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Replica vehicles and kit cars have long been a way for enthusiasts to get a piece of some of the greatest examples of automotive unobtainium. Thanks to the efforts of the SEMA (formerly known as the Specialty Equipment Market Association) and its partners lobbying Congress, the replica market is about to get a lot bigger. Customers in the United States will now be able to legally purchase turnkey, factory-assembled replica vehicles, based on designs more than 25 years old, now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially implemented the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act.

According to this new policy, low-volume vehicle manufacturers will be able to construct up to 325 replica vehicles a year—anything from old-school hot rods to midcentury muscle cars and more modern classics. These vehicles will still be required to comply with some level of federal oversight, but not at the level of modern mass-produced vehicles. This should allow small manufacturers that don’t have the resources of a legacy automaker to build limited-production replicas that comply with the new law.That said, these replica vehicles will still be required to meet current model-year emissions regulations, and all replica manufacturers must register with NHTSA, the EPA, and the California Air Resources Board in order to build and sell street-legal vehicles. The process of verification with these entities may take several months, according to SEMA. That means we still likely have a way to go before we start to see an influx of new pseudo-vintage machines powered by modern emissions-compliant engines. For those who don’t want to wait, we should note that this new policy has no impact on your ability to build a traditional kit car. It seems like automotive enthusiasts don’t catch many breaks these days, especially as our zero-emission future draws ever nearer. This is a win we can all get behind, and one that could help get some seriously cool cars on the road in the near future.

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In a world of chaos, turmoil, and despair, there is Window Shopping. It’s not merely a Zoom call among Car and Driver’s various staff members and hangers-on, though it is that, too. It’s certainty, calm, and reassurance when it’s needed most.Heeding the call for elation once again, Window Shopping’s internet-scouring challenge this week is to find American cars from the 1980s that don’t suck and can be purchased for $30,000 or less. It’s all about moolah for malaise.Who are this week’s contestants? There’s C/D contributor Jonathon Ramsey from verdant Parts Unknown, Kentucky. Technical Something or Other K.C. Colwell, who was born during the 1980s but wasn’t eligible to be purchased during this competition. Editor-in-chief, and still redolent of that new-editor smell, Tony Quiroga. Senior editor Joey Capparella, who was born in the 1990s, and that makes his work title mostly ironic. And Road & Track’s John Pearley Huffman, who was already Midwest Regional Sales Manager for Circuit City in 1986.At least one of the gang here asserts that all cars from the 1980s suck. He makes a strong case. Choices this episode include a diarrhea-brown truck, a sedan even people who owned one forget was a reality, a yellow thing with a Kenwood stereo, another thing this writer can’t recall several minutes after the show, and, duh, a Mustang.Come along for this magical journey back to a time when the world seemed at least as screwed up as it does now. And yet, somehow, we survived.

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• The name “Jeep Wagoneer” has resonated through the years among those who appreciate a big, tough utility vehicle that’s also luxurious. • As much as we appreciate the 2022 Wagoneer, there’s nothing like the classics, like this 1970 Jeep Wagoneer currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer.• With the auction scheduled to end on Friday, March 11, bidding is currently at $11,000 and sure to go way up from there.The 2022 Jeep Wagoneer is a big and tech-heavy three-row SUV that seeks to blend luxury and capability. There’s much to appreciate about it. Still, there is a nostalgic call to get back and relive the days of the past. This is why this 1970 Jeep Wagoneer is today’s pick on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. Bidding is open until March 11 for those who want to get behind the wheel of a 350-cubic-inch Dauntless V-8.

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The Wagoneer initially debuted in 1963. It was the high-class Jeep, featuring many amenities unlike anything at the time. Power brakes, an automatic transmission, and power steering were unthinkable for a rugged Jeep in the 1960s.

According to the listing, this Wagoneer was listed on BaT back in December 2016. Since that purchase, work completed on the SUV includes a new aftermarket fuel-injection system, shocks, and suspension bushings and springs, as well as an oil change. According to the listing, the 350-cubic-inch Dauntless V-8 mated to a three-speed automatic transmission, and the Jeep reads 56,000 miles on the odometer.

Bring a Trailer

You’ll find plenty of accessories attached to this rugged 4×4. Want a roof rack? It has it. Need bumpers, rock sliders, and rear-mounted carriers? Done. [Slaps hood of Jeep.] This Jeep Wagoneer is absolutely ready for the weekend overlanding trip. Interested parties have until March 11 to bid on it.

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Volvo has facelifted the XC40 Recharge with a new front bumper and triangular headlights similar to the design found on the C40 Recharge.The C40 Recharge also adds a new single-motor, front-wheel-drive variant.Volvo won’t yet divulge the U.S.-market plans for these models, but said that more information will come in the spring.Volvo is rapidly moving towards an all-electric future, with news emerging earlier this week of five new EVs coming in the next few years, including two wagon-like “activity vehicles” and a sedan. But before those models arrive, Volvo’s first electric vehicle is getting an update, with Volvo announcing today a facelift for the XC40 Recharge that brings its styling in line with the sleeker, coupelike C40 Recharge introduced last year.

Volvo XC40 Recharge.
Volvo

The facelift is subtle, with a resculpted front bumper and a frameless grille cover matching the front end of the C40 Recharge. The electric XC40 also gains the pointier headlights of its sloped-roof brother, which continues to feature Volvo’s assertive Thor’s Hammer LED lighting signature. Inside, the XC40 Recharge gains non-leather upholstery options, while new paint colors and wheel options will be available, although Volvo has yet to specify what these will be.

Volvo C40 Recharge.
Volvo

Meanwhile, the C40 Recharge is also gaining a new variant. Slotting below the current dual-motor version of the C40 will be a single-motor model. The motor sends power to the front wheels and comes with a 69.0-kWh battery, versus the 78.0-kWh unit in the dual-motor C40. Volvo says this variant of the C40 Recharge will get about 270 miles of range on the more lenient European WLTP testing cycle. Volvo also claims that the C40 Recharge will be able to charge from 10 to 80 percent in around 32 minutes when plugged into a fast charger.

Volvo would not confirm U.S. market availability for either vehicle, but a spokesperson did tell Car and Driver that more information will come in the spring. The updated XC40 Recharge is almost guaranteed to reach our shores, likely for the 2023 model year, but given that Volvo doesn’t offer the single-motor XC40 Recharge stateside, the new C40 variant could remain forbidden fruit.
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Hyundai says it will launch 11 new electric models by 2030, including a model in a new vehicle segment that it doesn’t currently compete in—we don’t know which segment that is yet.Genesis will gain six new models by 2030: two passenger cars and four SUVs.Kia will sell 14 EVs by 2027 with plans for two electric pickup trucks, although not all of these new EVs from Hyundai and Kia are destined to reach the U.S. market.Sales of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6—the first dedicated ground-up electric vehicles from the two Korean automakers—are underway, but the snazzy new models are just the beginning. This week, Hyundai and Kia announced updated plans for the coming decade, including a slew of electric vehicles in new market segments.

Hyundai Prophecy concept.
Hyundai

By 2030, Hyundai will launch 11 new EVs: three sedans, six SUVs, and a light commercial vehicle. Hyundai also says there will be “one new type model” but didn’t go into specifics—this could be anything from an electric version of the Santa Cruz pickup to a tiny electric pod like the Renault Twizy. One of the sedans will be the Ioniq 6, which will take inspiration from the Prophecy concept and go on sale this year, while one of the SUVs will be the production version of the Ioniq 7 concept, reaching showrooms in 2024. These are presumably global plans, so the timing and model lineup for the U.S. is likely to be different.Hyundai’s luxury arm Genesis will add six new models in the next eight years—two “passenger cars,” with Genesis not specifying that these will be sedans, and four SUVs. The first SUV will be the Electrified GV70 launching this year, and starting in 2025, every new Genesis will be electrified.

Kia EV9 concept.
Kia

Kia meanwhile will release two EVs a year as it completes a lineup of 14 electric vehicles by 2027. There will be two electric pickup trucks—Kia describes one as a “dedicated” EV pickup and one as a “strategic model for emerging markets,” meaning the latter likely won’t reach American shores. Kia will also launch an entry-level EV, while the EV9, previewed by a concept last year, is still set for a 2023 introduction. The EV9 will be the first Kia to be equipped with the company’s AutoMode autonomous driving system, which Kia says will be available on all new models launched in major markets by 2026.After the 576-hp EV6 GT, Kia plans to expand the high-performance GT lineup to all models of its upcoming electric lineup. Kia also aims to become a market leader in purpose-built vehicles, starting with a model called the Niro Plus later this year. Based on the new generation of the Niro SUV, the Plus will be optimized for taxi and ride-hailing services. In 2025, Kia says it will launch its first dedicated purpose-built vehicle riding on a skateboard EV platform, described as “medium sized,” before expanding the lineup to all sizes for vehicles, which can act as “an alternative to public transportation or even be used as mobile offices.”

Hyundai says it is targeting global EV sales of nearly 1.9 million units annually by 2030 and a 7 percent market share for EVs. Kia says it is aiming for sales of 1.2 million EVs in 2030 and predicts 80 percent of its EV sales will come from Korea, China, Europe, and North America, with EVs representing a 45 percent share of Kia sales in these regions. Hyundai also says it will create an Integrated Modular Architecture as an evolution of the E-GMP platform underpinning the Ioniq 5, EV6, and Genesis GV60, which will standardize the battery systems and motors along with the chassis for future EVs.
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It was colloquially known as “the bathtub.” Accurate, but that nickname doesn’t begin to convey the joy that the Porsche 356 was to drive.This 1963 Porsche 356B 1600 Super, currently up for auction on the Bring a Trailer website, can be expected to sell in six-figure territory.How much, we won’t know until the auction ends on Sunday, March 6, but as of March 3 bidding had reached $50,000.Driving a car with just 75 horsepower might not sound enthralling, but several thousand owners of Porche 356s would no doubt beg to differ. Early-generation Porsches like this 356B coupe, currently on offer at Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—are coveted, collected, and costly. When they’re in great shape, like this ivory-over-red 356B 1600 Super, they can fetch well over $100,000. And consider that this model is in the middle of the range; the rarest high-performance 356 Carreras have been known to go for several hundred thousand dollars.

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It’s not rarity, though, that drives the prices of these so-called bathtub Porsches—nicknamed because, well, they look like upside-down bathtubs. Some Porsche experts estimate there could be 20,000 or more of them still in existence. It’s that they were and remain a pleasure to drive. They’re light, nimble and comfortable—equal part grand touring car and sports car, which is something we say about today’s 911. We stated that same thing back when this car was new, too, in a road test of a 356B coupe virtually identical to this one in our October 1963 print issue. We called it a luxurious “businessman’s express” that “also does everything most sports cars try to do.” We declared it “an incomparable car in the literal sense; there’s nothing like it at any price.”

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The 356 line started life in 1948 and evolved through six generations—though some were closer to facelifts—with many design changes and mechanical upgrades along the way. Convertible, notchback coupe, and Speedster models were added through the years. The final 356C (basically a 356B with the addition of four-wheel disc brakes) was built in 1965. The 356B for sale here is a 1600 Super, which was the GTS of its day: a higher-performing version of the standard model. The Super’s 75-hp, 1582-cc flat-four is a souped-up version of the base car’s 60-hp engine. That doesn’t sound like much of an improvement, but it represents a horsepower increase of 25 percent. Though its zero-to-60-mph time of 12.8 seconds was hardly fast even by 1963 standards—remember, this was the dawn of the muscle-car era—what it lacked in straight-line speed it more than made up for in agility. This was a car that loved to play on serpentine roads. It was also happy cruising American interstates; after all, it had been raised in the land of the wide-open autobahn.

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The seller of this 356B reports that it was purchased by his father in 1998. The car came from the factory in this same ivory color and was repainted in 1999; the luscious red interior was redone at that time. It’s powered by a numbers-matching engine, which means it still has its original powerplant under the rear deck. The engine was removed earlier this year for service and replacement of its rear main oil seal. This car’s body was supplied to Porsche by Karosseriewerk Reutter, as the gold badge on its right front fender attests. (Porsche purchased Reutter in 1963.) The only modification made to this car is a set of aftermarket Koni shock absorbers—an upgrade made to many a sporty European sports sedan or sports car in the 1960s. The 1600 Super for sale here comes with a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity confirming that its VIN, paint and interior colors, and engine and transmission identification numbers are correct. The photos confirm the rest: that this is one beautiful bathtub. As of Thursday, March 3, bidding stood at $50,000, and the auction ends on Sunday, March 6.

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Shelby American announced Wednesday it plans to build a limited run of extra-special Cobra continuation race cars for the company’s 60th anniversary. Limited to just 10 examples, these Cobras will have up to 800 horsepower and use a uniquely designed carbon fiber body that weighs just 88 pounds. Yes, you read that correctly. 88 pounds.

The carbon Cobra, dubbed the Diamond Edition, was developed in conjunction with Classic Recreations, the same Texas-based shop that helped create the all-carbon GT500CR Mustang re-creation released in 2021. That 88-pound measurement for the body includes the front and rear clips as well as the doors and the floor. The engine bay has been designed to accept a Generation 3 Coyote V-8 from Ford Performance, with space for a T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission to get power to the rear wheels. If you want all 800 horses, you’ll have to option the available VMP supercharger kit. There are six-piston Wilwood brakes front and rear to bring the carbon-wrapped missile on four wheels to a stop. Shelby says each Diamond Edition Cobra will be assembled by “an elite team of designers and technicians” at Classic Recreations. It also promises the car will handle like a modern vehicle thanks to its incredible power-to-weight ratio. Each example will receive a coveted CSX serial number, running from CSX4521 through CSX4530, from Shelby Licensing.

Shelby American

“Carroll Shelby taught me the significance of pushing the envelope through innovation and passion,” Classic Recreations founder Jason Engel said in a statement. “A dream of Carroll’s was always to place the highest-horsepower engine possible in the lightest, most agile car imaginable and it is our honor to have met that challenge.”Cobras this special come at a price. The Diamond Edition starts at an incredible $1.2 million before options—roughly four times the price of the carbon-bodied GT500CR. Considering the raw performance potential from this platform and the fact these are officially licensed Cobras, we have no doubt they’ll sell out in no time.

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Mercedes is introducing a new special-edition version of the G-wagen called the Edition 550.It comes in either red, grey, or white and has black bumpers and fender flares, along with a special badge.The interior has fancier leather and carbon-fiber trim.The G-wagen briefly exited Mercedes-Benz’s lineup along with most of the automaker’s other V-8–powered models, but now it’s back and has added an exclusive special edition. 200 units of the G-class Edition 550 will make their way to the U.S. and feature a few appearance tweaks inside and out along with special badging.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

The Edition 550 models are based on the non-AMG G550 model with a 416-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, rather than the more powerful 577-hp AMG G63. It will be offered in either Jupiter Red, Arabian Grey, or a new hue called Moonlight White. Rather than the standard model’s body-color bumpers and fender flares, the Edition 550 has black lower trim. The wheels appear to be the same black 20-inch AMG 14-spoke wheels that are available as an option on the standard model.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

The interior has two-tone Nappa leather upholstery, carbon-fiber trim, and options including massaging front seats. There’s also a badge on the passenger’s side grab handle denoting the special-edition as 1 of 200, and a similar emblem on the front fenders with a cool graphic of a G-wagen climbing a mountain.Mercedes has not yet released a price for the Edition 550, but we reckon it will be at least $150,000 given the price of an equivalent G550 with these appearance upgrades.
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