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Tom Hanks' custom 1974 Fiat 126p has sold for $83,500

Actor Tom Hanks has sold his custom 1974 Fiat 126p at auction for $83,500. It's a notable sum for a 23-horsepower Polish-built microcar, but it's not even the most interesting part of the story. That would be how the Saving Private Ryan star came to possess the car, which was never officially sold in the U.S. in the first place. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The "Polski" Fiat 126p was built in Cold War Poland under license from Fiat while the country was still under communist rule. A successor to the original Fiat 500, the model was particularly long-lived. Fiat built about 1.4 million of them in Italy from 1972-1991. However, that number pales in comparison with the estimated 3.3 million additional cars from Bielsko-Biala, Poland, where the car was manufactured until 2000. Cars built in Poland were denoted 126p, and locals nicknamed them "Maluch," or "small one" in Polish. They were still prevalent in former Eastern Bloc nations like Hungary in 2016 when Hanks visited the country. As an apparent joke he posed next to a few street-parked examples that he came across, posting the subsequent photos to Twitter with the caption "So excited about my new car!!" According to The Drive, a Hanks fan named Monika Jaskolska, a resident of Bielsko-Biala, saw the tweets and made it her mission to get one for him. Jaskolska ended up raising enough money, along with corporate sponsors, to not only restore a 126p, but build a custom interior for Toma Hanksa, as he's known as in Polish. Because the Philadelphia actor was known for collecting typewriters, they customized the interior switchgear to resemble keys from a vintage one. Some of the money raised also went to a local pediatric hospital. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The car was given an unveiling ceremony in Poland before it was delivered to Hanks in Los Angeles via cargo jet, just in time for his birthday. In addition to the custom interior, the car features some exclusive badging and a Forrest Gump quote on a plaque affixed to the dashboard, so there's no confusing it with a regular Polski Fiat. Now, however, it's time to move the car on to a new owner. Hanks is donating the full sale amount to Hidden Heroes, which supports military caregivers, the spouses and parents of injured or ill servicemen and servicewomen.

Google-Chrysler autonomous project will include ride-sharing

Google's new Waymo automobile-technology division might have just gotten "way mo" interesting, if you'll excuse the pun. Google, which this spring said it would work with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on the development of a self-driving Chrysler minivan prototype, is adding a ride-sharing component to the project, Bloomberg News says, citing people familiar with the process. Representatives with both Fiat Chrysler and Google parent Alphabet Inc. declined to comment to Bloomberg. The ride-sharing service, which would compete with fellow San Francisco Bay Area-based companies such as Uber and Lyft, may debut as soon as the end of next year. Uber continues to move forward with its own self-driving efforts, launching self-driving tests (with engineers behind the wheel) in Pittsburgh in September and announcing this week that it would start tests in San Francisco. Those efforts may be delayed, however, as the state of California requires special permitting for testing out self-driving technology, and while the state has granted those permits to automakers such as General Motors, Tesla and Ford, it hasn't for Uber. Google and Chrysler said earlier this year that it would develop about 100 autonomous-driving Pacifica prototypes, but the ride-sharing service would require more of those vehicles to be built. Google's auto-technology operations, now called Waymo, have been headed by former Hyundai executive John Krafcik since September 2015. The division has reportedly brought in more executive-level personnel to speed things along. Meanwhile, Chrysler is slated to unveil an all-electric prototype version of the Pacifica at Las Vegas's annual CES show next month. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

FCA goes natural with CNG fleet

FCA Transport, the fleet of tractor trailers owned by FCA US that hauls parts from suppliers and to assembly plants, is going green. By converting its 179 trucks from diesel to compressed natural gas, CO2 emissions will drop by 16,000 tons per year based on the cumulative 16 million miles the fleet covers annually. That is roughly equivalent to the yearly energy use of 1,500 homes, the same as not burning more than 17 million pounds of coal. FCA says rolling out the largest CNG-powered truck fleet in Michigan took two years to execute and a $40-million investment, including $5 million to build the largest private CNG station on the continent. It also required the assistance of Cummins, Allison Transmission, and Agility Fuel Systems. There is an upside for FCA Transport in all of this: the company estimates fuel savings of 35 percent from not having to buy 2.6 million gallons of diesel every year. It's probably no coincidence that this announcement comes as world leaders tackle the same problems at the Paris Climate Change Conference. The press release below has more. FCA US Launches Largest Private Fleet of Natural Gas-Powered Semitrucks in the State of Michigan- Company announces $40 million investment in Detroit to convert 179 parts-hauling trucks to compressed natural gas (CNG)- Investment includes facility and infrastructure upgrades and the installation of the largest private CNG fueling station in North America- Fleet's transition to CNG will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 16,000 tons per yearDecember 4, 2015 , Detroit - FCA US LLC announced today that it has invested $40 million in FCA Transport, the FCA US-owned truck fleet, to convert its 179 Detroit-based parts-haulers to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) rather than traditional diesel. The move gives FCA the largest private fleet of CNG-powered heavy-duty vehicles in the state of Michigan."Our transition to CNG reflects the way FCA US attempts to balance our search for profitability with social responsibility and community development, including environmental stewardship," said Steve Beahm, Senior Vice President – Supply Chain Management, FCA – North America. "This project was a win-win-win – it offered a solid business case, clear environmental benefits and an opportunity to invest in our Detroit facility and workforce."FCA Transport, built in 1965, is located on Lynch Road in Detroit, just across from the Detroit City Airport.