A replica of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster crossing the block at Barrett-Jacksons Palm Beach event in April 2019.Barrett-Jackson A replica of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster from National Lampoon’s Family Vacation netted more than US$100,000 at auction (after fees) this past weekend in Florida, far exceeding what many expected it to sell for. Pre-event estimates may have been tempered by the fact one of the actual vehicles from the film did not sell in 2013, running up to a US$35,000 high bid. Chalk it up to a classic car market sweetening on Hollywood nostalgia or to the clever marketing by Barrett-Jackson – the car crossed the block with a bunch of suitcases and Aunt Edna lashed to the roof – but this well-done clone almost tripled that, hammering at US$91,000, before auction fees. Based off of a 1981 Ford Country Squire wagon, unlike the movie car’s 1979 donor, this Family Truckster is painted “Metallic Pea,” and doesn’t come with the Rally Fun Pack that Clark ordered. What it does come with, though, is a 5.0-litre V8 and a four-speed. A 1947 Buick 8 Custom Convertible restomod by Don Gasiunas of Toronto, sold at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach event April 2019. Barrett-Jackson The top-selling lot at the Palm Beach event was a 1947 Buick Super 8 convertible, highly modified with a supercharged LSA V8 by Don Gasiunas of Toronto, Ontario. It traded hands for a full US$412,500 after fees, and led three other US$250,000-plus classic customs in the top 10. It suggests the market may be switching its attention from original, factory-stock vehicles to hot rods and restomods. Late ’80s and early ’90s cars also showed growth at the Barrett-Jackson sale, buoyed by the swelling of Millennials and Gen X-ers flooding into the classic car market. In total, 632 vehicles were sold for a cumulative US$30.18
Origin: ‘National Lampoon’ station wagon clone clears US$100,000 at auction
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Tesla just made it harder to buy its cheapest US$35,000 electric car
Tesla announced a series of changes to its vehicle lineup and pricing mid-April, including making it tougher to buy its newly available entry-level US$35,000 car. All Tesla vehicles now come with the Autopilot driver-assistance system as standard, the company said in a blog post late Thursday. The Model 3 with Standard Plus battery used to cost US$37,500, plus US$3,000 for Autopilot. I t now costs US$39,500 with Autopilot included. And a standard Model 3 costing US$35,000 just became harder for customers to actually order. Deliveries of the vehicle at that price point – the big promise of the Model 3 when it was first unveiled in March 2016 – are just beginning this weekend. Customers who want this version from now on won’t be able to get from Tesla’s online ordering menu — they’ll have to call or visit a store instead. Tesla’s constantly shifting approach to its lineup and retail strategy has rattled investors and stoked confusion. Ten days after signaling an almost complete withdrawal from physical stores, the company backtracked and said more locations would stay open than planned. The carmaker is now backing away from its online-only ordering approach with the standard Model 3. Tesla is also offering a Model 3 lease for the first time, though with a big caveat. Customers won’t have the option to buy the car at the end of the lease because the company plans to use the vehicles in a forthcoming Tesla ride-hailing network, according to the blog post. On its ordering website, Tesla’s default options are for customers to make a US$3,000 down payment and spend a total of US$4,199 at signing of a three-year, 10,000-mile annual lease. The monthly payment due on that basis is US$504. CEO Elon Musk first talked about his vision of a Tesla shared-vehicle fleet when he unveiled his Master Plan Part Deux in July 2016. After the company scheduled an event later this month for Musk and other executives to tout Tesla’s self-driving technology, the CEO hinted at the plan
Origin: Tesla just made it harder to buy its cheapest US$35,000 electric car
Save up to $12,000 on these three full-size pickups
This weeks hot Unhaggle deal includes the Ford F-150, GMC Sierra and Ram 1500.Handout / Ford / GMC / Ram On the last three Fridays of every month, Graeme Fletcher combines manufacturers’ incentives from Unhaggle.com with resale value, dependability and overall ratings to find you the best deal for your money in new cars. This week, we look at 44 pickup trucks from the Big Three. The hot deals are on the 2019 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew, GMC Sierra SLE Crew Cab and Ram 1500 Tradesmen Crew Cab. 2019 Ford F-150 2019 Ford F-150 Handout / Ford Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $48,799 Manufacturer Incentive*: $10,664 Unhaggle Savings: $1,500 Total Savings: $12,164 Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $2,040 Total Before Tax: $38,675 — lick here for exclusive local pricing The thirteenth-generation of Canada’s best selling pick-up truck continues with some minor changes — the largest is the top-line Limited now shares the radical Raptor’s 450 horsepower high-output EcoBoost V6. The XLT featured here is more modest in all departments. It gets the usual power items plus FordPass Connect with a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 devices along with Sync3 with an eight-inch touchscreen. It supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. While the XLT arrives with a 5-feet 6-inch short box, the XLT still has the requisite capability — the rear seats fold up against the back of the cab, which opens up a large lockable storage area with a flat floor. The box also features the needed tie-downs and a payload rating of 762-kilograms. While pre-collision assist with auto braking is standard, blind spot monitoring is a $650 option, but only after adding the 302A package, which drives the total cost to $6,800. Myopic packaging at its best! The XLT’s 3.3-litre V6 twists out 290 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. It drives all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission with Normal, Tow/Haul and Sport modes. The 44 system is part-time with two- and four-wheel-drive high as well as four-wheel-drive low. The 44 side should only be used on loose or slippery surfaces, as it winds-up when steering in dialed in on dry pavement. The combination delivers a posted average fuel economy of 11.6 litres per 100 kilometres, a run from rest to 100 kilometres an hour of 8.1 seconds and a tow capacity of 3,357-kg. The F150 takes a balanced approach to ride and handling. On smooth urban roads and on the highway it is comfortable. Again, on a smooth twisty road there is minimal body roll and the steering delivers decent feedback. However, when a rough section of road is encountered mid-corner the back-end has a tendency to washboard out of line. This is a common trait with trucks with a solid rear axle and leaf springs. The Ford F150 XLT SuperCrew has a generous combined Unhaggle discount of $12,164, which leaves a pre-tax sticker of $38,675. 2019 GMC Sierra 2019 GMC Sierra Handout / GMC Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $47,100 Manufacturer Incentive*: $6,050 Unhaggle Savings: $1,500 Total Savings: $7,550 Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $2,035 Total Before Tax: $41,585 — lick here for exclusive local pricing The next-generation GMC Sierra is new for 2019. The restyled rig is handsome and the SLE featured here comes with the right amenities including an eight-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth audio streaming for two devices along with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and OnStar. There is now a degree of cohesiveness to the layout. It also arrives with Teen Driver. It can limit certain vehicle features and automatically turn on safety systems meaning no more smoky burnouts. It also gives an anxious parent a report card gives on junior’s driving habits. One of the big improvements is the increased rear seat room in the crew-cab. Out back there’s a 5-feet 9-inch box that comes with the needed tie-downs and a payload rating of 940-kg. Blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and front/rear park assist are part of the Drive Alert I package. It is priced at $1,095, but requires upgrading to SLE Convenience package first. This bumps the combined cost to $3,960. Again, with these features rapidly becoming standard it is regressive thinking. The features SLE arrives with a 2.7L turbocharged four-cylinder that was designed for truck use. It uses variable valve lift to produce 310 hp and 348 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,500 rpm. It works with an eight-speed automatic transmission to drive all four wheels. The featured model has a part-time single-speed 44 system. For those not intending to go off-road or visiting a construction sites on a frequent basis this system is enough. To get the set-and-forget system with a low-range gear set requires going to the larger 5.3L V8 engine and a package costing $3,745. The featured SLE with the 2.7L engine has a posted average fuel economy of 11.8 L/100 km, a run to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds and a tow capacity of 3,000-kg. The latest Sierra is certainly more compliant than the outgoing model,
Origin: Save up to $12,000 on these three full-size pickups
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