Items tagged with Cars
While we are over here complaining about the lack of graphics cards and, at times, out-of-stock CPUs (AMD's Ryzen 9 5950X and Ryzen 9 5900 were difficult to obtain for a period of time), the auto industry is facing related challenges of its own. As in, automakers could miss out on a whopping $210 billion in revenues this year, due in large part to the lingering chip shortage. It makes sense, considering today's vehicles are much more than just a bucket of bolts and steel slapped together. Automakers employ advanced electronics across their fleet—infotainment systems, electronic displays, and intelligent technologies like adaptive cruise control and of course self-driving capabilities are...
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BMW has unveiled the all-new 4 Series Coupe and promises that it will be on showrooms by October. The vehicle is a sporty two-door car aimed at the premium midsize segment that promises BMW's iconic "dynamic driving pleasure." One of the most polarizing features about the all-new 4 Series is its front grille. It's much larger than past models and extends past the area where the license plate would be attached. It's not particularly attractive to our eyes, but maybe some might find it appealing. Not since the X7 full-size SUV launched has the German automaker ruffled so many feathers among its fanbase. When sales kickoff in October, there will be five models available, with the top-of-the-line...
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The current-generation Ford Mustang (pictured above), and every Mustang before it, has been rear-wheel-drive and offered some form of V8 engine. A new report is making the rounds that claims an electrified version of the Ford Mustang will debut when the next-generation car arrives in 2022. The Mustang will reportedly be offered with a hybrid V8 engine. Rumors claim that the next-generation Mustang is codenamed S650 (the current car is the S550) and will follow the template set by the current generation car with right-hand drive and left-hand drive versions. The S550 Mustang was the first Mustang in history to be produced in a right-hand-drive version from the factory and a traditional left-hand-drive...
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Typically, when a major automaker like Ferrari or Lamborghini learns that someone is creating an unauthorized version of one of their cars, the immediate reaction is to send out a cease and desist letter to force them to stop. That's, very surprisingly, not what has happened with the father and son team trying to build a 3D printed version of a Lamborghini Aventador. The man building the project is a physicist named Sterling Backus. His 11-year-old son, Xander Backus, is a Forza fan and asked his dad if they could build an Aventador. Instead of blowing the boy off with a laugh, Sterling said yes, and the project began. For months the elder Backus has worked on the project to design, 3D print,...
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BMW will be unveiling its third-generation X6, which it says is the car that established the Sports Activity Coupe segment. The unveiling of the new X6 will come at the Frankfurt Motor Show and at that event will be a version of the BMW X6 slathered in Vantablack VBx2 nanostructure paint. The vehicle is a collaboration between BMW and Surrey Nanosystems, the inventors of the Vantablack technology. The BMW X6 is the first and only vehicle in the world to be painted with the Vantablack VBx2 paint finish. Ben Jensen, founder, and CTO of Surrey NanoSystems says that the company has turned down numerous requests by automakers, but the X6 and its "unique, expressive design" made the company entertain...
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Car folks were already excited about the mid-engine C8 Corvette that is still a few months from landing in showrooms around the country. The enthusiast thinking about grabbing up a base C8 when it launches might want to hold off because some rumors about the C8 Z06 are making the rounds and it sounds like a road missile. According to the rumor, the car will get a twin-turbo V8 engine that is based on the Cadillac CT6-V's engine. In Corvette trim the engine would certainly wind up with some LT designation, likely the LT7 moniker. Rumors peg the twin-turbo V8 to produce a massive 800 horsepower and at least 700 pound-feet of torque. The current Corvette Z06 is making 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet...
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A new Lamborghini is something that car guys and gals can get excited about. Lambo is teasing a new car with a dark image that shows a silhouette sitting in the dark in front of three beams of light that mimic the lights on the car. It also appears that the Lamborghini emblem glows. That glowing raging bull emblem could be for the teaser shot, but there are rides out there now that have emblems that are lit. Lamborghini fans might recall a concept car that was shown off back in late 2017 called the Terzo Millennio (pictured below) and note that the glowing front lights on the dark Lambo teaser look like the accent lights on the concept car. What Lamborghini said about the concept car back in...
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Audi has a new racing car that is built based on the street-legal R8 V10 car that you can use to cruise around Main Street. The car is called the R8 LMS GT2, and while it's a hard top, Audi says that the racing car chassis has more in common with the Spyder than the coupe version of the R8. The car is designed to be driven by anyone who can afford the £303,000 asking price in a racing series called Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) in the GT2 class. The car should be quite the performer; its 5.2L V10 engine that is taken from the street car has been massaged to bump power from the 612 bhp of the road version to 630 bhp for the R8 LMS GT2. While Audi crams more horsepower into the...
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AMG has announced the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine in a series production model. The engine is the M 139 Mercedes-AMG 2.0L, and it will come in two output versions. One will be fitted into the Mercedes-AMG cars and is the S version making 416 horsepower and 369 pound-foot of torque. That gives it a specific output of 208.9 hp per liter. Mercedes-AMG will use the engine in a wide range of models, and they will all make their way to the United States meaning we will get to partake in this powerful four-banger. The engine will also be used in a lesser trim models where it will produce 382 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. The new engine will be used in the A45, CLA45, GLA45, and the GLB45....
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Dodge has announced a pair of special edition muscle cars with the Stars & Stripes Edition Challenger and Charger models making their debut at the 2019 New York International Auto Show. The cars are meant to celebrate military service members and come from the brand that has the highest percentage of active military buyers among all automotive brands in the United States. Dodge also boasts that the Challenger and Charger have the highest percentage of active military buyers in their respective segments. Stars & Stripes edition Charger and Challenger models will get unique satin black and silver accent center stripes, a satin black American Flag fender decal, and 20 x 9-inch mid-gloss...
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Koenigsegg has been making insane hypercars for years now, and the latest ride from the mad scientists at the automaker has debuted. It's called the Koenigsegg Jesko, and this car represents the end of an era. The company namesake, Christian von Koenigsegg, has said that the Jesko is expected to be the last car to bear his name without electrification, but the Jesko don't need no stinkin' batteries. If you are wondering what's the deal with the Jesko name, it's the name of von Koenigsegg's father. This car has a heavily modified version of the Koenigsegg V8 used in other rides, and that revision lets it make 1,600hp when running on E85 fuel, or 1,280 hp on pump gas. The V8 has a flat-plane crank...
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There are some things that you can take for granted from BMW. One of them is that its cars are luxurious; even the less expensive 2- and 3-Series cars are posh compared to the standard fare from most automakers. BMW also makes some very fast cars like the 2020 M340i that it rolled out last November. One of the most luxurious of the vehicles in the BMW stable is the 7-Series, and Alpina has taken that luxurious car and turned it into the world's fastest sedan. The car is the 2020 Alpina B7, and its biggest claim to fame is the over 200 mph top speed the vehicle is capable of. Only five other sedans in the world boast a top speed of at least 200 mph; the Alpina B7 is the sixth and fastest of them...
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Toyota went official last week with the all-new Supra marking the return of an iconic sports car. The new car has been polarizing in the enthusiast community with many fans of the Supra unhappy with the styling, price, and power output of the car. Despite some fans of the Supra of yore not being happy with the new car, one fan has shelled out some serious money to have the right to own the very first production 2020 Toyota Supra. The very first Supra to roll off the production line, dubbed "Global #1", was auctioned off for charity over the weekend at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction. All proceeds from the auction went to the American Heart Association and the Bob Woodruff Foundation. When...
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Kia has been working hard to change perceptions about its cars. It was in the past the place you went for cheap, but not terribly exciting or attractive vehicles. That has changed with cars like the Kia Stinger GT competing against the likes of the Mustang GT and other performance vehicles. Kia this week unveiled the new 2020 Kia Soul EV to compete directly with the Tesla Model 3, the rumored VW EV, the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Bolt. The new Soul EV gains power and torque with a 201 hp electric motor producing 291 lb-ft of torque. That is loads more torque than the outgoing Soul EV made and will mean much better performance. The Soul EV won't offer Tesla Modle 3 dual-motor levels of go,...
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For lots of car guys and gals, owning a Lamborghini is one of those things you aspire to if you hit the lottery or inherit millions from some long lost relative. Being able to afford a custom one-of-a-kind Lamborghini is something that many Lambo fans never consider, but Lamborghini does occasionally build one-off rides for the well-heeled fans out there. It's latest one-off car is called the SC18 Alston, and it is based on the Aventador platform. This road car was built by Lambo's racing division called Squadra Corse, and it looks fantastic. While this is a road car, Squadra Corse went at the engineering and build of the SC18 to make it as fast as possible around a race track. All the wings,...
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BMW has announced details on its new for 2020 M340i and M340i xDrive sedans. These cars are identical save for the xDrive being an all-wheel-drive, and the standard M340i being rear-wheel drive only. BMW says that the M340i xDrive will make its official world debut at the LA International Auto Show on November 30. Both M340i versions share the same updated 3.0L inline six-cylinder engine that uses a single, twin-scroll turbocharger with an integral, compact, steel exhaust manifold. The new turbocharger features impellers that are 25% lighter than the same parts in the preceding models; lighter internals means that the turbocharger can build boost pressure more rapidly for less turbo lag and improved...
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Ask a few muscle car guys what car they would go back in time and buy if they could, and a handful of them would say the classic, and incredibly valuable, Ford Boss 429 Mustang from 1969. While you can't go back in time and get a brand-new original Boss 429, you can purchase one of the Ford approved continuation 1969 Boss 429 Mustangs from Classic Recreations. The company landed the rights to build these official continuation cars from Ford earlier this year. The car has officially debuted at SEMA 2018 and it looks almost exactly like the original car from 1969, with a few modern twists. The car starts with an original 1969 Mustang body that is restored to factory new condition before being tweaked...
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Audi has unveiled its refreshed R8 sports car in both coupe and spyder form; both versions of the ride get an extensive update for the 2019 model year. One of the most interesting features of the R8 is that it leans very heavily on Audi's participation in motorsports with the automaker claiming that the 2019 Audi R8 shares 50% of its parts with the R8 LMS GT3 racing car and 60% of its parts are the same as the R8 LMS GT4 racer. Audi claims that no other automobile on the market is as close to motor racing as the new R8. One of the core components of the updated R8 is more powerful engines with two flavors of the potent V10 offered; Audi won’t say exactly what the power output of those engines...
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The world is steadily moving towards electrified cars, and while some sports car manufacturers are fighting this trend, others are fully embracing it. One of the marques that is hip to electrification is Porsche, and it has priced its slick Taycan EV sports car at a cool $92,500 for starters. However, with the myriad of options offered on most Porsche models, that price will certainly climb significantly from that starting point for many buyers. The $92,500 tag puts the Taycan, formerly called the Mission E, right between the Panamera and Cayenne in price. Porsche reportedly sees this car selling about 20,000 units annually at that price, and with the slick looks and Tesla challenging range it...
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Autonomous autos are coming to the masses, eventually, but right now only a handful of states and cities allow the testing of autonomous cars on public roads. To accelerate the rollout of driverless cars, more testing needs to be performed and there are rules and regulations standing in the way of manufacturers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is moving ahead with plans to rewrite rules and remove roadblocks to the autonomous auto future. As it stands now, regulations require certain equipment on any car that drives on the highway. These rules prevent autonomous autos from being rolled out that lack things like steering wheels, pedals, and mirrors. The NHTSA indicated...
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Porsche is one of the most iconic sports car makers in the world with hyper exotics like the 918 Spyder to its credit along with the venerable 911. Porsche announced this week that the sleek and sexy 911 Speedster would go into production. As cool as that 911 Speedster is, if you want Porsche style and performance while being able to haul family and gear, the Macan SUV may be more appealing for your lifestyle. Porsche has launched the revised 2019 Macan in Europe with the official premiere happening at the Paris Motor Show. Porsche is using a revamped 2.0L turbo four-cylinder engine in the new Macan that features improved combustion chamber geometry and a gasoline particulate filter. The engine...
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Infiniti has a very cool new performance car called the Project Black S prototype that was developed with cooperation from the Renault Sport F1 Team; the car uses a world's first dual-hybrid powertrain. This unique powertrain could be deployed in a road car according to Infiniti. The Project Black S prototype was developed with maximum performance in mind along with aerodynamics and energy management. This prototype differs from the design study seen in Geneva last year in that it has many new tech enhancements integrated. The enhancements include weight reduction with lots of carbon fiber used, a motorsports-inspired interior, and improved aerodynamics. The big tech upgrade is the world's first...
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