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German prosecutors have recorded calls between VW bigwigs talking dieselgate

It's barely possible to believe how poorly Volkswagen continues to handle dieselgate. Depending on which day you catch the news, the German carmaker embodies the corporate venality of "Michael Clayton," the comic blundering of the Coen Brothers' "Burn After Reading," and the every-man-for-himself vengeance of "Reservoir Dogs." Today is Tarantino day, with news that German prosecutors have recordings of phone calls between former Audi and Porsche development boss Wolfgang Hatz, ex-Volkswagen Group executive Matthias Muller, and current Porsche executives Oliver Blume and Michael Steiner. Hatz made the calls to the trio in November 2015, two months after Volkswagen admitted its diesel-particulate sins to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hatz was still employed at the time, and in his company car. Who recorded the calls? His wife. Hatz and his missus apparently saw the storm coming and started stacking defenses early. Hatz's wife, who can be heard encouraging Hatz during at least one call, sent the recordings to Hatz's attorney from her mobile phone. According to a Google translation of the German newspaper Handelsblatt's report, she included the note, "Here is a very long, but quite informative conversation on the current situation with useful formulations." The report in Handelsblatt said that in Germany it is generally "not allowed" to record a conversation and pass it on to a third party. We don't know how the authorities will handle this matter, since prosecutors found the recordings in e-mail attachments on Mrs. Hatz's mobile phone. Remember, when the diesel scandal broke, VW spent months saying that only a small number of low-level personnel were behind it, and all of the higher-ups had been blindsided. Ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn claimed to be "stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group." Winterkorn successor Matthias Muller said, "according to current information, a few developers interfered in the engine management." Former VW USA honcho Michael Horn told a congressional committee that "a couple of software engineers" programmed the software for reasons no one could understand. In the recorded conversations, Hatz apparently called Muller to find out how VW planned to treat him.

Drive plays Smokey, Bandit with turbo Trans Am

The modern trend for powertrains can be summed up with the simple maxim: cut displacement and add forced induction. Whether you are looking at the just-introduced 2016 Chevrolet Cruze or a BMW M3, this adage holds true. However, Pontiac's attempt at the idea goes all the way back in 1980 with the Firebird Trans Am and its turbocharged 4.9-liter V8. Drive's Mike Musto takes out a 1981 example to explain what makes this largely forgotten muscle car so special, and it certainly isn't performance. While a 4.9-liter V8 might sound like a lot in the modern world, keep in mind that only few years before the second-generation Trans Am was available with up to a staggering 7.5-liters of displacement. Turbocharging of road cars in the early '80s was quite archaic by today's standards, and the Firebird only managed around 200 horsepower with this mill. Without much go, the turbo Trans Am made up for a lack of power with lots of show. As Musto points out, the famous flaming chicken adorns practically every surface you can see on the coupe, and boost lights on the hood illuminate when the turbo is spinning. Musto still finds a lot to like about the turbo Trans Am. He even calls it "Burt Reynolds as an automobile." Find out why the coupe is so special in this entertaining clip.

Woodward Dream Cruise Photo Gallery | Classics and American muscle

The 2022 running of the Woodward Dream Cruise just went down, and we were there from morning to evening drinking in the sweet sights and pre-emissions exhaust fumes. Yes, it’s a little smelly on Woodward Ave. this time of year. Just like always, the Dream Cruise invites all comers to cruise their machines on Woodward from Ferndale, MI to Pontiac, MI. Everybody is invited, but the original intent of the Dream Cruise was to highlight classic American muscle cars. YouÂ’ll see plenty of those in our mega gallery above, but weÂ’ve sprinkled it with a bunch of other vehicle types, such as modern muscle and other intriguing American vehicles. Similar to years past, though, sometimes the classics arenÂ’t the most entertaining thing to look at on Woodward. ThatÂ’s why weÂ’ll have other mega galleries coming soon, highlighting the weird cars and (great) dogs of the Cruise, all the imports and exotics you can imagine and a special one for all the trucks of Woodward — perhaps even more so than in years past, the truck population on Dream Cruise day was quite high. Click through above to see all the classics you wouldÂ’ve seen had you been roadside on the day of the cruise. And if you missed this yearÂ’s event, make sure you check out what happens next year. You wonÂ’t be alone, as itÂ’s estimated that over 1 million people attend the Dream Cruise to either watch from the side of the road or to sit in the most glorious traffic jam in the world. Related video Featured Gallery 2022 Woodward Dream Cruise classics and American muscle View 160 Photos Design/Style Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ford GM GMC Hummer Jeep Pontiac RAM Classics Woodward Dream Cruise