Tag Archives: vehicles

News

Tesla is testing a Cybercab with a steering wheel

In October 2024, Tesla officially unveiled its self-driving taxi, Cybercab, whose Autopilot and fully autonomous driving programs are currently not compliant and require additional upgrades. That’s why the company decided to launch the service, but with a driver behind the wheel.

Musk wants to put Cybercab into service as soon as possible and try to catch up with competitors like Waymo, the current leader in this field. At the beginning, they also had drivers in their vehicles until they reached the level of fully autonomous driving. The plan is to start operations in Texas in the next few months, but Tesla currently needs a license for autonomous vehicles in addition to a passenger transport license in order to use this type of vehicle.

In December, Tesla demonstrated driving a Cybercab via a controller. According to AutoEvolution, the Tesla Cybercab comes with a small Xbox-like controller that plugs into the car and is used for steering and pedals. They are still looking for an operator to use their Cybercab cars, but many believe that this will not happen in the next three years.

Unlike other self-driving cars that use LiDAR, Tesla relies on cameras and neural networks. This unique approach is not considered by many to be the best solution, believing that it cannot safely achieve full autonomy.

While Tesla struggles to find a solution for Cybercab, competitors are increasing their operations. For example, Waymo makes more than 200,000 rides a week in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Source: Bloomberg

News

AC Cobra will be manufactured in Sweden

AC Cars and the Swedish company T-Engineering have reached an agreement on the production of one of the most revered sports cars of all time, the AC Cobra. The cars will be hand-built in Trollhättan, the factory where the Saab 92 and 900 Turbo models were once built.

The new AC Cobra GT Roadster will be launched in 2025. It is a lightweight carbon-fiber sports car powered by Ford’s 5.0-liter V8 engine producing 654 hp and 575 lb-ft (with turbochargers) or 454 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. Customers can also choose a version with a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, which delivers 390 hp.

Why Trollhättan? The city, located in southwest Sweden, has a rich history of automotive innovation, engineering excellence and a skilled workforce. After Saab shut down its production in 2023, marking the end of an era in Swedish automotive manufacturing, Joachim Ågren, Country Manager for Sweden at Surplex said: “It’s difficult not to get nostalgic and shed a tear. These presses have shaped Saabs that millions of Swedes have grown up with.”

Also, some engineers and technicians, who used to work for Saab, moved to T-Engineering, and in the immediate vicinity there is also the Saab Legacy test track, which was once used for perfecting new Saab models. Now AC Cobra wants to take advantage of that and start its new chapter.

Source: T-Engineering

Gallery:

AC Cobra will be manufactured in Sweden
Auctions

1986 Porsche 911 Turbo Koenig-Specials Road Runner is up for auction

At the end of the last century, the German tuning house Koenig-Specials presented a project called Road Runner. It is a radical transformation and improvement of the Porsche 911 (930) Turbo, and one of them, the 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo Koenig-Specials Road Runner is for sale.

This unique car has a G-body silhouette, headlights and side mirrors taken from the Porsche 928, a huge rear spoiler, while the rear lights are integrated into a redesigned fascia with a pronounced wraparound spoiler. It is finished in Guards Red over Champagne leather and is in good condition with only 24,253 kilometers on the odometer.

The car was serviced in January, which included rebuilding both turbochargers, installing a lightweight clutch/flywheel assembly and clutch cable, and replacing the rear & front main seals, aluminum charge pipes, heater tubes, spark plug wires, exhaust, and much more. It cost more than $20,000.

This Porsche 911 Turbo is powered by a twin turbocharged 3.3-liter flat-six engine that delivers between 480 and 550 hp. That’s significantly more than the 281 hp the original model has, and the increase is achieved thanks to a combination of a remapped ECU and performance exhaust system, as well as an improved air-to-air intercooler system.

Koenig-Specials has retained the original cross-drilled, ventilated brake system, now bolstered with Bilstein shock absorbers, reinforced anti-roll bars, and a front strut brace for enhanced rigidity.

The auction will take place on March 7, 2025, and the car’s estimated value is $170,000 – $190,000.

Source: Board Arrow Auctions

Gallery:

1986 Porsche 911 Turbo Koenig-Specials Road Runner is up for auction