Trucks top stolen car leaderboard, Everrati offers EV expertise, Aston Martin’s century of Grand Prix racing
Two pickups top the list of 10 most stolen vehicles in the U.S.
Intake: The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has released its annual list of the top 10 most stolen vehicles in the United States, and by the looks of things, thieves need hauling and towing capability. For the second year in a row, the top two spots belong to full-size pickups, with Chevrolet just edging Ford (48,206 to 47,999) for total thefts in 2021. The final podium spot belongs to the Honda Civic, which was stolen 31,672 times last year. Though many of the models on this list are quite old when they’re stolen (according to the second column, which lists out the model year most frequently boosted), we were a bit surprised to see three newer cars on here—the Nissan Altima, Jeep’s Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, and the Toyota Corolla—with model years listed (2020, 2018, and 2020, respectively). With supply chain constraints causing used car values to jump, vehicle theft has become more popular—up eight percent in 2021 over 2020. “We have seen a nearly 35 percent increase in used car values over the last two years due to supply chain issues and inflation,” said David Glawe, president and CEO of the NICB. “Stolen cars can be shipped overseas and resold or broken down for valuable used parts here in the U.S.”
Exhaust: To be fair, it’s a bit of a popularity contest. Both Chevy and Ford make light- and heavy-duty full-size pickups, and there are simply more trucks on America’s roads to steal. We understand why a 1997 Accord would be popular to steal—turn-of-the-century Hondas were alarmingly easy to snatch, so much so that the Acura Integra was one of the most expensive cars in the country to insure. Still, you’d think that with all of the high-tech security equipment that comes standard on new cars these days (even the Altima, which has a reputation as a low-dollar lease special, comes with systems like a vehicle immobilizer as standard), no car built within the past few years would crack a top 10 list like this. Best keep your head on a swivel and be extra sure to lock those doors. — Nathan Petroelje
Maserati’s 740-hp, limited-run track weapon looks wicked
Intake: We know what we want for Christmas now: Maserati’s Project 24, a two-seat, track-only sports car with a limed production of 62 units. Says Maserati: “The truly extreme track-only car inherits the specifications of the Maserati MC20, enhancing it with technical specifications that have advanced even further: the state-of-the-art V-6 Nettuno engine adds new turbochargers to raise its power to 740 horsepower, innovative suspension, carbon-ceramic braking system and tires tuned up for racing, as well as FIA-approved safety features.” That includes a roll cage and a fire suppression system. There’s adjustable front and rear wings, a six-speed sequential racing transmission with paddle shifters, Lexan windows, air jacks, racing slicks and, interestingly, air conditioning.
Exhaust: How much? Maserati isn’t saying yet. But we’d wild-guess about $275,000, maybe $15,000 more than the cost of a top-of-the-line MC20. —Steven Cole Smith
Everrati offers its electric expertise to all
Intake: British electro-resto-mod specialist Everrati has set up a new Advanced Technologies division to provide EV tech to other firms. The company will offer a range of services including design, development, and engineering to allow low-volume and luxury car makers an easy way to electrify. A complete turnkey solution based on Everrati’s EV propulsion system will also be available. Founder Justin Lunny says, “Everrati’s reputation is built on our own OEM-grade proprietary EV platform technology combined with the skills of our team—many of whom have held senior engineering positions at leading automotive brands. This unique combination has quickly driven global demand for our products, which set new standards in the sector. We are now delighted to offer the same levels of expertise to specialist and luxury vehicle brands to support our commercial clients’ electric ambitions.”
Exhaust: Having driven Everrati’s controversial Porsche 911 and its Series II Land Rover we’ve certainly been impressed with the quality of execution and the depth of engineering that has gone into them. The firm’s upcoming collaboration with Superperformance on an electric GT40 is a good indicator of what to expect from this new division. — Nik Berg
Testing once more, Vanwall eyes 2023 LMH entry against Ferrari, Peugot
Intake: Add one more LMH car to the World Endurance Championship’s field next year: SportsCar 365 reports that the ByKolles Vanwall LMH car completed a two-day test at the Lausitzring that was described as “very positive” by the team’s head of operations. According to Boris Bermes, the Gibson V-8-powered car driven by Tom Dillmann completed “more than 270 laps”, equating to 583 miles. “We collected many data on the aero and reliability, which was the main goal of this test. It was very, very positive again,” Bermes said. The car had not run since a test three months ago, leading some to believe the program had shut down. But Bermes said those three months were spent getting the car through FIA homologation.
Exhaust: With more testing planned, it looks like the Vanwall is the real deal. But it may face a name change: Vanwall was the name of a Formula 1 team that beat Ferrari for the 1958 championship, and ByKolles is facing some opposition to using that name. Whether or not that squabble could negatively impact this new team’s efforts next year remains to be seen. — SCS
Aston Martin celebrates a century of Grand Prix racing
Intake: Aston Martin has marked 100 years since its racing debut by setting Sebastian Vettel loose in its first Grand Prix car. TT1, known affectionately as “Green Pea”, was built for Count Louis Zborowski who campaigned it at the 1922 French Grand Prix in Strasbourg. Aston Martin founder Lionel Martin was paid £10,000 by Zborowski to build the car which featured an all-new 1486-cc, 16-valve twin overhead cam engine, producing just 56 hp. The Green Pea only weighed 1650 lbs, however, so it was pretty sprightly. Exactly 100 years later at Le Castellet, current Aston Martin F1 driver Vettel got behind the wheel in tribute. “Green Pea holds a very special place in Aston Martin’s heritage, and you can almost feel that century of history beneath your fingertips when at the wheel,” he said.
Exhaust: Aston Martin’s celebrations omit the fact that Zborowski retired on lap 15 of the 60 lap, 500-mile Strasbourg street race due to engine failure. The team persevered, however, and was rewarded with second place at the Grand Prix de Penya Rhin, and third place at Grand Prix de Boulogne a year later. In the Formula 1 era, the British brand competed rather unsuccessfully in 1959 and 1960 with the DBR4 and DBR5, before rejoining the grid, first as a sponsor of Red Bull, and then as full-works team in 2021. The team’s best result so far in 2022 is sixth place; hopefully Vettel’s extra lap of practice will give him a boost this weekend. — NB
