synd-vehicle-history
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Even to this day, 1964's “Goldfinger” is considered by most to be the best James Bond movie ever made, particularly if those fans are also car nuts. Yes, what endeared the movie into the hearts of many car enthusiasts was Bond’s tricked-out Aston Martin DB5. While in the novels he drives a Bentley Mark VI, the silver grand tourer is what most associate as the official ride of the world's most famous spy. Aston Martin is celebrating this fact with the announcement of 25 new DB5s—to be built to the same spec as the car featured in "Goldfinger." Working closely with EON...
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Here's how Ford trains high-performance test drivers
Being a test driver sounds like a pretty cool job. Automakers need people to log miles at every level of vehicle produced. Of course, this means that some test drivers have a lot more fun than others, such as Ford's tier-four drivers that get to pilot vehicles like the Mustang Shelby GT350-based...
Jeff Glucker -
2019 Tundra TRD Pro is only $895 cheaper than a Ford F-150 Raptor
Toyota must be pretty proud of its reworked TRD Pro family. That would explain why the automaker is ready to price the 2019 Tundra TRD Pro just $895 beneath the starting price of a Ford F-150 Raptor. The automaker already made it known that the 2019 4Runner TRD Pro would be priced higher than...
Jeff Glucker -
Arizona Kroger charges $5.95 for trial service of grocery delivery via self-driving car
Residents of Scottsdale, Arizona, can now get their groceries delivered by autonomous vehicles. Grocery giant Kroger and technology partner Nuro are rolling out a trial program at a single Fry's Food location. The cost to participate? Just $5.95 per delivery with no minimum order. The program began...
Jeff Glucker -
22-year old Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat owner charged for going 198 mph on public road
The Dodge Challenger Hellcat is a 200-mph machine. It's a 707-horsepower (717 for 2019) insane muscle car that's warped our definition of "appropriate power." But with that power comes responsibility, and that's something a 22-year-old in North Carolina clearly lacks. William Jefferson posted a...
Jeff Glucker -
2019 Audi A4 and A5 lose manual transmission
Just as BMW aims to put the sport back in sport sedan with its redesigned 3-Series, Audi's A4 is losing the manual transmission for the 2019 model year. Audi made the manual available as a no-cost option on A4s equipped with all-wheel drive for 2017. It pointed out at the time that it was the only...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Classic Recreations has been churning out continuation versions of some of America's most cherished muscle cars for some time now. What the company hasn't done yet, however, is show its wares in front of the crowds that attend Monterey Car Week. That changes this year as Classic Recreations will be present at two Monterey events this year: Concours on the Avenue (August 21) and Gordon McCall’s Motorworks Revival (August 22). The Oklahoma-based custom car builder is bringing several officially-licensed Ford Shelby Mustangs. At Concours on the Avenue, visitors will be treated to the...
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SSC reveals Tuatara hypercar's twin-turbo V-8
It’s been a while since we last heard about SSC North America (formerly Shelby SuperCars) and its promised Tuatara hypercar, a car that could potentially reclaim the production car land speed record for the firm. The good news is that the Tuatara is coming, and soon. After first showing us a...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chinese luxury EV brand Gyon debuts without a car
Yet another Chinese electric car startup has announced its intentions, only this one doesn't have a flashy concept to show us just yet. The new company goes by the name Gyon, and its launch took place on August 8 in Los Angeles, California. Present at the event was Tom LaSorda, a former Chrysler...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford to spend $740M to turn Detroit train station into tech HQ
Ford recently made news when it purchased the defunct Michigan Central Station. Closed in 1988, the former Amtrak hub is now going to be turned into a tech center for the Blue Oval brand. Now Ford has revealed it will shell out hundreds of millions of dollars to get the old building into shape...
Jeff Glucker -
2018 BMW M5 recalled for faulty fuel level sensor
The 2018 BMW M5 is a powerful beast, but some owners may also think they are getting fantastic fuel economy. Sorry, that's not the case. The 2018 BMW M5 is being recalled for a faulty fuel level sensor. The fuel gauge in the new M5 may show more fuel than is actually in the tank. That's because a...
Jeff Glucker -
Alfa Romeo GTV Spider reportedly in the works
Alfa Romeo's revival started with the 4C and really got going with the Giulia sedan and Stelvio crossover. Back in June we learned that by 2022 the brand plans to update three of its models and bring four new models to market by 2022, including a GTV coupe based on the Giulia. Now we hear that a...
Jeff Glucker -
"Fast. Dangerous. Scary. And stupid." Those are the words straight from the builders' mouths. Edwin and Ethan use those words to describe the Barbie car they built that's powered by a dirtbike engine. They use another word to describe the over-powered toy as well, and that's "awesome" because that's what this is. The slightly crazy builders found a used go-kart on Craigslist. Using the frame from the old kart, the pair then fabricated engine mounts for the dirtbike engine so it would sit in the front of the cart rather than in the rear. The reason? That makes it easier to slide the rear end...
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Infiniti Prototype 10 speedster concept takes shape in new teaser sketch
Infiniti will start switching over to an electrified lineup around 2021 when the first models based on a new modular platform are introduced. That date's a few years off but in the interim Infiniti will provide a glimpse into its future with concept cars. The Q Inspiration unveiled in January gave...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
US McLaren Sennas are louder than European models
The U.S. often gets downgraded versions of high-performance cars. Be it the 5-mph impact bumpers of the 1970s or down-powered engines forced to meet emissions regulations, we are sometimes left jealous of the European versions of certain cars. Today is a different day, though, because this time the...
Jeff Glucker -
2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet debuts with 5.2-liter supercharged V-8
It was 50 years ago that Ford dealer and racer Bob Tasca came out with the original Mustang Cobra Jet. Now Ford has unveiled a 50th anniversary special based on the sixth-generation Mustang, and it's the fastest and most powerful Mustang drag racer ever offered by the factory. The big news is that...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Hertz celebrates 100th anniversary with special Corvette Z06
It was only 10 years after Henry Ford introduced the Model T that the company we know today as Hertz was renting them out. That was back in 1918 when Chicago resident Walter Jacobs started a rental car company with a dozen Ford Model Ts. John Hertz, who founded Yellow Cab Company a few years...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Polestar will increase the rear bias of your AWD Volvo
Polestar may be its own independent brand now but the former motorsport and tuning company is still offering performance upgrades for its parent Volvo. Its latest upgrade is a software tune that sees the all-wheel-drive systems of popular Volvo models increase their rear bias. The software...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW's 3-Series has traditionally been the benchmark for the executive sport sedan, however in recent years its top perch has been crowded out by impressive alternatives such as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Cadillac ATS. The fact has not been lost on BMW, which is why the automaker is working extra hard to ensure its redesigned 3-Series, the G20, sets the new standard in sport sedan qualities such as ride and handling when it hits showrooms next year, likely as a 2019 model. BMW says a particularly extensive Nürburgring test program is currently underway for the new 3-Series. This is...
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Mark Wahlberg reveals his teen days as a mechanic
Mark Wahlberg was recently in Columbus, Ohio, to talk about his new Chevrolet dealership. While there, the actor met with media and shared his lifelong passion for cars. In fact, one of his first jobs was as an auto mechanic. As a teenager, Wahlberg did oil changes and tune-ups and even drove a...
Jeff Glucker -
Netflix is hitting the gas on "original" automotive content
Netflix has announced that it's dipping its proverbial toe more deeply into the water that is automotive television. This means two new shows and a third, "Fastest Car," that is getting renewed for a second season. More automotive content is great for car fans, but while Netflix may be offering...
Jeff Glucker -
Ford Mustang price climbs while Chevy Camaro gets a price cut
Despite arriving in dealer showrooms just a month ago, the 2019 Ford Mustang has received a price increase. The refreshed 2019 Camaro, meanwhile, arrives with a price cut. It's not just a horsepower war as the automakers adjust their pricing strategies to capture sales and maximize profits. Ford's...
Jeff Glucker -
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Collection honors the “Best Car in the World”
When Rolls-Royce sets out to mark a milestone, it does so with the utmost finesse, especially when honoring the legendary Silver Ghost. The automaker on Tuesday unveiled the first of a limited run of Silver Ghost Collection cars based on the 2019 Rolls-Royce Ghost. The run celebrates an historic...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
SEC subpoenas, board surprised, investor lawsuits: Tesla woes mounting?
A reported subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission may add to the long list of growing worries for Tesla and its embattled CEO Elon Musk that now includes potential investor lawsuits, federal inquiries, and reports that the automaker's board of directors may not have been fully briefed...
Joel Feder