Articles by Jeff Glucker

Enough pictures, enough video, enough stats and press releases. Someday soon, by the beard of Jupiter, we want to experience the Alfa Romeo 4C in the flesh -- and it's likely to be a couple of years before it makes it to Australia. Still, the videos aren't terrible, as the subject in question is more than easy on the eyes.The latest clip released from Alfa Romeo shows the 4C being hustled around the Balocco Racetrack, which is located in the Piedmont region of Italy (wine fan alert!). This video shows 4C ripping through corners, and apparently breaking out into a sweat, because the rest of the clip shows sunny skies.It's still a tease though, and a bit of a cruel one. At the very beginning we're treated to the car starting up, but the pending exhaust and engine noises give way to overly dramatic music. That's not what we want to hear. If the car is shown powersliding around a corner, we want to hear rubber being murdered, an engine orchestrating mayhem, and an exhaust barking angrily at the tarmac as it passes over it.Oh, well. I guess we just have to wait for our own time behind the wheel. For now, we'll try to remain content with the aforementioned stills, videos, and stories being sent out. Time to go back and watch that clip again... for the 35th time or so.www.motorauthority.com 

Ford is taking a step back into the Mustang archives to remember a bit of its own history with the pony car. Ford have dug through their photo vault to find images of the original Mustang concept car, and it's quite a head turner. Not exactly the 1964 1/2 coupe and convertible that wound up on dealer lots all across the country, the concept proved to be a bit more aggressive in its design.Looking more like an original Grand Sport Corvette, the Ford Mustang concept featured an angled nose, a roadster top, and huge vents ahead of the rear wheels. The car wound up looking like a racecar of the era that had been turned into a street car. As such, it looked extremely sporty and like a machine that we wish had actually been built.Still, the actual Mustang that rolled off the line was a fantastic looking car. In fact, the Mustang shattered its early sales estimates and Ford had to go into overdrive to supply the frenzied demand. Now it may have to get set to do it all over again as we near the time of the car’s next generation.Early reports suggest that Ford is pushing the Mustang into a new era of style and engineering, and everyone who cares about autos has to be excited to see what's under the wraps, camo-clad body work, and renderings. These concept photos provide a glimpse into the cars past while we sit on the precipice of its future.

Toyota teased its GT 86 TRD Griffon concept teased at the start of June. The car was eventually revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon, and now fans of the lightweight coupe are going to see it hit the track. Toyota is taking the two-door to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, and this little machine should prove to be quite the adept hillclimber. To prep it for its track time, the TRD team shed as much weight as they could. Carbon fibre body panels have been swapped in so that the door, roof, bonnet, bootlid, and rear wing are all made up of the lighter material. Additionally, the front bumper and guards have been swapped out for carbon fibre composite pieces. TRD were able to shed a very impressive 225 kg which brings the curb weight down to approximately 1040 kg. The engine was left alone, but the handling and braking have been upgraded. A TRD mechanical differential was swapped in to replace the Torsen unit, and a set of lightweight 18-inch wheels was bolted on. This GT 86 clearly looks to get down to racing business, and we can't wait to see it hit the hill. This is a concept car, and although Toyota has released a limited-edition GT 86 TRD in the UK, Australia won't be getting that model -- we have to wait until Toyota is ready to bring a higher-performance version of the 86 here. In the meantime, you'll have to resort to importers of the TRD parts catalogue to dress up your 86. www.motorauthority.com  

Your average Class-A motorhome is an expensive machine fitted with a standard array of luxurious features. Be it granite counter tops, stainless appliances, flat-screen TVs, or quadruple pop-outs, upgrading a coach is an easy affair if you've got the bucks.What if you want more though... much more. Marchi Mobile has the recreational vehicle that you've been dreaming about. Or maybe it's having nightmares about, depending on which part you're viewing.The Marchi Mobile EleMMent Palazzo is a rolling tribute to excess and wealth. It's also packed with style, both good and bad. The Luigi Colani-designed exterior looks like a genetically mutated oversized Winnebago.Inside, however, it's a completely different story if you're a fan of modern design and style. There's a great use of space, ultra luxurious furniture and appliance choices.A jet-like gangway unfolds to provide access to the interior, which can be massively expanded by the oversized pop-out slider. There's even a pop-up rooftop bar for when you're parked and want to become emperor of the local RV parking section.A large diesel engine provides power for this exotic rolling rig, and it spits out emissions through a pair of exhaust outlets mounted under a rear diffuser. We don't imagine that improves handling, but it looks pretty cool. So what would it take to add this machine to your luxury stable? About $3 million. It's certainly cheaper and more comfortable than a jet.www.motorauthority.com 

It's gone through quite a few evolutions across its varied generations, and each version finds a large crowd of enthusiasts that claim their favorite is the best version. Be it E30, E36, E46, and so on, each one has something to offer for anyone with a love of cars and driving enjoyment or merely anyone with a pulse. One of the greatest M3 models ever produced, however, is undoubtedly the 2003 M3 CSL. Already a powerful performer, BMW took the E46 a few steps further when it introduced the CSL variant. The goal with this car was to reduce weight in order to push performance. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer was used throughout the body, the seats were swapped out for lighter-weight units, and the sound deadening was removed. The brakes were upgraded, as was the suspension, transmission, and even the engine. The result was a BMW M3 that could lap the Nürburgring in under eight minutes, and then be driven home and parked lovingly in your garage. That is, if you could scoop up one of these ultra-rare beasts. Just under 1,400 examples were produced with approximately zero officially sold here in North America. Of course, a few slipped through the borders, and seeing one in the flesh is a wild treat. A flock of BMW M3 CSL owners recently came together to celebrate the vehicles 10th birthday. In fact, 50 lucky CSL owners banded together to hang out and share their love of a fabulous machine. BMW put it on video, and it's worth a watch just for a few looks at the M3 CSL. www.motorauthority.com  

This Saudi man was captured riding on the hood of a Ford Crown Victoria while said Panther platformer was running down a highway. With a relaxed air about him, the man was seen sending a text message or doing something else requiring that his gaze and hands been focused on his phone. From there, the man kicked back and seemed to enjoy his truly insane ride. While we applaud his use of a Crown Vic for any task, we have to say that we think this is incredibly dumb. An endless number of things could happen here that lead to a very bad (or even last) day. Maybe the car in front of the hood rider's hits its brakes, and the Crown Vic driver then needs to get hard on his brakes. That hood will become a short slide ride into doom. We wish we didn't have to say this but we trust no one out there is dumb enough to try to emulate this video and turn it into a "thing". www.motorauthority.com  

Audi is clearly on a mission to make parking a much easier affair. They've recently announced the latest Audi Connect feature that shows drivers what local garages are charging and if they have any spots open. This is a neat feature that should make the issue of finding a spot a far faster event in one's life. Now Audi is taking another leap forward in parking technology (yes, it's a thing). The German prestige brand is undergoing testing of a new program called Piloted Parking. Essentially, the car and parking garage will talk to each other. On a basic level, this would allow a driver to simply pull his car up to the pay booth and the car and garage would chat, exchange some funds, and the exit gate would go up. No messing with coins or hanging out the window to talk to an attendant. There's more though, and here's where it gets into some next level type tech. The driver would get out of his or her car at the entrance to the garage. Now the garage would take over driving duty by telling the Audi where an open space is and how to get there. Then the Audi, without the aid of a driver behind the wheel, would park itself. It's essentially the future of parking, and we hope valet attendants can see the writing on the wall. You're not touching my car, changing my seating position, and messing with my radio anymore. www.motorauthority.com  

If you have a fast car you're probably going to want to drive it quickly. You might also want to know just how well you're doing on your local track with regards to speeds and lap times.You could spend a whole lot of dough on a multitude of data logging devices, or you could find an app that has some information that you might find useful. BMW owners now have a new tool that straddles both worlds, and does so rather brilliantly.BMW has produced a new app for the iPhone (sorry Android...) called the M Power App, previewed here in this video made by the guys at Bimmerpost. What this does is tie into the system of the vehicle via the BMW Apps option and allows drivers to record a whole bunch of data while they're out on the track.When they come in for a break, they can grab their phone and pull up the app where they're presented with a scorecard. This shows the top speed, the ambient track temperature, the lap times, and the differences between each lap.After you review the scorecard, go ahead and click "Review" because there's a whole lot more information waiting for you. A satellite map of the track pops up and shows you your throttle and braking applications.From this screen you can actually replay your laps as well, and watch an car icon move along the track. This display shows your speed and steering angle throughout the replay. If you want to see how you compare on a given track, you can get your friends data and it will show your lap data simultaneously.It's a pretty amazing app, and it will be made available to BMW owners with the BMW Apps option later this summer. We're eager to get a bit more time with this app to really explore it (and any BMW machine that might come along with it).www.motorauthority.com 

Audi already has a strong line-up of petrol and diesel engines, and several forays into the possibility of electric and hybrid drivetrains.Now however, comes word that another type of engine juice will be joining the lineup--albeit in prototype form. Mix two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen and what you're left with is water, which is the emissions left behind by the type of fuel cell that Audi is taking a look at for the A7.Fuel cell vehicles utilise hydrogen fuel and pair that abundant element with the oxygen already found in the air. As the hydrogen and oxygen interact through a process known as electrolysis, heat and electricity are generated and the vehicle is provided with power.Audi is wise to examine this technology as the world will never run out of hydrogen, though obtaining it using current means (via steam-methane reforming) produces a lot of CO2. The A7 however, is a bit of an interesting platform on which to test and Audi has shown that it can generate hydrogen in a clean way. Using electricity generated from wind farms, Audi can use a reverse-electrolysis process to generate hydrogen.We're a bit surprised that Audi wouldn't consider the A3 sedan or hatchback for this endeavour. Still, it's only a test at this point to determine the feasibility of putting a fuel cell-equipped vehicle into the product lineup. Per Autocar, the project kicks off sometime towards the end of August.Should everything go well it will be interesting to see where Audi decides to apply the technology in a consumer application. The current network of hydrogen fuelling stations is not exactly bustling.www.motorauthority.com 

Attention One-Percenters, your latest ultra-exotic, limited-edition hypercar is nearly here. It's called the Koenigsegg One:1, and it should be an insane road-going time machine that transports you to future sections of roads in the blink of an eye.We first brought you details on the new Koenigsegg last November, but at the time we didn't know what the car looked like.Now, enthusiast site Auto Forum has posted up some official renderings of the One:1. It's very much a Koenigsegg product, one based on the Agera line of supercars, though there a few tweaks that show it's a newer special edition machine.As you might expect, the power output should prove to be on the extreme side of outrageous. Early claims suggest up to 1000 kilowatts, a 0-100km/h time of approximately 2.5 seconds (equal to that of the all-wheel-drive Bugatti Veyron) and a top speed in excess of 400km/h.The One:1 will come in a size similar to that of the Agera, but it will weigh much less. The “One:1” designation is said to be indicative of the car’s power-to-weight ratio in terms of horsepower per kilogram. It will cost a ton as well, with an estimated price tag of $2 million.If you happen to be in the market for a One:1, you better act quickly. Koenigsegg plans to produce just five examples. Also, you better live in China because that is the market in which these cars are expected to be sold. So, to recap, if you want a Koenigsegg One:1 you'll need to be:1. Wildly wealthy2. Living in China3. Possessing a desire to break speed limits at every chance.4. Capable of withstanding G-force levels normally reserved for fighter pilots.If you meet those four requirements, you're ready for Koenigsegg One:1 ownership. Oops, wait... they're most likely already sold out. Better luck next time!www.motorauthority.com