Tag: jalopnik.com

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Love it or loathe it, cars are getting bigger and heavier these days. Research by the European Federation for Transport and Environment found that new cars are growing wider at a rate of 0.4 inches (1 cm) every two years. Increased safety features like airbags and crumple zones, which require more space, as well as…

How Many Sherman Tanks Were Built (And Why They’re So Rare Today)

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The M4 Sherman Tank was a key player for the Western Allies during World War II. Designed in America, many were powered by the awesome Chrysler-designed A57 multibank engine, while others came with radial engines, GM 6046 diesel V12s, and even Ford GAA V8s. Roughly 50,000 M4 Shermans were built between 1942 and 1946, with some sources claiming slightly fewer…

The Lexus LS 400 Was Born From Toyota’s Secret F1 Project That Cost $1 Billion

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In Toyota legend, the creation of the LS 400 was gestated by a crew of 1,400 engineers, 2,300 technicians, and 60 designers (more engineers designers than with Slate’s new Truck). They ran through 450 prototypes, and took half a decade to get the first Lexus to market, and all of that burned through $1 billion.…

Signs Your Torque Converter Is About To Quit

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The torque converter is an integral part of a vehicle’s automatic transmission. Manual cars have no torque converters, and instead use a flywheel and a clutch to transfer the engine’s power to the transmission. In an automatic car, the torque converter replaces the flywheel, which is why automatic cars have flex plates that bolt directly…

Why MSRP Actually Means You Have Room To Negotiate

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Sometimes you can’t believe how we got here. And by here, we mean to a moment in time, when the entire informational ecosystem lies at your fingertips, and we even have artificial intelligence — and a law from 1958 is somehow still telling us how much a new car is supposed to cost. See, the reason…

Here’s How Much The 2021 Jeep Gladiator Has Depreciated In 5 Years

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The Jeep Gladiator returned for the 2020 model year, reviving a truck nameplate Jeep hadn’t used in decades and finally giving the Wrangler platform a proper pickup bed. It kept the removable doors, fold-down windshield, and soft or hard-top options that make the Wrangler a favorite among off-roaders, then added a 7,650-pound tow rating and an…

Long Before Chrysler’s Hot Rod Jeeps, AMC Stuffed V8s In CJs, Wagoneers, And More

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The 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.9 — designed and produced during the brand’s Chrysler years — rewrote the rulebook for SUV performance. By plunking a potent 5.9-liter V8 under the Jeep flagship’s hood, Chrysler created what was at the time the quickest SUV ever tested by MotorTrend, with a 0-60 mark of 6.8 seconds. …

Illinois Decides Old People Don’t Actually Need Mandatory Driving Tests To Renew Their Licenses Anymore

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The next time you see someone driving a car with an Illinois license plate, you might want to be extra cautious. As of July 1, the Illinois Road Safety and Fairness Act has officially gone into effect, removing the previous requirements that elderly drivers pass a driving test before they could renew their licenses. The vote to…

12 The World’s Most Prestigious Motorsport Events Every Gearhead Should Know About

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Auto racing is an inherently glamorous undertaking. It takes money and engineering prowess to build the cars, and it takes almost insane bravado to drive them. Even with the roll cages, fireproof suits, and real-time safety tech in the digital age of scrutineering, a mistake can easily turn fatal. Racing offers higher stakes than almost…

These Diesel Engines Have Terrible Reputations For Reliability

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