Aurelia Butler

Here’s a Cadillac wagon with the heart of a Corvette.Even better, this is one of the rare examples with a manual transmission.The mileage is low, but not museum grade, so feel free to unleash that supercharged V-8 daily.Today’s Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is a monster, and a multiple C/D 10Best Cars winner, but one thing is doesn’t offer is a long-roof body style. To get that, you have to travel back to the CTS-V last sold in 2014. That car blended the presence of a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk with the supercharged V-8 belligerence of a Corvette ZR-1, and combined it with an old-school manual transmission. And it was available as a station wagon. Glorious madness.Bring a TrailerAn ideal example of this Batmobile of wagons is for sale right now on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). It’s a 2014 Cadillac CTS-V wagon with the six-speed manual, black on black. The mileage is low at just 48K miles, but not so low that you’ll feel bad about actually driving it and being the coolest parent at the school pick-up line.Bring a TrailerUnder the hood is a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 good for 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of torque. These were bonkers numbers a decade ago, and still very credible today. And whereas modern war wagons like the Audi RS6 Avant or the Mercedes-AMG E63 (last sold in 2023) feature all-wheel drive to tame the power, the Cadillac lights up its tires with rear-wheel drive tempered only by a limited-slip differential.Bring a TrailerThis example is unmodified and equipped with some niceties including a panoramic sunroof, Bose audio, and navigation. What really matters, from an enthusiast perspective, is the stick shift sitting between the front Recaros, linked to a Tremec six-speed manual transmission.Bring a TrailerRelated StoriesBesides Corvette power levels, the CTS-V also gets Brembo brakes to handle stopping duties, and GM’s lightning-quick adaptive magnetorheological dampers. C/D put 40,000 miles on a CTS-V wagon back when the model came out, and the praise for the way this thing delivered power and polish was universal.It’s the quintessential “They don’t make ’em like that anymore” Cadillac, and ones with the manual transmission are few and far between. This one checks all the boxes and is sure to dole out thrills by the wagonful. The auction ends on May 6.Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More

While it looks like Airstream’s Basecamp 20, the 20Xe is a battery-powered trailer that uses a 10.3-kWh lithium Battle Born battery pack, which provides energy to a fully inverted 30A electrical system. With sleeping space for four and a 600W rooftop solar panel, the 20Xe starts at $76,900.Options include a compostable toilet, an air conditioner, a microwave, and more solar capability. Airstream’s first all-electric travel trailer, the Basecamp 20Xe, is here. The well-known trailer company has experimented with the electric camper idea in the Thor eStream RV concept, but the new 20Xe is the first such battery-powered trailer ready for the masses.Airstream regularly releases special versions of its long-standing trailer line. The company worked with Studio F.A. Porsche on an urban-inspired camper concept in 2023. The eStream concept, released in 2022, used two electric motors that produced a peak combined output of 242 horsepower, and 80.0 kWh of energy capacity from a lithium battery. The fact that the eStream used motors shows how different that concept was from the new Basecamp 20Xe. While the Basecamp 20Xe moves only when it’s towed, the eStream could use its ZF-developed powertrain and its 132 pound-feet of torque to either provide some help to the tow vehicle or use Airstream’s Move mode to maneuver the eStream remotely.Details of the 20Xe The Basecamp 20Xe has the same exterior size as Airstream’s Basecamp 20 trailer: seven feet, 9.5 inches wide and 20 feet, 2.0 inches long, with a GVWR of 4500 pounds. That means the two trailers share some of the same features, including two convertible sleeping spaces—one in the rear seating areas and the other in the main hall area—that can sleep up to four. AirstreamThe heart of the electric trailer is the 10.3-kWh lithium Battle Born battery pack, which provides energy to a fully inverted 30A electrical system. If the battery runs low, there is a 600-watt rooftop solar panel (optional up to 900 W) and a 3000-watt inverter. Airstream doesn’t say how long the battery will last because that’s determined by how much you use things like the optional microwave and air conditioner. And how loud you pump the three-speaker JBL Audio sound system.AirstreamAirstream A 20-pound propane tank can be used to heat the camper or water since the Truma Combi eco plus System heating system can operate using only electricity, only propane, or both. A typically small RV wet bath combines the features of a shower, toilet, and sink with a Showermi$er recirculation system and a 23-gallon fresh-water tank to reduce waste. And did anyone say optional composting toilet upgrade? That’s available, too. The single-burner induction cooktop is removable, so you can use it outdoors from any 110-volt outlet. Other outside-the-camper extensions include an outdoor shower option and several optional tent and awning attachments. Built into the floor near the rear door is a compartment that can be used as either wet storage or a cooler. Overall, the interior can be had with one of two fabric options: Granite Ridge dark charcoal with light tan accents or Sandstone Canyon (colors reversed).AirstreamAirstreamThe Basecamp 20Xe starts at $76,900. The standard Basecamp starts at $48,300 for the 16-foot model. Sebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

Bet you haven’t seen one of these in ages.It’s a wedge-shaped Corolla coupe with pop-up headlights.This unusually well-preserved Toyota has low mileage and boasts a five-speed manual for a bit more zip.If you’ve ever wondered, the Toyota Corolla takes its name from the Latin for “little crown,” as might be worn by some minor nobility during the Renaissance. It’s a bit of a hifalutin’ moniker for what’s basically the pleated khaki pants of cars, but sometimes a Corolla can be more special than you might expect. Take this 1989 Toyota Corolla SR5 in svelte two-door form, complete with sleek bodywork, gold paint, and pop-up headlights. It’s majestic. And it’s up for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos).Bring a TrailerThe sixth-generation Corolla debuted in 1987, declaring war on the popular Honda Civic with all models now front-wheel drive (plus the capable little all-wheel-drive All-Trac wagon). The vast majority of them were dependable if boring sedans, but Toyota did leave the door open for a little excitement. Toyota fans could still get the revvy GT-S model, with its Yamaha-designed cylinder head and zippy handling, and if you just wanted a bit more style to go with your reliable and thrifty commuter, then was a Sport Coupe with a less frenetic four-cylinder.This example is an SR5 trim, denoting a 1.6-liter DOHC four-cylinder with fuel injection, good for around 113 horsepower when new. A five-speed manual transmission stands ready to make the most of that power, and with only 48,000 miles on the odometer, few ponies will have escaped the stable.Bring a TrailerYou could consider this model as Toyota’s version of the Honda Prelude, from a time when almost every manufacturer built coupes with relatively conventional underpinnings, designed to be sporty-looking yet affordable. This Corolla is not some steely-eyed midnight street racer’s drift machine, but a nicely equipped compact car with air conditioning, a cassette tape deck, and 13-inch alloy wheels. Even considering the low mileage, it presents as extremely well preserved. You can just imagine someone wearing enough hairspray to ward off hurricane-force winds driving this car home from work on a Friday, planning to stop off to pick up a VHS tape of Single White Female on the way.Bring a TrailerLike most golden-age Toyotas, you can probably expect this car to be running and driving until the heat death of the universe, assuming you keep up with the oil changes. It’s not likely to ask much of you, and its stripped-down, late-1980s driving experience will be totally unlike any modern car. It’s perfect for the “I haven’t seen one of those in years!” reaction at your local car show, and maybe you could even make a few bucks on the side if there’s a film company making a movie set during the Clinton administration.There are certainly fancier and faster Toyotas out there, but this little coupe has hung around long enough to become something pretty special. Truly, a survivor worthy of wearing a crown.The auction ends on March 5.Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More