Subaru’s Right to Repair “solution,” Ducati’s up-to-11 adventure bike, Aston recalls an era’s end

Subaru’s Right to Repair “solution” is rather petty

Intake: Subaru’s Starlink telematics records a slew of data and relays it to Subaru service locations to help technicians repair its cars more efficiently. However, Massachusetts recently passed a Right to Repair law that stated third-party shops should have access to this data as well so that owners aren’t forced to go to the dealership for repairs. As reported by Jalopnik, Subaru chose to get around this by removing Starlink for every vehicle sold in Massachusetts.

Exhaust: This seems like a petty way to solve the issue, on Subaru’s part. As more states push for similar legislation, automakers will hopefully come up with more elegant solutions.

Take a moment to salute NHRA legend John Force

Intake: On October 29, 2000, John Force won his 10th NHRA Funny Car championship.

Exhaust:  John Force was on one heck of a winning streak in the ’90s and early 2000s. He won the NHRA Funny Car championship 10 years straight from 1993 to 2002, a feat that no other racer has come close to accomplishing. Including his 1984 AHRA win, Force has 17 champion titles, making him the most dominant Funny Car driver in drag racing history. To catch up on Force in 2021, read our profile here. 

Ducati’s most powerful Multistrada is named after America’s mountain

Intake: Ducati’s new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak has just laid climb to the title of the most powerful adventure bike in the world. Its V4 Granturismo motor makes 170 hp, and has a Race mode with softer rev-limiter and a special quick-shifter for “aggressive downshifts.”  There’s a suite of chassis changes that include lighter Marchesini forged aluminum rims and Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension with an “event based” mode, which automatically adjusts the setting according to the user’s riding style. A single-side rear swing arm is installed, there’s an Akrapovič titanium-and-carbon silencer and various carbon trim pieces to add to the Multistrada’s sportier styling. The riding position is said to be more ergonomic and to enable more extreme lean angles and the brakes, thankfully, have been taken from the Panigale.

Exhaust: Ducati says the new Multistrada V4 Pikes is ready “to rule all mountains,” not just its namesake, and will arrive in showrooms this December priced from $28,995.

Rolls-Royce “Black Badge” Ghost goes to dark side armed with more power

Intake: Rolls-Royce has unveiled a new line of its V-12-powered Ghost four-door. Called the Black Badge Ghost, it’s already garnered over 3500 commissions worldwide, according to Rolls. You can have your Black Badge Ghost in one of Rolls’ 44,000—no, that’s not a typo—“ready-to-wear” paint colors, or you can create your own. Rolls says most folk go with the signature black, which uses 100 pounds of paint to create the industry’s darkest black. The Ghost’s 6.75-liter twin-turbo V-12 now boasts more horsepower and torque—gains of 28 and 37, respectively, for total output of 591 hp and 664 lb-ft. Inside, there are plenty of opportunities to apply the infinity symbol, the trademark icon for all Black Badge Rollers. Elsewhere in the cabin, all trim is darkened to further amplify the noir atmosphere of the interior.

Exhaust: For the right clientele, this Black Badge Ghost will strike a chord. That said, our minds and hearts are silent on this one. It’s neat, and an unsurprising move from Rolls, who has seen its “alter ego” Black Badge sub-brand balloon in popularity since unveiling it on the Wraith and the Ghost in 2016. If we’re honest, however, we’re more excited for the first all-electric Rolls.

Aston Martin’s V-12 Vanquish turns 20

Intake: Aston Martin’s first new car of the 21st century would also be the last model built at its historic home in Newport Pagnell. The 2001 V-12 Vanquish was a radical departure from previous models built at the Tickford Street factory as it used a novel bonded aluminum tub, carbon-fiber panels, a paddle-shift transmission, and, as the name suggests, a six-liter V-12 engine featuring drive-by-wire technology. Compared to the concurrent DB7, it was a spaceship. The Vanquish famously marked Aston Martin’s return to the 007 franchise in Die Another Day, after Bond spent years behind the wheel of BMWs, announced with the immortal line from John Cleese’s Q: “Aston Martin calls it the Vanquish, we call it the Vanish.” Built for six years, 2589 were assembled before Aston Martin moved to its new home in Gaydon and marked the end of an era.

Exhaust: As awesome as the V-12 Vanquish was its designer Ian Callum was never entirely happy with the end result and he revisited the design as a showpiece for his new design agency Callum. The Callum Vanquish 25 is a half-million-dollar reimagination of the original with more than 350 design tweaks and improvements. An early standard Vanquish in #1 (Concours) condition, meanwhile, runs to just over $83,000 according to our valuation experts. As it nears modern classic status, now might be the right time to pick one up. If that’s still out of your budget, enjoy the gallery above. 

BMW makes six-cylinder, two-wheeled grand touring even more luxe

Intake: Riders searching for the smooth pull of a big six-cylinder engine have only a few choices, and BMW’s K1600 is one of the top options. Yesterday BMW announced the new updates for the 2022 K1600 lineup and the feature list is long, but also includes a few subtle items worth highlighting. For example, the 1649cc inline six engine’s power output stays the same, but peak power comes 1000 rpm lower to make the bike easier to ride. A giant 10.25-inch TFT dash gives plenty of room for navigation, and adaptive headlights will light the way to whatever route you choose—including underneath the machine when you arrive so you can find solid footing for your kickstand.

Exhaust: The contest between the K1600 and Honda’s Gold Wing is a great one in the motorcycle world. The Gold Wing has a DCT option that the K1600 doesn’t currently and that might sway some buyers, but the K1600 is very comparable and also roughly $1500 cheaper when looking at base prices ($22,545 for the K 1600 B, $23,900 for the Gold Wing.) It really comes down to your preference between the BMW’s narrow inline-six or the Honda’s horizontally opposed configuration. We don’t think there is a wrong choice.