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These 'blind' automotive world record stunts have to stop

Drivers setting world records "blind" – wearing a blindfold or with something obscuring the windshield – is the new thing for some reason. First it was an Alfa Romeo Giulia setting a blind lap at Silverstone with help from a spotter trailing behind, and now this: a stunt man doing a J-turn within a narrow path with nothing but a Nissan Juke's cameras guiding him. He matched the "sighted" J-turn record, flipping the car around in a space about 7 inches longer than the car. I have two issues with these stunts. First, there are just too many world records. Yeah, I said it. Are these meaningful? Is someone else likely to ever attempt this feat? No, because it's just marketing, both for the manufacturer and whoever's still trying to sell those annual books. Stuff like the fastest production car is fine with me. Heck, I'll even take unofficial Nurburgring times – the kind where the drivers can actually see. Second, I'm all for stunts, but do something cool! And preferably something that could only be performed with that particular car, if you're going to make an ad out of it. Yes, the Juke has an Around View Monitor system, which stitches together feeds from four cameras to make it look like the car is being filmed by a drone hovering overhead. I happen to love 360-degree cameras – they let you see things that are just not visible from the driver's seat and make parking and low-speed maneuvering really easy. But the Juke isn't the first car to offer one, and the feature isn't even new to the car. Nissan was at least forthright enough to admit that this professional driver (on a closed course!) had a bunch of practice. But this really says more about his precision driving skills than about the car, or the camera. And just so we're clear, you really shouldn't try to park a car without looking out the windows, even if you have fancy cameras. So what's next? Pretty soon there will be a record for blindest blind stunt. Let me know when someone actually does something interesting. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversario gets even more power

Alfa Romeo is celebrating its Quadrifoglio emblem's 100th birthday by rolling out limited-edition variants of the Giulia and the Stelvio. The commemorative cars receive a more powerful twin-turbocharged V6, edition-specific visual accents, and carbon fiber interior trim. The green Quadrifoglio (which means "four-leaf clover" in Italian) first appeared on a straight-six-powered RL race car at the 1923 edition of the Targa Florio, a grueling road race that was held in Sicily. Legend has it that pilot Ugo Sivocci had the emblem painted on his car for good luck. He won, and the Quadrifoglio quickly began appearing on Alfa Romeo's race cars before showing up on street-legal production models. Fast-forward to 2023, and the four-leaf clover denotes Alfa Romeo's most powerful models: the Giulia Quadrifoglio is the Italian company's answer to the BMW M3, and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio competes in the same segment as the X3 M. The limited-edition 100th Anniversario models build on these foundations with a 520-horsepower evolution of the twin-turbocharged, 2.9-liter V6 (that's 15 more than in the regular-production variants). Alfa Romeo also added a mechanical limited-slip differential derived from the sold-out, 540-horsepower Giulia GTA. Based on the recently-updated Giulia and Stelvio, the 100th Anniversario models come with LED headlights,19-inch wheels for the Giulia (the Stelvio rides on 21-inch alloys), and edition-specific gold-colored brake calipers. Quadrifoglio emblems with gold-colored accents and "1923-2023" lettering are fitted to the fenders, and the list of equipment also includes a carbon fiber grille and carbon fiber door mirror caps. The interior gets a similar treatment: There's carbon fiber trim, gold-colored stitching, and a "100" logo on the dashboard. Like their regular-production counterparts, both cars get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster whose layout changes depending on the driving mode selected. Alfa Romeo will build 100 units of the Giulia Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversario and 100 additional examples of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversario. Pricing and availability haven't been announced yet, and deliveries are scheduled to start in the coming weeks for buyers in European markets. Alfa Romeo confirmed to Autoblog that both models will be sold in the United States. Buyers will have three colors called Rosso Etna, Montreal Green, and Vulcano Black to choose from. More details will be announced in the not-too-distant future.

Ranger in the USA, Alfa in Italy, and Volvo goes RWD | Autoblog Podcast # 780

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd. They start off with this week's big news, including the official unveiling of the U.S.-market Ford Ranger and Ranger Raptor, some new RWD options from Volvo, and the potential production status of the Hyundai N Vision 74 concept. They also cover the discontinuation of the Mercedes-Benz CLS and the introduction of the latest RS model in Porsche's lineup, based on the 718 Spyder. From there, Byron talks about driving the new Alfa Romeo Tonale, and Greg digs into the new Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance. After that, Byron talks about his Wankel-based discovery during his tour of Alfa Romeo's factory museum outside Milan.  Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast # 780 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News 2024 Ford Ranger and 405-horsepower Ranger Raptor revealed 2024 Volvo C40 and XC40 Recharge First Drive Review: Back to the RWD future Pony up, Hyundai. Build the N Vision 74 concept Porsche unveils 2024 718 Spyder RS — outrun the sun What we're driving2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale 2023 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Green Podcasts Alfa Romeo Ford Hyundai Lexus Porsche Volvo Convertible Crossover Electric Sedan