Coinciding with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and filled with plenty of unique pieces of automotive history of their own, the RM Sotheby’s Monterery auction is always a sight to to behold—even if you can’t…
Let us take you on a journey of the world. Each issue of the Gear Patrol Magazine comes packed with adventures, guides and stories exclusive to the magazine. Stunningly designed, printed on high quality stock and ready for your coffee table. Subscribers received 15% off the GEAR PATROL STORE. Biannual. $35.
Just when you thought Land Rover was done building the old-school Defender, it goes and springs this surprise on us. The Solihull brand announced today — about two years after Defender production officially ceased — that it will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the company by building 150 V8 powered Defenders.
That’s fantastic news, but only if you have $207,000 and don’t live in the United States. That’s right: if you live in the States and want the 70th Anniversary Defender V8, with its 400 horsepower, you’ll have to wait until the 25-year-old law allows you to import them. There will inevitably be imported models too, because the 5.0-liter V8 up front makes this the most powerful and fastest Defender ever to come from the factory — its collectible-status is assured. The last time Land Rover built V8 specials, in 1979, the company was celebrating its 50th Anniversary — those models became instantly desirable by collectors and enthusiast the minute they rolled off the line. It’s hard to imagine this new V8 Defender will be any different.
There’s no denying the U.S loves a good overlander (especially the Defender), not to mention burly V8 engines, so to not be able to get the last of the old Defenders in America is kinda depressing. One thing is for sure though, 25 years from now, these special edition Defenders will cost a heck of a lot more than $200,000 when they make their way to our shores as classics.
Originally designed as an agricultural vehicle, the Land Rover Defender has become one of the most beloved automotive icons of all time. Read the Story
Based on a concept Volkswagen brought to Automobility LA in 2016, and after considering all the feedback from North American customers, Wolfsburg has given the new Passat GT the green light. Unveiled at this year’s North American International Auto Show, the all-new Passat GT borrows looks from the R-Line Passat and takes a few cues from the Golf GTI. But the new sporty sedan is a little bit more than just cosmetic add-ons. In fact, it might be the smarter buy when lined up against its Audi equivalent, the A4.
The limited-run Passat GT may not have all-wheel drive like the Audi, but it’ll win a drag race. The naturally aspirated 3.6-liter VR6 engine up front makes 280 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, and 258 lb-ft of torque at a lowly 2,500 rpm, meaning the VW beats the top-trim A4 by around 30 horsepower. Leather and Alcantara pepper the cabin, which is pretty much standard for anything that wants to at least look sporty. And because power and looks aren’t everything, the Passat GT gets lowered, sport-tuned suspension for more aggressive styling and better handling.
The real kicker is the $29,090 price tag VW slapped on the Passat GT, which undercuts the base A4 by $7,000. Considering you get more power than the premium-level Audi and the sharp, mature design Volkswagen has adopted lately, the Passat makes a pretty good argument for itself.
Unlike its competitors, the Audi A4 uses subtle design and style to mask massive changes underneath and gives the driver a quiet confidence. Read the Story
Q:
You’ve got a vintage car…a Mini, right? Mid-’80s?
A:
Yes, ’85. Well, our family’s always been interested in cars because of my dad. So my brother turns 17 and he finds out that it’s cheaper for him to buy a classic car and restore it and drive it and have classic car insurance than it is for him to buy a newer car that’s really, really crappy and drive it around. And that results in him buying this Mini. I’m looking at this Mini, and I’m thinking “Hmm, this is pretty cool. I’m going to get a Mini as well.” So I bought my Mini off eBay and then fell in love with it. Then my dad said, “Hmm. My kids have got Minis. Think I want a Mini.” So we have three of them now. We do go on rallies together every now and then when we have the chance. It’s absolutely brilliant. I absolutely love it. I [recently] ended up going to Scotland and driving that around on my own for a road trip, which was one of…it was amazing. Being on my own, doing whatever I wanted in a car that I loved. So now I can’t get rid of it.
Q:
Your car photography has a portraits-of-people quality to it.
A:
I guess because I’ve only ever photographed people, I know how to photograph a person. If you look at a person and you think, “Okay, what’s going to work well with you? Are you an enthusiastic person, are you passionate, are you old? What’s going to go well? How am I going to photograph you?” And then you do the same with a car. Is it a classic? Is it something beasty? Is it new and flashy? And that’s the way I’ve worked, mainly because I’ve not known how to photograph a car in the classic way of “photographing a car.”
It’s very strange. I see things in patterns and shapes and geometry, if that makes sense. So a lot of my photographs are kind of square, very linear. [It’s] really what feels right. You know if you’ve got a load of pencils all lined up perfectly, and there’s one that’s slightly skewed, and oooh it just doesn’t feel quite right — you’ve got to straighten it? It’s the same with photographs. Sometimes I’ll just see — I’ll take a photograph that’s nearly there and I’ll move this way and…right there: that’s what I need.
Q:
In addition to cars you also do wedding photography. Are there similarities between the two?
A:
Okay, so with weddings the great things about them — and it helps a lot with car events — is that nothing is set, nothing is staged. A lot of things happen fast and you’ve got to try and see what’s happening and line up your shot there and then. And there’s no messing about. You just have to get stuck in and go for it. And when you take pictures of cars, especially ones where you have control over the shoot totally, sometimes it’s almost more difficult because…it’s kind of like “okay, you’ve got this choice and this choice and you can put it there, you can turn the car this way…” That’s one of the biggest differences. The control you have over the situation. So I find weddings easier and almost less stressful than the cars because I have to decide less.
Q:
How do you describe your work to someone who’s never seen it before?
A:
I never intended it to be a “vintage” look. I saw photographers that I thought, “Hey, I really like that color gradient.” No idea how they did it, but I really studied their photographs next to my photographs and thought “why doesn’t mine look as good as theirs?”
Depending on how well [someone might] know photography, I’d say [mine has] a lot of shallow depth of field. So, I don’t particularly like much in focus other than the subject I’m taking a photograph of. You’re focused on one thing, I want to make sure you’re focused on that one aspect. Not necessarily the whole thing. Sometimes with cars, my favorite photographs, the back quarter that I capture might just be giving you a suggestion of the background, but not quite everything. Funny crops [are my style], I think as well. Not necessarily the focus on the whole car, but this tiny thing.
Q:
What do you do to prepare for a shoot?
A:
Well, if I can, I like to have a location scout first. It gives me a much better heads-up, being able to look at a situation or scenario and figure out, “that photo will work, that photo won’t work.” And I suppose a lot of the time, a lot of the jobs that I do, I’ll just get thrown into it, and it’s like, “right — go.” So I don’t get the opportunity to prepare very much. I do a lot of work for Classic Driver. Most of the time we don’t prepare — we don’t have the time to go to these places beforehand and check them out. So the ones where we’ve managed to get a bit more of an idea are really awesome.
I’m trying to continually be inspired by other people. And to improve myself by looking at people I’m inspired by. I think, “Right, they are so much better than me; I want to be as good as them one day.” So I keep reminding myself that I’ve still got a lot to learn. [And to] not get stuck in one way. So even if I have a style, I’m open to tweak it and develop it as time goes on.
A lot of the time I can research to an extent. But usually when I’ll get [to the shoot], I’ll say to somebody, “Right, is there something about this particular car I might not think about or the viewers will really want to see?” They’ll say, “Oh yeah, these louvers are specially made by this company who did this that and the other…” For instance, I’ve got a shoot in two weeks’ time: my first DeLorean. I’ll think, okay, which parts are the most iconic parts of that car?
Q:
Is there a detail on a car that stands out as a favorite?
A:
The thing I love about classic cars in general is the amount of handmade beauty. Like the window catches on an Alfa Romeo [Giulia] TZ. Some of the aspects in that — the little catches and dials are just fantastic. So beautiful, and especially some American cars as well. The effort that’s put into them. You know those things have been hand machined to look so beautiful. The rear quarter of a lightweight [Jaguar] E-Type is beautiful. I think the whole thing is gorgeous, but that back end is lovely.
Q:
What do people never ask you about your work?
A:
People never actually ask me how much of a petrol-head I am. People just assume that I know everything to do with cars and motorbikes. And in all honesty, I suck at knowing about cars and stuff! I’m really bad at it. I’m learning on the job — I didn’t know a thing, really. I mean, I had a vague interest in Minis, but other than that I’ve learned everything to do with cars whilst I’ve been on this job. So I still make a lot of mistakes, which people do remind me on Instagram, like “errr, that’s not the car you think it is.” I’m still learning a lot.
Q:
Anything coming up that you’re particularly looking forward to?
A:
I’m looking forward to the Goodwood Members’ Meeting. It’s one of my favorite clients to work for just because it’s always fun and you see so many people you know there.
Q:
And [the Members’ Meeting] was the first or second gig you ever had, right?
A:
The September I photographed the Ferrari P4 I got picked up by Petrolicious over in the states, and then almost immediately after [that], Classic Driver. But then my first big event for a UK client was Goodwood in the following March. Which was their 72nd Members’ Meeting.
Something else exciting: When I first started doing car photography, I thought, “Where the hell do I go to get hired to be a car photographer?” One of the best classic car magazines in the UK is called Octane Magazine. So I went to them and said “Hi, I’m sort of new at this — do you want to hire me?” And they were great. They basically said they needed someone with more experience. And if I ever had a question I could email one of the guys there and he’d help me out. Really cool. And about a month ago I got a call from that same guy saying “So, we’ve realized what you do now.” [I said,] “Yeah, I kind of do this a lot now!” And [now] I got a call this morning asking to do a cover shoot for them. So even though it’s not one of the biggest jobs I’ve done for the biggest clients, for me personally it’s like — that was kind of where I wanted to be three years ago. And even though I’ve done some crazier things now, it’s like, oooh, that’s really cool!
My dad often rings me throughout the day and he’s like, “So, have you had any interesting emails today?” He rang me about lunch time and I was like, “No, I don’t have anything today.” And then I rang him an hour later: “Octane have asked me if I want to do a cover shoot.” And I’m thinking, “Oh, this is quite good.”
The Lamborghini Terzo Millennio is the electric hypercar concept of the future that could, someday, usher in a whole new era of Lambo performance. Seeing as how the all electric hypercars aren’t here yet, there’s…
Editor’s Note: We love scouring the internet for reasons to spend money we don’t have on cars we daydream about owning, and these are our picks this week. All prices listed are bid amounts at the time of publishing.
Dubbed the ‘clown shoe’ because of, well, it’s awkward clown shoe shape, the BMW Z3 M Coupe built a serious reputation at the turn of the century. The base Z3 was seen as somewhat of a Mazda Miata with luxury tax slapped on it, but that’s not entirely a bad thing. Like the Miata, the Z3 found a near perfect balance between power, weight and handling. Using the confident foundation of the base Z3, the M Coupe dialed the power up to 11; BMW bolted in the inline-six engine from the E36 M3 up front — making the car a tiny, funny-shaped hot rod.
What We Like: Benefiting from the much larger engine from its bigger family member, the M3, the Z3 coupe got the power Miata fans wish Mazda would give their little roadster. The engine was good for 315 horsepower — in a short, two-seater sports car that weighs a touch over 3,000-lbs. Rear tires, presumably, might be the biggest expense of ownership with one of these. Aside from the M coupe’s ridiculous power output, its scaled down shooting brake silhouette made it incredibly unique at the time and still does today. What that translates to, however, is a sort of practical car: I can have a 300-plus horsepower two-seaterand have a place to put my bags? Sign me up.
From the Seller: “The car has 91k miles and is powered by a 3.2-liter S52 inline-six and paired with a five-speed manual transmission. Modifications include a KW V2 adjustable suspension, Dinan cold air intake, and an update to the cooling system with components from Zionsville Autosport. Work performed by the seller includes a scheduled overhaul of the cooling system in 2015 utilizing an aluminum radiator from Zionsville Autosport, aluminum thermostat housing, a Stewart water pump featuring a metal impeller and new hoses. Recent work includes a coolant flush and oil service last year.”
Watch Out For: Unfortunately, the Z3 M and M Coupe suffered from the same famous problem as the rest of the BMWs of the same era: VANOS. When you go to check one of these out, it is imperative that you make sure the previous owner or selling party sorted out all the issues surrounding the car’s variable valve timing system, as they are very prone to failure.
Original Review: “But leave the precise-shifting five-speed manual (the only available transmission) in each gear for a little longer, and you find the beauty of this engine. In the upper reaches, there is more thrust than automotive nannies would like you to have. It’s the kind of thrust that feels fluid, inevitable, addictive and corrupting.” … “The M coupe requires more of its driver than do most other sports cars. It doesn’t have the lithe, balanced feel of the Honda S2000 or Porsche’s Boxster S. Instead, you feel the weight of the engine up front. You feel the enormous juice flowing rearward to tires that, despite their impressive girth, want nothing more than to howl and slide.” — Daniel Pund, Car and Driver
Alternatives: Back in the early-aughts, while the standard Z3 was kept honest by the Mazda Miata, the Z3 M and M coupe were in a different league. The Porsche Boxster and Honda S2000 were both also in their infancy but were stiff competition for the Bimmer. All three were pint-sized apex predators, but while the BMW had them beat oh power at 315 horses, it also outweighed the other two at a shade over 3,000 lbs. They were an eclectic group for sure, but they lit up the sports car scene at the turn of the century.
Aside from the original M3, the E46 might be the next most sought-after car in the family tree. Which is why this 2005 M3 with just under 16,000 miles on the clock, could be the best of the best.Read the Story
The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the group that oversees almost all international motorsport, just revealed a new helmet that meets the highest bar of safety motorsport has ever seen. The new standard helmet will be mandatory for the 2019 Formula 1 season and then make its way to all major racing championships, like the World Endurance Championship and Wolrd Rally Championship.
Researchers at the FIA worked alongside major brands like Stilo, Bell Racing, Schuberth and Arai to develop the incredible stringent requirements and otherworldly tolerances for the prototype. In a statement from the FIA, it said, “It is now up to these manufacturers to deliver the production versions of the new helmets for the 2019 F1 season.” What kind of standards will these companies have to meet and exceed? Firstly, the helmet can withstand heat up to 1,454 degrees Fahrenheit and must “self-extinguish” once the flame source is put out. The main shell protects the driver’s head from the equivalent of a 22lbs weight falling from 16ft up, a half-pound weight traveling at 155mph or 275G worth of deceleration force. In other words, this will be the safest helmet in the world.
Seeing as how Scott Dixon clocked 232.164 mph at this year’s Indy 500, Formula 1 drivers regularly see speeds above 200, take turns at over 5Gs, and Rally drivers fly through forests at triple-digit speeds on the regular, this helmet was a necessity. At the helmet’s official unveiling, Stephane Cohen, Bell Racing Helmets Chairman, remarked “This will be the most advanced standard in the world without any possible discussion.” Nobody is going to argue with that.
Comedians and Cars Getting Coffee is undoubtedly one of our favorite Netflix Original series. It mixes some of our favorite things: Seinfeld, classic automobiles, and interesting people telling interesting stories. Oh, and, coffee, we guess.…
For 2019, Audi is introducing yet another luxury SUV. The forthcoming Q8 is wider, shorter, and more streamlined than any of its brethren. It also features a 48-volt mild hybrid drivetrain paired with optional 6 and 8-cylinder gas engines. Stock 22-inch wheels add to its more sport-aggro look and still it features four-wheel drive: a classic Quattro system with 40/60 rear bias split. Available stateside in Q1 of 2019.
Car subscription services are becoming somewhat of a trend with luxury and performance car companies and Mercedes-Benz Collection is the newest program to enter the fold. As of now, it’s only available in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania, and Nashville, Tennessee as trial runs, but for as low as $1,095 per month you can drive a new Mercedes every month. Which, on the face of it, sounds incredibly delightful.
As there are different tiers to Mercedes‘ lineup, so too are there different tiers to the brand’s subscription service, which caps out at $2,995 on top of the one-time $495 joining fee. Coupes, sedans, SUVs and convertibles are all available at each tier and come delivered to you washed, clean and with a full tank of gas. Everything from ordering a new car to scheduling a pickup gets handled via the Mercedes-Benz Collection app.
Aside from getting a new car delivered every month — or every day if you really want to keep things interesting — the monthly subscription also covers roadside assistance, insurance and any maintenance the cars may need. And considering those are the biggest hassles of owning any car, that part of the service should prove to be incredibly convenient, not to mention a huge stress reliever.
As mentioned, Mercedes is the only brand to offer a monthly subscription of this kind. Cadillac is one of the true initial pioneers of the service. However, you can get similar offerings from BMW for around $2,000, while Porsche provides the service for $3,000. On the service, it sounds like any of these subscriptions could make your life easier and ease any financial strain that comes with traditional car ownership. But, before diving in and signing up for weekly whips, it’s a good idea to budget out what you currently spend on your car, insurance maintenance, etc. It might prove convenient, fun and exciting, but your wallet might not think so.
BMW revealed today the all-new fourth generation X5 SUV. BMW twists the language a bit and calls it an SAV, or Sports Activity Vehicle, but for all intents and purposes, the 2019 BMW X5 carries the classic mid-sized SUV DNA, now with a little more focus on off-road capabilities.
There’s a whole host of engine options including a newly-developed V8 good for 462 horsepower. As for BMW finally committing to giving its biggest (for now) SUV some confidence in the dirt, the Off-Road Package includes two-axle air suspension, skid plates, a locking rear differential and multiple driving modes tailored for sand, rock, gravel or snow.
It’s not exactly a Ford Ranger Raptor or even a Tacoma TRD, but at least it’s a step in the right direction. For too many years BMW has been bolting on lower, stiffer suspension to its SUVs and giving them more power, effectively negating any off-road talents a high-riding SUV would have. On the bright side, this might allude the X5 M model will go further into the off-road territory. Knobby BFGoodrich tires, suspension lift and floodlights? Probably not, but fingers crossed.
Enzo Ferrari once said, “When you buy a Ferrari, you are paying for the engine. The rest you get for free,” alluding that his engines were the real masterpieces, and the bodywork encasing them merely functioned as wrapping paper. Il Commendatore would be incredibly proud (but hardly surprised) the 488 GTB just picked up the award for the International Engine of the Year.
Engine Technology International magazine collected respected automotive journalists from around the world to act as judges. The judges then scored “each shortlisted engine using their subjective driving impressions and technical knowledge, taking into account characteristics such as fuel economy, smoothness, performance, noise and driveability.” We’ve had the pleasure of driving a handful of the winners — read our reviews and see what we thought of some of the best engines in the world.
Ferrari 3.9-Liter biturbo V8 “The 488 didn’t seem to care that I braked later than I should have; I simply pointed the car where I wanted it to go and the stability control sorted out my Ferrari-test-driver-wincing mistake.” – Bryan Campbell, Staff Writer
Nothing Can Prepare You For the Banked Turns of Daytona
Some race tracks are easy to learn, get a hold of. Then there are tracks that take every bit of your concentration just to get around in one piece.
Tesla Full-Electric Powertrain “The Model 3 gets an EPA-stated range of 310 miles with the long-range battery trim-model (which starts above $40,000 and increases when you spec Autopilot), a figure that should quickly settle any qualms about range anxiety — though that figure is based on ideal driving conditions. ” – Bryan Campbell, Staff Writer
The Greatest Design Success of the Tesla Model 3 Is Also Its Biggest Flaw
The ‘less is more’ approach gets in the car’s own way at times.
Porsche 2.0-Litre Turbo “This is the first Porsche with a flat-four engine since the little 912 left the scene 40 years ago — and it cranks out 300 horsepower in two-liter form and 350 in the 2.5-liter Boxster S. That’s a 35 percent bump for both models, yet they’re both also 14 percent more fuel efficient.” – Eric Adams, Freelance Contributor
Review: Two Cylinders Down, the 718 Boxster Comes Out On Top
The genius of this new 718 Boxster lies overwhelmingly in the engines. Chopping a third of the cylinders off the flat-six engine is a pretty big deal.
Audi 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo “The practicality of a four-door sedan can’t be overstated enough, but it’s the engine’s performance that brings the platform to the place it needs to be. The base-level A3 drives as if there’s too much car for the engine and the S3 finds a nicer balance between power and control — but giving the RS3 100 horsepower on top of that adds the extra thrill needed to make the car really entertaining.” – https://gearpatrol.com/author/bcampbell/
The Audi RS3 Is the Only BMW M2 Competitor In Sight
The blue and white roundel on the M2’s trunk might as well be a target.
Porsche 3-litre six-cylinder turbo “The five new 911 GTS variants — bringing Porsche’s total 911 offerings to 25 (!) — walks that fine line more precisely than perhaps any before it. The cars, including rear- and all-wheel-drive models, each with cabriolet options, and a Targa, slot in just below the track stud GT3 RS. This means they’re torqued up as far as they can go, yet still dialed-in and humane enough to be driving pleasures.” – Eric Adams, Freelance Contributor
The Porsche 911 GTS Is a Commute-Friendly Track Car
Porsche has mastered the daily-use performance machine formula.
Subaru announced the new special edition Subaru WRX and STI Series.Gray models will go on sale later this year. And, based on how Subaru is building and pricing them, they’re spec’d to be the ultimate driver’s car for under $40,000, but you’ll have to act fast because, respectively, only 750 and 250 of each will roll out of the factory.
Usually, the announcements of ‘special editions’ come in hot with a lot of hype and excitement but leave the crowd wanting because it’s typically just unique paint job and some contrast stitching. Subaru, on the other hand, put some effort into the Series.Gray duo. Both cars only come with a manual gearbox and the obligatory special paint job, Recaro seats and blacked-out badging, but that’s just the start. At $32,595, the WRX is based on the Premium trim-level and gets additional JURID front brake pads, LED Headlights, fog lights and a push-button start. At $39,695 STI receives all of what the WRX does, plus Bilstein-tuned suspension and dampers, inverted-strut front suspension and double wishbone rear suspension. Both cars, no matter which way you look at it are incredible performance bargains.
For the better part of a decade, the Subaru Impreza family — the WRX and STI — enjoyed a thin field of competition. The only competition was the Mitsubishi Lancer, but now that the Lancer Evo is no more, the only similarly price four-door four-wheel-drive performance cars are the Focus RS and the Audi RS3. However, both the Ford and the Audi start above $40,000. Granted only 1000 examples of the Series.Gray Subaru WRX and STI will be made, by Subaru keeping them incredibly affordable and only available in the US; they’re even more special.
Audi continues to add to its ever-expanding lineup today, with the announcement of the all-new 2019 Q8 SUV. And just like the rest of the big SUVs under the Volkswagen umbrella, the Audi is based on the same platform as the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne. The Q8’s official release date will be closer to the end of this year with a price tag of roughly $86,000 — around $30,000 more than the highest trim-level Q7.
Audi is justifying that massive price gap by saying, while the outside is on the edgier, sporty side, the interior takes inspiration from the same experience you get from the A8 luxury sedan. The A8’s influence manifests in the driver Audi Virtual Cockpit interface, the dash design, interior finish and double-touch screen center console. Power will come from either a 3.0-liter TFSI V6 good for 335 horsepower and a diesel V6 pumping out 282 horsepower and 442 lb-ft.
The confusing part is even though you might expect the Q8 to have a third row, it doesn’t. In fact, at just over 16 ft-long, it’s the same length as the Q7 but has a lower roofline and nearly identical interior space. So what will you get for the extra $30,000 over a Q7? Audi seems to be marketing the Q8 as a sporty SUV with all the electronic driver assists, aides and luxury as the A8 sedan. You can argue that the Q8 is all style, but with the $86,000-plus price tag, aggressive (at the very last, polarizing) design and upgraded interior, Audi isn’t being subtle about going after other SUVs like the Range Rover Sport. We can safely assume the Q8 will have the handling chops, so the interior experience is going to have to be something special to step in the ring with the Range Rover.
The BMW M3 has held the title as the benchmark sports car ever since it hit the road in 1986. It has seen all different kinds of engines over the years, from an inline-four to an inline-six, even a V8, but the latest iteration does work with a straight six with a pair of turbos. Of all the M3s throughout the generations, the peak of the car’s existence is the E46, built from 2000-2006. It was the last relatively analog M3, and it struck the perfect balance between power, weight and handling, more often than not, is still used as a litmus test for modern performance cars.
Aside from the original M3, the E46 might be the next most sought-after car in the family tree, which is why this black-on-black 2005 M3 with just under 16,000 miles on the clock, could be the best of the best. The previous owner took immaculate care of this car and it’s nearly spotless. When new — and this car basically is — it produced 333 horsepower and 262 lb?ft torque from the naturally aspirated 3.2-liter straight-six which screamed to an 8,000 rpm redline. There was an SMG semi-automatic gearbox available as an option, but luckily this particular M3 is fitted with a six-speed manual because that’s the way the Bavarian driving gods intended it to be.
Aside from the ideal factory fittings, the previous owner saw fit to upgrade the suspension, but most importantly he addressed the E46’s key problem area, the VANOS variable valve timing system. At first, failure of the VANOS system leads to loss of power, but if left unchecked it only gets worse, leading to non-starts and eventually engine failure and damage. The preemptive fix and upgrade is just another reason this M3 is such a draw. And if the 15,000-mile manual 2005 M3 wasn’t enough of a time capsule for you, the pièce de résistance is the BMW Motorolla flip phone and center console charging dock. The perfect BMW M3 does exist, and this is it.
As current CEO Sergio Marchionne is set to leave, FCA (Fiat Chrysler) has just shown off its new five-year-plan in Balocco, Italy. The group hopes to electrify its portfolio of products, as well as roll out more autonomous features (it wants to sell “Level 4” autonomous cars by 2023). But most tantalizing to enthusiasts are plans for specific models within brands’ current lineups — we’re talking Italian coupes, super-fast EV’s and desert-ready trucks. Naturally, things should be taken with a grain of salt, but for the most part, these products seem relatively plausible. Here’s hoping they do come to fruition because, to put it bluntly, they all look rad as hell.
The GTV was Alfa Romeo’s legendary (and extremely pretty) two-door coupe back in the ’60s and ’70s, so a modern revival makes sense for the brand. Alfa Romeo hints at the following specs: 50/50 weight distribution, 600 horsepower and all-wheel-drive with torque vectoring. Sounds fun. Notably, there’s talk of an “E-Boost” system which is, almost assuredly, a hybrid system supplementing whatever horsepower the car’s engine will produce. Expect the car to ride on the existing Giulia platform and for the final result to be very pretty when it arrives, apparently, by 2022.
Also in Alfa Romeo’s plans is a successor to the 8C, the manufacturer’s supercar effort that (kind of) led the brand’s reintroduction into the US in 2007. Unlike the first 8C, this new car will apparently be mid-engined, based around a carbon fiber monocoque chasis, with 700 horsepower on tap thanks to a twin-turbo engine and electric motors powering the front wheels. As Road & Track notes, the concept sketch looks eerily similar to the Tipo 33 Stradale from the 1960s, arguably the prettiest car ever made (fight me), so lets hope they styling stays for the production version.
The Alfieri concept — the long-overdue successor to the aging GranTurismo — first debuted back in 2014, but Maserati has given a lot more insight into what the final product will be. A coupe and cabriolet version will be made and based on a modular aluminum spaceframe. It will be offered as a conventional hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and an all-electric car, the latter claimed to be capable of a 0-60 mph sprint in two seconds. It should also be noted that Maserati announced that all of the powertrains (electric and internal combustion) will be supplied by Ferrari.
Did you think FCA would let the Ford Raptor corner the market on factory-ready desert racers? RAM teased the TRX concept back in 2016, but today announced that it’s going to finally become a production model. FCA didn’t release any specific specs for the finished product but the concept featured 575-horsepower suprercharged Hemi V8 and, according to Ram, a suspension system “only shared with the fastest off-road trucks in desert racing.” Maybe we’ll even get it with the 707-horsepower Hellcat engine.
Given that Jeep is FCA’s most valuable brand, there’s plenty in store for the historic marque’s future. In addition to further comfirmation of an impending Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Wrangler pickup (both of which we’ve been anticipating for so long), plans for a new line of Deserthawk models were revealed. Similar to the existing Trailhawk and Trackhawk models, they’ll be perfromance-oriented, though specifically for high-speed driving on sand.
Editor’s Note: We love scouring the internet for reasons to spend money we don’t have on cars we daydream about owning, and these are our picks this week. All prices listed are bid amounts at the time of publishing.
Porsche is the sports car company. If you’ve ever driven either the Cayenne or Macan SUVs, you know the performance factor translates even to the manufacturer’s heftiest models. And while SUVs are now Stuttgart’s bread and butter, the lust-worthy cars wearing Porsche badges are still the tried and true sports cars.
You can find slightly more affordable Porsches with higher mileage, but you’ll run the risk of inheriting classic car reliability problems. That’s why the low-mileage examples below are so tempting.
What we like: This vintage 911 — the first Turbo model — earned the nickname ‘Widowmaker’ because its rear-biased weight would cause the car to easily spin in certain cornering situations, sending the car into a dangerous tailspin. It should be approached with respect. Porsches have always carried a high-performance reputation, but in the late-’80s the quotient was dialed up to 11. This 930 Turbo is incredibly clean and sports an iconic whale-tail spoiler.
From the seller: “The car spent time in Pennsylvania and North Carolina before moving in 2003 to Massachusetts, where it was later acquired by the seller a decade ago. Just over 3,000 miles have been covered since, and the car is accompanied by over $35,000 of service records from the last 15 years, including a receipt for a March 2004 engine rebuild.”
What to look out for: As with many turbocharged cars from the ’80s, problems seem to stem from the turbo itself. Keep an eye out for leaking fluids resulting from cracked or blown gaskets.
What we like: It isn’t a 911, but the 944 deserves mention. Before the mid-engine Cayman replaced it as the entry-level car for the brand, the 944 was regarded as one of the best handling cars Porsche ever built. Early models had their quirks, but few cars could hold a candle to the 944 in its day.
From the seller: “The car has been used sparingly since 1985 and has covered around 1k miles since 1999. The last timing belt service was performed in 2002, and more recent services include a fuel tank flush, new fuel injectors, pump and filter in 2008, and an R134 A/C conversion in 2017.”
What to look out for: When shopping around for 944s, it’s important to see them in person and take a look underneath the car itself. Oil and other fluid leaks are quite common.
What we like: This manual 911 Turbo might have been a black sheep 996 vintage, but it’s fully optioned and at just 16,000 miles it’s barely broken in. You’ll essentially be buying a brand new car.
From the seller: “This 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo has 16k miles from new and is powered by a 3.6L Mezger flat-six paired to a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive. The car was sold new in Dublin, Ohio, and has remained in the midwest from new.”
What to look out for: One common problem that causes the check engine light to turn on is a problem with the cam chain tensioner, which can occur even in lower-mileage example. A larger more serious problem is ring and pinion failure which will need immediate attention as it affects the differential.
What we like: It’s hard to beat a saddle tan interior no matter the car, and at 25,000 miles, this particular example’s interior is like new. The added removable hard top is afantastic bonus for the colder months as well.
From the seller: “A remanufactured 3.6L flat-six from RND Engines was recently installed by the selling dealer and fitted with an upgraded IMS bearing as described below. Several Porsche Exclusive options are present including wood interior trim and 18-inch SportDesign alloy wheels. This 996 Cabrio is offered with a color-matched hardtop, records of the recent engine installation, a clean Carfax report and a clear Georgia title.”
What to look out for: One of the more common problems for this generation 911 stems from the coolant system. Make sure you ask the seller if they’ve rectified any problems regarding the coolant reservoir as they can develop small cracks and leaks.
What we like: Yes, there are two 911 Turbos from the 996 generation on this list. The 966 is looked down upon solely due to its headlight design. But one collector’s trash is the common man’s treasure. Low-mileage 996 Turbos go for half of what the previous and following generation 911 Turbos fetch.
From the seller: “The original owner was reportedly a long-time Porsche collector who purchased the car new from a Bay Area dealership and kept it in California until 2013.”
What to look out for: As with the previous Turbo, this generation has problems with thecam chain tensioner, which can occur even in lower-mileage examples. But, the bigger concern is the ring and pinion failure.
Air-cooled Porsches are a purist’s dream. This year’s Luftgekuhlt was the largest yet, both in crowd size (some 3,500 tickets were sold and an estimated 4,500 people attended) and in venue size. Read the Story
Jump-starting cars has always been a bit of a hair-raising experience. Whenever I do it, I’m a nervous wreck, paralyzed with fear that I’ll booger up the connection somehow and blow up both cars in the process. That’s never happened, of course, but it doesn’t change the fact that electricity is a scary thing. Then there are the logistical challenges: jump starting can be a tricky proposition in tight quarters, or a drawn-out ordeal if you have to find someone to give you a jump in East Zombieville at two in the morning.
Of course, there are better solutions. The best portable jump-starters are years beyond those bloated, heavy contraptions that in the past looked suspiciously like, well, car batteries. They’re now sleek, computer-regulated, lithium-ion gadgets that can fit discretely in your trunk or even your glove box, and be used in a pinch to charge your mobile electronics or, believe it or not, wash your car.
Though dead batteries feel like increasingly rare occurrences with modern cars, they do still happen. Even if it’s not your own car that goes terminals-up at a freeway rest-stop, it’s still worth carrying a portable jump starter so you can be the good Samaritan someday. With that in mind, we sought out the best portable jump-starters, listed below. Keep in mind when considering one that the battery’s ability to start a car is dependent upon many factors, including the size of the engine, the state of the vehicle’s own battery, whether the car’s starter is a more recent and therefore more efficient model and, lastly, the amperage of the jumper battery itself.
That amperage rating ranges from has been identified as between 150 to 450 cold cranking amps (CCA), though that number isn’t always available in the product’s specifications. Instead, the number might just be delivered as “peak amps” or just “cranking amps,” and the company will state how large of an engine it should be able to start. The battery’s capacity, measured in mAh, merely reflects how many times it can be used before needing a recharge, not its inherent ability to start the engine in the first place. Capacity is actually more useful if you plan on using the battery for other things, like operating electronics or charging mobile devices.
Another quality to look for is reverse-polarity protection, which will provide visual and possibly acoustic alerts if you accidentally place the clamps on the wrong terminals — and they won’t provide the power until you do.
Finally, make sure you know why your battery drained in the first place. If it’s because you left the lights on all night or otherwise drained the battery in an obvious, known fashion, the car’s alternator should be able to restore charge to the battery once you get going. But if you’re unsure why the battery died, have your mechanic take a look at your car to make sure the battery is being properly charged or is able to retain its charge normally.
Weego is the go-to brand for portable power, consistently scoring highly in both professional and customer reviews. Its lineup ranges from the basic Weego 6 to the deluxe Weego 66, the latter of which will start 10-liter diesel engines, if that’s your jam. While all of the batteries will start the average car and include reverse-polarity protection, the differences rest primarily in how large of an engine it will jump and the additional capabilities, like flashlights or the ability to power 12v accessories. We recommend the Weego 22, which includes a 14-hour flashlight, a USB port and a lanyard you can use to hang it as a work or camp light.
This oddly charming device is both an automotive jump starter and, naturally, a car-wash kit. That’s right, the round black disk contains both a battery and a water pump, enabling you to attach either jumper cables, mobile devices to charge though the dual USB ports or a water gun — just source water from either an attached bottle or a hose dipped into a bucket. The high-pressure gun delivers enough force to dislodge grit from your car, and it can run on a single charge for up to an hour. When actually jump-starting vehicles, everything is managed by the CPU. So you can just plug in the cables, attach them to the battery terminal, and turn the device on. Then, start the car. Simple — and clean!
This is the top-selling jump-starter on Amazon. Interestingly, the company argues that joules is a more appropriate power measure than peak amps, since it often takes several seconds for a car to actually turn over. This one is rated at 7,035 joules—and 1,000 peak amps, for good measure. It’ll jump 20 times on a single charge, and hold that charge for a year. (In general, you want to make sure you top off your charge about every six months to be safe.) Of course, it’ll also jump-start your devices, including two iPhone charges or 20 Apple Watches.
Another key player in the automotive battery world, Antigravity produces products ranging from heavy-duty commercial starts to consumer products. The Micro-Start is their entry-level product, and includes everything the average driver will need, including reverse-polarity protection and adapters for charging a variety of devices. It’s compact too, and includes mini-clamps that attach to battery terminals.
This economical starter also happens to be the most highly rated on Amazon, in terms of customer reviews. It’s got all the protections — reverse polarity, overload protection, over-charge protection — along with dual USB chargers and an LED flashlight. It’s also ruggedized, has sealed ports and includes a digital readout showing the battery’s precise current charge.
“This shouldn’t be possible,” I thought to myself as I looked up at a cold, endless shock blue sky. I’m looking through the roof of a Ferrari.” Not through an open convertible top — through a massive, single piece of curvaceous panoramic glass. From the back seat, no less. It felt great, and it felt weird.
There have been many Ferraris with back seats before, of course. The first, the 250 GT/E, bowed in 1960; the next, the 330 GT 2+2, looked almost exactly like the iconic Aston Martin DB5 of the same mid-Sixties vintage. Various others (400 GT, Mondial) followed in intervening decades, including one of the most gorgeous Ferrari shapes ever produced, the chiseled 456 GT. After the millennium, the brand produced its Scaglietti grand tourer through 2011 (the California convertible technically had four seats, too). But it wasn’t until 2011 that Ferrari four-seaters took an unexpected turn: instead of just being not-two-seat-cars, the Ferrari FF that debuted that year was a seemingly blasphemous car for the prancing horse to produce. It was a hatchback with four-wheel drive.
The GTC4Lusso, which replaced the FF (“Ferrari Four”) in 2016, is the most recent three-door, four-seat, all-wheels-driven car from Maranello. Its name means “Grand Tourer Coupe Four (seat), and ‘Lusso’ means Luxury in Italian. There are no spaces in its name, which is weird, but there is so much space in back, which seems weirder. Philosophically, the car is a mind-bender, some sort of paradoxical mishmash of automotive archetypes. Physically, it is a wonder to behold. Dynamically, on the road and from either the front or back seat, is how it’s best experienced.
The panoramic roof is one of those automotive archetypes. It was available on the FF too, but what’s important about the optional glass is that it makes ‘sitting in the back seat of a Ferrari’ more than just a novel experience; it makes it a phenomenal one. I’m six feet tall and had very real legroom back there. I’m also distractible and normally somewhat claustrophobic. But not only did I want for nothing, I was instead captivated simply by how much I could see — and that I could so easily look out on the world from the back seat of a sporting machine made by the most storied of sporting machine brands. Surreal.
What’s up front is surreal too: a naturally-aspirated, 6.3-liter V12, but not just some truck-like, old chuffer. This sublime engine revs up to and over 8,000 rpm; it pushes out 680 horsepower and 514 lb-ft of torque. It is sumptuous and smooth, but slap the large left paddle a couple times to select a minor gear and two things happen. One, you are instantly 300 feet farther down the road; and two, the sound of angelic death metal is channeled through your entire body. The V12 is unreal in its duplicity, as it will both cruise like glass and give the finger to radar guns as it blasts to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds in a sprint to a 208 mph terminal velocity.
Its power meets the road through a very clever, complex system of mechanicals that work together so harmoniously I never once thought I was driving anything but a nimble supercar. In fact, this two-plus-ton grand tourer employs two separate gearboxes: one to push most of the thrust rearward, and another, smaller one to handle power to the front wheels. The small transmission has only two gears and is not active (neither are the front wheels driven) in fifth, sixth or seventh (of seven) gears. Furthermore, four-wheel steering — taken from the F12tdf — enhances maneuverability. The wheels under your rear passengers turn counter to steering inputs for sharper low-speed handling, but at higher speeds, they swivel lockstep with the front wheels to boost stability.
So is the GTC4Lusso actually a weird Ferrari? It does the things normal Ferraris are supposed to do: Ferraris must be fast, Ferraris must sound ethereally demonic and Ferraris must seem to endow the driver with superhuman abilities. But I did things with this car that Ferraris are not supposed to do: I did not attract much attention at all; I only lost traction when I tried very, very hard to and I put a lot of groceries from Costco in its hatchback. Overall, I’d say it nearly breaks even but nets out ever so slightly on the impeccably weird side of the spectrum.
It’s ultra good too. For a vehicle that is a sports car, a wagon, a luxury ride, a technological wonder, a wailing baritone and a striking centerfold all at once, it without question coheres into a singular, crazy-good sensation. The GTC4Lusso is all the grand tourer with none of the stuffiness, with a massive dollop of Italianate marvel. It’s phenomenally athletic and outrageously different. Which, for a Ferrari, isn’t weird at all.
