2020 Mercedes-AMG GT R ProHandout / Mercedes-Benz Regulations that dictate the maximum volume of new sports cars in Europe will also result in quieter cars in North America and around the world, according to a Mercedes-AMG boss. In an interview with Australian publication Car Sales, Mercedes-AMG’s head of product planning, Basitian Bogenschutz, confirmed the upcoming AMG A 45 S and CLA 45 S will be the first AMG products to sing at the volume dictated by the European authorities. And that’s not just in Europe, either, as Bogenschutz explains that producing two separate exhaust systems with different sound outputs for different markets is simply too pricey. So, AMG for one will take the path of least resistance and produce the one quieter unit to be distributed to all markets. The tightening European sound restrictions will spell the end of the current CLA 45’s and A 45’s engine’s snaps, crackles and pops, replacing it instead with a system that communicates that hearty gurgle to those inside the cabin, but not outside. “So we added the AMG pure performance sound, where we take the real sound from the exhaust system, the pulsation of the real sound and move it inside the car,” Bogenshutz told Car Sales. “It works together with the exhaust system.” Mercedes-AMG is the first maker of loud cars to detail how the European regulations will impact the global driving community, but it likely won’t be the last. The rules are the rules, and fussing about them, no matter how loudly, won’t win any exceptions. The future is coming, but you’ve got to listen to hear it.
Origin: Future sports cars sold in Canada will be quieter because of this new EU rule
This
This Nova Scotia man has owned the same Model T truck for 70 years
Randall Pitman is 87 years old, and for the last 70 years hes been driving the same old truck, a 1927 Ford Model T.According to the CBC, Pitman was 17 years old when he bought his truck in 1949, and the pair have gone on a number of adventures since, spanning hundreds of kilometres.To be able to afford the truck, Pitman worked at a gas station earning just 10 cents an hour, equivalent to $1.13 in 2019 money.Eventually, he saved up $50 ($563 today) and went to the auction house to buy the truck.Eventually, I bid $45 and the auctioneer, as auctioneers do, kept saying, Forty-five! Who will give me 50?’ he remembers. I stupidly said Forty-seven fifty, and he said Sold!’The truck is pretty basic in the truest sense of the word. Asking Pitman about brakes elicits a chuckle and a reassurance that they work. Nothing on the truck is done for you; even the ignition timing must be manually adjusted to start it.It doesnt even have turn signals Pitman has to stick his hand out the window and signal like you would on a bicycle.Pitman will put the truck on a flatbed to take it on a 600-kilometre journey to Crapaud, P.E.I for a car show that is expected to attract hundreds of vehicle and enthusiasts. Hes covered journeys longer than that in the past, but said that as the car gets older, the parts become more expensive; roadside repairs would still be possible, but not favourable.Pitmans other vehicle is another 1927 Model T, but a coupe model he bought in the 1960s and has been slowly restoring. Hes confident hell keep both vehicles on the
Origin: This Nova Scotia man has owned the same Model T truck for 70 years
Buy it! This modded Golf R32 is bound to be a modern classic
For those of us who grew up in the wake of the Fast and Furious movies, tuner cars are all the rage, and this lightly modified VW Golf R32 on Bring a Trailer should serve as a welcome addition to any young-timers garage.More than just a 2004 Golf, the R32 added all-wheel-drive into the mix, turning what would be a torque-steering handful into a controllable glove. Powering the hot hatch is a 3.2L VR6 engine that makes 240 horsepower and 236 lb.-ft. of torque, and is sent to all four wheels via a six-speed transmission.Only 5,000 R32s were produced for the US market, and only 1,750 were finished in Reflex Silver, making this a more rare beast than the badge would imply if it werent debadged with a Kamei badgeless grille. A Seat Cupra R lip, notched eyelids, smoked fender lights, Hella black housing headlights and tinted taillights, rear badge removal, TMT lower grille inserts, blue-tinted side mirror glass, and a stubby roof antenna make this vehicle a little more unique without being too gaudy. Bilstein coilovers and 18 Volk racing wheels also give it a proper stance, which is hip with the kids these days.The seller has also included a video detailing all of the modifications done to the car.The original window sticker shows that this R32 sold for $29,675, and is included in the vehicle paperwork.With the crowd of car enthusiasts becoming younger, it only makes sense that the vehicles that people covet will be from their childhoods, and thus newer performance vehicles will likely see a rise in value in the coming
Origin: Buy it! This modded Golf R32 is bound to be a modern classic
This Lamborghini Countach formerly owned by Mario Andretti is up for sale
Mario Andretti needs an introduction about as much as the Lamborghini Countach does. The Italian-born American racer has won races in IndyCar, Formula One, World Sportscar Championship, NASCAR and more. The Lamborghini Countach, produced from 1974 to 1990, was the first car to be designed in the covetable ‘Italian wedge’ style.Together, they are the poster children for speed — one personified, one mechanized. Imagine, then, how much a low-mileage Countach formerly ownedby the racing great would be worth. And now stop imagining and look at this figure: US$499,000 ($651,000). That’s how much this 1984 Lamborghini Countach S from the personal collection of Mr. Andretti is going for on Motorcar Gallery. The vehicle, a 371-horsepower 5.0-litre 5000 S model, was purchased new by Andretti in ‘84 as one of just 321 ever built. “Mario had good taste when he picked our car…The early carbureted Countach has a sound and feel that’s missing in the later fuel-injected versions,” reads the listing. “The red with tan combination is much more attractive than the Popsicle colors that were in vogue at the time.”“Cosmetically the car looks sharp. It sports the original red paint highlighted with a pinstripe incorporating Mario Andretti’s logo. The exterior rear view mirrors are also embellished with an Andretti logo. The interior is original, complete, and in top condition.”Motorcar Gallery says it had the car’s engine out to give it a “complete overhaul to new car specs.” This Countach may have been driven just a few miles (17,000 miles to be precise), but with Andretti behind the wheel, you can bet they were driven quickly.
Origin: This Lamborghini Countach formerly owned by Mario Andretti is up for sale
Bentley celebrates 100th birthday with this massive EXP 100 GT Concept
Bentley is celebrating its birthday in the most extravagant way with a massive grand touring concept to preview the future of motoring.Its calld the EXP 100 GT, and its quite imposing. The vehicle spans an incredible 19 feet, and is almost 8 feet wide. The wheelbase measures 120 inches, which means you can almost fit a Nissan Micra between the tires.Under the extremely long hood of the EX 100 GT is not much, but on each of the wheels is a big electric motor that has active torque vectoring, and a combined system output of 1,100 lb.-ft. of torque. The massive torque figure helps the 4,188-lb car reach highway speeds in just 2.5 seconds, before pressing on to a quite respectable top speed of 295 km/h.The range is also quite respectable, at some 700 km, pulled off thanks to a new type of battery Bentleys developed thats reportedly five times more energy-dense than competitors. The battery can be charged up to 80 per cent in just 15 minutes. As it is with most cars in the Bentley stable, the real show is on the inside. Scissor doors bring you into a world of wool and leather-like material, with accents of 5,000-year-old copper-infused riverwood, according to the Crewe brand.On top of it all, the EXP 100 GT is ready to accept a fuel-cell hybrid powertrain, one which should make over 670 emission-free horsepower.Bentley rarely gets to make pure show cars, so its great to see the brand really pouring its heart and soul into this one. If this is what 2035 looks like, were so
Origin: Bentley celebrates 100th birthday with this massive EXP 100 GT Concept
Is the new De Tomaso a copy of this Glickenhaus one-off?
There are no take-backs on the Internet. Especially when tens of thousands of people’re watching your social media accounts. But that seems to be fine with James Glickenhaus, the American filmmaker and owner/manager of boutique exotic shop Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG), who hasn’t even bothered to try to delete the Twitter and Instagram insults he recently lobbed at the new De Tomaso P72 and its creators. Glickenhaus quotes himself in an Instagram post from @glickenhaus (as well as in a Tweet) saying in no uncertain terms that the P72 directly rips off his P3/4 and P4/5, as well as interior features from Pagani. He also throw in a little diss on American artist Jeff Koons for some reason. View this post on Instagram Due to the increasing cascade of posts like “Nah, I don’t see any similarities, LOL” and inquiries from the Fourth Estate, here are our responses: “They put tracing paper over our P 3/4, pasted on much of our P 4/5, stole an interior from Horacio, pumped it up like a Vargas Girl and turned it into Anime. I see Koons not Caravaggio.” Jim Glickenhaus “Copy, noun: ‘a thing made to be similar or identical to another’” Jesse Glickenhaus #ferrarip45bypininfarina A post shared by Glickenhaus (@glickenhaus) on Jul 8, 2019 at 7:41am PDTDe Tomaso claims the P72 is a new design inspired by the brand’s P70 of the early 1960s. The P70 began as a collaboration between Carroll Shelby, Alejandro De Tomaso and Peter Brock, with Shelby bringing the motor, De Tomaso the chassis and Brock the design. It was never officially finished. We refuse to take sides on this one, but the cars certainly have their similarities, including the shape of the front end, as well as the canopy. Just different enough to avoid actual plagiarism. Similar enough to the sincerest form of flattery. Think Ferrari Barchetta and AC Ace. Charles L. Rosenblum (@CharlzR) July 8, 2019As one Twitter commenter points out, maybe Glickenhaus should just take it as a compliment. De Tomaso will make just 72 of the P72s. And at US$1.1 million each, if they’re “copies” as Glickenhaus claims, they’re pretty darn good ones.
Origin: Is the new De Tomaso a copy of this Glickenhaus one-off?
This is the battery-powered SUV racing the new Extreme E off-road series
For what seems like ages, the founder of the fledgling Formula E race series has been talking about upping the electrified ante with an off-road series.On what type of tracks will it run? Who are the drivers? What will the trucks look like?We now have an answer to the last question, at least, thanks to a big reveal at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. last Friday.Called the Odyssey 21, the steroidal off-road machine zipped up Lord Marchs driveway under the command of Indy 500 champ Gil de Ferran in what was the prototypes first public display. Built by a French company called Spark, it was powered by batteries designed by none other than the Williams Formula One team.Using its healthy-but-undisclosed amount of right-now thrust, the Odyssey 21 is capable of hurtling itself through the atmosphere to 100 km/h from rest in about 4.5 seconds before topping out at about 200 km/h. Non-racing conditions could stretch its total range to 200 km. The plan is to allow manufacturer teams to use their own powertrain and bodywork so the units looks more like road-going SUVs.As for racing locations, series honcho Alejandro Agag says they have identified three of the five locations needed, including an altitude and jungle site along with a desert location. Ocean and polar locales are still in the works. Agag also said the series would be open to the idea of hydrogen-propelled cars when the technology permits.Formula E has seen many advancements despite being a relatively young racing series, including format changes and battery improvements. All this gives hope to the reality of this Extreme E series in
Origin: This is the battery-powered SUV racing the new Extreme E off-road series
Older Teslas could get self-driving-capable chip this year: Elon Musk
A Tesla car arrives at a service center in Los Angeles, California on March 4, 2019.Mark Ralston / Getty via AP Older Tesla models will be most likely retrofitted near the end of this year with a chip powerful enough to allow for full self-driving, according to a tweet-reply from the companys CEO.Teslas full self-driving FSD chip the first its designed in-house has been installed in Model S, X and 3 cars since about March 2019, chief executive Elon Musk said.He plans now to offer it as a free upgrade to owners of 2017-and-newer Tesla models who opted for the US$6,000 Full Self-Driving package upon purchase, reports The Verge. Thats about half-a-million cars.End of Q4, most likely Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 8, 2019Musk boasts that this new FSD chip offers 21 times the processing power of the Nvidia chips installed in Teslas prior to 2019, though that company says the claim is bogus, say The Verge.The hardware upgrade which includes two of the chips for redundancy will be powerful enough to allow for complete self-driving capability, if Musk is to be believed, though of course the software that allows for that sort of autonomy is still under development.For now, the Full Self-Driving package ordered by so many Tesla customers equipped their car solely with a Navigate on Autopilot feature, which the automaker says lets the car handle on-ramp to off-ramp highway driving, including self-directed lane changes and interchange navigation.The name of the package has come under criticism for apparently advertising more than it could
Origin: Older Teslas could get self-driving-capable chip this year: Elon Musk
This ’67 up for sale may be the most expensive Corvette ever
This is a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88, one of the most powerful and rarest cars to ever come out of America, and its coming up for auction at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.In case you are unaware of the L88, that letter and two digits carry a pretty hefty weight in the automobile world.While the 427 Tri-Power was the hot rod most people could put in their driveway, the L88 required a little more cajones to own, and had almost one-quarter more of the Vettes base price tag added onto it.The big news is the engine: the 427-cubic-inch V8 in the L88 boasted 12.5:1 compression, a 850-cfm Holley carburetor, and was essentially a rectangular-ported-head monster.Chevrolet said it made 430 horsepower, but in reality, output was somewhere in the neighbourhood of 500. It was a full-blown race engine you could put in your skinny-tired plastic two-seater.According to Hagerty, this is the first L88 Corvette to roll off the production line, making it exceptionally special, as well as exceptionally valuable. It also has the benefit of some storied race history at the hands of Tony DeLorenzo, who piloted it to a few SCCA victories. The car has been restored a few times, and now sits in original showroom configuration.A concours-restored number-one-condition 1967 L88 set records at auction not long ago when it sold for US$3.45 million. This L88 isnt in as good a shape, being described as a number-two-plus, but being the first L88 ever built could help it hit a high number.Hagerty predicts this L88 will sell for approximately 20 per cent more than the previous best-selling Corvette L88, which means it could go above the US$4-million
Origin: This ’67 up for sale may be the most expensive Corvette ever
You can buy this Audi R8 LMS GT2 to go racing
Audi R8 LMS GT2Audi The Stphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) is hosting its inaugural race series next year, and Audi has already built a race car to compete in their GT2 class.Its called the R8 LMS GT2, and yes thats quite a mouthful, but its also quite a car.Audi starts with the latest road-going version of its R8 supercar, throws away anything that makes it too heavy, then adds a few horsepower and some downforce.The race car makes 630 horsepower from its 5.2-litre V10 powerplant, a small bump over the 612 offered in the street car. What really makes this vehicle a track weapon, however, is the weight savings.Most of the interior has been thrown out, and whats left has been replaced with carbon-fibre substitutes. The diet has resulted in a dry weight of 1,350 kilograms, a healthy weight to power ratio of 2.1 kg/hp. The whole shebang ends up being 100 kg lighter than Audis GT4-spec counterpart. Audi says the vehicle has more in common with the R8 Spyder than the coupe, despite the race car being a hard-top. This is likely to give the vehicle a lower centre of gravity, and allow the use of lighter weight materials for the hard top.Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, a redesigned splitter and a rear diffuser round out the changes that make the car more sticky.It also has the best tires ever, which take on the highlighter yellow colour scheme and create a cool strobe effect that make them look like a computer graphic from the 1980s.If you want to race one, its going to cost you 338,000 euros before taxes, or about half a million Canadian dollars. Deliveries will begin before the end of next
Origin: You can buy this Audi R8 LMS GT2 to go racing
All about car 