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Video: Driving the million-mile Porsche 356

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Porsche, Luxury

Petrolicious makes a video about a man with a million-mile Porsche.

Maybe you’ve seen or heard about the Porsche 356 with almost one-million miles (though it doesn’t look like it), but Petrolicious finally has produced a video to show us what it’s like to drive the 982,000-mile car. Guy Newmark’s beautiful, dark-blue 1964 356C looks great in motion – much better than in photos – and serves to remind us not only what meticulous car care can do for old classics, but that old Porsches were built to last.

So how fastidious is Newmark about maintaining it? He takes the car to his mechanic of 40 years every 3,000 miles for an oil change and to fix anything that needs attention.

Newmark says his 356 “is everything you could want,” and that he finds errands to do just to go drive it. We would, too. The next-best thing is to watch the inspiring video below of the well-traveled Porsche.

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Driving the million-mile Porsche 356 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Aug 2013 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford to pay $17.35 million over Escape recall

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Ford, Earnings/Financials

First-Generation Ford Escape front three-quarter

Ford had a bit of a recall spree around this time last year, with a pair of issues on the then-new 2013 Escape, followed by a recall of 423,000 2001 to 2004 Escapes because they might accelerate of their own accord. Accordingly, Uncle Sam pasted Ford with a $17.35 million fine because it took too long to inform customers, according to a report from Automotive News.

Ford agreed to settle with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, accepting the fine but not admitting fault. The recall, which afflicted Escapes with the 3.0-liter V-6 along with 217,000 Mazda Tributes from 2001 to 2006 and 2008, was due to faulty gas pedals that could stay down after a driver removed their foot.

Ford issued a statement regarding the fine, saying, “We take the safety of our customers seriously and continuously evaluate our processes for improvements. While we are confident in our current processes for quickly identifying and addressing potential vehicle issues, Ford agreed to this settlement to avoid a lengthy dispute with the government.”

Ford to pay $17.35 million over Escape recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Toyota investing $30 million in Indiana for more Highlander production

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota

2014 Toyota Highlander front three-quarter

Indiana seems like the place to be if you’re looking for work in a car factory. In May, Subaru announced plans to invest $400 million in its Lafayette, Indiana plant, creating 900 new jobs in the process and increasing capacity to 300,000 units per year. Now, Toyota has announced plans to invest $30 million in its Princeton, Indiana plant, 170 miles south of the Subaru factory, which also builds the Camry.

Toyota’s investment will create an additional 200 jobs and increase the factory’s volume by 15,000 units. Toyota announced an investment in the plant in February of 2012 that bumped volume up from 300,000 to 350,000 units. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, as the Princeton facility is officially known, produces the recently revised Toyota Highlander, the Sequoia and the Sienna. It employs 4,500 people, and this announcement represents Toyota’s tenth production increase in under two years.

Scroll down below for the official announcement.

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Toyota investing $30 million in Indiana for more Highlander production originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Jul 2013 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: BMW, Mini aim to sell million cars off new FWD platform

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, Crossover, Hatchback, BMW, Mini, Luxury

Mini sold 301,526 cars in 2012; BMW sold 1.54 million of its own models. According to a piece in Autocar, analysts say the coming UKL1 platform that will form the skeleton of the third-generation Mini Cooper and coming front-wheel drive BMW 1 Series could be responsible for “more than 900,000 cars per year” all by itself.

That sale fire is fueled by the UKL1 wearing up to twenty-three bodies in total between the two brands, 11 for Mini and 12 for BMW, rendering hatchbacks, sedans, coupes, convertibles, wagons, crossovers and people-haulers from about 12.5 feet to 14.5 feet. In April the VP of Mini USA said we might find some current models don’t make it to a next generation, but a graphic accompanying the Autocar story has them all there. If it’s correct, then those 23 models will only base model lines and don’t account for different engines and four-wheel-drive options for each model.

The big changes that would perhaps mean big sales for the Mini line are a five-door hatch with two smaller rear doors for children, the sedan talked about last year for Asian markets and an MPV perhaps wearing the “Traveler” name that could send the Countryman in a more SUV-like direction.

BMW, Mini aim to sell million cars off new FWD platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Smart celebrates 1.5 million Fortwo models built, prepares to upgrade factory

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Plants/Manufacturing, Smart, Specialty

Smart is celebrating 1.5 million Fortwos built since 1998 at its plant in Hambach, France, before it goes offline for an extended summer break. The 1.5 millionth Fortwo is a white Electric Drive Cabriolet, but it isn’t known which market it will be sold in.

The milestone is highlighted by the reason for the extended break, which starts in July and continues through August: The plant will be receiving a 200 million euro upgrade to prepare it for a next-generation Smart vehicle, a newly designed “four-seated urban mobility car” (aka, the 2015 Smart Forfour) that will be available in 2014. In addition, a new, environmentally friendly liquid-paint shop will be built at the plant, replacing the old powder-paint shop and representing the largest individual project in the upgrade, requiring a cool 50 million euro.

For more details on Smart’s immediate future, check out the press release below.

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Smart celebrates 1.5 million Fortwo models built, prepares to upgrade factory originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai announces 5 million units sold in Europe

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Hyundai

Hyundai i30

The UK-market Hyundai i30 – Click above to enlarge

It’s official: five million Hyundai vehicles have been paired with paying customers in Europe since 1977. It began with a Hyundai Pony sent home with a UK buyer, and the latest milestone was achieved with the sale of an i30 (pictured). Although it works out to roughly 147,000 cars per year over those 34 years, the Korean firm didn’t hit the million-sales mark until 1996. The second million came in 2001, the third million in 2005, and it’s been another million every three years since.

More than half of those sales are accounted for by just five European countries, with Germany in the lead at 714,260 units. There’s a press release after the jump with all the info.

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Hyundai announces 5 million units sold in Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 May 2011 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: GM invests $331 million, adds 110 jobs at Arlington plant

Filed under: GM, Earnings/Financials

GM Arlington Assembly

General Motors has committed to investing a total of $2 billion in 17 of its facilities here in the United States, and the latest to receive monitory support is the Arlington Assembly Plant in Texas. $331 million is being pumped into the Arlington facility for tooling and equipment in an effort to expand the plant. 110 jobs will also be added to the facility’s existing 2,400-person workforce.

Currently, the plant builds The General’s GMT900 sport-utility vehicles: the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade. GM likely has no plans to abandon this segment anytime soon, so it only makes sense that the plant will be updated in order to support the next generation of these full-size SUVs.

The Arlington Assembly investment comes after GM made efforts to expand its Detroit-Hamtramck, Bowling Green, Flint and Bay City facilities. Follow the jump for the official press blast.

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GM invests $331 million, adds 110 jobs at Arlington plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rare four-cylinder ’57 Ferrari Testa Rossa expected to top $4 million at auction

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Ferrari

1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider

1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider – Click above for high-res image gallery

Wait a second, a Ferrari 500 with a four-cylinder engine? Come on, Autoblog – check your facts. Don’t we mean a Fiat 500? Maybe that special-edition Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari? Nope. What we have here is a genuine four-cylinder Ferrari. And a highly coveted one at that.

The Ferrari 500 TRC (that’s Testa Rossa Type-C) Spider was one of the last models Maranello ever built with an inline-four, the engine originally designed by Aurelio Lampredi for Formula Two, but later adapted for sports racing prototypes after the engineer’s departure. Derived from the Monza, this was the first Ferrari to bear the Testa Rossa name for its red valve headers. And though the styling is similar, it’s even rarer than the 250 Testa Rossa that followed: only 19 of these cars were built, all during just one year or production, making this rarer than the more powerful 12-cylinder 250 TR and 250 GTO that rake in the big bucks at auction.

This particular example – chassis number 0670 MDTR – was the sixth made, ordered by a customer in Sicily who entered it in numerous races around the world in its heyday. While other 500 TRC Spiders went on to claim class victories at Le Mans and the Targa Florio, this one took its class win at the Monte Pellegrino Hillclimb in Palermo – the same locale where we drove the Ferrari California on its launch several decades later.

The car stands as the latest consignment to RM Auctions’ docket for the upcoming Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, where it is expected to fetch €2,600,000 to €3,300,000 (equivalent to $3.6M to $4.6M at current rates). There it will stand alongside such notables recently covered on these pages as the collection of Bertone concept cars, the Talbot and Bugatti art-deco classics and the pair historic Zagato-bodied Kamm-tailed Alfa Romeos in what’s shaping up to be an historic event in its own right. Follow the jump for more details on the 500 TRC and take a closer look in the high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Rare four-cylinder ’57 Ferrari Testa Rossa expected to top $4 million at auction

Rare four-cylinder ’57 Ferrari Testa Rossa expected to top $4 million at auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 May 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo earns $103M in Q1, $370 million for CY 2010

Filed under: China, Crossover, Volvo

Volvo has posted a solid first quarter, with earnings jumping to $103 million. That’s nearly double the Q1, 2010 totals, in part due to continued strong demand for its XC60 crossover. The Geely-owned automaker expects the revenue to continue to flow throughout 2011, as the automaker is hoping to increase sales by 70,000 units on the year to 450,000 units.

Volvo has also announced total earnings for calendar year 2010. The automaker says it earned $370 million on the year, again in part because of strong XC60 sales and the successful launch of the S60. High commodity prices weighed down earnings a bit, but the automaker says strong net pricing largely offset the rising price of energy and steel.

Hit the jump to read over Volvo’s 2010 earnings press release.

Continue reading Volvo earns $103M in Q1, $370 million for CY 2010

Volvo earns $103M in Q1, $370 million for CY 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 May 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feds expand F-150 fuel tank strap investigation to 2.7 million pickups

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Safety, Ford

The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling truck in America for decades. That’s a very big feather in the Blue Oval’s cap, but when the truck line is bit by the recall bug, its massive volume can be a very bad thing.

The Detroit News is reporting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that it has upgraded its investigation into 2.7 million 1997-2001 F-150 pickups for fuel tank straps that have rusted and failed. If the straps rust and fail, NHTSA says there is a chance that the tank could drop and hit the road, causing a fuel leak. Back in September, NHTSA’s initial investigation included 1.4 million vehicles.

Of the 339 complaints NHTSA and Ford have received so far, one has resulted in a brief fire that quickly flamed out, while a second complaint lead to a fire that actually destroyed the vehicle. According to the report, there have been a total of nine documented incidents in which fuel has leaked from the tank as a result of a failed tank strap, though there have no injuries linked to these incidents.

For its part, Ford says it is continuing to support NHTSA’s investigation. The government safety agency says its investigation has “yielded information that strongly suggests the subject defect as the cause of the reported problem,” suggesting a recall may be on the horizon.

Feds expand F-150 fuel tank strap investigation to 2.7 million pickups originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 May 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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