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Motorweek goes retro with '80s hot hatch shootout

Motorweek's decades of history on television make it the perfect medium to look back into the automotive past and see how things are different now. It recently added old road test videos to its YouTube channel of the Acura NSX and Toyota Supra, as well as the Ferrari F40. For one of its newest flashback clips, Motorweek has exhumed an affordable five-car challenge of 1986's premiere hot hatches.
By today's standards, this is an eclectic field that features fondly remembered classics like the Volkswagen GTI 16-valve and Acura Integra. However, it also throws in some nearly forgotten contenders like the Dodge Colt Turbo and Ford Escort GT. The angular Toyota Corolla FX16 GT-S rounds out the group.
It's fascinating to watch Motorweek run the quintet through the slalom, down the drag strip and on various roads. What's most striking in this clip is the difference in the definition of a performance car between then and now. With its 16-valve, 1.8-liter four-cylinder, the GTI is the burliest of the contenders with 123 horsepower, but it still takes 8.8 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour. By today's standards, that would make it a plain-jane economy car, and not even a particularly quick one.

Big rig gets blown over on Wyoming freeway, flattens police cruiser

A big rig navigating a stretch of windy Wyoming highway last week was blown over by high winds and landed on a Wyoming Highway Patrol cruiser. According to CBS News, three Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers responded to an accident along Interstate 80 near Elk Mountain on February 7. While the troopers were out of their cars assisting the crash victims, a white Volvo semi-truck lumbered up I-80 toward them. Wind gusts in that part of Wyoming were clocked in at up to 90 miles per hour on Tuesday, and one of them caught the semi as it neared the parked cruisers. Video from one of the cruiser's onboard cameras showed the big rig drift to the right as a big gust hit the trailer. Slowly, the whole rig tipped over and flattened one of the parked cruisers. The truck then slid a few feet on its side and came to a stop just aft of the cruiser. None of the troopers were injured in the incident, and two people in the truck came out of it unhurt as well. Patrol Lieutenant David Wagener told KGWN that that stretch of I-80 was closed on Tuesday to lightweight, high-profile vehicles. The truck driver was cited for the incident. High winds are no joke, and vehicles getting blown around or even clean off the road is a pretty common phenomenon. Way back in 2011, a truck got blown over in Utah. Then there was a train that got blown off a bridge in Louisiana in 2015. Related Video: News Source: CBS News, KGWN Auto News Dodge Volvo Driving Safety Truck Commercial Vehicles Police/Emergency Sedan semi truck rollover wyoming

2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody Drivers' Notes | Widebody for everybody

The 2019 and soon to be 2020 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody is another Challenger dart thrown against the wall by Dodge. It takes the desirable Widebody package we’ve seen on Hellcats and applies it to the naturally aspirated Scat Pack with the 6.4-liter V8. This kit includes stiffer adaptive shocks, stiffer springs, larger stabilizer bars, big Brembo brakes, a 3.09 rear axle ratio, 20-inch forged wheels and massive 305 section-width tires on all four corners. Most important of all, you get the special Widebody fender flares that give the car its signature look. The package is $6,000 on top of a regular Scat Pack. That means the cheapest youÂ’ll step into a Scat Pack Widebody is $46,740. The Widebody that rolled through our offices came in at a much-higher $57,295 after a number of options were tacked on. Many of these, you can skip. The 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque that comes standard is the most important aspect of this big coupe. Several packages costing more than $1,000 each add convenience and driver assistance tech, and the Harman/Kardon system is a hefty $1,595. With such a loud engine and exhaust, itÂ’s hardly worthwhile. Our tester also had the $1,595 eight-speed automatic transmission. ThisÂ’ll let you scare unsuspecting bystanders with the remote start system, but opting for a manual is an easy way to save some cash and increase driver involvement. With all the modern technology like adaptive cruise control, auto high-beams, heated and cooled seats, and blind-spot detection, the Challenger tries its best to keep up with the times. ItÂ’s no technological marvel, but itÂ’s neat to see some of these options available for folks who might want them. Still, tech gizmos are not what the Widebody is about. This Challenger keeps the same personality as all of those before it, but adds a dash of handling and hostility to its outward appearance. Here are our varied experiences with it during a week of testing. Editor-in-Chief, Greg Migliore: Yes, you can put a rear-facing convertible car seat in a Dodge Challenger. I did. It actually wasnÂ’t that hard. Remember, the Challenger is genetically a Mercedes sedan and shares underpinnings with the Dodge Charger. The biggest hurdles are ingress and egress, which is to be expected in any coupe. The roofline is low, but really not that bad. I simply lifted my toddler and maneuvered him into the backseat.  I was able to get him secured and fastened, and then I just stepped out of the car.