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A Definitive End to the Malaise Era Inside the 1986 Acura Integra: Like, Totally Tubular! The Engine of Tomorrow, TodayBack in the '80s, the Integra's 16-valve 1.6-liter engine really turned our heads. It's easy to chuckle at the oversized DOHC PROGRAMMED FUEL INJECTION decal on the Integra's flanks, but in 1986 this was exotic stuff. Detroit's four-cylinder engines were awful eight-valve lumps that were only just beginning to be tamed with throttle-body fuel injection, a cheap single-injector assembly bolted into the same spot as a carburetor. Even Honda, already known for the best four-bangers in the biz, still offered only single-cam 12-valve engines, all with carburetors (with fuel injection as a new-for-1986 option).Of course, MotorTrend was no stranger to two-cam multi-valve heads; we tested plenty of European supercars, but to see such exotica on a reasonably priced car was a novelty. Same for multi-port fuel injection, which in 1986 was only just making its first appearance on Chevrolet's Corvette and IROC-Z. To see such hardware put together with Japanese precision and refinement, though, was something new, even for us."The Integra's four-valve-per-cylinder 1.6-liter engine proved much more than anticipated," we wrote, "with a blend of flat-torque-curve power-on-demand, quick throttle response, and effective NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) damping unsurpassed in engines of its kind on the market today."In the muscle-car '60s—not too distant in 1985's rearview mirror—1-horsepower per cubic inch was the Holy Grail. The Integra drew a righteous 113 horsepower from a mere 97 cubic inches, this at a time when GM's 231-cid (3.8-liter) V-6 only delivered 110. We clocked the then-new 1986 Acura Integra to 60 in 8.9 seconds, just 1.8 seconds behind a 1985 Ford Mustang GT.The Engine of Yesterday, TodayToday we're driving this classic Integra amid fast-moving Los Angeles traffic, and it's a struggle. We're trying to keep up with KJ Jones from MT's Truck and Off-Road Group in his Banks-enhanced Chevy Colorado, and we need every last bit of the Integra's 99 lb-ft of torque. This example has 168,000 miles on the clock and feels appropriate for her age. But Jones knows where we're going and we don't, so museum piece or not, we've no choice but to flirt with the Integra's near-7,000-rpm redline. At least that's our excuse because we like pushing the Integra—and the Integra likes being pushed.With any luck, you are too young and/or fortunate to have driven a four-cylinder car in the early '80s. Trust us, they weren't great, with low and feeble torque peaks concentrated at low or mid revs. Few Americans had experienced anything like the Integra's engine, it's thin low-end torque gradually building and building before surging at 4,000 rpm into a crescendo of power delivered all the way to its exotically-high 6,700-rpm redline—and all the while accompanied by a wonderful sonorous snarl. Today's drivers might say, "So what? That's how every engine drives!" Sure, today they do—and we have the Integra's influence to thank for it.The Correct Tire Transforms the 1986 Acura IntegraBelieve it or not, in our original 1986 test report we complained about the Acura Integra's handling, fixing blame on its Michelin MXV tires which put low limits on the Integra's grip for both turning and braking. (Back in those days we had to modulate brake lock-up in panic stops; there was no ABS to do it for us.) "It was as if the chassis dynamics were tuned to a much more high-performance set of tires," we wrote, "only to be replaced at the last minute." We surmised that better rubber would make the Integra a handling gem.Thirty-five years later, our supposition is confirmed. Our classic Integra's 14-inch aluminum wheels are fitted with a modern set of Falken Azenis RT660s, and the car is masterful. Out on one of our favorite curvy roads, it simply refuses to relinquish its grip on the pavement. The suspension—struts and torsion bars up front, twist-beam in the back—keeps body motions under control, and despite a complete lack of electronic stability control, the Integra never does anything sudden or scary. The steering reminds us why people miss hydraulic assist; it feels alive and chatty with feedback. The effort to turn the tiller is light, and yet the power assist is dialed back enough that you almost forget it's there at all. If a brand-new car drove like this 35-year-old Acura, we'd have nothing to complain about.Lost in TimeAnd that, right there, is the conundrum we face in writing about this classic 1986 Acura Integra in modern times. Not long ago we drove another classic Honda, the foundational first-generation Accord, and there was no mistaking it was a disco-era relic. The timeline is a mind-bender: Only eight years separate that Accord from this Integra. Meanwhile, the time gap between the Integra and modern cars is more than four times as long. And yet it feels like 35 years separate the original Accord and this original Integra, which surely can't be more than a decade older than modern day cars, tape deck and gnarly upholstery notwithstanding.We understand why. In the wake of the Acura Integra's introduction, the 16-valve, dual-overhead-camshaft, multi-port-injected engine would become the industry standard, reigning right up until the recent adaptation of turbochargers, direct injection, and electrification. Detroit would give up its ribbon-style speedometers and one-finger-light power steering to better emulate the Integra. Thanks to Acura, upscale cars would soon be judged not by their size but by their performance, agility, and build quality.Indeed, Honda, Toyota, and the other Japanese automakers fundamentally changed what American automobile buyers wanted, and the 1986 Acura Integra was the car that pointed the way. And so, we can forgive this three-and-a-half-decade-old classic for feeling ordinary. After all, it defined what ordinary would become.

ferrari daytona-sp3 Full OverviewThe tach needle breezes past 8,000 rpm and keeps going. There's a keening edge to the metallic yowl filling the open cockpit, and the acceleration isn't letting up. Suddenly, I'm a wide-eyed 13-year-old at the movies again, riding along with Erich Stahler as he hammers his Ferrari 512 S flat-out down the Mulsanne Straight in Steve McQueen's epic film Le Mans.This is what that sounded like. And this is what I always imagined it felt like. A mid-engine Ferrari V-12 at nearly 9,000 rpm.Blue lights flicker across the top of the steering wheel. The 828 horses behind me are stampeding toward the engine's 9,500-rpm rev limit. I keep my right foot buried and tug the right-hand paddle, and there's a hard, clean crack from the exhaust, like a .30-06 fired deep in the woods. The tach needle drops to just below the 8,000 mark, and the banshee-mad rush continues unabated as the big, red roadster storms through the French countryside.Wrapped in jaw-dropping bodywork that controversially combines classic '60s curves with 21st century aero brutalism, the Ferrari Daytona SP3 is pure theater on wheels. This car unashamedly celebrates why you'd spend more than $2.2 million on an open-top Ferrari; the sound, the fury, the wanton magnificence of an engine format that's powered some of Maranello's greatest racing cars.A Cordial MissileBut you don't have to suffer for its art. Once you get used to the width of the rear fenders and the low clearance up front—using the standard nose lift system is essential when negotiating driveways or speedbumps—the Daytona SP3 is as benign and easy to use as a Ferrari 296 GTB. You could easily drive this thing every day.The Daytona SP3 is the latest in Ferrari's Icona series, a range of limited-edition cars handbuilt at Maranello using key components borrowed from previous Ferrari production cars. Just 599 will be built, and all have been sold despite that stratospheric price tag. The first of around 150 total cars for U.S. Ferrari enthusiasts arrives stateside in the second quarter of 2023.Although Ferrari engineers say about 70 percent of the Daytona SP3's components are new, the chassis is a modified version of the LaFerrari Aperta hypercar's carbon-fiber monocoque. The suspension layout and geometry are identical, as are the giant 15.7-inch front and 15.0-inch rear brakes.Like the LaFerrari, the Daytona SP3 is fitted with 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels, though the Pirelli P Zero Corsas, 265/30 at the front and 345/30 at the rear, have been specifically developed for the car to maximize stability in low grip conditions.That Engine—That Glorious EngineThe Daytona SP3's 6.5-liter V-12 is a modified version of the front-engine 812 Competizione coupe's powerplant. Codenamed F140HC, it is the most powerful internal combustion road car engine ever built by Ferrari.The F140HC makes its 828 horsepower at a dizzying 9,250 rpm and pumps out 514 lb-ft of torque at 7,250 rpm. That 9,500-rpm top end comes courtesy of new titanium connecting rods, which are 40 percent lighter than equivalent steel items, as well as new pistons, a lighter and rebalanced crankshaft, and sliding finger cam followers, a low-mass/low-friction technology borrowed from Ferrari's F1 engines.The first two Icona cars, the Monza SP1 and Monza SP2, evoked the spirit of front-engine Ferrari barchettas from the 1950s. The wasp-waisted Daytona SP3's voluptuous haunches and close-coupled cockpit channels mid-engine V-12 Ferrari race cars from the late '60s and early '70s.The Daytona SP3 is not as pretty as any of those cars, especially the gorgeous 330 P3 and P4, or the 512 S, but Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni says it's not meant to be a simple homage, a retro car. It's meant to be a modern interpretation of the spirit of those classic Ferraris, built in a modern way, using modern materials and modern technologies. That's why 2020s aerodynamic theory has played just as much a part in shaping the Daytona SP3 as 1960s nostalgia.The flics underneath the hooded headlights increase downforce at the front axle, for example, and surfaces on the front fenders and doors control airflow along the side of the car. Chimneys bring air from underneath and direct it past the rear haunches, over the top surface of the engine cover, and toward the subtle rear spoiler.It's clever stuff: Ferrari says the Daytona SP3 generates just over 500 pounds of downforce at 125 mph without any active aerodynamic devices.Interfacing With the MachineYou sit low in the Daytona SP3 and toward the center of the car, just as you would in a sports prototype racer. The seats are fixed, their basic shape integrated into the composite central tub and covered with foam. Tugging on a nylon strap at the front of the seat, between your legs, allows the pedal box to move fore and aft, and the steering wheel is also adjustable for reach and rake. Ferrari says the fixed seating reduces weight and helps keep the car's overall height to just 45 inches, which also helps minimize drag.The Daytona SP3's steering wheel features the same Human-Machine Interface (HMI) concept used in the 296 GTB, among others. Touch controls allow drivers to operate 80 percent of the Daytona SP3's functions without moving their hands off the steering wheel. Controls to switch the lights on and off, adjust the exterior rearview mirrors, and change the air conditioning settings are on haptic touch pads on the dash.The Manettino switch on the steering wheel activates four drive modes under the watchful aegis of an upgraded version of Ferrari's ingenious Side Slip Control system dubbed SSC6.1. Wet is for conditions when traction is at a premium. Sport is the default drive mode, and Race sharpens engine, transmission, and chassis responses. GT-Off gives the driver total control.The Daytona SP3 is the first mid-engine V-12 Ferrari to have the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer (FDE) system that will allow drivers to drift the car if they want, automatically keeping the maximum yaw angle under control by adjusting the brake pressure at each wheel. FDE can be activated with the Manettino switched to Race and GT-Off modes.Even with the roof removed and the scissor door wide open, you need a snake-hipped wriggle to get past the protruding corner of the dash and into the driver's seat without kneecapping yourself. As you settle in and push the pedal box into the correct position, you'll notice the front tire right there, just past your left knee. Your feet are just behind the front axle centerline in a car with a 104.3-inch wheelbase.Cabs don't come much more forward than this.The Alcantara on the driver's seat spills over the vestigial center console and onto the passenger seat, almost giving the impression you've settled into a fancy bench seat. Two slim headrests wrap around like wings, ready to cradle a crash helmet. There's Alcantara on the padding on the doors and on the dash, and small mats on the floors. Pretty much everything else is naked carbon fiber.The SP3 ExperienceThumb the Engine Start-Stop logo on the steering wheel, and there's none of the turbine-like wind-up so typical of a V-12 start: The F140HC simply crackles into life and settles to a brisk idle. Even before you touch the throttle, it feels like an engine with low reciprocating masses.With the Manettino set to Sport and the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission left to its own devices, the Daytona SP3 will happily amble around all day at low to middling speeds, requiring little more effort to drive than a Toyota.The fixed seats are surprisingly comfy, and the ride is surprisingly supple despite the tight rein on the body motions and the contour-hugging low-profile tires. If the tarmac gets too gnarly, a quick press on the Manettino activates the Bumpy Road mode to further soften the ride.The bulging front fenders frame your view ahead, just as they do in a Le Mans sports prototype. The external rearview mirrors are mounted on them, right at the front axle line. They work brilliantly, providing an excellent view past the Daytona SP3's voluptuous hips.As there's no rear window, the internal mirror displays an image from a rear-facing camera. On a sunny day, with the roof off, it's useless, reflections obscuring everything. But as Raúl Julia said in The Gumball Rally as he ripped the rearview mirror off his Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider: "What's behind me is not important."Maybe it's an open-top Daytona thing…With all that power and torque moving barely 3,500 pounds, the Daytona SP3 feels impressively fast and light on its feet. Then you flick the Manettino to Race and the transmission to manual and … oh, lordy!It's Certainly PerformantFerrari claims the Daytona SP3 will sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds (they say 2.85, but we round up) and hit 124 mph in 7.4 seconds on the way to a top speed of 211 mph. There are cars that are quicker through their gears and cars that are faster at the top end. But there's nothing that feels like this Ferrari on a full-throttle run.The rush of power from the screaming F140HC simply keeps building and building and building, right to the rev limiter. The Daytona SP3 feels like it will accelerate forever.Smooth and free-spinning and wonderfully tractable from little more than idle speeds, the F140HC is a masterclass in the art and science of the naturally aspirated V-12 engine. Its throttle response above 7,000 rpm is simply stunning, as crisp and sparkling as vintage champagne. It barks like a hot-rodded superbike engine on downshifts, the revs snapping so fast it's hard to believe it displaces 6.5 liters.It makes most big-horsepower V-8s feel as clumsy as barroom brawlers 15 beers in, punching the walls.It's not all about the engine, though. Maybe it's because you expect the extravagantly proportioned, extravagantly priced Daytona SP3 to be little more than a rich man's plaything, more for show than serious go, it comes as a genuine surprise to discover than when driven as hard as you dare, it stops and steers and goes around corners with the casual aplomb that's fast becoming a Ferrari trademark.Underneath the aural and visual theatrics is a serious, fully sorted car, with a chassis that's been set up to help you make the most of that extraordinary engine.The braking is strong and progressive, and the steering is precise and well weighted and delivers great feedback. The SSC6.1 system delivers a ton of traction out of the corners, even in Race mode, without compromising front-end grip when you go to power.It intimidates at first, this Ferrari, not the least because it's big and wide and powerful and costs nearly as much as a Manhattan condo. But after a couple miles it shrinks around you, and before long you're pinballing it from apex to apex like an old Mazda Miata, marveling at its acuity on changes of direction, exalting in the adrenalin rush of acceleration along the straights, and laughing out loud at the unholy mashup of Pavarotti and the Sex Pistols that is the F140HC's manic soundtrack.The Ferrari Daytona SP3 is the very antithesis of a rational automobile. But that's the whole point. It hasn't been designed to set new performance benchmarks, to showcase new technologies, to rewrite the supercar rulebook. It's been created to exhilarate and entertain, to deliver an intoxicating rush every time you punch the gas. To make you feel spine-tinglingly alive when you drive it fast.It's time to hand the Daytona SP3 back. But I just can't resist one more run through the gears. 8,000 … 8,500 … 9,000 … 9,500 rpm. Oh, yes, mission accomplished.Looks good! More details?

The old Grand Cherokee is out, and the new Grand Cherokee is in. Or is it? Production of the outgoing Jeep Grand Cherokee—chassis code WK2—has ended, according to a Jeep representative, but it can still be found on sale as a 2022 model alongside its replacement, the new 2022 Grand Cherokee WL (the one available, for the first time ever, as a three-row). This overlap of old and new offered simultaneously is nothing new—there's the Ram Classic, for example—and Jeep had mentioned it'd happen when the new WL arrived.But that was over a year ago. That you can still find the Grand Cherokee WK2 on Jeep's website, listed as a new offering alongside the new Grand Cherokee WL, is surprising. So, we checked with Jeep on what was going on, and found out that you can't configure or order a new (old) WK2, which only is available in Laredo E, Laredo X, and Limited trims. You'll need to consult dealerships directly about any remaining WK2 inventory.All vehicles are quite pricey right now, and these "old" WK2s are no exception, at least going by a quick glance at inventory prices. On the configurator, the least-expensive old Grand Cherokee is only $1,345 less than the new Grand. If you're looking for a deal, opting for the outgoing Grand may not be the best bet. If you're craving a WK2, though, there's still hope while inventory lasts. If your search for a WK2 falls short, remember, there's always its platform twin, the (three-row) Dodge Durango.A W-what? A WL-who?Some surprises are good, but others aren't. Here's the bottom line: Know what 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee you're buying because there are two—at least while inventory lasts. To help, here is a quick rundown of the Jeep Grand Cherokee's generations:1st generation "ZJ"  (1993-1998)2nd generation "WJ" (1999-2004)3rd generation "WK" (2005-2010)4th generation "WK2" (2011-2022)5th generation "WL" (2021-22 three-row L)/2022 two-row)Jeep has sold 7 million Grand Cherokees globally since 1992. The new Grand Cherokee runs on a new platform befitting of its new muscular look and offers a new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain for the 4xe that pairs a 270-hp, 295-lb-ft turbo 2.0-liter I-4 with a 134-hp, 195-lb-ft traction motor that replaces the eight-speed automatic transmission's torque converter (as well as a 44-hp, 39-lb-ft starter/generator motor that acts on the accessory drive pulley) for a combined 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy for the PHEV rates at 56 mpg-e combined with 25 miles of all-electric driving range thanks to a 17-kWh battery pack. For the 2023 model year, the 4xe powertrain will be the only way buyers can order a Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. The other WL-generation powertrains carry over from the WK, including the entry-level 3.6-liter V-6 and 5.7-liter V-8.