2020

Porsche is revving up to introduce the Taycan, its first all-electric vehicle, and its latest ad for the four-door includes some amazing footage of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure and building in the world. But is this a smart way to showcase an all-electric, green car? Considering that Burj Khalifa was built in Dubai, a place where most wealth comes mainly from oil?

Years ago, Lara’s days were busy as she was doing all the high-paced driving for top-rank female Hollywood movie stars such as Julia Roberts, Mary Louise Parker, and Jennifer Connelly. They all looked tough on the big screen, but she was toughing it out for real, during takes. Now, Lara’s still as busy as ever, although now she’s gained a different kind of notoriety, as a female Porsche lover in a world where most people who buy Porsches and adore the brand from Stuttgart are men. That’s why you’ll find her on Instagram as @thatporschegirl.

Luxury cars give us more comfort, more technology, and better craftsmanship than normal run of the mill transportation. However, because it costs more to make even an entry-level luxury car, the price tag is often higher than that of a normal car. That said, the main reason we don’t see cheap luxury cars is the added value of the badge. More specifically, the associations of quality and prestige that come with it. Still, there is a chance for you to own a luxury car without breaking the bank. Here are some of the most affordable luxury cars that are currently on the market.

Like ABT is to Audi, Brabus is to Mercedes. These are the tuners that come to mind when you talk about the respective brands. Brabus is here with another creation called the Rocket 900 “One of Ten” that’s based on the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S. The Brabus model comes with changes inside and out, but the biggest changes have happened under the hood. The car didn’t just receive some extra horses and torque; Brabus also increased the displacement of the V-8 powerhouse. The car is super-exclusive and only 10 examples of it will be built.

Although commonly known as the Daytona, this two-seater GT from Ferrari is known as the 365 GTB/4 officially. It came as a successor to the 275 GTB/4 and was introduced at the Paris Auto Show in 1968. The Daytona moniker, interestingly, was given by the media to commemorate the Prancing Horse’s top-three finish in February 1967. Anyway, a ‘Daytona’ example from the early 70s is listed on Bring-a-Trailer’s website, and it is drawing a lot of attention. This model is one of the 1,284 Berinetta coupes built for the U.S.-market between 1968 and 1973. The bid for the car is nearing half-a-million dollars already at the time of writing this article, which shows what a collectible it is. Interested?

When Chrysler introduced the Pacifica Hybrid, it rattled to ever-shrinking minivan segment to its core. Not necessarily because it offered some new, ground-breaking technology but because it’s quite literally the only hybrid minivan on the market – at least until the Toyota Sienna lineup goes hybrid for the 2021 model year. Until then, however, the Pacifica gets to wear the crown. We drove the Pacifica just a year ago and we had somewhat mixed opinions about it – has anything changed this time around? Let’s find out!

When it comes to performance cars, horsepower and torque are usually the only figures we take into account when comparing them. That’s a logical thing to do, but sometimes these numbers can be deceiving. This new video from CarWow brings together a BMW M5 tuned to an insane 1,000 horsepower and a stock Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. Can the Porsche keep up with the beefed-up sedan? Is horsepower the decisive factor here? Let’s find out.

Tesla’s pricing for its models is going down, but the automaker is making up from those prospective losses by raising the prices for using its Supercharger network. That appears to be the case after a report from the Aussie website CarExpert indicated that charging at any of Tesla’s 35 Supercharger stations in the Land Down Under will now cost AUD0.52 (USD0.37) per kilowatt-hour. That’s an increase from the AUD0.42/kWh (USD0.30) that Tesla was charging as recently as September. Since 2017, the cost of charging a Tesla in Australia has gone up by as much as 23 percent, and with Tesla’s model price cuts continuing, don’t expect the cost of using the Supercharger network to flatten out, either.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio has been on the market just four short years, and the more aggressive Stelvio Quadrifoglio has a year less under its belt. We’ve already learned that the Stelvio can hold its own against everyday luxury SUVs, but halfway through its lifecycle can it still deliver the performance and comfort expected from something that carries an Alfa Romeo badge? Is the Quadrifoglio still worth the $80,500 entry level price in a luxury crossover market that grows, quite literally, by the day? Well, FCA stopped by TopSpeed headquarters with a Stelvio Quadrifoglio to let us find out for ourselves – this is what our week-long experience taught us.

Formula D ace Ryan Tuerck is one of those people with a vision that seem to have erased the word impossible from their dictionaries. His main drift car is a 1,000 horsepower Toyota Corolla Hatch that’s been carrying him to constant top-10 finishes in Formula D competition, but Tuerck’s first big shocker was another car, the Ferrari-engined Toyota GT86 he unveiled at SEMA four years ago. This latest project that involves an A90 Toyota Supra and a Le Mans V-10 engine will top that one. His words, not ours.

The Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 comes from a time when Caddy was still the epitome of luxury in the automotive world, At over $80,000 in today’s money, it was the car of choice for the upper 1% but, nowadays, you can find one for cheap which is why Brian from Turnin Rust wants to turn one of these sedated mile-chuggers into an LS-swapped, turbo monstrosity that is able to tow a camper while doing burnouts. If that sounds quite random to you, it’s because, well, it is quite random, frankly.

It’s been over nine years since Don Groff began the unlikely task of building from scratch an open-wheel car that would be powered by a mid-mounted, 12-cylinder version of the famous Toyota 1JZ engine. Now, finally, the project is approaching the final stretch, and Groff has managed to dyno his baby with impressive results that put his single-seater in the vicinity of actual F1 cars in terms of torque and power output.

If you enjoy your car, you probably want it to look pristine, like it just came out of the showroom. Part of this involves keeping the headlight lens clean and shiny. More and more new vehicles come out with plastic headlight lenses, which degrade at an even quicker rate over time. Whether it’s dirty air, stone chips, or ultraviolet rays, over time the lens become hazy and yellow. This is not only aesthetically displeasing, but might affect the effectiveness of your headlights. Luckily, the products shown below are some of the best on the market and can be found in many stores.

I am sure you will agree, one of the most dreaded images, for a car owner, is when the check engine light comes on. When that happens, it could be anything from a faulty sensor, to something serious, which is why having a good scan tool may be critical, as it will help determine whether it is a cheap and simple fix or something that may cost thousands of dollars. And although an onboard diagnostics scanner will not fix everything, it will eliminate any uncertainty, as to what problem your car has. This is exactly why we have compiled a short list, in order to help you decide, which is the best OBD2 scanner for you.

Sometimes, the best drag races are those that have some form of handicap. Take this race hosted by YouTube channel Track Day, for example. It’s a three-car throw down involving an F80-generation BMW M3 Competition, a 992-generation Porsche 911 Carrera S, and a BMW M240i. The latter is the obvious underdog in this race, but this isn’t your stock M240i that comes into the race with significant modifications, none more important than an engine upgrade that helps the turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine produce more output than both the M3 Competition and the 911 Carrera S. The scales tip differently now, do they? Does the modified M240i have what it takes to beat the M3 Competition and the 911 Carrera S? Let’s find out.

Ford has entered the electric SUV realm with the Mustang Mach-E, a sporty hauler capable of up to 459 horsepower and up to 300 miles of range. But FoMoCo didn’t stop here and also created a monstrous race-spec Mach-E. Fitted with no fewer than seven electric motors that deliver a combined 1,400 horsepower, the Mustang Mach-E 1400 is downright spectacular when it comes to performance, but it also looks cool in its race-inspired suit. The SUV was recently showcased at Goodwood Speed Week, where master drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. proved that you don’t need gasoline power to do donuts.

Post the big debut, the Ford Bronco and its urban-alter ego are busy with various other activities. The Bronco Sport recently won the 2020 Rebelle Rally in its category in stock condition, and now Ford has announced the Bronco will don the emergency vehicle outfit to support the National Forest Foundation.

Ford has teamed up with Filson, an outdoor outfitter, to develop the Bronco Wildland Fire Rig Concept. It is customized with firefighting equipment and Ford will donate two examples for the cause.