A quick question before we dive into today’s newsletter…

The Roadmap:

1. Ferrari 458 racing simulator

2. C&C permanently bans muscle cars

3. Making the BMW M2 less ugly with duct tape

4. Are car makers selling your private data?

5. Fails

6. Electrifying Updates

   • Cybertruck owners start getting penalized

   • An EV inspired by Group B rally icons

   • Cybertruck goes rock-crawling

   • New Porsche Taycan steals Tesla's record

7. Meme Corner

Read Time: 5 minutes

Ferrari 458 racing simulator

Like many of you, the 458 Italia is my dream car.

Unfortunately, the closest we probably will get to driving one is in a video game.

Or is it?

• An official Ferrari-approved body shop in Derbyshire, UK turned a real 458 into a dual racing rig

• The interior has been stripped and retrofitted with high-end Thrustmaster TS-PC Ferrari racing steering systems which give a realistic feel of the road surface and car behavior

• ‘Butt Kicker’ speakers and fans in the cabin further enhance the driving sensation

• Drivers use VR headsets that give a 360-degree virtual view of the track

• The engine, a high-end gaming PC, sits where the N/A engine normally would

It sold at auction for close to $36k, a tenth of the price for a working car.

Here’s the listing for more details and images.

Houston Coffee & Cars
hates muscle cars

Here’s what you need to know:

• All late-model Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros, Dodge Chargers, and Dodge Challengers have been banned

• The decision came about after incidents of “burnouts and revving” at a recent show

There was both support and dissatisfaction shown regarding the ban.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that all four of the muscle mentioned earlier cars are among the deadliest in America to both their drivers and other road users.

Ductape makes the BMW M2
look less ugly

Duct tape fixes everything, doesn't it?

Using red and black duct tape, designer Davis Lee altered the shape of the M2’s lights and bumper, giving it a sportier look.

Davis, the owner and chief designer at California-based Adro, has also created body kits for the M3 and M4 in the past.

Check out his Instagram account to see the final reveal of the body kit.

Are car makers selling your data?

Cars today are considered modern depending on how many ‘connected’ features they have.

But is this a good thing?

Your data might be used to determine your insurance premium, or in some cases, refuse to insure your car.

7 companies denied an owner of a Cadillac insurance because his vehicle recorded instances of hard braking, acceleration, and speeding.

An anonymous source who worked at a Detroit manufacturer said that revenue from the data sold to data brokerage firms is “in the low millions of dollars.”

The article below goes in-depth into what data is collected, and some of it is truly frightening.

1. Woman hacks pump and gets $28k worth of free gas

• A vulnerability in the system sent the pump into demo mode if the rewards card was swiped twice

• She used this hack to get fuel 510 times over 6 months - around 7,413 gallons

• She may face up to 20 years in prison, as theft over $5,000 is considered a Class IIA felony in Nebraska

Source

2. Double towing trouble

Props to the tow truck driver for saving both vehicles.

I hope he’ll remember to use proper safety and securing protocols the next time.

3. Man tries to steal an autonomous taxi

You’ve got to be really dumb to try something like this.

• The man climbed into the driver’s seat of a robotaxi and attempted to put it in drive

• A Waymo employee was notified and attempted to get the man to leave through a call made to the car

• He didn’t, and the cops arrested the man

Source

Tesla Cybertruck owners start getting penalized

In our last issue, we wrote about the prices of used Cybertrucks going through the roof.

This week the tables have turned.

• Owners who attempted at selling their trucks have been blacklisted and their future reservations canceled without a refund

• If the owner completes the sale, they would be given a $50,000 fine or the profit gained from the sale, whichever is higher

Cybertrucks currently on auction have failed to get bids over $200,000.

This means that the used market for them has crashed in a week.

Cybertruck Owners Club

Rivian R3X: Inspired by rally icons

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a cool-looking EV. Retro and futuristic at the same time.

Now, Rivian is following in the Ioniq’s footsteps with their new R3X.

The design team took inspiration from iconic Group B rally cars like the Delta Integrale and Audi Quattro coupe.

Would you give it a try?

Tesla Cybertruck goes rock-crawling

We’ve all seen the embarrassing videos of the “Mars-proof” SUV getting stuck on the sand and snow.

Now, Tesla says they're working on a new off-roading software. 

To prove it, they released a few clips of the Cybertruck tackling the Moab off-roading course.

Tesla is developing “locking differentials” through its new software, which has been put to use in the video above.

Morris also said that another video of the Cybertruck in Baja mode will be coming soon.

New Porsche Taycan Turbo GT steals Tesla’s record

Even though the Model S Plaid seems like a better deal overall, the Taycan lapped the Nurburgring in 7:07:55. That’s:

• 26 seconds faster than the old Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport

• 18 seconds ahead of the Tesla Model S Plaid (with track package)

It also set the record as the fastest electric series production car at the Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca in California.

With Tesla’s rocket-thruster-powered Roadster a while away, it looks like the Taycan will be holding the title for now.

Memes “Is this you” edition.