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    VinFast VF9 Earns 330-Mile EPA-Estimated Range, Deliveries Start This Year

    VinFast, an EV startup from Vietnam, revealed EPA range estimates for its second model, the three-row VF9 SUV.The VF9 Eco is rated at 330 miles of range per charge, while the Plus model has a 291-mile estimate.Deliveries are planned for the fourth quarter of this year, with the Eco starting at $83K and the Plus at $91K, before destination fees.VinFast is on a roll. The Vietnamese automaker delivered the first 45 VF8 SUVs to Californian customers in March. Last week, VinFast completed a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, allowing the company to be listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Its stock has since soared, giving the EV maker a market capitalization greater than Ford and General Motors combined at the time of writing. VinFast is now readying its second model for the United States, announcing official EPA range estimates for the VF9 SUV. VinFast VF9 Estimated RangeThe VinFast VF9 Eco trim level is expected to travel 330 miles on a charge, and the Plus model is expected to go 291 miles. The company previously said the VF9 would be offered with two battery sizes, a Standard Range pack and an Enhanced Range unit. It didn’t specify which battery was responsible for the EPA-estimated figures, but since VinFast claims it outperformed its own estimates, we presume the data is for the Standard Range, which VinFast initially predicted would provide between 262 and 272 miles.VinfastThe preliminary guesses for the Enhanced Range model were between 360 and 369 miles, and VinFast’s consumer website now only lists one battery option. Confusingly, the pack listed on the consumer site is a 123.0-kWh unit, which the official press site lists as the Enhanced Range battery. Car and Driver reached out to VinFast for confirmation on which battery pack returned these range estimates. We’ll update this story if we hear back. VF9 PricingVinFast also revealed updated pricing for the VF9, which will start at $83,000 for the Eco and $91,000 for the Plus, before destination fees. This is roughly $6000 more than the previously revealed prices for both models, and puts it on par with the three-row Rivian R1S, which returns either 260 or 352 miles per charge, depending on the battery pack. The segment will be joined by the pricier 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ, which is targeting a 450-mile rating and will also have to contend with the significantly cheaper three-row Kia EV9 that should get up to 300 miles of range.VinfastThe VF9’s battery feeds to two electric motors churning out a combined 402 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. VinFast claims a zero-to-60-mph time of 6.5 seconds and says the VF9 will charge from 10 to 70 percent in 35 minutes on a DC fast-charger. VinFast has already begun deliveries of the VF9 in Vietnam and aims to start putting North American customers behind the wheel of the three-row EV in the fourth quarter of this year.More on VinFastThis content is imported from poll. 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.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

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    Meyers Manx 2.0 EV Modernizes the Iconic Dune Buggy, Starts at $74K

    Meyers Manx unveiled the Manx 2.0 Electric as a reimagining of the original dune buggy that captured hearts in the 1960s. The electric buggy is the first vehicle produced under the new leadership, which took control of the company shortly before original designer Bruce Meyers’s passing.The 40.0-kWh battery, the largest of two options, has a claimed 300-mile range and promises 202 horsepower and up to 240 pound-feet of torque.UPDATE 8/22/23: Meyers Manx has announced preliminary pricing for the Manx 2.0 EV, which will start at $74,000. The recently revealed Resorter NEV, which has a 25-mph top speed, has a base price of $49K. The company is currently accepting $500 deposits for both models on the Meyers Manx website.In Car and Driver’s April 1967 issue, we featured the original Meyers Manx on the cover, front and center. Our road test proclaimed it “all things to all men.” The only thing they could all agree on, we said, was that the Meyers Manx was “more soul-freeing, leaping, bounding, uninhibited fun than anything else they’ve ever driven—on or off the road.”Back in the Day; C/D ArchiveFifty-five years later, the beloved dune buggy aspires to be all that and more as it gets reimagined for 2023. Announced Monday evening, the Manx 2.0 Electric brings all the adventurous, off-road fun of the original, just powered by a battery. The design of the Manx 2.0 closely follows in the original’s footsteps with its rugged yet voluptuous silhouette, but the newest incarnation is a bit more refined than its predecessor, thanks to the enclosed rear to cool the electric motors. No air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle engine hanging out the back here. Still, the Manx 2.0 stays true to the monocoque chassis legacy of the original, making it light—the heaviest 2.0 is claimed to weigh 1650 pounds—and strong on rough terrain. It also features independent rear suspension and regenerative braking, which should shoulder most of the braking load.Inside, the Manx 2.0 will have two battery options: a 20.0-kWh battery with a claimed 150 miles of range or a a 40.0-kWh battery with 300 miles of range. Those are very ambitious claims given that a Chevy Bolt EV needs a 66.0 kWh battery to achieve a 259-mile EPA range rating. That would also equate to efficiency of roughly 225 MPGe for the Manx, or nearly 100 MPGe higher than the most efficient EV on the market today, the 132 MPGe rear-drive Tesla Model 3. Sure, the Manx is substantially lighter, but it also wears knobby tires and its aerodynamics are sure to be hindered by the open cabin. While the company has yet to release power specs for the smaller battery, the bigger option sends 202 horsepower and up to 240 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels through two motors, which should get you to 60 miles per hour in an estimated 4.5 seconds. The motor, inverter, gear train, and brakes will be housed in a single unit. The Manx 2.0’s motor unit attached to a battery pack.Elana Scherr|Car and DriverThe first batch, totaling just 50 buggies, will ship in 2023 as part of a beta program, but once the Manx 2.0 reaches a wider audience, it will come with a suite of options like A/C and heat, as well as a smart screen, according to Meyers Manx CEO Freeman Thomas. Thomas, designer of the New Beetle as well as others like the original Audi TT concept, joined Meyers Manx as CEO in 2020 following the brands acquisition by venture capitalist and Manx enthusiast Phillip Sarofim. Sarofim acquired Meyers Manx from Bruce and Winnie Meyers shortly before Bruce Meyers died at age 94 in 2021, and now the duo, according to Freeman, want to “carry his legacy into the future.”It’s a powerful legacy. Bruce Meyers almost singlehandedly started the kit dune buggy craze when he decided, despite being more acquainted with building sailboats and surfboards, to build a dune buggy out of a Beetle in his Newport Beach, California, garage in 1964. It quickly became a sensation after it broke the timed record for a run from Tijuana, Mexico, to La Paz over rocky, desert terrain. When the route was organized into the first ever Baja 1000, known as the Mexican 1000 in 1967, the Meyers Manx was crowned the victor. However, an electric Manx also has a history. Bruce Meyers revived the Meyers Manx brand in 2000, and in 2014 he partnered with Las Vegas-based battery company Rev-TEC to create an electric concept known as the Manx V. The V had 86.3 horsepower and a top speed of 64 miles per hour. Volkswagen, too, got in on the fun with a 2019 concept inspired by the original Manx called the I.D. Buggy. More On The ManxCertainly, the Meyers Manx has had quite the journey since we put it on our cover all those years ago. However, with the reveal of the Manx 2.0 it’s clear that, no matter where the auto industry has gone, seemingly nothing enamors enthusiasts quite like the Manx. This content is imported from poll. 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.Editorial InternSasha Richie is a local of the Detroit area, so cars have always been a big part of her life. Some of her fondest memories include driving her dad’s 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am in the Woodward Dream Cruise the summer after she got her license and going to drag races with her grandpa. Currently finishing a Bachelor’s in Russian at Duke University, where she is the Sports Managing Editor of the Duke Chronicle, Sasha is excited to join the Car and Driver team for the summer. More

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    2024 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia Can Be Blacked Out, Jacked Up

    The 2024 Toyota Tundra, specifically the mid-tier Limited trim, adds a Nightshade appearance option and a standard digital gauge cluster.The 2024 Toyota Sequoia Limited sees the same changes, plus their TRD Off-Road packages add new content.The ’24 Sequoia also has a newly available dealer-installed 3.0-inch lift—just like the kit already revealed for the Tundra.With full-sized proportions, the Tundra pickup truck and Sequoia SUV are Toyota’s two brawniest models. For 2024, their mid-tier Limited trim levels benefit from some changes that make them more desirable, including a newly standard 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a newly optional Nightshade appearance package.Blacked-Out Big RigsThe stealthy Nightshade look has become a Toyota staple, with the aesthetic available on everything from the compact Corolla to the Camry family sedan to the hybrid Venza SUV. Now offered on the Tundra and Sequoia Limited, it adds black-painted wheels, black mirror caps, and a black grille with a body-color surround.ToyotaSimilarly, the TRD Off-Road package that can be paired with the Limited trim on both full-sizers receives a color-matched grille surround and black mirror caps. Plus, the next-level Platinum model now can be had in TRD Off-Road guise—provided it’s equipped with four-wheel drive. Unlike before, the Tundra and Sequoia’s Platinum and 1794 Edition offer a head-up display separate from the load-leveling rear suspension. However, we think those who will splurge for one of those options will probably opt for the other, right?Jacked-Up Full-SizersLast year, Toyota introduced a 3.0-inch lift kit developed by its TRD division, and it can be equipped on all non-TRD Pro versions of the Tundra and Sequoia. Along with jacking up the ride height by 2.6 inches, it increases approach and departure angles and works with the full-sizers’ driver-assistance tech. Bilstein monotube shocks, taller red-painted front coil springs, forged upper control arms from Roush Performance, and more are part of the setup. The TRD lift kit costs $3995 (not including installation) and can be installed at Toyota dealerships on all 2022 and newer models.toyotatoyotaWhile Toyota hasn’t yet released pricing—or images, for that matter—for the 2024 Sequoia, the newest Tundra can be configured on the consumer site. The truck’s base price is $41,815 for the entry-level SR trim, $53,705 for the Limited, and just over $64K for the fancier 1794 Edition. Of course, adding four-wheel drive and/or opting for the hybrid V-6 powertrain will up the cost even more. Both upgrades are standard on the ’24 TRD Pro and Capstone, which start at $73,980 and $80,695, respectively.Extra Tundra and Sequoia ReadingThis content is imported from poll. 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.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

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    Ferrari 812 Competizione Tailor Made Is a Sketch Artist’s Dream

    The Ferrari 812 Competizione Tailor Made is one of just 999 models, and its body art is completely unique.Inspired by the blank-sheet design process, it has matte yellow paint on which sketch-like details are traced—the same goes for the interior.The one-off car debuted during Monterey Car Week and will be auctioned for charity on October 17 at the Ferrari Gala in New York City.It’s one thing to have your friends draw on your face with a permanent marker, it’s another to take a Sharpie to a $600K-plus exotic sports car. While one look at the Ferrari 812 Competizione Tailor Made might make you think such a tragedy occurred, rest assured that’s not actually the case.Instead, the yellow V-12—powered coupe with black markings all over its body is a one-of-a-kind creation that celebrates the Italian automaker’s design process. Inspired by the a blank-sheet design process, specifically the work of Ferrari’s chief design officer, Flavio Manzoni, the company’s stylists and its Tailor Made customizing division worked together for over a year on this one-off 812.FerrariThe resulting car is shown in these photos wearing matte Giallo Tristrato (yellow) paint with details traced in matte Nero DS Sketch. They highlight bits such as the aero-blade that bisects the hood, the side louvres, and the vortex generators on the rear panel. The Sharpie-like aesthetic continues inside, with the 812’s cabin covered in Alcantara that has design sketches embroidered into the seats as well as the dashboard.FerrariFor those curious about the Ferrari 812 Competizione that is the basis for this work of art, it’s an 819-hp farewell to the brand’s nonhybrid V-12. Only 999 will be built, with a price tag north of $600,000. This custom Tailor Made example is one of those limited numbers, and while it is virtually priceless, it’ll be auctioned off for charity on October 17 at the Ferrari Gala in New York City.More on the Ferrari 812This content is imported from poll. 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.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

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    Listen to the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD’s Supercharged V-8 Fury

    The new 2025 Ford Mustang GTD is out, and Ford has already released a video of the model testing at Road Atlanta. It sounds incredible, so you should stop what you’re doing to watch and listen.What you’re hearing is a 5.2-liter supercharged V-8. It appears to be an evolution of the old Shelby GT500’s “Predator” engine, albeit with hardware changes and a new dry-sump oiling system. Output is 800 horsepower and 730 pound-feet of torque, which gets to the rear-mounted eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle via a carbon-fiber driveshaft. What’s unclear here is if the camouflaged testing mule is sporting the optional titanium Akrapovic exhaust, but what is clear is that it sounds amazing.All the Details and SpecsNot too different than the GT500, of course, but that’s no bad thing. That car made its presence known for miles. While testing one a few years ago, we actually got in trouble for violating a track’s noise limits. This, in a car that had license plates. Expect similar shenanigans from the GTD.You can hear a bit of supercharger whine from the front, but as the car passes, all you hear is exhaust note. It sounds like the transmission shifts quickly, too. That was the case with the seven-speed Tremec dual-clutch in the GT500, and we suspect that the GTD uses Tremec’s eight-speed transaxle, a development of that seven-speed. The car, of course, looks very fast. Ford is targeting a sub-seven-minute Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time, and with all that grunt plus massive Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires and real aerodynamics, we can see them getting there. We’ll settle for driving one at Road Atlanta, however.Senior ReporterA car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins is Road & Track’s engineering nerd and Porsche apologist. He joined the staff in 2016 and no one has figured out a way to fire him since. He street-parks a Porsche Boxster in Brooklyn, New York, much to the horror of everyone who sees the car, not least the author himself. He also insists he’s not a convertible person, despite owning three. More

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    2023 Bentley Continental GT Speed One-Off Celebrates the OG

    This one-off 2023 Bentley Continental GT Speed, created by the brand’s Mulliner customizing division, celebrates the original car. To match the spec of the OG Conti, the new version wears Cypress Green paint and a Saddle leather interior.The one-of-one Continental GT Speed was sold to an American collector and displayed at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The original 2003 Bentley Continental GT helped the ultra-luxury brand go from surviving to thriving. Not only was it a huge sales success right out of the gate, but the OG Conti was the first modern Bentley—as it was designed and developed under the umbrella of the Volkswagen Group. To celebrate the nameplate’s significance for its 20th birthday, Bentley has commissioned a one-of-a-kind 2023 Continental GT Speed.Created by Bentley’s Mulliner customizing division, the tribute Continental GT is spec’d like the very first production model. The new coupe features Cypress Green paint, and its interior has Saddle leather upholstery with Burr Walnut trim. The cabin also has a couple of exclusive contemporary touches, including “Special Green” contrast stitching and matching striping on the doors, seats, and center console sides. There’s also a plaque that reads, “20 years of the Continental.”BentleyLike the first-generation car, the Continental GT Speed is exclusively powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12. While its predecessor produced a hefty 552 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, the latest—and last—version of the unique engine produces a prodigious 650 horses and 664 pound-feet. That power is routed through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic that feeds all four wheels, which on the one-off car are Dark Grey Satin 22-inchers.BentleyThe commemorative 2023 Bentley Continental GT Speed has already been spoken for. While its expected exorbitant selling price is being kept under lock and key, Bentley says it was sold to an American collector, who took possession of the car at The Quail at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was also on display.Continental GT Speed ReadingThis content is imported from poll. 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.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

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    Mercedes 540K Is Best of Show at 2023 Pebble Beach Concours

    Read everything else we have to say about 2023’s Monterey Car Week and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. A 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster won Best of Show at Pebble Beach in the traditional festive atmosphere of the Concours d’Elegance on Sunday afternoon, August 20.The 540K is one of only three Long-Tail Special Roadsters with a covered spare that still exist worldwide, according to the Concours program notes.The car was purchased by its current owner in 2022.A 1937 Mercedes-Benz Special Roadster just took the Best of Show prize at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The car is owned by known collector and concours winner Jim Patterson of Louisville, Kentucky, and Palm Beach, Florida. “We recognized and bought this car because it was a rare vehicle,” Patterson said on the judges’ stand just after accepting the trophy. “Its condition was almost virginal. It had never been separated [from its drivetrain], never restored, and had only 13,000 miles on it.”Michael Simari|Car and DriverThe car, already an icon of engineering with its advanced, high-power supercharged straight-eight, is an exquisite example of Streamline Moderne styling, exemplary of this era. Patterson has owned the car since early 2022, having purchased it from an RM Sotheby’s auction. The car was complete, but Patterson’s team still worked to make it perfect. “We redid everything about it,” he said. “But we didn’t have to order or make any parts.” This car is exactly the type of vehicle to win in the concours, which tends to privilege uniquely designed pinnacle iterations of the so-called Classic era between the World Wars. As such it reinforces recent trends at Pebble, where such cars have continued to dominate, especially special, coachbuilt cars styled with an imminent menace, reflecting the years leading up to the Second World War. Michael Simari|Car and Driver”Historic elegance prevails,” said Ken Gross, a veteran Pebble Beach judge and noted automotive author and curator. “People think the concours should be rapidly moving toward awarding postwar cars, but even in a year of incredibly tight competition, this was a breathtaking example.”Whatever the reasoning behind this vehicle’s win, we remain delighted, as always, that enough people are passionate enough about owning, maintaining, showing, and paying witness to these paragons of rolling sculpture that Pebble continues to draw crowds. And if, one day, Best of Show is awarded to a 1978 Stutz Blackhawk, or a 2005 Mitsuoka Orochi Nude-Top, we will celebrate that as well.More Headliners at Pebble Beach 2023Contributing EditorBrett Berk (he/him) is a former preschool teacher and early childhood center director who spent a decade as a youth and family researcher and now covers the topics of kids and the auto industry for publications including CNN, the New York Times, Popular Mechanics and more. He has published a parenting book, The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting, and since 2008 has driven and reviewed thousands of cars for Car and Driver and Road & Track, where he is contributing editor. He has also written for Architectural Digest, Billboard, ELLE Decor, Esquire, GQ, Travel + Leisure and Vanity Fair.    More

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    Ultra-Exclusive $370K Carmel Edition Ritzes Up the 2024 Range Rover

    Land Rover has unveiled a new special-edition version of the 2024 Range Rover called the Carmel Edition.It’s finished in an exclusive white exterior paint and has interior bits including tan and maroon leather and ceramic trim pieces.It stickers for $371,475 and only seven units will be produced.Range Rover SUVs already reach into the upper echelons of price and exclusivity with their $200,000+ SV models that offer a wide range of customization options, but this new Carmel Edition goes even higher. Revealed at Monterey Car Week 2023, this new version of the 2024 Range Rover stickers for $371,475 and only seven will be built specially for those who were invited to the Range Rover House experience in California.The Carmel Edition is based on the top long-wheelbase SV model with the 606-hp version of the twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 engine. Its unique exterior and interior treatments are surprisingly subtle, starting with the SV Bespoke Special Effect Gloss white paint and the 23-inch wheels with white inserts. Inside, it features the four-seat interior with a fold-out table and a fridge, and the cabin is finished in two-tone Perlino and Deep Garnet leather. There’s also Cream Ash Burr veneer and white ceramic trim, along with Pearl Oyster accents, embroidered cushions, and door sills denoting the special edition as one of seven.Land RoverLand RoverFor all the extra money that the Carmel Edition costs over the standard $235,475 Range Rover SV model, these lucky seven buyers do get a set of Titleist golf clubs and other bits of Range Rover swag. Land Rover also says that a portion of the money from the sale of these vehicles will be donated to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.More on the Range RoverThis content is imported from poll. 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.Senior EditorDespite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.   More