Aurelia Butler

In the 1980s, Honda packaged a folding scooter with its City subcompact car. Now, here’s that same concept updated for the EV era.Both vehicles are proof-of-concept for a new easily recyclable acrylic construction.Details on power and range are thin, but the want factor is high.Honda’s Motocompo was a folding scooter designed to fit in the trunk of the company’s City subcompact car. It’s such a fun and quirky machine that it’s become highly collectible, and Hot Wheels even made a scale-sized City Turbo II with a couple of plastic Motocompos tucked in back. Now Honda is teasing an all-electric return of this well-loved accessory.Honda has shared images of a new small EV concept for the 2023 Tokyo auto show, and the electric scooter that goes with it. (Honda also plans to show off a new EV sports car, perhaps a potential replacement for the NSX, but that won’t be revealed for a few more weeks.)First, the car, which is called the SUSTAINA-C. Built from an acrylic that’s designed to be easily recycled, it’s a fun and friendly looking little two-door hatchback. While this is only a concept, it’s hard not to wish for roads full of happy little cars like this rather than the modern sea of angry-looking crossovers.HondaThe scooter is even better, and we especially love the name. It’s called the Honda Pocket, and it’s likewise made out of the same recyclable acrylic. There are no details on powertrains for either vehicle, but the thought of parking a zippy little Honda hatchback, popping a scooter out of the trunk, and zipping off to your favorite urban ramen joint is an appealing one. Obviously this combo would work better in parking-starved Tokyo than Los Angeles, but as urban centers get denser, the idea of onboard last-mile mobility makes more sense.HondaHonda is also showing a scooter that is much more pragmatic: the SC e concept. This fairly conventional-looking scooter is fitted with two of Honda’s swappable Mobile Power Packs, and it would be a game-changer for Tokyo traffic. Scooters are already a popular mass mobility option, and the ability to swap batteries at a charging station would open up EV ownership for apartment dwellers.Look for more information still to come within the next few weeks about Honda’s reveals for the Tokyo auto show.More on the City and MotocompoContributing 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’s Z3 roadster appeared in 1996 as a sort of German-accented Miata.The arrival of the six-cylinder engine added greatly to the Z3’s appeal.This Z3 2.8 with just 28K miles is up for auction at no reserve.Car and DriverThe roaring success of the Mazda Miata touched off a roadster mania in the 1990s, with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche all fielding attainable (if not quite Miata-level affordable) two-seaters. BMW’s Z3 arrived in 1996 with a 138-hp 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine under its classically-inspired long hood. It only took a year for the Z3 to more fully reach its potential, with the arrival of a 2.8-liter inline-six bringing an additional 51 horsepower concurrent with a limited-slip rear differential. Swollen rear fenders, necessary to clear a 2.5-inch wider track, nicely balanced the styling.Bring a TrailerThis crisp-looking example currently on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is powered by that desirable six, paired, crucially, with BMW’s ultra-slick five-speed manual.Bring a TrailerIn an in-period road test, we clocked a ’97 Z3 2.8 at 6.3 seconds to 60 mph, a result that’s still credible today. For 1999, the 2.8-liter engine saw output nudged to 193 horsepower. This 2000 model also benefits from other running changes including the fitment of side airbags, rollover hoops, and a slightly nicer interior. This car also boasts a power top, heated seats, and leather trim. Bring a TrailerRecent service includes the replacement of the drive belt, a new transmission selector seal, and new rear dampers (last year). The plastic rear window for the top has also been replaced. While there are a few minor paint chips and underbody scuffs noted, but the car overall appears to be in very tidy condition as befits its odometer reading of just 28,000 miles.Bring a TrailerThis car is located in Newburgh, New York, and can’t you just picture flying out and driving it home, flogging it down twisty roads with a contrail of foliage behind you? With New York State’s leaves already changing to an autumnal palette of red and gold, now’s the time to enjoy a classic roadster. Related StoriesAct fast, however, as this no-reserve auction ends October 1.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 is preparing a second-generation X2, after discontinuing the sleeker alternative to the X1 after the 2023 model year.The teaser shows an angular grille lined with LEDs and a more sharply sloping roofline than the previous X2.The 2025 X2 should use the same four-cylinder engines as the X1, with a 241-hp base model and a 312-hp M35i performance variant.BMW pioneered the oxymoronic “SUV coupe” segment when it launched the sloped-back X6 in 2008 as a sportier-looking alternative to the X5 crossover. A slinkier X2 joined the lineup as a counterpart to the subcompact X1 in 2018, but underwent minimal changes before fizzling out after 2023. But BMW is readying a replacement, teasing a second-generation X2 in a recent video. The X2 is shrouded in darkness in the video, but a shot of the silhouette reveals a roofline that dives downward in a more dramatic fashion than the previous X2, capped off by a small lip spoiler. We also catch a glimpse of the front end’s bold LED lighting, which outlines the octagonal kidney grille, mimicking the the look seen on the XM performance SUV. The headlights feature two vertical LED elements with a slight kink in the middle, similar to the refreshed 2024 X5.More BMW NewsBMW didn’t provide any other hints about the next generation X2 but the crossover is expected to ride on the same platform as the latest X1, which debuted for 2023. The X2 should use the same engines as its more practical sibling, with a 241-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four in the base model. The M35i performance model that joins the X1 lineup for 2024 should also make an appearance, with the turbo 2.0-liter tuned to produce 312 hp. BMW is expected to also reveal an electric iX2, but its unclear if this will be offered in the United States since the iX1 has remained an Europe-only affair. The second generation X2 should debut before the end of the year and arrive in the U.S. as a 2025 model.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

Toyota unveiled a new limited-edition version of the full-size Tundra pickup based on the 1794 trim. The special edition comes with a Fox Shocks 1.1 inch lift kit and a specially designed leather interior. It will be limited to 1500 units when it goes on sale next spring.Toyota’s upwards quest to make a dent in the Big Three’s full-size truck dominance continues. To that end, Toyota announced a new special-edition version of the Tundra called the 1794 Limited Edition complete with a different look inside and out and a lift kit. ToyotaMost of the changes for the 1794 Limited Edition come in the way of visual and material changes, though the special edition does get a small performance boost in the way of 2.5 inch Fox internal bypass shocks with piggyback reservoirs and a 1.1 inch lift. The exterior of the truck distinguishes itself from the rest of the flock with a dark chrome finish for the grille and side moldings, as well as blacked-out accents. The tailgate ditches the standard “TUNDRA” text, and replaces it with a special stamp to further differentiate the truck.The interior sets itself even further apart from other Tundras with the inclusion of copious amounts of brown leather. According to Toyota, the design was developed in conjunction with the Texas based Saddleback Leather Company.ToyotaAs a bonus, Toyota is including a matching set of leather accessories with the truck, including an overnight bag, tool roll, owner’s manual case, key glove, and small bag. The 1794 Limited Edition will be kept to 1500 units and will go on sale some time in spring 2024. We’re not sure on official pricing yet, but we imagine it will come in a few thousand dollars above the standard 1794 trim’s $64,310 starting price. More on the TundraThis 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 EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

We all know what it feels like to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And if cars had feelings, there’s a 964-era Porsche 911 in the Seattle area that would definitely know all about that one. That’s because it happened to be parked in a garage in close proximity to a Polaris Slingshot that thieves had targeted for the Gone in 60 Seconds treatment. Tucked in under a car cover, the Guards Red 964 obviously wasn’t a daily driver and probably wouldn’t immediately be missed. And so the Porsche—freshly painted, with H&R suspension and a Das Sport half cage—joined the Polaris in an unauthorized exit from the garage, and the owner was none the wiser until receiving a call from the police a few weeks later asking, “Do you know where your car is?” He didn’t, but he was about to find out that the Porsche community had already tracked down his car, albeit not unscathed.Auburn Police DepartmentWhy were the police looking for a car that wasn’t reported stolen? Well, as it happens, the thieves didn’t stop their crime spree at grand theft auto, and the red 911 had been spotted near the scene of a homicide. Police in Auburn, Washington, had grainy security camera footage of a red 911 but they couldn’t tell much else about it. So they did the logical thing and tracked down somebody who could, calling boutique Seattle Porsche shop Dobson Stuttgart to ask for help. There, sales and marketing manager Matt Adair took a look at the photos and immediately knew what car to look for—though he didn’t know whose it was.Beat up and covered in fingerprint dust, but recovered.Matt Adair|Car and Driver“I ID’d it as a 1990-ish 964 with aftermarket wheels,” Adair says. “There aren’t a lot of 964s around, so I asked if they wanted me to dig into that. They did, so I hit up my Porsche groups and a few others and got an outpouring of people who saw the car in Northgate, or Tacoma. Apparently it had been making the rounds for a few weeks.”But initially, the sightings from Adair’s Porsche network were strictly past tense, leads gone cold. Within 24 hours, though, a contact in Portland, Oregon, said he found it. “He sent a photo and it was the car,” says Adair. “I called the Auburn PD and the detective I’d talked to wasn’t there.” Thus Adair undertook the strange and awkward task of calling 911 and convincing the dispatcher that police were required at a particular address in Oregon, on account of a stolen red 911 on grey Rotiforms parked outside. “Then they had an officer in Portland call me, since I knew where the car was, and they were there within a half hour and arrested the guy.” Ouch.Matt Adair|Car and DriverThe car was towed back to Dobson Stuttgart covered in black fingerprint dust and wearing the scars of its unfortunate road trip. “The owner called me and said, ‘Now what?’ and I told him that based on my experience with stolen cars, it’ll probably be totaled,” Adair says. The trunk was taped down, since the latch had been pried open with a crowbar. The ignition now started with a flat-blade screwdriver. Underneath, the thieves looked to have hit a speed bump at freeway pace—or gone off-roading—based on dents to the engine case. The Fabspeed exhaust was partially ripped off, the lower bodywork scraped up. More ouch.Matt Adair|Car and DriverA sad result, but at least the car was recovered and its illicit custodian arrested before more mayhem ensued—the search warrant for the car reads “theft of motor vehicle” and “murder in the second degree”. And if the choice of vehicle had been anything more anodyne than a perfect red 964, that suspect might still be at large. Moral: if you’re getting up to crimes, don’t cross the Porsche-heads.More Police ChasesSenior EditorEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More