My first car was a Mini, a 1968 Australian-built Mini Deluxe. Its previous owner(s) had added chrome wide wheels, a rorty sports muffler, and a Saas wood-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel, all of which delivered plenty of street cred in the high school parking lot. But the 2021 DBA Mini Remastered Oselli Edition (phew!) is a Mini beyond anything 16-year-old me could have imagined. My Mini packed 38 hp and 52 lb-ft of torque, courtesy of the 998cc version of the BMC A-series four-banger under the hood. The DBA Oselli Edition punches out 125 hp at 6,200 rpm and 113 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm f ..read more

A strange thought lingered briefly in my mind the other day for about the same 9.34 seconds it takes the new Tesla Model S Plaid to clear the quarter mile: Is the Model S Plaid essentially just an electric Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye? The electric Jekyll to the Charger’s internal combustion Hyde? Initially it sounds ridiculous to compare the Model S Plaid and Charger—and maybe it’s the g forces talking—but they have a lot more in common than you probably think (aside from the fact we’ve actually compared them before). For starters, both are full-size American four-door sedans. The Charge ..read more

The 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class S680 4Matic is a glittery thing. The grille and the front intakes, the trim down the middle of the hood and across its broad rump, the frame around the greenhouse, the exhaust pipes, and the wheels all sparkle as brightly as a diamond-encrusted Rolex in a Miami nightclub. Subtle it ain’t. But, as Mercedes-Benz has learned, when it comes to Maybach, all that glitters is gold. It didn’t start that way. Panicked by Volkswagen’s purchase of Bentley and BMW’s audacious acquisition of Rolls-Royce in the 1990s, Mercedes-Benz decided that it, too, needed an über-luxur ..read more

Reading into sales figures can be a bit like reading tea leaves or palms. Sometimes, you can draw clear conclusions: Of course a lame cheap hatchback is outsold by, say, a full-size pickup truck. This is America, after all. But Ford’s announcement that, in June 2021, the gas-fed Mustang coupe and convertible were outsold by the new all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV is fully in “shake the magic eight ball for answers” territory. Is it a big deal that a curvaceous electrified crossover bearing the Mustang name and a few classic Mustang styling cues has passed its iconic namesake, a vehicle long as ..read more

Given the current state of battery technology, lithium is an essential material in most EV batteries. But most of it is sourced overseas. GM, in the midst of an EV push centered around its Ultium battery tech, wants to change that, announcing a major investment in a California lithium extraction project taking place at a geothermal energy plant near the Salton Sea. Given the battery pack size of a massive vehicle like the upcoming GMC Hummer EV, the appeal of significant local lithium production becomes clear. Lithium is produced in several different ways. Some of it is dug out of the ground ..read more

Age is just a number, right? Well, not in the automotive world. In an industry that’s reinventing itself faster than ever, the 14-year-old Toyota Tundra stands as one of the oldest vehicles on sale. First released in 2007—with a major face-lift in 2014—the current Tundra is without a doubt on its last leg. But a new one is right around the corner, so we thought we’d take one last look at a 2021 Tundra TRD Pro to see if the new truck could learn anything from its predecessor. Interior Improvements Required The interior is a perfect example of the way things used to be done. The industry, especi ..read more

All it takes is one look at the 2022 Honda Civic sedan to tell that it’s a decidedly different car. Gone are the outgoing Civic’s busy front mug, C-shaped rear light banks, and noisy character lines. In their place is a more mature exterior with a wider stance, glassier greenhouse, and sharp beltline. Inside, the cabin’s snazzy hexagonal mesh (real metal!) dash trim, slick new digital gauges, and smudge-resistant surfaces are also significant updates you can see and touch. Ah, but has the new Civic changed as much underneath all that shiny new metal, leather, and plastic? Much of our instrumen ..read more

Today we have a video of Mercedes’ inimitable G63 AMG SUV being made from a few boards of Fujian cypress. But this isn’t just any old video of Mercedes’ inimitable G63 AMG SUV being made from a few boards of Fujian cypress: This anonymous woodworker, whose skill is clearly matched only by his obsessive-compulsive tendencies, has created what may be the best toy car ever. No, really, trust us. The video starts out as everything you thought you could hope for in a car-from-wood film, with lots of manly sawing and routing and chiseling and banging of wood blocks on metal work surfaces. You’ll ge ..read more

Getting older and growing apart from your friends is a sad fact of life. Kevin Hart and the Plastic Cup Boyz—John “Burgandee” Clausell, Ron “Boss” Everline, Will “Spank” Horton, Harry Ratchford, and Joey Wells—are lifelong friends and will do anything they can to stay close with one another, but careers, family, and life in general often find a way of foiling those plans. The Plastic Cup Boyz aren’t going to let that happen, and it was their shared love of cool cars and a desire to keep the group tight that started Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Crew. A couple years ago, Kevin Hart bought each of the ..read more

Maserati is glamming up its lineup for the 2022 model year by introducing three new trims: GT, Modena, and Trofeo. Complementing innovation, performance, and design, the new trims will be available on the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans, as well as the Levante SUV. Let’s start with the base GT trim level. So-equipped Ghibli and Quattroporte models get 19-inch wheels, while the Levante GT comes fitted with 20-inch wheels. GT models also receive special interior treatments. The Ghibli features what the brand calls “Dark Mirror” trim, whereas the Quattroporte sports “Radica” wood. Meanwhile, the L ..read more