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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

Car subscription services: A slow, expensive start — but the potential is huge

Americans are used to paying for subscriptions — to magazines and cable television, for instance — but experience shows they'll cancel when the price of admission gets too high, or there are more tempting alternatives. Cord cutters ditched nearly 1.5 million pay-TV subscriptions in 2017, according to a survey by Leichtman Research Group. Cable TV started out cheap with basic offerings, and then got expensive. The auto industry's subscription offerings are new, but they're starting out costly, and not price-competitive with traditional leasing. The upside is that they take the hassle out of car ownership for busy people by letting the service take care of maintenance, insurance, licensing and taxes. And they give consumers choice, often allowing relatively painless switches between different cars in the automakers' lineup. Subscription services also point the way toward an ownership-free auto experience, and offer an easy transition to a potential world where ride- and car-sharing will be dominant. Subscriptions are here to stay, but consumers may take a while to "get" them. Lincoln's subscription service for lightly used 2015 to 2017 models, offered through the Ford-owned Canvas beginning this year, got off to a slow start. Many early subscribers canceled. Last month, Cadillac announced it would " temporarily pause" its $1,800-per-month Book subscription service for "adjustments" as of December 1. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Snags with the back-end technology used to support the service made some customer-service functions tedious and time-consuming, adding costs for the company." The challenge for automakers is to come up with a strategy that offers consumers a compelling, affordable option to regular ownership, and one that can also make a profit. I think they'll find that sweet spot, but they're not there yet. Jack Nerad, former executive editorial director at Kelley Blue Book and author of " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car," points out that "A lot of people expected that subscriptions would be very valuable for people who wanted inexpensive transportation, but the reality is quite the opposite. Subscriptions are offering more choices for the wealthy.

Volvo Recharge plug-in hybrids get big range and power bumps

Volvo's plug-in hybrid powertrain is getting a significant upgrade for 2023, resulting in all its 90- and 60-series Recharge models effectively doubling their electric range and becoming eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit.  A new rear electric motor now delivers 143 horsepower from 87 hp, resulting in a combined output of 455 hp and 523 pound-feet of torque. That's a significant bump from the previous 400 hp and 472 lb-ft. These changes apply to the Recharge versions of the XC90, S90, XC60 and S60, plus the Polestar Engineered trim levels of XC60 and V60.  Below are the new electric ranges for each of the Volvo Recharge models. Their previous ranges are in parentheses. S60 Recharge: 41 miles (22) V60 Polestar Engineered: 41 miles (22) XC60: 35 miles (19) XC60 Polestar Engineered: 35 miles (19) S90 Recharge: 38 miles (21) XC90 Recharge: 35 miles (18) These range increases are the result of a new long-range battery pack featuring a third layer of cells. This brings total capacity from 11.6 kWh to 18.8 kWh.  There are other advantages, as well. The XC60 and S90 Recharges will now be capable of one-pedal driving, whereby regenerative braking is so strongly applied that the car effectively does most of the braking for you. This is already available on Volvo's fully electric models, and although it will initially be available only on the XC60 and S90, Volvo told Autoblog that the others will eventually get it. When exactly? Volvo did not elaborate.   Volvo says the increased battery capacity will improve performance in extreme cold and heat. It will also allow for pre-heating and pre-cooling the car, even when unplugged, without reducing all-electric range.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2020 Volvo S60 T8 driver assist systems