Apple has been working on its driverless car—Project Titan—for more than a decade. But now, the tech giant is officially calling it quits. According to Bloomberg, Apple has killed its electric car plans to focus on generative artificial intelligence instead.

More than 2,000 employees assigned to the project were told Tuesday that it would be discontinued, unnamed sources told Bloomberg. The announcement was reportedly made by Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams and Vice President in charge of the project, Kevin Lynch. A number of those employees will move to Apple’s AI team, but others will face layoffs.

“Apple made the disclosure internally Tuesday, surprising the nearly 2,000 employees working on the project,” the report says.

 

Apple started on Project Titan in 2014 as a fully autonomous vehicle a la Waymo, but then shifted to something more akin to a Tesla competitor—and was even rumored to parter with current automakers like Hyundai and Toyota. The company reportedly ramped up on-road tests over the last few months before rumors indicated that the project was slimmed down earlier this year.

Apple was aiming for an on-sale date of 2026 before pushing that date back to 2028, and rumors indicated that the production model would cost just under $100,000. Fully autonomous driving would be available for use on the highway. But now, the dream of an iCar is likely dead for good.

TVR has had an eclectic history of producing stunning British sports cars. But not everything created by the company was destined for the track. In the early 2000s, TVR’s owner, Peter Wheeler, thought of an amphibious vehicle capable of serving a host of roles. A new video from Harry’s Garage captures the only existing Scamander prototype starting up and driving for the first time in over a decade. 

The Scamander last ran in 2012 or 2013, according to Wheeler’s son Joe. Time is usually unkind to even the most reliable cars that haven’t moved, but the amphibious car seems mostly unaffected, chilling through the 2010s without much decay.

The Ford-sourced 3.0-liter V6 engine starts up without hesitation. The turn signals, brakes, and windshield wiper works too, while the canopy opens and closes without issue. One of the rear-view cameras works as well, but the digital screen for the dash needs to be fixed, so the Scamander far from perfect. It’ll require work before it’s road-legal again, the short test drive revealing a possible issue somewhere in the driveline.

You’d think a beastly machine capable of treading water would have four-wheel drive, but Wheeler kept the Scamander to two-wheel drive to save weight, with an automatic gearbox channeling the power.

The cabin has three seats, with the driver sitting in the middle. The engine is directly behind the passenger compartment, separated by a thin, removable cover. The two passenger seats fold down to carry stretchers, and the steering wheel flips up to aid the driver in getting in and out of the gangly machine that looks almost beetle-like.

Wheeler sold TVR in 2005 before completing the Scamander, but he continued working on it until he died in 2009. Hopefully his son can get it road-ready sometime in the near future.

Although Fiat was the best-selling Stellantis brand in 2023, its glory days in Europe are long gone. However, the Italian marque is now looking to get back into shape on the Old Continent with an extended family of new models. Unveiled today, but not at the 2024 Geneva Motor Show, these five concepts preview a family of Panda models.

Attached below, an official video starring Fiat CEO Olivier Francois gives us an idea of what to expect soon in terms of products and design language. Leading the way will be a long-belated replacement for the aging Panda. The revamped supermini was initially previewed in 2019 by the Centoventi and is now getting closer to reality with a new concept simply called “City Car.”

Touted as a “Mega Panda,” the new model will be unveiled in production guise in July when Fiat will celebrate its 125^th anniversary. The boxy B-segment model will be bigger than the outgoing car and is touted as a global model with combustion engines and fully electric powertrains. Essentially, the next-generation Panda will be Fiat’s equivalent of the Citroën C3. Meanwhile, this concept is a funky take on the Panda 4×4 from the 1980s, suggesting the subsequent production version will have better ground clearance, chunky proportions, and a rugged look.

The so-called “Giga Panda” is a larger crossover that Fiat intends to pit against the new Dacia Duster, provided it’s actually going into production. It too embraces the boxy design traits with illuminated rectangles, square wheel arches, and a flat roofline. You can imagine a road-going version won’t look as outlandish, but it does go to show Fiat intends to be more daring with its future models.

The Fastback appears to be a coupe-ified version of the Giga Panda with a heavily sloped roofline. It adds style (although that’s subjective) to the detriment of practicality by adopting a rakish rear end, enabling a high-riding, swoopy shape. Fiat hints the concept is a window into the future of a model destined for Latin America, Middle East, Africa, “and even Europe.”

Our favorite of the lot would have to be the camper. It rides high on all-terrain tires and looks more along the lines of a jacked-up minivan, sort of like Fiat’s take on the Mitsubishi Delica. This “ultimate do-it-all vehicle” is also a nod to the Panda 4×4 of the 1980s, and hopefully, it’ll enter production one day.

Fiat trucks are popular in some parts of the world such as Latin America. Relevant products include the Strada and Fullback, with the Titano coming later in 2024. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the fifth and final new concept is a double cab pickup, one that Fiat believes it can be a commercial success even in Europe.

After the new Panda goes official in July, Fiat intends to introduce a new model annually between 2025 and 2027. The revamped product portfolio will come after a successful 2023 when the Stellantis marque sold 1.35 million vehicles.

Boost is a hell of a drug. One minute it could have you on top of the world, delivering tons of power and torque to help you set a personal best lap time at your local track. The next minute, it could have you on the side of the track with oil pouring from underneath your car. We’re betting that’s exactly what happened to whomever used this turbocharged Mitsubishi engine last.

Eric from the I Do Cars YouTube channel wanted to see exactly how this Mitsubishi 4B11T, taken out of a Lancer Ralliart, met its end. From the jump we can see a massive hole in the block, with lots of surrounding damage. It only gets worse once Eric digs deeper.

 

Because this engine wasn’t very high-mileage, there are surfaces that looks surprisingly clean. The timing chain area is like-new, and the cylinder head isn’t stained by years of old, unchanged oil. But after removing the camshafts, Eric points out damage to the journals means these parts still might not be reusable, signaling the carnage to come.

Removing the cylinder head reveals the main problem area: Cylinder three, or what’s left of it, anyway. The piston looks to have literally exploded, with the top portion loose in the cylinder and splitting into pieces. The oil pan is full of giant pieces of piston, rod, bearing, and block material. The incident was so severe that it broke the block’s base plate into two pieces. This must’ve felt like a grenade exploding in the engine bay. 

Eric suspects there must’ve been a massive amount of boost going into this engine when it gave out, given the pure destruction that resulted from the failure. The wear on the connecting rod bearings that survived suggest there might’ve been a shortage of oil and lots of high rpm, too. Not a great combination for keeping an engine healthy.

Boost is a cruel mistress. 

Concept cars offer a glimpse of what automakers dream of making, even if there’s no business case for selling the product. These models rarely come up for sale, as they’re generally unique and not road-legal. Mecum Auctions is giving one lucky enthusiast a special opportunity to buy the one-off 2004 Lincoln Mark X concept at its March 8 sale in Glendale, Arizona.

The Lincoln Mark X concept debuted at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It’s an idea for a two-seat, premium convertible with a folding hard top. When in place, the roof has a large, clear panel to let light into the cabin. Power comes from a 3.9-liter V8 making 280 horsepower and 286 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed automatic gearbox drives the rear wheels.

The Mark X’s exterior is coated in a stunning shade Lincoln calls Atlantic Pearl. According to the company’s original concept announcement, the color subtly shifts between darker or brighter shades depending on the light. The full-grain leather upholstery is called Lime Sorbet. The name is a misnomer, though, as the shade looks beige to us, at least in these pictures.

Looking at the Mark X from the side shows its similar proportions to the contemporary Ford Thunderbird. Makes sense, seeing as how the two models share underpinnings and engines. The Lincoln has a 108.8-inch wheelbase, versus 107.2 inches for the Ford. But the Mark X is slightly shorter overall, at 185 inches compared to 186.3 inches for the Thunderbird. 

The roof layout would have helped differentiate the two models. The Thunderbird had a folding soft top and a separate hard top that owners had to install whenever they wanted to use it. The Mark X’s retractable metal roof would have provided a more sophisticated setup for drivers, should it have been produced.

This isn’t the first time the Mark X has been for sale. Lincoln auctioned the car in 2010, according to Hemmings. James Powers, a stylist who worked on the concept, was the winning bidder. He kept it until he passed away in 2023.

Mecum’s Mark X auction comes with a bill of sale, not a title, so you’re not going to be able to take the convertible for a Sunday cruise. However, this is a Lincoln fan’s rare opportunity to own a unique concept from the brand. So if you’re interested, we suggest buying a plane ticket to Arizona ASAP. 

It’s probably no surprise to learn that Motor1 readers are the absolute best. At the end of January, we found a Facebook group for Google Earth images that, among other things, featured old race tracks. We wrote an article sharing the abandoned circuits, and you responded with even more places to visit. Virtually, anyway.

Below is a collection of old abandoned and forgotten tracks submitted by you, the readers. Join us for another round of Google Earth tours. Don’t see an old road course or drag strip you’re thinking of? Post in the comments or shoot over an email. We’d love to hear from you and feature them in a future installment of this virtual sightseeing saga.

Track: Speedworld Raceway
Location: Wittmann, Arizona
Coordinates: 33°43’12″N 112°28’34″W

Thanks to Timm for the tip on this amazing multi-use track in Arizona. Located approximately 25 miles north of Phoenix, what started as a drag strip in the 1960s ultimately expanded to include a small dirt oval and motocross courses, among other things. The facility was forced to close in 2013 according to Dragzine, but it’s not completely devoid of activity. A local radio-controlled airplane club operates from a small runway on the grounds.

Track: Bee Line Dragway
Location: Fountain Hills, Arizona
Coordinates: 33°30’26″N 111°45’45″W

Motor1 reader Timm also shared another defunct Arizona drag strip with us, located near Fountain Hills in the eastern suburbs of Phoenix. The ghostly remains of the quarter-mile track are easily visible just south of Highway 87, though Dragstriplist.com states it’s been closed since 1982. It was a thriving track through the 1960s and 1970s, serving as a regular stop on the professional drag racing circuit.

Track: Amatol Raceway
Location: Hammonton, New Jersey
Coordinates: 39°36’19″N 74°44’33″W

This track sent to us by reader Carl might be a bit tough to spot. So we’ve utilized our nifty compare-image tool to help. Click or touch the arrows in the middle to drag left or right. We’ve highlighted in blue where Atlantic City Speedway used to be. Rows of trees outline the former 1.5-mile oval, which was built in 1926 and closed just two years later. According to SouthJersey.com, a handful of 500-mile races were held on the wooden track, which was ultimately torn down in 1933.

Track: US 30 Dragstrip
Location: Merrillville, Indiana
Coordinates: 41°28’33″N 87°16’55″W

Drag strips are hiding all over the place, including this one sent to us by Motor1 reader Frank. Located roughly 10 miles south of the Lake Michigan shoreline and around 35 miles southeast of Chicago, the quarter-mile track closed in 1984. Lost Indiana says it opened in the 1950s and allegedly saw the very first funny car race. Legends like Don Schumacher and Don Garlits raced there, and Google imagery from 2022 shows the track is still largely intact.

Track: Cornhusker Dragway
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Coordinates: 41°10’41″N 96°08’02″W

We give a big shout-out to reader Captain Stu for the next two tracks. He regaled us with tales of attending races here as a teenager in the 1970s, though there isn’t much left of the old quarter-mile strip. Concrete companies have set up shop on the land, leaving just a small portion of the track and return road visible between them. It had a short run, operating from 1969 through 1973 according to Dragstriplist.

Track: Sunset Speedway
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Coordinates: 41°19’58″N 96°05’33″W

Captain Stu hung out at this oval track, too. Located northwest of Omaha, it used to be a quarter-mile dirt track for Late Model, Modified, and World of Outlaw racing. Midwest Racing Archives states it opened in 1957 and stayed active for 44 years. As the nearby city of Omaha grew, Sunset Speedway became the subject of noise complaints and closed for good in 2000. Now, it’s only recognizable by the trees outlining the old track.

Track: Meadowdale International Raceway
Location: Carpentersville, Illinois
Coordinates: 42°06’55″N 88°18’16″W

Approximately 40 miles northwest of Chicago you’ll find Raceway Woods Forest Preserve. This used to be Meadowdale International Raceway, a sprawling 3.27-mile road course that opened in 1958 and closed 10 years later. But unlike most places on this list, this old track hasn’t been abandoned. The entire layout still exists as part of the preserve, easily visible through the trees. You won’t see cars sailing around the corners, but it’s open to hikers and bicyclists. The Midwest Racing Preservation Association is dedicated to keeping the track’s memory alive, as are Motor1 readers Gajoseric and Joseph – both of whom emailed us about this cool location.

Track: Marlboro Motor Raceway
Location: Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Coordinates: 38°48’24″N 76°44’20″W

According to North American Motorsports, Marlboro Motor Raceway in Maryland opened in 1952 as a small dirt oval track, ultimately expanding to include multiple ovals and a 2.4-mile road course by the late 1950s. It was the site of numerous endurance races and SCCA Trans-Am events before closing in 1969, due in part to the opening of nearby Summit Point. While Marlboro’s oval is easily visible, we outlined the layout of the old road course which is largely gone. Shout out to Motor1 reader Steve for the tip and history on this cool ghost track.

Track: Granite State Park Speedway (AKA Dover Speedway)
Location: Dover, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 43°14’00″N 70°53’42″W

We have some unanswered questions about this track, sent to us by reader Channing. Located near the border with Maine, this spot once had a fifth-mile, half-mile, and one-mile oval layouts. Satellite imagery suggests the mile-long track was actually a tri-oval, but historical images at the Catamount Stadium website show only a traditional oval as we’ve outlined above in blue. In any case, the facility started with horse racing in the 1930s, then expanded to auto racing until it closed down in 1962.

Track: Augusta International Raceway
Location: Augusta, Georgia
Coordinates: 33°21’10″N 82°05’28″W

You can still carve some corners that were part of this 3.0-mile road course, albeit at slow speeds while driving around baseball fields. According to Racing Circuits, Augusta International Speedway was envisioned as the largest motorsports complex in the world, with a large oval as well as a quarter-mile drag strip. That never happened, but a strip and a smaller oval joined the road course during its 10-year run from 1960 through 1970. These are visible at the top of the photo (above right), intermingling with subdivisions, churches, and a school. Shout out to Motor1 reader Mitchell for the tip on this one.

Track: Rattlesnake Raceway
Location: Midland, Texas
Coordinates: 31°54’42″N 102°02’40″W

At a glance, this track looks like it could still be used today. Sent to us by reader Andrew, what you see here is what remains of the old Chaparral Cars two-mile test track used by company co-founder and racing driver Jim Hall. Built in the late 1950s, it was used for only a short period of time. Aside from testing, North American Motorsports mentions select SCCA races and Porsche Club events taking place here. Zooming in through Google, the surface looks a bit rough but still intact.

Track: Nazareth Speedway
Location: Nazareth, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°43’42″N 75°19’08″W

While investigating a small track near Pittsburgh sent to us by Eric (sorry, we couldn’t find anything) we came upon Nazareth Speedway. This track existed in various forms for nearly 100 years, starting life as a half-mile dirt oval for horses. According to Abandoned Online, automobile races began in 1910 before eventually growing into a paved one-mile tri-oval in the 1980s. As you might imagine, all kinds of cars raced here through the decades, including those from NASCAR and IndyCar. Nazareth was also dormant for several stretches of its life, which finally came to a close in 2004.

Singer builds some of the prettiest modified Porches in the world. There might be fewer of them on the road than you’d expect, though. The newly unveiled Sotto commission is the company’s 300th restoration and it’s quite an eye-catcher.

This car started as a 1990 Porsche 911 Targa, and Singer modified it to look more retro, like all its other builds. The carbon-fiber body wears Resistance Blue paint, and there’s a ghosted stripe with “Porsche” branding along the lower sides. The removable roof panel is dark blue. The massive carbon-ceramic brakes are visible behind the Fuchs-style five-spoke wheels.

Inside, this buyer opted for vibrant Orange leather that covers the seats, door panels, and lower portion of the dashboard. Even the tachometer matches. The chairs have woven centers and nickel grommets.

Lifting the engine cover reveals Singer’s gorgeous 4.0-liter air-cooled flat-six engine, which makes 500 horsepower and can rev to 9,000 rpm.⁣ The mill has a titanium exhaust. This buyer went with the five-speed manual gearbox – great choice – but Singer also offers a six-speed transmission.

Singer started in 2009 and quickly built an enthusiast following. It now operates a 115,000-square-foot facility in Torrance, California, that combines fabrication, paint, assembly, and interior crafting under one roof. The company also has a separate show in the United Kingdom.

In 2022, Singer announced it was pausing taking orders for the Classic Study models – like this 911. At the time, company boss Rob Dickinson said he intended to limit production of them to 450 units.

Singer also builds the Turbo Study series of models. These vehicles emulate 911 Turbos from the 1970s, and buyers are going wild with these builds. We’ve seen ones with racing-inspired bodies, convertibles, and more traditional-looking coupes.

Automakers don’t usually let the general public drive their concept cars. Toyota must have a lot of confidence in its enthusiasts, as it’s letting a few lucky fans get behind the wheel of its AE86 BEV Concept as part of a lottery in Japan.

Folks can apply to the lottery from February 13 through February 26. If you win, you’ll have to pay the equivalent of $133 (20,000 yen) to get the chance to drive the AE86 BEV, originally introduced at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon, around Toyota City for three hours. 

Toyota doesn’t say how many winners it’s selecting, but there are 13 three-hour slots available, so that’s likely the number of winners who will be able to take the AE86 BEV for a drive.

The AE86 BEV’s motor comes from the Tundra i-Force Max hybrid pickup, capable of 94 horsepower and 111 pound-feet of torque, with power running to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. For comparison, the original 1.6-liter 4A-GEU engine was rated at 128 horsepower and 110 pound-feet of torque back when it was new.

The battery is from the Lexus NX 450h+ PHEV, adding up to a total weight of 2,359 pounds — heavy for an AE86 but impressively light by EV standards. Inside, there are a pair of Bride bucket seats and diamond-pattern steel panels on the floor. The Lexus-sourced battery occupies the area originally for the rear seats and cargo area.

Unfortunately, the winners don’t get to recreate Initial D in their rented AE86 BEV. The lottery rules specifically prohibit drifting and driving through mountain passes, among other types of spirited motoring. And if the drivers damage or wreck the AE86 BEV, they’re on the hook for repairs. Despite all of the rules, we still think it’ll be worthwhile for true Toyota enthusiasts.

The Chrysler Airflow is dead, and the Halcyon is here. Whereas the Airflow had a feeling that it could be a production vehicle, the Halcyon is decidedly an all-electric concept. Chrysler offers no mention of powertrains, performance, or range estimates, but it is based on a real platform. And it’s packed to the gills with systems designed to help drivers make a “connection with the vehicle.”

The Chrysler Halcyon is very low, with the nose just four inches off the ground. Front and rear doors open a full 90 degrees, revealing a spacious interior devoid of a B-pillar. To make entry easier, roof panels open gullwing style, forming something more akin to a 1980s T-top than a futuristic concept. At the rear is a modest trunk, hidden beneath the flat rear glass and smooth shape of the car’s haunches. To our eyes, it’s a very clean shape that’s attractive, if a bit anonymous.

Underneath the skin is the Stellantis STLA Large platform. That’s the same setup the forthcoming Dodge Charger Daytona EV will use, and there are other connections worth mentioning. Chrysler states the Halcyon uses an 800-volt architecture, something expected on the high-performance Charger Daytona Banshee. The body incorporates plenty of aero trickery, including a big passthrough at the front where air is directed through the grille and over the hood. That’s another Charger Daytona feature, interesting considering the Dodge is slated for a debut on March 5. Perhaps the Halcyon isn’t as conceptual as we thought.

Looking at Chrysler’s list of tech systems will convince you otherwise. Chrysler says the Halcyon has Level 4 self-driving capability, punctuated by a steering wheel and pedal arrangement that can fully retract, letting the driver simply be a passenger for the journey. To that end, there’s a neat stargazing mode that changes the opacity of the glass and reclines the seat so you can, well, stargaze. There’s a big pillar-to-pillar transparent screen at the front, and an augmented, full-screen heads-up display can dispense information to folks inside, whether they’re driving or not. Powering everything is a lithium-sulfur battery of unknown output.

Here’s where it gets a little weird (and even a bit creepy). Chrysler talks about the Halcyon making extensive use of AI for a customizable driver experience, one where the car greets you with a special light and sound display as you approach. It preps itself for the drive, taking into account everything from weather conditions to your daily calendar (which is connected to the car). Chrysler’s vision for the Halcyon is one where the car and the driver have a legitimate, personal connection.

It doesn’t stop with a greeting. Biometric scanners recognize you, and once inside, the car plays calming sounds and sets everything up just as you like it. The stress-reducing audio is visualized on the car’s display screens, creating an audio-visual experience that reminds us of Disney’s Fantasia. And when you get to wherever it is you’re going, the car gives you all kinds of special send-offs with more sounds and lights. Chrysler calls it “Harmony in Motion.”

There’s no indication from Chrysler that the Halcyon will enter production in any form seen here. But it’s another step towards the company launching its first EV in 2025 and becoming an all-electric brand by 2028.

“The Chrysler Halcyon Concept creates a level of serenity that fully represents the Halcyon name,” said Chrysler CEO Chris Feuell. “The Halcyon showcases innovative and sustainable mobility solutions that embrace technology and offer value to customers while delivering ‘Harmony in Motion.'”

Remember when the new Vantage was shown off at the 24 hours of Daytona? If you don’t, we almost missed it too. Without any warning, Aston Martin sent the new Vantage GT3 out on track before it was informally revealed without telling anyone. Now that debut is official. Aston has not only told us a boatload about the new roadgoing version of the Vantage, but also provided insight into the race car. 

The Vantage GT3 is, in a nutshell, a regular Vantage that’s been heavily modified to compete in endurance racing. It has a roll cage installed in its bonded aluminum chassis, carbon fiber body panels, and a slew of other changes to make it suitable for track use.

All of the machines in the GT3 class start their lives as actual production cars, and the new Vantage is no different. The cars in the class are all unique but have very similar performance despite the variety. Per the regulations, the Aston has the same basic engine as the production car, but it gets detuned to produce between 500 and 600 horsepower. All cars in the GT3 class must likewise weigh between 1,200kg and 1,300kg.

The old Vantage GT3 was a popular customer race car, and Aston thinks the new one will be no different. By the end of the 2024 season, the automaker expects to have 30 cars racing at circuits around the world. This is in part because Aston already has so many customer teams using its car, but also because it qualifies for so many different series.

Despite the success of the formula, the company described the previous car as having some “challenging” handling characteristics which it said have been corrected in the new model. Feedback from drivers after an extensive development program has been positive, with the car being described as having “no vices” and being very forgiving.

If you want to see a Vantage GT3 in action, you’ll have plenty of opportunities. As well as racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship stateside, it will also compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), and the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series (NLS).

In the meantime, you can join us in admiring that massive rear wing.