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1963 Ford Country Squire wagon
So much has changed in American culture over the past decade or so, but there’s at least one time-honored tradition that appears to be holding on just fine: the classic car show. From low-key summertime cruise nights to high-profile concours gatherings, people young and old love to get together and enjoy special-interest vehicles of all stripes. And some car shows, such as those produced by the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association, get big—really big. Goodguys bills itself as “America’s Favorite Car Show,” and every year the company produces an ambitious nationwide schedule of large-scale car shows that take over fairgrounds-sized venues. The events are two- or three-day extravaganzas that typically attract 3500 to 6500 vehicles and 35,000 to 100,000 spectators per show. Put on your walking shoes!
Buick Wildcat EV Concept
This week Buick took the wraps off a dramatically styled pure-electric concept car and also announced that it is committed to becoming a fully electric brand by the end of the decade. Buick says it will bring its first all-electric vehicle to market by 2024, and that future Buick EV products will use a brand name from Buick’s past: Electra. Buick also unveiled a redesigned version of its familiar tri-shield logo, and says the new emblem will debut on its production vehicles starting next year.
First Spin: 2023 Nissan Z
2023 Nissan Z
It’s tough out there for traditional sporty/performance cars these days, especially for the true two-seater or 2+2 sports cars. The things just don’t sell like they used to American shoppers, and as a result, the automakers who are still sticking it out in this segment have had to get creative. Toyota partnered with BMW to revive the Supra for 2020, and renewed its partnership with Subaru to introduce a new-generation version of the Toyota 86 rear-wheel-drive sports car (now dubbed GR 86) for 2022 (Subaru’s variant continues as the BRZ). Mazda partnered with Fiat to share some of the load for the 2016 redesign of the MX-5 Miata; Fiat got its own version in the revived 124 Spider, which only lasted through the 2017-2020 model years before it was dropped.
2023 Kia Telluride X-Pro
Kia pulled the wraps off a freshened version of its popular midsize three-row SUV today at the New York International Auto Show. The 2023 Kia Telluride gets an exterior styling facelift, a refreshed interior, several new technology features, and two new “adventure-ready” trim levels.
2023 Hyundai Palisade
Hyundai unveiled a freshened version of its popular three-row midsize SUV today at the New York International Auto Show. The 2023 Hyundai Palisade gets an exterior styling facelift, revised interior trim, several new/upgraded features, and a rugged-look XRT model.
2023 Jeep Wagoneer L Carbide (left) and Grand Wagoneer L
The largest Jeeps are getting larger for 2023. Jeep has officially unveiled the extended-length versions of its Wagoneer and luxury-trim Grand Wagoneer large SUVs, in advance of their public debut at the 2022 New York International Auto Show this week. The 2023 Jeep Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L are 12 inches longer overall and seven inches longer in wheelbase than their new-for-2022 regular-length counterparts, and will be powered by Jeep parent-company Stellantis’s recently unveiled Hurricane Twin Turbo 6-cylinder engines.
2023 Nissan Leaf
A lightly refreshed version of Nissan’s pioneering electric car is set to make its public debut this week at the 2022 New York International Auto Show. For 2023, the Nissan Leaf gets mild styling updates, a pared-down model lineup, and new alloy wheels for its top trim level.
2023 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek
After a brief hiatus, an outdoorsy Rock Creek trim package returns to the Nissan Pathfinder lineup for the 2023 model year, and it’s slated to make its public debut at the 2022 New York International Auto Show this week.
2022 Hyundai Elantra N (left) and Kona N
Ah, the factory hot-rodded compact car. It’s a genre that really came into its own during the first decade of the new millennium, influenced in part by the import-tuner craze and the unexpected blockbuster success of the 2001 movie The Fast and the Furious. Before long, several mainstream-brand manufacturers were offering snarky, youth-oriented versions of their bread-and-butter compact sedans and hatchbacks, with performance-tuned suspensions and gutsy turbocharged powerplants.
1964 Mercury Marauder
Say the word “hardtop” and any vintage-auto enthusiast knows what you’re referring to: a closed-roof car with a pillarless roofline (i.e., no door posts to break up the flow of the styling). Though there were earlier examples of the basic concept, General Motors kicked off the hardtop as we know it by introducing a pillarless-coupe body style in its Buick, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile product lines midway through the 1949 model year.
