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The 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 shown here has a current bid of $25,000 on the Bring a Trailer auction website.The car shows just 1300 miles on its odometer.Bidding ends Tuesday, February 15. Corvette fans are a nostalgic lot, and today’s Auction Find of the Day on the Bring a Trailer auction site—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—surely will bring back memories: a 1990 Chevy Corvette ZR-1 with a mere 1300 miles on its odometer. While we await our turn to slip behind the wheel of the latest super Vette, the 2023 C8 Z06, we can’t help reminiscing about the hot-rodded fourth-generation model that vaulted America’s sports car into the modern high-performance realm.

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As with just about any 30-year-old sports car, the fourth-gen ZR-1 was limited by the technology of its day. Its aluminum-construction, 32-valve 5.7-liter LT5 V-8—co-developed with Lotus and built by Mercury Marine in Oklahoma—produced only 375 horsepower at first (later versions received a bump to 405). Mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the car’s resulting 4.5-second run to 60 mph would see the ZR-1 get smoked by some of today’s pickup trucks in a drag race.

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Despite the handling precision brought in part by its FX3 suspension setup and adaptive dampers, the grip from its 17-inch Goodyears amounted to only 0.89 g and made for a 170-foot stop from 70 mph—hardly worldbeating by modern standards. But those were heady stats back in the ZR-1’s era, and they were accompanied by an impressive degree of sophistication on the road. A base price of less than $60,000 in 1990 also made it massively cheaper to own than a Porsche 911 Turbo, which the ZR-1 managed to beat in our 1991 comparison test. As of this writing, bids have reached $25,000 with six days left in the auction.

Although it takes a keen eye to spot the C4 ZR-1’s discreet badges, widened rear fenders, and big 315-section-width rear tires, the C4 Corvette’s smooth, long-hood proportions have aged surprisingly well. The finishes inside the cabin didn’t impress even back in the ’90s, but comfort is good and the huge side sills and digital dash make it an effective time capsule. And don’t forget the pop-up headlights.

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This particular Bright Red example with tan leather was originally sold in California and has an accident-free Carfax report and a clean Arizona title. Bring a Trailer’s bidding page indicates that a recent service included fluid changes plus the replacement of the alternator, thermostat, water pump, fuel sending unit, fuel pumps, and spark plugs. It also includes the video clip below.
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“The ZR-1 makes every previous Corvette seem antediluvian,” we wrote in our 1990 road test. “Driving the ZR-1 reminds you that it is possible to create a car that is bewilderingly fast but that maintains an air of civilization about it.” We can say much the same about every hot-rod Corvette since, including two subsequent ZR1 iterations that built on the C4 model’s legacy.

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94.9 FM is a nice place on the radio dial if you’re in Seattle; it’s where the National Public Radio station KUOW can be found.But owners of 2016 model Mazdas have been complaining for a couple of weeks that they can’t get their infotainment systems to access anything but that station, and nobody knows why.”We didn’t mean to ruin your Mazda’s stereo,” the station’s website reports, apparently only partly kidding.Radio station KUOW-FM in Seattle has acknowledged a problem they’ve been hearing about for a few weeks: listeners who drive 2016 model Mazdas can’t get their radios to stop playing the NPR station.”Permanently stuck” is how the station describes the problem, saying it has heard from “Mazda owners from around the Puget Sound region.” The station cited one Scott Smith, whose 2016 Mazda CX-5 has an infotainment screen that freezes on to the station and won’t let him use Bluetooth, navigation, or any other station. Yes, he tried rebooting it.On the bright side, Smith says he is able to adjust the volume. “Luckily,” says the Seattle resident, “I am an NPR listener so that’s fine,” he said. (What were the chances?)

2016 Mazda 6.
Mazda

There’s a lively discussion thread on Reddit in which others describe the issue in detail. The radio station’s technical director said on the thread that the station has shut off its data for the HD Radio service. KUOW issued an official statement as well saying the company has given “complete access to our transmitters” to Xperi, the company that developed HD Radio technology, to look into the problem. Another possibility mentioned by the radio station is that a recent switch to a 5G signal may have caused the older infotainment system to be glitchy. Mazda dealers acknowledged hearing about the problem from owners but don’t have a fix to suggest yet. One of the owners was Smith, who says he’s far down on a waiting list to have the issue looked at.In the meantime, “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” is very entertaining.

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Ford has shown off the 2022 GT Alan Mann Heritage Edition, which celebrates two lightweight GT40 prototypes created by Alan Mann Racing.The special model is paint in a red with white and gold accents and the prototype’s racing number emblazoned on the bodywork. The Alan Mann Heritage Edition also features red and gold trim inside, as well as black and red Brembo brakes.The Ford GT is in its final year of production, and as the company bids adieu to its brilliant supercar, it has revealed another special Heritage Edition. The 2022 Ford GT Alan Mann Heritage Edition pays tribute to two lightweight prototype versions of the original 1966 GT40 Mk I created by Alan Mann Racing. Although neither prototype was victorious in a major race, their lightweight philosophy helped inspire the GT Mk II that famously dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
The Alan Mann Heritage Edition recalls the original AM GT-1 prototype with red exterior paint accentuated by twin gold racing stripes running the length of the car. There are also white accents adorning the hood, front fender, and rear wing, and gold “Ford” badging on a white background just ahead of the rear wheels. The AM GT-1’s racing number, 16, is found on the hood, doors, and rear wing.

The special edition GT also features exposed carbon fiber inside and out, including on the 20-inch wheels. The Brembo brake calipers are black with red accents, and the Alcantara-wrapped carbon fiber seats have red and gold stitching. Gold trim is littered throughout the interior while the paddle shifters match the red color of the exterior. The Alan Mann Heritage Edition is the latest in a line of commemorative GTs. Ford did not say how many examples will be built or how much they will cost, but a healthy increase over the standard GT’s $500,000 price is likely.
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Mini is launching three special edition models for 2023 with bold graphics and shiny metallic trims.The Resolute, Untamed, and Untold editions are available for the Cooper, Countryman, and Clubman models, respectively.The cheeky small-car brand is celebrating its 20th anniversary of U.S. sales this March.To celebrate its 20th anniversary of selling small cars in North America, Mini is readying three special-edition models that will be available for nearly its entire lineup. While 20th anniversary gifts are traditionally made of china, Mini has taken a new route and applied brass and frosted bronze accents to differentiate these special models.
The Cooper Hardtop and its convertible variant can be ordered as the Resolute Edition, which comes painted in Rebel Green with Pepper White paint for the mirror caps and roof; the convertible comes with a black cloth top. The package is also available on the electric Cooper S E hatchback, but that car eschews the gasoline-powered model’s 18-inch black wheels for a set of aerodynamic-focused 17-inchers. Hood stripes, pin-striped door-sill protectors, and yellow-and-cream tweed upholstery complete the package.
Countryman models can be had with the new Untamed Edition package, which applies a Momentum Grey exterior color that serves to highlight a bodyside graphic. Inside, a backlit panel displaying a mountain scene stretches across the dashboard and Highland Green leather upholstery graces the seats.

Perhaps the most attractive of the bunch is the Untold Edition Cooper Clubman, which wears Sage Green paint with color-matched plastic body cladding, brass-accented 18-inch wheels, and a striped hood graphic. The Clubman’s interior is decorated with Sage Green leather upholstery as well as brass-accented door sill protectors and dashboard vents.
Mini says that 60 percent of its sales are custom-built cars and hopes that these three special-edition packages will give customers even more choices. Production of these updated Minis starts in March and the company says inventory should be available at dealers in April 2022. Pricing for the Resolute Edition Mini Cooper start at $36,750 for the Hardtop and $41,250 for the convertible. The Untold Edition Clubman starts at $42,500 and the Untamed Edition Clubman starts at $42,750.
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Other Subaru Bajas have come across the pages of the Bring a Trailer auction site in the last year, but none of them as low-mileage as this one. With less than 8000 miles on the odometer, this particular Baja is basically brand-new.Except it’s not new, and that’s what’s getting people excited, a nostalgia for a time when Subaru’s part-truck, part-sedan hit the scene.The auction is currently at $17,250, well under the car’s original selling price of $23,120. The big question is where things end up over the next five days until the auction ends on Sunday, February 13.Sometimes, you can just feel automotive enthusiasts gushing over a particular vehicle that’s listed on the auction site Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—and this 2006 Subaru Baja Sport checks a lot of boxes. Quirky model from 15-plus years ago? Yep. Low mileage but in excellent condition? Check. Original documentation and CD stereo? Sign us up.

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In our review of the 2002 Baja when it was new, we noted that there are certainly some compromises with a bed this short in a sedan, but the decades have made us look at these cars with nostalgia and then some. Smaller pick-ups like the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick have recently entered the market to kind of fit in the same space as the Baja, but there’s really nothing quite like these Subarus. With a raised suspension, fog lights, and sunroof, this is a Baja that might be the closest thing that can take you back to 2006 in an instant. Just take a look at those tinted rear windows. The example for sale is painted in Atlantic Blue Pearl exterior color with lower-body cladding and a black and gray upholstered interior with front bucket seats. Five-spoke, 16-inch alloy wheels wear 225/60 Bridgestone Potenza tires.

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The 2.5-liter SOHC engine offered 165 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque when it was new, and with only 8000 miles on the odometer, there shouldn’t be too much to worry about as long as you know a mechanic who’s familiar with head gaskets. The five-speed manual transmission and all-wheel-drive capability should still offer some of the fun to whoever gets to sit behind the wheel when all is said and done.

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Bring a Trailer

Which brings us to the point that the two previous owners of this vehicle seemed not to have been very interested in sitting behind the wheel. BaT’s documents say that this Baja was originally delivered to Anchor Subaru of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, and has mostly remained in Connecticut. It was bought by a dealer in 2021 that prepped it for online auction.

BaT sold four Bajas last year, with the final prices ranging from $14,250 to $25,550. All of them had either around 50,000 or more than 100,000 miles on their odometers. This low-mileage 2006 Baja that’s currently for sale is sitting at just over $17,000 right now, but the expectation is that this vehicle’s price will climb to at least $20,000 by the time the auction ends on Sunday, February 13. The car’s original selling price was $23,120, and we feel obliged to acknowledge that there’s a reasonable chance the auction price will climb up another 10 grand or so on top of that. It’s so difficult to judge used-car prices these days, which is what makes auctions like this so fun to watch.
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Kia has shared details about the new plug-in-hybrid version of the 2023 Sportage.It comes with a larger battery and more powerful electric motor compared with the standard hybrid and promises an electric range of 32 miles.The 2023 Sportage plug-in hybrid will go on sale in the third quarter of this year.The Kia Sportage received a redesign for 2023 and is sprouting all sorts of new variants. A hybrid model was revealed a few months ago and now we have the details on the plug-in-hybrid model, which will go on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2022. It will join the Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota RAV4, and the closely related Hyundai Tucson in offering a plug-in option to compact-SUV shoppers.

Like the hybrid, the Sportage PHEV is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four and an electric motor. But the plug-in version gets a more powerful electric motor and a bigger battery pack that’s said to provide 32 miles of electric range on a full charge. Kia won’t say what the hybrid powertrain’s total output is, but we reckon it’s about the same as the Tucson PHEV and the larger Kia Sorento PHEV, both of which make 261 hp. A six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive put the Sportage plug-in’s power to the ground.
The Sportage plug-in looks pretty much the same as other Sportage models but does come standard with the X-Line appearance package that adds a few rugged-looking visual elements. It will be available in two trim levels, with the more expensive X-Line Prestige adding equipment such as a premium audio system and additional driver-assistance features.
Kia hasn’t revealed pricing for the 2023 Sportage yet, but we can assume that the plug-in hybrid will be the most expensive model in the lineup. It’ll likely start in the mid-$30,000 range when it goes on sale in the U.S. later this year.
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Chevy has given the Blazer a facelift for the 2023 model year, with a new grille and LED headlights and taillights.The Blazer also gets a slew of new paint colors and a 10.0-inch touchscreen, up from 8.0 inches.The 2023 Chevy Blazer goes on sale this summer.Earlier this year, Chevrolet announced that it will release an electric version of the Blazer in 2023. But before the crossover ditches the pump for the plug, Chevy is giving the existing Blazer a facelift for the 2023 model year, sharpening the exterior styling and modernizing the cabin with a larger touchscreen.
The visual updates for the 2023 Blazer are minor. The high-mounted LED running lights are sleeker and flow into a new grille design that is now linked to the main headlight unit via a C-shaped trim piece. Around back, the taillights gain new LED light signatures. New 18-, 20-, and 21-inch wheel designs are available and a series of new paint colors are on offer: Fountain Blue, Sterling Gray Metallic, Copper Bronze Metallic and Radiant Red Tintcoat.

Inside, all 2023 Blazers gain a 10.0-inch center screen—up 2.0 inches from the pre-facelift model—and wireless charging capability. The RS trim can also now be had with a Nightshift Blue interior. The Blazer continues to be offered with the choice of a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, producing 228 horsepower, or a 3.6-liter V-6 making 308 hp. Both engines are still paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and either front- or all-wheel drive will be offered.The 2023 Blazer will be available this summer. Pricing will be revealed closer to the on-sale date, but we don’t expect it to change much from the current Blazer’s price that ranges from $34,595 to $45,195.
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More than two years after showing the concept, Alfa Romeo has finally unveiled the 2023 Tonale SUV.The Tonale is the first Alfa Romeo that will be offered with a plug-in-hybrid powertrain. It will also come with a nonhybrid 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four.The Tonale goes on sale in the first quarter of 2023, with order books opening late this year and pricing information still to come.The 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale is finally here. We first saw the Tonale as a concept back in 2019, but extra development for its gas-electric drivetrain and the chip shortage in 2021 delayed its debut. Now Alfa Romeo has finally presented the production version of its second SUV, which slots in below the Stelvio and becomes the first Alfa Romeo to feature a plug-in-hybrid powertrain.

Alfa Romeo

The 2023 Tonale will be offered with two powertrains. The headlining act is the new plug-in-hybrid setup, which pairs a 180-horsepower turbocharged 1.3-liter inline-four powering the front wheels with a 121-hp electric motor mounted on the rear axle. The system sends a combined output of 272 horsepower to all four wheels, and the electric motor draws its juice from a 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery. The Tonale PHEV uses a six-speed automatic transmission and Alfa Romeo promises over 30 miles of electric driving range. The Tonale PHEV will feature three driving modes: Natural, which blends the engine and electric motor for everyday driving; Advanced Efficiency, meant for pure electric travel; and Dynamic, for maximum performance from both the engine and e-motor. Along with the plug-in model, Tonale buyers will be able to choose a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. This engine produces a healthy 256 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The nonhybrid Tonale will also come standard with all-wheel drive. Alfa Romeo promises that the Tonale will have the athletic driving dynamics that we’ve come to expect from the brand. Along with a quick 13.6:1 steering ratio, the Tonale features an independent suspension front and rear with optional adaptive dampers that can be set to Comfort or Sport. Stylistically, the Tonale stays true to the concept, with thin headlights featuring three U-shaped LED elements framing the traditional Alfa Romeo grille. The rear features a trendy full-width taillight that echoes the three-piece lightning motif from the front. The Tonale measures 178.3 inches long, making it a few inches longer than a BMW X1 but still over six inches shorter than an X3.

Alfa Romeo

Inside, the Tonale features a 10.3-inch center touchscreen running Stellantis’ Uconnect 5 infotainment system and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and wireless phone charging will be standard, and Uconnect 5 includes Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant. The Alfa Connect app will allow owners to start and stop the engine and lock and unlock the doors remotely, among other functions, and the Tonale will also be able to receive over-the-air updates.Alfa Romeo says the Tonale will be the first vehicle to come with a NFT digital certificate, which will record vehicle data throughout the car’s life cycle and act as a certificate that the Tonale has been correctly maintained and serviced. Alfa Romeo claims it will benefit the car’s residual value and help future owners buying on the used market know what they’re getting into. Alfa Romeo did acknowledge that that NFT will not keep a record if you decide to do maintenance yourself.

The Tonale is also equipped with standard safety tech including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency braking. A Traffic Jam Assist feature will be able to steer and adjust the speed of the vehicle on the highway.The Tonale will come in three trim levels—Sprint, Ti, and Veloce—and will go on sale in the first quarter of 2023. Order books open in the fourth quarter of this year, and we expect it to start around $38,000. The Tonale is the first of many electrified Alfa Romeos, with the Italian automaker announcing a car with hybrid and full-electric powertrains coming in 2024 before a dedicated EV arrives in 2025.
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