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Formula E has revealed its Gen3 car, which is smaller and lighter while being capable of a 200 mph top speed, up 16 mph from the previous car.The car now features a front-mounted motor used exclusively for regeneration, and ditches rear brakes since the regenerative capability is so high.Formula E also says it made the car more sustainable, recycling carbon fiber from the Gen2 cars for the body panels and sourcing more sustainable tires that will also be recycled after the races. Formula E has been racing electric single-seaters around some of the world’s most iconic cities since 2014, and now the series has unveiled its third-generation race car. The Gen3 car brings myriad technical changes that will push the boundaries of electric-car performance, hopefully result in even closer, more nail-biting racing. We could possibly see some of these new technologies trickle down into electric road cars eventually.

Formula E

The Gen3 car, at 197.5-inches long and 66.9-inches wide, is about seven inches shorter and just under four inches narrower than its predecessor. The car’s height also shrinks by about 1.5 inches. The minimum weight, including the driver, has also decreased by about 132 pounds, to just 1852 pounds. Performance is significantly increased. The Gen2 car had a 335-horsepower electric motor on the rear axle, but Gen3 ups that to 469 horsepower. Formula E predicts a top speed over 200 mph, a sizable increase over the previous car’s 174 mph top speed. The Gen3 car also adds a second 335-hp motor to the front axle that’s used exclusively for regeneration. The new powertrain will be vastly more efficient, with Formula E expecting more than 40 percent of the energy used within the race coming from regenerative braking. The Gen3 car also becomes the first open-wheel formula car without rear hydraulic brakes; it still has hydraulic brakes in the front, but relies heavily on regen from the front and rear motors to slow the car down.

Formula E

Formula E claims up to 600 kilowatts of regenerative capacity and also 600 kilowatts of charging capability—significantly more than the charging capacity of today’s most advanced roadgoing EVs—although the series didn’t explain where it would procure such powerful chargers. The series has suggested that recharging during pitstops might happen in this new generation, but gave no specifics about how this would work.

The Gen3 car is also said to be more environmentally friendly than before. Formula E says the batteries use sustainably sourced minerals and that the cells will be reused and recycled at the end of their life. Meanwhile, the body of the car is built from linen and recycled carbon fiber from the old Gen2 cars, which Formula E says reduces the carbon footprint of producing the body panels by more than 10 percent. The Gen3 cars’ tires will also be made up of 26 percent natural rubber and recycled fibers, and all tires will be recycled after being used in the race. The Gen3 car will debut for Season 9, which will likely kick off in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in early 2023. So far, seven car manufacturers have signed up to race the Gen3 car for Season 9: Jaguar, Maserati, Nissan, Porsche, Citroen’s luxury arm DS Automobiles, India automaker Mahindra, and Chinese EV startup Nio. Three privateer teams round out the field.
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Toyota updated the Supra sports car for 2023 with a new six-speed manual transmission for 3.0 models.There’s also a new color called Stratospheric Blue for all versions of the Supra.The 2023 Supra will arrive at U.S. dealerships later this year.Of all the updates in store for the 2023 Toyota Supra, we’re obviously most excited about the new six-speed manual transmission that’s joining the lineup. But there’s also a new color available, and Toyota’s consumer site now shows a photo of this Stratospheric Blue hue.

This nice new blue will be offered for both the standard Supra 2.0, which has a 255-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the 3.0, which has a 382-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that now offers either an automatic or the new manual. The only version of the Supra that won’t be offered in Stratospheric Blue is the exclusive manual-only A91-MT special edition. Only 500 units of that model will be offered, and all will be either Matte White or CU Later Grey.

2023 Supra A91-MT
Toyota

Toyota has yet to announce pricing information for the 2023 Supra and its new manual transmission, but the 2022 model starts at $44,565 for the 2.0 and $52,915 for the 3.0.
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• This 1979 Chevy Camaro was painted as a California Highway Patrol car for a police chase scene in the 1982 film, The Junkman, directed by H.B. Halicki, who also wrote and directed the first Gone in 60 Seconds in 1974.• Unlike the 1979 Camaro Z/28 tested by the CHP for pursuit use, this one uses a 130-hp 305-cubic-inch V-8 and a three-speed automatic transmission.• This auction ends Tuesday, May 3, with the current bid sitting at $2100 as of Friday.This might be the first time we’ve seen a Bring a Trailer listing for a car with a gun mounted to the passenger footwell, and this 1979 Chevrolet Camaro only gets more unusual the closer we look. This California-Highway-Patrol-painted Camaro was used in the film The Junkman, a 1980s action movie written by H.B. Halicki, the same director responsible for the first Gone in 60 Seconds. The Camaro has definitely seen some action. The paint is faded, the dash is cracked, and the valve covers are rusty. Not to mention, it has the potential to be in a real police chase, given California’s strict rules against cars resembling law enforcement vehicles.

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Even without deploying special weaponry, that chase would likely be over pretty quickly, as this Camaro uses Chevy’s LG3 V-8, a 130-hp, 305-cubic-inch engine with a two-barrel carburetor. And it’s bolted to a three-speed automatic transmission. Compare that to today’s 400-hp twin-turbo Ford Police Interceptor Utility, and it’d be like watching a mountain lion chase a Koala.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the department tested at least a dozen 1979 Camaros for police use, but they opted for the Z/28. They used bigger brakes and were given a CARB exemption that allowed an increased top speed for triple-digit criminal chases. During this Special Purpose Vehicle Study program, most of the modified CHP Z/28 Camaros experienced engine failure, and the department ultimately decided the Ford Mustang was a better choice for pursuit work.

BRING A TRAILER

This listing only looks the part. Some of the equipment on this pretend CHP is ordinary. Its black 15-inch wheels are wrapped in Nexen all-season tires up front and Goodyear Radial T/As in the rear. In the trunk, among the road flares and radio wiring harness, sits a fresh full-size spare. The odometer reads 26,000 miles, but the vehicle’s true mileage is unknown. We don’t care, we just want to play with the spotlights and the siren.It’s far from pristine, but it was in a freaking H.B. Halicki film! And movie cars provide a lot of entertainment despite their many imperfections. They’re often disguised, sliced, taped, and rattle-canned before being catapulted through a brick wall or driven into a lake. This Junkman Camaro is no Batmobile, but it’s still pretty rad. And among the other almost 600 auctions on Bring a Trailer, it stands out as a car that runs and drives for under $2500.
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The 2023 Acura Integra will arrive in dealerships in June starting at $31,895. It comes standard with a continuously variable automatic transmission, but a six-speed manual is available and increases the price to $36,895. Power comes from a 200-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter four cylinder shared with the Honda Civic Si. After more than two decades the Acura Integra is returning to the luxury automaker’s lineup. It will arrive in dealerships this summer starting at $31,895, and it uses the same turbocharged four-cylinder as the Honda Civic Si but offers more options.
Where the Honda is only available with a six-speed manual transmission, the Acura comes standard with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The Integra’s starting price makes it $3580 more expensive than the Civic, but the Integra with the optional six-speed manual starts at $36,895, making it $8580 more than the Si. The only way to get the manual Integra is with the A-Spec and technology packages, which includes things like a limited-slip differential (standard on the Civic Si), adaptive dampers (not available on the Civic Si), head-up display, and wireless charging.

For $33,895 you can get an Integra with the CVT and A-Spec package, which is an appearance package that adds black trim, a lip spoiler, 18-inch wheels, and A-Spec badging. The A-Spec interior gets stainless steel pedals, red needles on the gauges, and red stitching. Adding the technology package, which includes the adaptive dampers and larger touchscreen, increases the price to $36,895. Unlike the Civic Si, which is available with summer tires, the Integra only offers all-season rubber. The turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine is shared with the Civic Si, and it makes the same 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. In our testing, it launched the manual-equipped Civic Si to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds and through the quarter mile in 15.1 seconds at 94 mph. Look for the 2023 Integras to start arriving at dealerships in early June, and Acura has also not yet confirmed or denied the existence of a coming Type S or R model in the future.
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The Kia Niro Plus is based on the first-generation model of the brand’s hybrid and electric SUV. Kia designed the Niro Plus around the requirements of taxi and ride-hailing services. The Niro Plus is part of Kia’s expansion into purpose-built vehicles, which will see it create a dedicated platform for the segment by 2025.Kia previously stated its intent to become a leader in building purpose-built vehicles, and now the brand is showing off its latest entry in this market class: the Niro Plus. Based on the first-generation Niro, which was recently replaced with a redesigned 2023 model, the Niro Plus is geared toward the taxi and ride-hailing industries and will initially launch in Kia’s home of South Korea.

The Niro Plus arrives in two flavors: a so-called “general” version and a taxi-specific model. Kia’s marketing the general version of the Niro Plus to private owners who can use it “for many business and recreational purposes including car-hailing services.” Kia writes the non-taxi Niro Plus will be offered with all three of the Niro’s powertrain options (gasoline-electric hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric), and it will go on sale in certain markets outside of Korea in the second half of this year. Kia didn’t specify if the Niro Plus will come to the United States, though it plans to soon share more details about other markets the Niro Plus is due to sell in.

Kia

The dedicated taxi variant of the Niro Plus will be offered exclusively as an electric vehicle. In order to create the Niro Plus, Kia stretched the body of the first-gen Niro it’s based on by nearly half an inch and raised the roof by 3.1 inches. Thinner seats and door cards in the taxi version afford the Niro Plus additional interior room, while both variants can be had with door reflectors and handles mounted to the B-pillar. The taxi version also features a single display that integrates navigation, the taximeter, and other important data, such as charging station locations. No performance specifications were revealed for either version of the Niro Plus, but we imagine the vehicle weighs a few more pounds than the equivalent first-generation Niro.

Kia

The Niro Plus joins a single-seat van version of the Korea-exclusive Ray city car in Kia’s lineup of purpose-built vehicles. While these first two entries are based on existing Kias, the company is developing a platform specifically for its purpose-built vehicle program. The first vehicle to use this architecture is due in 2025.
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Klaus Zyciora via Instagram

Volkswagen chief designer Klaus Zyciora posted a rendering of an ID.Buzz pickup truck.Reuters also reports that VW is considering building such a vehicle in the U.S.The crew-cab pickup could have historical ties to prior Microbus “Doka” variants.VW has already committed to selling several versions of the ID.Buzz electric van: the yet-to-be-launched long-wheelbase “People” variant for America, plus the short-wheelbase, five-seat “People” and short-wheelbase “Cargo” panel van versions for Europe. But this won’t be the end of the road: Volkswagen has strongly hinted at a camper version, and brand aficionados will be happy to know that a crew-cab pickup is strongly considered. At least that’s what we take away from a posting on chief designer Klaus Zyciora’s Instagram profile, where he posted a rendering of such a model, accompanied by the question: “Should we take it to the next level?”

Zyciora’s informal poll has been answered with a resounding “yes” from the community of his Instagram followers. And at the same time, a Reuters story claims that VW is mulling U.S. production of this pickup version, alongside the regular ID.Buzz.The rendering is not based on the new production model, but instead on the 2017 ID.Buzz concept, which was characterized by body-colored roof pillars. Should such a version come to market, it would likely adopt the “visor” look of the ID.Buzz production model. And the junction between the cab and the pickup bed could adapt a more conventional look.
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A crew-cab bus would draw from a strong heritage: From the first generation of the VW bus onwards, the brand has always offered a “Doppelkabine” (short: “Doka”), more or less successfully integrated. We can imagine that fans would undoubtedly adopt this nickname for the new version, should it come to fruition.Interestingly, the retro-futuristic 2001 Microbus concept, which served as a strong inspiration for the ID.Buzz, was designed with a pickup version as well. But it never saw production.We’ll join the design community in encouraging the launch of this car. And we want to see more renderings of this concept on Zyciora’s IG page.
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• This 1991 Nissan Figaro is up for sale right now on Bring a Trailer with the auction set to end on May 2.• Designed with retro styling, a tiny 1.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and a retractable convertible top, the Figaro is a unique car from the Japanese domestic market.• This particular one has spent time in the UK and wears custom Firenze Red paint.In 1991, Nissan launched the Figaro in its home market of Japan, alongside two other retro-futuristic small cars—the Pao and the Be-1—as well as the snail-esque S-Cargo van. The Figaro is arguably the most glamorous of the quartet, as it incorporates scaled-down 1950s-era styling and a retractable convertible top. This one, which has been refurbished and repainted in Firenze Red Metallic paint, is being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.

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Although it’s a small, lightweight convertible, the Figaro is surely no Miata. Its tiny turbocharged 1.0-liter four-cylinder engine makes just 75 horsepower and drives the front wheels through a three-speed automatic transmission. This is a car for cruising and turning heads at Cars and Coffee meetups.

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The cream-colored leather is slightly worn and the convertible top, despite being replaced in 2021, has some nicks at the corners. The rear seat upholstery is cracking too, but overall the Figaro is in decent shape. Mechanically, the owner reports that the steering rack, a CV boot, and the spark plugs have recently been replaced, and an oil change and a brake fluid change were performed.

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The Figaro is relatively rare, and not just because it was sold solely in Japan. Only 20,000 were produced in total, and the car was in production for just a single model year. Originally, Nissan had planned to build just 8000 Figaros, but the car proved so popular that another 12,000 were made available. Prospective buyers had to enter a lottery for the chance to buy one.

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To grab this Figaro, all you need to do is be the high bidder. The auction ends May 2.
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The 2023 Toyota Supra will be available with a manual transmission.The six-speed manual gearbox will be offered for the 382-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, and the base 2.0-liter turbo-four will remain automatic-only.The 2023 Supra will go on sale in the U.S. later this year.The moment we’ve been waiting for ever since the return of the Toyota Supra has now arrived: for 2023, the Supra will finally be available with a manual transmission. The six-speed gearbox will be offered only with the 382-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and comes with a host of other modifications to the suspension and interior for the new model year.

Because BMW does not currently offer the B58 inline-six—the variant that powers six-cylinder Supras—with a manual transmission in the U.S., we believe Toyota when it says it went to a great amount of trouble to engineer this transmission specifically for this car. The engine will produce the same output as it does when paired with the eight-speed automatic, but the manual receives a shorter final-drive ratio—3.46 versus 3.15 for the auto. It also has a rev-matching function that can be disabled.
The stick will be offered on the 3.0 and 3.0 Premium models, along with an exclusive new special edition called the A91-MT. Only 500 units of this manual-only trim level will be offered in the U.S., and it’ll come in either matte white or grey. It has a brown leather interior that’s not available on any other Supra, and it also comes with an Alcantara shift knob, red brake calipers, red badging, red strut tower braces, and 19-inch wheels.Other changes for the manual car include recalibrated traction-control and stability-control programming and a rearranged center console that moves the infotainment controller knob and other buttons to accommodate the manual shifter. Toyota says the shift knob’s placement is meant to provide enough clearance between the shifter and the center stack.
All 2023 Supras will receive revised tuning for the shocks and power steering system, plus a new feature that Toyota calls Hairpin+. It’s meant specifically for steep uphill hairpin turns and is said to permit a greater difference in wheelspin between the left and right rear tires.Toyota hasn’t said what the 2023 Supra with the manual transmission will cost, but did hint that it might carry a price premium by referring to the stick as an “option.” We’ll have to reserve final judgment until we can shift the Supra’s gearbox for ourselves, but we’d reckon it’ll be worth paying extra for.
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