Massachusetts recently switched to a new format of the license plates. The look is the same, unfortunately, but the character sequencing is different. It went from being ##X XX# to #XXX ##, where # indicates a digit and X indicates a letter. Needless to say, when it came to #XXX 69, some humorous results came […]
(Update: I’m an idiot. I noted that the Tokyo Auto Salon was being held January 14 to January 16, 2022. When I wrote that, it was 14 January in Japan. So, here’s the whole thing…) (Now back to my OG post) Toyota’s Gazoo Racing recently previewed a pretty impressive looking thing, the GR GT3 Concept. […]
Honda kicks off what they are calling the “Year of the Crossover” (isn’t that every year at every automaker?) with a sneak peek of the 2023 Honda HR-V. You may have not given a lot of thought to the HR-V, since it’s relatively new to our market. It’s a solid a subcompact crossover SUV (B-segment) that’s […]
The genius of Colin Chapman’s “Simplify, then add lightness” motto may not apply modern electric cars. For one, EVs tend to be heavy. Batteries and electric motors, while having beneficial packaging, are much heavier than conventional internal combustion drivetrains. They are also more complicated, if not intimidating, to those who grew up gapping their own […]
The boffins at M-Sport in the UK, the team behind Ford entry in the World Rally Championship, have created the Ultimate Fiat Panda. They took a stock Fiat Panda 4×4 shell and matted it with a Ford Fiesta R5 which involved widening the body shell by 360mm so that it could fit the R5 running […]
For some reason I was feeling nostalgic about my automotive journalist career this morning. I started poking through some old video and photo content and came across a gem that we never published. But first, some more nostalgia. Right Foot Down I got into this line of work for the same reason I lot of […]
“In his 1971 book Wheels, Arthur Hailey claims that cars that were primarily assembled on a Monday or Friday would suffer from quality problems due to worker performance/absenteeism issues associated with those days”[1]. By that reasoning, one would want a Tuesday or a Wednesday made vehicle. Studies have shown those to be the most productive days of […]
I’ve already queued up the idea that car-buying is super weird right now. Ever since we entered the era of missing microchips and other supply chain issues, both used and new car buying is much more difficult. As a serial car flipper, who has done OK during this time, I optimistically sold my BMW M4 […]
Oh mah gawd, you guys! My new Ford Bronco is finally in production! It was scheduled for production for the week of November 15th. I figured I check up on Friday, November 12th. The little indicator of “In Production” in the owner’s portal was circled. I called the dealer and they confirmed that it is, […]
It is surprising that it has not happened to sooner but the Jeep Wrangler is finally available with 35-inch tires. It’s part of the Xtreme Recon package that includes 4.56 axle gearing, and wider, 17×8-inch beadlock-capable wheels, among other things. That package is now available on the Wrangler Rubicon, the V8-powered Rubicon 392, and soon, […]