Where You Can Read me Lately: M3, EV, autonomy, Lamborghini
A little update from yours truly.
Hello from northern Spain, out in the countryside not too terribly far from Barcelona. I am, as ever, out here to drive a thing, a thing I can't quite tell you about yet but a thing that will introduce some novel technology to the world of motoring, moving us all a little closer to the unreachable destination of vehicular perfection. More on all that in due time.
In the weeks since my last update I've been fortunate to contribute a lot of things to a lot of great places. Here's a sampling for you, which I hope you'll enjoy.
BMW M3 Lightweight - MotorTrend
I've been privileged to drive some amazing things over the past few months, and among those was this lovely 1995 M3 Lightweight that BMW rolled out of its secret warehouse just for me. Well, in truth it was just for MotorTrend, but I was lucky to get the call to be the one to drive and, luckier yet, the one to write. Not only was the day behind the wheel a pleasure, trying to paint a portrait of the car with words was a real delight. If I didn’t do a good enough job, the photos from Darren Martin are superb (especially the one I snagged above, for probably obvious reasons).
Hyundai Ioniq 6 - Inverse
I got my second go behind the wheel of an Ioniq 6 last month, this time in a US-spec car on US roads. New York roads, as a matter of fact. I drove two versions, but my go in the base, budget, option free model really sealed the deal: This thing is great. I only wish its tiny trunk fit into my cluttered lifestyle -- or the other way around, I suppose.
Chris Urmson Exclusive Interview - TechCrunch
The going hasn't been great for autonomy companies of late. Meanwhile the markets have soured on special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) in general. For Aurora, an autonomy-focused company that went public via SPAC in 2021, that potentially means double-trouble. Triple, even, if you count the threats posed by California's AB 316, which would effectively ban autonomous trucking in the state. CEO Chris Urmson was kind enough to give me an update on how Aurora is faring in the face of all that, including detailing for the first time for how the tech and the folks behind Uber's former self-driving project have all helped Aurora meet its aggressive goals.
Lamborghinis Galore
I've had a soft spot for Lamborghinis since I was a little one. The poster car in my bedroom? A 25th Anniversary Countach. Imagine my joy when I got to drive that very thing a few weeks ago, basically straight off of the Lamborghini museum floor. More on that Countach to come, but that wasn't the only special machine. I also spent time in a Miura SV, the very last Miura ever built, and it almost literally took my socks off, as you can read about at Slashgear.
I wasn't just there to look at the classic stuff, though. Lamborghini also took a few of us lucky souls on a journey through the factory where the new, 1,0001-horsepower Revuelto supercar is built. I've been lucky to visit the facility a few times before but had never seen the updated composites lab in action. The mastery and craftsmanship of the carbon fiber construction was remarkable to behold. You can read all about that over on Inverse.
That's all for now, but there's more to come. No, I haven't stopped thinking about AI, and at some point soon I'll try to compile some more thoughts together on that front for a future contribution to your inbox. Until then, be well.
Great writing as always, Tim.