drive is a Subie hallmark, after all. But its cars weren’t winners straight out of the box.

In 1989, Subaru contracted with British racing outfit Prodrive to prepare its cars and run the Subaru Rally team. The first weapon of choice was the Legacy, and although it was moderately successful, it wasn’t a title contender. The smaller, lighter, more nimble Impreza that came out at the end of 1992 had a lot more promise. The Impreza went on sale in Japan in November and, hinting at the company’s WRC aspirations, Subaru dubbed the turbo performance version “WRX,” short for “World Rally eXperimental.”

In the second half of the 1993 season, at the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland, Prodrive was ready with a full-on Impreza WRC car, decked out in the now famous blue and yellow colors of British cigarette brand 555. Subaru was fresh from its debut win at the previous round in New Zealand, with a young Colin McRae piloting the tried and true Legacy RS. McRae stayed in the Legacy for Finland, while the Impreza, chassis #93-004, was entrusted to veteran driver and 1981 World Champion Ari Vatanen. He brought it home in second place overall behind Juha Kankkunen’s Toyota Celica Turbo. Not bad for the first time out.

Subaru finished the season third in the manufacturers’ standings, behind Toyota with its Celica Turbos and Ford with its Escort RS Cosworths, but ahead of Mitsubishi with its Lancer Evo I and Galant VR-4. In the drivers’ standings, McRae was fifth and Vatanen seventh, as Toyota driver Kankkunen took his fourth drivers’ championship.

Subaru had an even more successful 1994 season, running Impreza Prodrives exclusively. The blue-and-yellow cars won three rallies, and the team took second place in the manufacturers’ standings, just 11 points behind Toyota. 93-004, on the other hand, had a string of bad luck with nothing but retirements. McRae drove it at the Rally of Portugal but dropped out following a ruptured power steering pipe. It also ran the Indonesia round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship with Richard Burns driving but again had to drop out with mechanical failure. At the Rally New Zealand, Burns again retired, while McRae won the event in an identical car.

Subaru built on the momentum from the 1994 season to win three straight manufacturers’ championships from 1995 to 1997, with Colin McRae becoming the first Scottish and the youngest ever WRC drivers’ champion in 1995. Richard Burns, meanwhile, finally won his WRC title in 2001, also driving an Impreza. A year after that, we Americans who had only ever seen Subaru’s World Rally weapons on the TV screen or in the pages of a magazine could finally buy an Impreza WRX for the street. The most popular color? WR Blue Pearl, of course.

As for chassis #93-004, it sold to New Zealand rally racer Possum Bourne, who swapped the engine and won several rounds of the Australian Rally Championship from 1996 to 1998. A rally enthusiast then bought it and had it restored in 2017–18 to period WRC specs. It retains the original 1993 body shell.

As the first Impreza to score WRC points, this car is an important touchstone in Subaru history. And in the past few years, that history has proven extremely lucrative at auction. In 2017, Colin McRae’s 1996 WRC test car sold for £230,625 (nearly $300,000 at the time). Last February, an ex-Petter Solberg 2007 WRC car sold for £189,000 ($245,000 at the time), and this May an ex-Solberg, ex-McRae, 2004 Rally Japan-winning Impreza sold for £369,000 ($522,430 at the time). Also sold this spring was the first Impreza 22B STi offered in the United States, which brought $317,555. And just last month, a barn find Prodrive Impreza driven by both Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae sold at an auction in Australia, reportedly for $360,000 worth of Bitcoin.

Artcurial thinks that 93-004’s provenance make it worth more than those other cars: With a presale estimate of €450,000–€650,000 ($523,000– $756,000), it has the potential to become the most expensive Subaru sold at auction. We’ll find out if the bidders in Paris agree on October 24.

The post This Impreza could become the most expensive Subaru ever sold at auction appeared first on Hagerty Media.

When the first few frames of a film reveal the ten-spoke front alloy of a Subaru Impreza WRX rolling to a halt across the street from a bank, you know what’s in store. But wait: there’s a kid at the wheel, his fresh face partly obscured by sunglasses, and he’s dialling up Bellbottoms by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion on his iPod. Surely not the prelude to serious car action?

It is, though. And in the pantheon of car-chase heroes, the eponymous star of the 2017 film Baby Driver ranks high. Baby, played by 21-year-old Ansel Elgort, was orphaned as a child after his parents were killed in an horrific car crash that left him with tinnitus, leading to an obsession with the noise-cancelling rock and blues he continually listens to through his EarPods. He becomes a getaway driver as payment to Doc (Kevin Spacey), a crime baron from whom he unwittingly steals a car packed with hooky goods. But he hates the violence doled out by his “clients” and is on the cusp of paying off his debt to Doc: “One more job and I’m done.”

Back to the Subaru, and as Baby’s three masked passengers—Buddy, Griff, and Darling—run from the Bank of Atlanta, alarms blaring, he’s ready. Bellbottoms is all he can hear, and as Griff points forward, the all-wheel-drive WRX bolts backwards, sliding through a “Rockford” 270-degree turn, then immediately into a tightly choreographed drift that can only have been possible in a rear-drive car.

“One was converted to rear-wheel-drive, one was modified for more power and with limited slip diffs in the front and rear, and one was a stock car, but converted to an STi-spec drivetrain,” revealed Jeremy Fry, Baby Driver’s lead stunt driver when I spoke to him recently. The production company also used two special camera cars, says Fry: “One was earmarked as the pod car, a driving car with separate driver’s pod on top, (and) one was built for the biscuit rig, virtually a high-performance driving trailer that makes it look like the actors are driving.”

Which partly explains why Elgort as Baby looks so slick behind the wheel in what are clearly not process shots (or green-screening), although, says Fry, “Ansel did a good amount of driving … and did a great job. He (was) quick to learn and really enjoyed it. We spent a lot of time driving, including several stunts such as 180s, 90s and drifts. He was proficient enough to do some of these things on film.”

But perhaps not in one of the highlights of the Impreza chase, where police are closing in and the WRX jinks sharp right down an alley to evade them, pirouetting between some loading trucks: “We did the alley shot five times,” said Fry. “I mapped it out and recreated the alley … in a parking lot with cones and boxes. It let us place the trucks in places that would make it tight, but still achievable.”

Towards the end of the sequence, a helicopter joins the chase as the Subaru joins the freeway and catches up with two identically-colored Chevrolet Cruzes, switching lanes with them through a tunnel to confuse the police. “We had to shut down the whole freeway (in Atlanta) to do that part of the chase,” says Fry. “(The police) did a ‘rolling barricade’ … so each take was a huge effort.”

Elgort’s Baby is the antithesis of the brutal villains who ride with him. Caring (his loyalty towards his deaf foster father, played by CJ Jones is heart-warming) and loving (his relationship with waitress Debora, played by Lily James, blossoms through the story), Baby is always at best an object of ridicule to them, or at worst viewed with deep suspicion.

And never more so than before his final job, when Bats (played by Jamie Foxx) is drafted in, providing extra venom towards the hapless Baby. Bats and two other thugs rob a bank, but it turns nasty and a security guard is killed. This time, Baby’s ride is a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche pickup, and as he attempts to escape from the bank’s car park, he collides heavily with a gun-toting have-a-go hero in a Dodge Ram who pursues them, with Baby driving along the side of a wall to get away.

“We had a small ramp built to make the transition onto the wall a little easier,” said Fry. “We also had the rear end (differential) welded, but it proved unnecessary as that truck ended up having an issue halfway through the day and I finished up in the backup Avalanche that was stock.

“One of the tougher gags (stunts) was doing a reverse 180 in the Avalanche through a section of breakaway guardrail to go down the hill. The window of breakaway guardrail in between the real stuff was pretty small, and I wanted to hit it pretty fast, which made my target smaller still. But one of the coolest shots in the movie was from a C-camera (secondary camera) on a long lens that got this shot of the Avalanche as it slides off the grass and onto the road.”

This was never going to be Baby’s last job, though, and after a threat from Doc (‘… I can break your legs and kill everyone you know’) he returns for a fatality-filled finale, notable for its memorable soundtrack (Focus’s Hocus Pocus) in synch with the machine gun popping from Buddy and Darling’s ammo, leading to the film’s bitter-sweet ending.

“I wanted you to watch the movie and really feel the car chases like they’re living vicariously through Ansel’s character,” said Baby Driver’s British writer/director, Edgar Wright, shortly after the film was released. And thanks to the driving talents of Jeremy Fry and his team, combined with neat editing (for which the film won an Academy Award) and innovative production techniques, Baby Driver certainly hits the mark.

Via Hagerty UK

The post <em>Baby Driver </em> was an instant classic car chase movie appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Rally cars are a scrappy, pugnacious bunch, punching well above their weight in capability and versatility. For nearly two decades in the U.S. and longer abroad, the WRX has brought that scrappy personality to the street, providing sports car performance in packaging that acknowledges that drivers who enjoy carving corners often have other hobbies, too.

The 2022 WRX continues that tradition. Joining its siblings on the 2016-introduced Subaru Global Platform and boasting an attractive new interior with better NVH, a 271-hp 2.4-liter turbo engine, fresh suspension, retaining the proven six-speed manual, and adding a heavily revised optional automatic Subaru Performance Transmission, SPT for short, the WRX’s is a ground-up transformation. It’s a welcome one, too, as the current generation, while venerable, has begun to show its age.

While Subaru did not offer us chance to pilot the new WRX ourselves, Scott Speed, driver for the Subaru Americas Rallycross Championship team and all-around excellent wheelman, whisked us around the Thermal Club race track near Palm Springs, California. Hot laps riding shotgun with a former F1 driver like Speed effectively highlighted the new WRX’s traits and whet my appetite for a future first drive.

The previous WRX (if not the STI with its pronounced wing) has for the past couple of generations provided understated performance, and 2022 WRX is no different. The design is evolutionary: overall clean lines, the familiar hood scoop, and wider, accentuated fenders subtly suggest that there’s something more under the WRX’s skin than the underpinnings of a more modest compact sedan. Presumably the black lower body cladding and wheel arch-defining plastic molding, similar to its Forester and Outback Wilderness siblings, exists to infer the WRX’s off-road prowess, although I tend to agree with Jason Cammisa that such cladding is employed to slim the thicker proportions of many modern cars when looked at from the side. We’re told in the press materials that the taillights are designed to look (read this in your best Austin Powers voice) “reminiscent of volcanic magma,” but really they’re an evolution of prior design across the Subaru family and redolent of a certain Acura NSX tail. Overall, the design is purposeful and attractive in person.

While the exterior continues familiar themes, the interior is home to the greatest visual change. Die-hard fans may have appreciated the prior interior for being “old-school,” and while I enjoyed the knobs for the HVAC, the design afterthought of hard plastics in a mishmash of different colors and textures was always a letdown. The new interior is much more au courant, with an attractive design and nice, complementary textures throughout that are more becoming of a car at this price point.

The information centers are a mix of traditional and trendy, with clear, easy to read analog gauges set before you and an available 11.6inch STARLINK infotainment center stack. Thankfully, volume and tuning knobs are retained, as are physical buttons for the temperature control. The base model makes do with a smaller, dual split-screen layout, which appears functional but is a bit of a clunky design. Android Audio and Apple CarPlay are integrated into STARLINK, as is Bluetooth hands-free connectivity.

The Base, Limited, and Premium trims all have the same seat construction with cloth and leather options. The new GT trim has Ultrasuede-equipped Recaros with deeper side bolsters and slightly more aggressive shoulder support than the previous model. These seats will keep you planted but are not overly bolstered and should accommodate a broad array of sizes without issue. As with the BRZ, it appears Subaru has paid close attention to seat comfort, with the new model’s base and Recaro offerings each far surpassing the prior generation’s, at least as far as this 41-year old with minor back issues is concerned.

In addition to the Recaro seats, checking the GT box also nets you Ultrasuede interior pieces, 18-inch wheels shod in Dunlop summer tires, and a new Drive Mode Select that enables the driver to customize several driving settings—more on that in a moment.

Chalk it up to the death of Mitsubishi’s Evo, or that years of WRX/Evo battles found a sweet spot for power output in this segment. Or maybe vague deference to the old Japanese edict of keeping horsepower to 276. Whatever the case may be, Subaru has bumped power ever so slightly to 271 from 268 with a new-to-the-WRX 2.4-liter turbocharged engine. Know what? Despite the negligible increase, it’s an ample amount of power, and suits the platform well. The torque curve is broad and flat with 258 lb-ft available between 2000 and 5200 rpm, and on track the power was linear with very little lag.

About that automatic. The SPT is a reworked version of the (don’t say it!) continuously variable transmission found in the prior generation. Having not driven or ridden in the automatic on the street, I can’t speak to its manners around town. However, Subaru appears to have picked up on the feedback about their past CVT and as a result have revised its manners and added a new feature: an eight-speed “manual” mode. More time will tell the story, but what I initially considered a party trick ended up appearing rather engaging, and it’s certainly a concerted effort by Subaru to make their automatic more appealing to enthusiasts.

Composure and stability were two attributes emphasized during the reveal, and the lapping bore them out. From the passenger seat, the car felt easy to pitch with very progressive rotation on entry, responded well to throttle correction mid-corner, and remained settled through high-speed transitions. I got the sense turn in was not incredibly sharp, and the WRX demonstrated minor understeer upon entering the tightest of Thermal’s corners. This is to be expected in an all-wheel-drive car with the entirety of its engine ahead of the center of the shock towers, and Speed easily mitigated it by unwinding the wheel and quick throttle modulation. Near the limit of adhesion, he happily took to the curbs at apex and rumble strips at track out to demonstrate how the longer travel of the new suspension and 28 percent increase in torsional rigidity of the Global Platform eagerly embraced undulating surfaces. Speed also noted that the added structural stiffness and suspension travel enabled Subaru to use slightly bigger sway bars, allowing for flatter cornering without concern for impacting ride quality.

A welcome addition to the WRX’s suspension on GT-trimmed automatic-equipped cars are the electronically adjustable dampers. Part of Drive Mode Select, which enables 430 (!) combinations of steering, throttle, damping, and SI-Drive settings, the adjustable dampers provide a very noticeable change in firmness. The closest thing to a rough road at a pristine track like thermal are those rumble strips at track out, and the softest setting enabled the car to better absorb the impact without becoming too soft or washboarding over the bumps. Soft seems a natural setting for daily commutes or the back-road blast that includes more bumps and gravel, whereas the firmest did well on the smooth asphalt of the track. Having said that, the base dampers were no slouch themselves.

Subaru’s suite of safety features are also incorporated, and with the SPT their EyeSight Driver Assist Technology with integrated Lane Departure Prevention and Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Centering is standard across any trim.

You’ve made it this far and there’s been no reference to a new STI. We’re going to have to wait a little while longer, but the fact we were told there is no information “at this time” gives hope that we’ll soon bring news of this platform’s top dog. In the meantime, expect regular WRX’s to show up at dealers toward the end of the first quarter of 2022.

Since we Yanks don’t get the GR Yaris and we no longer have Ford’s fun hatches, the WRX is the sole standard bearer for rally-influenced, high-performance fun that doesn’t sacrifice excellent everyday usability. Oddly, because of the lack of competition, the WRX is free from the crazy horsepower race (and its ensuing expense) we’re seeing across so many segments, and is instead able to pursue becoming a better version of what’s proven to be an excellent formula, adding several features that provide performance, driving pleasure, and comfort. Scrappy indeed.

The post Ride-Along Preview: 2022 Subaru WRX appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Morgan’s new 3 Wheeler swaps bike power for tri power

Intake: Having just built its final S&S motorcycle-motored 3 Wheeler, Morgan has confirmed that its next generation trike will be powered by Ford. Most details of the new model—including its scheduled launch date—are still secret, but Morgan says the next 3 Wheeler will have a three-cylinder, naturally-aspirated Ford engine. Ford makes three triples: a one-liter, a 1.1-liter, and a 1.5-liter with power outputs ranging from 84 hp in the Focus right up to 200 hp in the Fiesta ST. The one-liter and 1.5-liter are turbocharged, however, and Morgan says its version won’t be boosted, so that leaves the 86-hp 1.1 as the most likely option. Steve Morris, Morgan chairman and CEO says: “We are thrilled to confirm plans for an all-new three-wheeled Morgan, a model that continues an incredible story dating back to 1909. The outgoing 3 Wheeler was adored by customers and enthusiasts alike, and will inspire this next generation. The upcoming model is an all-new ground-up design and Morgan’s team of engineers and designers have considered everything that the company has learnt from the decade of building and selling the previous model. We look forward to sharing more about this exciting new vehicle in due course.”

Exhaust: We won’t lie. Tears may have been shed when we heard that the last 3 Wheeler had been produced. The news that a next generation is coming—and that it is powered, at least initially—by internal combustion is exciting indeed. The Ford triple might not look quite as cool as the S&S motor that was hung out ahead of the front axle, but it will likely perform better, and won’t singe anyone who gets a little too close, like the old one did.

Ford Ranger splashes into ’90s nostalgia

Intake: Ford just announced the return of the Ranger Splash, a special appearance package that we first came to know (and love) on Rangers of the 1990s. The $1495 package will be exclusive to 2022 model year SuperCrew Rangers of the XLT or Lariat trim levels. Tick the Splash box on your Ranger build, and you’ll get orange-and-black graphics, special 18-inch wheels, a special grille, and gloss-black accents on the bumpers, rearview mirror caps, fender vents, and wheel lip moldings. Inside, orange contrast stitching adorns the special seats, steering wheel, shifter, and parking brake boot, adding a pop of color to an otherwise monochrome cabin. The coolest part: Every few months, Ford will unveil a one-time-only exterior color in limited quantities exclusively for the Ranger Splash, adding to the hype around this package.

Exhaust: As far as heritage mining goes, we absolutely love this play. Those original Ranger Splash packages are the darlings of a Radwood-crazed car scene, so this resurrection makes perfect sense. We’ll admit, the photos above look more like a Boss 302 tribute package for the Ranger than a package that’s any bit water-related, but we’re confident the forthcoming limited-run paint colors will produce a bigger—oh yeah, we’ll say it—splash.

It’s official: Forester to get next taste of Wilderness 

Intake: Though it has since been taken down, Subaru Canada yesterday posted an official product page for the Forester Wilderness. The slip gives us our first undisguised look at the next vehicle to get Subaru’s gnarlier off-road package. (The first Wilderness model, the Outback, debuted this spring.) The recipe appears identical: a slathering of black plastic body cladding, a slight lift, orange accents, and handsome five-spoke wheels. A roof rack is only natural. Judging from the Outback, expect those rims to be matte black and come clad in all-terrain Yokohama Geolandars.

Exhaust: Subaru has never been and likely never will be a premium nameplate, so it’s leaning heavily into the outdoorsy schtick to move more of its crowd-pleasing crossovers. The company’s immense sales success over the last decade suggests it knows its market down-pat, so we expect the Wilderness models to be a hit.

James Bond’s DB5 is boxed and ready to play

Intake: Finally, after almost two years’ delay, the 25th 007 movie No Time To Die is to be released on September 30. To mark this momentous occasion Aston Martin has put on a special display in London. Parked outside the British capital’s landmark Battersea Power Station for one month is a Goldfinger continuation car, complete with its own full-size replica Corgi toy box. First introduced by the model maker in 1965, more than two million mini DB5s have been sold worldwide during several re-issues. Aston Martin’s full-size version will only reach 25 buyers, however. No Time To Die will see the DB5 in action again (it was last seen being blown up in Skyfall) along with a classic V8, the new DBS, and the Valhalla, making Bond 25 the most Aston-heavy 007 film ever.

Exhaust: Mr. Bond, we’ve been expecting you, but judging from the Aston Martin action in the latest trailer it looks like it will have been worth the wait.

100 years ago, Lancia brought unibody construction to the masses

Intake: Drive just about any modern car, and you can trace the design of your ride to this stuffy looking Italian classic. Debuting exactly 100 years ago today, the Lancia Lambda was the first unibody design to be produced en masse. This meant there was no chassis underneath the body to which the suspension (independent front) and drivetrain (SOHC, narrow-angle V-4) attached. Rather, the body was structurally sound enough to support all those components while also being stylish and functional—for the ’20s, that is.

Exhaust: The late 1910s and early 1920s ushered in a slew of technological advances for the automobile, and many methods and techniques were tried and discarded due to a lack of the technology needed to produce the designs reliably. Unibody construction was not much of a sales point in 1921—you couldn’t easily rebody it with the custom coachwork in vogue at the time—but as the automobile became ubiquitous and other manufacturers and buyers became increasingly cost-conscious, the financial savings of eliminating the chassis made the construction commonplace.

The “aluminating” rebirth of the Ford Excursion

Intake: Judging by resale value alone, there are a lot of people who adore, cherish and miss the Ford Excursion. The heavy duty Ford SUV with the heart and soul of a Super Duty truck is such a force to be reckoned with that Custom Autos by Tim made an entirely new one. Called the Aluma X Edition and sporting the aluminum body shell from the Ford Expedition atop a “2017 and up F250/350 Super Duty truck” the conversion looks almost factory. The only fly in the ointment is that the cost is rather steep: The Aluma X Edition starts at $125,000, which doesn’t include the donor 2017–up Super Duty truck you must provide.

Exhaust: In an era when new Ford Super Duties sell for six figures from the factory, what’s the big deal about spending a bit more for an Excursion rebirth that harkens back to the Ford Centurion conversions of yesteryear?

The post Morgan’s new 3 Wheeler swaps twin for tri-power, Ranger makes retro Splash, Lancia Lambda’s 100th appeared first on Hagerty Media.

If you had a chance to race at Le Mans, wouldn’t you stick around and see the sights afterward? I had something even better planned: After running a low horsepower spec race car against 99 other competitors in a 5 hour support race on the Circuit de la Sarthe, I decided to immediately fly back to the States for a date with another car featuring relatively low horsepower and (I hoped) a similar fun factor. The new Subaru BRZ has a lot to live up to and I couldn’t help but think … gosh I hope they didn’t screw this up.

While I tend not to focus on the negative, I say that because the car’s first version is so fun and easy to drive that it would be easier to muck up that equation than to improve it. There have been 42,144 of them sold in the U.S. since it launched. Not bad for a sporting car in this country—and there’s the Toyota version as well, doing decent numbers in showrooms. Yes there are frequent requests for more horsepower and whistly boost noises from under the hood, but the car itself has been a riot to drive, as-is, from Day 1. Want more? The aftermarket has had you covered.

Now comes the updated BRZ, and the specs look good. Subaru answered the call for more power by utilizing a 2.4-liter normally aspirated boxer engine that provides 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. The torque is higher and flatter across the rev range, with the mid-range dip that was sometimes complained about in the previous version being significantly reduced. No, there is not a turbo under the hood—but that’s okay as the nimble nature of the car could be affected when you add the weight of turbos, intercoolers, and other necessary equipment. The change from the 2.0-liter to 2.4-liter engine only added 20 pounds of weight to the car. Engineers were quick to combat that heft with an aluminum roof, prop shaft, fenders, muffler, and lighter seats.

So how does it perform? I had the opportunity to drive both the automatic and manual versions of the top-spec Limited trim model on the Lime Rock Park main circuit, autocross course, and public roads to and from our hotel. Our drive started in an automatic BRZ. This is a sports car with utility in mind, and the engineers made it a point to design around fitting four wheels, tools, and a helmet in the car for trips to track days. Even the TPMS now has two sets of wheels you can program and switch between via a button on the dashboard. Great for your street set and track set of tires … or for those that live in climates requiring a set of winters.

The seats are comfortable for a spirited drive on bumpy, curvy roads and as I found later on the track, very supportive and well-bolstered. As a nerd who everyday uses data on-track to improve performance, I can appreciate how Subaru engineers utilized pressure sensors in testing through the old seats to help design a better new seat. In the first-generation car, most of the pressure was on the lower back; the new one is better. In a .8 g turn, the shoulder and entire back did a better job distributing the forces—usually the goal in a race car when pouring custom seats. It’s great to see this focus on a street car. That comfort helps reduce fatigue and allows you to drive faster for a longer duration.

Driving through the Connecticut countryside, the BRZ is a pleasure to wheel even over some rough roads. There’s some road noise coming through from the rear Michelin Pilot 4S tires, and an occasional aggressiveness from the front suspension on bad bumps or potholes. Overall, though, the ride and handling are fantastic for a vehicle at this price point. It’s a joy to drive and begging to be pushed, and that’s just what I plan to do at the track .

Buttons and dials are very large and easy to find quickly. You could easily adjust everything with your racing gloves on, although I do wish there was more aft adjustment in the steering wheel. Taller drivers will want the wheel just a little closer to them but it’s not enough of a gripe to prevent a purchase. The wheel itself looks very similar to a sim racing wheel. Perhaps this is by design since BRZ has a much younger market than its Toyota-branded “86” sibling or similar competitors like the Miata. The wheel is compact with a nice feel to it and small-but-precise buttons in the right places.

Arriving at the new autocross course at Lime Rock, it’s all about vision and looking through the tight course to set up a good racing line. Thankfully the visibility out of the BRZ is strong with small quarter glass at the front of the side windows helping. Even the large, useful side mirrors extend out wide enough to never block a good view into tighter apexes. Seating position in the car is low enough to feel sporty but not so low that you can’t see over the hood. This is accomplished by the low center of gravity, achieved in the new BRZ by bumping the height of the car down roughly .4 inches and changing the roof to lighter aluminum. Center of gravity is actually below your hip point in the car, or 4 mm lower than the last version. That’s lower than a Porsche Boxster or Cayman.

All this equates to how the car behaves on the autocross course. It’s a nimble machine that you really feel like you’re a part of rather than sitting on top of. Direction changes are smooth. The car is predictable. It actually begs you to push harder. The increased power and torque is just enough to propel the car over some of the steeper inclines on the course with a little tail wag on exit. As I grow more comfortable with the car and course, lots of fun smoky slides make their way out and big grins ear to ear are had by driver and spectators alike. While I didn’t get a chance to try the base model, given its harder, slippier Primacy tires I would expect those slides to be even more fun albeit slower around such a course.

Lime Rock is a good place for this kind of car; at COTA, for example, it would feel a little sleepy on the long straights. Not here. Just 1.5 miles in 7 turns, each with it’s own personality. The automatic sounds good out of pit lane. Part of this probably helped by the Active Sound control pumping sound into the speakers, but it’s not so overtly noticeable that it seems fake. The automatic took some time to shift at lower revs on the road, but at higher revs in Sport mode on track it does a good job keeping up. Most of the track is taken in third gear which surprises me a bit since Lime Rock is usually a fourth-gear playground. Handling is predictable, fun, and at times even a little tail happy. I blame this partially on my driving on the autocross prior, which got so drifty that the rear tires heated up and increased oversteer likely on the big track as well. BRZ owners with a track-day hobby will want to upgrade the brake pads and fluid; there was one moment late onto the brakes into the hard braking zone of turn 1 where more stopping power would have been appreciated.

After lunch I swapped to the manual transmission version on track, which made for even more fun. My first time driving the car was at speed straight out of the pits and even with no time to adjust the gearbox was as smooth as French wine. The improved shift feel in the new model is noted particularly in diagonal changes, like fourth to fifth on the straightaway. Looking down at the intuitive new all-digital gauge cluster made it easy to hit the fast approaching shifts. It was very easy to change gears and heel/toe downshifts were nailed approaching Big Bend each time. It was easy enough that I didn’t gripe that rev matching isn’t included on the car. This would be a great car to learn this and many other performance driving techniques on.

On-track the car was primarily in fourth gear, and the revs and torque curve seemed perfectly matched for the circuit. When I caught up to other BRZ drivers on track (Kevin, I thought we agreed there’d be no on-track bullying of “lifestyle” journalists and our esteemed competitors — JB) it allowed me to appreciate the exterior styling. To me it seems a little more baby Supra than Subaru. The rear spoiler is integrated much like the new Supra and yet still produces as much downforce as the previous boy racer version on the BRZ. Length of the car is up by an inch but otherwise it hasn’t grown much like many version 2.0 cars. The general look is lower and sleeker especially gassing through No Name Straight and The Uphill at Lime Rock. There isn’t anything obnoxious on the car styling-wise, and I’m happy to report that all of the vents on the car are functional and work to provide downforce and cooling as you’d like to see in a pure sports car such as this.

The BRZ is developed differently to the Toyota 86, with notable changes including a higher front spring rate, lower rear spring rate, and smaller diameter rear stabilizer bar. Subaru also mounts the rear stabilizer bar to the body on the BRZ, which is not something Toyota does on the 86. How this transfers over to what the average driver would feel on track without a back-to-back comparison is tough to assess, but suffice to say Subaru has dialed in stability and precision in a car that reacts as you intend to drive it.

Wrapping up the day and hopping back to the autocross course in the manual transmission car made for some of the most enjoyment, as the gearing really allows the new sports car to come alive. Sticking with second gear, the car would rotate so predictably that large smoky drifts were a regular occurrence. Power was just enough to keep steep uphill drifts going. The narrowed cabin, with weight placed more toward the centerline was appreciated as I made drifting transitions from left to right smoothly like a Moulin Rouge ballet dancer. Linking the entire course was an absolute blast, and something you don’t typically gain enough confidence to do at an event like this with limited drive time (and a strong desire to not do anything costly in front of Subaru’s finest).

Overall the new BRZ was a pleasure to drive on and off track. I’m glad Subaru listened to its audience and moderately improved power without changing the character of the car. Some of the added creature comforts, safety improvements, and niceties are a welcome addition, but the engineering focus on keeping weight minimal and low to the ground transfers exceptionally over from the prior BRZ. This is a car that many enthusiasts would be proud to own and I can only imagine how much fun a spec series of these on-track would be. Is it as good as the original? No. It’s better.

The post First Look Review: 2022 Subaru BRZ appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Goodwood Revival will turn back the clock to 1951

Intake: It’s been 70 years since two momentous automotive events took place in 1951: the Festival of Britain and the founding of the National Hot Rod Association. To celebrate both, the U.K.’s Goodwood Revival, scheduled for September 17–19, will be recreating a slice of that festival atmosphere, as well as hosting one of the largest-ever gatherings of hot rods in Europe.

Exhaust: The ode to 1951 is the perfect way to welcome back the thousands of enthusiasts who attend the annual Goodwood Revival, which was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Goodwood, the largest and most authentic historic motorsport event in the world, celebrates the years in which the Motor Speedway was an active racing venue (1948–66). The majority of participants dress in period, making it a must-see event on your automotive bucket list.

Subaru keeps exploring new Wilderness models, Forester up next

Intake: Late this March, we met the 2022 Outback Wilderness, an off-road focused version of Subaru’s trademark wagon with a 0.8-inch lift, lots of extra body cladding, and matte-black 17-inch wheels clad in uprated all-terrain Yokohomas. (All-wheel-drive goes without saying. So too, sadly, does the CVT.) The Outback won’t be alone in the Wilderness range, either, as this teaser image shows. After much peering at front quarter panels, we expect the next Wilderness model to be the Forester, the smaller of Subie’s two SUVs.

Exhaust: Judging by the Outback Wilderness, this beefed-up Forester Wilderness should be appealing and not unreasonably expensive: At $38,120 with destination, the lifted Outback is not the priciest trim, falling below the turbocharged Limited ($39,120) and Touring ($41,170) models. The Forester’s base price starts a few grand below the Outback’s, and we think its boxier styling might look adorable in a swashbuckling Wilderness sort of way, with a healthy dose of plastic fender protection and orange accents.

The shadiest of McLaren Speedtails is a bespoke beauty named Albert

Intake: 12 weeks and 1.24 miles of masking tape later, McLaren Special Operations has completed a wild paint job on one of the final Speedtails, a special commission from McLaren’s Beverly Hills dealer in California. McLaren aficionados will know that “Albert” is more than a cute nickname; it’s a nod to the street address of the company’s Woking headquarters, where the original F1 was built and tested. (True nerds will know that the first Speedtail prototype, MVY02, was also dubbed “Albert.”) The intricate paint job mimics the ideal path of air over the Speedtail’s lovely carbon-fiber body and is worked in Magnesium Silver and Ueno Grey. The first was worn by the first F1 road car at the ’92 Monaco Grand Prix; the second, by the F1 GTR that won Le Mans in ’95.

Exhaust: Yes, it’s all very retrospective, but don’t let the onslaught of inside McLaren references distract you from the entirely modern wonder that is the Speedtail. This 17-foot-long, 1036-hp hybrid is faster to 186 mph than a Chiron and, indeed, the fastest McLaren ever—the XP2 prototype hit 250 mph. Over 30 times. The Speedtail is also an absolute delight to drive at, ahem, mortal speeds: You can read our review here.

Renee Brinkerhoff ready to finish off 7-continent challenge in Antarctica

Intake: After an 18-month delay due to the pandemic, Renee Brinkerhoff and her Valkyrie Racing Team are ready to complete their goal to race Brinkerhoff’s 1956 Porsche 356A on every continent. The seventh and final piece will be the toughest: Antarctica. Sometime this winter, the team will attempt to drive 356 miles on the harshest, coldest terrain in the world—on custom tracks instead of wheels—and hopes to achieve a new land speed record on the ice of Antarctica.

Exhaust: Brinkerhoff will become the first woman to race on all seven continents, which is impressive enough. Better yet, the renowned racer and philanthropist is also using the adventure to raise money to rescue children around the globe from human trafficking. Through Valkyrie Racing/Valkyrie Gives, she is challenging the global community to raise $1 million in this effort.

Refreshed 2022 Tiguan stays affordable while nudging upmarket

Intake: The 2022 Tiguan represents a thoughtful refresh of VW’s best-selling vehicle, wearing more LEDs on its minimalist exterior and packed with more screens in the cabin. The best news? You’ll still have an easy time speccing a moderately-well equipped model right around $30K. Not that the base S model, which gets a $750 uptick from the previous model year, is Spartan: heated seats and an 8-inch digital instrument cluster now come standard. Even better, VW’s suite of driver-assist tech is now available on the base model as an $895 add-on (it’s standard on the other three trims), and VW will automatically toss in the Convenience Package, too: rain-sensing wipers, a leatherette steering wheel, and auto-dimming headlights. The most obvious price drop, however, occurs at the top end of the Tiguan family: the SEL R-Line, which replaces the SEL Premium R-Line from 2021, is $2500 cheaper than its outgoing equivalent.

Exhaust: If you want to stay in the mid-$20K range with a nicely specced compact VW SUV, look to the Taos; but if your budget stretches to the low 30s, you’ll be well-served by the updated Tiguan. For our money, an all-wheel-drive S with the driver-assist goodies and rain-sensing wipers is a sweet proposition at $29,585, destination included. 

The post Hot rods to hit Goodwood, Forester gets Wildernessy, Speedtail doused in shade appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Welcome to The Manifold, our fresh daily digest of news and what’s happening in the car world.

Someone just put a V-8 in a MINI to make a VINI

Intake: British suspension specialist Powerflex has shoehorned a BMW V-8 under the hood of an R56 Mini Cooper S. The VINI has been four years in development and its four-liter, 420-hp naturally-aspirated S65 engine comes straight out of an M3. Powerflex’s original plan was to somehow keep the car front-drive, but that proved impossible, so it has been converted to rear-wheel-drive and uses a a BMW seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. From the outside the VINI looks little different to a regular Mini, but inside all has been stripped and refitted with roll cage, race seats and harnesses and a motorsports dashboard. Although the car is being promoted by Powerflex at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed it’s actually a massive collaboration between a number of tuning and aftermarket parts firms including Ed Motorsport, Litchfield Motors, Alcon, Tilton Engineering, Bilstein UK, Forge Motorsport, Goodridge, Aero Tec Labs, ITG, Cobra Seats, Lifeline, Racelogic, Syvecs, AiM Tech, and Braid.

Exhaust: The original Mini has long been popular for eccentric engine swaps, from Honda VTECs and Rover V-8s to motorcycle motors and electric powertrains but this is the first major swap we’ve seen for the “new” Mini—and we love it.

Carlos Reutemann, 1942–2021

Intake: Carlos Reutemann, Formula 1 ace and long-serving politician, has passed away at the age of 79. Entering F1 in 1972 Reutemann’s racing career saw him take 146 starts with Brabham, Lotus, Ferrari and Williams. He qualified on pole six times, and was on the podium 45 times, including being on the top step on 12 occasions. Reutemann was undoubtedly one of the quickest drivers of his time, but he could be inconsistent and his final race was a prime example. Qualifying on pole in Las Vegas in 1981 he only needed to beat rival Nelson Piquet to take the World Championship, but the race was a disaster and Reutemann ended up eighth. Narrowly missing the world championship with Williams in 1981, having previously finished third for the team in 1980, third for Ferrari in 1978 and third for Brabham in 1975, Reutemann retired from Grand Prix racing in 1982. His next race was for governor of the Sante Fe province in Argentina where he was born, and he served two terms before becoming a senator for the Justice Party in 2003. In 2017 Reutemann was diagnosed with liver cancer and he fell victim to the disease on July 7.

Exhaust: Reutemann’s death is a loss to the motorsports community and the Argentine people who he served for so many years. His former team Williams Racing says, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of our former driver Carlos Reutemann, winner of three Grands Prix for Williams during his career. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this difficult time.” Ours too.

Whatever your budget, you can now build a (virtual) Lotus Emira

Intake: If you’ve got $80K–$100K in your sports car budget—and even if you don’t—you can now hop over to the Lotus configurator to build your dream version of the last internal-combustion Lotus, the Emira. The main factor in price is powertrain (an AMG four-cylinder or a Toyota six) and transmission (manual, dual-clutch, or torque-converter auto), but with those decisions made, it’s on to the bells and whistles. Lotus offers six exterior colors, a choice of red or silver brake calipers, and some black trim (roof, exhaust tips, sideview mirrors). Wheels come in three designs, two of which are available in silver or in black; the third is a black-and-silver affair, shown here on a Dark Verdant V-6 model. The interior features a 10.25-inch infotainment screen and a 12.3-incher behind the flat-bottom wheel. Four colored leathers are available, or you can go the Alcantara route with grey, red, or yellow stitching. The stereo comes courtesy of KEF, and there’s even a trinket tray … if Colin Chapman could imagine such a frivolity.

Exhaust: We got our first look at the production-spec Emira and its spec sheet yesterday—now we get all the juicy details on colors and trim. Plus, a good peek at that tidy manual shifter. Long may it reign.

Subaru produces 20-millionth all-wheel-drive vehicle

Intake: Subaru announced today that its cumulative production of its all-wheel-drive vehicles eclipsed the 20-million mark in June. Not bad for a company that introduced its first mass-produced AWD car, the Leone 4WD Estate Van for Japan, just 49 years ago in 1972. Unsurprisingly, AWD models account for 98 percent of Subaru’s sales globally. Each of those AWD vehicles also features some sort of horizontally-opposed boxer engine as well, another Subie staple. That engine uniformity will change soon, though, as Subaru plans to unveil a new all-electric SUV in 2022 called the Solterra, plus a stretch of hybrid vehicles arriving in the mid-2020s.

Exhaust: Perhaps no brand, aside from Audi perhaps, is more well-known for its all-wheel-drive offerings than Subaru. The Japanese brand cut its teeth in rallying—where AWD is king—and then spent the end of the last century and the majority of this century marketing its products as tools for outdoor-focused folks. Producing 20 million AWD cars globally is no small feat. It helps when you’re ahead of the curve in terms of offering AWD on pretty much everything you make. As the brand readies itself for the electric revolution, don’t expect any wheels to lose their driven capability.

Behold, the Golf R Americans can’t have

Intake: In a story that’s already too familiar, a European brand has just revealed an achingly beautiful performance wagon that won’t come stateside. Volkswagen just unveiled the Golf R Estate, a longroof version of the forthcoming Mk. 8 Golf R hot hatch. It boasts the same 315-horse turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the same seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic gearbox, and the same 4Motion all-wheel-drive system with that new trick rear diff with dual multi-disc wet clutches that can shuffle 100 percent of the car’s 310 lb-ft of torque to either wheel. Ordering for this goldilocks wagon begin today in Germany and other parts of Europe.

Exhaust: Alas, lust across the Atlantic once again. We understand why we can’t have nice things like this—American buyers prefer the rolling fortress feel of today’s bulky crossovers to the sleek streamlined presence of a sultry station wagon such as the Golf R Estate. Still, we can’t help but dream of a world where we’re ripping off long-wheelbase slides in an all-wheel-drive Golf, kids and luggage in tow. Hey, at least there’s the Audi RS6 Avant if we somehow strike it big on Bitcoin. 

Got a heavy-duty Duramax Chevy or GMC from 2017–19? Listen up

Intake: GM just issued a sizable recall—331,274 trucks—for heavy-duty Silverados and Sierras from the 2017–19 model years with the Duramax 6.6-liter engine (LP5) and the optional engine-block heater (K05). The heater and power cord, manufactured by Electronics Components International in Ontario, are susceptible to short-circuiting and GM is issuing a recall over concern of fire risk. For some owners, it’s an all-too-familiar situation: Back in 2019, GM recalled the same models, plus the 4500/5500/6500 Silverados from 2019, for the same issue.

Exhaust: Unfortunately, GM wasn’t willing to share any additional information here. Whether this is an unresolved issue stemming from the 2019 recall or simply commentary on the trouble-plagued engine-block heaters, we’re unsure. For 300,000-odd owners, however, a potential fire risk will be an urgent call to action.

The post V-8 Mini to the max, R.I.P. Reutemann, the Golf R you can’t have appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The kids were staring as we passed Bowman Elementary School in Lexington, Massachusetts. They grinned, and shouted, “What kind of a car is that?!” They’d never seen anything like it!

Neither had a young woman who was visiting the United States from Japan for the first time, some years ago. A friend had importuned me to give her a tour of Lexington. After showing her the Battle Green and other Revolutionary War era sites, I took her to photographer Jon Chomitz’ driveway to show her a relic from her own country.

“The little SuBAARoo,” as the Subaru 360 was known in the television ads that ran 50 years ago, weighs just under a thousand pounds—rendering it exempt from safety and environmental regs. That’s lucky for American owners, because it would never pass either. As you drive, the scent of eau de motor oil wafts into the cockpit, along with the high decibel percussion of the two-stroke. The 360—that numeric refers to the displacement in cubic centimeters—is more than three feet shorter than the VW Beetles that, at the time, were the biggest infestation of Big Three territory. Better lock the door lest your knee knock the handle as you’re rounding a corner. The cockpit is sleeping-bag snug.

360s are “station cars,” says Chomitz, using an American and British term for a car you take to the train station—a car that gives you that first and last mile, in the parlance of America embarking on an energy diet. They are also good for maneuvering and parking on the tiny, clogged streets of Tokyo.

Indeed, 360s are well suited to short hops, since they needn’t be warmed up. “I let it sit over the winter and then in spring just turn the key and let it go,” says Chomitz. He likes to use it to shop at Trader Joe’s, 1.4 miles from his house.

The 360 was the first Japanese kei car to be mass-produced, in a run that lasted from 1958 to 1971. They were imported into the US beginning in 1968, by Malcolm Bricklin. According to Hemmings, “just under 10,000… and their derivatives were officially imported to America in the initial three years…” Chomitz has a 1970.

For Chomitz, who has had a Citroën 2CV for 25 years, and who recently procured a 1971 Citroen DS wagon, the 360 was an accidental acquisition.

Chomitz was palling around with Charles Gould, a fellow member of the Arlington (MA) Classic Car Club and someone he describes as “an avid collector of the world’s most interesting cars.” Among many others, Gould’s fleet includes a Messerschmitt, a Panhard, some Citroens, and a Goggomobil.

At that time—2008—Gould already had two 360s. “We were out retrieving a third one he’d bought,” says Chomitz. “We picked up this cute, repainted 360 and had it on his trailer. [Gould] said, ‘I really don’t need three of these.’ I said, ‘I’ll take one.’”

Chomitz “got a dusty, but complete non-runner with no rust, from Charles’ fleet,” he says. He quickly went to work on it. “Nobody had messed with this car since the ’70s,” says Chomitz. “I was surprised when I got into it, it was an autoclutch that had been converted to a regular clutch.” (360s came with an autoclutch.) Someone had done a lousy job.

Then Chomitz waxes philosophical. “You always get surprises when you pick up [a new-to-you classic car]. If a car survives in that state [of disrepair], there has to be a reason it was there—someone didn’t like it, someone died, or something catastrophic went wrong with it.”

“You often find a car that’s been sitting for 30 to 40 years because they couldn’t get it running again,” says Chomitz. “I know someone who got a ’59 DS. Somebody had killed the transmission and parked it. Sixty years later someone picks it up, and rebuilds the transmission.”

In the case of the 360, “The first thing we did was fire up the engine,” says Chomitz. “It took fifteen minutes to get the thing running,” he says. The brakes were another matter.

“The brake fluid had turned into a gray sand that needed to be removed from all of the brake lines. I rebuilt all of the wheel cylinders and the master, and had the flexible hoses made by a company in Indiana. I filled the transmission with oil and it all fell out on the ground, so I ordered driveshaft seals from my local Subaru dealer. They couldn’t believe it, but the parts arrived at the dealer from Japan in a few weeks.”

“I went from front to back, checking each system. Making sure all of the electrical connections and grounds were clean, lubricating anything that was dry—like cables, pedal cluster, and door latches. When I did the brakes everything was cleaned, lubricated, and adjusted. I rebuilt the carb, tuned the engine and replaced the single belt. I put a nice set of 10-inch radials on it.” But Chomitz notes that he’s never rebuilt the engine, and never even opened it.”

“Ed Parsil and his Subaru 360 club were especially helpful,” says Chomitz. “The club produced reprints of the original shop manuals as well as a compilation of tips and tricks from 30+ years of the club’s newsletters.” (Now 86, Parsil says he still helps club members “by reconditioning carburetors and oil pumps for their 360s when they need this done.” He also responds to emails “from a lot of members when they have questions about working on their Favorite Vehicles.”)

“Once I got [the 360] sorted—and it took me a long time—it’s been trouble-free,” says Chomitz. “But I was really careful with the mechanicals.”

It should probably be said that the car has a mere 18,000 miles on it, of which the last 5000 are Chomitz’s.

The 360’s bad reputation stateside is undeserved, says Chomitz. “It’s considered the worst car ever sold in the U.S. But anything I’ve worked on in that car has been really well designed and executed. You work on the front brakes, there are two wheel cylinders in there on each side. It’s built like a truck, and very nicely put together. The doors close with a nice thunk.” He also notes some simple elegance. The car needs no fuel pump, as the gas tank sits directly above the engine.

In addition, “Everything in the car is in the right place—where you expect it, [unlike, say, an Isetta],” says Chomitz. “The car is really well thought-out. You have three pedals in front, you have the gear shift in the right hand. The turn signals are on the left stalk—everything is like a normal car.”

Chomitz prepped me, driving the car briefly while I watched, running through the gears, advising me to go easy on the brakes because the front suspension bottoms easily—which he gently demonstrated. He then explained that downshifting to second requires double clutching, and that you have to rev high before upshifting because running the car at low rpm is bad for the engine, and further that you shouldn’t use engine drag to slow the car on a hill, as lifting your foot off the gas shuts off lubrication as well as fuel because—as with any two-stroke—the oil is mixed with the fuel.

Between all that, and accounts I’d read suggesting the car to be hard to control, I approached it with mild trepidation. Chomitz’ assurances that those accounts were poppycock did little to settle my nerves, perhaps because the 360 is so tiny.

I did OK with it, accelerating in each gear until I could feel the torque subsiding, before I upshifted, and when downshifting to second, double-clutching respectably, thanks to having taught myself to do so on my beater ’62 Falcon around fifty years ago—which became a practical necessity after my excessive clutchless shifting had begun to ruin that car’s transmission.

Of course, there was also the steering, which felt vague to me, although Chomitz had assured me that it isn’t. It may have felt that way, he said, because the car lacks heft—especially over the front wheels—and because he only puts around 14 pounds of pressure in the front tires. Chomitz compared the feel to American power steering from the ’60s, and said that people had died in Corvairs when they’d put 32 pounds in the front tires, because with so little weight in front, tires under normal pressure had almost no grip.

Then there was the lack of the kind of power that one can use to get out of the way of trouble. Each horsepower pulls 39.8 pounds of 360, leaving the car only slightly more puissant than a Citroen Deux Chevaux (42.8 pounds) or a VW old Beetle (42.0 pounds).

I soon set out on Rt. 2A, a main drag of a two lane road which follows closely the route that our Revolutionary War soldiers took from the Battle Green to “the rude bridge that arched the flood.” Even 30 mph felt nerve-wracking at first. Nonetheless, I soon accelerated to 35 and then to 40, to keep up with the traffic.

After around 5 miles, we headed back on 2A, my central nervous system remaining on high alert. Interestingly, I had felt totally comfortable driving Chomitz’ 2CV some years earlier, despite the fact that it weighs just 200 pounds more than the 360. Its larger size, functional seat and shoulder belt, and our neighborhood-only route probably made the difference.

But hearing Chomitz expound on the joys of the 360, I wondered if I’d missed the fun. “To me, it’s really nimble,” he says. “You can use all your driving skills and look down, and you’re going about 40 mph.”

“I’ve always made fun of people who have really, really fast, super-handling cars,” says Chomitz. “You’re breaking the law in second gear. You can drive the … out of this car and you’re not breaking the law. You get all the thrill of some supercar but you’re just tooling around in a 360. I really toss it around, especially when there’s nobody in the car!”