Good morning and welcome to our weekly digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…
Chevrolet’s designers are giving the Silverado’s front-end a freshen up to get rid of its front air-curtain ‘sideburn’ vents. Unlike Mario Andretti’s 1970s mutton chops, the Chevy’s are apparently functional, so the vents will be moved to the front fascia.
All Hail The 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S680, The New V12 King Of The Range
Sometimes, only 12 cylinders will do. And for those occasions – and those people rich enough to pay for the privilege – Mercedes has created the Maybach S680. The flagship’s handcrafted twin-turbo 6.0-liter engine produces 621 hp and comes with that all-important V12 badge attached to each front fender to let everyone know you’re not slumming it in the V8 version.
Ford pulled the wraps off the new, all-electric F-150 Lightning this week, and while the reveal itself wasn’t a surprise, the price was. Factor in the deferral EV credit and you’re looking at $32,500 for a 426 hp, 230 mile truck, with the option to upgrade both power and range.
2022 Kia K9 Flagship Luxury Sedan Gets A THOR-ough Facelift In Korea, Won’t Come To America
Earlier this year Kia dropped the K9 from its US and Canadian line-ups, where it had been sold as the K900. But the model is alive and well in its home country and has just gained some very Norse-looking headlights as part of a facelift. Are we missing out?
World’s Blackest Ferrari SF90 Stradale “Vantablack” Looks A Real Life Cartoon
Vantablack paint absorbs 99.97 per cent of all light, and two years after we first saw it on a BMW X6, it doesn’t look any less freaky. Throw it on a 987 hp Ferrari SF90 hybrid and you’ve got the stealthiest supercar ever.
Predictably, The Reviews For The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm Are Glowing
Commanding an outrageous $120,000 premium over the already excellent $75,000 Giulia Quadrifoglio, the lighter, harder GTAm could have been set for a fall. But now the first reviews are in and the only thing falling is starstruck journalists in love with the best fast Alfa in decades.
Manhart Gives New VW Golf GTI 286 HP And A Rolls-Royce-Like Starry Sky Headliner
German tuner Manhart’s upgrade package for the 2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI includes a 45 hp boost to 286 hp for the 2.0-liter turbo four, 19-inch wheels suspended by 1.6-inch (40mm) lower H&R springs and an LED-encrusted headliner like the one you get on a Rolls Royce.
Check Out The Convertible FJ Cruiser Toyota Never Made
Toyota never offered an open-top FJ, but California’s Newport Convertible Engineering did, and this month one of the company’s 35 roofless Cruisers hit the used market. The unusual Japanese-badged Jeep Wrangler alternative sold for $24,250.
What Else Is Making The News
Porsche 911 GT1: On The Road In Porsche’s 1990s Le Mans Legend
The first part of Carfection’s epic multi-episode Le Mans road-racer series introduced the McLaren F1, Porsche 911 GT1, and Mercedes CLK GTR, with an emphasis on the Macca. If you haven’t watched it, you need to. And then binge-watch episode two, where presenter Henry Catchpole starts to dissect each car in details and gets to drive the craziest official 911 ever built.
Microsoft Is Finally Pulling the Plug On Internet Explorer
Many of us took our first tentative steps into the world wide web using IE, but after years of losing market share to Google, and even its own in-house rival, Edge, the browser is being retired. One CNN writer certainly isn’t sorry to see it go.