Lamborghini Will Privately Show a New 800HP Hypercar at Pebble Beach

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jeff Perez 

                               

 

If you thought the Lamborghini lineup was potent enough—clearly, you don’t know Lamborghini. With the introduction of the Egoista in 2013, followed by the equally potent Veneno (pictured), Lamborghini reassured the world that it was still on the edge of insanity when it came to building hypercars. But this year at Pebble Beach, they might just go off the deep end with another mind-blowing creation.

 

The report comes form MotorTrend and suggests that this one-off will be made in extremely limited numbers. Just 20 coupes and 10 roadsters will hit the street, each with a seven figure price tag, and likely to already existing Lamborghini customers. Though, that last part has yet to be confirmed.

Unfortunately, we have no idea what it will be called or what it will even look like. We do know that it will have 800 horsepower and probably won’t be any less dramatic than the Veneno or Egoista.

 

Right now, Lamborghini is denying that this vehicle is coming to Pebble Beach altogether, which is expected. But sources confirm that a new 800-horsepower hypercar is coming, and only serious buyers with deep pockets are allowed to see it in person. Talk about exclusivity.

This ’54 Studebaker Convertible Reveals What Could Have Been

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell 

                               

                                                                                    

If prompted for a list of the greatest American car designs ever penned, quite a few shapes would vie for the top spots. Though not as famous as the Corvette or Mustang, the ‘50s Studebaker Starliner and Starlight “Loewy coupes” surely rank near the top. 

 

They were low, they were pretty, and they looked dramatically different than any of their American contemporaries circa 1953. But one thing that the Starliner shape didn’t provide was a drop-top convertible version, which makes this older modified Studebaker a bit of an odd find.

It recently surfaced on eBay and envisions the production car that could have been if Studebaker had indeed chopped the top of the Starliner coupe. There appear to be reasons why that never happened, though it certainly looks like a winner.

According to the owner, this Studebaker sat for years in a rural Virginia barn–covered, yet dusty. Its exact history is unclear, though the owner estimates its convertible modifications occurred in the ‘70s due to the car’s dated interior trimmings.

 The obvious modification is the lack of its roof, but the owner also estimates that nearly a foot and a half was cut from the Starliner’s body to create those shorter proportions. The original cars were branded as having a quintessential “European” look in the ‘50s. With its shorter wheelbase, this Studebaker fits that bill to a T.

The owner notes that the body work and paint are a little rough and leave a bit to be desired, which suggests the builder’s intentions were to create an eye-catching “driver” rather than a fit-and-finished “show car.” Despite the rough edges, the running gear is said to be in good working order. Originally a six-cylinder Champion model, this Studebaker now features a 289 cubic inch V8 from the mid-‘60s.

According to period accounts, the likely reason that Studebaker didn’t embark on a production convertible lies in the coupe’s light yet flexible chassis. With the top fully chopped, that pliable chassis could have become a full-on wet noodle. Nevertheless with some tuning and trimming, it would have made quite the car supermodel of the ‘50s.
 

Forget Owning a Car, Millennials Like Leasing

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Keith Griffin

 

 

There’s been a lot written about how millennials don’t want to drive. It’s not necessarily true, but now comes the news that unlike other generations, more of them don’t want to own cars.

Nope, when it comes time to sign on the dotted line, millennials (born from 1981 to 1997) more so than Baby Boomers and Generation X would rather lease their cars. That’s not a bad strategy for getting more horsepower for your buck.

According to a study by Edmunds, millennials don’t care about long-term ownership benefits. They want bigger and/or more luxurious.

Leasing allows them to get almost twice the car they could, according to Edmunds. Typically, they’re willing to put down no more than $2,999 and don’t want a car payment above $299 per month. Buying a car outright would limit them to a $20,000 vehicle. Leasing lets them get wheels worth $35,000.


That’s the difference between a Mercedes-Benz CLA and a Hyundai Elantra. (Seems like kind of a no-brainer to us.) Also, Edmunds found that millennials who acquire a new Ram truck, for example, are 30 percent more likely to lease it than the general population. Other top brands that millennials are more likely to lease include GMC (26.1 percent more likely) and Lexus (23.9 percent more likely).

Of course, you’re going to need good credit to lease a car. That could hold back some millennials just starting out post-college.
 

Is Your New Corvette Z06 Not Fast Enough? Call Lingenfelter

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Keith Griffin 

                               

 

Are you the proud owner of a C7 Corvette Z06, but find it lacking in oomph? Well, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering has the answer to your problem—your admittedly first world problem, as social media would call it.

 

Lingenfelter’s C7 Z06 engine package increases the amount of boost the LT-4′s 1.7-liter supercharger makes, raising horsepower from 650 stock to 720, with an increase of peak torque to 730 lbs. ft. (Stock torque is 650 lb-ft, if you’re curious.)

The pricing for the package is $3,995, according to Lingenfelter’s operations manager Mike Copeland. Expect the work to take less than a week by the wizards who work for him Mike told us. The work does void the original GM warranty, so Lingenfelter includes a 12-month/12,000 mile guarantee.
 

Lingenfelter Performance is pumping things up with a Lingenfelter LT1/LT4 dry sump damper, Lingenfelter 9.2-inch 15 percent overdrive supercharger drive pulley, supercharger drive belt, 100mm idler pulley kit, high flow air filter, 170-degree performance thermostat, and GM crankshaft bolt. The company’s also going to give you a USB drive documenting performance gains through chassis dyno testing before/after installation with dyno graphs and video.

Mike is coy on how all of this will affect 0-60 times. “We have not run 0 to 60 times,” he said in an email. “With the variables of traction, temperature, and driver skills, we typically do not publish 0 to 60 times.” But you just know they know the numbers. After all, Ken Lingenfelter is the owner of Corvettes like the classic 2006 Pratt and Miller C6 RS pictured above. Ken and his cohorts know their speed.

A stock Z06 already hits the mark in 2.95 seconds. Could adding 10 percent more horsepower and 11 percent more torque put the 0-60 number at around 2.65 seconds? We’ll be waiting for the eventual performance results.


 

 

Let’s Create a Motorsports Triathlon

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jim Resnick

 

Motorsports in America grew up illicitly. Where a respected, methodical, scientific approach to racing existed at the very start of motorsports in Europe, the home-grown American racing scene consisted of dry lakebed top-speed runs and drag racing in Southern California, dirt bullrings in the Midwest and moonshine running in the Southeast. Racing was outlaw. The stuff of salacious headlines where daredevil drivers flirted with their own death-wishes. And while we’ve come a long way, there’s still an element of sensationalism in how motorsports is perceived in America compared to Europe and Asia.

 

“Right of Way” is a weekly opinion column from automotive journalist, recovering racer and guitarist Jim Resnick.

But there’s an upside to the outlaw beginnings of American motorsports. Diversity. This lawlessness created drag racing. Moonshine running gave birth to oval track competition and NASCAR. As we roll into the second half of this decade, we should capitalize on the diversity we enjoy in our American motorsports and the progressing maturity of the sport in the public’s eyes. We should initiate a cross-functional, cross-sanctioning body Motorsports Triathlon.

 

What real innovation has taken place in the staging and presentation of motorsports over the past 40 years, anyway? Not much. I’m not talking about the craft, the technology or even the processes of motorsports. Those all have developed at a furious rate. Hell, it’s not widely known, but even NASCAR teams were using real-time telemetry over 20 years ago, during practice and testing. And one NASCAR team had a simple but effective form of traction control in the ’90s, never found by officials.

But in formulating and formatting the platform and how racing is presented to an audience, we haven’t innovated anything in some time. Change often comes slowly. It took NASCAR 22 years to use fuel injection after the last carbureted passenger car chuffed off an American dealer lot in 1990.

Compared to a generation or two ago, when the SCCA Trans-Am championship rode to its pinnacle in the late 1960s and ’70s, it ruled the consciousness of American road racing. It had massive factory support. Professional teams and top-name drivers vied very closely for victory. It was organized. It also innovated, being the first time since the nearly-invisible Vanderbilt Cup (pictured below) days on New York’s Long Island that any American car companies went after road racing in a big way.

Currently, there are several tributaries feeding into such a potential triathlon of motorsports in America. All three big U.S. manufacturers have recently developed turn-key factory racecars aimed at either drag racing, road racing or both. All three are based on muscle cars currently in the market that has always captured, and still capture American enthusiasts’ imaginations.

Another factor is that the NHRA’s popularity has fallen dramatically and the format of drag racing needs an infusion of attention and audience. Yet, among enthusiasts, straight-line performance is as popular and important as ever. At the same time, a generation of hot-rodders have discovered autocrossing; it’s become extremely popular among the hot-rod set with the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association staging autocrosses (pictured below) at each of their heavily attended meets for the past few years. Years ago, you were a straight-line guy or an oval tracker or a road racer but these delineations are becoming less meaningful. Clearly, there’s now cross-pollination of a kind within the auto enthusiast ranks like never before.

Combining the three forms—drag, road course and oval track competition—in a three-heat format widens the potential fan base. It would also bolster the entry list of competitors. Many big oval track facilities also have infield road courses and most could also stage eighth-mile drag racing if a full quarter-mile were not possible. It would also open up creative possibilities in TV packaging.

Most importantly, it would bring together racers and an audience from different, often siloed interests to a much fuller degree than even the US-based International Race of Champions, launched in 1973, initially using identical Porsche 911s and later switching to race-prepped Camaros. Done well, a new motorsports triathlon may even draw interest from overseas manufacturers.

Multi-discipline racing is not new, but it’s never been done on a grand scale, nor done in professional ranks. What do you think?
.

Jim Resnick started his career writing and photographing for Vette, Car Craft and Chevy High Performance magazines. He then launched the BMW-focused Bimmer as Editor-in-Chief, while also holding down the Tech Editor chair at Sports Car International. Jim was then drafted into PR and Marketing roles with Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Jaguar Land Rover and ran Communications for Fender Musical Instrument Corporation, bringing a unique perspective to reporting. He’s also a recovering racer and guitarist.

Image Credits: MustangsDaily, RacersReunion, Vanderbuilt Cup Races, Racingjunk.com 

Check out China’s Tesla Model S Copycat

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Nicole Wakelin

 

 

It’s electric and it looks like a Tesla Model S, but it’s called the Ranger X and it’s made by Chinese automaker Youxia. The car is powered by an electric motor producing 356 horsepower with 325 lb-ft of torque and it has a battery pack mounted beneath the floor. The Youxia Ranger X will do 0-62 mph in 5.6 seconds and has a range of 286 miles per charge.

The company says the Youxia features technology that’s used in the BMW i3 and the Tesla Model S. Safety technology includes adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance. The inside of the Ranger X with its long center screen looks even more like the Tesla than the car’s exterior. Inspiration for the car clearly came from Tesla, but also from a classic ’80s television show.

According to Autocar, 28-year-old company owner Huang Xiuyuan is a big fan of Knight Rider and took the name Youxia from the show’s title in Chinese. It even has an LCD panel in the front of the car that can recreate Kitt’s lights.

The Ranger X will go into production later this year with pricing rumored to be around $32,000. As for Tesla, they’ve made no comment about this Chinese lookalike.

 

Ford Accidentally Leaked Focus RS Pricing

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jonathon Klein 

                               

 

For hatchback lovers all over the US, these last few years have been a dream come true. Not only do we have the brilliant Ford products like the Fiesta ST and Focus ST, but we also have things like the Golf GTI, the Golf R, the Mercedes GLA45 AMG, and until recently, the WRX STI hatchback. However, Ford wants to be king of them all and is finally going to bring the bonkers Focus RS to the States.

The new Focus RS has a 345-horsepower turbocharged powerplant that sends all that power to all four wheels. It also includes a drift button that allows the engine to send all its torque to the rear wheels allowing you to hoon like Ken Block for hours, or at least until you destroy your tires. That said, one area that we haven’t been privy to is the price for this new hoonmobile. Until now.

According to Ford’s website earlier today, the new Focus RS will have a base price of just $35,730 not including destination, which will set you back another $875. That means the base Focus RS undercuts the almost everything in its class by around $2,000 and has more horsepower to boot. This could be the performance deal of the century, although we’ll have to wait to see how the new Focus RS performs against its competitors.

Ford has since pulled the link down from the company’s website. Nevertheless, the guys over at Horsepower Kings took a quick screenshot of the configurator when the link was live. We’ll have to wait for confirmation from Ford to get further details and the confirmed price of the car, so stay tuned.

 

6 Cool Features of the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell 

 

                                

It hasn’t been said in many years, but the midsize pickup segment is alive and kicking once again. The big proponents? Foremost among them, GM buyers now have a stake in the segment – the reborn Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. 

 

So what’s making these twins so appealing? Simply put, they come packing lots of useful features for midsize truck buyers. Take a look at six of the biggest plus sides of the new and improved Chevrolet Colorado.

Duramax Turbodiesel

The U.S. market has been clamoring a long time for a smaller pickup truck with a fuel-sipping diesel engine. That setup will finally return in the form of the Chevrolet Colorado’s 2.8-liter Duramax turbodiesel four-cylinder. It goes on sale in the fall, priced at $3,730 more than a comparably optioned 3.6-liter V6 model, and offers up a huge 369 lb-ft of stump-pulling torque.

Box and Seat Delete Option

Hurrah! The midsize segment gets a box delete! Admittedly, this is designed for fleet and business sales–the average customer won’t buy one–but it affords businesses the ability to keep their trucks capable without having to go full-size. Denoted as order code ZW9, the box delete is exclusive to the Colorado’s two-wheel drive Work Truck extended cab model.

Active Aerodynamic Grille Shutters

You expect sportscars and supercars to have active aerodynamics, but for the most part…not a pickup truck. The Chevrolet Colorado features active front grille shutters which close down during highway speeds to increase fuel economy. The truck’s onboard computer tells these slats when to engage and disengage.

GearOn Cargo System

Anyone who has canoes, kayaks, snowboards, bikes, and skis will know that these items may each require a separate cargo system to handle them. The Colorado’s GearOn system, which features reconfigurable cross rails, bed dividers, and tie-downs, works to consolidate as many of those rack systems as possible while still leaving bed storage available for your not-so-bulky gear.

Wi-Fi and Apple CarPlay

Connectivity is quickly becoming a top tipping point in a car-buying purchase, and the Colorado is stuffed to the gills. The truck comes with the Chevrolet MyLink eight-inch color touchscreen, compatibility with Apple CarPlay (Android Auto expected later in 2016), and OnStar’s 4G LTE with a built-in wireless hot-spot. Why even go inside? “Kids, we’re watching cat videos in the Colorado!”

You Can Still Get a Manual Transmission

The manual transmission may be disappearing from the sportscars of the world, but you can still find one in the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The six-speed manual gearbox is an option for the two-wheel drive, extended cab Work Truck models with the 2.5-liter four-cylinder. Hooray self-shifting!

Borgward’s Back: Defunct German Automaker Returns With New SUV

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted  by Jeff Perez 

                               

 

Like TVR, another European automaker is rising from the dead and bringing to market an all-new vehicle. Unlike TVR, though, formerly defunct German automaker Borgward isn’t hitting the market with a high-horsepower sportscar. Rather, they’ve got something more practical planned—as is the German way.

 

Gearing up for a Frankfurt Motor Show reveal, Borgward has given the world its first taste of its upcoming SUV. The only detail we know is that it will be an “affordable premium” off-roader with about the same body size as a Mercedes-Benz GLE. Otherwise, design details and the likes are left to the imagination.

But who’s behind this revival? After sitting dormant for 54 years, Christian Borgward—grandson of founder Carl F.W. Borgward—along with former Saab designer Karl-Heinz Knoss, and with some help from Beiqi Foton Motors are bringing this real-world vehicle back to life.

 

By 2020, Borgward execs expect to sell upwards of 1.6 million units annually, releasing two new models per year. Talk about ambitious. You’ll get your first real look at the new Borgward SUV when it hits Geneva in a few months.

Where Do Supercars Go To Die?

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Nicole Wakelin

 

 

Supercars start out perfect and bright and shiny. They are expensive automotive masterpieces that often live out their lives in air-conditioned garages, carefully tended by their owners or their owners’ staff. Eventually, every car outlives its useful life, but supercars don’t have quite the same fate as the average sedan.

Eurospares salvage is in the business of taking old, unwanted supercars and giving them new lives. Sometimes this means stripping them down for individual parts and sometimes it means salvaging and reconditioning entire engines. It’s a very expensive car graveyard that may give new life to cars that are still on the road. There are six whole buildings on their grounds full of carefully labelled bits and pieces from all kinds of supercars.

According to Autocar, parts from all these used cars cost about half the price of their new equivalents. Wheels, windscreens and front end bits that are easily damaged in accidents are the most popular parts. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis all sit side by side, contributing their parts to keep some other car whole.

Cars end up at Eurospares for different reasons. They’ve been involved in accidents, floods, and sometimes aren’t damaged at all but purchased from dealers going out of business. Eurpspares salvages whatever they can, carefully storing it all until someone calls for that hard to find part that is the key to making their car once again perfect.

 

This ‘80s El Camino is a Modern Day V8 Showstopper

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell 

                               

 

When most people think of the El Camino, they envision GM’s proud Chevelle-based pickup of the ‘60s. Big V8 under the hood, lots of ‘60s muscle car era horsepower to deliver to the ground. It’s an absolute icon. 

 

Admittedly, the ‘80s Malibu-based El Camino doesn’t receive as much dreamy-eyed fanfare…but that’s not to say it doesn’t deserve it. This nicely customized ’85 El Camino certainly does, and it could very well outrun most of today’s muscle cars. “Malaise era” you say? Not in the least. This timeless Chevy recently appeared on eBay.

According to the owner, this El Camino was given its custom makeover in 2005. On the outside, the two-door ute may have lost its door handles, but it added a sleek hard tonneau cover, nicely placed rear hood scoop, and aggressive front splitter. The Chevrolet sits low on Bilstein heavy duty shocks and one-inch drop spindles, and wraps its 18-inch Budnik wheels in BFGoodrich G-Force rubber.
 

Inside, the rather dated ‘80s El Camino dash has been replaced with the unit from a ‘70s Firebird and comes fully modernized with handsome Nordskog digital gauges. An eye-catching Budnik steering wheel follows suit and complements a pioneer CD, DVD, and satellite radio in the dash–something you certainly couldn’t option up in 1985. JL Audio subwoofers and MB Quart tweeters ensure that there’s more than just engine to listen to. Though you’ll certainly want to hear that engine roar.

Under the hood lies a Chevrolet ZZ4 350 cubic inch crate engine, which came from the factory pumping out around 355 horsepower. Thanks to a Crane cam, Brodix aluminum heads, Holley 4776 carburetor, and B&M supercharger–it now likely pumps out a lot, lot more. Power goes to the ground through a tried and true TH350 automatic, which allegedly will set you through the eighth mile drag in 8.9 seconds.

Bring it back, Chevrolet. Bring back the El Camino…

A Street-Legal Aston Martin Vulcan Sounds Like the Best Idea

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Jeff Perez 

 

                               

 

What you see here is an Aston Martin Vulcan. And yeah, it is insanely cool. The track-only Aston Martin has an 800-horsepower V12 and isn’t certified to be anywhere on (or near, really) public roads. Actually, it’s even too powerful for GTE racing. But that first part could change if engineers really wanted it to. And they really want it to…if it means they’re going to sell even more of them.

 

According to Autovisie, in an interview with Aston Martin product manager Simon Croft, the marque may look to take its track-only hypercar, and turn it a road-going monster at the request of a few customers. V12 and all. Problem is, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Unlike the McLaren P1 GTR and LaFerrari FXXK, the Aston Martin Vulcan isn’t based on an already existing model. Whereas McLaren and Ferrari both have road-going versions of their track cars, Aston Martin isn’t so fortunate. The Vulcan was designed from the ground up as an absolute, hardcore, built-for-the-track machine. That’s it.

 

Aston Martin will mull over the idea of turning the Vulcan into a road-going vehicle, but for now, the brand is focused on selling all 24 versions of the vehicle at a jaw-dropping cost of $2.2 million each.

See Train Barrel into Limousine Stuck on the Tracks

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Keith Griffin 

 

                               

 

Sometimes a video pops up on YouTube that is just a monument to stupidity and irresponsibility—and you can’t help watching it over and over again. Such is the case with a video of a cargo train striking a Chrysler 300 stretch limo.

 

Studio Noe Productions caught the glass-smashing, body-crunching action in all its glory. Make sure the sound is turned up to hear the conversation if nothing else in the aftermath of the crash. (But once the train starts braking, you might want to hit mute.)

Maybe it’s callous to say, but that’s where the stupidity comes in. As you can see in the video, right before the impact, someone is waving a red flag—apparently to catch the train engineer’s attention.

 

An unknown person can be heard saying, “Didn’t you see me?” Someone, apparently the engineer, replies, “I know. I’ve got 10,000 tons.” To which the first person responds, “I know. I’m sorry.”

The irresponsibility comes in from the fact the limo driver even got the car stuck in the first place. Attempting to go over the elevated crossing with a stretch limousine with low-ground clearance was just a physics failure. He was left hanging like a seesaw.

At least the driver of the limousine was responsible enough to get the teenage birthday party of the car before the train came down the track. No one was injured in the crash, which is why we feel comfortable pointing out the irresponsibility and stupidity. Wonder if they got their security deposit back?

A New Ferrari F12 Could Cut Weight and Unleash 760 HP

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell

 

                                

Ferrari has the supercar recipe down to a T. Sharpen, lighten, strengthen, give it a “Speciale” designation, and let it loose on the world. That formula has recently birthed the 458 Speciale supercar, though Ferrari may apply the same equation to its V12 grand touring coupe—the F12berlinetta. 

 

According to the UK’s Autocar, the Prancing Horse is currently developing a more focussed version of its F12 grand tourer, expected to don the “Speciale” title in time for next year’s Geneva Motor Show. It is said to be a full-production model and will slot above the current car in the Ferrari lineup.

While no official word has been announced, the magazine reports that the power of the Ferrari’s V12 engine will be eeked up from 730 to over 760 horsepower, permitting off-the-line performance in the region of zero to 60 mph in under three seconds flat. Hold onto your hats.

The power increase will also allegedly complement a retuned suspension setup, aggressive aerodynamic tweaks, and a significant 440-pound weight loss regimen planned for the car.

The heft is expected to be trimmed by employing lightweight body panels, thinner window glass, lightweight wheels, and a stripped-out interior. Current amenities like carpets, air conditioning, and infotainment would likely receive the cut as standard, though may be available as additional options. Expect styling in the same vein as the no-nonsense 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale.

Considering the F12berlinetta already retails for an eye-watering $320,000…this potential F12 “Speciale” certainly won’t come with a bargain due to its stripped-out nature. Then again, it may rival the performance of cars with significantly higher price tags–hypercar territory.

10 Epic, Sporty Station Wagons

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by George Kennedy 

 

                               

 

Station wagons–they were to the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s what the crossover is today. It was the go-to family vehicle, and many a memory was had on road trips across the country. But not every wagon was conceived with trips to the market in mind. Here are ten awesome wagons through the decades that added a little something extra to the mix.

Ford Woody Wagon

The 1940 Ford Super Deluxe Woody Wagon is just one example of the many woody wagons out there. This one from 1940 featured a 220 cubic inch V8. Be it the Super Deluxe or one like it, the woody wagon became synonymous with West Coast American surfing culture.

Chevrolet Nomad

Despite being a two-door wagon, we hesitate to call the Nomad a shooting brake. The long side windows, aft of the doors resulted in a clean design that was painfully attractive. Engine options at the time included 265 cubic inch and 283 cubic inch V8s, but you can bet folks have put some monster big blocks under the hood through the years. It is the ultimate grocery-getter-turned-hot-rod.

Ford Ranch Wagon

The Nomad gets a lot of love but Ford had its own 2-door wagon. Not to be confused with the Ranchero (Ford’s El Camino rival), the Ranch Wagon enjoyed the styling language of the 1950s Country Squire. Something about the 1959 Ranch Wagon looks like it would be right at home parked in a motel in 50’s Daytona beach.


Hurst-Olds Vista Cruiser

One of the most revered Oldsmobiles is the Hurst-Olds 442, and for one year, a wagon version was made. In 1972, Hurst was given the honor of creating pace cars and safety cars for the 56th Indianapolis 500. The race also required some medical transport vehicles and press transports. So Hurst graced the Vista Cruiser with its 300-hp, 455 cubic inch V8, 3.23 posi, myriad modifications…and solidified its spot as one of the coolest muscle car-wagons of all time

Audi RS2 Avant

These days, a handful of automakers build very cool, high performance wagons. The Germans do this really well, and one of the O.G. speed wagons was the RS2 Avant. It was a joint venture between Porsche and Audi, and featured a turbocharged inline-5 sending power through a 6-speed manual transmission to Quattro all-wheel-drive. It was all tuned and assembled by Porsche, and had a claimed 0-30 time of 1.5 seconds—faster than a McLaren F1

Volvo 850 R-Wagon

The 850 wagon could be considered the pinnacle of Swedish style. The boxiness, the wagon-ness, is the Volvo many ‘90s kids grew up riding in the back of. But not all 850 wagons had the vaunted R package, with the turbocharged inline-5, making 240-hp. It was set off with unique visual tweaks, including a high rear spoiler and (massive-for-the-day) 170-inch wheels.


Buick Roadmaster

How does a Buick land-barge with wood paneling sound as a daily driver? Well, what if I told you that Manatee-of-the-road had the 5.7-liter LT1 V8 from the Chevrolet Corvette. It was an old-school car, using iron heads and analog gauges (the ‘Vette had digital readouts and aluminum heads). Because the B-body wagon was a close cousin to the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, it even had the Olds’s second-row sunroof–a nod to the original Vista Cruiser of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Audi Allroad Quattro

While several models on this list were wagons trying to be sportscars, the Allroad is a wagon trying to be an SUV. It featured a twin-turbo V6 that made 247 horsepower, but the real hardware came in the form advanced air suspension that could change its ride height for highway or trail driving. Matched with the Torsen-based Quattro permanent all-wheel drive, and the Allroad was a wagon that can go off road better than many new crossovers.


Ferrari 456 GT Venice

From 1992 to 1997, the 456 was Ferrari’s V12 touring car, prioritizing comfort over performance, but the GT Venice takes that notion to a whole new level. Seven of these cars were custom ordered by the Sultan of Brunei’s brother, Prince Jefri, but only six were purchased. It is rumored that each car cost $1.5 million.


Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

A living fossil is an animal that should, by the laws of evolution, not exist. With its supercharged, 555-hp LSA V8, magnetic ride control, and impractical proportions, the the CTS-V Sport Wagon is such an unlikely car. It came out of the ashes of the bailout-era GM, and we will probably never see production cars as bonkers as it again.