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Today’s Issue THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
The ID.3 GTI mounts a 322-horsepower motor on the rear axle, with 403 lb-ft of torque and a 79 kWh battery. Volkswagen claims 0-62 mph in 5.6 seconds and adds adaptive dampers and fully defeatable stability control. The Autopian notes the car is unlikely to reach the US.
The twin-turbo V-6 rises from 592 horsepower in the GT3 Evo to 720, with 590 lb-ft. Ferrari claims a Fiorano lap three seconds quicker than the race car, and a passenger seat with intercom is added for an instructor. Buyers get two years in the Club Competizioni GT program.
Honda executives Noriya Kaihara and Eiji Fujimura tell The Drive that quality control now runs alongside development rather than after it. Honda is also keeping a naturally aspirated V6 for its next Pilot, Odyssey and Ridgeline hybrids. Toyota's turbo V6 recall has reached about 270,000 Tundra engines.
The £500 million (about $670M) investment from Abu Dhabi fund L'IMAD pays for a new UK assembly plant and two in-house engines and transmissions. McLaren says the plan creates at least 1,000 jobs by 2032. A 2025 report described the SUV as a five-seat V-8 hybrid with all-wheel drive.
The one-owner roadster sold on Bring a Trailer for $17,500 after 22 years, roughly 14,500 miles a year. The listing admits the engine burns oil and smokes under acceleration. The Autopian calls it the quickest reliable sports car of its kind and notes a clean example costs nearly $30,000.
Mercedes-Benz Classic lent Motor1 a V8 test car, a 3.5-liter with 197 horsepower in a body just over 2,200 pounds, rather than the four-rotor Wankel. Motor1 finds it drives like a quick grand tourer with slow steering and a grabby clutch. A 1979 development version reached nearly 251 mph.
The California bill exempts collector cars at least 35 model years old from smog checks if insured as collectors or driven under 1,000 miles a year. The exemption phases in from 2028, one model year at a time, and stops at pre-1986 cars. The Drive calls it a small step.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where a companion measure already has 60 cosponsors. Sponsor Senator Ed Markey calls AM radio an emergency lifeline for tens of millions of Americans. Several automakers have dropped AM from EVs, citing shrinking audiences and interference from electric powertrains.
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