Dodge gets spooky, next Miata keeps ICE/manual, Crown Vics forced out of retirement

Dodge gets spooky with Charger, Challenger

Intake: Halloween season is upon us, and no amount of displacement can stop the onslaught of orange and black. Dodge released two new packages for the Challenger and Charger muscle brothers today. The first pack, dubbed HEMI Orange, will be available on V-6-powered GT RWD and Scat Pack Widebody models of both vehicles. It brings black exterior with orange accents aplenty, including the brake calipers, exterior badging, and a slim orange accent running down the left side of the vehicle. Inside, orange contrast stitching breaks up an otherwise moody interior. The other package is a standard blacked-out look, logically dubbed the SRT Black package. It’s offered on SRT Hellcat and SRT Hellcat Redeye models, and nets Midnight Grey Metallic exterior badging and black nickel exhaust tips. The HEMI Orange package will run you $2995 on GT RWD models, and $1500 on Scat Pack Widebody models. The SRT Black package will cost $995.

Exhaust: The Challenger/Charger siblings are the gifts that keep on giving. It seems like every six months, we get a new package or trim level for these two—and we aren’t even mad about the absence of hardware upgrades. The tire-smokin’ V-8 recipe is just that good. You wanna get spooky, Dodge? Bring it on.

Due in 2025, next-gen Miata won’t ditch traditional recipe—yet

Intake: Mazda is hanging on to the internal-combustion engine and manual transmission for as long as it possibly can. A new Miata is due by 2025 and it will be propelled by the Japanese firm’s clever combustion-ignition Skyactiv-X engine, according to a report by Autocar. The NE version of the world’s most popular roadster will feature Mazda’s spark-controlled compression ignition system, which gives diesel-like low-end torque and fuel efficiency with the high-revving thrill of a gasoline motor. The engine is paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system which provides torque-fill on gearshifts and aids getaway as well. Although the power offered is only marginally more than that of the current two-liter Skyactiv-G unit, the extra twist should allow the next Miata to finally crack 0–60 mph in less than six seconds.

Exhaust: Based on the life expectancy of previous generations, the new Miata should arrive in 2024, and is likely to be the car’s final ICE iteration. Mazda is eagerly awaiting improvements in battery technology so that when it finally succumbs to electrification, the Miata can still live up to its lightweight principles.

Microchip shortage forces Crown Vics out of retirement

Intake: Just in time for Halloween, the Slidell (Louisiana) Police Department announced that the New Orleans suburb may soon be haunted by ghost cars. Well, sort of. In a Facebook post on October 22, the department shared a photo of a familiar—and well worn—vehicle and wrote, “Due to the microchip shortage, the Crown Vic rises from the dead. You might see a few of these running around Slidell!” According to Public Information Officer Daniel Seuzeneau, Slidell police ordered vehicles from Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge over a year ago and still haven’t received them. Seuzeneau said the automakers aren’t accepting orders for 2022, forcing the department to bring some of the iconic Ford police cars out of retirement. Judging from the comments on Facebook, people are excited about it. As of this morning, the post has received 235 comments and nearly 2000 likes, and it has been shared 178 times.

Exhaust: When it comes to the Crown Vic, we’re siding with the many commenters who wondered why the legendary crime-stopper ever went out of production in the first place. So we’re happy to see some of them return to service, despite the reason they’re back. With that said, hopefully none of the on-duty cars looks like the one in the photo. Can we get some cleaning supplies and fresh paint over here, please?

The Bugatti Chiron is fast approaching the end of the line

Intake: If you’re still hemming and hawing about the exact specification of your Chiron, you’d better hurry up and decide. There are fewer than 40 build slots available before Bugatti ends production. Every “standard” Chiron has already been sold, and all the remaining cars will be either Pur Sport or Super Sport models. Sales of the 1500-hp W-16 hypercar have soared in 2021 and the total number of cars delivered hit 300 in March, with some markets reporting increases of 300 percent. After the run ends, Bugatti will still be plenty busy assembling ten Centodiecis and 40 Bolides before moving on to whatever electric dream machine Mate Rimac can scheme up next.

Exhaust: The Chiron has proven to be the fastest-selling Bug so far. It should hit its 500-unit threshold just five years after the first car was delivered. By comparison, it took a full decade for the Veyron to sell out of its 450-car run. Surely the fast-rising tide of electrification is enhancing the appeal of this combustion-powered monster.

Triumph goes for the gold with eight one-year-only special edition bikes

Intake: Triumph Motorcycles is adding a precious-metal flare to its Modern Classics motorcycle line. The one-year-only Gold Line Edition machines feature a two-tone paint scheme on their fuel tanks and side panels with a hand-laid gold pinstripe separating the two colors. Each machine is also signed by the expert craftsman who laid the pinstripe with their soft-bristled sword-liner brush. Whatever your favorite flavor of Bonneville or Scrambler, be sure to get your order in soon—the first Triumph to wear this hand-laid paint job, the Street Twin Gold Line Edition, sold out within the season. Expect these special bikes to sell out just with the same pace.

Exhaust: In an era of mass production and machine painting, owning a vehicle that has a visible craftsman’s touch is really neat to see. While Triumph is not alone in hand-lining motorcycle gas tanks—Royal Enfield notoriously used the technique on the Bullet 350 and 500 models—it does not take away from the cool factor.