All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Owners report corrosion on Tesla Cybertruck

At the end of 2023, Tesla began delivering the first copies of its Cybertruck, which premiered in 2019 and for which Tesla received over 2 million orders. However, on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum, owners are already reporting problems with corrosion that has appeared on the body, which Tesla says is made of stainless steel.

Of course, a stainless steel body will show imperfections over time, and Tesla also states in the Cybertruck user manual that steel panels are susceptible to corrosive substances when not washed regularly.

One of the owners said that the corrosion appeared a few days after he bought the car. Another said that he bought the Cybertruck on February 1st and that the corrosion appeared after 11 days and 613 kilometers driven. He also posted the photos attached in the gallery and contacted his service advisor. He was told that Tesla had a procedure in place to fix the problem, but that the facility did not have the tools on hand and had not previously performed repairs of this type.

The owners took the vehicles to a service facility where they were told that they had a procedure to fix the rust but that they did not have the tools on hand to immediately fix it.

It will be interesting to see how Tesla will solve this problem as more and more owners are reporting rust on their Cybertruck.

Source: Cybertruck Owners Club forum

Gallery:

Owners report corrosion on Tesla Cybertruck
News

Choose a manual gearbox while you still can, says Frank Weber

Although more and more manufacturers offer cars with automatic transmissions only, BMW is one of the companies that tries to keep manual transmissions in its range, especially when it comes to M models. Since they could soon be removed from offer, Frank Weber advises you to buy a car with a manual gearbox while they are still on offer.

“They are fun cars, but let’s be honest, there are fewer and fewer of them. And that’s why there’s no point in developing them anymore. If you want a manual transmission, you have to buy it now, before it’s too late,” added Weber, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

His message had an effect. According to official data, in January 50% of BMW M2 cars sold were with manual transmission. At the same time, BMW sold 20% of M3 and M4 models with manual gearbox. Also, at the end of last year, BMW decided to offer the Z4 roadster with a manual transmission, thus joining the Toyota Supra, which offered such an option from the start.

In America, the M division currently only offers M2, M3 and M4 models with an optional six-speed manual transmission. On the other hand, in the UK only the M2 can be ordered with a manual gearbox due to very low demand. “We have customers who drive 25,000-30,000 kilometers a year and don’t want to stand in the city traffic, changing speeds,” added Weber in an interview with the Italian magazine Quattroruote.

BMW currently offers many cars with a manual gearbox, however the increased demand for an automatic gearbox could change this, as in Europe almost 70% of buyers opt for this option.

Source: Quattroruote

Restomod

Volvo P1800 Cyan GT based on the Volvo P1800

The Swedish company Cyan Racing, the official motorsport partner of Geely Group Motorsport, presented the restomod Volvo P1800 Cyan GT based on the Volvo P1800.

The beautiful green body is made of carbon fiber. This is not the first example of this kind, four years ago a similar restomod was produced for a customer in the United States.

Under the hood is a turbocharged 2.0-L gasoline engine with 350 hp (261 kW) or 420 hp (313 kW) for customers who want more power. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed Hollinger gearbox, specially developed for this model.

The car is equipped with adaptive suspension to ensure better passenger comfort during long journeys. Although it weighs only 1,000 kg, the cabin is equipped with a protective titanium cage and sound deadening material. Cyan Racing manufactures cars at its facility in Gothenburg, Sweden.

A limited number of units of this car will be produced and pricing is available upon request.

Source: Cyan Racing

Gallery:

Volvo P1800 Cyan GT based on the Volvo P1800