The Tesla Model 3 all-wheel-drive has just earned itself a five-star overall crash rating from American federal highway officials.The popular electric car scored the exact same as the rear-wheel-drive-only model in NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) testing, which is to say, perfect, according to Green Car Reports.The official data hasnt been released, but the dual-motor Model 3 apparently passed with flying colours, scoring five stars for front-and passenger-side front protection; for front and rear barrier and pole protection; and in a calculated rollover test.One of the marks the NHTSA scored against the car was for the lack of dynamic head restraints. The cars active safety features got thumbs-up from the administration, though.Another safety authority, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), was not as keen on the car’s driving aids, specifically because they ramped up owners’ tendencies to think of the car as self-driving.One name in particular (Teslas) Autopilot signals to drivers that they can turn their thoughts and their eyes elsewhere None of these systems reliably manage lane-keeping and speed control in all situations, the IIHS wrote in a report. The NHTSA achievement marks an improvement for the Model 3 compared to when it was last tested, earning better scores for its headlights, and earning the top score for its standard automatic emergency braking system.The Model 3 also earned top scores in Europe, which happens even more
Origin: The Tesla Model 3 AWD scores perfect in new U.S. crash tests
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Arizona student has perfect attendance, earns free car
2001 Chrysler PT CruiserHandout / Chrysler Who among us hasn’t skipped class once or twice? Go on, raise your hand. We won’t tell. One teenager in Arizona learned the value of showing up for class, earning his way into the driver’s seat of a car. Earlier in the year, education officials in the area wanted to reward kids who exhibited punctuality and reliability, offering the chance to win a Chrysler PT Cruiser if they had perfect attendance at East Valley Institute of Technology. It would be too easy to make fun of the prize, since the PT Cruiser often falls onto the list of terrible cars, but that’s not the point. It’s admirable the administration chose to reward kids for their hard work. These same traits of reliability and being on time are important in the real world, so we certainly applaud this initiative. Of all the students who qualified, six were handed a box in which there was a car key. Only one started the PT Cruiser, of course, and it turned out to be held by Saguaro High School junior Michael Duarte. His reaction? “It’s cool,” which is far more verbiage than your author can coax out of any teenager in his own household. For those of you with short memories, Chrysler built the PT Cruiser between 2000 and 2010, seeing several iterations including convertible and turbocharged GT trims. There was also no end to the special editions, counted among which was a Woodie package and a W.P. Chrysler Signature Series, marking one of the first times a vehicle had its brand name listed twice in its official title. With that in mind, it’s exactly like a Ferrari LaFerrari, then. Well done to these Arizona students. Stay in school,
Origin: Arizona student has perfect attendance, earns free car
Ford designed the Shelby GT500’s stereo to help the engine sound perfect
2020 Ford Mustang GT500 Most gearheads enjoy a loud and raucous exhaust. Some of them are more pleasant to the ear than others. An Italian V12 at full trot is an aural delight with few equals, for example. Same goes for the traditional growl of an uncorked American V8 on this side of the pond. With its 700-plus horsepower and aggressive styling choices, Ford’s new GT500 is bound to check a lot of the correct boxes in terms of performance and looks. It also needs to sound right, which is a bigger task for engineers than most people realize. In a sit-down with top brass of the GT500 team, the crew at Road Track found out just how much goes into achieving that perfect exhaust note. At play is an active noise cancellation system, a gee-whiz piece of kit that deploys an armada of microphones and the car’s stereo system to eliminate unwanted noises. It won’t quell the whining noise from your passenger, but it will erase tones and pitches that could ruin the signature V8 bark. At play are something called secondary harmonics, a term which generally refers to the din created by the likes of moving belts or weird induction noises. Once the mics have picked up these offensive sounds, an opposing frequency is played through the Shelby’s speaker system get rid of it. Noise-cancelling is nothing new – in fact, you probably own a set of noise-cancelling headphones – but the way in which Ford is deploying the technology is unique. Instead of taking a blanket approach, the Blue Oval team is selecting very specific sounds to eliminate. This also beats the old-school approach of adding sound deadening, which also muffles the good stuff and adds weight. An interesting tidbit of this system is that it disables itself when someone opens a door. Those who’ve experienced the technology say the difference in sound is vast and much more pleasant with the doors closed. Winding down the windows doesn’t affect anything, though, so GT500 drivers should feel free to do so in every tunnel they
Origin: Ford designed the Shelby GT500’s stereo to help the engine sound perfect
Collection of perfect ’90s-era Chevrolets destroyed by fire on film set
Some 27 pristine Chevrolet vehicles from the late ’80s and early 1990s were destroyed in a fire May 9, while parked together on a film set in New York. According to The Poughkeepsie Journal, the vehicles were in, or out front of, a mock Chevrolet dealership, constructed for an upcoming HBO series set in the 1990s. The stand-in structure, the 613 Automotive Group dealership building located in Ellenville, New York, caught fire in the middle of the night at almost 1:00am on Thursday morning; the flames weren’t put out until 10:00am. Nobody was injured during the blaze, but the vehicles were all destroyed. The collection included mint-condition Corvettes, Camaros, a pristine C1500 pickup, a 454 SS pickup and a replica of a 1990 Beretta Indy pace car. All of the vehicles were provided by a company owned by Automobile New York bureau chief Jamie Kitman, who wrote about the incident for Automobile. Fortunately, everyone is insured by the production and they will be made whole, financially. And no one was injured—or worse, Kitman said. Still, there is no amount of money and nothing you can say about a total loss of a motor vehicle that makes it right, although everyone I called took comfort in the fact that no people were injured. While fire inspectors, police, and insurance claims adjusters poke through the ashes, the cars that can still move leave the site, while others sit, charred and grim as could be. Obviously, filming for the TV series has been suspended, but Kitman says once it’s back on, he will recreate the 1990s dealership once
Origin: Collection of perfect ’90s-era Chevrolets destroyed by fire on film set
This perfect 1994 Mazda RX-7 sold for US$70,000
A beautifully preserved 1994 Mazda RX-7 sold this week on Bring-a-Trailer for a whopping US$70,000, marking a new record for the highest prices among third-gen RX-7s. The FD-generation RX-7 is considered by many to be one of the last truly gorgeous sports cars. This example is equipped with the Touring package, featuring fog lights, a rear windshield wiper, and a sunroof. Cruise control and air conditioning are also included, because creature comforts matter. Powering this RX-7 is Mazda’s venerable twin-turbocharged 1.3-litre Wankel rotary engine, but it hasn’t spun much — just 4,600 miles (or 7,400 kilometres) have been clocked since the car was built, making it an extremely rare find. The powerplant makes 255 horsepower and 217 lb.-ft. of torque, sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. The rotary engine is known for revving high and its wonderful sounds, but it’s also a tad less reliable than a standard piston engine. This remarkably well-preserved RX-7 features absolutely no modifications — not even different wheels — which is surprising and rare, considering these cars were also popular among tuners. The beautiful Montego Blue Metallic paintwork sets off the RX-7’s elegant lines and voluptuous curves perfectly, and works to hide the pop-up headlights even more. All we wish is for the new owner to not keep it in a museum-like state for the rest of its life, but to (occasionally) take it on spirited drives, just like Mazda
Origin: This perfect 1994 Mazda RX-7 sold for US$70,000
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