Mercedes Shrinkage, McLaren Says “Another 1”, Voyager is Back, Road & Track Pans $305,000 Restomod
It's about time Mercedes cleaned things up. News post.
Mercedes Considers Cutting Models
Mercedes execs are reportedly evaluating the future of the GLC and GLE Coupe models as they attempt to trim down their model lineup. With no BMW X4 on the horizon – the GLC’s main competitor – it would certainly make sense to pare down the SUV coupe offerings. The source article also suggests that lower-end models like the A-Class and B-Class – offered internationally – could go away as early as 2026. “With 45 models and derivatives,” the reporting source (Handelsblatt) sagely indicates, “the portfolio of the brand…is considered internally to be far too complex.”
I can’t disagree. In fact, I was considering writing an article solely about just how disjointed and messed up the Mercedes-Benz lineup is these days. I still may. Which, as a fan of many, many older Mercedes cars, is a little disheartening. With an uninspiring EV lineup, hybrid AMG sales flatlining, and little of interest on the horizon sans the return of the spicy AMG GT Coupe, cutting back might be just what the doctor ordered.
McLaren: Just 1 More
On September 25th, McLaren formally announced another “1” car was coming. What’s a “1” car? That’s exactly what the automaker rhetorically asks in the YouTube video they released. They’re referring to the next car in the McLaren F1 and McLaren P1 family. I’ll save you a click: the brief video McLaren released shows nothing and tells you even less, primarily relying on talking points from the PR department that bolster (unnecessarily…) the brand’s dedication to bringing their customers “timeless, uncompromising vehicles.” While it might be a load of marketing McCrapen, it’s hard not to be excited when they are, after all, responsible for the legendary McLaren F1. While I’m not holding my breath for a V12-powered manual shifter, I’m optimistic that it will be something that inspires and sets the pace for the next round of McLaren cars.
It’s easy to dismiss these sort of halo cars as irrelevant rich people unobtainium. But these are always much more historically relevant than the six-figure cars that come after them. So even if I’ll only see one or two in my life, it’s easy to appreciate the historic relevance that lesser trims won’t ever really have. Like the P1 did for the 5 Series and 7 Series cars, it’ll be a preview of what’s to come for the brand over the next decade or so. McLaren is making us wait until October 6th at 13:00 BST (8:00 AM EST) to learn anything more specific.
Voyaging Towards the Next Generation
Space. The final frontier. Erm, wait – sorry, my partner and I are watching Star Trek together. What I meant was: “Space. An important consideration for anyone buying a minivan.” I was pretty close. The Voyager nameplate is back, which makes sense since Stellantis was currently only using the Chrysler brand to sell Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vans. In a tragically typical Stellantis move, they slapped the Voyager badges on a pre-facelifted Pacifica and said “come and get it.”
Crapping on Stellantis is too easy these days, so I’m just going to say: good news, but it could’ve been better. Chrysler is debuting the Voyager at $41,690, around $2,500 less than the Pacifica. Cheaper minivans are always good – lord knows families that need them probably struggle enough. But the Voyager is still almost $4,000 more than the Kia Carnival, which offers…well, a lot more of everything. At least the Chrysler van still gets a Pentastar V6 for exploring faraway galaxies. Or softball games. Whatever.
The Singer of Mustangs? Not Exactly
Road & Track published a review on a $305,400 first-gen Mustang restomod earlier this month, and I only now got around to reading it. Velocity Restorations, based in Florida, is attempting to recapture muscle car magic, throwing 5.0-liter Coyote engines and ten-speed autos into old sheet metal. The spec sheet looks great – the aforementioned powertrain joins goodies like six-piston calipers, a 9-inch rear axle, and 17-inch wheels.
While the journo tasked with the review spends a lot of time writing about stuff that only kind of matters – like crumple zones and cramped proportions – he also heroically pans the car by the end of the review. “You can have 99 percent of the pleasure for no more than two-thirds of the money, and that’s why the Velocity struggles to justify its supercar pricing.” While I doubt I would disagree, and probably couldn’t have said it better myself, the prospect of a company handing a journalist the keys to a $300,000 car saying “what’s the worst that can happen?” only for them to unequivocally shoot the thing down as a waste of money is pretty entertaining. Good job, Will.
See you next time folks. I’ll be on the east cost driving and writing and filming and photographing a pink BMW M4 (manual!) beginning Sunday and through next week, so I’m not sure when or where my next article will show up. But it will likely involve that very car.
Sources: CarScoops/Handelsblatt, McLaren/Youtube, Car and Driver, Road & Track