Archive for March 2021

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Beyond Cars (4)

  • The 2022 Indian Chief Is An Assault On Harley-Davidson's Bread-And-Butter Cruisers

    There are few weightier names in motorcycling than Chief. If ever there were a Mustang or Corvette of the two-wheel world, I’d say, this may be it. It’s a name that has been through highs and lows: In the roaring ’20s, it was the height of performance and style for Indian. One hundred years on, the one-size-bigger-than-Scout is back for another go-round. There is a lot of motorcycling history to that name, and Polaris, the parent and savior of Indian Motorcycle, knows it had better get it right.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • The 2022 Indian FTR Brings An Oddball Closer To The Mainstream

    When it was introduced for the 2019 model year, Indian’s FTR 1200 was a unique riding experience. With a big V-twin in a sporty chassis, it was the rowdy American entry to the naked bike market that buyers were pining for. It proved super successful for the Indian brand, making inroads to new markets and finding new buyers. The bike had a few minor problems, however, that customers and reviewers agreed needed fixing.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

Boatlopnik (7)

Buying (24)

Culture (224)

  • Reminder: Lil Nas X Was Named After A Car That Was Named After A Hat

    If you’ve been paying any attention to the news lately, I’m sure you’ve seen some references to people freaking out about, of all things, Satan and shoes with a little bit of human blood in them. The common component between the Lord of Darkness and the Nikes with vein juice is the wildly popular rapper Lil Nas X. The reason I’m writing about this at all is because, unlike nearly everyone else in the news right now, Lil Nas X was named after a car.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • This Nissan Wagon Has What May Be The Best And Least Appreciated Wagon Feature Ever

    Have I mentioned before how much I love that feeling of learning some new weird detail about a car? I love it. I chase it like a goddamn junkie. I’m in the throes of that sensation right now, thanks to a new pusher of mine, a guy named Hans who first tipped me off about the Lancia Gamma. Now he’s got a new fix for me, but, unlike the Gamma, this one is about something terribly wonderful instead of wonderfully terrible. It’s a feature on the 1987 to 1999 Nissan Cedric (or Gloria) Wagon.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Is Finally, Actually, Happening

    The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a compact truck that was first shown as a concept at the Detroit auto show in 2015 and hasn’t materialized as a production model since, though Hyundai said in 2018 it would get here “as soon as possible.” It seems 2021 might finally be the Santa Cruz’s year.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • You Guys, Hot Wheels Made A Nissan R390 GT1

    It just came to my attention minutes before writing this that you can walk into one of the great many big box retailers across this country right now and there is a good chance you’ll be able to leave with a Hot Wheels diecast of a Nissan R390 GT1 road car. This is incredible.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • What Terrible Car Prank Did You Pull Off (Or Fall For)?

    April Fools’ Day is no joke. In recent days, scores of our car-covering colleagues felt the sting of a certain automaker making them look foolish. On April Fools’ Day eve, I’m wondering: When have you felt the sting of a practical joke?

    By Erin Marquis Read More

  • Prodrive Is Building A Street-Legal Version Of Its Dakar Racer

    Back in January the Prodrive Hunter made its competition debut in the 2021 running of the Dakar Rally, where it finished fifth overall with Spanish legend Nani Roma at the wheel. The rally didn’t go off without a hitch, but for a first effort that was a commendable one, to be sure. And now the legendary car builders at Prodrive will be turning this desert racer into a road legal off-road hypercar, according to Autocar.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Remade Wipeout Intro Reminds Us The Franchise's Return Is Long Overdue

    Of all the dormant racing game franchises — and there are many — Wipeout’s absence feels the most criminal. Developers at Sony’s long-defunct Studio Liverpool arguably never put a foot wrong throughout the anti-gravity racing series’ history, so long as you consider 2002's Wipeout Fusion a worthy aside rather than an aberration. Regardless, Wipeout is great. I miss it every day.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • This Doesn't Sound Like Good News About Canoo

    It was just before the pandemic really kicked into gear last year that Hyundai and Canoo, the cool egg-shaped EV startup, announced that they were teaming up to make EVs. The details of that deal were vague then, and now the whole thing appears to be off.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • How Should Other Brands Electrify Their Names?

    Volkswagen of America confirmed its name change to Voltswagen today. While our editors think about the VW tattoo that they are going to get, we’re still not totally sold that this isn’t an early April Fools’ Day prank.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Chevrolet Mexico's New Compact Van Has Charmed Me

    Chevy is redesigning its car-based pickup, the Tornado. The coupe-ute is reportedly getting bigger, according to Motorpasion. For Tornado fans, this is kind of a bust. But in a strange balancing of the scales, another commercial Chevy is getting smaller. There’s a new Tornado Van coming, and it rocks.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Here Are Your Worst Stories Of A Mechanic Trying To Screw You Over

    Therapist, bartender, mechanic: These are the three pillars of trust who form the foundation for a life well live (and secrets well kept.) A trusted mechanic can be as faithful and close to you as a family member. The entire thing falls apart if your own mechanic can’t be trusted.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • What Do You Want To Know About The 2021 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster?

    I got my start at Jalopnik by blogging about the production of the 2015 Bond movie, Spectre. That movie introduced a new Aston Martin concept design, dubbed the DB10, which did not go into production, but instead previewed the now-current Aston Martin Vantage. So for me, driving this car has sort of been a six-year journey.

    By Justin T. Westbrook Read More

  • The 2022 Ford Maverick Looks To Be Properly Tiny

    Ford’s new sub-Ranger compact truck, the Maverick (at least we all think that’s what it’s going to be called) has been spotted testing again. This time though, we get a good idea of just how compact the new truck will be.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • The Long-Lost Footage Of The Legendary $500 Postal Jeep Road Trip Is Finally Here On April 1

    Two years ago I took a hopeless, rotted-out $500 Postal Jeep on an impossible 3,500-mile road trip from Michigan to the off-road trails of Utah and back. My brother filmed the whole thing, and though Jalopnik lost the footage for many months, it is now found. So tune in for the next seven weeks to watch me wrench until I drop, take on terrifying Rocky Mountain passes, break down on treacherous and remote off-road trails, get a bit loopy in the desert heat, experience hilarious run-ins with the l

    By David Tracy Read More

  • Volkswagen Is Eating Its Own

    We have said it before, but VW’s Dieselgate will never end. The German auto giant has been busy pivoting to electric cars to repair its tainted image, but now it has opened a new offensive: pursuing its old boss, the glowering Martin Winterkorn, for damages.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • When Did A Mechanic Try And Screw You Over?

    Mechanics are there for you when you try your best to fix your own car but fail. Unfortunately, sometimes a mechanic may not be that lifeline and instead become just another headache. When did a mechanic try and screw you?

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Bogi Lateiner Of 'All Girls Garage' On The Empowerment Of Repairing Your Own Vehicle

    Bogi Lateiner epitomizes the term “car enthusiast.” She may not have grown up going gaga over four-wheeled machines, but after buying a Volkswagen Beetle—her dream car—while in high school, she knew she’d found her path. She rebuilt that car from the ground up and, in the process, learned that few things in life are as intimidating as they seem at the start.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • What's Your Favorite Song With A Car In The Title?

    Back when I was a young and innocent teen, I made a Jalopnik post asking everyone to share their favorite driving songs so that I could put them together into a big playlist. It was one of my worst decisions because, three years on, I still get emails from people asking if I’ll add their brand new song to the playlist because apparently they have a Google alert that lets them know who asks for music and now my email address is forever bombarded with at least six of these emails a day. But I’m ba

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • This Day In History: Toyota Founder Dies

    On March 27, 1952, Kiichiro Toyoda died. He was the man responsible for transforming his father’s textile machinery business into what grew to become the world’s largest automaker: Toyota.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • What's In Your Dream Shop?

    We talk a lot about dream cars here on Jalopnik, how we’d fill up our garages if we had infinite money to buy ourselves that Lamborghini we had on a poster as a kid. But I’m going to flip that one on its head: what’s in your dream shop? What tools and supplies do you pine over when it comes to working on cars?

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Dealers Know Direct Sales Are A Massive Threat

    Dealers still exist not because anyone is asking for them, really, but because of state franchise laws, which largely prevent automakers from selling directly to consumers. Which means that any threat to those laws gets dealers very, very hot under the collar. The latest evidence of that is a new lawsuit against Illinois, Rivian and Lucid.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Here Are The Moments You Knew You Were Over Your Head

    Some of us are confident enough in our abilities that we go it alone on a car. Be it routine maintenance or a project, sometimes it’s that simple. Other times, we may overstep ourselves. Be it pride or determination, sometimes we won’t even consider help even when we clearly need it.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • The Chip Shortage Is Chaos

    Ford is halting production of F-150s at its factory in Dearborn, Michigan, from Friday until Sunday, before restarting again on Monday, while Chrysler is shutting down minivan production for four whole weeks at its factory in Windsor, Canada, both ostensibly because of the global chip shortage. Expect more chaos.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • What Do You Want To Know About The 2003 Saturn Ion?

    Someone that I do not know and have never seen just left me the keys and title to a well-used car. It came with a quarter tank of fuel and nearly 200,000 miles on the odometer. This car is a 2003 Saturn Ion, a car from a promising brand that never got the chance to reach its potential.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • VW Promises ID.Buzz Is Still U.S.-Bound — We'll Just Have To Wait A Little Longer

    If you’re charmed by Volkswagen’s spiritual Microbus successor, the all-electric ID.Buzz, and happen to live in Europe, you should get your chance to order yours next year. For those of us in the States, the wait is going to be a little longer. Volkswagen commercial vehicle chief Carsten Intra has confirmed the ID.Buzz won’t land on our shores until 2023 as a 2024 model.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Elon Musk Must Delete A Tweet

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent a bad tweet on May 21, 2018, and that is normal because all tweets are bad. But now Musk’s tweet has also been ruled illegal.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Mini's Electric Hot Hatch Might Debut As A Formula E Safety Car

    We’ve known that an electric Mini JCW hot hatchback is in the works from the Brit brand by BMW. It’s an exciting proposition, one many of us are looking forward to, and it gets more exciting as the day draws nearer. In a tweet on Wednesday, Mini released the above teaser image with the caption “Feels like it’s time for a boost. Watch this space... #ElectricThrillMaximised” Does that mean Mini will be pacing the field at future Formula E events?

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • There's No Way You Can ID All These Air-Cooled Boxers. A Little Contest!

    Guess what? It’s the first Thursday of Spring! You know what that means, right? Of course you do: it’s the day we celebrate horizontally-opposed engines that are cooled by air, as decreed by St. Mornish the Clammy in 1583, inspired by a prescient dream where pairs of salt pork barrels smacked their blunt ends into one another during a tornado. So, to celebrate Mornishmas, why don’t you see how many of these air-cooled boxer engines you can identify?

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • On Dreams Cars, And Dreams

    It is increasingly clear to me that I will never own my dream car. Never drive it. I’ll only ever come close to it, see it, touch it, and that is all.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Here Are Some Folks You Think Shouldn't Have A Driver's License

    Driving is a privilege, not a right. Some people seem to forget that and those are also the people who shouldn’t be driving. Whether it’s a friend or family member, there are lots of people that make you wonder how they passed (or who they paid to let them pass) their driving test. We asked readers who they knew that shouldn’t have their driver’s licenses.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • The Feds Were Asking Lordstown Motors Questions Weeks Before Short-Seller's Report

    Earlier this month, a short-selling firm called Hindenburg Research released a devastating report about Lordstown Motors, accusing them of faking orders and exaggerating its progress on production. A few days after that, Lordstown acknowledged the SEC’s interest, but according to a new filing from the company the SEC was interested well before the Hindenburg report.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • What We Talk About When We Talk About 'Underpowered'

    “Underpowered” is a vague word that car reviewers like to use to assert their authority on what a car should be like (and to remind you that they’ve driven a Ferrari one time). That’s a problem, because in practical terms “underpowered” is virtually meaningless.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Audi RS6 Avants Are Already Getting Flipped, But Maybe You Should Avoid Those Cars Anyway

    The Audi RS6 Avant is the longroof of dreams, and being a hot new car in high demand opportunists are already circling to make a quick buck. Dig into the sales history of some of the low-mile examples now available, though, and you’ll learn something surprising: It’s not just lone-wolf predators playing the market. Canadian dealers are in on the flipping game, too.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Ford Mondeo: Dead

    Pour one out for the Ford Mondeo. The Fusion was finally discontinued last summer, and now the Blue Oval announces that it’ll pull the plug of one of its UK mainstays in March 2022. The Mondeo is no more.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Scores Of U.S. Lawmakers Want A National Ban On Fuel-Burning Cars On The Calendar

    The U.S. had some of the most ambitious fuel economy targets in the world under rules implemented by the Obama administration, which the Trump administration then attempted to gut. Well, there’s a new president in town, you may have heard, and a whole lot of lawmakers are telling him to restore Obama’s rules and possibly impose a ban on petrol-burning cars, too.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • The Alpina B8 Gran Coupe Makes Too Much Power

    There’s something strange about this Alpina B8 Gran Coupe. Normally there’s a fairly clear delineation between the all-powerful M and the more cruiser-style B. But this time the roles are reversed. If you roll up to a stoplight in your BMW M8 Gran Coupe, the Alpina B8 next to you will be making more power. This is wrong.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Dodge Offers Software Update For Chargers And Challengers That Limits Them To 3 HP Of Raw Hemi Power

    Dodge seems to have decided that if its customers paid good money for their cars, maybe they should actually get to keep them, and as such have developed a brand-new bit of security software for Chargers and Challengers with either the 392 cubic inch/6.4-liter Hemi V8 or the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 engines. The new software will require a four-digit security code, and if it doesn’t get the proper code, engine power will be limited to about three horsepower. So, really, the software also u

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • You Can Buy A Tesla With Bitcoin Now

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted early Wednesday that you can now buy a Tesla with bitcoin, the cryptocurrency. Despite the tweet coming at 3:02 a.m. EST, this seems a bit more premeditated than your typical late-night Twitter shenanigans.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Online Used Car Retailer Vroom Faces Investor Lawsuit After Posting Massive Fourth Quarter Losses

    Despite impressions early last year that online retailers like Carvana and Vroom would likely only benefit from the complex pandemic sales landscape, investors in Vroom are now filing a class action lawsuit against the retailer for allegedly misleading them with regard to the health of the company before posting a massive 41.9 percent jump in losses in the fourth quarter.

    By Justin T. Westbrook Read More

  • Piaggio Makes Horrifying Robot Platoons That Follow Humans

    Piaggio Group, the parent company of those ever-so-cute Vespa scooters, announced it can now outfit Boston Robotics’ totally harmless robot, Spot, with a module that eliminates the need to control the ’bot remotely. Meaning, this robot dog can now track and follow its handler to and fro independently of human input.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Another Legendary Isdera Is Headed For Auction

    I have a saying about Isderas: They’re the best and I love them. So you can bet that when news emerged today that another example of the boutique German automaker’s few machines was headed for the auction block, an alarm bell started ringing in my head. I’m told this isn’t a normal aspect of human existence and not everyone has a built-in Isdera auction alert system, but nevertheless.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • The 2022 GMC Terrain Wants To Go Off-Road

    The first-generation GMC Terrain debuted back in April 2009 for the 2010 model year, getting a second generation for 2018, and, Tuesday, a mid-cycle refresh for 2022. It got some styling updates, and a whole new trim for off-roading, though how much off-roading Terrain owners will do remains an open question.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Here Are The Pain In The Ass Repairs You've Been Putting Off

    If you like to wrench on your vehicles (or bikes, or boats, or planes) life can get in the way of actually starting that project or repair you’ve been putting off. When you finally get into it, you realize that it’s going to be more of a hassle than you thought. Then you realize this hassle may have been the reason you had been putting this off in the first place. We asked readers what repairs they have been putting off or are not looking forward to.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • I Have Become Entranced By The Jeep Renegade

    A good buddy of mine has been my guiding light in bad car decisions. I remember the Porsche 912 shell he was in charge of as a kid, the Alfa GTV shell he has in a barn somewhere, the two broken Saab wagons that he combined into one working car, and then his transition into some form of sensible car ownership with a second-gen Honda Fit. It’s gone. A Jeep Renegade stands in its place.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Meet The Car With An Engine You Could Destroy By Turning The Steering Wheel

    I think one of my favorite states of mind is something I call appreciative bafflement: A state of confusion so deep and profound that you’re genuinely impressed and appreciate the efforts taken to make such confusing, deeply fucked decisions. The Lancia Gamma, especially the fastback Berlina version, is a car full of this sort of bafflement. Let’s talk about this lovely weirdo.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • What Pain-In-The-Ass Repair Are You Putting Off?

    My name is José and I like BMWs. The support group nods. Actually, I like old BMWs. The support group winces. OK. So the support group is just a bunch of wrenches and screwdrivers that I won’t need to work on my car, but the job is draining nonetheless because it’s the kind of repair you won’t know will work for sure, until it doesn’t.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • The Lexus IS WAX Edition Is The Pinnacle Of Car Audio Snobbery

    Lexus wants you to know that its IS 350 F Sport sedan is still very much a thing by targeting one of the largest and most ubiquitous groups among car buyers: audiophiles. Lexus has debuted the IS WAX Edition concept to pry discerning music listeners up out of their Eames lounge chairs and onto the road.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Here Are Your Spring Plans

    Springtime is upon us, but it feels a lot like last Spring. One year into the pandemic and, while there are several effective vaccines are becoming available to more and more Americans, infection rates are still on the rise in several states, the Washington Post reports. We’re not out of the woods yet, but a lot of you plan to hang out in the woods as the weather warms up for some socially distant fun.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Production Model Nissan 400Z Images Leaked And There Are Some New Details To See

    Last summer, Nissan finally realized nobody was all that interested in another Altima facelift and finally gave everyone something to get excited about: a new Z car, likely to be called the 400Z. What we saw was a pre-production prototype, and I liked the very original Z-inspired styling a lot. I’m pleased to note that this leaked picture of what sure looks like a production 400Z pretty much retains the whole look of the Z Proto with only minimal changes. Also, that black tape over the badge isn

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • The Writing Is On The Wall For Gas-Powered Cars

    California said in September that it would be banning the sale of new cars that aren’t zero emission by 2035, which it should probably just do right now instead of waiting. Anyway, there are now calls for the U.S. as a whole to do pretty much the same thing.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • What Are Your Spring Plans?

    Winter is coming to a close, people are getting vaccinated and things look like they may be approaching something of a new normal. With that in mind, what plans for the spring and summer are you looking forward to?

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • An Apartment Complex In Ohio Is Towing Cars For Being Ugly

    In Ohio, the Montana Valley Apartments complex is towing—and threatening to tow—cars parked in its lot that don’t meet its appearance standards, Westwood’s Local 12 news station reports. The story calls it PWP, or parking while poor, and it results in the complex towing one to two cars per month while also distributing tow notices on three to four cars per day.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • What's The Handiest Thing You Ever Bought For Your Car?

    Owning a car is a constant process of buying more shit for it to improve the driving experience. Sometimes, it’s a simple problem, like realizing you need an organizer for the seat back to keep all your kid’s stuff in. Sometimes, it’s a matter of buying one of those jump starters that come attached to a battery just in case, at which point you become the favorite person in the neighborhood when suddenly everyone’s cars start dying. So, I have to ask, what’s the handiest thing you’ve ever bought

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • What Do You Want To Know About Track Days?

    I finally had the opportunity to experience something I’ve been eager to for ages. I’ve lined up my first ever track day—and I want to know what you want to know about the whole experience. Top to bottom, in and out.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • What's The Most Useless Car Fact You Know?

    If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good useless fact. You know the ones I’m talking about: those things that do not improve your life in any way but that are fun to share with people because it gives the impression that you have an encyclopedic knowledge. So, I want to know the most useless—but fun—car facts you have jangling around in your brain.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Here's What You Think About Backing Into Parking Spaces

    Backing into a parking space can be an exercise in either doing too much or being crafty so you can get in and out quickly. Personally, I like backing in. But I would advise doing so only if you are a good enough driver to do it quickly. We asked readers what their thoughts were on backing into parking spaces.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Is It Better To Back Into A Parking Spot?

    I feel like there are certain questions that vast numbers of people will instantly drop whatever they’re doing to make sure their opinion is firmly and forcefully noted. One such question is the issue of whether or not it’s better to reverse into a parking place so you can later exit it nose-first, or if it’s just as good (or better) to just pull into a spot and back out. I bet there’s a portion of readers who are already rubbing that blue pool chalk on their typing fingers as they read this, so

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Hot Hatches Are Dead, Says Company That Once Specialized In Hot Hatches

    See that? That’s the new Peugeot 308, the latest in a long line of attractive hatchbacks from a company that has many of such vehicles to its name. Some of these hatchbacks — particularly ones carrying GTI badges — happen to be quite snappy to drive. But Peugeot doesn’t appear to be very interested in making them anymore, according to comments made by the company’s product director in a recent interview.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • These Are The Worst Financial Decisions You've Seen Enthusiasts Make

    You can make some pretty dumb decisions as a car enthusiast. Personally, my dumbest moment was when I bought a Jaguar S Type R a couple of years ago. It turned out to live up to that legendary Jaguar reliability by overheating on the way home from the dealership. I got rid of it that same week. We asked readers what bad financial moves they’ve seen made by car enthusiasts.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Gasoline Demand Is About To Peak: Report

    The car industry is sailing through a sea change right now and Big Oil might start feeling like a stow-away very soon. The COVID-19 pandemic has made global oil demand plummet just as the EV era is getting underway. The International Energy Agency now forecasts that demand might never recover.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • America's Only CVT-Equipped Truck Was Tiny, Dutch-Powered, And Partially Designed By A Lawyer

    Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) and trucks don’t really seem to mix. At least, they haven’t so far, as I can only think of two CVT-equipped trucks built in any quantities at all, and both of them share the same basic drivetrain. I want to introduce you to one of these especially, because it’s particularly weird and interesting. It’s called the Handy Wagon, and it was one of the only automobiles to be built in Arkansas.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • The Feds Have No Idea Who Owns This Stolen Ferrari F50

    On December 14, 2019, authorities at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry in Buffalo, New York, encountered a 1996 Ferrari F50 with a suspect vehicle identification number partially covered in black tar, which led authorities to hold the car. Almost a month later, with the car still being held, Ferrari confirmed the F50 had been reported stolen in 2003.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Toyota's Dreamcast Virtual Showroom Discs Made Car Buying Fun

    The Sega Dreamcast was home to many notable racing games despite its short time with us, from Yu Suzuki’s Ferrari F355 Challenge to Test Drive Le Mans, Crazy Taxi and a very goofy version of Daytona USA. They weren’t all winners, but they were genuinely interesting titles. Wouldn’t you know, even Toyota published some “games” on Sega’s final console, too.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • The 2021 Acura TLX Type S Will Make 355 HP And Start In The 'Low $50,000s'

    It is odd for an automaker to announce the price of a new car and not have that pricing be exact, but that’s what Acura’s done with the new TLX Type S, the stunning return to Acura’s sportier past. Acura said Wednesday it would start in the “low $50,000s,” and if you want more precision than that we’ll have to let you know later.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Now The Feds Are Asking Questions Of Lordstown Motors

    Last week, a research firm said that Lordstown Motors has been faking orders and is in fact years away from production, none of which was terribly surprising for former President Donald Trump’s favorite automaker. Today, Lordstown revealed that the report prompted the Securities and Exchange Commission to ask some questions.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Here Are The Cars With The Best Grilles Right Now

    The wide, friendly (or not) grille of a vehicle is often the first thing you see on it. Depending on the brand or vehicle, it can be polarizing as hell, not mesh with the rest of the car or be a cohesive part of the design of the entire vehicle. But a good grille can really make a vehicle. We asked readers what cars they thought had the best grilles. These were the answers.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Reminder: Your Car Might Be Tracking You

    Almost any recent car is a part of the Internet of Things, the vastly expanding universe of devices we own and operate that are connected to the web. Which also means many modern cars can track your whereabouts, and do.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • We Are Sorry To Report That The Toyota Aygo X Prologue Looks Amazing

    I owe you all an apology. Last week, I wrote about a teaser for a Toyota concept, called the X Prologue. Or, at least we thought it was called the X Prologue. It actually turned out to be the Aygo X Prologue, a high-riding concept of the brand’s next-generation Aygo subcompact, which isn’t sold in the U.S. In other words, not an electric vehicle, as I and some others suggested.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • What Car Has The Best Grille Right Now?

    Grilles. As enthusiasts, it feels like we’re always bashing them for being obnoxiously large and marring otherwise handsome faces. And while the collective disdain for the new BMW M4’s nostrils seemingly unites the car-loving community in a weirdly wholesome way, I thought it’d be a nice exercise to recognize cars and automakers that have made good-looking grilles in recent years. We always point out who’s doing them wrong — today, let’s ask ourselves who’s doing grilles right.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Proposed E-Bike Tax Incentive Could Reduce The Number Of Cars On The Road

    Millions of e-bikes are sold every year, and some predictions point to impressive growth, with as many as 17 million sales by 2030. While Asia and Europe have been quite quick to adopt the electric-assisted two-wheeled life, the U.S. market has been a bit softer, but is intent on catching up. In 2019 American consumers purchased just 270,000 units. A pandemic-induced run on e-bikes saw sales in this country more than double to over 600,000 sold, and even at that number demand wasn’t sated.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • The 2022 Kia Stinger Could Be An Instant Classic

    The Kia Stinger, you probably have heard by now, is the real deal, an honest challenger to a car like the BMW M340i. And cheaper, too. On Tuesday, Kia confirmed that the base model will get 300 horsepower, or 45 horsepower more than the outgoing, as we first heard in August. The Kia Stinger is edging toward the ideal.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Here Are The Automotive Mysteries You've Always Wondered About

    Cars, like most things, have their own mysteries that people wonder about. When you’re an enthusiast though, those things could probably be described as trivial. We wonder about everything dealing with cars, from their manufacture to driving. One mystery I personally wonder about is who determines the placement of the speedometer and tach. Is it arbitrary? Because it varies from vehicle to vehicle and company to company. We asked readers what were some driving or car mysteries they have wondered

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Let's See How Well A Deepfake AI Can Make Cars Lip-Sync

    I’m not sure how closely you’ve been following the strange new field of AI-enabled deepfake videos and how shockingly accessible they’ve gotten for pretty much any jackass with a computer, but just trust me when I tell you that it’s easier than ever to make plausible-looking videos of people doing things they didn’t actually do. There’s even a goofy/impressive app called Wombo that can make a picture of anyone appear to lip-sync songs. So, it’s time to shove some cars in there.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Audi Has Already Begun Its Long Sunsetting Of ICE Engines

    Don’t hold your breath for any new Audi internal combustion engines, because they aren’t coming. Markus Duesmann, the automaker’s CEO, today confirmed to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (via Electrive) that it is finished building new gas engines because it simply isn’t feasible within upcoming European emissions standards. In fact, Duesmann called it “technically a huge challenge.”

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • The Most Fun Racing Game Out There Just Got A Big Update For Xbox Series X

    Wreckfest is the most fun racing game out there right now, and I mean that in the broadest sense possible. We can argue about the best simulator, or the best rally game or what have you, but when I want to throw down with my friends and 20 blissfully unaware bots, nothing matches the instant thrills of — or inspires me to holler quite like — Bugbear’s demolition racer. And now it’s getting even better!

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Toyota's Model Y Fighter Better Be Good

    Toyota said Monday that it will unveil its Tesla Model Y fighter at the Shanghai Motor Show next month. And for a company that was a car electrification pioneer with the Prius before becoming a bit of a laggard in recent years, all I’m saying is that this car better be good.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Six Cars And A Semi Have Crashed Into This Detroit Home

    Poorly thought out roads and intersections can sometimes send bad drivers into the dwellings of people just trying to live their lives. For one family in Detroit, the cars keep on coming. Several vehicles have crashed into Camille Lewis’ home and the city does little to stop it.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Uber And Lyft Have Mastered The Art Of Getting The Government To Pay Their Tab

    It must be nice to run a ride-sharing company, totally absolved of responsibility to support your employees — I’m sorry, independent contractors — during global economic strife. You don’t have to give them a minimum wage, or healthcare or paid sick leave. And when they’ve got nothing coming in, they can just go to the federal government for financial stability. Which, unsurprisingly, is exactly what tens of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers have had to do during the COVID-19 pandemic, according

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Rivian Is Coming To Brooklyn

    Rivian, the electric truck startup backed by Amazon and Ford, said Monday that it would open a showroom in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a neighborhood that hasn’t been remotely cool in at least a decade but also a neighborhood that real estate developers are eager to milk for every last bit of cachet.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • The Only Hypercar That Matters Is Finally A Running And Driving Prototype

    “You can tell when a car is going to be good. It just feels so good already,” says professor Gordon Murray upon stepping out of the GMA T.50 prototype after a few sighting laps at the Dunsfold Top Gear test track. These are still very early days for the prototype, as it is clearly about as far as you can get from a finished product, and the extremely early engine is still limited to only the first 3,000 revs of its supposed 12,100 rpm limit.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Here Are Your 'Oh Shit' Driving Moments

    My scariest driving moment was almost slamming into the center divider on the San Diego freeway in a rainstorm. That was bad, but when we asked readers what their close call moments were we were expecting worse. Here are their answers.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • This Is What Those Black Stripes On School Buses Actually Mean

    The world is full of messages hidden in plain sight, if you just know how to read them. Knowing this makes the mundane so much more interesting, and it’s hard to think of anything more mundane than those black rails on the side of school buses. Those black rails—known to the savvy schoolbusheads as “rub rails”—are actually placed at very specific locations on the bus, and have important meanings, and it’s high time you were let in on the secret.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Tesla's Semi Is On Track (Physically, At Least)

    The Tesla Semi was first shown in November 2017, which is almost three-and-half years ago now. We are inching closer to a production version, as Tesla seems to be focused on getting both it and the Cybertruck out the door this year. Still, the Semi prototype is on track. Well, a physical track at least.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Jeep Has Ambitious Customer Service Plans For The Wagoneer

    The Jeep Wagoneer models represent a major step for the brand. While dealers have been selling Wranglers and Grand Cherokee Summit and SRT models at $60,000 and up for years now, there are major differences between these vehicles and Wagoneers. The differences between the customers will be even more stark. These will be customers Jeep dealers have probably never encountered.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • The Kia EV6 Makes This Look Easy

    We go on and on about how making cars is hard. Startup after startup crumbles away, particularly in the world of electric cars. Somehow, though, Kia makes it look easy with the EV6, its first ground-up, dedicated EV.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • The Jaguar E-Type Turns 60 With A Two For One Sale

    Jaguar is debuting a dozen E-Types to celebrate the car icon’s 60th birthday, which it will sell to drivers as pairs. Jaguar calls the six matched pairs, made up of one coupe and one roadster, the E-type 60 Collection.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Around 450 Workers Got COVID-19 In The Bay Area Tesla Plant That Opened Against Rules

    Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California remained opened for work in May of 2020 despite an Alameda County public health order that required non-essential businesses to close during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company eventually sued the county, which allowed the company to open. But it turns out that 450 of the factory’s 10,000 tested positive for COVID-19 from May to December, The Washington Post reports.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Here Are Your Traumatic School Bus Stories

    I don’t know how it was for anyone else as a child, but riding the school bus for me often sucked. Mostly because the bus I rode was full of kids of varying ages. Being a first grader, I wasn’t aware of the unwritten rule of “small kids sit in the front and the big kids sit in the back.” So I sat where I wanted. And was picked on because of it by the older kids. Daily. Mostly for my ears. They called me Martin Lawrence. (It was the ’90s. And my ears stuck out. If you’re familiar with Martin Lawr

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Aston Martin's Big Lagonda Revival May Have Reached A Dead End

    Aston Martin was to enter its electric era with a flagship under the Lagonda brand next year. That vehicle is no longer part of the company’s plans, based on recent comments made by executive chairman Lawrence Stroll in an interview with the Financial Times. In fact, the full revival of the Lagonda brand may not happen at all.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Here's How Fans Are Resurrecting Beloved Cars From Retro Games In Modern Racing Sims

    The Assoluto Bisonte seen above weighed about 2,750 pounds in its 1999 race trim and derived its power from a mid-mounted pushrod V8 of 3 liters. The four different teams that ran it during the Real Racing Roots campaign that year quoted different power figures, though the most well-known example run by Racing Team Solvalou in the second heat of the Grand Prix churned out 256 horsepower, sending that to a 5-speed gearbox. More powerful evolutions employed six-speed transmissions.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Bollinger Says It'll Start Deliveries In 2022

    Bollinger, the electric truck startup that isn’t bad, is getting closer and closer to becoming more than “isn’t bad,” in that it’s getting closer and closer to becoming more real. Its CEO said Friday that deliveries of its trucks would start next year.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Let's All Say Farewell To The Honda S660, Even Though We Never Said Hello

    We didn’t deserve the midengine Honda S660 kei convertible, which is probably one of the reasons we never got it. It was the successor — I’m not even going to preface that with “spiritual” — to the Honda Beat of the ’90s, which also didn’t come to the U.S. The S660 went on sale in Japan in 2015; it will end production next year, according to the Japanese website Response, by way of Autoblog.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Shed A Tear For Apple, For Nobody Wants To Help It Make A Car

    Poor, poor Apple. The world’s richest company (it slides up and down, but it’s always hovering near the top) wanted only to find an automaker to be its dancing partner for its autonomous, electric car project. It probably envisioned the likes of Hyundai and Nissan would fall over themselves for the mere opportunity to contribute all their latest technology and manufacturing expertise to a vehicle for which they’d receive no credit in the marketplace.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Just How Traumatic Was Riding The School Bus For You?

    Not a ton of the folks on staff have school-age kids, but the ones who do recently informed us that they drop off and pick up their kids each day, school bus be damned. Where Lawrence Hodge’s kid goes to school, the district doesn’t even offer buses. This seemed weird — but then we all started recounting how miserable riding the school bus was, and we realized oh, yeah, it really sucked.

    By Erin Marquis Read More

  • I'll Never Get Over The Morgan EV3

    Way back in 2016 the most British of all British automakers, Morgan, thrust an electric version of its already incredible 3-Wheeler model out into the world for display at the Geneva Auto Show. With an old-world open-wheel aesthetic, the 3-Wheeler already looks like it was constructed from the salvage of a downed World War II fighter plane, but with an electric powertrain it was dragged kicking and screaming into the modern world. I was instantly in love.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Where's The Wagoneer 4xe?

    Back in the early 1960s the Kaiser-Jeep Corporation built a vehicle which would change the face of the planet for decades to come. As what is essentially the first luxury sport utility vehicle, the Wagoneer was delivered to the world in 1963. The design was so successful that it soldiered on largely unchanged for 29 model years. The only other vehicle I can think of with that kind of longevity is Porsche’s venerable 911, but the Wagoneer sold on a much larger scale.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Here Are The Worst Street Names In America

    Apparently, this country is full of bad street names. A lot of them are still waiting to be found. Some are like “Ok that’s weird but kind of cool.” While others are “What the hell were you guys on when you thought of this?” One I know of personally is Tupac Ln in Las Vegas. Whether or not it was named for the famous rapper is unclear but it is still a bad street name for the suburbs. We asked readers what they thought were the worst street names in America. Here are their responses.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Maybe The Big BMW Grille Is Supposed To Make You Mad

    This is going to sound like a classic “bad thing is actually good” take, but hear me out: I think the big, ugly nostrils on the BMW M3 and M4 are good, and I’m tired of pretending they’re not. That’s been my view since I first saw the mole rat posts. It’s my view now.

    By Rory Carroll Read More

  • Hello To The BMW E23 In The New Japanese Breakfast Video

    I have spent only an extremely limited time in a BMW E23 7 Series, in large part because it was my old boss Patrick George’s car and it if wasn’t broken it was usually getting itself ready to break. The car didn’t drive much when I knew it, but it was transformative.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Canoo's New Pickup Truck Is The Anti-Cybertruck Because It May Actually Be A Useful Truck

    I’ve been covering startup EV maker Canoo for a few years here, and I’ve been continually impressed with its very straightforward rounded-box-on-wheels approach to design. It has been great at maximizing interior volume and creating what have resembled modernized electric Volkswagen Type 2 Transporters, even before VW began to do the same. Now Canoo is showing an electric pickup truck with such a brilliantly useful design that I can’t help but think of it in terms of its opposite, Tesla’s Cybert

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • The Toyota X Prologue Teases A New Era Long Overdue

    We’ll get our first look at Toyota’s future a week from now. That’s when the automaker plans to pull the covers off what is probably a preview of its first fully electric vehicle — a concept dubbed the X Prologue. A teaser image of the vehicle was shared today, and you can gaze upon it above. (I’ve brightened it for visibility.)

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • The 2022 Honda Civic Is All Grown Up

    The 11th generation of the Honda Civic has leaked, and we are getting our first look at a production model of the little Honda sedan — which is not so little anymore.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • What Is America's Worst Street Name?

    I spend a lot of time thinking about street names, so much so that even the mundane ones can pique my interest or make me laugh. They serve a very important purpose, of course, but I regularly find myself wondering how each one came to be. It was during these ruminations that today’s question was born: What is America’s worst street name?

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Volkswagen Is Copying The Tesla Playbook

    Volkswagen has something called Power Day coming up on Monday, which might remind you of a certain other automaker’s event last September, which was called Battery Day. According to a new report, the events will be probably similar, in that Volkswagen is set to announce plans of a massive expansion of its battery supply.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • This Reddit Thread About Dehydrating Tomatoes In A Ford F-150 With A Parrot Is So Very Confusing

    The internet is a pretty mixed blessing, overall. On one hand, we now have finger/toe-tip access to the vast majority of human knowledge, and on the other we now all know way, way too much about everyone, everywhere, always. And yet sometimes what we learn about people we don’t know can prove to be so gloriously, bafflingly fascinating that it somehow is all worth it. Like this question that popped up on Reddit’s r/cars forum, where a someone is worried about a divorce if they dehydrate tomatoes

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Here Are Your Getting Your License Stories

    For some, getting your license is never easy. Some people pass it on the first try. Others fail all their attempts. Some give up and wait for maturity to intervene. And some just give up completely. We asked readers what stories they had of getting their licenses.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Mitsubishi Remains As Odd As Ever

    We all presumed that Mitsubishi was getting out of Europe last July, as part of its slow, sad wind down into automaker nothing. Except now Mitsubishi says that isn’t the case, and in fact Mitsubishi will live on longer but, somewhat oddly, produced by Renault.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Tesla Supplier Is A Victim Of Hackers Who Breached 150,000 Surveillance Cameras

    An international hacker collective cracked into a vast collection of security cameras run by a single Silicon Valley company, just to see if it could be done. Among the prisons, schools, health clinics, hospitals and police departments around the world that experienced security breaches was a Tesla supplier’s assembly line in China.

    By Erin Marquis Read More

  • What's Your 'Getting Your Driver's License' Story?

    Getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage in the U.S., and while young folks are putting it off more and more, there are still plenty of places in America where you absolutely need a car to get around. The rules around getting a license vary from place to place, so we were wondering: How easy (or hard) was it for you to earn that shiny piece of laminated plastic?

    By Erin Marquis Read More

  • There Are Still Some Questions About The New USPS Mail Truck

    The next US Postal Service mail truck briefly set the internet slightly aflame, as it is a nice-looking, well-designed vehicle — enthusiasm that was only slightly diminished by the fact that Oshkosh Defense, which was awarded the mail truck contract, also makes machines of war. A bigger disappointment was that more of them wouldn’t be electric, as the USPS said just 10 percent of the new fleet would be electric.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Harley-Davidson Is Making A Big Bet On Used

    Younger people aren’t buying many Harley-Davidsons and haven’t been for many years, because Harleys are expensive and riding a Harley isn’t as popular as it used to be. But mostly: Harleys are too expensive, making the decision to kill its cheap bikes earlier this year all the more of a head-scratcher. Now, Harley says it has a plan to fill that void.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Which Beloved Classic Car Should Be Reborn As An EV Next?

    There’s a growing trend in the auto business, I’m sure you’ve noticed, in which cute and charismatic cars of yesteryear are being reinvented as electric cars. This movement isn’t exclusive to the EV world, of course; the New Beetle, oft-maligned 2003 Thunderbird and modern interpretations of the Fiat 500 and Mini demonstrated that nostalgia has always been a major draw, long before fully electric vehicles became feasible. More recently, the Ford Bronco introduction is tugging on heartstrings — a

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • I Have A Plan For Peugeot In The U.S.

    Fiat Chrysler, now known as Stellantis following its merger with Groupe PSA, confirmed that it would not be bringing Peugeot back to the American market. That’s a shame, but maybe not really, because Peugeot is currently going upmarket and it probably wouldn’t have brought us the good small hatches.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Motorsport Games' rFactor Acquisition Will Send Ripples Through Sim Racing

    Motorsport Games — a relatively young publisher of racing games that holds the NASCAR Heat franchise — announced late last week it had acquired Studio 397, the developer of rFactor 2. Motorsport Games, it should be said, is a subsidiary of Motorsport Network, which operates Motorsport.com, Motor1 and Autosport, among other brands.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Here Are The Cars That Got Away From You

    Some of us have had that one car that just slipped by us. Something we had been either longing for or searching for, only to have it taken from us when we were ready to buy. For me it was a 2017 Miata Grand Touring. It sold just a couple of hours before I was supposed to go in and buy it, and I’ve lived with the regret since. We asked readers which cars got away from them. These were their answers.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Another Small Ford From Mexico Is So Close Yet So Far

    Ford could begin production in North America of a new Transit Connect as soon as 2023, according to Automotive News. The Blue Oval has begun requesting parts quotes for a van codenamed V758, which may be built “alongside an upcoming compact pickup and the Bronco Sport crossover in Hermosillo, Mexico,” AN reports. The trick is that there’s no word on the model crossing to the United States market.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • What's The Car That Got Away?

    Cars may be appliances of transportation for many, but for others, cars hold a place in our hearts. Sometimes you find “the one” and for whatever reason that car slips away. What is the car that got away for you?

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • The Toppola Saab Camper Was A Brilliant Idea That Would Still Be Great Today

    There’s never been a better time to get out and go camping somewhere than right now. It’s a chance to be socially distant somewhere that isn’t your house. For some, camping means buying a trailer, motorhome or a whole school bus. What if you could slide a camper into the back of your family sedan? That’s exactly what Toppola campers did for some Saabs.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Detroit Auto Workers Now Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccine To Stimulate Economy

    Auto workers employed by the Big Three who live or work in Detroit, Michigan are now eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccines, The Detroit Free Press reports. The goal here is to get these workers back on the job producing cars to begin further stimulating the American economy, which has taken a serious hit due to shutdowns and a lack of spending.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • This Absolute Legend Makes Mini Cars Out Of Old Refrigerators

    I decided to get a hobby this year, and I’m so disappointed that I decided to get into crocheting and did not instead follow in Ernie Adams’ footsteps by getting really into building tiny, vintage-looking cars out of old refrigerators. Now I just feel like a chump.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • What Car Was Your Most Embarrassing To Own?

    It’s time to spill your most shameful secrets, my fellow Jalops. No, I’m not talking about your guilty pleasures—I’m talking about the car you owned that was just consistently embarrassing to you and everyone around you.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • The Big Texas Freeze Doesn't Bode Well For EV Infrastructure

    When Winter Storm Uri swept through Texas, the whole state shut down. Electricity was hit-or-miss for several days, with certain areas of the state (read: lower-income areas) hit the hardest. And that doesn’t bode well for introducing electric vehicles on a wider scale.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • General Motors Customers Are As Loyal As They Get: Report

    Where I grew up in rural Michigan, there were two big debates: Michigan vs. Michigan State, and Ford vs. General Motors. People were willing to fight to the death to defend their favorite college football team or their car company of choice. And it turn out GM fans are as loyal as they get.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • How Do You Keep Your Kids Happy In The Car?

    We don’t really talk about kids much here on Jalopnik, but I know plenty of you readers have them. So, spill your secrets. Tell me how you keep your kids happy and entertained in the car.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • There Was A Time When You Could Build A Tiny Camaro In Your Backyard

    I don’t think it’s a secret about how much I love the Volkswagen Beetle-chassis-kit-car-era, which is good, because I do. The sheer amount of janky fiberglass bodies you and an equally drunk friend could bolt to an old Beetle chassis in your backyard was once staggering: dune buggies, things that looked like old MG TCs and old Bugattis, strange kinda Corvette-shaped things, strange little vans, campers, mini big rig trucks, anything. And, yes, it seems you could build yourself a tiny Camaro, too

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Here Are Your Parking Hacks

    Parking can be...something else. Depending on where you are it can either be a hassle or one of the easiest parts about driving that day. Some of us though have our own little tips or tricks we do when we are parking. We asked readers if they had any.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • This 1979 Volvo 245DL With More Than 600,000 Miles Could Be Yours

    High-mileage old cars are proof of two things: Love conquers all, and they just don’t make them like they used to. When I spotted this incredibly high-mile Volvo 245DL for sale on my local Craigslist I had to know more about the sweat and tears that went into keeping this Volvo on the road. Luckily, its owner, a Detroit local and Ford engineer named Ivy, was willing to meet up and talk about her teal wagon, lovingly named Seamist.

    By Erin Marquis Read More

  • The Ship Of Theseus Problem Is Trending Because Of WandaVision So Let's Discuss It In Terms Of Cars

    At the moment I’m writing this, the Ship of Theseus problem is trending on Twitter, because it’s referenced in the season finale of WandaVision, a currently popular Marvel Universe television program that’s been digging into some interesting issues. Even if you don’t know anything about the show, that’s fine, because I want to talk about the philosophical thought experiment of the Ship of Theseus and how it relates to cars, because I, weirdly, have a pretty clear opinion here. So hold on.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • AMG's First Road Car With F1 Hybrid Tech Is The Long-Winded Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door E Performance

    The future of Mercedes-Benz’s performance lineup will be hybrid-powered and the German company is claiming that technology is pulled straight from the record-winning Formula One racing team. The first of these new electrified German bruisers will be the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door E Performance, which debuts the “E Performance” branding for the rest of the cars to come.

    By Justin T. Westbrook Read More

  • What Are Your Best Parking Hacks?

    We can agree that the act of driving is the most enjoyable part of owning an automobile. But we can’t drive all the time, so parking that car becomes a necessity. Depending on the circumstances, parking can be a tricky, whether it’s in a lot, a garage or on the street.

    By Tom McParland Read More

  • You, The One Flying Spur Owner With The Faulty Fuel Tank. Your Car Has Been Recalled

    There have been some strange recalls in automotive history, but among the most rare and head-scratching is the single-car recall. There’s precedent for this: In 2014, Koenigsegg recalled one Agera — the only one in the United States — for a hiccup related to its tire pressure monitoring software. Now we can add Bentley to this exclusive list of exclusive recalls.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Here's How You Feel About Buying A Car Online

    Online car buying seems as if it’s the next logical step for consumers. The ability to view, buy and finalize the buying process without ever stepping foot in a dealership could be ideal, for some. Others still prefer to haggle in person and actually see and drive the cars. We asked readers what route they would go with online buying.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Hertz Is Headed For The Cliff

    The internet-boosted company that’s not GameStop is in a “tumble toward zero,” as the Wall Street Journal reports. Things do not look good for anyone involved.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Would You Buy A Car Online?

    Online car sales are growing, though they still make up an extremely small percentage of sales. OEMs like Tesla and Volvo have adopted online sales models and you can buy used cars from apps like Vroom or Carvana. That makes me think, is there a reason for the physical car dealership anymore? Would you skip the dealer and buy online?

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Even Volvo Wants To Drop Wagons And Sedans

    Volvo announced its big push towards a fully-electric future this week. While its C40 Recharge looks stunning, fans of Volvo’s sedans and wagons have some bad news inbound. Volvo is considering cutting some sedans and wagons from its lineup.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • What's The Sketchiest Car You've Ever Driven?

    Road trips are the best! I feel lucky (most of the time) to live in a state that has so much wide open space that travel between major cities involves a good drive. I’ll take any excuse I can to get on the road, sometimes to a fault.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Here's What You Think The Speed Limit Should Be

    The speed limits in this country vary depending on the state. It can vary further depending on what area you’re in. Texas has the highest state speed limit on Highway 130 at 85 mph. With all the differences though, we asked you, the readers what the speed limit should be.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • This Might Be The First Car To Have The Iconic VW Beetle/Porsche 356 Headlight

    I’m not sure if you know this about me, but I tend to have a number of slow-simmering automotive research projects bubbling around, often unattended. One of these has been my quest to figure out the origin of one of my favorite headlamp units in all of motoring: the sloping, chrome-rimmed, double-glass headlight used on Volkswagen Beetles from their 1938 design finalization to 1966 (in America, at least) and also used on the Porsche 356 and early (and a bit modified form) 911. It’s an iconic hea

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • I'm Disappointed In Infiniti

    Infiniti pulled out of F1 back in December. Great! The connections it had with Red Bull and then Renault never made sense. What’s a bummer is that the Infiniti Q60 Project Black S concept, Infiniti’s high-performance version of the Q60 coupe with some trickle-down tech from the hybrid single seater series, is dead.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Changing Your Oil Is A DIY Gateway Drug

    Doing your own oil change can be the gateway drug to the never-ending world of automotive DIY-ing. No matter your skill set, anyone with a few hours and some basic tools can change their oil. Proper lubrication is essential to your engine’s health and longevity, so why not do it yourself, save some money and be sure that it’s done right? Better yet, think of all the mansplaining you won’t have to hear at the service counter! Your dad might even stop bothering you about it!

    By Rory Carroll Read More

  • What Should The Speed Limit Be?

    Here’s one that nobody will get mad about! The speed limit: What should it be? On the one hand, modern freeways and modern cars mean it’s technically possible to travel much faster than current speed limits allow. On the other hand, people prove over and over and over again that they should not be driving at all, let alone at high speeds. Then there’s the extra fuel that going faster requires.

    By Rory Carroll Read More

  • The Peugeot-Based Baby Jeep Is Coming Next Year: Report

    When Fiat merged with Chrysler 12 long years ago, I was very much looking forward to the Jeep-ified version of the Panda. Back then, in the throes of the Great Recession while every automaker was downsizing, the prospect of a cute, compact Jeep, based on the all-wheel-drive Panda Cross, seemed inevitable. Remember, this was a time before the Renegade, and the Panda’s history of extricating its plucky little self from muck and mire on the old continent appeared to make it a good fit for Jeep.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Blip: Take Your Time And Really Consider That Armrest

    I really like this picture combination from the 1965 Opel Diplomat brochure because it suggests that our cigar-slurping friend over there is really, really considering the shit out of that rear seat. Armrest, yes, yes, but how do I feel about it? Fake wood inlay on the door? Hmmmm. Let it all sink in, buddy, really take your time there, consider that sketch until it hurts mothergrabber, until it hurts.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • The Hot Hatch GTI Turns 45

    The original GTI arrived in 1976, and in 2021 Volkswagen wants to charge you more money for a hatch that more or less came out in 2016. But VW has a good excuse for doing it this year: the GTI’s 45th birthday.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Sweet-Ass Four-Wheel 'Lamborghini' Chariot Discovered In Ruins Of Pompeii, Likely Ran When Parked

    I’m not sure if you’ve been keeping up with the news, and if you haven’t, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but the thriving Roman city of Pompeii was completely buried under ash from the eruption of Mt.Vesuvius in 79 CE. Terrible, right? I probably should have told you sooner. Also, if you’re into him, I have some bad news about Jesus Christ from a bit before this happened. It’s not all bad news, though: it seems that after 1,942 years a really sweet ceremonial chariot has been found! An

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Here Are All The Modern Car Features You Can't Live Without

    While modern cars have their technological annoyances, there is some tech that has made our daily lives easier. It’s gotten to the point that it’s a dealbreaker if a car doesn’t come with a certain piece of tech. Personally, it’s USB ports due to how versatile they are, but there were plenty of interesting responses. We asked readers what modern car feature they can’t live without.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Polaris And Zero Collaboration Starts With A New Ranger EV

    Back in September the news was announced that Polaris and Zero would be teaming up to electrify off-road vehicles and snowmobiles. It was an incredibly big deal then, and it remains a big deal now. Polaris has finally shown off a teaser of the first vehicle in the joint-development portfolio, a new Ranger EV side by side.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • What Do You Want To Know About The Volkswagen ID.4?

    Volkswagen dropped off another car for me to check out, and it came with a full tank of sparky, swirling electrons. It’s the ID.4, the first MEB-platform VW electric car to come to America, and it represents a triumphant return to rear-motor, RWD vehicles for VW. That’s why I personally choose to believe the ID.4's name is an homage to the Type 4, even if VW doesn’t (publicly) agree.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • I Don't Need A Volkswagen ID.3 Cabriolet, But I'll Take It

    I’m not going to pretend to be excited about the prospect of a convertible Volkswagen ID.3, something teased by VW Group chairman, Herbert Diess, on Twitter in the form of a bright, pseudo-impressionistic render. “We‘re thinking about an e-convertible,” Diess writes, describing it with adjectives like “quiet,” “smooth” and “open” before asking followers what they think.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • What Modern Car Feature Can You Not Live Without?

    My car may be decades old, but I don’t ever see getting rid of it. It’s the heart and soul of my driving life and even if road trips with friends in their own cars is fun, nothing beats going for a solo drive in my old hatch.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Blip: March Into March

    It’s March! Which means we should likely all consider the Nissan March, which is what Nissan called their Micra in export markets, for reasons I can’t begin to guess at. The Micra/March was the basis for Nissan’s Pike cars like the Be-1, Pao, and Figaro, and they had the fun hot hatch version called the March Turbo, which had a fantastic steering wheel. So, you know, happy Marching.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

Car Design (10)

  • Here's The Secret Hiding Under The Original Ford Mustang's Steering Wheel Cap

    One of the most fascinating things about automotive engineering is the ways manufacturers go about reducing vehicle cost. Platform sharing, “badge engineering,” and strategic partnerships are some of the big cost-reduction schemes, but perhaps my favorite method is the jankiest one: Simply placing your badge over another one. I call it “coverup engineering,” and it’s been happening for decades.

    By David Tracy Read More

  • Why Does The Flag Keep Getting Bigger?

    Having lived through the Bush years, my eyes always gravitate to any increased flag-waving nationalism. So while you may have just seen a new Pagani Huayra R, I immediately noticed a larger Italian flag on the side.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Kia's Got A Whole New Design Direction And If You Ignore What They Say And Just Look It's Great

    Ever since Hyundai-Kia snagged Peter Schreyer (who was one of the designers of the Audi TT, among other things) from VW/Audi back in 2006, the design of the cars built by the two companies, Kia especially, I think, have improved dramatically. Today’s announcement of a new design philosophy is the first major change since Schreyer’s “Tiger Nose” look that has defined the cars for the past decade or so. Kia calls it “Opposites United,” and has all kinds of goofy PR-talk about it. But that doesn’t

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Here's The Jeep Grand Wagoneer Font Take Nobody Asked For

    The new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are the most luxurious vehicles Jeep has ever built. Love them or not, the prospect of a Jeep that starts at $90,000 is sort of jarring, though it’s a testament to the brand’s growth that Stellantis evidently feels confident it can sell such an opulent full-size SUV.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Everyone, Relax, I'm Here To Defend The Kia Soul

    My valet slid down the fire pole to my solitude/Onanism pit all flustered and panicked and gibbering like a fool. A few well-timed slaps with one of the dampened Pontiac floormats I line the pit with brought him back to coherency, and he was able to spit out some gum, a tooth and the important news that some people were disparaging the Kia Soul online. So, everyone, you can relax, because I’m on it.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Volkswagen's New 2022 ID.4 EV Has One Major Design Flaw But I Think I Fixed It

    I’ve got an ID.4 for a few days here, and I’ve been giving Volkswagen’s first purpose-built, MEB-based EV for America a try to see how I like it. So far, I’m pretty impressed, though there is one design issue that really bugs me, especially when considered in context of VW’s heritage. The good news is that I pretty much solved it in about five minutes with some trash and cutting shears, so if I can just get VW to listen, I think it can make this right. I’ll explain.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • I Still Can't Believe The 2004 BMW 6 Series Got Made

    I don’t know what shocks me more: That people hated the Bangle-era BMW 6 Series when it came out in the mid-2000s, or that it somehow made it to production at all. I can’t think of a car more controversial that has aged better than this car.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

Chevrolet (1)

Concept Cars (1)

  • There's No S2000 Without The Honda SSM Concept

    Welcome to Cars Of Future Past, a new weekly series where I open up one of the many dusty books about concept cars sitting on my shelf from 20 years ago, flip to a random page, see something that strikes my fancy and dredge up as much information about it as I can find on the internet.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

Crashes and Safety (8)

  • High-Speed Ford F-150 Crash Shows How Strong Cars Are Today

    I’m not sure how, but ridiculous car crashes keep landing on my desk this week. This one isn’t an awesome save by emergency services or a Tesla ratting its driver out to the cops. Instead, we have a Canadian charged with impaired driving walking away from a destructive crash and leaving the remains of their F-150 behind.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Retired NBA Center Shawn Bradley Is Paralyzed After He Was Hit By A Car While Cycling

    Back in January, while out for a ride on his bicycle, former Dallas Mavericks center Shawn Bradley was hit from behind by a car just a block from his home in St. George, Utah. The 7 foot 6 inch tall NBA star suffered a severe spinal cord injury and was admitted for neck fusion surgery eight weeks ago. He has spent the time since hospitalized and undergoing physical rehabilitation.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Tesla Driver On Autopilot With Suspended License Slams Into Michigan State Trooper

    Drivers crashing while carelessly using Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system aren’t anything new. However, one Tesla driver in Michigan is here to add a couple of twists. Not only did he crash his Tesla into a Michigan State Police Trooper while on Autopilot early Wednesday morning, but he did it while driving on a suspended license, the Detroit News reports.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Sorry I'm Late, A Massive Deer Used My BMW As A Springboard

    During the three years of high school in which he had to drive himself to class, my brother somehow amassed a ridiculous amount of car mishap stories. He lost a wheel. He lost a steering wheel. My personal favorite, though, is the one where he got hit by a deer. The thing came flying out of the woods, t-boned the passenger-side door, then stumbled back into the forest. And somehow that totally pales in comparison to this video of a deer landing on top of a BMW 5-Series.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • You Were A Lot More Likely To Die On The Road In 2020

    It’s been thirteen long years—2007—since the roadways of America have killed as many people as it did in 2020. According to the National Safety Council as many as 42,060 people died last year, despite a pandemic-induced reduction in driving for most of us. Car crashes killed eight percent more people in 2020 than in 2019, despite miles driven plunging by 13 percent! Every time you drove in 2020, you were 24 percent more likely to die.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

Crime (11)

Entertainment (3)

  • Let's Check In On Jeremy Clarkson

    Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has a farm now, where he tends to a quite posh-looking farm shop, which is all very nice for Jeremy Clarkson. He also has a beard, and has said in a new video that Richard Hammond had another “accident” and they are planning for at least three more Grand Tour specials.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

Found For Sale (18)

Jalopnik Explains (1)

  • Jalopnik's Foolproof Plans For Freeing The Suez Canal Ship [Updated]

    The cargo ship Ever Given has been blocking the Suez Canal for a few days now, blocking a crucial trade route and causing the rerouting of a bunch of other container ships carrying the landfill-bound junk that keeps the non-financial scam part of the modern economy going. We’re fine with it staying stuck, it’s generating decent traffic.

    By Rory Carroll Read More

Motorcycles (15)

  • Nobody In Flat Track Can Catch Shayna Texter-Bauman

    The talk of the paddock from the opening round of the Progressive American Flat Track series in Volusia, Florida a few weeks ago was all about Shayna Texter-Bauman sweeping both of the double-header weekend races in the AFT Singles class. Her Red Bull sponsored KTM blitzed to the front in all of her heats, and she positively dominated both races, one from pole and the other starting from third, putting on a masterclass of dirt half-mile track racing.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • I Can't Get Enough Of Watching Someone Else Ride Motorcycles On YouTube

    I log a lot of miles on two wheels. I did 2,000 miles just last week, for example. But when I’m home relaxing on the couch, I flip on YouTube on the big screen and ride bikes I’ve never ridden before from the perspective of Zack Courts on the Revzilla channel. I doubt there is anyone with more two-wheel experience in this industry than Zack, and not only is it nice to get his perspective on stuff I’ve never ridden before, but it’s fun to see what matters on a bike from someone else’s perspective

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Triumph Wants To Build The Meanest EV Bike Yet

    Triumph announced its TE-1 EV bike on Tuesday, in a manner of speaking. This announcement is exciting news, to be sure. A big bike maker talking moto EVs is great, but I was disappointed because instead of showing an actual EV bike, Triumph showed something more like its plan for an EV bike, which we may or may not see later this year.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Don't Ride In The Snow, Dummy

    I knew I’d made the transition from just plain silly to absolutely irresponsible as soon as I saw the Arizona DOT plow trucks. Like a lobster boiling in a pot, I slowly got used to ever increasing levels of danger without really noticing until it was too late. I’m slowly freezing myself, hurtling down the interstate at 75 miles per hour, but inside my head I’m just counting down the mile markers as they tick by. It’s so very cold, but what’s the worst that could happen?

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Laax Snowpark Is The Perfect Playground For An Electric MX Rider

    Even following the death of the company, Alta electric motorcycles continue to be the weapon of choice for e-freestyle riders all over the world. Not only do these bikes whip all kinds of ass, but they are quiet, powerful, and reliable to boot. Recently five-time X Games medalist Mat Rebeaud took his bike to Laax Snowpark in Switzerland for a wild sub-zero ride. The resulting video is incredible to watch, as the intricacies of every trick are on full display against a stark white backdrop of fre

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Montana Has Legalized Lane Splitting

    Three states down, forty-seven to go. With the passage of a new law, Montana will be the third state in this nation to allow lane splitting, or lane filtering. The law won’t go into effect until October, but will make riding in the state much easier and safer once it does.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • I Am The Asshole Who Wrecked A Bike On A Press Ride

    On Wednesday morning I walked out into the warm and dry Arizona air to see a beautiful matte white 2022 Indian FTR with my name, literally, on it. The Indian staff had pre-selected each of us a bike, indicating who belonged to which with a piece of blue tape on the throttle grip. Brad B. This bike was mine for the day. It had been sprayed with disinfectant and wiped down beforehand, as to not spread any disease. That’s dedication to safety.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Jet Ski Scooters Are A Thing And They're Glorious

    I love when enthusiasts get crafty with their vehicles. Wild RV builds often catch my eye, but motorcyclists also come up with some awesome modifications. A viral video recently tipped off the internet to fun-loving builders dropping personal watercraft shells onto their scooters. They are glorious.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Honda Updates Grom With Visually Aggressive SP Edition

    A few months ago we got wind that Honda would be visually and mechanically updating its successful minimoto Grom model with urban naked bodywork, a new lighter wheel design, a higher top speed, and a five speed gearbox. While other markets are getting a cool silver/neon green colorway and a nifty red, it looks like the American Grom will launch with matte grey and bright yellow on the standard model, while ABS models will be Candy Blue. Interestingly, here in the U.S. market we also get this tri

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • The CEO Of American Flat Track Knows Horsepower Doesn't Win Races And Nostalgia Is Fueling A Motorcycle Resurgence

    American Flat Track has been an officially sanctioned championship since 1954, and ruled the motorcycling world in the 50s and 60s as a dangerous outlet for rebellious youths to get their kicks. The series has survived all these years later, but fell out of fashion for some decades. It’s back and it’s better than ever with closer competition, incredibly talented riders, and bikes that are totally unparalleled. Much of that success is owed to AMA Pro Racing CEO, Michael Lock.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Honda, Yamaha, KTM, And Piaggio Are Working Together On Standardized Swappable Electric Motorcycle Batteries

    On Monday Honda, Yamaha, KTM, and Piaggio all signed a letter of intent to set up a swappable batteries consortium for motorcycles and light electric vehicles. The point of this collaboration is to promote the widespread use of light EVs and increase the sustainability of battery lifecycles while making range longer, deleting the inconvenience of charging times, and decreasing infrastructure costs. The hope here is that consumers will be more interested in electric vehicles if most of their conc

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

News (2)

Nice Price or No Dice (23)

Nostalgia You Can Taste (12)

  • This Peugeot Sedan Had A Porsche Transmission

    You wouldn’t think much of a Peugeot 607 looking at it. You probably wouldn’t think much sitting in it, either. But right beside you would be one thing interesting: a Tiptronic transmission, developed by Porsche.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • This Cool Fan-Made LEGO Iron Man Garage Has Some Great Models Of The Audi R8 And AC Cobra, Too

    I used to spend hours in my room creating and taking apart new vehicle designs out of my kit-bashed LEGO bins — a helicopter with blades that always had to be able to spin, doors had to open, landing gear could sometimes retract, and my golden rule was my creations had to fit a minifig. Now I wish I’d never stopped building, because this fan-made Iron Man kit is giving me ideas.

    By Justin T. Westbrook Read More

  • The C88 Concept Was A Fascinating Step Outside Porsche's Comfort Zone

    In what is probably the least-surprising piece of news I’ve heard so far in 2021, Porsche confirmed earlier this week it isn’t making that all-electric Vision Renndienst van concept it revealed to the public late last year. The Vision Renndienst was actually designed back in 2018, though it didn’t come to light until this past October, when Porsche pulled the covers off some of its hitherto unknown creations as part of a marketing blitz for its Porsche Unseen coffee table book. It looks like a n

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • I Just Saw A Civic Si Hatch Outside My Window, So Let's Talk About It

    My desk faces a big window, and while I sometimes curse this window — it makes me look white as a ghost when I’m on Zoom calls — it has a few perks. Through the window, I can see an intersection. Some days, interesting cars stop at this intersection. Friday was one of those days, because I saw an Si version of the seventh-generation Civic.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • All Classic Mitsubishis Must Go As UK Heritage Fleet Heads To Auction

    If you’re reading this and happen to live in the UK, I have wonderful news for you. A whole bunch of cool old Mitsubishis are going up for auction on April 1 as the brand exits the country. It’ll supposedly live on in Europe as a home for rebadged Renaults, though only in left-hand drive markets.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • The Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole Is Over There

    The car is the four-seater, mid-engine sports car that Ferrari produced in the early 1980s, the Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole (denoting four valves per cylinder). The location is obvious: far away, on the grounds of a palace.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Are You My Shelby Daytona?

    There was a brief moment in my car life when I had read about the great cars, but hadn’t quite gotten to the part about everyone making replicas of them. I once chased some guy in a kit car halfway across my little California downtown because I thought I saw a 1930s Mercedes.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • There's A Cat On This Mitsubishi

    Whenever a car company comes out with a new model, it commissions photos to be taken of it. They’re for internal use, they’re for the press, they’re usually pretty boring. And then there’s this Mitsubishi Cordia, and it has a cat.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Legendary Racing Book The Stainless Steel Carrot Will Finally Be Accessible To All Enthusiasts As An E-Book

    There was no more exciting racing in the world in 1971 and 1972 than the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans American Sedan Championships. With intense competition from Pete Brock’s BRE Datsun 510 up against the Italian might of the Alfa Romeo squad, this was perhaps the golden era of small-bore racing. While competition raged among factory-backed American teams in the 5-liter class, the under 2.5-liter was an intense thrust and parry between some of the best in the sport. Thankfully for all of u

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • The 1956 Buick Color Lineup Is Putting Us To Shame

    I am not sure why the 1956 Buick lineup continues to rattle around in my brain, haunting my dreams. Whatever the reason, I know that I must be free of it. To free myself of it, I must process it, and in processing it, I have noticed that the color lineup Buick buyers had in ’56 is putting us to shame.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

Planelopnik (7)

Racing (73)

  • The World Rally Championship Is Going Hybrid

    The FIA announced that three current WRC competitors are onboard as the famous rally series transitions to hybrid power. The transition was first announced in 2019 and aimed for the 2022 season. That timeline is still on track, and the carmakers are already developing their plug-in hybrid rally machines.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Daniel Ricciardo's Podium Bet With McLaren Could Earn Him Seat Time In A Vintage Dale Earnhardt Stock Car

    During the 2020 Formula One season, the thunder from down under Daniel Ricciardo raced for Renault, and formed an interesting bet with team boss Cyril Abiteboul. If Danny Rics took the yellow and black Renault to the podium — something he did twice — then Abiteboul would get the tattoo of Ricciardo’s choosing. For the 2021 season, Ricciardo has signed with McLaren, working up an interesting wager with team boss Zak Brown in the process. If he gets a podium for the team (which seems likely) he’ll

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Mini's Electric Hot Hatch Formula E Safety Car Has Extremely Good Wheels

    It probably doesn’t send the right message when the safety car for your all-electric open-wheel racing series has an exhaust pipe, right? So now that Formula E’s BMW i8 safety car has reached the end of its life, and BMW has announced it’ll be axing its participation in said series, it’s time for a plucky youngster city car hot hatch to step up to the plate and deliver without any tailpipe emissions whatsoever. Here comes the new all electric Mini Pacesetter Insipred By JCW safety car.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Hyundai Teams Up With Student-Led Team Creating An 805 HP Hydrogen Race Car

    Earlier this week, Hyundai announced that’s partnering up with Forze Hydrogen Racing, a team of 60 students from the Technische Universiteit Delft (Delft University of Technology) in the Netherlands. The goal? Build a light, 805 horsepower hydrogen race car as a way to push the boundaries of hydrogen fuel cell technology.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Maverick Viñales Wins MotoGP Opener In Stunning Fashion

    Longtime MotoGP fans knew that the 2021 season opener at the Losail Circuit in Quatar would be a good one, but it’s safe to say that no one was expecting Maverick Viñales to show off one of his most impressive rides in years. It was a well-earned victory for the Spanish rider.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Lewis Hamilton Barely Nabs Victory From Max Verstappen At Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix

    Formula One is back for 2021, and the opening race of the season has proved to be more chaotic than ever. It took a few tries to get the race started, but when it did, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes proved why he’s a seven-time World Champion by taking the lead and holding it despite disintegrating tires. But don’t let that predictable outcome let you think it wasn’t a good race, because it was fun as hell.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • MotoGP Qualifying: Explained

    MotoGP is back for the year, which means we are once again treated to the glory of bikes going very fast and duking it out in some of the most competitive racing you’ll spend your weekend enjoying. And that also means it’s time to start breaking down some of MotoGP’s mysteries, starting with qualifying.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • NASCAR Legend Richard Petty Says Dirt Racing Is Unprofessional Ahead Of Bristol Dirt Race

    Richard Petty, one of NASCAR’s most iconic drivers and the man who won the sport’s last dirt race at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, isn’t exactly pleased with this weekend’s event. Tons of pounds of dirt have been trucked into Bristol Motor Speedway and dumped onto the normally asphalt track to give NASCAR its first dirt race in five decades. But to Petty, that’s a bad idea.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • NASCAR's iRacing Drama Highlights Some Of The Sport's Deeper Problems

    If you missed it, NASCAR hosted a sim race that was broadcast on television in the middle of the week. It’s part of the series’ push to broaden its scope after the success of the events during 2020's COVID-19 shutdown, resulting in this year’s Pro Invitational mini-championship. But a series of mishaps—including the very way drivers were invited to compete in the event—has highlighted some of NASCAR’s bigger problems.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Bill Lester's Autobiography Is A Must-Read For Any NASCAR Fan

    Bill Lester’s NASCAR Cup Series career only lasted three races, but if you only looked at those stats, you’d be missing out on a whole racing career dedicated to the art of going fast in anything. And that’s one of the many reasons why Lester’s autobiography, Winning in Reverse: Defying the Odds and Achieving Dreams, is an important read for any race fan. Seriously. Stop what you’re doing and order a copy right now.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Give Me MotoGP's Version Of Formula 1 Drive To Survive Please

    There’s no question Formula 1 Drive To Survive is maximizing the sport’s appeal. For all the elements of Netflix’s docuseries that remain off-putting to longtime fans — manufactured drama taking the place of actual drama, team radio snippets lifted from races out of context and those fabricated commentator calls — Drive To Survive is pulling in new fans who never cared about racing before, and encouraging them to stick around for the main event.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Porsche And Maybe Even Audi Will Join Formula 1 In 2025: Report

    Automakers are forever teasing fans with suggestions of joining this or that racing series, but Volkswagen Group’s curiosity in Formula 1 is reported to go beyond mere interest. Porsche and/or Audi is making preparations to enter Formula 1 in 2025, per a story Thursday from Car, a British magazine.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Shane Van Gisbergen Is One Of The Best And He's Only Getting Better

    New Zealander racing driver Shane Van Gisbergen has been on my radar since 2011 when he managed to win a few rounds of Aussie V8 Supercars in a Stone Brothers Racing car. Since then the world has seen that he is a violently fast driver regardless of the equipment under him, scoring the fastest ever lap at Mount Panorama in 2016 taking pole for the Bathurst 12 Hour. Last year he won the Bathurst 1000 supercars race teamed with Garth Tander.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • We Need More Racing Books Like The Stainless Steel Carrot

    Sylvia Wilkinson did something incredible with The Stainless Steel Carrot, which follows Brock Racing Enterprises driver John Morton through two seasons of racing. She presented the idea to her publisher as being a diary of a racing driver, and yet she achieved so much more than that, following the ups and downs of a championship-winning team for about 18 months. She tracked the buildup to a busy season—and then its denouement. It’s a classic in motorsport writing, and I can’t believe it took me

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Today Would Have Been Ayrton Senna's 61st Birthday

    On March 21, 1960, an icon was born in São Paulo, Brazil. Ayrton Senna de Silva was the middle child in a wealthy family, given the freedom to play and experiment as he wished. He learned to drive a Jeep and change gears without clutching at age 7. And he went on to become one of the most widely respected racing drivers of all time.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Own A Piece Of Ford Bronco History With Parnelli Jones' Big Oly

    Parnelli Jones is something of a legend in the racing world, taking victories at motorsport events as diverse as the Indianapolis 500 and the Baja 1000 desert race. And now you can own a piece of Ford Bronco–and Baja—history, because his iconic “Big Oly” is going up for auction.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Watch Shane Van Gisbergen's Incredible Supercars Drive From 17th To Victory At Sandown

    You don’t have to be an avid fan of Australian Supercars to know the name Shane van Gisbergen, but if you’re not tuning into the touring car series, you’re missing out on some frankly excellent racing—like van Gisbergen’s drive from 17th to victory at this weekend’s race at Sandown. Despite still nursing a healing collarbone that required surgery less than two weeks ago. And yes, that 17th-to-first a record number of positions for the ATCC/Supercars race at Sandown.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Formula One: Drive To Survive Season 3: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

    It’s that time of year again: the Formula One season is imminent, which means the third season of Drive to Survive has dropped on Netflix. This year, things are a little different: COVID-19 postponed and shortened the season and introduced a whole host of regulations that made filming a little more difficult than usual. But all those changes also resulted in some incredible races that DTS’s producers have refined into a series of 10 episodes, each one following a different team.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Sabine Schmitz's Finest Moments

    I never knew Sabine Schmitz personally, but I kind of felt like I did. As a young teen on the internet, I befriended a girl my age, Lara, who turned out to be Schmitz’s niece. Lara is part of the family that grew up at the Hotel am Tiergarten within the infamous Nürburgring, and she’s a riot—always rife with stories about what it was like to be raised on a steady diet of fast cars, horse riding, and badass women. She would regale us with tales of her family race team, her mother, her grandmother

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Some Of The Wildest Things To Happen At Old Races, According To The Stainless Steel Carrot

    Plenty of folks have emailed me to let me know that I desperately need to read The Stainless Steel Carrot: An Auto Racing Odyssey by Sylvia Wilkinson, and I haven’t been able to disagree. I did need to read it. But this week, after having sat down to demolish the whole thing in a matter of days, I have to say: racing was way crazier back in the 1960 and 1970s than I could have ever imagined.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Pikes Peak: On The Edge Is Coming To Your TV Tonight

    Pikes Peak is one of the oldest, greatest, most dangerous races in the world, and when there’s a new documentary about it, take note: Pikes Peak: On The Edge makes its debut on television tonight at 9 p.m. ET on MotorTrend TV.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Sabine Schmitz, Queen Of The Nürburgring, Has Died At 51

    I’m pretty sure nearly everyone who reads this site is at least aware of that Top Gear episode where a very fast German woman drove a diesel Ford Transit van around the legendary Nürburgring. That woman was legendary racing driver Sabine Schmitz, who sadly died today at the far-too-young age of 51, after a long struggle with cancer.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • It's Probably Time To Repave Sebring

    Eighty years ago the Hendricks Army Airbase was built in central Florida for the explicit purpose of training bombers for World War II. Massive hunks of concrete were poured to form the runways and hangars and parking pads. Following the war the airbase was sold off to an enterprising Russian-American aeronautical engineer named Alec Ullman, who wanted to put on an endurance racing event to rival even the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sebring International Raceway was born in 1950, and the first 12

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Watch This Prototype Slap A Barrier During A Hillclimb And Move On Like Nothing Happened

    There’s a clip that has made the rounds on Twitter these past few days, and I can’t stop watching it. A prototype running the hillclimb Salita course from an undated year pulls off one of my new favorite saves of all time. The car gets some air under the nose and looks like it very well might take off and start flying off to space. How it stays on the ground, I do not know.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Racing Icon Lyn St. James Celebrates Her 74th Birthday

    Lyn St. James is a certified badass. At age 45, she became the oldest person and the first woman to win Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500. She has two class victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona and one at the 12 Hours of Sebring. She founded the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation and has made attempts at setting speed records. And yesterday, March 13, was her birthday.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • These Are The Best Photos From Formula One's Pre-Season Testing

    This weekend has seen Formula One cars hit the track for the first time in a few months. Not for a race, but for the only three days of testing these machines are going to get this year before they kick off competition. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve been craving a little bit of open-wheel action.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • 'The Mad Canadian' Spent Five Years Building A Jet Car To Take On A Mile-Long Jump

    Ken Carter came by the nickname “The Mad Canadian” honestly, long before he even decided he was going to build a jet car that would launch him a mile over the Saint Lawrence River. It took five years to secure the backers, build the machine, and craft a 10-storey ramp that would give him the air he needed. It was the stunt Evel Knievel said would end all stunts—and not in the good way. But when it came down to launch day, Carter wasn’t the man behind the wheel.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • This Is The Full Nitro Rallycross Schedule For 2021

    After two years in the works, Nitro Rallycross—a series dreamed up by Travis Pastrana and Nitro Circus—is finally hitting the ground with the recent release of five scheduled events. It may be a short season, but you can guarantee they’ll be a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Survey Confirms There Really Aren't Many Women In Formula One

    Every so often, a new study, report, or survey comes out that reports something so dramatically obvious that you have to wonder why anyone did the research in the first place—you know, like Apple confirming that women do in fact have cramps on their period. It’s the same thing with a new survey conducted about the number of women in Formula One teams. But I’m going to talk about it anyway.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Did Sebastian Vettel Actually Forget How To Go Fast?

    My dog woke me up this morning at 3 AM, and I couldn’t get back to sleep. As luck would have it, it was the perfect time for me to log into F1TV to catch pre-season testing. I’ve always been an F1 fan, but last year really drew me in, and this year I’m more invested than I ever have been. So why not flip it on and see how everyone stacks up. Obviously pre-season testing isn’t going to determine how anyone does when the lights go out at the season opener in a couple weeks, but there are some inte

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • For Your Consideration: Porsche 917

    Consider, if you will, a car from days gone by that stands alone as an icon of the sport. There is no more important car to the history of endurance racing than the Porsche 917. Without this car, it’s entirely possible that there would be no Porsche today, and Porsche certainly would not have continued on as the winningest endurance racing manufacturer in the world. This is the foundation that the house of 19 Le Mans wins was built upon.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • With The Death Of GTLM, GM May Build A Corvette GT3

    Corvette Racing has been such an integral part of IMSA racing for the last two plus decades that it would seem almost impossible to imagine the series continuing to exist without it. The future of the Pratt & Miller program remains in limbo at the moment as the GTLM class it runs in will be phased out at the end of the 2021 season and General Motors hasn’t quite decided what the next step is yet.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Nevada's Infamous Mint 400 Off-Road Race Adds EV Class

    The desert race perhaps most famously known as the event Hunter S. Thompson was sent to Las Vegas to cover at the beginning of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, The Mint 400 is still standing, despite the hotel it was named after shutting down 32 years ago. The famed race was revived in 2008 after twenty years of hiatus, and has only continued to grow in popularity since. In an extremely smart move for the race, organizers announced this week that a class would be created for the 2021 running of t

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • F1 2021 Spotters Guide: All The New Liveries And Driver Lineups

    The 2021 Formula 1 season is right around the corner, kicking off with the Bahrain Grand Prix on the weekend of March 26. With the introduction of the Ferrari SF21 today, we have now seen the liveries on each of the 10 teams’ 2021 cars, and it’s clear there will be some stunners in the field.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • The 24 Hours Of Le Mans Is Heavy On Privateers This Year

    Of the 62 cars on the entry list for the 2021 Le Mans 24, only ten of them are entered with the backing of a major automotive manufacturer. There will be Two Toyotas and one Rebellion rebadged as an Alpine in the LMH class (despite the Alpine being a grandfathered-in LMP1). In the GTE Pro class, there’s a pair of Porsches, a pair of Corvettes, and a pair of Ferraris. There’s still one lone factory-entered Aston Martin in GTE Am. Privately entered cars make up a full 52 cars, or around 85 percent

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • The Superstar Racing Experience Car Looks Like A Ferrari F40 Super Late Model

    The Superstar Racing Experience is coming this summer as a sprint race short-track series for retired racers founded by Ray Evernham and Tony Stewart. Much like the rest of the series—from the tv package on CBS Sports, and lineup of rinky-dink race tracks, to the driver lineup that peaks with recently retired rolling embodiment of nepotism in IndyCar Marco Andretti—the spec SRX chassis around which the racing will be based, is extremely phoned-in. The new car, unveiled on social media Monday af

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Big F1 TV Update Could Finally Fix The Service's Problems This Year

    Back in January, I said F1 TV was unreasonably lacking in features for a streaming service dedicated to the highest level of global motorsport. My opinion was predominantly based on the fact F1 TV didn’t support casting across non-Apple hardware and didn’t have native apps for any streaming platform outside of Roku’s. Thankfully, all of these things are changing for 2021!

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Enzo Ferrari's Son Rails Against Cost Of Tech Development In F1

    Even with cost caps on the horizon, Formula One is such a ridiculously expensive sport that it can be tough to justify the sheer amount of money that gets poured into tech development each year. And Enzo Ferrari’s only surviving son, Piero Ferrari, has some choice words about the situation.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • This Is Why Some American Flags Are Backwards On Race Cars And Planes

    A vaguely hilarious Motorsport Network tweet last week asked folks to spot the American flag in the Haas Formula One livery, and some confused folks in the comments made me realize that not everyone knows about the way American flags are represented on things like race cars, planes, and spaceships. They’re backwards.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Racing Pioneer Janet Guthrie Born 83 Years Ago Today

    Janet Guthrie received a degree in physics from the University of Michigan back in 1960, and she started her career working as an aerospace engineer. She made it through the first round of eliminations for the Scientist-Astronaut program that was a precursor to Project Apollo. She was a pilot and a flight instructor. In the meantime, she was taking her Jaguar XK140 out to the race track to compete in Sports Car Club of America events, where she often did the repair work on her own machines. And

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Men, It's Time To Do Better For The Women In Motorsport

    Nicole LaRose was standing in the pits of New Smyrna with a team she had sponsored when a visibly intoxicated man approached and started talking to members of the crew. She was aware that the drunk man and the crew were laughing—probably about her—but she ignored it. You have to, when you’re a woman at the race track; ignoring it and moving on is generally how LaRose copes. But she couldn’t ignore the man when he approached her to ask if she’d sleep with him before kissing her and smacking her a

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Formula One's 2021 Liveries, Ranked

    Now that we have almost all of the Formula One grid’s liveries released (Ferrari will be releasing its livery on March 10, but I feel fairly confident that it will be red with maybe a little white and black, which is fine. It’ll end up somewhere in the bottom third of the list (I’m thinking between McLaren and Red Bull). I do not expect a massive change.) it’s time for one of my favorite traditions: livery ranking.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Here's What Happened During Romain Grosjean's Scary F1 Crash In Bahrain

    At the tail end of the 2020 Formula One season, Haas driver Romain Grosjean suffered a terrifying crash at the Bahrain International Circuit. His car became lodged between sections of the Armco barrier, split apart, and lit on fire. It was one of the more violent wrecks we’ve seen in F1 in a long time, and the FIA, F1's governing body, has finally released a full report of what happened—including what, exactly, went wrong.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • A Formula 1 Team Was Hacked. Its Sponsor Is A Cybersecurity Firm

    You may have already read that the Williams FW43B Formula 1 car leaked on Friday, which prefaced my chance to crown Williams the winner of this year’s F1 season as far as looks are concerned. You might not, however, have noted that the breach happened even as one of Williams’ sponsors happens to be none other than Acronis, a cybersecurity firm .

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Williams Debuts The Best Wheels Of This Year's F1 Grid

    The livery that the Williams FW43B will wear this year leaked ahead of time through a VR app which featured 3D renderings of the cars in the F1 series. The leaks showed off the final look and I did a double take when I saw its glorious wheels.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Le Mans May Move To August To Allow Attendees Time To Get Vaccinated

    It is expected that the Automobile Club de l’Ouest will announce this week the postponement of its blue riband 24 Hours of Le Mans event from the current June 12-13 weekend to a new date in August, possibly the weekend of the 21st. As coronavirus vaccinations ramp up around the world, this postponement will allow some extra time for distribution and implementation for the large crowd of international attendees to gather in safety of a hopefully post-COVID society.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • The Aston Martin Team Has The Best F1 Livery Of A Generation

    I will always lament the loss of the BWT-sponsored pink Racing Point cars of the last few years, but if that excellent livery had to leave the sport, I can think of no car more fitting to replace it on the grid than the Aston Martin F1 Team AMR21. The blue-green take on BRG with just a kiss of BWT pink is the most exquisite thing I’ve seen grace the grid in my entire lifetime. It’s so good that I actually might have to cheer for Aston Martin this year, despite my well-known feelings about Sebast

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

Spacelopnik (8)

  • SpaceX Starship Continues Streak Of Highly Successful Explosions In Recent Test

    SpaceX’s latest test of their prototype Starship upper stage came to an exciting and unfortunately familiar end earlier today, when the rocket exploded as it attempted SpaceX’ signature and impressive vertical landing. The last three Starship hop-and-land tests have all ended with the rocket prototype exploding in a huge fireball. Space is hard! Blowing up rockets is part of the process. A process SpaceX is getting very good at.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Falcon 9 Rocket Breakup Gives U.S. West Coast A Brilliant Light Show

    Folks on the West Coast were treated to an awe-inspiring sight Thursday night, with some posting video and leaving baffled comments on social media. Some guessed shooting stars, or maybe even extraterrestrials, but the cause of the brilliant streaks of light in the sky was definitely Earth-bound: A Stage 2 Falcon 9 rocket that failed to make a “deorbit burn.”

    By Erin Marquis Read More

  • Scientists Have An Idea: Let's Store Sperm On The Moon

    We’ve been writing so much about Mars lately that we almost forgot about another familiar friendly face in the sky: the moon. Our constant companion, the subject of poetry, music and whole religions throughout human history. In 2021, Scientists looked up at our sweet sister of the solar system and thought “Man, it could use some jizz.”

    By Erin Marquis Read More

  • China And Russia Agree To Partner Up On A Lunar Orbiting Space Station Alongside NASA's Planned Lunar Station

    At the moment, there are no crewed space stations orbiting the Moon, but it looks like the future may have two: one from NASA, called the Gateway, and now another one, this one a partnership between Russia’s Roscosmos and China’s National Space Administration. This is interesting, because Russia had earlier declined to participate in NASA’s lunar Gateway, and China’s space agency has gone on the record stating it didn’t think the orbiting lunar station was a good idea. This is a bit of a reversa

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • The Man Who Tried To Stop The Space Shuttle Challenger Launch And Exposed NASA's Cover-Up Dies At 83

    Allan McDonald lived an incredible life dedicated to exploration and the pursuit of truth. In 1986, McDonald had a very important decision to make: To let the U.S. space shuttle Challenger fly despite adverse conditions, or to deny launch. He refused to sign off on a launch that fateful January day, and he refused to remain silent when NASA attempted to cover up what really happened.

    By Erin Marquis Read More

  • SpaceX Latest Starship Test Goes Perfectly Except For When It Explodes At The End

    SpaceX has been performing launch-flip-and-land tests of its new beyond-Earth-orbit launcher and spacecraft prototype, Starship, since December of last year. That first test ended in a big fireball, because Starship didn’t quite stick the landing. A second test, last month, came closer, but kind of belly-flopped into the ground, ending in another explosion. This time, Starship performed exactly as intended, launching, executing a flip maneuver, and sticking the vertical landing. Then it exploded

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Send Jalopnik To The Moon

    Japanese businessman Yusaku Maezawa has a modest proposal: He’d like to take you to the moon. Well, someone like you. Maezawa, founder of the fashion website Zozotown, calls the project dearMoon and says he has room for eight normal, regular people to join him on a 2023 trip to the moon. Anyone might be picked, you just need to register on the dearMoon website before March 14.

    By Erin Marquis Read More

Technology (63)

  • The Good People Of Phoenix Are Egging The Self-Driving Google Cars

    As the day when our robot overlords take control of Earth away from humans approaches, it remains unwise to taunt, provoke, or anger the robots of today. It is with this in mind that I salute the brave residents of Phoenix, AZ, for egging the self-driving Google-backed Waymo minivans testing on their roads.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • The Genesis X Electric Coupe Is The Hottest Concept Car In A Decade

    The Genesis design team has been knocking the ball out of the stadium and into lower orbit lately, and the monoalphabetically named X concept car is just a continuation of that Grand Slam form. Unveiled on Tuesday in Los Angeles, the electric Grand Touring concept car is truly a stunning design, and one that continues to prove that electric driving doesn’t have to be staid.

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Good Luck Making Money On Autonomous Cars Anytime Soon

    With tens of thousands of Americans dying in on our roads every year, it’s clear something has to give. Either we’re all going to stop driving, or we’re going to get robots to do it for us. The problem is that the business case for the latter is looking increasingly shaky.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • I'm Not Sure If I Think Volkswagen Is Really Changing Its Name To Voltswagen, But Let's Talk About The Original

    As I suspect you’ve heard, Volkswagen of America is claiming that they’ll be changing their name to Voltswagen of America, as a way to highlight their new focus on electric vehicles. You may also have heard that we at Jalopnik are pretty skeptical this is really happening, to the point that our bossman Rory said he’ll get a VW tattoo if they do it. It’s April Fool’s day the day after tomorrow, people. More significantly, though, is that “Voltswagen” for an electron-powered VW is by no means a ne

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • The Kia EV6 Is Proof That Things Are Different Now

    The pecking order of performance amongst automakers isn’t set in stone, but it’s always been somewhat predictable. Over the years, Kia’s displayed an appetite for subverting those expectations, with cars like the Stinger and K900 rejecting the brand’s budget beginnings. And it’s just done it again in the most dramatic way possible with the EV6.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • The Lexus LF-Z Electrified Is The Good-Looking Future Of Lexus

    There is an argument out there, and quite a good one, that probably the most sensible car purchase, if one is of a certain privilege, is a Lexus, given Lexus’s dependability and overall comfort. Which means that we should pay some attention to what the Lexus of the future will look like.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • This Couple Converted Two Classic Cars To Electric All On Their Own

    The humble origins of hot rodding date back over half a century, when amateur mechanics turned wrenches on simple and inexpensive old cars with tired motors to breathe new life into them. Today’s featured EV owner, Danny, has the spirit of hot rodding transported to a new millennium, updating old machines with electric drivetrains, and building something wholly new out of them.

    By Victoria Scott Read More

  • Tesla Owners Take To Reddit Asking What Happens If 'Full Self Driving' Isn't Real

    I wouldn’t call what’s happening a meltdown exactly, maybe more of a collective moment of clarity. Right now on Reddit’s r/teslamotors forum there’s an intense and very serious conversation about the now-$10,000 level 2 driver assist package that Tesla calls “Full Self-Driving” (FSD)—specifically, whether the features Tesla and Elon Musk started promising back in 2016 will ever actually exist, and what kind of legal exposure Tesla has if it fails to deliver. People have put down real money and

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Our Cheapest Electric Cars Could Be Way Cheaper

    While Volkswagen is content to give Europe a $25,000 EV in 2025, Germans can get one for $13,000 right now. The Dacia Spring might list for €20,490 (about $24,000 USD), but that price takes a nosedive after a very healthy government incentive.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • The Guy Who Actually Buys A Nissan Leaf And Harley-Davidson LiveWire Is Not Who You'd Expect

    Imagine, if you will, the perfect four-vehicle garage for someone who likes to take road trips in the wilderness, needs to do occasional hauling, has to get to work, and enjoys the freedom of two wheels. What would that look like? I actually think this week’s featured EV owner, Drew, may have stumbled onto the perfect four-vehicle garage of the future, and his choices deeply intrigued me.

    By Victoria Scott Read More

  • New Tesla Gear Shift Interface Disrupts Shifting Gears In A Bold New Way No One Wants

    Tesla’s user experience team seems to really have it in for the traditional way cars are put into gear. Or, really, it’s not even technically putting the car into “gear” anymore, as much as just selecting a direction of travel, forward or reverse. The traditional ways of automatic transmission shifting into drive or reverse, via levers, floor-mounted shifters, or even buttons, appear to be distasteful to Tesla UX folks, who have already been working on ways for the car to “guess” the desired gea

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • BMW iX Electric Crossover Is Coming In 2022 Starting At $85,000

    The BMW iX electric crossover will be the next fully electric vehicle coming to the U.S. under BMW’s i brand. The company released pricing and more specs for the U.S. model of the iX, according to Car and Driver. It’s expected in showrooms early next year, selling alongside the recently revealed i4 sedan.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • There's A Place In The UK That Can Power An EV With The Moon, Sort Of

    Okay, so, the place I’m talking about, in Shetland, which is part of Scotland, is on the coast of the Bluemull Sound, and in the area that’s named, confusingly, Yell. On that island, if you have an EV, you can plug it into one particular charging station that is powered, indirectly, by the Moon, which you may have seen in such places as The Sky, or perhaps The Water, when it reflects The Sky. I’ll explain.

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Honda Made A Roomba For Your Lawn

    As my husband and I shop for a house and my man insists that we need a yard of at least two acres that I have little interest in maintaining but like the sound of, I keep thinking how nice it would be to be able to have that beautiful yard without having to do anything myself. Honda’s Grass Miimo is the answer to all my problems.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Trillions For Oil, Millions For EVs: The Big Lie Of Ineffectual Government

    With a new more environment-friendly White House and wholesale improvement in the range of new electric cars, the American nation’s anti-EV forces are mustering again to slow progress down by embracing some of modern history’s most tiresome shibboleths – the first one being that the federal government shouldn’t be in the business of choosing winners and losers in the field of energy.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • Oh Good, Volkswagen Is Trying On-Demand Feature Subscriptions Too Now

    There’s a trend unfolding in the auto industry toward subscription services and pay-as-you-go features. BMW made waves last year when it envisioned a future of “unlocking” heated seats, for example, with a one-time or recurring fee. Now Volkswagen is trying something similar with the new all-electric ID.3.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Ohio Residents Are Still Hoping For Lordstown Motors To Succeed

    The recent report from short-seller Hindenburg Research has caused a lot of unfavorable attention for Lordstown Motors recently, with the SEC asking the company for information. Despite all of this, the Wall Street Journal reports that some residents of Lordstown, Ohio, and the surrounding area still warily believe the company will make it.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • Rivian Plans To Install Over 10,000 New EV Chargers Powered By Renewable Energy

    For the last two years, much of the news surrounding Rivian has been in the way of new investments. Amazon invested $700 million, Ford invested half a billion, and the last four rounds of investment have netted the company 6.8 billion. The truck and SUV prototypes look more or less the same as they did in 2018, and while they ran a pair of them as support in Apple TV’s Long Way Up series, and RoadShow took one on the Rebelle Rally last year, there hasn’t been much news. Thursday, however, Rivian

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • This Alarming Video Of Some Bad Tesla Autopilot Driving Might Actually Help Make Autopilot Use Safer

    Tesla, as usual, is very generous in providing us with lots to talk about, especially when it comes to their Level 2 driver assist system known, confusingly, as Autopilot and/or Full Self Driving (FSD). Yesterday there was a crash of a Tesla using Autopilot that hit a cop car, and now a video of a largely Autopilot-assisted drive through Oakland is making the rounds, generating a lot of attention due to the often confusing and/or just poor decisions the car makes. Strangely, though, it’s the cra

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • The BMW iX Is A Mean, New Bimmer BEV

    The next BMW BEV is finally here and it’s the BMW iX. BMW calls this a Neue Klasse, meaning it’s not based on any prior model and is instead its own, well, new class.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Rivian Launches Rivian Guides, Personal Concierges For Owners

    Rivian is on track to begin production of the R1T and R1S later this year. To help new customers with their needs, Rivian has launched a concierge program called Rivian Guides. These Guides will help new owners with almost everything in regards to their vehicle.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • This Company Has A Simple Design For Converting Pickup Trucks Into EVs

    Magna has announced a new EV drivetrain called the eBeam, which seems like the EV solution to ladder-frame pickups enthusiasts have clamored for. The drivetrain aims to drop into current body-on-frame trucks replacing the internal combustion drivetrain, and leaving behind a fully capable EV truck.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • BMW's New iDrive Has A Big Screen You're Not Really Supposed To Use

    BMW has new all-electric models on the horizon — the iX and i4 — so naturally the company has a new infotainment system interface to go along with them. But if you’re used to iDrive in its modern incarnation, the experience of rotating dials and poking at screens figures to be quite different with the new iDrive system.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • Mileage Taxes Will Probably Punish EV Owners — And That's The Point

    Turns out a gas tax isn’t effective on vehicles that don’t use gas, or are very fuel efficient. That’s the problem lawmakers across the country are reckoning with right now, and many states are trying to address with vehicle miles-traveled (VMT) taxes in an attempt to bolster funding for infrastructure repair.

    By Adam Ismail Read More

  • The Alpha Wolf Is The Coolest EV Truck We've Seen Yet

    Plenty of automakers are proposing electric trucks as part of their repertoire, but we still haven’t really seen anyone put one into production yet. That said, I’m kind of digging the Alpha Motor Corporation’s Wolf pickup truck. Which is definitely still a concept and for which Alpha is actually taking pre-orders. But I think it’s the best example of a good-looking, functional electric truck that we’ve seen so far, which is exactly what I’m here for.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Six Utilities Companies Join Up To Create A Massive Cross-Country EV Network

    One of the main things holding back the adoption of electric vehicles is the lack of infrastructure available to keep these cars charged and moving. Now, six major energy providers are teaming up to form the Electric Highway Coalition, which is aiming to create a comprehensive network of DC fast chargers throughout the South, Midwest, and Atlantic Coast.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • Electric Car Ownership Stories: 1999 Peugeot Partner Electric

    Welcome to EV Ownership Stories! Every week, we’ll be posting an interview with an owner of an electric vehicle. We’re here to show that people have been living with EVs for longer than you’d think, in stranger places than you’d imagine. If you’d like to be featured, instructions are at the bottom of the article. 

    By Victoria Scott Read More

  • Polestar Wants To Make Electric Delivery Scooters

    Polestar has had an interesting history, from its start as a motorsports team to being a Volvo performance arm to being bought by the Chinese and becoming an EV automaker. But, like automakers such as Tesla and Ford, its interest isn’t just automotive. Polestar has an interest in mobility solutions as well. Like its latest concept, the Re:Move Electric Transporter.

    By Lawrence Hodge Read More

  • The SAE Autonomy Levels Are Confusing But I Think I Have A Better Way

    When it comes to talking about autonomous vehicles — which we’ve been doing a lot of, lately — it’s helpful to have some sort of guide to help everyone understand just what degree of autonomy we’re talking about. That’s why the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) came up with their famous SAE J3016 Levels of Driving Automation Chart. The chart provides a scale to judge just how automated or autonomous (there’s a difference) cars are or aren’t. The problem is that it’s not the most intuitive of

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Watch The Making Of A Bicycle And Hundreds More In This Charming Series

    I’m happy to report that I’ve run into hundreds of hours of mechanical goodness, courtesy of The Making, a video series that has found a new life on YouTube. The videos are posted by the Japan Science and Technology Agency and there are more than 300 of them across a few playlists. They show — you guessed it — the assembly process and production lines of anything from food to printed circuit boards to cameras.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Workhorse Didn't Get The USPS Mail Truck And Now It's Being Sued

    The United States Postal Service revealed last month that it had chosen Oshkosh Defense to make the next USPS mail truck, which meant that Workhorse, another bidder for the contract, lost. And with that loss came a steep drop in Workhorse’s stock price. Now one investor has sued.

    By Erik Shilling Read More

  • Tesla Confirms To California DMV That The Full Self-Driving Beta Will Never Be Full Self-Driving

    This past week, Elon Musk tweeted an announcement that the demand for Tesla’s new Full Self-Driving Beta software — a Level 2 semi-autonomous driver assist system that is not fully self-driving at all — was so high that Telsa would be making it available to any Tesla owner. In case you were wondering about the new, enhanced capabilities of this Beta and if it would finally push past Level 2 semi-autonomy to actual, real full self-driving, then you’re in luck, because Tesla just answered that que

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Elon Musk Supposedly Adding Tesla's Level Two Driver Assistance To Any Tesla Owner That Wants It

    Tesla launched its “Full Self Driving” feature five months ago, which offers a bit of autonomous capabilities without actually being, y’know, full self-driving. The confusing name has resulted in some bad behavior and dangerous driving. But instead of rethinking the name, CEO Elon Musk has indicated that Tesla will be “adding “Download Beta” button to Service section of car display in ~10 days.”

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

  • I Am In Awe Of Porsche's $10,000 E-Bike

    Porsche stands above the rest of the car world in terms of profit margins. There’s always some way to milk more money out of buyers, from leather-wrapped air vents and on. Now Porsche has figured out how to charge you $10,700 for a bicycle: A carbon-fiber e-bike to stick on the back of your $100,000 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo.

    By Raphael Orlove Read More

  • How NASA's Perseverance Landed On Mars: An Aerospace Engineer Breaks It Down In Fascinating Detail

    The world rightfully gawked at the engineering prowess of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as it successfully landed the car-sized rover named Perseverance on the surface of Mars. You might think that I, an engineer with experience working on a deep space mission, would be less impressed than most. But trust me: The spacecraft that landed Perseverance was an incredible Rube Goldberg Machine, and I’m going to explain exactly how incredible in this in-depth technical breakdown, which features tes

    By Brian Kirby Read More

  • A Huge Chunk Of America Is Getting A New Electric Car Charging Network

    We’ve been jealous of Europe’s burgeoning electric car charging infrastructure for a while now but the U.S. is finally getting some of that sweet, sweet infrastructure of our own with six American utilities across the South and the Midwest announcing a new EV charging network called the Electric Highway Coalition.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • Nissan To Retrofit The Rogue After Dismal Two-Star Front Passenger Crash Rating

    Nissan proudly touts its 2021 Nissan Rogue crossover as the ultimate family vehicle, with wide-opening back doors for wrangling kids and even a specific place in the rear-cargo area for transporting a gallon of milk. Unfortunately, the freshly redesigned Rogue is lacking the area that is usually number one on family car buyers’ minds: crash safety.

    By Erin Marquis Read More

  • How All-Wheel Drive Works: A Ridiculously Detailed Technical Explainer

    All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive may seem like simple concepts, but in reality, there are dozens of widely different systems out there, and a lot of confusion in marketing material and in “common knowledge.” The dead of winter seems like the perfect time for me to publish this ridiculously deep-dive on the various ways cars can power all four wheels.

    By HammerheadFistpunch Read More

  • The 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Is Available Only Online

    Volvo is going all in on electric cars, promising to be 50 percent electrified by 2025 and 100 percent electric in 2030. On the way there, Volvo is also going online-only for its electric car sales. That will be the only way to get the new battery-electric C40 Recharge, a sloping-roof version of the XC40 crossover.

    By José Rodríguez Jr. Read More

  • You Used To Be Able To Buy A Radio For Your Roof

    When it comes to car dashboards and instrument clusters, a certain amount of standardization has sort of organically happened over the years. By some mystical, unspoken decrees, most automakers (there are exceptions, of course) have agreed where most of the common controls can be expected: wipers and indicators on steering-column stalks, radio and HVAC controls in the center, nowadays usually with the infotainment screen above the climate controls, and the rear window defroster in a mathematical

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • A Tesla-Stan Showed Me What They Thought Was An Amazing Autopilot Save But Boy Is It Not

    You may remember last week when I wrote about an absurdly hyperbolic claim of alleged life-saving from a Tesla driving via its Level 2 semi-autonomous Autopilot system; this week, I have another one, but this one is a little different because it was brought to my attention by a Tesla-stan who was very sure this would end up in us writing “something positive about Tesla.” Well, friend, you’re in luck, because that’s exactly what will happen. I say this because I’m positive that Tesla on Autopilot

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

  • Animal Feces, Doors Falling Off, Huge Rust Holes: Here's Everything Wrong With David Tracy's $1500 Jeep FC

    David Tracy’s FC-170 will be full of batteries and an electric motor someday, but its current state is what an optimist would call a glass half full — of rodent droppings, urine and bird nests. With most of its doors literally falling off and windows cracked, the Jeep is mostly crap, literally and figuratively, and not something that will grace the roads in the near future, if ever. As it sits in my front pasture, it has maximized its later-in-life potential as yard art.

    By Tom Mansfield Read More

The Morning Shift (23)

Trainlopnik (1)

  • Railway Spine, The Mystery Disease That Changed Our Understanding Of Psychology

    Back in the late 19th century, victims of railway accidents began to experience a host of inexplicable symptoms that doctors simply could not make sense of. No one was sure what, exactly, caused the onset of these strange symptoms that had never been seen before and that only seemed to appear after a rail accident. But one doctor, Sir John Eric Erichsen, came up with a name for it: railway spine.

    By Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

Transportation (4)

Trucks (5)

Volkswagen (2)

  • We Drove The 2022 Golf R On Ice And It's Probably Going To Be The Best New Hot Hatch You Can Buy

    At the end of last week, I hitched up the family GTI and pointed it north toward the Smithers Winter Driving near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The Mackinac Bridge was partially closed due to high winds, so I got to do a bridge crossing under partial closure, which may have been my first such crossing. I did it for a chance to drive the 2022 VW Golf R, which, when it goes on sale, will very likely be the best hot hatch you can buy here in North America.

    By Rory Carroll Read More

  • The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Is A Good Enough EV But I'm Not Sure Good Is Enough

    Volkswagen hasn’t exactly been downplaying the importance of its first real mass-market electric car, the ID.4. The company even compared it to the legendary Beetle as far as importance, which I think is a bit hyperbolic. Still, it’s a big deal, and it’s the first taste we Americans will get of the new MEB electric platform. It also marks a glorious return to rear motor/rear drive platforms for VW. The ID.4 is a competent and capable EV — but it’s by no means alone there, and it feels like it c

    By Jason Torchinsky Read More

Wrenching (14)

  • Here's How Much It Cost To Get This 1966 Mustang Ready For The Road After Sitting For 23 Years

    Getting a car back on the road after it’s been sitting involves replacing a lot of small things. I’ve spent the past two weeks doing just that on my brother’s 1966 Ford Mustang, and for the most part, things have been painless and cheap. Or so I thought. I just added up all these “small things,” and holy crap: Turns out, I’ve been spending a lot of money on this old steed!

    By David Tracy Read More

  • This 1966 Ford Mustang Hasn't Been On The Road In 23 Years. Here's How I Finally Got It Running Well

    My brother’s 1966 Ford Mustang hasn’t been registered since 1998. The last time it ran was in 2013, but even then it could barely make it 10 feet down the road without stumbling. Lately, I’ve decided that the vehicle cannot continue wasting away in my garage; I want to enjoy this beautiful Candy Apple Red machine. Here’s how I got it to run properly for the first time in possibly a quarter-century.

    By David Tracy Read More

  • I Had My Brake Calipers Restored And I'll Never Go Back To Rebuilding Them Myself

    It could be argued that the most important system of a car is the braking system. Sure, you aren’t going anywhere without a drivetrain, but if you can’t stop you’ve reached the literal end of the line. When building a performance car, especially one in which you plan to shove a metric shitload of power, you should take your braking system extremely seriously. That’s why the Boxster track car project for which I have long-term aspirations of four-digit horsepower (not a typo) needed brakes that I

    By Bradley Brownell Read More

  • Do You Have A Stalled Car Project? I'm Here To Help

    This pandemic has been a real asshole to us all, especially during the winter. But if you’re stuck in your house with a stalled car project, looking for a way to bring a little more joy into your life, allow me to implore you: Just get that damn car on the road. Just do it. I’m here to help.

    By David Tracy Read More

  • Cool Tool: Locate Where That Terrible Noise Is Coming From With A ChassisEAR

    Over the past few weeks we’ve looked at heat-shrink self-solder butt-splice connectors for quick wiring projects, the Mini-Ductor II for rusty bolt removal and automatic wire strippers for the perfect wire cut every time. This week’s cool tool, the ChassisEAR, turns you into a car doctor so you can find out where that really bad noise is coming from.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More

  • Oh Man Look At This Wacky Creeper

    This thing has been around for a while, but I’d never seen it, so I have to assume some of you missed it, too. It’s kind of a mechanic’s creeper, but it’s power adjustable and, honestly pretty brilliant.

    By Rory Carroll Read More

  • The Handy Automatic Wire Stripper Is A Must For Electrical Projects

    Over the past few weeks we’ve looked at thread checkers to identify nuts and bolts, heat-shrink self-solder butt-splice connectors and the Mini-Ductor II that brings the heat of a torch without the flame. This week’s cool tool, the automatic wire stripper, makes removing insulation a much easier processes.

    By Mercedes Streeter Read More