Autos

Bonhams has just announced that its rare 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder with coachwork by Wendler has just sold for an impressive $4,185,000 USD at Amelia Island. This iconic classic car — chassis no. 550-0036 — is arguable one of Porsches most important models ever developed, and with its limited production and age, continues to rise in price with each auction appearance. This particular example was owned by a devoted Porsche collector for over 50 years where it saw a past life of racing outings at Nürburgring, AVUS, and Hockenheim. The most recent owner purchased the car in 1972 where it was largely complete minus the engine. This was quickly addressed where a correct Type 547 four-cam engine — engine no. 90-034 — was sourced, rebuilt by legendary four-cam engine builder...

Familiar friends Brabus and Mercedes-AMG are back together for yet another wildly-tuned car, this time around taking the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4MATIC+ and modifying it inside and out to deliver a 900 HP rocketship. With its stock yet more-than-capable all-wheel-drive system and its newfound power, which also includes a total of 1,250 Nm of peak torque, the E 63 S now launches to 62 MPH in just 2.8 seconds before going onto a top speed of 205 MPH, which is limited to stop the tires from wearing out. As a result, it’s a bonafide supercar killer, all while maintaining the ability to seat four in luxury and comfort. To complement the power, Brabus has developed a special carbon fiber aerodynamic kit that fits the car all around. There’s a new carbon diffuser — housing a new set...

Tom Hanks is a well-known car fanatic, having previously owned eclectic models such as the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser, a 1992 AirStream, and an eBox, but now one of his most beloved cars is up for auction for charity on Bring a Trailer — namely, his 1974 Polski Fiat 126p. While not to everyone’s taste, the Fiat 126p is undeniably iconic and quintessentially Italian. As a result, it’s naturally loveable, which is only enhanced by Hanks’ version of the car which is finished in white over a custom green interior. It’s a quaint machine, sporting chrome bumpers, rectangular headlights, 12″ steelies, aluminum and wood interior trims, typewriter-key switchgear, and special badging that is all evocative of the ’70s. “Bielsko-Biała for Tom Hanks” ...

Québec’s Widescape has just unveiled its latest invention in the form of the original stand-up snowmobile. A more compact and agile form of traveling in the snow, the Widescape WS250 weighs 200 pounds, and is powered by a fuel-efficient and quiet four-stroke 242-cc engine with a fuel consumption of 3 L/H. Riders will take a standing position on the anti-slip platform where they lean into every curve for a more physical and engaging ride. Weidescape says it takes roughly 15 minutes to get used to. Priced at $8,149 CAD (approximately $6,400 USD), pre-orders are available now over at the Widescape site. In other automotive news, the cargo ship carrying Lamborghinis, Porsches, Bentleys, and Audis has sunk in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more at HYPEBEAST

It’s no secret that Post Malone is a car fanatic, with models such as the Ford GT, Lamborghini Aventador SV, Shelby F-150 Super Snake, a couple of Rolls-Royces, and a Bugatti Chiron all taking center stage in his garage. Now, the all-white Chiron he bought in 2019 is up for sale, and in true Post Malone fashion, it’s anything but subtle. A fresh and untouched Chiron is $3.3M USD from Bugatti, but this example cost a fair bit more when Post Malone got his hands on it. Adding “Caractere” wheels that cost $64,000 USD, as well as black calipers for $6,400 USD, silver mesh on the front and rear grilles for $38,200 USD, $32,000 USD “Comfort” seats, and $10,900 USD’s worth of aluminum interior inlays, the option list totals more than $150,000 USD and make...

Sony and Honda have formed a strategic alliance to build electric vehicles together. Announced today, the companies said that they have signed a memorandum of understanding and aim to “create a new era of mobility and mobility services.” Through the joint venture, Sony and Honda will focus on the development and sales of high-value EVs. Right now, the corporations are negotiating a number of specific definitive binding agreements but plan to establish a new company within 2022. “This alliance aims to bring together Honda’s mobility development capabilities, vehicle body manufacturing technology and after-sales service management experience cultivated over many years, with Sony’s expertise in the development and application of imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network, and en...

In hopes of becoming more competitive against both conventional automakers and new electric vehicle producers, Ford is now splitting its business into two, one focusing specifically on EVs and one on vehicles carrying internal combustion engines (ICE). The new decision comes as part of the American automaker’s wider Ford+ business strategy and will give the company a leg up in creating more specialized vehicles for their target market. The EV division will be named Ford Model e, while the ICE unit will be renamed to Ford Blue. According to Ford, Model e will concentrate on developing high-tech solutions to create better electric vehicles as most of the world moves into an all-electric future, and company chief Jim Farley will be serving as president, accompanied by Tesla and Apple ve...

Classic 9 Motorwerks is bringing its Porsche C9 RS Turbo project to Amelia Island. Staying true to Classic 9 Motorwerks’ ethos, the build maintains a form that’s true to the original design, yet sees a perfect balance between modern technology and the removal of the superfluous — how much can be removed or added to achieve the ultimate analog driving experience. Classic 9 Motorwerks requires the client to use their existing chassis from the years 1969 to 1988 where the entire car is disassembled, stripped to bare metal, treated for rust prevention, and then reconstructed with strategic reinforcement points. The nose is then enhanced with the flared fenders and the relocation of the front turn signals under the headlights. The car also sees a custom front air dam with an i...

With its second-generation Polestar 2 sedan in production, performance EV automaker looks to the future with its latest concept, the Polestar O2 convertible. “Polestar O2 is our vision of a new era for sports cars,” Polestar’s design head Maximilian Missioni said to the press. “By mixing the joy of open top driving with the purity of electric mobility, it unlocks a new mix of emotions in a car.” The vehicle will be a more compact variant of its unreleased Polestar 5 grand touring vehicle, with a 2-door roadster feel similar to the BMW 8-Series Cabriolet. Convertible EVs are hard to find on the market, and a big reason is due to the inefficiency of traditional designs leading to a much lower range. While the company has yet to release supporting data, it claims...

Ken Block‘s taste in cars is eclectic, and many petrolheads know the Hoonigan Racing Division driver for his Ford F-150, Ford Mustang, or perhaps even the Ford Mach-E, and now following in the footsteps of his recent Audi partnership that proffered a custom S1 e-tron Quattro Hoonitron, Block has unveiled his new daily driver: an Audi RS e-tron GT. Of course, as this car belongs to Block it is anything but standard. A white and black color scheme is accented with carbon fiber all around and sits low and stanced on a huge set of white Rotiform rims wrapped in branded Toyo Tires rubber. A roof box holding his snowboarding essentials sits on top and wears Hoonigan branding in light gray, matching the colorway of the Rotiform Aerodiscs on the front wheels. An adjustable suspension set-up ...

Kia electric vehicle owners are now able to order on-demand charging from a human technician whenever they need it. The company has partnered with the mobile EV charging app Currently to bring services to its own fleet of customers. On-demand charging is rolling out first to drivers located in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose. To access the service, users simply download the Currently app and book a location and time slot for their vehicle to be charged, and a technician will show up to give the EV a boost good for 50 miles. Drivers don’t have to be present during the service and should note that Currently won’t dispatch its technicians to highways, so in the case that they’re stranded, it’s best to call for roadside assistance instead. To celebrate the launch of the new partnership...

Jeep’s first fully-electric SUV will be launching in early 2023. The news arrives as part of the automaker’s “Dare Forward 2030” plan, which aims to have 100% of sales in Europe and 50% of sales in the United States be for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by the end of the decade. Jeep shared that it wants to have more than 75 different BEVs by that time, and reach annual BEV sales of at least five million vehicles globally. The automaker shared an image of a compact model in a bright yellow color, though it didn’t offer specific details about the name of the electric SUV Autoblog reported that due to its relatively small size, “it may be on the STLA Small platform, which can accommodate anywhere between 37 to 82 kWh of capacity and as high as 300 miles of range.” Stellantis, Jeep...