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Category: Highlight

  • Jay Leno drops the top on a 1967 Hoffman Citroen 2CV convertible

    The Citroën 2CV (or Deux Chevaux) is France’s equivalent to the Ford Model T or Volkswagen Beetle—an iconic car built in massive numbers that helped mobilize an entire nation. Of the millions of 2CVs built between 1948 and 1990, this one stands out thanks to an aftermarket convertible, err, conversion. This episode of Jay Leno’s Garage has the full story on this unusual car.

    Jay Leno’s Garage fans wanted a video on this car after seeing it in the background of other videos. This 2CV was modified by Wolfgang Hoffman with a fiberglass body that attached to the existing chassis, not unlike Meyers Manx dune buggy conversions. The idea was to make the 2CV a little fancier, Jay says. The 2CV was developed before World War II, but the war delayed the start of production until 1948. The car is largely credited with mobilizing rural France during that postwar period.

    The bodywork may be different, but the Hoffman 2CV is mechanically stock, meaning it’s powered by an air-cooled 2-cylinder engine making as little as 26 hp. That tiny engine drives the front wheels. The 2CV also features long-travel suspension that, according to legend, was designed for driving through farmers’ fields.

    1967 Hoffman Citroën 2CV on Jay Leno's Garage

    1967 Hoffman Citroën 2CV on Jay Leno’s Garage

    Leno acquired this car from a United Nations ambassador, who had stored it in Southern California for about 20 years. While it didn’t require a full restoration, a lot of work still went into making this convertible roadworthy.

    The 2CV was mechanically sound, with good paint and bodywork, but had also become a home for mice, Leno explains. It had to be fumigated and cleaned, which seemed to be a more difficult process than the minor mechanical work needed to get it running again.

    Other iconic “people’s cars,” such as the VW Beetle, Fiat 500, and Mini Cooper, have gotten modern reinterpretations, but Citroën has said it won’t do a modern 2CV. The automaker is now part of the Stellantis conglomerate, but is unlikely to make a return to the U.S. anytime soon. Stellantis recently dropped plans to bring sibling brand Peugeot back to the U.S.

    Check out the full video for the complete story on this car, and to see Jay drive it in the streets of Los Angeles.

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  • Rare 2014 Falcon F7 supercar for sale

    From Vector to Saleen to SSC, many startups have tried to take on the European establishment with American supercars. One of the most recent was Detroit-based Falcon Motorsports. One of the handful of 2014 Falcon F7 supercars the company built is now up for auction on Cars and Bids.

    Falcon Motorsports started out with body kits and other modifications for the Dodge Viper, before attempting its own car. The F7 was unveiled at the 2012 Detroit auto Show with a $250,000 price tag.

    That price bought a mid-mounted LS7 7.0-liter V-8 tuned to produce 620 hp and 585 lb-ft of torque. The engine drove the rear wheels through a Ricardo 6-speed manual transaxle, while carbon-fiber bodywork and an aluminum interior tub kept the curb weight down to 2,785 pounds. The car also featured a hydroformed tube frame chassis, with Corvette-derived suspension components.

    2014 Falcon F7 (Photo by Cars and Bids)

    2014 Falcon F7 (Photo by Cars and Bids)

    The company quoted a 0-60 mph time of 3.3 seconds, with a top speed of 200 mph.

    Falcon Motorsports planned to build up to 20 cars annually, but ultimately only seven were made, with one subsequently destroyed, according to the seller. This is the third car. It was displayed at the 2014 Detroit auto show, and featured on a second-season episode of the television show “How It’s Made: Dream Cars,” the seller noted.

    The F7 is listed as having just 3,300 miles. The seller said the clutch and an axle shaft were recently replaced, and the engine was retuned. Given its ubiquity, that LS-series V-8 should be easier to maintain than the more exotic engines in other supercars, but you’re still unlikely to see another Falcon F7 at the local cars and coffee event.

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  • Toyota has questions for potential GR Super Sport owners

    Toyota wants to get to know anyone interested in buying the forthcoming GR Super Sport, the road-car counterpart to its Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class race car. Based on a questionnaire first spotted by Motor1 on Friday, the automaker appears to be screening potential buyers before deciding whether to sell them one.

    Toyota would not confirm that the questions represent a screening process. “While a sales process for the GR Super Sport has not yet been determined, we are having preliminary conversations with potential customers who might find a vehicle like this to be of interest,” Toyota spokesman Michael Kroll said in an email statement.

    The long questionnaire asks what performance cars applicants currently own (there’s room for up to 10 entries) and to rank by order from most to least favorite. Toyota also wants to know how much they drive each of those cars, and what performance cars they plan to buy in the future.

    The questionnaire also specifically asks whether applicants currently own a Toyota 2000GT or Lexus LFA, indicating that Toyota will weigh brand loyalty in its decisions.

    Other questions ask how often applicants drive on a track, whether they have an FIA competition license, or whether they own a race team.

    Shown only in camouflaged prototype form so far, the GR Super Sport is a homologation special for the new LMH class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). LMH is the new top class in the WEC, and requires manufacturers to build a minimum of 25 road cars based on their race cars by the second year of competition. That number is expected to be bumped higher for the following years. Given the small number of available cars, we can see why Toyota would screen buyers to narrow down the list of eventual owners.

    Toyota GR Super Sport prototype

    Toyota GR Super Sport prototype

    Toyota first showed a concept version of the GR Super Sport in 2018, using components from the TS050 Hybrid race car designed for the outgoing LMP1 class. That car included a twin-turbocharged 2.4-liter V-6 and an electric motor-generator, making a combined 986 hp.

    However, LMH class rules limit the racing version to 670 hp and doesn’t require a hybrid powertrain. It’s possible the road car will have a higher output, though, as 670 hp doesn’t always cut it for a supercar these days.

    While the road-car concept had an enclosed cabin, the prototype shown last year was a roadster. It’s possible the final version will have a canopy-style roof, in line with a patent application Toyota filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in early 2020.

    Toyota will compete against ByKolles and Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) in the LMH class’ initial season, with other manufacturers expected to join in later seasons. Pre-season testing begins at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps April 26-27, followed by the season opener, also at Spa, May 1. The WEC’s marquee event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has been pushed back from June to August in the hope that the Coronavirus pandemic will be under control enough to allow spectators.

    While Toyota isn’t the first automaker to set up an application process for a new supercar, rival SCG has said it will sell its 007 to anyone with enough cash. The company declared on Twitter Saturday that “we have no lists. We require you to buy nothing but what you want to.”

    Update: This story has been updated to include the quote from Toyota.

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