Motor News

The Morgan Super 3, the replacement for the iconic 3 Wheeler, switches to a Ford 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine.The new car also features Morgan’s first monocoque structure.The Super 3 is on sale in the U.S. now, with first deliveries expected before the end of the year.While we loved the quirky Morgan 3 Wheeler, we always knew that it wouldn’t get to grow nearly as old as the English sports-car maker’s other long-lived models. That was because the S&S flat-twin engine that powered it, which defined both its frontal appearance and its driving behavior, was barely able to pass stringent European emissions standards back when the car was new in 2013. By the time it retired in 2020, its air-cooled engine had been strangled like a malaise-era V-8, its output cut to just 82 horsepower—early ones had made 116 hp—while the rising cost of the U.S.-made powerplant had pushed the 3 Wheeler’s price up to a hefty $59,000.

Which is why you’re looking at a new and substantially different three-wheeler from Morgan: the new Super 3. The biggest change is obvious from the first glance: the loss of the motorcycle engine for a water-cooled powerplant in the form of a 1.5-liter Ford three-cylinder engine. But the rest of the car has been substantially modernized, too, and we’re promised that the version that will be reaching U.S. buyers later this year will be cheaper, faster, and better to drive than its characterful predecessor.
The new engine has dramatically altered the Super 3’s front-end appearance. The Super 3 now features a mesh grille covering the bulkier motor where the old car’s cylinder blocks were on proud display. Morgan’s designers have chosen a much squarer design to surround the bulkier new powerplant. It stands in contrast to the curved teardrop shape further back, with an exposed cast metal crossmember acting as both a mounting point for the front suspension and a design element. Europe-market Super 3s will have their headlights mounted farther out, as seen here, but U.S.-bound examples—which are legally regarded as motorcycles—must have theirs mounted closer to the centerline within the grille aperture.
The Ford engine produces peaks of 118 horsepower and 110 pound-feet of torque and will work against a claimed dry weight of just 1400 pounds. Morgan is anticipating a zero-to-62-mph time of around seven seconds and a top speed of 130 mph. As before, power is channeled through a five-speed manual gearbox from the Mazda Miata; a six-speed was considered, but the extra ratio was reckoned unnecessary. This drives a bevel box to turn a belt connected to the single rear wheel, the layout meaning there is no need for a differential. Nor is there any power steering or ABS for the braking system, so Morgan hasn’t become too modern. The offset design of the thin front wheels, which will be available in both 13- and 14-inch sizes, has tightened the turning circle compared to the old car. For brakes, Morgan continues to use discs at the front and a drum at the rear.
The Super 3’s structure is another significant innovation for this most traditional of car companies, marking the brand’s first use of monocoque construction. That also means, even more shockingly, that the Super 3 doesn’t have its bodywork mounted to a wooden substructure, a feature that has been common to every previous Morgan since the firm’s foundation. Instead, the whole body is made from superformed aluminum. As before, there are no doors or roof, with different sizes of plastic windscreens being offered as options. External accessory rails will allow bags, carriers, and even cameras to be clipped on; their design is protected by the first patent Morgan has ever registered.The minimalist cabin is designed to be entirely weatherproof; Morgan says it is possible to clean the interior with a jet wash. Switchgear and the twin round digital displays in the center of the dashboard all meet the international IP4 standard for dust and water resistance. Seats are fixed, but the pedal box moves for different-size drivers. Material choice will include vinyl, saddle leather, and tough “adventure spec” fabric. Buyers will be able to choose from a wide range of colors, and, as with the old 3 Wheeler, some visually striking graphics packs.We don’t have finalized pricing yet, but Morgan promises the Super 3 will be both cheaper and better equipped than the P101 runout edition of the old car. The first U.S. customers will be getting their cars before the end of the year.
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This adorable 1948 Crosley CC Four is our Bring a Trailer pick of the day.The CC Four stood out among the chrome-covered barges of post-war America, powered by a 0.7-liter inline-four. The blue-and-white Crosley was restored by the previous owner, including a fresh paint job.When you think of cars from the postwar era, you likely picture gigantic boats stretching nearly 20 feet long, bedazzled in chrome trim and sprouting jet-age fins from the rear fenders. But not every vehicle that emerged after the end of World War II was a portrait of American excess. One of the few companies not building lavish boulevard cruisers was Crosley, which focused instead on lightweight subcompacts. Its most popular model was the CC Four, and this station-wagon example is now for sale on the Bring a Trailer auction site—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.

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Crosley launched its first car in 1939, a tiny two-door that competed with the American Bantam. The company continued building road cars into 1942, with wartime fuel rations making the efficient little runabouts an attractive choice. In 1946, civilian production resumed with the new CC Four, which was offered in a plethora of body styles: sedan, two-door convertible, station wagon, panel van, pickup, and even a convertible wagon called the Sport Utility. The CC helped Crosley reach new heights, more than tripling sales to over 20,000 units in both 1947 and 1948, but reliability woes hurt the brand’s reputation. Crosley launched a miniature sports car called the Hotshot and an off-roader called the Farm-O-Road, but sales plummeted and the company ceased production in 1952.

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

This blue-and-white 1948 Crosley CC Four station wagon represents the most common Crosley, but the little long-roof is a fairly rare find today. Powered by a 0.7-liter inline-four mated to a three-speed manual transmission, the rear-wheel-drive CC is not a fast car, and it would probably struggle to reach the 70-mph limit shown on the speedometer. You probably wouldn’t want to get going that fast anyway, since stopping power is provided by drum brakes at each wheel.

The tiny red-painted 12-inch wheels are wrapped in 155/80 Kumho Power Star 750 tires, and the car comes with a matching spare. Inside, the two front seats and narrow rear bench are cloaked in a brown vinyl, with olive door panels topped off with faux-wood trim. The CC Four won’t win you any light-to-light drag races, but the cheerful little Crosley would certainly stand out in traffic and it represents an unusual piece of automotive history. This is one of the cleaner Crosleys to crop up on Bring a Trailer, with the previous owner having bought it as a running project car and refurbishing it, including a fresh layer of paint. Bidding is already past the $10,000 mark with five days to go.

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Ford is adding a HOSS 3.0 suspension package to the Bronco Wildtrak that includes Fox 2.5 dampers. The package also includes a front bumper with tow hooks and integrated fog lights.It costs an extra $2505 and is exclusive to reservation holders and order holders with unscheduled build dates. Ford’s Raptor lineup is now pretty stacked with the new Ranger Raptor revealed yesterday, and Raptor-specific equipment is trickling down into the mainstream lineup. The Bronco Wildtrak, which was previously was the most off-road-ready Bronco from the factory, will be available with a new HOSS 3.0 (High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension) package for the 2022 model year that includes Fox internal-bypass dampers.

Ford

Unlike the Bronco Raptor, which uses 3.1-inch diameter adaptive dampers from Fox, the Bronco Wildtrak uses 2.5-inch units that are also found on the new Ranger Raptor. These dampers are designed for high-speed off-roading and are meant to hold up better over time, as their aluminum bodies shed heat more effectively compared to the standard Wildtrak model’s Bilstein dampers that are included in the Sasquatch package. The Bronco Wildtrak rides on 35-inch all-terrain tires compared to the standard 37s on the Raptor.

Wildtrak models with the HOSS 3.0 package also get the Bronco Raptor’s steering rack, which is derived from the F-150 Raptor’s, and stronger inner and outer tie rods. The package also includes a rear stabilizer bar. A powder-coated front bumper hides tow hooks and fog lights, and there’s added protection with steel skid plates. The Bronco Wildtrak’s HOSS 3.0 package is exclusive to reservation holders and unscheduled order holders, and models so equipped are scheduled to arrive this summer. It’s available on both two- and four-door models and costs $2505 on top of the Wildtrak’s $49,275 starting price.
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The Ford Bronco didn’t just create a stir when it was first revealed in summer 2020. The conversation has continued nonstop since then, whether we’re talking about exciting new variants such as the Everglades and Raptor or the unfortunate chip-shortage-related delays that have left throngs of SUVs sitting in snowy parking lots awaiting certain parts. While many would-be owners are still waiting for their Broncos to arrive, we decided to play around on the 2022 Bronco’s online configurator to see if our own preferences have changed since we last built our ideal 2021 Bronco specs. As predicted, we have our eyes on the 400-hp Raptor and snorkel-ified Everglades.

Connor Hoffman’s $74,475 Bronco Raptor

Ford

Ford

Have you seen the Bronco Raptor’s fender flares? They’re huge, so I’d get a “Braptor” in Shadow Black to help hide them and delete the Raptor graphic on the rear fender since I think it looks out of place not as a bedside graphic. The wide stance looks better this way, although there are some other great color choices such as Eruption Green. I prefer the cheaper of the two 17-inch beadlock-capable wheel options ($1695), and I’d get wheel locks for $90. I’d keep the vinyl seats because I’ll be getting the interior muddy on a regular basis, and I’d opt for the adaptive cruise control and a wireless charging pad included in the Lux package. This build sums up to $74,475, which is $1685 less expensive than my preferred spec of the F-150 Raptor (my truck of choice). Now I’m just left waiting for the F-150 Raptor R. –Connor HoffmanDavid Beard’s $55,665 Bronco Everglades

Ford

Ford

The essential tool is one that is used the right way. As intriguing as the high-flying, desert-pounding Bronco Raptor might be, it’s overkill for most midwestern flatlanders. The Bronco Everglades better suites my two-tracking, mud-slinging ways. The push bumper will come in handy when there’s a tree to push over and the standard Warn winch is there to lend a hand when the sludge gets too deep. And of course, there’s the snorkel when it’s time to take a bath in up to 36.4 inches of water. The $54,495 Everglades is essentially fully loaded both inside and out, including all the off-road goodies of the Sasquatch package. I’d select the rubber floor ($160) and cargo area protector ($120) because this thing will get dirty. The $295 Desert Sand paint should provide excellent camouflage as to where I’ve been and the $595 Towing package uncorks the ability to tug up to 3500 pounds of stuff, so why not. All in, I’m at $55,665 for an extremely capable off-road rig. See ya in the bog. –David BeardAustin Irwin’s $72,195 Bronco Raptor

Ford

Ford

I typically spec vehicles the most frugal way. But when it comes to the Ford Bronco, to hell with all that. My Code Orange Bronco Raptor is like a supercharged Atomic Orange first-generation Nissan Xterra on booger sugar. The Bronco Raptor build-and-price tool doesn’t offer much configurability but allowed a little room for personality. I stuck with the hardtop and opted for the free and optional roof sound deadener. The optional black 17-inch wheels ($1695) were the best-looking of what was available, but arguably not as stylish as a set of steel Cragars. I added the keyless entry pad ($110) because everyone driving their grandma’s Grand Marquis raves about it. For no extra cost, Ford will spare you the silly Raptor graphics, which is good, because the only stickers that belong on this thing start with a “O” and end in “RV.” I stuck with the standard black vinyl seats and didn’t upgrade to the optional Lux package because it included adaptive cruise control. More driver-assistance features? Sorry, we don’t let the computers drive our cars in this family. We drive to Bass Pro Shop with the traction control off like our Founding Fathers intended. The Raptor’s humongous tires, giraffe-like suspension travel, and intimidating plastic fender flares make it look like an American Unimog. Oh, and I made sure to add the Code Orange accent seatbelts ($395), because I’m sure thin orange lines will have a political affiliation eventually, and after listening to those 37-inch rubbers howl across I-94 at 80 mph for a week, I’ll be willing to pander to whoever I can before the end of my lease. –Austin IrwinGreg Fink’s $55,210 Bronco Everglades

Ford

Ford

It seems you can take the man out of Florida, but you can’t take Florida out of the man, because this born-and-raised Floridian who now calls the Midwest home absolutely adores the Ford Bronco Everglades. It’s for all the wrong reasons, too. Sure, the Everglades packs some added goodies, such as its front-mounted winch and snorkel air intake, the latter of which helps it ford up to 36.4 inches of water, but the SUV’s real pièce de résistance is its basic appearance. That’s right, I’m picking a Bronco Everglades over a Bronco Raptor for purely superficial reasons—it’s the Florida way. As such, I’m opting to lean further into the superficial by dropping $295 on a coat of trim-exclusive Desert Sand paint (I love the way it contrasts with the Everglades’s model-specific 17-inch wheels, which come wrapped in meaty Goodyear mud-terrain tires). Add in convenience features such as a $110 keyless entry pad and a $310 tailgate table, and “my” Bronco Everglades leaves the line with a sticker price of $55,210. Yes, a base 330-hp Bronco Wildtrak four-door costs $2490 less than this 300-hp Everglades, but the V-6 variant nevertheless lacks the style of Ford’s newly introduced four-cylinder trim. And in Florida, style tends to trump substance. –Greg Fink

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Polestar is partnering with major automotive suppliers, targeting to create a car using zero carbon emissions by 2030.As part of the Polestar 0 Project, the supply partners include Autoliv, maker of safety equipment, and ZF, which builds electric powertrains.As Volvo’s all-electric arm, Polestar’s lineup includes the four-door 2 hatchback and the upcoming 3 SUV. Polestar wants to develop a car by using zero carbon emissions, and it’s partnering with major suppliers in the automotive industry in an attempt to do so. The company committed to creating a carbon-neutral car last year, naming the initiative the Polestar 0 Project.

The project’s stated goal is to eliminate carbon emissions from the supply chain, essentially changing how vehicles are made. When it was first announced last year, Polestar’s plan included creating the carbon-neutral car by 2030 and for the whole company to be fully carbon-neutral by 2040. The latest step toward making those goals a reality is today’s news that Polestar has signed letters of intent to collaborate with several important suppliers in the industry.

Polestar

These suppliers will specialize in producing zero-carbon everything, from aluminum parts to steel to electrical components. Among the most notable suppliers are Autoliv and ZF. The former is focusing on safety equipment like airbags and seatbelts, while the latter is handling electric powertrains and how they can contribute to eliminating carbon emissions.Polestar also says it isn’t finished fishing for partners to help efforts for complete carbon neutrality. The Swedish company says it’s looking for additional collaborators beyond the automotive sector, with invitations to be extended over the next four weeks to researchers and organizations around the globe.For those unfamiliar with Polestar, it more recently morphed from Volvo’s performance subbrand into its own all-electric brand. After the limited-production Polestar 1 coupe’s end of production last year, the lineup currently consists of just the Polestar 2, a four-door hatchback-sedan creation. However, the Polestar 3 SUV and Polestar 5 sedan will come to market over the next couple of years and likely help grow the company’s cachet.
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This Intermeccanica Italia Spyder is a genuine work of art from the 1960s, easier to afford than a Ferrari of the era and yet redolent of its own glorious history.Plus, just look at it.The car is up for auction on Bring a Trailer, and bidding is at $100,000 with six days to go. The auction ends on Monday, February 28.This is no Faux-rari. The Intermeccanica Italia Spyder is original 1960s artwork that rarely comes up for sale and yet is many lifetimes more attainable than the museum pieces from Maranello, Italy. Put your fingerprints over this fast and confusing convertible if you can check your ego and memorize a script. Every stop in this red sports car will provoke a lengthy conversation, so the next owner who buys this 1969 model on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—needs to be extra patient.

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Intermeccanica was founded in 1959 by a Canadian couple who, like anyone who visits Italy for the first time, fell madly in love with the country. Frank and Paula Reisner were beatnik 20-somethings, originally from Hungary and Czechoslovakia, buzzing around in a Fiat 500 and camping in the woods. Italmeccanica was a supplier to Fiat. Frank liked the name, changed it to Intermeccanica, and apparently without any trademark complaints, the couple started an aftermarket parts company in Turin. Building carburetors and exhausts ignited a deeper passion to craft custom bodies on a supplied chassis—a true carrozzeria or coachbuilding company like a Bertone or Pininfarina. After their modified Puch 500 beat an Abarth in a race, Abarth himself got so angry he demanded Fiat revoke Puch’s contract with Intermeccanica. The company had made its mark.

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The Italia was a follow-up to the Apollo, a gorgeous coupe with a Buick V-8. Intermeccanica teamed with Robert Cumberford, a former General Motors designer and a respected automotive journalist, who penned a hardtop version called the Griffith at the behest of Jack Griffith, a TVR dealer in Long Island, New York. When that venture failed, the Griffith was renamed Omega, then Torino, and finally Italia after trademark protests from General Motors and Ford and a lawsuit between Cumberford and Griffith. With all that drama, it’s no wonder those cars are rarer than the Italia, which sold roughly 400 copies between 1967 and 1973.

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With a 351-cubic-inch Ford Cleveland V-8 and a four-speed manual transmission, this lightweight two-seater is a steal next to other period Italian-American mashups like the Vignale-bodied, Chrysler-powered Cunningham. This same Italia with 34,000 miles sold at the 2018 Amelia Island auction for $147,840. At the time, Bonhams reported a $10,000 restoration. A year later according to BaT, the owner paid to rebuild the engine (which makes an impressive 319 horsepower on the dyno).

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Intermeccanica still exists in Vancouver and churns out Porsche 356 replicas under Frank’s son Henry. Their badge includes the original Prancing Bull that’s now behind a British Union Jack in the shape of a Porsche crest. It’s all one hell of a roundabout story that deserves to be told at the new owner’s next car show.

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UPDATE 2/22/22: General Motors will discontinue the Marketplace app starting next month. While the ordering-on-the-go app has been available in millions of Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevrolets, and GMCs since 2017, usage rates didn’t match expectations, with only “thousands” of drivers utilizing the app, according to a GM spokesperson quoted by CNBC. For some commuters who make stopping for a cup of coffee part of their daily routine, the morning drive to work may never be the same. In the wee hours of the morning, General Motors enabled a new feature, called Marketplace, in about two million vehicles, with the ultimate aim of enabling twice that many. It lets car owners order things like coffee and fast food using the touchscreens in their dashboards and pay for items in advance. No more waiting for an order to be assembled at the local fry shack. It should be ready and waiting when commuters arrive.Many retailers, including Starbucks, already allow mobile ordering via smartphone apps. But with cars morphing into what industry insiders call “the third screen,” auto executives foresee some portion of commerce shifting to in-vehicle purchases, with the result of entirely new revenue streams as they snag a percentage of those transactions.Using the 4G LTE connection in millions of GM vehicles produced for the 2017 and 2018 model years, the automaker is linking customers with restaurants, gas stations, coffee shops, and hotels.“Whether customers prefer to stick with the app-enabled purchases on their phones or shift their business to thein-vehicle screens remains a central competitive question.”GM’s initial partners include retailers such as Dunkin’ Donuts, TGI Fridays, Shell, ExxonMobil, and Priceline.com. Starbucks has signed on, too, and will enable the service in GM cars early in 2018. Other participants include Parkopedia, a service that allows drivers to find, reserve, and pay for parking, and the restaurant chains Applebee’s and IHOP. A spokesperson said more retailers will be added quickly, adding that the company is having conversations with national pizza-delivery outfits that have shown early interest in the platform.Competitors will be watching the way motorists treat this ability to order from their infotainment screens. In some cases, such as ordering from Starbucks, GM will need to offer a superior experience to lure drivers away from their smartphones. In other cases, such as a motorist searching for a roadside hotel along an unknown route, the immediate benefit seems more evident.The arrival of GM’s Marketplace through an over-the-air software update in the middle of the night marks a separate milestone. To date, Tesla Motors had been the undisputed leader in the remote addition of new features. Most other automakers have either not attempted remote updates at all or used them only to patch back-end bugs that most motorists didn’t notice. With Tuesday morning’s update, GM has joined an exclusive club. And it says Marketplace is only the “first of a suite of new personalization features” the company will roll out in the coming 12 to 18 months.Customers who received the update should be notified via email this morning. Some customers who don’t get notifications may be eligible to enable Marketplace but will need to download it via GM’s app store.

General Motors

This in-vehicle shop is designed to for motorists to use while they’re driving. That may be a concern considering that fatal crashes involving distracted driving accounted for 3450 deaths last year, according to the latest federal figures. But, like features that project phones onto infotainment screens such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Marketplace was designed to meet federal standards set to minimize the time drivers look away from the road, according to GM.On average, a driver spends 46 minutes per day in his or her vehicle, according to AAA research. Marketers have long wanted to reach consumers during that time, but aside from roadside signage, that has been a vexing problem. Some car owners may not welcome the new intrusions, but others might find Marketplace an incentive-laden gateway to purchases they already intended to make.In part, the system is the outgrowth of the company’s partnership with IBM, announced in 2016, which intertwines IBM’s artificial-intelligence platform, Watson, with the vehicle’s infotainment underpinnings. If drivers buy a tall cappuccino each day from a certain Starbucks, for example, Watson will learn those preferences and subsequently make it easier for motorists to make their usual selections.Initially, the Marketplace platform does not pair with voice-recognition systems in the cars, although GM says it eventually intends to let customers place orders via voice commands rather than swipes on the touchscreen.Whether customers prefer the app-enabled purchases on their phones or will shift their business to the screens in their vehicles remains a central competitive question. Whatever the outcome, GM seems poised to be the first automaker ready to learn the answer.This story was originally published December 5, 2017.

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Ford has revealed the new Raptor version of the Ranger mid-size pickup.This model follows the Raptor treatment we’ve seen on the F-150 and Bronco, with a more powerful engine and off-road goodies.Ford CEO Jim Farley confirmed that the Ranger Raptor will go on sale in the U.S. next year.The global reveal of the Ford Ranger Raptor is exciting enough, but we also now have confirmation from Ford that this off-road pickup is officially coming to the U.S. next year. It’ll look much like what you see here, but likely with a few tweaks to its appearance and slightly different specifications.
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The Ranger Raptor largely mirrors the Bronco Raptor in terms of its powertrain: it has the same twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 engine, making 392 horsepower and 430 pound-feet (those figures may change for the U.S. market). A 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive are standard, as is a two-speed transfer case and front and rear locking differentials.

While the Bronco Raptor shares its 3.1-inch diameter Fox Racing adaptive shocks with the F-150 Raptor, the Ranger gets 2.5-inch diameter Fox shocks. The same anti-lag feature from the Bronco is found here, which allows the turbos to remain spooled when you lift off the throttle for brief periods. Several driving modes will be available that will affect the tuning of the shocks, the loudness of the exhaust, and other factors.As is de rigeur for any Raptor model, there’s a large “FORD” script that dominates the front grille, and the body looks to be wider than the standard next-generation Ranger thanks to exaggerated fender flares. 33-inch BF Goodrich K02 all-terrain tires can be seen in the photos, along with 17-inch bead-lock-capable wheels that will be optional.
Inside, the interior is far more modern than the current Ranger’s and features a large 12.0-inch vertically oriented touchscreen and a digital gauge cluster. The touchscreen runs Ford’s Sync 4A software and a premium audio system will also be offered. We expect the Ranger Raptor to be offered only as a crew cab, as is the F-150 Raptor.Look for more U.S.-specific information to come on the Ranger Raptor within the next few months, as it’s slated to go on sale on our shores sometime in 2023.
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