Nother CarGuy

Those craftsmen at Rolls Royce’s Goodwood factory sure have a solid work ethic. It was only earlier this week that Rolls announced it was getting back into the coachbuilding game full-time, and today it has presented the bespoke division’s first completed projected. Called the ‘Boat Tail’ this striking convertible takes its name from a series of very rare Rollers from the late 1920s and early 1930s. But its closest modern relation is the one-off Sweptail coupe unveiled at Villa d’Este in 2017. At the time, the Sweptail’s $12.8 m price made it the most expensive new car in the world. But it almost looks cheap next to the $28 m (£20 m) Boat Tail, which becomes the most expensive new car you can buy, far exceeding the $9.7 m Bugatti wants for a Centodieci. In fact, three Boat Tails have been built, each customised in terms of trim and materials to suit the whims of their owners, who have been assured that Rolls won’t be making more. The car in the pictures is the first of those three, and...

The Bentley Bentayga lineup is expanding as the company has introduced a new S variant that joins the existing standard V8, plug-in hybrid and W12-powered flagship models. Designed to deliver “heightened agility and presence,” the Bentayga S features a sportier exterior with tinted lighting units, gloss black accents and a larger rear spoiler for increased aerodynamic stability at speed. Elsewhere, there’s a free-flowing sports exhaust system that delivers “enhanced character and volume” for a “more performance-oriented feel.” It’s joined by 22-inch wheels which are available in three different finishes. They’re silver painted as standard, but gloss black and black / bright polished finishes are also available. The sporty styling continues in the cabin as designers added “fluted” seats with embroidered S logos on the backrests. The model also boasts unique trim, illuminated treadplates and a digital instrument cluster sourced from the Bentayga Speed. Of course, the most noticeable chan...

BMW introduced the redesigned M3 and M4 last fall, and now the company has dropped the top on the new M4 Competition Convertible Set to arrive in the United States this October, the high-performance convertible has a familiar twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that produces 503 hp (375 kW / 510 PS) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque. It is connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission and a rear-biased all-wheel drive system that only sends power to the front wheels when additional traction is needed. The system has 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD modes, and the latter offers a classic rear-wheel drive experience. Thanks to the powerful engine and all-wheel drive system, the M4 Competition Convertible rockets from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 3.6 seconds. The model has a limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h), but that can be increased to 174 mph (280 km/h) by ordering the optional M Driver’s Package. Sticking with the performance theme, the convertible has additional underfloor bracing an...

Seat’s standalone sporty brand, Cupra, has revealed the full details of its first EV. Called Born, the electric hatchback is built on the same Volkswagen Group MEB platform found under the VW ID.3 hatch and the ID.4 and Audi Q4 e-tron SUVs. In fact, it’s essentially a tweaked ID.3. But playing up to Cupra’s positioning as the everyman’s Lamborghini in the Volskwagen Group’s empire, the Born piles on the visual aggression and delivers more power than its VW cousin. The recent ID.3-based ID.X concept showed that it’s possible to dial in some more street presence to the ID.3 with a few modest upgrades. But right out of the box the Born looks much more dynamic. If it looks familiar, and we don’t mean because you saw last week’s teaser, it’s probably because it’s almost identical to 2020’s El-Born concept. The basic body structure is shared with the ID.3, and unless we’re mistaken, even the doors are the same, though some clever visual trickery giving the impression of a fashionable floatin...

Ford has pulled the wraps off the new, all-electric F-150 Lightning today and opened reservations for its first fully electric pickup truck. Let’s start with the pricing. The 2022 F-150 Lightning will kick off at a surprising $39,974 MSRP before any federal or state tax credits in its base, commercial-oriented trim level, rising all the way up to around $90,000 for one of the range-topping models. The mid-series XLT models will start from $52,974 MSRP, again before any rebates. Ford vehicles still qualify for the $7,500 federal EV credit, which brings the starting price down to under $32,500. Prospective customers can reserve theirs at Ford’s website now with a $100 deposit. The F-150 Lightning with the extended range battery pack is expected to offer a 0-60 mph sprint in the mid-4 seconds, packing an estimated combined output of 563 HP and 775 lb-ft of torque from its dual-motor setup. Models fitted with the standard range battery will offer a combined 426 HP and the same 775 lb-ft of...

Designed to be even more exclusive than the standard Maybach S-Class, the S680 has a handcrafted twin-turbo 6.0-liter V12 engine that produces 621 hp (463 kW / 630 PS) and 738 lb-ft (1,001 Nm) of torque. The engine is connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission and a standard all-wheel drive system. This enables the Bentley Flying Spur and Rolls-Royce Ghost competitor to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.4 seconds, before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h). Speaking of performance, the model is rear-biased as 69% of the engine’s torque goes to the rear wheels.  The massive sedan also features rear-axle steering to help improve maneuverability. Styling changes are minor, but the range-topper sports V12 badging to help distinguish the sedan from its more mainstream counterpart that has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 with 496 hp (370 kW / 503 PS) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque as well as EQ Boost technology. Besides the V12 badging, the model h...

Like Americans, Europeans are enamored with SUVs but across the pond, there’s still plenty of love left for station wagons that often prove more popular than their sedan counterparts. With Genesis having taken its European assault seriously, the Koreans have presented their very first estate model under the ‘Shooting Brake’ moniker based on the new G70 compact luxury sedan. Designed with European customers in mind (sorry America), the G70 Shooting Brake will be the fifth model Genesis has confirmed for its market launch in the continent this summer, after the G70 and G80 sedans, and the GV70 and GV80 SUVs. With the Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3-Series Touring and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate in its sights, the 2021 G70 Shooting Brake has identical dimensions to the sedan. It is 4,685 mm (184.4 in) long, 1,850 mm (72.8 in) wide and 1,400 mm (55.1 in) tall, and has a 2,835 mm (111.6 in) long wheelbase. The redesigned rear end and the longer roof have opened up more boot space, with the automaker ...

Ferrari has finally revealed the name of its special edition 812: meet the new 812 Competizione and its open-top sibling, the Competizione A. The headline figure of the new Ferrari 812 Competizione is of course the horsepower, which gets an upgraded version of the naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine producing 818 HP, instead of the Superfast’s 789 HP, while revving up to a shocking 9,500 rpm. Torque is slightly reduced from 529 lb-ft (717 Nm) to 513 lb-ft (695 Nm). The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission comes with new software that further reduces shift times by 5 percent, retaining the same ratios with the ‘regular’ 812 Superfast. Ferrari’s new 812 Competizione models claim a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time in 2.85 seconds, while flat out they’ll do over 211 mph (340 km/h). To make a 6.5-liter V12 spin its internals at that speed, Ferrari redesigned many of its components, including new titanium con-rods that are 40 percent lighter than those in the Superfast, and a new ‘dia...

Skoda has taken the wraps off the brand new, 2021 Fabia. Based on the Volkswagen Polo’s MQB A0 platform, the fourth-generation subcompact hatchback gets access to up to 147 hp, a bigger infotainment screen, advanced driver aid technology, and a starting price of less than €14,000 ($16,830 USD) in most European markets “The Fabia has been an integral part of our portfolio for over 20 years and embodies the core values of our brand like no other model,” said Thomas Schäfer, Skoda’s CEO. “The latest generation has everything it takes to seamlessly build on the success of its predecessors.” Indeed, Skoda has chosen to refine, rather than revolutionize the look of the Fabia. The new design isn’t a massive departure from the third-generation car although it is 11 cm (4.3 inches) longer than the outgoing model. There are improvements to the Fabia’s design, though. The proportions, for instance, have been massaged to make it look more “dynamic and grown-up.” The door handles have also been res...