Month: July 2020

Epic Tale Of A Rare 1969 Dodge Super Bee Finally Back Home After 24 Years

By Jaime E. Love 6 months ago

In 1977, when Edgar Anderson was just eight years old, his father – also named Edgar – purchased a 1969 Dodge Super Bee that was located in Jamestown, New York, for just $750. Edgar lived in Chicago with his mother, and his father did not live close so he would visit him whenever he could. Eager to pay a visit to his dad, Edgar and his aunt Dana were scooped up in a B5 Blue 1970 Plymouth Satellite driven by Levi, his father’s best friend. One thing Edgar recalls from that ride to his father’s house is that the speedometer needle mainly sat at nearly 100 miles per hour for almost the trip’s entirety.

Once they arrived at his father’s home, the Super Bee was up in the air in the garage as his dad wrenched away under the car. Edgar fondly remembers his dad asking him to hand … Read More

Buying a Car That Comes from Canada Sounds Fun, Until There’s a Recall

By Jaime E. Love 6 months ago

From Car and Driver

  • Local TV station KEYT in California helped the owner of a Mercedes C63 AMG S, which originated in Canada, get needed recall work done.
  • At first, the owner was told the dealer wouldn’t touch the recall work, since the car has a Canadian VIN, and that he should take it to Canada for service.
  • The Mercedes dealer did update the car’s software in the end, but this dilemma points out that gray-market vehicles can cause their owners some red tape.

Importing a car means bringing roughly equal amounts of excitement and challenge across the border. When the car in question is a Canadian 2015 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG S, or any other car that originated in Canada and is being brought into the United States, it might come with enough automotive cooties that your local dealer may be hesitant to work on it.

That’s what happened

… Read More

2150-Pound T.50 Supercar Much Better Than McLaren F1, Says Man Who Designed Both

By Jaime E. Love 6 months ago

From Car and Driver

  • Gordon Murray Automotive is delaying the launch of its three-seat supercar, the T.50, because of COVID-19, but will build the first prototype in September, with the first customers getting them in January 2022.
  • The T.50 will have a Cosworth-built naturally aspirated 650-hp 4.0-liter V-12, yet the car will weigh less than a Mazda Miata.
  • Gordon Murray told C/D that 40 percent of the T.50’s buyers so far are people under age 45, who may have had posters of his McLaren F1 on their walls as teens. “This is their F1,” he said.

UPDATE 7/22/20: Gordon Murray Automotive has released a cutaway drawing (pictured below) of the 4.0-liter V-12 that will power the upcoming T.50 supercar.

Photo credit: Gordon Murray Design

A fresh addition to the growing list of things the coronavirus pandemic has denied us: the first look at Gordon Murray’s forthcoming T.50

… Read More

Daimler Designer Says Mercedes Is More Of A Lifestyle Brand Than Car Maker

By Jaime E. Love 6 months ago

Don’t worry, it’ll continue to build mostly cars.

Daimler is in the midst of an interesting process of reconstructing its business. Or, rather, restructuring its operations, which includes deeper ties with other manufacturers, rethinking of the Smart brand, and turning Mercedes-Benz into a much more than just a carmaker. In fact, Daimler’s lead designer believes the marque is already more of a lifestyle brand than an automaker.

In a recent Skype interview with Forbes‘ Nargess Banks, Daimler and Mercedes chief design officer Gorden Wagener provided details about the latter’s transition into a luxury lifestyle brand that offers a wide range of products, varying from small electric city cars to Maybach limousines. 

“I don’t see us as an automotive company so much but more of a lifestyle and luxury brand as our work goes way beyond cars,” Wagener said when asked to define the company he is working

… Read More