The 1932 Ford looks as if it were born to be a hot rod. But ask any knuckle dragger why, and they might fumble for a good answer, other than that the car is beautiful as conceived and only gets better-looking under the torch. In fact, there are definitive reasons why we lust after “the Deuce,” some based on its form, some on its function. Even if you can’t explain exactly why the ’32 is the pinnacle of hot-rodding, we know someone who can. A four-time Ridler Award winner, Chip Foose is a master at turning cars into art. We sat down with him and a couple of photos of his 5-window ’32 Ford and took notes.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/lists/10-reasons-why-the-1932-ford-is-a-hot-rod-icon/   ... View more

British-based Naran Automotive has teased its first limited-run production car. The Naran is a 2+2 coupe that combines luxury and speed in extremis.   Founded by Ameerh Naran, a 34-year-old private jet broker and former racer, Naran Automotive has enlisted some heavy hitters to develop The Naran. The design comes from Jowyn Wong who created the Apollo IE and   De Tomaso P72, with the interior crafted by ex-Aston Martin designer Kate Montgomery. The powertrain comes from Racing Dynamics and the engineering team is EY3 Engineering, led by Daniel Mense, who worked on the NIO EP9 electric hypercar.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/supercar-startup-alert-meet-the-naran/   ... View more

A new GT3 model from Porsche is always going to get enthusiasts in a spin—even if the new model in question is essentially only the slightest change of ingredients in a familiar recipe. The changes to the 911 GT3 are modest—at least they are to the untrained eye—but who cares when it’s one of the greatest naturally aspirated sports cars money can buy?   The German automaker, never one to miss an opportunity for self-promotion, has released pictures of a prototype of the 992-generation 911 GT3. And behind the bluster and blurb is a simple takeaway: the road-going racer is faster than ever.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/porsche-reveals-2021-911-gt3/   ... View more

By and large, 2020 has been a difficult year, with pandemic, political strife, and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree all playing their part. Yes, our silver linings seem to be made of pewter right now, but there are precious bits out there if you look hard enough. This month, I discovered such a silver lining—in the wretched, revived shape of a  1957 Volvo 445 Duett .   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/the-volvo-duett-that-lived-through-hell-in-paradise/   ... View more

Ford has hit the Mustang Mach-E’s target range of 300 miles in EPA testing, as promised nearly a year ago when the electrified cross-over was revealed. Only one of the four powertrain configurations will get you there on paper, though Ford has shown their full-tilt extended-range eAWD models traveling over 300 miles in their  own real-world tests .   Read the full news on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/2021-ford-mustang-mach-e-doubles-down-on-range-promises-with-epa-certification/   ... View more

RM Sotheby’s wrapped up its “Open Roads, Fall” online auction last week, and other than the nearly 80 vehicles on offer, there was plenty of automobilia and garage art to go around, too. The bulk of that haul was a fantastic trove of Ferrari memorabilia, including manuals and brochures from the 1950s and ’60s, original luggage sets, racing posters, and rare parts. If you’ve ever paid attention to sales of such objects, you know that the F-word in automobilia tends to attract more attention (and more money) than the average relic. So although there were several  actual Ferraris  in this auction, and a very early production  Ford GT  that sold for $522,500, these seven Prancing Horse pieces that caught our eye.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/auctions/7-ferrari-branded-collectibles-for-the-ultimate-prancing-horse-fan/   ... View more

Trust is generally a good thing. In the case of partially autonomous driving systems, however, trust may increase risk, rather than decrease it.   The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s AgeLab recently conducted a month-long study with 20 Massachusetts-based volunteers. The researchers found that as drivers became comfortable to their vehicles’ various driver-assist features, they became increasingly sloppy—dropping their hands off the steering wheel or looking away from the road to the console or their cell phone.   Read the full news on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/acclimation-to-partial-autonomy-can-be-dangerous-study-shows/   ... View more

What great fun it would be to own both this new 797-horsepower Charger   and   a time machine! Send it back five hundred years and they’d consider it literally demonic, which makes some sense as this big sedan incorporates most engine features of the limited-production   Demon   drag-strip star. Ninety-five years back and you could set every form of motoring record known to man, from land speed to the upcoming Mille Miglia. The   real   fun, however, would be to set your time machine for circa 2005, because that’s the era in which you could simply humiliate every single semi-stock car you could possibly encounter at a track day. Corvettes? Naturally. Ferraris? Not even a question.   Vipers? Them too.   Six laps at Carolina Motorsports Park was all we needed to know that this $80,000 Dodge can put the serious hurt on victims as diverse as everyday Porsche 911s and all those over-hyped super-SUVs from AMG and   BMW M ...   Read the full review on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/new-car-reviews/review-2021-dodge-charger-hellcat-redeye-widebody/   ... View more

Perhaps it comes as no surprise that the 1985–89 Isuzu I-Mark was one iteration of a global-platform vehicle wearing multiple hats across multiple continents. But unlike the “global” Ford Escort from 1980, the I-Mark wore different names depending on where you lived and what dealership you visited. Credit General Motors and its controlling interest in the Japanese automaker for this situation. Be it a U.S.-spec Isuzu I-Mark, Chevrolet/Geo Spectrum, the Canadian Pontiac Sunburst, or the internationally appealing Holden/Isuzu/Chevrolet Gemini, this honest subcompact was an affordable alternative to the Japanese mainstays, occupying a space that the South Koreans had yet to dominate.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/the-isuzu-i-mark-rs-turbo-motorweek/   ... View more

Hatches have got hotter. Lap times have tumbled, and Nürburgring records swap between car makers like hot potatoes. Arguably the car that first escalated this arms race was the 227-hp Renault Megane R26R of 2008, and it’s a race that continues with the latest 300-hp Megane RS Trophy R. Separated by over a decade of progress, how do these two rapid Renaults compare today?   It’s a question we set out to answer in the best way possible: bringing the two together for some turbocharged action on the wonderfully open stretches of tarmac that make their way across the U.K.’s Salisbury Plain.   One is brand-new and crammed full with the latest technical wizardry, a car very much born of the digital age. The other has a dozen years behind it and is well qualified for future classic status. When push comes to shove, and you cut to the core of this French duo, which does the best job of leaving drivers with a smile on their face and skip in their step?   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/euro-rewind-renault-megane-r26r-v-megane-rs-trophy-r/   ... View more

I’ve loved hot rods for just about as long as I can remember.   When I was a kid, Dad’s cousin Tom had space at the family’s restoration shop, and using whatever was at hand, he would build some down and dirty hot rods. My friend Tommy and I thought they were so cool. We’d spend hours and hours hanging out in the shop just watching these basic machines take shape.   For most of my adult life, I’ve been involved with cars that are more or less stock. That’s particularly true when it comes to Ferraris, where every nut and bolt is documented and originality is so important. You learn quickly there are certain cars that are OK to customize and others that you absolutely cannot touch ...    Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/magazine-features/carini-to-hot-rod-or-not/   ... View more

Porsche has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest drift in an electric vehicle. Using an early pre-production version of the rear-drive Taycan, Porsche instructor Dennis Retera took to the 200 m (656 feet) drift circle at the company’s Hockenheimring Experience Center.   For 55 minutes Retera sent the Taycan sideways for 210 laps and covered a distance of 42.171 km (26.2 miles) at an average speed of 46 km/h (28.5 mph).   Read the full news on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/doing-the-electric-slide-porsche-taycan-dances-to-new-drift-record/   ... View more

Aston Martin has unveiled a trio of race cars destined never to see action on a circuit. The Vantage Legacy Collection has been built to celebrate the success of the Vantage in racing, yet it will most likely end up in a private museum.   Between 2009 and 2018, the Vantage won Le Mans twice, took seven F.I.A. World Endurance Championship titles and numerous victories in the British GT, GT World Challenge, and European Le Mans Series. Racing in GT4, GT3 and GTE classes this period was one of the most successful in the company’s history ... Read the full news on Hagerty.com:   https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/aston-martin-legacy-collection-is-a-celebration-of-vantage-victories/   ... View more

General Motors and Cadillac have given their dealer network notice: get on board and make a six-figure investment into the marque’s all-electric future, or this train’s leaving you at the station. If dealers take the latter route before the November 30th deadline, they’ll have the option of a buyout.   Read the full news on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/cadillac-draws-a-line-in-the-sand-for-its-dealerships/   ... View more

Late last week, the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) Boot took the Class 2 checkered flag for the second time in as many years at the SCORE Baja 1000. Posting an official time of 27 hours, 15 minutes and 46 seconds,  the Boot  once again bested the  only other challenger in its class ‚ the  Ford Bronco R,  this time by a margin of more than five hours.   Read the full news on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/motorsports/scg-boot-claims-back-to-back-class-wins-at-baja-besting-the-bronco-r/   ... View more

Jeep recently introduced the  Wrangler Rubicon 392 . It is the first V-8-powered, open-top Jeep in four decades and, much like the  diesel model , an answer to enthusiasts’ long pleas. Swapping an AMC 304 into a  CJ-7,  however, is a task that even a shade tree hack mechanic could do. Dropping a huge 6.4-liter V-8 into a modern Wrangler JL required significant changes compared to the conventional V-6 models. Let’s dig in and determine exactly, from a nuts-and-bolts perspective, how the 392 came together. It won’t surprise you, we’re sure, to hear that the aftermarket will likely make some adjustments of its own.   Get the full details on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/the-nitty-gritty-details-that-make-jeeps-wrangler-rubicon-392/   ... View more

Ever find yourself jonesing for something fun to do in your car that is more than just a mellow drive down a country lane or another meet-up in a parking lot? Where you need something that will get your blood pumping and maybe sharpen your behind-the-wheel driving skills? Well, look no further than,  Hagerty MotorsportReg.com : it’s the go-to place for finding cool motorsports events near you, including racing, high-performance driving events (HPDE), autocross, and more.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/motorsports/hagerty-motorsportreg-com-launches-new-easier-to-use-website/   ... View more

Sir Sean Connery may have been our favorite Bond, but George Lazenby’s lone shot at the role—in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service—was notable in that he offered a softer side of the British agent. Spoiler alert, if you haven’t seen the film: James Bond asks his love interest to marry him.   Marriage for 007? What’s next, casting a Mercury Cougar as the hero car? Yes, in fact. And now that hero car could be yours. A 1969 Mercury Cougar XR-7 convertible, one of three used in production, will cross the block at Bonhams’ Bond Street Sale in London on December 16. This is the first time that this particular car has been offered at auction.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/auctions/bond-girls-cougar-xr-7-has-a-proven-track-record-on-snow-ice-and-in-love/   ... View more

Ashraf writes:  Can you help with importing a classic car? I am planning to import my Buick Skylark (1978) from Egypt to Cincinnati, OH in the USA. I found that it’s mandated by the US customs that “the classic car should be in its original condition.” My question is based on your experience, what is exactly meant by original condition? I have attached some photos for my car and as you see it needs a lot of work: I am planning to repaint it, renew the interior and change the wheels, replace some rusty parts under the hood and add some features like A/C and new radio. Does any of this work change the car condition from being original?   This car has matching numbers, has the original engine, transmission, driveshaft axles and differential. I have contacted US customs many times , but I couldn’t get a strict answer. Your help will be greatly appreciated!   Sajeev answers:  I am likely your best source, since I imported a 1983 Ford Sierra from the U.K. a few years ago ... Read the full article on Hagerty.com:   https://www.hagerty.com/media/advice/piston-slap-finding-the-egyptian-buick-a-forever-home-in-cincinnati/   ... View more

No one knows who built the first tribute car. The question recalls the old line about racing, how the first car race took place shortly after the world’s second car was built. The first tribute car was probably assembled five minutes after some enterprising mechanic noticed that the horseless carriage he wanted was both rare and expensive. When people want what they can’t have, they often fall back on the next best thing—building one instead.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/magazine-features/homage-to-the-tribute-car-why-we-should-love-homemade-replicas/   ... View more

Last February, I wrote a piece about  do-it-yourself alignment . I talked about a number of methods, including using strings stretched along the sides of the car, and using two tape measures to measure the distance between the fronts and backs of metal plates leaning against both wheels. I extoled the utility of the method I’d settled on—purchasing an inexpensive toe-in gauge that’s a metal bar with a sprung pointer. You hold it against the midpoint of the rear edges of the tires, set it to zero, move it to the midpoint of the front edges, and the reading is the amount of toe-in or toe-out. The advantage over strings or plates and tape measures is that it’s rigid—nothing sags—and you get a quick measurement. I used the toe-in gauge effectively and efficiently to align the front wheels on my BMW 2002tii.   Read the full column on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/the-hack-mechanic/taking-another-shot-at-do-it-yourself-alignment/ ... View more

Italian restomod startup Maggiore has unveiled its first creation—a carbon-bodied Ferrari 308 GTS.   Founder Gianluca Maggiore says he wanted to drive an icon from his childhood but with the safety features and solutions provided by modern technology, and that his Tuscany-based company’s treatment has been completed “with profound respect, creating a historic harmony with the original parts while at the same time breathing new life into its general appearance.”   Read the full news on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/the-maggiore-308m-is-the-restomod-ferrari-for-a-magnum-p-i-reboot/   ... View more

A 1993 Cizeta V16T, which wowed crowds in period at the Geneva Motor Show and was originally bought by the Sultan of Brunei, is up for sale at a Miami vintage supercar dealership.   Read the full news on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/live-your-dreams-with-this-electric-blue-cizeta-v16t/   ... View more

Valiant. Mention the name to anyone who was a kid in the ’60s and you’ll almost certainly prompt some diverse memories. “Oh, my Aunt Freda and Uncle Sid had one, it was the toughest car they ever had!” Or, “I drove one in high school, got it for $100 off a shady used car lot and it was the dullest, slowest car I ever owned!” Or, in the case of my mother, “Oh, I remember those. Chicken Delight in Davenport used them as delivery vehicles. They all had a cartoon chicken on the roof!”   (By the way, does anyone remember Chicken Delight?)   Anyway, in approximately 99.895 percent of these circumstances, these nostalgic speakers will refer to the   Plymouth   Valiant.   Read the full column on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/klockau-classics/1960-valiant-v-200-please-dont-call-it-a-plymouth/   ... View more

The dreaded storage season has finally arrived for many vintage car owners. It’s the time where we collectively consider moving to the desert and then don’t for one reason or another. Some of us pack up and move, but most of us hunker down and spend a weekend prepping our beloved rides for a months-long hibernation ...   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/5-things-to-know-before-putting-your-car-into-storage/   ... View more

The Little Car Company has teamed up with Bugatti to produce 500 copies of the Baby II, a three-quarter scale version of the iconic Type 35 racer. If you’re unfamiliar with the history of scale reproduction of Bugatti’s Type 35, just as I was, there’s a fitting reason why this is named the Baby II. A half-scale version of the Type 35 was built for Ettore Bugatti’s four-year-old son, Roland. The original one-off Bugatti Baby garnered so much attention it went into production from 1926–1937 as an official Bugatti vehicle. Five hundred were made.   Now, Bugatti and The Little Car Company are celebrating 110 years of the Bugatti brand with a ¾-scale version powered by an electric motor.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/driving/zipping-through-willow-springs-in-bugatti-baby-ii/ ... View more

The shell of Lincoln’s Nautilus remains the same for the 2021 model year, but the interior receives healthy upgrades in form of an upgraded infotainment system and expanded color choices ... Read the full news on Hagerty.com:   https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/lincoln-gussies-up-the-interior-of-its-2021-nautilus/   ... View more

The Corolla smelled like burnt armpit. The immediately identifiable funk of a nearly new but entirely used-up rental car, equal parts mildew and blatant abuse. This was in addition to the broken hubcaps, the sticky food residue covering the dash, the wavy body that seemingly polished with a broom full of sand. The steering pulled subtly to the right in a manner that suggested some previous driver had made a game of running the car into ordinary street objects, like trees or a Walgreens. When I took delivery, the front seat was covered in human hair. Twenty-six thousand miles on the clock, and it might well have been half a million.   Still. A cloudless day. My phone was busily streaming a series of cheerily disposable pop songs into the stereo. A recently emptied Taco Bell bag sat on the passenger floor. Eight hours later, I would be in Chicago, where I would retrieve my truck from storage and use it to tow home   a particularly beat-up old German car. Knoxville, Tennessee, to Illinois. Entirely interstate. Boring as dirt, even by the scale of Midwestern road trips.   The whole thing felt like a gift.   Read the full column on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/smithology/smithology-the-thrill-of-kenny-the-agony-of-the-foot/   ... View more

Where do you stand on hot rods?   For some collectors, only 100-point originality to concours perfection will do. They’ll scour factory documents and period photos to get their car looking exactly as it did the moment it left the assembly line, scoffing at any owner’s attempt to improve upon the manufacturer’s well-planned vision. After all, cars are only original once.   That kind of nut-and-bolt accuracy is important to maintaining the history of the cars that make up our hobby. But not for all of them. For every finely crafted sports car that was perfectly tuned at the factory, there have been hundreds of thousands of pedestrian models wearing the rough edges of mass production. Even in showroom condition, many of these cars don’t represent what their designers originally intended—or dreamed of in their off hours. There’s usually plenty of room for improvement.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/magazine-features/variety-pack-4-builds-highlighting-the-diversity-of-the-modern-custom/   ... View more