Sean Szymkowski, Contributor
Articles
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Self-driving car development is well underway at numerous automakers and technology companies. At Volkswagen Group, Audi leads the charge.
The brand spun-off a start-up company called Autonomous...
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Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk can be switched to RWD in minutesThe Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk benefits from a four-wheel-drive system to put its power down more effectively, but that means smokey burnouts are off limits. Or are they? It appears it only takes a few minutes to turn the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk into a burnout machine. The Drive first reported...
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McLaren Special Operations honors 50th anniversary of first grand prix win with three 720S Spa 68 modelsMcLaren Special Operations is back with a very limited-edition set of supercars based on the 720S. This time, McLaren's specialty department set out to honor the 50th anniversary of Bruce McLaren's first grand prix win with just three special 720S supercars. The three "720S Spa 68" models, which...
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GMC Envoy to return? GM files for trademark, againGMC could be in for a new crossover SUV wearing a name from the past. Parent automaker General Motors filed once again for trademark protection of the name "Envoy" earlier this month. GM Inside News reported on the trademark filing, which explicitly says the name would be used specifically...
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Dig into Porsche's top 5 secret prototypesEvery automaker has experimented with concepts over the past decades, but most aren't too keen to show off what could have been. Porsche? Not so much. The brand has curated its top five secret prototypes for the latest in the ongoing "Top Five" YouTube series. As the title suggests, the latest...
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1950 Plymouth Suburban rolls into Jay Leno's GarageJay Leno slowed things down this week with a 1950 Plymouth Suburban that visited his famous garage. The garage has played host to numerous sports cars and supercars throughout the year, and Leno said he decided to take things more casual with the station wagon, which was the first American wagon...
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Future de-icing vehicles could use data and lidar to help ensure better city coverage and safer roads. The city of Knoxville, Tennessee, will put the technology to the test this winter with one...
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Italian coachbuilder plans Audi A8 Avant wagonItalian firm Castagna has plans to turn Audi's largest sedan into an Avant-style wagon. The firm shared renderings of the future project on social media earlier this month, depicting a previous-generation A8 that has ditched its standard trunk in order to become a full-sized wagon. Castagna didn't...
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Pair of aces: Two 1969 L88 Corvettes head to auction as a matched setBig-block-powered Corvettes always fetch healthy sums at classic-car auctions, but rarely does an L88 cross the auction block, let alone two. Mecum will sell off a pair of C3 L88 Corvettes at its upcoming Kissimmee (Florida) auction. A 1969 Corvette coupe and a 1969 Corvette convertible, both...
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Kyle LeDuc gets a Christmas tree in typical off-road fashion'Tis the season to deck the halls, and Kyle LeDuc picked up his Christmas tree in the only way imaginable for the off-road racer: with high-flying jumps, pedal-to-the-metal action, and dirt-spraying slides. The five-time champion of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series released this video of the familiar...
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Honda S660 retro racer concept heads to Tokyo Auto SalonThe Honda S660 is a neat little kei car, but no, it's still not coming to the United States. Instead, the pint-sized roadster lives on in Japan and Honda has a retro-inspired body kit prepared for the Tokyo Auto Salon. Last Friday, the brand revealed the custom S660 Modulo Neo Classic racer concept...
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Lexus trademarks UX300e, potentially for first electric vehicleLexus could have its first electric vehicle in the pipeline, and a new trademark suggests it will be a variant of the small UX crossover. AutoGuide reported earlier this month that the brand has moved to trademark the "UX300e" name in Europe. The evidence this trademark applies to an electric...
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Pro skateboarder and rally driver Bucky Lasek made yet another appearance on "Jay Leno's Garage," and this time he brought one of his daily drivers along.
It's a 2016 Subaru WRX STI with a healthy...
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Bugatti's 3D-printed brake caliper tested to hypercar extremesBugatti in January revealed the largest 3D-printed component composed out of titanium: a brake caliper designed for the Chiron hypercar. Throughout 2018, the firm has continued to test the brake caliper before it enters production, and we received our first look at just how extreme the test...
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Volkswagen teases reborn beach buggy with Christmas cardVolkswagen may have teased its idea for a reborn beach buggy with an image on its corporate Christmas card. Autocar reported on the image Thursday, which shows Santa Clause behind the wheel of an open-top, lifted buggy. We can even see knobby tires in the sketch on the front passenger tire. Even...
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2020 Ford Explorer to be revealed Jan. 9 at Ford FieldAfter being spotted numerous times in the wild, the 2020 Ford Explorer has a date with destiny. Ford will reveal the new SUV on Jan. 9 at Ford Field in Detroit. Automotive News (subscription required) reported on plans for the offsite reveal for the 2020 Explorer on Thursday. The debut happens...
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2018 Tesla Model 3, 2020 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty, 2019 Lamborghini Urus: The Week In ReverseWe drove the Tesla Model 3; the 2020 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty was spotted in new spy shots; we took the 2019 Lamborghini Urus SUV for a spin. It's the Week in Reverse, right here on Motor Authority. In our first-drive review of the Tesla Model 3, we found a lot to love and said the electric car...
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Mid-engine C8 Corvette reported to debut in summer, priced just above C7The mid-engine C8 Corvette will not snap necks at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but a new report claims the sports car will debut in all its glory next summer. The summer 2019 reveal comes from a GM Authority report on Thursday. Sources told the publication the...
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Lamborghini's reportedly building a $3M hypercar with hybrid V-12 power, may glow in the dark Sean SzymkowskiLamborghini likely will unveil another limited-production model next year that can reportedly glow in the dark and will pack a hybrid V-12 system powered by supercapacitors.
Road & Track...
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Apple hires senior designer from TeslaApple has once again sparked rumors it may be developing more than just self-driving car software. The California-based technology giant has hired Andrew Kim, a former senior designer at Tesla. The Verge reported on Kim's hiring on Monday and said Kim's first day at Apple was last week. Kim's...
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Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche thanks workers, interviews for new position in farewell videoLong-time Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche will step down at the end of this year and hand the top leadership role to current sales chief Ola Källenius in 2019, but he's already on the hunt for a new job. Well, not really. But Zetsche gave his departure a characteristically comedic twist in a...
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Porsche launches its own vehicle tracking system to protect classicsPorsche wants to better cater to its classic vehicle owners and has rolled out its very own vehicle security and tracking system. The Porsche Classic Vehicle Tracking system allows owners to monitor where their car is at all times, receive alerts via an accompanying smartphone app, and even set...
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FCA planning turbocharged inline-6 to replace Pentastar V-6?Fiat Chrysler Automobiles could say so-long to the V-6 engine and usher in a new inline-6 engine instead. On Tuesday, Allpar, a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles enthusiast website, reported on the possible straight-6 engine in development at FCA, noting that it would eventually find its way under the...
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McLaren P1 GTR commemorates Senna's first championshipMcLaren Special Operations has spent the last three years working on something special to honor Ayrton Senna's first Formula 1 championship. The final result is on display here: a McLaren P1 GTR outfitted in Rocket Red and Anniversary White to recall the Marlboro livery Senna famously raced. The...
Sean Szymkowski