Motor News

First run in 1923, the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans in France is the world’s greatest sports-car race. On the famous Mulsanne straight, the fastest cars top 200 mph.In 2021, the race takes place August 21–22. Sixty-two cars started the race on Saturday, August 21, at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. Eastern time, for U.S. viewers), with fans in attendance limited to 50,000 instead of the usual quarter-million.The 24 Hours of Le Mans is auto racing’s Boston Marathon, a brutal test of endurance where competitors race stunningly fast cars for 24 straight hours at speeds that can exceed 200 mph on the fastest section of the incredibly long 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe road course. The race is a punishing test that pushes driver and machine to their limits—and sometimes beyond. Here’s everything you need to know to make sense of the race, which takes the green flag on Saturday, August 21.What is it? The 89th running of the world’s most prestigious sports-car race, which lasts (as its name makes clear) for 24 hours.When is the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans? August 21–22, starting at 9 a.m. Eastern time.How to watch? Live online at the Motor Trend on-demand website (paywall) or the Motor Trend cable-TV channel; excerpts on the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) YouTube channel. Or watch a live feed from inside one of the participating cars, including the Glickenhaus entry in the new Hypercar class, on YouTube.Or follow the live blog covering all the action from our friends at Road & Track.
This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Where is the 24 Hours of Le Mans held? Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France.What time does it start? Coverage begins at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time, with the race starting at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time (3:00 p.m. local time).History, hellish events, and high speeds are the key ingredients that make the 24 Hours of Le Mans the world’s greatest sports-car race. It is both famous and infamous for the triumphs and tragedies that have occurred there. Started in 1923 as a showcase for car manufacturers to prove the durability of their vehicles in competition, it has evolved into a high-speed chess match among top professional racing teams where strategy, teamwork, and great driving skill are as important as a car’s reliability and technological edge.The race is staged annually, normally in mid-June (but these are not normal times), by the French sanctioning organization Automobile Club de l’Ouest. Four classes of cars compete side by side, which can make the racing confusing, but a team of knowledgeable TV commentators keeps the action sorted out for you. Le Mans is part of the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes long-distance races in nine countries. Through the years, automobile manufacturers including Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Toyota, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Chevrolet have invested tens of millions in their race teams with the hope of taking the winner’s laurels and basking in the marketing glory a win confers.The top two classes, LMP1 and LMP2, are made up of purpose-built race cars that can cost millions and are supported by large crews of engineers and technicians. The cars look like four-wheeled fighter jets and employ advanced aerodynamics to suck them to the track, which enables astounding speed in the corners. The current rules encourage teams to race gasoline-electric hybrids, and last year’s winning car, Toyota’s TS050 LMP1, utilized that technology to make a claimed 986 horsepower. LMP2 cars are similar but less complex, are powered by conventional gasoline engines, and are not quite as fast as the LMP1s.About two-thirds of the field is composed of the other two classes competing in the race, the GT, or grand touring, cars: GTE-Pro and GTE-Am. These classes are based on highly modified versions of production-line sports cars with recognizable names and shapes from makers such as Ferrari, Porsche, Chevrolet, Ford, and Audi. They have about 500 horsepower, and the infighting is fierce as these cars battle for position and class wins while trying to stay out of the way of the flying prototypes. As their names imply, GTE-Pro is for full-time professional drivers and manufacturer teams, while GTE-Am is for amateur drivers and private teams. This year’s new Hypercar class promises to add interest and could make some fresh history.All teams must rotate three drivers through the car during the race, with no one driver behind the wheel for more than a total of 14 hours. Driver changes happen in conjunction with pit stops for fuel and fresh tires.History runs deep at the Circuit de la Sarthe, the name of the 8.5-mile temporary course that roars to life in the sleepy French countryside every June. The original race was run entirely on local roads, but for reasons of safety it now combines sections of public road knitted together with stretches of purpose-built racetrack. The famous Mulsanne straight, part of the original track, is still in use. One of the world’s longest racing straightaways at 3.7 miles, it’s actually a public road, French route départementale D338, except for those few days each year when it is closed down for the 24-hour event. Another tradition: the race cars undergo one of their several technical inspections in the Le Mans town square, where they can be viewed up close by the general public. And the spraying of champagne after a race win? That was started at Le Mans as well, by American Dan Gurney after winning the 1967 race.Racing dynasties have flourished and faded across the 86 years the event has run—it was canceled for 10 years during World War II and in 1936 because of strikes across France. Bentley and Alfa Romeo both made their early reputations with four consecutive wins each in the 1930s. Jaguar and Ferrari dominated the 1950s and 1960s. Henry Ford II’s personal rivalry with Enzo Ferrari resulted in his company deciding to build the Ford GT40, which defeated Ferrari in four straight Le Mans races from 1966 through 1969. Porsche was the dominant force in the 1980s, and Audi prototypes notched an amazing 13 wins between 2000 and 2014.Along with racing triumphs, the race has been the scene of tragedies. The worst of them occurred during the 1955 event, when a Mercedes 300SLR race car crashed at high speed on the front straight, launching flaming parts into the crowd and killing 83 spectators. It remains the worst auto-racing accident in history. As a result, automobile racing was temporarily banned in several European countries. Major safety improvements were made to the Circuit de la Sarthe in the wake of the 1955 event; numerous safety upgrades for both spectators and the racers have been implemented in the decades since. Race cars were already reaching speeds in excess of 225 mph on the Mulsanne by the early 1970s, so a pair of tight zigzag chicanes were added partway down the straight to bring speeds down. Despite the changes, the fastest of today’s race cars will still top 200 mph on the Mulsanne. And that can still mean trouble, as when driver Peter Dumbreck’s Mercedes race car flipped into the trees in 1999; he somehow escaped without major injury.The danger and excitement of 1970s-era Le Mans competition was captured for the silver screen by racer/actor Steve McQueen in his movie Le Mans. And a recent tribute video of the Le Mans event brings McQueen’s spare depiction up to date by evoking the romance that is the Le Mans 24 Hours. Here’s a preview of what you’ll see in the 2021 race.
This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

type=’text’ question=’Are you planning to follow the 24 Hours of Le Mans?’ answer1=’I’ll be in front of the TV with snacks and drinks all night.’ answer2=’Not my cup of tea.’][/poll]

Favorite Car Products

Digital Tire Gauge By Accutire

Accutire
autobarn.net

$10.95

Wash Wax ALL Waterless Car Wash

Wash Wax ALL
amazon.com

$9.95

West Leathers Car Seat Covers

West Leathers
amazon.com

Rust-Oleum 261845 EpoxyShield Garage Floor Coating

Rust-Oleum
amazon.com

$174.99

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

CarInsurance.org found that the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray were the biggest gainers last month, topping the list of used cars with prices above new-car MSRP.Using different metrics, iSeeCars recently found that the Kia Telluride, GMC Sierra 1500, and Toyota Tacoma were the top three used cars that cost more than new versions.The2020 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid had a starting MSRP of $29,470, but every example available on Edmunds right now costs more than that, with some base models daring to have a $35,000-plus asking price.New and used vehicle prices are not following the traditional rules these days. The average new-car price hit $41,044 in July, a jump of 17 percent over the year before and, more important, the highest average ever recorded, according to data from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive Forecast. Meanwhile, the confluence of COVID-19, semiconductor chip shortages, and the resulting manufacturing delays has meant that you can’t necessarily find the new car you want when you want it. So demand for used cars has become so great that sellers can practically write their own prices—and they’re doing just that.[editoriallinks id=’163b21fc-5d5c-469c-acbb-1c2456c7519b’ align=’left’][/editoriallinks] Take the 2020 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid in base LE trim, for example. The popular and fuel-efficient small SUV had an official starting MSRP of $29,470, including Toyota’s $1120 delivery fee. But if you were to look at the used listings on Edmunds.com for a 2020 RAV4 Hybrid, you will not find any that are listed below that price. Every one of the 38 used 2020 RAV4 Hybrids currently for sale cost more than the vehicle did when it was new, with many of them featuring an asking price well above $35,000. The price of a new 2021 RAV4 starts at $30,115, including the $1215 delivery fee.CarInsurance.org took a look at Edmunds data to find the vehicles with the biggest delta between their 2020 MSRP and their current highest used car asking prices. The group found that the 10 most popular used cars had a price that was, on average, $7557 higher compared to their new purchase price. Percentage-wise, the RAV4 Hybrid had the largest price increase at $10,493, representing a jump of 37 percent, the group said. The second-highest increase was found in the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, which jumped up 28 percent, or $22,865. [image id=’ba693fa7-5f59-4607-b575-bdc4e1d44bea’ mediaId=’14169c4f-37d6-4f96-a17a-820e260cf849′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=’2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. ‘ expand=” crop=’18×11′][/image]Chevrolet kept the official MSRP for the brand’s first ever production mid-engine Corvette the same for the 2021 model year as it was for 2020, which means the Stingray costs $60,995 for the coupe and $68,495 for the convertible, including Chevy’s $1095 destination fees. Looking at the actual prices for vehicles available today, there are more than 500 of the 2020 Stingray available on Edmunds, and the lowest-priced one costs $87,500. Sure, that particular example comes with the $1195 Performance Exhaust option, but that doesn’t begin to explain the almost $20,000 price difference.Whatever the exact price increases are for a model you might be interested in, used cars that cost more than new versions are becoming a bit of a trend. Last month, iSeeCars looked at the differences between prices of 2019–2020 model used cars and 2020–2021 model new cars. After analyzing 470,000 listings, the difference between the two groups was just 3.1 percent, down from a 10.8 percent difference in November 2020. iSeeCars found 16 models that cost more used than new, with the Kia Telluride, GMC Sierra 1500, and Toyota Tacoma leading the pack.[poll id=’5f9b409b-253e-4655-a332-a6180923454e_6a0e50dca37b8′ type=’text’ question=’Time to sell that used car?’ answer1=’Already on it.’ answer2=’I’m not ready or don’t want to sell, thanks.’][/poll]
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Ford announced this evening that it will make the Bronco available in three new color choices for 2022, while retiring others from the 2021 list. One of them is Eruption Green, a deep forest green shade inspired by the 1970s Bronco’s Mallard Green color.The other is Hot Pepper Red Metallic, with Base and Big Bend models getting Cyber Orange as an additional new choice.Ford announced that it is rolling out new color choices for its still new Bronco SUV, while retiring some other colors that were on the 2021 list.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

The new colors will go into production in December, Ford said via the “enthusiast community” Bronco Nation. They are Eruption Green (pictured), which Ford said is inspired by the 1973 Bronco’s Mallard Green shade, and Hot Pepper Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat. These will be available on all trim levels of the 2022 Bronco. Cyber Orange will be a new option on Base and Big Bend trim levels. Meanwhile, Antimatter Blue, Lightning Blue Metallic, and Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat are going away after the 2021 model year.

The automaker will be showing these off during the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit this weekend in its “Bronco Corral.” And if you want to get an up-close look at a Bronco, you may need to visit that corral, because the wildly popular new SUV has been plagued by production delays and problems with its roof.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

During its AI Day event, Tesla showed an animated video rendering of a car equipped with its self-driving technology navigating traffic and making turns without prompting from the human in the driver’s seat, presumably as a promise for technology to come. The company also showed off a proprietary microchip designed to run the supercomputer, called Dojo, that Tesla uses for all of its cars’ self-driving functions.Toward the end of the event, Musk stood on stage with a dancer wearing a robot costume as he claimed Tesla is going to build a humanoid robot prototype by next year.Tesla held an event in Palo Alto, California, on Thursday evening designed to show off the potential of the brand’s autonomous vehicle and artificial intelligence technology. The event, called AI Day, was similar in concept to Tesla’s Battery Day last fall, though this AI event was perhaps more focused on recruiting new engineers than impressing investors and the public.
This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

During the event, which is available to view on Tesla’s YouTube channel, Tesla showed footage of its self-driving software in action, made big promises about future improvements to the technology, and promised to develop a prototype of a humanoid robot within the next year. All against the backdrop of a new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into 11 incidents in which Teslas have crashed into parked emergency vehicles while the Teslas had either the Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control features engaged.

Tesla via YouTube

The day started off with a video rendering of a Tesla navigating traffic, intersections, and other obstacles without guidance from the human driver. From there, Tesla’s AI experts delved into detailed explanations of how Tesla’s computers parse information from the self-driving system’s cameras. Tesla has somewhat controversially chosen to use only information from cameras to inform its cars’ driver assistance features. Many driver assistance systems use cameras in tandem with radar or lidar sensors.Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the hardware currently available in Teslas is capable of being “at least 200 percent to 300 percent better” than a human driver, and that a new hardware setup will be even more proficient. Musk said the new hardware is slated to debut in the Cybertruck “in a year or so,” giving us our first hint of when Tesla’s pickup might hit the roads after its production timeline was quietly pushed back earlier this month.All of that capability will rely on Tesla’s supercomputer, called Dojo, and the proprietary microchip Tesla has developed to run said supercomputer. Tesla developed its own chip partly in hopes of avoiding the kind of supply-chain problems that have regularly forced automakers to pause new car production over the course of the last year. Musk said on an earnings call earlier this year that Tesla engineers had to rewrite their own software so it would function on the alternate microchips Tesla sourced when its preferred chips were unavailable.At the conclusion of the event, just before the question and answer session during which he referenced his “alien dreadnought” factory concept, Elon Musk appeared on stage with a dancer in a robot costume and announced that Tesla is working on a humanoid robot prototype that will be able to deadlift 150 pounds and run at 5 mph. Musk promised the robot would be friendly, but also said it was designed so that humans would be able to overpower it and outrun it. Maybe Musk is in better shape than the rest of us, but we’d be more comfortable with a robot that can’t run at all.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Chevy has confirmed that the new Corvette Z06 will debut October 26.The 2023 Corvette Z06 will have a flat-plane-crank V-8 engine with over 600 horsepower.This camouflaged photo and accompanying video marks our first official look at the car, other than spy photos.The new 2023 Corvette Z06 is right around the corner, as Chevy has confirmed that it will make its debut October 26. We also now have our first official photo of the car, courtesy of this image showing a camouflaged Z06 next to the C8.R race car. A teaser video also shows the Z06 prototype testing at various racetracks in Europe, including the Nürburgring and the Circuit de la Sarthe, where the C8.R will be competing in the 24 hours of Le Mans.
This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

We expect the Z06 to share its engine with the race version of the mid-engine C8 Corvette, which has a 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V-8. The production model is expected to make upwards of 600 horsepower and use a dual-clutch automatic transmission.Earlier spy photos and videos of the Z06 testing have given us a good idea of what the car looks and sounds like, and we’re excited to hear the full details when the reveal takes place in a few months.

This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Monterey Car Week recently concluded with its traditional finale, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. If vintage cars were Greek gods, Pebble Beach would be Mt. Olympus but even more exclusive. This week’s challenge was to find a car made in the past ten years that could earn a spot on the Pebble lawn 50 years from now. The budget: $150,000.Fresh off a win last week, Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman wanted to make it two on the trot. Instead, he pulled up way short of the west coast green—like, in Bowling Green, Kentucky—in a Chevrolet Corvette Z06. The American coupe wore a magnetic red hue, but Pearley had a lot of convincing to do to make the car itself anywhere near as attractive. Contributor Jonathon Ramsey chose a first-gen, special-edition Porsche Boxster Spyder. He argued its connection to the vintage Porsche 550 Spyder—a shoo-in for Pebble Beach—would make the Spyder a lock for the lawn in five decades. The judges cross-examined his arguments with questions about the Spyder’s fiddly manual roof, loud exhaust, and a driver’s seat that might have been trampled by elephants.Senior editor Elana Scherr tried to turn the judges green with envy or British Racing fever with a Lotus Evora 400. Calling out the English coachwork wrapped around a Toyota engine, she drew a line from her Lotus back to 1960s Italian coachbuilt cars like the Iso Grifo, another Pebble favorite. The Evora is a wonderful car to drive, the question is whether Lotus tuned it to conquer Window Shop as easily as it conquers B-roads.Deputy testing director K.C. Colwell followed Ramsey over from Germany, carrying the keys to a first-generation Audi R8 V-8. Colwell tried to sell the R8’s timeless design and marvelous powertrain in the kind of sports car we’ll never see again. But the R8 is a bit more common than the typical Pebble Beach showstopper—not hard to do with all the one-offs on the lawn, admittedly—and it’s a shame about that understeer. . .Deputy editor Tony Quiroga surprised everyone, rolling silently through the back gate with a Cadillac ELR. Pitching the electric car’s concept looks and, well, not much else—something about the leather, maybe?—the ELR struggled as much here as it did on the showroom floor. Tune in for talk of judges, Maaco, Earl Scheib, seersucker suits, iron lungs, and Pearley’s warm goodbye to the best dog ever, Alabama.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

The 2022 Ford Explorer lineup is changing a bit for 2022.An ST-Line appearance package is new, as is a rear-wheel-drive ST.The 2022 Explorer will be reaching dealerships by the end of the year.Ford is making some changes to the Explorer SUV’s lineup for 2022, with a particular emphasis on the sporty ST treatment. An ST-Line appearance package is new for the base four-cylinder model, while the V-6–powered, full-bore ST is now available with rear-wheel drive. The ST-Line starts at $45,845 while the RWD ST starts at $48,420, $2000 lower than the AWD model.

Like the similar package available on the Edge, the ST-Line is meant to look like the 400-hp ST, but comes with the same 300-hp turbo 2.3-liter four and standard suspension setup as other base Explorers. It has 20-inch wheels, a black grille, different badges, and dual exhaust tips outside, and red stitching and some other trim changes inside.
The Explorer King Ranch and Platinum models get the ST’s uprated twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 with 400 horsepower; they previously had a version of this engine with 365 hp. Two new colors join the lineup—Stone Blue and Burgundy Velvet—and there are some other minor equipment changes.The base price for the 2022 Ford Explorer sits at $34,345; in addition to the aformentioned trim levels, the XLT, Limited, and off-road-oriented Timberline models continue for the new model year. Ford says the 2022 Explorer will be reaching dealerships by the end of the year.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Ford is adding an Ice White Edition appearance package to the Mustang and Mustang Mach-E for the 2022 model year.The package brings white exterior paint, unique wheels with white-painted inserts, and white and gray trim to the interiors.Both special editions will arrive early next year, limited to the Premium model on the Mach-E and the EcoBoost and GT Premium coupes for the Mustang.The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a hot commodity. The electric crossover, which we named our 2021 EV of the Year, has sold nearly 16,000 units through July of this year, easily beating other new electric vehicles from legacy automakers like the Volkswagen ID.4. Now Ford is seeking to capitalize on the Mach-E’s success with a new special edition, the Ice White Edition appearance package. Ford will also give the same makeover to the Mustang sports car, which has so far not been able to match its 2020 sales figures.

For the Mustang Mach-E, the Ice White Edition appearance package will only be available on the Premium model, and it brings a Star White Metallic Tri-Coat paint finish along with matching mirror caps and wheel arch moldings. The pony badges, which have given the electric crossover instant brand recognition, are painted Oxford White, as are pockets of the unique 19-inch aluminum wheels. Inside, the seats, center console, and door-panel armrests are all finished in Light Space Gray, while there is Bright Silver on the dashboard and another Oxford White Mustang badge on the steering wheel.
The Mustang sports car, meanwhile, has a history with white-on-white packages. In 1993, Ford built 1500 Triple White feature Mustang convertibles, but the 2022 Ice White Edition represents the first time a coupe is getting the white-on-white treatment. The appearance package will come on EcoBoost and GT Premium coupe models and adds Oxford White bodywork along with special 19-inch wheels with Oxford White-painted sections. The Mustang logos and fender badges are also Oxford White, and Ford says the taillights are “iced out” as well. The interior continues the theme with Oxford White leather seat inserts and door panels, while aluminum trim adorns the center console, door panels, and headrests.
Both the Mustang Mach-E and Mustang coupe will arrive at dealerships with the Ice White Edition package early next year, with order books for the Mach-E Ice White Edition opening in the fall. Ford didn’t specify whether orders for the white-on-white Mustang coupe will open in advance of sales, and no pricing information was revealed.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More