Jeremy Clarkson tweets about some cars, BMW builds a lightweight M4, Ford Trolls the internet and more.
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Jeremy Clarkson tweets about some cars, BMW builds a lightweight M4, Ford Trolls the internet and more.
The Latest in Motoring News
Toyota went and combined two of Gear Patrol’s favorite pastimes: motorsports and coffee. Toyota hooked up their Le Mans TSO40 race car to a Rube-Goldberg machine, ran a simulated lap of Le Sarthe and used the harnessed energy to make coffee and cook breakfast for guests. Doc Brown would be proud.
Ford posted some tasty images of a Jeep-Wrangler-sized 4×4 on their media site. Internet speculation immediately jumped to it being the next Ford Bronco. Too good to be true?
BMW unveiled the M4 GTS, a stripped out version of the high performance coupe. With weight subtracted, aero, a roll cage and power added, the GTS seems to be the distant kin to the CSLs of old. But the real tech-treat with the M4 CSL is the water injection, which lowers turbo and intercooler temps and boosts power to 493 horsepower.
After speculation died down that Jenson Button would retire from F1 and join Chris Evans on Top Gear, Evans stated TG wasn’t looking to continue the three-stooges, in-studio format. There was also a talent search to become the next TG host, whether or not that bore fruit remains to be seen. Until then it’s a one-man show.
Speaking of new shows, Jeremy Clarkson tweeted an image from the set of the yet-to-be-named Amazon motoring show. In the image, Clarkson, Hammond and May are standing with their crew in front of La Ferrari, a McLaren P1, and a Porsche 918. It looks like the comparison test we’ve all been waiting for will be happening at last. Though it probably cost them half of their $246 million budget.
Lexus cabins, already a sedated and quiet place to be, are set to go one step further and actually let you fall asleep while traveling. The Japanese automaker announced it will bring fully autonomous cars to market by 2020.
After Rosberg’s throttle was stuck open, his car went into “limp home” mode and effectively handed Hamilton the win. Vettel and Ferrari’s newfound performance was good enough to earn him second place. Farther back, a heated battle between Finnish compatriots Bottas and Raikkonen ended in a collision on the last lap. Raikkonen was able to drag his car across the finish line while Bottas’s car was left totaled. Ferrari needed to outscore Mercedes by three points to keep the Constructor’s Championship going to at least Austin. But due to Raikkonen’s post-race time penalty, Mercedes have become the ninth team in F1 history to win back-to-back championships.
At Motegi, right out of the gate it looked like Rossi and Lorenzo’s championship battle would be put front and center. Both Yamaha riders lined up next to each other on the front row of the grid and went wheel to wheel for a number of laps. The wet conditions and quickly degrading tires proved to be too much for Rossi and Lorenzo. They fell back to second and third, respectively, as Pedrosa clawed his way up to the front to earn the 50th win of his career.
Advice from the Crew
For a mere $25,000 over the base model, you can experience luxury rarely seen in seven seats. Read the Review
You can’t build a successful SUV today without incorporating comforts like leather and DVD players alongside trail-dominating suspension and chunky all-terrain tires. If any car proved this formula was a successful one, it was the car that did it first: the Jeep Wagoneer. Read the Review
What to Buy, Now
Old FJs and Defenders tend to take the spotlight when the conversation switches to classic off-roaders. But the Jeep owns the rights to being the original everyday-driver off-roader. This ’81 example of a Scrambler, with a rear seat in the bed, is more than just a high school parking lot stalwart. With uprated mud tires, bead lock rims, floodlights and tow hooks, the dirt trails and rock crawls beckon.
Motoring Stories from Around the Web
It’s not just Volkswagen anymore; diesel engines from numerous manufacturers have been found to produce more than the legal limit of NOx. The Guardian points out that Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi join Renault, Nissan, Hyundai, Citroen, Fiat, Volvo and Jeep in the marques that produce different levels of emissions in real-life driving than in testing.
Cars can be more than just the sum of their parts. Josh Commons explains to Petrolicious that a strong bond can form between car and driver, turning a car into more of a family member than mode of transportation.
What We’re Driving Now
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