Glimpse Cadillac’s flagship “sedan,” buy Nick Mason’s ’89 Testarossa, limited-run TRX mocks gas prices

Sneak a peek at Cadillac’s next flagship “sedan”

Intake: A quartet of intentionally vague photos of the upcoming Cadillac Celestiq concept vehicle has surfaced, and only one gives an indication to a production model’s future intentions. The shot of a red fender (shown above) suggests the Celestiq will be properly upscale, as it sports a beautifully surfaced area with a significant dash-to-axle space ahead of the driver’s door. The photo highlighting the taillight resembles the Lyriq EV, while the images with brushed metal are either flights of fancy (ornate door hinges that likely won’t make production) or unnecessarily busy (pointy metal spears worthy of the BMW XM). The dramatiq, dimmable glass roof we saw in January, however, remains quite feasible given the technology’s appearance on Maserati’s convertible MC20. Same for the promised cabin-wide instrumentation and infotainment screen, which the Celestiq will probably crib from the Lyriq.

Exhaust: The notion of teasing a concept is far from new, but Cadillac’s insistence to ask everyone to “Follow General Motors Design on Instagram for more early looks” over the course of the summer is a new wrinkle on an old notion. Considering we’ve already seen the Celestiq’s body in aerial view (see the photo below), don’t hope for a return to the decadent silhouettes of yesteryear’s Caddys, as the Celestiq’s form isn’t likely to diverge far from the SUV proportions, upright C-pillar, and hatchback-ish posterior of the Lyriq.

Lamborghini contracts with France’s Ligier for Le Mans racer

Intake: As rumored earlier this year, Lamborghini is contacting with French race car constructor Ligier for its Le Mans Daytona hybrid (LMDh) racer. If all goes according to Squadra Corse’s plan, the Ligier-built car will make its competition debut for the 2024 season. Of the marques that have committed to the World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) LMP1-replacement class, Lamborghini’s appearance on-track is the furthest out: Cadillac, Porsche, Ferrari, and BMW are looking at 2023, the first full WEC season under the new LMDh regulations. (For this year, the new prototypes are competing one race at a time, rather than being approved for the entire season, to let the teams and the sanctioning bodies work out the wrinkles.) Lamborghini is the first LMDh manufacturer to contract with Ligier, but the French firm is no newcomer to modern-day prototype construction, having cut its teeth on LMP2, LMP3, and junior open-wheel cars. Its most recent Le Mans–going prototype was in 2017, when it partnered with Nissan to built a LMP2 car campaigned by Tequila Petrón ESM.

Exhaust: Lamborghini, who organizes its own Huracán-based one-make series (Super Trofeo), is clearly looking for opportunities to experiment with and refine its hybrid tech. (All its street cars after 2022 will be electrified in some way.) The interesting detail is Lamborghini’s decision to step away from its fellow VW Group competitors in the LMDh class. Porsche and Audi have signed with Canada’s Multimatic; the former is already testing on international circuits, though the commitment of the latter is uncertain at the moment. We’re encouraged that the Group is giving Lamborghini the leash to differentiate itself and, perhaps, explore alternative solutions. Experimentation is part of what makes racing so valuable.

Wish you were here driving Nick Mason’s Testarossa?

Intake: A 1989 Ferrari Testarossa, originally ordered by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, is up for sale in the U.K. Mason told sellers Rardley Motors that he decided to buy the car on a trip to Maranello to collect his F40 from the Ferrari factory. Specified in Blu Sera with a black hide interior, it has subsequently been painted in Rosso Scuderia. If it returned to factory spec, it would be one of just five blue-over-black Testarossas of this vintage in Britain. Mason didn’t exactly drive it to the Dark Side of the Moon, only covering 1995 miles before trading it for a 1972 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competition. The odometer now reads 30,800 and the flat-12 Ferrari is being offered for £119,900 ($150,539).

Exhaust: This actually doesn’t seem like a lot of Money for a Testarossa, especially one with rock god history. The Hagerty valuation guide puts a #2, or Excellent, condition car at $188,000, so this looks to be a fair price to say Welcome to the Machine.

Zagato’s Mostro Barchetta comes with a choice of Maserati motors

Intake: Storied Italian coachbuilder Zagato is to build just five Mostro Barchetta supercars and is giving buyers the option of a Maserati V-8 (read: Ferrari) or V-6 engine (a legit in-house Trident mill). Based on the 2015 Mostro coupe which was built to honor the 1957 Maserati 450 S driven by Sir Stirling Moss, the Barchetta is a roofless and even more exotic iteration. The chassis is steel and carbon fiber, the curves are created in carbon, and the suspension is by double wishbones with pushrods. AP Racing brakes provide stopping power, while motion is derived from either a 414-hp 4.7-liter V-8 or a three-liter twin-turbo Nettuno V-6 from the Maserati MC20 packing an unchanged 621 hp. Either way the engine is mid-front mounted and the Mostro has a perfect 50:50 weight balance. It also has a six-speed sequential transmission and no traction control!

Exhaust: If you’re wondering where the name comes from, you can blame Moss. “We decided the name of the project inspired by Sir Stirling Moss’s first reaction, who said “beautiful like a monster” when he first saw the [Maserati 450 S Coupe Zagato],” says Andrea Zagato.

Toyota’s 2023 Sequoia starts under $60K, Capstone under $77K

Intake: Reborn for 2023 with next-gen Tundra underpinnings and a hybridized V-6, the Toyota Sequoia will look to woo America’s monied mega-ute buyers with all-new styling and a wide variety of trims. Pricing details were announced yesterday, and the Sequoia is priced right in line with competitor three-row body-on-frame SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe. It starts with the SR5 4×2, which begins just under $60k, at $59,795 including destination. (The Tahoe LS 4×2 begins at 53,695, but there’s no hybrid to be found.) Adding 4×4 capability comes with a commensurate $3000 price hike across all trim levels, whether you’re opting for the egalitarian SR5 or the ritzy Capstone model, which rings in at $79,795 before tacking on additional options. The off-road-focused Sequoia TRD Pro, which comes exclusively as a 4×4 model, will cost $78,395 before options. All Sequoias will feature Toyota’s new i-Force Max hybrid drivetrain, which pairs a twin-turbo 3.5-liter DOHC V-6 with a 10-speed automatic transmission and an electric motor placed in the bell housing between the gas engine and the gearbox for a total system output of 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque. The 2023 Sequoia is built at Toyota’s San Antonio, Texas, facility and will arrive at dealerships in the coming months.

Exhaust: It’s not surprising to see the Sequoia command a bit more coin across the trim lineup relative to a competitor like the Tahoe. This new generation is a radical departure from the older Sequoia, which soldiered on from 2008 until last year with relatively little in the way of updates; Toyota’s gotta cover the costs of that development somehow. Expect the TRD Pro to be a popular option—in part because vehicular adventuring is all the rage right now, but also because that trim tacks on meaningful upgrades like Fox shocks and meaty underbody armor.

Ram builds off-road super trucks, too, and this one’s brown

Intake: Ram trucks announced a new special-edition version of the TRX, its hellcat-powered, desert-stomping supertruck. The TRX Sandblast edition will incorporate all the goodies found in the normal $80,585 TRX plus the equipment from the TRX level 2 equipment group, a $10,295 package that nets luxury items like a 19-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a digital rearview mirror, upgraded center console, and a heated steering wheel. To that combo, the Sandblast edition adds unique Mojave Sand exterior paint, special 18-inch beadlock capable wheels, a dual-pane panoramic sunroof, special carbon fiber interior accents and unique accent stitching. The 702 horsepower, 650 lb-ft 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 remains, as does the eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. The cost of this sandy goodness? A cool $100,080 including destination. The Ram TRX Sandblast edition will go on sale this summer.

Exhaust: The Sandblast edition joins the TRX Ignition edition as another way to make sure your supertruck stands out. Vehicles that are a deliberate choice, such as the exceptionally thirsty TRX (which gets a paltry EPA-estimated 14 mpg highway), often end up with a bevy of special editions because their buyers don’t stumble into one by chance. There’s money to be made from passion, and the TRX is nothing if not an emotional decision. With Ford’s supercharged, GT5000-powered Raptor waiting in the wings, it makes sense that Ram would try to roll out a few packages to net all the buyers it can.