All posts by Francis Mitterrand

Auctions

1997 Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80 40th Anniversary is up for auction

In 1951, Toyota launched the first generation of what would later become its longest running series of models, the Toyota Land Cruiser. Celebrating four decades of the series, in 1997 Toyota produced 4,744 limited edition cars of the J80 generation. One of them, the 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80 40th Anniversary is up for auction.

This FZJ80 40th Anniversary is powered by a 4.5L 1FZ-FE inline-six engine with 212 hp (158 kW) and 275 lb-ft (373 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to all wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission and a dual-range transfer case. It is mounted on 16″ alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin LTX M/S tires.

The car is finished in Antique Sage Pearl (one of two colors available, the other is Emerald Green) and is in good condition. It is equipped with 40th Anniversary Edition fender decals, a sunroof, power-adjustable side mirrors, running boards, a receiver hitch, a rear wind deflector, rear window wiper, and locking front, center, and rear differentials. Braking is handled by four-wheel discs with ABS.

Inside, the front bucket seats are upholstered in two-tone tan leather, which also covers the second-row bench, and third-row folding seats. In front of the driver are a four-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel and a six-digit odometer showing 26,833 miles. Additional equipment includes power-adjustable front seats, a CD stereo, automatic climate control, cruise control, and a digital clock.

In preparation for sale, the car was serviced, which included replacing the fuel injectors, spark plugs, spark plug wires, and various hoses as well as performing a fluid service and recharging the air conditioning system.

The car has a clean Carfax report that shows no accidents or other damage. It comes with a clean Wyoming title in the owner’s name.

The auction ends on April 28 and the highest bid at the time of writing was $125,000 USD.

Source: Bring a Trailer

Gallery:

1997 Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80 40th Anniversary is up for auction
News

Car sales in Europe in Q1 2024

High car prices, market concerns and general uncertainty did not prevent buyers in Europe from purchasing 3.395 million cars in Q1 2024, which is 4.9% more than in Q1 2023. Although car sales in March dropped by 5, 2%, the best-selling cars in Europe were Dacia Sandero and Tesla Model Y.

The price of new electric cars is constantly on the rise, so it is understandable that those who own cars powered by internal combustion engines do not easily switch to EVs. All of them are looking for a vehicle that meets their budget as well as their daily needs. That is why Dacia Sandero is the leader on the European market with 71,363 (+19%) cars delivered.

In the first three months of 2024, the new generation of VW Golf had a good result with 63,918 (+49%) delivered cars. This makes it the second best-selling car in Europe and a serious rival to the Dacia Sandero in the next nine months. Also, Peugeot 208 achieved sales growth of 10% (58,363 delivered cars). Last year’s European number one, the Tesla Model Y, was the best-selling electric model in Europe for the first three months, even though it recorded a 19% drop in sales (58,259 units) compared to the same period in 2023. This makes it the fourth best selling car overall.

When it comes to other models, sales growth was achieved by Citroen C3 with 38% (54,035 delivered cars), Škoda Octavia with 37% (52,095 units), Renault Clio with 18% (51,896 units), and Nissan Qashqai with 21% (48,909 units), which closed the list of ten best-selling models in Q1 2024 in Europe.

The drop in sales in the first three months was recorded by the Toyota Yaris Cross with 3% (51,483 units), although it was the best-selling crossover in the B segment. Also, the best-selling model in the C segment, the Volkswagen T-Roc, recorded a 10% drop in sales (49,534 units).

Source: Reuters

News

Lotus Evija X on the Nurburgring Nordschleife

The Lotus Evija X is a limited edition of a super-powerful electric car from the British manufacturer, which a few days ago set one of the fastest lap times on the most famous race track in the world, the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

For now, Lotus is not revealing enough details about this model, which is designated as a prototype. However, some sources say that it uses the same powertrain as the Lotus Evija model that debuted at the 2019 Guangzhou Auto Show and went into production in 2020. This means that the Evija X is powered by 4 electric motors, 1 placed at each wheel, with a total power of 2,011 hp (1,500 kW) and 1,257 lb-ft (1,704 Nm) of torque. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 3 seconds, from 0 to 300 km/h (190 mph) in 9.1 seconds, and achieve a limited top speed of 349 km/h (217 mph).

When it comes to design, the car is equipped with better aerodynamic components than the Evija model, a massive front splitter, a large rear wing, new suspension and brakes, while everything unnecessary has been removed from the cockpit.

The Lotus Evija X completed the 20,830 km (12,943 mi) long course in 6:24,047, the third fastest time of the course. Faster than the Evi X were the Volkswagen ID.R (6:05.336) and the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (5:19.546).

Source: Lotus; Nürburgring via YouTube