1969 Dodge Super Bee-383-4-speed-project on 2040-cars

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Weekly Recap: Ferrari plans to gradually increase production by 2019

Ferrari has long been known for the exclusivity of its performance machines. It's on a different level than Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes. But as it transitions to a new era of independence from Fiat Chrysler, Ferrari is going to get a little less exclusive. It's by design, and it means a subtle, slow ramp-up of production – a move Ferrari believes will ensure its future by meeting growing demand in new markets. The strategy was detailed in SEC documents filed this month as part of the company's pending stock offering. The files reveal Ferrari will gradually increase shipments to about 9,000 units per year by 2019. This is a reversal of Ferrari's 2013 plans to cap production at 7,000 cars annually, which it hit on the nose that year. Ferrari shipments inched up to 7,255 in 2014, though that's down from 2012's record tally of 7,405. Ferrari is a vastly different operation than it was in 2013. Longtime chairman Luca di Montezemolo stepped down last fall, and FCA chief executive Sergio Marchionne has been overseeing the company since then. Its IPO has attracted high levels of attention from enthusiasts and investors. As expected, demand has reportedly outstripped the availability of the stock, which has an estimated offering price of $48 to $52 a share. Speaking of more Ferraris, the company revealed a limited-edition model this week called the F12tdf (shown above). Based on the F12 Berlinetta, the car is a salute to the Tour de France endurance auto race that Ferrari dominated in the 1950s and '60s. The V12 engine's output increases to 769 horsepower, while weight is cut by 243 pounds – allowing for a sprint to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds. Dramatic carbon-fiber elements and a radical redesign of the body panels give the F12 a more dramatic look. It will be limited to 799 units over the life of the car. If this is how Ferrari is increasing production, we're more than okay with the company's new strategy. OTHER NEWS & NOTES Tesla software unlocks Autopilot features Tesla released the latest version of its software for the Model S this week, which allows the all-electric sedan to drive in a semi-autonomous state called Autopilot. Tesla Version 7.0 enables the Model S to maintain lane position, change lanes by touching the turn signal, and manage the car's speed using an advanced, traffic-sensing cruise control. It also has a parallel parking feature, which searches for open spots and then parks your Tesla.

2015 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Quick Spin

"Scat Pack" is plucked from The Big Book of Dodge Nameplates to describe what is basically the average of the Charger R/T and Charger SRT 392. Unnecessary horsepower always seems to go down better with a dose of heritage. If you think it's a silly name, just be thankful Dodge didn't call it an S/RT or an R/T-S. In previous years, a similar formulation was known as the SRT8 Super Bee. Going by another name, it's still as sweet and wears the same hurried-looking pollinator on the grille. We do wonder: What has displeased him so, and why does he have wings and wheels? The packaging is at least fresh. All Chargers get updates for 2015, including improved interiors and a Dart-on-steroids exterior redo. The new lines work especially well on the more aggressive models, including this Scat Pack car. Like the Super Bee before it, the Scat Pack gets the 6.4-liter engine from SRT 392; for 2015 it gets a slight output boost to 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque, respective increases of 15 and 5. It does without the SRT three-mode suspension and comes with cloth seats (leather is an option) to keep the price down. The Scat Pack also has slightly smaller Brembo front brakes, narrower wheels, and different rubber. It does, however, cost eight grand less and is just as quick in a straight line. Intriguing. Driving Notes Scat Pack cars get an electronically controlled active exhaust that we'd call hyperactive. It's loud all the time, opening its widest at startup, idle, and when you ask for any appreciable amount of power. Sport mode supposedly makes a difference, but we couldn't discern loud from louder. It's a delicious and appropriate loudness, with a brassy trumpet tone to it, and the engine makes top-fuel noises at full tilt. The squeal of the rear tires can be heard from every stoplight no matter the road conditions. A light touch avoids leaving a mark if you're so inclined. We weren't. When the tires eventually smear into the realm of traction, this thing is pretty quick – hitting 60 miles per hour takes 4.5 seconds. There's also an adjustable launch control mode if you want to cut out some of the wheelspin. The eight-speed transmission shifts smoothly. Quicker, more-palpable shifts are had in Sport mode, but occasionally the transmission still needs a moment to drop down from seventh or eighth when you mash the throttle. Despite its two overdrive gears, this Charger is still loud on the highway. In a good way. Probably.

Brand new cars are being sold with defective Takata airbags

If you just bought a 2016 Audi TT, 2017 Audi R8, 2016–17 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, or 2016 Volkswagen CC, we have some unsettling news for you. A report provided to a US Senate committee that oversees the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reported on by Automotive News claims these vehicles were sold with defective Takata airbags. And it gets worse. Toyota and FCA are called out in the report for continuing to build vehicles that will need to be recalled down the line for the same issue. That's not all. The report also states that of the airbags that have been replaced already in the Takata recall campaign, 2.1 million will need to eventually be replaced again. They don't have the drying agent that prevents the degradation of the ammonium nitrate, which can lead to explosions that can destroy the airbag housing and propel metal fragments at occupants. So these airbags are out there already. We're not done yet. There's also a stockpile of about 580,000 airbags waiting to be installed in cars coming in to have their defective airbags replaced. These 580k airbags also don't have the drying agent. They'll need to be replaced down the road, too. A new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time. If all this has you spinning around in a frustrated, agitated mess, there's a silver lining that is better than it sounds. So take a breath, run your fingers through your hair, and read on. Our best evidence right now demonstrates that defective Takata airbags – those without the drying agent that prevents humidity from degrading the ammonium nitrate propellant – aren't dangerous yet. It takes a long period of time combined with high humidity for them to reach the point where they can rupture their housing and cause serious injury. It's a matter of years, not days. So a new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time – and six years seems to be about as early as the degradation happens in the worst possible scenario. All this is small comfort for the millions of people who just realized their brand-new car has a time bomb installed in the wheel or dashboard, or the owners who waited patiently to have their airbags replaced only to discover that the new airbag is probably defective in the same way (although newer and safer!) as the old one.