This production, street legal 911, has more power than the dominating, Le Mans winning Group C racing prototype, the 956. And it’s rear-wheel drive. The fastest, certainly, but does all that power make this 911 GT2 RS the best 911…
One of the most controversial cars from the “Fast and Furious” franchise is the RB26-powered Ford Mustang from “Tokyo Drift.” If you’ve ever wondered why the production team decided to stuff an iconic Nissan engine in a classic American muscle car, or how it was accomplished, this video has the answers. It features Craig Lieberman—technical advisor on the early “Fast and Furious” movies—and Sean Morris, the car’s builder.
Used in multiple generations of the Nissan Skyline GT-R, the 2.6-liter RB26 inline-6 is one of the most legendary engines to come out of Japan. The car symbolizes main character (and muscle-car lover) Sean Boswell fully embracing Japanese drifting and tuning culture.
Morris is a GT-R specialist, and was brought in to advise on the project. He chose a fairly basic version of the RB26 with a single turbocharger (as opposed to the stock GT-R twin-turbo setup), due to clearance issues in the Mustang’s engine bay. The engine was coupled to an FS530RA 5-speed manual transmission, with a Ford 9.0-inch rear end.
Ford Mustang from
In the movie, the engine is sourced from an S15 Nissan Silvia that had been wrecked in an earlier scene. That’s led many people to conclude that the Mustang actually sported an SR20 inline-4 (the engine offered in the S15 from the factory), not the RB26, Morris said. That’s untrue; in the context of the story, this is simply a case of a twice-swapped engine.
As with other movie cars, the “Tokyo Drift” Mustang was actually several cars. Six or seven Mustangs were used in filming, according to Lieberman, a mix of 1967 and 1968 fastbacks. The rest of the cars had V-8s, including the cars actually used to film drifting and other stunts, he said.
After filming, the cars were dispersed. One of the V-8 stunt cars was offered for sale in 2019 with an asking price of $179,900, and at least two other cars are thought to survive.
The latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class spawned its Maybach variant this week. The extra-posh S-Class comes with 5.5 inches of extra legroom in the back, as well as the option of a two-tone paint finish.
2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392
Jeep unveiled a Wrangler packing V-8 power. It’s called the Wrangler Rubicon 392, just like the concept that previewed it, and its V-8 grunt should deliver up 0-60 mph times well under 5.0 seconds.
Lamborghini Huracan STO
Lamborghini unveiled a new track-focused Huracan. Dubbed the STO, the car is a homologation-style special derived from the Huracan Super Trofeo race car, with reduced weight and improved aero boosting performance rather than an increase in horsepower.
2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line
Hyundai launched a version of the Sonata with 290 horsepower. It’s called the Sonata N Line, and we tested it this week.
2021 Mazda 3 2.5 Turbo
Another vehicle we tested was the new Mazda 3 2.5 Turbo. It’s got a lot more torque than the old Mazdaspeed 3, along with the added traction of all-wheel drive.
2021 Toyota Mirai
A bigger, sexier Toyota Mirai fuel cell-electric sedan was launched this week. Toyota is yet to reveal details on the powertrain, but we know the car’s bigger size has allowed engineers to fit bigger hydrogen storage tanks.
GM VP Doug Parks with Hummer EV SUV
General Motors is committed to launching 30 electric vehicles by the end of 2025, and one of them is an SUV version of the GMC Hummer EV pickup truck. The SUV was shown this week along with a full-size electric pickup for Chevrolet.
2021 Lincoln Nautilus
And finally, Lincoln unveiled an updated Nautilus this week. The handsome SUV finally has the interior it’s always deserved, with premium materials similar to what you find in Lincoln’s bigger SUVs, plus a 13.2-inch infotainment screen.
