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Yes, a Ferrari-swapped Toyota can do donuts around a Ferrari

Ryan Tuerck recently started his Ferrari-powered Toyota GT86 for the first time, and now the pro drifter is back for a donut session in the custom-built coupe. The build included stuffing the F136 V8 from a Ferrari 458 into the GT86, so having the JDM supercar do smoky donuts around the Italian supercar just makes sense. We first heard of Tuerck and Gumout's radical plan to build a competition-only GT86 with the beating heart out of a 458 in July. Since then, Donut Media has put out updates on the vehicle as the build has progressed, ranging from the difficulties of cramming the taller and longer V8 into the Toyota to firing the beast up for the first time. We like what we see – and hear – and you can bet Tuerck's new GT86 will be starring in numerous drifting videos soon. Related Video: News Source: Donut MediaImage Credit: Donut Media / YouTube Ferrari Toyota Coupe Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars Videos drifting toyota gt86 toyota 86

Toyota/Mazda factory will reportedly be in Alabama or North Carolina

The Toyota/Mazda factory sweepstakes appear to be nearing a conclusion as Bloomberg and Automotive News are reporting the location has been narrowed down to either North Carolina or Alabama. The joint venture plant worth $1.6 billion would add 4,000 jobs to whichever state lands it. To even be considered, Toyota and Mazda have reportedly sought a $1 billion incentive package from interested states in the form of tax breaks and other support. At least 15 states had apparently been jockeying for the factory, including Mississippi, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Texas and South Carolina. Toyota presently has an engine factory near Huntsville, Ala. The state is also currently home to Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz assembly plants. North Carolina currently does not have a car manufacturing plant. This would also represent Mazda's return to American manufacturing, as its present lineup of cars and crossovers is produced in Japan. The company had previously built cars in the United States along with its former partner Ford. Related Video:

Toyota, Ford and Honda again top Consumer Reports Car-Brand Perception Survey

Consumer Reports has released its annual Car-Brand Perception Survey, and the list looks awfully familiar. The top six brands are identical to last year's results, with Toyota, Ford and Honda continuing to occupy the podium. All told, Toyota walked away with 133 points, putting it 15 ahead of second-place Ford. Honda jumped 26 points this year, narrowing Ford's lead to just four points in total.
Consumer Reports polls buyers from across the country on how they see multiple brands in seven categories, including quality, safety, value, performance, design/style, technology/innovation and environmentally friendly/green. Researchers then combine the findings to come up with the total brand score.
While value and performance remain important to buyers, CR found quality and safety are still on top when it comes to significance. Scion and Mitsubishi found themselves at the bottom of the pack with the worst score of all, tied at just six points. Ram, Fiat and Mini filled out the lowest five with scores of seven, eight and 10 points, respectively. You can read the full press release below for more information, or head over to the Consumer Reports site.