For those who were not hand selected by Ford for the opportunity to pay nearly half-a-million dollars for the new Ford GT supercar, here’s a once in a lifetime chance to own a piece of Ford history. The first, last generation Ford GT prototype, Confirmation Prototype 1 (CP-1) needs a new owner.

CP-1 was the first fully functional prototype Ford GT the company built after it built the three display models in 2003, which are now housed in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. CP-1 bearing chassis number 004 was fully drivable as it was Ford’s test mule for quite some time. It features a full interior, and complete drivetrain that helped Ford test and tweak the car before production.

Unlike its production-based siblings, however, CP-1 has a few attributes that never made it to production. Non-production parts include a “sniffer pipe” for emissions testing; a carbon fiber clamshell that cost over $45,000 alone, a quick-release fuel tank, a black supercharger and valve covers, a myriad of test connections for Ford’s monitoring equipment, a steering column from a Windstar minivan, and an aluminum headliner.

One part that definitely didn’t make its way to the 200 mph Ford GT is the 5 mph speed limiter Ford installed before it sold this car in 2008 to a Ford GT collector. Unfortunately for both the buyer and the car, the speed limiter chip relegates CP-1 to display purposes only, although it starts, runs, has a VIN, and can propel itself into and out of a garage.

Now the car is looking for a new home as it has been consigned to Russo and Steele’s Scottsdale auction from January 18-22.

Estimates for the car range, but given the fact that Ford GTs of this generation are trading in the high $300,000 to low $400,000, and CP-2 sold for over $800,000 this past summer in Monterey during Car Week, CP-1 could be the first Ford GT to sell for over a million dollars.

What might push this Ford GT over the million dollar line is that it has the autographs of 13 members of the original Ford GT design and development team, including, Bill Ford, chief designer Camillo Pardo, chief design engineer Fred Goodnow, and Carroll Shelby who helped test and tune the car.

Chevy is shopping for a new NASCAR. The automaker confirmed this week that it is discontinuing the SS sedan that its current entry in the top Cup series is based on after the 2017 model year, and will need to rebrand the race car for 2018.

Unlike the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry it competes against, the production SS is a low-volume sports sedan that is the only one of the three with rear-wheel-drive like its competition counterpart. It’s been driven by three of the four past NASCAR champions, including Jimmie Johnson in 2016.

Since all NASCARs use basically the same regulated chassis design, their differences are largely skin deep, aside from the engines.

Chevy hasn’t revealed which model will replace the SS, but Cup series cars are traditionally based on large or midsize sedan styles, which would limit it to the Malibu or Impala, the latter being the model the SS replaced.

That is unless Chevy has a surprise up its sleeve, as it did when it originally announced the SS out of the blue in 2012. However, GM North America President Alan Batey said it’s unlikely the car will be directly replaced, as the Australian factory that currently builds it is set to close later this year, and there’s no word yet that another Chevy sports sedan is in the works, although GM has several rear-wheel drive platforms available that are currently used for Cadillac models.

Along with the Chevy news, at the Detroit Auto Show this week Toyota revealed an all-new 2018 Camry and its Cup car doppelganger that will make its racing debut at The Clash at Daytona on February 18^th.

McLaren intended to keep its new Super Series car under wraps until the Geneva Motor Show, but an image of the car has leaked online. Shown in this Instagram picture posted by user Lamborghiniks, the McLaren 720S (previously thought to be named P14) wears a sultry orange paintjob and looks even sleeker than its predecessor, the 650S.

The 720S sports a completely new grille and a steeply raked roof. We don’t know much about the supercar yet, other than the information McLaren has teased leading up to the big reveal in Geneva. Earlier this month, McLaren showed off the car’s brand new carbon fiber monocoque. The ultra-lightweight carbon fiber structure is said to be 40 pounds lighter as well as more rigid than that of the 650S.

Although we can’t see it clearly in the photo, McLaren also revealed its 650S successor will feature a new active rear wing. The wing can adjust its position to increase aerodynamics, acting as an airbrake when extended to its most extreme angle. Thanks to the wing and a number of other improvements, the 720S will double the aerodynamic efficiency of its predecessor.

We’ll learn much more in March when the new supercar hits the show floor in Geneva.

We have seen several preview videos of the Tesla Model S P100DL racer, but now we get the privilege of learning the vehicle’s specifications. According to racing series Electric GT, the Model S P100DL will use a 100-kWh lithium-ion battery capable of helping the car deliver 778 horsepower and 734 pound-feet of torque-making it the most powerful Tesla in history.

The heavily modified Tesla will use carbon fiber body panels and will have a wider wheelbase than the standard Model S. For increased traction and handling the Model S P100DL will use Pirelli PZeros and create massive amounts of downforce. According to the video below, the Model S P100DL’s front fascia will provide 369 lbs of downforce at 155 mph and the rear wing will make 664 lbs of downforce at the same speed.

Although the Tesla Model S P100DL sounds like a track monster, Electric GT will be governing the car to 155 mph. Still, watching the P100DL hit 62 mph in just 2.1 seconds sounds like it’ll be a blast.

Sporty coupes usually sell in such small numbers that they don’t earn redesigns until long after their hotter-selling sedan and CUV stablemates have been freshened. But because BMW snuck a four-door “Gran Coupe” into the 4 Series lineup (accounting for more than half its volume), the model has sold 400,000 units in four years, earning itself a redo. In all, some 2,500 parts have been redesigned for 2018, and not too surprisingly the focus is less on reprettying an already pretty package and more on improving what lies beneath.

All but the most devoted fans of the brand will need a field guide to spot the 2018s. Outside, the front and rear lighting and wheel designs are new, and non-M Sport cars get revised front and rear fascias. There are also two new colors–Sunset Orange and Snapper Rocks Blue (named for a beach on Australia’s Gold Coast). The front fascia reboot connects the formerly separate lower outboard air inlets with a trim strip that aims to visually widen the front end.

Inside, a new sportier steering wheel rim is lined with a material that makes it easier to grip. There’s fancier double stitching on the dash and new leather colors and trim offerings that are said to broaden the possibilities for personalizing the 4. A fancier new multifunction instrument cluster is available with the $2,300 Premium package. It provides three greatly differentiated gauge views, each tied to the default Comfort, Sport, and EcoPro driving modes. The first is very traditional BMW. Sport switches to a red color theme with a large digital speedometer reading and a gear reading inside the simplified tach. EcoPro trades the tach for an efficiency meter and a blue color scheme. Finally, the central iDrive display becomes a touchscreen adapting BMWs new look with the various functions on six separate tiles that can be arrayed as the driver wishes across two screen pages.

So much for the skin-deep spiffs. Let’s get to the functional suspension, steering, and brake upgrades. All 4s get new faster-acting antilock brake actuators (with lower-inertia moving parts) that improve braking precision and should shorten our 600 stopping distances by a few feet. Revised steering tuning yields slightly more effort just off center, giving way to more linear response thereafter. Fixed-roof 4s also get front and rear anti-roll bars that are stiffened by 1015 percent, and this combined with slightly increased camber is said to boost lateral cornering performance noticeably.

Appropriately, the modest upgrades bring modest pricing: 430i models increase by $250, and 430i models go up $200. We have always liked driving 4 Series cars almost as much as we like looking at them. By focusing more effort under the skin, BMW might have just helped balance our opinion of the fetching 4.

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody has a very long, but perfectly descriptive name.The new model combines the bulging fender flares of the outrageous 840 hp Dodge Challenger SRT Demon with the 707 hp supercharged V8 drivetrain of the Challenger Hellcat to improve the overall performance of the very muscular car.

When the Hellcat first arrived in 2015 with pretty much the same body as the base V6 Challengers, one of the top complaints was that it didn’t have enough rubber to put all of its power to good use.

The Widebody is 3.5-inches wider than the original Hellcat, allowing Dodge to up the tire width from 275 mm to 305 mm, for an increase of over an inch.

According to Dodge, the extra traction provided drops the Hellcat’s quarter-mile acceleration from 11.2 to 10.9 seconds and increases its lateral grip from .93 g to .97 g, allowing it to lap Chrysler’s 1.7-mile-long test track two seconds faster than the slim Hellcat. The added girth does take a small toll on the Hellcat’s aerodynamics, however, with its top speed dropping from 199 mph to 195 mph.

Prices for the Widebody start at $72,590, which is a $7,300 premium over the standard Hellcat, and the order books open in July.

The Acura ARX-05 completed two days of successful testing this week at Road Atlanta, as Acura Motorsports and Team Penske began an intensive development program for the new prototype in advance of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Veteran Juan Pablo Montoya, one of two drivers already announced for the effort, was at the wheel of the ARX-05 throughout the two-day test.  The outing was the first for the new prototype following an initial shakedown run last month at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, and follows its official unveiling at Monterey Car Week.

“Overall, it was a good test,” said Matthew Niles, senior engineer and project leader for Honda Performance Development.  “We were close to the area of total solar eclipse [on Monday], so we had to stop running for a bit as the sun was dimmed.  We went on to complete all of our run plan, and feel we have a good base to build on going forward.”

This week’s initial run was the first of a series of tests, to be conducted at a variety of circuits, planned by Team Penske and Honda Performance Development, the racing arm for both Acura Motorsports and Honda Racing in North America.

The competition debut of the Team Penske Acura prototypes will take place at the season-opening Rolex 24 in January, 2018.  In addition to Montoya, reigning IMSA prototype champion Dane Cameron will also be part of the 2018 lineup, with remaining drivers to be announced.

The Acura ARX-05 [Acura Racing eXperimental, generation 5] is the latest in a line of endurance prototypes to be fielded by the company dating to 1991, just five years after the 1986 launch of the Acura brand.  Based on the very successful ORECA 07 chassis, the new ARX-05 prototype showcases Acura-specific bodywork and design features, including Acura’s signature Jewel Eye™ headlights, and utilizes the race-proven, production-based Acura AR35TT twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine that powers the Acura MDX, RDX, TLX and RLX models.

The Acura ARX-05 adds to a rich legacy of Acura competition in sports car racing, including the 1991-93 IMSA Camel Lights manufacturer and driver championships; 50 IMSA and American Le Mans Series class or overall race victories [through Watkins Glen 2017]; and the 2009 American Le Mans Series manufacturer, driver and team championships, in both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes.

The new design also features a production-based engine.  Developed from the “J35” family of engines found in Acura RDX, MDX, RLX and TLX production vehicles, the Acura AR35TT engine has powered class winners at the 12 Hours of Sebring (2011-13); the 24 Hours of Le Mans and LMP2 World Endurance Championship (2012).  The engine also powered entries to American Le Mans Series LMP2 titles in 2012-13; and the overall winners at the Rolex 24, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans in 2016.

3GT Racing drivers Dominik Baumann and Kyle Marcelli were victorious behind the wheel of the No. 14 Lexus at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to earn the first GTD class win for the RC F GT3 in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition.

“We are so excited and proud of 3GT Racing, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and all four of the 3GT Racing drivers,” said Jeff Bracken, group VP and general manager, Lexus Division. “While it was two drivers that won in the RC F GT3 today with Dominik (Baumann) and Kyle (Marcelli), really it’s all four of our drivers, including Jack (Hawksworth) and David (Heinemeier Hansson), which really put us in a position to win in just the third race of our second season. From my standpoint, it’s a huge accomplishment and I just couldn’t be prouder of the entire team.”

The historic win marks the first North American victory for the RC F GT3 since joining IMSA competition at the beginning of the 2017 season, and is the best result for 3GT Racing after a previous best finish of fifth.

“We are ecstatic,” added Lexus motorsports manager Mark Egger. “We were able to take all of the pieces that we’ve been able to put together over the last year and a half developing the RC F GT3 with some near misses and some heartbreaks throughout the last year and get our first GTD win. 3GT Racing did a fantastic job putting together a great program and everything came together this weekend, so we’re very happy to get that first win with the RC F GT3.”

The 3GT Racing RC F GT3s combined to lead every lap in class around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile Ohio road course that included Baumann pacing the GTD field for the final 73 circuits. Marcelli started the race second in the No. 14 Lexus and kept pace with 3GT Racing teammate Jack Hawksworth at the front of the field before turning over driving duties to Baumann for the final two stints of the sprint race.

The 25-year-old Austrian held off a late-charging competitor in his RC F GT3 to cross the finish line first and capture the GTD win in his first start at Mid-Ohio.

Hawksworth led the field for the first 43 laps in the No. 15 Lexus after earning the pole position on Saturday, and went on to finish fourth with co-driver David Heinemeier Hansson in Sunday’s two hour and 40 minute race. Hawksworth ran the quickest GTD lap of the race with a time of  1:20.536, while Marcelli recorded the second-quickest circuit in the No. 14 RC F GT3 with a time of 1:20.758.

McLaren Automotive is back for the fourth consecutive year at the open-air exhibition ‘Parco Valentino’ and from June 6– 10 will showcase the McLaren 570S Spider, the only convertible available in the current McLaren range. The second-generation Super Series will also make an appearance with a McLaren 720S on display on the ‘Cortile del Castello del Valentino’ and cruising the streets of Turin during the Supercar Night Parade on June 6.

In keeping with the mood of the event – and hopefully the weather – the public will see the McLaren 570S Spider in Vega Blue launch colour on the McLaren stand, located near the “Farina” entrance to the Park. The third body style in the McLaren’s Sports Series product family, the 570S Spider is hand-assembled in Woking, England and brings supercar attributes such as carbon-fibre construction, a mid-engine layout and extreme performance to the luxury sports convertible segment for the first time.

Most importantly, there are no performance compromises versus the 570S Coupé, with the Spider maintaining the same electrifying pace, dynamic excellence and impressive refinement.  The result is supercar acceleration from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in just 3.2 seconds and on to 200km/h (124mph) in only 9.6 seconds. Top speed is 328km/h (204mph) with the roof closed – identical to the 570S Coupé – and even with the roof lowered, the new Spider can reach 315km/h (196mph).  Complementing this extreme performance is a stop-start system that contributes to overall efficiency; the 570S Spider returns official fuel economy of 10.7 litres/100km (26.6mpg) in the NEDC combined cycle and CO2 emissions of just 249g/km.

Five new Design Editions created specifically for the McLaren Sports Series convertible were recently introduced, following the success of a Design Edition range for the 570S Coupé. Each Edition has been carefully curated by McLaren Automotive designers, ensuring that the colours, materials and finishes complement each other to perfection and customers can select additional features beyond the Design Edition content – such as carbon-fibre interior upgrades or exterior components – to further personalise their new purchase.

As with the Coupé, the 570S Spider Design Editions offer a financial benefit over specifying the options separately. The Design Editions join the recently-announced 570S Spider Track Pack, with its emphasis on lightweight options that includes carbon-fibre race seats, in the McLaren Sports Series line-up.

McLaren Automotive emerged as the fastest growing luxury automotive brand in the UK following the release of year-to-date car registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The British creator of luxury sportscars and supercars recorded an extraordinary 47.73% year-on-year growth and registered 390 vehicles in the first half of 2018. In addition, the brand increased their number of UK retailers to eight with McLaren Hatfield and McLaren Leeds opening doors for business. A new location for the south coast of England is currently under consideration.

This considerable increase stems from impressive performance of the brand’s core models including the award-winning McLaren 720S and the open-top McLaren 570S Spider. Sales are almost equally split between the brand’s Sports and Super Series lines. McLaren Automotive recently celebrated the assembly of its 15,000^th car and is now regularly producing 20 cars each and every day to meet global demand, not least from its home market. This now includes the McLaren Senna of which the first UK example will soon be delivered.

The remainder of the McLaren Automotive UK retailer network, comprising Ascot, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, London and Manchester, continues to feature in the Top 10 global retailers by sales volume. McLaren Ascot, the brand’s European Retailer of the Year in 2017, and McLaren Birmingham have recently opened their new aftersales facilities to accommodate a growing number of McLaren vehicles on the market. McLaren Manchester has successfully relocated to its new luxurious sales and aftersales facility in Wilmslow earlier in the year. Worldwide, the brand operates via network of 86 locations in 31 markets and with a record 3,340 cars sold in 2017, is the largest part of the McLaren Group.

David Gilbert, Managing Director – McLaren Europe commented: “We’re excited to be the fastest growing luxury automotive brand in the UK. It’s thanks to the hard work and professionalism of our employees, as well as our excellent retail partners. Furthermore, this significant growth in the luxury space highlights the irresistible appeal of our hand-assembled product range and our continuous focus on delivering a thrilling driving experience. We look forward to continuing our success as we move into the second half of the year.”

Lexus is proud to announce a new version of the RC luxury sports coupe, which is scheduled to make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in October.

Since its introduction in 2014, the RC has played a major role in promoting the Lexus brand’s commitment to delivering an emotional driving experience. Thanks to its aggressive styling and versatile driving character, the RC has become a highly sought-after coupe by enthusiasts who value performance and world-class craftsmanship.

The fresh new styling of the 2019 RC retains all the virtues of the previous model yet further refines the design language first established by the flagship LC coupe. Inside the cabin, everything from the high- quality materials to the design of controls and gauges were reevaluated to maximize driving pleasure.

Enhancements have also been made to the RC’s aerodynamics, tires and suspension, as well as improvements to engine response and steering feel, all of which result in a sharper and more refined drive. This provides a high level of driver confidence and a reassuring ride quality, making it an ideal companion whether you’re challenging a twisty mountain road or taking a long-distance journey on the open highway.

New RC Features Sporty, Yet Elegant Design

Lexus designers sought to maintain the RC’s dynamic coupe proportions, while adding a high level of elegance to the exterior. This was done through the addition of distinctive design elements, such as a new front bumper corner that flows down from the headlamps and a grille mesh pattern that gradually transforms from top to bottom. Optional triple LED headlamps and L-shaped LED clearance lamps also add to the car’s more refined appearance. Air ducts have been added to the corner of the RC’s rear bumpers along with revised rear combination lamps that now house more pronounced L-shaped lenses, a new signature design feature for Lexus coupes.

The new RC F Sport receives the grille mesh pattern that graces all F Sport vehicles, as well as numerous other custom exterior and interior items exclusive to the F Sport, including aggressively-styled 19-in. alloy wheels that were inspired by those on the LS and LC.

A total of 10 different exterior colors will be available for the RC, including a new color, Blue Vortex Metallic, that truly convey the car’s sporty nature.

Updated Interior Details Further Refine the RC Experience

In order the enhance the feel of the cabin, a new Dark Gray Streamline treatment has been applied to the heater control panel and audio panel, while enlarged knee pads have been raised to create a heightened sense of space.

New ornamentation, also Dark Gray Streamline, will be made standard on the RC F Sport. In all, the customer can choose from six different types of interior trim. Interior colors include Glazed Caramel and Black with Yellow accents. In all, there are seven exclusive interior color combinations available, including those for the F Sport.

Taking a car from the first prototype to its production ready state requires a lot of development time, and even more money. Coming up with a show car is the easiest part. There are plenty of engineering firms who can make one happen.

To name a few, Dubai’s W Motors used Rimac for the Hypersport and Magna for its new Fenyr. Singapore’s Vanda Electrics turned to Williams Advanced Engineering for the upcoming Dendrobium, while the Hong Kong/Germany-based Apollo used the Garella-family’s Manufattura Automobili Torino (MAT) to engineer the now sold-out Intenza Emozione. Not unlike Jim Glickenhaus’ SCG.

While the Apollo project was taken over by Germany’s HWA, Paolo Garella’s company is now building modern, Ferrari-based Lancia Stratoses to make the world a better place.

Dubai’s 320 mph Devel Sixteen was also an MAT project, but a source has told us that Garella’s company is no longer working on the supercar with the absurd numbers.

According to our source, the Devel Sixteen has a vast list of problems that are keeping it from getting anywhere close to production. That its American-built twin-turbo V16 might be a 5007 horsepower engine, but it was built for drag racing, with no cooling for road use whatsoever.

The Devel team has reportedly learned a lot about aerodynamics while trying to figure out how to make the car stay on the ground above 300 miles per hour. But when MAT left the project, our source tells us the Devel Sixteen was still acting pretty much like a giant wing.

That said, the Devel Sixteen isn’t dead, but it’s certainly on hold for the time being. On the plus side, Devel also has a 6×6 desert stormer concept, which seems like a solid idea.

Cyan Racing, formerly known as Polestar Racing, is furthering its ties to Geely-owned brands by partnering with Lynk & Co to take on the FIA WTCR series in 2019. The companies will race the Lynk & Co 03 TCR race car, which has spawned a concept road car.

Thed Bj rk, starting his seventh season with Cyan Racing, will drive one of the TCR cars for 2019. The driver, who piloted a Volvo S60 Polestar TC1 to a 2017 World Touring Car Championship win, was on hand to introduce the Lynk & Co TCR race car at an event at Fuji Raceway in Japan this week. He and his team will face off against seven automakers including Audi, Alfa Romeo, Honda, Hyundai, Peugeot, Seat, and Volkswagen. As a refresher, the FIA World Touring Car Championship adopted the TCR touring car specification and changed its name to WTCR in 2018.

We don’t know much about the concept, called the Lynk & Co 03 Cyan, other than the fact that it’s “closely connected” to the race car program and it will produce 500 hp. The production 03 debuted earlier this year in China promising a Volvo-developed turbocharged 1.5-liter I-4 and a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, but it’s unclear if the concept or race car will use either of those. “The concept car will be the first step towards an extended performance offer,” according to a press release from Cyan Racing and Lynk & Co.

If you’re not familiar with Lynk & Co, it’s a relatively new brand launched by Geely and Volvo in 2016. Its models are designed and engineered in Sweden, and they place an emphasis on fixed prices, online sales, and digital sharing. Eventually, Lynk & Co wants to make a play for the U.S. market with a new SUV.

Lexus LC 500 race cars have swept the top four positions in the penultimate round of the 2018 Super GT championship at Autopolis in Japan.

Ryo Hirakawa and Nick Cassidy in the #1 KeePer TOM’S LC 500 climbed steadily from fifth on the grid to win by almost half a second from Yuhi Sekiguchi and Le Mans winner Kazuki Nakajima in the au TOM’S #36 LC 500.

The win was the first this season for the defending champions and puts them level on points at the top of the drivers’ championship standings ahead of the season’s final round at Motegi next month.

Car #19, the WedsSport ADVAN LC 500 of Yuji Kunimoto and Kenta Yamashita, took the final spot on the podium from 10th on the grid while the #38 ZENT CERUMO LC 500 of Yuji Tachikawa and Hiroaki Ishiura completed the all-Lexus top four.

Kamui Kobayashi finished eighth in the DENSO KOBELCO SARD Lexus LC 500 shared with Heikki Kovalainen while the WAKO’S 4CR Lexus LC 500 of IndyCar-bound Felix Rosenqvist and Kazuya Oshima finished ninth, giving Lexus six of the top 10 places.

Hirakawa said he had not expected to win after Honda NSX-GT rivals took the top three places in qualifying, but victory had come courtesy of his team’s pit-stop strategy and overall support.

He said he was confident approaching the season finale because the LC 500 had shown its ability to perform well at Motegi.

Lexus also enjoyed success in the GT300 class with Yuichi Nakayama and Morio Nitta securing the top spot in the #96 K-tunes RC F GT3.

The eighth and final round of the Super GT championship will be held at Motegi on November 10-11.

This is the 2020 BMW M340i sedan, the most powerful 3 Series ever offered (so long as you consider its long line of M3 models as separate from the rest of the line). Available with rear- and all-wheel drive, the M340i takes after other mild M Sport variants by featuring specific features and tuning from BMW’s M Performance division without being a full-fledged M car such as the M3.

Under the M340i’s hood sits a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six cylinder engine producing 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. BMW estimates the M340i xDrive sedan can do 0–60 in 4.2 seconds, which is 0.4 seconds quicker than the current 320-hp non-M 340i xDrive sedan. An eight-speed automatic transmission with wheel-mounted shift paddles features Launch Control and Intelligent programming that will alter shift points using data gleaned from the standard navigation system. As we already knew (boo!), no manual transmission will be offered.

M Sport bits and pieces include an electronically locking rear differential that comes standard on both rear- and all-wheel-drive M340i models, and upgraded brakes with four-piston calipers at the front and single-piston at the rear. New optional suspension bits feature continuously variable damping all around and a compression limiting system at the rear that BMW says will improve ride and handling. And, like all new 3 Series models, they boast perfect 50:50 weight distribution, wider tracks front and rear, a chassis that is 25-percent stiffer than the last generation, and a body that’s up to 121 pounds lighter.

We’ll see the 2020 M340i sedan at the upcoming LA Auto Show, and it will hit dealerships in July 2019. In the meantime, check out the high-res image gallery up above.

Ford announced recently that it would be building a few more Ford GTs and accepting new applications. It also revealed the 2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition that fully embraced the car’s history with the Gulf Oil paint scheme.

But getting an approved application from Ford won’t be the only way to get one of these blue and orange beauties. Ford will be auctioning the very first of these special edition cars at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction on January 19.

The car will have the first VIN of the Heritage Editions, and it will feature all the goodies of the special version. That includes the blue and orange paint, the racing number 9 affixed to the hood and doors, forged aluminum wheels, orange brake calipers and a black Alcantara interior with blue and orange stitching.

An added bonus, the proceeds from the auction will go to benefit the United Way of southeast Michigan. The fact this is a charity car, the first of a special line, and a generally difficult vehicle to purchase means it will probably be seriously pricey. Certainly it will go for more than the base price of about $450,000. It could hit seven figures, since John Cena’s car went for $1.4 million.

If you are planning on bidding on the new Ford GT Heritage Edition, you may want to bring a little extra spare cash and room in your trailer, too. The reason is that you could also bring home a previous generation Ford GT Heritage Edition in the same color scheme from the same auction. In fact, three 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition cars will be available. Happy bidding!

Fresh from receiving a 150 million-euro infusion from National Electric Vehicle Sweden, the Chinese-backed company that bought up Saab’s assets out of bankruptcy, supercar maker Koenigsegg has signaled just what it plans to do under the new joint venture.

Christian von Koenigsegg gave an interview to Top Gear in which he said he wants to develop an all-new supercar to sit below ultra-exclusive models like the Agera RS and Regera, priced at around €1 million (about $1.15 million) to grow sales from 20 a year into the hundreds, because “our brand has outgrown our production volumes by quite a big margin.”

“Given the freevalve technology, we can actually cold-start the car on pure alcohol, down to -30 degrees Celsius, so there’s no need for any fossil fuel mix then,” he told Top Gear. “The idea is to prove to the world that even a combustion engine can be completely CO2 neutral.”

Von Koenigsegg previously hinted at the setup after talking about how his engineers were responding to Tesla’s claims that its forthcoming next-generation Roadster would be capable of a 1.9-second 0-60 mph time. He further hints that the new hybridized supercar will look unmistakably like a Keonigsegg but be in a different segment altogether from either the Agera RS or plug-in hybrid Regera.

Consider us very much intrigued and eager to hear more. Meanwhile, Koenigsegg has said it plans to reveal the successor to the Agera RS next month at the Geneva Motor Show based on a refined version of the same supercharged V8 combustion engine.

The new joint venture with NEVS, meanwhile, sees that company take a 65 percent ownership stake, with Koenigsegg holding the rest and contributing its trove of intellectual property, technology licenses and product design. NEVS also gets a 20 percent stake in Koenigsegg itself.

After four and a half seasons racing in Formula E, Brazilian-born Nelson Piquet Jr. will part ways with the Jaguar Racing squad to pursue other interests.

Since he started in his fifth season in December last year, Piquet Jr. has scored just a single point, which he claimed for a tenth place finish in Saudi Arabia.

“I have enjoyed working with Panasonic Jaguar Racing over the past season and a half but results in season five have not met the collective expectations of myself and the team,” said Piquet Jr.

Joining Jaguar at the start of the 2017/18 season, Piquet Jr, finished the season just inside the top ten in ninth – two places behind teammate Mitch Evans.

“We made a big step forward when Nelson joined us in season 4,” said Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Principal James Barclay.

“He achieved some strong results for the team, but recent results have not met his or the team’s expectations.

“We want to take this opportunity to thank Nelson for all the hard work he has put in since joining us ahead of season 4; he has contributed a significant amount into the development of the car,” added the team boss.

Stepping up to the British team in Piquet’s place will be ex-Virgin Racing Formula E driver and fellow Brit Alex Lynn. Since leaving Virgin at the end of the 2017/18 season, Lynn returns to the all-electric series to partner Mitch Evans from the 2019 Rome E-Prix onwards.

“I am really excited to get behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 3 in Rome. Joining Panasonic Jaguar Racing is a great opportunity for me,” said Lynn.

“I am focused on working with Mitch, the engineers and technicians to put in a strong performance from now until the end of the season.”

Finishing his debut season in Formula E 16th overall, Lynn will be pushing for podiums alongside Jaguar’s maiden win in the series.

“Our objective this season is to be competing for podiums, we have agreed that Alex will join the team from the next event in Rome,” said Barclay.

“With half the season remaining we will be pushing very hard for strong results. I would like to welcome Alex to the Panasonic Jaguar Racing and look forward to working with him.”

By any objective measure, todays Ford GT street car is unusually close in design to the GT race car that the Blue Oval competes with at racetracks around the globe. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the two can’t get even closer. Enter the Ford GT Mk II. Believe it or not, in many ways, this $1.2 million, track-only model is actually more potent than the company’s own factory race cars.

Unveiled at the UK’s Goodwood Festival of Speed on Thursday, just 45 of these GT Mk II models will be produced. Ford officials tell Roadshow that these examples are earmarked to come out of the GT’s original planned allocation of 1,350 cars so as not to harm the resale or collector value of existing cars with a larger total production figure.

Like the GT street car, each Ford GT Mk II is powered by a version of the automaker’s volume 3.5-liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine, a powerplant whose basic architecture it shares with the Blue Oval’s chief breadwinner, the F-150 pickup. However, that V6 is tuned here to deliver a nice, round 700 horsepower — 53 hp more than the road car and a whopping 200 ponies more than the race car.

That’s because racing-series sanctioning bodies tend to force certain design compromises in the name of parity and closer, more entertaining racing. But what if such restrictions weren’t a factor? About a year and a half ago, Ford and the folks at Canada’s Multimatic, which helped develop and assemble the GT, began to ask themselves just that.

Ford admits the Mk II wasn’t always in the company’s plans since the GT’s inception, but with enthusiasts behind the project like these, this car was arguably inevitable.

Power play

In order to extract that much additional power out of the engine and set up the car for track duty, the GT’s engine receives a roof-mounted air intake which supplies cold air to auxiliary coolers for the engine, clutch and transmission. There’s also a nifty new charge air cooler with water sprayer used to keep engine temps in check during particularly hard running.

Why no street?

If you’ve got fantasies about flouting your local laws and driving the Ford GT Mk II on the street, it’s worth noting that this racecar rides even closer to the pavement than the already ultra-low-slung GT street car, and unlike the latter’s trick adjustable ride height, the Mk II sits at a fixed ride height that probably wouldn’t be compatible with many driveways and poorly maintained surfaces.

As Chevrolet’s C8.R race car debuts this weekend at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Chevy team has revealed the EPA fuel-economy numbers for the 2020 Corvette.

The upcoming mid-engine car, they said, will get 15 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway, which compares favorably against competitors including the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S and its own C7 predecessor.

The outgoing 2019 Corvette C7, equipped with an automatic transmission, was EPA rated at 15 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, so the C8 Corvette shines more brightly compared to its predecessor in highway driving. It’s also got pretty impressive range; Chevrolet points out it’ll do just short of 500 miles on a single tank of gas.

If compared to its primary competitor, the current Porsche 911, the 2020 Corvette doesn’t stack up quite as favorably in town but is close in highway driving. The new 911 is rated at 20 mpg city and 26 mpg on the highway.

Equipped with a mid-mounted 6.2-liter V-8, the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray launched to from zero to 60 mph 2.8 seconds in our testing and can reach speeds of 184 mph. Fuel economy, of course, is not the first thing a Corvette driver is looking for, but it helps.