Autos

Many automakers have tried—and some have already abandoned—car subscription services. But Porsche has always operated in more rarified air. Convinced of the strong demand for its performance vehicles, if even for only a day or a few weeks, the German sports-car maker is introducing a new monthly single-vehicle subscription program in four American cities starting September 25, while also expanding its other subscription programs. To recap, Porsche introduced a pilot subscription program in Atlanta in 2017 where members pay a monthly fee and can swap between models from the mainstream Porsche lineup. So far 325 members have taken advantage of Porsche subscription services, most of them staying in the program for four months and swapping their vehicle choice every two weeks, said Klaus Zellm...

Rich Rebuilds is the sort of YouTube car dude that we all know and watch, buying suspiciously cheap and definitely not pristine vehicles and then documenting the inevitable rollercoaster ride of, well, rebuilding them. Hence his handle. He’s turned around a hurricane-inundated Model S, a wrecked Model 3, some sketchy Audis . . . you get the idea. There’s a strong Tesla fascination, and the guy co-founded an independent Tesla mechanic outfit, but there are some exceptions to the rule on his channel. Electric rat rod? Sure. How about a Tesla Cyberquad ATV tribute build? Sounds interesting. See all 42 photos And it is. You see, the Cyberquad only exists in the most minimalistic way. It exists—we saw it in the back of the Cybertruck when it rolled onto the stage in that famous debu...

Though it continues to dominate truck sales, the Ford F-150 has fallen behind in the trick tailgate game. Its full-size competitors from GMC and Ram both offer fancy multi-way tailgates, with the former blazing a trail with its MultiPro tailgate and the latter recently introducing the barn door-style Multifunction tailgate. Not to be outdone, Ford is reportedly working on a complex tailgate gimmick of its own. According to Ford Authority, Ford is considering several prototype tailgate designs for development. Sources close to the project say a barn door setup like Ram’s is a top contender. The Ram 1500’s available Multifunction tailgate opens two ways: It can drop down like a traditional tailgate or swing open thanks to side-hinged 60/40 split barn doors. Those barn doors make ...

We are all ears whenever Jeep announces it’s doing something to the Wrangler. The rugged SUV is the bedrock of Jeep and the brand is the price of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Our enamor with the current Wrangler is no secret. In fact, we named our 2019 SUV of the Year. And we have known for some time that a plug-in hybrid version was due for a 2020 launch. FCA is great about releasing five-year plans that get us all excited, but the automaker also is more crisis-prone than most automakers. As such, we have learned virtually all the company’s plans are subject to change on a whim. See all 72 photos So we were heartened to learn during FCA’s 2020 annual shareholder meeting that the Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is still on track for a 202...

The Batman director Matt Reeves just revealed the new Batmobile on Twitter, and it’s a definite departure from past movie cars. The movie press had earlier heard rumors that the new Batmobile would be more of a muscle car than the military-inspired Tumbler that appeared in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight film trilogy. That is exactly what we have here, although the mid-mounted engine is a bit of a surprise. What we can see resembles a lot of different classic muscle cars, and that’s probably intentional. The deeply recessed front headlamps have a generic late 1960s look to them: a bit of Mopar, a bit of Mustang, maybe even a hint of De Tomaso Mangusta. Extremely swoopy rear fenders with pointed trailing ends that hang over three-element taillights are the closest thing we...

There are some car enthusiasts who insist that Nissan’s glory days are behind it. That cars like the R34 Skyline GT-R, 240Z, and 300ZX were a high watermark that the brand hasn’t been able to live up to in recent years. But even legends like that can be forgotten, and this 1994 Clayton Cunningham Nissan 300ZX IMSA racer who’s spare body (and a number of other bits and pieces) was found in a storage unit last week is no exception. In 1994, the No. 76 300ZX was powered by Nissan’s VRH35 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine. In race specification it made 641 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 520 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm. The entire engine only weighed just 370 pounds. No. 76 also raced at Sebring and Daytona that year where it took home first place with American r...

Even if you don’t spot the iconic Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star badge, you might think every Sprinter van you see in America is, well, a Mercedes. Well, they are, except when they’re Freightliners. Mercedes-Benz started selling Sprinters in the States under the U.S.-based truck company’s name in 2001 (Daimler has owned Freightliner since 1981) but will no longer do so after the 2021 model year. That leaves the Sprinter as a Mercedes-Benz and nothing else in America—as Benz’s tagline goes, the best or nothing, right? Why no more Freightliner Sprinter? Apparently, Mercedes was selling far more Mercedes-Benz Sprinters than Freightliner versions. And with predicted slowdowns in sales and the sort of economic activities that drive van purchases, Mercedes-Benz decided ...