Caterham tunes to 1970, 2023 Maverick Hybrid orders fill in six days, everyone wants a piece of Porsche

Caterham’s ’70s-themed Super Seven is fall’s perfect vibe

Intake: For a car with its roots in the 1950s, Caterham has done a pretty good job of keeping its Seven contemporary, with wild paint jobs and potent engines. But it’s not above drawing inspiration from the past either, with its latest models – the Super Seven 600 and Super Seven 2000 – harking back to the 1970s. The models feature four new colors that look straight out of the British Leyland back-catalog circa-1978: Ashdown Green, Windsor Blue, Bourbon, and Fawn. The Super Seven 600 is based on the Seven 170, which employs a three-cylinder turbocharged engine from Suzuki that produces 85 hp. Meanwhile, the Super Seven 2000 is a tad more potent, its Ford Duratec engine coming from the regular Seven 360. The former uses an appropriately retro live-axle, skinny tires setup, while the latter gets a slightly more modern de Dion rear suspension setup and sticker, wider tires. In build-it-yourself format, the Super Seven 600 starts at nearly $34,000, while the 2000 starts at roughly $45,300.

Exhaust: Those prices are neither cheap in isolation nor in relation to the models they’re based on—a standard Seven 170 starts at around $28,300 and a Seven 360 starts at $36,200 or so. But retro Sevens are big hits among Caterham’s fans, and they tend to hold their value quite well, which might tempt some drivers. If nothing else, there’s still little to touch the Caterham driving experience—which should only add to the appeal of these ’70s Sevens.—Antony Ingram

2023 Maverick order bank closes in less than a week

Intake: Would-be buyers for the Ford Maverick had their shot at ordering a 2023 model when the order banks opened last Thursday. But, due to pent-up demand for the compact pickup, the Maverick Truck Club reports that today is the last day to order a 2.0-liter Ecoboost version. Even worse, yesterday was the last day to order the 2023 Hybrid. This announcement is predominantly aimed at retail buyers, as Ford dealers “will continue to be able to submit orders for dealer stock.”

Exhaust: The question is, if a potential buyer didn’t place their order, what are the odds of getting the Maverick in the spec they want, for a reasonable price at a Ford dealership? Ford told dealers to stop fleecing/scaring away folks interested in its EVs, but that hand-slap doesn’t apply here. I checked with my local Ford dealer: Turns out loyal fleet buyers in Houston, Texas, are scooping up Hybrids by the hundreds (probably thousands, city-wide), and small business owners are ordering whatever they can get quickly (Ecoboost XLT models, with no hard-to-procure options), hoping that supply will meet demand next year. But at this pace? It might be several years before every compact truck fan gets what they need. —Sajeev Mehta

Investor demand for Porsche IPO reaches fever pitch

Intake: In a matter of hours—still six whole business days prior to close of the offering period on September 28—private investor and institutional requests have covered the ~$9.4 billion offering of Porsche several times over, a bookrunner (main underwriter) has shared with Reuters. Oversubscribing happens when investment demand outpaces supply of shares issued by the IPO. Underwriting adjustments are typically made to reflect this, either by raising share prices or upping the number of shares on offer. Cornerstone investment from names like Qatar Investment Authority, ADQ, T. Rowe Price, and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund already account for 40 percent of the shares on offer. The remaining private investors tipping the scales hail from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain. Porsche is set to begin trading on the Frankfurt stock exchange on September 29. (At the time of this writing, no underwriting adjustments have been made to the IPO, but there is still plenty of time left in the offering period for that to change. Stay tuned).

Exhaust: IPO fever has recently been more of an American enchantment, but now the Porsche IPO has taken center stage in Frankfurt. The level of investor eagerness that has been generated thus far is setting an impressive watermark, however oversubscribing itself is not always indicative of explosive market performance long term, as eventually demand always realigns with underlying company fundamentals. —Bryan Gerould

Akrapovič pipes arrive early 2023 for BMW R18

Intake: BMW is dedicated to expanding the aftermarket catalog for the R18 model, and that includes a new set of pipes from Slovenia-based Akrapovič. These new pipes will shed 2.2 pounds from the bike while also removing a visual heft, since they are nearly four inches shorter than the stock silencers. Matte black with a bolt-on heat shield and nice BMW logo tucked in the tip of the endcap round out the package. Pricing is yet to be announced and should be expected closer to the Q1 launch in the U.S. market.

Exhaust: The big, 1800cc boxer-twin of the R18 has a decent bark with the factory pipes. In our eyes, the appeal of the Akrapovič pipes lies in their smaller profile and more understated aesthetic, not the change in tone. Regardless, we are curious to see and hear this muffler package when it gets installed on bikes come spring of 2023.—Kyle Smith

Formula 1’s 2023 schedule has a whopping 24 races on it

Intake: The most ambitious Formula 1 season in history has been announced, and while the 2023 roster isn’t quite up to NASCAR’s 36-race schedule, the 24-race F1 season is still a whopper. It includes five races in North America: The Miami GP is on May 7, the Canadian GP is on June 18, Austin is on October 22 , Mexico City is on October 29, and the inaugural Las Vegas GP is on November 18. That’s five races drawing from the same extended audience pool, and it will be interesting to see how it shakes out—the Las Vegas race is the next-to-last on the schedule, and if points are tight, it could have season championship implications. The season begins March 5 in Bahrain, and ends November 26 in Abu Dhabi.

Exhaust: One commendable aspect of the schedule is that it avoids conflict with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in which some F1 drivers like to compete. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said calendar organizers were “mindful of the timing of the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.” Which, incidentally, is June 10-11. Finally, and sadly, still no American driver in F1 in 2023. — Steven Cole Smith