Incredibly, it’s been 75 years since Ford introduced its first line of F-1 light trucks that weren’t based directly on passenger cars. Most people who follow automotive things even casually know that the Ford F-150 has been North America’s best-selling motor vehicle of any kind for more than 40 consecutive years. Any new edition of this truck, therefore, is big news. Power is the big story behind the evolutionary 2024 F-150 lineup, starting with a new standard engine, the 2.7-liter EcoBoost with turbocharging, plus increased availabilty of the PowerBoost hybrid model.

The new engine is the foundation of an F-150 powertrain lineup that goes all the way up to the 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 that will power the F-150 Raptor R. Like many light trucks today, the F-Series in marketed in part on the job-site external power sourcing that it offers for tools, lighting and more. With improved online connectivity, the F-150 will boast external power of up to 7.2kW on PowerBoost-powered F-150s.

This started out as the straight announcement that 2023 marks 40 years since Chrysler positively upended the North American auto market by introducing the first of its groundbreaking, T-platform minivans. Chrysler marked the occasion by beginning volume production of its current minivan, the 2024 Chrysler Pacifica, which has sold to the tune of 100,000 plug-in hybrid units turned out over the semi-EV model’s lifespan. But something else about the anniversary caught our eye.

Some of the earliest roots of Chrysler’s people-mover heritage date back to this vehicle, a 1946 Chrysler Town & Country sedan, which took the gigantic full-sized Chrysler four-door and transformed it with wooden exterior bodywork, a premium interior, heavy accessorization and on some, the roof rack depicted here. The Town & Country sedan was built for only three years, and was a premium car even back then, with 2,169 examples built in 1946. Today, any wood-bodied Chrysler in even barely presentable shape is worth serious money.

Hands down, the best part of what you’re looking at is that it’s fully street-legal. Also introduced during Monterey Car Week, before a plethora of top Ford executives, is the Ford Mustang GTD, a powerhouse of racing technology adapted for road use that Ford says will be a fully street-legal car. Ford bills the GTD as the highest-performing street Mustang in history, with carbon fiber body panels and a 5.2-liter supercharged V-8, with available with dry-sump oiling, two air inlets and available titanium active-valve exhaust system. An eight-speed rear transaxle is also part of the GTD package.

Construction of the Mustang GTD will start out at Ford’s assembly plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, before the partially completed cars are shipped to Multimatic’s facility in Markham, Ontario. There, Multimatic will install a proprietary semi-active suspension system based on dual ride heights achieved through a shrt-long arm front suspension and multiple links at the rear. Enormous carbon fiber brakes and active body pieces are also part of the package. For obvious reasons, production will be limited, with each GTD projected to price at about $300,000. You can click right here to sign up and get in the queue.

It’s the conclusion of Monterey Car Week, when all kinds of prestige and big cash expresses relief that it’s getting out of town after this wild, august happening before Hurricane Hilary makes a sodden mess of everything. Pininfarina, the Italian design legend, is a regular presence at Monterey, largely in the form of its coachwork-bodied cars on the show field at the Pebble Beach concours. This year, Automobili Pininfarina has introduced the B95, its first in-house, all-coachbuilt, EV barchetta roadster that offers open-top motoring with white-knuckle hypercar performance, a heady combination indeed.

The B95 name comes from “B” for barchetta, a close-coupled Italian roadster interpretation, and takes most of its styling cues from the PURA Vision design concept that was created by Pininfarina. A limited edition of just 10 B95s are scheduled to be produced worldwide, each with a projected cost of 4.4 million Euros, very much in keeping with the gigabucks that routinely fly around Monterey every August.

Jeep is preparing, largely for climate reasons, to drop the EcoDiesel-powered Gladiator pickup from its model lineup, but plans to give it a fitting farewell. To be built in a run of 1,000 units, Jeep will produce the Gladiator Rubicon FarOut edition, which is clearly made for rock climbing: Dana 44 axles will be installed at both ends of the Jeep, along with a 3.73 axle ratio and a two-speed Rock-Trac transfer case that has an uncommonly low 4.0:1 low-speed gear ratio.

Based on the Gladiator Rubicon, the FarOut edition will add specific graphics, tailgate badging, 17-inch polished-black aluminum wheels and 33-inch mudder tires, along with a stout steel front bumper. Deliveries are set to begin in the third quarter of 2023. Other variations of the Gladiator will continue to offer the 3.6-liter gasoline Pentastar V-6 with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission.

In the 90th year of Nissan’s corporate existence, the manufacturer is offering a broad lineup, with lots of interior room and bounteous optioning, for its 2024 Pathfinder SUV. In keeping with recent Nissan practice, the new Pathfinder will be sold across a huge array of nine models, with either two- or four-wheel drive, and priced from $35,810 up to $43,630 base for the Platinum Rock Creek model.

With an all-new generation of the Pathfinder introduced for 2022, every model is equipped with standard Nissan Safety Shield 360, Nissan Connect using an eight-inch touchscreen, plus Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. With three rows of seating, the Pathfinder also boasts up to 80 cubic feet of cargo space. For autonomous driving on single-lane roads, the Pathfinder also offers Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist suite, which is standard on some upper-tier models.

One of the most noteworthy automotive anniversaries marked this year is the 60th birthday of a lot of people’s ultimate sports car, the Porsche 911. To properly mark the occasion, Porsche is unleashing a limited edition – 1,963 copies worldwide, matching the year of the original Type 901’s birth – known as the 911 S/T. This new model mates the 4.0-liter, 518 horsepower flat-six from the 911 GT3 RS with a close-ratio manual transmission, the kind you shift yourself. And that’s not all.

The 911 S/T is aimed more at pure driving pleasure than a boatload of appointments, with an eye on reduced weight. To that end, the 911 S/T is fitted with a hood, roof, fenders and doors make from carbon fiber reinforced plastic, with the same material also used to fabricate the rear anti-roll bar and shear panel. With standard magnesium wheels, plus a lightened clutch and exhaust system, the 911 S/T scales in at 3,056 pounds, 70 less than a manual 911 GT3 Touring. When deliveries start in early 2024, the 911 S/T will carry an MSRP of $290,000, less desination charges.

It’s best to point out first that the full-size Nissan Titan pickup is offered in a really broad range of equipment levels and powertrain capabilities, with no less than nine separate models being offered for 2024. Every 2024 Titan gets its oomph from Nissan’s standard 5.6-liter Endurance V-8, which produces 400 standard horsepower except for EV models, best in class. A Bronze Edition appearance package that adds 20-inch wheels is a new option.

Pricing starts at $45,770 for a base Titan SV with crew cab and two-wheel-drive. The appointment ladder steepens to the Titan Platinum Reserve 4×4 crew cab, which will have a base MSRP of $62,750. To that lineup, Nissan adds the Titan XD, which rides on a specific, extended chassis with a 151.7-inch wheelbase and an extended cargo bed. Pricing for this uber-Titan will run from $51,930 up to $65,840, with all XD models featuring all-wheel drive.

It’s late July, which means that Car Week in Monterey, California, that grand celebration of everything that’s spectacular (and expensive) about the world of exotic cars is just around the corner. One of the foundational events at Monterey is the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, a world-ranked gathering and competition for vintage racing cars that’s held during Car Week at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the grand natural-terrain road circuit. Each running of the Monterey Reunion has a designated theme, usually around a particular race car. This year, Monterey is honoring the 70th birthday of the Corvette and all its competition glory.

When the reunion runs from August 16th through 19th, one of the perks for attendees will be the opportunity to buy a commemorative event poster, here created by artist Bill Patterson, which encapsulates the long competition history of Chevrolet’s fabled sports car. Of course, you can expect a full array of racing Corvettes to be in attendance, and on the track, at Laguna Seca during the reunion. Need tickets or information? Slide your mouse right here and click.

Mustangs capable of track-day duties have sporadically been part of the Ford story for a long time, going back to the Fox-platform Mustang Cobra R in the 1990s. The current-generation Mustang is capable enough that Ford Performance has now unleashed three different special editions for those intending to take it to a road course. Ford Performance has just unveiled the latest, the Mustang Dark Horse R, which is built specifically to compete in the newly announced Mustang Challenge spec series that’s sanctioned by IMSA, the NASCAR-affiliated International Motor Sports Association.

As the new series’ official race car, the Dark Horse R will take its power from Ford’s fourth-generation 5.0-liter Coyote V-8, upgraded with an improved oiling system, differential and transmission cooling, and a Borla exhaust system. The chassis is stiffened by installation of a roll cage, and Multimatic race dampers are installed at all corners. The driver’s office features Recaro seating and a Sparco safety suite, which includes a quick-disconnect steering wheel and fire-suppression system. The tires, sold separately, are 19-inch Michelin racing slicks.