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The 2004 Land Rover Discovery II came standard with a 217-hp 4.6-liter V-8 and four-speed automatic transmission.This Disco that’s up for auction on Bring a Trailer, however, relies on a 5.3-liter V-8 from a Chevy for motivation. It mates to a six-speed automatic transmission.The auction ends on February 24, and bids have already eclipsed five figures.Car and DriverIt’s no Toyota Prius, but this 2004 Land Rover Discovery II is a hybrid. Don’t bother looking for any electric drive motors or high-capacity batteries, though, because this Disco’s not a gasoline-electric hybrid, but a manufacturing one. You see, this British box no longer relies on the 217-hp 4.6-liter V-8 it left the factory with. Instead, it utilizes a good old American General Motors mill from a Chevrolet.Related StoriesBring a Trailer doesn’t share the specific Chevy this Rover’s Vortec 5.3-liter V-8—or LC9 to you GM nerds—was plucked from. We presume the engine, which was factory rated to produce north of 300 horsepower, came out of a Tahoe or Suburban from the late 2000s or early-to-mid 2010s. Then again, it may have come from one of the bow-tie brand’s full-size pickups of that era. Bring a TrailerDoes it really matter what kind of Chevy this engine once pushed around, though? Why dwell on the past, when you can look toward the future?Oh, and what a potentially frustrating and fun future this near-20-year-old Disco holds for the winner of this auction. We won’t sugarcoat it; this vintage of Discovery, much like Land Rover’s in general, is no poster child for reliability. In theory, the Vortec V-8 and the 6L80E six-speed automatic ought to give this off-road-ready rig a shot at reliably running around town or motoring about off-tarmac; however, the reality is that Discos of this period often suffer from non-powertrain-related issues, too. While the LC9 and 6L80E engine and transmission are reliable workhorses, this reputation may fail to carry over to this Rover if the individual or shop responsible for its heart transplant cut corners somewhere. That said, there’s no indication of this based on the information and images provided to Bring a Trailer. Bring a TrailerWe hope this Discovery is as good as it looks, and that the winning bidder encounters next-to-know frustrations and instead manages to simply have fun pushing the limits of this machine’s off-road capability. Even in its factory form, the 2004 Discovery II was never a slouch off the beaten path, but the myriad of upgrades made to this body-on-frame SUV surely makes it an even better tool for traversing the unknown. This includes the likes of a four-inch lift, aftermarket front and rear bumpers that ought to improve this Disco’s front and rear departure angles, and 16-inch Terrafirma wheels wrapped in beefy Nitto Ridge Grappler tires.If you were hoping to score this Discovery II for cheap, then you better think again. Although this auction may still have plenty of time left until it closes on February 24, it’s generated enough interest that bidding on this Land Rover has already eclipsed five figures. We may not call this 2004 Discovery II a bargain, but this British-American hybrid is still a toy worthy of a spot in our hearts.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. More

A 2021 McLaren Elva with no windshield is up for auction on Bring a Trailer until Thursday, February 23.The limited-production Elva was also offered with a windshield, but this example was ordered in the coolest spec—without one.The Elva’s missing glass barrier is offset by a deployable deflector that directs air and debris over the cockpit, but it’s unlikely to be 100 percent effective.Car and DriverCan you imagine hundreds of ultra-rich people insane enough to spend $1.7 million on an 804-hp V-8–powered roadster without a windshield? Well, they exist, because 399 McLaren Elvas were built and sold around the globe, some of which had front glass in order to be road legal. Still, it would be great to be one of the lucky sons of guns who own an open-cockpit version. And here’s an opportunity: there’s a windshield-less 2021 Elva currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. Bring a TrailerThe Elva on BaT still has five days left until the bidding ends, and the latest offer is within spitting distance of its nearly $1.7 million starting price, suggesting that when the auction closes on Thursday, February 23, the 37-mile example will sell for more than what the original owner paid, which was $1,789,572, according to the listing.More DetailsWhat is so intriguing about a seven-figure hypercar that literally offers no physical protection from, say, a bird strike or—more likely—stray rocks shot from an 18-wheeler? Simply put, it’s because it provides a one-of-a-kind driving experience, not to mention it looks like nothing else on the road. Okay, other open-cockpit exotics like the Aston Martin V12 Speedster and Ferrari Monza exist, but neither seemingly made it to America. Bring a TrailerWe shared extensive driving impressions in our review. While McLaren incorporated a deployable deflector on the hood that’s designed to direct air and debris over the cockpit, it’s unlikely that it’s 100 percent effective. How can it be when the Elva is said to reach a top speed of 203 mph? One solution would be to wear a full-face helmet whenever doing anything more strenuous than parading around town letting everyone know you come from money.Bring a TrailerBring a TrailerThe windshield issue aside, who can resist Elva’s crazy design? It looks like something the inventor of Hot Wheels would use as their daily driver. The fact that McLaren claims the mid-engine/rear-drive two-seater weighs less than 3000 pounds and hits 60 mph in under 3.0 seconds makes it even more desirable.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. More

The 2023 Chevy Colorado is an exceptional truck. With class-leading capability, good pricing, and a fully redesigned cabin, it’s my favorite mid-size truck. But that new interior has one strange compromise: There’s no physical control for the truck’s lights.To turn them on or off, the driver has to open a submenu in the truck’s standard 11.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display. Since the truck has automatic lights, you shouldn’t need to do that often. But when you’re on a windy two-lane and reach a “Daylight Headlight Section,” you’ll have to fiddle with the touchscreen rather than flicking a switch. And if that infotainment system fails, you’ll lose the ability to control your lights. “The main thing is, one, we understand that most customers put their vehicle[‘s lights] on auto,” Nick Katcherian, the chief engineer of the new Colorado, told Road & Track. “And, fun fact, I learned in the rain yesterday that, if your windshield wipers are on, your lights turn on as well. So we’re looking at trying to conserve space and we have the opportunity to virtualize a lot of our switches, so we really have just taken advantage of that opportunity with our new infotainment system.” Chevy says removing the switch freed up space, but there’s quite a bit of free real estate here.Mack HoganKatcherian says he isn’t concerned about bugs or issues with the light control, even though we imagine some work truck owners might be skeptical. According to the engineer, the legal requirement to make the headlight switch always available means that the light control module loads on top of the rest of the infotainment system. More Colorado”There’s no such thing as bugging in a way that won’t give you the option to turn the headlights on and off.” Katcherian claims that his team removed all possible bugs from the infotainment system. He also noted that in the long term, software-based switches can help add features to vehicles after they’re sold or support optional add-ons. “So I think you’ll see kind of a transition from more physical switches to more virtual switches overall, because it gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of what you can update and how you can update them in the future,” Katcherian said. More