Author: Tabitha
If you’re wondering what to give this holiday season, Concepts International sells racing-themed Christmas cards depicting Santa Claus behind the wheel of his Formula One machine (sponsored by Good Cheer). Apparently Santa also likes motorcycles: One card shows him performing wheelies and another leaning into a corner. A set of 15 cards — 6.25 x 4.5 inches — sells for $14. For gift-giving, the $29 Formula One racing calendar (not Santa related) contains a variety of action shots covering the preceding year’s season. Both the cards and the calendars are printed on high-quality stock. Order either or both items at…
Whether you’re a Ford, GM or Chrysler fan, Liberty Classics has just the engine for you, or rather scale-model replicas of your brand’s more iconic powerplants. Examples include a variety V-8s, both original-style and modified hotrod versions. Each of the nine different 1:6 replicas is highly detailed, including removable air cleaner, working pulleys and belts, and fuel lines and spark plug wires. The completed replicas come mounted on their own bases for easy display and sell for less than $30 each. Liberty also sells a variety of other branded items, including lamps and revolving wall lights. Order from www.northernautoparts.com.
The Sleuth has a surprise for wagon fans. Joining the Audi Allroad for the 2020 model year is the Audi RS6 Avant. Not only will it haul plenty of bulky gear and groceries, it also promises to really haul the mail with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 assisted by a 48-volt electric motor. Maximum output is 591 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission directs power to all four wheels. According to Audi, the RS6 can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) from zero in 3.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 189 mph. That should allow…
In a move that strains credulity to the max, The Spy Guy notes that the luxury automaker has committed to building a dozen 1929 Blower Bentleys of a type that competed in the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Bentley’s Mulliner coachwork division, using the sole surviving original competition car as a template, has been tapped to assemble the cars. That includes chassis, bodywork interiors and, amazingly, exact replicas of the Blower’s 240-horsepower supercharged 4.4-liter four-cylinder engine. The first of the continuation-series Bentleys won’t be completed until 2021. Pricing has yet to be announced, but The Sleuth believes…
Not all vehicles have multizone air conditioning systems that help people and/or pets stay comfortable when they’re seated in the back. That’s where the dual-head Auto Cooling Fan from Zone Tech could help. Attached to the front-seat headrest supports or any flat surface using the supplied 3M adhesive tape, the unit’s two adjustable two-speed fans can be individually rotated in any direction and at just the right angle to supply a cooling breeze in summer, or warm air in winter (when the car’s ventilation system is on the heat setting, of course). The eight-foot-long cord plugs into the vehicle’s 12-volt…
On frosty days, many people go searching for a cheap plastic ice scraper, or they use the edge of a credit card on their windshields. A more effective and elegant way is the Eva Solo scraper. This Danish-designed device folds up when not needed so it stores in your car’s glove compartment, door pocket or console. The Eva Solo has a stainless-steel handle with a hard plastic scraper on one side, and a soft rubber squeegee on the other for wiping away assorted grime. The Eva Solo retails for about $40 through a number of online resellers including www.amazon.com.
Man Crates specializes in product collections covering a variety of activities. The Auto Care Crate includes a “Fire Hose Car Wash Nozzle,” which can be set to a range of strengths, and a collapsible 1.8-gallon water bucket. Also part of the package — which actually comes in a wooden crate — is a 16-ounce bottle of Honeydew Snow Foam Auto Wash Cleanser, a chenille wash mitt and three microfiber towels. The kit sells for $100 and is shipped inside a cardboard box along with a laser-etched crowbar for opening the crate. Purchase at www.mancrates.com.
For its 110th birthday, the Volkswagen-owned maker of the $3-million Chiron supercar is building a special replica of the Bugatti Type 35 roadster that was raced to great success back in the 1920s. During that era, Bugatti produced 500 Type 35 “Baby” pedal cars and is doing something similar again. This time, each of the 500 examples of the three-quarter-scale — yes, three-quarter-scale — Baby II will be large enough so that both youngsters and adults alike can drive it. It will also have a rear-wheel-drive electric propulsion system that provides a top speed of 12 mph in child mode…
The Sleuthy One’s sources are hearing that the automaker’s newest model will likely debut this November at the Los Angeles International Auto Show and arrive in showrooms by the first quarter of 2020. The CX-30, which slots between the compact CX-3 and less-compact CX-5 (but closer in size to the CX-5) looks a bit more like a hatchback due to the inclination of the rear liftgate, but should still be roomy enough to tote plenty of cargo. It’s expected that Mazda’s latest spark-controlled compression-ignition (diesel-like) four-cylinder gasoline engine, called Skyactiv-X, will be standard, but there’s also word that a hybrid…
The Sleuth’s take on the new Taycan is that it’s yet another game-changer for the automaker. The base model, called the Turbo, makes 616 horsepower with two electric motors (one for the front wheels and one for the rear). Although not turbocharged in any way, the “Turbo” term refers to the fast “turbo” chargers Porsche dealers are installing. Power output increases to 670 horsepower and 626 pound-feet when engaging the launch-control mode. The higher-performing Turbo S model puts out 750 horsepower and 774 pound-feet using a similar system. Porsche states the Taycan’s 800-volt electrical system can recharge the batteries to…