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I don’t know who said that August was supposed to be a slow month, but damn, it has been exactly the opposite in the car world. From one of the most news-packed Monterey Car Weeks in history, to the death of the Dodge Challenger and Charger and the birth of the brand’s first electric muscle concept, to the announcement that we’ll finally see the next Ford Mustang in September … we’ve all been drinking from a firehose lately.
As we said in July, going forward we’ll be doing these hangout posts on a regular basis on the last Friday of the month. And believe it or not, here we are again. So let’s dive in and while away our second-to-last summer Friday together.
Just like you, we’ve had our hands full keeping up with all the news out there. Monterey brought us everything from Koenigsegg’s CC850 with its wild automatic-and-a-gated-manual transmission, to a new roadster Chiron marking Bugatti’s last W16 car, to the awkward premiere of the new DeLorean. But we still found time to bother Christian von Koenigsegg for his opinion on the C8 Corvette (“mind-blowing,” he says), and talk to Bugatti’s design director about why he’s scared of screens. We’ll continue to roll out more stories from Pebble Beach next week, including a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most high-dollar car auctions on the planet with RM Sotheby’s.
Leading up to that was Dodge Speed Week, where Dodge showed off its new Hornet crossover (that Alfa’s not too thrilled about), confirmed the death of the current Challenger and Charger, and showed an electric muscle concept with an awesome retro design and questionable fake engine noise. And if that wasn’t enough, we decided to throw our epic DC Down Under project into the mix, in which staffers James Gilboy and Lewin Day attempted (key word there) to drive a Kia EV6 across the Australian Outback. I know you’ve got questions about how it ended, so, ask away.
As for what we’ve been driving, senior editor Aaron Cole is currently flying back from a few days behind the wheel of the new VW ID Buzz van, and though I don’t think he’ll be able to sign on to answer questions, we’ll relay whatever you want back to him. Next week, deputy editor Kristen Lee will be jetting off to drive the much-anticipated Toyota GR Corolla and manual transmission Supra, and yes, she is stoked. Beyond that, we’ve also been in the new VW Golf R, Genesis Electrified G80 (dumb name), Rivian R1T, Hyundai Kona N, Honda Passport Trailsport, BMW i4, and a 1968 Mercedes 280 SL Pagoda for good measure.
UPDATE 4p ET: I think we’re done! Thanks everyone, and have a great weekend.
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