News

We’re excited to announce that we’re running another Lightning Lap-inspired track day at our favorite track, Virginia International Raceway, in its best and most challenging, 4.1-mile Grand Course configuration.We’ve been doing annual pilgrimages there since 2006 to run our Lightning Lap track shootout of the year’s hottest performance cars (and sometimes SUVs). We’ve now run 315 production vehicles, the most recent 17 of which we’ll be publishing in early February.In case you can’t tell, our love of VIR’s Grand Course is infectious, and we want to not only tell you of its spectacularism but also show you. That’s why we’ve organized another track day that’s happening on Wednesday, May 10th. We’ve heard your feedback; our previous two events came together with insufficient lead time to plan the trek, and the requirement for significant previous track experience disqualified a number of interested folks. That’s why we’ve added a new category of drivers this time around that will be done in a lead-follow format and is open to anyone. Trust us, you’ll want someone to follow the first time around Grand.Really, you don’t even need a vehicle to drive, as on-site shop and driving instruction Kaizen Autosport, who is our partner in organizing this event will rent you various options ranging from a BMW M240i to a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.Unlike last time, the May 10th date will be 100-percent devoted to the Lightning Lap track day, rather than integrate with a larger track-day weekend. But as at our previous two track days, cars for the experienced run groups will be segmented into the same LL1 through LL5 price categories we use for Lightning Lap, and there will be three 30-minute practice sessions in the morning and two 30-minute timed sessions in the afternoon where you’ll be gunning for the class win.Go here for more details and to sign up. For 10 percent off the $795 entry fee, use code CDVIP2023.We’re always counting down to our next VIR visit. See you there!Register HereThis content is imported from OpenWeb. 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

It might seem like a lot of the economic news these days is glum, what with inflation and rising interest rates and the collapse in value of your NFT of Tesla stock (real double whammy there). But turn that frown upside down, because 2022 was a record year for Bentley, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce! Which means that rich people are still feeling optimistic about the economy. And if rich people are optimistic about the economy, well, what could go wrong? Ferrari is still languidly crunching its numbers after a second cappuccino and Porsche says it’ll tally its scores after just a few more laps of the Nürburgring, but at least some of the results are in, and they’re rosy. Let’s start with the Bovine from Bologna, Lamborghini.Stratospheric ShoppingLast year, Lamborghini delivered 9233 cars, a new high score. The US was the number one market, with 2721 cars delivered (U-S-A! U-S-A!) and overall sales were up 10 percent from last year. Even the Aventador had a record year (753 cars) despite production ending last September. Like former Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, the Aventador retired at the height of its abilities—in this case, the ability to get the newly rich to part with hundreds of thousands of dollars for a car with a single-clutch automatic transmission. The most popular Lambo? We regret to inform you that it was the Urus.Where is Emea? If you have to ask, you can’t afford to live there.stefano.rutigliano@lamborghini.com|Car and DriverBentley delivered 15,174 cars in 2022, which beat 2021’s 14,658 cars, which was also a new record. At this rate there will soon be more actual Bentleys than dogs named Bentley, which is saying something since that was the 15th most popular name for male dogs last year. The Americas was Bentley’s biggest market, and although Bentley very charitably doesn’t break out the most important country on those two continents, we’d bet it rhymes with “U-S-A! U-S-A!” and isn’t Uruguay. The most popular Bentley model? We’re terribly sad to report that it was the Bentayga. Some Bentleys, as seen in the company’s second-biggest market. Hint: Unlike Bentley’s biggest market, it doesn’t include a single Waffle House location.Car and DriverElsewhere on the Island That’s Surrounded By Europe but Isn’t Part of It, Rolls-Royce sold 6021 of its extremely comfortable vehicles in 2022, also a record. Rolls also brags that, besides selling a pile of cars, that mix included a lot of really expensive ones from its Bespoke outfit, saying, “commissions were also at record levels last year, with our clients’ requests becoming ever more imaginative and technically demanding”. Is it us, or do we detect a hint of exasperation in that statement? “Mummy, I shall be simply inconsolable unless you buy me a Rolls-Royce Boattail and a pony with six legs!” Rolls says the average Bespoke car cost half a million Euros, to which we say: Try harder, rich people. Rolls is cagey about how much money it made, but it seems like it might tell us after a third glass of wine, claiming, “the marque will make a significant contribution to its principal shareholder”. That would be one Chester P. Larvae-Smoot, Lord Duke of Underbottom, the demanding but ultimately kindhearted aristocrat who won Rolls-Royce in a game of snooker in 2003. Wait, sorry—no, they’re talking about BMW. They’re saying they send money home to Germany, and they’d better or else. The most popular Rolls-Royce last year was, we simply hate to tell you this, the Cullinan.The Rolls-Royce Ghost was the bestselling model in the Asia-Pacific region. We didn’t have a photo of one there, though, so here’s a chicken climbing into one.Ezra Dyer|Car and DriverAs we said, we’re still awaiting numbers from some other companies, but as of the latest reports (Mercedes-Benz S-class sales up 24 percent at the end of Q3), things were looking great. Based on all this good news, maybe you should stop asking yourself whether you can afford to buy a Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica and ask yourself whether you can afford not to. But just try to stay realistic about how great everything is going. Lamborghini’s 10 percent year-over-year sales increase is good, but not as good as the 15 percent increase it saw in another record year, 2007.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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

Goodyear unveiled a tire with 90 percent sustainable materials at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week.The new tire, which has passed all regulatory and internal tests for road use, makes use of sustainable products such as soybean oil, rice husks, and pine resin, in place of standard compounds. Goodyear still needs to figure out scaling measures before bringing the demonstration tire to market. The company plans to first bring a 70 percent sustainable material tire to market this year.Goodyear’s company cafeteria schedule just got leaked. We hope you’re excited about three meals of tofu a day stretching into eternity. We jest, but if Goodyear’s newest tire reveal is anything to go on, the tire giant will need all the soy it can get in the coming years. An increase in awareness and consideration for the environment over the last few years is leading tire manufacturers to create more aggressive sustainability goals. Goodyear, which has a stated goal of introducing its first 100 percent sustainable tire by 2030, is making strides toward that future with a demonstration tire showcased at CES last week. Produced with 90 percent sustainable materials, the demonstration tire has already passed all regulatory and internal tests needed for road use. Of course, passing regulatory tests means nothing in terms of tire performance, as plenty of terrible tires are approved for road use. But we do know the demonstration tire excels in at least one measure: rolling resistance. Goodyear claims its sustainable tire rolls more easily than that of a comparison tire with traditional materials.All Things TiresBesides natural rubber, modern tires utilize steel, textiles, synthetic polymers, and a laundry list of chemicals to keep your car in contact with the tarmac below. This hodgepodge of materials has an adverse effect on the environment, though. As tires wear, they leave behind bits of rubber and chemicals that pollute the environment. Not Goodyear’s newest tire, though. It leaves behind a whiff of tofu, and oddly, a hint of pine schnapps.GoodyearTire manufacturers are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to the chemical makeup of their tires’ compound. So much so in fact, that these companies often avoid filing trademarks on the subject in order to keep competitors from stealing this information. Goodyear, however, shared the 17 key ingredients across 12 components that make these tires roll. This recipe includes soybean oil, to keep the tire pliable in changing temperatures; rice husk ash silica, to improve grip; and pine resin, which replaces standard petroleum-based resins. Goodyear conceded it has yet to determine the scale needed to bring the demonstration tire to market yet. Even so, the company plans to bring a tire that’s 70 percent sustainable to market by the end of the year. If Goodyear has its way, then its sustainable tires ought to bring new meaning to the phrase “eat my rubber.”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.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