12 Camry White Tan 4dr Sdn 2.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Behold the mad genius of the Ferrari-powered Toyota 86

Ryan Tuerck's latest project, a Toyota 86 with the F136 V8 engine from a Ferrari 458, has to be one of craziest projects ever envisioned. While the finished project will be nothing short of extraordinary, Tuerck reveals some of the finer details on fitting a large Italian engine into a small Japanese car. One of the most difficult tasks with the engine swap is getting the V8 to fit in the 86's compact engine compartment. Since the V8 is taller and longer than the stock 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, Tuerck and his team have had to do a lot of cutting and fabricating. Tuerck also revealed that the vehicle wouldn't be used in competition, which allows the team to go beyond the rulebook in terms of body strengthening and custom components. There's still a lot of work to be done, but Tuerck claims the vehicle will be ready by October. Donut Media, the YouTube channel that is covering the build, promises to cover every aspect of the project including the first start, which should be coming soon. Related Video: News Source: YouTube via Donut MediaImage Credit: Donut Media Aftermarket Weird Car News Ferrari Toyota Performance Videos toyota 86 engine swap scion frs

Toyota Corolla Nurburgring Edition talks the talk, doesn't walk the walk

From the Opel Corsa OPC to the Lexus LFA, there have been all sorts of vehicles worthy of wearing the Nurburgring name. And while the Toyota Corolla may have a lot going for it – it is, after all, once of the top selling models in the world – we're not sure it would count among them. Especially not with a CVT. Toyota's Thai division seems to think otherwise, though, and is launching the Corolla Altis ESport Nurburgring Edition at the Bangkok Motor Show this week. Apparently inspired by a seventh-place class finish at last year's 24-hour race on the Nordschleife, it's based on the Corolla Altis – a version of the popular sedan sold in South Asian markets – and picks up where the ESport trim leaves off. From there it gets a reworked aero kit, blacked-out grille, LED daytime running lights and red-trimmed leather interior. There's even a recalibrated suspension hooked up to 17-inch alloys, giving it the right stance, but that's about the extent of the performance enhancements. Power unfortunately still comes from a 1.8-liter atmospheric inline-four, driving just 141 horsepower to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission. So while it may have at least some of the looks to go with its racy name, it still lacks the oomph. This, then, will not be one of those overseas performance specials we'll be longing for when passing by a Toyota showroom on our own shores, but at least customers in Thailand can look the part.

Child cobalt miners: Automakers pledge ethical minerals sourcing for EVs

BERLIN - Leading carmakers including Volkswagen and Toyota pledged on Wednesday to uphold ethical and socially responsible standards in their purchases of minerals for an expected boom in electric vehicle production. Demand for minerals such as cobalt, graphite and lithium is forecast to soar in the coming years as governments crack down on vehicle pollution and carmakers step up their investments in electric models. To cover its plans for more than 80 new models by 2025, Volkswagen alone is looking for partners in China, Europe and North America to provide battery cells and related technology worth more than 50 billion euros ($59 billion). Talks with major cobalt producers, including Glencore, at VW's Wolfsburg headquarters last week ended without a deal. More than half of the world's cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country racked by political instability and legal opacity, and where child labor is used in mines. On Wednesday, a group of 10 leading passenger-car and truck manufacturers announced an initiative to jointly identify and address ethical, environmental, human and labor rights issues in raw materials sourcing. The partnership dubbed "Drive Sustainability" consists of VW, Toyota Motor Europe, Ford, Daimler, BMW, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo Cars and truckmakers Scania and Volvo. The alliance "will assess the risks posed by the top raw materials (such as mica, cobalt, rubber and leather) in the automotive sector," said Stefan Crets of the CSR Europe business network. "This will allow Drive Sustainability to identify the most impactful activities to pursue" to address issues within the supply chain.Reporting by Andreas Cremer.Related Video: Image Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images Green BMW Ford Honda Jaguar Land Rover Mercedes-Benz Automakers Toyota Volkswagen Volvo Green Automakers Green Culture Electric Scania ethics mining