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Disney and Pixar’s 911 Sally Special is a one-of-one version of the German brand’s rear-engine sports car.It’s based on the 473-hp 911 Carrera GTS and includes a seven-speed manual transmission.Though it lacks eyes or a mouth, the Sally Special steals a number of cues from Sally Carrera of Cars fame.Disney and Pixar’s Cars may have hit theaters in the summer of 2006, but production of the film started many years earlier, with production designer Bob Pauley first sketching the film’s female protagonist, Sally Carrera, in 2002. As her surname suggests, Sally is an anthropomorphic Porsche 911 Carrera. A 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera, specifically, better known by enthusiasts as a part of the 996-generation of 911s.

Though the film Cars may be only 16 years old, the character of Sally is celebrating two decades since leaving the—animated—Zuffenhausen factory. In honor of her emerald anniversary, the Cars team worked with Porsche to create a one-of-a-kind 2022 Porsche 911, which bears the mark Sally Special.
Based on the 473-hp Carrera GTS trim, the Sally Special brings elements of the Radiator Springs attorney to the modern 992-series 911. As such, Porsche also incorporated certain 996-generation design staples into the Sally Special. This includes silver headlight surrounds, as well as rear badging and staggered five-spoke wheels that mimic those of Sally (and of 911s of her era). Porsche and Pixar, however, refrained from fitting the Sally Special with big eyes and a mouth in place of a windshield or front grille. Nor did they hire Bonnie Hunt to supply voice guidance for the in-dash navigation system.The most notable element of the Sally Special is arguably its Sally Blue Metallic hue, a distinct color that requires hand application. Sally Blue Metallic also spreads to additional areas of the car’s front and rear fascias and engine lid, parts that Porsche keeps in black on the run-of-the-mill Carrera GTS.
Raising the Sally Special’s rear spoiler reveals a decal that matches the back-tattoo-like pinstripes of Sally, a bit of decor she got back when she was living life in the fast lane as a Los Angeles attorney. Kudos to Sally for achieving so much in life in the four short years between her final assembly and the theatrical release of Cars. Like its exterior, the Sally Special’s interior features an array of bespoke touches. Sally Blue Metallic decorates the cabin’s trim pieces and complements Chalk leather seats that include Speed Blue and Chalk stitching and Pepita inserts, which feature a color combination of black, Chalk, and Speed Blue. Chalk and Speed Blue dot other parts of the Sally Special’s insides, with the former making up the lower dashboard and the latter finding its way to the steering wheel’s center marker and the shift pattern display of the seven-speed manual transmission’s gear knob.
Other distinct details include a printing on the dashboard above the glovebox denoting the car’s special nature, backlit Sally Special doorsill guards, and a unique “Kachow Mode” that replaces the typical Sport Response button on the car’s steering-wheel-mounted drive mode switch.Whereas most limited-run Porsche models are often spoken for before being released, the Sally Special is still up for grabs. This is because Porsche and Pixar are auctioning the car off at RM Sotheby’s upcoming Monterey, California, event.
Proceeds from the sale, which takes place on August 20, will benefit two charities: Girls Inc., a nonprofit that serves girls between the ages of five and 18 and equips them with the tools and support needed to successfully navigate life’s challenges; and USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, a nonprofit working to help the many refugees forced to flee Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression. Nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator awards Girls Inc. a top rating of four stars. USA for UNHCR, meanwhile, achieves just two stars.Along with scoring the keys to the Sally Special, the winning bidder will also receive a matching Porsche Design watch, a second set of wheels—including a custom-made rack—to mount track tires on, a unique car cover, the car’s original color molds and its show plates, and a special book filled with information charting the development of the Sally Special.
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The 2023 Nissan Z is the new hotness on the sports-car scene. What else do you expect when such an iconic nameplate gets a substantial redesign? Still, that spotlight comes with scrutiny, and opinions are mixed on where the new Z car stands among its peers. We’ve tested it (twice) and put it up against natural rivals like the Toyota Supra 3.0 as well as unnatural ones like the Ford Mustang Mach 1. While the Nissan fell short in both face-offs, it doesn’t mean it’s undesirable. To identify our ideal versions, we set three of our editors loose on the Z’s online configurator. Somehow, without any planning (pinky promise), each person picked one of the three distinct trims to spec. These are what they chose:Eric Stafford’s $43,110 Nissan Z Sport

Nissan

Nissan

Is the Nissan Z without the limited-slip diff, upgraded brakes, and stickier tires as good as the Performance model that has all that equipment? Probably not. But I have a different way of looking at it. The Performance model wasn’t as good as the BMW M240i, Ford Mustang Mach 1, or Toyota Supra 3.0 in our comparison test. That tells me I’d be better off saving the $10K and sticking with the base-level Z Sport trim. After all, it has the same 400-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 as the pricier version. Plus, I’d have extra money to purchase better summer tires than the Bridgestone Potenza S007s found on the Performance. The Z’s price isn’t affected whether I choose the nine-speed automatic or the six-speed manual, but I’d pick the latter because, Duh. My Sport model would also have the no-cost Black Diamond Pearl paint, but I’d dress up its appearance with the dealer-installed chin spoiler ($170) and rear spoiler ($63o). Unfortunately, I’m stuck with a boring black cloth interior, as there are no other color options or materials choices on the base model. I’d still enhance the space with the $400 illuminated sill plates and the $445 ambient interior lighting to make it feel a little ritzier after dark. All told, my ’23 Z Sport totals $43,110. —Eric StaffordJack Fitzgerald’s $54,470 Nissan Z Performance

Nissan

Nissan

The whole point of the Z is having fun without breaking the bank, right? Every new Z gets the same amount of power, but splurge a little and Nissan will add a few performance features. That’s why I chose the Z Performance model, which upgrades the brakes, tightens the suspension, and provides a limited-slip differential. I went for the two-tone paint with Passion Red and Super Black on the roof. The paint ran me $1700, but heck, it’s a sports car. Why go boring on the color? I added the clear hood protector for another $170. Rather than spend on exterior options—truthfully, there aren’t many—why not save some money for a body kit? My interior options ran another $1600, with the virtual key and dual-camera recording system dealing the brunt of the damage. I also splurged on illuminated door panels to remind myself what I bought each time I get in and out of the car. The total out the door on my mostly economical, performance-oriented Z comes to $54,470. —Jack FitzgeraldAustin Irwin’s $55,310 Nissan Z Proto Spec

Nissan

Nissan

Z cars love a swanky special edition, don’t they? Remember the 280Z with the Zap appearance package? It was sold coated in Sunburst Yellow paint, with lovely 1970s striping and rear window louvers that definitely got ruined by a walnut tree later in life. It would eventually be outdone by the 1988 300ZX’s Super Shiro edition with bright white metallic paint, Recaro bucket seats, and arguably the best coil springs from the many Z31 iterations of that generation’s five-year run. Of course, a NISMO 350Z would follow, and then the 370Z would show up in 2009 to commemorate not only a 40th Anniversary Edition but also a 50th Anniversary Edition a decade later. And as a fellow Z31 owner myself, special might as well be my middle name. I’d spring for the most precious of the current Zs, the top Proto Spec. Only 240 will be sold in the U.S., and according to Nissan’s website, four of them are within 50 miles of my cubicle. Actually, after refreshing the website, that number curiously grew to 47. However, a more serious investigation revealed they were all spoken for long ago. So it looks like I’m not getting another Z after all. Oh well. When one eventually shows up on Bring a Trailer, which—like Car and Driver—is part of Hearst Autos, it will wear the Proto Spec’s two-tone Ikazuchi Yellow paint with a Super Black roof. It will also have a set of exclusive bronze 19-inch Rays Engineering forged wheels, yellow Akebono brake calipers, and various bits and pieces of yellow interior trim. I’d of course prefer the six-speed manual with automatic rev matching versus the nine-speed automatic. As a purist, it’s my responsibility, despite the personal sacrifice, to purchase the weird editions with paint options as strange as fishing lures. Sure, you can get the Ikazuchi Yellow on any of the Z trims, but nobody likes a pretender. Later, when (I hope) Nissan gives its newest sports car the NISMO treatment, I’ll be quicker with the build-and-price tool. Although, if the special launch model’s $55,310 pricing is any indication, I might need to sell a few project cars before adding a future collectible to my cart. —Austin IrwinDave Beard’s $45,895 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE . . . Wait, What?I would drive right past the Nissan dealer and buy a Mustang or Camaro. A ’22 Camaro SS with the 1LE Track Performance package starts at $45,895—only $4880 more than an unoptioned Z Sport manual. —David Beard

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• The original CTS-V helped change Cadillac’s image, and a 2005 model is currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer.• The CTS-V up for sale is black with a light-colored interior, and it’s modified with a badass-sounding cat-back exhaust.• With the current bidding at $12,525, the no-reserve auction ends in four days on Monday, August 15.It’s the car that took GM’s famous luxury brand from stodgy to sporty and helped transform Cadillac’s image. It was also Caddy’s first ever V model, tuned on the Nürburgring to take on BMW’s M cars, and it set the stage for some of the best high-performance sedans the world has ever seen. It’s none other than the original CTS-V. And a beautiful black, lightly modified 2005 model is currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer, which—like Car and Driver—is part of Hearst Autos.

Compared with the modern-day Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing—you know, the one with 668 horsepower—the first-generation CTS-V featured only 400 ponies. That and its 395 pound-feet of torque fed the rear wheels via a naturally aspirated 5.7-liter LS6 V-8. The only way to shift gears was through a six-speed manual. We tested an ’05 CTS-V back in the day. It took 4.8 ticks to go from zero to 60 mph and 13.2 seconds at 109 mph to run the quarter-mile. It also placed second in a comparison test with the Audi S4 (first) and Mercedes-Benz C55 (third).

Bring a Trailer

Sure, the OG Cadillac CTS-V wasn’t perfect. In that comparo alone we experienced some rear-wheel hop during all-out launches, issues with fuel starvation at the racetrack, and griped about its driver comfort and NVH levels, among other things. But that was then and this is now. While I’ve personally never driven a CTS-V of this vintage, I can’t help but be drawn to it. That’s mostly because 400-hp, V-8-powered, rear-drive, manual-equipped sedans that I can actually afford aren’t thick on the ground.
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The one that’s currently up for auction on BaT even has modifications that I’d want to make myself, namely the aftermarket cat-back exhaust system. As heard in the cold-start video above, it gives the Caddy’s pushrod engine an unmistakable baritone. Other add-ons include a cold-air intake and a skip-shift kit. The only thing I’m not in love with about this car is the light color of its leather seats, headliner, and carpeting. I just think it creates a weird contrast with the black dashboard and door panels. Plus, it doesn’t hide dirt very well.

Bring a Trailer

With that said, I’ve been a big fan of the CTS-V since it debuted back in 2004. I think the design, which is admittedly polarizing, remains distinctive. I’m particularly fond of the V’s billet grille, smoked headlights, and seven-spoke 18-inch wheels. The one on the BaT website currently has a bid of $12,525. There’s no reserve, and the auction is set to end on Monday, August 15.
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The 2023 Nissan Titan’s starting price rises by just $890 to $41,495, and the rest of the lineup sees similarly small price hikes.Starting at $49,135 (up $960), the 2023 Nissan Titan XD is also only slightly more expensive than last year.Nissan now makes wireless Apple CarPlay standard on the Pro-4X and Platinum Reserve trims.Price hikes are common when vehicles enter a new model year, but lately, they’ve been a lot higher than normal due to myriad economic factors. While Ford and Chevy have raised the prices of their latest half-ton pickup trucks by thousands of dollars, Nissan is taking a different approach, raising the starting price of the 2023 Titan by just $890 to $41,495. Likewise, no other model costs $1230 more than last year.That $41,495 is for the entry-level S trim with the extended King Cab body style and rear-wheel drive. Configured with the crew cab and all-wheel drive, the ’23 Titan S starts at $46,475 (up $940). Similarly small price hikes can be seen across the rest of the lineup as well as with the heavy-duty-ish Titan XD.

The regular Titan’s mid-level SV and off-road-oriented Pro-4X trim levels now start at $46,875 and $54,605, respectively. The latter is still only offered with a crew cab and four-wheel drive, but neither model’s price is more than $1110 higher than before. The same goes for the top-tier Platinum Reserve which now starts at $60,465 (up $1170). When it comes to the Titan XD lineup, all models come standard with all-wheel drive and the crew-cab body style. For 2023, the base S trim starts at $49,135 (up $960), the SV is up $1000 to $52,955, the Pro-4X starts at $58,915 (up $1150), and the Platinum Reserve’s starting price rises the most by $1230 to $66,865.

Nissan

Along with the Titan and Titan XD’s slighter higher prices for the 2023 model year comes a desirable new feature. The Pro-4X and Platinum Reserve now include wireless Apple CarPlay as standard. Unfortunately, a wired connection is still required on all other models. Nissan also re-introduces the Midnight Edition package, but it’s only offered on SV models with the crew cab. As advertised, it includes black 20-inch wheels as well as copious amounts of other black exterior and interior bits. Every Nissan Titan and Titan XD continue to be powered by a 400-hp 5.5-liter V-8 hooked up to a nine-speed automatic transmission. The 2023 models are on sale now.
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The 2023 GMC Canyon adds a sibling to the off-roading ZR2 Colorado in the form of the AT4X. GMC’s mid-size truck has been redesigned with a wider track and strong proportions.Along with the beefed-up exterior, the new Canyon also features a redesigned interior with an 11.3-inch touchscreen. Two weeks after Chevy unveiled the new Colorado, GMC has pulled the sheet back on the 2023 Canyon, revealing newly squared-off styling for the mid-size GMC truck. From the look of things, GMC has been force-feeding the Canyon scoops of pre-workout and creatine for the last year in a bulking effort. It worked. The 2023 Canyon is entering its third generation alongside its GM sibling, the Chevy Colorado. GMC is eager to stay on the more luxurious end of the mid-size-truck market, hitting the Canyon with a spritz of luxury. Each trim line comes with a color scheme unique to that trim. The Canyon sits on a new, wider track than previous years and comes with a 2.0-inch lift on Elevation, AT4, and Denali trims, with a 3.0-inch lift reserved for the AT4X.The new AT4X will come at a $64,000-plus price, nearly $20,000 higher than the 2022 ZR2’s MSRP. That price launches it past competitors including the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and Ford Ranger Raptor, landing it in the ballpark closer to off-roading monsters like the Bronco Raptor. According to GMC, the price of the Elevation will also be going up, starting at an estimated $41,495. The AT4, which GMC told us was the most popular Canyon sold in the last generation, is priced at a more reasonable $42,495.
All New EverythingMuch like with the Colorado, GMC is paring down the options this year. Each Canyon will come in a four-door crew-cab configuration. Unlike with the Colorado, each new Canyon will come equipped with the same 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. No official fuel economy numbers have been published yet, and none were supplied by the manufacturer, though the engines are equipped with active fuel management and stop/start technology. Equipped with the trailer package, the new Canyon will be able to tow up to 7700 pounds. That figure drops to 6000 pounds in the AT4X model, and a further 500 pounds for the AT4Xs equipped with the Edition 1 package.

The Canyon improves its approach angle this year to 36.9 degrees. Slightly worse than the 38.3-degree approach of the Chevy ZR2 but better than the 35.0-degree approach on the Tacoma TRD Pro. The improved approach angle comes with the front air dam being removed, and the front axle moving farther forward. The 17-inch wheels found on the AT4X are wrapped in 285/70R-17 Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires to provide optimal traction in suboptimal conditions. Elevation and AT4 trims will come ride on 18-inch wheels, with Denali trims riding high on 20s.
Dynamic suspension spool valve (DSSV) dampers move outboard to aid off-road performance through an improved 9.6-inches of ground clearance (10.7 for AT4X). Standard for the AT4X though available on lower trims, the Canyon features electronic locking front and rear differentials, and there are seven cameras placed around and under the truck, give drivers access to 10 available camera angles, complete with underbody angles to help in dicey off-roading situations. Tough MudderAfter launching the AT4 in 2021 as an altogether capable but admittedly less rugged version of the ZR2 Colorado, the AT4X is here to play. Following after its more rugged big brother, the Sierra 1500 AT4X, the AT4X-ified Canyon is intended to be “the ultimate expression of GMC’s commitment to delivering serious off-road capability,” according to GMC. On top of the four standard drive modes offered for the Canyon, the AT4X receives an exclusive Baja mode intended for high-speed off-road driving situations. The AT4X will be the only Canyon available in the Edition 1 package, which includes a front bash bar, a 30-inch grille-mounted light bar, 17-inch beadlock wheels, a winch, and unique badging, among other goodies.
Much like the Colorado, the Canyon features an integrated 45-inch watertight storage compartment in the tailgate. Lending a hand to practicality, the tailgate also features a midgate height for longer items. Customers sweating over a lack of lashing points can breathe a sigh of relief. GMC was happy to tell us that in response to customer comments, they doubled the tie-down points in the bed of the truck to eight. Luxury Interior . . . Sort OfThe new Canyon gets a lot right about the interior. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, while physical climate controls are a welcome sight, huddled over a line of auxiliary switches. The AT4X and Denali both get a head-up display as standard, though it is not available on other trims. The dash features an 11.3-inch infotainment system. The higher trims get an 11-inch digital gauge cluster while the lower are stuck with a smaller 8.0-inch version. Opt for the Denali, and you get open-pore wood on the dash featuring a laser-etched design. Quilted leather covers the seats and rides across both the dash and door panels.

GMC

Initial production is expected to start early 2023, with the AT4X having to wait a bit longer until spring 2023.
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