The New Jaguar E-Pace Specification & Presentation Options You Need To Know Before You Buy.
The New Jaguar E-Pace Specification & Presentation Options You Need To Know Before You Buy. Review, Pricing, and Specs - Car and Driver more detail in ...
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Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Winnebago Roam Is an Accessible RV Built from a Ram ProMaster
From #VanLife to #VanLift: Winnebago has just opened up reasonably priced RV camping to a wider audience.
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2022 Porsche Macan GTS Is the One to Get
More power and a host of updates make Porsche's sportiest compact crossover better than ever.
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2023 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance Has 831 Horsepower
The first plug-in hybrid from AMG uses a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 and an electric motor on the rear axle, and it'll arrive in the U.S. for the 2023 model year.
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Subaru Reveals More of Solterra EV, Arriving in 2022
Subaru's first electric vehicle, the 2023 Solterra SUV, has been jointly developed with Toyota and shares its platform with the upcoming bZ4X.
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Lotus Cars Confirms Four Electric Models Are Coming
The specialty automaker has also named a new head of Group Lotus Design: veteran Peter Horbury.
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Toyota Confirms Corolla Cross Hybrid Coming Next Year
Like its Corolla sedan sibling, Toyota's new small crossover will soon have a gas-electric variant to boost mpg.
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Ram and Dodge Ranked First and Second in J.D. Power Initial Quality Study
The top five spots are rounded out by Lexus, Mitsubishi, and Nissan.
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2021 Ford F-150 Raptor Chases the TRX
Ford's latest off-road wonder truck gets a new suspension setup and a bolder attitude.
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Monday, August 30, 2021
Published on YouTube: Supercar Review: 2021 Ferrari SF90 Stradale | Driving
Supercar Review: 2021 Ferrari SF90 Stradale | Driving
Maranello, ITALY—The first thing you notice is the silence. This is a Ferrari, after all, its bulging fenders the requisite Monza Red, twin large-bore tailpipes exiting ...
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Maranello, ITALY—The first thing you notice is the silence. This is a Ferrari, after all, its bulging fenders the requisite Monza Red, twin large-bore tailpipes exiting ...
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Published on YouTube: 2022 Acura NSX Type S
2022 Acura NSX Type S
The 2022 Acura NSX Type S only made its debut a week ago but if you were hoping to get your hands on the first one, you're too late. The rights to the first ...
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFebvCqeLlA
The 2022 Acura NSX Type S only made its debut a week ago but if you were hoping to get your hands on the first one, you're too late. The rights to the first ...
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFebvCqeLlA
Ford E-350 Seat Covers
The Ford E-350 is part of the Ford E-Series, which initially consisted of a cargo or passenger van and a cutaway van chassis.
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Jeep JL Running Boards
Getting in and out of your Jeep Wrangler JL can be challenging, especially if you've recently lifted the vehicle or installed monster-size off-road tires.
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Honda Element Floor Mats
Honda Element floor mats can help you protect and maintain the value of your vehicle.
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Subaru Trailer Hitch: Everything You Need to Know
If you want to tow a trailer with your Subaru, you need a trailer hitch if your vehicle doesn't already have this component.
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Throttle Body Cleaning
Throttle body cleaning is a necessary part of vehicle maintenance since the throttle body plays a significant role in the smooth running of the engine.
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Your Guide to Toyota Tacoma Hard Bed Covers
A Tacoma bed cover with a hard surface is a useful accessory that can help you keep the cargo in your Toyota Tacoma secure and safe.
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LED Headlights for Subaru Outback
LED headlights for a Subaru Outback are optional light choices that can provide greater adjustability and overall efficiency.
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Base Camp: 2022 Nissan Pathfinder
Every week, wheels.ca selects a new vehicle and takes a good look at its entry-level trim. If we find it worthy of your consideration, we’ll let you know. If not, we’ll recommend one – or the required options – that earns a passing grade.
Fresh off a major overhaul for 2022, the Nissan Pathfinder has ditched its minivan-in-disguise clothes in favour of something much more befitting its name. Sure, the machine is still based on a front-wheel drive platform but every single Pathfinder sold in Canada for the 2022 model year is equipped with four-wheel drive.
Sticking to Nissan naming convention, the base Pathfinder is called the S trim. It is powered by a familiar 3.5-litre V6 engine – as are all ‘finders – which makes 284 horsepower and 259 lb-ft of torque. Mercifully, the company has ditched its infuriating continually variable transmission in this new model, choosing instead to install a modern 9-speed automatic. Your author heartily approves.
In terms of off-road guts, the 2022 Pathfinder S is equipped with the aforementioned 4WD, plus hill descent control and a terrain mode selector. Dual-flow path shock absorbers play nicely with the 18-inch all-season tires, though we’d ditch the latter at replacement time for a good set of all-terrains. Trailer sway control helps whatever you’re hauling this weekend.
Thanks to economies of scale, which sometimes dictate it’s cheaper overall for a car company to manufacture all trims with a particular feature, base Pathfinders come with LED head- and taillamps plus heated side mirrors that are peppered with turn signal repeaters. Washer nozzles are heated, too. Trim such as the door handles are colour-keyed, though fog lamps are denuded and there are only four paint shades on offer (only two of which are no-charge options).
That same quirk of economics also ensures the least-expensive Pathfinder has tri-zone climate control, meaning both front seat occupants and kids in the rear can freeze or bake to their own desires. Front cloth bucket seats are heated, as is the leather-wrapped steering wheel. Push button ignition means no more digging for keys, and the brand’s ProPILOT Assist suite of driver aids helps keep things on the straight and narrow. Fun fact: the Pathfinder has ten cupholders and six bottle holders, meaning no one’s going thirsty in this thing. An 8-inch infotainment screen packs satellite radio and smartphone integration capabilities.
What We’d Choose
While making the $3,000 walk to an SV-trimmed Pathfinder isn’t chump change, the next rung on this ladder is worth considering. For the money, customers net a panoramic moonroof, LED fogs, a remote starter, and an Around View camera monitor. The inclusion of a tow hitch receiver with proper wiring harnesses is also notable since it jacks total towing capacity to a robust 6,000 pounds. Wheel and tires are a couple of inches larger, as well.
Still, if those features are of little notice to you, there’s a lot to like in the $43,798 base S model. It has the same powertrain as the SV, the same infotainment system (save for fewer USB ports), and the same level of active safe driving aids. With its appearance finally rectified, this three-row SUV has regained a lot of its appeal.
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Ford Isn't Taking Bronco Reservations Anymore, for Now
Ford says customers should ask their dealership about their timelines for getting a new Bronco SUV, and our local dealer told us the wait will be six months to a year.
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New Orleans Law Changed to Let Cars Park on 'Neutral Ground' during Hurricane Ida
The rule was changed to let drivers park on 'neutral ground,' NOLA's unique term for grassy medians. Putting vehicles there could save them from flood waters.
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Racing Roundup: Formula One tells the world, “***** you!”
We are not going to discuss whether they should have raced in Belgium yesterday, although Max Verstappen was on the go side. Paul Tracy wasn’t there but he would have said they should have raced because that’s why they’re paid the big bucks. I think they should have raced to the conditions – but maybe technology won’t allow it any longer. If a current F1 car isn’t going at least 100 miles an hour, sensitive sections like the power unit will shut down.
It probably would have been dangerous to have been going 100 mph-plus at a place like Spa-Francorchamps yesterday anyway, but isn’t that the attraction? Isn’t auto racing dangerous by definition? Are these not the best racing car drivers in the world. In the world? But as I said, we won’t discuss it because there are too many opinions. However, . . .
This is what really pissed me right off. Formula One is now club racing – nothing more, nothing less. Club racing is when a driver with a car joins a club and there are rules and they pay to race and they rent tracks and keep score and they don’t have to worry about fans because there usually aren’t any. Or many, in any event.
But Formula One has millions of fans around the world, watching on TV but attending in person when they can. It costs a lot to do this. Take the Grand Prix of Canada. People fly into Montreal from around the world. They stay in hotels that overcharge; Montreal is an expensive place to eat unless you go to McDonalds. It costs a fortune, but people willingly pay it. It’s F1, after all. That’s what attracted thousands to Spa this weekend. They came by car and bus, from France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, plus the ones who arrived by plane from the U.K. and the U.S. As a result, if Bernie Ecclestone was still in charge, the stunt that was pulled Sunday at Spa would never, ever have happened. Why?
Because Bernie knew Formula One would still be a hobby if it wasn’t for all those fans and the sponsors who pay millions for the privilege of having their names on a car that all those millions of fans will see, either in person or on TV. When Bernie first got involved in F1, it was made up of a gang of garageistes – well-meaning amateurs and semi-pros who spent every available dollar on their racing cars. They lived two and three to a room and slept in caravans and tents at the racetrack.
He went to work and by the time he was forced out, he’d made each and every one of those young men (the ones still alive, in any event) rich beyond their wildest dreams. F1 had become a multi-billion-dollar business. And he knew who was responsible for their (and his) riches. The sponsors and the fans. As a result, and at the least, Bernie would have suspended that race until today and tried again. Or he would have found a gap in the schedule in September or October and held it then.
He would not have said, as was said yesterday, “screw you” to the world.
Okay, the two-lap “race” was won by Max Verstappen, with George Russell second and Lewis Hamilton third. All drivers received half points. It was Daniel Ricciardo’s 200th Grand Prix start and George Russell’s 50th. It was Red Bull’s 50th with Honda. And with his 323rd start, Fernando Alonso moved to second place in longevity behind Kimi Raikkonen. And Canada’s Nicholas Latifi seemed genuinely happy that his teammate, Russell, enjoyed such success this weekend and that he, himself, just missed going to Q3: “I’m very pleased with my best qualifying result of the season and also my Formula 1 career,” he said. “More than anything, I’m happy that I got some more experience in the wet because I haven’t had much of that in our car, so it was nice to get some laps in and really build some confidence in these conditions.” For a full story, please click here.
Belgian Grand Prix called after two laps due to rain; Verstappen wins (usatoday.com)
NEWSPAPERMAN, BROADCASTER MILLER DIES
Robin Miller, who died last week of cancer at age 71, Robin Miller 1949 – 2021 | RACER did more for Indy car racing than just about anybody. Robin’s cheerleading for modern-day IndyCar was followed by hundreds of thousands of readers who thoroughly enjoyed his Mailbag column on RACER.com and his television work for NBC and other networks.
When Robin was let go by the Indianapolis Star (more about that in a moment), he concentrated less on his journalism and more on becoming a personality. His interviews with the giants of the sport (he called most of them “son”) made them much more interesting than, say, Formula One or even NASCAR drivers because he would get the Indy stars laughing about this and that and they quite obviously enjoyed going along with the gag.
As did the readers and viewers.
To understand the sport better, Robin was determined to be a success on the speedway but after trying first, Formula Ford, and then the U.S. National Midget Series, he realized that his real talent was in writing about the sport. He’d started at the Star answering phones and running copy but wound up, because of his enthusiasm, with his dream job: motorsport reporter and columnist, something he did for 30 years.
His passion for his job, and life, knew no bounds. The current press centre at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is half the size of a football field but when you walked in, you always knew where Robin was because his voice carried the length of it and you could spot him immediately. He’d be telling one guy about a wager he’d won (he liked to gamble) and giving the gears to another, who was married and his wife was mad at him about something, and how he didn’t have that problem (he was a bachelor) and could pick up and go to Vegas anytime he liked. At any hour of the day, too. He didn’t have to ask anybody; never would.
In later years, after he became a star with RACER.com, he and RACER’s other star, Marshall Pruett, sat in the same row of the Indy press room, surrounded by boxes of souvenir gear, cans of soda pop, donuts, candy bars and at least two spinning disco balls. Marshall, who probably knew him best in a work environment, wrote a heartfelt eulogy and I link to it here, in case you missed reading it before.
PRUETT: There was nobody like Robin Miller | RACER
Speaking of gear (see photo at top of column, courtesy of RACER.com), I have a half-dozen or so sweaters or T-shirts with caricatures of AJ Foyt, Rick Mears, Bobby and Al Unser and other Indy greats that Robin gave me – if he could. He’d see me and call out, “Hey, son – what size are you?” And I’d say, “Extra Large.” And he’d pull out a big carboard box from under his desk and five minutes later tell me either that all the XLs were gone or else hand me one that fit (see photo, taken by Susan Greene for the Toronto Star). I look at those sweaters today and know that’s one way I’ll never forget the guy.
Another way I’ll remember him has to do with our mutual affection for all the old sprint, super modified and midget drivers who made it to Indy. He did a series of five-minute video reminiscences of some of those greats including Gary Bettenhausen, Bill Vukovich Jr., Jan Opperman, Tim Richmond, and Lloyd (ol’ Rube) Ruby as well as Grand Prix and Indy greats Dan Gurney (he called him the Big Eagle) and Jim Clark.
When the IRL/CART civil war started, even life-long readers and fans, including me, found some of the things Robin wrote confusing. Some thought he was a traitor to go against CART while some in the CART community were convinced, he’d finally drunk Tony George’s IRL Kool-Aid. But it was really very simple:
Robin liked the CART model of short ovals, superspeedways, road courses and street courses. What bothered him was that most of the team owners preferred taking money from offshore drivers rather than giving a chance to someone homegrown who’d climbed the racing ladder “the old way.” The current influx of ex-F1 drivers and guys from Australia was fine with him so long as a guy from Indiana like Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart was given the same opportunity. We all knew this didn’t happen then and it still isn’t happening now.
Robin was lucky that he worked for a paper like the Star that stood behind its columnists. When Tony George announced that he planned to start another Indy car series, Robin wrote that it wasn’t a good idea. And if he wrote it once, he wrote it many times. This took guts. At that time, the Hulman-George family owned Indiana. They told the Star to fire him. The Star refused. The family pressured other Indy businesses to cancel their advertising. Some did; some didn’t. The Star still stood firmly behind him.
Until the day a critic (more likely, an enemy – and we all have ‘em) called the Star and said that Robin Miller was writing press releases for Kenny Brack and making a pretty good buck on the side. That was the straw. It was a clear conflict of interest and the Star had to fire him.
But then Dave Despain and Wind Tunnel and ESPN and everything else came along and Robin became more famous nationally and internationally than if he’d stayed as a racing columnist for the Indianapolis Star. Funny how life works out, eh?
On July 31, Robin wrote a letter to “Racer Nation,” in which he spelled out his predicament. You knew, reading that letter,
MILLER: A letter to the RACER nation | RACER
that he was coming out of four and heading for the checkers. But as he himself put it, it had been a great ride.
Robin Miller was a true original. There really won’t be another like him.
NASCAR CUP (AND OTHER RACES)
Okay, F1 was worried about crashes. NASCAR Cup can’t live without them. Saturday night at Daytona, the “regular” season ended with Ryan Blaney in Victory Lane and the playoff field set. (Kyle Larson won the regular-season championship.) Everybody else was in the wall, crashing together, conking out and just generally creating mayhem. Nobody was injured, of course. For a full story, please click here
Blaney Conquers Daytona As Playoff Field Set – SPEED SPORT
In NASCAR Xfinity Series racing, also at Daytona, Justin Haley won what was described as a thrilling race.
At Circuit ICAR, which is part of Mirabel Airport near Montreal, former IndyCar driver Alex Tagliani took the points lead by finishing fourth in Round 4 of the 2021 NASCAR Pinty’s Series Saturday. Tagliani is four points ahead of Louis-Philippe (L.P.) Dumoulin and seven ahead of race winner Kevin Lacroix.
Scheduled for 75 laps around the 1.6-kilometre (0,684 mile) ICAR road course, the race was extended to 83 laps because of a long yellow-flag period that started on Lap 70.
“I started the race in third place,” Tagliani said. “I managed to pass Andrew (Ranger) for second place (lap 14) to find myself right behind race leader Kevin (Lacroix). Everything was set for a nice battle between us. Unfortunately, I encountered brake problems again at the wrong time during a restart in the rain. I managed to save it, but I was punted and dropped to 10th place overall (Lap 40).” He eventually made his way back to fourth.
Kevin Lacroix crossed the finish line with a lead of 1.189 seconds over Andrew Ranger and 1.995 seconds on third-place finisher Jean-François Dumoulin. Tagliani, back in fourth, finished with a gap of 3.784 seconds ahead of Alex Guénette. Seven of the 18 starters finished on the lead lap.
Due to inclement weather, the NASCAR Pinty’s Series doubleheader scheduled Sunday at Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée Junction was postponed. The next rounds of the series will be held next Saturday and Sunday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP).
Also at Circuit ICAR: Kevin King and Owen Clark each won one of two races in the Nissan Sentra Series. In the Sports Car Championship Canada series presented by Michelin, Marco Signoretti was first in the GT4 class and Travis Hill was first in the TC Canada class.
Zachary Vanier, the reigning Canadian Touring Car Champion, has been signed by Multimatic Motorsports of Markham (see photo, courtesy of Multimatic) to partner Marco Signoretti in a Ford Mustang GT4 at next weekend’s Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
“We’re really pleased that Zachary is joining us at CTMP and look forward to seeing what he can do in a Ford Mustang GT4,” said Sean Mason, Multimatic’s Motorsports Manager. “The development of future talent is important to us at Multimatic and we think that Zach is an exciting prospect.”
Besides the sports car races, the Labour Day Sprints at CTMP will also see two rounds of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, the Nissan Sentra Cup, the Formula Ford 1600 series and the Radical Cup cars.
Ace PR rep Beth Merrick reports that Monster Jam, the most action-packed motorsports experience for families in the world (says the release), returns to Hamilton for a high-octane weekend at FirstOntario Centre on Sat., Oct. 2 through Sun., Oct. 3 at full capacity. Monster Jam, making its first and only Canadian stop in Hamilton following a pandemic pause, features the ultimate mix of high-flying action and four-wheel excitement. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.ca
At Shannonville Motorsport Park, more than 50 entrants signed in to compete in Round 2 of the 2021 Super Series Championship (see photo, courtesy of Super Series) and four track records were broken over the course of the weekend, with one record being broken twice in two days.
Mike Raniowski and Drew Weber respectively won the opening race in PRO/AM Sportbike. Chris Fehr took the checkered flags in the Lightweight Sportsman while the Novice rider Jordan Decarie showed his talent once again and claimed the Novice class victory. In Heavyweight Sportsman, Drew Weber took the top step of the podium and Alex Radecki won in Lightweight Superbike. Russ Miller went on to steal the sidecar victory away from Michael Vinton, while Eli Daccache and Radecki scored victories in the PRO/AM Superbike divisions. The final race of the day went to Eli Daccache. The rider of bike No. 1 claimed victory in the Sprint Cup class by a margin of victory standing at 36.779 seconds over Dan Lewczuk.
Chris Fehr and Matthew Simpson opened their Sunday with wins in the PRO/AM Sportbike class. Fehr then went back-to-back, winning the very next race in Lightweight Sportsman less than 20 minutes later. Raniowski bested Colin Duncan to claim the Heavyweight Sportsman class while Itsvan Hidvegi took his first checkered flag of the weekend in Lightweight Superbike. Michael Vinton claimed his third Sidecar win of the season with Lewczuk and Daccache winning the PRO/AM Superbike event.
Pierre Bourque, who raced for several years in the Pinty’s series, then known as the Canadian Tire series, has died at age 62. Bourque was a Canadian historian, Ottawa city councillor and an early web publisher of news about Parliament that included a gossip column called Heard at Hy’s. A most interesting fellow, he will be missed.
The 2021 Super Series season will conclude Sept. 7-18, again at Shannonville.
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News Roundup: MX-30 Priced, Pink Porsches, Upgraded ProMaster
Mazda’s first EV is set to arrive in Quebec and British Columbia this fall. The short-range MX-30 crossover will offer 161 km estimated from its 35.5 kWh battery pack and will ring the till at $42,150 before destination. That’s the price for the GS trim, which will offer an 8.8-inch display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It will also come with i-Activesense driver assistance like radar cruise, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and pedestrian detection. Heated seats and wheel are standard as is LED lighting. The GT trim adds more driver assistance features as well as Bose audio, 360-degree camera, and leatherette seating for $47,150.
Porsche is upgrading the Taycan EV for 2022 with communications enhancements, self-parking, and more green (as well as every other colour) choices. Refinements to the driveline will allow for a longer real-world range, Porsche says, though it hasn’t sought out new official estimates. Thermal management changes allow for fast-charging earlier and at higher levels of charge to help top it up more quickly. Remote Park Assist will allow the driver to remotely park the car from outside, using their smartphone to control the process. Android Auto has been added to the infotainment system which also has enhanced language understanding. Lastly, with Paint to Sample and Paint to Sample Plus, Taycan buyers can order their car in literally any paint colour imaginable, including classic Porsche hues like the Rubystone Red shown in the photo.
Ram has updated the ProMaster van by giving it more driver assistance features as well as a new gearbox. It’s unchanged on the outside, but a new 7.0-inch touchscreen replaces the old infotainment inside. A 10.0-inch version is also offered, and both use Uconnect 5 which allows wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as OTA updates. New HVAC controls are also part of the updates as is a new steering wheel Ram says offers better ergonomics. Driver assist now includes a 360-degree camera, auto brights, adaptive cruise, front parking sensors, and lane-keep assist, joining automated emergency braking. A nine-speed automatic has replaced the previous six-speed and should offer better fuel efficiency as well as smoother operation. Lastly, Ram confirmed an electric version of the van is set to arrive for 2023 to face off against the Ford e-Transit.
The Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services is looking to update the Motor Vehicle Dealers act for the first time since 2002. The ministry is looking to change the way that customers can interact with dealers and to “reduce burden” in the operations of dealers. Changes under consideration include changing the required disclosures for a lease or sale contract for dealers to make it easier for dealers. It would also change the act to allow dealers to “conduct business at a location outside of the place of business.” This would allow dealers to complete auto sales at the customer’s home or office, instead of requiring customers to complete the paperwork in-store. The ministry is also considering dealers advertising a vehicle “as-is” to include the cost of repairs required to pass inspection. The ministry is taking feedback on the proposals until September 17th.
Toyota announced last week that it had hit a new milestone for the Corolla. The model, which has long been the best-selling automotive nameplate in the world, has now topped 50 million sold. The car arrived in 1966 and is now in its 12th generation and 55 years of production. The Corolla arrived in Canada in 1969 and has since sold more than 1.6 million units here.
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Autophile: Bill Mitchell, Revered Corvette designer cemented his legacy with GM
While on a deep-sea fishing holiday in the early 1960s, William Mitchell hooked a classic. A shark would inspire a new concept.
It seems General Motors, and Mitchell, its Renoir stylist, needed a new theme for the debut of the Corvette at the 1962 New York auto show. The aggressive look and gradated coloration of the shark’s head would become the Corvette Shark, causing more than a splash in the automotive waters.
Mitchell had his fish, GM had its design and the classic car world had a keeper.
William “Bill” Mitchell was just that kind of guy: here today, designing for tomorrow.
Once, upon hearing that Mercedes-Benz had accused him of copying its designs with the first-generation Cadillac Seville, Mitchell replied, “Hell, I didn’t copy Mercedes. I copied Rolls-Royce. My father always told me, ‘If you’re going to be a thief, rob a bank, not a grocery store.’”
Rolls-Royce would include that in its annual report. And Mitchell would roll on, copying no one.
From his first summer days with his mother at Barron Collier’s New York ad agency in the 1920s —sketching Bugattis and MG cars in his spare time as they drove past his Manhattan window — Mitchell was always on the cutting edge. By day he would dream about drawing. By night he would envelope himself in design, taking courses at the Art Students League in New York.
When the opportunity came to submit idea sketches for cars as a candidate designer to Harley Earl at General Motors in 1933, Mitchell’s sense of sweeping form landed him a spot in the company’s Art and Color Section.
Less than two years later, Mitchell was the chief designer at Cadillac. By 1958 he was the chief of styling, a title he held for nearly 20 years. Style would never be the same.
Harley Earl with a 1959 Chevrolet Stingray. W59HV_CH006From the first Buick Rivieras of the mid-1960s to the Corvette he would call “his baby,” Mitchell incorporated bits of his personality in each of his creations. Mitchell loved machinery and taking chances. He drove Porsches, laughed hard and lived with gusto. One year he wrapped one of his Harley-Davidson motorcycles in silver fiberglass and rode it back-and-forth to work wearing matching silver leathers.
He loved drawing and designing fast cars more than he loathed the corporate committee culture of his employer. And he felt plenty for both. He fought against the idea of a four-seat Corvette and won. He defended the split rear window in the ’63 Vette, and won, for one year, anyway. At his 1998 induction into the Corvette Hall of Fame, he was described as someone who fought divisional general managers, salespeople, engineers, bean counters and “almost anyone who attempted to tamper with (the Corvette).”
He railed against committees, market research and the idea that a designer shouldn’t be left alone. “Frank Lloyd Wright did not go around ringing doorbells asking people what kind of houses they wanted,” Mitchell once said. “There is not one good-looking car I designed that market research had anything to do with.” But there were plenty of good-looking cars.
By the time he was named GM’s lead styling guru, he did away with the jukebox look favoured by the flamboyant Earl, who loved tailfins and lots of chrome. Mitchell favoured clean, crisp styling. The results showed.
The ’65 Catalina was just one of Pontiac’s bold new looks that Mitchell had a hand in. So was the ’69 Oldsmobile Monza; later called the Mitchell Monza because of his work saving the vehicle. The ’63 Riviera didn’t quite match Ford’s Thunderbird in terms of sales, but it was considered the standout car of the year for its esthetic qualities. And, of course, there was the Corvette — his own personal mission for many years.
And he was a designer until the end. After retiring in 1977, Mitchell went to work in his home studio painting many of his Grand Prix racing heroes with the same kind of flair and drama he had given to his work at GM. When he died in the fall of 1988, his wife, Marian, donated his work to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., as an inspiration for young designers with the same penchant for creating the impossible.
Mitchell would likely have been proud. “A good designer has got to be creative, and to be creative you have to be dissatisfied and discontent,” he wrote in 1977. “It makes for a terrible personality.” But what a look.
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OPINION: Is driving a pickup truck unethical?
The full-size pickup truck has found itself in the crosshairs of controversy. The debate began last month when a Globe and Mail op-ed asserted that pickup trucks were a “plague on Canadian streets” — citing their size, the danger they pose to other motorists, and their reputation for pollution. That’s a pretty inflammatory claim, considering pickup truck sales now comprise roughly one quarter of all light vehicle sales in Canada.
The original op-ed was bolstered with alarming reports from outlets such as The National Post, which reported that, “In Canada, driving a truck or SUV makes motorists as much as 224 per cent more likely to kill someone in a collision,” citing a study conducted in Montreal.
It’s a single statistic which begs the question, “Is driving a pickup truck an inherently unethical decision?” Of course, there isn’t really a binary answer to that. However, we can examine a few factors, including collision and fatality statistics, environmental impact, and utility in an attempt to come to a conclusion.
Do pickup trucks kill more people? No. In fact, pickup trucks are involved in proportionally less accidents altogether. In The National Post article, the way the “224 per cent more likely to cause a fatality” statistic is presented makes it seem as if pickup truck and SUV drivers are 224 per cent more likely to kill someone.
What the statistic actually highlights is that a pickup truck or SUV striking a passenger car in a collision is 224 per cent more likely to cause a fatality. And that is true.
In Ontario, according to the 2019 Ontario Road Safety Annual Report, passenger cars have a fatality rate of about 1.16 per cent, whereas pickup trucks have a fatality rate of 2.21 per cent in all collisions. So yes, you’re about twice as likely to kill somebody in a passenger car if you hit them in a pickup truck. According to that same report, passenger cars accounted for 49,087 collisions and 571 fatalities in 2019. Pickup trucks, by contrast, were responsible for 5,682 collisions and 126 fatalities.
Which means of the almost 65,000 collisions which occurred on Ontario roads in 2019, pickup trucks were involved in less than nine per cent of them.
So yes, while a pickup truck is more likely to kill in the event of a crash, the likelihood they will be involved in a fatal crash is far less than a passenger car.
Do pickup trucks pollute more? Broadly speaking, yes. Pickup trucks have greater tailpipe emissions than most other vehicles on the road. This is especially true of larger V-8 and diesel engine-powered trucks. However, even the modest 2.7-litre EcoBoost Ford F-150 produces around 100 tons of Co2 over the course of its lifespan according to a report in the National Observer, which cites statistics from fueleconomy.gov.
However, tailpipe emissions are only a portion of the story when it comes to a vehicle’s entire carbon footprint. Manufacturing counts for a lot, and what pickup trucks have going for them are their mass, localized production.
The production of electric cars is getting greener as the process becomes localized and more frequent. However, it still takes about one to two years for an electric car to offset the carbon dioxide equivalent of operating a gasoline vehicle.
In 2015, a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that, taking into account electricity sources for charging, an electric vehicle ends up reducing greenhouse gas emissions by about 50 per cent compared with a similar size gas-powered car.
This is all to say that production is a massive part in calculating the overall carbon footprint of a vehicle. It’s also to say that buying vehicles less frequently may be the best way to offset your footprint. Studies find that the average pickup owner holds on to their vehicle for about seven to eight years. The noble and virtuous electric car may not have the same lasting power with consumers.
The website Car and Driver, for example, found that its long long-term Tesla Model 3 had lost seven per cent of its capacity over 24,000 miles. At that rate, Tesla would have to replace the battery under warranty — which means another huge carbon footprint to produce the lithium-ion battery.
Do Canadians really need a pickup truck? Many of us do. Some have gone so far as to suggest outlawing the sale of pickup trucks outside of use for work. But since 22.1 per cent of employed Canadians work in skilled-trades occupations, I’m not sure banning pickup trucks outside of the trades would necessarily have the desired effect.
Furthermore, the need for a pickup truck can extend beyond just working in the trades. In this country, more than seven million citizens live in “rural” areas — which the census defines as “areas with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants and a population density below 400 people per square kilometre.
That’s roughly one in five Canadians who might not get their roads plowed, or be able to have groceries, consumer goods or construction materials easily transported to their homes. Both those figures — Canadians living in rural areas, as well as Canadians working in skilled trades — are right around the number of new pickup trucks sold in this country every year.
However, a free piece of consumer advice if you are actually someone who wants to buy a pickup simply for the lifestyle and not for the utility: Don’t.
It’s more dangerous for your fellow drivers if you collide with them, it’s more dangerous for you in the event of a rollover, and you’re not exactly doing the planet any favours unless you go for a forthcoming electric model.
If you don’t care about any of the above, there are other reasons not to buy a full-size pickup.
They are tough to navigate through city centres and parking garages and filling them up at the gas pumps is an actual exercise in masochism.
If you don’t truly need a pickup, you really shouldn’t buy one. But for those who do need them, I think we should stop presenting them as inherently irresponsible or unethical.
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Fine Lines, Ferrari/Dino, 1967 to 1974
Had he not died, Dino Ferrari would have had the racing world in the palm of his hand. As the son of Enzo, it was Dino’s destiny to someday take over the reins of the company his father built, a company with a closet full of exotic automobiles and checkered flags. Instead, he died a young man after living just 24 years.
Dino never ruled the Ferrari kingdom, but his father, as a tribute to his son, commissioned a rolling automotive monument. In the end, Dino would become better known in death than in life.
Even still, arguments continue to this day as to whether Enzo Ferrari’s magnificent Dino sports car is, in fact, a true Ferrari. On one hand, none have the Ferrari name or its famous logo. Il Commendatore, as Enzo was respectfully called, specified that only a simple “Dino” nameplate be displayed on the nose of his creation. And how could it be called a genuine Ferrari when the engine — a V-6 and not the usual V-12 — was largely the creation of Fiat, the giant automobile conglomerate that would eventually purchase Ferrari in 1969?
On the other hand, Enzo commissioned the Dino with the hope that a whole new line of smaller, lighter exotics would bear his son’s name. As for the powerplant, Ferrari’s engineers handled all the design work and built many of its key components at the Maranello, Italy factory. Fiat simply supplied the block and a few other accessories to Ferrari’s specifications.
To prove the point, some Dino owners have gone so far as to place Ferrari badges on what they feel is the genuine article. Whether they do it for pride or to counter the critics is hard to say. In the end, the ongoing controversy probably wouldn’t amuse the company’s founder, who held sacred the memory of his son. In the years following Dino’s death in 1956 from failing health, his father was rarely seen without a black necktie, a sign of perpetual mourning.
When the first mid-engine Dino was displayed at the 1965 Paris auto show, the world was only just beginning to discover the handling benefits of positioning the engine behind the passenger compartment. The bodywork, crafted by the Italian studio Pininfarina, was a knockout. It featured curved front fenders, deeply recessed headlights, steeply raked windshield and a “flying buttress” rear roofline that surrounded the embedded back window with a swooping sail on each side. It was a true thing of beauty.
Two years later, the Dino 206 GT (the numbers represented the 2.0-litre engine displacement and its six cylinders) entered production. Among the many innovations were its transversely mounted (sideways) engine, fully independent suspension, five-speed gearbox, four-wheel disc brakes and rack-and-pinion steering. These features had been harvested from Ferrari’s vast racing experience and converted to road-going use. The unique frame was made using tubular steel, upon which hand-formed aluminum body panels were attached.
The finished product was on the small side, but nonetheless visually appealing. Unfortunately, it was also noisy and uncomfortable to sit in, and lacked any semblance of luggage space. More importantly, the alloy engine required almost constant maintenance. Destined for the European market, only about 100 of these 180-horsepower Dinos were made during its brief lifespan.
But Enzo refused to abandon his offshoot brand and in 1969 released the improved 246 GT. Not only did it have a longer wheelbase (and more cockpit room), but it offered a stronger 195-horsepower 2.4-litre V-6 with a cast-iron engine block.
Weighing just 1,000 kilograms, the Dino could hit 60 mph (96 km/h) from rest in seven seconds and reach a top velocity of 140 mph (225 km/h). These numbers weren’t even close to the 12-cylinder Ferrari Daytona coupes (zero to 60 in 5.4 seconds and a 170-mph-270 km/h top speed) that were sold alongside the Dino at Ferrari dealerships in Europe and, by that time, North America.
In its defense, the Dino was at least $5,000 cheaper (about 25 per cent) and could easily out-handle its faster relative. It was also, in many people’s minds, better looking. As a result, Dino sales clobbered those of its pricier rival.
By 1972, the car’s cuteness factor was on the rise as the targa-roof 246 GTS arrived. With its top panels removed, the sports-coupe-turned-roadster was more practical and even better looking.
Critics continued to harp about the Dino’s raucous engine and mechanical noises that could drown out normal cockpit conversation, but their complaints were never addressed. For purists, these sounds were like a concerto to the ears and a necessary and desirable part of the Ferrari experience.
Production wrapped up in 1974 after some 4,000 cars had been constructed. Like the son Enzo Ferrari had lost years earlier, there would only be the one and only Dino.
Regardless of whether they carry the retrofitted Ferrari name, the Dino remains one of the company’s grandest – and a father’s proudest – achievements.
The post Fine Lines, Ferrari/Dino, 1967 to 1974 appeared first on WHEELS.ca.
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Published on YouTube: 2021 Nissan GT-R® Performance Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
2021 Nissan GT-R® Performance Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
2021 Nissan GT-R® Performance Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description.
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2021 Nissan GT-R® Performance Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description.
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2022 Subaru BRZ Goes After the Kid in You
The second generation of Subaru's sports coupe adds power and refinement but keeps the joy alive.
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Published on YouTube: Peugeot Landtrek 2022 Preview
Peugeot Landtrek 2022 Preview
Peugeot Landtrek 2022 Preview: we are talking :peugeot landtrek 2022 ,peugeot landtrek off road ,peugeot landtrek 2021 ,peugeot landtrek review ,peugeot ...
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Peugeot Landtrek 2022 Preview: we are talking :peugeot landtrek 2022 ,peugeot landtrek off road ,peugeot landtrek 2021 ,peugeot landtrek review ,peugeot ...
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Sunday, August 29, 2021
Published on YouTube: New 2023 Chevy Camaro USA Rumors -More Detail in Description
New 2023 Chevy Camaro USA Rumors -More Detail in Description
New 2023 Chevy Camaro USA Rumors -More Detail in Description 2023 Chevy Camaro Changes Switching from a front-engined layout to a middle-engined ...
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo80RJMwbZo
New 2023 Chevy Camaro USA Rumors -More Detail in Description 2023 Chevy Camaro Changes Switching from a front-engined layout to a middle-engined ...
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How a Classic Volkswagen Beetle Became a Jolly
A South Florida insurance executive wanted something different to run around his beach town. So he found an old Beetle, and then he learned to weave.
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Ford Recalls 16,430 F-150 Trucks over Improper Seatbelt Installation
The safety recall involves the 2021 model of the biggest-selling U.S. vehicle, and owners are being told not to drive them before a fix is made.
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Annual Cost to Own, Drive a New Vehicle Inches toward $10,000, Says AAA
The AAA auto club measures the increasing cost of car, truck, and SUV ownership every year. It also has a free online tool, so you can calculate how much you are personally spending.
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Saturday, August 28, 2021
Tonight, NASCAR Finally Gives Black Racer Wendell Scott a Trophy for His 1963 Race Win
The family of NASCAR’s first Black driver to win in Cup racing waited decades for recognition of the 1963 Grand National victory. It comes tonight at Daytona.
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Looking into the Mosport Mirror
It’s been hard for Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, a.k.a. Mosport, to celebrate its 60th year of existence when there hasn’t been any racing. Yes, the motorcycles were there two weeks ago, but the place is known for car racing and there hasn’t seen any this year – until this weekend.
In almost a repeat of the lineup for the recent Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, the NASCAR Pinty’s Series is headlining racing on both Saturday and Sunday of what’s being called the CTMP Labour Day Weekend Sprints. Support will come from the Nissan Sentra Cup series, the Toyo Tires F1600 Series and the Emzone Radical Cup Canada presented by Michelin. The FEL Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin will replace the Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Pirelli.
A limited number of tickets were sold in advance; none will be sold at the gate so don’t go out to the Bowmanville-area track expecting to get in if you haven’t already bought some.
Now, if you haven’t been out there recently — say in the last 10 years after Carlo Fidani and Ron Fellows bought the place from the late Dr. Don Panoz — you won’t recognize the place.
Gone is the “culvert” tunnel into the infield near Corner 10, replaced by a double underpass that allows transport trucks carrying race cars to enter and leave with ease. Gone is the two-story “tower” inside Corner 10, the one that started life as the Esso Tower but was sponsored by Castrol at the time it was razed. In its place is an ultra-modern event centre on the outside of Corner 10 that features banquet facilities supported by proper restrooms.
Which brings me to another of my behind-the-scenes Mosport stories.
As told in my last column, when Mosport opened in 1961, the place was pretty primitive. The only proper facilities for the first 15 years, or so, were in that Castrol Towner. There was a unisex washroom on the main floor and a men’s and women’s upstairs. All the racing drivers (Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Chris Amon, Jackie Stewart, Jochen Rindt, Tim Schenken) and their wives (Betty Hill, Helen Stewart, Nina Rindt) were frequently at the tower.
Now, the upstairs men’s room was your standard facility. There was a urinal, a toilet and a basin, over which hung a mirror. I used to wash my hands and look at myself in that mirror and think of all the famous race drivers who had done the same thing. In that mirror, I could see Niki Lauda, Mario Andretti, Gilles Villeneuve, Emerson Fittipaldi, A.J. Foyt, Eddie Sachs, Richard Petty and hundreds more. My heroes.
One weekend years ago, when the American Le Mans Series was headlining a racing weekend, I went to the second floor of the tower to relieve myself. I concluded my business and turned on the tap to wash my hands. I looked up, as I had hundreds of times before, to look at myself in the mirror and I just about had a heart attack.
The mirror wasn’t there. It was gone. I was looking at a bare wall.
My first thought was that some bounder had stolen it. I produced a daily blog for Wheels.ca in those days and I wrote about that mirror being stolen and what it meant to me. I urged Mosport management to call the police and let loose the hounds. Arrest the perpetrator, I wrote, throw him in jail to rot forever, and recover that mirror.
A day later, track president and general manager Myles Brandt sent me a note. “It’s not as bad as it seems,” he said. Later that morning, I got a note from a fellow who managed a Shania Twain tribute act called Shania Twin, which had appeared in concert on the Saturday night.
“Somehow, we forgot to pack a mirror when we took the act to Mosport,” he said. “Shania Twin needs a mirror to check her hair and makeup and where can you find one in Clarington at 9:30 on a Saturday night? I suddenly remembered the one in the men’s room in the tower, so we borrowed it. I will be sure to return it so it’s hanging in its rightful place the next time you’re at the track.”
Which is what happened.
When the tower was taken down, Glenn Butt, who’s worked there forever, asked some of us if we’d like a memento. I asked for the mirror. I’ve since had it framed and it hangs in a washroom of my house.
Every time I wash my hands now, I look into that mirror and say hello to James Hunt, Ronnie Peterson, Jody Schechter, Clay Regazzoni, Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme and on and on. And do you know what? Hard as it might be to believe, I see ‘em all waving back.
Norris McDonald is a retired Star editor who continues to write for Wheels under contract. He reviews the weekend’s auto racing every Monday at wheels.ca
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Published on YouTube: 2022 Honda Civic Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
2022 Honda Civic Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
2022 Honda Civic Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description we are talking about:2022 honda civic review compact king ,2022 honda civic ...
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2022 Honda Civic Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description we are talking about:2022 honda civic review compact king ,2022 honda civic ...
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Many Chevy Bolt EV Owners Ignoring Charging Safety Rules amid Recall
With fires at risk, Bolt owners awaiting battery replacement have been given guidance on how much to charge the battery and where. Nearly a third are ignoring it, says one study.
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Portable Generators to Keep Your Home Running
Don’t get caught off-guard the next time your power goes out.
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How a Hot Car Becomes a Hot Wheels Car
Making a wide-body 1970 Pontiac Firebird into a Hot Wheels Legend at the Hot Wheels design headquarters in El Segundo, California.
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Published on YouTube: Nissan Nismo Going beyond ultimate Powered by the thrust of high-capacity turbos
Nissan Nismo Going beyond ultimate Powered by the thrust of high-capacity turbos
2021 Nissan GT-R in Pearl White rear view with black spoiler GT-R NISMO engine A fanatically tuned 600-horsepower engine Powered by the thrust of ...
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2021 Nissan GT-R in Pearl White rear view with black spoiler GT-R NISMO engine A fanatically tuned 600-horsepower engine Powered by the thrust of ...
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Friday, August 27, 2021
Pick Up These Automotive-Themed Backpacks for Back-to-School Style
Protect your textbooks (or laptop) with one of these cool car-themed backpacks.
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This Week in Cars: The Next NSX, the 1100-HP Lucid Air Dream, and a Big Bolt Recall
Our trip through the week's stories including hints about the next NSX and sad news about a Bronco we never got to meet.
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Cars We Can't Get in the U.S.: Window Shop with Car and Driver
We go in search of the best vehicles that aren't sold here.
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Hyundai Hints at Upcoming Hydrogen-Powered Sports Sedan
The Korean automaker will soon detail plans for a hydrogen-powered future and reveal 'state of the art' fuel-cell vehicles.
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Published on YouTube: 2022 Lucid Air Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
2022 Lucid Air Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
Deliveries for the highly-anticipated 2021 Lucid Air electric sedan were supposed to begin in spring 2021.. but unlike a competing electric car manufacturer.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55oI54iG-yA
Deliveries for the highly-anticipated 2021 Lucid Air electric sedan were supposed to begin in spring 2021.. but unlike a competing electric car manufacturer.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55oI54iG-yA
GMC Canyon AT4 Ovrlandx Concept Is Ready for Any Adventure
This Canyon AT4 pickup has been modified for overlanding with a beefier suspension and a roof-mounted tent.
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Thursday, August 26, 2021
Published on YouTube: Lamborghini
Lamborghini
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Published on YouTube: Audi RS show
Audi RS show
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Watch Ken Block's Off-Road Race Cars Square Up in a 2000-HP Shootout
Block brought out his trophy truck, making over 1100 hp, to join the fun.
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Hyundai Mobis M.Vision X Concept Has Windows That Turn into Screens
Autonomous concept envisions a future where you'll want screens everywhere, but won't want to touch anything.
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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles: Everything You Need to H2-Know
Electric vehicles are getting the lion’s share of the zero-emissions attention, but hydrogen has long been lurking along the sidelines. Toyota, Hyundai, General Motors, Honda, and more have all been pushing the use of the gas to produce electricity on board the car. Allowing zero-emissions driving with no waiting for recharging. Though it’s been around for decades, it’s still new to most, and still confusing. Here’s everything you need to know about hydrogen for power as well as the fuel-cell electric vehicle.
How fuel cells work
We’ll start with how fuel cells work, or at least the simplified version of it. The fuel cell stack is where the magic happens, and the conversion of hydrogen into electricity (and water) largely is magic. Hydrogen gas is pumped into the anode of each fuel cell (it will have hundreds of these cells in each system, referred to as a fuel cell stack). The hydrogen reacts with a catalyst and releases its protons and electrons. The protons pass through a porous membrane while the electrons run through a circuit and create an electric current. At the cathode, the protons and electrons combine with oxygen from the air to produce water. It’s silent, efficient and leaves only electricity, water vapour and some heat as waste.
General Motors Fuel Cell Controls and Process Engineer Joe Truchan operates a coating machine in the fuel cell laboratory at the GM Global Propulsion Systems Pontiac Engineering Center in Pontiac, Michigan. (Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors)
https://youtu.be/LSxPkyZOU7E?t=120
Quick fill ups
Still more than you wanted to know? That’s fine, how it works isn’t important. What is is that you pump in hydrogen gas and you get electricity and water vapour on the other side. Enough electricity to power a car.
Because that power can’t go straight to the motor (usually), a small EV battery is fitted to store and buffer the electricity. Hydrogen gas is stored in tanks. Toyota’s Mirai, one of the few FCEV vehicles on sale now, has two storage tanks that weigh almost 90 kg, store the gas at 10,000 psi, and hold about five kg of hydrogen.
The five kg doesn’t sound like much. It’s about the same weight as five litres of gasoline, but remember the gas is compressed. The tanks hold 122 litres of hydrogen gas total, enough to give the sedan an estimated 502 km of range. Like an EV, thanks to its small batteries, a FCEV can also recapture energy from coasting and braking, helping to add range and efficiency.
Even more importantly, filling up a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle’s tank happens in just a few minutes and at a normal-looking pump. While the station needs to have a supply of hydrogen in a pressurised tank, they aren’t required to build and install large amounts of electrical infrastructure to support multiple vehicles charging at Level 3 rates, which also means there is no taxing of local electrical grids. Even if hydrogen gas is produced on-site, the electric load is balanced throughout the day, not used in short high-draw bursts.
General Motors’ Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes contain more than 300 fuel cells along with thermal and power management systems. (Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors)
Where does it come from?
Hydrogen, at least for current needs, is made using natural gas reforming. It is a process where natural gas and high-temperature steam are combined, the result is hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Most of the CO can be turned into more Hydrogen, but CO2 is still an end product. Still, the U.S. Department of Energy says this cuts greenhouse gas emissions 90 percent compared with gasoline.
We can also make hydrogen using electrolysis. Adding electricity to water with a process in the middle that splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen. With green energy, like hydroelectric, solar, or wind, this can produce hydrogen gas with zero emissions, making FCEVs emissions-free. Both methods are still expensive, though efforts are underway to reduce the costs to $2/kg and eventually $1/kg. Today’s costs are closer to $20/kg, though some of the on-sale vehicles include the cost of fuel, essentially making it free for the person who is driving the car.
Where can you fill up?
In Canada, there are currently five hydrogen filling stations. One in Quebec City, one in Victoria, and three in Vancouver, meaning that if you want to make a coast to coast trip, you’re out of luck.
Work is underway, though, to add more hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. Just last June, Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan announced a $2.3 million investment into the Alberta Zero-Emissions Truck Electrification Collaboration, working to address barriers to fuel cell big rig adoption with more sources in that province. More B.C. locations are planned by the Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation. HTEC is also planning six more stations in Quebec, which has both a large quantity of affordable green power and a government encouraging zero-emissions vehicles and transportation solutions.
The Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 fuel cell electric truck loves the mud and its 37” tires and extreme approach and departure angles show its capability on the Heavy Vehicle Test Area at General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground. The hydrogen-powered fuel cell in the ZH2 runs nearly silent, can export up to 25 kW of electric power and generate up to two gallons of useable water per hour from its only emission, which is water vapor.
What cars are on sale today that use a hydrogen fuel cell?
Toyota currently offers the Mirai fuel cell sedan in the U.S. and Canada. Here, the second-generation sedan is set to be sold exclusively in B.C. and Que., though it appears that sales launch has been delayed. The first-generation vehicle saw more than 50 sold in Canada. Honda offered the Clarity FCEV in one U.S. state, but the model did not go on sale in Canada. Hyundai does offer the NEXO fuel cell crossover in Canada. The brand just recently added the 2021 version to its website, with pricing from $73,000, offering a five-minute refuel time and 570 km range.
If you want to experience a hydrogen car, you’ll need to live in or around Vancouver. Earlier this year, Lyft and Toyota, through its Kinto Share service, made a number of Mirai FCEVs available to rent to drivers who use the Lyft platform there. Meaning they can rent them (for as little as $198/week), and you may be able to hire one for a ride.
Trucking industry will benefit
Long-distance trucking may be the ideal place for hydrogen fuel cells. While electric big rigs like the planned Tesla Semi offer ranges longer than any car, they also require massive charging infrastructure, hours to charge, and, more importantly, several tonnes of batteries. A big rig running on zero-emissions hydrogen could fill up in minutes and travel coast to coast in the same amount of time as a diesel truck. It would also be able to haul similar payloads since the truck’s FCEV driveline would not require large battery capacity cutting into allowable weight.
Toyota is currently testing FCEV trucks around the Port of Long Beach, in California. Kenworth, Daimler, Cummins, and General Motors are all currently either in development of cells or are testing them on the road.
Still a few challenges, but the future is bright
For now, the challenges are similar to those faced by EVs. The tech is expensive, and the infrastructure doesn’t exist. Unlike EVs, though, once those two challenges are met, there are not large ongoing issues with mining for materials like lithium and cobalt. Fuel cells also solve the issues faced by major transportation firms including range and filling time, making them practical for trucks, trains, and ships.
While hydrogen fuel cells haven’t had the glitz and glamour of the EV, the technology has been in research for nearly as long, showing impressive results. With just a few hurdles to cross, it could be ready for the highway sooner than you might expect.
The post Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles: Everything You Need to H2-Know appeared first on WHEELS.ca.
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A Gem of a 1955 Porsche 356, and Other Restored and Modded Wonders
What is the Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge? We swung by the West Coast semifinal to find out.
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Tested: 2022 Genesis G70 3.3T Heats Up the Sports-Sedan Segment
Genesis's refreshed G70 has more glam inside and out, plus it's still good fun to drive.
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You Can Now Get a Pink Jeep Wrangler
The new Tuscadero exterior color is available on all Wrangler models for a limited time and joins other vivid colors like Gecko, Hellayella, and Snazzberry.
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Heavy Duty Car Covers
When it comes to choosing the right heavy-duty car cover, you have a lot of options, which can make the selection process somewhat confusing.
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Published on YouTube: Infiniti QX60 Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
Infiniti QX60 Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
Infiniti QX60 Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description Introduction Traditionally, Infiniti has branded itself as a luxury sport alternative to ...
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Infiniti QX60 Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description Introduction Traditionally, Infiniti has branded itself as a luxury sport alternative to ...
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Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Published on YouTube: Kia sportage Gt
Kia sportage Gt
Kia sportage Gt.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWkOoQkR00s
Kia sportage Gt.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWkOoQkR00s
Aston Martin's New Boss Re-Envisioning Future Cars from DBX to Valkyrie
Tobias Moers is whipping the niche automaker into shape. Read on for everything he's got planned, including a credible threat to dethrone the Lamborghini Urus.
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Ford Cancels Plans for a Bronco-Based Pickup Truck
A new report from Automotive News claims that the rumored Bronco pickup truck that was supposed to arrive in 2024 has been dropped.
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Lucid Air EV's Dream Edition Will Come in 933-HP and 1111-HP Versions
The Dream Edition will arrive with Performance and Range trims, and both will start at the same eye-watering $169,000 price.
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Published on YouTube: 2021 Toyota RAV4 Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
2021 Toyota RAV4 Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description
2021 Toyota RAV4 Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description The RAV4 is the number-one-selling Toyota model and will be the ...
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-rp4Y81s4g
2021 Toyota RAV4 Review Specification & Presentation -More Detail in Description The RAV4 is the number-one-selling Toyota model and will be the ...
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Check Out This New Mercedes G-Wagen 4x4 Squared Rolling around Los Angeles
Despite the camo, the upcoming G-wagen is easy to pick out of a crowd.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2021
2022 Porsche Taycan Adds New Tech, Loads of Colors
Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur is offering 65 additional exterior color choices, and Android Auto and a remote-park feature join the list of equipment.
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Rental Camry Goes Missing; Renter Concludes Avis Repossessed Car, Starts Viral Twitter Thread
A man who rented a Toyota Camry follows clues to figure out the rental company must have towed it back to the office, and for no apparent reason. But there's a happy ending.
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Volkswagen Gives 2022 Jetta Facelift and New Engine
Volkswagen’s Jetta models get a refresh for 2022 that includes new styling and new interior tech like VW’s digital cockpit. For buyers of the standard model, a new 1.5L engine joins the party and yes, even that new engine will offer a six-speed manual for buyers who want it.
Those exterior changes aren’t big ones, but the Jetta is still looking quite stylish among the other models in its segment. A new grille adds a pair of chrome bars flanking the VW emblem, while the Jetta GLI model gets its red accent strip between the two chrome bars. LED headlights are standard on both, with higher-spec Jetta and GLI models getting projector LED lamps. Chrome trim around side window openings is new, with GLI keeping its black trim.
At the back, both get new bumpers with GLI adding new black honeycomb detailing near the ground. The GLI also sees some changes to the dual exhaust tips.
Four colours will be offered on Jetta GLI, while the 2022 Volkswagen Jetta will offer seven including three new hues. The wheels are new as well.
All Jetta models other than GLI get a new 1.5L turbo-four, replacing the existing 1.4L engine with the one from the new Volkswagen Taos. 158 hp and 184 lb-ft are in-store, up from 147 hp in current form. This new engine gets iron plasma coated cylinder liners, a multi-flow cooling system that can warm the engine more quickly, and a variable turbine geometry turbocharger for better efficiency and more response.
A six-speed is offered with this engine standard, with an available eight-speed automatic. The GLI continues with its 228 hp 2.0L turbo-four and six-speed stick or seven-speed DSG transmission.
Inside, all Jettas get the Volkswagen Digital Cockpit instrument cluster as standard, while Highline and GLI get it with a larger 10-inch screen. A new heated steering wheel is standard across the board for added comfort, and there are new trim details for the doors. New cloth seats for base Trendline add heating for front occupants. Trendline, Comfortline, and Highline replace this year’s Comfortline, Highline, and Execline trim levels. A Sport package is new for Comfortline, but VW did not detail what would be included.
Volkswagen says the 2022 Jetta lineup will arrive in the fourth quarter of this year. Pricing will be available closer to the on-sale date. Fuel economy for the new engine is not yet available.
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OPINION: Is Toyota Finally Fun Again?
Back in 2017, when Akio Toyoda decreed his infamous “no more boring cars” mission statement, it stirred a great deal of promise for enthusiasts, looking to have fun again in simple, driver-experience oriented cars.
When I got my driver’s license back in 2007 (a fact which makes me feel both old and young), Toyota was indeed making very, very boring cars.
Toyota made exactly no two-door coupes and Lexus offered only the flabby, very drab SC 430 coupe. My generation grew up seeing Toyota car lots full of mostly grey and beige, shapeless people carrying boxes. Cars for people who didn’t quite understand the meaning of pleasure and who had, presumably, given up.
In 1997, Toyota boasted three two-door cars in its lineup: the Celica sport compact, the rear-engine MR2, and the world-beating, twin-turbo-powered Supra. These, it would seem, were the perfect offering for the MTV generation who had just found themselves awash in cash and were looking to differentiate
None of which sold very well for very long, and were all soon discontinued in North America. The Supra, for example, sold less than 1,400 units in its final year in the US.
This is because Gen X either didn’t want or know how to have fun. It’s because Gen X wanted to be angry and cynical for no reason. It’s because Gen X set fire to their Woodstock.
It’s why Toyota stopped trying to sell them fun-to-drive, rear-wheel drive, manual transmission sports cars, and become the world’s largest auto manufacturer selling them grey and beige tubs of nothing on wheels.
Millennials, however, are not Gen X.
Despite having many things to be very cynical and depressed about; an economic collapse which ensured crippled financial status for years to come, a changing job market which rendered our overpriced education worthless and saddled many of us with unpayable student debt, we decided to have fun.
We canceled Limp Bizkit and discovered LCD Soundsystem. We didn’t burn down Coachella. We scratched and clawed our highly-educated selves into the jobs we always knew we would be better at you than doing with a smile as you spat on our avocado toast. And now we finally have disposable income.
We have money. And we’re here for a good time.
And Toyota, it seems, is all too happy to appease a generation of vibrant, effervescent, fun-seekers who prioritize experiences over all else. Which is to say nothing of a generation who grew up watching not American Graffiti and Smokey and The Bandit… but Initial D and The Fast and The Furious.
Toyota now makes four two-door coupes to choose from across their line up. From Toyota, the GR 86 and the Supra, and from Lexus, the LC and RC.
Ford currently makes a single two-door coupe. Chevrolet? Two. Dodge? One. Porsche? Two.
Moreover, I can say, having driven all four of Toyota’s current sport coupes, if there’s one thing which unites them, it’s a focus on driving fun.
The A90 Supra, despite controversy around its BMW connections, remains a raucous and vicious little number that’s able to delight even the most jaded of enthusiasts. Last year, I actually put my tester in the hands of the owner of a 600-horsepower, A80 Toyota Supra. And sure enough, not only were there many expletives exclaimed in the positive by the owner of the A80 whilst driving the A90, a smile almost never left their face.
It’s easy to lob cynical comments at the A90, but the fact is in its first full year of sales, the A90 sold more than double what the A80 did in its best year. In 2021, each month’s sales figures surpassed the last. The car is catching on, because Millennial enthusiasts are discovering the joys of a short wheel base, 400-horsepower, turbo-inline six sports car.
On the Lexus side, I’ve already gone on about how spectacular the LC 500 is. I called it the best car I had ever driven and I haven’t changed my mind about that.
I did spend just the previous week with the Lexus RC F Track Edition, and I must admit it is the weak link in Toyota’s sports car offerings. Driving normally, it feels no more special than a regular IS or RC and when pushing it hard, it doesn’t feel nearly as capable or confidence inspiring, and is factually not as fast as a Nissan GT-R — which, inescapably you have to compare the RC F Track Edition to at its price point.
However, despite the fact that I would personally rather spend $122,000 on a GT-R or a GT500 or a 911 or even the LC 500 — which is essentially identical in price to the RC F Track Edition and utilizes the same drivetrain — I can’t deny that the RC F Track Edition isn’t, at times, a real laugh.
Somehow, despite all the weight, all the serious aero and carbon fibre, and luxe red leather interior, the RC F Track Edition, when you kill the traction control, does a lot of the same goofy, smile-inducing tricks as the Supra and GR 86 — kicking its tail out on turns, roasting its tires off the lights and producing crackle and bangs on upshifts.
Everyone knows it’s not technically as good as an M4. But when the car spins its tires up to 100 km/h at a hard launch, you would have to have a heart of stone not to feel joy. At 480 horsepower, it sort of just does that.
Speaking of joy, Toyota’s cream of the crop, the GR 86, promises to be a worthy successor not just to the 86 GT, which kicked off Toyota’s return to fun back in the early ‘teens (just as Millennials were finally starting to be able to purchase cars — no coincidence), but to the original hachi-roku, the AE86.
The AE86 series of the Toyota Corolla Levin and Toyota Sprinter Trueno offered customers a simple, front-engine, rear-wheel drive platform in either coupe or liftback from 1983 to 1987. For the North American market, Toyota marketed the AE86 as the Corolla GT-S.
The AE86 became synonymous with canyon driving, drifting and accessible sports car performance combined with compact utility. They were simple, cheap and with power ranging from a meager 87-horsepower to… let’s say, “spirited” 112 horsepower, the AE86 offered drivers the opportunity to experience their cars at the limit.
It also became a pop-culture icon as the star of the anime series, Initial D.
So the AE86 is essentially the Pickachu of sports cars.
Of course, the Corolla would not last as a rear-wheel drive layout, as the ‘80s rolled into ‘90s, and Gen X began buying cars — demanding they be safe and practical and boring, and front-wheel drive.
The 86 GT (aka the Subaru BRZ, formally the Scion FRS) was an attempt to capture the spirit and the fun of the original AE86. While it may have been assembled using parts which Subaru manufactured, engineering and design was primarily down to Toyota.
The results are still fresh in most of our collective memories. The 86 GT smashed onto the scene, wowing journalists and enthusiasts alike with its focus on driving engagement and fun over lap times, luxury or… anything else really.
It wasn’t without its flaws. It’s 205-horsepower, 2.0-litre boxer engine had an odd torque curve which presented many challenges for both serious performance and daily driving. The ride was harsh. The shifter was crude and clunky. And the interior was dated before the car even debuted.
But the idea was right. A rear-wheel drive sports coupe with a proper six-speed manual transmission with a window sticker around $30,000 is something the world desperately needs. Because the world needs more fun and joy in it — and you shouldn’t have to pay $122,000 to get it.
It was a strange week driving the GR 86 and RC-F Track Edition back-to-back
I had a good time in the RC-F Track Edition, make no mistake. But even with double the horsepower of the GR 86, the RC-F didn’t put half as many smiles on my face.
The GR 86 does “fun” perhaps better than any other car I’ve driven — it’s not as capable as a Honda Civic Type R, but it is as engaging. It’s not as fast as a Mustang GT, but it is as tail-happy. It’s not as impressive as a Lexus RC-F Track Edition, but it is one quarter of the price.
The GR 86 offers all the same thrills as the 86 GT, and then some, while removing nearly all of the friction points. And that’s where fun really happens — when you can be carefree in your play time.
Fun isn’t burning down the stage at Woodstock in a fit of sunstroked rage. It’s singing into the cool night sky with friends at Coachella.
I don’t know if we can say that all of Toyota’s cars are no longer boring. But there are three two-door sports cars from the brand which are nothing of the sort. And one, which is nothing short of pure driving joy — a sports car for the entire Millennial generation.
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