- Today in Cars
- Posts
- Ferrari 296 Speciale, Tariffs soften, 200K-Mile Subaru
Ferrari 296 Speciale, Tariffs soften, 200K-Mile Subaru
PLUS: 721K GM V8 recall, Shelby GT500 tests, Roofless Porsche 959
PRESENTED BY
Car shopping shouldn’t feel like flipping through endless listings. Visor puts the entire U.S. car market on one screen.
Pan a nationwide map, dial in dynamic filters that always return real cars, and inspect each VIN’s full price-change history so you know whether today’s “deal” is legit.
No ads, no lead forms - Visor works for buyers, not dealers. Ready to save hours and thousands? Start searching free, then unlock Visor Plus for deep-dive insights, private-seller filters, and more.
2025-04-30
🚙
Releases & Reviews
Ferrari’s lighter 2026 296 Speciale couples a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 plug-in system to deliver 869 horsepower (648 kW) exclusively to the rear wheels. Active aero ramps peak downforce to 959 lb (435 kg) at 155 mph (249 km/h), yet Ferrari insists the suspension tuning keeps it comfortable on public roads.
[TheStraightPipes] The facelifted 2025 Elantra Hybrid surprises with 139 horsepower (104 kW), 195 lb-ft (264 Nm) and a smooth six-speed dual-clutch, delivering punchier acceleration than its modest figures suggest. Testers averaged 5.6 L/100 km (42 mpg) and praise the compliant ride, while a 28,599 CAD (~$21,000 USD) sticker keeps Hyundai’s only-trim hybrid firmly in the “affordable” camp.
📈
Technology, Market Data & Analysis
Trump will blunt his 25 % auto tariff by giving automakers credits worth 15 % of every U.S.-built car, covering 3.75 % of its value in imported parts. The three-year perk excludes China and fades thereafter, yet Detroit’s Big Three say it staves off sudden sticker shocks while keeping reshoring pressure intact.
ZF’s new eRE and eRE+ modules resurrect the Chevrolet-Volt-style range-extender idea, acting solely as compact onboard generators for battery EVs. Tunable between 93 and 147 hp (69–110 kW) or up to 201 hp (150 kW), they promise 310-mile (499 km) cruising with lower cost, lighter packs and simpler supply chains than big-battery or plug-in rivals.
🛞
Car Culture
Seattle friends Milton Salguero and Carey Lando drove their 200,000-mile (322,000 km) Crosstrek and Outback 18 hours to Moab, then tackled Hell’s Revenge, Fins & Things and Top of the World without lockers or low range. Modest lifts, CVT re-gears and driver grit let the Subarus clear ledges that strand pricier rigs.
Long-time CEO Donald Petersen so revered the breakthrough 1986 Taurus that he displayed designer Fritz Mayhew’s painting of the sedan cascading over a waterfall above his Detroit-area fireplace. The conversation piece—now up for grabs in the Petersen estate sale—celebrates the car many historians say saved Ford in the late ’80s.
🔧
Miscellaneous
Michelin’s new thermoplastic lunar wheels ditch air entirely, staying pliable from –400 °F (–240 °C) to 212 °F (100 °C) while absorbing decades of radiation, vacuum and cratered terrain on NASA’s upcoming Lunar Terrain Vehicle. Michelin hopes the resilient, spoke-mesh design will translate into next-gen puncture-proof tires for earthly cars and trucks.
The Autopian chronicles how exposed carbon-fiber roofs, hoods and trim from BMWs to Audis are yellowing, delaminating and even tearing off after UV attacks the epoxy that binds the weave. Owners face $1,800 resin re-coats—or full panel replacement—unless they protect the composite early with UV-stable clear, paint, wrap or PPF.
🏁
Quick Links
GM is ordering dealers to inspect 2021–2024 Escalade, Silverado, Suburban, Sierra and related models after crankshaft and rod flaws in the 6.2-liter V-8 can cause catastrophic power loss, with failed units getting full engine swaps.
A new DOT rule dropping mandatory disclosure of tow-away, no-injury Level-2 ADAS accidents will erase roughly 240 of Tesla’s 2,030 recorded incidents—about 12 percent—easing federal scrutiny of Autopilot data.
Spy shots show camouflaged Dark Horse mules with larger radiators, wider Michelins and carbon wheels hinting at a 2026 Shelby GT500 using the rumored 760 hp (567 kW) “Legend” V-8 or better.
The $19,999 Roush Nitemare kit drops an F-150 by 3 in (76 mm) front and 5 in (127 mm) rear, adds 22-in alloys, coil-overs and sway bars, delivering up to 1.0 g of lateral grip.
Carwow’s showdown sees a 739 hp (551 kW) Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid GT weighing 5,500 lb (2,495 kg) lose by inches to the lighter 530 hp (395 kW) 3,970 lb (1,800 kg) BMW M4, both clocking 11.3-second quarters.
BMW says the 308 hp (230 kW), 310 lb-ft (421 Nm) 2.0-liter M2 Racing motor lets amateur drivers reuse stock brakes and cooling, trimming curb weight to 3,302 lb (1,497 kg) and purchase price to €98,000 (~$105,000).
Suzuki’s Wagon R Smile adds dual sliding doors, cheeky sheep mascot and roomy glasshouse to the kei segment, starting at ¥1,489,400 (~$10,400) with optional hybrid-assist 4WD pushing sticker to ¥1,984,400 (~$13,865).
BYD’s pint-size Dolphin hides a structural 60.4 kWh Blade battery good for 265 miles (426 km) WLTP and a 201 hp (150 kW) front motor, packaging big-car space into a sub-Evoque footprint Americans still can’t buy.
Karl-Heinz “Charlie” Feustel’s 4,000-hour, one-off 1987 Porsche 959 Speedster—with just 5,159 miles (8,304 km) since new—is crossing RM Sotheby’s Milan block at an estimated €1.1–1.5 million (~$1.25–1.71 million).
Reply