Author: Tabitha

Keeping your vehicle’s interior clean is an ongoing process that can be made a bit easier with The Carrand AutoSpa Interior Car Detail Duster. This handy item’s chenille microfibers are specially designed to get into tight spots such as cup holders and pockets and can also tackle larger surfaces. They’re also designed to grab and hold the dust instead of just smearing it somewhere else. Lastly, the Car Detail Duster is compact enough to store inside a glove box or center console so that you clean up when the mood strikes. Grab one for less than $9 from www.amazon.com.

If $3 million for the Bugatti Chiron is a bit out of your price range, perhaps a $350 version from Lego Technic that you build yourself will do the trick. Still, the 1:8-scale Chiron is made up of a mind-boggling 3,600 pieces, including body panels, interior, wheels, active rear wing and the 16-cylinder engine (with moving pistons) and transmission. To aid assembly, Lego includes a collector’s-edition booklet with detailed instructions. When completed, you’ll have a 22-inch-long showpiece to park on your mantle or bookcase. Order from www.shop.lego.com.

The Sleuth’s sources report that General Motors will follow Ford’s lead and reduce the number of sedans (plus others) in its lineup over the next couple of years. The endangered-species list includes the automaker’s line of full-size sedans, including the Chevrolet Impala, Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac XTS, all of which share the same platform. As well, the Cadillac ATS sedan and Chevrolet Sonic sedan and hatchback are also bound for retirement. There’s no word as to when production ends for these vehicles, but it will likely begin fairly soon. The one surprise on the list is the battery-powered Chevrolet Volt…

The Spy Guy doesn’t mean a racetrack, but rather a research-and-development test course in Michigan that’s slated to be completed later this year. The property has been designed for engineers to conduct emergency maneuvers involving other vehicles and pedestrians in simulated urban and extra-urban traffic environments. With a small but occasionally lethal number of incidents involving autonomous cars on public roads, The Sleuth is encouraged by Toyota’s decision to perfect the complex guidance systems for such models in a far safer environment, that is to say not on public roads. Can Toyota’s new facility throw enough test situations at autonomous…

Exomotive has created an off-road buggy called the Exocet that you can build at home. All you need is a surplus 1990-2005 Mazda MX-5 (Miata). After the body panels and interior have been removed, the Excocet parts bolt onto the Miata drivetrain. Other items, including the floor, front and rear bulkheads, plexiglass side panels, fiberglass nose and assorted bits and pieces, are then installed. The basic Exocet kit starts at $7,000, but there are deluxe versions available as well as suspension-component options. Pick your kit at www.exomotive.com.

People who own older-model automobiles are no longer stuck playing their worn-out cassettes through the original-equipment audio systems. A modern solution is at hand with the Cassette Adaptor Bluetooth from Ion Sound Experiences. The system looks just like a regular audio cassette, but when inserted into the appropriate slot, it’s Bluetooth receiver, so long as the rechargeable battery inside is topped up (the manufacturer claims it should last for about six hours). In an instant, you can be playing your tunes from your phone or music player. A built-in microphone that hangs outside the unit also allows for hands-free phone…

The Sleuth has it on good authority that the Blue Oval automaker’s popular compact utility vehicle won’t be quite so compact when the next-generation model arrives for the 2020 model year. Apparently Ford wants to match a number of the Escape’s peers, including the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue and Volkswagen Tiguan that have all grown in recent years. The Escape will also be built on a brand new platform that it will share with the 2019 Focus Active hatchback. Along with turbo and non-turbo four-cylinder powerplants, a plug-in hybrid Escape is expected. The next Ford Escape will be larger than…

The Cullinan is the name of the largest diamond ever found and is part of the British Crown Jewel collection. Cullinan is also the name of the BMW-owned automaker’s ultra-luxury sport-utility vehicle. And other than traversing unpaved laneways or perhaps brief forays into tall grass whilst their owners are pheasant hunting, Cullinans will likely remain as only ever be pavement-bound gems. The “all-terrain car,” as design director Gilles Taylor calls it, uses a twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V-12 that produces 563 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. Along with all-wheel-drive, the Cullinan has all-wheel-steering for greater maneuverability. “Base” pricing starts at $325,000,…

If you’re like Eric Clapton, who sang about ’57 Chevys in the song “Rock ’n Roll Heart,” Brian Pearson has something you might appreciate. He puts a new clock inside an actual headlight bezel from a vintage 1957 Chevrolet. Of course none of these original-equipment bezels are in mint condition, but they’ve been cleaned up and the non-chrome areas have been repainted. The $60 that Pearson charges includes one AA battery. You won’t find this item on any Web site, but you can contact Brian Pearson directly on his Facebook page (search: Brian Pearson rescued rust).

Many 2007-’17 Jeep Wrangler JK owners have their off-roaders equipped with the optional downward-facing speakers positioned between the roll bars to enjoy better audio. When standing outside the vehicle, much of the audio integrity is diminished. KrankItUp! From Angular Concepts solves the problem with a special set of pivoting metal brackets that allow the sound bar to be lowered so that the speakers are facing the rear. Then you can listen to your tunes when picnicking, tailgate partying, or while enjoying other leisure activities. Order KrankItUp! for $140 from www.krankit.com.