News

Past, Present, and Future Toyota is showcasing its flagship sports car lineage in a short, dramatic commercial filmed on a banked oval, starring the 2000GT, the Lexus LFA, and the upcoming GR GT. The sequence highlights the evolution of Toyota performance machines, punctuated by each car’s distinct sound, building to the all-new model's unprecedented twin-turbo hybrid V8. Expected to launch in 2027, the GR GT is projected to make 641 horsepower, putting it squarely in Porsche 911 Turbo territory

The OG Supercar? It's hard to truly nail down what the first supercar is, but it's safe to say that the Lamborghini Miura was a pioneer of that genre. Perhaps it's okay to say that it laid down the formula for supercars in the coming years. To oversimplify it, create a mid-mounted chassis, stick in a powerful motor, and drape it in an exquisite body. The Miura ticked all those boxes, and its world premiere created a lot of buzz 60 years ago. The thing is, it wasn't presented in its final form wh

Adventure-Ready Supercar, Anyone? Three automobile industry stalwarts have joined forces to do something that has never been done before — create an ultra-exclusive, $2 million hypercar that is as capable off-road as it is fast on the tarmac. To be clear, we aren’t talking about something along the lines of a Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato or a Porsche 911 Dakar, which are basically road-going performance cars with taller suspension, all-terrain tyres, undercarriage protection, and body cladding t

Trump Turns Back Time… Sort Of Federal fuel standards have just been rolled back by Trump. The move reverses stringent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that had been set by the previous administration, which Trump claims would have forced families into electric vehicles while raising car prices by over $1,000. All in, Trump claims the shift will save Americans $109 billion by simply letting manufacturers build the gas engine vehicles that most customers actually want. Trump said,

A Bond-Era Icon, Revisited The Lotus Esprit is at a very specific corner of car culture. It's the sharp-edged poster car of the late '70s, the submarine-driving star of James Bond films, and a long-time favorite among eccentric collectors. Values have been increasing for years, and the V8 cars from the late 1990s are already considered the ones to have. If your idea of the perfect Esprit includes carbon fiber bodywork, a thoroughly rebuilt V8, and zero need to make excuses for build quality, Enc

EU Reconsiders Its Zero-Emission Deadline The European Union appears to be backing away from its once-firm resolve to completely halt the sale of new internal-combustion cars by 2025. This development marks a major shift in the EU’s long-term strategy to curb emissions from transport in an attempt to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. With German and Italian political leaders and automakers rallying against this rigid timeline, it seems that this once locked-in policy is now under review. 

A Relatively Cheaper Successor to the LFA Remember when the Lexus LFA came out in 2009? It carried a sticker price of $375,000, which already felt surreal at the time for a Toyota product. Adjust that number for inflation, and you're looking at roughly $563,000 today. That context matters because the new 641-horsepower GR GT is widely viewed as the spiritual successor to the LFA. Like the LFA, it's a flagship project born from motorsport thinking, obsessive engineering, and a desire to push Toyo

If you have been around cars for more than 20 years, you have heard all kinds of variations on how often you should change the oil in your car or truck. For years we were told that 3,000 miles was the magic number, especially if you were using your vehicle for any towing, and then all of a sudden the rules started changing. Some of that might be because of advancements in oil, but also because of advancements in engine machining and engine management systems. But knowing all that doesn’t change

I’m a fan of a good beater or sleeper. I’ve always liked them, but since my budget never allows for a high end “pretty” car, I tend to gravitate toward fast without flash. And nothing is cooler than taking your underdog beater out and beating up on someone in a fancy high dollar machine. Tony Angelo thinks the same way, so when he had the chance to put together this low buck beater Dart, and then put it up against his really nice 6.4 Hemi swapped ground up build, he took it. Watch the video bel

We’ve got tons of video and action from the DI Winter Series at Bradenton Motorsports Park this weekend, where the Snowbird Nationals are going on with tons of awesome racers and racing action. We’ve got NC Promoder’s video below from eliminations and hope you’ll watch and enjoy. There is no shortage of action in the videos below, so check them out and let us know what you think. The videos start with Round 1 at the bottom of the page. Round 1 Qualifying Round 3   The post Pro 10.5 Rac

With $20,000 on the line, Kevin and the KSR crew are giving it their all at the Bradenton Motorsports Park Out For Blood Shootout. There are 50+ other cars and trucks battling it out too, and like most Lil Gangsta’s races you can expect real close racing action, upsets, and drama. It’s a good time for all that are there racing for sure, and everyone knows that Soccer Mom is a player, so Kevin has as good a shot at this as anyone else. Watch the video below to see how it all works out for them.

Wanna be a repo person? A car repossession is one of the worst things that can happen to a driver. A repo damages your credit beyond repair for years and leaves you without the means of transportation you likely need. It’s an unfortunate dark side of the auto loans industry, and one company is making it easy for just about anyone to get in on repossessions. DRN, which is effectively the central nervous system of the repossession industry, sells everything from cameras that scan license plates an

The people have spoken, Scout CEO says According to a new report published by Bloomberg on November 26, Scout Motors, Volkswagen's recently established adventure-focused electric vehicle brand, stated that the brand will be making a hard pivot from purely battery-electric, off-road-oriented SUVs and pickup trucks to those incorporating a gasoline-powered engine. Namely, the brand will be giving its Harvester models extended-range electric versions (EREVs) that were revealed last year with the br

The Automotive Advantage Podcast, featuring Justin and the Doc are back at it with their own 2025 Awards, which makes us laugh and cringe and want to argue with them as well. But it is entertaining and that is all that matters. So check out the episode below, and then make sure you follow BANGshift on Facebook and YouTube so you’ll see our Beards, Burnouts, And Beer Podcast next Wednesday where we just might make up our own 2025 Awards as well. Who know! But watch they boys below and let us kno

When Freiburger and I were doing Car Junkie TV and then freelance stuff at Hot Rod, he had a big 1967 Impala Convertible that we did minimal work to before wrapping it with flames and the driving the hell out of it. He loved that thing and drove it often, but always said he was going to replace it with something else big and fun someday. Well, now is the time apparently. Check out the video, the motivation, and the car he got! Video Description: I needed more garbage cars and more adventure,

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is no stranger to controversy, but his latest claim regarding his automaker's "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" semi-autonomous technology could be seen as endangering lives. Roughly a month ago, Musk promised that FSD would soon allow users to text and drive, reports Electrek. FSD is still not a Level 5 hands-off, eyes-off, fully autonomous technology, but in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk yesterday responded to a question asking if the latest FSD v14.2.1 update allows

Unreal Adventure is back and we’ve got Part 5 of the adventures where the drivers and crew learn what Washington’s hardcore trails like to do to fullsize rigs! We’re super excited to see how the 2025 edition of Unreal Adventure will play out, because the 2024 edition was awesome! I want to build a rig to take so bad! I need another project like a hole in my head, but 2026 is going to be the year where I get a bunch of my stuff up and running so maybe 2027 is the year I build my dream off-road ri

This NA V6 May Not Be As Reliable as We Thought Toyotas are known for their reliability more than anything else, but this isn’t necessarily always the case. The naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter 2GR-FKS V6 engine replaced the 2GR-FSE in 2015 and has been in production ever since. It is used in a number of models from Toyota, including the Camry, Tacoma, Avalon, and Highlander, as well as the Lexus GS 350, RX 350, IS 350, and RC 350. While these engines, especially from later years, are considered bu

Cruz Pedregon Racing announced that crew chief Jason Bunker has departed the organization to explore new opportunities. The team thanks Bunker for his hard work and wishes him nothing but success on the road ahead. Pedregon finished eighth in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and won the NHRA Reading Nationals in 2025, his first win since 2022, the 40th Funny Car victory of his career. The change comes at an exciting moment for CPR, as the organization ramps up its efforts to elevate

Thanks to the magic of over-the-air updates, Mercedes-Benz is rolling out an array of exciting new features to over 700,000 vehicles across the globe. This is the MBUX 3.3 software update, and the focus is on enhancing the in-car experience for Mercedes customers. Crucially, the update doesn’t apply to the entire Mercedes lineup, but several core models equipped with the third generation of MBUX will be included. If you’re into in-vehicle entertainment options and enhanced productivity, this upd

Subaru and Japan Car of the Year Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) has been around since 1980. The first winner was the Mazda Familia, which more seasoned individuals might know better as the Mazda GLC. Since then, Toyota and Honda have taken loads of wins with 15 and 14, respectively. From time to time, though, Subaru sneaks in to surprise the judges. Throughout JCOTY's history, Subaru has won it three times. They first got it in 2003 with the fourth-generation Legacy, which makes us even sadder to

A Hybrid Idea Nissan Has Been Refining for Years Nissan's e-Power system isn't new. It debuted in 2016 with the Note in Japan, and since then, the brand has rolled it out to dozens of markets. The question has always been when North America would get it. Now, it's finally happening. If you're wondering why Nissan isn't following the same playbook as Honda's e:HEV hybrids – the sort you'll find in the Accord, CR-V, and Civic – Nissan's reasoning is straightforward. Honda uses a two-motor system t

Following a surprise teaser earlier this week, Kia has revealed its new sedan concept, dubbed the Vision Meta Turismo, as part of its 80th anniversary celebrations. And because of its proportions, correlations to the departed Stinger GT are already forming. Whether this will be a rear- or all-wheel-drive car like that sedan remains to be seen, as Kia hasn't revealed everything about the concept just yet. However, the short front end and the fact that this design is meant to preview Kia's future

Mortske is back at it, this time with a 1969 Mustang that has been sitting for 32 years. 32! So will it run and drive and live again? Will it be a cool car or just another failed project? I think this one could be pretty cool, and hope that someone else ends up driving it cross country and loving it like it should be. If you like Mustangs, will it run stories, and budget transformations then this is the video for you. Enjoy. Video Description: Join along as we recover a 1969 Mustang that was a

It used to be possible to get a large luxury SUV with a manual transmission, but those days are long gone. One of the last such models was the Porsche Cayenne, an SUV that has typically been more engaging than its peers. But after the 2014 model year, the second-generation Cayenne resorted to a full lineup of automatics only, a good couple of years after BMW dropped the manual gearbox from its X5. When a neat manual Cayenne comes up for sale, it usually gets a fair amount of attention, and that’