If you’re a fan of this site, or if you’re a racing nerd, you probably know about the first time a Cadillac raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That was in 1950, when American millionaire Briggs Cunningham entered two Caddies into the legendary endurance race in France. One was a stock model, the other a weird-looking wedge the locals dubbed Le Monstre. (Cadillac the company wasn’t involved; Cunningham entered on his own dime.) You probably also know that Cadillac returned to Le Mans last year, got onto the podium, and is back at it in 2024 with its eyes on the top step. What you might not know is the chapter of the Cadillac and Le Mans story that’s set in the early 2000s. 

Two things come to mind when looking back at early-aughts Cadillac: The original Escalade, and grandparent-era (as the kids might say now) coupes and sedans designed primarily for comfort. Either way, neither screamed performance. (The V-Series was just about to become a reality, and hadn’t yet begun to define at least part of the brand as a sporting alternative to BMW). So why did GM decide that Cadillac should go race sports cars—and internationally? 

At first blush, it made sense given GM’s existing footprint in racing, and due to its existing relationships in motorsport. GM was already represented in almost every major motorsports discipline, promoting its brands wherever it thought the money would do the most good: NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar, and the GT class of sports car racing. One of the few places it wasn’t racing was in the top echelon of sports-cars, in which the cars are built from scratch rather than based on production models (as in the GT levels). As of 1995, however, GM had a connection to a prototype constructor, Riley & Scott, which was the first team to compete with Oldsmobile’s 4.0-liter Aurora V-8. (Beginning in ‘96, it would supply the same engine to IndyCar’s IRL series.) With Olds power, Riley & Scott’s Mk IIIs won the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. They had even raced at Le Mans, in 1996, though a gearbox failure cut their time short. Why not use the elements that already existed—Riley & Scott, the Mk III, and the familiar engine architecture—to put GM into prototype racing, with the Cadillac brand? 

In 2000, Riley & Scott was back at Le Mans, backed by GM, with not one but four cars—two campaigned by Europe-based DAMS, the other two by Team Cadillac. The model was called the Northstar LMP and was adorned with a grille to look like a Cadillac.

“The return from 50 years was a big deal and I would say from a marketing perspective it succeeded because back then ‘Arts & Sciences’ was the Cadillac marketing theme and this was the bridge from the vinyl top Cadillacs to the CTS-V, which 2003 was the first year of the production car,” Jeff Kettman, GM’s manager for the Northstar LMP program, told Daily Sports Car last year. “The whole reason that Cadillac got involved in motorsports was to shift the public perspective of Cadillac to more of a sporty vehicle.”

The problem? GM showed up to Le Mans with a design and a budget that was four years out of date. “Back in 1996–97 you didn’t need tons of money to run well at Le Mans,” Bill Riley told Gary Martin of Autosport in a 2021 interview. “By the time the car rolled out on the grid, the game had changed dramatically.” The Cadillacs finished 19th, 21nd, and 22nd overall, with one DAMS car a DNF. 

Obviously, something needed to change. They needed a new car. GM began to shop around, chatting with the likes of Prodrive and Dallara, and ending its relationship with Riley later that summer. Months passed. GM eventually decided to rely on a new team headed by Wayne Taylor, Nigel Stroud, and Jeff Hazell, a key figure behind McLaren’s jaw-dropping win at Le Mans on its first try.  By the time GM made a decision, however, there was no time to build a new car. Taylor, Stroud, Hazell, et al. tried anyway, putting “80 percent” of the design team into rehauling the old car while the rest worked on the new one. It wasn’t ready by the 2001 running of Le Mans: Only the two DAMS cars ran, with new bodies on cars built to 2000’s spec. They finished eighth and twelfth overall. The new car, dubbed the Northstar LMP-02, was ready in time for the 2003 event, and then GM cancelled the program. 

The sad irony is that since Audi (the 2002 winner) did not run Le Mans in 2003, Cadillac would have been favorites to win along with Bentley (who did win in their Speed 8, a car that shared much with Audi’s prototypes of the era). 

Though it campaigned the CTS-V and subsequently an ATS-V Coupe in the Pirelli World Challenge series through 2017, Cadillac took a lengthy respite from the top level of sports car racing, particularly international competition. In the meantime, a lot of history’s been written: Audi’s era of dominance (including Le Mans wins in 2002, 2004–08, and 2011–2014), the revenge of Porsche (2015–17), and the recent establishment of Toyota (2018–22) as the somewhat unexpected king of Le Mans.

When IMSA made a rules pivot for the 2017 season, Cadillac decided it would return to prototype racing. The Cadillac DPi-V.R, a Dallara-built prototype with a Cadillac-developed engine, debuted in November of 2016. 

Off the bat, the effort was more successful. For its first year back, Cadillac fielded three cars in partnerships with three different teams: Mustang Sampling, Whelen Engineering, and a familiar name—Wayne Taylor Racing. Sponsored by Konica Minolta, the Wayne Taylor car won its first-ever outing, which was also the longest race on the calendar: The 24 Hours of Daytona.  

Like the Northstar LMP, the DPi was powered by a V-8, and made a subtle nod to Cadillac’s street cars with similar wheel and headlight designs. Unlike the LMP, this new car won—a lot. During its six-year lifespan, the teams running DPi-V.Rs posted 27 wins and 80 podium finishes across 60 races. The cars also took home three manufacturer’s, three driver’s, and three team championships in that time.

Cadillac had mojo like it never had before in racing. In June of 2021, the FIA, ACO, and IMSA announced new regulations the prototype class, outlining a “Hypercar” with a hybrid powertrain that would be eligible for competition in both IMSA and World Endurance Championship (WEC), with minor changes. The crown jewel of the WEC is Le Mans, and Cadillac quickly declared its intent to return.

Unveiled in June of 2022, the Cadillac Hypercar prototype was beautiful, and more strongly visually related to production models. Why Cadillac bought into the regulations, says GM sports car program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser, is that the rules “allowed us to keep the styling of the bodywork to make that car uniquely a Cadillac.” The car’s hybrid V-8 heart is a bespoke design that shares nothing besides a displacement figure with that in GM’s GT-class competitor, the Corvette C8.R. 

Cadillac headed back to Le Mans in 2023. As the checkered flag brought the rain-soaked race to a close, Cadillacs crossed the finish line in third and in fourth, the brand’s best-ever results at the most prestigious endurance race in the world. Both cars, #2 and #3, were fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. Ganassi is back for 2024, joined by Action Express.

Change is coming, though: Cadillac will no longer be partnering with Ganassi for its prototype efforts in IMSA or in WEC after this season. Action Express, who fielded the Whelen-sponsored IMSA car for Cadillac in 2023–24, will likely take up the mantle of Cadillac’s primary racing partner in that series. DSC reported in March that multiple teams are already bidding for Ganassi’s space as Cadillac’s partner in WEC, an encouraging sign of the maturity of the program.

What does the lackluster 2000–02 program illuminate about the current effort? By way of contrast, it shows just how much GM has to prove at the 2024 Hours of Le Mans. The podium finish last year shows that Cadillac has remedied its worst missteps of the earlier era; clearly, it has gotten wiser and more efficient when making decisions alongside its partner teams, and it has handily run cars in two series simultaneously. Speaking of the podium finish, Klauser says: “We got a couple minutes to be just completely blown away—Hey, we had this success—and then the hunger set in, and the only answer from here on out is first place.”

Can a Cadillac win Le Mans in 2024? For now, the brand finally has everyone asking the right question. More than ever, Cadillac has skin in the game—and that’s what makes for good stories, and great racing. 

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In The High Window, a 1942 detective novel by Raymond Chandler, the main character and private investigator Philip Marlowe earns the less-than-affectionate moniker “the shop-soiled Galahad.” In the new Apple TV+ series Sugar, a genre-bending sendup to film noir, our titular hero and knight errant John Sugar is not yet the sort of cynical, world-weary detective that Chandler would make famous in Marlowe.

From the very first episode, there’s something strange about Sugar (Colin Farrell). The character is an oddity, an anachronism, an outsider in a lonely place. He is softer than his heroes, detectives in the hardboiled American mold, like Marlowe or the compassionate Lew Archer. Filmmaker Robert Altman wrote of The Long Goodbye, a 1973 adaption of another detective novel by Chandler: “While we were making the film, we literally called [Phillip Marlowe, played by Elliott Gould] Rip Van Marlowe, as if he’d just woken up 20 years later and found out that there was absolutely no way to accommodate himself.” That particular portrayal of the iconic detective is clearly in the DNA of Sugar.

With an encyclopedic knowledge of the classics, Sugar is nostalgic for a past he never lived, a past that never really existed—except for on the silver screen. The editing of the series reflects the way Sugar’s mind functions: When something reminds him of a particular film (e.g. Gilda, Johnny Guitar, Kiss Me Deadly), a clip from that film flashes on screen. Although Sugar is undeniably good at what he does, his PI persona is an invention. He has modeled himself after his celluloid idols: a little bit Mitchum, a little bit Bogart. His gun was used by Glenn Ford in The Big Heat. So it’s not surprising he chooses a ride that is as cinematic as it is old-school elegant: a Corvette Sting Ray. 

To be specific, Sugar drives a pristine ’66 convertible in Nassau Blue with a white and blue interior. A private eye should probably drive something a little less showy, but Sugar’s so good at what he does—locating the lost and the missing—that it doesn’t really matter.

The first fictional detectives operated like roving eyeballs: Edgar Allan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin, a Parisian, and Sherlock Holmes kept their distance from the action. But John Sugar is made in the mold of the 20th-century American detectives. When the granddaughter of Jonathan Siegel goes missing, Siegel (James Cromwell) seeks out Sugar. Siegel is a legendary producer, the patriarch of Hollywood royalty. No one loves film more than Sugar. His handler Ruby (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) assigns his cases, but Sugar decides to investigate this Chandler-esque mess on his own, despite Ruby’s attempts to stop him. He’s only meant to observe, but Sugar becomes involved, immersed. He detests violence and cruelty, and the mystery becomes something bigger for him than simply finding a missing girl; it becomes an awakening, a soul-jarring lesson in the evil that men do.

John Sugar tools around Los Angeles, often with the dog he accidentally adopted as his passenger, or his new rockstar friend Melanie, played by co-star Amy Ryan. The car shimmers under city lights, almost changing colors as it passes by neon signs. Atmosphere partly drives the story of creator Mark Protosevich, but these scenes are not without purpose. They give us a sense of Los Angeles’ bizarre geography: built in these little enclaves that eventually came together to form some semblance of a city, but its sprawling layout still keeps its denizens isolated from each other. L.A. is the perfect place for someone to disappear and for a mystery to unfold.

Sugar provides one of the greatest pleasures of the detective story, and of television and film in general: watching someone drive through the city in a pretty car. Next to stepping into a movie theater, driving is the most cinematic way you can see L.A.; the windshield becomes a widescreen framing the city. And Colin Farrell loved the experience, describing himself driving the Corvette “like a kid in a sweet shop.”

Farrell tells the Movie Podcast that he got to actually drive for the series, sometimes for hours a day, rather than getting hauled around on a rig like a process trailer. So “it was a lovely little door to experience the character through.” He also discusses how his character’s idealization of the past “takes form in his visiting to his local picture house and watching old noir films and the driving of this car, the appreciation for the kind of tactility of old-fashioned cars, the shape of them, the lines of them, and how aggressive they are to drive at times.”

The Sting Ray is a perfect car for Sugar. The C2 debuted in 1963 and would be replaced by the more beast-like, Mako Shark II–inspired C3 in 1968. In both looks and in performance, the C2 was a dramatic departure from the C1, its predecessor. At just 22 years old, Peter Brock sketched what would eventually become the Sting Ray. The car was a dream made real by a crew that included (but was not limited to) designers Brock, Chuck Pohlman, Anatole “Tony” Lapine, the brilliant Larry Shinoda, and engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, director of high-performance vehicles at Chevrolet. Arkus-Duntov earned the nickname “the father of the Corvette.” 

It was a dream they had to chase after hours, in secrecy, migrating from GM’s Head of Design Bill Mitchell’s basement Research B studio to the Hammer Room and finally landing in the legendary (and legendarily clandestine) Studio X. The C1 hadn’t reached its full racing potential, it was a relatively basic car, but there was a major roadblock in the team’s way to improving on it: following the Automotive Manufacturers Association’s ban, GM had outlawed factory-supported racing. The recession of 1958 hadn’t helped their cause much either. So Mitchell had quietly taken on the Corvette racing program on his own.

The secrecy and perseverance of the design team paid off, and their gambit was a success. Motor Trend’s Roger Huntington wrote, “This is a modern sports car. In most ways it’s as advanced as the latest dual-purpose sports/luxury cars from Europe. The new Corvette doesn’t have to take a back seat to any of them, in looks, performance, handling, or ride.” The “solid-axle” generation of the C1 had been exclusively made and sold as a convertible, but the C2, which debuted with independent rear suspension, offered two body styles, a coupe and a convertible. (Mitchell’s split rear window also made production for the 1963 model year. It caused some turmoil: although it looked cool, and is a revered feature today, it diminished rear visibility, even causing some in-period customers cut it out.)

The second generation also brought better transmission options and Chevy’s 327-cubic-inch V-8. Chevrolet continued to beef up the engine through the years, and by 1966, it introduced new big-block V-8s: As the brochure for that year boasted, “two brand-new 427-cu.-in. turbo-jet V8s cap Corvette’s quartet of engines.” The most powerful engine offered 425 horsepower. Chevrolet had also finally jettisoned drum brakes in 1965 and replaced them with “Sport-Master” discs. 

The Sting Ray design team bid farewell to the era of American “fat cars,” opting for a leaner European look. Mitchell had found inspiration at the Turin Auto Show in Italy, where he was especially impressed by the Abarth 750 Streamliner and the Zagato-bodied Alfa Disco Volante. But the final product was an unmistakably American car with a European flavor. (Duntov famously said of his Sting Ray: “For the first time, I now have a Corvette I can be proud to drive in Europe.”) In that way, the Sting Ray is not unlike the hardboiled detective: a concept with European styling transformed into an American icon.

Before the events of the first episode of Sugar, the detective has been keeping his Sting Ray in storage. He soon reunites with it. As Sugar rolls out of the garage in the Corvette, his handler Ruby tells him, “I hate that you drive this relic.” 

“Relic?” Sugar says. “This is a work of art.”

***

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As the longest-running automotive nameplate in America, the Suburban is a familiar face. The most recent generation is especially well represented: For 2021, the first year it was on the market, Chevrolet sold a healthy 85,000 copies. On the eve of the arrival of the facelifted version, we decided to re-familiarize ourselves with the 12th generation. We found that 2024 model year may be a sweet spot—not just among modern Suburbans, but among full-sized SUVs that don’t wear the label of a dedicated luxury brand.

As vehicle platforms go, the one underneath the 2021–present Suburban is relatively new, as GM introduced its latest body-on-frame architecture on the 2019 Chevy Silverado. It now underpins the Chevrolet pickup’s sibling, the GMC Sierra, and all GM SUVs derived from the platform—the shorter-wheelbase Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade; and the longer Suburban, Yukon XL, and the Escalade ESV. Engine choices across that versatile platform include V-8s, V-6s, and even an inline four-cylinder. On the current Suburban, you can choose between two gas V-8s and the 3.0-liter Duramax inline-6.

The primary virtue of the twelfth-generation Suburban is the design of its rear suspension: Rather than a solid rear axle, as all Silverados and all previous Suburbans used, it has an independent multilink design. (The Suburban’s main competitor, the Ford Expedition Max, has had IRS for … 21 years now.) Each year has sweetened the Suburban: 2022 added Google Built-In, plus an electronic limited-slip diff for the Z71 model, and made the 6.2-liter V-8 and the digital instrument cluster available on cheaper trims. In 2023, Super Cruise became available on the top two trims. Given the absence of any press materials for the 2024 model year, and its presence on the configurator, it appears that 2024 is essentially a carry-over model.

The 2025 model arrives with extensive but mostly superficial changes: New sheetmetal that closely resembles that of the newest Silverado; the large, two-panel digital display that is permeating Chevy’s lineup, and revisions to the diesel powerplant. Those changes will likely mean an uptick in price, so if the new look doesn’t speak to you, maybe your best bet is a 2023 or 2024 model, which have all the nice things Chevy added since 2021.

We tested the most powerful, most luxurious Suburban offered for 2024—a High Country 4WD with the optional 6.2-liter V-8, a two-speed transfer case, air suspension, and every electronic gadget and interior nicety available. If your goal is maximum luxury, we recommend the Advanced Technology package, which includes the hardware for Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free highway driving system, and a three-year subscription to the software; power retractable running boards ($1745), the panoramic sunroof ($1500), and air suspension ($1000). Don’t waste $2K on the rear entertainment package—a last-generation iPad would put the two second-row screens to shame, and the headphones are uncomfortable and fragile. 

Specs: 2024 Chevrolet Suburban High Country

The Suburban welcomes you into a living room worthy of some cozy cabin in Montana or Wyoming. The digital dash and center screen treat you to animations of autumn foliage, a snow-capped mountain, and a lake. Leather is everywhere, on the doors and on the binnacle and even below the touchscreen and above the A/C vents. It’s the color of Werther’s candy. The fabric trim on the edges of the seats is an odd black-and-white-sorta-zebra affair, which looks like it belongs on the strap of a Kayu shoulder bag. There are a few wood inlays and brushed metal accents, the latter used with admirable restraint. Almost all the controls are black plastic, from the four buttons that serve as the gear selector on the dash, to the window controls, to the climate controls.

Chevy hasn’t chased intricate details like Jeep has with the Wagoneer (see its knurled metal gear selector), but the Suburban’s interior still communicates luxury through light—the giant glass sunroof lets in a lot of light and comfort. The seats are curl-up-with-a-book comfortable. 

A disclaimer, before we discuss the driving experience: I did not grow up in the back seat of a Suburban. (We were a minivan family—Honda, then Toyota, because of the Odyssey’s pesky transmission failures.) Today, I daily drive a small, feisty hatchback, and I frequent old (read: small) downtown areas that have few parking lots and no parking decks. The Suburban is by far the largest vehicle I have ever piloted. Tip to tail, it measures nearly 19 feet.

I loved it.

When you slide behind the wheel and thunk the door shut, your first experience is one of regal isolation. Not only is your perch lofty and supremely comfortable, but the cabin is very quiet, thanks to windows made of acoustically-treated glass. Whether at idle or highway speed, the only noise from the V-8 is a subdued, reassuring burble. Under acceleration, the roar of the engine is as powerful and calming as a distant waterfall. 

For all its size and weight, the Suburban is a remarkably docile vehicle. Visibility is excellent thanks to upright B- and C-pillars and giant sideview mirrors. (Though it takes a little getting used to, the camera rearview mirror helps a lot in this regard. It’s standard on the High Country.) The 6.2 and the ten-speed are a delightful combination: Whisper-quiet at highway speeds but, at the prod of the accelerator pedal, ready to hurl you down an on-ramp or execute a purposeful merge.

The body-on-frame construction is evident in the gentle shudder you feel over bumps, but thanks to the independent rear suspension, the rear end never gets twitchy over imperfections in the road surface, as a solid-axle vehicle often does. The air suspension and the 22-inch wheels, the largest diameter offered, pair up nicely. Only the most severe bumps make it through to your bum: Most pass with only a gentle thunk sound, if we can use that word twice in one story.

When the ride is this relaxing, it’s easy to cultivate the patience needed for driving a Suburban in traffic. You don’t perform any maneuvers impulsively in a vehicle this large, whether it’s snatching a parking space or squeezing into a queue ahead of a split in the freeway. Parking is probably the most frustrating activity in a Suburban: I had to spot spaces much further ahead than I expected, and I often entered at too shallow of an angle—even aborting the mission required a three-point-turn, during which I blocked the entire aisle. However, with more time, any semi-competent driver should adapt to the process. Thankfully, since so many Americans drive pickups, most parking spots are appropriately sized—I parked on a downtown street in Farmington, Michigan, and the Suburban fit between the little white corners neatly. 

It’s easy to forgive the Suburban its parking-lot clumsiness when you see the space inside. By ditching the solid rear axle, the designers could drop the floor of the SUV. The main beneficiaries are the third-row passengers: As a 5’6” person, I had plenty of headroom in the third row. I might not want to spend six hours back there, but the space was definitely tolerable, and it didn’t feel like punishment, like the third row of a Traverse.

Capacity isn’t the only virtue of the interior, as its configurability is good, too.  (Pictured is the Goodwill run that your author made: The amount looked huge sitting in my hallway, but once I got it in the Suburban, it looked downright puny.) The second-row captain’s chairs are easy to stow out of the way, whether to ease access to the third row or, with that rearmost seat folded, increase stuff-hauling space. Yank the plastic lever on the lower side of the seat once, and it folds on itself; twice and the folded chair unlatches from the floor and rotates toward the front of the vehicle. You can fold (and raise!) the second and third rows from the rear thanks to a set of plastic rocker switches and an array of electric motors. The only additional control I wished for was a button to close the tailgate from the driver’s seat, but that may be frowned upon from a safety perspective.

If you think the best infotainment screen is the newest one, the 12.3-inch unit in this Suburban will disappoint you. The resolution is adequate but far from liquid, and it frequently lagged when switching menus, prompting a yellow progress bar. However, after several recent experiences with the larger unit that is coming to the Suburban for 2025 (it’s currently in the Silverado and Equinox EV models), I’d like to make a counterargument: Simplicity is also a virtue. I have yet to spend a week with that larger panel, and when I do so, I’ll be asking whether it actually works better than the one currently in the Suburban.

I could easily reach the far corners of the center screen from the driver’s seat without stretching. The smaller size of the screen made it easy to ignore: The message was “I’m here if you need me,” not “I moonlight as a flatscreen TV.” The digital instrument display never washed out in sunlight, thanks to its recessed position under a leather-upholstered binnacle. It’s a relief to a new driver to find an infotainment system that doesn’t require de-coding: Just plug in CarPlay and go. (You even get your choice of USB-A and USB-C!) For those who love the Suburban for its modern execution of an old-school mission, this two-screen setup is just right.

If you prioritize V-8 luxury but worry about seeming gauche, an optioned-out Suburban like this one is may be the answer. (The Expedition Max only offers a V-6.) The near-$95,000 price of our tester puts it firmly in the territory of ritzier American three-rows like the Cadillac Escalade and the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, and the interior of either would likely embarrass this Suburban. Perhaps the presence of this absurdly expensive Suburban variant suggests that buyers are willing to pay up to avoid standing out. Yes, you could drive an Escalade or a Grand Wagoneer for this money, but then you become a person who drives a Cadillac, or One of Those Fancy Jeeps. An everyman Suburban LS, in contrast, can be had for around $62,000. When you drive a High Country, you are simply one of the hundreds of thousands of respectable people who drive Suburbans. Nobody needs to know how much you paid. 

The Chevrolet Suburban isn’t just an old nameplate that GM enjoys recycling: It is a remarkably consistent recipe that GM has been refining for decades. As of 2024, the General has that recipe down to a science. If you are shopping for a full-size SUV, and you treasure old-school comfort in an understated package, this is your vehicle. It’s packed with the latest driver-assist features and capable of integration with your Google-centric lifestyle, but lacks the big-infotainment-screen pizzazz of the upcoming facelift—or its Ford rival, the Expedition Max. Sometimes, big enough is best. 

2024 Chevrolet Suburban High Country

Highs: Serenely comfortable ride, engine is remarkably punchy and quiet. 

Lows: Rear-seat infotainment system is a waste of $2K. Motifs of High Country are a little kitschy. Small parking lots are a no-go. 

Summary: The Suburban is for those who like their luxury SUV large, independently suspended, and understated, with old-school simplicity. 

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Let’s pretend we’re in Southwest England, watching a couple enjoy a ride in the countryside in a 1931 MG Midget. As they travel into the Cotswolds beyond Bath, they putter along peacefully, at a leisurely speed that allows for plenty of sightseeing and interaction with travelers on foot. On occasion, they stop and offer a ride in the diminutive back seat of their car to a pedestrian. 

Although the couple’s attire and their automobile suggest that the calendar has been turned back some 90 years, these photos were taken in May of 2024. The couple is Ken and Melody Klemmer, and here they are standing in Farmington Hills, Michigan, outside their home, styled after a historic English cottage. (Their MG is named Edwin, because the Klemmers name their automobiles. That’s true love!)

The Klemmers are enthusiastic Anglophiles who have owned more than a few English automobiles. They currently own two: A Midget D-Type, a four-seater, and a Midget M-Type, the original, two-seat car. Like many other lovers of MGs, Ken read The Red Car—the story of Hap Adams and his love for an MG TC, written in 1954—at an early age and fell head over heels for those sporty little cars that were so unlike the machines most Americans drove in the 1950s—or in the 1930s.

The first weekend in September, Ken and Melody will drive the roads of Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan as part of the annual Old Car Festival. Greenfield Village’s beautiful collection of historical homes and artifacts is part of the Henry Ford Museum complex and was created by Henry Ford to recall and honor the past. Every fall, the village welcomes car owners and their automobiles to an antique car show, the longest running event of its kind in the United States. The Klemmers never miss Old Car Festival. When they attended last year, they drove their MG Midget M-Type. This year they will drive the D-Type. “It’s like Christmas and my birthday, rolled into one,” says Ken.

The Klemmers love to dabble in the world of long ago; Ken is a renowned historical expert and architect who consults on the restoration of historically significant buildings. Their automobile is itself an important part of motoring’s past. Bearing serial number DO252, it is the second of 250 Type Ds that MG built after unveiling the model in October 1931 at the Olympia Motor Show in England. When s/n DO252 left the factory in Abingdon on Thames, it was black with a green interior. On November 21, 1931, it became the property of 18-year-old Eton student Ralph Hope, nephew to Neville Chamberlain.

Like his uncle, whose tenure as England’s prime minister was less than successful, Ralph and his MG experienced hard times. Theirs came in the form of a serious road accident in Scotland that resulted in the MG being returned to the factory for a rebuild. Whether Ralph required reconstruction is uncertain, but car and driver rebounded well enough to compete in the MG Car Club Chiltern Trials in 1933. Fate would not be kind to Ralph: He learned to fly,  became an RAF pilot, and was shot down in the Battle of Britain.

Ken Klemmer acquired this special Midget D-Type in 2023 and was able to trace much of its history through a study of original factory records that were fortuitously saved at some point during MG’s tumultuous history. From those records Ken determined that after Ralph Hope perished in the war, his MG became the property of a Welshman in 1949. From there, the trail turns a bit fuzzy, but the car resurfaces in 1969 Berlin, where it was purchased by Maine Porter and taken to America. It was restored in the 1980s and painted in its current colors by Bud Conn. A British ex-pat named Mike Goodwin acquired the MG in 2007 and showed it in Florida. The Klemmers acquired the car in September of 2023.

While the original production volume of D-Types was quite low, at 250, the cars are even less common than that number might suggest, as many were converted to C-Types. The C-Type was the competition version of the Midget, built on the same chassis as the four-seat D-Type and the rarest.

Edwin had been restored in the 1980s, but by the time the Klemmers brought him to their century-old garage in Michigan, he was a bit of a mess. Wires had been cut and signs of neglect were prominent. But the wooden frame was intact (Ken doesn’t think the body has ever been off the frame). The four-cylinder engine barely ran, and it was covered with oil that hid mismatched paint. Fortunately, Ken is both a historian and a skilled mechanic and he soon had that little engine ticking over reliably. 

Little is an apt description of the powerplant in an early MG Midget. The four-pot displaces only 847 cc and delivers a whopping 27 horsepower at 4500 rpm. First used by MG in the M-Type and borrowed from the 1928 Morris Minor and Wolseley 10, the engine is not without sophistication, featuring valves in the head and an overhead camshaft.

Although Edwin is only the second D-Type built, it is equipped with the later, four-speed gearbox. (The car was originally built with a non-synchromesh three-speed.) Ken believes the four-speed may have been swapped in early on to make the car more competitive in hill-climb competitions.

Edwin accelerates with a wee bit of urgency, thanks at least in part to a stout 4.89:1 rear axle ratio, but he soon runs out of steam in high gear, where the engine just isn’t torquey enough to propel the 1484-pound car beyond about 45 mph. The mill’s lack of high-end oomph is due at least in part to a minimal compression ratio of 5.4:1. We can thank the low-octane gasoline of the early ’30s for that lack of power-enhancing compression. 

On our way back from the photo shoot, Ken urged Edwin to a speed of 43 mph. Not exactly race-ready, but plenty fast enough to putt around Greenfield Village. You can be sure that Ken, Melody, and Edwin will be there and looking good on September 7.

***

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We love talking about obscure cars—not an auction goes by that we don’t look for the weirdest, most off-beat vehicles. We also love the cars that never made it, the wild ideas that, even if they made it past sketch to clay model and to the floor of an international auto show, never made production. Such concept cars are not just a window into the creative minds at the companies that build them: They often witness to the unique constraints and attitudes of their time.

Today we take a trip back into the 1980s—the era of shoulder pads, the Cold War, and MTV—to see what we can learn from six vehicles that never made production.

1981 Globe-Union Maxima

The first oil shock of the 1970s may get most of our attention—and for good reason. The embargo put in place by Arab producers in 1973 diminished the supply of oil in America and sent prices skyrocketing. It wasn’t the only disruption to the global supply of oil in the ’70s, though: A second shock hit in 1978, in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Once again, fuel efficiency was the name of the game in the U.S. automotive industry.

Globe-Union sensed an opportunity. Since the ’50s, it manufactured lead oxide batteries and sold them to the auto industry. How hard would it be to make a car that ran exclusively on its own batteries? In 1978 It built the Endura, which featured a rack of batteries mounted to a subframe that integrated a set of rollers, enabling the batteries to slide out from the front of the car. A few years later, Globe-Union built the car above, starting with a Ford Fairmont station wagon and using the same driveline as the Endura: 20 12V lead-acid car batteries powering a 20-hp rear-mounted motor made by General Electric. Foreshadowing today’s design trends, the EV got a row of lights all the way across its front.

1981 Ford Probe III Concept Car

Ford didn’t go quite as far afield as Globe-Union in its pursuit of efficiency. The Probe III concept, introduced in 1981, stuck with a gas powertrain and focused instead on increasing efficiency by minimizing aerodynamic drag. The final cD figure was .22, which puts it among the slipperiest production cars of the modern age. Many of the strategies used by Ford you’ll find on today’s EVs, which minimize aero drag in search of more range: A smooth underbody pan, wheel covers, a rear spoiler paired with a lip on the rear bumper, and side-view mirrors mounted close to the body. More exotic tricks include a section of the bellypan that can electronically lower at speed to create ground effect, and rain gutters inside rather than above the doors.

The third in a series of five Probe concepts between 1979 and 1985, the Probe III made its mark on production reality in the Ford Sierra / Merkur XR4Ti. Both had wild spoilers, too!

1988 Chrysler Portofino Concept Car

When the Chrysler group came to the rescue of a financially ailing Lamborghini in 1987, Sant’Agata got money to replace the Countach with the Diablo, and Chrysler got a company to transform its iron-block V-8 into an aluminum V-10 that was a fitting heart for the Viper. But Lambo also had to let Chrysler use its name on a very un-Lamborghini concept car, the Portofino, introduced at the 1987 auto show in Frankfurt.

Can you imagine the wedgy, wild Coutach sharing a showroom with this snub-nosed sedan? Not only does rumor hold that Chrysler started by recycling a concept from the year before, but the Portofino looks more like something from Oldsmobile than from Lamborghini. Okay, the engine was in the middle, which was an out-there choice, and the naturally aspirated V-8 engine and five-speed transmission were of Lamborghini design (Chrysler used a lengthened Jalpa chassis), and the rear-hinged butterfly doors were pretty cool … but it looked like what it was: Chrysler taking over Lamborghini. The influence of the Portofino lives on in the cab-forward design of Chrysler’s front-wheel-drive, LH-platform cars: The Dodge Intrepid, the Eagle Vision, and the Chrysler 300M.

1989 Chevrolet-PPG XT-2 Pace Truck

Intended as a pace vehicle for the 1989 CART PPG Indy Car World Series, Chevrolet’s XT-2 Pace truck was an awkward effort to pursue performance amidst an energy crisis. It draped ultra-curvy, fourth-gen-Camaro-esque body lines atop a 4.5-liter, 360hp V-6 that GM never offered in the third-gen Camaro but which it plucked from the contemporary Trans Am racing series. The front glass dropped so low that it doubled as a hood. It was also a ute—a serious tease for fans of the El Camino, which Chevrolet had taken out of production just two years before.

The XT-2 is so awkward that we kinda love it. Plus, in this original iteration, the bed floor lifts up to provide access to the rear drivetrain. How cool is that? However, a renaissance of the utes was not to be: At the end of the next decade, America’s love for SUVs was firmly established.

1989 BMW M3 Pickup

Despite its outrageous profile, this one-off E30 M3 pickup had a practical raison d’etre: Provide an opportunity for green employees to practice their fabrication skills, and haul parts around what is now BMW’s M Division, in Garching. The first powerplant it received was from the “Italian M3,” a 2.0-liter engine with 192 hp. Eventually, it got the 2.3-liter, 200-hp mill. It served BMW’s M division for more than 26 years and was only retired in 2012. As Jakob Polschak, the head of vehicle prototype building and workshops at M said in 2016, the division happened to have an E30 convertible lying around, and its additional bracing made it “the ideal choice for a pickup conversion.”

Isn’t that exactly what you would do if you were in Polschak’s shoes?

1989 Cadillac Solitaire Concept Car

Like the Chevy XT-2, the Cadillac Solitaire is a strange combination of efficiency and performance. Cadillac touted the aerodynamic efficiency of the design—it had a drag coefficient of .28 and cameras instead of side-view mirrors—but under its remarkably flat hood sat a 60-degree, 6.6-liter DOHC V-12 developed in collaboration with Lotus. (GM was already working with Lotus on the LT5 for the C4 Corvette ZR-1, which would debut soon after.)The goal of the Solitaire was high-speed travel in utmost comfort: The glass roof automatically darkened in sunlight. The seats were both heated and cooled. The interior was bedazzled with digital displays.

Sadly, when it comes to GM-Lotus tie-ups, we have to content ourselves with the (quite excellent) ZR-1; the Solitaire would remain just that—one of a kind, never put into production.

***

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Ford’s $300,000, carbon-bodied Mustang is going to have a busy year. Following appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Spa in June, and the retro-tastic Goodwood Festival of Speed in early July, the Mustang GTD will spend the summer testing in Europe for its end-of-year challenge: A sub-seven-minute lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. That time would put the GTD among the top ten fastest production cars at The Green Hell.

Ford must know that we can’t get enough of this road-legal track beast, because it’s further whetting our appetite for the unobtainium, road-legal track monster: Earlier this week, the automaker shared more details about its trick suspension, made by Multimatic, the Canadian company that designed the suspension for the most recent Ford GT. The GTD received Multimatic’s newest and most exotic tech, and the dampers are so fancy, they get their own window, made of polycarbonate and measuring about 24 by 10 inches:

Naturally, you can also see them from outside the vehicle:

Now, to the nerdy details. The rear suspension is a pushrod design that places the shocks atop the tubular rear subframe rather than inboard of the wheels in a more traditional setup. We expect that Multimatic and Ford decided to use a pushrod setup at least in part to accommodate the massive, 345-mm rear tires: Since the shock isn’t mounted vertically behind the wheel, taking up precious space, there’s more room for a larger tire—and for the engineers to design the suspension for just-right geometry.

Based in Canada, Multimatic Motorsports has campaigned both production-based and from-scratch race cars on the international stage since 1992. It boasts wins at Sebring, Le Mans, and Daytona. Multimatic is also a Tier 1 supplier of suspension systems to manufacturers as diverse as Ford (with whom it partnered to build the 21st-century GT supercar), Chevrolet, Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Lotus. Multimatic also has experience fettling ultra-exclusive production cars for ‘Ring times: It designed those on the one-off Evija X:

You’ll find Multimatic dampers, easily recognizable by their gold-and-blue housings, on Chevrolet’s 2024 Silverado ZR2, a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car, the Bronco DR, and now the Mustang GTD.

Multimatic didn’t invent the spool-valve damper—the aerospace industry has used them for a long time—but it introduced the technology to motorsports. It’s developed the technology even beyond what’s legal in motorsports, and the Mustang GTD is one of the beneficiaries. Its adaptive dampers use a spool-valve design to adjust the flow of fluid within the damper (in contrast, a magnetorheological shock uses electricity to change the viscosity of the internal fluid).

“Adaptive damping allows more flexibility in absolute ride performance compared to a passive damper,” said Scott Keefer, vice president of engineering for Multimatic. “It lets you decouple the ride versus handling compromise that you would normally make in damper tuning. Our system is a double win in that adjustments feel very analog, very natural in terms of motion control.”

These proprietary Adaptive Spool Valve (ASV) dampers can adjust from their softest to their firmest setting six times quicker than you can blink (15 milliseconds). From a seat-of-the-pants perspective, that’s basically real-time. The range of adjustability is remarkable, and well-suited to a track-worthy car that you would also drive on the road: When set to Track mode, the dampers and the springs of the GT work together to lower the car up to 1.6 inches while nearly doubling the spring rate.

Ford’s press release also features some beauty shots of the optional, more expensive wheels, which are made of magnesium, but all we want to do is watch this video and watch the dampers go pinchy-pinchy-pinch.

***

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]]> https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/watch-the-mustang-gtds-trick-multimatic-dampers-do-their-thing/feed/ 5 https://www.hagerty.com/media/new-car-reviews/first-look-review-2024-chevrolet-equinox-ev-fwd-2rs/ https://www.hagerty.com/media/new-car-reviews/first-look-review-2024-chevrolet-equinox-ev-fwd-2rs/#comments Thu, 30 May 2024 16:00:00 GMT https://www.hagerty.com/media/?p=402729

The age of the compact sedan is gone: The most common passenger car sold here in the U.S. is a compact crossover. Chevrolet bears out this pattern—Silverado trucks aside, its best-selling vehicle in 2023 was the Equinox. This humble, two-row crossover may be a yawner for an enthusiast, but it is hugely valuable to the company, and to those who buy it. An affordable ($33,195), spacious, comfortable car, the Equinox easily serves as the only vehicle for a couple, even one with a kid or two. Is it possible to reprise the theme for an electric version? Earlier this month, we got our first chance to drive Chevrolet’s attempt to do exactly that.

The Equinox EV is a new car, and an important one. The cheapest model (the LT) will retail for $27,495 including a $1395 destination fee and the $7500 federal tax credit, for which it is eligible in full. (Leaving off the credit, the LT will cost $34,995.) Range for the most efficient version, the front-wheel-drive one, is 319 miles. Chevrolet has made electric vehicles before, and they have been similarly affordable, but none have been this large: Even the larger version of the Bolt, the EUV, was more of a tall hatchback than an SUV. The Equinox EV is a compact crossover, the format of vehicle that Americans like most. Not until now has Chevrolet offered an electric vehicle in this vehicle segment, and its hopes are high: The company aspires to sell 150,000 a year.

For the first drive event, Chevrolet provided Equinox EVs in a variety of trims and colors, both front- and all-wheel-drive. Your author spent the most time in a front-wheel-drive 2RS riding on 21-inch wheels, painted Radiant Red with an Adrenaline Red interior.

Specs: 2024 Chevrolet Equinox FWD 2RS

• Price, base/as-tested*: $45,790 / $50,880
• Powertrain: Single permanent-magnet electric motor
• Output: 213 hp, 236 lb-ft of torque
• Layout: Front-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger compact crossover
• 0–60 mph: TBD
• EPA fuel economy equivalent, MPGe: 117 city, 99 highway, 108 combined
• Competition: Ford Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, Volkswagen ID.4, Kia EV6

*minus federal $7500 EV tax credit)

Like all other GM EVs, and a few Hondas, the Equinox EV relies on GM’s Ultium platform—specifically, the BEV3 variant. The Equinox EV is assembled in Mexico with LG batteries built either in Tennesee or Ohio, making it eligible for the full federal tax credit of $7500. 

Styling, both inside and out, strikes a balance between familiar and futuristic, with the exterior leaning a little more to the latter. Size-wise, this vehicle is significantly larger than the outgoing version of the gas-powered Equinox. It’s closer in size to the recently revealed, fourth-generation Equinox, which looks very different, even from a distance: GM is intentionally bringing its ICE SUVs in line visually with its trucks. Exterior designer Samuel Bell says he didn’t look at the gas-powered Equinox at all when designing this electric crossover, and it shows: The Equinox doesn’t look much like its predecessors, but it’s easily recognizable as a Chevrolet. It’s a simple, handsome design, more obviously a crossover than the swoopy Blazer EV, which somehow looks too big in real life. 

The Equinox wears multiple details that make this car worthy of the price of its higher trims. For example, Chevrolet eschewed molded-in-color plastics for the arches around the wheel wells, using plastic but painting it as it would a metal body panel. The front and the rear fascia display thoughtful texturing, most notably a diamond pattern that does an excellent job at hiding the parking sensors. The pattern is complemented by a simpler sequence of slashes—at the front, you’ll find the pattern between the headlights. In the rear, you’ll see it on the very bottom edge of the bumper. You get the feeling Chevrolet sweated the details on this design even as it chased that thirty-something target price. 

If you’ve been in any other 2024 model year Chevrolet product, you’ll feel at home in the cabin of the Equinox EV. The shifter is mounted in the steering column, behind a familiar, three-spoke steering wheel with matte-plastic buttons, toggle switches, and faux-metal accents on the front and two rocker switches tucked onto its rear side. The location of the shifter allows for a storage cubby below the center console, as it does in the 2024 Traverse. Materials are mostly plastic, with different splashes of color and cloth or leather-mimicking Ecotex depending on trim. The dash is dominated by a two-panel digital display that absorbs the duties of instrument cluster, radio, navigation, and vehicle settings.

Only a few things signal that you’re in an EV, one of which is the absence of a start button or rotary drive-mode selector (which Chevrolet plans for the next-gen, gas-powered Equinox). The heavy dose of familiarity is wise for a vehicle perceived by many as relying on new-fangled technology; little about it feels novel or futuristic compared to the contemporary ICE lineup.

The hands-free start system does take some getting used to: If, like me, you associate pushing a start button with shifting a vehicle into drive, eliminating one eliminates both: Several times I got into the vehicle, which obediently lit to life, but nothing happened when I pressed the accelerator pedal. I learned my lesson by the fourth or fifth start. 

As a front-wheel-drive model, our test vehicle made the most efficient use of its 85-kWh battery and single, permanent-magnet primary drive motor: This is the version with the much-touted range figure of “315 plus” miles: 319, as estimated by the EPA. Output is 213 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. An “eAWD” variant uses the same primary drive unit but adds a smaller, induction motor in the rear. In those Equinox EVs, you sacrifice a bit of range for more power: 285 miles, 288 hp and 333 lb-ft of torque.

There are a few rough edges to the driving experience, but they’re all forgivable at this price point. Because the torque is available instantly, the Equinox EV feels a lot quicker than the numbers suggest. When you only need max squeeze for highway merges or purposeful lane changes, the power is totally adequate. You hear bumps more than you feel them, with these 21-inch wheels and without the gentle background noise of an engine; but harsh impacts, like deeply recessed grates or badly filled repair areas, break through with a thonk to your ears and your butt. The more comfortable electric Equinoxes are likely the cheaper ones on the smaller wheels: Our drive route only involved asphalt, but these 21-inch wheels would likely get obnoxious if you lived down a dirt or gravel road. Stoplights and low speeds aren’t completely silent affairs: Even with the artificial hums and chimes silenced via the touchscreen, there’s discernible motor whine. Steering has some play in it on-center, and is light and artificial throughout the travel.

We’ll reserve judgment on the rear seats and cargo area until we’ve lived with the Equinox EV for a few days, but first impressions are quite good. Not only is a flat battery pack well suited to maximizing interior space, but the designers tucked a few thoughtful solutions into the car: Executive chief engineer Matt Purdy told us that he asked for a place to put a gallon of milk so that it wouldn’t slide around the flat trunk: Look to your right when you open the liftgate, and you’ll see the little plastic nook to hold your two percent. Lift up the flat floor of the trunk and you’ll uncover another cubby beside the charging cable bag.

Our early interactions with the Google-based infotainment system, much of which is of GM’s own design, were inconclusive. Like the driving experience, the price point covers a multitude of smaller sins: The visual language of the display is not particularly elegant, though the resolution is satisfactory. GM clearly prioritized customization: Not only can you download third-party apps, but you can move them around to prioritize the ones you use most frequently. You can even demote some to simplify your view. Someone who’s comfortable configuring their smartphone to mold to their habits will find the organization familiar, but for those who expect a less phone-like experience, in which each button only appears in one specific location, the degree of customization may be overwhelming, possibly frustrating. The size of the screen may be a detriment, too: There’s so much digital acreage to look at. Tapping through, say, various levels of brake regen requires more eyes-off-road-time than feels necessary: Why not just repurpose paddle shifters, like the rest of the world?

Be warned that the fanciest features on the Equinox EV, like Super Cruise and Google Maps and Google Assistant, require additional spend beyond the purchase price, either right away or eventually: Vehicle to Home charging is a an up front cost, the others further down the road. If you buy a charger from GM—not the only or the cheapest charging option, but the best one if you want to eventually add the home-charging station—figure in $1699. That home charging bundle is another $5600.

The other features are available free from GM for a trial period. After that window expires, you’ll need to purchase a subscription from Onstar to keep using them. As of this writing, Super Cruise costs $25 a month after the three-year free period, and that cost includes Automatic Lane Change. Access to Google Maps and Alexa is $15/month, but the trial period is longer than for Super Cruise: eight years. If you want to use your phone to check vehicle stats like tire pressure, cue a remote start, or favorite radio stations, that’s also $15/month. When we live with the car for a week, we’ll dive into more detail and make some suggestions of which services are worth the continued spend.

There are cheaper EVs on the market than the Equinox EV, such as the Nissan Leaf or the Mini Cooper SE. However, these are less spacious vehicles with smaller battery packs. Step up a size, to small SUVs like the Kona EV, and you still only get two-thirds of the Equinox EV’s 315+ mile range. The most established electric crossover, the Tesla Model Y, is more expensive than most front-wheel-drive configurations of the Equinox EV; you’re more likely to cross-shop the Tesla with the more lavish, eAWD versions of the Chevy.

Others, like the Mustang Mach-E or the Volkswagen ID.4, either cost more than the Equinox EV or have lower driving ranges … or both. Higher trims of the Equinox do overlap with the price of lower-spec Mach-Es, but that crossover has a more sporting persona than the humble, serviceable Equinox; it makes more sense as a rival for the bigger Blazer, a range capped by the tire-smoking SS model. The Hyundai Ioniq 6 and the Kia EV6 challenge the Equinox EV in terms of power and interior quality, but they are significantly more expensive—more in the territory of the Blazer EV—and neither is eligible for the federal tax credit. 

The point of all that name-dropping? With a generous range, a low price of entry, a familiar nameplate, and few sporting pretensions, the Equinox EV represents a sweet spot in the market for electric crossovers. The tasks of an Equinox may not be glamorous, but they are important—especially so if electric vehicles are to represent most of the vehicles on our roads. From first impressions, the Equinox EV appears worthy of its name.

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD 2RS

Highs: Spacious interior, spunky powertrain, approachable styling inside and out.

Lows: Ride is rough around the edges. Low noise insulation from motor whine, tire noise. Coolest tech features require subscriptions.

Summary: An Equinox for the electric age, whenever that age arrives.

***

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The hand-built-to-order Celestiq indicates that Cadillac is in the middle of a revitalization, a return to its roots as the standard of luxury for the world. How much of that intent trickles down into its smallest, most affordable vehicle, the Optiq? We won’t be able to answer that question until we drive the car, but that was the question in our minds earlier this month, when Cadillac showed off the little electric crossover for the first time.

Cadillac is aiming the Optic at well-heeled older millennials. The Celestiq and the Escalade IQ are the twin flagship models of the brand; in contrast, the Optiq is designed to be a customer’s first electric car—and the first luxury car that those 29-to-39-year olds buy with their own money. (If you’re looking for your first EV, and you want to spend far less, keep an eye out for our review of the Equinox EV.) Cadillac will sell the Optiq around the globe, in over 10 different markets, including Europe.

Cadillac will offer no front-wheel-drive Optiq: Dual-motor AWD comes standard. Cadillac estimates driving range at 300 miles. Output is 300 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. The battery pack has a capacity of 85 kWh and, when hooked up to a DC fast charger, can gain as much as 79 miles of range in about 10 minutes. Cadillac has more to say about bidirectional charging at a later date: While typically vague, that statement does not eliminate the possibility of V2H charging, so we’re reading it “yes, but not now.”

Inside, the Optiq immediately feels and looks different than its GM platform-mate, the Blazer EV. (Both are assembled in Mexico, with LG-sourced batteries built in Tennesee and Ohio.) Chevrolet left a lot of room for Cadillac to wow customers who have between $55,000 and $65,000 to spend on an electric crossover: Give up the eye-watering performance figures of the most expensive Blazer, the SS, for an Optiq, and you’ll gain an airy interior finished in brushed aluminum, fabric, an unusual but cool veneer made of recycled newspaper and tulip wood, and a leather-esque material that is so much more convincing than the Ecotex that Chevy uses. In the Optiq we sat in, that hide alternative was dyed a fetching shade between blush and ochre. Cadillac calls it Autumn Canyon.

Interior engineer Cameron LaCourt pointed out the location of the instrument panel: His team took pains to place it as low as possible in the cabin. We have yet to drive the Optiq, but we expect that the driving position will benefit from that work. A few other areas he and his team sweated: The map pocket, which extends all the way to the passenger-side door, and the location of the speaker, which is high in the door to make room for extra storage lower down.

The mix of high-and low-gloss textures is tasteful: We especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of fabric next to brushed aluminum on the passenger-side section of the dash. The impression of quality is only solidified as you look closer: The pattern of perforation on the seat is varied. Felt lines the interior of the glovebox. The grilles of the AKG speakers are etched aluminum. (There are 19 in total. Cadillac’s decision to offer Dolby Atmos in many of its EVs is one of the reasons that smartphone tethering had to go; the advanced nature of the audio projection meant that it needed more proverbial horsepower than a phone could provide.) The textured metal knobs that open and close the shutters of the climate-control vents are elegantly tucked between the leather upper and fabric lower of the dash, and each rotates with satisfying weight and click. The buttons to control temperature, direction, and fan speed of the climate control are made of metal, rather than gloss black plastic, as in the Optiq’s bigger sibling, the Lyriq.

The iDrive-style “multifunction controller” carries over from the much more expensive Celestiq and is placed behind a knurled dial that you’re supposed to roll (or press) with your finger. Lovely and ergonomic, just as it is in the Lyriq, who donated its 33-inch LED screen.

The size, color, and general aesthetic of the icons on the touchscreen reminded us of the one from the Equinox EV and the Silverado EV. We’re looking forward to spending some time with one and seeing whether Cadillac organized the submenus more logically than Chevy did: From first glance, useful shortcuts to frequently used functions like one-pedal driving and drive mode, are more prominent and more conveniently located.

From the outside, the Lyriq looks unmistakably like a Cadillac: Continuity of design has been very important to Cadillac for a long time, and you only have to glance at the Lyriq and Celestiq to see the brand is still very good at it. Even the choreography of the LED modules in the headlights and DRLs and grille is similar. The Optiq looks somewhere between a rakish XT4 and a shrunken Lyriq with a little less going on. For reference, the wheelbase is six inches shorter than that of a Lyriq. The windshield rake is aggressive, second in severity within Cadillac’s offerings only to that of the Celestiq. The angle of the windshield forced the engineers to use butterfly-style wipers—a part unique to the Optiq—rather than traditional ones that swipe side to side in parallel. 

As with GM’s other new products that offer Super Cruise, you only get the system free for so long before you must purchase a subscription. (The system is active for the first three years of ownership at no cost.) Nobody knows what inflation will be like in three years, but right now, Super Cruise costs $25 a month. Automatic Lane Change is a one-time, $500 purchase. Judging from the subscription bundles available via Onstar on Cadillac’s site now, you’ll also need to pay up for extended use of Google services, like Google Maps and Alexa voice control: Right now, that “App Access” package costs $15 a month. It should be noted that the practice of requiring a subscription for nice-to-have options is now firmly ensconced within the luxury segment; Mercedes-Benz and BMW both offer similar packages.

Given its refrain of “entry-level luxury EV,” Cadillac is clearly, proudly excluding Tesla from its competitors. From our first impressions, that swagger appears to have been earned. We love seeing Cadillac with some main-character energy … and we hope that the driving experience of the Optiq proves this car worthy of being on such a stage. 

***

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As its namesake would likely appreciate, Mini’s latest iteration of its John Cooper Works model will be seen by the world for the first time on track.

Ahead of its unveiling this fall, the car will compete in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, held June 1–2. Privateers Bulldog Racing will field the gas-powered version of the car in the SP 3T class (that translates to GT cars with turbocharged engines of 2000 cc or less).

Unlike the racing team, customers will get their pick of powertrain—Mini will offer the upcoming JCW lineup (which cars that entails, it isn’t saying) with either gas or battery power. Mini isn’t the first automaker to offer this either/or choice within one model: Dodge is offering its new muscle car with either a battery pack or a straight-six.

The John Cooper name and Minis go back to 1961, when the racer and F1 constructor of the same name began to modify Minis. His work resulted in the first Mini Cooper, the most famous of which was driven by Paddy Hopkirk to victory in the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally. It remains one of racing’s greatest underdog stories. The number 37 logos on Bulldog’s car nod to that story, though the car will race as #317 when it competes at the ‘Ring next weekend.

When BMW revived the Mini brand, the JCW name appeared on mild performance kits blessed by the factory, which extended the warranty to such modified cars. In mid-2008, the world met the Mini John Cooper Works. The clunky name, often abbreviated to “Mini Jay-Cee-Double-U,” designated not a kit but a distinct model, a variant of the regular Mini. That pattern continues today. There are four JCW models currently available: A two-door convertible, a two-door hardtop, a six-door Clubman, and a Countryman SUV. While you can still order a two-door hardtop with a six-speed manual for the 2024 model year, this new JCW (and all other ICE-powered Minis) will come equipped with an automatic, as we learned last fall.

We’ve known about the company’s plans to electrify the spiciest Mini for a while—as far back as November of 2020, actually. Given our experience with the less-sporty version now in production, known as the Cooper SE, we’re very curious about the JCW version: Of the SE, we pronounced turn-in quick, body roll minimal, and corner exists “a tire-shrieking, wheel-tugging riot.” Batteries and motors instead of tank and engine will likely decrease the driving range of an electric JCW compared to its ICE equivalent, but they are almost guaranteed to lower the center of gravity. Our best hope is that the electric JCW will be the kind of car you keep up at your mountain house and charge overnight when you get there for a morning of corner-carving the next day.

Even with the departure of the manual, we do not lose hope for the ICE version of the JCW Mini, though our fingers are crossed that it will source a better auto than the torque-converter in the outgoing JCW Clubman. Jack Baruth found that gearbox the only flaw in an otherwise delightfully enthusiastic track car. If Mini were to make that automatic more athletic, the Mini JCW might live up to the motorsport intent evident in the location of its debut next weekend. Mini, we really want to believe in you: Don’t disappoint us!

If you’re at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, give a close listen to the gear changes. Even better, if you know somebody at Bulldog, buy ’em a few rounds and do a little investigative journalism for us.

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The Silverado EV is the first electric pickup Chevrolet has designed from scratch. It is also, among the Big Three, the first battery-only pickup designed from a blank sheet of paper: Ford’s F-150 Lightning, which debuted in May of 2021, is an adaption of the gas-powered F-Series platform, and Ram has yet to let anyone drive its battery-electric pickup, called the REV. We spent several hours on I-94 between Detroit and Chelsea, Michigan, plus a smattering of undulating two-lane roads, to get acquainted with Chevrolet’s champion in this next generation of the truck war.

The only vehicles available at this media event were RST First Edition trims, painted black, which represent the most expensive variant of the Silverado EV. Every bell and whistle is offered, including trailering-capable Super Cruise, air suspension, and 24-inch wheels.

The styling of this electric pickup resembles a Silverado the same way that a third-gen Equinox represents a Silverado: by hint and mimicry. The buttresses connecting the C-pillar to the bed recall the 2001–13 Avalanche: Their main function here is lowering aerodynamic drag, but the resemblance to GM’s other truck with a midgate hints at the ethos of this vehicle—practical, but with a unique flair compared to the long-running half-tons in GM’s lineup.

This Silverado EV needs no traditional grille to cool a combustion engine, so the shield-shaped indent in the front is simply another body panel. It hides a generous, easily accessible frunk; all the necessary cooling for other components is achieved by the lower air dam. Those vertical slits in the “cheeks” of the fascia are primarily for reducing aerodynamic drag—they are air curtains that channel air around the wheels. Between the wheels sits a GM-designed skateboard platform filled with Ultium batteries of GM’s own make, built in Warren, Ohio under a collaboration with LG Energy Solution of South Korea.

The 205-kWh pack grants this top-tier model a range of 440 miles, GM estimates, 40 up from that advertised at launch. Range is one of the things Chevrolet is most proud of on this truck. The closest competitor in this respect is the Rivian R1T, with 400 miles. A charging speed of up to 350kW and 24-inch wheels are other class-leading stats.

Specs: 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV First Edition RST

• Price: $96,495/$96,715 base/as tested
• Powertrain: Dual motors, one front, one rear; direct-drive transmission front/rear
• Output: 754 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque (1064 lb-ft in WOW mode)
• Layout: Four-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger full-size pickup truck
• 0–60 mph: < 4.5 seconds (manufacturer estimate)
• EPA fuel economy equivalent: 67 MPGe city, 59 highway, 63 combined
• Competition: Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, Ram 1500 REV

In America, the majority of expensive trucks are luxury vehicles with mainstream badges. In this competitive set, high-quality accoutrements are mandatory. (Check out the $89K Ram that we drove recently; Ram intends to offer the same luxury-laden trim level, Tungsten, on its battery-electric truck.)

It’s in this area that the Silverado EV disappoints. Given the almost $97K sticker price, it’s a failure customers will notice. The tops of the doors, where you might rest an elbow, are not padded. (They are on the Equinox EV, which Chevrolet touts as America’s Most Affordable EV with 315+ Miles of Range.)

Though the steering wheel looks like it’s wrapped in leather, the material is a synthetic imitation that doesn’t pass the feel test. The grilles of the upgraded Bose sound system feel rubbery and flex under minor pressure. Almost everything else within reach is black plastic: The column-mounted shifter, a dead ringer for the one in the new Traverse; the buttons on the front and the back of the steering wheel; the insides of the A-pillar; on the dash beside and above the analog HVAC controls, which are black plastic with a bit of rubber; on the top and the sides of the center console.

The red piping and blue and red stitching on the seats, plus the red elements in the climate control vents and the red stitching on the steering wheel, read as a half-hearted attempt to disturb the reign of black in this cabin. When we asked about the availability of the white-and-black interior, pictures of which have been floating around on the internet, Chevrolet told us that black is the only interior color available on the First Edition RST.

Leather is not an option on the RST—you sit on thrones of Ecotex, the leather-esque synthetic material that first appeared on the humble Trax. Wood trim is nowhere to be seen, let alone the open-pore ash found in the Rivian R1T. Suede, as used for the headliner of that competitor? Dream on.

Though the truck does come with running boards (their underside is also fettled to reduce aero drag) Chevrolet won’t offer retractable ones; as the chief development engineer told us, the truck is not set up for them. (Chalk one up to the F-150 Lightning, which you could easily fit with fancy running boards from the aftermarket, since it rides on the familiar F-Series frame.)

Glass is plentiful, and the cabin lets in a lot of daylight, but if you reach up to the glass forward-center section of the roof, you’ll find no sunshade. GM’s explanation is that the additional tint (compared to the side windows) was enough to satisfy its requirements, but that a shade will be available as a dealer add-on. Similarly, Rivian and Tesla both offer a panoramic glass roof on their electric trucks without a power-operated shade, and in those models one isn’t even available as an accessory.

We also observed uneven stitching that wobbled across the dash and armrests; GM clarified that the vehicles we encountered were either pre- or early-production, so we expect the issue to be remedied on customer trucks.

Power comes from two electric motors, one on each axle. Output is 754 hp and 784 lb-ft on the First Edition RST. Chevrolet won’t yet reveal the details of trim levels other than the 3WT and First Edition RST, other than to say we can expect WT, LT, and RST variants in the second half of 2024 and a Trail Boss for 2025. We would expect power output to vary across the lineup according to price, but Chevrolet’s lips are sealed for now.

The size of that battery pack is one of the biggest reasons to buy a Silverado EV, and not exclusively because of the impressive range it provides. The truck is a portable power source, capable not only of recharging your electric leaf blower or running an air fryer at your campsite but of powering your house during an outage for up to 21 days, says GM Energy’s website.

The Silverado is not the only vehicle in GM’s portfolio capable of vehicle-to-home (V2H), or “bidirectional,” charging—the Blazer EV, the Equinox EV, and the Lyriq do, too—but the Silverado has the largest towing capacity (11,000 pounds), and its battery is by far the largest available, at least until its GMC sibling debuts. If you don’t yet have a Level 2 charger at home—and you’ll definitely want a Level 2 to max out the capacity of a pack this large—GM Energy will sell you one with a three-year warranty for $1699. Unlike the $600 one from Chargepoint on Amazon, GM’s is capable of bidirectional charging. You’ll need to buy a lot more equipment to utilize that capability, though—without installation, and not counting the charger, all the stuff you need costs $5600 from GM Energy.

In that context, the eye-watering price point of the First Edition RST-spec Silverado makes a little more sense. The Silverado EV, as are most EVs these days with ranges and tow capacities rivaling ICE cars, is for a deep-pocketed customer who already owns a home but who has money to invest in significant home upgrades and who is excited to adapt to a novel, gas-independent lifestyle. If you live in Texas, Michigan, California, North Carolina, or Ohio, the states most frequently hit by weather-related power outages in the last 23 years, an EV capable of V2H charging is a compelling proposition. Your A/C will stay running, you can charge the batteries for your electric chain saw to help your neighbors move downed trees, the food in your fridge won’t go bad …

The Silverado EV’s genuine usefulness as a backup power source almost makes up for how unfriendly it can be to drive—on the 24-inch wheels, at any rate. The wheels are giant, the tire sidewalls small (50-section), the tire pressures high (low 60s up front, 70 in the rear), the weight huge (9119 pounds), the platform incredibly stiff. Even the complex suspension setup—adaptive dampers and air bladders, a combination unique to the RST—cannot ensure a comfortable ride on both highway and back roads on these wheels, with these tire pressures. You’ll need to use My Mode, rather than one of the factory presets, to set the suspension to its softest setting, Tour, to get the most compliant ride on highways.

From first impressions, we don’t recommend Tour for backroads driving, as the suspension felt nearly water-bed-like on undulating two-lane roads. A Chevrolet designer on location didn’t betray any second-guessing about the choice of the 24-inch rims, merely noting that the size was already present in the aftermarket for the ICE Silverado, and that 24s looked really good on the EV truck. While engineers on hand pointed out that the tires were extensively massaged in the wind tunnel, the diameter of the wheel seems suspect in a vehicle so focused on range and efficiency; the simpler solution for range optimization and increased towing capacity is a smaller, lighter wheel shod with a high-load tire.

We’d been curious about the launch mode, Wide Open Watts, and we finally experienced it. With a GM-estimated 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds, the Silverado EV isn’t Hellcat-quick but it’s disturbingly adept at acceleration for a vehicle of such height and heft. You activate WOW mode via the touchscreen. Tapping the icon, which looks a little like a Motorola logo upside down, triggers a ripple from the stereo that sounds straight out of Helldivers. The activation is gimmicky, though the launch itself isn’t—stomp the accelerator (no two-foot action needed), and the truck hurls itself forward without a whisper of wheelspin from any of the tires. We did one launch from behind the wheel and another from the passenger seat, the first with the truck at normal ride height, the second with it hunkered down, and both times the front end got light enough to cause the truck to weave side to side. Yikes.

Yes, you can road trip in a Silverado EV. Not only does the Google-built-in infotainment plan all your charging stops for you, but the First Edition RST comes with Super Cruise, which is also able to change lanes on its own and preemptively avoid slower traffic. (Super Cruise also works while towing, albeit without the use of automatic lane-change.) The system is well-executed and makes long stretches of boring highway delightfully chill for the driver. The only place you wouldn’t want to use it is on a highway with a lot of traffic and some aggressive, unpredictable drivers (we’re looking at you, I-96 in Detroit). In those scenarios, you’ll want to watch your own rearview mirror for gap-hungry Hellcats and the like.

After hearing a fellow journalist shower praise upon the rear seats of a competitor’s full-size pickup, your author spent an hour or so in the back seat of the Silverado EV, curious about what a kid might experience on a road trip. I exited the vehicle squinting, feeling jostled. Space there was, and plenty of it—you could fit an NBA player in this back seat, and they’d have knee and elbow room to spare—but I doubt that they would be any better protected from sun glare and heat through the glass roof, or from the pavement imperfections transmitted to the butt through the less-than-luxurious bench seat at highway speeds. I silently promised any potential future children I would buy them a Suburban.

The truck has its virtues. Four-wheel steering makes the Silverado EV quite nimble in a parking lot, something a Suburban cannot boast. The short front overhang is easy to adjust to if you’re coming from a smaller vehicle. Rear visibility is good, thanks to that wide rear glass and assuming that nobody is sitting in the back seat; even if they are, the camera feed projected onto the rearview mirror compensates well.

Nearly every truck in the Silverado EV’s competitive set has a nifty storage solution that takes packaging advantage of the battery-electric architecture, and the Silverado’s is a midgate between the bed and the cabin. It lowers just like that on the aforementioned Avalanche: The bottom of the rear seats hinge forward, to rest against the backs of the front chairs. The backs of the rear seats fold toward the floor, and the glass can be unlocked, removed, and stowed in a pocket on the back panel, which then folds down. The only fly in the ointment is the pouch for the charging cable, which we stored under the rear seat on the driver’s side, but that prevents the seat backs from folding completely flat. Chevy doesn’t provide a specific spot to put the pouch, so it’s up to you to chuck it somewhere out of the way.

The RST is probably our least favorite version of the Silverado EV. Not only is it more than double the average transaction price (about $47,000) for a new vehicle in 2024, but it also comes exclusively with the punishing 24-inch wheel-and-tire set. Swap them out for, say, the Work Truck (WT) variant’s 18s, and cushier rubber, avoiding the glass roof, and the regular, non-air suspension might be able to keep up with the mass of the pickup. Hagerty staffer Steven Cole Smith had no complaints about the ride after his admittedly brief time with the WT back in October 2023. That truck rides on 18s and a coil-spring suspension—a significant upgrade from the gas-powered Chevrolet trucks, all of which still use leaf springs. If more comfort at a lower price point is your priority, however, Chevrolet will make you wait until the second half of this year for an LT variant of the Silverado EV.

The fanciest thing about the First Edition RST’s cabin are its dual digital displays. Functionally, they are quite customizable; you can relocate icons and move your favorites to the top rail of the central 17-inch touchscreen, adding up to five in the section below the volume knob, an area nearly perfectly obscured by the right side of the steering wheel, and download third-party apps.

Your author particularly enjoyed the multiple configurations of the 11-inch screen behind the steering wheel that serves as an instrument panel: You can toggle it to display full-width Google Maps, freeing you from sideways glances at the center panel. Aesthetically, the layout is rigid. The color scheme is blue or light blue, and CarPlay, as with all new GM EVs, is not offered.

The menu structure is not intuitive—if you don’t realize you can prioritize and relocate various icons, you will fall down a rabbit hole of submenus just trying to tweak the regen on the brake. (I never thought I would miss the outgoing Bolt’s regen-on-demand steering-wheel paddle control, but this truck made me wish for them.)

Chevrolet has been understandably busy debuting vehicle after vehicle this year, events which are the final milestones in years-long development processes. Many are proving quick successes: The newly matured Trax is selling like hot cakes. The new Colorado ZR2 is an on- and off-road champion. And how could we forget the Corvette E-Ray, which we declared “an all-American, grand-touring marvel,” and the upcoming ZR1, due to be revealed this summer? Yet even after our brief time with the Silverado EV, we suspect it would be difficult for any customer to deduce that this truck is made by the same company that designed and executed the world-class C8. While the Vette sets the standard for exceptional performance value, this electric Silverado doesn’t measure up to its nearly six-figure price tag. We know Chevy does trucks well. Its first electric truck deserves better.

2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV First Edition RST

Highs: Road-trip-worthy range, nifty midgate, can serve as stand-by power for your home and/or toys.
Lows: Punishing ride quality on 24-inch wheels. No spare tire. Interior is more worthy of a $45K truck, not a $95K one.
Summary: If you’ve waited this long for a knockout, clean-sheet electric truck from Detroit, keep waiting.

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When actor Clark Gable took delivery of a Jaguar XK 120 on the set of Never Let Me Go (1953) in Cornwall, the car was nearly as big of a deal as he was. Not only was the vehicle beautiful, and its engine a technological tour de force, with a top speed of 126.448 miles per hour, the XK 120 was the fastest car in the world.

Jaguar almost didn’t build it. As WWII ended, Jaguar was developing a 3.4-liter inline-six with dual overhead camshafts. The company had always built six-cylinder engines, back when it was called SS Cars, and had developed an overhead-valve design in 1936, but this engine was something new: Beautiful, reliable, and powerful, the XK would become the engine that put Jaguar in the history books. The company intended to put the DOHC six in a luxury-laden, six-passenger touring sedan called the Mark VII, but in 1948, as the British International Motor Show at Earls Court grew closer and closer, it became obvious that the Mark VII wouldn’t be ready in time. How could Jaguar show off its new engine? Based on a sketch from Jaguar’s lead designer and co-founder William Lyons, the company decided on a limited-run sports car, with an aluminum body over an ash frame.

Jaguar built the concept in two months. When the XK 120 debuted at Earls Court, it was a sensation. At the time, DOHC engines were the province of ultra-expensive vehicles like Duesenbergs and Stutzes, but you didn’t have to be mega-rich to own an XK 120; you just had to be well-off.

At £999, the XK 120 cost about 1.5 times as much as a Cadillac Series 62… and it looked like liquid speed. So what if it didn’t have a roof or windows? Seven months later, an XK 120 would clear 120 mph, making it the fastest production car to date.

As if the polished aluminum valve covers of the XK weren’t enough, the car’s gotta-have-it status was sealed when Jaguar decided to build them nearly identical to the 1948 concept. Given the original plan to build only 200 or so, the first XK 120s were delicately and expensively produced, with bodies made of aluminum. Initially, the only body style was a roadster. Jaguar made 242 between 1949 and 1950 at its facility on Holbrook Lane in Coventry, before switching the body material to steel and ramping up production: In 1951, it built 490 right-hand-drive units and 1025 left-hand-drive ones.

A fixed head coupé (FHC) arrived for 1951 with a roof and windows, chrome door handles, and an interior dominated by a gorgeous walnut dashboard. That same year, Jaguar also announced the “SE” specification, which enhanced the car’s performance with a set of wire wheels to improve brake cooling, and higher-lift cams and dual exhaust pipes to unlock 20 more horsepower. In 1953 came another body style, the drophead coupé, with a folding canvas top, real windows, and the walnut dash, plus another set of high-performance goodies: a C-Type head and larger carburetors, which together bumped output to 210 hp. Production of the XK 120 ended in August of 1954.

The 1951 example you see here (currently available on Hagerty Marketplace) wears the same color scheme as the one Gable received in Cornwall: Battleship Gray over red leather (he also owned a ’52 that he sent straight to Barris Customs for a gold paint job, removal of the headlight spears, and relocation of the license plate). Although available from the factory in 1951, the color scheme is different from the one this car originally wore, which was Birch Gray over red and biscuit, a combination about which the current seller on Hagerty Marketplace feels strongly: It “does not suit the car well.” Lest you have any worries about the reception of this change in the collector-car community, the matching-numbers car was honored at the 2024 Amelia Concours specifically for the excellence of its restoration, for which it earned the Gil Nickel/Far Niente Award.

That restoration, a four-year, nut-and-bolt effort, was top-notch. The body and chassis were separated, and the latter was stripped, rustrpoofed, and repainted. The former was stripped and all its panels realigned, before the whole shell was repainted. All the chrome work is new, down to the seat frames and hoodsticks for the roadster top.

The XK six boasts new pistons, sleeves, bearings, and timing chains, among other new components. A few wise upgrades have been made in the name of function: The main journal bolts, known for their troublesome retaining tabs, have been replaced with ARP studs, and the connecting rod bolts with studs from the same manufacturer. Both sets of original bolts come with the car, should you wish to reverse the modifications.

You have to look closely indeed to find anything to complain about on this car: The clock doesn’t work, the windshield trim is slightly marred, and one of the included reproduction batteries has a bad cell. But who needs to look at the time when they’re driving a car as legendary as the XK 120?

At the time of writing, the bidding sits at $45,000 with eight days left on the auction, which ends on Tuesday, May 28, at 3:10 p.m. ET. The car currently resides in Lancing, Tennessee, about an hour northwest of Knoxville.

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Today’s automotive landscape may be populated by all sorts of half-this, half-that vehicles (coupe-SUVs, anyone?), but you can’t walk into any new-car dealer in America today and find something quite like like the El Camino.

Debuting in 1959 as a modified two-row station wagon, this car-based pickup grew up into a Chevlle-based “ute” in 1965 and was built in several generations until as late as 1987, with sales totaling nearly one million. Thanks to that long production range, you can find an “ElCo” of just about any era that suits you, from the classy tailfinned originals to the mullet-and-mustache conclusion forced out of production when pickups began to replace cars as daily drivers.

Blink, and you might miss the first generation of El Camino, introduced by Chevrolet for 1959. It was the General’s response to Ford, who had announced the Ranchero, based on its full-size car platform, for 1957. Though later generations of the El Camino would eventually outlast and outsell the Ford, the first El Camino was hardly the hit that Chevy had hoped, so the ute disappeared after just two years on the market. Three years after its competition disappeared, the Ranchero was still selling well, so Chevrolet went back to the drawing board and designed another El Camino, this time on the Chevelle platform.

The 1964 El Camino benefited from all the work Chevy had put into developing the ’64 Chevelle, including that car’s engine choices and wide-ranging trim levels. For the third generation introduced for 1968, Chevrolet infused the El Camino with the full range of Chevelle goodness, including a Super Sport (SS) variant. Today, those SS models are far and away the most expensive examples of the desirable third generation (’68 and ’69 models with the L78, L89, or LS6 exceed $100K), but if you’re on a budget, don’t be discouraged: You can find a clean, V-8 ElCo for $30K or less.

The third-gen El Camino was the most muscular one yet, both aesthetically and mechanically, thanks to its Chevelle DNA. From the A-pillar forward, it looked identical to its handsome sibling, with four headlights beneath a rakish chrome brow. The changes started at the broad B-pillar, which flowed downward to frame the sloping sides of a 79×39.5-inch bed with a bottom-hinged tailgate. And yes, the ute could tow!

Engines increased in number and output when the 1968 car arrived. Displacement of the base V-8 (on the Standard trim) grew from 283 to 307 cubic inches, and output was 5 hp higher (200). The next rung up the powertrain ladder remained a 327-cubic-inch engine, but there was an additional tune on offer, for a total of three: 275, 325, and 375 hp, all available on the Custom model along with chrome molding for the lower body panels.

The SS-spec engines in 1968 included the “Turbo-Jet” L35, which displaced 396 cubic inches, and the L34, which Chevy called a 396 but whose displacement was actually 402 cubic inches. Those mills made 325 and 350 hp, respectively. The magic years, for those who want maximum performance in their third-gen El Camino, are 1969 and 1970. In ’69, Chevrolet added two more SS-spec engines, the 396-cubic-inch L78 and the aluminum-head L89, both rated for 375 hp. The legendary 454-cubic-inch V-8 arrived for 1970 in two states of tune: LS5, with 360 hp, and the holy-grail LS6, with 450. The LS5 was available in the El Camino for ’71 and ’72 as well, but after 1970 the LS6 was gone from the lineup.

GM tweaked the styling of each model year from 1968 to 1972, though the most obvious changes occurred every other year and are most easily seen at the front. In 1970, the chrome “brow” disappeared, replaced by front fenders that plunged nearly straight down, rather than back, and flanked a larger, rectangular grille. In 1971, Chevy replaced the pairs of headlights with single lenses, and integrated two stacked turn signals into the forward ends of the front fenders. Those stacked elements blended into one for 1972, the final year of the third generation.

There’s a clearly defined hierarchy of values when it comes to the El Camino, and it should be familiar to muscle car fans—the rarer and more powerful the engine, the higher the price. The king of the ’68–72 El Caminos, ranked by value, is the SS 396 from 1969: One in #2 (excellent) condition is $128,000, and a concours-quality example breathes even rarer air: $174,000. Interestingly, the El Camino with the largest-displacement and most powerful engine, an LS6-powered 1970 car, costs less: $105,000 in #2 condition.

The good news for ute enthusiasts on a budget is that El Camino values decrease rapidly as the engines become slightly tamer and the production numbers more plentiful. You don’t even have to give up an SS badge: Set aside the 454, and the two highest-spec engines for ’69 (the L78 and the L89), and you can get an SS in #2 condition between $39,200 and $41,800. If you simply want an El Camino, and don’t have to have an SS, your options become even more plentiful and affordable: With the exception of the 1970 year, 350- and 375-powered cars fall below $40K. Find a lovingly maintained driver with few dings, and you’re well under $30K.

El Caminos are sometimes—but not always—cheaper than their better-known brethren, Chevelles. The top end of the Chevelle market is far above that of the El Camino, even after setting aside the COPO and Yenko cars: a 1970 LS6 coupe, for instance, is $172,000 in #2 condition; a convertible, $369,000. However, at $128K in #2 condition, the top-dog El Camino (’69 L89), is more expensive than the comparable Chevelle. Step a little further down the ladder, and a 454-equipped El Camino from 1970 is $58,600, while an LS5-powered Chevelle of the same vintage is $86,400. Compare prices for 350-powered Chevelles and El Caminos, though, the Chevelle is sometimes the better bargain. In short, any comparison between the two markets must leave room for nuance.

Though values for the ’68–72 El Camino are up 25 percent over the last five years, much of that increase is explained by the heating we saw across the collector car market during and immediately after the pandemic. Pre-pandemic, values were growing, but very gradually. Values for third-gen El Caminos are quite stable, as a rule: Their last significant fluctuation was in 2009 and mirrored another broader trend–the dramatic correction of the muscle car market.

The ’68–72 cars are most often purchased by those who remember them as a weird, awesome highlight of the muscle car’s golden era. This vintage of El Camino appeals disproportionately to boomers, who represent 32 percent of the collector car market as a whole but make up nearly half of insurance quotes we receive for this generation ElCo. Gen X falls in second place, with 26 percent of third-gen El Camino quotes (but 31 percent of the overall market).

A delightfully weird offshoot of Chevrolet’s most horsepower-happy years, the third-gen El Camino is a classic for good reason. The wide spread of values covers a broad array of buyers, from discerning collectors of American muscle who want a perfectly preserved LS6-powered example to enthusiasts who want an affordable, cool collectible that might even make the weekend trip to Home Depot a little easier.

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What do Jaguar, Ruf, and McLaren have in common? Each, at one point in the same ten-year span, built the fastest production car in the world. All were low-volume manufacturers, but the least widely known of the trio also built the fewest, most exclusive vehicles.

Meet the Ruf CTR2, a 993-generation rocket with a think tank’s worth of proprietary Porsche-tuning know-how. One of only 30 or so examples built—only the manufacturer in Pfaffenhausen knows the true total—this CTR2 is going up for sale late this summer, at Broad Arrow’s Monterey Jet Center sale in August.

Unlike Gemballa and other Porsche customizers that rose to fame in the ’80s and ’90s, Ruf is its own manufacturer, and its cars have Ruf-specific serial numbers. Founded in 1939 by Alois Ruf, Sr, the small shop in Pfaffenhausen, Germany began as a service station. Alois Ruf, Jr began working on Porsches in his father’s shop, and took over in 1974 upon his father’s death. He had a passion for tweaking cars from the Stuttgart brand, and the shop’s focus became modifying 911s for speed. (The shop put a five-speed gearbox in a turbocharged 911 before Porsche did, for one.) In 1981, Ruf was listed as a manufacturer by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority.

The Ruf name catapulted into global awareness in 1987 when Ruf released a video of a bright yellow 930-chassis 911, its air-cooled flat-six strapped with two turbos, tearing—often sideways—around Germany’s infamously challenging Nürburgring. In a test published later that year, Road and Track clocked the CTR at 211 mph around the 15.5-mile oval test track in Ehra-Lessien: That was about 13 mph faster than Porsche’s contemporary 911 Turbo, and faster than any vehicle (Ferrari Testarossa and Porsche 959 included) in the star-studded test gathering. The magazine editors dubbed the CTR “Yellow Bird”—and the name stuck. Soon after, Ruf decided to build 29 more, calling the model CTR.

The CTR2 is what happened when, in 1995, Ruf got its hands on the 993-generation 911. Ruf would fit the Porsche-supplied bodies-in-white with either rear- or all-wheel drive, whichever the customer preferred. To say that the shop’s engineering changes were extensive would be an understatement: Like the CTR, the flat-six in the CTR2 was twin-turbocharged and mated to a gearbox of Ruf’s own design, with new, lightweight body panels supported by a proprietary integrated rollcage. (For the CTR2, though, those panels were carbon-kevlar composite rather than aluminum and fiberglass.)

The CTR2 demonstrated a new level of commitment to aerodynamics: The side-view mirrors were new and snuggled as close to the body as possible. For each Carrera 2 body-in-white that it received from Porsche, Ruf removed the rain gutters on the roof and welded the seams on the roof, changes that not only made the car look sleeker but also made it quieter at high speeds. The rear bumper, and the giant wing affixed to it, the rocker panels, and the front spoiler were all of Ruf design.

The CTR2 had its own moment of motorsports fame in 1997, when two specially modified examples placed second overall and fourth in class in the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. (Double-decker wing, 702 bhp, and yellow paint!)

This brings us to today’s car, a silver-over-black CTR2 (chassis no. W09BD0364WPR06010) presented for sale by the same person who commissioned it from Alois Ruf in 1998. Given the chance to order the car however they liked, this discerning customer asked for a six-speed transmission made-to-order with gear ratios that prioritized acceleration over top speed, the optional four-wheel-drive system, and the lightweight, composite body panels. While this CTR2 is not billed as the Sport model, it does have the uprated, 580-hp engine developed for that later variant, as requested by the customer, who paid an additional 65,000 Deutsche Marks for the 60 extra horses. (Rufs are frequently sent back to the shop for further modifications, so clear differentiation between variants isn’t as clearly delineated as it would be for an outfit that worked in larger volumes.) Other build-specific details include the oval exhaust tip and a sound system made by Nokia.

The car is accompanied by all its original paperwork, including order forms, options list, a photograph of the owner and the Rufs standing next to the car upon its delivery, and even the handwritten calculations for the modified gear ratios. It is offered by Broad Arrow with an estimate of $2.2M–$2.5M.

Air-cooled Porsche 911s of all stripes have seen a dramatic rise in values over the last several years. Naturally, the fast, rare, and unique examples have led the way, and it’s no surprise that the Ruf CTR2 comes in at the top of the list.

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If you own the GT4 RS variant of Porsche’s 718 Cayman, you already have an immensely capable, road-legal track car. But it’s hard for track rats to leave well enough alone, and Porsche knows that. As a result, If you want double the downforce, more range of adjustment in the struts, and 20 percent more spring rate, the company is now offering a kit produced by Manthey Racing, and it’s available to order in the U.S. this summer.

At $53,946 without tax or installation fees, the Manthey goodies are a pricey proposition. However, it’s marginally cheaper than the first Manthey kit offered here in the states, a similar set of aerodynamic and suspension changes for the 992-chassis 911 GT3; that one cost $57,300.

The main reason you’d consider spending 33 percent of the MSRP of a Cayman GT4 RS on this kit, other than the preservation of the factory warranty? Manthey is not your run-of-the-mill race shop. After DTM, Germany’s premier touring-car series, stuttered in 1996, the magnificently mustachioed DTM racer Olaf Manthey turned his focus to back to a pair of one-make Porsche series: Carrera Cup, which he had won in 1990, and Supercup. Manthey Racing’s home track is the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Automakers other than Porsche love to tout lap times at this infamously long, intricate track, but Manthey’s claim to ‘Ring fame is iron-clad: Olaf, with 30 victories to his name, has won more races at the track than anyone else since 1977. His team also holds the top spot: With 57 wins at the track, they are the winningest outfit at the ‘Ring.

Manthey Racing has fielded Porsches on behalf of the factory in the FIA World Endurance Championship since 2013, the same year that Olaf merged his team with race-car developer and builder Raeder Motorsport GmbH, a merger that Porsche quickly blessed by acquiring a 51 percent stake in what became Manthey-Racing.

If you need another reason to be impressed by the name of Manthey, the team won its class (LMGT) in 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1999. It was the first time Manthey had ever attempted the storied race. And yes, it won with a Porsche.

As Porschephiles will remember from last summer’s announcement of the Manthey Kit for the top-tier Cayman, Manthey succeeded in beating the ‘Ring time of the stock Cayman GT4 RS thanks to the help of longtime Porsche GT racer and current Porsche ambassador Jörg Bergmeister, who also set the benchmark lap for the stock Cayman GT4 RS. The time difference? A smidge more than six seconds: 7:03.121 with the Manthey upgrades, compared to 7:09.300. (Yes, we can assure you, both Porsche and Manthey care about that “over six seconds” statement, even if “over” means a mere .179 seconds more.)

The Manthey kit for the 718 Cayman GT4 RS comes in two versions: One for cars with the optional (from the factory) front-axle lift and one for those without. Whichever version you require, you’ll be receiving a set of steel-jacketed brake lines, a new set of coilovers adjustable to four positions, stiffer front springs (20 percent higher spring rate), front aero flaps, a carbon underbody with diffusers, a carbon-fiber engine-cover panel, aerodiscs for the rear wheels, and an additional position for the new rear wing, which has been widened by 85 mm. When set to the track-intended Performance position, the wing increases downforce from 196 to 372 pounds at 124 mph.

Of course, if you have a bit more cash to splash, the goodies go on. You can add a carbon-fiber attachment to the fixed spoiler (it adds another four percent or so of downforce, if you have the swan-neck wing set to max attack) and replace the front fender louvers with carbon-fiber ones for $5890. You can order race-spec brake pads from Manthey. You can jazz up those aerodiscs with stickers, and spice up the interior with illuminated door panels bearing the Manthey logo in red and white.

While you can test-drive a Cayman GT4 RS with (and without) the Manthey Kit at the Porsche Experience Centers in Atlanta and in L.A., the kit can only be installed by a Manthey-authorized Porsche Center. After reaching out to Porsche, we now know that Manthey’s site, which shows Houston as the only option, is not up to date: You can find the full list of Manthey Certified Porsche Centers here, organized by region.

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As of November of this year, the Chevrolet Malibu is officially dead.

GM representative Kevin Kelly confirmed that the sedan has been discontinued because Chevy needs to retool the plant that builds it, in Fairfax, Kansas, to build the new, Ultium-based Bolt EV. Production of the other GM vehicle built by at Fairfax Assembly, the Cadillac XT4 crossover, will be paused two months later, in January 2025. Chevrolet doesn’t say for how long, but it does admit that there will be layoffs among the 2230 employees, and that those affected will be provided for under the UAW-GM agreement.

The changeover to Bolt production is part of a $390 million investment, less than half (accounting for inflation) of what GM spent in 2014 to add a new paint shop and stamping press, changes that supported the production ramp up of the now-defunct-in-the-U.S. Buick Lacrosse. Sales of that sedan paled in comparison to those of the Malibu, that modern fleet staple, of which Chevrolet has sold over 10 million units globally since 1964. (Yes, the company counts the years that Malibu denoted a trim level, not a car.)

Sedan sales have long been waning, and last year Chevrolet sold 130K Malibus—a decent number on its face but far below the last peak figure of roughly 228K in 2016. Many of those were fleet sales, an ignominious end to a nameplate once fondly remembered as a trim package on Chevelles and subsequently as competent if not scintillating transportation.

CAFE standards may also have played into the decision: Even though the 2023 Malibu is more fuel efficient (30 mpg combined) than the XT4 with which it shares an assembly plant (26 front-wheel drive or 24 for all-wheel drive), the new Bolt doesn’t consume gas and the XT4’s lower sales volume means that it’s not as much of a contributor to the average mpg rating for GM’s passenger cars and light trucks.

There’s no word whether the name will re-emerge, so for now at least, it’s farewell, Malibu. If you’d like to dwell on Malibus past, we’ve got you covered. Here, our design-savvy Sajeev Mehta analyzes the surprisingly handsome 2023 model. Here, one of our members tells the story of an ’81 Malibu that was an Iraqi Taxi … we won’t give any spoilers. If you remember when Malibu denoted a trim level, not a model, you’ll probably enjoy this article by our own Tom Klockau on an SS454 wagon.

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When does five come after two but before three? When you’re BMW, and you’re introducing the CS special editions.

CS stands for Competition Sport, and since the 2019 model year, the acronym has designated a performance version of a BMW car (not SUV, thankfully) that slots above the venerable M variant but below a barely street-legal version. (When BMW rolled out the first CS model, that top dog was the M4 GTS. More recently, in the M4 hierarchy, it’s the CSL.)

Today, we meet the latest Competition Sport model, and the second M4 to wear the CS badge: The limited-run, $124,675, 2025 M4 CS. (It follows the M2 CS, which we met in 2019; the M5 CS, in 2021; and the M3 CS, in 2023.)

Like all the hottest M4s, the two-door is powered by a twin-turbo straight-six. Like all other CS models (in the 2-, 3-, and 5-Series lineups), its roof and hood, along with the rear spoiler and diffuser, are made of carbon fiber to lower the curb weight below that of the M-badged Competition version. Unlike the hottest M4, the CSL, the CS is only available with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Yes, it’s an expensive proposition: $40,500 more than the M4 Competition. However, if the recent proliferation of limited-run, special-edition performance cars from BMW tells us anything, it’s that the brand’s customers will pay dearly to have a BMW performance car that the masses can’t get their hands on. And a price gap of over $40K from an M4 Comp is a remarkably effective way of ensuring a smaller audience.

Compare the 2025 M4 CS to its 2019 predecessor, and you can see how BMW has refined the CS recipe. Most obviously, CS now means all-wheel-drive. The more recent version is also far more powerful: 543 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, vs 460 hp and 442 lb-ft. Those differences combine for a remarkably quicker ‘Ring time: 7:21.99 versus 7:38.

Adjusted for inflation, the G82-generation CS costs about $2500 more than the F82 one, but the gap between it and the next M-badged version down the ladder is slightly larger: 20, rather than 10 more horsepower; and 77, rather than just 33 pounds, lighter. From a cursory look at the interior through the press photography, BMW doesn’t seem to have stripped back the door panels to such spartan levels as it did for the first M4 CS: On the doors of the 2025 version, you’ll be touching black leather, not “compacted natural fibers.” You even get door handles this time—real ones, with hinges, not pull loops! Take that, Porsche.

A note, for track rats: The 2025 M4 CS now comes standard with the less aggressive tire, reversing the order strategy of its predecessor. If you want the “ultra-track” option, which from this press photo appears to be a PS Cup 2, BMW will swap them out at no cost.

Orders for the 2025 M4 CS open at the end of this month, and production starts in Germany at the Dingolfing plant in July.

BMW collectors, give us your thoughts: Does the 2025 M4 CS belong in a stable of significant modern M cars?

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We love talking about concept cars of every era, but the 1990s have a special place in our heart. It was a good decade for automotive diversity, especially for enthusiasts: SUVs were emerging as a hot new segment, true, but none of them purported to be a coupe or track star. Sport sedans thrived. So did hot hatches. The Miata debuted in 1989, kicking off the roadster craze. Chrysler was, for most of that decade, just Chrysler—not some confusing multinational conglomerate with a name that no one remembers.

Even the automotive ideas that didn’t make production had pizzazz—in a few cases, as you’ll see below, perhaps a little too much pizzazz. We’ve covered ’90s concepts before, but after a spin through the treasure trove that is Alden Jewell’s catalog of car brochures on Flickr, we decided it was time to focus on the concept cars from the U. S. of A., rather than the European contingent that dominated that last list.

Step back in time with us to an era when Buick was thinking of wild sedans, Pontiac was still cool, Mercury … existed, and Dodge was high off the Viper.

1999 Buick Cielo

If you thought Buick’s newest concept car was unorthodox, prepare yourself: The Cielo is much, much more out-of-the-box. (Despite that throwback grille texture, which is very Y-Job.) A four-door convertible, with retractable headlights and voice-operated doors? You’d never know this thing was based on a highly modified Regal GS. The top, complete with its rear glass, stowed beneath a panel at the back thanks to a cable system hidden in the two arches that frame the “roof.” Power came from a supercharged 3.8-liter V-6 making 240 horsepower.

Judging by the much tamer concept of the same name that Buick showed off the following year—and marketed as a possible limited edition—the automaker thought the convertible four-door idea had legs. In Buick’s words, the Cielo “proves just how broad and flexible and contemporary the idea of a premium family car really is.” Little did Buick know that, 15 years later, the only premium family car the people would want was an SUV …

1997 Mercury MC4

Motortrend got rather excited about the MC4 when it debuted in 1997: “The MC4 is for Mercury what the Viper Roadster was for Dodge nine years ago.” Yes, it was far more interesting to look at than the blob-like Mystique or the softly contoured Mountaineer … but no one knew that, 13 years later, Mercury would stop producing vehicles, its sales cannibalized by parent company Ford.

In 1997, however, Mercury’s star shone far brighter. The MC4 wore the edgy, minimalist look characteristic of Ford’s New Edge design language, initiated by the GT90 concept in 1990 and most familiar to folks on the 1999 Mustang. A trapezoidal grille and emphasized wheel arches are common to both that Mustang and the MC4, which actually started life as a V-8–powered ’96 Thunderbird. Unlike the T-Bird, the Mercury concept boasts four doors and a rear cargo area accessed by a pair of gullwing doors. It had style, space, and, of course, a healthy dose of tech that hadn’t quite been readied for production: video cameras instead of side- or rearview mirrors, nickel-chrome plate bedazzling the interior, and heated and cooled cupholders.

1997 Pontiac Rageous Concept

In 1997, Pontiac had four-door cars, and it had V-8–powered cars, but it didn’t have any V-8–powered, four-door cars. The Rageous, with its 350-cubic-inch small-block and vestigial set of rear doors, aimed to fix that. It could carry four people, but the trunk was accessed via a top-hinged hatch, making this more of a hatchback than a sedan. The Rageous had a six-speed manual transmission and a heavily vented, pointy schnoz that put that of the contemporary Firehawk to shame.

1994 Dodge Venom

If the Dodge Venom reminds you of a Neon, you’re on the right track: This 1994 concept was built on a version of the Neon’s platform. Unlike that compact, however, the Venom was rear-wheel drive. Compared to the sportiest Neon, the SRT-4, the Venom boasted an iron-block six-cylinder engine with 24, rather than 16, valves, and more power: 245 rather than 215 horses. The Venom looked like the perfect little brother to the Viper, which it honored with that side-scoop and squinty headlights atop a four-section grille. The concept even made the cover of Car and Driver‘s March 1994 issue, accompanied by the question: “Dodge’s pony car of the future?”

We wish such an affordable, spunky two-door had made production: Dodge wouldn’t have a direct competitor to the Mustang and the Camaro until the Challenger, which hit the streets 14 years later.

1995 Chevrolet El Camino SS Concept

It may remind GM fans of a Holden, but the El Camino SS Concept ute is a GM B-body at its core. GM’s Advanced Vehicle Development Center in North America built this ute out of a Caprice station wagon in just 16 weeks, grafting onto that people-hauler the nose of an Impala SS. Many of the steel body panels were made by hand. Power came from a 300-hp version of the LT1 V-8 found in the Corvette and the Impala SS (in different tunes) and was channeled to the rear wheels via a 4L60E Hydramatic transmission. Unfortunately, the platform that gave it birth spelled its doom: GM killed the age-old B-body at the end of 1996. RIP.

1994 Plymouth Expresso Concept

Would you believe us if we said this was a Plymouth? Maybe not, because the Expresso is more interesting than anything Plymouth made in the ’90s … until the Prowler arrived for the 1997 model year, at least. (That retro-mobile debuted in concept form the year before the urban runabout Expresso debuted.) The Expresso was built on the shortened frame of a Neon, to be sold under both the Dodge and Plymouth brands, and used the compact’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder to power its front wheels.

The four-door bubble would never reach production, but its name stuck around in the Plymouth lineup as a trim package on the Neon, the Voyager, and the Breeze. Be prepared to explain yourself if you mention this concept in front of a coffee snob: This weirdo’s name really is EX-presso, not Espresso. The proper pronunciation would be too … well, proper.

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Car history nerds know that 120 years ago this year, Rolls met Royce. But did you know that a Silver Cloud once met … a Corvette?

Welcome to the latest custom-built creation of Wisconsin-based hot-rod shop Ringbrothers, a 1969 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II. Though it debuted last year at the industry-only SEMA show, brothers Mike and Jim Ring brought it to Jay Leno’s Garage last week, and we couldn’t resist another chance to savor the coolness of this lovingly crafted hot-rod.

This week’s featured car on Jay Leno’s Garage is Leno’s own Spectre, Rolls’ first all-electric car (read our review of the model here), but a ’60s Silver Cloud is probably more in line with what most people imagine when they hear the words “Rolls Royce.” Leno, ever the comedian, tells the story of driving a similar model, loaned to his shop by a friend who bought it for $15K and wanted Jay’s staff to help him fix it up. “I pull up to a light and look over, a guy gives me the finger!” Leno says. It’s all smiles and waves, he says, when he drives his McLaren F1, valued around $20,000,000. But in the Rolls? “I look like a landlord—c’mon, gimme the rent!'”

This 1961 example came to the Ringbrothers shop wearing not white but baby blue. Under its hood was the engine that Rolls built it with, an aluminum-block 6230-cc V-8 topped with two single-barrel SU carburetors and making 230 hp.

At first glance, only Rolls-Royce faithful would spot anything different about this Silver Cloud, because Brothers Jim and Mike Ring kept external modifications to an absolute minimum. The clues are in the size of the wheels—18 inches in diameter rather than 15—and in the bulbs in the taillights and front turn signals, which are LEDs.

All you have to do, of course, is click “play” on this video to realize that something is very, very different about this Rolls. A supercharger whine gives away the secret: A LT4 V-8, the same engine that Chevrolet put in the C7 Z06, sits below the center-hinged hood of this British beauty. It’s backed by a ten-speed automatic transmission and kept in rein by a beefy set of Baer brakes: Six-piston calipers clamping 15-inch rotors, hid behind a set of EVOD Industries wheels whose caps are self-leveling affairs bearing the twin Rs of the Rolls name.

Ringbrothers fit the new powertrain into the car thanks to a chassis swap. They scanned the original frame, then worked with fellow industry veterans Roadster Shop to craft a modern version in steel. The fully independent suspension is similarly modern, thanks to a six-inch RS SV coilover from Fox at each wheel. Ringbrothers shopped freely from the GM catalog to build this 640-hp beast: The sway bars use end links from a C6 Corvette. The exhaust is from a Cadillac ATS-V, chosen (and modified) by the brothers for its dual-mode function: “As you jump on it it doesn’t get a whole lot louder, but it does open a second set of pipes.”

And Leno does jump on it: In the back seat, Jim is shoved backwards by the acceleration. Mike and Leno wear giant grins, and Leno lets out a yeehaw!

Just how fast is this cosmopolitan Brit? To find out, Ringbrothers raced it against a modern Rolls, a 2023 Rolls-Royce Phantom, powered by a twin-turbo V-12 making 563 hp. We won’t spoil the surprise … have a watch below:

Changes to the interior are similarly understated: Instead of a glovebox to the right of the steering wheel, there’s an air conditioning vent. The outlines of the dash are the same, but the wood color is different—the panels are actually aluminum, hydrodipped to look like a lighter, more modern-looking wood. The headliner mimicks the $13,000 Starlight one on modern Rolls-Royces—the customer wanted the ceiling to look like that of his modern Rolls. Why not, you know?

Jay Leno repeatedly praises the build quality of the Ring brothers’ shop, honking the horn to emphasize their attention to detail, and enthusiastically declaring: “So fun having a Rolls-Royce that handles!” As always, we’re re-watching the video, wishing for our own turn behind the wheel. The combination of V-8 roar and supercharger whine, though, is good enough for now.

It’s increasingly fashionable these days to EV-swap a Rolls. If you had a Silver Cloud, what would you do: Leave it stock, swap in batteries for an ultra-silent experience, or start browsing Chevrolet crate engines?

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As we observed in our most recent Hagerty Market Rating, the collector car market is cooling, and has been for the last 19 months. That said, it’s important to look at the larger story: The collector car market, measured by this rating, is still stronger than it was before the unprecedented gains of the pandemic years. In 2022, during that boom, we took a look around at the markets for other collectibles—fine art, NFTs, and sneakers—to see what we could learn. Perhaps to no one’s surprise, collector markets of all stripes took off in that era. Two years later, as the cooling classic-car market continues to search for equilibrium, we decided to repeat the check-in, to see whether other collector segments are slowing in the same fashion. This time, however, we looked at different luxury goods.

Like collector cars, which you would own in addition to your daily transportation, the other three collectibles we chose here are nice-to-haves, not need-to-haves: Fine art (again—its maturity as a market makes it a perennially valuable comparison), watches, and handbags (the high-end, carefully crafted kind). Like cars, all three are collected globally, and thus influenced by geopolitical tensions and large-scale economic trends: Think inflation in the U.S., war in Eastern Europe, the Chinese economy struggling to recover from strict COVID policies, etc. 

There are a few important differences between the four markets, starting with demographics. Though the age ranges for watch and handbag collectors are similarly broad—20 to 80 for the former, 30 to 70 for the latter—the watch market, like the classic-car market, is dominated by men. The market for handbags is largely composed of women. Fine art hosts a mix of both. While the price of the most expensive painting (Salvatore Mundi, by Leonardo da Vinci, $450M) dwarfs that of the most expensive car ($142M, Mercedes-Benz Uhlenhaut Coupe) and watch (a $31.2M Patek Phillipe), the watch market (including retail) is larger than the art market, measured in value: $74.6B to $65B. At $513,200, the most expensive handbag sold at auction (a crocodile Hermès Kelly 28 Himalaya with diamond-encrusted hardware) falls well below the most expensive examples of fine art, cars, or watches (in that order), but the handbag market is also far younger than any of the other three: Its rise is closely connected to the rise of the Internet, in the late ‘90s.

The tl;dr is that post-pandemic cooling is not restricted to the collector car market. Naturally, we dug deeper, and were rewarded: Each field revealed similar trends in buying behavior, as well as increasing interest from younger collectors. Whether the treasure of your collection is a Birkin or a Bugatti, we are confident that you will gain a richer understanding of collecting from what these experts have to say. We certainly did.

Volatility of Novelty

Everything got hot during COVID, but some less-established names got really hot, really quickly. The inverse is occurring now: The most dramatic decreases in the last few years are confined to those superheated segments that, in hindsight, were most due for a correction. Let’s start with the collector vehicle market, specifically with trucks and SUVs from the late 1970s and ’80s. Ford Broncos, Chevrolet Blazers, and Land Rover Defenders from this era were hot even before 2020. In 2017 and 2018, the average appreciation for this set was 26%. From 2019 to 2022, that figure spiked to 91%. The bubble has let some air out. In the last two years, the average change for these vehicles is -7%. A significant change in trajectory, yes, but it didn’t erase COVID-era gains. 

In the world of fine art, young contemporary artists (under 45) “overheated dramatically in 2022” according to The Fine Art Group’s 2023–2024 Global Art Market Report. Sales doubled, the report says, in 2021, compared to 2019 and 2020, only to correct, equally dramatically, in 2023, when they reverted to pre-pandemic levels. “It’s important and needs to happen,” says Anita Heriot, president of The Fine Art Group. She diagnoses the segment as “overheated,” adding that there simply is “not enough track record for the [young contemporary] artist to really consider them investment-quality.”

In the world of timepieces, the parallel is “hype watches,” typically stainless-steel versions of pieces that are coveted from the moment they are produced and, because of that desirability, easy to flip for far above retail price. The trio, according to Hodinkee, are the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, and the Rolex Daytona. Tiffany To, head of sales for Phillips’ watch department, calls out a stainless-steel variant of Daytona called the Panda, which retails for $10,000. “At its height, it went up to $40,000,” she says. “Now it’s in the middle ground at around maybe $30,000. It’s still triple the retail price, but it’s just not at a level where it was completely nuts as it was two years ago.” She sees the trajectory as a natural correction: “The more people bought [a stainless-steel Daytona], the more other people thought it was an investment and then everyone kept trying to jump onto the bandwagon until at some point it just wasn’t sustainable anymore and it just flopped.”

When we spoke with Max Brownawell, head of Christie’s handbag and accessories department, he painted a less dramatic picture. Handbags overall increased in value by about 25% during the pandemic. As we saw in the car market, the examples at the top of the handbag market set records: In November of 2020, Christie’s set a new world record for the most expensive bag sold, a 25-centimeter Hermès Kelly that brought $435,375. The auction house broke its own record a year later with another Kelly 28 Himalaya, one with diamond-encrusted hardware that brought $513,200. Today, Max says, those prices are very difficult to achieve. Prices for bags at the top of the market have come down, while prices for more accessible bags and leather bags have continued to rise. (Another pattern we’ve observed in classic cars, as borne out by our Blue Chip and Affordable Cars indexes.) Though annual increases in value are still going up, the pace of that growth has slowed, and increases are in the single digits. 

As with the Bronco, Blazer, and their ilk, young contemporary artists and stainless-steel Rolex Daytonas are still bona fide collectibles. Corrections haven’t erased their gains, and even though their performance has been volatile, it’s an oversimplification to say that anyone who has invested heavily in one of those superheated segments is out in the cold. Some works by young contemporary artists, too, have not only survived the correction but are now thriving. The Fine Art Group points out Caroline Walker, a Scottish artist, who had the good fortune to be shown in museums before the pandemic. That foundation is helping protect her against the volatility of her genre. 

Demographic Changes

When it comes to demographics within the four markets, each of the experts we discussed painted an optimistic picture: Younger buyers are entering the market. In the case of watches, however, the tastes of those buyers are influenced by a highly unpredictable factor: social media. “It has a life of its own,” says Tiffany To. Younger buyers, says vintage watch dealer Eric Wind, aren’t always interested in the same things as older buyers; they are more likely to be influenced by trends, fashion, and what (and who) they see on social media. To points to the collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Houston-based rapper Travis Scott: “Once everyone on Instagram saw him wearing the watch, people wanted the model, it became super hot.” Brownawell says that the handbag market reflects a similar influx of younger buyers—Gen Z in particular—and an influence from social media, which drives demand for certain colors or styles. 

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Demographic changes in the classic car market don’t reflect anything dramatic over the last four to five years (before, during, and after the pandemic): Our insurance quote data reveals a changing of the guard supported by a gradual upswell of younger interest. Gen X is now the largest generation, surpassing that of the baby boomer for the first time in the number of quotes. Of the younger generations, millennials are increasing slowly and steadily. Gen Z surpassed preboomers back in the spring of 2021, and their share of quote data has only gotten larger since.

Changing Tastes

Nostalgia plays a major factor in the markets for cars and for watches, and what is nostalgic is determined by the age group most dominant in that market. “I think of it as generational collecting,” says To. “You see resurgence of each period pending on the profile of the people who have purchasing power today.” Think of the rise of Gen X in the collector-car market, and the concurrent appreciation of ‘80s and ‘90s, or Radwood-era cars. The pattern also explains why certain items fall out of fashion: “People don’t really buy pocketwatches today because people who are 40 or 50 didn’t dream of pocketwatches as children. That era passed.”

Relevance and collectability don’t directly correlate, however. Just look at the $94.4M sale by Sotheby’s of Gustav Klimt’s Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) last year. An Impressionist work, it was the highest-value picture ever sold at auction on the European continent. “Everyone says that impressionism (in fine art) is hard to sell … it’s an older person thing.” But, as a $12.1M Mercedes Simplex proved at the 2024 Amelia Island auctions, a work can still make millions if it is the best representation of its era. Not only was the Simplex the most expensive result from those auctions, it was the most expensive by a factor of nearly three.

Desirability of Originality

Cars, handbags, and watches all have something in common: New ones are being produced all the time, which means that if you want something that no one else has—a sentiment shared by more serious collectors—you’re going to look at secondary markets. There, certain types of imperfection are actually desired, not only because of attrition and the rarity of well-preserved examples, but also because imperfections can tell a particular story that makes an item unique. “The Japanese call it wabi sabi,” says Wind. “It’s what gives [a watch] character.” If that story involves a celebrity, or an important event, all the better. Often, originality or authenticity itself is what collectors prize. Take a closer look at that Simplex mentioned above. Note the peeling paint and weathered upholstery.

Patterns of stratification in each of the markets bear out the desirability of originality. Says To of watches: “A collector would rather have a watch that is highly worn, but showing all its original definitions on the side of the case, rather than sending it to the factory and coming up brand new with today’s parts. Wind adds a specific example: “There’s a huge difference between, say, a 1950s, small-crown Submariner that has a service-replacement dial, and bezels, bracelets, et cetera—that might be an $8000 watch—but an original example could be $500,000 at auction.” 

The handbag market appears to be following the same trend that our own Dave Kinney, publisher of the Hagerty Price Guide, observed in the car market: Serious buyers are getting more selective. The value of an example isn’t captured solely by its configuration or condition. To be desirable, the example must also have the right paperwork and provenance. As Max Brownawell observes about the handbag market, buyers are increasingly looking for a bag to be accompanied by its original box, accessories, receipt, and/or factory paperwork. All three markets understand the value of a factory-spec restoration—the handbag market is especially picky, requiring the work to be done by the manufacturer—and prove the truth that Kinney captures: “Restored is OK, but original is better, and sometimes way better.”

Long-Tail COVID Changes

The COVID era introduced speculation and volatility, but to reduce the last four or five years to that story risks oversimplification, as does a conviction that 2023’s cooling is a cause for major concern. When we interviewed experts in the collector car market at the end of 2023, the consensus was a decelerating but stable market. The Hagerty Market Rating, at 65.41 as of April 19, may be on the longest unbroken losing streak in its history, but it remains safely above the 50 of a flat market and higher than any point in the four years leading up to its most recent surge. 

The art market finished 2023 with a global total of $5.74B in sales, a 27% drop from 2021, according to The Fine Art Group’s year-end report. As drastic as that sounds, the latest non-COVID-related highwater mark was 2018, whose total of $12.33B was heavily swayed by one Christie’s sale ($835M for The Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller) and, with that discount, 2023 ended only 9% below 2018. The Art Group concludes by calling 2023 “a natural and necessary decline from a period of unprecedented and unsustainable price points.” 

The handbag market, on the other hand, appears to be sitting pretty: Between 2019 and 2023, says Christie’s Brownawell, the Handbags & Accessories auction market grew by 28% overall. Christie’s own department, which comprised 52% of the global handbag market in 2023, observed 94% sell-through rates; far stronger than the art market or the classic-car auction market (live and online), whose numbers are both declining. 

One thing is sure: Online auctions, forced centerstage by COVID, are here to stay, no matter which of the four luxury goods we’re discussing. Heriot says that COVID was the single biggest factor in increasing the popularity (by 400% or more) of online auctions for art, a notoriously “persnickety” market that can punish an “overexposed” lot. From 2019 to 2023, total sales of online collector-car auctions ballooned from $243.74M to $1.7B. Online participation in Phillips watch auctions doubled or tripled in the last few years, To says. Post-COVID, Christie’s only hosts one live handbag auction, in Hong Kong, and not because online is weak: The local market in Hong Kong is particularly strong, and export restrictions around alligator and crocodile bags artificially localize the market. 

What’s not as clear is what sort of a factor social media is in the market. Gen Z, the group whose youngest years were dominated by social media, has yet to age into its prime earning years. Will the transience of online trends become so obvious that even younger collectors brush it off? Or will it become a new factor in taste-making for a rising generation? 

A Few Takeaways

Some things, of course, never changed. One is that the serious collectors have patience and crave the best, not simply the most popular. “When you’re starting to collect,” says To, “you want the thing that’s most recognizable. Once you’ve collected all these highly recognizable pieces, then I would say people become more nuanced. They want to go deeper.” Often, this desire prompts a turn from the retail to the secondary market. Wind identifies a complementary motivator: the desire for something more exclusive, more individual. “I would say more people in the kind of fashion world, athletes, [people] who would never think about vintage watches—actors, musicians as well—all these demographics were sort of more focused on modern watches traditionally.” As with cars or handbags, the finite selection within the vintage market offers more exclusivity than the retail market, in which there might be thousands of a single reference, and that limited selection offers more of a challenge to those who want the best. To, again: “The game is not just paying as much as you can, but it’s having the patience to search, hunt for certain references.” Money, of course, cannot always prize the piece that you want out of the hands of another buyer … and that hunt, and that game, is what attracts such passion-driven buyers.

Such patience may or may not be accompanied by curation of your collection as a collection; you may simply buy what you like. As Brownawell says, “There’s a big element of our buyers that I would call shoppers, more than collectors … They’re not necessarily looking at their [handbag] collection as something that they’re developing over time. It’s just something that they do. This is just what they buy.” If you nodded as you read that sentiment, you likely buy out of genuine love for the object, regardless of whether others recognize a car, bag, or piece of art as a statement about your taste or status.

Nearly everyone we interviewed for this piece attested to another lasting truth: the value of education. “I’ve seen people blow, in some cases, millions of dollars buying things that they shouldn’t have, you know, either overpriced or misrepresented Frankenstein watches, et cetera,” says Wind. “It’s a huge negative for the market because those people leave the field forever typically.” The more educated collectors are, he says, the happier they will be and the stronger the market will become. At Hagerty we have a similar goal: We want to celebrate vintage cars, educate younger buyers about their quirks, and empower them to make informed decisions not only about purchase but about maintenance.

It’s not just individual dealers or publications that take on this responsibility; auction houses accept the mantle, too. As Brownawell says, “When we get a very rare vintage piece that might not be appreciated by the larger collecting community, that’s our opportunity to teach people about it and to increase the level of scholarship within the market and introduce it to  a large audience.” Much of the education, too, happens between collectors, no matter whether you’re discussing how to jet a carburetor or the best insert to protect the lining of your Birkin. 

If you are genuinely passionate about bags, watches, cars, or art, buy what you love, learn about it, and seek out the community around it: You might even come out ahead. Despite the unprecedented heating earlier in the decade, it’s clear that collector markets are generally correcting. (The handbag market is riding higher than the other three, which may be tied to its relative youth; time will tell.) New buyers are entering the market, and new eras, varieties, brands, and manufacturers are finding their footing. This sort of growth, while it may contribute to instability, is what keeps every collector market humming, and if the last few years are any indication, the market always recovers.

The post What Watches, Art, and Handbags Illuminate about a Cooling Car Market appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Automakers like to brag about radical improvements from one generation of a vehicle to the next, but the outgoing Chevrolet Traverse—even though it was the oldest three-row SUV on the market—got a lot right: a spacious interior, a quiet driveline with a healthy towing capacity, and a $35,915 starting price. After spending a few hours with the third-generation Traverse, which arrives for the 2024 model year, it appears that Chevrolet, wisely, didn’t fix what wasn’t broken. Even with its new handsome sheetmetal, tech-focused cabin, and first-ever Z71 trim, the ethos of the Traverse is much the same: An affordable, spacious family hauler that can take a beating.

Context matters, because the ambitions (and the success) of the Traverse’s competition are not so modest. The chief threats, in Chevy’s eyes, are the South Korean manufacturers, Hyundai and Kia, which came in for 2020 with their first three-row SUVs—Telluride and Palisade, respectively—and hit immediate home runs. Dealers, it’s rumored, nicknamed the former “Selluride.” Sales have increased each year since launch, and Kia continues to add new paint shades and interior colors that help the upper trims feel far more luxurious than their price point. A new rival from another trusted brand has entered the three-row space, too—the Toyota Grand Highlander, introduced for 2024.

The 2023 Traverse, which you can still configure on chevrolet.com, is neither fresh nor fancy. It is the six-year-old representative of the second generation. Built on the C1 platform, the 2018–23 Traverse came with a V-6 or a 2.0-liter turbo four but dropped the latter as of 2020. The design was slightly larger and more square than that of the original Traverse, which was a bulbous, van-like affair on the Lambda platform (think V-6, front- or all-wheel-drive GM crossover: GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook). Wikipedia says the first Traverse, which debuted for the 2009 model year, was based on a 2005 concept called the Sequel. If only something that interesting had made production, Chevrolet might not have needed to rehaul the sheetmetal for this third generation. The new look is handsome and reminiscent of the burlier full-size Silverado pickup and Tahoe SUV. The new Traverse costs three grand more than the outgoing, 2023 model, and it looks the part.

Built on an evolution of that C1 platform, the new Traverse ditches the two most luxury-oriented trims of yore to add another, aimed in a different direction: The $47,795 off-road-oriented Z71. Marketers were keen to point out that the Z71 is more than a sticker package, and they are right. The calling card of this trim is a twin-clutch rear differential sourced from the Cadillac XT6, which is capable of directing torque laterally; up to 100 percent of the available twist can be sent to either the right or the left rear wheel, as needed. (The AWD system that gets the torque from front to back uses a hydraulic clutch housed in the power take-off unit.) Both the Terrain and Off-Road drive modes take advantage of this diff. The former is meant for use at any speed and can prevent you from getting stuck in loose dirt or sand by sacrificing some yaw control to maintain higher wheel speed. Off-Road, meanwhile, is a low-speed sort of “crawl” mode that reprograms the accelerator pedal to apply the brakes upon throttle lift. Think of it as one-pedal driving, but for off-road. The active dampers, made by ZF and shared with the rest of the Traverse lineup, boast hydraulic rebound stops and unique tuning on the Z71. (The dampers on the 2023 model are passive.)

PR specialists and engineers work together to curate first drives in order to reflect the strengths of a given vehicle. The routes are designed to show journalists exactly what automakers want to highlight, and to avoid situations that would make the car look incompetent, especially in inexperienced hands. The short, 15-minute course chosen for the Traverse Z71 illustrated the type of intensity for which this driveline is built: a mown two-track across a smooth, grassy field (a section we were advised to take at around 40 mph), followed by more two-track in the forest, which was mostly Georgia orange clay but overlaid, in some spots, with chunky gravel. The Z71 was hush-quiet across the grass, with nary a rattle from the cabin; on the clay, the array of camera angles (front, overhead, and both sides) projected onto the center display minimized anxiety around tight bends. Several times, in fact, the camera showed that we had far more room to skirt a sapling than we thought, after peering over our shoulders and out of the second-row windows. Neither a first-time “off-roader” nor their passengers will find anything to be scared of here and will probably feel quite adventurous after that first jaunt off the tarmac.

Terrain mode was easy-peasy to use. Take your foot off the gas, and the Traverse squeezes its own brakes to bring itself to a stop. Nudge the gas, and you’ll creep forward at a gentle pace. We didn’t have much time with the system, but our only complaints concerned the user interface: There’s only one, teeny icon on the expansive touchscreen to tell you what mode you’re in. Unless you’re in Terrain mode, it’s hard to tell which mode you’re in just by seat-of-the-pants feedback. Several times we’d prod the rocker switch, mounted on the dash to the left of the steering wheel, just to see which mode was active, then prod it again to re-signal that mode. (For the new Traverse, Chevy moved the gear selector to the column to create more space in the console, so we aren’t surprised that a rotary mode selector, as used by the Telluride or Grand Highlander, didn’t make the cut.)

Though the Z71 is the newest Traverse variant, and the one Chevrolet was most eager for us to drive, the off-road-oriented trim seems honest in its goals. As the chief engineer noted, the Z71 Traverse is not some sort of rock-crawling monster you’d drive in Moab—it’s the kind of vehicle you’d drive to Moab. Indeed, the Z71’s off-road paraphernalia is unobtrusive on-road. Though the tires look chonky, the Goodyear all-terrains are surprisingly quiet on-road, with a murmur of road noise rather than the howl of the K02’s on your spouse’s Wrangler. Crossing a railroad track is quieter, with these smaller-diameter wheels, than in the up-scale RS trim ($56,090, FWD), with its 45-section tires and 22-inch rims. Both versions nod their heads upon aggressive braking and squat a bit under brisk acceleration, but that’s to be expected from a family-hauling crossover that prioritizes comfort.

We didn’t drive the Traverse above 60 mph, and our route didn’t involve any highway segments, so there’s much we have yet to learn about the turbocharged 2.5-liter four behind the Traverse’s handsome new face, although it does share a bottom-end design with the 2.7 four in the Colorado and is the only powerplant available in the new Traverse. Output is up by 18 horses compared to the outgoing V-6, for a total of 328 @ 5500 rpm, and torque is improved by 60 lb-ft, to 326 lb-ft at 3500 rpm.

Our first impressions are that this turbo four, mated to a responsive and unobtrusive eight-speed transmission, is sufficiently spunky and also capable—as was its predecessor—of remarkably smooth starts, which is noteworthy for a driveline that has no hybrid component. An electronic, rather than a hydraulic, phaser deserves much of the credit. A GM first, this component can advance or retard timing by 100 degrees (measured on the crankshaft) to achieve the proper valve timing before the first engine combustion start (credit to this SAE paper for helping us understand the arrangement). Overall, fuel economy is up compared to the V-6. The city rating for the FWD model increases by 2 mpg, which raises the combined average from 20 to 23 mpg; the AWD model also improves in the city by 2 mpg but is slightly worse on the highway, by 1 mpg. As a result, the combined rating is up from 20 mpg to 21.

A few improved conveniences that anyone with a family will appreciate: Smart Slide is finally available on both driver and passenger sides of the second row. The nifty system folds the back of the second-row captain’s chairs forward while scooching the seat forward to allow access to the third-row bench seat. The rear hatch now opens without the need to touch a button or kick awkwardly beneath the bumper; just stand close to it with the key fob on your person and four beeps will announce its opening. (If you move away from the vehicle within those four beeps, it will stay closed. For those anticipating garage-door disasters, you’ll be relieved to know that you can disable the proximity-open system altogether.) Another nice feature of the top-trim RS is that you can electronically lower and raise the back of the third-row seats from the cargo area using a set of buttons. You can also fold the second-row captain’s chairs using the same set of controls. With second- and third-row seats folded flat, the Traverse offers 98 cubic-feet of cargo space.

Many complaints about the outgoing Traverse centered on its half-hearted attempt at luxury. One way in which Chevy has addressed this is by adding Super Cruise to the Traverse lineup: The hands-free system is standard on the highest trim, the RS, optional on LT and Z71, and unavailable only on the base-model LS. Adding it to an LT costs $3280 and $3755 to an Z71. The difference in price on the Z71 is due to the inclusion of the camera mirror along with Super Cruise.

Two other obvious upgrades to the cabin are the giant, two-pane sunroof and the 17.7-inch diagonal touchscreen. Google is built-in, meaning that the native map displays will be familiar to anyone who prefers Google Maps to the Apple version. We especially appreciated the option to display the map directly behind the steering wheel, on the “digital instrument panel.” Both adaptive cruise control and Super Cruise are still easy to control, even when most of the digital real estate is occupied by directions. CarPlay, by the way, is available on the new and improved Traverse: Evidently, it’s more important to GM to phase out the tethering system from its EVs than its gas-powered vehicles, in part because those EVs (especially the Cadillacs) rely on navigation and audio apps that require more computing power than is available on your average smartphone.

Even with those technological improvements, the materials and color choices in the 2024 Traverse don’t wow. Black is the dominant hue in any trim or color configuration, even when you spec the lightest colorway, which upholsters the seats in gray cloth. (Where did Maple Sugar go?) Red is the only pop of color available, and it’s restricted to the Z71 and RS, where the shade appears in small sections on the seats and in the plastic trim on the doors and dash. Unfortunately, the look and feel of that decor is chintzy. We’d far prefer that Chevy use the red-and-black fabric available on the seats of the RS-spec Equinox EV. One more complaint: The spare tire is not full size—for a vehicle with off-road pretensions, this is an oversight. (The Pilot Trailsport judges you, Z71.)

We cumulatively spent an hour and a half with Z71 and RS versions of the new Traverse, so there’s much we don’t know about living with the vehicle—specifically, the new engine and that huge touchscreen. But, at first blush, we’re confident in the success of this three-row. Sure, several competitors are more luxe, but the value proposition of the Traverse is strong, especially with Super Cruise, one area in which the Traverse outclasses its competition. Jettisoning the High Country and adding an off-road trim that costs less than almost every competitor (Telluride X-Pro, Pilot Trailsport) looks like a smart choice. Meanwhile, GM has clearly left much room for the new Acadia (the Denali, specifically) to be the premium offering. When we get our hands on a Traverse for a week, you’ll know.

The post First Look Review: 2024 Chevrolet Traverse Z71 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

When Porsche unveiled the extensive updates to the Cayenne last spring, a familiar variant was absent: The GTS. Offered across all three generations of Cayenne, this model is more powerful than the base Cayenne but not as expensive as the top-tog one (Turbo S or Turbo E-Hybrid, depending on the era). After a hiatus for the 2024 model year, the GTS is back—and, yes, it still has a twin-turbo V-8.

Those who read between the lines of the 2024 changes won’t be surprised at the engine choice, or the power figures. The Cayenne S upgraded from a V-6 to a V-8 for 2024, so anything other than an eight-cylinder in the 2025 GTS model would have caused quite a stir. The current Cayenne S makes 468 horsepower, eight more than the 2023 GTS. Naturally, the new GTS had to prove its superiority, so Porsche gave it 40 more hp and 30 more lb-ft of torque, for a total of 493 hp and 487 lb-ft of torque.

Porsche hasn’t messed with the basic recipe of the GTS. The twin-turbo V-8 is paired exclusively with the eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic. Air suspension (10 mm lower than on lower-spec Cayennes) comes standard, as do a set of black 21-inch wheels and smoked lenses for the head- and taillights. Window trim, tailpipes, logos, and air intakes are all finished in black as well.

The interior of the GTS receives the same overhaul that the rest of the Cayenne lineup did for the 2024 model year. The shifter moves to the dashboard from the center console, which now houses the A/C controls. Behind the steering wheel is a curved, 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster. To the right of it is a standard-equipment 12.3-inch touchscreen. A third display, for the passenger, is optional. (Yes, Porsche has installed a protective film that prevent the driver from watching YouTube on the passenger’s screen.) GTS badges are etched, stitched, and appliquéd throughout the cabin, and the eight-way-adjustible Sport seats feature lots of Race Tex—Porsche’s name for its suede alternative.

Also new is the number of body styles: For the first time, you can have your Cayenne GTS as a regular SUV or as the raked-back Coupe—if you’re willing to pay $5000 extra for the more sharply-angled rear glass and less interior volume.

As of this writing, the GTS is the most powerful Cayenne that isn’t a hybrid. That the top-dog model features electrical assistance is no surprise: As we’re seeing more and more frequently, upscale automakers in Europe are pressured to add hybrid assistance to their vehicles to allow customers to drive them in Ultra-Low Emissions Zones, like those in London. The association between “most powerful” and “electrified” is merely a welcome side effect, we’re guessing.

For now, if you’ve got $80,000 to $150,000 to spend on a Porsche SUV, you’re spoiled for choice.

The post 2025 Cayenne GTS Has More Power, Screens Than Ever appeared first on Hagerty Media.

April 17 marks sixty years since the Ford Mustang’s public debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The original pony car immediately became a pop-culture and automotive phenom, and it remains one of the most impactful cars in history. We’re celebrating with stories of the events surrounding the Mustang’s launch, the history of the early cars, and tales from owners. Click here to follow along with our multi-week 60 Years of Mustang coverage. -Ed.

This week, which marks 60 years since the debut of the original, we’re looking back at our digital archives and realizing … we really, really like the first-gen Mustang. We’ve written dozens of stories centered on Mustangs built between 1964 and 1973, from member stories to a buyer’s guide to that one time we found the O.G. Bullitt Mustang.

We’ve rounded up a handful of these memorable stories that you might want to share with a friend. If they’re somebody who likes trivia, we’ve extracted a fun fact from each story. If they’re a committed reader who likes to take the long way home, we’ve included links to the full articles.

Whether you’re a history buff, a niche collector, or a casual fan, a story in this list is bound to delight you.

The First-Gen Mustang Is the Most Popular Classic Car Exported from America

Between 2011 and 2021, more than 20,000 examples of the first-gen Mustang were shipped abroad from the United States to collectors in other countries, making the original pony car the most popular export among American classics. Around the world, people love them for the same reasons: parts are easy to find and affordable, and everyone knows what you’re driving. No matter where you live, a Mustang sings “America.”

Discover which overseas country loves the Mustang most here.

The First American to Buy a Mustang Was an Elementary School Teacher

On April 15, 1964, an elementary school teacher in Park Ridge, Illinois, decided she needed a car. Her name was Gail Wise, and the Wises had always owned Ford convertibles, so she headed to the Ford dealer and asked what drop-tops they had in stock. She paid $3447.50 and left with a blue, 260-powered Mustang … two days before Lee Iacocca would unveil the car at the New York World’s Fair. Gail’s husband Tom restored her Mustang himself during retirement in 2006 and 2007. “When I’m driving it,” says Gail, “I feel like I’m 22 years old again.”

Read Gail’s full story here.

Ford Traded the Millionth Mustang for VIN #001

Anyone looks good in a Mustang, no matter what they do for a living. Captain Stanley Tucker of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, wrangled his way into buying a display model: a Wimbledon White convertible with the 260 V-8 and a three-speed automatic. Turns out, writes the Detroit Free Press, it was a preproduction model that Ford wanted shipped back to Dearborn. Preproduction models are often crushed, but this one was lucky: One Canadian dealership didn’t get the news, and Tucker drove home with the car.

Read here about Ford’s change of heart, and the Mustang it offered to get #001 back to Dearborn.

These Lesser-Known Mustangs Are Surprisingly Uncommon

Given the popularity of the original Mustang, it’s no surprise that the model paced the Indianapolis 500 in 1964. As would become tradition, Ford supplied a small number of cars to the Speedway and then built a run of replicas to sell. Confusingly, the 1964 1/2 Indy Pace Car Replicas were not sold to the public but used in dealer incentive contests.

To read about six other lesser-known Mustangs of all ages, click here.

23 First-Gen Mustangs Traveled through Time

Okay, so this 1965 Mustang didn’t really see the future. One of 23 used by Ford in its Wonder Rotunda at the 1965–65 World’s Fair, this Mustang went round and round on the Disney Magic Skyway, taking an animatronic trip from the Stone Age to a vision of the future: Space City.

Discover what happened to this particular convertible here.

This Boss 429 Was Sent to War in the Pacific

Even if you didn’t know the history of this Boss 429, it would grab your eye: Fat drag racing slicks, a parachute out back, a giant blower sticking out of the hood, and four exhaust pipes jutting from each side. If you know the history, the car gets infinitely cooler.

In 1970, Ford worked with Goodyear, Motor Wheels, Hurst, and other speed-parts suppliers to create six “Lawman” vehicles: performance-oriented Mustangs that would travel to various military bases in Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, and Japan “to bring the latest in automotive performance activities ad equipment to American Servicemen by conducting safety seminars, driving clinics, performance exhibitions and static displays,” according to a period brochure. The 1970 Military Performance Tour, as it was called, wasn’t just an exercise in entertainment: Ford wanted the tour to “create a genuine understanding” of what it took to be a good driver.

Five of the cars were Cobra Jets. The sixth was a Boss 429 … and you can discover its full story here.

The World’s Most Prolific Mustang Shop Is Run by 30-Year-Old Twins

Based in Chicago, Mustang Brothers is the world’s largest Mustang restoration business, measured by builds completed annually. Founded by Christopher Ingrassia, the shop was originally called Mustang Restorations; now that Christopher is handing the business to his twin sons, Preston and Cody, the shop is called Mustang Brothers. They do everything from ground-up restomods to oil changes on daily drivers.

Stroll along with us as we talk with both generations of the Ingrassias and tour of their sprawling, professional-grade shop.

***

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Imagine 10 days filled with temperatures that plummet to near -40 degrees Fahrenheit, white-out conditions that make your Midwestern upbringing seem like child’s play, and up to 650 miles per day of driving on snow- and ice-covered roads that are—at best—mediocre. This is the Alcan 5000 Rally, a 5000-mile time-speed-distance (TSD) competition that my husband, Andy, and I tackled earlier this year in an Ineos Grenadier Trialmaster 4×4.

Formed in 2017, Ineos Automotive is a new automaker manufacturing purpose-built, utilitarian 4x4s, and the Grenadier is its first model. (The second is the Quartermaster pickup, and a smaller SUV, the Fusilier, is on the way.) The U.K.-based company sells the Grenadier globally, and North American units went on sale early this year. The grueling Alcan Rally is exactly the type of challenge the Grenadier is built to conquer.

The 2024 Alcan Rally departed from Kirkland, Washington on February 21 and snaked its way through British Columbia and Alberta to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Teams then headed westward to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, before hitting Fairbanks, Alaska, an optional jaunt to Coldfoot, then down to Valdez, before finishing in Anchorage.

From prototype to podium, the burgeoning auto manufacturer risked it all for a chance to win—and it succeeded. But the win didn’t come without challenges.

Learning While Doing

Andy and I are seasoned travelers and are prepared for nearly every season. We started competing in TSD rallies in 2018. These types of rallies aren’t sliding-sideways, go-fast competitions, but rather events based on precision. Teams must reference a route book written by the rallymaster to travel at specific speeds, follow exact directions, and arrive at certain points at intended times. The more seconds or minutes they are off a rallymaster’s “perfect zero time,” the more points they earn, and the further down in the ranking they fall. Teams with the closest scores to the rallymaster’s perfect time at the end of the event win.

We successfully completed the 2020 winter Alcan 5000 Rally as privateers with our right-hand-drive diesel 1991 Mitsubishi Pajero. In 2022, we partnered with Subaru of America and piloted their new Outback Wilderness for our first summer Alcan 5000. For 2024, when we partnered with Ineos Automotive, we were the guinea pigs.

Our rally vehicle was a production-model Grenadier Trialmaster, which sells for approximately $90,000, including the roof rack, LED light bar, rock sliders, and rear ladder. This was Andy’s first time driving a Grenadier, especially over thousands of miles of pock-marked ice- and snow-covered roads. However, I had driven the diesel and gas 2B prototypes in France in early 2022. (Ineos Automotive first started building Grenadiers with 1B and 2B prototypes, then progressed with production try-out iterations, named PTOs for short. These included three rounds: PTO1s, PTO2s, and finally the most refined prototypes, the PTO3.) I was the first journalist from the Western Hemisphere to drive left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive diesel and gas 2B prototypes off-road. I later piloted the European production-spec models in Scotland in January the following year. I drove from Inverness to Glasgow, where the trek consisted of the natural environment with no premade off-road courses.

Andy and I did a lot of research on the Grenadier before leaving for the rally, relying on theineosforum.com and on our friend Ben Meddows, who owns an early production-model diesel Grenadier. It turns out our production-model Grenadier had a later software iteration than others. The infotainment center’s Unit menu lacked the ability to change from mph to km/h. We were also told by Ineos the speedometer registered three miles-per-hour too fast.

Though the rally was mainly run in Canada, which uses kilometers, the route book and its incremental odometer readings used miles. No one knew what our Grenadier’s digital display would register once we crossed the border into Canada. Would its front-facing camera automatically read the speed limits in kilometers? We would have to learn and adjust while on the move. Thankfully, the camera kept clear, even during blinding snow and road closures, like those from the Richardson Highway over Thompson Pass, on the way to and from Valdez, Alaska.

Quick Stats

“The Ineos Grenadier Trialmaster has a turbocharged BMW B58 3.0-liter inline-six,” Andy said. “It’s used in a host of vehicles already, so it is a proven entity.” (The diesel powerplant is not offered in the states.) The Grenadier has a 115-inch wheelbase, a body-on-frame ladder chassis, heavy-duty shocks and solid front and rear axles, a 7000-pound towing capacity, and 10.4 inches of ground clearance. The vehicle kept us planted, even when severe cross winds wanted to blow us off ice-laden highways.

“The Grenadier made short work of the deep snow and ruts on the ice racing track at Northwest Territories’ Great Slave Lake,” Andy said. “The course favored vehicles with more ground clearance. We took third place in the Grenadier! The ground clearance allowed us to not worry about potholes, frost heaves, and things in the road. Having adequate ground clearance was a nice advantage.”

The Grenadier features a manually operated two-speed transfer case with 4H and 4L (the latter offers a 2.5:1 gear reduction ratio and is produced by Tremec), electronically actuated front and rear differential lockers with mechanical engagement, as well as a standard center-locking differential.

Our Grenadier also had a front-mounted RED winch, factory-optional rock sliders, rear access ladder, and a Rhino-Rack Pioneer platform roof rack that housed two jerrycans and four Maxtrax vehicle recovery boards.

“The roof rack is very big, very sturdy, and easy to stand on,” Andy said. “I do wish the ladder had some grip tape on it to make it less slippery, especially in the snow. But the ladder feels secure and solid—it never feels wobbly or thin. It is very sturdy.”

We also used Rugged Radios handheld radios for rally communications and carried along Factor 55 vehicle recovery gear.

The Grenadier’s Interior

The Ineos Grenadier sports comfortable Recaro seats. Controls are arranged in a simple center stack and in a ceiling panel studded with oversized buttons. “The buttons are large and easy to press, even if you are wearing gloves,” Andy said, “which allows easier use of some of the functions.” All three Grenadier trim levels—the base model, the Fieldmaster, and the Trialmaster—showcase off-road functions on an innovative ceiling-mounted panel. From deep-water fording and off-road mode to locker engagements and auxiliary lighting controls, it’s a command area focused on getting a Grenadier where it belongs: off the beaten path.

The four-door SUV also features a unique rear-cargo L-track system coupled with D-rings for ratcheting gear in place. Our Grenadier was supplied with eyelets that can move around on the L-track. That gave us lots of opportunities for securing cargo, which is important during a rally competition. D-rings are located throughout the rear cargo area and in both rear door jambs—a welcome surprise that proved instrumental in keeping cargo secured. “I don’t know why more manufacturers don’t use the L-track system. It’s simple to use and works just brilliantly,” Andy said. Not only did this system keep our cargo secure during ice racing, but it also kept it in place when we unexpectedly braked for a pilot truck that told us to stop for an oncoming semi carrying 22-foot-wide construction steel girders on the Dalton Highway.

Crossing into Canada

As we passed through the border, our Grenadier still gave us our speed in miles per hour but visually showed us speed signs in kilometers per hour. Additionally, a speed warning sounded whenever we exceeded specific prescribed speeds in kph—not mph.

I wrote up a mph-to-km/h cheat sheet on my navigation board for Andy to reference at a moment’s notice. Doing the conversions wasn’t a big issue for us; at the time, we owned three right-hand-drive turbodiesel Mitsubishi 4x4s. Those vehicles only have speedometers that read in km/h, so we’re familiar with most of the major speed-limit conversions.

When we talked to Ineos about the issue, the company assured us it should be fixed with a later software update. So, we drove with the Grenadier running the speedometer in miles and referenced the speed warning clicks, my cheat sheet, and our GPS odometer along the way.

Overall Driving Impressions

“The vehicle is built really well,” Andy said. “The build quality seems high, everything seems solid. The doors close with a resounding thunk, and everything has a nice sort of haptic feel to it. All the things that move have this well-made, premium feel. It was also quite comfortable.”

From a driving perspective, the suspension was great on bad roads, potholes, and over massive cracks. “When you’re going 50, 60, and 70 miles an hour, it doesn’t upset the chassis,” he said. “Some solid-axle vehicles offer a rubbery kickback or an uncontrolled feeling. But the Grenadier is planted and performs well at speed.”

The Grenadier Trialmaster trim normally comes with BFGoodrich KO2 all-terrain tires, but we opted for dedicated snow and ice tires, per the rules of the Alcan Rally. “The Michelin X-Ice SNOW tires do really well in the snow,” Andy said. “They don’t appear to have really big lugs or deep grooves, but don’t judge a book by its cover because they really did well, even though they were studless.”

Engine Performance

The BMW six in our Grenadier had plenty of power and good torque. “We never were longing for more,” Andy said. “The engine allowed us to get past people quickly. It also allowed us to cruise comfortably at speeds over 70 miles an hour to make miles. The ZF eight-speed transmission is well suited to that engine, too. It performed admirably.”

Using manual mode allowed Andy to hold the prescribed speed better than in full automatic; in automatic mode, the Grenadier displayed a tendency to speed up or slow down if he held a gear and a specific rpm. Manual mode allowed our team to be more competitive in the TSD sections where holding a consistent speed is important.

Things to Improve

“We had good front and side visibility out of the Grenadier,” Andy mentioned. “The rear visibility is not stellar because of the 70/30 split door plus the glass is smallish. Additionally, there is a rear ladder and a single wiper that is hard to access as it’s stuck behind the spare tire. The windows and wiper are difficult to get clean when iced up.”

Andy and I learned that we could only use our grille lights in off-road mode. And off-road mode turned off automatically when we surpassed approximately 30 or 35 mph, cutting power to those lights. This made it more difficult to see wildlife in low-light conditions. Off-road mode also shuts off certain safety features, like traction control, stability control, and so on, for better off-road performance. However, when we hit the magic speed, those systems would come back, changing the driving dynamics of the SUV. We’d like to see the grille lights be approved by the DOT so that they can be used at any time, not just in off-road mode. We’d also appreciate it if the Grenadier would warn the driver that off-road mode was about to shut off so that they could prepare for the switch.

Noted Quirks

“I felt the ergonomics were a little bit of a mixed bag. The steering wheel worked really well—it feels really great in the hands. All the controls in the steering wheel work very well. Your odometer reset is on the end of the stalk, which is easy,” Andy said.

“However, some of the buttons on the climate control are hard to use. It has a three-dial system, which is easy and intuitive, but the climate control is quirky and takes a while to change from the face to the feet, and the feet to defrost, et cetera. The defroster or ‘demister’ works very well, but it only has one speed, which is very high. So, when you have to defrost or de-ice the windscreen or windows, you have to go full blast all the time. That gets irritating on your eyes, but it does work well. The heater is very hot, but there doesn’t seem to be much other than very hot or very cold.” We hope this system will be better adjusted.

The Grenadier’s infotainment is finicky, has too many menus, and requires a steep learning curve. Operating the transfer case takes some getting used to, as well. “It’s not just a standard pattern where it’s back or back and forth. You don’t pull it back to put it in,” Andy said. “There’s an H pattern to it, so it’s more like a Land Rover. That’s something I needed to get used to. Also, the locker engagement can be a bit tricky and take some getting used to.”

Try It, Test It, Win It

Andy’s tip to anybody who buys a Grenadier is to go out and test it, whether that’s in a field, during the Alcan 5000 glancing at moose, or in your driveway. Learn how the four-wheel drive system works. Learn how off-road mode work mode works. Familiarize yourself with the infotainment, because the system is not cookie-cutter. A lot of the systems on a Grenadier operate differently than a traditional four-wheel-drive vehicle, such as a Wrangler or a Bronco. “Spend the time,” says Andy, “get to know it, and I think you’ll be rewarded.”

The Ineos Grenadier Trialmaster 4×4 is wonderfully utilitarian and a great mix of off-road performance, utility, and style. We scrambled our way to the top of our class, taking the win over 16 other trucks and SUVs in the 2 SOP (Seat of Pants) segment. We also came in 10th overall of 36 total teams. Andy and I also earned Go Farther and Arctic awards for completing all optional extreme endurance routes and for successfully completing the competition. All this from a young-gun automaker and a husband-and-wife rally team willing to go the extra mile, deep into the frozen abyss, to test a vehicle’s capabilities.

***

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Limited editions make total sense for a vehicle as beloved and as plentiful as America’s original pony car, especially when that model is celebrating its 60th birthday. Six decades is a lot to reflect on—keep an eye on our multi-week cascade of Mustang stories by clicking here—and a great reason for Ford to build a limited-run pony to allure collectors.

Ford will only build one thousand, nine hundred and sixty-five examples of the 60th Anniversary Package: Even though the world first met the Mustang on this day in 1964, and production of the car did start in the second half of that year, the Blue Oval rightly asserts 1965 as the first official model year. The round number is a good call: The community may refer to those earliest builds as 1964 1/2 models, but who wants half a Mustang?

While the 60th Anniversary Package doesn’t include any changes to the driveline, the basic recipe is foolproof: The V-8-powered, GT Premium variant, with either a manual or an automatic transmission. Since the Premium trim brings the option of a fastback or a convertible, you can also have your retro-tastic ‘Stang as a droptop.

To underscore the ‘Murica factor, only three paint options are available: Race Red, Wimbledon White, and Vapor Blue. Wimbledon White is probably the one you want: It is the only one of the three colors that isn’t normally available on a 2024 Mustang, and it’s the most nostalgic: Wimbledon White was worn by the earliest Mustangs.

From there, the 60th Anniversary Edition adds a set of unique 20-inch, five-spoke wheels with red center caps bearing the galloping pony. The rocker panels gain a set of stripes and the phrase “60 years”—you can order them either in silver or in red. The grille bears a new texture and integrates two air intakes, or “nostrils,” framed in silver. The housings of the headlights are smoked. Unless you order your car in Wimbledon White, you’ll get mirror caps painted in silver, a callback to old-school chrome mirrors, Ford says. (Wimbledon White cars get matching, painted mirror caps.)

Edition-specific badges on the fenders and trunk lid are designed to recall the cloisonné badges on the ’65 Mustang: Shaped like shields, the ones on the decklid feature a red background with black gradient stripes overlaid with the black letters GT, trimmed in chrome. Below those, in smaller font, is “60 years” in chrome. The badges on the fenders, of course, read 5.0, in the same color scheme.

Inside, you can choose from three colors of leather: gray, red, or black. (Tan or blue leather, typically available on a GT Premium, the latter with the California Special package, are excluded.) You will, of course, get a serialized dash plaque.

“The design was directly inspired by the clean silhouette of the original car,” said Stefan Taylor, senior designer. “During the design process, we looked closely at the finely detailed elements of the 1965 Mustang, like the fender badges and wheel center caps. Our focus was capturing the feel of the ‘65, while also staying true to the Mustang as the modern sports car that it is.”

We love the package how it’s specced in these press photos: A convertible in Wimbledon White over Race Red—with a manual, of course, though the transmission choice isn’t visible from the photo set.

Pricing will be available closer to summer, when orders open. Count on deliveries to dealerships the fourth quarter.

The post Would You Add a 60th Anniversary Mustang to Your Collection? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Did you know that, for the price of a Model Y and a Model X, you can own a battery-electric SUV that’s only slightly less polarizing than a Mansory-fettled Urus? Orders are now open in the U.S. market for the Lotus Eletre, and deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter of 2024. Order now, and you can expect your least orthodox of Lotuses to be the subject of some family drama come Christmas.

This is not a Lotus as we have ever known one. The Eletre is a highly advanced example of a novel recipe, the performance-oriented electric crossover. As such, it impresses: Built on an 800-volt architecture, and sculpted to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.26 thanks to active elements, the Eletre is available with up to 905 horsepower and 727 lb-ft of torque. The interior is awash in touchscreens—seven total—running an in-house operating system and upholstered in new-age fabrics, such as Econyl, a nylon alternative; Alcantara, a synthetic suede, and Re-Fiber, made from recycled carpet.

A jaunt through the configurator reveals such a delightful array of colors and materials that we almost forgot our confusion at Lotus’ new direction: Red leather with purple piping and brushed-aluminum trim! (Plus $5500.) A sort of electric sea-foam green leather (called Malachite) alternating with charcoal gray and dashes of dark blue steel trim! ($5500.) There’s white Re-Fiber with yellow piping ($3500) for the less adventurous, red-accented black leather and carbon-fiber trim ($5000) for the motorsports-inspired, and tan leather with oak trim ($5500) for those who are feeling old-money-cool, in a totally new-school way. Even the default colorway is nice: dark grey Nappa leather accented with copper thread and complemented by gray wood. Complicate and add color!

Given the bold array of paint options, which include bright red, a Kelly-adjacent green, bright yellow, and a yummy warm gray, your Eletre could steal all the attention from your surgeon’s wife’s Urus.

Looks like an SUV, drives like a Lotus.

Eletre, now available to configure in North America.#ForTheDrivers pic.twitter.com/f5a2NsMNsc

— Lotus Cars (@lotuscars) April 16, 2024

Europe gets three variants—the regular Eletre, the S, and the R—but for now the U.S. gets two: The regular and the R. Both are dual-motor variants with full-time all-wheel drive, though the Eletre R uses a rear transmission with two gears. In good industry tradition, the press release leads with the price of the entry-level vehicle ($107,000) while trumpeting the stats of the more powerful version, which costs $145,000: 0–62 mph in 2.95 seconds, a top speed of 165 mph, and a maximum driving range of 354 miles, assuming you aren’t testing either of those acceleration or speed statistics. The lower-priced version makes 603 hp and 710 lb-ft of torque, with a top speed of 160 mph and a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds.

If I had to spend $100,000 on a luxury SUV, I would walk straight to a Cadillac dealer and buy an Escalade-V in that gorgeous metallic sage. If I were forced to spend it on an electric one, I’d buy a Macan—it’s prettier, more recognizable, and Porsche is a known quantity. If I were an automaker trying to keep Lotus alive in 2024? Hate to say it, but I’d consider developing an electric SUV with nearly 1000 hp.

Tell us: If you’d buy one, how would you spec Lotus’ electric cash cow?

The post Lotus’ Electric SUV, the Eletre, Starts at $107,000 in U.S. appeared first on Hagerty Media.

True off-road SUVs are hot stuff in the new-vehicle market, and the same is true in the world of restomods. One of the hottest restomod candidates is the Land Rover Defender, and clients have proven that they will pay $200,000 and more—new Lamborghini money—to build the truck of their dreams. Companies on both sides of the pond are scrambling to get a slice of this clientele: We’ve visited five such shops specializing in vintage Defenders …and that’s by no means all of them. Today, a new hopeful enters the fray: The Wrangler-based, LS-powered Blackbridge Mark IV.

This $169,950 truck is the newest offering from Blackbridge Motors, founded in 2016 by Scott Gilbert and based in Norwalk, Connecticut. The shop’s calling card is the Mark X, a $289,950 truck built nearly from scratch on a Roadster Shop chassis with fresh body panels and a 465-hp LT1. Gilbert, however, thinks there’s gold in the less expensive end of this market: He told Robb Report last fall that a restomod Defender in the mid $100,000s would be “a game changer.”

The Mark IV is the fulfillment of that vision. Designed to be more accessible than the Mark X, this Jeep-GM hybrid retains the characteristics that seem most popular in this corner of the automotive world: old-school Defender looks, reliable V-8 power, and a luxurious interior. Like its upmarket brother, the Mark IV is a build-to-order truck; Blackbridge expects you’ll want to customize yours.

To bring down the price point, the Mark IV starts not with a Roadster Shop chassis but with that of a 2018 (JK) Jeep Wrangler. The 116-inch frame extends the wheelbase of the original Defender 110 by six inches, and expands interior space—a welcome change to anyone who’s banged elbows against doors in the original Landies. The tub of the vehicle is designed by Blackbridge. The driveline in the truck shown here is a 6.2-liter, 425-hp LS3 from GM Performance backed by an automatic transmission from the same company. Those who would prefer an LT1 can have their heart’s desire, paired either with an eight-speed auto or a six-speed manual.

A pair of heavy-duty Dana axles with 4.88 gears are connected by a GM transfer case, and the whole package is managed by a GM Performance ECU. The wiring harness is a blend of GM (engine and transmission) and proprietary Blackbridge (everything else).

The interior is everything the original Defender’s was not: Packed with hi-fi audio, a touch-screen display, electric heating and cooling, LED lighting, and four captain’s chairs upholstered in leather. If you want a jump seat, you can have that: This customer preferred to prioritize cargo space. The canvas top is an in-house affair, as are all the exterior LED lights.

In the press release, Gilbert touts the value proposition of the Mark IV, underscoring its “ease of use and maintenance.” No doubt any Jeep shop will recognize the frame rails, and any GM one will know what to do with the driveline. The bigger question is whether Blackbridge’s value proposition is more than the sum of its parts—and whether customers care about the parts underneath the handsome truck.

There’s precedent for Blackbridge’s combinations of American and British and GM and Mopar: The most powerful V-8 in the original Defender was actually of American make, and the Wrangler aftermarket swapped LSes into Jeeps for years before the factory got around to a Hemi transplant. Heck, even the Land Rover factory blessed the modern V-8 swap when it put Jaguar V-8s into 150 old Defenders. The Mark IV is vintage only in looks—and Blackbridge is betting big that customers with cash to spend see that as the truck’s chief virtue.

***

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At the end of this year, the V-10-powered Huracán will be replaced by a hybrid supercar. Long live the final edition of the Huracán, the STJ!

Wait a second, those in the know may say. Lamborghini already has an electrified supercar, the Revuelto! Yes, but that beast is powered by a V-12 with a plug-in hybrid system. Also, Reveulto starts at over $600K, placing it as the successor not to the V-10-powered Huracan but to the V-12 Aventador, whose final model year was 2022.

Since 2003, Lamborghini has offered two flavors of supercar: A V-12 flagship, and a V-10 stablemate. Think Murciélago and Gallardo, Aventador and Huracán, Revuelto and … we’ll know at the end of this year. The presence of a V-10 isn’t a sure thing, according to the press release for the Huracán STJ, which is billed as “the last celebration of the super sports car equipped with the V-10 engine.”

The last Huracán to have a V-10? Since the Huracán will be replaced “by an all-new super sports car,” such a claim would be true, if redundant. Is the STJ the last V-10 Lambo? The release stops short of that claim. Frankly, we’d expect Lamborghini to make a lot more noise if the STJ were the brand’s last ten-cylinder car ever.

So what is the STJ? Essentially, an aerodynamically-tweaked version of the STO, which was essentially a track-focused Huracán Performante minus the front drive shaft plus an all-new, aerodynamically fettled body made from carbon fiber. (For our track review of the STO, head over here. The short version? “Exceptionally exuberant.”)

Like the STO, the STJ wears Special Bridgestone Potenza Race tires, which may or may not be a new compound—it’s not clear from the release, so we’re guessing not. Given the temperatures at Big Willow during our track session with the STO—over 100 degrees Fahrenheit—we were quite happy with the performance of the Potenza Race. Our main complaint, however, was that the tire just wasn’t big enough. Lamborghini, for its part, says that the STJ laps the Nardò ring over a second faster than the STO… presumably, with both in the hands of a professional racing driver.

What the STJ has that the STO doesn’t: Two new carbon-fiber “flicks,” a rear wing with an additional 3 degrees of angle, a new set of shock absorbers that are adjustable four ways, and softer springs.

Since Lamborghini is only making 10 STJs, it’s unlikely that any will do much track time. If they are driven, it will be on the street. You’ll see them in one of two colors: Gray or blue, both with black roofs and red and white details.

Here’s to the final 10 Huracáns—may they have a more felicitous journey to their owners than those final 15 Avendators.

***

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The Audi S3 and its platform-mate the Golf R have long differed in body style (sedan vs. hatch), transmission choice (only the VW offers a manual), and interior niceties (debate at will). As of the 2025 model year, one of the most important differentiators disappears: The VW’s Magna torque-vectoring rear differential is now available on the Audi. . . at least in Europe.

The 2025 model year marks a mid-cycle refresh for the S3, which has been on the market in its current generation since the 2020 model year. Audi won’t release information on the U.S.-spec S3 until “toward the end of this year,” says spokesperson Steven Marks, so cross your fingers that the changes outlined in the European release, which contains information we’re working from today, come stateside.

For once, the changes really do add up to “more than just a product upgrade,” as Audi’s press release promises. Horsepower jumps to 328 hp from 306, and torque to 310 from 296, available between 2100 and 5500 rpm. (Yes, that’s more horsepower and more torque than the current Golf R.) Gearshifts delivered by the seven-speed S tronic ‘box arrive in half the time, under full load. The launch is quicker, thanks to a more aggressively compressed clutch pack. In certain conditions—low to medium acceleration in the part-load range—the turbocharger is kept at a constant rpm, or “preloaded.” Audi has clearly heard the complaints of turbo lag in contemporary reviews of the current S3, but you can expect this anti-lag system, when used frequently, to suck down some serious fuel.

How about that torque-splitting diff, then? The thoughtful German people at Audi gave us some great diagrams detailing how it works and what’s inside. I mean, look at these things!

Not only does this diff enable Drift Mode, as VW calls it on the Golf R, but it can, as executive Eric Weiner noted in his drive of the hatchback, “coax [the car] out of corner-entry understeer or oversteer even as the driver stays on the throttle.” And the Audi didn’t get it until now? For shame.

There’s hardly an area Audi’s engineers didn’t address on the new S3: The bearings in the wishbones are stiffer. New pivot bearings enable more negative wheel camber. The front brake rotors are larger in diameter and thicker: by 357 mm and 34 mm, respectively. New two-piston calipers at the front house bigger brake pads.

A more luxurious interior has always been a reason to go S3 over Golf R, and the cabin of the 2025 model year S3 includes plenty of premium touches to uphold its reputation. Ambient lighting now extends to the center console and cupholder. The fabric panels in the front doors were laser-cut 300 times to allow light to shine through them into the cabin. The steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles are now plated in chrome. And since VW took buttons off its steering wheels for a while, we’re giving the buttons on the Audi’s wheel honorable mention, even though the controls aren’t new.

Remember to add an asterisk before rubbing the improved performance stats in the face of your local VW loyalists; we just don’t know the output of the U.S.-spec S3 yet. For now, though, it looks like the engineering team for the S3 finally got management’s approval to threaten the Golf R.

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Today Jeep announced a limited-edition Gladiator, called the Nighthawk, to mark the occasion of the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Based on the most affordable trim level, the package is limited to 2000 units for the U.S. and Canada and costs $43,190 all-in.

We smell a missed opportunity. Gladiators are built in Ohio, at the Toledo Assembly Complex, which lies along the path of totality. Why not select all the Gladiators built on April 8, no matter the configuration, and call them Eclipse Editions? Even better: Those that leave the assembly line closest to 3:15 pm ET, the approximate time the moon will occlude the sun, become Totality Editions, and carry an upcharge.

Jeep almost gets there: “In the shadow of today’s solar eclipse, the Jeep brand too, is going black, introducing the new NightHawk package for the new 2024 Jeep® Gladiator.” Perhaps “in the shadow” refers to the location of the Jeep plant—if so, the reference is an oblique one, which is out of character for a brand that offers the Freedom Edition and paints vehicles bright pink.

We’re only half serious about our Eclipse Edition: The logistics of operating a plant as large as Toledo Assembly are mind-blowing, and the build schedules are likely set months in advance. We are not suggesting that Jeep steal customer builds—at most, it could delay them a single day. In short, we are aware that our idea, while excellent, is far easier said than done.

Despite what you might think, the Nighthawk package doesn’t black out your Gladiator. (How sensitive to those who don’t live near the path of totality!) True, the 20-inch wheels are painted in gloss black, and the bumpers wear black accents, but you can spec a Nighthawk in any color you like. The fender flares and roof will be painted to match that color. The main reason to buy a Nighthawk, other than the eclipse connection, is the wheels: As of the 2024 model year, Jeep does not offer a 20-inch wheel on any Gladiator. (The last Gladiator to get the 20s was the 2023 model year High Altitude trim.) The 20s are standard on hybrid Wranglers.

Much of the cost of the Nighthawk package ($5295) is accounted for by the automatic transmission, usually a $2500 add-on. You also get a bunch of goodies that are only available on a Sport via the Max Tow Package ($1995): an anti-spin rear differential, Dana 44 front and rear axles, and all-terrain tires. You also get various convenient features only available on the next trim up (Sport S): Body-color fender flares, power windows and power locks, power heated mirrors, and deep tint sunscreen windows. Remote keyless entry, another Nighthawk add-on, is typically reserved for an even higher trim, the Willys.

Some quick math: $5295 minus $2500 for the transmission and another $1995 for the tow package leaves us at $800. … 800 for 20-inch wheels and a smattering of factory-added niceties? Sounds fair to us. What do you think? When you’ve come back inside and chucked your free eclipse-viewing glasses in the trash, drop us a comment.

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Cadillac’s luxury truck has been on a tear: Last year, the carmaker sold more Escalades than it had since 2007. The vehicle in these spy shots, a refreshed version of the 682-hp Escalade-V with new interior bits, proves that Cadillac isn’t done squeezing the goodness from this recipe.

We met the Escalade-V back in 2022. Priced at $149,990, it was the most expensive and the most powerful Escalade at its launch. Unfortunately, Cadillac neither shares average transaction prices nor splits out sales of the supercharged SUV from those of the other Escalades, so we don’t know how the hi-po version has been received in the market. A spokesperson for the automaker did tell us that Cadillac sells every Escalade-V it builds, and that the V-Series as a whole is attracting a younger customer to the brand.

We see the appeal. Under the hood of each Escalade-V is nestled a hand-built version of GM’s LT4 V-8, a combination of parts from the mill in the CT5-V Blackwing sedan and the one in the C7 Corvette ZR1, with a healthy output of 682 hp and 653 lb-ft of torque. To read the nitty-gritty details of how Cadillac engineers put this package together, head over to Brandan Gillogly’s drive review of the 2023 Escalade-V. Spoiler: He liked it.

The supercharged V-8 ’Slade won’t be top dog in the hierarchy for long. Change is afoot, and its name is IQ, the two letters that Cadillac is using to denote its pure-electric models. In most cases, those letters are integrated into the names of the models: Celestiq, Lyriq, Optiq. In the case of the Escalade, Cadillac knew better than to mess with the cachet of the name … anyway, Escaladiq sounds stupid.

The battery-electric IQ model trumps the current Escalade-V on paper: In V-Max mode, it makes 750 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque. However, that output is only available in short bursts; the figures you can expect all day, every day, are 680 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque, just slightly less than those of the supercharged Escalade.

Numbers aside, there is no replacement for the chesty rumble of a V-8, so Cadillac is—wisely—selling the ICE alongside the EV model, at least for now. (The EV model is scheduled to go into production this summer. Judging by the lack of camo, this new Escalade-V is just about ready to meet the world.)

These spy shots reveal that the refreshed Escalade-V will steal the best bits from the EV model: New head- and taillights, a 24-inch wheel design, and a 55-inch touchscreen, capped at either end by a speaker. We’ve seen this screen twice—first in the Celestiq, then in the Escalade IQ—but haven’t interacted with it, since the reveals of both vehicles were look-but-don’t-touch. However, if the understated, clean modernity of the IQ interiors means anything, you can expect the menus and digital buttons to be beautifully designed. That’s especially important for a GM product, since the automaker does not allow CarPlay.

We’re strong believers in freedom of choice, so the presence of the supercharged Escalade alongside the inevitable battery-electric model earns our applause. Twenty five years after Escalade debuted, Cadillac is positioning its full-size SUV as the best of old-school and new-school cool.

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Detroit Autorama is one of the country’s most prestigious shows for custom cars. Ever since 2002, the builds that win the show’s top trophy, The Don Ridler Memorial Award, are cost-no-object extravagances that run into the seven figures. But not everyone in Huntington Place this year had such budgets, or ambitions. Many of our favorite customs were built—and owned—by part- or full-time craftspeople who often did the work on their off-hours, funding it through day jobs that might or might not have anything to do with the automotive industry. Several were first-time Autorama attendees. The presence of these people and their builds brings a calmness to the show that you’ll miss if you judge it only by the winner of “the Ridler.”

Rodney and Cate Culp are an unlikely pair. Until six years ago, they didn’t know each other existed: He was in Alabama, she in Australia. Their mutual love of Volkswagens, and Instagram, brought the two together right before Christmas of 2017. She came to the states a month later, after a fire decimated Rodney’s shop, leaving him with nothing more than a slab of concrete. Two years later, they married. Together with one other technician, they represent Metalmorphosis Customs, a shop out of Danville, Alabama, that specializes exclusively in air-cooled Volkswagens—built however Rodney and Cate want them to be built.

An unusual business model and an attitude of contentment give the pair room to exercise their “full creative spectrum,” as Cate puts it. “We don’t do any client work anymore,” she says. She wears her long, graying hair streaked with dark purple. (Per her TikTok profile, it’s usually pink.) “We just build cars to sell. We usually do about three or four builds a year: We do one giveaway, and then we sell the other three, and hopefully [we] make enough money to live off.”

This chopped 1967 Beetle, dubbed Audacity, is one of those cars, given away at random to someone who has donated MetalMorphosis Charitable Foundation. Its mission is to minimize the effects of human trafficking by funding education, housing, health, and safety for severely underprivileged children. Audacity is already spoken for: A winner was chosen in November, and the Culps are taking the car on the show circuit before delivering it to the new owner in May. The next two giveaway builds are Lhia, a lilac Karmann Ghia that is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month and will be raffled off on December 20; and Maggie, a ’66 Beetle that will be completed in November of ’26 and won by a lucky donor on December 20 of that year.

Metalmorphosis sells its cars not through some established broker but through social media: TikTok or Instagram, where they have 350,000 and 15,800 followers, respectively, on @cateculp and @metalmorphosiscars. Once, they sold a car within eight minutes, after posting nothing more than paint and interior samples. The success still feels unexpected: “It’s pretty crazy,” says Cate. They’ve already sold their next six builds.

Cate and Rodney work on tight deadlines: Audacity went from stock ’67 to what you see here in 193 days. Rebuilding after his shop burned down has taken time, especially since the insurance payout only covered a new building, and none of the tools: This car was painted in an inflatable booth in their backyard … in the dark. They finished the last step—successfully putting the fenders on the car so that they didn’t scrape the 18- and 20-inch wheels—at 1 in the morning. They had been awake for over 20 hours at that point, but they couldn’t rest: They, and the car, had to be in Houston, for the Houston Autorama, at 4 p.m. the next day. They loaded the car into the truck, got on the road, and arrived in Houston … at 4 p.m.

Cate: “We set up and then stood back and went, oh shit—”

Rodney breaks in, with an Alabama drawl: “We built a really cool car!”

They both laugh.

This Beetle, like any of their air-cooled VW customs, is truly a collaborative effort: Cate designs the car and brings the renders to Rodney.

“She gets a stunned look on her face when I tell her no.”

“I think he’s said no to me twice in six years or something.”

“She was like, can we put 20s and 18s on it? I’m like, ‘Yup, yup, I don’t know how we’re gonna do it yet, but we’re gonna do that.’ I enjoy a challenge.”

Rodney does everything but the interior: that’s Cate, again. Though she never expected to work in the automotive world, upholstery is right up her alley: She spent about a decade in the bridal industry, and started sewing when she was eight. She figures she’s been involved in textiles for 40 or so years.

“I just love anything that has that intricate detail … I don’t miss much, you know, and anything that sort of stands out to me, or catches my eye, probably shouldn’t be there—like, it’s all got to meld together.

“Doing themed weddings and stuff like that, it gives you that mindset of making sure that everything goes together, ‘cause there’s not many people in the world that are harder to satisfy than brides.”

Building and selling their own cars is a new era for Rodney and for Cate. Though he’s been a car guy all his life, and got his first Volkswagen at age 15, he hasn’t always made a living by wrenching: For fifteen years, he was a custodian at an elementary school. When he got the chance to work at an automotive shop, he jumped at it, and continued to do his own projects on the side. When he was suddenly let go—the shop owner was getting jealous of how much work Rodney and Cate were doing at home, he thinks—the couple decided it was time to start their own thing. That was just before Covid shut down the world, and in 2020, with nothing to do, the couple built their first giveaway car—a ’63 ragtop Beetle, the first show-level build either had attempted.

“Him being let go sort of gave him the push,” Cate said, “because I don’t think he understood how talented he is.” Rodney has leaned an elbow against the pillar of the conference center, supporting his head with his hand, gazing at her while she talks, occasionally sipping a Diet Coke. At this comment, he laughs. “He is incredibly talented,” Cate continues, “and he has decades of experience, but he just didn’t have, I guess, someone to believe in him, and he didn’t have the confidence to think that he could do it for himself.”

Cate’s been self-employed most of her life, always in some creative field, so she’s at peace with the ebb and flow of the income. Though Rodney has worked on hundreds of VWs over the past 35 years, the uncertainty of self-employment is new to him. Still, they are content.

“We never did it to be rich,” Rodney says. “We just wanted to be able to do this.” He gestures at the pink Beetle.

Behind the couple, the glitz and glamour of Detroit Autorama multiplies under the lights of the conference center. The roar of the crowd flowing through the doors and throughout the show is steady and deep. The black banners posted next to each of the Great Eight finalists for the Ridler poke their heads above the roofs of the vehicles. Cate and Rodney settle back in their folding chairs, and watch the crowd, smiling.

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Call it a cyclecar or a microcar, the Suminoe Engineering Works Flying Feather was the right car at the right time for war-ravaged Japan of the 1940s. The driving force behind the car was Yutaka Katayama, now known as the father of the Datsun 240Z and the man who brought Nissan to the United States. However, his imaginative design met with a quick demise after only 200 examples were ever produced. The Flying Feather has become a forgotten car that should be held to much loftier status.

“Mr. K” was a Nissan man. Since 1935, he had worked for the auto manufacturer doing advertising and promotional work. After Nissan restarted production following WWII with its prewar Austin 7 DA and DB variants, plans were afoot to dive deeper into the Austin portfolio to bring more up-market sedans to Japan. Nissan was eyeing Austin’s A40 and A50, both larger cars than the ancient Austin 7.

But in 1947, Japan was struggling with ramping up production of even the most basic products. Raw materials, supply chain issues, a collapsed economy, and generally dismal working and living conditions didn’t translate to eager buyers of large English sedans. Katayama knew this, and felt that a bare-bones economy car was the way to kick off not only the rebirth of Nissan but also that of Japan. It was the same rationale that produced Germany’s Beetle and France’s 2CV. Both vehicles would begin production in 1947, the same year in which Katayama began envisioning their Japanese counterpart.

Nissan designer Ryuichi Tomiya was of a like mind with Katayama. Well-known throughout Japan for his various automotive and industrial designs, the future director of the Tomiya Research Institute would go on to design several important cars including the Fuji Cabin three-wheeler. Back in the 1940s, he was not up for rehashing Austins even though Nissan was dead set on going upmarket with the larger Austin A40 sedan.

Tomiya and Katayama hatched a plan to break from Nissan and start their own automobile company, focusing on affordable but sprightly commuter cars. They settled on a design they called the Flying Feather: An extremely simple, lightweight, two-seater with the presence of a peculiar yet sporting coupe. Yes, it would run motorcycle wheels and tires. And, yes, power would come from a puny one-cylinder air-cooled Nissan engine, located in the rear of the car, no less. But since the vehicle would not be much more than two motorcycles stitched together, it would be simple to repair, easy to build, and peppy enough to satisfy those who needed basic transportation.

By 1950 Katayama was able to produce his first prototype, a doorless convertible somewhat like a stylized Jeep on motorcycle wheels. His first problem was getting the prototype out of the second-story shop it was built in, but once Nissan saw the elegant little doorless convertible, executives were impressed, and they agreed to produce the Flying Feather. Nissan was ready to produce its own version of Austin’s A40, and the Flying Feather would broaden the company’s portfolio by providing a smaller, cheaper option.

What appeared to be a solid production plan quickly fell apart after Katayama brought food to workers who were striking at a Nissan assembly plant to protest poor working conditions and constant interruptions for lack of materials. Nissan quickly parted ways with Mr. K—and his Flying Feather.

Undeterred, Katayama and Tomiya struck out on their own. A second, more stylish prototype would be the basis for the production-spec Flying Feather. Bug-eye headlights blended nicely into the hood, or frunk. A tapering body incorporated flares covering the front tires, with the body moving out as it flowed to the rear. The design ended with tall air vents chopped off at an angle. With large wheel openings for those big motorcycle wheels, it presented impressive overall proportions, adding to its diminutive though sporting look.

The refined prototype now had doors, independent front and rear suspension, and an air-cooled 350cc V-twin engine offering 12.5 hp. In this final form, the Flying Feather weighed 935 pounds. It was light as a proverbial feather, with better performance than the first design.

The windows swung up on hinges, rather than rolling up and down, and no radio or heater was offered. There were friction shocks to suppress jounce, and brakes only at the rear. The interior was spartan: The frames of the seats were exposed—from the side, you can see the springs—and covered with a fabric pad that served as upholstery.

After shopping the car around to suppliers, Katayama landed at Suminoe Engineering Works. It produced interiors and small bits to Nissan and agreed to produce the Flying Feather. Adding additional air beneath the wings of Katayama’s project, the Japan Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) agreed to help nurture Japan’s own “people’s car.”

A production version of the Flying Feather—the “smallest, cheapest, and most economical practical car in the world”—was the highlight of the 1954 Tokyo Auto Show. Unfortunately, things quickly fell apart.

The MITI support never materialized. Then, Suminoe lost its contract to supply interiors to Nissan, which bankrupted the supplier and pretty much ended any possibility of producing more Flying Feathers. In the end, only around 200 were made. Very few have survived, and only a handful of restored examples exist today.

Though Katayama’s dream of an affordable car for Japan was gone, he wasn’t done with ambitious projects. He mended fences with Nissan, starting as team manager for Datsun’s two 210 entries in the 1958 Mobilgas trials in Australia. In 1960, Nissan sent him to America to oversee the launch of the Datsun brand. Though strained in these early years, Katayama’s efforts as the first president of Nissan of America laid the foundation for the expansion of the company. The Datsun 510, the 1600 and 2000 sports cars, the successful racing alliance with Peter Brock’s BRE Racing in the late 1960s and 1970s, and the development of the 240Z all happened under the stewardship of Mr. K.

In 2009, at 100 years old, Katayama remained immersed in the machinations of the car industry, offering his take on the impact of the Mazda Miata as the 240Z’s successor. He died at the age of 105, his reputation as a leader in the development of the Japanese and American automotive landscape well established. And while the Flying Feather is but a sidenote of his illustrious career, it really was a milestone in the reemergence of Japan and its burgeoning automotive industry.

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I bought my first car when I was 15—a Triumph TR4 so rusty that it more closely resembled an artificial reef than a sports car. I can name the next five or six cars that came after it in roughly chronological order, but after that, the sequence gets really fuzzy. Trying to recall all of my cars simply induces a splitting migraine—I think I’ve owned somewhere over 50 total. A good number of my buys were the result of an impulse not much more cerebral than the one that causes a Venus Flytrap to snap shut on a green bottle fly. Amazingly, I don’t regret many of them.

If I had stayed with my original career in law, maybe I would be a mega-collector with a warehouse or two full of cars. More likely, I would have had some kind of cardiac event in my forties after another fruitless squabble with my partners over something truly meaningful, like raising associate billable hours from 2400 to 2450 a year. The point is that I am a mega-collector; I just enjoy my cars in series, rather than in parallel. My warehouses are the previous and next owners’ garages.

Although Porsches are my real weakness, I haven’t generally been a single-marque person. I get bored quickly, and I have a low tolerance for seeing my car’s twin at any cars and coffee. My quirks have led to some strange and rewarding cars. Exhibits A, B, and C are Jensen Interceptor, Lancia Fulvia, and TVR S1. They’re about as weirdly diverse a group of cars as one could assemble.

When I was about eight years old, I tried to get my dad to buy a Jensen Interceptor. As if the name weren’t cool enough, it had a V-8, a rear hatch with glass that recalled a fishbowl, and a set of tyke-sized rear seats upholstered in leather and worthy of a drawing room. Irresistible! A kid I played hockey with had a dad who was an orthopedic surgeon. He owned an Interceptor. My dad admired it, and was entertaining the idea of buying the convertible version of that car—until the surgeon’s Interceptor caught itself on fire. Fast forward about thirty years, I hadn’t so much as seen an Interceptor in decades when I got a call from an old colleague at Sports Car Market magazine stating that he knew of one that could be had super cheap. Minutes later, I had bought a maroon, Chrysler 440–powered Interceptor. It was nicely built, cushy, and handled better than any car that size with a solid rear axle had any right to. I loved it, although I never went anywhere without a halon fire extinguisher. I then realized I wanted the engagement of a manual transmission, so the Jensen moved on, replaced by its polar opposite, a 1.3 liter, four-cylinder Italian car.

I’d never even seen a Lancia Fulvia until I worked as legal counsel for an auto transport company. TV presenter Donald Osborne had bought one, and we were shipping it. I’d more or less forgotten about the car until 15 years later, in Italy, literally weeks before the pandemic shut everything down, when the idea of owning a Fulvia popped into my head. Well-finished, beautifully engineered, and expensive-feeling, my Lancia was almost Teutonic in quality, while still thoroughly Italian in style. Surprisingly, parts weren’t a problem. I bought one but eventually tired of flogging the tiny V-4 to the redline in every gear to get any performance out of it. I missed the torque of the Interceptor—and then some Mustang owner at a cars and coffee made fun of the Lancia’s comically teeny exhaust pipe. A short attention span combined with some modest insecurity dictated something a little beefier than the delicate Fulvia.

A 1988 TVR S1 popped up at random in my app for AutoScout24, a massive European car listing site. With its British Racing Green paint, tan seats with contrasting green piping, and green wool carpets, the TVR had this Joe-Dirt Aston Martin vibe to it. I had to have it. Within days, the S1 was in a container on its way to the Port of Newark. If the Fulvia had the precision and quality of a manual-wind, 21-jewel Swiss watch, the TVR was a bit more homemade, albeit cooked up by someone who knew what they were doing. The tubular backbone chassis was largely the work of an ex-Lotus engineer, and the fuel-injected German Ford V-6 gave plenty of grunt to a 2150-pound car. Like the Jensen and the Lancia, the TVR let me fly my automotive freak flag high at a time when the car’s garage mate was likely to be a much more mainstream Porsche.

I suppose you can be a lot more deliberate in the old car hobby, have an actual plan beyond the next shiny penny. You can hold onto cars for decades and maybe build some real wealth; you can become, heaven forbid, an actual connoisseur. But in the end, we all get to the same place, and our cars wind up getting dispersed, whether it’s one at a time, or en masse at a big auction with our name in the catalog. For me, it’s always been about impulsivity, the lack of focus. There’s joy in being the untethered squirrel, ready to dart across four lanes for the next parts-shedding, oil-leaking, fat acorn.

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At this point in the saga of the LS engine, and with the rising popularity of “restomod” muscle cars, a 1000-horsepower Camaro is nothing new. But a 1000-hp Camaro built by Ringbrothers, roaring around the streets of L.A. with Jay Leno behind the wheel, and one of the Ring brothers sitting shotgun? We’ll brew an extra coffee just to spend 15 minutes watching that video.

A hugely respected name in the world of custom cars, Ringbrothers is based in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and was started by Mike and Jim Ring in 1989. “We used to restore cars,” says Jim, “and it got boring for us because you’d go to a show, and there’d be seven of them just like what you did.”

Safe to say that this Camaro is not your typical ’69.

Ringbrothers stripped the body panels from a stock 1969 Camaro and got to work on the widebody kit you see here: The shop built a precise image of the car using Computer-Aided Design software, machined all the molds for new body panels, and then laid carbon-fiber by hand into those molds. Together, Jim estimates, the quarter panels, roof, fenders, doors, hood, and trunk lid probably weigh about 150 pounds.

The chassis received a makeover that was almost as thorough. If you pulled the panels off the car, Jim says, you’d recognize the inner structure of a stock Camaro, but everything from the rocker panels down is all hollowed out. The bottom of the car is flat, now, thanks to the installation of twin floor pans. Jim guesstimates that the whole thing weighs 3600 lbs, which might surprise you … if you hadn’t opened the engine or peered into the interior.

A hand-built roll cage runs along the top of the windshield inside the cabin—a remarkable subtle integration. “I’m not banging my head!” Leno says.

Leno is sitting in one of a pair of bucket seats upholstered in orange-tan, pleated leather. The same material swathes the dashboard, the console, the door cards, even part of the door sills and every exposed bit of the fuel tank commanding the trunk. The Camaro in the 1960s could never justify such luxury—nevermind the Ringbrothers-specific steering wheel, covered in crushed carbon fiber. The placement of the Dakota Digital gauges nods to the original design, however, and the cue-ball shifter is another retro touch.

Neither the transmission nor the engine, however, is retro in the least—except in the number of cylinders. An LS3 built by Wegner Motorsports, another Wisconsin shop, the 376-cubic-inch mill is topped with a 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger and backed by a Tremec T-56 six-speed manual. It exhales through a Flowmaster 44 SS exhaust with headers custom-built by Ringbrothers. Six-piston brake calipers by Baer at each corner bring everything to a halt.

The wheel and tire package, as you can glimpse in the video, is appropriately beefy: The HRE wheels measure 19×11 inches at the front, 20×12.5 at the rear, and are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.

Even with the modern rubber and the engine’s boost turned down to make a much more tame 500 hp, the driveline is a joy. Leno guesses the car weighs just 2800 pounds, a sleight of hand that has much do to with the free-revving nature of the motor and the placement of the weight low in the car’s chassis. As controllable as it is, the car’s lack of driver aids will keep you on your toes: “You are the traction control,” says Leno, who adds that going sideways is all part of the fun to him.

Our favorite part in the video is when Jim tells the story behind the name of the car: The customer who commissioned the Camaro from Ringbrothers is a dear friend of Kevin Hart, the comedian and muscle-car aficionado known for his collection of restomods. In 2022, word got out that Kevin Hart was bringing a 1969 Roadrunner built by Salvaggio Design to SEMA. As usual, Hart had named it according to his usual horror theme: Michael Myers, the central character in the Halloween franchise. Hart’s friend decided to embrace the fact that both had commissioned high-horsepower restomods, and named his Camaro after the only character that Myers can’t kill: Strode, his sister.

Give the video below a watch, and let us know what your favorite part is in the comments below!

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We love breaking down data in different ways here at Insider. Recently, we decided to look at value through a different lens: cost per horsepower. A healthy discussion ensued, with many of you sharing that you’d gladly pay a little extra for a trimmer body style, a high-performance package, or a V-8.

To our lengthy spreadsheets we returned, playing with the filters to yield a fresh list. This time, we set the threshold at 300 hp and looked only at two-door models. To keep the selection affordable, we restricted ourselves to cars that cost no more than $15,000. We didn’t want to just be talking about rough examples, either, so all values you see here are for vehicles in #3 condition—well-maintained, driver-quality cars, in other words.

The choices vary wildly across the decades. First off, no car in the Hagerty Price Guide from the ’80s meets these criteria. Sports cars with 300 horsepower existed in the ’80s, of course, but none are cheap, as defined here. The same is true for the 2010s: Powerful two-doors abound (hello, C7 Stingray), but they’re well into the $30,000 range. We had to head back to 2010 and Ford’s Mustang (315 hp, $13,600) to meet each of our thresholds. A smattering of foreign cars from the ’90s and ’00s fit our filters, but none show up in any prior decade. Together with how expensive ’80s cars have become, this won’t surprise any good student of automotive history.

In general, you’ll find the richest selection of two-door classics with 300 or more hp in the 1960s or in the 1990s through the 2000s. To make sure no decade is under-represented, we’ve chosen two from each decade—excluding the ’80s, for the reasons listed above.

Without further ado, here are 10 affordable two-doors, most of them with V-8s, and all with 300 or more hp.

2005 Ford Mustang GT

Horsepower: 300

#3 value: $14,800 (convertible)

Mustangs from the S197 generation, especially those that predate the 2010 facelift, are some of the most accessible ways into 300+ horsepower. Even better, both the coupe and convertible variants of the GT model (the entry-level V-8) can be found for under $15K: Droptops are just a skosh under that figure, but the coupes from 2005–09 are only $12,600 in #3 condition. The V-8 got you a host of upgrades from the base V-6 car, plus the glorious exhaust note that’s worth the price of admission in and of itself.

2008 Nissan 350Z Roadster

Horsepower: 306

#3 value: $11,600 (Base)

Bucking the usual trend of coupe versus convertibles, the soft-top version of Nissan’s 350Z is the one that’s more affordable. Horsepower varies across the model years, and even among the trim levels until 2007, when Nissan decided to put the same 306-hp variant of its VQ-series V-6 in all of the cars. Redline increased by 500 rpm, to 7500, and fuel economy ticked up, as well. The only downside is the additional cost of the performance goodies: If you want the limited-slip diff, stability control, or cruise control, set aside another two grand and look for the Enthusiast trim. But if you want simple, top-down sporting fun? The base 350Z is your champ.

1999 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Coupe

Horsepower: 305

#3 condition value: $12,400

The fourth-gen Camaro follows the general rule that when the top goes down, the price goes up. If you’re on a budget, you can work this to your advantage: a 1999 Z/28 coupe with a manual transmission and the 5.7-liter, 305-hp LS1 goes for $12,400, while the droptop is $20K. (Those who know these cars agree that 305 hp is quite conservative.) This model year also marked the arrival of a Torsen diff for the Z/28 model. Though it ultimately went away after 2002 because of a new head-impact crash standard, the F-body Camaro Z/28 is a stylish, modern, and affordable avenue into the legendary nameplate.

1998 Mercedes-Benz SL500 Roadster

Horsepower: 315

#3 price: $14,800

It’s hard to imagine a stronger contrast between the two foreign-make cars on this list, though both are roadsters. As we noted in our buyer’s guide for this generation (R129) of SL, this luxurious, over-engineered German roadster hails from the cost-is-no-option era of Mercedes-Benz product development. Both elaborate and stout, this 315-hp, V-8-powered droptop is a ton of car for $14,800. This model year is a bit of a sweet spot: Just two years prior, that M119 engine received individual ignition coils, lighter pistons, and a five- rather than a four-speed automatic. A year later in 1999, Mercedes swapped the M119 for the M113, a single- rather than dual-overhead cam V-8 that made 13 fewer horsepower.

1970 Mercury Marauder

Horsepower: 360

#3 condition value: $13,600

Unlike many of the cars on this list, the ’71 Marauder doesn’t require you to give up its highest-spec engine to stay under fifteen grand. Marauders equipped with the 429-cubic-inch, 360-hp Cobra Jet cost just $13,600 today, and even those with the X-100 package are just $15,200. (Ticking that box added a host of options: automatic transmission, rear fender skirts, two-tone paint, leather upholstery, and alloy wheels.) Dripping with power and luxury, this personal luxury coupe nonetheless didn’t sell that well, but that just means if you show up at a car show with one today, there probably won’t be anything else like it.

1971 Pontiac Grand Prix

Horsepower: 300

#3 condition value: $14,300

If you dig the ’71 Grand Prix, you don’t just like beak—you like boattail, too. Though not as dramatic as Buick’s Riviera of the same period, Pontiac added the distinctively molded rear deck lid to its personal luxury coupe in ’71. As has been well-told, the ’70s weren’t the best time for big power numbers. Compression began dropping after 1970, the industry method for calculating horsepower changing from gross to net in 1972, and the one-two punch of emissions regulations and fuel crisis impact all conspire to explain why all of the sub-$15K, 300+ horsepower cars from this decade hail from 1970 or 1971.

The best deal for the most powerful Grand Prix is the higher tune of the standard, 400-cubic-inch engine, which squeaks into this list with 300 hp. The 455 was reduced from 370 to 350 hp for ’71, and costs over twice as much today: $32,000 for an example in #3 condition.

1965–69 Avanti II

Horsepower: 300

#3 condition value: $13,000

Looking for something powerful but off-beat? Check out the funky fiberglass Avanti II, designed by Studebaker and powered by a Chevy 327 V-8. Available in a wild array of colors, both inside and out, the Avanti II (1965–69) is surprisingly affordable for such an oddball. Values are essentially flat across the production years: a ’65–67 model carries a value just $200 higher than its ’68–69 brethren. These Avantis, produced after original maker Studebaker closed its factory in ’63, reached production thanks to a pair of car dealers from the brand’s home town of South Bend, Indiana, who bought production rights to the model name and a bunch of spare parts.

You’ll pay another 10 percent on top of the Avanti’s #3 value for factory air conditioning or a four-speed … but since that value is $13,000, you’re still under $15K with one or the other desirable add-on.

1968 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Holiday Coupe

Horsepower: 310

#3 condition value: $11,300

Offered across 50 years, the 88 was the top-selling Oldsmobile in the ’50s and the ’60s. As of the 1967 model year, the 88 received a facelift, adding more beak and more fender flare. The following year ushered in some subtle but elegant changes: the center section of the grille was changed to body color, and the turn signals were no longer squeezed in between each pair of round headlamps. The 1968 model year was the last that “Delta” would denote a trim level on the 88; afterward, it was absorbed into the name of the model.

The 88 may not be as coveted as other names of full-sized ’60s performance—Chevrolet’s Impala SS, Ford’s Galaxie—but the ’68 year in particular is one of the best deals for a handsome, powerful muscle car, especially if you forgo the convertible and its $4000 premium: The 425-cubic-inch V-8 made way for a 455-cubic inch mill, adding 10 horsepower, for a total of 310.

1959 Lincoln Premiere Coupe

Horsepower: 350

#3 condition value: $13,700

Totally new for 1958, with unibody construction, the Lincoln Premiere immediately established itself as large and in charge—not only in luxurious appointments and overall footprint, but in engine displacement: Both the ’58 and ’59 model years were powered by a 430-cubic-inch V-8, though power dropped from 375 to 350 hp as of 1959. Hardtop sedans were the most popular, and those from ’58 and ’59 both qualify for this list, with #3 values of $13,700 and $12,000, respectively. We’d dare to say that the Thunderbird below, with its separate grille and headlights, looks a bit more modern: But if you want the most luxurious car made by Ford in the ’50s—and if your budget doesn’t stretch to a Continental Mark II—there is no substitute for the Premiere.

1959 Ford Thunderbird Coupe

Horsepower: 300

#3 condition value: $13,900

If you’re looking for ’50s glamour and a recognizable model name, the second-gen Thunderbird offers a lot of bang for your buck … especially when you consider that the 1959 coupe is nearly $12K cheaper than the convertible, even when both are equipped with the 352-cu-in engine. Touted in a 1959 brochure as the “newest” version of Ford’s “famous Thunderbird V-8,” this four-barrel powerplant from the FE family was the second-largest engine available for 1959, which saw the introduction of the 430-cu-in MEL V-8. If you’re a big fan of the MEL—we are—consider adding $700 to your budget and buying a ’59 coupe with that engine: You’ll gain an extra 50 hp.

If you’re strict about your $15K budget, however, you may need to do without A/C: The factory-installed option carries a 10 percent premium in our price guide, and even if you go the modern route, and shop the Vintage Air catalog, you’re still looking at $1900 before labor.

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It’s uncommon for an automaker to nail an ambitious design brief on the first try—but that’s exactly what Ford’s Continental Division did with the Mark II, intended to rival the biggest, best cars from the world’s most renowned luxury brands. Though the Mark II caused Ford to bleed cash on each build, and its high production cost resulted in its extinction, this rare, classic American luxury car was coveted in-period and has aged incredibly gracefully—right down to the four-pointed star on its hood, an ornament that cost as much to build as the wide, ribbed grille on a 1957 Ford.

Nothing was too good for the Continental Mark II. Each of the 3012 cars, a run that was separated after the fact into the 1956 and ’57 model years, was built and painted by hand. The driveline was Lincoln’s Y-Block V-8, which made 285 horsepower backed up by a “Turbo-Drive” three-speed automatic transmission made by Lincoln and Borg-Warner. The list of standard equipment dripped with luxury: power steering, power brakes, power front seat, leather interior, radio, heater. Air conditioning was the only add-on.

The biggest names of the era flocked to the Mark II, which, at launch, cost a third more than a contemporary Cadillac Eldorado, the most luxurious car from Ford’s archrival General Motors. Dwight Eisenhower, Nelson Rockefeller, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis all owned a Mark II. The understated aesthetic of the car surely played a large role in its appeal: A Cadillac Eldorado Brougham of the same vintage bulges with chrome bumpers and trails a set of pointy tailfins, but the Mark II, with its barely there body surfacing, delicately textured egg-grate grille, and finned wheels, is the perfect model of aesthetic restraint, a statement of elegance and taste that only the richest could afford. (Of course, if you were Elvis, you simply bought a Mark II and an Eldo.)

That brings us to the example before us here, a Mark II built in September of 1955, a month before the model appeared at the Paris Auto Show. (Production had only started in July of that year, making this car a fairly early build.) Originally painted in Forest Green over an interior combination of Light and Medium Green, it wears a recent restoration in black over red: Very Louboutin, if you ask us, even if Christian didn’t paint a sole red until the ’90s. Thankfully, the shop that reimagined the color scheme only changed the color of the leather, leaving the simple, elegant single-button design on each bottom and back cushion. The four round gauges in the cluster are all correct, and the interior restoration appears to have preserved the original metal trim throughout. The only obvious bit that’s missing is a side mirror; check with Mark II Enterprises to see if they have an extra lying around.

The car is remarkably well preserved for a nearly 70-year-old vehicle; the listing mentions the only known imperfections as some slightly pitted interior chrome: The area of the dash underneath the ignition, for instance, is slightly worn. The odometer displays 79,252 miles, though the true mileage is unknown.

As fabulous as many cars are from the 1950s, few are as classy as the Continental Mark II. Imposing yet understated, this coupe is a worthy addition to any collection of timeless American classics. Bidding currently sits at $4000 and closes at 3:10 pm ET on Tuesday, April 9.

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We don’t yet have all the information on Kia’s Forte replacement—the automaker isn’t sharing pricing or fuel economy, for instance—but we have enough detail about powertrains and trim structure to maintain our initial optimism about the 2025 K4.

Kia debuted the 2025 K4 at the New York International Auto Show this morning, a location that announces its importance within the brand’s North American portfolio. Longer (by 2.7 inches) and wider (by 1.9) than the Forte it replaces, the K4 drapes a sleek, fastback exterior over a mature interior, with a few changes to the availability of powertrains that should make this sedan more appealing to … well, everyone.

The K4 is available in five trims, rather than four: The newcomer is the mid-level EX, third in the lineup. We expect the EX to be a Goldilocks spec designed to sell in high volume, probably pairing the less-powerful engine with a high number of interior niceties. As before, there are two powertrain choices, both internal-combustion: The standard one remains the 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder, and makes the same power as in the Forte: 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with an “Intelligent variable transmission,” Kia-speak for torque-converter automatic. The spicier of the two engines is a four-pot blessed with a turbocharger, as in the Forte, but the K4’s displaces 1.6 liters rather than the Forte’s 1.5. Horsepower drops from 201 to 190, and the transmission is an eight-speed, rather than a seven-speed, automatic. The manual is no more.

That turbocharged engine is still only available on one trim: The GT-Line Turbo. However, both the GT-Line with the 2.0 and the GT-Line Turbo with the, er, turbo, benefit from a redesigned rear suspension: Rather than a torsion beam setup, each gets a multi-link rear.

Now, for the flashy, comfy, colorful, and digital goodies. No matter which trim you get, your K4 will have LED headlights. (Previously, the lowest trims missed out.) All K4s come standard with a digital instrument cluster—analog gauges have been entirely banished. The software animating the “nearly 30-inch” digital display accepts over-the-air updates, which helps future-proof it. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard. Airbag count increases from six to eight with the addition of two rear side bags.

The list of available options is rather swanky: Digital Key 2.0, which allows you to unlock your car with your (compatible) smartphone; voice assistance, which will eventually be enhanced with generative AI so it can read you parts of the owner’s manual and tell you the scores from last night’s game; and a windshield made of acoustically treated glass. GT-Line models also benefit from 18-inch tires filled with foam to minimize road noise.

Other prominent reasons listed by Kia to buy the more expensive, GT-Line variants: a black-and-white two-tone interior, a special three-spoke steering wheel, and standard heated front seats. (Pay extra, and those seats can cool you, too!)

A few downsides, from reading the stat sheet: Headroom appears to decrease by 1.5 inches, though without knowing if a sunroof is standard, we’re not sure. Thanks to the fastback design, rear leg and headroom increase at the expense of cargo capacity, which dips from 15.3 cubic feet to 14.6.

Without driving the 2025 K4, or knowing its price, we must reserve most of our judgment about Kia’s new compact sedan. But we stick by what we said last week: We like what we see.

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The Dodge Charger is going electric, a move we all knew was bound to be controversial. What seemed like a big win, however—that the new Charger will keep internal-combustion power—is also getting a dose of pushback. A quick survey of comments on Dodge’s social media channels demonstrates that the “Brotherhood of Muscle” fanbase is riled up even by the Charger Sixpack due in 2025, which replaces the beloved Hemi V-8 with Stellantis’ new twin-turbocharged Hurricane inline-six.

“NO V8? NO MUSCLE,” read one reply. “6-cylinder?! ,” chuckled another.

One response accused Dodge of regurgitating an apparently hallowed term: “Six-Pack is a legendary name, and you ruin it with a 6-cylinder?!

Look, we get it. After years of living with the “Gen III” Hemi V-8 and witnessing the halcyon days of the Hellcat, it’s more difficult than ever to accept any sort of replacement for displacement, no matter how power-dense the 550-hp high-output Hurricane promises to be in this new muscle car.

But to suggest an inline-six has no place in a Mopar muscle car and can’t wear the Six-Pack (or as Dodge now formats it, SIXPACK) name? Well, Mopar lovers from Down Under might disagree with those particular points.

Birth of the Hemi Six

Let’s spin the globe and flip the calendar back to 1962. Two years after launching its compact A-body Valiant Stateside, Chrysler began exporting the Valiant to Australia. The move was a direct response to Ford, which took such steps with its Falcon in 1960. Initial imports were essentially knocked-down kits manufactured in the U.S. and re-assembled in a suburb of Adelaide.

That quickly changed. By mid-1963, the AP5-series Valiant became the first Australian Valiant completely manufactured within that country and, more importantly, the first not to mimic its American sibling. Instead, Chrysler’s Australian designers and engineers collaborated with their counterparts back in Highland Park to create A-bodies tailored for their own market. (My personal favorite: the later AP6 Valiant, which grafted the original Plymouth Barracuda’s unique front clip onto sedans, station wagons, and “utes” alike.)

Like many American-market Valiants and Darts, early Australian Valiants relied largely upon Chrysler’s venerable Slant-Six for propulsion. That began to change with the VG Valiant in 1970. Alongside the familiar 225 cubic-inch Slant-Six and the optional 273 cubic-inch V-8 was suddenly a… Hemi?

No, not that Hemi, and some argue it’s a true Hemi at all. We’re talking about what was then an all-new line of overhead-valve inline-six engines that was developed, in large part and with a dose of irony from today’s perspective, by Chrysler’s American engineering staff. The hope was that the new six could serve double duty as a new pickup truck engine. However, these new blocks were no longer canted like the prior Slant-Six and, despite being cast iron, benefitted from a relatively lightweight design.

Compared to the Slant-Six, these new OHV sixes sported a larger bore, shorter stroke, higher compression ratio, and seven main bearings instead of four.

As for the cylinder head, well, calling this a Hemi (or comparing its cylinder heads to the 426 Hemi) was a bit of a stretch; the six had a non-crossflow design with valves sitting at an 18-degree angle from one another, forming only semi-hemispherical combustion chambers. Regardless, the specs satiated whatever standards Chrysler’s marketing team held at the time, and brochures and advertising heralding the arrival of the “Hemi Six” were executed in full swing.

Flavors of Hemi Six

The new Hemi Six was initially available only in 245 cubic-inch displacement, but with varying intake, exhaust, and camshaft profiles to switch things up between trim levels. In base form, with a single-barrel carburetor, the 245 was rated at 165 hp and 235 lb-ft—a marked improvement over that year’s 145-hp 225 Slant Six (which continued to be sold as a thrifty option). The hottest variant appeared in the sporty Valiant Pacer, where it gained a two-barrel carb, split exhaust manifold, hotter cam, and a less restrictive air intake. Chrysler never published a rating for Pacer-spec 245s in its sales literature, but output was believed to be between 185 and 218 hp.

The Hemi Six range grew in 1971 to include a new efficiency-minded 215 cubic-inch model (which effectively replaced the last remaining Slant Six option in Australia) and a bored-out 265 cubic-inch model, which used pistons cribbed from the LA-series 318 V-8. Even with a one-barrel carb, the 265 produced around 205 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque.

1971’s VH-series Valiant also introduced the Valiant Charger, a two-door semi-fastback coupe with more than a few styling cues inspired by the American Dodge of the same name. The top-tier R/T model picked up where the Pacer left off, boasting loud graphics and, thankfully, requisite power to back up those looks.

Six Pack with an Italian Twist

A 218-hp version of the 265 was standard fare on Charger R/T models, but that wasn’t what captured headlines. It so happens engineers were working in Italy with the fueling wizards at Weber to develop a “Six Pack” of their own, this time using three 45 DCOE two-barrel carb intake manifold to support three 45 DCOE side-draft dual-throat carbs. Buyers who ticked the E37 option box for their Charger R/T got a 265 with that spicy setup, helping bump output to 248 hp and 305 lb-ft of torque. Ticking the E38 option box for the R/T Six Pack yielded a unique cam profile and increased compression ratio, bringing power up to 280 hp and 310 lb-ft.

Not only were these Aussie Hemi Six Pack power numbers within spitting distance of many small-block V-8s of the era, but so were its on-track performances. Stock E38-spec Chargers reportedly made quarter-mile passes in the neighborhood of 14.4-14.8-seconds; that’s pretty close to the 14.3 and 14.4 numbers posted by both Hot Rod and Car and Driver, respectively, when evaluating a 1968 Dart GTS with a 340 V-8 underhood.

Things grew wilder yet in 1972. Not only was a four-speed manual transmission finally available in Australia, but the Charger R/T could be ordered with the race-ready E49 package. Here, the 265 Six Pack saw its compression bumped again to 10:1, and power grew to 302 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque. The extra power and additional gearing helped E49 Chargers move; period road tests cited a 0-60 time of 6.1 seconds and a quarter mile ET of 14.4.

The E49 package disappeared from the Charger lineup as quickly as it did down the quarter mile, with only 150-200 examples built in 1972, its single model year in production. The 1973 VJ Charger R/T still offered a 280-hp Hemi 265 with the Six Pack, but the Weber-in-triplicate option lasted only another year before it too was nixed. Chargers continued offering less exotic versions of the 265 until Charger production wrapped up in 1978.

Hemi Six, We Won’t Forget Ye

Hemi Sixes wound up beneath the hoods of many Australian Chrysler offerings, including the plush but redundantly-named “Chrysler by Chrysler,” and the short-lived Centura—an unusual twist on the French-built Chrysler 180. In later years the engine gained electronic ignition systems, and even Chrysler’s Lean Burn carburetors, before Hemi Six and Valiant production ground to a halt in 1980, along with the entirety of Chrysler’s Australian operations.

So there. The Hemi Six may not have offered quite the same brawn and braggadocio as the almighty 426, but it still had Mopar muscle – just flexed in a different way.

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It seems like only yesterday that we were scrambling to bring you news of yet another automaker with a plan to convert its portfolio from gas to battery power by 2030 or 2035. For Nissan, that announcement came in November of 2021. Not even two and half years later, the Japanese automaker—like several others, including GM and Mercedes-Benz—has put its CEO on the global stand to announce another grand plan that, in reality, is a little less ambitious and a whole lot more realistic.

Gas is not out at Nissan, is the short version.

The longer version: By fiscal year 2026 (which, in regular-people years, begins in September of 2025), Nissan will launch seven all-new models in the U.S. and Canada. Those seven are part of a global count of 30, of which 16 will be electrified and 14 will be powered by internal combustion.

(“Electrified,” conveniently, applies to EVs and to hybrids of any ilk.)

If you allow for the marketing speak, hybrids have a prominent place in Nissan’s new plan for North America: By FY2026, Nissan will refresh 78 percent of its vehicles in the U.S. and launch e-POWER and plug-in hybrid models. e-POWER is Nissan’s term for a range-extender hybrid, in which a gasoline engine acts as a generator for an electric motor, the element which actually drives the wheels. (The Chevrolet Volt is one example, though it’s no longer on sale; The Ramcharger pickup is another, and it’s coming to market in late 2024.)

Want a diagram? Nissan’s got a diagram!

Nissan’s goal for 2030, across its entire global portfolio, remains the same as it was in 2021: “an electrification mix of 55% globally across the Nissan and INFINITI brands.” (That plan is known as Ambition 2030.) However, “faced with extreme market volatility,” Nissan is presenting the two-part plan known as The Arc:

What will those vehicles be? Your guess is as good as ours, honestly, because the YouTube video that accompanies The Arc business plan shows far more vehicles than the seven that we’re told to expect in the United States. Perhaps the dimly lit vehicles also include the refreshed models? We can’t tell.

Some recent Nissan concept faces are tucked into the video, though: The round headlights of Nissan’s 20-23 concept, an electric hot hatch; the four round taillights that identify the GT-R and are present, in a pointillism interpretation, on its Hyper Force concept from 2023. We also glimpsed vehicles that resemble the Chill Out crossover, the van-like Hang Out concept, and the Surf Out pickup that accompanied Nissan’s November 2021 announcement.

Which Nissan models most need a refresh? Of the concepts listed above, which would you be interested in seeing? Let us know in the comments below.

Oh, and let us know why Nissan picked a narrator with an Australian accent:

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You’ve watched a G-Wagen growl past you on the highway. The blocky German off-roader probably had a spare tire mounted on the back, encased in a cover bearing Mercedes’ three-pointed star in chrome. So posh, so powerful. Oh, to be a person in a G-Wagen!

You probably didn’t know that, until today, even the wealthiest person in the world couldn’t go on the Mercedes configurator and order one with a touch-sensitive screen. Nope, not even for a base price of $144,150… and, if you wanted to flaunt your status in front of the urban elite, you’d be silly to build a G-wagen without splurging for add-ons like 20-spoke AMG wheels ($3470, as of the 2024 model year) or matte black paint ($3950).

Window shoppers and real-world customers alike will be delighted to know that, as of the 2025 model year, the G-Class finally enters the modern age of Mercedes-Benz infotainment, ditching the COMAND system with its rotary dial for a version of the brand’s current system, denoted MBUX. A console-mounted touchpad remains—perhaps for continuity’s sake? We’re not quite sure.

(Hard-core off-roaders, fret not: The three switches for the locking differentials remain actual switches.)

The slowness with which Mercedes has updated its veteran off-road reflects the inherent capabilities of the product: A V-8-powered, body-on-frame four-door with military roots, three locking differentials, and, as of the 1990s, an interior that can be as luxurious as you can afford. Nearly 35 years later, the truck looks much the same, but a few headline-worthy changes lie under the hood and inside the cabin.

The base truck, known as the G 550, retains that alphanumeric identifier but has a different engine: Instead of the twin-turbo V-8, it’s motivated by a turbocharged inline-six making 443 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque. The six also has a mild-hybrid system, which basically is an electric motor in the driveline that does not directly spin a wheel or an axle. The setup relies on an integrated starter-generator (ISG), which replaces an alternator and is attached directly to the crankshaft of the engine. We’ve seen this mild-hybrid I-6 combination in several other Mercedes products in recent years, including the 2021 E-Class. While the departure of the V-8 in the G 550 is disappointing, the presence of the six-cylinder in the G-Class is encouraging: Mercedes has been going through its model portfolio and replacing V-8s with (absurdly powerful) turbo fours.

Thankfully, the brand had enough sense to leave the V-8 in the top-dog G-Class, the Mercedes-AMG G 63. Power remains the exact same—577 hp at 6000 rpm, 627 lb-ft of torque between 2500 and 3500—but fuel economy could receive a bit of a bump, since the hand-built V-8, too, receives the mild-hybrid system, which is good for an additional 20 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque at “lower engine speeds.” Without knowing where in the rev range the ISG maxes out, we aren’t sure if the driveline’s maximum output is actually higher; it’s likely that the electric motor is tuned to produce max power while the V-8 is getting up to that magic 2500 rpm mark, and that the motor lets the engine take over beyond that point.

Construction remains body-on-frame, with independent front suspension up front and a solid axle out back, plus the full complement of locking differentials (three). The big news, when it comes to chassis changes, concerns the optional suspension for the G 63 model: Spec the optional AMG Offroad Package Pro, and you’ll get a trick hydraulic suspension setup, which equips each of the adaptive shock absorbers with two hydraulic connections (one for compression, one for rebound), and links all four together. Active elements also replace the mechanical antiroll bars. We shudder to think how much the upgrade will cost, but the improvements in body control and articulation should be significant. Ground clearance for the G 550 remains at 9.5 inches; Mercedes is keeping quiet about the off-road stats for the G 63, so we’ll have to wait and see how much the hydraulic system improves approach, breakover, and departure angles.

Exterior changes are minimal: Four louvers in the grille instead of three, new A-pillar trim, a spoiler lip on the edge of the roof. (The latter two changes are borrowed from the upcoming electric G-wagen. They make the truck more aerodynamic and, together with a bunch of new insulation materials, make its cabin quieter, too.) Kept company by a wiper fluid nozzle, the rearview camera has moved to the middle of the bumper, above the license plate holder.

Inside, both versions of the truck get new steering wheels with touch-sensitive panels, rather than buttons. The Burmester surround sound system now has 16, rather than 10 channels, an additional speaker mounted in the headliner—it can light up, too!—and features Dolby Atmos, a spatial audio technology that can place sounds above and below the listener’s ears, not just to either side.

The number and size of the digital screens remain the same—two of them, measuring 12.3 inches corner to corner. The software controlling those screens, though, brings the suite of video feeds and safety features that you’d expect on a six-figure, luxury off-road truck: The G 550 now comes standard with four cameras that can relay a 360-degree view onto the center screen (previously, only the G 63 got this setup). Blind spot assist comes standard, although Active Steering Assist, variations of which are available on scads of vehicles more affordable than a G-wagen, is listed as “available,” aka you’ll have to pay extra for it. Why, Mercedes? The camera array also allows for the brand’s Transparent Hood features, which may be familiar to particularly adventurous owners of the GLC: It provides a view of what’s in front of and underneath the vehicle—basically, the area that you can’t see because the hood’s in the way. Handy, especially when climbing or cresting a steep grade. A dashcam comes standard, and you can replay the feed on the center screen if the vehicle is stationary. You can even talk to your G-Class’ infotainment system without saying “Hey, Mercedes” first: The manufacturer says that it created roughly 20 new voice commands exclusively for the new G-Class.

Tech upgrades sprinkled piecemeal across recent model years are all present for 2025, and many are standard, including adaptive damping suspension, keyless entry and start, and a glass sunroof. If your rear-seat passengers are feeling left out of the newly digital experience, you can splash some cash and equip your G-Class with an extra set of 11.6-inch touchscreens via the MBUX High-End Rear-Seat Entertainment System.

Mercedes’ decision to swap the G 550’s V-8 for an I-6 will no doubt be controversial, but the presence of a gas-powered G-Class proves the truck’s importance to Mercedes as a cultural statement. Now with a digital personality to match its price tag, a V-8-powered G-wagen is more of a luxury good than ever before. Both the six- and eight-cylinder models go on sale in the second half of this year. Our big question: Can the upcoming electric G-wagen capture the same magic?

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Take a guess—what was Kia’s best-selling vehicle last year? You’re probably thinking an SUV of some kind. Perhaps not the biggest one, the Telluride, but maybe the middle-sized one, the Sportage. But wait! Maybe the best seller was the cheapest—the blocky little Soul, with its roughly $20K starting price.

Wrong, wrong, and wrong. Since 2018, the best-selling Kia in the United States has been its compact sedan, the Forte. (Soul sales dropped below 100K units in 2019 and have been slipping lower ever since.) But even with increasing annual sales of the Telluride (59K in 2019, 111K in 2023), the Forte has held strong. Which is why Kia has decided to invest the time and money to redesign the volume-selling sedan inside and out as the K4.

That’s the 2024 model-year Forte on the left, the K4 on the right. (Kia hasn’t given it a model year, but 2025 is a safe bet.) The difference is striking. The Forte looks like it’s halfway through puberty, while the K4 ditches the Forte’s non-committal mix of edges and curves for a creased, flared suit accented with angular, pinstripe LEDs. The new design is worthy of its new name; these cars barely look like they belong to the same brand, and that’s a compliment.

Yes, we know Kia probably doesn’t want us to view the K4 as a direct successor to the Forte, whose name isn’t mentioned once in the press release. But we just can’t get over the difference in the confidence and commitment of these designs. A compact sedan from Kia that doesn’t look like it’s apologizing for being cheap? Keep the MSRP in the low $20K range, Kia, and we will be genuinely impressed.

Look at the difference in the interior: A two-spoke steering wheel with Kia’s new badge placed off-center … lovely. No binnacle over analog gauges, just a single rectangular screen atop a dashboard dominated by clean, horizontal lines. Buttons—real buttons, the press release is quite specific—tucked flush with the dashboard! The giant shifter looks ridiculously self-important … maybe, just maybe, Kia will offer a manual transmission like it does for the current Forte. And … is that a sage green interior? 2024 Kia could never.

We don’t yet know the extent of the mechanical changes underneath this handsome redesign; Kia probably won’t release them for another five days, which is when it reveals the car in full at the New York International Auto Show. Car shows are shadows of what they used to be, but even so, the location of the K4’s global reveal is telling: This is an important car for Kia in North America. (The current Forte is built in Monterrey, Mexico.) We hope our first impressions hold true. Despite a soulless name, the K4 looks like an affordable, confident daily driver that we’d enjoy being seen in.

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Twenty years after it debuted, the hatchback that defined the template for the top-dog Golf in the U.S. is no longer cheap. VW’s Mk IV R32 is, more clearly than ever, a bonafide collector car. Even in a market that continues to cool, this all-wheel-drive hatch is red hot, forging its place in the pantheon of 2000s classics.

A lot has happened since 2004, the only model year that VW offered this über-Golf in the United States. To refresh your memory: That year, Mark Zuckerberg launched TheFacebook.com. Shrek 2 landed in theaters. The Spirit and Opportunity rovers landed on Mars. And Volkswagen allocated 5000 examples of the hottest hatchback it had ever made to the United States.

Stateside car enthusiasts already knew how much fun a VW hot hatch could be. In 1983, we met the Mk I Rabbit GTI, a 90-hp, four-cylinder featherweight that put a grin on your face every time you tossed it down a curvy road. Enthusiasts fell in love with the GTI for the quality of its steering, the balance of its chassis, and its understated practicality.

As of its fourth generation, which arrived in the U.S. for the 1999 model year, the sportiest Golfs had grown bloated. VW compensated for the increased heft and size with more power, including a 174-hp, VR6-powered model called the GLX, but reviews were scathing: Car and Driver wrote that the GLX “leaned in corners like a torpedoed frigate,” and declared the howling from its sidewalls “a defilement of the memory of the original hot-hatch Rabbit.” The 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder GLS that VW added for 2000 wasn’t any more aggressive.

With the R32, Volkswagen finally got the recipe right for a more substantial Mk IV. VW didn’t simply add power: It added an all-wheel-drive system derived from another Volkswagen Group product, the TT 3.2 quattro, lowered the suspension by an inch, and added huge, 13.1-inch front brakes. Like the GLX, the R32 was powered by a naturally aspirated VR6, VW’s narrow-angle V-6, but in the R32 it was enlarged to 3.2 liters, the largest displacement for any production Golf to date. Tuned to 240 hp, the VR6 in U.S.-market cars was backed exclusively by a six-speed manual. (European market cars got a dual-clutch automatic, the first of any production car.) Aluminum pedals, König sport seats, a dual exhaust, and a set of 18-inch, 15-spoke alloy wheels ensured that the car felt, looked, and sounded like something special. The front suspension bushings and spindles borrowed from the TT brought the handling in line with the expectations set by the original GTI: Car and Driver called the R32 “the funnest ‘Audi’ VW has ever sold.”

Though it was not the most powerful of the cheap, fun competition, the R32 set itself apart in restraint and maturity. Unlike the competition from Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Honda, the sportiest Golf wore neither wing nor scoop. A three-letter badge or a stripe of red had been sufficient for the GTI, and the R32 was extreme only by the restrained standards of the Germans: With a gaping lower air dam, badges for the grille and trunk, and darkened taillights above a dual exhaust, it radiated a quiet confidence. 20 years later, the softly flared fenders and chunky door handles communicate that same maturity, dipped in 2000s nostalgia.

That nostalgia, coupled with attrition and low production numbers, is a huge reason behind the skyrocketing prices of the R32. These cars were so fun to drive that many people did just that, without regard to the rock chips or wheel rash or fender-benders that cause today’s most discerning R32 collectors to recoil. As of 2020, the average mileage of all R32s offered on Bring a Trailer was over 73,000, with many closing in on 150,000 miles. Because immaculate R32s are hard to find, the best examples have sold for increasingly eye-watering prices: $65,100 for an 1800-mile car in August of 2020, $61,950 for a 20,000-mile example in November of 2021, then $104,000 for a 97-mile one in February of 2023.

One hundred grand?

For a 97-mile car with a shower cap still on the steering wheel, yes. The best-condition cars (#1 and #2) have appreciated at a more aggressive rate than their driver-quality (#3 and #4) siblings. This bears out a pattern we’ve observed in the entire collector-car market: The value gap between the best-condition cars and the less-perfect rest is widening, in large part because it’s getting more expensive to bring a lesser-condition car up to snuff.

Values for the R32 peaked in the summer of 2023, even as the market continued to fall from its 2021 heights: In July, the Hagerty Market Rating, which evaluates the activity of the broader collector-car market, posted its largest single-month drop in over three years. The R32 cared not: The value of a #2 (Excellent) condition example jumped from $35K in April of 2023 to $54,600 in July. As of this writing, values for #1 and #2 cars have found a new normal, with average values remaining stable at $73,300 and $54,600. #3 and #4 condition cars retreated $3000 and $2300, respectively, from July to October of last year, though as of January, 2024, those figures are holding steady.

The divergence of values between the best cars and the rest has a silver lining: Well-worn examples have not appreciated as much as their low-mile brethren. If you’re willing to show some TLC to an example that is rough around the edges, you can still find an R32 in the $20K range, and even a #3 (Good) condition car with minimal needs sits at 30 grand. Our suggestion, for R32 fans on a budget? Don’t chase perfection: Invest enough in the car to make it the delightful driver it is, shop freely from the catalog of standard Golf and VW Group parts (only a few interior trim pieces are unique to the R32), and have fun. And, not to take away from this exclusive hatch, but there is always the Audi TT 3.2 Quattro, which fields the same driveline, albeit in a different tune; it’s available for far less.

Enthusiasts are lining up to realize their dreams of the early 2000s: Quote counts for the R32 are steadily increasing. Buyer demographics skew heavily to the generations that coveted them when new, or to young buyers who look back at them with reverence: Gen X and younger account for 88.9 percent of the interest of these cars. (For context, these buyers represent 63 percent of the broader collector-car market.) Never mind the fact that TT 3.2 Quattro has a similar driveline and costs less: There is a special something about this 2000s hatchback.

Coveted by a young demographic, and riding a wave of 2000s nostalgia, the R32 isn’t looking like it will get cheaper. The days of the perfect, $30K R32 are gone; but VW’s hottest Mk IV hatch is here to stay.

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Unveiled on November 2, 1950, Ford’s 1951 lineup of cars garnered huge attention for good reason. For starters, you could choose from seven body styles, two engines, and three transmissions. New features abounded—Ford’s brochure counts 43, to be exact. They included a Key-Turn Starter—”No reaching for a starter button!”—and a Waterproof Ignition System, which protected the spark plugs with snug synthetic rubber boots, and Double-Seal King-Size Brakes—which reduced braking effort by precisely 35 percent. Imagine!

The 1951 Ford retained much of the handsome lines of its 1950 predecessor. From the front, though, it was clear you were driving a new car: The Dual Spinner Grille (versus 1950’s single spinner fascia) and bewinged hood ornament made sure of that, as did the Multi-Protection Bumper, with its additional, horizontal guards. For the customer who needed maximum roominess, and was willing to pay extra to stand out from the crowd, Ford introduced an entirely new model for 1951: The Country Squire Station Wagon, equipped with a dual-hinged tailgate and paneled in luxurious mahogany.

This brings us to the car you see here, a remarkably well-preserved “woodie” up for auction now on Hagerty Marketplace. It is offered at no reserve from the collection of Roger Boman, who clearly took to heart the spirit of the 1951 brochure, which claimed that the new Fords were “Built for the Years Ahead!”

To ensure that this midcentury woodie was ready for the 21st century, Boman made a few key modifications. Under the hood, in place of either the 100-hp V-8 or the 95-hp six-cylinder offered by Ford for 1951, is a 350-cubic inch Chevy V-8 backed by an automatic transmission. Naturally, the brakes are also upgraded, from drums to discs. Inside, Boman added a Vintage Air A/C system and a digital gauge cluster. (It displays 2468 miles at the time of listing, but true mileage is unknown.) Judging by the buttons on the door cards, and the absence of window crank handles, Bowman also added electric windows. (Whoever buys this should come up with a ’50s–appropriate name: How about One-Touch Gliding Glass?)

The interior presents very well: The mahogany panels on the front door cards are free of any ugly scratches or gouges. That modern A/C system is tucked well out of sight, and the round, digital gauge cluster sits within a chrome bezel right where the factory one would, behind a newer, three-spoke, wood-rimmed steering wheel. The seats, which appear to be modern ones re-upholstered in tan leather, have neither crease nor wrinkle—but they do have seat belts. The buff-colored carpet looks perfect.

Under the hood tells a similar story of understated modernization. The aluminum and stainless steel finishes on the port-injected Chevy RAMJET 350 crate engine give a cohesive look, the hoses are tucked neatly into the firewall, and the wiring is similarly tidy.

If you love the look of the Country Squire, and imagine yourself sharing this wonderful ’50s woodie with your kids or grandkids or significant other, this subtly modernized example might be exactly what you’re looking for. Don’t wait too long to make your move, however: as of this writing, this Ford sits at $22,000 with 10 bids and six days to go. Bidding closes at 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26.

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If you were skeptical that the Corvette got soft when it went hybrid, the results of the first third-party dyno session with the E-Ray will convince you of the answer: Definitely not.

True, the driveline of the 2024 Corvette E-Ray pairs a familiar V-8 engine (the LT2) with an electric motor, and a 1.9-kWh lithium-ion battery is tucked under the center console. But the motor and battery are only good for four miles of driving range, and you can’t charge the battery with an external plug. The decision to add an electric motor, which powers the front axle, was a creative way to get more power output and greater traction, which together generate quicker acceleration. Fuel economy, if you’re wondering, doesn’t improve at all over the regular Stingray, which lacks the electric motor: Highway mileage is actually lower, by 1 mpg, according to the EPA estimate.

Those weren’t the numbers you really wanted to know, though.

Okay. Chevrolet advertises the total output of the engine plus motor at 655 hp (measured at the crank, as most manufacturers do) and 595 lb-ft of torque. Of course, we all wanted to verify those for ourselves, and we finally can, thanks to one E-Ray owner named Steve (thanks, Steve!) who sent his Torch Red E-Ray to the GM performance specialists at Paragon Performance in Waukee, Iowa, for a dyno sesh. Being a conscientious owner, he had them drive the car from Kansas City to Waukee so that the engine got its mandatory 500-mile break-in period before running at full throttle on Paragon’s dyno.

Paragon was particular about setting up its dyno: The technicians linked the front roller to the back one with a giant belt to replicate real-world conditions, to which the electric motor and the engine would both contribute maximum power.

The results? 573 wheel horsepower—less than the factory number, as you’d expect, due to driveline losses—but 630 lb-ft of torque: 35 more than stock, even with those same losses.

We see you, Chevy …

Paragon didn’t stop there, of course. Graham, the host of the recorded session, walks us through the graphs, comparing the power curves of the E-Ray (in red) to those of the base car, the Stingray (blue), and to those of the track-focused Z06, which uses a different V-8 (the flat-plane-crank LT6) and no electric motor. The Stingray and the E-Ray are more comparable in mission and focus than the E-Ray and the Z06, so Graham starts there:

You might expect the electric motor to present as a more marked spike, but even as the motor reaches its maximum rpm, and as the heat generated by that motion begins to sap its power, the E-Ray makes more power than the base car through the entire rev range, including at redline, where it makes 100 more horses (at the wheels). From 2000 through about 4200 rpm, the hybrid Vette makes 200 more lb-ft than the base car, thanks to that electric motor. And Chevrolet only quoted the E-Ray’s electric motor at 160 hp and 125 lb-ft, measured at the crank!

Unsurprisingly, the Z06 (green) upstages both its siblings: After 6500 rpm, the horsepower curve generated by the flat-plane-crank model just keeps going, up to its redline of 8500 rpm.

It’s safe to say that the Corvette became a hybrid in the name of performance and power. Chevrolet’s reasoning will be further proven by the upcoming Zora, which is expected to combine the flat-plane-crank LT6 from the Z06 with two turbochargers (the combo that will distinguish the ZR-1) and an electric motor for the front axle. Steve, the owner of the E-Ray you see here, is putting his own spin on the formula: From Paragon Performance, this E-Ray will go to Wixom, Michigan, home of Corvette tuning shop Lingenfelter Performance, to receive its Magnuson supercharger kit. Thus blessed, the E-Ray will return to Paragon for another dyno sesh.

We like how you roll, Steve.

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Among an increasingly competitive flock of volume-seller compact crossovers, one South Korean offering looks like nothing else on the road in North America. So different is the 2024 Hyundai Kona, even compared with the first-generation version it replaces, it might even take people some time to figure out what the stylish little SUV even is.

As of the 2024 model year, Hyundai’s subcompact Kona is in its second generation. We loaned an N Line variant—the sportiest and second-highest of the Hyundai’s trims—for a long weekend in California and hit the highways of San Francisco, the neighborhoods of Berkeley, and the curves of the Marin headlands to see whether this urban trucklet improves upon its predecessor.

Let’s begin with the comprehensive changes that define this new-era Kona. Longer, wider, and taller than the first-gen (2018–22) car, the 2024 Kona looks … weirder. If the first-gen car was a mix of funky and adorkable, this follow-up is a mix of R2D2 and robot dog. It’s still cute but with an edgier, more futuristic flair. One reason consumers may struggle to identify it as a Hyundai is that the company’s product range includes so many different aesthetics: The softly contoured, big-grilled Venue; the blocky 2024 Sante Fe with its eight-bit-inspired headlights, a retro vibe shared by the Ioniq 5 electric hatchback; the teardrop-shaped, doe-eyed Ioniq 6 electric sedan; the aggressively flashy but gently surfaced Palisade SUV. The Kona, with its unbroken slit of LED running lights high on its snub nose, and headlights pushed nearly into the fender flares, looks like none of the other Hyundai vehicles. The knife-like creases on the sides of the new Kona are similar to those of the techno-Brutalist Ioniq 5 … but there the similarities end. Despite the inconsistency of the overall lineup, we honestly like the look of the new Kona.

Hyundai originally launched the Kona for the 2018 model year with four trims: SE, SEL, Limited, and Ultimate, adding the electric variant as a separate model in 2019. Upon the introduction of the sporty-chic N Line variant for 2022, Hyundai fired Ultimate, promoted Limited, and backfilled the latter with the N Line. (The grin-inducing, 276-hp N model arrived for 2022.) That arrangement worked well, apparently, because the hierarchy carries over to the second-gen. The bones of the two cars are similar, as well: Hyundai stretched the platform of the first-gen Kona and tailored it for the second-gen EV model, known as the Kona Electric, then for the gas-engine versions. (This enabled Hyundai to build a plug-in hybrid model on the same chassis, though that powertrain isn’t available in the States.)

Like the outgoing car, the new Kona offers two gas powertrains. The base engine remains the 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder (147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque), included on the lower two of the four trims: SE and SEL. The higher two (N Line and Limited) again receive a 1.6-liter direct-injection engine blessed with a turbocharger, but for 2024 there are a couple of changes to its setup: Though torque output remains the same, at 195 lb-ft, the 1.6-liter now makes 5 fewer horsepower (190 total). It is mated to a shift-by-wire eight-speed automatic that replaces the previous seven-speed dual-clutch unit. All four gas-powered Kona trims are available in front- or all-wheel drive. The latter carries a $1500 upcharge, regardless of trim, and adds a third drive mode: Snow.

Specs: 2024 Kona N Line AWD

• Price, base/as tested: $33,485 / $33,695
• Powertrain: 1.6-liter, turbocharged inline-four engine, shift-by-wire eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission
• Horsepower/Torque: 190 hp @ 6000 rpm, 195 lb-ft of torque @ 1700–4500
• Layout: All-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger crossover
• Curb weight: 3483 pounds
• EPA-rated fuel economy: N/A. Manufacturer estimate: 24/29/26 (city/highway/combined)
• 0–60 mph: 8.5 seconds (est.)
• Competitors: Kia Niro, Mazda CX-30, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Buick Envista, VW Taos

The aesthetic differences compared with the outgoing Kona N Line are obvious at first glance—the absence of the three slits in the nose, the distinct and highly angular front and rear lower fascia, and the honking big spoiler mounted on the trunk. (The spoiler reminds us of the now-dead Veloster N, and that makes us sad.) The look is completed by a set of 19-inch wheels adorned with center caps bearing the N logo of the company’s performance division, which didn’t appear to have much material input on this car.

The N Line is a show-not-go trim. Unlike its predecessor, there is no mechanical difference between the N Line and the other three trims. The main letdown is the eight-speed transmission. Even in Sport mode, downshifts using the paddle shifters show up a half-second after you request them. To be fair, Sport mode will hold gears with admirable tenacity, but the fun of tossing about what seems to be a decent car with a competent chassis and fairly spunky engine is undercut by the dawdling arrival of said gear.

Our irritations with the transmission weren’t singular. When faced with the surging, steep neighborhood streets of Berkeley Hills, the transmission would allow engine speed to slump below 1000 rpm, which is 700 rpm below the low end of the peak torque range. When we brought the car to a halt at a neighborhood stop sign, the eight-speed transmission would realize the task before it and hang onto first, then second to keep revs between 1700 and 4500 rpm, and the difference in peak torque was significant. When the transmission cooperated, the setup felt plenty peppy.

On highways and byways, the Kona N Line faded into the background. The driveline packs enough punch for purposeful highway passes—if you twist the drive-mode selector to Sport, the task is far more pleasant—and is quiet above 70 mph. The car’s steering fails to transmit any meaningful information about the road through the wheel, but it’s otherwise unobtrusive. The seats held your five-foot-six author in reasonable security even during the attempted back-roads shenanigans and never produced a twinge of discomfort during longer highway stints. Though it is a larger vehicle than the one it replaces, the 2024 Kona is small enough to easily parallel park, and good outward visibility minimizes the stress of the process. Loading groceries or luggage into the trunk (25.5 cubic feet with seats up, 63.7 if they’re down) is easy, thanks to a friendly load height and a tailgate that swings well above your author’s head.

The interior does the heavy lifting to make this car feel worth its $34K price tag (about $3000 more than the first-gen N Line we tested in 2022). The lines are clean and geometric, and symmetry rules: The dash is nearly flat, pillar to pillar, and accented with a single red line. It is mounted with a two-in-one rectangular screen that rises above a friendly set of buttons. As with most new cars, the only direct charging ports are of the USB-C variety, and the cupholders won’t fit a 32-ounce Hydroflask. The diversity and quality of materials make this cabin feel refined: The seats are upholstered in part with Alcantara, unique to the N Line trim; the frame around several buttons wears a satin-brushed effect; and the pedal covers and sill plates are aluminum. Headrests wear the N logo, but on the steering wheel the Hyundai H is absent; in its place is a silver-colored bar with four depressions, echoing the treatment we’ve seen in Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and 6.

Our only niggles about the interior: One, the twist action of the column-mounted gear shifter is fussy, though the piece itself, with its finned metallic finish and rectangular cross-section, feels like it’s made solidly. The action takes some getting used to; it took me some time to find the shifter when I first got in the car, and several seconds to realize I was supposed to twist the end of the stalk to shift into drive, rather than lever the whole arm, as you would if it were hinged at the column. “Park,” a la BMW, is activated by pressing the button on the end of the stalk. Another, smaller complaint: The matte plastic sections of the door cards show grease. (I was in California, and I like cheeseburgers, so of course I visited In-N-Out.)

As with all Hyundais, the warranty is excellent: five years or 50,000 miles for the whole vehicle, 10 years or 100,000 miles for the powertrain. You’ll get complimentary maintenance for three years and unlimited-mile roadside assistance for five. However, if you’re not gaga over $33,695 N Line’s body kit, and care more about dollars than horsepower, you’ll be better served by the SE or SEL model.

The budget-conscious can build out an SE ($25,585) or SEL model ($26,935) with front-wheel drive. Not only are those configurations cheaper, but the FWD driveline is more fuel efficient. (As of this writing, the EPA has not released fuel economy figures for either engine, though Hyundai quotes the 1.6 at 26/32/28 mpg city/highway/combined for the FWD version and 24/29/26 mpg for the AWD model.) The budget route has its perks, still: For 2024, Hyundai offers the Kona in nine colors, including three particularly vibrant new ones: orange, lime green, and a lovely sage. All examples get the blade-like touchscreen, though the instrument cluster readout is different for the two lower trims. On the SE and SEL, you’ll sacrifice the sunroof and the Bose stereo, but you can add back heated seats, wireless charging, and the digital instrument cluster section for $2200 on an SEL and still squeak in for under $30K. In our minds, the only reason to spend more than that for a Kona is for the all-out N model, which, judging from the previous generation of the Kona, will be as different from the N Line as Sweetgreen’s Crispy Rice Salad is from authentic bibimbap. (Hyundai hasn’t talked about the second-gen N model yet, but we can promise you’ll hear from us when it does.)

Most people will find the 2024 Kona to be a serviceable companion for city or suburban needs, an affordable vehicle with useful space and attractive style. As of the 2024 model year, the Kona is confident and stylish like never before, and the main reason we’re harsh on the performance of the N Line variant is because N has proved, multiple times over, that it is a sub-brand worth taking seriously. N Line? A shouty trim level on this workaday crossover, but a compelling one, at that.

2024 Hyundai Kona N Line AWD

Highs: Unique exterior style, thoroughly Korean-made with a great warranty, airy interior with quality materials

Lows: N Line styling promises more performance than the driveline can deliver.

Summary: Beneath the genuinely head-turning body kit, this is a competent compact crossover that will faithfully serve you and your budget.

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Crashing infotainment screens. Looping infotainment screens. Failures to charge. Inoperable window switches. When Chevrolet first launched its all-electric Blazer, owners and reviewers alike faced these problems, and more. Even more concerning, technicians at dealerships were reportedly often confused about remedies.

Today, Chevrolet issued a software update that should fix everything, it says. Along with the update is news that the vehicle will go back on sale after the automaker issued a stop-sale on December 22, 2023. The Blazer EV will return to market with an entry-level price slash of more than $6000.

“We have made significant software updates that will improve features and functionality to deliver on the high expectations of our customers,” reads a statement from Chevrolet spokesperson Leslie Rajewski. “We’re confident these improvements will address concerns heard from some early owners and as promised, we’re carrying learnings over to other products in GM’s lineup.”

Indeed, most new-car buyers expect a functioning display, especially when it concerns one of the largest purchases they will make in their lives.

Thankfully, the Blazer—which is assembled in Mexico, at the same plant that makes its battery pack—is also eligible for the full federal tax credit of $7500. (Qualifications for these refunds, thanks to the recent Inflation Reduction Act and revised U.S. Treasury guidelines for 2024, have been a moving target.) Early customers paying MSRP when Chevrolet launched only the most luxurious and highest-powered Blazer, the AWD RS, in August, paid just over $60,000 before tax credits. (We reviewed that model about a week before the stop-sale was issued.) Chevy had planned to roll out the mid-spec Blazer 2LT AWD this fall.

All newly available Blazers are receiving a price cut: $5620 off the RS RWD and the RS AWD, and $6520 off the LT AWD. Including destination and handling but not the tax credit, those trims now cost $56,170, $54,595, and $50,195, respectively. Chevy will announce prices for the other trims—the RS FWD and the 557-hp SS—closer to when those variants become available. The entry-level trim, the LT FWD, will start “under $50,000.”

Many manufacturers have cut prices for their EVs in recent months, both in response to changing tax credit criteria and waning customer demand. In the case of the software-remedied Blazer, however, the discount has the appearance of an apology. We’re willing to bet that current owners who paid full boat would probably appreciate five grand back in their pockets.

Did you buy a Blazer EV? Know someone who did? Drop us a comment below and share what you know.

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The Detroit Autorama may be known for the Don Ridler Memorial Award, the Nobel Prize of indoor hot-rod shows, but to define the event by its highest award misses the point. The hundreds of builders, owners, and owner-builders who travel to the Motor City each spring are gathering to celebrate what they love and to share it with the public. No hot rod is built to be hidden.

If you haven’t checked out our story on the 2024 Ridler winner, click here. To see the finalists, chosen the day before and nicknamed The Great Eight, click here. To read about the diversity of the vehicles attending, click here.

And if you’re still hungry for more, read on! We might have been walking around the show all weekend, but each of these nine builds stopped us in our tracks, and we couldn’t wait to share them with you.

Buzz Saw 2.0

This chop-top, pinked-out van isn’t the first one that Ken McCarl has built. But it’s definitely better than the one he built when he was 23, says the Ontario native. “It was my last big build I wanted to do—nothing spared.” A mechanic by trade, and the owner of an auto repair shop, he relished the challenge of doing his own bodywork: “It’s almost like my happy place.”

The toughest part of the build? “The windshield,” McCarl says, not missing a beat. “That’s number 13.” The glass just kept breaking when cut by traditional methods; water jetting, a new-school method, did the trick. “I refer to that as my $3000 windshield.”

Chrysler 1000X

One of the eight Ridler finalists, 1000X caught our eye because of its mix of old and new—which era of Chrysler was it celebrating? Both, read the plaque beside the vehicle, owned by Randy Kohltfarber and built by American Legends: “Our goal was to rebuild the iconic Chrysler 300 with modern-day muscle.” We’ll give you three guesses at what’s under the hood, and two don’t count: A 1000-hp Hellcat V-8.

Uncertain-T

One of the most head-turning builds—it occupied a prime spot near the entrance—at Autorama 2024 is also one of the oldest. Uncertain-T debuted in 1965 to great acclaim but has been lost to the public for the past 50 years. The fiberglass-bodied, Nailhead-powered coupe was rediscovered just this year and awaits a restoration by Galpin Motors’ Beau Boeckmann and Dave Shuten.

’39 Ford COE

A heavy truck mechanic by trade, Tim Humpert of Frankenmuth, Michigan, built this head-turning cab-over from a 1939 Ford COE that spent its life at an airport in Wichita, Kansas. All the work, except the paint, is his own, done over 10 years of nights and weekends. The fenders he pulled from a ’31 Ford and stretched to fit. He used styrofoam to model the dead-straight sides of the bed. One of our favorite details is the bed liner: Not the typical hardwood drenched in glossy lacquer, but no-nonsense diamond-tread stainless steel.

“I wanted something unique, and something to drive,” Humpert says. This is his first build … and his first Detroit Autorama. Hats off to you, Tim!

Imperial Evolution

If you recognize this heavily modified 1959 Imperial Crown Custom, you’ll know that it was originally a four-door, and you also probably know that it has racked up the miles in Hot Rod magazine’s grueling Power Tour—twice. In 2018, it received a makeover, ditching its champagne and orange for a pearly sage green over a rich brown. Billet wheels wrapped in ultra-thin goldline tires complete its show-car vibe. Want to read more? Check out our feature on owner Murray Pfaff and his Imperial Speedster.

Deuce of Hearts

If you were uncertain that period hot rods had a home at Autorama, The Deuce of Hearts will convince you otherwise. Built in 1958 by George Choma, this ’32 Ford Coupe hails from New England. Owner Rich Hallam has been vigilant to preserve the patina of the Coupe, and the slight imperfections of the chrome bear witness to the rich, long history of hot-rodding—and the enduring glamour of Choma’s build.

Oma’s SS

Several cars were unveiled at Autorama, but few struck the personal note that this 1962 Impala SS did for Detroit sports reporter Mickey York. This is the second time York has unveiled this car, which belonged to his grandmother, at Autorama: Leading up to the 2018 event, the Impala underwent a three-year restoration. But in 2021, the reborn car was totaled in an accident. “I couldn’t let the car go,” said York, who tracked down the car, which his grandmother owned from new, in 2009. True to his word, York refused to “let this horrific crash be the end of its story”: Here is Oma’s SS, reborn for the second time, wearing her favorite color scheme of white over red.

The Frankenboss

If your brain is shorting out, as you try to date this Mustang, then you’ve got a good eye; The Frankenboss is an amalgamation not only of different eras of Mustang, but of Detroit muscle. The Duncan Brothers envisioned a restomodded 1970 Mustang, but they decided to execute the idea backwards, starting with a 2012 Boss 302 Laguna Seca and grafting on a mix of 1969 and 1970 panels (each extensively modified). Then, they thought, why not look outside Ford?

Why not, indeed? The hood is made of parts from four different cars: The underside is 2012 Mustang, the top and peak are 1969 Mustang, and the center—purists, steel yourselves—is from a 1968–70 GTO. Because Ram Air scoops and that devilish widow’s peak at the nose, that’s why.

“My Type”

Your author is firm in the belief that wider is better. A widebody E-Type? That’s up there with Greenwood Corvettes. Based on a 1967 E-Type, this Jag has a Chevrolet powerplant, in fact: a Chevy V-8 topped with two four-barrel carburetors, a package that will be replaced by a Jaguar V-12. The rest of the build reads like a bucket list of racy add-ons: Dive planes, hood scoops, side exhaust, big wing, black wheels.

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If you think that size or cylinder count are deciding factors in what makes a race car successful, you probably aren’t familiar with Porsche’s 718 RSK.

Under its softly curving aluminum body is a four-cam, four-cylinder engine, a design that established Porsche as a dominating force in international racing in the 1950s. That domination began with the 550 A, which the marque calls its first “thoroughbred” race car, and was cemented with this model, the 718. From 1953 to the early ’60s, versions of the 718 racked up over 1000 victories in the hands of both Porsche factory drivers and privateers, and few have survived competition as successfully as this 1959 718 RSK Spyder, known as Lucybelle III, offered by Broad Arrow at its Amelia Island auction.

Porsche only made 34 RSK Spyders. Chassis numbers 718-001 through 718-010 were reserved for factory werks drivers. Only 24 were built and sold to customers, beginning with chassis #710-011—Lucybelle III is chassis 718-024. Delivered to Ed Hugus at Le Mans in 1959 wearing Silver Metallic with a beige interior, the model was powered by the engine for which Porsches had become famous: A four-cam four-cylinder designed by Ernst Fuhrmann.

Born in Pennsylvania, Ed Hugus was a WWII paratrooper who, shortly after returning from Japan in 1946, started an MG dealership in Pittsburgh. Five years later, in 1951, he joined the SCCA and ran his first race. He had quite the hand for it, though his friends remember him as someone who “never beat his own drum,” and over the next 20 years raced many times at premier sports car events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring. The “III” in the name of this car harkens back to the original Lucybelle, a 550 Spyder with which Hugus won the 1500cc class at Le Mans in 1957. (The second Lucybelle was a Ferrari.)

Since Hugus was a proud American, he had his 718 RSK repainted (overnight while trackside at Le Mans!) in the appropriate American racing livery: two blue stripes over a white base. 20 hours into the race, it looked like he had his second class victory at Le Mans in the bag: after 240 laps, he was first in class and in fourth place overall. Then the engine dropped a valve: Hugus, his co-driver Ray “Ernie” Erickson, and Lucybelle III were out of the race. In hindsight, they were an agonizing 30 laps short of the class winner, a Lotus Elite. Le Mans in the ’50s was a cruel mistress: Of the 11 cars in Lucybelle’s class, only two finished the race; four others did not finish, and four failed to start.

According to the book, Porsche Carrera, the engine was repaired and put into a 356 1600 GS/GT Coupe; Lucybelle III was shipped back to the U.S. with a fresh engine.

After her foray on the international stage, Lucybelle III continued to race in the U.S. thanks to her second owner, an avid SCCA racer named Don Ives. Phoenix, El Paso, Road America—she crisscrossed the continent, even notching a fourth-place finish at the 1962 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, then sanctioned by USAC, in the under 2.0-liter class. She finished her in-period racing career at Aspen Raceways in 1963 and disappeared from the track for over a decade, until she was bought by William Franklin, who ushered her into an appropriate retirement. She raced at the Monterey Historics in ’77 and ’78 and again in ’84 and ’86.

From there, Lucybelle III entered what one today might call her hermit era: Once entering a private collection in 1994, she was seen in public only once for the next 25 years, when she emerged in 1998 at the Amelia Island Concours to claim the Road & Track Trophy. Then, it was back into the shadows until her first public sale in 2018.

After that, it was time for a restoration. As they began their efforts on Lucybelle III’s bodywork, the restorers at Rare Drive Inc. fully expected to find period repairs that are so typical with race cars of any vintage. They were shocked to find the body in surprisingly original shape, and elected to leave the aluminum body on the frame. They did, however, source a proper engine: An unstamped 547/3 Carrera four-cam. Once it was rebuilt by Peter Hofmann and Karl Hloch, along with fresh suspension components, she needed a new tan top, a new rearview mirror and driving lights, a set of date-coded alloys, and a painstaking repaint—and here she is, looking just as she did when Ed Hugus first named her Lucybelle III at Le Mans in 1959. The 30-month restoration has already earned her entry into one of the world’s most prestigious concours: At Pebble Beach in 2021, she won third place in the Postwar Racing Class.

As a Le Mans veteran, she’s eligible to return there, before the modern running, to compete against other vintage race cars in the Le Mans Classic. She’s also, of course, eligible for other vintage events of that prestigious caliber, but we can think of no more fitting tribute to Porsche’s racing legacy than to hear that four-cam engine singing down the Mulsanne Straight. She may wear a remarkably pretty face, but make no mistake: this Porsche represents the legacy of a little Goliath.

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Today’s automobiles don’t require regular tune-ups like the cars of yore once needed. The electronic sensors and computers that regulate spark, timing, and fuel mixture are not maintenance items, although they do have to be replaced if they fail. And in today’s engines, spark plugs operate well for 100,000 miles or more. There are still filters to be replaced and components to be checked, but modern maintenance procedures are far different than what we old-timers remember.

Older cars need more attention on a more frequent basis. A typical owner’s manual for a 1950s car calls for a 10,000-mile that includes swapping out spark plugs, replacing points and condenser, and checking the carburetor idle mixture and ignition timing. In addition, recommended maintenance calls for oil changes every 2000 miles and regular lubrication of numerous components in the engine and chassis. With an older classic or an ancient beater, regular maintenance of ignition parts and filters is critical to smooth running and adequate power. Let’s walk through the process together.

Step 1: Swap out the spark plugs

To replace the spark plugs, carefully remove the plug wires and their insulating boots from each plug. If you think you’re not going to be able to tell which wire belongs to which plug, tag the wires. Inspect them: If you see deterioration of the insulating boots, or severe burns or cracking of the cables, replace them. Likewise, if the cables’ contacts are corroded to the point where they can’t be cleaned, replace the wires.

To remove the spark plugs, you’ll need a 3/8-inch drive ratchet and a spark plug socket. In most cases, a short extension allows better access. A ratchet with a flex head that can rotate to different angles can be helpful. A 5/8-inch or 16-mm hex socket will fit many plugs. Some Fords use plugs with a 9/16th-inch hex. A few European and Asian vehicles use 14mm plugs, and there are a few applications that use plugs with a 7/8-inch, 3/4-inch, or 18-mm hex. Most older American cars are fitted with plugs that have a 13/16-inch hex.

Some BMWs are equipped with plugs that require a thin-wall, 12-point, 14-mm socket for removal. Check the specs for your car before purchasing a tool.

Once the spark plug is fully loosened, extract the magnet or a rubber sleeve inside that grips the plug (most cars have one or the other). On many cars, that combination of ratchet, socket, and short extension is all you’ll need, but on some models, it may not allow you to access all the plugs. My ’55 Chevy V-8 is equipped with a combination generator/power steering pump, and some left-bank plugs are best serviced from under the car with a 13/16-inch open-end wrench.

Before installing the new plugs, inspect them for damaged insulators or bent electrodes, then set the gap between the inner and outer electrodes. For most older vehicles with coil ignition, a gap of 0.025 inches is generally recommended. For even older vehicles with magneto ignition, the gap should be set to 0.020 inches. You can use a conventional feeler gauge to set the gap, but a round wire gauge is better. I have a tool that consists of a calibrated ramp of gradually increasing thickness. By sliding the plug along the ramp, the gap is easily measured. Your auto parts counterman may stock gapping tools as giveaway items. At the very least, they are inexpensive.

If you have to change the gap, carefully bend the outer electrode with needle-nose pliers or with the slot on the gapping tool. Don’t bang the electrode against a hard surface: You might crack the insulator, which can cause a short.

Some plugs come with the metal gasket installed. On others, you have to work it on over the threaded end. Place a small amount of dielectric grease on the plug threads and install them. Tighten moderately. If space permits the use of a torque wrench, torque them to 25 pounds. If you can’t use a torque wrench, screw the plugs in by hand until they seat, then tighten another half-turn with your wrench. It’s always best to start them by hand; there’s nothing like a cross-threaded spark plug to ruin your day.

Step 2: Service the distributor

The replacement and adjustment of distributor parts is fairly easy on many cars, as the distributor is mounted at either the side or at the front of the engine. Except on my ’55 Bel Air, in which the distributor at the rear of the engine and snug up against the firewall. One must either have really long arms or lie atop the engine to reach it.

On some cars, the distributor cap can be removed with the spark plug wires attached. On my old Chevy that’s near impossible, as the wires are routed behind the engine, and there’s not much room for maneuvering. In any case, you’ll want to remove the wires from the cap at some point to check for corrosion or other damage. I mark the position of the number one cylinder’s wire in the cap, then pull all the wires out of the cap, wiggling each a bit as I tug on them so as not to damage the wire terminals. Armed with the firing order (1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 for my Chevy) and the rotation (clockwise), it is easy to reinstall them correctly. But because the wires disappear behind the engine and under the exhaust manifolds before they arrive at the spark plugs, I number them as well, wrapping a short piece of masking tape with the cylinder number written on it around each wire.

After removing the distributor cap, have a look inside. There you’ll see contacts that distribute voltage to the spark plugs for each of the cylinders. For example, the cap for an eight-cylinder engine has eight contacts evenly spaced within the circumference of the cap. If the contacts are badly corroded or if the cap is damaged, they should be replaced. The contacts will likely be mildly corroded. In that case, clean them with a small, sharp knife or similar tool.

Remove the rotor from the top of the distributor shaft. Check for corrosion on the conductor at the rotor’s outer edge. Mild corrosion can be removed with an emory cloth or small file. Severe corrosion that has caused pitting or loss of material is grounds for replacement.

Within the distributor, you’ll find the breaker points and condenser attached to the breaker plate with screws. While old-time service manuals suggest that points can be cleaned and readjusted if they are in fairly good condition, I replace them if I’ve already dug in this deep. Many distributor parts for older cars are still available from standard aftermarket sources, even for cars that are 70 or more years old. And they’re generally not very expensive: Breaker points for my ’55 Chevy, as listed in the East Coast Chevy parts catalog, sell for $15.00. Other distributor parts are equally inexpensive.

Ignition parts for less common cars may be harder to find. But suppliers who specialize in servicing classics and exotics should have them. Of course, you may pay considerably more. Ignition points for a Ferrari 250 GTO are $53.50 from awitalian.com.

The breaker points are attached to the distributor breaker plate with one or two screws. You might also find an eccentric adjusting screw that can close or open the point gap when it’s turned with the locking screw loosened. Be careful removing the screws, as they’re small and it’s easy to drop them.

On most systems, the condenser is wired to the breaker points via a screw terminal and is held in a bracket that is attached to the breaker plate with one screw. The points and condenser can usually be removed together.

Before installing new points and condenser, apply a very small amount of dielectric grease to the distributor shaft cam. Install the points and condenser. Some points are adjusted with a slotted screw hole in the breaker point assembly that enables adjustment of the installation position. The points on most 1957 to 1974 GM cars are adjusted using an 1/8-inch Allen socket adjustment screw that can be accessed with the distributor cap removed, or through a sliding metal window in the cap. Thus, on these models, final adjustment of the points can be completed with a dwell meter after reassembly. But whichever type of breaker point adjustment you’re dealing with, it’s important to set the air gap before buttoning things up, even if you intend to fine-tune the adjustment with a dwell meter after starting the car.

The breaker points are fitted with a cam follower that rides on the distributor cam. To adjust the air gap, crank the engine until the cam follower is on a peak of the cam. Then adjust the gap to 0.015 inches by moving the breaker point assembly in or out before tightening the screw or screws that lock it in place. On those GM cars with the Allen adjustment, just turn the Allen screw until the correct air gap is achieved.

Install the rotor, cap, and plug wires. Then, if you have a dwell meter, attach its black lead to ground and its green lead to the negative terminal on the coil or as directed by the instructions for your meter. Dwell is the number of degrees of rotation that the points remain closed. Start the engine. You should see a reading of about 30 degrees dwell for V-8 engines. A degree or two in either direction is okay. A six- or four-cylinder engine will be happiest with a couple of degrees more dwell.

If dwell is not correct, you will have to readjust the points. If you are working on a ’57 to ’74 GM car, you can adjust the dwell while the engine is running by turning the 1/8-inch Allen screw, accessed through the metal shutter in the distributor cap. For most other cars, remove the distributor cap and readjust the air gap, moving the breaker point assembly closer to the cam for less dwell and further away from the cam for more dwell. If dwell bounces around more than a degree or two, the distributor shaft bearings are probably worn, and the distributor should be replaced.

Step 3: Check ignition timing

After installing new points, a check of ignition timing is necessary. Attach your timing light inductive lead to the number one spark-plug wire, and attach its black and red power leads to positive and negative contacts. Disconnect the vacuum advance and plug the vacuum line. On most cars, there will be a line on the harmonic balancer that indicates top dead center (TDC) for the number one cylinder. Behind the harmonic balancer, on the engine, there will be a degree scale. With timing light attached and engine running, aim that line at the degree scale. The flashing light will indicate how many degrees before top dead center the plug is firing. The spec for my Chevy is 8 degrees before top dead center (BTDC), which is indicated by four lines on the scale. With today’s higher octane fuels, I set it to 10 degrees BTDC.

Step 4: Replace filters

At minimum, your car probably has filters for air, oil, and fuel. Of course you should change your oil filter every time you change your oil. And for a classic car that is driven infrequently, oil change intervals should be 2000 miles or every two years.

Fuel filter intervals vary widely by filter type, and many classic owners who don’t put many miles on their car may never have to change it. But a good rule of thumb calls for replacing the fuel filter after 20,000 miles of driving.

Air filters made of paper or synthetic material should last at least 20,000 miles. Oil bath filters, like that on my ’55 Chevy, should be cleaned and refilled with oil at tune-up time. But the filter housing oil level should be checked every 1000 miles or so. I clean the wire mesh element of the oil bath in a solvent bucket and then blow it out gently with the air gun. I then douse the element with SAE 50 engine oil and fill the reservoir to the full indicator mark with the same oil. If temperatures are expected to remain below freezing for an extended time, I use SAE 20 oil. When servicing the oil bath air cleaner, I cover the areas of the engine around the carburetor with plastic drop cloths, because drips are inevitable.

Step 5: Adjust idle mixture

Before 1980 or so, carburetor idle mixture adjustment was an important part of a tuneup. Begin by setting the idle rpm using the adjustment screw on the carburetor throttle linkage. For my old ’55, GM recommends setting the rpm to 450 rpm. If you have a dwell meter, it probably doubles as a tachometer. A vacuum gauge will also be necessary to pinpoint the idle mixture setting.

With the vacuum gauge attached to a manifold vacuum port, turn the idle mix screw gradually in clockwise and/or counterclockwise direction until you find the spot where rpm peaks and the vacuum reading is highest. If that increases the idle rpm above the spec for your car (or what you’re comfortable with in terms of vehicle creep and smooth idle), reset the idle speed via the idle speed screw on the throttle linkage, and then recheck the mixture adjustment. If you’re unable to detect any difference in engine performance as a result of this procedure, you may have a vacuum leak or a bad carburetor.

If you don’t have a tachometer or vacuum gauge, you can probably get a good approximate idle mixture setting just by adjusting for what your ears tell you is the maximum engine speed. A lot of old timers set idle mix strictly by ear, made possible through lots of experience.

In every case, lots of experience is a mechanic’s best friend.

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If we were simply to note the changes made by Cadillac to its highest-performing V-8 sedan for the 2025 model year, you might be underwhelmed. But if you know anything about the CT5-V Blackwing, you know that it is intoxicatingly fun: a four-door, row-your-own-gears sedan built in Detroit with a supercharged V-8 making 668 hp. The most important takeaway is that Cadillac knows exactly how good this car is and isn’t about to change what ain’t broken, like the powertrain, the standard manual transmission, and the driving dynamics.

So, the changes. At the 2074 Arizona auctions, discerning car collectors will be choosing a 2025 over a 2022–24 CT5-V Blackwing for one of four reasons.

Reason One: They really like one of these paint colors, both of which are new for 2025: Drift Metallic, a cloudy-sky-blue, which Cadillac designed to recall tire smoke (love that), or this sparkly teal, called Typhoon. Pete Nellis, product manager for the CT4 and the CT5, suggests that Typhoon would look good paired with the bronze brake calipers, a combination that we entirely endorse.

A third color re-appears for 2025, but one could argue it isn’t new: Deep Space Metallic, a dark-bluish gray practically drunk on sparkly bits, is a throwback to 2011. Personally, we think it’s better suited for an Escalade than a sedan, but if you like it—shine on, you crazy diamond. Let us drive your car sometime?

Reason Two: Because they like the reworked front fascia (your author does), with its heavier horizontal elements and unbroken, blade-like DRLs. Cadillac would also like us to mention the little etching business on the face of the blades, which it calls a Mondrian pattern, after the geometry-loving Dutch painter.

Reason Three: They like touchscreens, and the 10-inch one from the pre-facelift cars ain’t cuttin’ it.

Reason Four: They are nerds for performance data. For 2025, you can now access data on your last lap or session through the center touchscreen, no need for a laptop. (You can still download data to your laptop, if you want.) Want to find out which corner of the track you could gain time in, and how? The new Performance Data Recorder module will analyze the arsenal of data it gathered from your session and give you some pointers for the next time out. Cadillac says that 10 percent of CT-5 V Blackwing customers track their cars, and most do it with a coach riding in the passenger seat, so the engineers designed new readouts to deepen the conversation.

A side note: If you are confident in a solo track session, and rely on a digital coaching system like the Garmin Catalyst, Cadillac hasn’t given you good reason to ditch it: This new Speed Tips function, with its suggestions of how to improve lap times, is a “post-analysis tool”; though all sorts of real-time performance data is available on the screen and even in the head-up display—like boost, g-force, and tire temperature—Speed Tips does not audible or visual feedback while you’re on track.

As Alex MacDonald, chief engineer for the CT5-V Blackwing, told us, he and his team were heavily involved in the redesign of the fascia, negotiating with the designers to ensure that cooling and downforce were not compromised. As a result, the front spoiler has been massaged. The vents above it have been widened, and they now flow air so efficiently to the seven radiators that the teams had to block off the (previously open) areas below the headlights to maintain the proper balance of air through and around the fascia.

We’ve known since the beginning that the CT5-V Blackwing, along with its little brother, the CT4-V Blackwing, will be the last hurrah for internal-combustion performance at Cadillac. We’re happy to report that, in fifty years, the 2025-and-on cars will likely be just as coveted as the three previous model years.

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Mario Revelli Di Beaumont. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?

I wish I had a name like this, one that exudes old-world charm and sophistication. It certainly wouldn’t look out of place on the label of an expensive Italian wine. Mario Revelli’s story has nothing to do with fine wine, but it’s nonetheless very much about good taste. He may well be the most prolific automobile designer you’ve never heard of.

Born in Rome in 1907, Mario Revelli Di Beaumont owed his surname to his family’s roots in old nobility. Revelli’s formative years were heavily influenced by his father, a career officer in the Italian army. He led young Mario to join the “Accademia Militare della Nunziatella,” a prestigious military academy in Naples. However, this didn’t stop the young Revelli from cultivating his passion for fine art and engineering.

The latter discipline brought Mario Revelli to Turin at the tender age of 17. His brother Gino owned a motorcycle dealership and workshop there, and it wasn’t long before the two brothers designed a racing bike together, built around a 499cc JAP engine.

Revelli himself rode the special motorcycle to victory at Monza in 1925. Period commentators heralded the young Revelli as a promising young rider, but that glory proved fleeting. After discovering the hard way how motorsport, especially on two wheels, wasn’t conducive to a long and healthy life, Revelli turned his attention to automobile design.

Combining his artistic sensitivity with his technical training, Mario Revelli conceived elegant yet functional car designs that soon made him a name in the Turinese coachbuilding industry. By 1926, he was collaborating with Stabilimenti Farina, Garavini, and Ghia—earning Revelli Di Beaumont a reputation as the world’s first freelance car designer. While that’s impossible to verify for sure, such a figure was certainly rare in the 1920s, whether in Italy or anywhere else in the world.

Thanks to his privileged upbringing and vast sense of culture, Mario Revelli was very adept at interpreting the aspirations of the coachbuilders’ wealthy clientele. In his proposals, Revelli often managed to strike that elusive, delicate balance between flamboyance and restraint that the period’s Italian elite so craved. His skill brought him to the attention of Fiat’s president, Giovanni Agnelli.

In early 1929, Mario Revelli began collaborating with Fiat’s “Carrozzerie Speciali” (Special Bodywork) department, where he assumed an unofficial managerial position. In practice, though, Revelli’s role was more akin to that of a high-profile “aesthetic advisor” to Fiat’s top management. From this vantage point, he indirectly held sway on the design of the entire Fiat range.

That role didn’t stop Revelli from cultivating his ties with prominent local coachbuilders like Giacinto Ghia, for whom Revelli designed the Fiat 508 Sport Spider. To give the little Fiat roadster the look of a proper racer, Revelli placed the two seats offset to obtain a narrower body that fit snugly onto the underlying frame, just as on the period’s Grand Prix cars.

The subject of Grand Prix racers brings us to one of Revelli’s wildest projects: the 1935 Monaco-Trossi single-seater. The car was the brainchild of the engineer Aurelio Monaco, with its creation financed by wealthy enthusiast Count Felice Trossi. The latter was a friend of Revelli, thus he was brought in to help with the design. The vehicle’s appearance was that of an airplane with its wings removed, and it was dominated by the supercharged 4.0-liter, 2-stroke, 16-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine placed ahead of the front axle.

As if that wasn’t radical enough, the engine sent its power (around 250 hp) to the front wheels, doing away with the propshaft and placing the driver closer to the ground. Daring as its design was, the Monaco-Trossi proved utterly worthless on track. It only took part in the 1935 Monza GP, and even then, it didn’t last beyond a few practice laps. The engine’s weight hanging ahead of the front axle caused severe understeer issues, but its driver didn’t have to put up with it for long, as insufficient airflow around the engine soon caused it to overheat. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Monaco-Trossi remained a one-off, preserved in Turin’s National Automobile Museum collection.

In the 1930s, Revelli emerged as one of the leading advocates of the “streamlining” trend. In collaboration with engineer Rodolfo Schaeffer, he conceived the Fiat 1500, which was launched in 1935 and played an important role in popularizing this new aesthetic in Italy.

After World War II, Revelli continued collaborating with Fiat and Turin’s most prominent coachbuilders before heading to Detroit in 1952 to work on GM research projects. Upon his return to Italy in 1955, Revelli established a new design consultancy, with French automaker Simca among his best clients.

The small Simca 1000 and 1300 sedans may not be the most glamorous designs in Revelli’s back catalogue, but they were undoubtedly the most successful, at least in quantitative terms. Introduced in 1961 and ’63, respectively, the Simca 1000 and 1300 stayed in production well into the 1970s and sold by the million before Chrysler took over Simca and ran it into the ground.

In 1967, the Copper Development Association approached Mario Revelli to create a show car meant to promote the use of copper in the automobile industry. The result was the Exemplar I, based on a Buick Riviera and lavishly decorated in 11 distinct hues of copper alloys. Amazingly, not only does this one-off prototype survive to this day, but it could be yours, provided you can live with its looks and meet the $750,000 asking price. Still, Revelli’s customers must have been happy with the exercise, given the fact they commissioned a follow-up model in 1972. Unimaginatively called Exemplar II, and built from a donor Oldsmobile Toronado, its fate is unknown.

Mario Revelli Di Beaumont passed away in Turin in 1985. He never became a truly famous name, but over a career spanning five decades and two continents he left a mark on automobile design history the size of which any current professional would envy.

***

Matteo Licata received his degree in Transportation Design from Turin’s IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) in 2006. He worked as an automobile designer for about a decade, including a stint in the then-Fiat Group’s Turin design studio, during which his proposal for the interior of the 2010–20 Alfa Romeo Giulietta was selected for production. He next joined Changan’s European design studio in Turin and then EDAG in Barcelona, Spain. Licata currently teaches automobile design history to the Transportation Design bachelor students of IAAD (Istituto di Arte Applicata e Design) in Turin.

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I keep a few of my cars outside under covers. As winter approaches, this invites critters, as we say in the South, to find shelter in the relatively warm confines of various nooks and crannies throughout the undercarriages and interiors of these cars. I’m not alone, of course. Hobbyists who store cars, including in unheated buildings, have an annual battle with mice and certain reptiles as the weather turns cold.

My own campaign of death and deterrence for mice has come down to baits, traps, and sticky paper (my least favorite—some things you can’t unsee). Mice seem to get used to my strategies, and recently I even noticed mouse excrement on top of my slappy trap—the critter had literally pooped on my idea of a viable lethal bait system for him. So now I use baits placed strategically around the trunk, the interior, and the engine bay, plus a spring trap in the interior, plus a sticky trap for good measure. I am adding odds in my favor in lieu of truly knowing my enemy.

One night in early December, I realized that it had been a month since I’d exercised one of my air-cooled Porsches, so I went out after dinner to take a short drive. The routine is simple: Pull off the car cover, reconnect the battery, check the slappy-slap mousetrap on the passenger floor for a dead tenant, then proceed with starting the car and the subsequent driving fun. This one particular evening, the mouse trap was empty so all went as planned on my getting off to a good start. Being a visual guy, I did not really want to drive while seeing a mouse trap on the floorboard, but it was dark outside and my dash lights are 1970s dim. As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. So I left the trap where it lay.

The engine started relatively willingly, I backed out of the driveway through the usual cloud of heavy fumes and oil vapors, and I was off. Everything was warming up nicely on this cold December evening, and soon I had heat wafting from the floor vents (“wafting” is the maximum setting on vintage Porsche heaters). I was falling in love again with this special vintage machine, just a simple engine and four wheels, with minimum gadgets and doodads to distract from a pure driving experience.

About three miles into the drive, however, things started to go a bit wrong. I smelled a distinct burning odor, definitely organic, not oil- or gasoline-based (or plastic-based, as wiring harnesses give off when thermally excited). I surmised that a varmint had started a nest in one of the car’s exhaust heat exchangers and that the fumes were coming into the cabin. Here is where I made a critical but unknown error.

The air vent and heating controls on early Porsches are purposely confusing, a means to humble owners who have not memorized their user manuals. On this model, there are three unlabeled levers that have a particularly satisfying feel as you slide them from left to right, even if their purpose is impossible to remember. The top lever does something related to the fan speed, the bottom lever has some temperature-related function, and the middle lever’s purpose is unclear, but I always associate it with fresh air.

My error, unbeknownst to me, was to move the top lever over to the right position to let some cool outside air into my stinky cockpit, rather than the correct middle lever. I will blame the darkness for me using the wrong lever. It turns out that a mouse had indeed already been in the car, and had started a nest in the blower motor located in the front trunk, which served to jam the fan’s blower wheel into a fixed position. Engaging the “high” setting on the top lever fan switch sent the desired 14 volts or so to the motor, which promptly became an amperage dead end, the motor being unable to rotate due to the various newspaper and paper towel tatters carefully placed there by said mouse. This soon overloaded the circuit leading to the blower motor, and concurrently, began to overheat the fuse for this shared circuit.

In a normal vehicle, this would simply result in a blown fuse. What I was driving is not a normal vehicle but a 50-year-old German car that has, what was at the time, a well-engineered electrical system. That system was pumping its little heart out trying to carry the extra amps to the motor in an attempt to make it turn. If this had been 1972 (the year this car was made) all would be well, and the circuit might even handle the extra load without failure. Enter the modern world, however, and we have to consider the weak link that had been introduced to this circuit when I, the owner, lazily Amazon-ed some off-shore, off-brand fuses for the car. The original German fuses were wonderfully simple assemblies consisting of a ceramic carrier wrapped with the appropriate-gauge metal fusing element. Each color of fuse matches its particular rating, and you can visibly see thicker mid-sections on the higher-rated fuses. So elegant, so simple.

The modern off-shore copies of these robust German designs, however, do not use heat-resistant ceramic cores but rather plastic material which looks and fits just the same, but has a much lower heat capacity. This is not generally a problem, until you try to pass a lot of amperage through the fusing element and the high current slowly starts to heat up the fuse, approaching the melting temperature of the plastic in question. As the cheap plastic core softens, it loses its dimensional integrity. The clever Porsche/Bosch clips in the fuse box compress the fuse core into a banana shape, and the clips can no longer hold the fuse in place.

The first warning that all was not well just a few minutes after I’d slid the fan lever to “high” was that the alternator warning light came on. This alerted the DEFCON 1 status in my automotive lizard brain because a) my battery was no longer being charged; and b) it was pitch-dark outside and I had to keep my headlights on to get home; and c) I was 10 miles from home, and my battery is a four-year-old Mazda unit that I got from Mazda racing guru Glenn Long when he was making Spec Racers out of ND Miatas, so it had questionable depth due to its age.

In someone else’s world, all of this might have not been a catastrophic situation. An overheated and melting off-shore fuse, even without blowing, might just shorten/relax its length enough to lose contact with the terminals, and the circuit would simply go dead in a moment of self-diagnosing failure. However, as clever as Porsche’s German engineers were, one error might have been installing the fuse box directly above the driver’s feet. If an owner were, say, to use a cheap fuse with a plastic core, and if that fuse were to melt and fall out, and if the previous owner had removed the fuse box cover and lost it years ago, there just might be a direct trajectory from the melting fuse to the driver’s ankle. Welcome to my world, December 7, 2023 at 9:16 p.m. Good thing this was not the 1980s and I was no longer wearing cuffed pants.

The human brain is a wonderful storage device, and while I didn’t anticipate the burning sensation in my left ankle, I did immediately recognize it for what it was—jetsam from my electrical failure giving me empirical evidence of the burned-out fuse. I grew up on British cars, so this was not the first time this has happened.

I saw a neighborhood entrance 30 feet ahead so jammed everything I had on the brake pedal (this car has early ABS: “About to Brake Sometime”) and pulled a hard righthand turn into it. This 0.8 g maneuver, inelegantly executed, served up a new problem as the accompanying centripetal forces launched the armed-and-ready mouse trap in the direction of my right ankle, which it proceeded to impact with great enthusiasm, triggering its release mechanism.

For this I had no such past memory data point to pull up. What I did have is the recollection of once being on a drive in this very car and finding a medium-sized black snake below the brake pedal as I was cruising down a country road. My mind connected the long-past snake incident with the biting sensation in my exposed right ankle. My actual lizard brain then took over and I essentially leapt from my seat into the roof of the car, an involuntary convulsion of self-preservation all while rolling into the neighborhood at about 30 mph.

A 60-some-odd human brain takes a bit longer to recover from trauma than a younger one does, and it took me a good 50 yards of coasting past this neighborhood’s Christmas lights to regain at least a portion of my senses. Regrouping, I pulled to the side of the road, yanked out my phone and turned on the flashlight feature. Looking down I saw, not an enraged snake, but only an empty floorboard. Then I noticed the sprung mouse trap hanging from my pants leg. It was at that moment that my folly came into full focus. I left the trap in place, dangling as a badge of shame and stupidity, and quickly jumped back in to start home. I chose not to install a new fuse, since they all were of the same poor quality as the one that had tattooed my left ankle. And so, my electrical death march started. At the one stoplight of my route, I cut the headlights off, cringing when I turned them back on, anticipating the engine to stutter and stall from a lack of juice to the ignition coil.

As I drove I did some quick mental math and worked backward on my amperage budget:

• A used spark plug will fire (in a compressed-air environment) with as little as 5000 volts.
• My Bosch ignition coil on this car has about a 100:1 lift ratio as an inductive transformer, amplifying the alternator’s 14 volts into 100 primary field volts when the circuit voltage is cut (thanks to the magic of a magnetic field collapsing), and then inducing 100 times that voltage in the secondary field coil (the one that zaps you—always the best cure for hiccups in my family).
• So, I’m probably okay until I get down to 5 volts in the battery.
• My headlights and taillights combined pull around 20 amps and the ignition coil pulls about 5 amps.
• My old battery probably has a 15 amp-hour capacity left in it.
• I maybe have a safe half-hour of driving before life goes dark.

This is why engineers are generally optimists: We make up pedantic equations, often on the fly, to make ourselves feel better.

Fuzzy logic aside, I sweated the last eight miles to my house. I am happy to say that we both made it, the voltage in the battery inversely proportional to my adrenaline as every quarter-mile passed beneath me.

They say your brain permanently records strong emotions, maybe as a survival mechanism to prevent future trauma. In the classic-car world, events such as those I had experienced are chalked up as “character building” and are, in some crazy way, considered to be the charm of these old machines. Hmm.

In any case, thanks, old Porsche, for a memorable ride.

***

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In 1949, when Alan and Richard Jensen had to choose a model name for their hand-built English car, they settled on “Interceptor.” In retrospect, the choice was wise: The name is a great bit of marketing, a moniker that suggests power and speed, attributes coveted by many car buyers. Seventy-five years on, that first automobile, and the versions that followed it, continue to attract a dedicated following of enthusiasts. Many seem to be as much in love with the name as with the automobile itself.

Lars Ganesh, a Jaguar mechanic in Sweden, wanted a car to work on in his spare time—one that didn’t remind him of his time on the job—and he eventually settled on a Jensen Interceptor. “If you then add on maybe the coolest name of a car ever, it’s perfect,” he writes. “Interceptor is a name that you just can’t resist.”

In many ways, the Interceptor delivers on the promise its name suggested, with a big American V-8 engine for power and Italian styling that suggests forward motion and potency. But it took the brand a while to get the car to that point and once there, the company only hung on tenuously.

The Jensen brothers were better known as suppliers than as automakers: They manufactured vehicles for a variety of car companies, including Austin and Volvo. In between building machines for other makers, the brothers dabbled in marketing cars of their own design. These ran the gamut from the woody-like shooting brake of 1935 to a fiberglass sports car of the 1950s. The Interceptor, which premiered as a somewhat stodgy convertible in 1949, bloomed in the late ’60s and early ’70s with the production of more than 6000 pretty machines.

The first-generation Interceptor was built on an Austin A90 chassis that had been reinforced and extended. Only 88 cars were produced, 36 convertibles and 52 coupes. Like earlier Jensen offerings, the cars were powered by an engine cribbed from the parts bin of another manufacturer, in this case, an Austin 4-liter six-cylinder. With 132 horsepower on tap, it was able to propel the 3200-pound car adequately.

But one buyer wanted more. John Stricken, a Canadian rally driver, owned a Chrysler Hemi modified by Briggs Cunningham to deliver 250 horsepower from 331 cubic inches—great numbers for the time. He asked the Jensens to install it in an Interceptor. As accomplished engineers, the Jensens knew their car couldn’t handle that much power, so they got to work modifying the chassis. Today, that very special Interceptor belongs to Joerg Huesken of Dresden, Germany. It’s a nifty machine, but the sheetmetal lacks the design drama that would later come to distinguish the Interceptor.

The drama began in ’66 with the introduction of the second-generation Interceptor. In the confusing manner that characterizes Jensen, the first automobiles of that generation were dubbed Mark I, a nomenclature that ignored the Interceptor that preceded it in the ’50s. The second-gen car was more of a reincarnation of than a direct successor to the first-gen model, which had ceased production in ’57.

With a body by Carrozzeria Touring, this new Interceptor seemed heaven-sent, but not everyone was pleased. For the very English Jensen brothers, the decision to build the Italian-styled cars at Italy’s Vignale coachbuilding shop added insult to injury. The call was made by engineering and production management people whom the Jensen brothers had installed in top positions. The decision didn’t sit well with the brothers, who counted coachbuilding among their major skill sets, and they retired from the company soon thereafter.

The Interceptor’s interior featured an abundance of wood and leather and, in the dashboard, the classic Smiths gauges that have graced the best of England’s automobiles. Under the hood was a Chrysler V-8. The second-gen Interceptor was a great combination of sexy Italian design, refined English luxury, and brute American power. “It’s like a Dodge Coronet that went to college at Oxford,” Jay Leno said after viewing a restored 1974 Interceptor on Jay Leno’s Garage.

Although the second-generation car left the Jensen brothers cold, it warmed the cockles of the hearts of American car buyers who were ready for something different than what Detroit was offering. The fact that the Interceptor came with Chrysler’s potent 383 V-8 under the hood did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm. Of course, U.S. sales of the Interceptor were still minimal compared to the standard domestic offerings, but with the cool name, big engine, and great looks, the Interceptor developed a bit of a cult following in America.

Several versions of the second-generation Interceptor—Mark I, II, and III—were built from 1966 to 1976 for a total of 6408 machines. Each new series was slightly modified and improved, but all shared the same basic shape, and all were equipped with Chrysler V-8s.

The most technically advanced Interceptor was the FF model. Only 320 copies of this very special car were produced from 1966 to 1971. All were right-hand-drive, so they couldn’t be sold in the U.S. where standard Interceptor models were doing well. An extra five inches of length gave the FF a sleek silhouette. A technical triumph, it offered anti-lock brakes and four-wheel drive, the first all-wheel propulsion system offered on a road-going car. Weak front axles were a major drawback—imagine what happens if you lose one front drive wheel under acceleration—but the rarity of the car and its innovations make it a desirable machine. Excellent copies can reportedly bring six figures.

The Mark III Interceptor came on the heels of the Mark II and was introduced for the 1971 model year. The 440-cubic-inch Chrysler engine replaced the 383, which had been seriously detuned by Chrysler to meet domestic emissions standards. Most cars were fitted with a four-barrel carbureted version of the engine that generated 305 horsepower, but a high-performance version with Chrysler’s “Six Pack” induction system (triple two-barrel carburetors) was offered in a special model, dubbed SP.

While the FF was the most technically sophisticated Interceptor, the ’71 Jensen SP was the most powerful. Although it looked exactly like other Interceptors, it wasn’t badged as such; it was merely the Jensen SP. Under the hood was the Mopar Six Pack 440-cubic-inch V-8, pumping out a tire-shredding 385 horsepower. While the SP was probably no quicker than the other cars that were equipped with that engine—Plymouth Road Runner and Dodge Super Bee—the sleek automobile looked faster.

The Mark III Interceptor ended production in 1976 with the company in financial trouble and the available supply of parts exhausted.

In 1983, the Interceptor name was reincarnated once again as the product of a new company called Jensen Cars Limited. It looked exactly like a ’70s Interceptor, and with good reason: It was exactly like a ’70s Interceptor. But a full rebirth was not to be, and only 14 cars were produced.

In 1990, another company had a go and built 36 copies of what were essentially Interceptors from the 1970s. Once again, financial problems threw a wrench in the works. Production ended in ’93.

While never a great financial success, the Interceptor was and is loved by many. It is a delicious combination: a proper English motorcar with a voluptuous Italian body and a stump-pulling American V-8. That mix of the elegant and brutish coupled with an unforgettable name is key to the Interceptor’s devoted fan base. Although not as large in number as the devotees of many other marques, Interceptor fans are very expressive in their love of the brand. And they can be found in every corner of the globe.

One very dedicated Jensen owner is Thomas Hoeller of Düsseldorf, Germany. Hoeller has traveled the world photographing and documenting Interceptors and has restored several. His travels took him to Carrozzeria Touring, the coachbuilder that had built the first copies of the second-generation Interceptor in 1966. He had heard that the design studies for that car had been lost, so he drove to Milan to search for the missing documents. There he found them in blueprint form and left with a copy.

Dino Fritz of Adelaide, South Australia, is another Interceptor devotee, who grew up in the ’70s and developed a passion for automobiles, “particularly the exotic ones,” he said. But the Adelaide of the ’70s didn’t offer much in the way of automotive pulchritude.

“However, one street away,” he said, “there was a home that had a Jensen Interceptor parked in the driveway. Here was an actual exotic car that I could actually see in the flesh, and I vividly remember the curves on the car and that back window.”

In 1989, Fritz had an opportunity to buy an Interceptor that had been totaled by an insurance company. He joined a Jensen car club, where he learned about Lucas electrical gremlins and the great SP model, so he upgraded the electrical, rebuilt the engine to SP spec (385 hp), and modified the interior to resemble that of the last Interceptor, the short-lived Mark IV of the 1980s. He’s now beginning restoration of an Interceptor convertible that he located in the UK.

The car is habit-forming.

***

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So there I was, flying on my commander’s wing, heading into enemy territory. We expected to encounter a robust presence of enemy fighters, but they didn’t materialize. Successfully avoiding the Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) threat, we arrived at the target area, dropped our bombs, and turned towards home.

Coming off target, where the focus has been on air-to-ground work, a high priority is always to sanitize the airspace in front of you for enemy fighters. After just a couple of sweeps of my radar, two “hot” contacts appeared on my scope, heading right for us. As I quickly started the process to determine if they were friend or foe, my commander radioed to inform me that his jet had been damaged by enemy fire as we came off target. He was able to slowly limp along, but he was defenseless: He had neither a functioning radar nor use of his weapons.

The contacts on my radar continued bearing down on us. I declared them hostile and waited for the opportune time to shoot missiles at them. My jet carried enough to eliminate the threats, but with my now-wingman unable to employ his weapons, the margin for error was minimal. All the while I worked to maneuver the formation to protect my commander from the incoming threat while still ensuring that I maintained the ability to shoot first.

I took a deep breath to clear my mind and focus on solving the complicated tactical puzzle in front of me. I could feel the pressure building. The geometry of the aerial intercept dictated it was time to shoot, but at that moment something exploded in my cockpit. The sounds of a stampeding herd of elephants filled my ears. Had I been hit, too? It took a few precious moments to realize the compressor that maintains my cockpit pressure had shelled itself and, now in its death throes, was loudly squealing its protestations.

As I was flying around 25,000 feet, I needed to rapidly descend thousands of feet due to the loss of cabin pressure. With a crippled wingman needing my protection, my own aircraft falling apart, and enemy aircraft bearing down on us, I made the only sensible choice: I called a Knock It Off (KIO) to terminate the exercise.

The exercise was my final exam, known as a checkride, to prove I was ready to gain my initial combat qualification in a fighter aircraft. Having to stop the checkride early was frustrating, because I didn’t know if I had done enough to pass. I descended to a lower altitude, and my commander escorted me and my fighter—which was actually crippled, unlike his jet, which had suffered only simulated damage—back to base.

As we debriefed the mission and talked through the actions I would have taken to protect my commander while negating the air threat, he mentioned I had experienced the ultimate tactical emergency: nothing too serious, but serious enough to warrant immediate action and a KIO. Fortunately, I had handled myself well enough during the mission to earn the coveted combat qualification, and the cool leather jacket that comes with said qualification, stampeding elephants notwithstanding. (When we watched my cockpit tape, the sound was loud enough to be heard over the wind and jet noise.)

Over my ensuing flight hours, which number in the thousands, I have experienced several emergencies, though none as perfectly timed as that one. While I’ve dealt with a few failures multiple times (electrical malfunctions, minor engine issues, etc.), I never again had that pressure turbine fail.

That said, my 1969 Jeepster Commando has tried to kill me at least three times. Somehow, each incident arrived at the perfect moment, or the failure occurred in such a way, to ensure that I didn’t actually die and that no part of me was bruised or injured, other than my ego.

The Jeepster’s first attempted murder occurred on my initial drive after fighting an electrical gremlin for a couple months. Unable to find where I had shorted a wire—that much was evident, since the same fuse blew every time I energized that particular circuit—I hired a car electrician recommended to me by a buddy who built and drove race cars. The electrician proceeded to find and fix the short in less than 30 minutes. (I’m no stranger to self-inflicted automotive issues.) Wanting to drive the Jeepster the 40 minutes to work the next day and knowing it had sat for a while, I decided a quick test drive was in order.

At a stop sign two miles from the house, having slowed to a stop from the 55-mph speed limit, completely content with how she handled and ready to take her to work in the morning, I made a 90-degree left turn back towards home. When I turned the steering wheel to the right to complete the turn, the wheels stayed pointing left and started to pull me into the oncoming lane. I turned the steering wheel harder, pushed down and pulled up on it, thinking the steering wheel had become loose from the steering shaft, and eventually spun it like I was on an automotive version of The Wheel of Fortune, all to no avail. Fortunately, the road was deserted and had wide shoulders. I coasted to a stop in the dirt, popped the hood, and saw a nut on the coupler holding the upper and lower steering shafts had come loose.

So overconfident had I been that my test drive would go well I hadn’t brought any tools with me; I couldn’t sufficiently retighten that stupid nut so as to be confident it wouldn’t come loose again. I called my incredible, and incredibly patient, wife, who answered, “Well, that didn’t take long!” She brought me the needed tools and I drove home, though I opted not to drive to work until I could thoroughly look over the Jeepster. If I had lost steering one minute earlier while cruising at 55 mph … Needless to say, that coupler now has lock nuts on it and I frequently check them before heading out for a drive.

A couple years later, I had an incident with the Jeepster that caused me to wonder which would be preferable: no steering or no brakes. Would you rather have zero control over what you hit (no steering), or be able to choose what you hit (no brakes)?

Pulling into my driveway after my 25-minute drive home, most of which was on the freeway, I came to a stop on my driveway and waited for the garage door to open so I could pull in and park. As I applied the brakes, I heard a loud PSSSSHHHHH sound from the passenger side of the car. Hopping out to see what was up, I noticed a growing puddle of brake fluid on the ground by the right front tire.

Long story short, when I rebuilt the Jeepster, I had apparently bought front brake lines that were just a bit too long. Over the intervening years, the brake lines rubbed against the tires during turns and the hose in question finally failed in my driveway, the wear in the hose from the tire clearly evident. Again, if the line had failed a few minutes earlier while I was on the freeway, I doubt the ending of the story would have been so benign.

Last summer I drove the Jeep to work on a beautiful, sunny morning. Windows were down and a giant smile was on my face as I cruised the 20 minutes—about half on the freeway and half either on surface streets or on base—to work. Per my usual habits, I watched the temperature and oil-pressure gauges more closely than I do in my newer vehicles, and everything looked great. About half a mile from my parking space I passed through the final checkpoint and accelerated to the 20-mph speed limit (speeding on base is definitely not recommended!). As I shifted from first gear to second, I suddenly found myself in a sauna. Steam billowed everywhere. I heard the sound of rushing water and tasted the distinct flavor of ethylene glycol.

Looking towards the front passenger seat whence emanated the bubbling noises, I spied green radiator fluid gushing forth from a heater hose. Fortunately, I could see through the glycol gloom and didn’t drive off the road or run into something or someone. Additionally, the Jeepster has holes in the floor—not rust holes, but actual drain holes—so the coolant just ran out of the Jeep onto the road. Finally, I was close enough to work that I could essentially coast to my parking spot (not that there was anywhere to park along the way), so I did just that. The couple times I blipped the throttle to maintain my momentum increased the flow of radiator fluid from the hose, unsurprisingly—all the more reason to coast, but water was still trickling out as I entered the parking lot. The temp gauge had, thankfully, remained steady.

Finally at my spot, I shut off the car and exhaled. Licking my lips, I tasted more ethylene glycol and realized that I, and everything else in the passenger compartment, was covered in a fine layer of atomized radiator fluid. Fortunately, I had set my backpack holding my laptop on top of the passenger seat and not on the floor, or it would have immediately been soaked through. Even more so, I’m grateful my wife or a child wasn’t in the Jeepster, or that the spray wasn’t directed at me or my face, and thus only the passenger-seat mount was doused with 200-degree fluid. I sat there, collecting my thoughts, and watched the fluid slowly drain from the passenger floorplan, the sounds of the coolant splattering on the ground growing quieter. (In)conveniently, my wife was out of town so she wouldn’t be able to rescue me again; I’d have to ask a coworker to drive me home, where I’d collect both a tow vehicle and tow bar—a version of the taxi of shame, but at least I wouldn’t have to call a tow truck.

After I got the Jeepster home, I discovered a broken fitting on a line to/from the heater core. I presume my routing of hoses put some torque on the fitting and roughly a decade later, it decided it was out. The fitting rolled inverted, stripped to the waist, and ejected, leaving me shell-shocked by the suddenness of its failure.

As a hobbyist mechanic, at best, I am painfully aware of the limitations of my knowledge and ability. However, it’s not these known unknowns that really scare me; it’s the dreaded unknown unknowns, to paraphrase then–Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (and others). The mistakes I don’t know I’m making that could lead to a suboptimal outcome are the things that really worry me about working on my cars. Those fears aren’t enough to preclude me from doing crazy things, like undertaking a frame-off restoration in my garage, but I try to be as informed as is reasonably possible of the work I’m doing so as to eliminate the unknown unknowns.

Still, when the car’s proverbial rubber meets the road, or when an airplane’s wings fall under Bernoulli’s spell, sometimes it’s nothing more than a well-timed tactical emergency that makes the difference between a funny story with a benign ending and a challenging real-world emergency.

I’ve had lots of people over the years ask me if I’m interested in building my own airplane. They know I’m a pilot and that I like to work on cars, so they see it as a natural marriage of those two skills (though saying I have mechanic-level skills is being generous, at best). I have several friends who have successfully done so, and one who is currently building an airplane in his garage, but my answer is always a firm, unequivocal, and immediate no! In fact, I couldn’t possibly be more out on the idea of building my own airplane. After all, I’ve struggled at times to keep the Jeepster running and I rebuilt that essentially all on my own in my garage. Yet having something fail on the Jeepster would be, in all likelihood, way less serious than if a similar failure were to occur in the air on a plane I built. There’s no calling a KIO when a wing falls off the airplane you built—and are flying! That’s not a tactical emergency at all. I’d spend the entire time from wing falling off to ground impact wishing I’d used locknuts.

***

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For various reasons, including legality and corporate secrecy, concept cars are generally destroyed by their automakers after public display. It doesn’t matter whether the concept births a production vehicle—or, as in this case, whether the concept was even a running and driving car. This engine-less Mercedes-built egg, built in 2020 to showcase a new generation of its MBUX infotainment system, should have been eliminated. Somehow, it wasn’t, and now it’s sitting in an Atlanta scrapyard.

Found last month, this suicide-door egg first cropped up on Reddit in April 2023. It does, technically, have four wheels—someone removed the lower “skirt” that originally hid them—but Mercedes never intended the outside to be anything more than the barest shell: The goodness is inside.

Found this weird thing in the local scrapyard
byu/Alodarsc2 innamethatcar

Click through the slideshow, and voila—the sumptuous, screen-decked interior that set the standard for the seventh-gen S-Class, as well as for the all-electric EQ models. Mercedes calls the setup MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User eXperience), while BMW calls its infotainment system iDrive, or Jeep uses “UConnect.” Each is a catch-all term for what an occupant sees and interacts with, including the digital displays, touch-sensitive and otherwise. Now in its third generation—the one which brought Angry Birds to Benz dashboard screens—MBUX was entering its second generation in 2020 when this egg was built to showcase it ahead of the launch of the 2021 S-Class.

MBUX debuted in 2020 with a host of features that we typically associate with laptops and smartphones, including face, voice, and fingerprint recognition, not to mention touch-sensitive displays, gesture recognition, cloud connectivity, and 16 GB of RAM. The second generation was “even more digital and intelligent,” reads the press release, touting upgrades to hardware and software, and emphasizing the system’s ability to work with other vehicle systems (such in-cabin cameras and weight sensors in the seats) and sensor data: “For example, the exit warning function in the S-Class now uses cameras to recognize that an occupant wants to leave the vehicle.”

Born in 2018, the second-generation infotainment system is most obviously recognized by its portrait-oriented touchscreen, an OLED model measuring 12.8 inches from corner to corner. Mercedes planned to install it in a bevy of models and chose the 2021 model year S-Class as the first recipient: A fitting choice, given that the model has long been a company flagship, and thus, the birthplace of its most innovative features.

In the past three years, that touchscreen has trickled downward in the brand’s hierarchy of vehicles and for 2024 appears in its second-smallest SUV, the GLC. Several higher-level, all-electric models—though not the S-Class—have already replaced it with a bigger one, also running the MBUX software: The truly massive Hyperscreen, three displays behind one sheet of glass measuring 56 inches diagonally and stretching nearly A-pillar to A-pillar. Sometime after the egg’s debut in 2020 and its scrapping—as recently as nine months ago, though we can’t be sure—Mercedes fitted the Hyperscreen to the egg. Since pre-production concepts are terrifically expensive to build, and a new design always needs extensive testing, this seems like a logical install.

Other non-screen features from this egg concept appeared in the S-Class, such as the seats, with their plush pillows, and the beautifully machined speaker grilles.

What is the future of this particular concept? In all likelihood, the same as it ever was: The crusher. Mercedes, whose U.S. HQ is in Atlanta, clearly has no use for it, and only the most masochistic of auto-computer geeks would venture to maintain this. That said, if you or your friend plan to swoop in and save this weird German egg, let us know: You’re our kind of weird.

***

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The post Found in Scrapyard: The egg that hatched Mercedes’ second-gen MBUX infotainment system 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.

***

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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.

***

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The transition from 2023 to 2024 seems a fine time to celebrate 30 years of the Aston Martin DB7, which made its public debut at the 1993 Geneva motor show and then went on sale in the autumn of 1994. Here Giles Chapman recalls his sit-down interview with the late Walter Hayes and the genesis of the car that would save Aston Martin. —Ed.

Nothing fazes you when you’re young. But I must confess I felt more than a little apprehensive when I approached my meeting with Walter Hayes, one spring evening in 1993. The streets of Mayfair were dark, rain-streaked, and deserted, and my audience with this Pope of the high-performance church had been corralled into an after-hours, 7 p.m. slot, with 45 minutes allocated to ask my questions about the Aston Martin DB7. I imagine I was swiftly dealt with before Walter went to the opera to relax, after his last duty on one of his always-busy days.

Anyone then with more than a glancing interest in cars and motor racing would have been aware of Hayes’ roster of achievements. I certainly was. He joined Ford as head of public affairs in 1962 with a mandate to help sell everyday cars through the image-enhancing medium of motorsport; subsequently he brought Colin Chapman on board to co-create the Lotus Cortina; he was instrumental in making the GT40 a four-times Le Mans winner; he linked up Ford with Cosworth to make the DFV engine that powered 154 Formula 1 victories; and he booted the Ford Escort to the top of the rallying world.

But I can’t have been the only scribbler-down of Hayes’ pithy comments who found his earlier status unnerving. At the helm of the Sunday Dispatch until it merged with the Sunday Express in late 1961, Hayes had been the second youngest editor on Fleet Street, used to stepping over the threshold of No. 10 Downing Street and commissioning stories from W. Somerset Maugham. I mean, what could possibly go wrong for me, except that I would get twisted up in my words, or ask a stupid question, or my tape recorder would malfunction? Looking like an arse of a junior writer as I sought Hayes’ views for my DB7 piece in Autocar had to be inevitable.

It didn’t help that the slightly sinister building was empty, and when I stepped out of the lift on the top floor it was just me and Walt. He was a compact and dapper fellow, and I still remember being intimidated by his steady, unblinking gaze. In his role of strategist and advisor he knew everyone from Henry Ford II to Jackie Stewart very slightly better than they knew themselves, and his latest challenge was a mission not just to save Aston Martin but also to orchestrate its first totally new car in eons. The latest tricky car person he had to handle was Tom Walkinshaw, whose TWR was crucial to engineering and manufacturing the so-called Project XX (later called Project NPX). The effort needed the sort of kid gloves Walter had donned numerous times in his behind-the-scenes roles at Ford.

“There was a huge aversion to Tom Walkinshaw at Ford and Jaguar,” says Walter’s son Richard, who’d worked for Walkinshaw himself and refers to TWR’s various checkered joint-ventures such as the Jaguar XJ220. “But for all his strange personal characteristics, he was very creative. Father’s view was that if you just kept him on a short leash it would work out well. Because at the end of the day, if you didn’t have the Walkinshaws of this world you couldn’t get the thing started.”

This thing, indeed, had all begun in 1987, at the elegant home of the Italian Contessa Maggi during the revival of the Mille Miglia. Walter Hayes and Aston Martin chairman Victor Gauntlett were fellow houseguests at the dinner table. Gauntlett was desperate for investment to fund his dreams of an all-new car, and the conversation gave Walter an idea.

“Henry Ford II was a big Anglophile,” Richard says. “He was really into tweeds and shooting and he supported all sorts of British things. In fact, he got an honorary knighthood later. He had a fantastic house called Turville Grange near Henley-on-Thames, and my father lived at Shepperton not far away, so they used to have dinner often, and Father said ‘Look, you’ve tried Ferrari and didn’t get it, why not Aston Martin?’ Henry trusted him completely. Father even used to chair family meetings in Dearborn where Henry Ford would address them all.”

Despite Ford’s recent doomed purchase of AC Cars, the deal was swiftly done for 75 percent of Aston Martin in 1987, for an undisclosed sum that cannot have been enormous. It was almost the last thing Walter did before he reached official retirement age at 65. He oversaw the transaction in just two months.

“He had no thoughts about being involved,” says Richard Hayes. “My mother was thrilled that Father was finally going to be at home and they were going to have their retirements. In 1989, though, things weren’t going very well at Aston Martin—it was going in the wrong direction. So my father was made a director, put on the board, and he told my mother it would only be a few hours a week in Newport Pagnell. He thought he’d just be giving a bit of sage advice now and again.

“But when people looked under the hood [of Aston Martin], they saw there was a bigger mess than they realized. Ford offered all sorts of benefits of engineering input and economy of scale, but I remember him telling me he was nervous Ford would come in and smother Aston Martin—to apply that budget for building everything on the same platform, and sort of crush the Aston Martin out of Aston Martin. So [Walter] kept them at bay for a year or so, and then when Victor Gauntlett resigned in 1991, Father became chairman.”

A sketchy file already existed within Ford on how the new car, often also known as DP1999, could be conceived. However, because almost nothing had yet been done about it, the success of the project now hinged on Walter’s ability to drive it forward, weld partnerships, and network the heck out of his contacts. Looking back at my report published in March 1993, I see he was remarkably frank about explaining it to me.

“The acquisition by Ford of Aston Martin and Jaguar has enabled it to use the resources of these specialist companies,” Walter said at the time. “I know exactly where to go in Ford for anything we might want; if you have the opportunity to use these facilities you’d be damn silly not to.

“It’s difficult to cost-control a £75,000 car even if it doesn’t sound it, but we had to set precise volumes, objectives, and price. We couldn’t have an engine that cost £21,500 and 56 hours to hand-build, and Newport Pagnell is too restricted to make a volume car—there is no room there. So we had a manufacturing challenge rather than a design one; I didn’t start where the mechanicals were concerned.”

Capricious to some, maybe, but Walter Hayes was able to bring the best out of Walkinshaw. For the new small Aston, a shelved Walkinshaw concept for a super-lux Jag GT was dusted off. It rested on lots of unseen floorplan hardware from the Jaguar XJS and a supercharged version of what was, at heart, a Jaguar AJ6 straight-six engine. The ninja-engineering of the car was deftly handled by TWR/Jaguarsport, with a timeless design by Ian Callum, in a timescale that would shame car industry big-hitters, and it was much helped by full access to Ford’s extensive UK development facilities.

As Walter relayed to me in that shadowy penthouse of Ford’s London office, he rated Ian as “one of the brightest young designers I’ve come across.” The glorious work has more than stood the test of time, and some regard the DB7 as among the most beautiful British cars ever. Then again, it must have been a dream-like brief for the 38-year-old Scot. Hayes in 1993 again: “We photographed the most beautiful DB4s and DB6s we could find, stuck the pictures up in the studio and said: ‘Like that.’”

Richard Hayes recalls the drive that his father poured into Aston Martin. This included not just the car itself but also, for example, motivating the dealer network and building up a new company mantra of “A Car For Life” that got sales moving of that sleepy dinosaur, the Virage, for which another 50 grand was asked over the projected price for what would become the DB7. A Car For Life even got the support of Motown supremo Bill Ford, who in 1992 wrote to Walter with this endorsement: “It is a brilliant strategy, which turns Aston Martin’s low volume “weakness” into an overwhelming strength.”

Richard Hayes: “[Walter] took it pretty much through to the final delivery, using mainly his powers of persuasion and persistence and knowing what to say to whom. He wasn’t an engineer or designer but was very happy to consult people and give them credit and use their opinions if he felt they were worthwhile. He liked to reverse-engineer situations to get where he wanted to end up. I remember he had to fly out to Detroit to see [new Ford boss] Alex Trotman to get him on side, and said: ‘You don’t want to be the British chairman [of Ford] who then killed Aston Martin, do you?’”

A final stroke of Walter’s velvety, diplomatic genius was persuading Sir David Brown to give his blessing to the car, which allowed it to become the DB7 and gave the venerable former company owner from 1947 to 1972 the title of life president. There was then over a year between the DB7’s debut at Geneva and the first one rolling off the production line in June 1994 at the Bloxham factory in Kidlington, Oxfordshire (where Jaguar components were re-engineered by TWR and fitted into steel bodies—Aston’s first ever—made in Coventry by Motor Panels). A proud Walter should have been behind the wheel, his trademark subtle smile clear to see. But delays of six weeks pushed the momentous day beyond his 70th birthday and Ford’s you-have-to-really-stop-now pensioning-off deadline. His parting gift was to be made the next life president, as Sir David Brown had recently passed away. When the Aston Martin Owners Club created the Aston Martin Heritage Trust in 1998, Walter was elected its first chairman, a position he held until his death at age 76 in December 2000. During his time there, he established the annual Aston Journal and edited the first two editions, in 1999 and 2000.

The effect of the DB7 on Aston Martin was seismic. From selling 209 bespoke cars in 1990, the company delivered over 600 production-line DB7s in the first year alone, going on to build more than 7000 examples altogether, including the Volante convertible and the V12 Vantage.

“My father didn’t really blow his own horn,” says Richard. “He liked to move on to the next thing without making a fuss, but even five years after he retired it was still very important to him.

“His advice was always ‘on the one hand,’ and then ‘on the other.’ He’d never just tell me what to do. I used to call him saying what do you think, and when I got home there’d be a two- or three-page fax hanging out the machine. I read them and then threw them away, which I now regret!”

Walter Hayes was an influencer before we even used the word. He turned out to be a great interviewee to this writer, and although he might be bashful at the description, he was Aston Martin’s most visionary savior of all.

The post How Walter Hayes built the DB7 and saved Aston Martin appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Let’s cut to the chase: You’ve already made up your mind about the Cybertruck. If you truly want one, you’ve likely already plunked down a reservation fee for one, and you’re reading this to validate your decision. (No judgement; you’re more patient than any of us.) If you haven’t put money down on a Cybertruck, maybe you’ve been waiting until now. Or, you think the thing is dumb and absurd, but you want to know how much other poor sops are paying for their stupid, fake truck.

Welcome one, welcome all!

Spoilers first: The Cybertruck really is the least expensive of the pure-electric pickup trucks on the market today. We hesitate to say “cheapest,” because $60,990 is not cheap for your average new-car buyer. $61K is two down payments on a starter home in a lot of places, or to put it in universal car terms, two Miatas: one to take on Sunday drives and another to race. Hungry? It’s about 18,541 McDoubles.

That $60,990 figure omits the $7500 federal tax credit, for which the Cybertruck does qualify in full. It also ignores the potential gas savings over three years (which Tesla has calculated, with apparent diligence and transparency, to $3600.) Why? Neither impact the up-front cost, because tax credits and future savings are basically reimbursements, not coupons or cash offers. The $60,990 also omits a destination fee, which Tesla does not yet specify for the truck. As of this writing, you’ll pay an extra $1390 in shipping for a Model 3 Long Range, a Model S, or a Model Y. Will Tesla charge the same for the Cybertruck? Check the Tesla forums, that information should trickle out soon.

If you think of trucks as work vehicles, then you’re probably familiar with the F-150 Lightning and the Silverado EV, both of which are designed as electric makeovers of existing models. Those trucks start around $53K and $78K, respectively, if you’re buying a fleet-spec example. The base Lightning comes with a targeted range of 240 miles and an output of 452 hp; the Silverado, with 450 EPA-estimated miles of range and 510 hp. The base Cybertruck, with a Tesla-estimated range of 250 miles and no listed hp figure, falls in between these two—but let’s be real, it also falls in another category.

If you want to buy a Cybertruck, you want it because it has an it-factor no other vehicle has. You’ll boast about power and towing capacity to your friends, but utility was either just as important or less than that je ne sais quoi.

Here are the three configurations of Cybertruck, not including destination:

• Rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck, $60,990: 250-mile range (mf’r est.), no listed hp, available in 2025

Comparable spec of Rivian R1T (Adventure, with base battery pack): AWD, 533 hp, 270-mile range (mf’r est.), 11,000-pound towing capacity: $74,800

Comparable spec of Hummer EV (2X): AWD, 311-mile range (mf’r est.), 625 hp, 7400 lb-ft torque, 12,000-pound towing capacity: $98,845

• All-wheel-drive Cybertruck, $79,990: 340-mile range (mf’r est.), 600 hp, 7435 lb-ft torque, 11,000-pound towing capacity

Comparable spec of Rivian R1T (Adventure, with Large battery pack and Performance Dual-Motor): AWD, 352-mile range (EPA rated), 665 hp, 11,000-pound towing capacity: $85,800

Comparable spec of F-150 Lightning (Platinum, or top spec, with Extended-Range Battery): 580 hp, 775 lb-ft peak torque, 300-mile range (EPA rated), 8500-pound towing capacity: $93,540, if you pay cash (Ford Credit charges $645 acquisition fee).

• Cyberbeast, $107,490: AWD, 320-mile range (mf’r est.), 845 hp, 10,296 lb-ft torque*, 11,000-pound towing capacity

Comparable spec of Rivian R1T (Quad Motor, with Large Battery Pack; Max not available): AWD, 835 hp, 352-mile range, 11,000-pound towing capacity: $88,800

Comparable spec of Hummer EV (3X, without Extreme Off-Road Package): AWD, 314-mile range (EPA), 1000 hp, 11,500 lb-ft of torque*, 8500-pound towing capacity: $106,945

Comparable spec of Silverado EV (RST 1st Edition, reservations closed as of this writing): AWD, 400-mile range (mf’r est.), 754 hp, 785 lb-ft of torque, 10,000-pound towing capacity: $105,000+

*Wondering how Tesla and GMC got these massive numbers? Click here for an explainer. 

We’ll leave it to you, in the comments, to debate the various details that elevate one truck over another, because that’s the real world: You make your own decisions for your own reasons. Bulletproof steel doors really do it for you? Go crazy. Want Ford’s familiar F-150, but electric? It’s a damn good truck—we’ve driven it. Putting down a deposit on the revamp of the Hummer? Go off, you rich king.

***

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With the Camaro nameplate retiring soon, we’re honoring the beloved two-door with a series of love letters, fun lists, and memories that you can follow here. Many performance cars, especially nowadays, aim for an anodyne version of perfection that only a few can afford. The Camaro is for the rest of us—and it’s always ready to party.

If there’s one thing that my obsession with automotive history has taught me, it is to be very careful with declarations of the absolute. In the annals of any long-running nameplate, there seems to always be an odd one out, an exception, an often-forgotten footnote. That’s what makes the subject so rich and interesting, and that of Chevrolet’s pony car is no exception. In the spirit of our recent love letters to the departing Camaro, here are four unique Camaros that time forgot.

1968 Camaro CS Coupe Frua

A key element of the Camaro story is the development blitz that took place after the 1965 Ford Mustang’s success caught GM off balance. Still, none of that haste was apparent in the Camaro’s refined looks. Under the stern watch of the legendary Bill Mitchell, GM Design hardly put a foot wrong with its pony car. But Mitchell was dismissive of the first Camaro’s design due to the many compromises deemed necessary for cost reasons. We’d nevertheless argue that the original Camaro looked great even in basic trim, thanks to its crisp lines, perfectly judged proportions, and deftly modeled surfaces.

Most would conclude there was little room left for aesthetic improvement, but that didn’t stop the Italians from saying “Hold my Nebbiolo.”

Presented by the Turinese coachbuilder Pietro Frua at the 1968 Paris Motor Show, the Camaro CS Coupe was a sleek 2+2 that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Maserati showroom. But while Frua’s Camaro exuded an air of sophistication that belied its humble Chevrolet underpinnings, it was far from an original design.

You see, in those days, Italian design firms had no qualms about selling variations of the same design to multiple clients. Frua’s one-off Camaro CS Coupe is one of several cars sharing a common design theme that the coachbuilder made between 1967 and 1971. Notably, this group includes the 1967 Monteverdi 375 S, the 1969 AC 429 Coupé, and even a one-off in 1970 based on the Dodge Challenger.

1976 Camaro “Europo Hurst” Frua

Nearly two million second-gen Camaros were built over the model’s 12-year production run. (There will never be enough of these around if you ask me.) Contrary to the previous model, GM designers were given adequate time and significantly more leeway. In my view, it shows.

Particularly in its purest early incarnations, the second-generation Camaro stands out as one of General Motors’ finest designs this side of a Corvette. I would say that the second-gen Camaro’s design embodies the best of both worlds. Its overall shape, stance, and details drew heavily from period Ferraris, but the final result exuded the kind of bravado that only an American car can pull off.

Pietro Frua exhibited his own take on the second-gen Camaro at the 1976 Turin Motor Show. However, the Turinese coachbuilder left most of the donor car alone this time, save from a rather slick hatchback conversion. As we noted in 2020 ahead of its sale via RM Sotheby’s auction (just $31,900!), Frua’s slick version was not your daddy’s Camaro.

Integrating a large hatch door required a near-complete redesign of the Camaro’s rear end, which lost its curvaceous haunches. Nonetheless, the result is rather graceful and could easily pass for something built by GM itself. Another neat detail: the clever use of black paint to visually connect the donor car’s window profile with the new rear quarter windows. The same can’t be said for the redesigned front clip, though, which looks rather bland and generic.

This Camaro started life as a regular coupe but was treated to a Hurst T-top conversion after it arrived in the U.S. in early 1977. Later the same year, Frua repeated the trick on a Pontiac Firebird, which was displayed on his company’s stand at the Geneva Motor Show.

1985 Camaro GTZ Concept

A childhood spent watching Knight Rider reruns means that third-gen GM F-bodies will always hold a special place in my heart.

But, besides my tender years’ fascination with The Hoff’s talking Firebird, I consider the 1982–92 Camaro one of the few genuinely outstanding designs to come out from GM during Irv Rybicki’s tenure as Design VP.

Upon Bill Mitchell’s retirement in 1977, the GM top brass wanted a gentler, more malleable design vice president. They got their wish, but the tradeoff came at a tremendous price. As GM Design lost its edge, the cars got blander, and the differences between each division’s offerings became harder and harder to spot. The latter point was put in stark evidence in 1983 by Fortune magazine, with its infamous cover featuring GM’s four near-identical A-body intermediate sedans.

But that nadir proved to be the jolt GM’s management needed. Chuck Jordan, who would succeed Rybicki as design VP in 1986, spearheaded the creation of an awe-inspiring array of show cars to demonstrate GM wasn’t brain-dead after all.

The Camaro GTZ concept car was presented at the 1985 Chicago Auto Show. It was based on a production T-top coupe but sported redesigned front and rear ends whose smooth design didn’t quite gel with the donor car’s more angular middle section, which remained unaltered. Instead of the usual Chevy small-block V-8, under the Camaro GTZ’s clamshell hood sat a 4.3-liter V-6 rated at 240 hp and mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

Contrary to other more spectacular GM concept cars from the same era, the Camaro GTZ was quickly forgotten once its auto show run ended. It remained stored at the company’s Heritage Center until 2009, after GM’s bankruptcy, when it was auctioned off along with other vehicles from its collection.

1989 Camaro California IROC-Z

As the 1980s drew to a close, automobile design had completed its transition away from the folded-paper style of the ’70s and was heading fast toward the opposite end of the spectrum.

Earlier during the decade, the trend for smoother shapes had been primarily driven by the pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency. But by the time the Berlin Wall fell, that singular focus on aero began to fade in favor of a newfound playfulness. The inspiration came from nature, and the new trend became known as bio-design.

Created by GM’s advanced design studio in Newbury Park, the 1989 “California Camaro” perfectly epitomizes that period. As the aim was to “prepare” the public for the radical design of the upcoming fourth-gen Camaro, the California IROC-Z took the same design theme and cranked it up to eleven. With its short rear overhang, elongated prow, and large “butterfly” doors, it was as striking a vision of the future as any of the legendary Motorama show cars from the ’50s. GM Design had definitely gotten its mojo back.

Despite its less extreme proportions and a somewhat compromised stance, the fourth-gen Camaro launched in 1993 lost little of the California concept’s visual impact. It may not be everyone’s favorite Camaro, but it undoubtedly was the most daring one. It eschewed the classic long hood/short deck proportions in favor of a dramatic wedge profile with a steeply inclined windscreen and a scuttle stretching forward atop the engine.

That turned out not to be what buyers wanted. The more traditionally styled Ford Mustang consistently outsold the Camaro, so GM played it safe when it came time to reboot the nameplate after its 2002 demise.

It’s sad to see the Camaro ride into the sunset again. Still, I hope that whenever GM brings it back, it’ll return looking confidently toward the future rather than like an overblown caricature of its 1960s namesake.

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Matteo Licata received his degree in Transportation Design from Turin’s IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) in 2006. He worked as an automobile designer for about a decade, including a stint in the then-Fiat Group’s Turin design studio, during which his proposal for the interior of the 2010–20 Alfa Romeo Giulietta was selected for production. He next joined Changan’s European design studio in Turin and then EDAG in Barcelona, Spain. Licata currently teaches automobile design history to the Transportation Design bachelor students of IAAD (Istituto di Arte Applicata e Design) in Turin.

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As expected, Cadillac is growing its lineup of electric SUVs from one to two, downsizing as it adds.

Meet the Optiq. Smaller than the Lyriq, which we drove back in June of 2022, its battery and motors will likely share basic ingredients with other electric vehicles in the General Motors catalog. All signs point to it riding on a variant of GM’s BEV3 platform, making it closely related to the Lyriq, Chevy Blazer EV, and Chevy Equinox EV.

We can guesstimate the powertrain specs of the Optiq based on the Blazer, but we’re definitely guessing, because Cadillac was precious with details: Probably single- or dual-motor configurations, the former with the higher range (300 miles) and the lower output (210 hp), the second with inferior range (280) but superior power (290). Both versions will likely be able to charge at 150kW via DC fast-charging, though most people will top up each day at home or at work using a 240-volt Level 2 charger.

This tinier electric Caddy is also saddled with the same silly “-iq” suffix as all other battery-powered Cadillacs, including the genuinely majestic, built-to-order Celestiq, which we first poked around in October but have not yet driven. (Just replace -q with -ck, and you’ll pronounce the names correctly.)

What else do we know about the Optiq? Cadillac says it’ll be a global model possessed of “spirited driving dynamics,” which in practice probably just means a lot more torque than the gas-engine XT5 it effectively replaces. Beyond that, Cadillac says, sit tight—more will be revealed in 2024.

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Nissan is paying tribute to its rally history by customizing a new Z for off-road shenanigans.

Built by Tommy Pike Customs, the Safari Rally Z Tribute borrows its livery from the Datsun 240Z rally car that won the 1971 East African Safari Rally. (If the name of that race rings a bell, you probably read our story on another automotive participant, this one hailing from Italy: The Lancia Fulvia.) A 240Z also took second, three minutes behind the winning car; third, fourth, and fifth place were occupied by a Peugoet, a Ford, and a Porsche. Racing was a different party in the ’70s, right?

Back to the Z at hand.

The custom KW Safari suspension and NISMO suspension parts (adjustible upper control arms, outer tie rods ends, front and rear ends links, rear mid-links, and rear traction arms, in total) raise the coupe’s ride height by 2 inches, helping accommodate larger (17 x 7.5-inch) prototype NISMO Safari wheels wrapped in knobby Yokohama Geolandars.

Tommy Pike Customs was surely unfazed by the project: Last year, the South Carolina shop yanked the powertrain from a 1987 Nissan Sunny pickup and replaced it with that of a Nissan Leaf. EV may not be your thing, but it’s so, so stylish:

Tommy Pike did more than source third-party parts for the off-road Z. The harness bar inside the vehicle is a custom job, as are the aluminum hood-mounted light pods, the front bumper guard, and the skid plate. The shop had a little fun, too, with the inserts of the Recaro Pole Position seats.

There’s a bevy of NISMO parts, as you’d expect: The actual lights inside those Pike-built pods, a cat-back exhaust, as well as a twin-disc clutch and flywheel, a cold-air intake, and a heat exhanger. Output is quoted by Nissan as “400+,” meaning this is more powerful than a base Z but still bends the knee to the 420-hp version tuned by NISMO for track-day duty. At least, that’s our guess.

As of right now, the new Z is bound for the SEMA show floor. The event opens its doors today in Las Vegas and runs through November 3. The real question: How long until we see the rugged red coupe competing in a rally?

***

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Eighteen months after announcing its intent to build “affordable,” sub-$30K EVs that would go on sale in 2027, Honda and GM have scrapped the plan. “GM and Honda will search for a solution separately,” Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe told Bloomberg TV. “This project itself has been canceled.”

According to Honda’s Q3 report, the Prologue and the ZDX, electric SUVs based on GM’s Ultium battery tech, are still slated to go on sale in North America as of early 2024.

Instead of a Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model 3 competitor, Honda will serve up “a mid- to large-sized EV” on a new, “EV-specific” architecture. It is scheduled to launch here in 2025, most likely assembled in Ohio, at one of Honda’s existing plants, with a battery pack built in North America by LG, for those good ol’ federal tax credits. (It’s all in the report, a PDF of which is linked in this press release.)

The decision underscores the popularity of the midsized SUV in America and the difficulty of making an EV to match up against, say, a base Honda Civic in price. (MSRP plus destination said Civic is $25,045.)

GM’s recent decision to delay full-volume production of its upcoming EVs—Equinox, Sierra, and Silverado—reflects similar market priorities: It’s easier to make money off a $50K or $60K EV than a $30K one.

What’s the reason for the failed partnership? Bloomberg reports that Honda’s CEO cited cost. The official statement insists the decision was mutual and that, of course, both companies remain committed to affordability in the EV market. However, GM’s production delay and the references to “swift decision-making” in Honda’s Q3 report suggest that the Japanese automaker may have grown impatient. Honda has proven it can get along with GM and has probably developed its understanding of battery technology and manufacturing along the way. We’d also wager GM’s current labor negotiations with the UAW are contributing to Honda’s uncertainty.

It isn’t cutting all ties with GM, however: yesterday, at the Japan Mobility Show, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe announced that, “Together with GM and Cruise, Honda is planning to launch a driverless ridehail service using the Cruise Origin, in Japan in early 2026.” Yup, the same Cruise that just got its autonomous vehicle testing permit yanked by the state of California, citing “unreasonable risk to public safety.”

Honda holds to its medium-term goal of producing 2M electric vehicles annually by 2030.

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History and legacy are powerful marketing tools for automakers. A familiar name or look creates a connection to something people remember, hopefully with fondness, and legitimizes new products as part of a lineage. That link is particularly explicit when it comes to Alfa Romeo’s recent 33 Stradale revival, a direct homage to the elegant ’60s supercar. It’s a lovely revival (you can read our design breakdown here) but when historical figures and events are drummed up in service of telling a story, the need for a clean, simple narrative can come at the expense of important context and nuance. The full story of the 33 Stradale deserves telling.

To be clear, Alfa Romeo takes its heritage seriously. The press release accompanying the new 33 Stradale accurately cites all relevant dates and figures. However, things are rarely clear-cut and straightforward when us Italians are involved.

Born from racing

The origins of the “33” project date back to 1964. It was the first competitive race season for the Giulia TZ, and the little 1600-cc cars did well, though Alfa Romeo engineers knew they wouldn’t remain competitive for much longer. At the same time, Alfa Romeo was enjoying a period of relative financial stability, which encouraged its management to pursue a more ambitious racing program. Thus, inspired by the Porsche 904 GTS he saw winning the ’64 Targa Florio, Alfa designer Giuseppe Busso began working on a mid-engine 2.0-liter sports prototype.

Busso’s new racer shared next to nothing with production Alfa models. Nonetheless, it was assigned a “105” project code, as would a simple derivative of the Giulia sedan. Soon enough, Alfa’s engineers referred to the project “105.33.” The final two digits ultimately stuck.

The 33’s technical layout wasn’t revolutionary, but its unique chassis design was. The front suspension and steering box were attached to a large magnesium casting bolted to a middle section composed of three aluminum tubes about eight inches in diameter. These contained the rubber fuel tank and were arranged in an asymmetrical “H” pattern. Two cast magnesium braces connecting the aluminum tubes to the cross member holding the engine and rear suspensions completed the structure at the rear.

The first prototype ran in early January 1966, but Giuseppe Busso would not get much time to revel in the accomplishment. Days later, under orders from Alfa Romeo’s president Giuseppe Luraghi, the company’s experimental department begrudgingly handed over the “33” project to Autodelta.

Founded in 1963 by Carlo Chiti and Ludovico Chizzola, Autodelta began as the independent company responsible for assembling Giulia TZs on Alfa Romeo’s behalf. Between 1964 and 1966, Autodelta was gradually absorbed under Alfa’s direct control to become its in-house racing department.

Bumps in the road, Scaglione vs. Chiti

When Autodelta took over the 33’s development, the car was a long way from top of class. Its complex chassis required numerous modifications to withstand the stresses of competition, necessitating extra bracing that nearly negated its weight advantage over a more traditional structure. Still, Chiti had no choice. Ditching Busso’s brainchild right away would have strained his relations with Alfa Romeo’s engineers, already none too happy to have relinquished motorsport activities to Autodelta.

Work on the 33 road car (Stradale) began in late 1966, before the racing car’s development was completed. The chassis’ design remained largely the same as the competition version, except for the middle section that was built from steel instead of aluminum and made 100 mm (3.93 inches) longer to increase cabin space. Only slightly detuned for road use, the 1995-cc V-8 engine produced 230 hp at 8800 rpm, transmitted to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

To design the 33 Stradale’s body, Carlo Chiti sought the services of Franco Scaglione, with whom he had worked previously on the short-lived ATS 2500 GT. A deal was struck in December 1966, and Scaglione’s drawings were on president Luraghi’s desk the following January.

Things soon got more complicated.

Years later, Scaglione would remember the construction of the 33 Stradale prototype at Autodelta as “the worst period of his life.” Accustomed to working with Turin’s finest craftsmen, Scaglione had a hard time dealing with Autodelta, a racing outfit ill-equipped to handle the creation of a road-going automobile from scratch. The situation led to intense clashes between Chiti (who was more invested in Autodelta’s motorsport activities than anything else) and Scaglione’s uncompromising drive for aesthetic perfection.

High complexity, low volume

Still, despite numerous setbacks, the 33 Stradale prototype debuted at Monza on August 30, 1967. With a list price around 20 percent higher than the Lamborghini Miura, the 33 Stradale was a hard sell at $17,000. (That’s $156,600 in 2023.)

Making the cars proved even thornier. In October of 1967, against Scaglione’s advice, Autodelta entrusted manufacture of the 33 Stradale to the coachbuilder Marazzi. Seeing as the firm lacked the necessary know-how and expertise for a complex build such as this, production never took off and ended in 1969 after just 18 cars.

That total volume includes two pre-production prototypes, one of which belongs to Alfa Romeo’s heritage collection. These are instantly recognizable by their four headlights, which couldn’t be homologated. (The lower pair sat too close to the ground for a road car.) That run of 18 also includes five Stradale chassis that Alfa Romeo loaned to Italy’s most preeminent design houses of the era, so they could be turned into show cars. That leaves us with just 11 “production” vehicles, each slightly different from the others due to the nature of artisanal production process as well as individual customer preferences.

Still inspiring

Today, the 33 Stradale is the undisputed star of the Alfa Romeo museum collection. Yet, much as it happened with Van Gogh’s art, the fame and reverence the car currently enjoys came much later. Much more important to Alfa Romeo in 1967 was the go-ahead to begin construction of a brand-new factory in Southern Italy planned to produce 250,000 cars per year. A handful of supercars was, in comparison, a lark.

Over time, affection for the 33 Stradale swelled, a car that through years of savvy marketing has wed Alfa Romeo fans to its memory. It’s become a symbol, a bright red talisman whose spell can still seduce shrewd auto executives with plans for another Alfa Romeo “renaissance.” For this reason alone, the original 33 Stradale should be counted among the most important Alfas ever created.

***

Matteo Licata received his degree in Transportation Design from Turin’s IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) in 2006. He worked as an automobile designer for about a decade, including a stint in the then-Fiat Group’s Turin design studio, during which his proposal for the interior of the 2010–20 Alfa Romeo Giulietta was selected for production. He next joined Changan’s European design studio in Turin and then EDAG in Barcelona, Spain. Licata currently teaches automobile design history to the Transportation Design bachelor students of IAAD (Istituto di Arte Applicata e Design) in Turin.

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You almost certainly know about the original DeLorean, the time-machine car from Back to the Future. You may also know that there are multiple car companies with “DeLorean” in their names. You probably do not know whether to believe the rumors that one of those companies plans to build a new DeLorean car based on the current-generation Corvette.

Believe them, the CEO of DeLorean Next Generation Motors (DNG) told Hagerty.

“I needed to find a way to build an affordable car for the DeLorean community,” says Kathryn DeLorean. “They’ll be heartbroken forever if I don’t give them something.”

Her solution: Buy a Corvette and have DeLorean Next Gen Motors replace the Chevy fiberglass with a body of DNG’s own design, complete with gullwing doors. The changes will be more than skin deep, too: DNG is working with aftermarket performance builders to bring this car to market.

Hang on, you may be thinking. What about the other DeLorean company, the one that’s making the Alpha5? That outfit is based in Texas, not New Jersey, and headed not by a member of John Z.’s family but by Joost de Vries, an executive who spent six years at Karma Automotive. Further complicating matters is that de Vries’ company is not to be confused with Classic DMC, founded by Stephen Wynne. A Liverpool mechanic who claimed rights to the DeLorean name in 1995, Wynne obtained the original company’s parts inventory and factory drawings. With them, he built a successful business servicing and reproducing parts for the original 9000 or so DMC-12s. (Wynne holds a minority ownership stake in what now bills itself DeLorean Motor Company, the makers of the Alpha5 who were until recently known as DeLorean Reimagined.)

If you smell a legal battle in the future, that nose is working.

Company origins aside, the products proposed by each DeLorean-named firm are easy to tell apart. Designed by ItalDesign and unveiled at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Alpha5 shown above is only available as an EV. Specs are few: a targeted range of 300+ miles, a battery pack with a capacity of more than 100 kWh, a drag coefficient of 0.23, 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds, and a top speed of 155. Cambridge Audio will supply the stereo. Kelley Blue Book says that the company is targeting a starting price around $125,000. Like all the numbers above, that, too, is an estimate.

Rather than take on the Alpha5 with a direct competitor, DNG has chosen a two-pronged approach, aiming significantly below and above Alpha5. At the top of DNG’s proposed hierarchy sits the Model JZD, a hand-built model of which only 42 will be made. (If you have to ask why, you haven’t read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.) It will, naturally, be priced far above $125K. The Corvette-based model, which so far does not have its own name, will be the more accessible model in Kat’s portfolio.

A base Corvette, as she pointed out, is a car that many normal people can aspire to own. From that statement, we expect that the planned bodykit is intended for the base C8, which costs a hair below $70K and packs a naturally aspirated LT2 V-8 making 490 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. (Corvette faithful will note we were assiduous in our pursuit of affordability and did not even spec the Z51 package for this theoretical exercise.)

Thanks to the traditional Corvette targa top, which required Chevrolet to route the rollcage away from the tops of the front-hinged doors, Kat says that a gullwing conversion is doable. Whether the DeLorean body kit would also fit on the wider-bodied Z06 or on the hybrid, AWD E-Ray, we don’t know. For now, all we have are renders, penned by Ángel Guerra, an automotive designer and modeler who spent six years with Croatian EV firm Rimac and stuck with the company after its merger with Bugatti in 2021.

Choosing a Corvette as the foundation of an affordable DeLorean is only fitting, Kat says. Though most know John Z. as the head of his own company, he established his career at General Motors, a firm with which he spent 17 years. From ’69 to ’72, he was head of Chevrolet and, according to his daughter, was pushing hard for the Corvette to move to a midengine platform, something the model’s godfather, Zora Arkus-Duntov, also supported. After John left Chevy in 1973 to found DMC, he even tried to purchase the engineering for the mid-engine Aerovette—but Chevrolet, understandably, denied him.

A DeLorean-bodied Corvette, Kat says, “allows me to finish my dad’s story. I’m building him his dream car.”

One thing is for sure: The story of the DeLorean car in the 21st century is only getting started.

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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

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Unveiled for the first time in all its L.A.-designed cuteness, Honda’s Prologue EV is the latest fruit of a partnership between Japan and Detroit, in which Honda builds a vehicle around a battery platform made by General Motors.

The tie-up is but one of many spurred by a surge in EV demand, as Aaron Robinson wrote back in July of 2022. Toyota and Subaru is another. Though the Prologue is later to market than either of its Japanese counterparts, hopefully the Honda avoids the infamy gained so quickly by the Toyota, whose wheels had a propensity to fall off. (We suspect excess paint in the lug nut recesses.)

If you’ve seen the Blazer EV, you’re looking at its cousin. We’ll cut to the chase: You want the Honda over the Chevy, because the Honda has CarPlay. (GM is dropping the system from all its vehicles beginning with the 2024 Blazer.) The iPhone mirroring goes further than before, too: As Apple promised back in 2022, you can project phone-derived navigation on multiple screens in the same car, in this case, onto the Prologue’s 11-inch digital instrument cluster (it comes standard).

Honda’s calling the Prologue its “first volume EV.” Honda probably wants the Acura ZDX, which is also GM Ultium-based, to sound all the more exclusive. Still, we expect Acura to make as many as you want to buy. The highest trim of the Prologue, the Elite, wears the biggest rims a Honda ever has: 21 inches.

The Prologue will start “in the upper $40,000s,” says Honda. For that figure, into which we have not calculated any incentives, you get a genuinely attractive vehicle, one that is significantly bigger than a CRV and roughly the same size as a Passport. Range is estimated by Honda at 300 miles, a figure likely based on the less-powerful of the two powertrains: The single-motor front-wheel-drive one. Honda will also stick a motor on the rear axle, if you want all-wheel drive, with 288 hp and 333 lb-ft of torque. We’re guessing the FWD version makes less, because Honda was silent on the matter.

The main thing to know, if you’re fine with the price and the power but concerned about the livability of an EV: You’re going to need a smartphone, and the HondaLink app. Honda has partnered with just about everyone you possibly can in the EV charging space, including Tesla, Electrify America, EV Go, and the multinational consortium including Stellantis. Your smartphone essentially becomes your credit card—the thing you need in-hand every time you want to “fill up” your car on the go. In short: When your dealer is bothering you to download the app, listen—it isn’t a promotional gimmick.

The best way to charge an EV is, of course, while you sleep at night. Honda has included three charging packages into the price of each Prologue, depending on how prepared your house (or rental property) is for an EV. All the packages equate to about the same value, and you’ll chose the best one based on whether or not you want money towards the installation of a charger at your house. In that case, Honda Home Electrification would love to help you. If you already have a charging setup at home, Honda will toss you $750 of public charging credits and send you on your merry way.

The Prologue will go on sale in early 2024. It will be built somewhere in the U.S., as you’d expect, and bought mostly by people in California, who will probably adore it.

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The weather couldn’t have been better this past Saturday in Detroit, Michigan. Temperatures were in the mid-70s, with a light breeze and wispy clouds. Perfect weather to stroll the grounds of the Detroit Art Institute and enjoy some of the finest automobiles made in the last 120 or so years. From the prewar French beauty that captured Best of Show to a video-game-famous Viper to modern-day McLarens, the 2023 Detroit Concours had something for everyone.

If you weren’t able to be there with us, know that we missed you. Hopefully these photos whet your appetite for next year!

The People’s Choice award for the 2023 Detroit Concours went to this adorable BMW Isetta. Despite the logo on the hood, the design for the vintage microcar (sometimes called a “bubble car”) is actually credited to a company that built refrigerators.

The award for loudest car—okay, we made that up—went to this Viper race car. If you ever played Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec you’ll recognize this V-10 monster as the million-credit Viper from the video game. This car’s resume extends to real-world racing, too: It won its class in 2000 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the crown jewel of endurance racing.

When this Allard J2 crossed the award stage, Wayne Carini stood up to snag a cell-phone shot of the lovely British roadster. He wasn’t the only one who thought it was photo-worthy.

If you have a keen ear for engines, you might have noticed that this DeLorean sounds a lot like a Ford. You’d be correct: An enterprising GM engineer yanked out the pokey, 130-hp Peugeot-Renault-Volvo (PRV) V-6 and, in its place, put a Ford EcoBoost powerplant mated to a Porsche manual transmission. The car makes well over twice that horsepower figure now. Not only did it win the Star Car class at the Detroit Concours—the DMC-12 put a big smile on the face of Kat DeLorean.

Think old cars are boring? They didn’t get much blingier in the 1920s than an Auburn. This roofless model, a Detroit Concours class winner, is called a Speedster and is famous for the teardrop shape of its rear, which recalls a boat’s prow. In car lingo, it’s known as a—you guessed—boat tail.

Perhaps your favorite cars were made a bit more recently? With McLaren and Lamborghini and Porsche all celebrating big anniversaries in 2023, there was plenty of late-model power to ogle.

We’ll wrap up with perhaps the weirdest-looking car on display last Saturday: the 1948 TASCO prototype, a concept car based on a Mercury and designed by Gorgon Buehrig, the same visionary designer who brought us the revolutionary Cord 810.

Swipe through the galleries below, past the TASCO, for even more photos from the 2023 Detroit Concours. If, by the end of the slideshows, you haven’t found anything your style, let us know—we’ll go bite a tire.

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When the silver Delahaye owned by Ted and Mary Stahl purred across the stage of the 2023 Detroit Concours d’Elegance, it was hard to imagine a more delightful day. Only the wispiest of clouds appeared in the September sky above the Detroit Institute of Arts, serving for the second time as the backdrop for a prestigious celebration of automotive excellence. Around 100 years ago, Joseph Figoni founded the firm that would become, three years later, Figoni et Falaschi, the original makers of the curvaceous bodywork adorning the one-of-five 1939 Cabriolet crowned Best of Show this year.

Last year’s big winner was also a Delahaye, the “Grand Luxe” 135M Roadster Cabriolet.

To be eligible for Detroit Concours d’Elegance’s highest honor, a vehicle has to be named best in its class. The Stahls’ Delahaye competed in the European Pre-War group against a 1924 Rolls-Royce Twenty and a 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The French beauty, a 135MS “Speciale” four-seat cabriolet bodied by Figoni et Falaschi, beat out two other finalists—a 1928 Auburn 8-115 Speedster and a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder—to capture the blue-green trophy for Best of Show.

Behind the wheel of the Delahaye was Seamus Hnat, lead mechanic of the Stahls’ collection, which is based in Chesterfield, Michigan, about 35 miles northeast of the Motor City. Dressed in appropriate vintage clothing, he and Terri Coppens, the general manager of the Stahl Automotive Foundation, formed a lovely picture with the Delahaye. After the official pictures were taken, the fur-clad Coppens broke the 1930s spell to pull out her phone, fingers tapping away excitedly to tell the Stahls, who weren’t able to attend, that their car was champion.

As anyone who frequents top-flight concours events knows, it takes more than a well-restored car to win a competition like the Detroit Concours d’Elegance. A car must be an exceptional, exhaustively documented example of a historically significant model—and the Stahls’ Delahaye certainly qualifies.

Together with Delage, the Delahaye brand represents a high point of art deco design in the automotive world. As a 135MS, the Detroit Concours winner is the sportiest variant of Delahaye’s sportiest car. The Stahls’ car, chassis number 60173, is believed to be the only four-passenger roadster 135MS roadster bodied by Figoni et Falaschi that survives today—and only five were made to begin with, between 1935 and 1954.

It is powered by an overhead-valve, inline-six-cylinder engine topped with three carburetors and making 160 hp. While other cars of the 1930s posted higher horsepower figures, the Delahaye’s technological boast was its transmission: a Cotal pre-selector four-speed gearbox. If you aren’t well versed in the finer engineering details of double clutching (also called double declutching), it helps to think of the Cotal as we might think of a sequential gearbox today—technology more common in race cars than in street-legal vehicles.

The Delahaye boasts more than a trick transmission, though. Coachbuilders Figoni et Falaschi, who also created bodies for Bugattis, went to great pains to develop the sleekest possible system for hiding the folding top underneath the rear panel of a car. The company eventually won a patent for its “disappearing top” design, in which the top tucks beneath the trunk lid, which opens “backward” to accept it.

The story of chassis 60173 begins, unexpectedly, at a humble flower stall in Paris, France. Luciene Suzanne Vreurick, from Reims, was working the stall per usual when a fashion designer approached her with an offer to model for his brand. From modeling she went to singing, adopting the name of Le Mome Moineau (“the kid sparrow”). One day, when in New York, she met and married a hugely successful architect and engineer from Puerto Rico. His name was Felix Benetiz Rexach, and he and Luciene would marry three years later. She found that the high life suited her well and, in addition to a yacht and a plane, she commissioned this Delahaye 135MS Roadster. After “Madame Rexach” sold the Delahaye to another equally fabulous socialite, it was featured in a 1950 film (Le Château de Verre, or The Glass House).

The Figoni et Falaschi-bodied 1939 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet, as it stood in front of the DIA in 2023, wears a 2012 restoration by Auto Classique Touriane that reversed a prior two-tone repaint to the original silver-over-navy-blue scheme in which Madame Rexach originally ordered it.

Could the flower seller from Reims have imagined that her Delahaye would cross the ocean and, 84 years later, be honored by as automotive royalty in America’s Motor City? Perhaps not, but we’d like to think of Le Mome Moineau smiling at the thought.

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When GMC gave the press its first look at the third-gen Acadia SUV at the Detroit auto show, it parked two of the most expensive configurations on stage: The off-road-oriented AT4, and the extra posh Denali. Usually, automakers choose upper-shelf trims to “represent” models, knowing full well that those trims aren’t the versions most can afford to buy—but in the case of GMC, it had good reason: Over half of the vehicles it sold over the last year, whether SUVs or trucks, were either either Denalis or AT4s.

A cousin of the Chevrolet Traverse, the Acadia enters its third generation as of the 2024 model year. Like the Chevy, also redesigned for 2024, the GMC SUV wears new sheet metal styled to hew more closely to that worn by its larger brother—in this case, the body-on-frame Yukon. The headlights are now roughly C-shaped, with the main illumination bulb tucked underneath the top curve of each C. Additional lighting elements are positioned at the front lower corners of the vehicle, emphasizing its newfound width.

The Acadia is bigger than the SUV it replaces in almost every way, in fact. It sits 10.6 inches longer and 3.6 inches higher than the 2023 vehicle, with an interior offering 80 percent more cargo space behind the third row and 36 percent more behind the second.

The 2024 model is also more powerful. The new Acadia only offers one powertrain: a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (related to the 2.7-liter engine in GMC’s trucks) making 328 hp and 326 lb-ft of torque. That’s 18 more hp and a hefty 55 lb-ft of torque more than the 3.6-liter V-6, which is dropped in the Acadia as of this model year. Towing capacity increases by 1000 pounds compared to the V-6 model, for a total of 5000 pounds.

The SUV is more posh, too, in all the digital, techy ways that matter most in 2023. Super Cruise, GM’s highway-focused hands-free driving system, is now available for the first time on the Acadia (Elevation Premium, AT4, and Denali, though for how much extra, we don’t yet know). The semi-autonomous system can handle a trailer and lane changes, too.

The AT4, the all-wheel-drive, off-road model, now sits a full inch higher, translating directly to more respect given to you by your neighbors. Its default wheels are an inch larger in diameter, as well: 18, rather than 17 inches. The Denali offers the largest wheel ever on an Acadia: a 22-incher (the default remains a 20-inch rim).

In each of the Acadias, the dashboard is dominated by a large, portrait-oriented touchscreen display now measuring 15 inches corner to corner (versus 8). It does much to differentiate the interior of the GMC from its Chevy relative, whose 17.7-inch screen is mounted long ways, or horizontally (hence the “larger” corner-to-corner measurement.) The instrument panel is now digital, too. You’ll have access, through the center screen, to native Google apps thanks to a GM-Google tie-up. Some analog switch gear remains, but until you memorize the order of the toggle switches underneath the screen, you’ll have to glance at the digital readout to know what exactly you’re doing.

The 2024 Acadia will be built in Lansing, Michigan, where GMC relocated production of the 2023 model to make room for the Cadillac Lyriq in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Pricing will be announced at a later date.

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If you’re a fan of Jeeps, you already know the biggest changes Jeep made to the Wrangler as it heads into the 2024 model year. Want the tl;dr version for the 2024 Gladiator? Same deal, plus two new trims—neither of which, however, is a 4xe model.

Both Mojave X and Rubicon X, the newcomers for 2024, add a heavy dose of luxury and varying amounts of off-road kit to their respective trims. You may be familiar with the formula from the Wrangler Rubicon X: the nicest seats in the Jeep playbook (12-way adjustable, leather-upholstered, bum-heating), the nine-speaker Alpine stereo, a steel front bumper, integrated off-road camera, and body-color fender flares. The biggest difference between the “X” two add-on menus is the transfer case: the Mojave X gets an upgrade, from Command-Trac (a part-time unit) to Selec-Trac (full-time).

Just because Jeep didn’t announce a hybrid Gladiator in Detroit doesn’t mean that a 4xe version isn’t on its way. The diesel powertrain is already on its way out, as indicated by the final batch of Gladiators: 1000 Rubicon Far Out models, announced about a month ago. At this point, a 4xe Gladiator could arrive any day; Mopar Insiders thinks production will start at the end of November, so it’s anyone’s guess why Mojave X, not 4xe, is the new trim we’re seeing in Detroit.

For 2024, Gladiator buyers can get any engine they want, as long as it is a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6. Jeep is also kindly saving them the pain of choosing between a 7- and an 8.4-inch touchscreen: All trims come with a far larger one. It measures 12.3 inches and runs a newer version of Uconnect infotainment software (version 5 instead of 4) that allows you to use CarPlay or Android Auto without a wire. Yay!

Whichever flavor you choose, your Gladiator will be safer and more waterproof than any before. Side-curtain airbags are now standard, and Jeep has improved the truck’s resistance to side impacts with structural reinforcements. If you’re glad to know the 2024 Gladiator finally has power-operated seats, wait until you hear they don’t compromise its ability to ford water.

The 2024 Gladiator also wears the newest iteration of the seven-slot grille: Each of the cells are framed in black, a color that also extends from the outside slots up to the bottoms of the circular headlights. The newest Gladiator, like the newest Wrangler, also tucks its antenna into the windshield for convenient trail-readiness.

All of the 2024 model-year trucks will be made in Toledo, Ohio. Orders are open now, and you should see the first examples in dealerships by Christmas.

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The most vocal complaints made from the automotive media concerning Cadillac’s midsize luxury sedan, the CT5, have chiefly targeted its wimpy base engine and its underwhelming interior. Five years into the car’s life, Cadillac has addressed one of those shortcomings.

Before you get your hopes up—this piece will not discuss the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing, for the simple reason that we know nothing about it: Cadillac refused to stray the least bit off-topic in the press briefing we attended for the four- and six-cylinder models. PR reps would not even discuss the six-cylinder V-Series model.

What was discussed: the revised front end, the two new paint colors, and the standard, 33-inch touchscreen on the 2025 CT-5.

Let’s start with the outside. Compared with the 2024 model, the new CT5 looks more chiseled, textured, and aggressively LED-lit. The most obvious change is in the headlamp area: The vertical, blade-like daytime running light—a design cue shared from XT4 to Escalade—is now unbroken. The LEDs that provide the main illumination are now stacked on top of, rather than next to, each other. Body-colored blades extend down and out from the grille, which is no longer framed below by a painted edge: In its place is more black trim and a lashing of satin-finish metal.

Both regular and Sport trims receive new textures for their grilles: One made of chrome details against gloss-black accents, the other a black mesh panel that extends below the body-color section that hides the mandatory pedestrian-protecting bumper. Out back, the only changes are a dose of new LEDs in the taillights.

Normally we’d breeze past paint colors; in the case of Typhoon, a newly available blue-green for 2025 on the CT5, we’d like to take a moment. Normally we’d breeze past paint colors; in the case of Typhoon, a newly available blue-green for 2025 on the CT5, we’d like to take a moment. A moment to complain, really, because Cadillac showed it to us only on the condition we not share it publicly, It looks very close to jade, a cool and glam sort of Sea Foam that Volvo fans will remember from the ’70s. That’s a compliment. The other new color is the metallic blue shown here; it’s pretty, but not as unusual.

For 2025, the two engines carryover with unchanged power numbers: 237 hp for the four-cylinder turbo, the default engine; and 335 hp for the twin-turbo V-6, for which you’ll pay extra—how much extra, we’re not sure.

If you found the four-pot underwhelming, Cadillac is happy to capture your attention elsewhere, up to the now-standard sunroof (previously a $1450 option), and to the front of the cabin, whose dashboard is now dominated by a 33-inch digital display. Capable of 9K resolution, the unit incorporates both instrument cluster (not touch-sensitive) and infotainment screen (touch-sensitive) into one blade-like, sharp edge element. Other luxury-focused updates to the interior include a heated steering wheel, which now comes standard and was before only available as part of the $1090 Climate Package. The CT5 gains Google built-in, a suite of now-native Google apps that began to roll out in GM vehicles beginning with the Hummer EV. The Super Cruise system, which is a cost-add option, adds an additional camera. Placed on the top of the steering column, it tracks the driver’s attention by watching with a camera where their eyes are looking.

Cadillac is staying mum on trim-specific equipment, and even which trims will be offered on the 2025 vehicle. We do know that pricing of the new-ish CT5 will be announced in early 2024. Tune back in to find out full details.

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Though the second-generation NSX supercar was a hybrid, and Honda’s big plans for electrification spawned rumors of a battery-powered halo vehicle in that vein, the first pure-electric Acura was always going to be an SUV, says Acura’s assistant VP of sales for the U.S., Emile Korkor.

The 2024 ZDX is a major first for Honda’s premium marque, though the model is the second SUV in the brand’s history to wear that badge. The first ZDX (model years 2010–2013) was a coupe-like crossover take on the midsize MDX. In retrospect, the recipe was ahead of its time.

The electric ZDX, however, breaks much more significant ground. For one, no Acura with four doors and a trunk has boasted this much power: an estimated 500 hp in top, Type-S trim. Only three bits are shared with an existing Acura model: The four horizontal LEDs arranged under its “chicane” daytime running lights (DRL), which are shared across the lineup; the steering wheel emblem, borrowed from the Integra, and one of the speakers—the tweeter, made by Bang & Olufsen in its first partnership with the automaker.

The 2024 ZDX is the first Acura to showcase the B&O audio system, but it won’t be the last; the system will “cascade” to future models, says the vehicle’s chief engineer, John Hwang. If you’re a huge fan of Panasonic, fret not: The Denmark-based audio company isn’t edging out Acura’s existing audio partner, Panasonic, based in Japan.

Since Acuras are only marketed as such in North America, the L.A. studio took the lead when it came time to evolve the Precision EV Concept, first shown in August of 2022, into a production model. Acura’s dealers, says Korkor, had been asking for an EV for years and were even more pleased with the ZDX than with its 2022 concept forbear. Korkor expects the ZDX to sell in the highest volumes in California—no surprise, given that state’s aggressive EV incentives—and then New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Texas. The EV will sticker around $60K.

Acura plans to market the ZDX as “a good alternative,” in Korkor’s words, to the brand’s biggest SUV, the MDX. After glancing at the MDX’s price structure, we’ll add a qualification: The most expensive version of the electric SUV is a good alternative to the most expensive version of the gas-powered one. Both Type-S models will sticker around $70K. If you like power, the choice is obvious: The ZDX makes around 500 hp to the MDX’s 355.

When comparing entry-level versions of the SUVs, the comparison favors the internal-combustion model. At launch, the cheapest ZDX will cost around $60K; you can get an MDX right now for ten grand less—eight, if you need four driven wheels. (The base ZDX is a single-motor, front-drive configuration.)

Acura won’t let slip where the ZDX will be built, but tax incentives provided by the Inflation Act of 2022 to domestically produced EVs all but ensure it will be made in North America. The ZDX is rather American underneath its handsomely creased sheetmetal, where you’ll find all GM hardware. We’d wager that the ZDX’s closest relative will be the Cadillac Lyriq and that the Acura will be built at that model’s home in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

The GM collaboration isn’t mentioned by Acura in the press release, but the source of the ZDX’s drivetrain was openly acknowledged by engineers at the showing of the car in Detroit. Hwang points to the logos on the wheel centers: His team wanted to use wheel caps from existing models, but the specs of GM’s Ultium platform—specifically, the wheel hubs—were the tiniest bit incompatible.

The Honda e city car is available in Europe, but the automaker has yet to deliver a fully electric vehicle to America with its own badge. Acura will carry that torch for Honda’s first lap around North America, helping fill out a rapidly expanding list of luxury electric SUVs from Cadillac, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and more. The 2024 ZDX appears well-positioned to carve out its niche, and it arrives at an opportune moment.

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Honda, along with its luxury brand Acura, is the latest in a slew of major automakers to strike a deal with Tesla that allows it to use the Texas firm’s electric-vehicle charging network in North America.

Unsurprisingly, Honda simultaneously announced a new electric model for the U.S. and Canada that, like all Honda EVs from 2025 on, will be built with a Tesla-style charge port. The as-yet unnamed car will go on sale in 2025 and use the NACS, or North American Charging Standard, plug. (Elon went full send on that name, didn’t he?) Users will have access to Tesla’s network of over 12,000 Supercharger stations.

Honda’s upcoming EV will be the second promised by the Japanese manufacturer as part of its collaboration with GM, announced back in 2020. The first is the Prologue (pictured at the top of this story), which arrives for the 2024 model year and, like the upcoming 2025 car, will be built in GM plants (because tax incentives) on the Ultium EV platform, the same one that undergirds the new Hummer, the Escalade IQ, and the Silverado EV.

Since General Motors also announced in early June that its future EVs would use the NACS port and have access to the Supercharger network, Honda’s announcement isn’t really a surprise.

The Prologue, along with any other electric vehicles announced by Honda or Acura for 2024, will have a CCS port (Combined Charging System, the previous engineering standard for EVs) but will come with an adaptor that allows users to charge the car at a NACS station. It’s all part of Honda’s plan for North American domination, as we detailed last year:

In North America, Honda has laid out an aggressive timeline of EV introductions based on three initial phases leading to 2030 and ultimately to 100 percent zero-emission automobile sales by 2040: In 2024, begin sales of the Honda Prologue, co-developed with GM. In 2026, begin sales of Honda models based on Honda e:Architecture to be produced by Honda in North America. In 2027, begin sales of a new series of affordable EVs co-developed with GM, also produced by Honda in North America.

Ford was the first of the Big Three companies to hash things out with Tesla. The third of the triad hasn’t indicated that it wants to join the Supercharger party: Stellantis, along with BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Mercedes-Benz, is working to build its own network of EV chargers for North America. The numbers: At least 30,000 stations, compatible with both the NACS and the CCS ports, with the first chargers to become available in the summer of 2024.

Evidently, GM and Honda think that more is merrier when it comes to charging networks, and none of the other five brands in the multinational consortium have forbidden their partners to join forces with Tesla.

A newfound spirit of cooperation? If it means that electric vehicles become cheaper and easier to use, we’re all for it.

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Vehicles from South Korea’s two automotive giants—Kia and Hyundai—are difficult to ignore in the U.S. these days. Some are simply becoming ubiquitous, like the Telluride (Kia) and the Palisade (Hyundai) SUVs, in upper-middle-class suburbs, or the Kona, stalwart of the subcompact class. Other models, especially from Hyundai, look … well, far weirder than most vehicles targeted at the mass market. That funny pickup truck, the Santa Cruz, is essentially the same concept as the Ford Maverick, but you’d never mistake one small truck for the other. The 2024 Santa Fe looks straight out of Minecraft and absolutely nothing like its milquetoast predecessor versions.

Then there’s the mid-size Sonata sedan, the first iteration to sell fewer than 100,000 units in the U.S. since 2005. It was completely redesigned for 2020, with the look of a squashed catfish with a droopy rear-end.

Well, it used to, anyway.

Welcome to the 2024 Sonata. It’s hard to think of a nameplate that has changed so much visually from generation to generation—blocky, then blobby, boring, and even bechromed. Finally, however, Hyundai seems to have struck a balance between the yawn-inducing seventh generation and 2020’s … interesting look. Hyundai also says this is the most aerodynamic Sonata ever, and we believe it.

The visual changes for the 2024 model year are in tune with today’s automotive trends: Daytime running lights move from within the headlights to become a distinct element, here a light bar spanning the nose. (Seamless Horizon Lamp, in Hyundai-speak. Here’s hoping it comes with a free inspirational poster.) Main illumination duty is performed by a set of bulbs set under the cheekbones of the car’s “face,” which is less anthropomorphic than ever.

You may find the new Sonata unappealing for that exact reason, but wait until you see inside. There are more pixels than ever, showcased more boldly than before. Simple, geometric shapes are the name of the game: Gone is the five-sided binnacle that shaded the 2023 car’s instrument cluster, or the rounded trapezoidal frame of the dash-mounted entertainment screen. In their places are rectangles of pixelated real estate, like slim iPads mounted long-ways. The steering wheel ditches 2023’s funky four-spoke design for a three-spoke affair. Clean and unfussy, the mostly black cabin is accented with—oh my goodness, real buttons?!—brushed metallic brightwork. Simple really does look better.

The biggest changes are digital. For the first time, any and all Sonatas now come with wireless Apple CarPlay. (Until last year, only SE trims specced without on-board navigation could mirror a smartphone on their central display without a hard-line connection.) You can unlock your Sonata with your iPhone or Apple Watch, assuming each device is a new-enough model. The 2024 Sonata also accepts over-the-air (OTA) updates from its manufacturer, a technology that only arrived in the Hyundai portfolio recently, in the all-electric Ioniq 6 sedan.

The biggest news, when it comes to the drivetrain, is the arrival of all-wheel drive—a first for the Sonata, and only available with the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine. Engine choices remain the same: Most models get that 2.5-liter four-pot, the sporty N-Line gets a 2.5-liter turbocharged version, and the hybrid downsizes to 2.0 liters while adding the electric hardware. The hybrid now offers paddle shifters and a regen braking mode. The regen system’s presence on a hybrid should appeal to users who don’t want or can’t afford to buy an EV but still want a bit of that experience.

Hyundai isn’t talking prices yet, but the 2024 Sonata goes on sale this winter, so we expect the automaker to release that information in the next few months.

With the 2024 Sonata, Hyundai seems well-positioned to make the most of a market segment that is still shrinking. For as long as it lasts, we’ll venture this much: South Korea’s four-door car is looking better than ever.

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Live near Detroit? Your teen could attend a field trip this September—for free, through their high school—and return to school you on racing lines and tire temperatures.

If it sounds like someone is training kids for Formula 1, you’re not far off. This day-long workshop, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. September 12 to 20 is organized by a brand-new company called Sim 4 STEM, co-founded in May of 2023 by Stefy Bau and Nicci Daly. The mission of Sim 4 STEM is to discover new female talent and grow the talent pool of women competing on and off the track. The whole program focuses on sim racing over go-karting because, Bau says, “We meet kids where they are—every kid is online.” An Italian-born motocross veteran, Bau is also CEO of Init Esports.

The Sim 4 STEM program centers around five hands-on activities, each designed to place participants in a different motorsports-oriented role. “Not everyone’s going to want to be a driver,” says Daly, Formula Female’s other co-founder, who spent three years working in IndyCar as a data engineer before pursuing field hockey as a member of Ireland’s Olympic team. (In 2018, Ireland won silver.)

Data engineer, mechanic, even influencer—the program includes a taste of each. The kids build a temperature sensor and connect it to a miniature data logger. They learn to read the live readouts on a laptop, as if they were monitoring tire temperatures from the garage on behalf of a driver. The pitstop challenge brings out everyone’s competitive sides: Teams are chosen to include students from different schools. Using a rig equipped with go-kart tires (for safety’s sake), each team competes to complete the fastest pitstop.

Don’t worry, though—everyone gets behind the wheel. Sim 4 STEM supplies all the equipment, including the sim rigs, with real-deal Recaro seats, pedal kits by Fanatec, and cockpits built by Next Level Racing. After the teens learn how to build their own sim-racing steering wheel, they learn how to use math to calculate the fastest racing line around a track. Then it’s straight to the sims to prove that the geometry actually makes you faster. During the iRacing sessions, they learn how to get their tires into the optimum temperature range and discover how tire temps affect handling and lap times.

The Detroit program will be Sim 4 Stem’s second; the first event was held in Indianapolis, timed to overlap with the Indy 500. After the indoor activities were done, the teens got to go into an active garage and actually watch a pitstop.

“If they can see it,” says Daly, “They can believe it and be inspired to achieve it.”

Held at the Detroit Historical Society Museum, September’s event is special because Sim 4 Stem is partnering with DeLorean Next Gen Motors (DNG), a not-for-profit automotive company headed by Kathryn DeLorean, who has a passion for equipping young people to pursue careers in the automotive industry. DNG will be providing free lunches for each of the nine days, along with a ticket to the Detroit Auto Show for each participant. The show is open to the public September 16–24 at Huntington Place, where DNG is expected to introduce its first-ever vehicle—the JZD, named after the initials of Kat’s father, John.

If your child (or grand child’s) school is interested in sending students to the Sim 4 STEM program, but doesn’t have vehicles that can transport all the students, tell the educators to reach out to the museum: It is offering a grant to provide buses to schools without them.

The first five days (September 12–16) of the Sim 4 STEM workshop are reserved for girls between the ages of 14 and 18; from September 17 to 20, everyone 14 to 18 is invited. The workshop is roughly the length of a school day: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can register here for a student (or if you are one yourself), and here if you’re representing a school.

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If you’re a fan of the newest and wildest cars from the world’s most chic automakers, there are only a few places you can see them en masse and IRL. One of those places is Monterey Car Week, an annual smattering of glamorous automotive events held in California each August. Hagerty attends each year, with much of its focus on the vintage metal at the collector-car auctions, historic races, and the swanky Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. However, we’d be remiss if we left out the newcomers scattered on the various manicured lawns of the Monterey Peninsula.

The automakers present say much about the status of Monterey Car Week: Bugatti, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Lamborghini all told us to expect new vehicles, and a few of their compatriots, like Ferrari and Automobilia Pininfarina, showed up with their own. Here are eight exotics, each one headed for production—most, in very limited quantity—and a few that are one of a kind. We’ve even included a bonus concept car from Acura. Whether it will be built, who could say.

Enjoy!

Bugatti Chiron “Golden Era” — 1 built

The Chiron was introduced to the world seven years ago at the Geneva motor show, another destination event for exotic-car seekers. Though EV pioneer Mate Rimac, who took leadership of Bugatti in 2021, says that there’s a future for the internal-combustion engine under his reign, he hasn’t been any more concrete than that. The Chiron, with its sixteen cylinders and four turbochargers is enjoying a sort of early nostalgia—a reminder of gas-powered supercars that may be in their twilight era. The slew of one-off variants, typical for a high-end manufacturer such as Bugatti, is leaning heavily into that emotion.

The “Golden Era” Chiron shown for the first time at Monterey is a bit … on the nose. It’s a Super Sport model—the long-tail one with 1577 rather than 1500 hp—tailored by Bugatti’s customization department, Sur Mesure. The stand-out details: sketches of past Bugattis hand-drawn on the car’s sides, a project that took over 400 hours. The passenger door has 26 drawings, spanning milestones in Bugatti’s history from 1909 to 1956. The chronology is completed by the 19 sketches on the driver’s side door.

Aston Martin Valour — 110 to be built

If this Aston looks familiar, it’s because the automaker revealed press photography and mechanical specs in July. Last week, however, marked its first showing in North America. Newsworthy? Not hugely, but we’re happier now that we’ve laid eyes on this gorgeous, manual-transmission, twin-turbo-V-12-powered coupe. It does really exist, and it is awesome.

So awesome that it distracted us from the Aston that was announced just a few days ago, the new one we were told to expect: The convertible variant of the DB12. You can read more about it here.

Maserati MCXtrema — 62 to be built

When Maserati showed us the sultry MC20 supercar—powered by an engine built not by Ferrari but by Maserati itself—it also told us that the brand would go back into racing. The MCXtrema isn’t the version of the MC20 that will go racing (that’s the GT2 we first saw in June); think of it as a private track-day toy to court the sort of deep-pocketed sponsors you’d need to run a factory race team. (Toy, for the record, comes straight from the press release.) The name is a bit immature, unfortunately; it sounds like it belongs on an energy drink, not a pure-bred Italian supercar hot-rodded with 100 extra hp by the brand that made it.

Ferrari Tailor Made 812 Competizione — 1 built

A supercar should look like something you jotted in your notebook margins in high school, right? Ferrari’s latest one-off is creative and quite cool. Maranello’s customization division chose an 812 Competizione—of which Ferrari will only make 999—and, after painting it matte yellow, decided to imagine the V-12 coupe as a life-sized version of a design sketch, which Ferrari designers traditionally scribble on yellow paper. The motif of an in-progress drawing is carried out inside, where Ferrari actually embroidered words and arrows on the Alcantara and polyester surfaces.

Lamborghini Lanzador — TBD

We should have suspected, when Lamborghini assured us that its new concept “would not be an SUV,” that the automaker would show us something … that we’d want to call an SUV.

This is the Lanzador. (Blame whoever was naming fighting bulls back in the ’90s.) It is a “high ground-clearance GT with 2+2 seats,” powered by two electric motors, one on each axle. Lambo isn’t talking output yet, but the whole package is shouty enough to work. Most customers will probably know it as “the electric Lamborghini,” and in that role, the Lanzador probably will do quite well. Expect some version of it to hit production in 2028.

Pininfarina B95 — 10 to be built

Though the first Tesla was actually a convertible, most EVs today are fixed-roof affairs. That makes Pininfarina Automobili’s open-top, 1874-hp beauty even more exotic. Called the B95, its drivetrain is taken from the $2M Battista hypercar: a motor on each wheel, and a T-shaped arrangement of lithium-ion cells.

Would you ever want to be caught in a rainstorm in this? No, but when you can afford a one-of-10 car, you probably can employ your own weatherman to tell you when it’s safe to cruise the French Riviera. Pininfarina will even let you customize two helmets to match your B95 … which you have already customized, of course. The automaker assures us that no two B95s will be alike.

Bentley

2023 marks 20 years of Bentley’s two-door, W-12- or V-8-powered grand tourer, the first model produced by the company after it was purchased by the VW Group in 1998. While a livery of VW badges would have been hilarious, Bentley kept things classy for the anniversary.

A one-off only made sense when celebrating Bentley’s top-selling model. It chose a hotter, “Speed” variant and gave it a color scheme to match the very first 2000s-era Continental GT: green over tan, with an appropriate but subtle smattering of commemorative sill plates, dash engravings, and exterior badges. We can smell the leather from here … mmm.

Rolls-Royce Drop Tail — 4 to be built

Wondering why Rolls-Royce’s Drop Tail costs $37M? One huge reason is the bespoke carbon-fiber monocoque that forms the essential structure of the V-12-powered two-seat roadster. Rolls is only building four examples, which means the development and tooling costs are probably nauseating: Lowering per-unit costs by increasing volume was clearly not a concern here.

Oh, and then there’s the 1603-piece wood-panel dashboard, which took one painstaking soul more than nine months to finish. And the swooping tail of the vehicle, which took who knows how many designers and engineers two years to refine. Time is money, and all that …

Bonus: Acura Performance Electric Vision Design Study — TBD

Monterey evidently gets Acura feeling all dramatic and coy about upcoming products. Two years ago, we saw a silhouette of the new Integra in the sky, formed by an array of illuminated drones.

For 2023, we—well, if we squint—see something low-slung and swoopy, with two doors and absolutely no room for anything more than two people. It will be all-electric, no surprise, and high-performance: The next NSX, perhaps? Who knows. Maybe Acura will roll out the chorus of singing angels for that one.

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Nissan’s in-house performance division, Nismo, has a long history of tuning the automaker’s road cars, guided by lessons learned in racing. Mind you, Nismo doesn’t usually hot-rod an existing vehicle in the same way that Shelby amps up Ford’s Mustang, starting by yanking out the base engine for one with 60 percent more horsepower. Though the Nismo version of the 2024 Z is slightly more powerful (+20 hp, +34 lb-ft) than the base car, thanks to faster-spinning turbochargers and a refined ignition system, the engineers spent the majority of their time making a more agile Z. The manual transmission offered on the regular Z was voted out from the start; it simply didn’t shift fast enough. With that decision made, Nismo focused on stiffening the Z’s chassis, developing grippier tires with Dunlop, and refining the car’s aerodynamic kit. They even bolted in Z Nismo-specific Recaro seats so you and your passenger don’t get too jostled.

To understand the subtle but significant changes to this Nismo Z, we pored over the car with performance development manager Christian Spencer, who has spent time behind the wheel of this car during its extensive testing at Buttonwillow Raceway in California.

Oh, and if you’re wondering how much the Nismo version costs, so are we: Nissan is staying tight-lipped for now.

Chassis

It all starts with a stiffer chassis. For this tighter-handling Z, Nismo redesigned the steel braces in the front and the rear of the car and added more bracing underneath the floor. The new strut-tower brace is adjustable—you won’t find it on the base car. Torsional rigidity increases by 2.5 percent.

Suspension

Springs, shocks, stabilizer bar, bushings, engine mounts: To complement the stiffer chassis, NISMO replaced every one of these components. The springs have a higher rate and the shocks are larger. The NISMO Z shares no suspension hardware with the base car, Spencer says.

Aerodynamic kit

There’s more going on here than a red-accented body kit. Nismo’s Z wears a longer nose, fitted with a canard at each corner. These canards create a vortex over each wheel, an air movement pattern that helps suck the car to the ground. Out back, you’ll find that the edges of the rear bumper are near-vertical, with sharply angled faces—a trick to interrupt the air as it flows past the back of the car. This “wake” produces, according to one study, 30 percent of the aerodynamic drag on a vehicle.

The rear spoiler is Nismo-specific, too. It’s taller and wider than the one on the Performance-trim Z, and it is split into three pieces so that you can still open the trunk. Considerate!

Shift timing

The number and ratio of gears in the nine-speed transmission haven’t changed, but shift speeds have, thanks to software changes. Downshifts, according to the manufacturer, happen almost twice as fast as they do on the non-NISMO Z—at least, if you’ve toggled the new, Nismo-specific drive mode, Sport+, which cues the transmission to be as aggressive as possible. (Spencer doesn’t recommend it for street driving; you might feel like an F1 driver, but your passenger might not appreciate it.) Engaging the gears quicker and harder generates more friction, so engineers added new clutch packs to dissipate the heat.

Steering feel

The Z’s electric power steering system uses a motor mounted to the steering rack, like most cars these days. Compared with a hydraulic pump, which takes up much more space, an electric motor is compact and its force can be “infinitely adjusted.” This gives engineers a great degree of control, which means the Nismo steering can have a distinct, more responsive feel than the ordinary Z, says Spencer. The degree of effort varies across the three drive modes and is highest in Sport Plus.

Spark timing

Along with the upgrades to the two turbochargers, which allow them to spin 5000 rpm faster, Spencer says that the most significant technical changes made to the Z’s 3.0-liter V-6 were to the ignition system. Nismo spent some extra money to place a control unit on each cylinder, ensuring that each cylinder receives a more precisely timed spark.

Tires

You won’t find these exact Dunlops on the regular Z (it wears Bridgestones) or on any other car. Nismo started with the tire compound it uses on the six-figure, all-wheel-drive GT-R and worked with Dunlop to tailor it to the Z. Aspect ratio and height remains the same as on the Z Performance, though the rears are 10 mm wider (285 mm) on the Nismo version. Wheels are still 19-inch forged aluminum-alloy affairs made by Rays, albeit featuring a multi-spoke design in this application.

Brakes

The front brake rotors are ever so slightly larger than the ones on the Performance Z: 15.0 inches in diameter for the Nismo variant vs. 14.8. Those on the rears remain the same size from Nismo to regular, at 13.8. The brake-pad compound is more aggressive, however, as you’d expect for a car intended for harder use.

What will all Nismo’s changes mean for what’s now the hottest Z of the bunch? Watch this space to find out.

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There is hardly a metric in which the battery-powered Escalade IQ does not challenge or surpass the engine-powered trucks: horsepower, price, wheel diameter, touchscreen pixels, turning radius, aerodynamic efficiency. For a few years, the electric- and the gas-powered trucks will even be sold side-by-side in Cadillac dealers, paving the way for the biggest question of all: Does the electric Escalade still say what an Escalade should say about the person driving it?

The Escalade first appeared in 1999 as, essentially, a Yukon Denali. Cadillac rebadged the GMC in an almighty rush, because the Lincoln Navigator, introduced for 1998, was selling better than anyone expected. So what if Cadillac wasn’t about SUVs? It was a company, and it needed to make money. Car and Driver received the first Escalade with mild confusion. Yes, it was luxurious, but it was expensive and flashy, more like a statement of prestige for prestige’s sake than a truly excellent automobile. Turns out, a statement was exactly what people wanted.

Cadillac has since updated the Escalade four times. The debut locations of each generation are telling: Pebble Beach, California; Beverly Hills; Miami, Florida; Beverly Hills, again. An Escalade is a vehicle you aspire to own, to be seen driving in the money-flashingest cities. One interior designer even admits that the model name has even superseded that of the manufacturer, which reveals the purity of the Escalade line as much as the hodgepodge that is the rest of Cadillac’s portfolio. Cadillac said in June of 2020 that all its electric models would carry names ending in “iq,” a promise it fulfilled with the Lyriq and the Celestiq. The Escalade name, however, carries so much cachet that Cadillac couldn’t afford to alter it, said that same designer. The company decided to simply tack on “IQ” as a sort of acronym after the familiar name.

The electric Escalade unveiled in New York City, in contrast to its forebears, is a clean-sheet design—unless, of course, you happen to look, yet again, at the GMC stable, to find that the powertrain is shared with the Hummer EV. Perhaps Cadillac should have picked another phrase, because what’s remarkable here is not what is novel but what is not: Visual cohesiveness with Cadillac’s other two electric vehicles, the $60K Lyriq and the $340K+ Celestiq, and even to Escalades with catalytic converters.

You notice the size first: The Escalade IQ is wider than its fossil-fuel siblings, and just about as tall, only three inches shorter than the long-wheelbase ESV. Then, you’ll start to notice what’s different: The roofline droops front to rear. The grille has LEDs instead of vents. Those hallmark horizontal taillights are now two-piece affairs.

Chenxing Yu, aerodynamics engineer for the Escalade IQ, says that, while her team was able to touch the vehicle “literally everywhere,” it had to play within a box; the electric truck had to look like an Escalade. It also had to hew to the language set by the Lyriq and Celestiq, which explains why those taillights, which house “piano key” LEDs under a clear lens with an aero-optimized, sharp trailing edge, had to be broken into top and bottom sections. It’s what the other IQ cars do.

Sometimes, Yu’s team spent months going back and forth with the design team on the shape of a single component: For instance, the applique on the side of the rear spoiler that connects the spoiler to the rear glass. Aero wanted it to be bigger, chunkier; design wanted it to be slimmer, sleeker. In other areas, design got its way: The wheels, for instance, which would measure no fewer than 24 inches in diameter.

All of these changes reflect a more aerodynamic SUV. For an EV, more aerodynamic efficiency places less drain on the batteries, yielding a longer range. (Cadillac estimates 450 miles, though you can expect the EPA rating to be a bit lower.) Engineers aren’t yet allowed to share the final drag coefficient, but the 15 percent gain compared to ICE Escalades is more pertinent anyways: You can only make a house so appealing to the air.

The interior design team got the fun job of picking from the catalog built for the Celestiq, though it had to work with a $130K rather than a $340K starting price. The massive, 55-inch dash-mounted touchscreen was an obvious include, but when the designers put it in the electric Escalade, they discovered it was too narrow to fill the cabin. To add length, the screen gained a speaker on each end.

Carrying over the Celestiq’s two-spoke steering wheel design was a simpler affair, as was the radar system in the doors that automatically opens them when an owner approached carrying the key fob. Rear-wheel steering is another shared feature, although the Escalade has one party trick the Celestiq doesn’t: Arrival Mode, which is Cadillac’s version of the Hummer’s Crab Walk, in which all wheels spin in the same direction to pivot the vehicle almost on a dime.

A 200-kWh battery pack capable of 800V charging sits between those wheels. (Good luck finding a station with that level of zap, though.) Each pair is driven by its own electric motor. Direct comparison with the most powerful of engine-powered Escalades requires a bit of qualification: The electric truck can temporarily, under V-Max mode, produce a scorching 750 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque. The power that’s available from the motors all of the time, no tricks needed, is 680 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque, figures that fall a little below those of the supercharged V-8 in the $150K, limited-production Escalade-V: 682 hp, 653 lb-ft of torque, as long as there’s gas in the tank.

Bench-race the V with the IQ however you will, because in power and in price the IQ model is clearly a different breed than the naturally aspirated Escalades: They produce 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Hardly embarrassing, especially if you want to spend less than six figures and say that you drive a new Escalade.

Towing capacity remains as high as it has ever been: 8000 pounds. Air suspension is still available, and especially welcome for its aerodynamic flexibility: At speed, the vehicle will hunker down to reduce drag and squeeze out a few more miles. The system is complemented by version 4.0 of GM’s Magnetic Ride Control. Super Cruise comes standard.

Cadillac will start building the Escalade IQ in the summer of 2025, when production will move from Texas to Michigan.

Can Detroit build an electric Escalade to eventually replace the gas-powered one? The jury’s out until we drive it, and even after then: As with the original Escalade, the journalistic verdict is no guarantee of success or failure; your judgment carries the most weight.

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Chevrolet built just 4640 Corvettes between 1953 and 1955, which makes each survivor of this initial “C1” design a special car in its own right. But perhaps none is quite as special as the 1954 Corvette prototype that will go under the hammer at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction on August 18 and 19. Because the mere fact this ‘Vette still exists at all is exceptional.

This car’s story goes back all the way to the very beginning of the Corvette program, prior to ’53, when GM built a batch of around 15 pre-production prototypes for experimental and display use. Largely hand-built, these vehicles were issued only a four-digit S.O. (“Shop Order”) code for internal use rather than a regular production-code number, as would have been used for a salable car.

Known initially as S.O. 2000, this particular Corvette prototype began life as a pale yellow hardtop model. It didn’t stay that way for long, though. Dismantled in early 1954, its body returned to GM’s design department where it received a new “S.O. 2151” code as well as a new chassis.

Most important in this context, the car got a fresh look. Under the watch of GM’s legendary design chief Harley Earl, this Corvette was transformed into a so-called “Proposal Car,” a prototype built for GM management to evaluate the styling changes intended for the Corvette’s 1955 model year. Given that the scope of this project was a simple facelift, likely meant to rekindle interest in the Corvette amid flagging sales, the car’s fundamental design and proportions didn’t change. Nevertheless, it’s an intriguing glimpse into Earl’s ideas for the Corvette’s evolution, highlighting a somewhat different design direction from the one he eventually chose for the model’s subsequent 1956 revamp.

In automobile design, the period between the end of World War II and 1960 was characterized by an intense creative exchange between the two sides of the Atlantic. On the one hand, to people in war-ravaged Europe, the triumphant U.S.A. represented a beacon of progress, the promise of a brighter future. In car design terms, this translated into European automakers’ wide adoption of design elements like wraparound glass and tailfins.

On the other hand, Detroit’s stylists sought inspiration from the Old World’s design heritage to lend a certain prestige and sophistication to their mass-market offerings. This Corvette prototype serves as an excellent case in point.

Design cues like the aggressive egg-crate grille, non-functional hood scoop, and slanted air outlets on the front fenders were all lifted straight from period Ferraris. Chevrolet’s curvaceous little roadster originated from Harley Earl’s desire to create an all-American answer to the growing success of European sports cars, so the look of this proposed facelift seems to further build on that original idea.

Interestingly, the decorative chrome trim pieces adorning the fender’s air outlets are only present on the left side of the car. The same goes with the Corvette script, which is also placed differently from left to right. A convenient way to evaluate different options using a single model, such asymmetrical prototypes are still a staple of every automaker’s design process.

The most notable styling change at the rear of S.O. 2151 is the trunk lid, whose shape is redolent of the ’54 Motorama’s fastback Corvair show car. The exhaust tips integrated into the rear bumperette’s design are another noteworthy feature, if only because they are the sole design element from this Corvette that made it onto the redesigned 1956 model.

General Motors ultimately decided not to change the Corvette’s appearance for the 1955 model year. With just 700 cars produced that year, the Corvette program was hanging by a thread and was ultimately, albeit indirectly, saved by the Ford Motor Company. As the Thunderbird outsold the Corvette more than 20 times over in ’55, GM reimagined the Corvette for 1956 with better weather protection, roll-up windows, and an overall glitzier appearance.

For GM or any other automaker, cars like S.O. 2151 are development tools. It may seem cold and shortsighted through a retrospective lens, but once such prototypes serve their purpose, their life expectancy can usually be measured in weeks. So, although we may never know exactly how this unique Corvette managed to escape destruction, let alone slip into private hands, it’s important to recognize its survival as an exceptional occurrence.

Following a painstaking restoration that took three years and brought this forgotten piece of Corvette history back to its appearance during its (fleeting) glory days of mid-1954, S.O. 2151 made its public debut at The Amelia in March this year.

Given the car’s unique status and significance, it comes as no surprise that Gooding & Company estimates it could fetch between $1.5M and $2M on the auction block, which means it could become the most expensive “C1” Corvette ever sold. That honor currently belongs to a 1962 Corvette “Gulf Oil” race car, which sold for $1.65M in 2015 at an RM Sotheby’s auction.

Although few people can afford to bid for the privilege of being this Corvette’s next custodian, those who saved, lovingly restored, and documented it all made a priceless contribution to the preservation of automobile history. That makes us all a little bit richer, no?

**

Matteo Licata received his degree in Transportation Design from Turin’s IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) in 2006. He worked as an automobile designer for about a decade, including a stint in the then-Fiat Group’s Turin design studio, during which his proposal for the interior of the 2010–20 Alfa Romeo Giulietta was selected for production. He next joined Changan’s European design studio in Turin and then EDAG in Barcelona, Spain. Licata currently teaches automobile design history to the Transportation Design bachelor students of IAAD (Istituto di Arte Applicata e Design) in Turin.

***

The post 1954 Corvette Prototype: A Euro-flair design that never was appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Powerful, lightweight, high-revving, and packing a manual transmission—the newest 911 is a waking dream for a sports car enthusiast.

It’s more of a reality for very well-to-do sports-car enthusiasts.

To celebrate 60 years of its beloved 911, Porsche has stuck its hottest, naturally aspirated engine into its most svelte 911 body: The 516-hp, 9000-rpm flat-six from the 911 GT3 RS into the understated, wing-less figure of the 911 GT3 Touring. If you don’t get fussy with the order sheet, this manual-only coupe—designated S/T—is the lightest 911 in the current portfolio. Porsche will make one thousand, nine hundred and sixty-three of them, each priced at $291,650.

In case you’re not up to date on your Porsche acronyms, the 911 GT3 RS is the barely street-legal one with the fancy, adjusts-on-the-fly aerodynamic bits. All of the GT3 variants are naturally aspirated; though the turbocharged 911 models make way more horsepower, the GT3 cars are generally favored by the purists for their sharp driving dynamics and nuanced feedback.

The purists are exactly the ones Porsche has in mind with the S/T. And who but the nerdiest of Porsche nerds would know that, in 1969, “S/T” was the internal code for the racing version of the 911 S? (We, ahem, totally knew that.)

To hit that magical 3056-pound figure, Porsche spared no expense. After removing the rear-wheel steering system found in other GT3-line 911s, Porsche reached for the lightest, most exotic materials handy: Magnesium for the center-lock wheels, a carbon-ceramic compound for the brake rotors, and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic for almost every panel ahead of the rear wheels. The rear axle’s anti-roll bar and the stiffening element on the rear axle are carbon-fiber, too. Porsche tapped its engineering department on the shoulder to request a lightweight clutch be developed specifically for this car.

Together with a single-mass flywheel and shortened gear ratios in the six-speed transmission, that clutch does more than save weight; it allows the 516-hp 4.0-liter flat-six to hit its 9000-rpm redline even quicker than before. Porsche says the throttle “responds to input with striking urgency,” a description which suggests to us that Germans are squeamish when it comes to phrases like “pants-crapping quick” in their press materials. Top speed is 186 mph.

Inside, the changes are subtle. You’ll find no back seat, in good GT3 tradition, only a set of carbon-fiber buckets—which you can swap out for four-way adjustable chairs at the cost of zero dollars and an undisclosed number of pounds. The instrument cluster and the dash clock are accented with green. As you might guess, the S/T is way too cool for door handles; you get loops instead, as in the GT3.

Aside from the Gurney flap on the extending rear spoiler, even a keen eye would have a hard time telling an S/T apart from a GT3 Touring. The clues lie on the rear deck, where you’ll find two plaques, one celebrating the 911’s 60th, the other identifying it as a 911 S/T. If that second badge is finished in gold, the discerning owner probably wanted numbers on the side of the car, and a comfier leather interior, all of which come with the optional Heritage Design Package.

Porschephiles at this fall’s Rennsport Reunion will be the first to see the S/T.  Nobody will have the privilege of parking one in their temperature-controlled garage until spring of 2024. Naturally, each also comes with a Porsche-badged watch, logically called the Chronograph 1 – 911 S/T.

Company executives have promised that the 911 will remain combustion-powered for as long as possible; against the background of electrification, we’re cognizant of one thing: even if you can get it at sticker, $291,650 might be the cheapest this finely fettled Porsche will ever be.

***

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In this photo, up-and-coming fashion model Kathryn DeLorean is four months pregnant. She’s already had one change in career and residence—when her mother, world-famous model Cristina Ferrare, marched her into the country’s top agency and forced her to sign a contract. Goodbye coffee-shop job and boyfriend; hello, New York. The next decision was Kat’s. She quit modeling to give her child what she never had—a chance to grow up not famous.

Decades later, years after taking her husband’s last name, Kat asked her daughter’s permission to once again appear in public as a DeLorean. Her daughter said yes. Kat wants to do what her father never could: restart the family car company.

She’s planning to avoid small hotel rooms and cocaine dealers.

***

This January, Kat and Jason Seymour celebrated 19 years of marriage. Wanna go see Elvis? he asked in 2004. Into her F-150 they jumped, driving from their home in California to Las Vegas’s Little White Wedding Chapel. Vows exchanged, they got back into the truck and drove home.

To mark the anniversary, the couple had wanted to leave their three adult children and newly acquired farmhouse in rural New Hampshire for a getaway trip, but at the last minute, they decided to attend a car show in Miami instead. Their celebratory Instagram posts—one on Kat’s personal account and one on the DeLorean Next Gen Motors account, which Jason runs—feature her in a ball gown and fur coat, at the Motorcar Cavalcade in front of a DeLorean DMC-12, the only production vehicle to wear the family name. “My king,” she wrote in her caption. “My queen,” Jason’s post said, “love you more than there are stars in the sky.”

On this bitterly cold morning, Jason is in front of the farmhouse in a parka and work boots, in the property’s unpaved and thoroughly iced-over driveway. The battery in their heavy-duty Ford pickup, their daily driver, has gone kaput. To the left, covered in snow, are Kat’s treasured Pontiac Trans Am, “Babs,” and a late-model Acura.

From behind the front door comes a volley of barks—Grim, the yearling Dane, is excited to meet a visitor. Kat opens the door smelling faintly of nail polish. Clad in an ankle-length knit cardigan, a home-dyed rainbow ponytail trailing past her waist, she reasons with the crated dog: Thank you, yes, thank you Grim, good boy, it’s OK.

The two-story house, custom-built by an amateur, makes little sense. The mudroom-slash-foyer, accessing both driveway and backyard, is chilly and cavernous. To the right, a pass-through fireplace dominates the living room; stairs to the upper story are at left. Glass cabinets teem with memorabilia; in one of those cabinets, just beneath a collection of vintage coupe glasses, sit a pair of brown cowboy boots that belonged to Kat’s father, John, their scaly leather tops flopped to the side.

Up the stairs, past a hallway decorated with children’s artwork, is the carpeted bedroom Kat and Jason use as an office. Inside, propped against a wall, near a window framed by a Mickey Mouse back scratcher and vintage prints of 1950s Pontiacs, is the only Back to the Future II poster signed by John Z. DeLorean. A bundled curtain is thumbtacked to the ceiling above Kat’s lime-green Minecraft office chair, noise insulation for the podcast mic on her desk. On a corkboard nearby, coding shorthand jostles with a picture cut from a DMC-12 brochure, a poster from the local DeLorean club—North East Regional DeLoreans, or NERDS— and a page torn from a word-of-the-day calendar.

The page is for Thursday, July 1, 2021. The word is cabbage, v: to take or appropriate without right: steal, filch.

***

John DeLorean was acquitted of federal drug-dealing charges in 1984. The years immediately prior were front-page material. After abandoning a shot at the presidency of General Motors, then the world’s largest automaker, John resigned in 1973 to start his own car company. Nine years later, crippled by recession, the DeLorean Motor Company was bankrupt. Its desperate founder had done everything he could to save it—even, the prosecution argued, going so far as to meet undercover FBI agents in a cramped room in the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles and agreeing to ship cocaine into the country.

The trial lasted five months. John fought eight federal charges, including possession and distribution of cocaine. A full conviction would have condemned him to 67 years in prison. The jury decided the whole thing smelled like entrapment and declared him not guilty on August 16.

It’s hard to tell which member of the family had a worse experience in the years that followed. Cristina, Kat’s mother, left John exactly one month later. “No one’s talking divorce,” the family lawyer said, but one was official by April 1985. So was Cristina’s marriage to Hollywood producer and ABC head Tony Thomopoulos, whom she had married two weeks prior. Cristina got custody of her son, Zachary, whom John had adopted, and their biological daughter, Kathryn. Along with the fallout from the end of his third marriage, John faced a Detroit grand jury over misuse of company funds. At school, the children faced grade-schoolers armed with endless cocaine jokes.

The release of the film Back to the Future, on July 3, 1985, not a full year after the acquittal, and the subsequent ascension of the DeLorean automobile to pop-culture immortality, came tragically late. For Kat, the car represented something worse than a failed business: Every time she saw a DMC-12, she remembered a life and a family that no longer existed.

“I had a really difficult relationship with the car,” she says. “If there was an iconic representation of your life falling apart, would you park it in your driveway?”

Six years after the movie, when Kat turned 10, her last name still rhymed with crime. In their 1991 track “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow,” New York rap duo Nice & Smooth lit the jokes afresh: And furthermore, I’m not DeLorean, I don’t deal coke and you’re making me broke. As John retreated to a family house in Bedminster, New Jersey, Cristina sallied back into Hollywood, where her ex-husband had once been one of the biggest names in town.

Kat shuttled between East and West, father and mother. Life in Los Angeles was dinner parties and red carpets; one Thanksgiving was a 75-person affair with Henry Winkler and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Her mother allowed Kat only two 10-minute phone calls to her father per day; Kat won more time by asking his help with her math homework. By her fourth-grade graduation, she had finished the ninth-grade geometry book. Teenage Kat found L.A. glamor exhausting, wanting only to hang out with her dad in New Jersey, on his 454-acre estate—“my own private continent,” she says. East Coast life couldn’t have been more different: jeans and fishing and dirt bikes and carpentry. And dogs, always dogs.

Work hard, her dad taught her, and you can have whatever you want. If Kat wanted more than one new game a month for her Nintendo, she had to work on the farm. She baled a lot of hay. That was also when she started dyeing her hair wild colors, age 12 or 13. Her dad supported her but pulled no punches. “He used to tell me that I looked like an asshole. His point was, be who you are, but understand how the world will perceive you.” Father then would drive daughter to New York to buy Manic Panic hair dye from Tish and Snooky’s, because it was the ’90s and that was all you could get.

Along with a sense of the power of names came a drive to earn what she had. In her mind, her first car wasn’t the Camaro Z/28 for which her mom had loaned her $20,000; it was the 1998 Trans Am she bought with her own money and still has. More than her modeling career, which funded that purchase, she talks about her 20 years at Bank of America, seven of which were spent on a cybersecurity “red team.” One of her responsibilities was to hunt down weakness in—i.e., hack into—the bank’s network. She takes extra pride in that part of her life: “I did it without leveraging my name.”

Kat had joined the bank after quitting modeling to give birth to her first daughter. She was a senior lead on the weekend night shift when her boss asked her to attend an annual meeting of the bank’s upper execs. Should she dye her hair back to its natural brown, she asked? Screw the dress code, he said; you’re my rockstar, anyone who objects can talk to me. So in she walked, swinging four feet of purple ponytail.

That boss understood her, she says. She has never stopped dyeing her hair.

***

In the office, atop a vintage Ms. Pac-Man video game table, are a set of gold-rimmed china plates that belonged to her father, strewn with pizza crusts from the family-owned place down the street. She sits cross-legged on the floor a few feet away. Nine of her fingernails are purple; the thumb wears a coat of a Korean-made polish that “cracks” in large flakes to reveal metallic copper. (“My pride and joy.”) In a corner rest two large plastic cases of nail polish, part of a meticulously preserved collection that took years to amass and was mostly scrounged on clearance. Showing it to a reporter required some insistence.

On the floor are bins of memories—Polaroids upon Polaroids, her father’s last driver’s license, People and Life magazines featuring him and his family, full-page reprints from her modeling portfolio, pictures of engines that never made production. John’s business plan for starting another DeLorean car company, whose timeline Kat has been following nearly step-for-step. (Last week: Visit manufacturing facilities.) She thumbs through a bound sheaf of paper—John’s unpublished book.

“If you’ve come across something about my mom, don’t read it.”

She holds out a photo of herself, young and tiny, playing gin on a couch with her father. When Kat got her first apartment, he gave her that couch. Its upholstery was worn in two spots, one where each had sat.

“Then my ex-husband set the couch on fire,” she notes. The conversation lulls for a bit.

She feels like she knew her father, she says, but is realizing more and more that she didn’t know John DeLorean. “In every story he told me, my dad left out the part where he changed the world.” When GM leadership wouldn’t listen to his arguments about the necessity of safety equipment, for example, the star executive shared the frustration with his daughter. What he didn’t mention, what she discovered years later, was how airbag research he had conducted as an independent consultant in the 1970s helped debunk Detroit manufacturers’ artificially inflated cost estimates for the technology, featured prominently in federal hearings, and helped make the bags mandatory on new vehicles.

In 2000, at 23 years old, Kat started going to car shows and accepting the occasional invite to speak. One day, she returned from a show determined to get her 75-year-old father out of his condominium. He had declared personal bankruptcy in 1999 and needed distraction. The idyllic New Jersey estate was gone, sold to a golf-course developer. The $15.25-million price covered less than half of John’s debt.

“Dad,” she said, “You got to come with me. You got to see how much people still love you.” Daughter dragged father to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the site of a gathering called The DeLorean Car Show, where they were received like celebrities. On the plane home, “I started to see not what the car was, Back to the Future and all these other things. I was able to see what it represented for all those people.”

John died of a stroke five years later. His daughter, then 27, wasn’t there; she hadn’t been told.

“It feels like I’m on this journey, right now, of getting to know his life.”

***

Save the year her first daughter was born—Kat sent a note of explanation—she has not missed a running of that DeLorean show since. DMC-12 fans, she said, were great, not always car people, a “statistically significant ratio of good humans to normal humans.”

As she listened to story after story from those who had longed to own a DeLorean as a kid, then saved for years to make it happen, the car took on new life. She realized it represented a dream. “Not my dad’s. Everybody’s.”

Before harboring any ambition to run a company, she began hunting for an unregistered URL. She wanted a website for hosting memories of her father, where anyone could share a story or quote. One day, a message came in from former Bugatti designer Ángel Guerra, a friend: He had registered a domain for fans to write her dad “Dear John” letters—was she interested? Having discovered that a Texas-based company was buying up DeLorean domains, she decided to act, told Guerra that yes, the family wanted it.

At the same time, in her day job, she was stepping into more of a training role. She wanted to mentor, to foster the kind of inspiration that had once fired her. When her daughter’s boyfriend, Ian, shared his frustrations about pursuing a career in the automotive industry, she agreed to let him restore her Trans Am as a capstone project for high-school shop class. If he did the work, she’d buy the parts. Past and present began to collide. Connections from her father’s world, reaching out to share stories on the legacy site, asked what she was up to. She would tell Ian’s story, to illustrate her passion to help kids like him get jobs in U.S. manufacturing, college degree or no. Wouldn’t it be cool, she’d say, to start a high-school program where kids built a car start to finish?

Offers began flooding in, for design, engineering, mentorship, whatever skills were needed. DeLorean’s daughter was starting a car company, right? Before she knew it, she was. The choice brought her into touch with industry heavyweights, people like Bill Collins, John’s right hand in creating the Pontiac GTO, or Fred Dellis, who, in a 1997 business plan, John names as future President of DeLorean Motor Company, Incorporated. Kat calls Fred her ace in the hole. (“He’s checked up on me my whole life since my dad died.”)

Kat was finding answers—and new questions. When she noticed that DeLorean DMC-12 VINs began with number 500, she reasoned that there must be 500 missing cars. She texted another of her father’s friends, Malcolm Bricklin, the maverick entrepreneur who started Subaru of America and built a gullwing-doored sports car of his own. Where were the cars? I have no idea, he replied, followed by a wink emoji. The memory pulls rare profanity.

“That f***in’ dude! Either you know or you don’t. What’s with the winky face?”

Her father’s mix of hustle and humor is reflected in his friends. Bricklin texts Jason at four in the morning every day. “I read through it, and I’m like, ‘Jackass, you need to text him at the same time, every morning at an early hour.’ Jason’s like, ‘Well, I’m busy. I’m taking the dog out.’ I’m like, ‘That’s the right answer . . . He wants to make sure you’re disciplined enough to succeed.’”

Jason began replying to Bricklin at 5:00 each morning. At four the next day, just as Kat predicted, another message always comes.

“Yes,” her voice bursts. “They’re all f***ing with my head while I’m having”—she begins clapping off-time as she speaks—“a car company”—clap—“fall out of the sky, in my lap”—clap—“with these old men screwing with my brain.”

Downstairs, the Great Dane fires off a round or two as punctuation.

“It is a wild journey that I am on.”

*** 

In 2019, Tamir Ardon produced Framing John DeLorean, a 109-minute docudrama starring Alec Baldwin as John and 20 years in the making. Kat had counted Tamir as a friend, and, in the wake of her experience with the DMC-12 community, consented to help with the project. A single scene ruined their friendship. In the film’s final moments, Baldwin and Morena Baccarin, as Cristina, reenact a supposedly historical scene from the 1984 trial. As DeLorean angsts over his tie, his wife pleads for help in consoling their children, who fear their dad will go to jail. Children and wife are doe-eyed and pitiable; Baldwin’s John is selfish and dismissive—in Kat’s eyes, a monster.

When she confronted Tamir, he admitted the story came from Cristina. He added the children for effect.

“I continually ask him, why didn’t you make the movie you wanted to make? And I know the answer: Hollywood does what Hollywood does.”

All Kat wanted from Tamir, she says, was an apology; when one did not come, she hung up the phone. The two haven’t spoken since, though she did attend his movie’s premiere. “I don’t want to focus on things that I can’t change, that have no positive impact on my life. I let that go.”

Relationships matter; old jokes, she can deflect. To the internet commenter who asked whether her new DeLorean car will come with “the brick in its trunk,” she replied, “No, but we want to make snow tires an option.”

“What else am I going to do? Pretend it doesn’t exist? The age we live in, the truth doesn’t matter. You’re not going to change somebody’s mind with anger, and you’re just going to further the story the way people want to believe it. Unless you approach them with compassion and thoughtfulness. It’s not their fault they don’t know the truth. It’s hard to find.”

***

On a stool in the kitchen, in front of a painting of a DMC-12 done by a fan, Kat shifts her weight, straightening back and neck toward the camera. The knit-sided booties she wore earlier have been swapped for cowboy boots, a subtle nod to her father. She glances left, toward the mudroom. Jason stands there, expressionless, in matching boots, behind the metal baby gate that keeps the Dane out, arms crossed, blue eyes fixed on her.

She giggles, knuckles to her mouth, then primps. “Does my hair look OK?”

A beat. “No.” Jason strides over, smoothing her long pony before laying it neatly over her shoulder. As she tips her face up, eyes nearly shut, he gently tugs a few strands of hair, framing cheekbones and jaw, before returning to the edge of the room.

It’s hard to imagine this taciturn, dry man—who married Kat only a month after meeting her, as if on impulse—asking John Z. DeLorean how he came up with the flux capacitor. Jason had offered the question in earnest, referencing a Back to the Future prop, with Kat’s encouragement. She knew her dad would find it hilarious and not miss a beat. That night, as the newlyweds left, Kat’s father whispered in her ear that he really liked Jason, and knew she would be OK.

The two met at a work party around the holidays. Kat was a single mom to a child with special needs, nearly broke, untangling from what she refers to only as a “bad relationship.” She told Jason that she drove a truck. No, Jason answered, women drive tiny, cute cars—a Jetta or a Beetle. So she walked him out to the parking lot and her Harley-Davidson Edition F-150. At the end of the party, they were still in that lot, leaning over an engine bay.

Kat made it clear she wasn’t ready to date. Jason offered no resistance. Days later, she found a Christmas gift on her desk, a Hot Wheels model of a Harley F-150. Jason didn’t acknowledge the gift, but he saved the receipt. Years later, as an anniversary present, he wrote her a poem on the back.

Their upbringings were vastly different. While she was being dressed up like a doll for Hollywood movie premieres, he was watching camel races in Nevada. Somehow, each was exactly what the other needed. Kat used to hate shopping; now, she wears sparkles or sweatpants whenever she feels like it, sometimes does her makeup at the end of the day on a whim.

“I wish I could bottle him and give him to every woman—to feel the way he makes you feel, because he really …” Her voice catches in her throat. “It took a lot.”

***

Light drenches the kitchen. It pours through the skylight, reflecting off the snow outside and onto the indoor herb garden. The room is Kat’s favorite, despite being under-insulated and colder than the rest of the house. She imagines it with white cabinets. For now, though, they’ve stuffed steel wool into the crevices, to keep heat in and rodents out, because money that would have gone to a renovation has been earmarked for DeLorean Next Gen Motors. Somehow, she says, it’ll all come back in the end, and they’ll be OK.

Spread across the center island are tokens of family history. A scale-model DMC-12, the Piaget watch given to her father by GM’s Pete Estes, her brother’s toddler-size bomber jacket, photos from her modeling portfolio. She sifts through the latter, then points to her favorite shot—Kat looking down and away from the camera, one hand pushing through short, dark hair. She touches the corner of the photo with finger and thumb, and smiles.

***

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Every August, the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville experiences a different sort of thunder. Thousands of street rods descend from all over the country and across the globe for the annual National Street Rod Association Street Rod Nationals. From prewar street fighters to 1980s malaise given new life via the aftermarket, there’s more horsepower than nearby Churchill Downs sees in a year. You just never know what’ll turn up at the Nationals.

A couple of Nationals ago, I happened upon a 1941 Chevrolet AK Series truck parked under a shade tree. The low stance, faded black paint with matching black wheels, and patina’d chrome made it stand apart from the various polished and brightly painted rides dotted around.

Then I noticed something in the engine bay.

No, not an LS or a Chevy 350 V-8, nor even the truck’s original 3.5-liter inline-six. Instead, tucked neatly under that folding hood, was an 8.0-liter V-10 from a 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10. The merger of Dodge’s 1990s return to greatness with the Chevy’s art deco lines was the work of Louisville’s James and Bridgette Morris, and they had quite the story to tell.

“Before we got married, I called my dad,” Bridgette told the Classic Car Corner Podcast in March of 2022. “I said, ‘I would like to gift James a truck for our wedding, and I want it to be dramatic. I want you to drop me off at the end of the aisle with the truck keys in the hand, first time he’s ever seen it, and hand over the keys. Also: Here’s my daughter; you can marry her, as well.’”

Bridgette’s late father, Jim, knew exactly what she was looking for. As James told Hagerty via email, Jim found an old farm truck from Louisville that made its way to a photo studio in northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati. The front half of the truck was repurposed for glamour shots, and the rear half lived in the photographer’s barn. Over a year and a half of work by Jim later, the truck, with its original straight-six and three-speed manual, made it to the wedding. It wouldn’t be long, though, until a bit of snake venom entered the picture.

“We wanted to modernize the truck, with power steering, [better] brakes, and [increased] reliability, so we could take it on longer road trips and go more than 45 mph,” James said. “Our plans for an iron-block LS swap seemed like they needed to be more exciting.” The two kept searching, he said, then “stumbled upon a turn-key drivetrain pallet from Cleveland Power & Performance.”

Out went the old powertrain, in went the Viper V-10 and six-speed manual, with the help of Louisville’s Tachyon Performance, the shop the Morrises had originally called upon for that planned LS swap. Though Jim passed away before the V-10 swap was completed, James wrote that his father-in-law “was always excited to hear our progress and see pictures of it along the way.”

Bridgette and James picked up their truck from Tachyon on Jim’s birthday in 2020. The miles since have included repeat visits to the Street Rod Nationals, a trip to Beatersville, multiple Hot Rod Magazine Power Tours, plus drives through bourbon country and cruises in the city of Somerset, Kentucky. Those summertime events have necessitated a future upgrade: air-conditioning.

“Unfortunately, the truck still does not have A/C,” said Bridgette. “Last summer, we took it on the Power Tour, and I think it was 120 degrees in the cab the whole time. Despite the sweat, it was still a great time.”

James adds that the truck “is definitely a sleeper,” and that they prefer it that way, as they daily the Viper-powered rig for everything from groceries to Sunday drives. Once the hood’s open, though, everyone does more than a few double takes and head turns at this snake-bitten Chevy.

***

Special thanks to Louisville’s Bernheim Car Club for allowing Hagerty to photograph the Chevrolet in their facility.

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Most digital content is built for quick consumption, but there’s still a place for more involving stories and thoughtful exploration. Pour your beverage of choice and join us for another Great Read. –Ed. 

What do a 35-inch lifted Ram pickup and a race-prepped 1990s Ford Fox-body have in common? Both represent the patience and passion of their 29-year-old owners, identical twin brothers who apply the same discipline, 70 hours a week, to the rotating cast of Ford Mustangs in their family’s restoration shop.

Preston and Cody Ingrassia are the heirs to the world’s largest Mustang restoration business, measured by builds completed annually. The Chicago company is at an inflection point. The Ingrassias’ father, Christopher, founded it in 1980 with a yellow Mustang given to him by his father, who had brought the family over from Italy.

Christopher can still be seen on the shop floor seven days a week, in his cowboy hat and white coat, but he’s preparing to hand the business down. The most obvious change is in the name: once Mustang Restorations, now The Mustang Brothers.

“We love bringing something back to life,” Cody says. He freely acknowledges that his show-worthy Ram, nicknamed Goliath, once belonged in a junkyard. “Anybody can go out and buy a clean truck and build it. I’d rather put the money into that and bring it back to life.”

Preston butts in. “It’s huge. He gets gas at night because he doesn’t want anybody to take a video.”

Cody laughs, not denying the jab. “I wasn’t blessed with height.”

Christmas Day, 1920, the Ingrassia family came to America from Italy. After getting kicked out of Oklahoma for bootlegging, they moved to Queens, New York, where the father bought a Sunoco gas station. He taught his son, Christopher, to pump gas and change oil and swap wiper blades. When the father’s job took him—no legal prompting this time—to Chicago, Christopher eventually followed. The younger Ingrassia was the last of his family to leave New York. He took with him the yellow 1960s Mustang coupe that his father had passed to him when he started high school.

“If he had bought a Corvair,” Christopher says, “This shop would be filled with Corvairs.”

Christopher worked as a stagehand at the Chicago Opera House before quitting to start his own business, setting up a small shop near the Chicago riverfront, where the casino boats are now. Today, Mustang Brothers occupies an expansive warehouse in the suburban town of East Dundee.

The five full-time employees who round out the eight-man crew have each worked there longer than Preston and Cody have been alive. One currently lives in an apartment that the family built for him above the shop; he’s suffering through double kidney failure, and travel to and from work had become miserable. Cody and Preston trade off telling the story.

“We’ll tell him, ‘Don’t come in,’ and he’s—”

“—he’s down here at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning.”

It was these people to whom Christopher and his wife showed their newborn twins, going straight from hospital to shop before taking their babies home. Amazingly, Mrs. Ingrassia didn’t object—either to the detour or to the black Mustang limousine (yes) in which they made the trip.

“When you’re a little kid, what do you want to be? You want to be rich and famous,” Christopher says. “What comes with that? A limousine. Well, when the rich-and-famous part wasn’t coming along, I could [at least] make my own limousine, and voilá.”

That car, built around 35 years ago, now sits in the shop’s back room, near Christopher’s high-school Mustang, the space doubling as unofficial museum. Neither brother has children yet, but each plans to recreate the hospital trip when the time comes. Preston and Cody call the limo a “legacy car”—they clearly love its glamour and delight in pointing out the quality of the stretched Ford’s bodywork, how its long flanks lack the waviness of most aging limo conversions. “We’re Italian,” one told me, “so we had to have the gangster whitewalls on it.” (Forgive the lack of attribution on that quote—as twins, the men sound so alike on an audio recording that you can’t always tell them apart.)

The Ingrassias may have a taste for flash, and the sons a penchant for tattoos and slim-fit shirts, but the shop doesn’t steer away from more humble projects. It accepts Ford’s most famous model in any vintage and condition, from barn-find to well-loved.

Over there is the 1968 Casca Ford, a big-block 428 race car and a $120,000 restoration, the car bought sight-unseen and its work commissioned by a man who had never met the brothers or visited East Dundee, only read reviews online. Near the limo is a six-cylinder automatic coupe from the early 2000s; the owner loves it so much that she recently contracted for a thorough freshening costing more than the car is worth. Nor is the patience only for the mechanical. A 1969 Mach 1 has hunkered in the back of the parts room for close to 20 years, its owner long since disappeared.

Many customers, the Ingrassias say, sneak their rides in for work without telling family. Illinois law lets a shop take possession of a vehicle with no contract after 30 days, but the brothers don’t want to file a lien—and anyway, they add, the work is paid for.

In 43 years of business, the shop’s best were 2021 and 2022. Some of that boom came in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic—in the family’s estimation, because owners were working from home and around their vintage cars more often. But many more commissions came because, when faced with a Mustang flooded to the doors by Hurricane Ian, the brothers pulled out their iPhones before starting the engine. The video they posted to TikTok showed seawater blowing out the exhaust and pouring from the cylinders when the spark plugs were removed. It racked up 400,000 views in a day.

“We are now getting calls from around the world,” Preston says. “People have seen us out there, seen the company out there.”

When either man picks up a phone during work, then, it’s usually to document a build, texting photos to the owner or posting to TikTok a tastefully cut video overlaid with electronic music or hip-hop. Customers love it, they say, but perhaps more important, the choice reflects a conviction that classic cars belong in modern pop culture, that the greasy work of restoration is worthwhile and cool.

Nobody needs an appointment to visit. Customers who happen to be in the area can simply walk in. The brothers send build-progress pictures and videos to those who can’t.

They are not nervous about the future. They don’t have much in the way of competition, they say, have never seen the business slow down. What do they think of the modern iterations of Ford’s pony car? They’re good-looking cars, they say, and fast. Sound great. But not, Christopher specifies, “the Mach-E one. Not the electric.”

“Preston and I have talked about eventually maybe putting electric motors in these older cars,” Cody says. “Is this something that we want to do? Definitely not. I love the carburetors…”

“…but if you don’t innovate,” Preston adds, “you’re left behind.”

“Yeah,” Cody says, nodding.

“Talk to my dad about fuel injection and stuff like that. It’s like talking to a wall.”

The two men have not said a word about the work that waits as we chat. When I ask if they need to get back to it, they are unflappably polite. Preston walks to a red GTA convertible on a lift, reaching into the engine bay. Cody kneels by a weathered white coupe, test-fitting a bumper. Each picks up a wrench.

“If you need us, just let us know, okay?”

***

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The Kona is the second-smallest vehicle Hyundai sells in America. It’s a subcompact crossover: the kind of vehicle you buy because it costs less than $25,000, has relatively useful storage capacity, and, in this case, comes with a 10-year/100,000 powertrain warranty. Sure, the interior is a little plastic-heavy, but it’s also great at hiding dirt—great for everyday transportation that demands no pampering.

Now consider that Hyundai also sells the Kona N, that same city-friendly crossover but with 70 percent more horsepower. A stiffer suspension with stickier rubber over larger wheels. Beefed-up brakes. An exhaust that can raise more hell than the neighborhood punk’s Civic that wakes you up at 2 a.m.

This is a car essentially nobody asked for: a little crossover for people who love driving. But here it is anyway, bearing the letter that denotes Hyundai’s highest echelon of performance: N stands for Namyang, the South Korean site of Hyundai’s R&D, but also for Nürburgring, the infamously dangerous and twisty German race track where the go-fast division develops vehicles.

Hyundai’s confidence in building trackable road cars goes back further than this hot-rodded Kona: The N department even recruited the former chief of BMW’s M division to turn Hyundai’s weird little three-door hatchback, the Veloster, into a track rat. A remarkably good one, too.

Said three-door hot-hatch weirdo was introduced in 2019 and retired for the 2023 model year. The standard-issue Veloster wasn’t selling, which meant the spicy version was losing even more money than it should. One, then the other, met the axe.

Despite that loss, Hyundai wanted the N brand to survive (and thrive) in America. Behind the Veloster N came the Elantra N for 2022, a four-door sedan that inherited the former’s engine and added an optional dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT). N now puts that same basic formula—including 276-hp powertrain and auto gearbox—in the Kona.

Ahead of our test, the why of a Kona N was not exactly clear. After a week of living with one, there’s no doubt the Kona N is serious fun. The question, however, remains. It feels a little like someone at Hyundai looked at the dying Veloster, then the N division, and said:

“Heck, do the Kona. We all know Americans love SUVs. Just add some spice to the little one!”

The end result is more capable—and more fun—than you’d expect. The rowdy, 276-hp engine sounds and feels like the product of highly talented yet mildly loose-cannon engineers. Most Konas don’t pull giggles or shrieks from your friends as you merge onto the highway, the turbo brimming with boost as the tach reaches for redline. The brakes are comfortingly capable, as well. The calipers are single-piston, like the standard Kona’s, but rotors are far larger (2.2 inches in the front, 1.2 in the rear) and clamped by pads of a proprietary, high-performance compound, says Hyundai.

The dual-clutch transmission, the only one offered with the Kona N, knows to be gentle unless in standard drive modes. In N mode, however, upshifts turn crisp, the suspension damping is at its most aggressive, and the exhaust joyfully issues crackles and pops.

Specs: 2022 Kona N

Price: $35,445 / $35,845 (base / as-tested)
Powertrain: 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four; eight-speed wet dual-clutch transmission
Horsepower: 276 @ 5500–6000 rpm
Torque: 289 lb-ft @ 2100–4700 rpm
Layout: Front-wheel drive, four-door, five-passenger crossover
Weight: 3340 pounds
EPA-rated fuel economy: 20/27/23 (city/highway/combined)
0 to 62 mph: 5.1 seconds (est.)

Ride quality is where the limitations of the Kona’s underlying architecture become apparent. It can be jittery over rough pavement and unsettled on the highway, where it requires small, frequent steering corrections. The platform is Hyundai’s so-called “B-SUV,” essentially a modified version of the Euro-market i30 subcompact’s bones. The Elantra uses the larger, “K3” platform, which gives the sedan a longer wheelbase, by 4.7 inches, and contributes to a more settled personality on those fabulous 19-inch wheels, despite wearing tires with a smidge less sidewall than the Kona’s. (Rear-seat passengers enjoy nearly 3 more inches of leg room in the Elantra, plus an extra inch of headroom.) The sedan is less prone to the pogo effect on expansion joints and more supple with the electronically controlled suspension in max-attack N Mode.

In total passenger space, measured in cubic feet, the Elantra sedan actually beats the Kona crossover, 99.4 to 94.1. In a battle of real-world practicality, we’d give the Kona a slight edge. Fully packing the trunk of a Kona requires blocking the view out the rear window, and you won’t have that problem in a sedan, but the Elantra N sacrifices some pass-through space in the name of at-limit driving stability: It has a giant X brace between the passenger compartment and trunk. The total interior volumes may be nearly dead-even (113.6 cubic feet for the Elantra, 113.3 for the Kona), but the Kona’s hatch would better fit a small dresser.

Interior quality isn’t the Kona’s strong suit, given the $35,000 price point. The Kona N wears some bits and bobbles you’d recognize from an automatic-transmission Elantra N, like the steering wheel with its perforated leather, blue thumb pads, and red NGS (N Grin Shift) button, but, from the inside, the Kona N looks an awful lot like … a regular Kona with a fancy steering wheel and some seat embroidery.

It also lacks some of the best features that make the Elantra N feel cool. The hot Elantra gets deliciously understated “N Light Sport” bucket seats upholstered in two colors: light blue, then black, with the black perforated to reveal pinpricks of blue. There are race-car-like cutouts for the seatbelts. (The N in each headrest glows, for crying out loud.) The Kona N has chairs of different design and structure: Hyundai assures us these “N Sport” seats are unique to it and bolstered more aggressively than those in the regular Kona. Function-wise, we have no complaints, but they fail to communicate the Elantra N’s same swank.

The door cards and upper speaker grilles tell a similar story. The Elantra fits textured suede panels around metal grilles, the Kona is plastic and plastic. Then there’s seating position: The Elantra N positions you low and secure, whereas the Kona N perches you in a higher, less sporty position at its helm.

In the realm of digital drama, it’s the Elantra that again wins. The Kona’s dash-mounted display gets no larger when you make the $6850 jump from Kona N-Line (mild spice) to N (“he who controls the spice … controls the universe”), and neither does the digital instrument cluster. The Elantra gets the unified “gauge panel” with two screens mounted into the same horizontal frame as the main infotainment screen—the Golf GTI uses a similar one—and this more streamlined look evokes the setups you’d find in some Mercedes-Benzes. A nice touch.

The disparity in base price is deceiving, since the $33,245 base price of the 2022 Elantra N assumes a manual transmission; the dual-clutch automatic costs $1500 extra. That charge is baked into the $35,445 out-the-door price of our 2022 Kona N. Remove it, and the difference shrinks to $700.

For more money, lower fit and finish, and what in this driver’s hands was a less-than-pleasant ride, the Kona N doesn’t make a convincing case against Hyundai’s own Elantra, unless the added utility is a deal-breaker. It represents a niche within a niche. And we know how that worked out for the Veloster.

***

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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.

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Nissan’s all-wheel-drive, turbocharged supercar is entering its 15th year on the market. That makes the car world’s “Godzilla” older then Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” Feeling nostalgic? So is Nissan, though Canadian pop doesn’t really come into the picture.

For 2024, the sixth-gen GT-R remains, essentially, the sixth-gen GT-R: Japan’s Lambo-killer, a two-door whose turbocharged V-6 sends between 565 and 600 hp to all four wheels. (How much power depends on how much money you want to spend.) All models get their mugs and tails tweaked, the top-dog model gets an upgrade to its AWD system, and a retro-inspired special edition returns in a limited run.

First off, those cosmetic differences. They’re designed to improve downforce—the downward push of air on the car, which improves traction—while maintaining the GT-R’s drag coefficient, a measurement of how well the car slips through the air. At some point, you have to choose which attribute to prioritize; you can add so many downforce-improving fins and flaps that the car becomes less aerodynamically slippery.

Nissan struck a happy medium, using a thinner mesh in the grille, adding some fun new lighting elements in the car’s cheeks, fussing with the front canards (the sticky-outy bits on either end of the front air dam) and redesigning the rear wing.

That’s all Nissan wrote for the base, or Premium car, which makes 565 hp. Its 600-hp sibling, tuned by Nissan’s in-house motorsports department, NISMO, and wearing its name, is the only model to receive a “first-time” upgrade for 2024. It comes in the form of a limited-slip differential for the front axle. This type of “diff” is, like the aerodynamic change, aimed at improving traction. Rather than manipulating the air, however, an LSD changes the amount of power sent by the engine to the wheels. When it senses that one wheel is slipping, it reduces the power sent to that wheel, giving it time to regain traction.

NISMO models also get an optional appearance package, though we can’t tell you how much it costs. But if you really like red rims on your wheels, the upgrade has your name on it—there’s also a different engine cover, but Nissan didn’t provide photos of it. Sigh.

Now, to the stuff the GT-R geeks will nerd out about: The T-Spec is returning—in a limited but as-yet undisclosed number—for 2024. We last saw this fancified version of the 565-hp GT-R Premium in the 2022 model year. It was a big deal not because it made more power (it didn’t) but because it was the only way to get Millennium Jade or Midnight Purple paint.

Lest you think these colors are just “green” or “purple,” know that they hearken back to two exotic variants of the previous-gen (R34) GT-R that loom large in Godzilla lore.

Millennium Jade was only offered on the 2002 V-Spec II Nür and the M-Spec Nür, the send-off, high-performance editions of the R34 generation and some of the most desirable models in the JDM collector market today. According to GT-R Registry, only 300 cars were ever painted in this icy hue.

Midnight Purple has appeared in three variants, designated by Roman numerals, the last variant known as Midnight Purple III, which ended production in 2000. (There was also, confusingly, a Midnight Opal, a very dark color worn by a 2014 Special Edition. See above.) To our eyes, the R35 T-Spec’s Midnight Purple hews closer to the darker, original shade on the R33 than the iridescent MPIII worn by the R34. Nostalgic acronyms galore! Nissan, your heritage-minded fans thank you—and inquire, politely, when we get to add R36 to the mix.

The facelifted Godzillas will be available starting this summer, but there’s no word on pricing. All we can do is give you the current numbers—$115,435 for a Premium, $140,285 for a T-Spec, and $212,635 for a NISMO—and suggest you add a bit. And then a bit more, since inflation.

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There are startling similarities between 1973 and today. 50 years ago, an oil crisis was gripping the U.S. and western Europe. Some horror stories even claimed BMW’s new Dingolfing factory in Bavaria would be the last car plant ever built. Thankfully, they were wrong. Even better, some great cars were revealed in 1973. We look at four of the most significant.

Ferrari 365 GT4 BB

For any car-obsessed youngster in the 1970s, the Ferrari 365 GT4 BB (“Berlinetta Boxer”) was a dream machine, even if most only experienced it as a poster to stick on their bedroom wall or as the card to have in Top Trumps.

It might not look quite as dramatic as the Lamborghini Countach that launched the following year, but the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer was certainly the prettier of the pair.

That elegant, dart-like shape was broadly based on the Ferrari Pininfarina Modulo concept car (below) that had wowed visitors to the 1970 Geneva Motor Show. Different to any Ferrari production car up to that point, the BB was the first of the Maranello breed to feature a 12-cylinder engine mounted behind the driver.

And what an engine it was. The flat-12—hence the abbreviated “boxer” in of the 365 GT4 BB’s name—was based in part on Ferrari’s Formula 1 engines. In the 365 GT4 BB, the engine was longitudinally mounted, with one camshaft per bank of six cylinders. The five-speed transmission sat below the crankshaft, making access … tricky.

With capacity increased from 2992 cc to 4390 cc and launched into an oil crisis and its accompanying recession, the engine defied any sales slowdown.

So aggressive was the 365 GT4 BB’s styling, with the tear-drop shaped windows and one-piece bodywork front and rear, that all 387 models were sold before it morphed into the 512BB in 1976.

Strange fact: The 365 BB was the first Ferrari to have a “space-saver” spare wheel—an extra that was smaller and skinnier than the four wheels fit from the factory.

BMW 2002 turbo

Car lovers who were old enough to watch the 1972 Olympic Games might remember the parade was led by a BMW Turbo concept car (below). Only two examples of the concept were built, but their 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engines helped BMW produce the first turbocharged production sedan.

The 2002 turbo, launched in 1973, featured the 2002 sedan’s regular inline four-cylinder, 1990-cc engine enhanced with a KKK turbocharger. The result? Power went from 130 to 170 bhp with a similarly healthy increase in torque. Rather logically, BMW also increased the capacity of the fuel tank, from 46 liters to 70.

But remember, this was the dawn of turbocharging technology. When the KKK’s boost arrived at around 4000 rpm, it did so with an almighty bang. The driveline was wondrous to some, intimidating to others, and all wrapped up in one awesomely aggressive package.

Tales of 2002 turbo drivers spinning (or worse), caught out by the sudden arrival of unmanageable amounts of turbo boost to the rear wheels, are legendary. Those who first drove the 2002 turbo might not have felt privileged, but today, they seem quite fortunate for driving such a rare beast of a car.

The turbo car’s price was a hefty 40 percent above that of regular, “hot” 2002, the Tii. After just three years on sale, with only 1672 built, BMW canned the 2002 turbo, citing … the oil crisis.

Strange fact: Early models wore “2002 turbo” in mirrored script on their front spoilers so drivers ahead knew exactly what was behind them. (See above.) BMW was criticized for being overly aggressive and quickly dropped the logo.

MGB GT V8

It often takes an outsider to call attention to something that’s sitting right under the nose of a company’s board. So it was with Ken Costello and MGB.

The British engineer and racing driver realized that the 3.5-liter aluminum V-8 designed by Buick in Detroit and used for Rovers would be perfect for the MGB, the company’s two-door, four-cylinder-powered sports car. On his own, he duly slotted the V-8 into the petite coupe—critically, without the enormous redesign that MG’s British Leyland bosses had initially feared.

Looking on enviously, Leyland realized this outsider in a garage in Kent had cleverly stumbled on the solution to its underpowered MGB and BGT coupe. Leyland boss Lord Stokes summoned Costello and asked to look at his prototype BGT V8.

During the meeting, Stokes said Leyland would rather make its own than buy the idea from Costello. The engineer bluntly told them it would take months to engineer and walked out. Leyland went ahead without Costello and did its own MG BGT V8.

The 90-degree Buick/Oldsmobile/Pontiac 215-cubic-inch V-8 fitted neatly into the engine bay and was actually the same weight as the 1798-cc four-pot it replaced. But this was a hurried, low-budget project and sales were handicapped by the car’s high price.

A handful of early cars made it to the U.S. but the vast majority of the 2591 models built were right-hand drive, built for the U.K..

Strange fact: MG and British Leyland neither credited nor paid Ken Costello for his work on the BGT V8.

VW Scirocco

When you’ve got two models that have been on sale forever, and both are still successful, you’ll be hard-pressed to decide how to replace them. If you’re VW in the early 1970s, you might consult Giorgetti Giugiaro’s ItalDesign.

The famous Italian design house had been working on a coupe for Alfa Romeo and proposed something similar to Volkswagen. Ferdinand Piëch, then head of VW, realized that such a car would solve some significant problems. Volkswagen was looking to supersede the economy-minded Beetle and the sporting Karmann Ghia, and a handsome, Giugiaro two-door would a neat solution. The benefits didn’t end there, either.

Giugiaro had suggested building the Scirocco on the forthcoming Golf’s platform. This meant VW could launch the Scirocco six months before the Golf, enabling the company to iron out any trouble with the platform before production of the volume-selling model began.

Scirocco engine capacities varied from 1.1 to 1.7 liters, the latter being a bigger engine for the U.S. market. American-market cars featured twin round headlamps on either side of the grille. The lights prompted thousands of European Scirocco owners to upgrade their single rectangular lamps.

The Scirocco was a remarkable success for VW: It sold half a million units over the Mk1’s seven-year lifespan. Not bad considering the Scirocco almost hadn’t existed.

Strange fact: VW initially rejected building a low volume sports car until Karmann revealed it would go bust if it didn’t have something to build in place of its long-lived Ghia.

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If you own a motorized vehicle, chances are it’s worth more right now than it was this time last year. That, in a nutshell, is the story of 2022—widespread appreciation mixed in with inflation. Yet even in a year when practically everything gained, there were some hits and misses. Here are segments that stood out to us in 2022.

We thought 4x4s couldn’t get hotter … and they didn’t

Old-school 4x4s were hot even way back in 2018–19, when the rest of the market was flat. Then came the pandemic, and owning a fun classic that could in a pinch carry your entire family through a post-apocalyptic landscape understandably became highly fashionable. By the end of 2021, six-figure Broncos were commonplace at big auctions.

Perhaps it was inevitable that these vintage trucks would regress toward the mean. Average #2 (Excellent) condition values for first-gen Broncos, as of the third quarter of 2022, are down 12 percent since the start of the year. The same is true for values of Toyota’s venerable FJ40. Squarebody Blazers and Jimmys fared a bit better, with their values only slipping nine percent since January.

That hardly means collectors are over the whole truck thing. Rather, we suspect many would-be Bronco buyers are realizing that America has no shortage of cool old trucks, from 1990s GM pickups to nearly modern Toyota FJ Cruisers.

The sky’s the limit for Skylines

The shorthand description of Skyline GT-Rs for the uninitiated is “Japan’s Porsche 911.” Built in three generations between 1989 and 2002, Skylines carry just as much racing heritage, engineering prowess, and trickle-down street appeal.

The analogy also applies to their collectibility. Skylines have in this decade done what air-cooled 911s did in the previous one—transition from neat old sports cars coveted by in-the-know enthusiasts to a hugely valuable classic. During 2022 in particular, Skylines garnered attention from a broader audience, including those who might not consider themselves hardcore JDM collectors. However, speculative sellers are learning quickly—sometimes, painfully—that the customer base for Skylines is highly educated. These buyers have a keen eye for spotting repairs and modifications; devoted and deep pocketed though some may be, they expect transparency.

Values for the R32 generation Skyline GT-R skyrocketed 60 percent since the beginning of 2022, and race-bred, lighter-weight specials like the NISMO and N1 variants were a big factor in that. Their trajectory has boosted cars with less factory fettling, too: Standard GT-Rs gained 30 percent. In the bigger picture, the same money that three or four years ago would have gotten you a decent GT-R would, in 2022, land you a bad car with issues.

The two later generations of GT-R, produced between 1995 and 2002, are only beginning to qualify for U.S. import under NHTSA regulations, and their status as previously forbidden fruit may be pushing values higher. Values for U.S.-legal R34s increased by 37 percent in 2022, while R33s went up 13 percent. Meanwhile, the younger collectors who most frequently pine for these cars are steadily becoming more active in the market.

All to say, as big as the last 12 months were for Skylines, the best is likely yet to come.

Analog supercars

Manual transmission, mid-mounted engine, little to no electronic “nanny” systems—high-performance coupes with this trifecta had a big year.

Most are poster cars of the ’90s and early 2000s: Ferrari’s wedgy, V-8-powered F40, Bugatti’s V-12 EB110, Porsche’s V-10 Carrera GT, Lamborghini’s Countach. As their 21st-century counterparts grow ever more complex—though this often means they’re tamer to drive—these turn-of-the-century models are seen as purer, harder-core. Many of these “analog” supercars don’t have ABS or stability control, let alone the emissions-friendly hybrid systems now mandatory for traversing Europe’s low-emissions zones.

Just six days into 2022, a 2005 Carrera GT smashed Bring a Trailer’s sale record with a $1.907M result. That followed a year in which the model set three successive auction records. The V-10 monster ended the year with a 25 percent average increase, with #2 condition values sitting at $1.5M, up from $1.2M.

Just last week, we saw a new world-record price for a Ferrari F50, which was sold by RM Sotheby’s in Miami Beach, Florida: $5.395M. The result capped a 23 percent increase in average value for the F50, with #2 condition cars leaping from an average value of $3.5M to $4.3M. Its predecessor, the F40, didn’t need to set a world record to have a poppin’ year: #2 values for Ferrari’s first 200-mph production car went from $2.35M to an even $3M.

Minimalist performance appeal … used to maximum effect?

Muscle cars

2022 for muscle cars was, in a word, “confusing.”

Old-school American muscle saw a big ramp-up following the January auctions, shooting to heights it hadn’t seen since 2008. However, through the rest of the year, values for many models began to creep down. Values of first-generation Pontiac GTOs, for instance, shot up 30 percent in the early months of 2022 but slipped mid-year. The cars are still are closing the year with a net gain of 15 percent, showcasing a trend: of the muscle cars that posted gains in 2022, most have seen a subsequent dip but finished the year above where they started. Their spikes in value are simply not as aggressive—or as widespread—as January suggested.

Mopar brands are generally faring better than Ford and Chevy, but the gains we’re seeing are isolated. For example, 383-powered Challenger R/Ts and ’Cudas are on the upswing. These mid-level performance models aren’t equal in value to their top-dog, 440- or Hemi-packing brethren, but the gap is much narrower than it was at the close of 2021.

The up-and-down performance of this segment makes more sense when you zoom out and consider the economy as a whole. Muscle cars appeal to a huge swath of the general population across a wide income range—including the sort of upper-middle-class consumers who snapped up all manner of goods through 2021 and much of 2022 before inflation forced them to tighten their belts.

Malaise Era

Most vehicles in the sub-$50K price bracket gained value over the last year. Volvo 240s, for example, went from commuter to collector; values went up 74 percent on average across the two-, four-, and five-door flock of reliable, unpretentious “bricks” from Sweden.

One group totally surprised us, however: Average values for the notoriously lackluster American cars of the ’70s rose between 10 and 40 percent in 2022.

Emissions regulations forced automakers to saddle their carbureted engines with catalytic converters, air pumps, and exhaust-gas recovery valves. Adding insult to visual injury, safety regulations meant that erstwhile performance nameplates, like Pontiac’s Grand Prix and Chevrolet’s Corvette, grew protuberant impact bumpers and plastic “beaks.” Today, they have little to no support in the aftermarket.

And yet.

1973–77 Pontiac Grands Prix are up by 41 percent and Chevrolet Monte Carlos of the same vintage by 35. The average value of a mid-’70s Oldsmobile Cutlass ticked up 11 percent. Even the Mustang II, loathed by most pony car purists, posted a 6 percent gain in 2022.

Even with these moderate upswings, most Malaise Era metal remains affordable, which may be part of what’s driving the interest: The average value of the biggest gainers in that short list, the Grand Prix, went from $20K to $30K. Still cheap-ish, then—but no longer cheaper than dirt.

2022’s stand-out segments show that, though we may spend five days a week soaking in collector-car data, we’re never writing the script. And sometimes, that’s the larger part of what makes this fun.

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