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Is the Regular Volkswagen Golf Done in the U.S.?

Say it ain’t so. The base Volkswagen Golf is reportedly exiting the U.S. market after the current generation calls it quits next year. According to a report by Motor 1, the standard version of the upcoming eighth-generation Golf—as well as the SportWagen variant—will not be available here. However, there is some good news, as the GTI and the Golf R will still need their passports when the new models finally roll out. Speaking to Motor Authority, VW spokesman Mark Gillies added, “The Golf R and GTI are confirmed, but other Golf models are under consideration for the North American region.”

The Mk 8  Golf was originally scheduled to make its debut in September at the Frankfurt motor show, but VW confirmed to us in March that it will be revealed later at the end of the year. The all-new Golf is expected to ride on a lighter version of the MQB platform. There’s no word on whether the Alltrack—a lifted, plastic-cladded version of the SportWagen—will get the axe, too. The E-Golf also isn’t likely to return in any market, as VW’s ID models will pick up where that electric hatch left off. The first U.S.-market EV from VW will arrive in the U.S. in 2020.

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The Benz Velocipede Ruled the Automotive World 125 Years Ago

Way before the Ford Model T crawled out of the primordial ooze—and way, way before Ford’s Raptor churned that ooze into paste—and even before Benz had a Mercedes, Benz & Company introduced the world’s first mass-produced car: the Benz Motor Velocipede, which debuted 125 years ago in April 1894. By the time it was discontinued just after the dawn of the 20th century, some 1,200 Benz Velos were puttering around Germany, England, and France.

At launch, the Velocipede weighed approximately 617 pounds, was powered by a single-cylinder engine making 1.5 horsepower, and had a top speed of 12 mph. A two-stage belt transmission allowed it to cruise up small grades of up to 10 percent. These days, an electric Bird scooter could easily smoke it in a race.

The four-wheeled vehicle had a lantern to light the way and featured a double-pivot steering system developed by Karl Benz. Later, a Comfortable model was introduced with a 2.75-hp engine that was made optional on the basic Velo. In 1899, both were marketed with a 3-hp powerplant, and the car’s final year in 1902 saw the Comfortable become the only model. By then it made 4.5 horsepower and offered a top speed of 22 mph (about even race with that Bird scooter). Additional extra-cost features included a sun guard/umbrella, an upholstered bench seat, and a child seat for adventurous families like the Benzes shown above.

The post The Benz Velocipede Ruled the Automotive World 125 Years Ago appeared first on Motortrend.

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The 2020 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe Arrives in June, and It’ll Look Like This

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Refreshing or Revolting: 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class

One of the big reveals at the 2019 New York auto show was the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, the brand’s largest utility vehicle. The redesigned model sports an evolutionary design, featuring softer lines and more rounded corners than its predecessor. Although its overall profile hasn’t changed much, the 2020 GLS-Class features enough updates that you won’t need a magnifying glass to see what’s different. The softer lines also don’t take away from its imposing looks.

The first thing you’ll notice looking at the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class is its massive grille that juts out and dons a large three-pointed star. In certain configurations, the openings in the lower front fascia are thinner, further drawing your eye to the oversize grille and logo. The rounded headlights feature a cool pattern and appear narrower compared to the old car’s more angular ones that flank a smaller, shield-shaped radiator grille.

From the side, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the 2020 GLS-Class for the outgoing vehicle thanks to a similarly upright greenhouse. But take a closer look and you’ll notice the lack of character lines and the disappearance of the upward kink on the rearmost side windows. Like the outgoing model, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class looks like a stretched GLE-Class when viewed from the side, hinting at the shared underpinnings between the two vehicles. Out back, the similarities with the outgoing GLS continue with the slab-sided look. Only the taillights and exhausts are different, with the new one sporting thinner ones and squared off exhaust tips.

Move inside and you’ll immediately see the model has a new screen layout for the MBUX interface. The new model also ditches its predecessor’s vertical layout in favor of a horizontal one with flowing lines, fewer buttons, and a cleaner look. You still get slabs of wood and/or metal trim all over the cabin along with lovely mood lighting to make the cabin feel a little more special. Unlike the outgoing generation, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class also gets optional second-row captain’s chairs, reducing capacity to six passengers.

When it goes on sale by the end of the year, the new GLS will come with mild hybrid powertrains in the GLS 450 and GLS 580. Mercedes’ new E-Active Body Control, which first debuted on the 2020 GLE Class, will also be available. An AMG and Maybach-badged model should follow, likely powered by the now ubiquitous 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 that’s found in everything from the C 63 to the AMG GT sports car.

Do you think the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class is refreshing or revolting? Let us know in the comments on Facebook.

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5 Things We’d Want From a Kia Pickup Truck

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Maserati Lineup Will Never Go All Electric, U.S. Boss Says

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Custom Car Guru George Barris Pulled Out All the Stops for This Corvette

Celebrities and other rich types are spoiled for choice these days, especially when it comes to filling their garages. Want to cruise around in a comfortable, easy-to-drive coupe? There are at least eight mainstream manufacturers that each offer more than one rolling status symbol. How about a plush big-money SUV? Lucky for you, we’re living in an era that’s seen the rise of the ultra-luxe SUV, with Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati, and more joining the high-riding game.

It wasn’t always so easy to stand out, even for the mega-wealthy, especially postwar. There wasn’t much individuality available in the marketplace, so celebs that didn’t want the typical Mercedes or Rolls-Royce often turned to the aftermarket for solutions. Customizer and movie-car builder extraordinaire George Barris played muse to these societal elite, catering to their whims with outrageous and over-the-top designs.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Barris built a series of neoclassical drop-tops he christened “Barristers” for this attention-hungry customer base. Starting with the then new C3 Corvette, Barris stripped off all semblance of the Chevy, going so far as to lengthen the frame. Barris wrapped the ‘Vette bones in a design that was a strange mishmash of eras, incorporating a long hood, a split front windscreen, a golden radiator shell, a tapered tail, and fake external header and exhaust pipes. The result was something that looks quite similar to the contemporary Stutz Bearcat II, another two-door neoclassic.

The Barrister attracted its fair share of celebrity attention, with James Caan, Bo Derek, and Sammy Davis Jr. among them. Liberace, the king of excess, allegedly ordered this black and gold example recently sold at Bonhams’ Tupelo Automobile Museum sale. According to the listing, the museum purchased the Barrister at auction in 1993, with just 19,000 miles on the clock at the time. When the hammer fell in 2019, this distinctive custom went home with a new owner for a reasonable $51,520.

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This Is How Much Tesla Is Now Seeking in Capital Raise

Just one day after announcing plans to sell notes and stock to raise much-needed capital, Tesla boosted the size of its offering to as high as $2.7 billion on Friday.

The Palo Alto, California, electric car and solar panel maker said it’s increasing the offer due to the positive response from Thursday’s announcement that it would try to raise $2.3 billion.

Also, CEO Elon Musk more than doubled the amount of stock he would buy from $10 million, to $25 million.

The offer, detailed in a filing Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, includes up to $1.84 billion in notes that pay 2% annual interest and convert to Tesla common stock in 2024. Also included are more than 3.5 million new shares worth as much as $866 million. The new numbers include underwriting brokers exercising their full options to buy additional notes and shares.

Last week, Tesla reported its cash balance at the end of the first quarter shrunk by $1.5 billion since December, to $2.2 billion. Musk said during a conference call that Tesla might need to raise capital again.

The company will use the proceeds to “further strengthen our balance sheet, as well as for general corporate purposes,” the filing says.

But the offerings would raise the company’s debt from $9.79 billion to as high as $11.63 billion, with the company admitting in its filing that it may not be able to generate enough cash to make all of the payments.

“If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as reducing or delaying investments or capital expenditures, selling assets, refinancing or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive,” the company wrote in the part of the filing that discusses risk factors.

Musk likely raised his own stake to show shareholders that he’s putting more of his own money into the company and taking the same risk that he’s asking investors to, said Gartner analyst Michael Ramsey. But he’s also guarding against dilution of his ownership stake, Ramsey said. Musk is by far the company’s largest shareholder with about a 20 percent stake.

Tesla’s shares would have to reach $309.83 by May 15, 2024 for the notes to be converted to stock. That’s a 21% increase over the current price. If they don’t hit that price, Tesla is on the hook to repay the notes largely in cash, according to the filings.

In a statement on the offering Thursday, Moody’s Senior Vice President Bruce Clark wrote that the offering will give Tesla enough liquidity to pay $566 million in notes that mature in November, plus provide cash to expand distribution of Tesla’s Model 3 in Europe and cover spending needed from softening demand for all three of Tesla’s models in the U.S.

Moody’s kept a negative outlook and B3 rating on Tesla debt. That is six notches below investment grade.

In a March 30 note, the ratings agency wrote that the Model 3, Tesla’s lowest-price model, currently sells for an average of $55,000. To increase sales, the price has to drop toward $42,000, and to make enough money to pay the bills, Tesla has targeted a 25% gross profit margin on the Model 3, Moody’s said. Currently gross profits on a $42,000 Model 3 are “materially” below 25%, according to Moody’s.

“In order to achieve this margin target the company will have to undertake significant reductions in fixed and variable costs associated with the vehicle,” Moody’s wrote. “We expect that it will be a major challenge for Tesla to aggressively increase production/deliveries, shift the product mix toward the $42,000 price level, and simultaneously lower costs enough to achieve the 25% gross margin target.”

Tesla, Moody’s wrote, has no sustainable technical advantage over competitors. “Essentially all of the technologies incorporated in Tesla vehicles (or some similarly effective alternative technologies) will largely be available to competitors,” according to Moody’s.

The Palo Alto, California-based Tesla lost $702.1 million in the first quarter, among its worst quarters in two years. Sales tumbled 31% in the period. Musk predicted another loss in the second quarter but said Tesla would be profitable again by the third quarter.

The surprisingly large loss followed the company’s first back to back quarters of profitability.

Tesla has lost more than $6 billion since setting out to revolutionize the auto industry. Musk expects that future profits will be driven by rising sales and the arrival of autonomous vehicles dedicated to a new ride-hailing service.

Shares of Tesla Inc. rose nearly 5 percent in midday trading Friday to $255.60. They are down 23% so far this year.

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Here’s What the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS Can Do Off-Road

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS made its debut at the New York auto show just a couple of weeks ago, and we recently got a taste of its off-road capabilities. We traveled to Big Dune, Nevada, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to get inside a couple of early preproduction V-8 GLS 580s and experience the new tech. We’ll take a deeper dive into the GLS at a later date, but this time we got to experience how the E-Active Body Control (EABC) works over soft and bumpy surfaces. Although more than 95 percent of owners will never take their GLS to the dunes like we did, it was cool to experience the new technology.

EABC is an optional suspension system that uses a combination of air springs and electro-hydraulic dampers with the help of a 48-volt system. Each damper gets its own hydraulic pump, so each wheel can be pushed or pulled independently using pressured oil. The result is a peaceful ride. Whether you’re on the trails or the dunes, EABC absorbs each rut before you notice vibrations inside the cabin. My first ride at Big Dune was in a GLS with the standard air suspension and 21-inch wheels. When I switched into a GLS with EABC and 22-inch wheels, body motion was well controlled at all times. Tire pressure was lowered to 17 psi on each wheel to allow for better traction on the sand, but no other setting was altered. Seeing how the system sops up bumps in person is sensational; you can get a peek at it in the video above. The GLS’ polished ride also makes the cabin feel tranquil, and with the addition of comfortable seats and an upscale cabin, there’s no denying this is the S-Class of SUVs.

Don’t get me wrong: The standard air suspension also performs very well. Once you get to experience the EABC-equipped GLS, though, you don’t want to get out of it. To make things even more impressive, EABC uses a front-mounted camera that scans the terrain ahead and adjusts the damping of each wheel before you drive over a rut, bump, or any other kind of undulation. It’s too early to know how much EABC will cost, but we know it won’t be cheap.

During my ride, Andreas Zygan, Mercedes-Benz’s development chief for SUVs, told me that the brand wanted to make the new GLS not only safer and more spacious but also more capable. “The car is taking care of the driver,” he said, as he easily drifted on the sand to showcase the SUV’s capabilities. “The current GLS cannot do this.” Earlier, he explained how owners want to know what their car is capable of even if they’ll never do something like drifting on sand dunes. With the standard transfer case, the nine-speed transmission can send all available torque to the front or rear axle.

In the event the GLS gets stuck in the sand, EABC can get you out in seconds. With the GLS in reverse, simply activate Free Driving Assist and wait for the SUV to start bouncing on its air springs. When the bouncing becomes moderate, simply give it a touch of gas, and the GLS will be out of the jam. We tried this a couple of times, and it took us less than 10 seconds to free the SUV. You can also use the feature on snow and other soft surfaces, and the bouncing sensation will make you laugh.

There will be a lot more to talk about the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS when we get a sample for a proper First Drive. For now, we can only say the cabin is quite spacious, cargo room has improved, and technology is more advanced. Until then, enjoy the video above to see EABC in action.

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2020 Subaru Outback: Here’s What’s Different From the Old One

When the new Subaru Outback debuted at the 2019 New York auto show, many had trouble spotting the changes. We’ve already gone over the subtle design tweaks made to Subaru’s crossover-ized wagon, but what about the nitty-gritty details? Break out your calipers and measuring tape, as we’re about to dive deep into the 2020 Subaru Outback’s specs sheet.

Exterior dimensions

Today’s crossovers get bigger and bigger with each new iteration. Such is the case with the Subaru Outback, but the dimensions haven’t increased that much. The new Outback is 191.3 inches long, 66.1 inches tall, and 73 inches wide. That represents a growth of  just 1.4 inches in length over its predecessor. Width has increased 0.6 inch, but the height stays the same. At 108.1 inches, the wheelbase is also unchanged. Front track width remains the same at 61.8 inches, but rear track increases 0.6 inch to 62.8 inches. Front overhang increases by just 0.1 inch, though rear overhang grows by 1.4 inches.

Engines

The 2020 Subaru Outback boasts a 2.5-liter flat-four engine that makes 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque. That’s up 7 hp and 2 lb-ft from the previous base engine. Subaru has ditched the old 3.6-liter flat-six for the Ascent’s 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four as the upgrade engine. The new engine makes 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, up 4 hp and 30 lb-ft from the naturally aspirated flat-six.

Fuel economy

Along with more power, the two engines boast better fuel economy. The base engine nets 26/33 mpg city/highway, up slightly from 25/32 mpg. The difference is even more significant on the upgrade engine: 23/30 mpg instead of 20/27 mpg. The tank capacity remains 18.5 gallons.

Towing

The previous model was able to tow up to 2,700 pounds no matter the engine. Now, the Outback can tow 3,500 pounds when paired with the more powerful turbo. That’s a pretty significant improvement.

Off the beaten path

Outdoor adventurers shouldn’t expect much change in off-road capability. The 2020 Outback boasts an approach angle of 18.6 degrees, departure angle of 21.7 degrees, and breakover angle of 19.4 degrees. Compare that to the 2019 model (18.4, 22.7, and 20 degrees, respectively). Ground clearance remains 8.7 inches.

Interior space

Passengers will find a little more space in the rear. Legroom in the back has increased by 1.4 inches, and headroom has gone up 0.2 inch. Overall passenger volume has increased 0.9 cubic feet on models without the moonroof, and 1.1 cubic feet on models with the moonroof. However, front headroom has decreased 0.7 inch on models without the moonroof, and 0.6 inch on models with the moonroof.

Cargo room

EPA cargo volume comes in at 32.5 cubic feet with the seats up, down from 35.5 cubic feet. The liftover height, or the height you have to lift an item to get it into the back of the vehicle, has increased half an inch.

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2020 Ford Escape: 6 Things We Learned From its Designer

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Here are 5 Things Ford Is Doing to Improve Your Customer Experience

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Forget the Econobox; Rent This 600-Plus-HP Shelby Mustang Instead

If you can’t afford to buy a Shelby of your own, the next best option is to rent one—and now you can. Shelby American has teamed with Sixt Rent a Car to offer special versions of its supercharged GT-S models. They’ll be available to rent starting this summer for about $200 to $250 a day, with the first 20 examples entering the Sixt fleets in Southern California, South Florida, and Las Vegas. No number was given in terms of expected build run.

The orange and black beasts with Le Mans–style stripes are all coupes and pack a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine that delivers more than 600 horsepower. Shelby says the engine is (at least for now) exclusively tuned for this program, and it mates to a 10-speed automatic transmission in the rentals. The cars are assembled in Las Vegas and each will be included in the official Shelby registry.

Every example features a Shelby GT vented hood, a Shelby fascia and rocker panels, a rear spoiler, and plenty of badging all around, as well as Brembo front brakes, Ford Performance springs and anti-roll bars, a Borla cat-back exhaust, and 20-inch staggered-width Shelby wheels. The interior is decorated with special leather upholstery, and also gets a serialized dash plaque to match the one on the engine. Once the cars are retired from rental duty, they’ll be made available for purchase. Whether or not they’ll be all used up will depend on the folks who rent them, but we’re glad to see another entry in the long, illustrious line of special rental Mustangs.

Source: Shelby American

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Could the Porsche 918 Successor Look Like This Hot 917 Concept?

If you’re expecting the Porsche 918 successor to look like a spaceship, then you might be disappointed. Speaking with Autocar, Porsche design boss Michael Mauer revealed that the automaker is debating whether it should go futuristic or nostalgic for the design of its next hypercar. The news comes right as Porsche celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 917 race car’s global debut. You may recall that Porsche revealed a 917 concept design study for the first time last month. The brand has dropped more photos of that glorious concept car, and now Mauer hints that it could serve as inspiration for Porsche’s next hypercar.

“If you launch a new hypercar then you can go extremely modern in your thinking or maybe just go back to our sports car roots and take inspiration from some of the many icons in our history,” Mauer to Autocar. “When you look at the 917 Concept then, personally, I love it. You look at it and you immediately make the connections. But as a designer who believes that the next hypercar should point to the future, I’m not so sure. There is always the option to look into history, but sometimes you can also take the option to create some history.” In short, you can go retro and pay homage to your past instead of creating something super-futuristic.

Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has confirmed that the automaker is well on the way in its plans for its next hypercar. But Blume says the company is still deciding what powertrain to go with. “If we want it to be electric then we must wait, because battery performance is not where we need it to be yet in order to meet our performance targets,” Blume said. “It is not decided though that the car will be fully electric. There are opportunities with hybrid, too. We will make a decision when the time is right.”

    As we previously reported, the 917 design study actually dates back to 2014. But Porsche’s decision to publicly unveil it now is interesting. Is the Stuttgart brand testing the waters to see how a retro look for its 918 successor would be received? We can’t say for sure, but we hope so. All we know is we can’t get enough of this gorgeous P-car.

The 917 Concept will be on display at the Porsche Museum from May 14 to September 15 in the “Colours of Speed—50 Years of the 917” exhibit, which pays tribute to Porsche’s 1970 Le Mans victory.

Source: Autocar, Porsche

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Chevy Has Heard Your Collective Gagging, Introduces Face-Lifted 2020 Chevrolet Camaro SS

The sixth-gen Camaro, in any guise, is incredibly good to drive. But as fun as the turbo-four or V-6 models can be—especially in 1LE guise—there’s something about a V-8 Camaro that’s perfect. And now, with the addition of the LT1 model to the 2020 lineup, it just got a little bit cheaper to take home a 455-hp Camaro.

Priced to start at $34,995, the new LT1 shaves $3,000 from the base price of the previous least-expensive V-8 Camaro model, the 1SS. According to Chevy, the LT1 combines the previous Camaro 1LT specification with the SS. Offered with a choice of six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission, the 2020 Camaro LT1 gets LT exterior styling overall but adds the SS’s vented hood, LT1 fender badges, and black bowtie emblems. It also gets 8.5-inch-wide, 20-inch SS wheels at all four corners (unlike the SS’s staggered setup), and all-season tires instead of performance rubber. It might not be quite as quick as an SS out of the box, but with the $3,000 you’ll save, there’s plenty of money left for tires or other go-fast stuff.

One of the biggest updates for the 2020 Camaro model year is a new front-end design for the SS that’s based on the Camaro Shock concept at last year’s SEMA show. The main tweaks include moving the bowtie emblem from the front crossbar to the upper grille, as well as rendering that bar in body color rather than black. This addresses the gripes many fans had when the refreshed Camaro debuted last year.

The 3.6-liter V-6 Camaro LT also gets a few changes for 2020, including now being available with the 10-speed automatic transmission previously only available with V-8 engines. Chevy says the transmission is based on the same design used with the SS and ZL1 but modified to suit the performance envelope of the V-6.

The 2020 Camaro lineup also gets a few new option and packaging changes. The highlights include a new Rally Green paint choice; the chance to spec the ZL1’s red seat belts and console pads; tinted taillamp lenses and a rear spoiler option on LS and LT models; the option of 20-inch wheels and red or orange brake calipers on the LT, LT1, and SS; available Recaro seats on the LT; and a microfiber-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob available on the SS and LT. The updated 2020 Chevrolet Camaro arrives at dealers this fall.

Source: GM

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These are the Top Cars From the Hot Wheels Legends Tour Atlanta

We flew out to the Peach State to cover the next leg of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, a series of a car shows across the United States where participants compete for a place at the final stop at SEMA 2019.

Each show is hosted in a Walmart parking lot, and although we arrived early, there was already a strong showing of attendees. One of the big draws of the Legends Tour is the Hot Wheels vending machine, a rolling diecast dispenser and a mobile shop for event-specific collectible cars. By 8 am, there was a block-long line to secure a sweet premium-grade Datsun wagon from the Hot Wheels liveried Ford Transit.

There was an eclectic mix of rides built out to various stages of modification. Some participants brought out first-year VW Rabbits, others showed rat rod muscle cars, and still more presented their entirely custom creations. Hot Wheels says it looks for authenticity, creativity, and garage spirits.

The judges picked one car they felt best met these criteria. Freddy Quintero took top honors at the show with his 1975 Chevy Impala lowrider. He’s logged ten years of work to get his car, named “GQ or Glasshouse Quintero,” to the condition as shown. It wears beautiful root beer House of Kolor candy over a beige silver base. Manny Auto Art added the striping as a final touch.

The interior has light and dark brown pleather, Dakota Digital gauges, and a Forever Sharp steering wheel. Even among the other Hot Wheels-worthy builds present, Quintero’s ride stood out as the only lowrider at the show. Quintero and the GQ will be heading to SEMA to compete against the winners from other stops on the tour.

Stay tuned for coverage of the tour’s next stop—Bentonville, Arkansas, on May 11!

Check out the wild rides from the other Hot Wheels Legends Tour stops

The Hot Wheels Legends Tour Kicks Off in Miami

Houston Brings its A Game to the Hot Wheels Legends Tour

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What’s it Like Driving a McLaren 600LT Spider? Watch and Find Out

  The McLaren 600LT bridges the gap between the British marque’s Sports series and Super series cars, and as such it offers the best of both worlds. The automaker claims the 2019 600LT Spider will do 0–60 mph in 2.8 seconds. MotorTrend road test editor Chris Walton notes that we’ve already done this in a 570S with less grippy tires—and the 570S coupe took our Best Driver’s Car title in 2016, so it has serious chops.

After driving the 600LT at the Arizona Motorsports Park, Walton is convinced this convertible with added power will be even faster when he gets his testing hands on it.

This papaya-orange two-seater has a mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-plane-crank V-8 engine that makes 592 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 457 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. That is 30 more horses than the 570S and 14 additional lb-ft. It has a seven-speed twin-clutch automated manual and standard launch control, which Walton thinks will make it take off like a rocket, even without all-wheel drive.

Watch the video to see why Walton thinks the 600LT will do 0–60 mph in 2.5 seconds.

The 600LT Spider is based on the 570S Spider but weighs 222 pounds less. The three-piece hardtop goes up or down in 15 seconds.

This is the fifth McLaren to get the LT treatment, dating back to the 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail FIA GT race car. There have been coupe and convertible versions of the 675LT, followed by the 600LT coupe and now the convertible.

Adding LT is more than extending the tail. It also refers to reducing weight, improving the aerodynamics, adding power, tuning the chassis for track use, enhancing the overall driver engagement, and limiting the production. In this case, only 500 will be made.

If its performance leaves you confused as to whether it should be a Sport or Super series, McLaren might solve that problem for you. CEO Mike Flewitt is considering combining Sport and Super into a single series while keeping Ultimate and adding a new Grand Touring series.

The 600LT Spider is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Center in Woking, Surrey, and goes for about $256,000.

The post What’s it Like Driving a McLaren 600LT Spider? Watch and Find Out appeared first on Motortrend.

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