Motor News

Located only about 16 miles from Lamborghini’s legendary Sant’Agata Bolognese headquarters, the Bologna airport has deployed a Huracán Evo as a “follow me” vehicle.A “follow me” car does pretty much what its name suggests: it shows the way to aircraft making tricky maneuvers on the ground.This isn’t the first or only imaginative use of one of the supercars. The Italian state police got their own Huracán LP610-4 several years ago.Airports offer the chance to see many weird and wonderful specialist vehicles, but rarely the chance to spot a supercar. But visitors to the Bologna airport in Italy are going to have the chance of spotting a very unusual “follow me” car in the form of a 631-hp Lamborghini Huracán Evo.

Lamborghini

Painted in Verde Turbine matte green with high-visibility orange graphics, and wearing the orange beacon lights and communication radio that all vehicles need to operate “airside,” the Huracán Evo will help shepherd aircraft around Bologna’s Gugliemo Marconi Airport, which is just 16 miles from Lamborghini’s factory at Sant’Agata Bolognese. The airport is one of the busiest in northern Italy, regularly handling more than eight million passengers a year prior to the COVID pandemic.

Lamborghini has a long-term relationship with the airport, having previously supplied both an Aventador and a regular Huracán in a bright-yellow livery for similar duties. The Evo’s additional performance and 202-mph capability is unlikely to be tested during its official duties; aircraft are generally restricted to just 30 km/h (18.6 mph) while taxiing. But we wouldn’t be surprised if airport staff were to use quieter times to experience more of the Lamborghini’s mighty performance. It will certainly be more thrilling to drive than a baggage tug.

Lamborghini

The role of “follow me” cars is exactly as the name suggests: being deployed to help guide taxiing aircraft through complex or unusual maneuvers while on the ground, typically those that don’t use the conventional taxiways or that take planes to less-used parts of the site. They are also sometimes used for transporting staff, short notice cargo, or even VIPs. While utility-grade cars or trucks are usually used for such duties, Lamborghini isn’t the only performance-car maker to have supplied them: Hannover airport in Germany previously used a Porsche Cayman S wearing yellow and black checkers.There is also at least one police Huracán patrolling Italy’s highways, with an example wearing blue and white Polizia livery being operated out of Rome for both high-speed pursuit and donor-organ transport duties. That one will get to stretch its legs more than this airport one.

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

We don’t know the number of vehicles damaged by a massive rainstorm, which brought six inches of rain to parts of Detroit in less than 24 hours, but videos on social media show dozens almost completely underwater at a Stellantis lot.The shipping yard is next to the plants where Stellantis builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, and the Dodge Durango. Governor Whitmer issued a state of emergency Saturday, and over 50 drivers had to be rescued from their cars after finding themselves stranded on flooded roads. The WDIV-TV photo above shows water over the road in a nearby neighborhood.Heavy rainfall in Michigan this week led to flash flooding in the Detroit area, and that in turn resulted in difficulty for people trying to move around the city. From Stellantis’s perspective, though, the big news was that potentially hundreds of brand new vehicles were damaged when the shipping yard at Stellantis’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant (JNAP) became a temporary lake Saturday.
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.

Videos shared on social media show vehicles, including many Dodge Durangos, submerged up to their rooflines. Aside from the Durangos, Stellantis keeps newly produced SUVs, minivans, Chargers, Challengers, and truck models at the shipping yard staging area as they wait to be shipped to dealers once they leave the plant. Stellantis builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, and Dodge Durango at JNAP, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee L at the nearby Mack assembly facility.
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.

Stellantis confirmed the flooding to Car and Driver and said it does not yet have an estimate about the extent of the damage. “As a result of severe storms that came through Detroit on June 25, many expressways, surface streets, and neighborhoods in the area experienced significant flooding, including the Jefferson North Assembly Plant and an adjacent shipping yard,” the company said. “Water from the plant was removed and second shift resumed at 4:30 p.m. An assessment will be conducted on the condition of vehicles in the yard. We have no further information to share at this time.”Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Wayne County (where Detroit is located) on Saturday, after more than six inches of rain fell on Detroit in 24 hours. The state issued an alert about the flooding which said that driving through six inches of water can cause “loss of control and possible stalling,” while a foot of water will float many vehicles and “two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks.” The New York Times said 50 people had to be rescued from their cars and over 350 vehicles suffered some sort of damage during the storm. This number includes people’s personal vehicles and not the ones damaged at the Stellantis yard. No injuries were reported, but more rain is expected in the coming days.The Detroit Free Press reported that Ford briefly paused production of the F-150 at the Dearborn Truck Plant because employees had difficulty getting to the plant. Ford also temporarily halted production of the new Bronco at the Michigan Assembly Plant because of a roof leak.Representative Debbie Dingell, whose district includes Detroit and nearby cities, wrote on Facebook earlier today that “Dearborn appears to be one of the hardest-hit cities. City engineers said Outer Drive had 7.58 inches of rain when sewer drains were only capable of handling 3 inches.” She added: “This is happening too many places and around the country. We have the rain and the west has a drought. Wildfires out of control. Climate is impacting all of our lives. And now we face a minimum of another seven days of rain. We must prepare.”
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

For a month, teams have been practicing setups, driving strategy, and building (or in some cases rebuilding) their chances of conquering the 156-turn, 12.42-mile Pikes Peak mountain in Colorado. This is easily the craziest motorsports event left in America—more dangerous than the World Rally Championship and with the spirit of a 24-hour endurance race. Teams, spectators, and media were awake Saturday night getting ready for today’s climb to the clouds. Here’s how to watch it, starting at 9:30 a.m. ET.
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.

The easiest way to watch is through Mobil 1’s livestream, above and on the Mobil 1 Facebook page. Another free option is local Colorado Springs radio KRDO, which is hosting a live broadcast at KRDO.com, or by tuning in to radio channel 1240 AM.If you aren’t already following the official Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Twitter, you absolutely should, as they’ll be live-tweeting race results and likely much of the epic carnage from today’s big race.

Shawn Bassett in 1974 Datsun 240Z is the first to make the attempt, 10:30 a.m. ET.
Mobil 1 via YouTube

Reading this on Monday or anytime after the race? Don’t fret. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb YouTube channel will have post-race coverage, including interviews with drivers and teams for their take on what either went right, or terribly wrong.We were so excited for this year’s hill climb that we drove over 1300 miles from Michigan to experience it ourselves, and will have post-race coverage with a photo gallery of our own following today’s event.

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

Aston Martin has already debuted Aston-branded luxury condos in Miami and Los Angeles, and now it’s opening a limited number of freshly designed dwellings in a high-rise in Manhattan’s Financial District.Each of the five Aston units comes with an Aston Martin DBX in chic black.But where to park it? No Manhattan parking space is included in the price—you will be able to fetch it from a train station in Connecticut.What a bright and happy day it is in New York City. We’re walking the Brooklyn Bridge with hundreds of people. Everyone has their arms down because the cyclists rocket past like they’re in the autobahn’s left lane. Their mouths are visible and wide open, inhaling sunlight, the exhaust fumes and wind blowing off the East River, the vendors pushing chili-dusted mangos and cold water for a dollar. The energy, the excitement: it’s palpable again. Less than a year ago, what was the absolute worst place to live in America is returning, wounded still, to being the Greatest City on Earth.

The bridge traffic pours into Manhattan’s Financial District, a quieter section that’s always drawn smaller crowds. There’s really nothing to do down here, and that’s a good thing for the residents. We’re here to see a high-rise apartment building designed in part with Aston Martin’s trademark blessing. Because unlike the showoffs in Miami and Los Angeles, there’s nothing more New York than spending tons of money without anyone knowing.

130 William

There are 242 condos on 66 floors at 130 William Street. Just five occupy two whole floors that will become the Aston Martin wing, all of them fully furnished with private balconies. We first came here to drive Aston’s $80,000 racing simulator on the amenities floor, and now we’re in the $11.5 million condo on the 60th floor, which is without a buyer some three years after the building broke ground.

130 William

Instead of floor-to-ceiling glass, there are arched windows like buildings of old and thick U-shaped concrete openings along the balconies. There are three bedrooms, three and a half baths, and more than 2400 square feet inside and another 600 or so outside. Compared to the highest-priced Aston residences in Miami, the Manhattan units are a steal.

130 William

Luxury real estate, after tanking during the peak of the pandemic, is apparently coming back. Mansion Global reported that in May, city dwellers signed 130 contracts on homes worth $4 million or more, nearly seven times greater than last year. Of course, hundreds of thousands of people have also moved out of New York, many never to return. But blocks away from Wall Street, 130 William’s developers are appropriately bullish on the city’s comeback.

130 William

Each of the five units comes with an Aston Martin DBX designed by the building’s architect, David Adjaye, who after creating the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History can now rightfully call himself a starchitect. The car is all black like all the hallways. You don’t get to choose the furniture—the condos are fully furnished with Aston Martin Home Collection pieces—or the car. You don’t even get a garage spot, because city people in this income bracket love Uber. The DBX will be parked at a Connecticut train station for weekend jaunts.New York City desperately needs tenants. Bloomberg estimates the COVID shutdowns, office downsizing, and the slow recovery have cut property tax revenue by $1.6 billion. Buy some mangos on the street or a condo 60 stories above. Either way, you’re helping.

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 INEOS Grenadier SUV will be sent to Kosovo for land-mine-clearing work with the weapons-disposal charity Halo Trust in a testing phase.The automaker intends to build special Grenadiers for demining work once production starts. They’ll be equipped with floor armor and other equipment.The new SUV has been conducting trials this year all over the world in all climates.The INEOS Grenadier is inching its way to production, and even in its development period there are plans underway to push it to perform lifesaving work in some of the world’s most dangerous environments. Ineos has indicated this week that for the past two years it has been working with the HALO Trust—the largest land-mine clearance and weapons disposal charity organization in the world—to develop the new SUV, with plans to deploy custom Grenadier models for mine-clearing work in conflict-torn and postwar countries worldwide.

The HALO Trust currently conducts operations in 25 nations, working on land-mine-seeded areas from conflicts that ended decades ago or have yet to end, often working in hard-to-reach locations far from roads. Ineos had joined an active HALO team in Angola in 2020, witnessing first hand the conditions under which mine-clearing work was being conducted in a region where mine-clearing operations have been going on for decades. HALO itself has been working in Angola for 27 years, with its existing fleet of vehicles working in some of the toughest terrain in the world.The group is also working in Afghanistan, where war never really ended, and where 26 members of the organization’s team were injured or killed earlier this month in an attack on a demining camp.”From mountain tracks to urban battlefields, HALO goes further to find and destroy landmines,” said James Cowan, CEO of the HALO Trust. “This means that we need a vehicle fleet fit for war zones, rainforests, and deserts. Our 9000 deminers are some of the most resilient people on the planet—they need a vehicle they can rely on to keep them safe and get the job done. We want to share our experiences with INEOS to help build an off-roader ready for the challenges of the 21st century.”
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.

However, its worldwide fleet is composed of just 600 vehicles at the moment.INEOS plans to develop a fleet of custom Grenadier vehicles for mine-clearing operations once production starts, aiming to equip them with anchor points for armored floor plates and storage space for mine-clearing tools. INEOS also plans to equip the vehicles to be easily converted into ambulances in case of injuries during mine-clearing operations. At the moment, more than 130 second-phase Grenadier prototypes are undergoing testing around the world, as part of a program to collectively cover 1.1 million miles. Even the company’s prototypes plan to join HALO operations in Kosovo to assess road capabilities and repair operations in the field, among other qualities.”I hugely admire the HALO Trust’s mission and the dedication of the HALO team. It is a real privilege to work with them,” said Dirk Heilmann, CEO of INEOS Automotive. “With decades of experience running a large number of vehicles in extreme conditions, we could think of no better organization on Earth for helping us to develop Grenadier. All the knowledge and insight HALO is sharing with us is incredibly valuable to the engineering program, and will ultimately help us create the toughest, most capable vehicle for all users.”

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

Radwood is a car show for those who are so nostalgic for the ’80s and ’90s, they have parachute pants and Reebok Pumps in their closets. Open to cars and trucks built from 1980 through 1999, the show celebrates see-through headrests, graphic equalizers, crown air fresheners, and teal paint. It continues to grow in popularity and locations. So if you haven’t been to one yet, a Radwood might be coming to you.Like the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Radwood has various awards and a best-in-show trophy. Since Window Shopping is all about competition, the crew went in search of cars under $30,000 that could win at Radwood. To judge our picks, we invited Radwood co-founder and automotive writer Bradley Brownell, who shows little mercy.Up first this week is Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman. Riding high on his recent win, Huffman selects the jewel in the crown of the Eagle lineup, the Premier sedan. Engineered in France, designed in Italy, and assembled in Canada, the boxy sedan apparently inspired the Chrysler Corporation’s LH sedans of the ’90s (or so Huffman claims), but it also shared its V-6 with the DeLorean.Contributor Jonathon Ramsey—who lets us know repeatedly that he spent the ’80s in Columbus, Indiana, roller-skating and going to Dairy Queen—finds a Chevy Celebrity wagon. This car once ruled America’s roads but is now rarer than a Ferrari. Like the Eagle, Ramsey’s Chevy is priced well under budget despite its excellent condition.Deputy testing director K.C. Colwell comes in with a body-kitted 1986 Alfa Romeo GTV6 that, in typical Colwell fashion, nearly blows the budget. And host and deputy editor Tony Quiroga selects the pseudo-gullwing Toyota Sera from the early ’90s, a car that Toyota (perhaps wisely) never imported. In the end, Brownell makes some surprising picks. Will the Celebrity wagon finally get the laurels it has always deserved? Or will the pricey Alfa take the trophy? Watch to see whose car has the radness to win Radwood.

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

GMC has updated the Terrain compact crossover with a new look and a few newly available features.An off-road-oriented AT4 trim level joins the lineup.The sole engine choice is a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four, as the previously optional turbo 2.0-liter inline-four is gone.UPDATE 6/25/21: GMC has released pricing for the 2022 Terrain. The base SLE model starts at $29,095. This represents a $2900 increase over last year’s SL base model, which has been discontinued. The SLT costs $33,095 and the Denali starts at $37,795, both $700 less than last year’s model. The new off-road-oriented Terrain AT4, which comes standard with all-wheel drive, starts at $35,195. GMC says that the AT4 and Denali models won’t go on sale until this fall.The 2022 GMC Terrain gains a new look, new features, and a new rugged-looking trim level called AT4. But notably, the more powerful upgrade engine option won’t be offered after disappearing for the 2021 model year. A turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four with 170 horsepower remains the only engine option, with the previous turbo 2.0-liter four last offered in 2020 not set to return along with this refresh.

All 2022 Terrains look a bit different, with reshaped headlights and taillights and a different front fascia. The wheel designs are new, too, and there are four new color options. The off-road-focused AT4 designation seen on other GMC models joins the Terrain lineup for the first time; it’s essentially an appearance package with a front skid plate and Goodyear Sport Terrain tires.

Terrain Denali
GMC

GMC also says the interior has different upholstery and trim pieces, and Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities are now standard. There’s a new head-up display that’s optional on certain trim levels and standard on the top-dog Denali.Prices for the 2022 Terrain start at $29,095 for a front-wheel-drive SLE and range up to $37,795 for a front-wheel-drive Denali. All-wheel drive is a $1600 option on most trim levels but comes standard on the AT4.
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 story was originally published March 23, 2021.

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

Jeep’s Xtreme Recon package adds 35-inch tires on 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, 4.56:1 final-drive gears, and a 1.5-inch lift to the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.The package will be available later in the year and directly targets the Ford Bronco equipped with the Sasquatch package.When equipped with the six-speed manual transmission, the Wrangler Rubicon can now be optioned with 4.88:1 final-drives.The paint hasn’t fully cured on the first Ford Broncos to roll off the production line, and Jeep has already answered the call of the Sasquatch, not by whacking two pieces of wood together, but with hardware to compete with the ‘Squanch’s Rubicon-threatening big off-road tires, short axle ratios, and uprated suspension.

When the Extreme Recon package hits the order sheet later this year, it will be reserved for four-door Wrangler Rubicons and the monstrous Rubicon 392. To compete with the Bronco’s Sasquatch package, the Xtreme Recon adds 35-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 dirt shredders mounted on beadlock-capable wheels and 4.56:1 gearing for the axles. A 1.5-inch suspension lift with retuned dampers will support the Wrangler Rubicon, while the 392 makes do with its standard 2.0-inch lift.

Stellantis

While the Bronco’s most extreme option has been pushed back until 2022, Jeep is already tooting its own horn with big off-road numbers to render the Sasquatch’s metrics time at the top short-lived. In the world of wheelin’, it’s all about the angles, and a Wrangler Rubicon fitted with the Xtreme Recon package increases all of them. The approach angle is now 47.4 degrees to the Bronco’s 43.2; the break-over measures 26.7 degrees, barely nudging the Ford’s 26.3; the departure angle is up to 40.7 degrees to the Sasquatch’s 37.0; and when it comes to wading through a pond, the Recon’s 33.6 inches bests the Bronco by a measly 0.1 inch. Naturally, the ground clearance swells and is now 12.9 inches, towering over the Bronco’s 11.5. The Rubicon 392 doesn’t fare as well, but its 470 horsepower should make up for its shortcomings. The quest for King of the Trail doesn’t end there. For those who prefer to row their own gears, Rubicons equipped with the six-speed manual transmission can be optioned with 4:88.1 gearing that enables a crawl ratio of 100:1. Broncos equipped with the seven-speed manual creep around with just a 94.8:1 ratio. The four-door Wrangler Rubicon starts at $44,295, about $30,000 less than the Rubicon 392. Pricing for the Xtreme Recon package should be revealed during the Chicago auto show in July.
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