– We just sat right-seat while rally legend Walter Röhrl drove the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS on the diabolical Bilster Berg racetrack in Northern Germany. The lean and lanky Röhrl, now in his late 60s, completes two deceptively fast laps with such nonchalance that he might as well be stirring sugar into a cup of tea. We have entered Walter’s World and it’s hard to imagine a human better
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– As we’re sure you’re becoming aware, this July the celebration for our 60th anniversary kicks off in earnest. Big deal, we know, but this momentous occasion isn’t really about us—it’s about you. Our readers are the reason Car and Driver has thrived, and they’re the reason we do what we do. You’ve had a huge hand in shaping an incredible six decades, and we want to hear from you. So far,
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-Walter Röhrl is a racing legend. The 68-year-old has turned more lightning-fast laps and wickedly quick rally stages combined than perhaps any single human on earth. – Which means that driving a street car is simple work for the two-time WRC champ and Porsche test driver, even if that car is the new 911 GT3 RS, a 500-horse, rear-wheel-drive ballistic missile/road-legal track beast. Just check out this video of Röhrl laying down
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– Calling all Chinese brands, Fiat-Chrysler, and other automakers without a developed electric-vehicle strategy: Ford’s got you covered. Starting now, Dearborn will license more than 1650 of its patented and patent-pending EV technologies to other manufacturers. – The goal, according to Ford, is to “accelerate the growth of electrified vehicle technology and deliver even better products to customers.” But unlike Toyota, which in January offered up 5680 fuel-cell patents under
Fiat Chrysler just announced that, beginning with the 2016 model year, its 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty will become a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty in the U.S. market, Automotive News reports. The decision affects Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles with gasoline engines, while the automaker’s 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage stays unchanged. – The decision follows a trend: Back in March, GM announced an identical powertrain warranty reduction on Chevrolet and GMC vehicles.
Tech news outlet Re/code is hosting The Code Conference this week, a gathering of important tech people talking about important tech things. GM CEO Mary Barra was there, touting Chevy’s biggest-in-the-industry-so-far commitment to both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Apple senior VP Jeff Williams was there, too—and while he didn’t outright say that the tech giant is heading into the auto industry, he dropped about as big a hint as a