Autos
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Big Daddy Barn Find: Ed Roth’s 1956 Ford F-100 Found after 50 Years in Hiding
Ed Roth was a man of many talents: painter, pinstriper, airbrush artist, fabricator. He was also a great self-promoter. Roth understood that an artist working in obscurity would likely starve. Success meant getting the word out about your skills. In the early 1950s, Roth bought a 1948 Ford, painted it red, lettered it with the name of his business and phone number, and adorned the roof over the back window with papier-mache head and hands. Sort of a bizarre take on the old “Kilroy was Here” cartoon. But, as he told Tony Thacker in the book Hot Rods by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, that head “drew too many complaints.” So in 1957, he bought a light green 1956 Ford F-100 pickup. Roth repainted the truck white and adorned it with red flames and added a tonneau cover...
Stray Dog Becomes Hyundai Dealership’s Best Friend
It’s 2020, and we’re all in desperate need of some uplifting news. If it involves a lovable dog with a rags-to-dealer story, we are there. And that’s why we’re so happy to be telling you about Tuscon Prime instead of some grim auto manufacturing news. This dog used to be a stray, but with a little luck he became a fixture at a Hyundai dealer—and now he’s getting international exposure. The dealership is located in Brazil, and we came across this story on Hyundai’s Brazilian Instagram account. The story goes that Tucson Prime was a stray, but liked hanging around the dealership. Taking pity on the adorable pup, the dealership “adopted” him. It was a smart move for both, since Tucson Prime became the center of attention—and had a stable living ...
Leaked! Next-Gen 2022 Subaru BRZ Set to Launch Spring 2021
We’ve known for a while that a successor to the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins is in the works, but now we know just how close the next-gen jointly developed sports car is. A photo of a Subaru future product presentation was leaked to enthusiast forum GR86.com, and in it is the automaker’s product plans through 2023. There are many juicy tidbits in the timeline, but the one that jumps out immediately is the BRZ replacement, which the leak suggests will launch next spring. That’s earlier than expected, and likely means the car is close to fully developed. A set of spy photos posted to GR86.com confirm that test mules are already out and about, with one spotted testing alongside a Ford Mustang. The car is still heavily camouflaged, so it’s hard to make out any details...
Chevy’s Shark-Themed Concept Cars: The Apex Predators of Auto Shows in the 1960s
One of our favorite non-automotive times of the year is upon us: Discovery’s Shark Week 2020 began on Sunday, Aug. 9. As such, we’re thoroughly in the mood for some automotive sharkdom, and we figured this is a great time to look back at some of Chevrolet’s cool shark-themed concepts of the 1960s. 1961 Mako Shark concept: Selling the new Corvette Legend has it that the original Mako Shark concept car’s name and color scheme were inspired by the real thing—specifically, a mako shark that GM styling chief Bill Mitchell caught himself and had mounted in his office. The story goes that Mitchell insisted that the blue-grey-white blending on the show car exactly match the shark, and when his staff couldn’t get the car painted to his satisfaction, they stole the shar...
ABT’s Audi RS Q8-R is More Carbon Fiber Than Car
The Audi RS Q8 is a rocket ship of a crossover SUV. It currently holds the lap record at the Nürburgring for a production SUV, bettering its more powerful Italian cousin, the Lamborghini Urus, by five seconds. But for all of its racetrack crushing pace, some might say the RS Q8 is lacking a little bit of wow factor. Luckily, that’s where famed Audi tuner ABT comes in, and it calls this creation the RS Q8-R. To celebrate its 125th birthday, ABT is giving the RS Q8 a bit of a carbon-fiber filled makeover. The changes include adding bits of carbon fiber to the grille surround, front splitter, fender flares, rear window surround, and rear fascia. There are also little winglets at the top of the tailgate that are made from—you guessed it—carbon fiber. The car sits on massive 23-inch rims ...
The Kia Soul Handles Better Than You Think
Although its cubelike shape suggests otherwise, the Kia Soul EX has better handling than we expected, making it more fun to drive than one might assume. Credit the good handling to a properly tuned chassis and competent steering, the combination of which gives the Soul the sort of body control that encourages more precise lane changes, quicker on-ramp speeds, and the occasional jaunt down a favorite wiggly road. It won’t be confused for a hot hatch, but the Soul EX offers a connectedness and composedness that is mostly absent among its competitors, such as the Nissan Kicks, Toyota CH-R, and Hyundai Venue. This fact didn’t escape our judges at last year’s Car of the Year, many of whom applauded the Soul’s handling. Car of the Year guest judge Chris Theodore said, ...
Remember When a Car Meant Freedom?
“If the car was invented today and we said this consumer product will improve mobility and productivity, but … it will kill 33,000 people a year in America, do you think the government would approve it for sale?” Volvo senior safety engineer Thomas Broberg’s measured iconoclasm came as the automaker defended its decision to restrict the top speed of all its vehicles to 112 mph. I first came across this institutional mindset 30 years ago, when I interviewed Pehr Gyllenhammar, author, economist, lawyer, and, at the time, chairman of the board of AB Volvo. “We are not a luxury car producer,” declaimed Gyllenhammar bluntly. The smiles of the Volvo PR flacks became instantly fixed, brittle. Color drained from their faces. The Volvo chairman was happy to elaborate: ...
2021 Toyota Sequoia, Now as Old as Its Tree Namesake, Gets Minor Updates
The Toyota Sequoia mega-SUV soldiers on. Mostly unchanged from 2008, it receives a few minor updates for the 2021 model year. Along with a new Nightshade edition, the 2021 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro trim replaces its available Army Green paint color with a bluish-green option called Lunar Rock. While it may be old, the Sequoia remains competitively priced with rivals. The 2021 Toyota Sequoia starts at $51,465, an increase of $120 over the previous model year. At this starting price, the Sequoia remains competitive with the far newer Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition, as well as the not-as-new Nissan Armada. See all 26 photos Opting for four-wheel drive adds $3,225 to any trim level, except the TRD Pro, which comes standard with the feature. Once again, all Sequoias are powered by a naturally...
The First-Ever BMW M3 Wagon Is Happening—But Will It Come to America?
The BMW M3 has been around for more than 30 years, and in that time there have been sedans, coupes, convertibles, and even a pickup truck. (Google that last one if you don’t believe us.) But one form the M3 has never taken? A factory-built BMW M3 Touring—that’s a station wagon in BMW-speak. That changes now. BMW has officially confirmed that G80-generation BMW M3 will get a wagon variant in addition to the four-door sedan and closely related two-door M4. Thankfully, it’s not April 1, and BMW appears to be serious about finally making an M3 wagon. This is the kind of news hardcore BMW fans will be getting their M-branded underpants in a bunch for. To be fair, we’re pretty excited by the idea of an M3 wagon, too. As of right now, the M3 will have the same 3.0-liter tw...
BMW Nixes M8 Coupe and Convertible From 2021 U.S. Model Line
BMW has a large list of updates for its 2021 model year vehicles. Most of the changes to the German automaker’s vehicles are minor, however, there’s a very significant and large hole in the portion of the list related to the 8 Series: the M8 coupe and convertible are no more. And we’re unsure of when (or if) the duo will be back. Don’t worry, if you don’t mind a couple of extra doors the M8 Gran Coupe remains available. And it seems that getting your hands on a BMW M8 shouldn’t be very difficult, since Automotive News reported in March that the cars are stacked up at dealers. If anything, the climate hasn’t gotten any better for sales of pricey, high-performance two-door cars. <!– –> It seems that rather than pile even more M8 coupes and convertibles on American lot...
2021 Ford Explorer Sees Major Drop in Prices
Completely redesigned for 2020, the Ford Explorer is fun to drive and offers a well-rounded hybrid variant. While there’s a lot to like about the SUV, our biggest complaint has been that interior quality doesn’t match up to the sticker prices. Now, it appears Ford will remedy this situation with deep price cuts across the Explorer lineup. The base 2021 Ford Explorer costs $33,470, a price decrease of $540. But other trims see much steeper cuts. Take the XLT, which is $2,925 cheaper than last year for a total price of $35,245. The performance-oriented ST gets slashed by $2,135 for a $53,850 sticker. Limited models see quadruple digit discounts all around, too, with cuts starting in the $2,000s for the hybrid version. If you move up to the top Platinum trim, you’re looking at a $55,725 start...
Evolution of the Charger: The Car that Built Dodge’s Reputation for Muscle
For the midseason return of Roadkill’s Junkyard Gold, Steve Magnante is at Stephens Performance, an all-Mopar junkyard in Anderson, Alabama, looking over 3,000+ cars spread across 58 acres. What’s he looking for? The most popular car Dodge ever built, the Charger! Related: Sign up to the MotorTrend App today to stream the best car shows and binge on burnouts! Watch 3,200+ hours of the best in automotive entertainment, including every episode of Roadkill’s Junkyard Gold, Wheeler Dealers, 25+ seasons of Top Gear, and When the Dodge Charger arrived in 1966, it helped transform Dodge’s image as a maker of boring, practical cars to a leader in performance and the muscle car segment. The Charger nameplate carries so much weight, Chrysler brought it back in 2006 to help boost sales—a move that he...
