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The 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon is all go, and if you caught my preview post this morning you’ll know that modified versions of Nissan’s new Z are – as expected – on show in numbers. One of the most anticipated RZ34 builds belongs to VeilSide. Knowing how cool this car was going to be (Yokomaku-san teased us with plenty of progress shots late last year) I made a plan to visit VeilSide ahead of TAS and take a proper look. Luckily for me, there was no last-second ‘TAS crunch’ dash to the finish line; Yokomaku-san had the car completed right on schedule, meaning…
It’s a bright future. After a year of highly anticipated announcements and debuts from leading automotive manufacturers, orders have been received, and customers are eagerly awaiting the delivery of their dream car configurations. Although all of the newest models highlight innovative design, technology, and performance, some stand out as milestone examples that catapult brands into the future of vehicle production. This article appeared in our January 2023 issue. In this special, we have compiled a list of our picks for the most anticipated car deliveries of 2023. From inaugural Italian super-SUVs to one-of-a-kind four-seater mega-GTs, these popular new models are…
Mazda on Friday used the 2023 Brussels auto show to present a modern vehicle fitted with a rotary engine. The engine, a compact single-rotor design displacing 0.83 liters, serves as a range extender in a new R-EV variant of Mazda’s MX-30 compact electric crossover. The engine is mounted directly to a generator and the electric motor that drives the MX30 R-EV’s front wheels, all of which is located in the vehicle’s engine bay. The engine never drives the wheels, meaning it is free to operate at its rev range that’s optimal for power and emissions. It’s used solely to generate…
DETROIT (when it was warm) – The BMW M4 Competition Convertible piles a heaping amount of performance into a convertible body shape. In many cases, the convertible version of a coupe is toned down and made to be a less intense package. Not so the M4 Convertible, which maintains a hell-bent focus on performance. There’s only one version of the drop-top M4, and that’s the Competition variant with xDrive all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic. Perhaps BMW is right to skip the manual — enthusiasts are more likely to want a coupe anyway — but limiting the Convertible to all-wheel…
From our hilltop campsite in the Pike-San Isabel National Forest, 35 miles southwest of Denver, we could hear the vicious buzz of a colony of ATVs and side-by-sides coming from a row of spruce. A speedy pack of Polaris riders came screaming up to our red sandstone cliff like school children rushing a trough of Mountain Dew. A bearded portly fellow held up his smartphone from the driver’s seat in an LED-laden RZR OHV and declared: “Dude, I’ve got a lot of badass s$%&, but that thing is f$#%^ badass!” This, among other reactions of sheer bewilderment from anyone able…
John Muir once wrote, “The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark,” and when you’re pushing 60, as I am, “the dark” isn’t just an abstract concept anymore – it’s quite real.Thankfully, being a guy-of-a-certain-age also has its’ perks, one of them being the means to pack your bags and get the hell out of town at will, so while the good folks here in Denver were dealing with weather best described as “ winter hell,” my lady and I were enjoying a couple of sunny days at Disneyland, and…
The first widely available factory original wireless charger in the U.S. might arrive not from Tesla or one of the Chinese EV makers, but from Stellantis. As it revealed its Ram electric truck concept last week, Ram gave a future inductive charging robot center stage. “We know from our Real Talk tour that our customers aren’t just concerned for how long a charge will last on the road, but also how easy it is to charge,” said Ram CEO Mike Koval. “And with our upcoming new inductive robot charger, or Ram Charger, that will make home charging as easy as…
A 1968 Ford Mustang from Carroll Shelby’s personal collection is up for grabs. Nicknamed Black Hornet, it’s scheduled to be auctioned off by Barrett-Jackson at the company’s Scottsdale, Arizona, event to be held Jan. 21-29. In the 1960s, Shelby American worked closely with Ford to develop new Mustang variants, keeping a handful of Mustangs around as development mules. Shelby tended to give them color-coordinated nicknames, such as Little Red and Green Hornet. According to the auction listing, the Black Hornet was built as a modern-day tribute to the latter, but with a different color and a few other changes. 1968…
Of all the colors in the wide spectrum that manufacturers offer for supercars, blue is often one of the most versatile. With various shades available, blue can look great on just about any car, especially considering the fact that different shades can suit very different styles and moods while maintaining the versatility of the color itself. With deep, navy blues, your car can evoke a classic beauty, paying homage to classic racing and automotive heritage. However, more saturated blues suggest a car that’s dedicated to driving pleasure, almost as if your supercar’s paintwork looks like the ocean whose coast you’ll…
A Chinese startup plans to ditch battery packs entirely and integrate cells directly with an EV’s chassis. With this goal in mind, Neta Auto on Wednesday announced a cooperative agreement with battery supplier CATL to use the latter’s cell-to-chassis tech, branded as Integrated Intelligent Chassis (CIIC). In a press release, Neta said it would be the first Chinese EV firm to develop this tech, but didn’t say when it might appear in a production vehicle. It might also be the first to do so for a passenger car anywhere in the world. Cell-to-chassis means all battery components are housed in…