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Category: Highlight

  • 2021 Genesis G80, 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor, Hennessey Mammoth 1000: The Week In Reverse

    We spent some time with the 2021 Genesis G80, the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor got a date wit destiny, and Hennessey announced the Mammoth 1000. It’s the Week in Reverse, right here at Motor Authority.

    We spent a week in the 2021 Genesis G80 and found it turns heads, sports delightful design details, and comes packed with the latest technology, including an overly complicated and distracting infotainment controller. It should have the German’s looking over their shoulders.

    Jerry Wiegert, founder of Vector supercars, died at the age of 76 on Jan. 15. The cause of death has not been released by the family, but Wiegert lived and died in Los Angeles, where he pursued his dream of building the all-American supercar.

    The 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor is coming soon. The high-speed off-road pickup truck will be revealed on Feb. 3. The new generation of the high-performance pickup is expected to feature a new coil spring suspension in the rear and a few powertrain choices.

    General Motors filed a U.S. trademark for the term “Hyper Cruise.” It’s unclear exactly what the name will be used for, but the automaker’s current hands-free driver-assistance system is called Super Cruise, so Hyper Cruise might be the next-generation system.

    A new beast has emerged for those who think the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX is under powered: the Hennessey Mammoth 1000. The Texas-based Hennessey Performance Engineering has upgraded the Hellcat powertrain to a staggering 1,012 hp and 969 lb-ft of torque. New bumpers, wheels, and lighting are included as well for $135,350.

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  • 2021 Buick Envision preview: Bold new look for Buick’s small SUV

    Buick on Thursday detailed the redesigned 2021 Envision arriving at dealerships now in the U.S.

    The crossover SUV features a bolder, more expressive look than its somewhat staid predecessor that has been on sale since 2016 and never managed to really excite the market. Sales in the United States have averaged about 30,000 units annually.

    Envisions are powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-4 with 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard while all-wheel drive is an option.

    The Envision’s grown-up look ties in with the refreshed 2022 Enclave visually. The longer stance comes courtesy of a new platform that pushes the wheels to the corners and provides a 30% stiffer structure. A new five-link independent rear suspension replaces the previous four-link setup and should deliver a better ride and handling. A MacPherson strut setup remains up front while top-spec Avenir models can be optioned with adaptive dampers.

    2021 Buick Envision

    2021 Buick Envision

    Inside the Envision features an analog gauge cluster in a digital world paired with an available 10.2-inch touchscreen. The standard 8.0-inch touchscreen comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. A new push-button gear selector is located on the center console.

    Other standard features on the 2021 Envision will be popular electronic driver-assist features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitors, and rear park assist.

    2021 Buick Envision

    2021 Buick Envision

    Buyers will be able to add a semi-autonomous park assist feature, as well as a surround-view camera, and head-up display.

    Buick’s upmarket Avenir trim makes its first appearance on the Envision, and tops a trim walk that includes Preferred and Essence trims. A Sport Touring package adds a touch of attitude with darkened exterior trim and dark 20-inch wheels.

    Envisions will have seating for up to five people with a 60/40-split folding second row. With the second-row seat folded the Envision can swallow up to 52.7 cubic feet of cargo, and up to 25.2 cubic feet of stuff with the second row occupied.

    The current Envision was the first Chinese-made vehicle sold by General Motors in the U.S. and that won’t be changing with the 2021 model.

    For more on the Buick Envision, read the in-depth reviews at The Car Connection.

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  • 100 years ago: Rolls-Royce rolls along assembly line in Massachusetts

    On January 17, 1921, a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost rolled off an assembly line, but it wasn’t in Derby, England. Instead, that car and 2,945 that followed were assembled in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.

    “These Rolls-Royce ‘Springfield’ Motor cars benefited from the creativity of US coachbuilders including Brewster, Willoughby, Merimac and Hollbrook, and brought us some wonderful early commissions,” the British automaker noted in a news release celebrating the centennial of its American production effort.

    From that start in 1921 and until the Springfield workshop closed in 1931 because of the Depression, 2,946 Rolls-Royce vehicles were assembled in New England. Among them were 1,703 Silver Ghosts, which joined the ‘Springfield Phantom’ in 1925.

    Springfield assembly plant supervisory staff poses with the first US-constructed Silver Ghost

    Springfield assembly plant supervisory staff poses with the first US-constructed Silver Ghost

    Owners of the Springfield Rolls-Royces include President Woodrow Wilson, the Guggenheim and Bloomindale families, “and perhaps the most famous,” Rolls-Royce notes, “fictional Socialite Jay Gatsby with his 1922 Silver Ghost.”

    After World War I, Charles Stewart Rolls’ partner Charles Johnson (Henry Royce lived until 1933, but was in ill-health after 1912), saw that the US market was in better condition than the British economy and saw assembly in the US as a way to avoid duties that made the cars even more expensive for American customers. So in 1919, Rolls-Royce purchased the American Wire Wheel Co. factory building in Massachusetts.

    The Springfield assembly plant

    The Springfield assembly plant

    Cars ready for delivery in 1922

    Cars ready for delivery in 1922

    Building cars in America didn’t make them all that much less expensive. Prices ranged from $12,930 to $15,880, making the Springfield cars the most expensive of American-made vehicles.

    The first 25 cars were produced entirely of imported parts, but afterward, the coachwork for the Springfield-built cars was produced in the US. Various American coachbuilders provided bodies. Rolls opened its own body-building workshop in 1923 and in 1926 acquired Brewster, a leading American coachbuilding firm whose work was popular with Rolls’ customers.

    This article, written by Larry Edsall, was originally published on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.

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