Aurelia Butler

The vintage-look Atari 2600 Plus is a throwback to the golden age of video gaming.The console comes bundled with 10 games, but it is backward compatible with hundreds of Atari system titles.Our best pick: Travel back in time to a simpler age of racing games with a vintage copy of Pole Position.With the film Gran Turismo in theaters, and blockbuster racing sims hugely popular at present, digital racing has never been hotter. There are online racing leagues and in-person tournaments for very real cash prizes. Even the pros use racing sims to hone their skills. But sometimes you want to leave all that complexity behind, and go back to the wood-paneled basement of your youth, when your worries were as limited as the pixels on your screen. Thanks to Atari, you kind of can. Preorder NowDeep Silver Atari 2600+Preorder NowDeep Silver Atari 2600+Just released and shipping in November, the Atari 2600 Plus aims to take console gaming back to basics. It comes preloaded with 10 classic games, but that’s not the good part—the 2600+ is backward compatible with nearly all 2600 and 7800 Atari cartridge games. Quick! Scurry up to your attic and dig through those old cardboard boxes to find your old games. It’s time for some Pole Position.The BackstoryPole Position is the great-grandfather of the Gran Turismo series of games. In arcade cabinet form, it raked in a total of $9.5 million in quarters every week of 1983, from gamers racing a tiny digital F1 car around a simple model of Fuji raceway. The Atari cartridge version sold in the hundreds of thousands, and if you don’t happen to have one squirreled away, you can likely find one on eBay.Pole Position was developed by Namco, an early Japanese distributor for California-based Atari. The game was launched just two years after Namco’s iconic video game hit, 1980’s Pac-Man, and it’s considered one of (if not the) most influential racing game ever made. It wasn’t the first, but Pole Position was the one that set the foundations for all subsequent racing video games. Its impact continues to echo down the years. For a brief period, you could even play Pole Position on the screen of your Tesla. That Easter Egg was rolled out in a software update in August of 2018. Unfortunately, the rights to the classic game were not properly secured. If a video game company goes out of business, some old games can become what’s called “abandonware,” in which case they’re fair game. Namco is still around as a software company, though heavily restructured, and thus Pole Position was not up for grabs.Atari ManiaBut you can still get your mitts on it. The 2600+ costs a reasonable $129.99 and comes with a free-of-charge dose of nostalgia. The retro-look switchgear and wood trim is pure early 1980s, but the console can hook up to nearly any modern TV, with widescreen modes and HDMI and USB-C connection ports.Related StoriesNext, Find the GameIf you snap one up, then you’re really going to want to look for—in that dusty cardboard box or on eBay—Pole Position II. A nearly identical sequel to the original released just one year later, Pole Position II is essentially the same basic game as its predecessor, but it offers three additional circuits to race on. As an Atari 7800 cartridge, it has been third-party tested and confirmed to work on the 2600+. The original Pole Position has also been confirmed to work, but you might as well have a few more tracks to drive.Atari ManiaPreorders for the 2600+ are open now, and the consoles will start shipping in November. If you need to take a break from the overwhelming complexity of modern racing games, or just want to relive part of your childhood, then you better snap one up fast. You’re going to want to take pole position on this one.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.Contributing EditorBrendan 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

BMW has unveiled its Vision Neue Klasse concept car at the IAA Mobility auto show in its hometown of Munich, Germany.The retro-future concept car previews an upcoming electric sports sedan that we expect to see morph into a 3-series as early as the 2026 model year. Its styling pays homage to the iconic BMW Neue Klasse, which itself marked a key transformative period for the company when it launched in 1962.The original Neue Klasse saved BMW’s bacon back in the 1960s, and it also evolved into the famed 2002, which was so good that it led Car and Driver’sDavid E. Davis Jr. to proclaim it “One of modern civilization’s all-time best ways to get somewhere sitting down.” Today, the brand is far stronger then it was back then, but this vision for its electrified future marks the start of a similarly transformative period for the company—hence the revival of the Neue Klasse name.play iconThe triangle icon that indicates to playThe concept car shown here—perhaps we should call it the Neue Neue Klasse?—is electric and showcases future tech in a retro-modern wrapper. Not only do we expect that the Vision Neue Klasse concept previews a future 3-series sedan, the next generation of which is expected to debut in 2025 as a 2026 model, but we also see it as a new design language for the entire BMW brand. Retro-Futuristic ExteriorThe forward-slanted nose and exaggerated kidney-shaped faux grilles are the most dramatic parts of the Neue Klasse concept’s front end, and its homage to the 2002 is unmistakable. But it’s no simple rehashing of that 1960s classic, as the concept car features a digital grille with lights that gently pulse as though the car is breathing. Narrow roof pillars and large windows make the small car’s greenhouse look much larger, and its simple profile is almost devoid of character lines. The result is a flat look, with a single crease low on the doors that serves to draw a connection to the front and rear wheels. A Look Back at the Original Neue KlasseSpeaking of windows, a thin strip of e-Ink display—like what you’d see on an eReader tablet—stretches across the bottom of the two side windows. It lights up as you approach the car and serves as a touch-sensitive door handle. The car’s taillamps feature 3-D-printed elements arranged in a cascading design that create a sense of depth while bright red LEDs illuminate them from behind. A set of 21-inch wheels was carefully designed for maximum aerodynamics without looking like they are, and a pair of rear-facing cameras on thin stalks stand in for traditional exterior mirrors—a feature we expect won’t make the jump to production. Klasse CabinStepping inside the Neue Klasse concept reveals a futuristic, digital-centric design. A large black panel that runs the width of the dashboard along the base of the windshield illuminates with BMW’s next-generation iDrive interface. Called Panoramic Vision, the black panel actually serves as a projection screen for the infotainment system, and it looks quite slick. A trapezoidal center display is still within reach of the driver’s right hand, but key information can be moved up to the panoramic screen for easier viewing while on the go. As if this wasn’t enough displays, the Neue Klasse concept also offers a head-up display. Although this system seems like it would be specific to the concept car, BMW says buyers can expect to see this feature in the production version.A quartet of midcentury-modern bucket seats gives the interior a vintage touch, and BMW has chosen yellow corduroy upholstery, which gives the otherwise white interior some warmth. A floating center console divides the cabin, and the multi-function steering wheel features not only a flat bottom but also a flat top and sides, creating a sort of square look. Next-Gen EV Platform The Neue Klasse serves as the debut of BMW’s next-generation EV platform, which is said to be an 800-volt system and uses a new battery design with 20 percent higher energy density. Combined with improvements in aerodynamics, higher-efficiency electric motors, and better thermal management, BMW says, the range can be increased by up to 30 percent compared with the company’s current EV drivetrain. While it will be primarily produced in Hungary, BMW is said to be exploring split production volumes with its plant in the United States to better take advantage of federal EV incentives here. Furthermore, a new battery factory is planned in South Carolina. The company also says its production facilities won’t use any fossil fuels but will focus on using a greater amount of recycled materials in the process. Whether or not the revived Neue Klasse will soon turn out to be the new best way to get somewhere sitting down remains to be seen, but we are looking forward to finding out.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.Managing Editor, Buyer’s GuideDrew Dorian is a lifelong car enthusiast who has also held a wide variety of consumer-focused positions throughout his career, ranging from financial counselor to auto salesperson. He has dreamed of becoming a Car and Driver editor since he was 11 years old—a dream that was realized when he joined the staff in April 2016. He’s a born-and-raised Michigander and learned to drive on a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am. His automotive interests run the gamut from convertibles and camper vans to sports cars and luxury SUVs.       More

The International Scout was introduced in 1961 as the first competitor to the Willy Jeep.Like the Jeep, the Scout had a removable roof, a fold-down windshield, and four-wheel drive.This first-generation Scout, which is both impressively restored and unmodified, provides a rare look at one of the earliest SUVs.Car and DriverVolkswagen is planning to resurrect the Scout nameplate for a lineup of battery-powered SUVs and pickups, and while we have yet to see what they’ll look like, VW would be hard-pressed to capture the purity and charm of the first-generation International Harvester Scout. Unfortunately, the harsh duty cycle of most off-roaders, combined with the original Scout’s extreme propensity to rust, means that an OG Scout is a rare sight today. That’s what makes this 1964 example all the more striking. Up for auction on Bring a Trailer, which like Car and Driver is part of Hearst Autos, it has been restored to a stock appearance—rather than a modern, bro-dozer reinterpretation—and serves as a reminder of how basic 4x4s were at the dawn of the SUV age.Bring a TrailerCheck out the interior: vinyl bench seat, metal dash, metal door panels, fabric check-straps for the doors, and manual everything, although there is glovebox—plus a heater and a defroster. Bring a TrailerThis Scout is powered by a 152-cubic-inch inline-four (actually half of the I-H 304-cubic-inch V-8) fed by a single-barrel carb and paired with a three-speed manual gearbox. The part-time four-wheel-drive system has manual locking front hubs, and this Scout rolls on 15-inch black steelies.Bring a TrailerLater Scouts would grow larger, (somewhat) more mechanically sophisticated, and (a bit) more comfortable. The second-gen Scout 800 arrived in 1965 and the Scout II in 1971. With vintage SUVs of all stripes seeing keen collector interest, Scouts are being restored and typically upfitted mechanically for greater capability or just a more extroverted look. It’s interesting, though, to see the one in its original form, the result of a design brief “to replace the horse.”Related StoriesThe auction ends September 7.Deputy Editor, Reviews and FeaturesJoe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar. More