Motor News

Buick has made it clear that its future lies in two directions. First, the brand will only sell EVs after 2030. Second, all Buicks will be SUVs.Dealers who aren’t aligned with that future will be given an off-ramp, Buick global vice president Duncan Aldred said this week.The first all-electric Buick, the Electra, should be revealed sometime in 2023 and will arrive in 2024 as a 2025 model. Its look is expected to be influenced by the Buick Wildcat concept shown above.General Motors continues its push toward electrification, and it might take out a few Buick dealerships on its way.Duncan Aldred, global vice president of Buick and GMC, revealed to the Wall Street Journal this week that all of the 1900-plus Buick dealerships in the U.S. will be given buyout offers to those who don’t want to be a part of the brand’s shift to selling only electric vehicles. Buick is requiring its dealers to invest in charging stations and other store upgrades as part of this change.

The 2022 Buick lineup: Encore, Encore GX, Envision, and Enclave.
Buick

“Not everyone necessarily wants to make [the electric] journey, depending on where they’re located or the level of expenditure that the transition will demand,” Aldred told the Journal. “So if they want to exit the Buick franchise, then we will give them monetary assistance to do so.”

While Buick isn’t yet selling any all-electric models, the first Buick EV will be the Electra. The second and third and, well, all the rest will, too. Buick has announced that all of its EVs will carry the Electra name. The first Buick Electra should go into production in 2024 as a 2025 model. All new Buicks sold in the U.S. and Canada after that date will not only be electric, but the brand will exclusively sell SUVs in the future.We don’t know many details about the first Buick Electra, but since we expect it will use a GM Ultium battery pack with about 100.0 kWh of capacity, that should be good for 300 or more miles of range. The Electra will be revealed sometime in 2023, and we expect it will start at around $50,000.Most of the Buick dealers in the U.S. also sell GMC models. According to Automotive News, there were only around a dozen stand-alone Buick dealerships, so taking a buyout would most likely keep the dealership in the GM family.In 2020, GM offered buyouts to Cadillac dealers that didn’t want to spend the $150,000 to $200,000 that GM was requiring to update the dealerships for Cadillac’s first EV, the Lyriq, which is due next year. Around 175 Cadillac dealers took the buyouts, which were worth between $300,000 and $500,000, according to Automotive News.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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

They might have been toys once, but classic pedal cars can now be considered collector’s items, and Mecum Auctions will attempt to unload hundreds of them at an auction later this month.The lot comes from Elmer’s Auto & Toy Museum and includes some that are 100 years old, some that are in relatively original condition, and others that have been heavily restored or modified.Aside from the pedal cars, Mecum will also be selling 120 classic cars as part of this auction, including a 1964 Amphicar 770.Pedal car enthusiasts out there might want to start measuring their available storage. The Elmer’s Auto & Toy Museum is selling a significant portion of its collection through Mecum Auctions later this month, and the lot includes almost 800 classic pedal cars.

Mecum Auctions

Mecum Auctions

Some of these classics are 100 years old, like a 1920s Steelcraft Buick pedal car or a 1927 American National Lincoln pedal car with many original parts like the windshield frame, hood ornament, and spare disc tire. The current bid is $100. The 1950s Hamilton Jeep Wrecker with two horns (obviously great for kids) and an AMF Red Mustang also caught our eye.

Most of the pedal cars up for auction have been updated and repainted over the years. If you’re thinking of getting these not to be kept as a collectible but for kids to actually ride on, we think the pedal airplanes—basically pedal cars with stubby little wings on the sides—or pedal cars with airplanes painted on their sides, like the blue and white Strato-Flite pedal car pictured below, might do the trick. If the little ones enjoy role-playing adult work, then perhaps check out the customized Mack C-Cab pedal car painted to look like a Conoco oil truck.

Mecum Auctions

If your tastes run more to pedal cars that aren’t pedal cars anymore, Elmer’s Auto & Toy Museum has you covered with a Champion model that has been restored and then modified and turned into a remote-control (RC) car. It even comes with a doll “driver.”

Mecum Auctions

There are almost 2000 items from Elmer’s Auto & Toy Museum included in the auction lot, including plenty without any reserve limit. Aside from the pedal cars, there are more than 230 bicycles and tricycles and around 120 sleds, carriages, and ride-on toys. A handful of classic full-size vehicles, about 120, will also be sold. The auction runs from September 14–17. Bidders can name their price in person, via phone, or on the Internet but must be registered before bidding. New ride-on pedal cars can cost anywhere between $100 and $1000.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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

These days, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone crazy enough to buy a perfectly stock E30-generation M3 and modify it. The first ever M3 is a fast-appreciating collector car, after all, with factory examples with low mileage demanding over six figures. But just a few years ago, these cars weren’t worth as much. Which is why this Australian man felt okay swapping out the legendary S14 from his M3 and dropping in a 500-hp V-10.

The Fullboost YouTube channel caught up with the owner of this pretty red M3, Bob, to get the details on this incredible swap. The V-10 is also a BMW product, you see, taken from either an M5 or an M6 from the mid-2000s. In this application, it runs on a stand-alone ECU and revs all the way to 8300 rpm. Bob sourced a six-speed manual transmission from an E90-generation M3 to get the power to the rear wheels, though amazingly, the differential still uses an E30 housing. Inside you’ll find an upgraded locking center from Quaife. Most interesting is Bob’s claims that he didn’t have to cut any part of the chassis or firewall to fit the powertrain inside this E30. He did, however, have to fabricate an entirely new subframe, a new oil pan, and a heavily modified steering rack to get everything to work. Bob says he built this M3 to drive to the track, claiming a curb weight under 3000 pounds and a near 50/50 weight distribution. It’s all pretty incredible considering the car has more than double the cylinders it used to. Of course, the fantastic power-to-weight ratio means it makes for a solid drag car as well. Oh, and it sounds wonderful. We’re not jealous. Not one bit. More

Good things come from the Hawaiian islands: chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, surfing, and winning racers. Danny Ongais, who raced everything from Top Fuel to F1; John DeSoto, motocross legend; and Roland Leong, famed Funny Car tuner, share more than their island birthplace: as of August 2022, they are now the only wheeled inductees in the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. We’d say they were the only motorsports representatives at all, but that would leave out Thomas Gentry, powerboat racer. Leong is the most recent inductee, officially joining the list in 2020, but due to COVID only celebrating the honor on August 25, 2022, when the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame finally held its much postponed banquet. We were on hand to cheer as Leong took the stage, introduced by his first driver, Don “the Snake” Prudhomme. It was the first time the two men had been in Hawaii together since they met in 1964. Street Racing on OahuLeong grew up on Oahu, racing cars on the streets, much to the dismay of his parents. “My dad had a master’s degree from Harvard. My mother was also a college graduate, very rare for a woman in the ’30s. They were respected businesspeople. I didn’t graduate high school and I wanted to be a drag racer. They weren’t pleased.”Leong’s dad didn’t talk to him for years, but his mother came around and supported him as he moved from street racing to running a dragster at the island’s only track, Kahuku Dragstrip. Leong held the gas dragster record of 8.50 at 180 mph when he met Prudhomme, who was piloting the Greer, Black, Prudhomme nitro dragster, shipped over to make exhibition runs on the island’s new, bigger dragstrip. The two hit it off, despite the fact that Prudhomme could barely understand Leong’s mix of Hawaiian slang and accented English. It didn’t matter; talking cars was a common language. Later that year, Leong was in California, working for a chassis shop and building a top fueler of his own. The first drive didn’t go well. “I guess I was supposed to only go half track? I didn’t know that,” says Leong, with the easy cadence of a much-told tale. “I didn’t know where the parachute handle was, and by the time I found it, I’d driven off the dragstrip. [Engine builder] Keith Black wasn’t pleased. He said he couldn’t support me if I drove, because he didn’t want to tell my parents I’d been killed in a car.” Elana ScherrBlack recommended Prudhomme, as their partner in the G-B-P car was calling it quits. Prudhomme started driving for Leong and took the new car, appropriately named “The Hawaiian,” to victories at the NHRA Pomona Winternationals and the Indy U.S. Nats along with countless match race rounds. “I always tell Prudhomme he’s lucky I wasn’t worth shit as a driver or he wouldn’t have had a career,” says Leong. “Sometimes I think of how odd we must have looked in ’65, on the road across America, a Chinese-Hawaiian and a Black guy, often the only ones in a restaurant. We never had any trouble, though. I guess people liked the car too much to worry about who was with it.”Prudhomme left Leong the next year, a decision he says he regretted as he watched the Hawaiian repeat victories at the Winternationals and the U.S. Nats with a different driver behind the wheel. Leong would become infamous for his changing roster of hotshoes. “Not everyone had the same desire to win as I did,” he says with a shrug. “The Hawaiian”Hawaii Sports Hall of FameIn 1969, he built a Funny Car, noting that the bodied fuel cars were more popular with the fans and had more opportunities to match race than the long, naked rails. Leong’s “Hawaiian” cars won regularly, including the famous Bakersfield March Meet in ’67 and ’83, and another U.S. Nationals win in 1991 with a car that would later set a record as the first Funny Car over 290 mph. His last year as a team owner was 1993, but he continued working as a hired crew chief, including rejoining his old buddy, the Snake, to tune the Copenhagen Funny Car with a young driver named Ron Capps behind the wheel. They finished second by a narrow margin to John Force in the championship in 1997.More Drag RacingOne might consider that a solid career, but Leong continued to tune nitro cars after leaving the NHRA “big show,” working for nostalgia racers running in the NHRA’s heritage series. Through it all, Leong has stayed friends with many of his teammates, including Prudhomme. Now 78 and 81 respectively, the Hawaiian and the Snake still act like they’re in their early twenties as they were when they met, pointing out hot cars and ribbing each other about their various failings. “You know, Snake and I would have lunch every day in Van Nuys,” said Leong. “He was working at a paint shop, and I convinced him to go on the road with me in ’65, so he quit, and he hasn’t had a real job since.” That’s one way to describe Prudhomme’s 389-round winning career, but then, Leong has known him since before he was a big shot, back when they were both just kids talking cars in Hawaii, never imagining they’d be back for a Hall of Fame induction nearly 60 years later. Elana ScherrElana ScherrLeong was inducted as part of the 2020 class, along with surfer Ben Aipa and racquetball champion Egan Inoue. The 2021 inductees, honored at the same celebration, included volleyball champ Reydan “Tita” Ahuna and sports promoter Larry Price. The Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame is a state-run museum recording the accomplishments of Hawaii’s athletes in all forms of sport. 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

The Rivian R1T is one of the most exciting electric cars on sale today. One owner decided to push the boundaries of that excitement by driving their EV right into Bear Lake in Idaho in order to launch their boat. The owner of this particular Rivian R1T is youtuber Rivvit . blog, who uploaded a video of the aquatic adventure alongside a description of the events. According to the owner, this idea of driving their Rivian into Bear Lake was a goal of theirs since they pre-ordered the EV back in February of 2020. Bear Lake is located right on the border of Idaho and Utah, with half of the freshwater lake belonging to either state. There are only a handful of public boat launches surrounding the lake, which are reportedly often jammed up with traffic. Boaters can launch directly off the beach if their vehicle is capable of surviving the plunge, with the video description noting that many locals utilize heavily modified vehicles to skip the lines.
This content is imported from YouTube. 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.

Thanks to a few key factors, this R1T owner felt his truck could take on the challenging launch in stock form. Firstly, the beach surrounding the lake itself is composed of a relatively compacted sand, which the truck doesn’t seem to displace much of while on land or in the water. Secondly, the beach also gradually falls off after you’ve entered the drink, creating somewhat of a natural boat launch beneath the surface. Combine those factors with the fact the Rivian is capable of fording through over 43-inches of water, and things seemed relatively straightforward to this boating family.

Before the attempt began, the owner disconnected the truck’s trailer lights and engaged the Rivian’s Deep Sand drive mode. As the video starts, we watch as the R1T silently drives nose first into Bear Lake. The truck then manages to flip around, positioning the boat trailer for the most effective launch. The boat in question is a 2004 Malibu 23 LSV, which requires around 36 inches of water to float off the trailer. Once the boat is operating as intended, the truck simply pulls back out of the lake without any trouble. It’s a wild scene to behold, and not exactly the sort of ending we’re used to seeing when heavy trucks take on the beach. That said, the owner of this truck repeated this process several more times over the course of their visit to Bear Lake. The process reportedly only got easier to handle, though we have to imagine there was always some anxiety involved. That’s especially true when it came time to load up at the end of the day. Rivian likely didn’t test the R1T’s abilities as a standalone boat launch, but we’re glad to see some owners embracing the outdoorsy image the brand has crafted for itself. I wouldn’t suggest trying something like this without some real knowledge of your local beaches and their rules, but I can’t imagine this is the last aquatic Rivian we’ll encounter.

Rivvit . blog on YouTube More

The legendary Mercedes SL roadster has reached its seventh generation, and there are big changes in store for the 2022 SL55 and SL63 models. For one, they’re exclusively offered as AMG models, and the old model’s retractable hardtop has given way to a softtop. Positioned as a competitor to the Porsche 911, the new SL is far more expensive than before, so we figured we’d take to the online configurator tool to determine our favorite ways to spec the new car. Here are our builds, from the “base” model to nearly $200,000.

Drew Dorian’s $151,700 SL55

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

I’d start my build with the SL55 in the base Touring trim. The 55’s 469-hp version of the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 is plenty of power for me, especially since we estimate this model will hit 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds. With the money I’d save by skipping the more expensive SL63, I’d load up my new Mercedes with tasty options such as the Burmester stereo system, a microfiber headliner, and a set of handsome 21-inch wheels. I’d go with the Moonlight White metallic exterior paint, and the optional red softtop helps my SL stand out. I’m disappointed that I can’t choose the red Nappa leather with the red roof, but the black interior is classy so I’ll make that concession. Lastly, I’d splurge on the optional head-up display, the driver-assistance package, and the performance steering wheel with Nappa leather and microfiber wrap. My SL55 carries a price of $151,700, a lofty sum, certainly, but one that’s nearly $40,000 cheaper than an identically outfitted SL63.Joey Capparella’s $184,950 SL63

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

The SL makes the most sense to me as a cushy cruiser, so I’m not entirely sold on the idea that AMG has taken over the latest generation and turned it into a sportier, more performance-focused model. That said, I think the new model looks fantastic. Even though I don’t want the sportiest model possible, I still want power in a vehicle like this, so I’d splurge for the 577-hp SL63. Opting for the Performance trim doesn’t mean what you think, as the 63 model has most of the performance goodies standard anyway; instead, this version adds a front-axle lift system that I think would be useful. The only other options I chose were the subtle $3250 Monza Gray Magno paint and the $750 Dark Shadow interior trim. I stuck with the base 20-inch wheels for the sake of ride quality. My car totals out at $184,950, which is 911 Turbo territory. Hmm.Caleb Miller’s $194,660 SL63

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

For my 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL, I started off by choosing the more powerful SL63 model, which produces 108 more horsepower than the SL55. I then selected the Performance trim, which adds a front-axle lift system—necessary on Michigan’s pockmarked roads—for $1800. To spice up the already gorgeous roadster’s looks, I splurged on the vibrant Hyper Blue metallic paint for $1750 and 21-inch silver 10-spoke “Y-design” wheels for $1100. I also added the AMG Aerodynamics package for $2850, which includes an active carbon-fiber underbody element that increases downforce on the front wheels above 50 mph. Inside, I thought the Sage Gray and black Nappa leather combination matched the exterior well, and I went for the carbon-fiber trim for an extra $2850. I also chose the AMG Performance steering wheel in Nappa leather and microfiber ($500) and front and rear floor mats for when winter hits ($160). My final excessive add-on was the Burmester surround sound system, which costs an insane $4500. All told, my SL63 rang in at $194,660.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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

• This 2009 Aston Martin DBS currently up for sale on Bring a Trailer looks like the perfect grand tourer to drive into the electric era.• It features a 5.9-liter V-12 paired to a six-speed manual transmission, and it produces 510 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. • Despite 46,000 miles logged on the odometer, this DBS seems well cared for and includes recent services including fresh tires. Bidding ends Thursday, September 8.Grand touring cars should look great, offer top-notch luxury, and provide incredible performance. The best grand tourers offer manual gearboxes and high-cylinder-count engines as well. The Aston Martin DBS shown here, and for sale now on Bring a Trailer (which like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos), has all of the above. Looks are subjective, but I would argue strongly in favor of the DBS as one of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful cars in the modern age. The body lines flow smoothly from the iconic front end over squatting hips at the rear. The DBS looks akin to a jaguar waiting patiently in the weeds, ready to pounce.

By modern standards, of course the DBS falls behind. The car is over 10 years old, leading the infotainment to look a bit too much like your first flip phone. But infotainment isn’t why you buy a rear-wheel-drive, six-speed GT car with a 5.9-liter V-12 ready to roar through its gears. Neither is the Aston Martin–branded umbrella, but it would be fun to show off at a Saturday Cars and Coffee.

Bring a Trailer

The V-12 here may have 46,000 miles on the clock, and repairs probably run near the cost of a few vital organs, but this DBS does seem well cared for. Perhaps you recognize the DBS from Casino Royale, in which freshly minted Bond Daniel Craig flips his DBS so as not to run over his lady love. High mileage can be scary, especially with a supercar, but if it were my money, I’d take the risk.

Bring a Trailer

We may have given the edge to a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in a 2008 comparison test, but that was before I got here—and anyway, the author referred to the DBS as “mighty fine.” Those sparkling words of praise, DIY shifting, and a raucous V-12 should convince any prospective bidders who are on the fence—assuming they can afford the six figures it is likely to go for. With six days left before bidding ends on Thursday, September 8, the high offer is at $80,000 and sure to go way up from there.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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

Ariel, a small British carmaker responsible for the iconic Atom and Nomad, revealed its newest car Thursday, simply called the Hipercar. A big departure from the exoskeleton-like vehicles normally associated with the brand, the Hipercar is an all-electric sports car with a real(-ish) interior and body panels. Even crazier than the absurd bodywork is the option for a turbine range extender. Hipercar isn’t just a clever name. It stands for High Performance Carbon Reduction. The chassis and subframes are aluminum, while the frankly ridiculous body structure—which is expected to go into production unchanged—is made from carbon fiber.

Power comes from a Cosworth-supplied 62.0-kWh battery pack that runs on an 800-volt architecture. Buyers can opt for rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, with a 290-hp Equipmake APM electric motor at each wheel. Total output for the all-wheel-drive variant is 1163 horsepower and 1327 pound-feet of torque, while the rear-drive version gets 581 hp and 664 pound-feet.
The most fascinating part of the Hipercar isn’t its weird body, it’s the optional range extender. Instead of opting for a conventional piston engine or even a rotary like Mazda, Ariel decided to use Cosworth’s CatGen turbine engine as a range extender. It makes about 47 hp and turns on to charge the batteries while on the move. The Hipercar you see here is Ariel’s first production-intent prototype. The company hasn’t said how much the car will cost or when deliveries will begin, though we’re expecting to learn more later in the year. More