Ken Block’s new 600 horsepower Focus, GM’s chief designer retires, details trickle in about the Tesla Model 3 and more.
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Ken Block’s new 600 horsepower Focus, GM’s chief designer retires, details trickle in about the Tesla Model 3 and more.
Reads and New Gear
Hot Rod Hall-of-Famer Chip Foose is celebrating his 30th anniversary in design this year. To mark the occasion, he’s going to embark on new design projects throughout 2016.
Another milestone in the design world: GM Chief Designer Ed Welburn announced his retirement. Over his 44 years at GM, Welburn has overseen some of the company’s most spectacular creations, including the Cadillac Ciel and Elmiraj concepts — not to mention the beautiful new Buick Avista Concept.
Gymkhana star Ken Block has been busy getting ready for the upcoming Global Rallycross Championship season. And to take the fight to international veterans like Sebastien Loeb and Petter Solberg, Ford and Block have also been busy shaking down his new 600 horsepower Focus RX RS.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4x0w7juhtw&w=650&h=366]
Volvo devised a way to get other cars to help charge their plug-in hybrid. It’s actually a relatively simple idea, but it’s much easier to show how it works rather than explain it.
Since Tesla unveiled the Model 3 last week (to much fanfare and over 115,000 initial preorders), the company has been releasing further details about the supposedly revolutionary new car. Elon Musk has confirmed there are now over 325,000 pre-orders, and he’s stated that the front end will likely be redesigned and the interior shown in the debut isn’t anywhere near what the actual interior will look like.
Marquez dominated the race at the Circuit of the Americas Sunday from pole to finish. Meanwhile, behind the young Spaniard, the field fell apart. Lorenzo couldn’t keep pace, Rossi crashed out early and Pedrosa and Dovizioso came together in a battle for third. This makes it four wins in a row at CotA for Marquez.
Advice from the Crew
Cafe racers are meant to evoke the past, but Triumph’s all new Thruxton R is every bit a modern-day motorcycle. And it’s well worth the wait. Read the Story
What to Buy, Now
The Porsche 944 Turbo is one of the most underrated sports cars of all time. And, unsurprisingly, when you see them for sale online, they usually look like they’ve been to hell and back, making this pristine example an absolute gem. Read the Story
Stories from Around the Web
What with global warming and the oil crisis, the future of the automobile is certainly in question. Its general popularity with prospective young buyers isn’t great, either. CityLab discusses the possible reasons why.
During the ’80s and ’90s the prince of Brunei became somewhat famous for his spending habits. The Verge has a fantastic story on the prince’s personal garage that, among many other cars, includes half a dozen one-off Ferraris — one of which has the first-ever road-going semi-automatic transmission.
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