Aurelia Butler

Two prototypes for the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 were spied testing on the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany.One of the ZR1s was seen sporting a ginormous rear wing, while the other one appeared to have the same wing as the Z06 model’s Z07 package.The ZR1 is also festooned with several additional intakes on the side bodywork and a deep vent in the hood.With a 670-hp flat-plane-crank V-8 and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is an extreme machine, as our time spent with a menacing gray example is currently proving. But Chevrolet intends to take its iconic sports car even further with a new ZR1 model, and spy photos of two different examples of the high-performance Vette testing on the Nürburgring in Germany have revealed the ZR1’s radical look.Brian Williams/SpiedBilde|Car and DriverThe first thing to catch the eye is the gigantic wing. The Z06’s rear wing is no shrinking violet, but the ZR1 takes things a step further with taller struts, a wider mainplane, and larger endplates. A second ZR1 prototype was also photographed on the ‘Ring wearing the Z06’s smaller wing. It’s possible that Chevy plans to offer two aero packages—as it does with the Z06 and did with the previous ZR1—or the automaker may be testing the different wings to get a better sense of the aerodynamic affect of the bigger unit.At the front end, a sharp splitter and aggressive dive planes help produce downforce but don’t look substantially different than the elements on the Z06’s Z07 performance package. The front grilles don’t look too different, either, but a massive slash in the hood has been added to route air up and over the cockpit and toward the rear wing. Given how deep the outlet looks, we believe the ZR1 may not have a frunk, similar to the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Brian Williams/SpiedBilde|Car and DriverChevy also added increased venting along the ZR1’s flanks—the main triangular inlet seen on the Z06 remains, but with a second smaller intake sprouting off of it and another additional vent sitting atop the ZR1’s bulky shoulders. Big wing aside, the rear end of the ZR1 appears largely the same as the Z06’s. The ZR1 rides on more intricate wheels than lower-tiered Corvettes, and the wheels may be bigger than the 20-inch and 21-inch staggered setup on the Z06. The ZR1 is expected to arrive for the 2025 model year and will add two turbochargers to the Z06’s 5.5-liter V-8. That could mean north of 800 horsepower sent to the rear wheels, and while it will likely be heavier than the Z06, it should still bolt to 60 mph in under 2.5 seconds. We expect the price to start around $150,000—not cheap, but significantly less than its European supercar rivals. The ZR1 may be the final pure-internal-combustion version of the Corvette.More about the CorvetteThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

Not long after showing the facelifted “ND3” MX-5 Miata, Mazda is preparing to pull the wraps off a new roadster-related concept. The automaker announced Tuesday that its Japanese Mobility Show stand will be dedicated to the MX-5, with both new and old models on display, plus a “new concept car designed to symbolize the exhibit theme.”From the teaser image released, this concept appears to be related to a scissor-door coupe concept Mazda showed last year. The rear lights are almost identical. Mazda revealed the catchily named “Vision Study Model” (pictured below) as part of a presentation on its electrification plans for the future. We expect that the current ND Miata will live on for a few more years, which is unusually long for a modern production car, but not unheard of for the Miata. The third-generation NC was produced for 10 years, and the ND hasn’t quite hit that milestone. Mazda has said the next-generation Miata will be electrified in some capacity, and we suspect that means it’ll have some level of hybridization. The automaker aims for 25 percent of its offerings to be full EV by 2030, and the rest to have some sort of electric element.In any case, Mazda has no intention to kill the MX-5 Miata, even as we switch toward EVs. A European Mazda executive said last year the sports car will “continue to exist forever.” That’s good, because we can’t imagine a world without the Miata.More MiataSenior ReporterA car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins is Road & Track’s engineering nerd and Porsche apologist. He joined the staff in 2016 and no one has figured out a way to fire him since. He street-parks a Porsche Boxster in Brooklyn, New York, much to the horror of everyone who sees the car, not least the author himself. He also insists he’s not a convertible person, despite owning three. More

Kia has revealed the full 2024 EV9 range, starting at the $56,395 rear-wheel-drive Light model.The Light Long Range can cover more miles for $60,695, while stepping up to the all-wheel-drive Wind variant will cost $65,395.The $71,395 EV9 Land adds more luxurious features, while the $75,395 GT-Line at the top of the lineup brings more torque and a swankier interior design.Just a couple of weeks after announcing the 2024 Kia EV9’s base price, the South Korean automaker has revealed full pricing details for its three-row electric SUV. Five variants will be available when deliveries kick off late this year, starting at the rear-wheel-drive EV9 Light and topping off with the sporty EV9 GT-Line e-AWD.KiaThe entry-level Light RWD starts at $56,395 and features an electric motor on the rear axle that provides 215 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The 800-volt architecture supports DC fast-charging as standard, and the cabin also comes with an eight-way power adjustable, heated and cooled driver’s seat. Long RangeThose looking to take longer road trips can opt for the $60,695 EV9 Light Long Range model, which upgrades the battery pack from the standard 76.1-kWh pack to a 99.8-kWh pack. This should provide a range of around 300 miles, according to Kia, and the Long Range model is also fitted with captain’s chairs in the second row to give passengers a more comfortable ride on lengthier journeys.KiaThe cheapest all-wheel-drive EV9 will be the Wind trim, starting at $65,395. The dual-motor setup combines for 379 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, and this model brings a standard heated steering wheel and a heat pump to help the battery cope with colder temperatures. Buyers seeking a more feature-heavy interior with all-wheel drive will have to pony up $71,395 for the EV9 Land, which adds snazzy “digital pattern” lighting elements on the front and 20-inch wheels. Inside, there’s a heated and power-adjustable steering wheel, digital rearview mirror, and a 14-speaker Meridian sound system. The Land model also includes more driver-assistance technology, while an optional towing package boosts hauling capability up to 5000 pounds. More Kia NewsAtop the range sits the EV9 GT-Line, an all-wheel-drive performance-oriented version that sees torque boosted to 516 pound-feet. At $75,395, the GT-Line also wears special front and rear designs and 21-inch wheels. The GT-Line features standard remote smart parking assist, and the cabin is decked out in more luxurious materials and unique trim elements. Sales of the EV9 are set to begin later this year.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

The Ferrari 296GTB is now the fastest rear-wheel-drive car we’ve ever tested, dispatching 60 mph in 2.4 seconds and finishing the quarter-mile in 9.7 seconds at 150 mph. Its ultra-short 70 mph stop of 130 feet takes that crown away from the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, which formerly held the record at 132 feet. The plug-in-hybrid powertrain fuses a 654-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 to a 165-hp electric motor for 819 horses of combined output. Welcome to Car and Driver’s Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).While prepping the Ferrari 296GTB for testing, an interested bystander asked the obvious question: “What does it have for an engine?” When we said it had a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 mated to an electric motor, the eye-rolling was nearly audible. “A V-6 hybrid Ferrari? Not interested.” Oh how their tune would have changed if they had seen it break our rear-wheel-drive acceleration record by reaching 60 mph in 2.4 seconds and storming the quarter-mile in 9.7 seconds.Massive PowerThe heart of the beast is a 2992 cc V-6 engine, and this combination gives the 296 its name. Why not 306, because 2992 cc rounds to 3.0 liters? In a word: China. Tax-wise, 3.0-liter engines are taboo over there, and Ferrari wanted to underscore the fact that this engine lives on the happy side of that milestone.The part our bystander should have been interested in is the 120-degree bank angle, which gives this V-6 the firing cadence of a V-12. The result is incredible, especially as the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission cracks off shifts at the 8500 rpm redline. That broad vee is also a handy place for two turbochargers to live, and it all adds up to 654 hp of internal combustion oomph amounting to some 219 horsepower per liter.Dan Edmunds|Car and DriverBut that of course wasn’t enough, so there’s a 165-hp axial flow synchronous AC electric motor sandwiched between the engine and gearbox. It’s connected to a 6.0-kWh battery pack that’s bigger than a typical passive hybrid battery so that it can be plugged in. The EPA says it’s good for 8 miles of range, but after testing this car we think its true purpose is to ensure the added 165 electric horses always stand ready to insinuate themselves and raise total combined output to 819 horsepower.Launch ControlWe made two modifications to our test sequence because of the 296’s powertrain. The first was typical of any plug-in vehicle: we test acceleration first to take full advantage of the electricity. The second was in deference to the 296’s traction-control system, which learns the slip characteristics of the test surface. We scrapped the usual east-west-east-west alternating cadence that saves time and instead made all our eastbound runs before facing the other way for the westbound ones.Launching the car is simple, but the procedure has one counterintuitive quirk. After selecting Qualifying mode, you slide the adorable shift toggle to manual, press the brake, then floor the throttle. Revs will rise to 3000, then the ready light comes on and you release the brake. The weird part is this: even though you selected manual mode to arm the system, you don’t manually upshift. Launch control does that bit for you.Dan Edmunds|Car and DriverDown to BusinessOur consecutive same-direction runs got steadily better as the system adjusted to the start-point friction, but progress leveled off at the third pass, so our best-run data comes from that point on. The same was not true of runs in the opposite direction, which were quick right away. I guess our test asphalt is more consistent than we imagined. In the end, the 296GTB’s two-way average results were incredible for any car, let alone an 819-hp rear-drive one that must put all its power down through a pair of 305/35ZR-20 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires.The GTB’s 60 mph run of 2.4 seconds puts it ahead of the Lamborghini Huracan STO and the McLaren Artura, a pair of rear-drive exotics that ran 2.6 seconds. Next up is the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, which managed 2.8 seconds. But the gaps grow wide after that, with the Ferrari’s 4.7 second run to 100 mph nearly a second clear of the McLaren and Lambo, and a full 2.0 seconds up on the Porsche. At the quarter mile, the 296GTB’s 9.7 seconds at 150 mph is well clear of the next-fastest Artura, which crosses in 10.3 seconds at 140 mph.More SupercarsThem’s the Brakes On the issue of electricity preservation and needing to run acceleration first, we needn’t have worried. The 296GTB has massive regenerative braking capacity, but it’s not obvious because all brake triggering—regenerative and friction—comes via the wonderfully communicative brake pedal. Ultimately, a chunk of the electrical energy expended during an acceleration run returned to the battery under braking, such that the battery charge percentage dropped quite slowly. It’s almost as if Ferrari has experience with racing cars built to harvest and deploy energy within the context of a single lap.This regenerative system here only works off the rear drive tires to which the motor is connected, of course, so ultimate braking power still relies heavily on the massive 15.7-inch ventilated and drilled carbon-ceramic rotors, 10-piston front calipers, and the grip of the 245/35ZR-20 Cup 2R front tires. The 269GTB also has an active aerodynamic device that rises up from between the taillights to generate drag and downforce, but its deployment timing didn’t seem to be optimized to act strictly as an air brake, so I’m not going to call it one.Still, the friction brakes aren’t going it entirely alone on this car, which weighs 3532 pounds on our scales. Perhaps that’s why the Ferrari was able to stop from 70 mph in a scant 130 feet and wrest away the stopping distance title from the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS despite weighing 290 pounds more. Then again, the extra weight and momentum may be why the Porsche retains the 100 mph stopping distance advantage, with a score of 242 feet to the Ferrari’s 245 ft.More on the 296 and RivalsFun fact: The Ferrari SF90 Stradale holds the overall crown of 2.0 seconds to 60 mph on account of all-wheel drive and 986 combined horsepower. That initial 0.4-second 60 mph advantage over the 296GTB shrinks to two-tenths of a second at the quarter mile, at which point the SF90’s trap speed has sagged to 148 mph, which is 2 mph slower. In the end we saw 190 mph in 17.8 seconds in the 296 before we ran out of room and called it a day.Technical EditorDan Edmunds was born into the world of automobiles, but not how you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race-car-building shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. Engineering school followed, then SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development jobs at two different automakers. His writing career began when he was picked up by Edmunds.com (no relation) to build a testing department. More