1970 Toyota Fj55 Cruiser 4-speed Manual Original Factory Specifications on 2040-cars

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Toyota bringing updated Avensis to Geneva

The upper end of Toyota's sedan lineup in America may be all about the Camry and Avalon, but that's not the case everywhere in the world. Back home in Japan, Toyota offers the Crown and the Mark X. But in Europe, it all comes down to the Avensis. And the Japanese automaker is about to roll out an updated version at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The Avensis, for those unfamiliar, is Toyota's challenger to the likes of the Ford Mondeo (which we know as the Fusion) and the Volkswagen Passat, available in both sedan and wagon forms. It was first introduced in 1997 and is currently in its third iteration, but what you see here is not the fourth-generation model but an update on the MkIII that hit the European market in 2009. Full details on the refreshed model have yet to be disclosed, but the new Avensis clearly benefits from revised styling – carried out at the company's design studio in the South of France, with production to continue at the Burnaston plant in the UK. Expect a revised interior, updated equipment and a new engine range to also be part of the mix when the new Avensis is revealed in full early next month in Switzerland. TOYOTA TO REVEAL NEW AVENSIS AT THE GENEVA MOTOR SHOW Toyota will reveal the new Avensis at the Geneva motor show (3 – 15 March), the latest development of its contender in the European mid-size (D-segment) car market. New Avensis has been styled at Toyota's ED2 design studio in the South of France and developed by the company's R&D centre in Brussels. It will be built by Toyota Manufacturing UK at the Burnaston car plant, near Derby. The new model will deliver innovations in comfort and safety and will feature a new range of engines that promise both performance and efficiency. Avensis has been designed to appeal to fleet and private customers alike. Toyota will present new Avensis and host a press conference on its stand at the Geneva motor show at 12:15 on 3 March. Featured Gallery 2016 Toyota Avensis News Source: Toyota Geneva Motor Show Toyota Wagon Sedan 2015 Geneva Motor Show toyota avensis

5 highlights from the 2018 Petersen Automotive Museum Auction

From the avant garde exterior design to the collection of vehicles between the walls, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is one of the coolest car museums in the U.S., and possibly the world. Among several others, the Petersen has two featured exhibits, The Porsche Effect and Legends of L.A. But the museum has a different type of viewing coming up at which you could touch, or even buy, a variety of special vehicles. After hosting its SoCal auction on the coast in Santa Monica for several years, RM Sotheby's has moved the event to the more central location of the museum. In addition to several works of art, the auction which takes place the weekend of December 7, will show several dozens of blue-chip vehicles, chosen by RM Sotheby's 30 car specialists. After sorting through lots that range from microcars to new-age supercars, here are five of the highlights that caught our eyes. 1956 Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti Projected Value: $22,000,000-$26,000,000 Without question, this is the crown jewel of the entire show. As the eldest and most experienced of the 11 total Ferrari lots, its estimated value of $26 million is more than five times the values of the other five cars listed below combined. From the jump, Ferrari threw the 290 into the line of fire. Starting its life with a four-cylinder 860 Monza engine and a Tipo 520 chassis, its first race was the Mille Miglia. Peter Collins was behind the wheel and racing photographer Louis Klemantaski was his copilot. Ferrari took the top five spots in the race, with this car, chassis No. 0628, finishing second. It went on to see multiple races and took on multiple forms, including a V12 swap at one point. After switching through the hands of multiple owners, it was sent to Ferrari Classiche in Maranello, where it was restored to its form at the time of the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring. It retains its original chassis, original bodywork, and original transmission, and houses the V12 from its 290 MM spec. The restoration was completed in 2015, and the car remains in incredible shape today. 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV by Bertone Projected Value: $2,100,000-$2,500,000 Simply put, the Miura is one of the most significant supercars, and therefore one of the most important cars, of all time. Its two-seat, mid-engined configuration seismically shifted what a performance could and should look like, and its V12 gave it the power to be the fastest car in the world when it debuted.

Here We Go Again: Lexus attacks EVs in new ad [UPDATE]

UPDATE: We got a comment from founding member of Plug In America Paul Scott on this ad. It's available below. The last time Lexus attacked plug-in battery vehicles in an ad, it had to apologize. The company is remaining on message, though, and has revisited a hybrid-vehicle advertising campaign that implies that driving a battery-electric vehicle is a big waste of time, because of all the charging you need to do. With the new spot, Lexus once again raised hackles of plug-in vehicle advocates because, once again, the accuracy is questioned. "The ad's message was that a consumer could [drive] a vehicle with advanced technology today, without sacrifice or change in habit." – Lexus spokesman Brian Bolain Lexus is running print ads (click to enlarge) in publications like Wired poking fun at EVs, the International Business Times says. Lexus highlights range anxiety in the spot, comparing the amount of time it takes to fully recharge an EV – and the idea that air conditioning and using the radio can shorten an EV's range – to the fun of just driving a Lexus. "The [print] ad was merely intended to paint a picture of life with a hybrid, which is basically no different from life with a traditional gas-powered vehicle, versus life with an EV, which can have challenges or at least uncertainties," Lexus spokesman Brian Bolain told AutoblogGreen. "In other words, at its core, the ad's message was that a consumer could participate in driving a vehicle with advanced technology today, without sacrifice or change in habit." The campaign picks up where Lexus's previous anti-EV campaign left off this spring. A website promoting Lexus's hybrids (and parent company Toyota's H2 vehicles) claimed that there was a hydrogen refueling infrastructure set up in 20 US states (not anywhere close to true). Plug-in advocates were also quick to note that higher-powered EV recharging systems can allow a plug-in to be recharged in far less than the four hours the Lexus site claimed. Of course, Toyota has a lot more skin in the game when it comes to hybrids and, starting next year, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles than it does for plug-ins. Through August, the company sold just 842 RAV4 EVs and about 11,500 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrids in the US. That compares to almost 19,000 Nissan Leaf EVs and a Tesla Model S count that's likely close to that figure as well (Tesla breaks out neither monthly sales numbers nor US-only sales for the Model S).