Years of technology projects and building Formula 1 and Formula E cars means that Williams has more than enough know-how to create a car from scratch. There is no vehicle development cycle more advanced or punishing than modern racing. And while Williams has a brand that’s historically well known for its technology, it’s not a brand that anyone would necessarily buy a car from. It’s therefore brilliant and not at all unexpected that Williams has created a platform like the EVR to help “accelerate the ambitions of hypercar manufacturers, from start-ups to OEMs....

Komfort was known for this; look at these other brochure pages: Solitaire…for two? There’s so much of everything in this pic: pattern, hair, those, green, everything. I think Komfort knew exactly what they were selling. Still, that aside, I just can’t get over the sheer density and intensity of the patterns here! Florals and geometric and what looks kind of Mesoamerican-inspired or perhaps Polynesian over shag over marbelized over everything else....

But first, let’s finish up with yesterday’s projects: Looks like the VW’s potential gremlins scared most folks off. Really, the older ones aren’t that bad to work on. But I agree that the Mazda would be the better car to drive once it’s fixed. Today, we have two cheap European cars, and we all know there’s nothing more expensive than those. But in this case, both of them run, and could be driven home, so at least you’re starting from a workable baseline....

The LA Auto Show doesn’t officially open up to the public until November 18th, but we’re going to let you in early. Why? For what reason do you get this amazingness bestowed on you? Because we’re awesome and because you’re awesome and because you deserve it. Why should schluby auto journalists get to have all the fun? A bunch of you showed up for the big party we had with staff in August and it was incredible and we need to see you again....

This fact became the topic of discussion a little while back on the platform that truly delves into the depths of automotive minutia: the Autopian Slack channel. Here, the website staff feverishly takes on topics like frunks and OEM wheels when admittedly we should be writing posts. Preparing a posting about an Australian Cars & Coffee that David had attended, he mused about how there is an acceptance and possibly even a preference for four doors down under:...

Most self-propelled mainstream car toys today run on batteries and electric motors or, if they’re the smaller/cheaper/drugstore kind, little springs and clockwork you wind by pulling the car backward a few inches. But that wasn’t always the case! There were some pretty novel ideas employed to make toy cars go free of the cruel tyranny of Big Battery! Like this one, the Tomy Air Jammer Road Rammer: That’s a compressed-air-powered piston engine in there, driving that thing!...

Let’s get to the stuff in the headline: Yes, a literal AR-15 rifle. America — what a place! A Pontiac Fiero And An AR-15 For My Chevy Tracker This one is in response to the Chevy Tracker I’ve got listed, which has somehow not sold yet despite being an amazing piece of off-road machinery. Behold the message: This person wants to trade me both a Pontiac Fiero — a mighty fine 1980s mid-engine sports car from General Motors — and an “ar15 300 blackout....

I should start by explaining the nightmare that this motorcycle has been until this year. Back in March 2021, I picked up a Triumph Tiger for the princely sum of $1,300. A Tiger wasn’t a dream bike or even a bucket list bike. Really, I bought it because of the engine nestled in the frame. Triumph’s three-cylinder engines create a symphony that is completely unlike the common twins and fours out there....

[Editor’s Note: Jason addressed issues like this, how human behavior and culture are important factors worth considering, in his book, Robot Take The Wheel, so maybe you should buy a copy, already? – MH] Yes, eyes. Give them to the cars. Ideally, big googly eyes, and, more importantly, they should be positioned in the correct place, where the headlights are located, and which is very much not the windshield. The team of University of Tokyo researchers called their project Gazing Car, which involved fitting a golf cart-sized car with large, robotic eyes that conveyed where the car’s attention was focused and the car’s intended general path....

There’s no best camper or RV for everyone because everyone has different needs. A giant Class A diesel pusher isn’t a great choice for a young couple who wants to #vanlife at national parks in the same way that a family of eight probably isn’t going to be comfortable in a Toyota Townace. What the Rangeline gets right, at least for me, is combining the best of what the Airstream Interstate offers in a package that works better for people with families....

Confusingly, this post suggests that the fuel gauge “does a pretty bad job at telling how much fuel there is,” when in fact it does a spectacular job, and it’s our failings as humans that prevent us from knowing what the hell it’s trying to tell us: Wow, right? It’s incredible. Maybe even sublime. As some of the commenters have pointed out, while the little illustration on the dash seems like it could be a riding lawnmower, it’s not....

First, let’s see who you liked in Friday’s face off: Looks like you chose cute over creepy, but not by a lot. I’m not sure which car is Travolta and which one is Cage in this analogy, but I do know they’re as far apart in size as those two actors were in that movie, and there isn’t a tow cable in the world strong enough to suspend my disbelief about that....

Cars are embodiments of engineering and sculpture and graphic design and athleticism and sound design and so many skills and modes of art. But, not everyone realizes this, and there’s still many, many people out there who regard the whole of automotive culture as valueless schlock, exclusively populated with drooling barbarians. My own personal struggles with drooling aside, this idea is garbage. And yet, people still believe it, as I was reminded by an email I got last week....

Just imagine you’re 1978 Ford and almost half your lineup is this: a Pinto, a Granada, and the Mustang II. Somehow, you need to sell as many of these dogs as you can, and you know damn well what they really are: an exploding deathtrap (albeit with an excellent engine), a disappointing sequel to a legendary car, and a car that marketing keeps trying to insist is as good as a Mercedes, which it very much isn’t....

Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday. Faraday Future Can’t Escape Faraday’s Past We’re starting today with a story that picks up where one of my favorite Morning Dump headlines, “Faraday Future Continues To Produce More Drama Than Actual Cars,” leaves off....

As I suspected, that low number on the odometer was hard to pass up. And I suppose an Avalon is the perfect way to get around Seattle anyway, because you have to so often take a Ferry. Now then: I know cars from the 1950s aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I like ’em. I think the trouble is that you always see the same ones: ’55-57 Chevys, ’59 Cadillacs, maybe the occasional two-seater Thunderbird....

Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday. Hyundai And Kia Had A Great Month As a glimmer of light through the dark times of the car shortage, Hyundai and Kia have posted some fantastic sales numbers for the month of August....

Last year, Ford generated headlines by filing a design patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. That patent paperwork suggested that Ford was gearing up to make an off-road version of the Transit van for America. Now, over a year later, Ford confirms that it is indeed giving us an off-road version of the Transit called the 2023 Transit Trail, and it will be revealed next month. Yesterday....

Looks like we’re “Motorin’.” Yeah, that would be my choice too. That Aston reminds me of a beat-up Bentley sedan I see street-parked in front of an apartment building here in Portland from time to time. Yeah, you can maybe afford to buy it, but you’re not fooling anyone. And beat-up neglected luxury exotics are just icky. I’ll take the Firebird, and feel no shame about it. Today’s choices are both German again (yeah, I know) but both of them do run and drive....

Welcome to The Morning Dump, bite-sized stories corralled into a single article for your morning perusal. If your morning coffee’s working a little too well, pull up a throne and have a gander at the best of the rest of yesterday. GM Makes $1,500 OnStar Subscription Mandatory On Some Models Imagine seeing a new car advertised for a fair price and waltzing down to a dealer that doesn’t charge markup, only to find a $1,500 line item on the window sticker appears for a telematics subscription you can’t opt out of....