News

Replica vehicles and kit cars have long been a way for enthusiasts to get a piece of some of the greatest examples of automotive unobtainium. Thanks to the efforts of the SEMA (formerly known as the Specialty Equipment Market Association) and its partners lobbying Congress, the replica market is about to get a lot bigger. Customers in the United States will now be able to legally purchase turnkey, factory-assembled replica vehicles, based on designs more than 25 years old, now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially implemented the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act.

According to this new policy, low-volume vehicle manufacturers will be able to construct up to 325 replica vehicles a year—anything from old-school hot rods to midcentury muscle cars and more modern classics. These vehicles will still be required to comply with some level of federal oversight, but not at the level of modern mass-produced vehicles. This should allow small manufacturers that don’t have the resources of a legacy automaker to build limited-production replicas that comply with the new law.That said, these replica vehicles will still be required to meet current model-year emissions regulations, and all replica manufacturers must register with NHTSA, the EPA, and the California Air Resources Board in order to build and sell street-legal vehicles. The process of verification with these entities may take several months, according to SEMA. That means we still likely have a way to go before we start to see an influx of new pseudo-vintage machines powered by modern emissions-compliant engines. For those who don’t want to wait, we should note that this new policy has no impact on your ability to build a traditional kit car. It seems like automotive enthusiasts don’t catch many breaks these days, especially as our zero-emission future draws ever nearer. This is a win we can all get behind, and one that could help get some seriously cool cars on the road in the near future.

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

In a world of chaos, turmoil, and despair, there is Window Shopping. It’s not merely a Zoom call among Car and Driver’s various staff members and hangers-on, though it is that, too. It’s certainty, calm, and reassurance when it’s needed most.Heeding the call for elation once again, Window Shopping’s internet-scouring challenge this week is to find American cars from the 1980s that don’t suck and can be purchased for $30,000 or less. It’s all about moolah for malaise.Who are this week’s contestants? There’s C/D contributor Jonathon Ramsey from verdant Parts Unknown, Kentucky. Technical Something or Other K.C. Colwell, who was born during the 1980s but wasn’t eligible to be purchased during this competition. Editor-in-chief, and still redolent of that new-editor smell, Tony Quiroga. Senior editor Joey Capparella, who was born in the 1990s, and that makes his work title mostly ironic. And Road & Track’s John Pearley Huffman, who was already Midwest Regional Sales Manager for Circuit City in 1986.At least one of the gang here asserts that all cars from the 1980s suck. He makes a strong case. Choices this episode include a diarrhea-brown truck, a sedan even people who owned one forget was a reality, a yellow thing with a Kenwood stereo, another thing this writer can’t recall several minutes after the show, and, duh, a Mustang.Come along for this magical journey back to a time when the world seemed at least as screwed up as it does now. And yet, somehow, we survived.

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 name “Jeep Wagoneer” has resonated through the years among those who appreciate a big, tough utility vehicle that’s also luxurious. • As much as we appreciate the 2022 Wagoneer, there’s nothing like the classics, like this 1970 Jeep Wagoneer currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer.• With the auction scheduled to end on Friday, March 11, bidding is currently at $11,000 and sure to go way up from there.The 2022 Jeep Wagoneer is a big and tech-heavy three-row SUV that seeks to blend luxury and capability. There’s much to appreciate about it. Still, there is a nostalgic call to get back and relive the days of the past. This is why this 1970 Jeep Wagoneer is today’s pick on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. Bidding is open until March 11 for those who want to get behind the wheel of a 350-cubic-inch Dauntless V-8.

Bring a Trailer

The Wagoneer initially debuted in 1963. It was the high-class Jeep, featuring many amenities unlike anything at the time. Power brakes, an automatic transmission, and power steering were unthinkable for a rugged Jeep in the 1960s.

According to the listing, this Wagoneer was listed on BaT back in December 2016. Since that purchase, work completed on the SUV includes a new aftermarket fuel-injection system, shocks, and suspension bushings and springs, as well as an oil change. According to the listing, the 350-cubic-inch Dauntless V-8 mated to a three-speed automatic transmission, and the Jeep reads 56,000 miles on the odometer.

Bring a Trailer

You’ll find plenty of accessories attached to this rugged 4×4. Want a roof rack? It has it. Need bumpers, rock sliders, and rear-mounted carriers? Done. [Slaps hood of Jeep.] This Jeep Wagoneer is absolutely ready for the weekend overlanding trip. Interested parties have until March 11 to bid on it.

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

Volvo has facelifted the XC40 Recharge with a new front bumper and triangular headlights similar to the design found on the C40 Recharge.The C40 Recharge also adds a new single-motor, front-wheel-drive variant.Volvo won’t yet divulge the U.S.-market plans for these models, but said that more information will come in the spring.Volvo is rapidly moving towards an all-electric future, with news emerging earlier this week of five new EVs coming in the next few years, including two wagon-like “activity vehicles” and a sedan. But before those models arrive, Volvo’s first electric vehicle is getting an update, with Volvo announcing today a facelift for the XC40 Recharge that brings its styling in line with the sleeker, coupelike C40 Recharge introduced last year.

Volvo XC40 Recharge.
Volvo

The facelift is subtle, with a resculpted front bumper and a frameless grille cover matching the front end of the C40 Recharge. The electric XC40 also gains the pointier headlights of its sloped-roof brother, which continues to feature Volvo’s assertive Thor’s Hammer LED lighting signature. Inside, the XC40 Recharge gains non-leather upholstery options, while new paint colors and wheel options will be available, although Volvo has yet to specify what these will be.

Volvo C40 Recharge.
Volvo

Meanwhile, the C40 Recharge is also gaining a new variant. Slotting below the current dual-motor version of the C40 will be a single-motor model. The motor sends power to the front wheels and comes with a 69.0-kWh battery, versus the 78.0-kWh unit in the dual-motor C40. Volvo says this variant of the C40 Recharge will get about 270 miles of range on the more lenient European WLTP testing cycle. Volvo also claims that the C40 Recharge will be able to charge from 10 to 80 percent in around 32 minutes when plugged into a fast charger.

Volvo would not confirm U.S. market availability for either vehicle, but a spokesperson did tell Car and Driver that more information will come in the spring. The updated XC40 Recharge is almost guaranteed to reach our shores, likely for the 2023 model year, but given that Volvo doesn’t offer the single-motor XC40 Recharge stateside, the new C40 variant could remain forbidden fruit.
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