Motor News

• This 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado is currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer.• The 1966 model year was the first for the massive front-wheel-drive coupe.• The no-reserve auction ends August 30.In the mid-1960s, General Motors was a market-dominating colossus, and its industry-leading design department was arguably the engine of its sales success. Of all the many designs turned out by GM’s five passenger-car divisions during that period, one of the cars that best demonstrates the company’s styling prowess under design boss Bill Mitchell is the Oldsmobile Toronado, particularly in its debut year of 1966. A look at this Autumn Bronze example currently up for sale on Bring a Trailer—which like Car and Driver is part of Hearst Autos—shows why.

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First, there’s the sheer scale of the thing. Riding on a 119-inch wheelbase, the Toro stretched 211 inches from stem to stern, making the close-coupled coupe about as long as today’s Cadillac Escalade. A good portion of that length is the miles-long hood, at the leading edge of which are the hidden headlights. Despite the ultra-long nose, the proportions are remarkably balanced, with the backlight sweeping almost uninterrupted into the decklid. More impressively, the Toro is noted for its complete absence of a shoulder at the window line. In a feat of body engineering, the wide C-pillars merge seamlessly into the quarter panels. The body’s shoulder line is pushed down almost to the mid-point of the wheels, giving the car a particularly low-slung appearance.

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The Toronado wasn’t just a styling tour-de-force, the car is also famed for being the first U.S.-built front-wheel-drive car since the Cord of the 1930s. At the time, the exotic technology was seen in just a handful of cars sold here, such as the BMC Mini. Oldsmobile was the spearhead, with the Cadillac Eldorado following suit on the same platform for 1967 (the Buick Riviera, meanwhile, was also built on the E-body platform but was rear-wheel drive).

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A 425-cubic-inch V-8 provided more than ample thrust. One auction commenter recalls riding with his father (an Oldsmobile rep) in a first-year Toronado when his dad was pulled over for doing 95 mph on a desert highway. The brakes, however—power drums at all four corners—are widely regarded as a fade-prone weak point, and several commenters recommend swapping in front discs, which Oldsmobile soon made available. Note that a C/D test of the facelifted ’68 model equipped with the optional discs still noted some pretty hairy stopping behavior, so careful following distances may be advised.

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The interior eschews bucket seats and console in favor of a front bench seat, the better to show off the novelty of the car’s flat floor. The speedometer is a rotating drum, and the gargantuan doors are so long that they feature a second inside door handle at the rearmost point of the armrest, to allow rear-seat passengers to exit.

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Bring a Trailer

This car is said to have been restored under previous ownership, but it’s not quite perfect. The selling dealer notes an inoperative horn, wipers, and radio pushbuttons. None of that seems to have dampened bidder enthusiasm, however, as the price currently sits at $23,500 with four days to go. More

Audi has officially announced that it will enter Formula 1 in 2026 as an engine supplier.Which team Audi will supply its F1 engine to will come by the end of 2022, but Sauber—which also announced the end of its partnership with Alfa Romeo today—seems a likely candidate.Audi said F1’s new power unit regulations, which will bring a 100 percent sustainable fuel and increased use of electric power, were crucial to its desire to join the sport.A little more than a week after Formula 1 approved new engine regulations that will go into effect in 2026, Audi officially announced its plans to compete in the premier open-wheel motorsport series. Audi’s entry into F1 coincides with the start of these new engine rules, with the German automaker announcing its intent to start supplying engines for the 2026 season. Audi will develop its power unit at the Audi Sport facility in Neuburg, the first time in more than a decade an F1 powertrain will be assembled in Germany.

Formula 1

One of the stated goals of F1’s revised engine regulations is to attract new power unit suppliers. Starting in 2026, the turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6 engines used in Formula 1 will run on a 100 percent sustainable fuel, while the electric portion of the hybrid powertrain will produce three times the power as today’s setup, two factors that Audi explicitly stated were critical to its decision to join F1.Starting in 2026, the MGU-K, which harvests kinetic energy and deploys electrical energy via the crankshaft, will see its output nearly triple to 350 kilowatts, or about 469 horsepower. This will boost the total system output to well over 1000 ponies. The MGU-H, which currently harvests heat energy via exhaust gases in the turbocharger and can deploy electrical energy to reduce turbo lag, will be removed from the F1 power unit in 2026. The increased reliance on electricity will see the amount of fuel used in a race drop from 100 kg to 70 kg, while the removal of the MGU-H, along with other measures, is intended to decrease costs.

Formula 1

The announcement came with images of a Formula 1 car mocked up with Audi livery. That said, take this image with a grain of salt as it may not be indicative of what the actual Audi-powered F1 cars will look like during the 2026 season. Audi will not field its own team, but it will provide powertrains to at least one team. The brand said it will reveal which team they plan to partner with by the end of 2022. This team will likely be Sauber, which also announced today that its technical and commercial partnership with Alfa Romeo will end after the 2023 season. Alfa Romeo-Sauber is currently in sixth in the championship, which would be the team’s best result since 2012 if it can maintain this position.

The possibility of Audi joining Formula 1 has been rumored for years. Audi says it is currently focused on hiring personnel and sourcing the technical infrastructure and buildings needed to develop the power units. These components should be in place by the end of the year, giving Audi three years to prepare its power unit before the 2026 season kicks off. With Porsche also said to be entering F1 as an engine supplier, potentially with Red Bull Racing, 2026 is set to be an important year for the biggest global motorsports series.
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We took delivery of a long-term Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing in March of 2022.After respecting the 1500-mile break-in period, we hit the track for initial performance testing.After about 15 standing-start launches, the LT4 V-8 started misfiring severely. Our elation after taking delivery of a 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing for a 40,000-mile long-term test quickly turned to despair after its 668-hp supercharged V-8 suffered a catastrophic engine failure during our initial test session. After respecting the 1500-mile break-in period—keeping the revs below 4000 rpm and not sitting at a constant speed for extended periods—we hit the test track with just over 1800 miles on the odometer to log its initial performance figures.

General Motors

General Motors

We took our time playing with the Blackwing’s exceptionally adjustable launch-control feature that allows the driver to select separate launch-rpm and slip-target settings, and then tried a few unassisted dances on the pedals with our ham hocks to see if we could beat it (we could). After about 15 launches, we were almost ready to call it when disaster struck. While coasting to the far end of the straightaway after a run, a host of warning messages popped up on the gauge cluster, all tied to a severe misfire.

The LT4’s even cylinder bank where all the damage occured.
General Motors

What happened? That’s a good question, one that wasn’t answered conclusively even following a complete teardown at GM’s powertrain headquarters in Pontiac, Michigan, where the engine went after it was removed by our local Cadillac dealer. The damage was limited to the even-numbered cylinder bank, with cylinder six taking the brunt of the carnage; its cylinder walls were scored, and aluminum plucked away from the edge of the piston and sprayed on top of it as well as on the exhaust valve. The severe temperature and pressure also blew off the ground strap at the end of the spark plug, and even the cast-iron cylinder liner showed some pitting.Bad fuel could have caused this kind of pre-ignition or knocking, but then both banks would have been affected. So small-block assistant chief engineer Mike Kociba thinks it was likely one of two things that happened: Either the fuel supply on that side of the rail was somehow depleted—a contaminant restricting the flow somewhere—or a similar blockage in the cooling system that allowed things to get too hot. But, during the teardown, they didn’t find such a blockage in either system.

General Motors

General Motors

Kociba assured us it had nothing to do with the severity of our use, and that the engine can happily do standing-start launches all day. Furthermore, he said that of the roughly 20,000 supercharged LT4 variants of the Gen V small-block V-8 the company has sold to date—in the C7 Corvette Z06, Cadillac CTS-V, Camaro ZL1, and now the CT5-V Blackwing and Escalade V—ours is the first and only such failure.However, this isn’t the first time a Gen V small block let go in our hands. The naturally aspirated LT1 V-8 in our long-term 2014 Corvette needed to be replaced after a connecting-rod bearing failed, likely due to a metal burr that originated from the block or oil-filter threads. With our CT5, it took about six weeks for our local dealer to remove the engine, receive a new one from GM, and install it. And then, of course, we had to take it easy once again during a second break-in period. Then we again hit the test track for much hard running, and this time it took it in stride, clocking a sprint to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and 11.7 seconds through the quarter-mile at 124 mph, and shrugging off repeated runs. Just as we’d expect from one of the fiercest-ever sports sedans. More

Aftermarket supplier GFC has designed a platform camper specifically for the Ford Maverick that costs $7700.The platform camper features a 7.5-foot-tall, pop-up living area and a 50-inch-by-90-inch sleeping surface with a foam mattress.GFC says the entire unit weighs 255 pounds and fits within the outline of the Maverick’s truck bed.The Ford Maverick is an excellent little pickup truck, with a useful 4.5-foot cargo box and an affordable price tag that starts just north of $22,000. Now, aftermarket supplier GFC gives Maverick owners the opportunity to pursue their overlanding fantasies with a new $7700 platform camper.Specifically designed for Ford’s tiniest truck, the GFC platform camper has a sleep surface that measures 50 inches wide and 90 inches long. Along with a two-layer foam mattress, it also features a 7.5-foot-tall, pop-up living space. All of this fits within the outline of the truck’s bed, and—measured above the roof-mounted antenna—it adds 6.5 inches to the Maverick’s overall height when closed.

GFC

What’s also neat about the GFC camper is that it has a modular floor with a removable section that creates a pass-through so you can stand in the truck bed and use the other section as a desk. Plus, the roof itself is made of a translucent composite material that’s said to reflect the sun and turn direct light into diffuse light. Likewise, GFC says it provides insulation, too. If people want to hang items such as an awning or lights, the platform has racks that extend from the aluminum frame. There are also three separate side panels that can be individually raised and locked.

GFC

How heavy is the add-on camper unit? GFC says it weighs 255 pounds. Subtract that from the Maverick’s 1500-pound payload rating, and owners can use the remaining 1245-pound capacity for camping gear or whatever else they want. GFC also says the roof of the platform can support up to 500 pounds, and the camper portion can be opened as long as it’s supporting 75 pounds or less.For those looking to buy a GFC platform camper for their Maverick, the company says it can be available as soon as eight weeks. GFC also offers to install the camper at its facility in Bozeman, Montana, but it’s unclear if that costs extra. A GFC spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to our request for clarification. For those who want it shipped and installed on-site within the next six months, they’ll have to pay $750 if they live in the west region, $850 in the midwest, and $1000 in the east, and fuel costs can affect that price, per the company’s website.
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Citing “significant material cost increases” and “rapidly evolving market conditions,” Ford announced increased pricing on the 2023 model year Mustang Mach-E as order banks reopen for the popular EV.There are some added features to come with the price increase, notably two new color choices, newly standard driver-assist technology, and a small increase in range.Orders for the 2023 Mach-E will reopen on Tuesday, August 30. Customers with unscheduled orders for 2022 models will be offered conversion to a 2023 model order.Ford announced updated pricing for the Mustang Mach-E, which will see increases across the lineup. The entry-level Select RWD trim level equipped with standard range will increase by $3000, while the top-end GT AWD trim equipped with the extended-range battery will increase by $7900. Destination charges have been raised by $200. According to a release from Ford, starting this fall, Premium models equipped with all-wheel drive will see EPA-estimated range figures increase by 13 miles to an estimated 290 miles. During our 75 mph highway range test, which we conducted prior to this update, the Mach-E with the long-range battery made it 250 miles on a single charge.

Ford

Ford is bringing two new colors to the lineup, Carbonized Gray Metallic and Vapor Blue Metallic, which replace outgoing Dark Matter Gray Metallic and Iced Blue Silver Metallic. The Nite Pony package will also be available to order for Premium models with the extended battery and for GT Performance edition Mach-Es. As partial recompense for the increased price, Ford is adding the Co-Pilot360 driver assist package as a standard suite of features throughout the Mach-E lineup. Co-Pilot360 includes safety features including precollision assist, blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping, and auto high-beams. The Select trim model will gain access to a 90-day trial period of BlueCruise hands-free driving, but the owner will need to pay to enable it beyond that 90-day period.
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Perhaps the greatest advancement of the modern Ferrari is that you don’t need to drive it a billion miles per hour in order to enjoy it. While superlative speeds are easily accessible with an 829-hp V-12 and relatively low weight of the 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3, reaching for them brings considerable danger to your license, if not the safety of everyone on the road around you.

This video comes from our recent review of the SP3 in the Netherlands, where we drove for a few hours on public roads before heading to Circuit Zandvoort, home of the Dutch Grand Prix, for a handful of low-speed laps. The generally flat topography of the country and the immense popularity of biking there mean that opportunities for speed are few and ill advised. That’s not to say the drive was uneventful. Straight as the roads may be, they are also narrow. And often used by tractors. The SP3’s 80.7-inch width makes it wider than a Ford F-150, and this combination led to several exceptionally close encounters, one of which is shown at the beginning of this video. Fortunately, the encounters never went past close. And though the speeds remained low, we found much to enjoy from the SP3’s steering, engine response, and ride quality. Watch the video for more details and read our review for more information. More

Kia announced the reveal of the EV9 electric SUV will happen in the first quarter of 2023.Kia has yet to confirm that the EV9 will come to the U.S., but we believe it will.New images show the production EV9 testing in camouflage, and it looks very similar to the concept shown in 2021.UPDATE 8/25/22, 4:25 p.m.: Kia confirmed to Car and Driver that the EV9 will go on sale in the United States in the second half of 2023.This spring, Kia confirmed that the EV9 concept first seen at the Los Angeles auto show in November 2021 would go into production sometime in 2023. Now the Korean automaker has revealed that the electric full-size crossover will have its global debut in the first quarter of next year. Kia also published a series of photos of the production EV9 undergoing testing.

Kia

Kia has yet to confirm that the EV9 will be available in the United States. Since it’s a large SUV and because the concept was unveiled at an American auto show, we believe the EV9 will make it stateside, although it will likely go on sale in Europe first. We have reached out to Kia for comment and will update this story if we receive a confirmation.

The new images show the EV9 testing at Kia’s Namyang R&D facility in South Korea. Kia says the EV9 has gone up against a four-wheel-drive climbing hill, rough terrain track, deep-water wading test, and a cobblestone road to evaluate ride comfort. The EV9 has also been assessed on a high-speed circuit and tracks that test the handling in low-friction scenarios. While we can only see the front end of the EV9, it looks very similar to the concept, with vertical headlights and two horizontal trim pieces. The body itself is less chunky than the concept’s, but the upwards kink on the window line has carried over. Kia says that the EV9 will become the brand’s flagship model when it arrives in 2023.
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Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to drive your gas-powered vehicle in California at the end of next decade; you just won’t be able to buy a new vehicle there unless it’s a zero-emission model.This new rule is a bold move, but it’s all in keeping with the efforts the state’s Air Resources Board has been making to clean up the air since the late 1960s.Automakers have responded to these restrictive of regulations around the world, and they’ve had time to prepare for similar rules rolling out in the U.S.Today, the California Air Resources Board voted to only allow the sale of new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs in California if they have zero tailpipe emissions, starting in 2035. Passage of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) proposal means no new gas-engine vehicles and no new diesels will be sold in the state a dozen years from now.This is a demonstrably important move, and it’s really just the latest step in a long process. The state has slowly and steadily moved toward more zero-emission-vehicle (ZEV) use since the Air Resources Board (CARB) was established in 1967. California has been leading the country in the shift to cleaner vehicles, pushing automakers to build more-efficient gas vehicles and then hybrids and then plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and then, over the last decade, more and more zero-emission vehicles, including all-electric and hydrogen models. Last year, ZEVs and PHEVs made up 16 percent of all new vehicles sold in the state, more than in any other state in the country. Washington State is ahead of California in drawing up similar legislation, but it’s one of the states that intend to follow California’s lead and adopt CARB’s ZEV rules.

It’s fair to say today’s rule is CARB’s most drastic change in its 55-year history. The exact details of the rule have not been finalized, but a total ban on new gas- and diesel-powered vehicle sales is something completely different for the U.S. Questions remain about how PHEVs will be treated after 2035 and how states that have agreed to follow CARB’s ZEV rules will react. CARB will also need to submit its new regulations to the Environmental Protection Agency for approval.Despite the big step that ACCII represents, the rules are based in reality. First, there will still be plenty of vehicles that burn gasoline and diesel on California’s roads in 2035 and beyond. Unless there’s a similar federal rule coming (don’t hold your breath), anyone will still be able to buy a gas car in another state and register it with the California DMV. Gas and diesel vehicles will still be allowed to be resold in California as used vehicles. Obviously, they’ll also still be allowed to drive in the state. CARB’s FAQ about the new rules realistically states it will take “many years” to actually eliminate all gas cars from the road.There Is a Silver LiningCARB and the Advanced Clean Cars II are not perfect, but the Board has a history of success. Without past CARB regulations, we wouldn’t have gotten the hybrids, hydrogen cars, and electric vehicles we have today. We probably wouldn’t have Tesla or the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Nissan Leaf, or startups like Rivian and Lucid. We most likely wouldn’t have crowned the Hyundai Ioniq 5 our 2022 EV of the Year. We might not even have had an EV Of The Year award to give out.U.S. car buyers can choose any of these EVs, in part, because CARB has spent decades bending the industry to its will. Emissions regulations in Europe and China have also encouraged EV development, and the industry responded to all of these government pressure points by investing billions of dollars into designing new EV models, developing better batteries and establishing a growing number of production facilities to build all these cars. With all of these gears now in motion, CARB is once again pushing the limit of what’s possible. Smartly, CARB didn’t create this rule in 2010, when the first mass-market EV hit the market, and it didn’t declare today that ZEVs would be the only option on dealer lots starting in 2025. Instead, after giving automakers plenty of time to get things sorted, CARB is now telling them they have another decade-plus to complete their shift to electric vehicles (in California, at least). CARB’s move is strong, but it’s not unreasonable.Ford and Toyota Weigh InSome automakers have already signaled their approval. Ford is “proud of our partnership with California for stronger vehicle emissions standards,” the automaker’s chief sustainability officer, Bob Holycross, said in a statement that also called the new rules a “landmark standard that will define clean transportation and set an example for the United States.”Then there’s Toyota, which has never been a strong promoter of battery-electric vehicles. The automaker introduced its first real all-electric model, the bZ4x, this year and is already on the second generation of the hydrogen-powered Mirai. This week, in possibly related news, Toyota announced it will recognize CARB’s power to set its own auto emission standards. The automaker had been fighting with CARB for years but has now given up on that legal challenge. Toyota tweeted this week that it shares “the vision of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and carbon neutrality goals with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the State of California.” The zero-emission writing is on the wall. Onward.
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