300-HP V6 Miata, Defender Pickup, Porsche Fakes a Manual
PLUS: $41K Silverado, Hammond's Morgan, Audi A6 Tested
Releases & Reviews
2027 Nissan Z NISMO vs. 2026 Toyota Supra Comparison Test: The Final Stick-Shift Showdown
The Supra Final Edition keeps its 382-horsepower turbo inline-six and six-speed manual but gains retuned dampers, added camber, stiffer bushings, and larger Brembo rotors. The Supra beat the Z in both prior MotorTrend matchups. This third test pairs both cars in manual, track-focused trims as MkV Supra production ends.
£1M Aston Martin Valhalla; is it vastly over priced or a hypercar bargain? I had a week to find out
Harry's Garage put the plug-in hybrid on a scale at about 4,280 pounds, well over Aston's quoted dry weight. Output is 1,064 horsepower from an AMG-sourced twin-turbo V8 plus two front motors. Harry Metcalfe calls it a trophy car with awkward doors and no luggage space, and kept driving it anyway.
Technology, Market Data & Analysis
Why It Suddenly Costs So Much More to Own a Car
A Navy Federal Credit Union study finds car ownership costs up about 50% since 2020 and repair bills up roughly 70%. Autoweek ties much of the jump to the Iran war, which has cut tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz by about 95% and sent synthetic motor oil prices up sharply.
Land Rover Teams Up With Stellantis for Future Defender Pickup
Automotive News reports the first product of the JLR-Stellantis agreement signed in May will be a US-only Defender pickup, likely built at Stellantis's Warren Truck Plant near Detroit to sidestep tariffs. The current Defender is unibody while every Stellantis truck is body-on-frame, so the platform is undecided. JLR declined to comment.
Car Culture
Mad Max ‘Humungus Machine’ Is up for Auction on Bring a Trailer
The six-wheeled replica of Lord Humungus's rig from The Road Warrior started as a 1984 Ford F-150 with a 5.8-liter V8 rated around 200 horsepower. Tacoma-based Mad Max Cars built it with a single seat, a PA system, and exhaust pipes that shoot flames. Bidding closes September 23.
Will a 300-HP V-6 Swap Change Your Mind About the NC Mazda Miata?
British shop Rocketeer has fitted Jaguar's 3.0-liter Duratec V6 to first-generation Miatas since 2013 and now offers the swap for the NC. The naturally aspirated engine makes over 300 horsepower and sits far back for 50/50 weight distribution. Turnkey cars start at about $28,000, with a Kansas partner handling US builds.
Miscellaneous
Porsche Is Working On An Automatic That Pretends To Be A Manual
The filing, uncovered by CarBuzz, describes a dual-clutch gearbox with three modes. One is a normal automatic, one adds paddle shifts, and the third adds a clutch pedal and a manual-style selector. Porsche says it suits combustion or hybrid cars, and Ferrari's 12Cilindri Manuale already does something similar.
Saudi Arabia wants a car industry, launches Ceer with two EVs
Ceer is a joint venture between the Saudi Public Investment Fund and Foxconn, formed under the kingdom's Vision 2030 diversification plan. The Exobot sedan and SUV flagships use falcon doors, and the company plans seven models by 2030, some of them hybrids. Sales stay within Gulf states for now.
Quick Links
2027 Chevy Silverado 1500 Costs More but Has More to Offer Too
The base Work Truck rises about $1,700 to roughly $41,000, the LT trim is renamed simply Silverado, and the ZR2 tops the range at about $80,000 when sales start late this year.
Bentley’s Continental Supersports Review: Did They Go Too Far?
Autotrader laps Laguna Seca in the rear-drive, 666-horsepower two-seater, which drops the hybrid system and about 1,100 pounds versus a GT Speed, and calls it the better car despite the lower output.
Richard Hammond Can’t Take This 400bhp Morgan Seriously
DRIVETRIBE's Richard Hammond drives the Supersport 400, whose Morgan-tuned BMW straight-six makes 400 horsepower in a car weighing about 2,580 pounds, giving it nearly the power-to-weight ratio of a 911 GT3 RS.
GM can’t ‘bring back’ Apple CarPlay because it never left
GM removed phone projection only from its EVs in 2023, and last week's Silverado and Sierra software reveal adds picture-in-picture CarPlay and Android Auto to gas trucks that never lost them.
2026 Audi A6 First Test: On the Right Track
MotorTrend calls the longer, wider sedan greatly improved, with a V6 replacing the old four-cylinder and a 14.5-inch infotainment screen, while faulting restrained power delivery and the absence of a hybrid.
Honda Is Fast-Tracking Its Next Hybrids, Including The CR-V: Report
A Nikkei Asia report says next-generation CR-V hybrid production starts in Canada in February 2027 with US plants following, using a new hybrid system Honda says cuts fuel use about 10% and production cost about 30%.
This Glorious Vintage Fiberglass Motorhome Rides On An Awesome Volkswagen Truck With A 31 MPG Diesel Engine And A Manual Transmission
The Caddy-based Bischofberger Family camper is one of roughly 40 built by the short-lived German firm, runs a 75-horsepower turbodiesel with a five-speed manual, and is bid to about $9,400 on Bring a Trailer in the UK.