Autos
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Period Correct Teams Up Again With McLaren on Limited Apparel Collection
Following a successful collaboration with McLaren in 2018 which begat tasteful F1-themed hoodies, hats, jackets, duffels, and even some primo socks, automotive-themed lifestyle brand and fashion atelier Period Correct teamed up with McLaren once again, this time for a limited apparel run centered around the McLaren 720S and 765LT. PC whipped up a hoodie, hats, and both long- and short-sleeve t-shirts as part of the partnership, each wearing a mix of McLaren and Period Correct branding. Aside from the subtler designs that feature the traditional white McLaren typeface over a black background, a few of the t-shirts display a black-and-white shot of either the 720S or the 765LT in action both on the track and on the road. No duffels this time around, but the five-panel hats are some of the mo...
Zoox Autonomous Robotaxi First Look: Gad-ZOOX, Amazon’s Going Mobile!
You can order everything else on Amazon, so why not short-trip urban rides in the, um, Zoox? Envisioned as a strictly geofenced, mostly low-speed robotaxi, this tiny autonomous cube built by recent Amazon acquisition Zoox seats four, features four-wheel steering that permits it to maneuver into very tiny spaces, and is equally happy driving in either direction. It also has nothing to do with Zoosk, the online dating site. What’s Zoox? This Bay-Area autonomous vehicle startup was founded in 2014, built its first prototype in 2015, first demonstrated SAE Level-3 autonomy in 2017, began durability testing of production prototypes in 2019, then established a production line in Fremont, California and was acquired by Amazon in May 2020. And that name? It’s short for zooxanthel...
Remember Isuzu? Its History Is *Much* Wilder Than You Think
When was the last time you thought about Isuzu? If you live in the U.S.A., it’s probably been quite a while since that Japanese automaker has crossed your mind given the last Isuzu passenger vehicle sold in America got its tags in 2009. Don’t worry, though—Isuzu is doing fine without us, as one of the largest suppliers of commercial diesel engines, trucks, and buses globally. Isuzu also still sells passenger trucks and SUVs in other markets. Even when it was still selling cars here, Isuzu wasn’t exactly the most exciting or evocative automaker—at least, not toward the end of its U.S. presence. While other Japanese manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and Nissan made huge inroads in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Isuzu didn’t really start to pick up until the 1980s...
The 1993 Isdera Commendatore 112i Is the Mid-Engine V-12 Supercar Time Forgot
Want a mid-engined Mercedes? Tough luck, Richie Rich. Despite decades of building some of the most desirable sports and supercars to ever tear a tire and sublimate a straightaway, the amount of mid-engined cars with Mercedes’ tri-pointed star on the front grille can be counted on one hand. Recently, Mercedes-Benz stirred hearts—and offshore bank accounts—with its allegedly forthcoming Mercedes-AMG One hypercar that’s still stuck in development hell. But if it’s a low-slung Benz supercar you want, you’re stuck with hunting down one of the ultra-low-production CLK GTR homologation specials from 1998-1999, or “settling” for the AMG-sourced V-12 in either the Pagani Zonda or Huayra. Or you could simply be the high-bidder on the one-of-one 1993 Isdera Co...
2020 Honda Civic Si Long-Term Review: The Goldilocks of Sports Sedans
Honda Civic Full Overview Buying a performance car often costs more than money; it costs comfort and convenience. If you’re buying a 2020 Honda Civic Si, though, it doesn’t have to. The Civic Si is essentially a mono-spec vehicle. As such, it rings in at just $26,155, making it one of the cheapest sports cars on the market in the best way possible. For that price, you get 31 more horses than a standard Civic, two-mode electronically controlled dampers, and a limited-slip differential. We spec’d ours with the $200 High-Performance Tire (HPT) option, but aside from that, all you could add to this car are some dress-up parts, a wireless phone charger, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. The last two would’ve been nice, but we easily lived without them. 2020 Honda Civi...
This 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T Was Rescued from a Rusty Fate
There were no shortage of history-making events in 1971. The Apollo 14 astronauts landed on the moon, the war in Vietnam continued to rage on, Intel released the world’s first microprocessor, and Dirty Harry made his big screen debut. But none of it mattered all that much to Frank Kassel at the time. His attention was focused squarely on one thing: scoring his very first set of wheels, which turned out to be a 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T. “In the summer of ’71 I had just graduated high school,” Frank remembers, “and was working full time as a mechanic in a Cities Service gas station. My goal was to save enough money to buy my first car.” After working at the service station for a few months, Frank met a friend of his boss who happened to be a dealer of used, ...
Will Solid State Batteries Bring Gas-Competitive Range, Quicker Charging to EVs?
Michael Faraday discovered solid electrolytes in the 1830s, and the solid-state battery has promised to be the Next Big Electrical Thing almost ever since. The idea frequently makes news that I resist reporting because, to borrow a baseball metaphor, these battery “batters” too often start their home run trot before realizing it’s just a fly ball to the warning track. But noted scientist Paul Albertus says that 10-year-old Stanford University battery startup QuantumScape appears to have hit a “homerun in terms of their solid-state battery performance data.” Here’s the deal with solid-state: These batteries have long promised to solve the thorniest issues preventing widespread battery-electric vehicle adoption while providing better performance on many me...
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E: Is the EV SUV Comfortable for Tall Folks?
Being so damn tall makes it hard to drive sports cars. There are some I simply can’t physically get inside. That’s one reason why I love the Ford Mustang—it easily fits my 6-foot-10 frame. So, I had to find out if the Mustang Mach-E could match its coupe counterpart’s surprising spaciousness during its stay in our stables. 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E: Squeezed in the Saddle Key in my pocket, I walked up to the driver-side door and pushed the release button—no handles here. The door popped out so I could grab its little fin to swing it open. Like I always do, I adjusted the seat to its lowest and rearmost setting before climbing in. The front door apertures are large, which made it easy to slide in (and later out) without knocking my noggin. So far so good. But...
The History of the Rugged, Full-Size Chevrolet K5 Blazer
Ford had the Bronco. Jeep had the CJ. Even International Harvester—the tractor company—had the Scout. And General Motors had…nothing? Into that sport-utility vacuum, the Chevrolet K5 Blazer was born. With it, GM created a 4×4 that was both a direct response to the existing spectrum of SUVs and yet also apart from it. The key difference was size: Unlike its would-be rivals, the Blazer was based on the automaker’s successful full-size pickup truck. That cost-saving measure allowed it both to come to market quickly and to deliver greater capability than its competition. See all 7 photos Sun’s Out, Top’s Off Chevrolet was no stranger to the SUV world, having produced the Carryall/Suburban—a large, truck-based wagon—since the mid-1930s. Although offered with four-wheel drive, ...
2020 Ram 2500 Laramie 4×4 Cummins Long-Term Update 1: Burdening Our Beast
Ram 2500 Full Overview Guffman, our 2020 Ram 2500 Laramie long-termer, has been making up for lost time by remaining in almost perpetual motion since his midsummer arrival, including a golf outing to northern Michigan and numerous trips to cabins. We therefore struggled to find a moment to schedule replacement of the sliding rear window we knocked out while hauling a grill north. After copious confusion and finger pointing between our dealer (who doesn’t “do windows”) and a local glass shop, FCA ended up installing the $416.56 part for us at HQ. That fixed, we put those auto-leveling rear air springs to a serious test. Record water levels have caused Lake Huron to breach a stretch of seawall at my summer place. Doubling its size to rectify the problem required us to mix 1...
Watch the 2021 Toyota Mirai Relieve Itself (of Its Water Emissions)
Will this be the least mature automotive coverage you read all week? Very likely. In any event, we currently have a 2021 Toyota Mirai in for evaluation, and it is a completely serious electric vehicle powered by a high-tech onboard hydrogen fuel cell. This tech uses hydrogen as a fuel to generate electricity by a chemical process, thereby emitting only H2O—water—as a byproduct. On the Mirai, that water is ejected beneath the car via a little spigot that the driver can control using a button on the dashboard. Push the button, and the Mirai evacuates its water. Our immature side took things from there. See all 32 photos Look, it’s not often you can describe something like a car as “peeing,” but when those opportunities arise they cannot be wasted—water expelling pun in...
This Is the Hardcore, Track-Ready Stelvio GTAm Alfa Romeo Won’t Build
See all 33 photos Just like a Giulia GTA, our purely hypothetical Stelvio GTA would be lighter—let’s say 220 pounds lighter, just like its sedan sibling. So, too, would it adopt a bevy of carbon fiber components: the driveshaft, hood, front fenders, bumper, rear fender extensions, and so forth. Aluminum and Lexan are also used strategically to reduce mass further. A Stelvio GTAm would certainly include carbon-fiber shelled racing seats up front, six-point racing harnesses, and more aggressive aero aids. Would Alfa go so far as to delete the rear seat, like the Giulia GTAm? The question is academic, so let’s move on (but, we hope so!). However Alfa Romeo would spec it, the QF’s 505-hp, 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 would likely get pumped up to 540 ponies, exhaling through an A...
