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1969 Volvo P1800 gasser wins 2021 Hot Wheels Legends Tour

Hot Wheels has announced the winner of the 2021 Legends Tour: it's a 1969 Volvo P1800 gasser owned by England-based Lee Johnstone. Built from a bare shell, the V8-powered hot rod will join the toy manufacturer's catalog of 1/64-scale model by the end of 2022. Designers and key figures from the automotive industry chose the P1800 after looking at contestants from 11 countries on five continents. The list of finalists also included a 1991 Porsche 911 turned into a Baja race car, a 1969 Dodge Charger fitted with extra-wide tires and powered by a Richard Petty V8 engine tuned to 740 horsepower, and a 1968 Mercedes-Benz 250S called High Class that rides on a frame sourced from a 1984 Chevrolet S-10. Substantial skill and originality went into each build, but Johnstone's hot rod stood out above the rest. "The Volvo Gasser is a wonderful expression of authenticity, creativity, and most importantly garage spirit," said Ted Wu, the vice president and global head of design for vehicles at Mattel. Wu was one of the panelists that picked the P1800. Johnstone explained his P1800 was little more than a rusty shell that was too far gone to restore when he acquired it. Instead of scrapping it, he decided to build it into a gasser powered by a 454-cubic-inch V8 plucked from the Chevrolet parts bin and supercharged to develop around 600 horsepower. Fitted with dual four-barrel carburetors, and nicknamed "Ain't no Saint," it reportedly runs a 10.01-second quarter mile at 133 mph. Johnstone regularly races the P1800 in the United Kingdom with help from his three daughter and his wife, Sue. Hot Wheels is scheduled to release the P1800 in late 2022, Autoblog learned from a spokesperson. Turning a car into a toy is a surprisingly lengthy and meticulous process that involves collecting numerous photos, converting them into sketches (and, if needed, tweaking some of the proportions to better fit the 1/64 scale), making a 3D digital model using a software called Freeform, and printing test cars. Check out our live stream on the new game Hot Wheels Unleashed: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 1969 Volvo P1800 gasser (2021 Hot Wheels Legends Tour winner) Aftermarket Toys/Games Volvo Hot Wheels

Subprime financing on the rise in new car sales, leasing too

We all remember the financial crisis that began several years back. At its core was a splurge of subprime lending for housing loans. The housing bubble burst, triggering a collapse of the mortgage-backed securities market. Apparently, those types of loans still exist in the automotive industry, and the market share for these types of "nonprime, subprime, and deep subprime," loans has grown 13.6 percent compared to the third quarter a year ago.
According to an Automotive News report, high-risk lending expanded to 24.8 percent of total loans in Q3, up from 21.9 percent for this time last year. As this level increased, average credit scores of borrowers dropped to 755, down from 763 a year ago. In that time, the average financing amount increased $90 per vehicle, to $25,963.
At 818, Volvo maintains the highest per-owner credit score, while Mitsubishi has the lowest, at 694. The highest rate of borrowers was at Toyota, with 14 percent of the market, followed by Ford with 13.1 percent and Chevrolet at 11.1.

Two more Volvo Concept C Coupe teasers drop [w/videos]

Volvo is planning to take the wraps off its Concept C Coupe tomorrow ahead of an official unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show. If you just can't wait until then, though, Volvo has released two more teaser videos for the new concept.
Like the video from earlier in the week, we get a couple more sneak peeks of the stylish two-door including our first glimpse of the interior. The highly conceptual concept likely hints at a future coupe for the Swedish automaker, and after dropping the C30 and C70 from its lineup over the last couple years, this can't come soon enough. Scroll down to watch both new teaser videos, and stay tuned to see more on this car tomorrow.