Auto Industry News: Moron Makes Case for Self-Driving Cars, Tesla Roadster, & Truex Captures the Cup

A driver in Vancouver, B.C., may have captured the distracted driving crown. Police pulled the man over after spotting him wearing headphones while driving. But wait… there’s more. When the officer approached his vehicle, the driver had a phone AND tablet tied to the steering wheel. The driver accrued $444 total in tickets and then 4 points off his license. Woah. That has to mean something, right? He makes a case for self-driving cars…

Tesla Calls Back to Its Roots

According to early reports and tweets over the weekend, the Tesla Roadster is returning. And apparently the company is wasting no time. Elon Musk tweeted in response to the reports, saying that production on the Tesla Roadster has already begun. Apparently the resurrection Roadster will be able to go over 250 mph. It will do 0 to 60 in under 2 seconds, and if that wasn’t enough, 0 to 100 in 4.2 seconds. But here’s the kicker, the Roadster, if you can believe it with those numbers, is still electric. And it’s rumored to now have a battery range of 620 miles. That’s ridiculous. But before we get ourselves in a tizzy, we’d be remiss not mention recent shortcomings by Tesla.

’87 Pontiac Firefly Build

All the buzz surrounding electric vehicles, but we still go wild for that classic garage grit. Greg Wellwood took the challenge to beef up (and completely revive) his ’87 Suzuki Swift with only $2500 and succeeded big time. The Firefly, also known as the Chevy Sprint to Americans, is now fit with a V8. The engine, acquired through a generous donation of a former ‘88 Firebird owner, was able to fit thanks to Greg’s willingness to weld his own tube frame chassis.

With a Chevette rack that would require substantial shortening, he opted to instead redesign the front suspension, too. Though the resulting suspension arms were shorter than he would have liked, he completed the fit. One of the more serendipitous fits on the vehicle was the set of wheels taken from the Firebird. Touches like his custom-welded roll bars added personality, too, considering his limited budget. If you want to follow Greg’s entire journey through this build, check out his website here.

Father/Son Team Crushes Baja 1000

The Baja 1000 delivered sand and excitement. In their fluorescent-orange, RPM-sponsored Chevy Trophy Truck, Juan and Carlos “Apdaly” Lopez of Tecate, Mexico took home the win. And they didn’t merely cross the desert to the finish. They hauled ass, clocking in at 19 hours 53 minutes and 36 seconds. It was nearly a whole hour before another team crossed the finish line. Carlos drove to capture the checkered flag after finishing second to Rob MacCachren in the two previous runs of the legendary race. MacCachren was reported to be in contention for what would have been his fourth victory in a row, but his engine blew near the midway point of the race. Cameron Steele of San Clemente, California finished second and Francisco Arredondo of Guatemala took third. And for some, it’s more about the style with which they compete.

Around the Circuit

The NASCAR Cup Chase has finally come to a close and nothing has changed about the top of the leaderboard. Martin Truex Jr captured the victory at Homestead Sunday to put the perfect punctuation on his dominant 2017 season. The 37-year-old has had his share of trying times on the circuit before finally settling into his own. This is his first ever championship, and he is rightfully basking in it.

“I never thought this day would come and to be here is so unbelievable,” Truex said post-race. In other NASCAR news, Danica Patrick officially announced her retirement from racing last week. Some expected the announcement after she lost a roster spot earlier this season. Sunday’s race at Homestead was her last competitive NASCAR run, and unfortunately it ended up in her crashing. Patrick will run both the Indy 500 and Daytona in 2018 before stepping away.

In Transworld Motocross News, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin won the Super Pole, SX1 heat 2, and the SX1 main event on Saturday, putting on a show for his home-country crowd in Paris.