Motor News

• This 1975 Lamborghini Countach is an early LP400 “Periscopio” model.• Although thoroughly outrageous, the LP400 has a clean design compared to the later bewinged models.• This one is up for sale on Bring a Trailer, with the auction ending on Friday, June 3.Lamborghini effectively created the supercar genre with the stunning Miura of the late 1960s. Following up such a landmark design is a prospect that might have paralyzed most designers, but Bertone’s Marcello Gandini was up to the task. His Countach was absolutely nothing like the Miura and yet equally monumental.

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

The Countach made its debut at the 1971 Geneva auto show, but Lamborghini’s financial situation being what it was (a hot mess), production didn’t start until 1974. The early cars are the purest expression of Gandini’s vision with their incredible proportion, outlandish scissor doors, and wild surface treatment. One key element that gives them their “Periscopio” designation: a groove cut into the roof that allows for a (limited) rear view over the mid-mounted V-12.

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

This 1975 example on Bring a Trailer, which like Car and Driver is part of Hearst Autos, has that feature, but it didn’t always. Although the car is today in its as-built configuration and color (Tahiti Blue), at some point in its past, a previous owner performed a tragically ill-advised update, adding fender flares and a rear wing, converting to a flat roof, and repainting it red. An exhaustive restoration in 2017—which is cataloged in the listing in great detail—put the car back to its original spec. This Lambo’s class win at the 2019 Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance attests to the quality of the work.

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

Move beyond the outlandish exterior, and there’s more to love. The interior of this early car has some fun details such as the lounge-like seats, the gated shifter, the crank windows, and a vertical odometer. The odo shows 14,000 miles. Not everyone will appreciate this Countach’s denuded form. Those of a maximalist bent might prefer this 1989 25th Anniversary Edition, also up for auction. At this writing, bidding on the “Periscopio” stands at $750,000. This is the earliest Countach ever to be auctioned on BaT, and it will be interesting to see whether it surpasses the previous top sale, a 1987 Countach 5000 QV with fender flares and a rear wing, in red. That one went for $860,000. The current auction ends on Friday, June 3.

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U.K. motorsport firm Prodrive is responsible for some of the coolest Subaru rally cars on the planet. It plans to pay tribute to those cars by releasing a limited run of what it calls the P25, a lightweight, modernized, high-horsepower GC8-generation Impreza coupe. Like the legendary 22B on which it’s inspired, the P25 will use a 2.5-liter boxer-four engine that sends power to all four wheels. Thanks to modern tech and tuning ability, Prodrive claims the engine will make “in excess of 400 hp,” a big step up from the 22B’s 300-hp rating. Instead of a traditional manual gearbox, the P25 will use a sequential transmission with paddle shifters. It’ll also be incredibly lightweight thanks to extensive use of carbon fiber.

Prodrive has yet to release any photos of the P25, but did show off a single sketch of the car. It shares much of its design with the 22B, but sports a lower stance, bigger wheels, larger brakes, and rally-inspired side mirrors. “The original 22B Impreza is considered the most iconic of Subarus and highly sought after,” Prodrive chairman David Richards said in a statement. “We wanted to enhance everything that made that car so special by applying the very latest technology to create our own modern interpretation of a car that’s established a place in motoring history.”Prodrive will reveal the P25 in June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The rally shop plans to build just 25 examples and is now taking “expressions of interest” for those who want to get in line. Pricing has not yet been revealed, though considering all of the high-end custom work done, don’t expect it to be cheap.

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It might sound shocking that the newest mid-engine Ferrari is a V-6 hybrid, but one long press on the accelerator will make anyone a believer. We had another opportunity to visit Italy and drive the Ferrari 296GTB on the automaker’s test circuit and the nearby ultratight and bumpy roads. As shown in the video, the GTB is everything a Ferrari should be.After immediately getting stuck behind traffic, C/D testing director Dave VanderWerp uses that time to explain the technical details of the new engine. Ferrari says the GTB is its first roadgoing vehicle with a V-6, as the brand still doesn’t consider the 246GT Dino a real Ferrari.

The hybrid consists of a 164-hp electric motor that sits between the V-6 and the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 makes 654 horsepower, and Ferrari says the powertrain produces 819 horsepower combined. If you’re wondering why there’s one additional horsepower in the combined figure, remember the concept of rounding. The 6.0-kWh battery provides an estimated 10 miles of all electric driving range. To Ferrari’s credit, the EV driving mode keeps the engine off even when you stomp on the accelerator pedal. On the other hand, you’d have to go far back in history to find a slower Ferrari than the GTB in its EV mode. Once traffic clears, Dave explores the upper ranges of the powerband and experiences launch control. We also touch briefly on the track-oriented Assetto Fiorano package and its grippy Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires.

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• This 1989 Honda Pilot FL400R is a throwback off-roader with racy bodywork, a roll cage, and a single-seat configuration.• It features a two-stroke 397-cc single-cylinder engine, a yoke-style steering wheel with hand controls, and a fully independent suspension.• It currently has a high bid of $4600 on the Bring a Trailer site, with the auction set to end on Sunday, May 29. Back in 1989, Tim Burton’s Batman was number one at the U.S. box office and Look Away by Chicago was the most popular song in America. It would be almost 20 years until the debut of the 2008 Polaris Ranger RZR (pronounced “razor”), which is widely regarded as the first performance-oriented side-by-side ATV. However, people forget that in the ’80s Honda was already building badass single-seat, off-road playthings. An excellent example is this Pilot FL400R, currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.

What began with the primitive Odyssey FL250 in the late ’70s would morph into the more sophisticated Pilot FL400R, which was built between 1989 and 1990. It featured a liquid-cooled, two-stroke 397cc single-cylinder engine with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) feeding the rear wheels. The whole thing is said to have weighed about 593 pounds sans rider.By today’s standards, the FL400R looks like a glorified go-kart, but the nicely preserved ’89 example that’s currently listed on Bring a Trailer has a high nostalgia factor and neat features that make it our auction pick of the day.

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Before Honda slapped the Pilot nameplate on a mid-size crossover, the moniker appeared on a rad single-seat ATV. Known as the Pilot FL400R, it’s rated R for gratuitous use of red paint on its tubular frame and plastic bodywork. From the front bash bar and winged fenders to the tall roll cage and staggered set of gnarly tires, it’s a machine that looks like a lot of fun or a lot of ways to get hurt (parents would probably pick the latter). The Pilot’s Baja vibes continue with the brush guards on the headlights, the netting behind the driver’s seat, the snorkel air intake, and—most notably—the fully independent suspension. Along with double A-arms and coil-over shocks at each corner, the buggy’s rear dampers have remote-mounted reservoirs, a pretty advanced setup for a personal ATV of the time.

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

Think Tesla was the first automaker to use a yoke-style steering wheel? Think again. One of the hallmarks of Honda’s single-seat ATV is its steering yoke, which even predates the then popular Knight Rider TV show. Even more intriguing are the hand-operated controls. The hand levers activate the front drum brakes and the single rear disc brake. Its thumb-operated throttle will feel familiar to ATV riders, even if putting on the steering wheel’s wrist straps feels awkward. At least the four-point harness is there to help keep the driver strapped in if things get topsy-turvy.The Pilot’s other physical controls include an electric starter switch (a pull-start option is there for backup), a hand brake that’s perfect for drift duty, and a shift lever with forward, neutral, and reverse gears. In the event the CVT belt breaks, there’s a replacement belt stored in the cockpit.

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In the Pilot FL400R’s heyday, hair bands ruled the airwaves and neon Spandex was in vogue. At that time, buying a 450-hp off-road pickup truck like the Ford F-150 Raptor from the factory was unthinkable, let alone the 702-hp monstrosity that is the Ram 1500 TRX. The closest thing back in 1989 would have maybe been a V-8–swapped Jeep Wrangler, but even that looks like a Tonka toy compared to the comparatively nuclear 470-hp Wrangler Rubicon 392.To better appreciate how limited the off-road options were in those days, look no further than the Geo Tracker that finished second in our desert-themed comparison test. Put in that context, the Pilot was a pretty desirable package. Nowadays, it can’t match the high-flying antics and lofty performance limits of contemporary side-by-sides. Still, we’d gladly park this pre–Cold War buggy in our garage alongside newer machines.As of this writing, the bidding has reached $4600. But we wouldn’t be surpised if the final selling price is three to four times that much when the auction ends on Sunday, May 29.
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The 2023 BMW Alpina B3 sedan and wagon inherit new styling and tech from the regular BMW 3-series.The Alpina models also receive powertrain upgrades that add 33 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of torque.The ’23 B3 sedan and wagon aren’t available in the U.S., but if they were, they might start at about $98,000. It’s human nature to want what we can’t have. Well, some of us Americans really want the freshly updated 2023 BMW Alpina B3 sedan (a.k.a. Saloon) or wagon (a.k.a. Touring), but, unfortunately, we can’t have either one. Instead, Alpina’s specially tuned version of the 3-series sedan and wagon are reserved for our enthusiast counterparts who live overseas.

Like the regular ’23 BMW 3-series models that do grace our shores, the Alpina variants also receive restyled exterior elements and a revised dashboard. The new crossover cues include a more angular front bumper and slimmer headlights. Likewise, the driver and front-seat passenger now face a curved display that spans most of the dash and incorporates a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 14.9-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system. But what exclusive updates do the B3 Saloon and Touring get for 2023? We’re here to tell you.

Alpina

Alpina

Along with the visual changes and new tech, the most notable upgrade to the ’23 Alpina B3s is under the hood. BMW’s tuning house went to work on the cars’ twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six, helping it breathe better by adding a new exhaust system as well as installing new engine software. The result is increased horsepower and torque, with the former rising from 462 to 495 hp and the latter rising from 516 to 538 pound-feet. Both Alpina models can most easily be identified by their available multispoke 20-inch wheels (a set of 19-inchers is standard). A closer inspection will also reveal “Alpina” lettering on the bottom edge of the front bumper and specific badging on the sedan’s trunk lid and the wagon’s rear hatch. Inside, both body styles have unique details such as a plaque on the center console complete with an individual build number. The list of options for the Alpinas’ interior materials also has much greater variety than a mainstream BMW.
The ’23 BMW Alpina B3 Saloon and Touring can currently be configured on the company’s website (we recommend viewing the Australian or U.K. version). In the U.K., both B3s have a starting price that’s equal to roughly $98,000. We’d gladly pony up the money for the wagon shown here in a wonderful shade of Alpina Green paint—if only we had the chance.
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There’s a new version of the VW Golf R to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the R-badged hot-hatch models.The Golf R 20 Years has extra power from its turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, producing 329 hp.VW says there will be a version of this model coming to the U.S., but it won’t be exactly the same.While the Golf R doesn’t have as long of a history as the GTI, Volkswagen has been building hot hatchbacks with R badges for 20 years now. To celebrate, it’s releasing a Mk 8 Golf R 20 Years edition with the expected anniversary-edition tweaks plus an upgrade for the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four that brings on more power. The model you see here is the Europe-market version, but a VW spokesperson told C/D that a U.S. version is set to arrive later that will be slightly different.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen

The Golf R 20 Years’ engine is tuned to produce 329 horsepower, an increase of 14 hp over the U.S.-spec car’s 315 hp. There’s also a feature called Emotion Start that revs the engine to 2500 rpm when you start up the car—basically just to create more noise.Visual tweaks are subtle and include a “20” badge on the B-pillar, lights that project a “20 R” logo onto the ground, a different spoiler, and blue trim for the wheels, mirror caps, and seats.The first R-badged Golf was the R32, based on the two-door Mk 4 hatchback, and it had a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter VR6 engine. The Mk 5 R32 continued on with this six-cylinder powerplant, while the successive Mk 6, Mk 7, and Mk 8 models have all used turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-fours.

Volkswagen

VW says it will be sharing details about the U.S. version of the Golf R 20 Years at a later date, as it will arrive a few months after the European car.
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The open-topped version of the Maserati MC20 features innovative active glass roof.The electrochromic glass can be turned dark or clear and folds in 12 seconds.The convertible is just 143 pounds heavier than coupe, according to Maserati.When Maserati introduced the MC20 last year, we knew it would also create a convertible version of its junior supercar. What we couldn’t know until now, with the first official images you see here, is that the MC20 Cielo would be this handsome. Driving manners are certainly important in this part of the market, but so is design—and regardless of the dynamic experience, the decapitated MC20 is a spectacularly good-looking car.

The Cielo is not a conventional roadster, instead carrying a folding two-piece roof beneath the power-opening rear clamshell compartment. While heavy retractable hardtops have become less fashionable in recent years, as more luxury makers return to lighter fabric roofs, the MC20’s has a cool trick. It’s constructed from dimmable electrochromic glass that can be turned from clear to opaque using electrical current. The ability to see through a clear canopy (as well as remove it) inspired the car’s name: Cielo is Italian for sky. Maserati says that the roof can be opened and closed in a relatively speedy 12 seconds and that the Cielo weighs just 143 pounds more than its coupe sibling. For reference, Maserati claims a weight of 3307 pounds for the coupe, but our test car tipped the scales at 3757 pounds.
The Cielo shares its carbon-fiber tub with the MC20 coupe, and is mechanically unchanged, using the same innovative Nettuno twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 which features both a dry sump and Maserati’s pre-chamber combustion system. It produces 621 hp at 7500 rpm and accompanies this with 538 pound-feet of torque from just 3000 rpm. Drive is delivered to the rear axle through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Maserati claims the Cielo will accelerate to 62 mph in approximately 3.0 seconds and to 124 mph in 9.2 seconds. For reference, our test of the MC20 coupe resulted in a slightly less impressive 60 mph sprint of 3.2-seconds and a quarter-mile time of 11.0 seconds at 131 mph; we’d anticipate the Spyder to be a couple of tenths slower through both benchmarks. Top speed is claimed to be 199 mph. While roadster versions of supercars are often forced to sacrifice the snazzy doors of their permanently roofed siblings, the Cielo keeps the coupe’s butterfly opening doors. These rotate and hinge upwards to both ease access and make sure that every eye is turned whenever you get in and out. Drivers will be able to cycle through five dynamic modes through the rotary controller in the center of the cockpit. It changes color to indicate which one has been selected: Wet (green), GT (blue), Sport (red), Corsa, (yellow) and ESC OFF (orange).
The Cielo gets some other revisions that are also being integrated into the 2023 MC20 coupe. These include a new suite of active safety systems, with a 360-degree camera, traffic sign recognition, and autonomous emergency braking in addition to blind-spot monitoring. It will also be available with the new color seen in these images, Acquamarina, which will be available exclusively on the Primaserie first edition.We don’t have pricing details yet, although we anticipate the Cielo will carry a sizeable supplement over the Coupe’s $216,995 starting price. We also suspect a significant percentage of buyers will be prepared to pay this for the breezier thrills of this beautiful roadster.
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Hyundai is recalling 239,000 vehicles for seatbelt pretensioners that may deploy in a way that sprays shrapnel throughout the cabin, potentially injuring the occupants.The recall affects 2019–2022 Accents, 2021–2023 Elantras, and 2021–2022 Elantra Hybrids. Owners of affected vehicles can have a cap fitted to the pretensioners at no cost to prevent the potential abnormal deployment.It’s ironic that a device meant to keep vehicle occupants safe could end up doing the exact opposite. That is the basis for a recall issued on May 19 that is affecting 239,000 Hyundai vehicles in the United States. The NHTSA recall document states that the seatbelt pretensioners in these Hyundais may deploy in an abnormal manner, potentially exploding and injuring those in the vehicle. So far, there are reports of two injuries in the U.S. as a result of this malfunction, as well as one in Singapore. The recall affects 2019–2022 Accents, 2021–2023 Elantras, and 2021–2022 Elantra Hybrids.

Hyundai

Seatbelt pretensioners tighten the belts in preparation for a crash, some detonating a small charge that retracts the belt and secures the occupants milliseconds before impact. However, in the case of these Accent and Elantra models that are part of this recall, the explosion may not be contained, potentially sending shrapnel into the cabin. A specific cause is yet to be determined, but Hyundai is actively investigating the situation, according to the recall documentation.

This recall follows and replaces three prior recalls. According to NHTSA, around 61,000 Accents, 166,000 Elantras, and 12,000 Elantra Hybrids are involved in the current recall. Owners will be able to take their affected vehicles to dealerships where, at no cost, the pretensioners will be secured with a cap to stop the possibility of an abnormal deployment. Hyundai will reach out to owners by July 15, according to the NHTSA documents. Owners who want to find out if their vehicle is affected can check the NHTSA recalls website.

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