Motor News

The 2023 Ford Bronco Sport is getting a new off-road-oriented package known as the Black Diamond package.Available for $1295, the package is available for Big Bend and Outer Banks trims, and it increases the Bronco Sports chops as an off-roader by adding steel bash plates for added underbody protection. Ford is also expanding the Bronco Off-Roadeo experience to include all 2023 Bronco Sport order holders. Ford is now offering a happy medium for buyers who are interested in taking their Bronco Sport off-road but don’t want to spring for the robustly equipped Badlands edition. For $1295, the Bronco Sport Black Diamond package bridges the gap by giving customers a slew of new graphics, and more importantly, adds protection for the Bronco Sport’s vitals. More on the Bronco Sport and Black DiamondFour steel skid plates bring added protection to the underbody, including the fuel tank, as well as a front skid plate to protect the car from particularly angular rocks. New 17-inch wheels are wrapped in a set of 225/65R17 all-terrain tires. As a bonus, the package comes with graphics on the hood, lower body, and doors. The new package is limited to the Big Bend and Outer Banks trim levels, but the well-equipped Badlands wouldn’t really benefit as it already receives AT tires and skid plates to protect the powertrain and fuel tank. FordFord also announced that it would be expanding the Bronco Off-Roadeo program for buyers of 2023 Bronco Sports. The program is available at four locations around the country and teaches new owners about the capabilities and perhaps more important, the limits of their vehicles. According to Ford, 90 percent of Bronco Sport customers who attend the Off-Roadeo program are likely to go off-roading again, while 97 percent feel more confident about off-roading. FordThis 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.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. More

The Rimac Nevera reached 258 mph at the Automotive Testing Papenburg track in Germany.This claimed top speed makes it the fastest production electric car in the world, with customer deliveries getting underway in August of this year.While customer cars are limited to 219 mph, Rimac will unlock the Nevera’s full potential at special events under the supervision of the company’s technicians.Rimac has made waves with its enormously powerful electric powertrains, attracting investment from Porsche and absorbing the storied Bugatti brand as part of a joint venture last year. Now, Rimac has announced that its Nevera hypercar has set a new top speed record for electric production vehicles, reaching a claimed 258 mph. RimacThe feat was accomplished at the Automotive Testing Papenburg track in Germany, an oval circuit with two straights, each measuring about 2.5 miles long, just enough space for the Nevera to rocket to its top speed. The Nevera was piloted by Miro Zrnčević, the company’s chief test and development driver, and the car was, of course, set in its top speed mode that reduces drag while maintaining enough downforce to remain stable at high speeds. A Michelin technician also verified the condition of the road-legal Michelin Cup 2R tires before the Nevera set off. The record attempt was measured with a Racelogic V-Box data recorder, and the Nevera matched the target speed originally set by Rimac when the car was first shown at the 2018 Geneva auto show as the C_Two. Unlike the top speed runs by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport in 2010 (267 mph) or the Koenigsegg Agera RS in 2017 (277 mph), which used a two-way average to account for differences in wind and other environmental conditions, the Rimac Nevera’s record was calculated with just one run, similar to the 304-mph record set by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ in 2019.RimacRegardless, 258 mph is mightily impressive for an EV, since cars powered by electrons typically have lower top speeds. For customers, the Nevera is limited to a top speed of 219 mph—still absurdly fast—but Rimac says that at special events, with the support of the Rimac team, customers will be able to unlock the Nevera’s 258-mph maximum. Customers won’t need assistance, however, to attempt to replicate the 8.582-second quarter-mile run that the Nevera set in 2021 to become the world’s quickest accelerating production car. More on RimacThe Nevera is currently built at Rimac’s headquarters near Zagreb, Croatia, with the first unit being delivered back in August to 2016 Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg. With Bugatti now under the control of Rimac, the Nevera’s record attempt shows Bugattis will still be able to reach insane top speeds as they transition to electric power, although it will be interesting to see how the Bugatti and Rimac brands handle the internal competition over high-speed record-setting attempts.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.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. More

Customer deliveries of the 2023 Lucid Air Touring begin today, with all-wheel-drive versions of the Lucid Air Pure following in early December.The official EPA range rating of the 480-hp Pure with all-wheel drive is 410 miles, while the 620-hp Touring is rated at 425 miles—each when fitted with the 19-inch aero wheels. For comparison, the more expensive Air Grand Touring Performance model offers 518 miles of range.Recent changes that came out of Touring and Pure final development have lowered the Air’s drag coefficient to just 0.197 with the 19-inch aero wheels, a production-car best.With deliveries imminent, Lucid has released definitive performance and range information for their entry-level Lucid Air Pure and midlevel Lucid Air Touring. Both range figures are higher than the 406-mile estimates we’ve seen to date. The Touring comes standard with all-wheel drive, but it’s a $5500 option on the Pure. All initial builds of the Pure will be fitted with AWD, with rear-drive examples slated to emerge during the second quarter of 2023. Moving Forward QuicklyThe official EPA range of the Touring, which starts at $109,050, is 425 miles with the 19-inch aero wheels and all-season tires, which are a no-cost option that replaces the Touring’s standard 20-inch setup. Lucid now confirms that the Touring packs 620 horsepower, and has clarified that it will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. It comes standard with a solid aluminum roof, with the glass canopy roof that’s been standard on all Airs we’ve seen to this point a $4500 option here.The all-wheel-drive Pure is rated at 410 miles of range on its standard 19-inch aero wheels and all-season tires. Its dual-motor drive system generates 480 horsepower, and that’s enough to propel the sleek sedan from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. The solid aluminum roof is the only offering on the Pure, which starts at $94,550 for the all-wheel-drive version that is being built now. The rear-drive Pure that starts at $89,050 will be EPA certified later as the delivery date approaches.The Air and Touring have less range than the Grand Touring and Dream editions we’ve seen before because their underfloor battery packs are built from 18 modules instead of 22, resulting in a smaller 92.0-kWh pack. The four absent modules are from the area under the rear passengers’ feet, but the effect is far more expansive and normal-looking than the Porsche Taycan’s so-called rear “foot garage.” The result is a much lower and expansive rear floor that gives the Pure and Touring a far more natural and comfortable rear seating position, an effect that’s augmented by a reduced seat cushion rake angle that takes advantage of the lower foot position.After sampling both, we can say the absent cell modules make the back seats of the Lucid Air Pure and Touring feel even more spacious than the higher-priced extreme long-range versions that have been sold to date. And for our money, 400-plus miles of range is still mighty impressive in any EV, especially one that has Lucid’s impressive 900-volt battery and power electronics. After all is said and done, the less expensive Pure and Touring can still take on as much as 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes—at a suitable 350 kW DC fast-charge station, of course.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

Mazda has released a teaser image showing the new 2024 CX-90 SUV.It will ride on a new platform and use Mazda’s new inline-six engine.The CX-90 will debut in January 2023 and go on sale in the U.S. later next year.Mazda showed the first glimpse of its new three-row SUV and announced that the 2024 CX-90 will debut in January 2023. This will be the first Mazda model sold in the U.S. to ride on the company’s new longitudinal-engine platform and inline-six engine. It will serve as Mazda’s largest and most premium model, and will eventually replace the CX-9.The image shows the CX-90’s front fender with an “Inline6” badge and a vent. It’s painted in a new color called Artisan Red, which Mazda says will be exclusively for these new “large platform” vehicles. We expect these models to be more premium than the current Mazda lineup, which may come with a price increase. This could push the CX-90 into territory occupied by luxury models such as the Acura MDX and Infiniti QX60.More on Mazda SUVsMazda’s SUV lineup will also expand to include a two-row CX-70 crossover based on the same underpinnings. We’ve already driven the Europe-market CX-60, which shares this same platform and offers either a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six, a turbodiesel 3.3-liter inline-six, or a 323-hp plug-in-hybrid powertrain with a 2.5-liter inline-four. We expect some version of the gasoline six and the hybrid to make their way to the U.S. in the CX-90 and CX-70.Look for more information to come early next year about the 2024 CX-90 as it makes its debut in January.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.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. More

TV show host and well-known car collector Jay Leno was admitted to a hospital on Sunday after suffering burns to his face from a gas fire, TMZ and Variety report. Road & Track was able to confirm that the incident occurred at some point on Saturday, November 12.According to TMZ’s sources, Leno was in his Los Angeles garage where he stores his vast collection when a car burst into flames without warning. The report claims the fire burned the left side of the comedian’s face, but did not penetrate his eye or ear. “I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire,” Leno told Variety. “I am okay. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.”The 72-year-old former Tonight Show host was scheduled to appear at a financial conference in Las Vegas on Sunday night but did not appear due to a “very serious medical emergency,” People reports. Leno was admitted to the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles where he remains today, says TMZ.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

Audi has redesigned its highly recognizable four-ring logo, giving it a new two-dimensional appearance.The new-look emblem also trades the old chrome-colored rings for new black and white ones.Along with the updated logo, Audi standardizes its font style and now puts model identification on the B-pillar. Most people probably won’t immediately notice that Audi has redesigned its iconic four-ring logo. After all, the updated version still has the same recognizable four rings displayed in virtually identical geometry. However, Audi has never been shouty, and the German luxury brand’s new-look logo has the same restrained approach the company applies to car design.Check Out Other Recent Logo Changes”Good design is less design.” Those are the words of Marc Lichte, head of Audi design, who, in a short video on the company’s media site, spoke about the goals behind revising Audi’s corporate identity as well as the style of the emblem.Here’s a quick history lesson: The four interlaced rings originally symbolized the four different German automakers that merged in 1932 and became the Auto Union. In 1965, AU was rebranded as Audi, and the ringed logo has changed very little since.AudiCompared with the current chrome rings, the new ones are white with a black border, which increases contrast and should make them more visible from afar. Audi says customers can still opt for dark-colored emblems, with the white part being replaced by dark gray that looks like gloss black.Now in 2DThe other big change to Audi’s logo is that it now features a two-dimensional design. The company says this was chosen so that it looks the same everywhere, whether it’s a badge on a body panel or printed in a magazine.To go along with Audi’s updated identity, the company also standardizes the fonts used on and inside its vehicles. It’s a unique typeface called Audi Type. Each model can be further identified by details laser-etched into the B-pillar.AudiThe reimagined four-ring emblem can be seen on the 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron family, which recently underwent a facelift.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.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. More

• A highlight of 1960s American automotive design, the “suicide door” Lincoln Continental was the choice of transport for many a famous person.• This all-white convertible, up for auction at Bring A Trailer, was the personal vehicle of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States.• It was used by LBJ to tour around his sprawling Texas ranch, making this Continental both a mid-century icon and a rolling piece of presidential history.Politics aside, there are plenty of reasons to admire what a character President Lyndon B. Johnson was. Especially when it came to cars: he owned an Amphicar and was known to terrify unsuspecting passengers by pretending to lose control and “crash” into a lake, where the car simply floated off. He was a big man with a Texas-sized personality, and when he needed something to drive around his 1500-acre ranch, LBJ went big there too.Bring a TrailerDelivered in October of 1963 to the LBJ Corporation of Austin, Texas, this 1964 Lincoln Continental is currently up for auction at the site Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. Bidding sits at $75,000, with the auction slated to end on Wednesday, November 16.What you get here for your money is both a part of history and a truly elegant machine. LBJ himself could be a bit crude—the recording of a phone call where he orders a pair of pants is legendarily crass—but his taste in automobiles can’t be faulted here. American ClassicThe fourth-generation Lincoln Continental was the Ford Motor Company’s broadside against Cadillac, and it hit home. Beautiful in the simplicity of its design, it was finished to a very high quality, and it immediately found favor with the nation’s elite. The convertible version was the first four-door convertible offered by an American manufacturer in the post–World War II period.Bring a TrailerPowered by a 7.0-liter V-8 producing 320 horsepower, with a three-speed automatic transmission, the Continental was extremely heavy but not exactly slow. Essentially a roadgoing pleasure yacht, it was meant for relaxed boulevard cruising, the type of glittering transportation you might see powering along the Las Vegas Strip. For 1964, it received a mid-cycle refresh, but the front end was again changed for 1965. Arguably, the ’64 is the prettiest of them.Bring a TrailerAnother Continental, this one a stretch limo in black, would ferry tragedy into LBJ’s life. But scarcely one month before the assassination of President Kennedy, this car arrived in Texas as the complete inverse of the weight of rule. Right through until 1969, this white Continental served as LBJ’s pressure release valve as he drove it around his sprawling Texas ranch.Reportedly, LBJ had his Continentals (he owned two) fitted with snow tires, the better to deal with rough terrain. Among the larger-than-life stories that come with this car is the tale of how he used to often have a tumbler of ice and Cutty Sark whiskey in his hand as he cruised around the ranch. When the cup ran dry, LBJ would stick his arm out the window and rattle the ice cubes; one of the agents from the Secret Service detail following him would hop out and refill the cup. This wasn’t on a public road, so President Johnson appears to have taken the attitude that this behavior was no different than a cocktail while sailing.Bring a TrailerThe car has seen some mild refurbishment in its life and has just 16,000 miles on the odometer. Any Continental from this era would be special, and here the presidential provenance adds value for the collector. All you need is your own personal sprawling Texas ranch and maybe a 10-gallon hat, but stick to iced tea.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

• With the 911 Dakar fresh in our minds, how could we not be tempted by this modified Porsche 911 from 1988, currently up for auction with Bring a Trailer?• It’s got a raised ride height, an overhauled 3.2-liter flat-six, and an enhanced suspension. If that wasn’t enough to set this 911 apart, look to the roof rack and winch.• You’ll notice a retro feel to some parts of the interior, like the included radar detector and old-school Blaupunkt sound system.This week at the Los Angeles auto show, Porsche will be showing the Dakar, a heavily modified, all-wheel-drive version of the 911. The Dakar has been put through more than 300,000 development miles in an effort to make it capable of cruising over dunes, ice, and snow. The name comes from the Porsche team that won the 1984 Paris–Dakar Rally with a Porsche 953.Bring a TrailerBack to 2022Porsche won’t let you take the 911 Dakar home from L.A., but perhaps the next best thing is a new listing over on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—for a wonderfully modified 911. This 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera has already been sold once on BaT, back in January 2019, but it’s unrecognizable now after being repainted (Goodbye, Guards Red. Hello, Baltic Blue Metallic) and given “safari-style modifications.”The modifications won’t make this vehicle quite as capable as the Dakar, but it will do better on rougher roads than a standard 911. Power comes from an overhauled 3.2-liter flat-six engine and is sent to the wheels through a rebuilt G50 five-speed manual transaxle. Restoration work was done throughout the powertrain. Unlike the 1984 Rally winner, though, this one does not have AWD.Bring a TrailerThe BaT 911 has a higher ride height thanks to Von Shocks suspension and adjustable-perch front coil-over springs. The 15-inch alloy wheels wear BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires. A Fabspeed Motorsport stainless-steel exhaust system, a Warn Axon 55-S Powersport winch and a roof rack with Cibie LED auxiliary lights and a matching spare tire remind passersby this is not your standard daily driver. That doesn’t mean people haven’t been enjoying the idea of regularly getting behind the wheel of this 911. The parody Twitter account Bring A TraiIor said this 911 “will be perfect to traverse the perilous frontiers of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan.”Bring a TrailerInside, the 911 includes some features unavailable in 1988, like power-adjustable Recaro Ergomed ES heated and cooled seats. Retro touches include a Valentine One radar detector and a Blaupunkt Bremen Bluetooth stereo with a JL Audio amplifier and speakers. There’s also a four-point roll bar made by Custom Cages. The seller said the car has just under 272,000 miles on the odometer and has a clean Carfax report and a clean New York title.With three days left before the auction ends November 18, the current bid is at $150,000.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More