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Italian Coachbuilding An almost forgotten and lost art of the automotive world is coachbuilding, which refers to the idea of building the body of the car, but using the underpinnings of an already existing model. While most countries had their own coachbuilders, the Italians were known as one of the best, with famous designers and design houses. One of the most iconic Italian design houses is Bertone, and it's coming back to the spotlight with a limited-run production unit called Runabout. Wed

Heavyweights With a Need for Speed Today's drag race pits three of the quickest, most technologically advanced electric SUVs on sale today: the Lucid Gravity Grand Touring, the Tesla Model X Long Range, and the Rivian R1S Dual Motor Performance. All three target buyers who want family-friendly practicality without sacrificing straight-line performance that rivals dedicated sports cars. While their headline acceleration figures appear closely matched, each SUV approaches speed differently. Lucid

One Careful Owner The older the car, the harder it is to find one that's had one owner since new. But that's exactly what this 1973.5 Porsche 911T is, and it's currently up for sale. Listed by Garage Kept Motors, it's been with the same owner for over 50 years since it was purchased new at Tom Sullivan Porsche in Birmingham, Michigan. Over the years, the car was left unmodified and preserved caringly, keeping it as factory fresh as possible and having only done 59,368 miles since it rolled off t

A Familiar V8 With a Long Track Record Ford’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8 has been a mainstay in the Blue Oval lineup since 2011. From the Mustang GT to the F-150, Ford's small-block V8 powers many models in varying tunes and applications, and it has earned its renown for its distinct rumble and respectable power output. Still, it had its flaws. Early versions were known for oil consumption, noisy valvetrains, and cam phaser issues, problems that often became more noticeable as mileage increased. With t

A controlled Autobahn experiment Arizona lawmakers are considering a proposal that would make parts of the state’s rural interstate system look a little more like Germany’s Autobahn — at least during the daytime. A new bill would allow select highway segments to operate without a posted maximum speed, as long as they meet strict safety and engineering criteria. The idea comes from State Rep. Nick Kupper, who argues that speed limits are often designed around the least capable drivers, not the sa

Chasing Improved Fuel Economy Numbers Pickup truck beds offer a unique advantage unmatched by other vehicle body styles, thanks to their generous cargo capacity. That utility, however, comes with a trade-off: the open bed creates aerodynamic drag that hurts fuel economy, particularly at highway speeds. Stellantis appears to be seeking a solution to that drawback with a new patent called “Angled Bed Cap for Truck.” Approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in late December

Water-cooled VWs may not have the same sex appeal as a vintage air-cooled VW does, but they are still really capable and racers have been pushing them to their limits in all kinds of ways for decades. The Volkswagen 20VT is a well sorted platform that makes good power with many available upgrades, and there are plenty of racers out there who have tried to find their limits. And if you thought those limits might be the 8’s, or even 7’s, in the quarter then you would be mistaken. Watch as this be

Hot(ter) Alpines in the Pipeline Alpine might not be available in the U.S., but it's a brand that's doing decently well over in Europe. Admittedly, its lineup is relatively limited, but for a niche brand, it has good cache. Currently, it builds the Cayman-fighting A110, the A290 hot (electric) hatch based on the Renault 5 e-Tech, and the A390 performance EV crossover. But Alpine CEO Philippe Krief wants to take the brand to the next level. The executive would like to make more extreme models dow

Attention Magnet After revealing their polarizing take on the Rolls-Royce Wraith coupe earlier this year, Dubai-based customizer Venuum has now set its sights on the Dawn convertible with a radical widebody conversion that trades the traditional elegance that defines Rolls-Royce for outright spectacle. With its matte white exterior contrasting against a bright orange interior, the Dawn Venuum makes a statement that is hard to ignore. While the build may not be to everyone’s taste, taste is subje

It's Called the What? Granted, words in Mandarin don't necessarily translate too well in literal English, but a company called Starry Sky Automotive has built itself a supercar prototype. The Chinese upstart aims to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini and will show it in the metal at next month's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), alongside another Chinese startup that will bring a pair of show cars. Now, Googling Starry Sky Automotive was a tough ask. It appears the company is so ne

It's not often we come across a vehicle that is built by a major manufacturer in low volumes for a single purpose and with a price most of us can stomach, but that's exactly the case with today's find. Listed on Bring a Trailer is this 1989 Hägglunds M973A1 Small Unit Support Vehicle, or SUSV, a tracked amphibious vehicle that was delivered to the U.S. Army in August 1989. It entered private ownership in 2024, and the exterior was refinished in bed liner material, replacing its original green pa

Let's Get Ready to Rumble The returning Hemi V8 in the Ram 1500 may remain the sentimental favorite among enthusiasts, but a recent test by Car and Driver suggests the newer 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six outperforms it in several measurable ways. Both Hurricane variants – the 420-horsepower standard-output and the 540-horsepower high-output (HO) – were pitted against the Hemi, with the publication stating that its “test data points to an obvious winner.” In the 0-60 mph sprint, the 4

A costly new normal If it feels like buying a new car now comes with a rent-sized bill every month, the numbers back you up. New data from credit reporting agency Experian shows the average monthly payment on a new vehicle in the U.S. has climbed to $748—a level that would have sounded absurd less than a decade ago. According to Experian’s report, which runs through the third quarter of 2025, the typical new car now sells for $42,332. With average interest rates at 6.56 percent, it doesn’t take

Breaking Range Barriers with Smart Engineering Renault has demonstrated that electric vehicles don't need massive battery packs to achieve impressive range figures. The company's Filante test vehicle just managed to drive 626 miles on a single charge, finishing the run with 11 percent battery remaining and setting an efficiency record in the process. What’s more impressive is that this figure wasn’t a hypermiling attempt; it was achieved at highway speeds, at an average of 63 mph.  Sure, the Fil

With the success of Hot Rod Drag Week, which started in 2005, other Drag and Drive events started popping up around the world. While nobody in the United States wanted to put one on in the early days, until Matt Frost started Rocky Mountain Race Week, the Australians, Canadians, Swedes, and Brits were getting their own events going with great success as well. And when the Brits decided that they wanted their own version of Street Week in Sweden they decided that Street Weekend was right for them

The Best of Both Worlds? Not Always A plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) offers several advantages, including lower fuel costs and reduced emissions, without requiring buyers to make a full transition to an all-electric vehicle. However, apart from their apparent non-eco-friendliness, PHEVs experience roughly 80 percent more problems than their purely internal-combustion counterparts, according to Consumer Reports (CR). This figure raises questions about the technology’s long-term reliability and rep

When I think back to my earliest Christmas memories, one of the things I do remember was going to Christmas Tree farms to choose and cut our own tree. It was fun, and made getting a tree, bringing it home, and putting it up an adventure on its own. It was a good time, and also built excitement for getting home and decorating. Back then we went in a squarebody Suburban that my dad drove, and I do have fond memories of the adventures. Did the Sleeperdude family have that kind of fun? Or did the J

The Corvette ZR1 Makes More? Automakers typically advertise crank horsepower, which is always higher than wheel horsepower due to drivetrain losses. So when Hennessey Performance dyno tested a stock Chevrolet C8 Corvette ZR1 and recorded a peak output of 1,050 horsepower, the result immediately raised eyebrows. Chevrolet lists the C8 Corvette ZR1 at 1,064 horsepower from the factory, a figure that represents crank output. Under normal circumstances, wheel horsepower should be noticeably lower on

Stacey is back at it in this episode of Gearz, working on his 240Z project which is getting some suspension and brake upgrades to keep this project moving. These cars have a ton of high performance heritage and a lot of available parts, so these are going to be a pretty legit improvement that will make it a riot to drive when it is all done. Video Description: This time on GEARZ, Stacey rolls the 240Z onto the lift and starts laying out the new brakes and suspension that’s going to go under it

Here we go again with another one of Derek’s Vice Grip Garage Christmas Extras. This time he’s taking the Texas 1957 Chevrolet on a road trip for a trade. He has no clue how good the trade is, as he’s made arrangements without seeing this thing, and he’s had to do some work to the ’57 in order for it to make the 350 mile trip. Will it make it after getting some love? And will the trade be worth it? Will it make it home? Hmmm Video Description: The Texas 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is back. I spent

The Gravel What? Yes, it's a silly name, but the Subaru Impreza Gravel Express was a pioneering model in many ways. Launched in 1995 as a limited-run special in Japan, only 1,300 of these were ever built, and it is an incredibly rare car these days. So rare, in fact, that manufacturer photos are few and far between. We ended up heading to Cars & Bids and Bring a Trailer for clearer photos of this oddly-named JDM special. Mind you, this wasn't the only special edition Impreza sold exclusively

Global Sweetheart When it comes to popularity and name recall, the Toyota RAV4 can be considered one of those models. Ever since its launch in the late '90s, the nameplate has always been a consistent seller for Toyota – even outselling the Ford F-150 in the US last year. Over the years, the RAV4 has remained relevant, catering to as many customers as possible, and yes, even with outfitters looking to add a touch of personality to their vehicles. That said, the RAV4 also enjoys a healthy stream

Built for Laughs Car modifications usually aim to improve looks or performance. This builder from Detroit, however, admitted his one-of-a-kind Chrysler minivan project was created to be “silly and fun.” The result is a bizarre twin-nosed minivan, formed by welding together the front ends of two '90s-era minivans, with the rear half capable of controlling the vehicle. Zach Sutton, a Detroit-based manufacturing engineer, built the project he calls “Bak2Bak.” Speaking with USA Today, Sutton said he

New Subaru Solterra EV  The recently revealed 2026 Subaru Solterra electric SUV is a marked improvement over the outgoing car. The new Solterra, while still equipped with the dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, now boasts a new 74.7 kWh battery that pushes its EPA-estimated range up to 288 miles from the 227 miles of the outgoing model. It also gets Tesla Supercharger compatibility with a new NACS charging port, and Subaru hasn’t even raised prices, with the 2026 car still starting at $38,495. Th

Here’s a video showing you everything that has to happen to plan and prepare to chop an all original 1932 Ford Tudor Sedan. There is a lot of measuring and taping and measuring and measuring and marking and staring and measuring and staring, and measuring, before any of the cutting starts. Check it out in the video below, and if you missed the first episode on this epic machine, use the link below. This 1932 Ford Tudor Sedan is an amazing survivor. It is completely stock and untouched and has s