Motor News

Aston Martin is set to reveal a Valkyrie roadster at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, showing a teaser image of a Valkyrie with no roof and scissor doors.The Valhalla, which comes with a twin-turbo AMG-sourced V-8, will have its North American debut at the show, and Aston Martin conformed a limited production of 999 units.Aston Martin is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its first North American sale, and is building a 11,300-square-foot space overlooking the Pebble Beach Golf Links for the the event.Aston Martin is having a big year. The British sports car marque has joined Formula 1 after rebranding the Racing Point team part-owned by executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, launched a new AMG-powered Valhalla, and, as we recently reported, slashed its pretax losses thanks to the success of the new DBX SUV. Now Aston Martin is planning a reveal at the upcoming Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which gets underway next week.

Aston Martin

The biggest debut is a new vehicle that Aston Martin says will “extends the company’s performance credentials a step further.” Although the company didn’t specify the model, the teaser image provided shows what appears to be an Valkyrie roadster. In the photo, we can see the seat headrests poking up behind the top edge of the windshield and scissors doors rather the roof-mounted gullwing doors on the Valkyrie coupe. Aston Martin has yet to reveal whether this convertible Valkyrie will have a removable roof or if it will be permanently open to the elements. The hypercar is set to be revealed August 12 at a private event before going on display for the Concours on August 13.

The recently-unveiled Valhalla, which sits below the Valkyrie (but should still cost north of $1 million), will also have its North American debut at the Concours, and Aston Martin confirmed that the Valhalla will be limited to 999 units over two years of production. Aston Martin is using the show to celebrate the 70th anniversary of selling its first vehicle in the American market, as the company says that around a quarter of all Aston Martins built to date were first sold in North America and that the Americas still make up about 30 percent of Aston Martin’s annual global sales.
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Lincoln and Detroit-based luxury retailer Shinola have collaborated on a one-off concept Aviator SUV for this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.The concept incorporates several of Shinola’s design motifs and the result is eye-catching.It’s merely a design study, but we think Lincoln and Shinola should put this Aviator into production.For this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Lincoln will show off an Aviator concept developed in conjunction with luxury leather and watch retailer Shinola. The two Detroit-based brands appear to be a natural fit for such a collaboration, with the Aviator’s already luxurious interior getting a glow up that includes new leather and suede seats, copper accents, and a woven metal mesh trim on the instrument panel and center console. What’s curiously left out is a Shinola-branded dashboard clock.

The rich-looking caramel leather and cream-colored suede inserts on the seats are accented with a stylized stripe down the center, a popular Shinola design. Lincoln designers are notorious for loving a blue-themed interior, so they took some liberty and added a blue accent to the stripe. The concept’s exterior is rendered in a white color that’s intended to evoke the same pearly finish as one of Shinola’s mother of pearl watch faces. The light hue is accented by a copper-colored grille and rose-gold wheels.
We think Lincoln should also include a set of matching leather and suede luggage for the cargo area, but, alas, you can’t have it all. Lincoln says this is simply a design study for now, but we wouldn’t be shocked to see a limited-production special-edition model appear at some point in the future.
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For the next episode of Inside Track, Road & Track’s virtual Q&A series, Hearst Autos chief brand officer Eddie Alterman is sitting down with Donald Osborne, classic-car historian, appraiser, and CEO of Audrain, to chat about the beauty, value, and importance of vintage automobiles. A regular on CNBC’s Jay Leno’s Garage, Osborne has a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with fellow enthusiasts.It’s all happening on Tuesday, August 3, at noon ET (9:00 a.m. PT).Register Here Osborne will be discussing his career path, beginning as an opera singer, moving into advertising and TV production, and ultimately becoming the go-to person for high-end vehicle appraisals. He’ll also discuss his regular appearances on Jay Leno’s Garage as well as his latest venture as CEO of Audrain (which encompasses the Audrain Automobile Museum, Audrain’s Newport Concours d’Elegance & Motor Week, and Audrain Motorsport – Consulting & Appraisal for collector vehicles). If you want to see it all go down, head over to the sign-up page here. Inside Track is one of Road & Track’s many offerings as part of the newly revamped magazine. They’re hosting live events, virtual experiences, and adventures around the globe. They will also be hosting driving rallies at racetracks and on the most epic roads, holding discussions and debates on cool topics with some of the most influential people in the car world, and giving you the white-glove treatment at concours and auto-show events.Register Here To get in on the fun, become a member of The Track Club. You’ll get every issue of Road & Track, plus a whole lot more. Find more details on the membership tiers and exclusive discounts at roadandtrack.com/join, and check out the full experiences lineup at experiences.roadandtrack.com.This content was provided by the Road & Track marketing team.

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Bring a Trailer is auctioning this 2007 BMW Z4 M coupe, which the seller modified for off-road duty after purchasing it last year.The seller resprayed the Z4 in satin black and added a custom suspension, bumpers, tires, roof rack, and hatch as well as two sets of auxiliary lights.Bidding is currently at $15,000 with four days left. The car comes with a clean Virginia title, but there is inconsistency reported with the odometer, which reads 150,000 miles.A 2007 BMW Z4 M coupe probably isn’t the first car that comes to mind when you hear the term “off-roader,” but this “safari style” Z4 is the latest in a lengthy history of sports cars going off the beaten, and paved, path. Lancia pioneered the all-terrain sports car when it took the Stratos rallying back in the 1970s, and Porsche tried its hand by entering the 953, a modified 911, and the 959 into the Paris-Dakar Rally. More recently, a Dutch dealership called Classic Youngtimers Consultancy turned a Nissan GT-R, Bentley Continental, and Lamborghini Gallardo into off-roaders, and this customized Z4 M, which is for sale on the Bring a Trailer auction site, is in a similar vein to the creations of Classic Youngtimers.

Bring a Trailer

According to the listing, the 2007 Z4 M was bought by the seller last year before it was converted to “Safari” spec. Repainted in satin black, the Z4 M received modified fenders and bumpers to fit the 17-inch Black Rhino wheels and chunky 235/65 Toyo Open Country A/T tires. The seller also attached four circular Baja Design rally lights above the kidney grilles and strapped a 40-inch Aurora LED light bar to the unique roof rack. The most drastic visual changes are around back, where the rear hatch was redesigned to fit two protruding spare tires.

Under the hood, the 3.2-liter S54 inline-six was left mostly stock, meaning it churns out a healthy 330 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. However, the Z4 M was given a custom adjustable Ground Control suspension and an aftermarket skid plate for handling bumpy, rocky trails. The black leather interior was also relatively untouched, and includes a three-spoke M-branded steering wheel, a CD player, and automatic climate control. Bidding for the 2007 Z4 M Safari currently sits at $15,000, but there are still four days remaining on the auction. The car comes with a Carfax report and a clean Virginia title, although there are apparently some discrepancies with the odometer, which shows 150,000 miles.
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We are programmed by nature to acquire, which is one reason selling is so much less fun than buying. But almost all automotive love affairs end, and selling a car online painlessly and for the highest price takes some planning and effort. Look at it this way: The extra hour you spend taking good pictures and writing a thorough description for a sales site may net you another $1000 or more. Not bad for an hour’s labor.

Step 1: Pick the right sales venue.You’d no more list a ’96 Mustang on Hemmings than you would a Bugatti Veyron on Craigslist—unless you wanted to be called by 15,000 bored teenagers. All online classified sites have their weaknesses: eBay’s relentless countdown clock seems to make idiots out of some bidders, who ultimately back out; Cars.com and AutoTrader.com charge and mix you in with a lot of dealer ads; and Craigslist’s free ads mean you’re lost in a tsunami of daily listings. In general, if you are a gambler who abhors personal contact, eBay is for you. If you don’t live in paranoid fear of the public, then Craigslist is a perfect, no-cost outlet. The other sites lie somewhere in between.

Step 2: Take at least 30 pictures.Good pictures sell cars. Make sure you get all four sides and the roof, and don’t forget the engine, the interior, the odometer, and even the undercarriage. Nobody wants to buy a car covered in cat prints and gardening crap from a dark garage. Drag it out, clean it, and shoot it. Even better, shoot it in the “sweet light” of a nice evening.

Step 3: Write a description.“Runs xlnt” won’t cut it. Say how long you’ve had it, what work you’ve done, what’s good about it, and also what’s bad. Be honest; the more flaws you include, the more the buyer will trust that you’re not completely clueless or hiding a disaster.

Step 4: Set a price.eBay’s own research shows that low reserves produce higher sale prices, because once the reserve is met, the bidding takes off. So be brave and don’t use a reserve, or set the reserve at the lowest rock-bottom sum you’ll accept. On a fixed-price site like Craigslist, research what other people are asking for similar cars.

Step 5: Sell!Put your phone number in the ad. The NSA already has it and nobody else cares. If you are fearful of spam bots, spell it out this way: 55five1two1two. If you’re selling on Craigslist, post the ad on Thursday so it’s not lost in a billion other ads when the weekend arrives. If you’re selling through eBay, end the auction on Sunday evening, when people are sitting around with nothing better to do than look at cars online. Be available to answer your phone, and when the sale is done, be kind to your fellow man and pull down the ad immediately. Then start looking for a new car.Gettin’ PaidNot everybody is willing to carry thousands of dollars into a stranger’s house, so reasonable sellers accept checks, though not personal checks. Demand a certified or cashier’s check. Also be sure to document the transaction. A bill of sale need not be complicated, but it should be dated and signed by both parties. Include the sales price and VIN and keep this with a copy of the check. If you’re signing over a title, fill it out completely and make a copy, or accompany the purchaser to the DMV. This paperwork will be useful if the buyer turns out to be a parking scofflaw, drug dealer, or some other deadbeat who “forgot” to register the vehicle and it later turns up in a police investigation. Yes, you should be this paranoid. Before handing over the keys, at the very least make sure you have the buyer’s full name, address, and a phone number, and make a copy of his or her driver’s license.Buy It Now

Carla Richmond Coffing

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The Chevy COPO Camaro, a dedicated drag-racing special, returns for the 2022 model year and will be offered with three engines.A 572-cubic-inch (9.4-liter) big block V-8 is available, along with two small block V-8s, a 580-hp 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) unit and a 470-hp 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) motor.The 572 option starts at $105,500, while the naturally aspirated 427 will cost $117,500 and the supercharged 350 will set you back $130,000.A recent report suggested that the current sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro could be replaced by an electric performance sedan in the near future, but before the Camaro ditches fossil fuels, Chevy has taken its muscle car to the extreme with the new 2022 COPO Camaro drag-racing special. Back in the late 1960s, Chevy had a system called Central Office Production Order (COPO) which allowed dealerships to order cars and trucks with non-standard colors or features. The purpose of COPO was for speciality vehicles for fleet customers, like trucking companies or police departments, but some savvy dealers who were passionate about drag-racing utilized COPO to create purpose-built dragsters. Chevy revived the COPO name in 2012 and has built speciality drag-racing Camaros every year since.

Chevrolet

For 2022, the COPO Camaro is available with a gigantic 572-cubic-inch (9.4 liter) big-block V-8, which Chevy says “channels the spirit of the original 1969 COPO Camaro.” Chevy didn’t reveal horsepower figures for the 572, but said that it uses a cast-iron block with aluminum heads, a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, and forged aluminum pistons. Chevy will also offer the COPO Camaro with two LS-based small block V-8s: a supercharged 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) unit rated by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) at 580 horsepower and a naturally aspirated 427-cubic-inch (7.0 liter) engine with 470 horsepower. All three engines are mated to an ATI Racing Products TH400 three-speed automatic transmission sending power exclusively to the rear wheels.

The COPO Camaro is not street legal but does qualify to race in NHRA Stock and Super Stock eliminators. All COPO Camaros feature a carbon fiber hood and wheelie bars, while a trunk-mounted weight box and parachute are optional. In the past, Chevy limited production of COPO Camaros to 69 units per year (mimicking the production run of the original 1969 COPO Camaro) and had customers enter a lottery, but Chevy won’t restrict production of this 2022 model and will sell it on a first-come, first-serve basis. The 572 COPO Camaro starts at $105,500, while the 427 starts at $117,500 and the 350 starts at $130,000. Customers are told to “see your dealer” about tax, registration, and destination charge. Buyers can submit an order form online and can receive a private tour of the COPO Build Facility in Oxford, Michigan, with their new drag-racing Camaro.
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In this week’s episode of Window Shop with Car and Driver, we look for vehicles that we think will survive a demolition derby. While the regulars have certainly crashed cars before, they didn’t do it on purpose—or so they say. For an expert opinion, we invited contributor Derek Powell, who has competed in numerous demo derbies over the past two decades and has a rather garish trophy to prove it. Powell gets the show rolling with a car he’s taken to victory: the Lincoln Mark V. With bodywork drawn using a T-square, massive overhangs, and a well-protected radiator, this car can withstand a lot of abuse. Powell also gives us some pointers on how to win. Next up, senior editor Elana Scherr surprises us with a Rolls Royce. The pick is a controversial one, but Scherr makes a strong case for the outrageousness of repeatedly crashing a Rolls. The conversation turns to all of the valuable things you can sell off this car as you prepare it for gladiatorial glory or death. In much the same vein, contributor Jonathon Ramsey selects a remarkably clean but high-mileage Mercedes-Benz S-class of the W126 vintage. Ramsey’s battle cruiser looks far too nice to send to automotive Valhalla, but the showmanship can’t be denied. Following Ramsey is Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman, who presents a late-model Lincoln Town Car. The Lincoln certainly has its advantages, but the crew is a bit bored by the thought of seeing a Town Car smashed to bits. Deputy editor Tony Quiroga’s choice isn’t quite as exciting as some of the other contestants, but this car’s four-wheel-drive system raises some questions about what’s allowed to run in a demo derby. Come voting time, we argue about style over substance and whose car will be talked about after the derby ends. We also get so nostalgic for the celebrity demo derbies covered by ABC’s Wide World of Sports, we start watching a video of one from 1976.

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Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that the EQE will debut at the Munich (formerly Frankfurt) auto show this September, releasing a teaser image of a sedan that looks like a shrunken version of the range-topping EQS sedan.The first EV from the performance-oriented AMG division will also be revealed in Munich and will likely be based on the EQS.Mercedes will also reveal a Maybach concept at the show, which is expected to be the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV that was teased at a recent press conference.Mercedes-Benz has been on an electric-vehicle offensive this year, unveiling the subcompact EQA crossover, the slightly boxier EQB crossover, and the opulent, top-of-the-line EQS sedan. The German luxury marque is showing no signs of slowing down, announcing today that it will bring a slew of new electric-vehicle debuts to the 2021 IAA, Germany’s international auto show, being held in Munich for the first time after being hosted by Frankfurt since 1951.

Mercedes-Benz

According to the Mercedes announcement, two of the new EVs are set to be production-spec vehicles. The first will be the new EQE, seen in the shadowy teasers provided by Mercedes. The EQE will sit beneath the EQS in the Mercedes lineup and, as the name suggests, is effectively an E-class-size electric sedan. From the teaser, the EQE appears to have a similar jellybean shape to the larger EQS as well as smooth bodywork and a full-width taillight. The interior teaser shows ambient lighting, a digital instrument cluster, and a large central infotainment display reminiscent of the EQS’s gigantic Hyperscreen.

Mercedes will also use the Munich show to introduce the first EV to be upgraded by AMG, Mercedes’s in-house tuner. In the announcement, Mercedes confirmed that the electric AMG will be a sedan, meaning it will likely be based on the EQS, since the only other Mercedes EV sedan is the EQE that will be unveiled at the same show.

Mercedes-Benz

Lastly, Mercedes will reveal an electric concept from the high-end Mercedes-Maybach luxury arm. Although Mercedes didn’t specify what shape this decadent EV will take, it will likely be an SUV, considering that Mercedes recently showed a teaser for the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV. The EQS SUV will act as an electric counterpart to the gas-powered full-size GLS, which itself has an expensive Maybach version. The concept’s design should be close to that of the production car, which has been spotted testing and is expected to go on sale next year.
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