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BMW V8-powered Ford Model A is the definition of Hot Rod

Today, hotrodding has a pretty staid definition. Take one classic American car, add one classic American V8, sprinkle with tire smoke and you pretty much have every hot rod to roll out of a shop in the last 40 years. Mike Borroughs knows it wasn't always this way. Once upon a time, getting your bucket to go faster meant grabbing whatever parts were lazing about the yard, bolting them together with a bit of ingenuity and laughing your way down the quarter mile. It's in that spirit that Burroughs built his 1928 Ford Model A.
Rather than turn to the tired flathead or the common Chevrolet small block, Burroughs plucked a 4.0-liter V8 from a 1995 BMW 7 Series. With 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, the engine has no trouble shuffling the old A around town. He had to build a custom chassis to get everything to cooperate, but the result is a 1,500-pound heathen that looks built to harass dry lake beds. You can check it out in the video below. Be warned, the soundtrack by Hanni el Khatib may not be safe for work - awesomeness of this caliber rarely is.

FCA joins BMW, Intel and Mobileye on autonomous car project

Today, BMW, Intel and Mobileye announced that FCA would be joining their effort to build a sharable and scalable platform for autonomous cars. This project has been moving ahead full steam, with Intel purchasing Mobileye earlier this year, not long after Tesla and Mobileye parted ways. Not long after that, parts supplier Delphi joined the autonomous effort. The group's current goal is to have 40 autonomous test vehicles on the road by the end of 2017. The eventual end game is to create a new architecture that each partner can use and adapt to its needs. The platform will support level 3 to level 4/5 automated driving, and can be adapted to suit brand identity. The main headquarters for the effort will be in Germany. FCA staff will join the already established group of engineers from BMW, Intel and Mobileye. The group expects this new platform to hit the streets by 2021. It's unclear how this will affect FCA's relationship with Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle project. Waymo currently uses modified Chrysler Pacificas for its fleet. In addition to FCA, the trio of BMW, Intel and Mobileye have extended an invitation to any other automakers and suppliers that want to join the project. Related Video: News Source: BMW/Intel Green BMW Chrysler Fiat Autonomous Vehicles mobileye

BMW denies collaborating on Apple Car

BMW and Apple already have a few possible partnerships coming in the future. For example, the Bavarian brand is likely using CarPlay at some point, and there may be an Apple Watch app for the i3 and i8 eventually, too. However, there is absolutely no plan for the German company to collaborate on the oft-rumored Apple car, the automaker says. The rumor of this shared development first cropped up in the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, according to Reuters. The report claimed that the Apple cars could be sold from Apple Stores but serviced at BMW dealers. "We are in regular talks with companies from the IT and telecommunications sector, including Apple, concerning topics like connected vehicles. Developing or building a car is not a topic of these discussions," said a BMW spokesperson responding to the allegations to Reuters. The Apple car has been a scorching hot topic as of late. The tech giant reportedly has assigned around 200 people to the project, including former employees from Tesla and A123 Systems. The EV model could be ready as soon as 2020, according to some stories. This latest collaboration rumor seems especially dubious when you consider BMW's investments to develop the i3 and i8, though. With more models possibly on the way, it doesn't seem to make much sense to take on a development partner so late in the game. Last year, there were similar stories about a deal between the automaker and Tesla, which were also dismissed.