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Showing posts from December, 2017

Brazilian Ford F-75 originally started out as a Willys

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First off, it's pronounced Will-Us. But that's of no use here really, as we're looking not at a Willys Rural but rather a Brazilian-market Ford F-75. Looking stand-out sharp in its clean aqua paint, this rare beast was spotted rumbling through city streets in its native country before being posted to the always enjoyable Curbside Classic blog...

Felipe Massa ended his F1 career at the top, says Williams' Smedley

Williams performance chief Rob Smedley says Felipe Massa could not have ended his Formula 1 career any better than with his two strong races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi

Ferrari's first turbo hybrid Formula 1 grand prix winner

Ferrari had a disastrous start to the 1.6-litre V6 turbo era in 2014, but hit back the following season with Sebastian Vettel winning three races in the Ferrari SF15-T

Hamilton: Wolff kitchen meeting reset relationship for 2017 F1 season

Lewis Hamilton says a winter meeting with Toto Wolff ahead of the 2017 Formula 1 season was "really important" to reset their relationship following Nico Rosberg's departure from Mercedes

Top 10 Autocar galleries of 2017

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Autocar's vast selection of galleries celebrate everything from the most beautiful cars of all time to the cars that have been forgotten. We run down Autocar readers' favourite car-themed galleries from the year Everyone loves a gallery of shiny images to scroll through, and Autocar readers are no different.  This year, we've published more galleries than ever for our lovely audience, covering everything from the weird and wonderful to the world's most beautiful cars . Take a look at our wider selection here , and scroll down for the top 10 of the year.  Autocar’s ten most popular galleries of 2017  10. In pictures: the greatest Toyotas ever made Exactly what it says on the tin. Toyota  is one of the world’s largest car makers, but aside from landmark cars like the Supra and 2000GT , it's easy to forget many cars in the brand’s history. We take you through Toyota’s greatest hits, from its first smashes to its latest greats.  9....

The Autocar long-term awards 2017

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The Escape to the Country Award: the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio will put a smily on your face Only the most interesting cars make it onto the Autocar long-term test fleet. But which of our 2017 drives deserve some special recognition? We polled the office to dish out some (imaginary) trophies When we're selecting cars to add to our long-term fleet, we're carefuly to only consider the finest or most interesting machines on the market. Spending an extended period of time in them can reveal hidden depths or faults. So which of the machines we've run on our long-term test fleet in 2017 impressed us the most? We asked around the office - and the results are in. The Escape to the Country Award for the most fun car to drive WINNER: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio - Highly commended: McLaren 570GT , Subaru BRZ    This developed into a straight battle between world-class British precision engineering and classical Italian charm and character, with the Alfa Romeo Giulia Qua...

Watch the new TVR Griffith be built in under 3 minutes

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Is the world ready for a brand-new offering from TVR? We're surely ready to find out, because the British automaker is back with a fresh vehicle. It's reviving the Griffith nameplate, and it showed the new car for the first time during September's 2017 Goodwood Revival. TVR stopped cranking out its loud, insane sports cars back in 2006 but new...

China will end production of 553 car models due to fuel economy

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In China's pursuit to curb emissions and pollution, the country will force 553 locally produced vehicles in a new blacklist of sorts, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The reason is that the 553 vehicles do not meet new fuel economy mandates. Notable vehicles on the list come from well-known brands, too. Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Chevrolet are all...

The Ferrari that started the Schumacher F1-dominance era

Michael Schumacher had spent four seasons with Ferrari when he finally won his first Formula 1 drivers' title for the team in the F1-2000

Haas admits its switched focus to its 2018 car too early

Haas probably hurt itself in the 2017 Formula 1 season by switching focus to its '18 car too early, team principal Gunther Steiner has admitted

Honda has a back-up engine plan for the upcoming 2018 season

Honda will have its current Formula 1 engine available as a back-up if there are problems with its 2018 specification

Aston Martin Vulcan, Koenigsegg Regera, Chevy Corvette EV: This Week’s Top Photos

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The Aston Martin Vulcan was designed from scratch to be a track car, so making it legal for street use entails more than just slapping on a license plate and some indicators. A company in the United Kingdom has managed to do it, however. This 1939 Mercedes-Benz 770K was one of the cars used by Adolf Hitler and his staff during World War II. You...

Autocar's best of 2017: the 10 most-read news stories of the year

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Autocar's biggest news stories of 2017 include a lot of new metal, information about diesel penalties and the best-selling car in Slovenia (sort of) There’s been a whole lot of big news this year, but what’s been read the most? Here’s a handy little rundown to get you up to speed The car industry is going through a period of massive change, thanks to the rapid development of electric and autonomous cars, and the rapid decline of diesel . Add in the growing influence of Chinese car manufacturers , a host of new and bold model launches and continued disruption from upstart firms such as Tesla , and there's been plenty to read about on this website. These are the ten most-read stories on autocar.co.uk this year. Autocar's ten most popular news stories of 2017 10. Exclusive: New Road Rover model to launch in 2019 Our readers are always interested in what Jaguar Land Rover is up to, and our exclusive scoop that Land Rover is preparing a premium, all-eletric and car-...

Lego Lexus LFA is a scale delight

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A number of folks on this planet channel their inner child to become exquisitely talented at turning little plastic bricks into sculptures of their favorite things. A Flickr user by the username of Noah_L is one of those people as he's mastered the art of creating art with Lego. Lexus Enthusiast spotted his latest build, and it's a clean example...

Here's how Mobil 1 ensures it make a 20,000-mile claim

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Not all oils are created equal, and there's a new product on the market that comes with a pretty bold claim. Mobil 1 Annual Protection promises a life of 20,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first, before the oil needs to be changed. Intrigued by the claim, chief explainer Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained decided to go behind the scenes...

Matthew McConaughey returns for 2018 Lincoln Navigator ad spot

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Lincoln's brand ambassador has returned for another intriguing advertisement, this time for the new 2018 Navigator luxury SUV. The brand launched the ad spot on Thursday before it makes its television debut on January 1 during the College Football Playoff. The spot, titled "Perfect Rhythm," features a quiet McConaughey as he approaches a railroad...

Nissan executive confirms new Frontier, hints at new Xterra

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Saying the current Nissan Frontier is long in the tooth is an understatement. The mid-size pickup truck's platform dates back to the mid-2000s, while rivals boast platforms developed within the last couple of years. Nissan truck fans fear not because the brand has plans for an all-new mid-size pickup, and it's coming very soon. Nissan senior vice...

Mid-engine Chevy Corvette LT7 V-8, Shelby GT500 V-8, Tesla pickup truck: The Week In Reverse

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More evidence of the mid-engine Chevy Corvette's engine comes to light; drawings of what could be the new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500's engine surface; and Tesla's CEO tweets about an electric pickup truck. It's the Week in Reverse, right here at Motor Authority. More CAD drawings of what is likely the mid-engine C8 Chevrolet Corvette showed up on...

CJ Wilson opens first BAC Mono dealership in US

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Forget the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG Project One. If you want the closest experience to a Formula 1 car on the road, then BAC’s Mono is the way to go. BAC announced its official presence in the United States earlier this year, and at the time the company said it was in the process of signing up dealers. The first of these has...

Documentary details iconic McGee/Scritchfield 1932 Ford roadster

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If you had to pick one car as the quintessential hot rod, the McGee/Scritchfield Roadster would be as good a choice as any. It's one of the most legendary, historic, and iconic hot rods in the history of the hobby, and it's a car that lived numerous lives. This documentary, by the Historic Vehicle Association's ThisCarMattersFilms, traces the...

Porsche Mission E, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Alfa Romeo mid-size SUV: Car News Headlines

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We finally have some tentative details on the performance specs of Porsche’s upcoming electric sedan based on the Mission E concept car. The car is due on sale by late 2019 and the most powerful version is expected to have 670 horsepower. New details have emerged on the powertrain for the upcoming Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 based on the...

Video: Autocar's car of the year 2017 | Britain's best sports car named

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What is the best driver's car you can buy in Britain today? We took 11 mighty machines to Castle Combe for a feature-length showdown What is the best driver’s car you can buy in Britain in 2017? To find out, Autocar took the finest performance cars on the market today to Castle Combe for our 29th annual handling day . The Wiltshire circuit is fast and fearsome, and at times soaking wet weather added substantially to the challenge. But Matt Prior, Dan Prosser and Mauro Calo shrugged off the conditions to put the contenders through their paces in this huge mega-test. Join us as we drive, assess and slide the living daylights out of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio , Aston Martin DB11 V8 , BMW M4 CS , Caterham Seven 420R Donington Edition , Honda Civic Type-R , McLaren 720S , Mercedes-AMG E63 S Estate , Mercedes-AMG GT-R and Porsche 911 GT3 , to find out which is the most enjoyable of the lot. Read more on Britain's Best Driver's Car 2017 Britain's Best Driver...

Faraday Future backer Jia Yueting is ordered back to China, has assets seized

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Faraday Future’s main backer, Jia Yueting, has been ordered to return to China to meet financial obligations promised to investors of his LeEco electronics and video streaming business. The order was issued on Monday by the China Securities Regulatory Commission which has been pushing for Yueting’s return since September. Yueting is...