synd-vehicle-history
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Back in the 1980s, Michael Jackson was the undisputed King of Pop and Ferrari was the king of the supercar. Imagine if you combined the two? That's just the thought that Pepsi had for a commercial back in 1987. Pepsi took it another step further and commissioned a convertible Testarossa for its shoot of a commercial called "The Chopper." That car is now up for sale on Motor GT. The task of chopping the top off the Italian supercar fell to California customizer Richard Straman. Starting with an all-black Ferrari, the roof was removed and a convertible top was fitted in place. Additionally, the...
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Mazda ends relationship with Laguna Seca
Back in 2001 Mazda teamed up with a wonderful sliver of tarmac located in Monterey, California called Laguna Seca. The result of this sponsorship became Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. That's still the name, but only for another few months. Why? Because Mazda has decided not to renew its naming rights...
Jeff Glucker -
Bugatti reaches production target with 70 Chirons built this year
That's 70 down, 430 to go. Bugatti announced on Thursday that the brand reached its 2017 production goal with 70 Chirons built in total. Deliveries of the Veyron's successor began in this past March and Bugatti delivered the 70 units built this year to customers around the world. Bugatti's...
Sean Szymkowski -
Virgin Hyperloop One reaches 240 mph in latest test
Virgin Hyperloop One took a major step toward realizing its goal of delivering a fully functioning Hyperloop transport system by 2021 with the successful test this month of a pod at speeds of 240 mph. The full-scale test took place on December 15 at the company’s proving ground in Nevada and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford Ranger Raptor set for February 7 debut
Ford is rumored to be preparing the reveal of its new Ranger mid-size pickup truck at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in mid-January. But the version we’re most interested in is the Ranger Raptor, which Motoring reports will debut on February 7 in Bangkok, Thailand...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
UK company builds world's first Tesla Model S shooting brake
Feast your eyes on the very first Tesla Model S shooting brake. To clear up the confusion, a Dutch firm announced plans for its own shooting brake, due for a March 2018 reveal. This one is different, however. United Kingdom-based Qwest Norfolk actually beat the Dutch company to the finish line with...
Sean Szymkowski -
Owners of 2017 and 2018 model year Audis will find a new feature embedded in their car's infotainment system and the Audi MMI connect smartphone app. On Tuesday, the brand announced Amazon's music services are now accessible, providing millions of songs in Audi cars for the right owners. Both Amazon Music Unlimited and Amazon Prime Music will function with the new integration, which is available in the 2017 and 2018 A3, A4, A4 allroad, Q7, R8, and TT, as well as the 2018 Q5 and A5. Other vehicles will not support the services, at least not yet. The streaming services will work right from the...
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Will roads be made out of plastic in the future?
The materials and processes used to build roadways haven't changed much in the past century, but a Dutch company has plans to potentially revolutionize the infrastructure and clean up a lot of plastic pollution. VolkerWessels, along with two other partners, proposes plastic roads made from recycled...
Sean Szymkowski -
Chevy compares the Camaro ZL1 1LE to Santa's sleigh
Chevrolet has created one raucous machine with its 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE. This is a world-beater of a car. A highly capable, massively powerful Camaro that looks the business and shouts its V-8 noise for all to hear. Few cars can compete with the Camaro ZL1 1LE. Chevy knows this, so it reached deep...
Jeff Glucker -
Mini adds dual-clutch transmission
Mini is adding a third transmission option to its lineup in the form of a 7-speed dual-clutch unit that boasts faster gear shifts and improved efficiency compared to the manual and automatic transmissions currently on offer. Though yet to be confirmed for the United States, the DCT will be made...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Italian firm Lazzarini Design shows retro flying car concept
Most flying car concepts we've seen don't bear much resemblance to the traditional automobile. Instead, they forge a path forward with futuristic design and new ideas. Italian firm Lazzarini Design has bucked the trend with its conceptual flying car based on a 1920s Italian luxury vehicle. The...
Sean Szymkowski -
The Morgan EV3 will finally whir to life in 2018
Do you remember the Morgan 3 Wheeler? You should, because it remains a hilariously enjoyable machine that delivers far more fun than you might expect. From its buzzy S&S-supplied V-twin engine and cog-swapper swiped from the MX-5, the 3 Wheeler is an incredibly pure dose of heritage styling and...
Jeff Glucker -
The next-generation Subaru WRX may skip one of its signature details when it's released in 2020, a report from Autocar suggested Monday. While all-wheel drive and horizontally opposed pistons are to Subaru what bad chili and worse pasta are to Cincinnati cuisine, it appears that tightening emissions restrictions could push the flat-4 to the curb. “Four-wheel drive is critical to the power and performance levels our customers expect, but on the engine we have more freedom,” Subaru design boss Mamoru Ishii told Autocar. Specifically, horizontally opposed engines may be optional like...
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2019 Jeep Cherokee first look
Jeep’s revival of the Cherokee in 2014 was a joyous occasion for fans of the nameplate, though many were taken aback by the unusual, very un-Jeep-like styling of the vehicle. Rumor has it the vehicle, the fifth iteration of the Cherokee nameplate, was originally intended to be an Alfa Romeo...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss takes bowtie brand to new heights
With its factory lift kit, the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss that debuted Saturday at a surprise event deep in the heart of pickup country has big boots to fill. At Texas Motor Speedway outside Fort Worth, Texas, at an event to celebrate 100 years of Chevy pickup trucks, the automaker...
Andrew Ganz -
Toyota ramps up electrification, targets 1 million zero-emission cars by 2030
Toyota on Monday announced it would accelerate its vehicle electrification plans as part of an overarching strategy to reduce fleet-wide carbon emissions by as much as 90 percent from 2010 levels, by the year 2050. Under the accelerated plans, Toyota hopes to have every model in the Toyota and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Now is your chance to buy the last Oldsmobile ever built
A 2004 Oldsmobile Alero is hardly a sought after car, but this one may be just a tad more desirable. Why? It's the last Oldsmobile-badged vehicle General Motors ever built before the brand was sent to the automotive graveyard. Fox News reported on Thursday that this particular 2004 Alero has been a...
Sean Szymkowski -
Alpine A110 enters production at historic Dieppe plant
It’s been a long time coming, but Alpine’s A110 is finally in production. Some readers will recall Alpine’s parent company, Renault, first announced plans for the car in 2012. It was originally to be developed alongside a similar model from Caterham, but the British firm pulled...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
One of the cars used during filming of 2006’s "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is currently up for sale. It’s the infamous Nissan 350Z that belonged to the movie’s protagonist, Takashi, aka the Drift King. The dark gray Z featured on most of the promotional material for the movie and is instantly recognizable by its distinctive body artwork displayed heavily during Takashi’s drift races throughout the city of Tokyo. Who could forget seeing it slide up the circular ramp in the movie’s car park drift battle scene? The car is currently listed for sale on Auto...
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Subaru reveals pricing for BRZ tS and WRX STI Type RA, only 1,000 cars planned
Subaru has a pair of exciting performance machines available for 2018 but you had better be quick as each is limited to just 500 units. The cars are the 2018 BRZ tS and WRX STI Type RA, and they come with a number of enhancements developed by Subaru’s STI performance arm. The BRZ tS is priced...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Oregon-based Samson promises "flying sports car" for next year
If Oregon-based Samson sticks to its timeline, there will be a real flying car on sale next year. Samson revealed the Switchblade Wednesday and promises the functionality of a regular car and the ability to take off and fly in one package. The company's creation is a three-wheel vehicle with a...
Sean Szymkowski -
Nissan's mini car wash tests paint quality on a small scale
For a large portion of the U.S., and around the world, the time for snow, slush, and ice is here. And that means drivers will line car washes ready to whisk away the muck, salt, and other debris. Nissan knows this and the brand employs the cutest little car wash you've ever seen to ensure car...
Sean Szymkowski -
GM patented a ridiculously high-compression twin-charged hybrid powertrain
The latest General Motors patent underscores how busy the automaker's powertrain engineers have been. The automaker received a patent approval for a high-compression, twin-charged hybrid powertrain in October, AutoGuide reported Wednesday. And when we say "high compression," we're talking...
Sean Szymkowski -
CAD images of mid-engine 2019 Chevrolet Corvette reportedly leaked
The myth and legend of the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette is looking more and more like it'll become a reality soon. It's been spied undergoing cold-weather testing, playing at the track, and even making McDonald's runs. Now it appears someone, who quite possibly could lose their job for this, might...
Joel Feder