If you are a human being on planet Earth who hails from modest means, there’s a good chance you’ve either purchased or considered purchasing a used vehicle. Not all used vehicle purchases are created equally, though. In fact, some are downright miserable, and I want to know all of your horror stories. Lay ‘em on … Read more
Image: ebay Preston Tucker was a visionary, and his cars are cool as heck. There were so many technologies developed for the Tucker 48 Sedan, like the center headlight that pivoted with your steering wheel and the quick-change drivetrain that could be swapped out in fifteen minutes. Back in 1948 this car’s powerful Franklin engine … Read more
Good morning! It’s Friday, April 12, 2024, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know. Ford Is Gearing Up To Make A Lot More F-150 Lightnings 1st Gear: Ford Cuts Up To $5,500 … Read more
Photo: Ford The United States are in a dark age for automotive color. It’s all monochrome as far as the eye can see, even as the era of Nardo Gray Omnipresence begins to wane. Yet, while buyers clamor for bright hues, manufacturers are going the other way — charging ever more for color. WCSYB_CHALLENGER_031523_FINAL Ford … Read more
Photo: Daniel Golson/Brabus I’ve always been into wild tuner car companies, from ’80s icons like Rinspeed and Koenig to more modern brands like Liberty Walk and Mansory. Whether or not the end product actually looks good, to my eyes the crazier it is the better. One of my favorite tuners is Brabus, the longtime modifier … Read more
Even by electric vehicle standards, the original Fiat 500e wasn’t exactly a huge success. The Italian EV was mostly available in California, and sales peaked in 2015 with 6,194 units dropping to 2,250 by 2018. Former CEO Sergio Marchionne also famously claimed the company lost $14,000 on every 500e sold, which meant the less successful … Read more
When then-Chief Designer Frank Stephenson was ready to present his new first-gen Mini Cooper design to BMW’s board of directors back in 1996, he realized he forgot something important. The Mini design team had worked multiple 24-hour days to complete the first full-sized clay model of the new Mini, and when they finally finished the designers had … Read more
Screenshot: Mercedes-Benz Ever since Mercedes-Benz brought back the monoblock wheel design with the 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, my life has steadily improved. The GT’s wheel was so outlandish and ostentatious yet tongue in cheek, and just retro enough. Then came the GLS63 AMG in 2021, which got a 23-inch version of the monoblocks, and … Read more
I just got back from a visit to the paint shop, and I’m absolutely giddy. I had a vision in my head of what my Porsche 996 Turbo would look like when the paint was changed from boring and common Seal Grey to the period-correct and gorgeous Ocean Jade Metallic, but I never imagined it … Read more
Photo: Jeep If there’s one thing we can all agree about when it comes to Stellantis’ American brands — specifically Dodge and Jeep — it’s that Mopar’s design teams really know how to come up with a good color. It’s been common practice for style-forward cars like the Challenger, Charger and Wrangler to get one-year-only … Read more
