Rich Ceppos

We're calling them as we saw them.

Maybach aims to transform the Mercedes-AMG SL63 sports car into a luxury grand tourer with an unmistakable paint scheme and numerous stylistic and mechanical changes.

UPDATE 3/13/2024: We have revised this story since it was first published to incorporate new information about issues we experienced with the winter tires fitted to this long-term test car. IntroductionThe Hyundai Ioniq 5 won our 2022 Electric Vehicle of the Year award. But if the compact electric SUV with origami styling was that year’s valedictorian, the BMW i4 Gran Coupe was surely the salutatorian. The i4 M50 that participated in EV of the Year ’22 wowed us with its poise, power, and chest-…

Solid gold, and more of it.

The 2024 Mazda 3's premium interior, refined driving persona, and satisfying performance make for a mainstream compact car that feels surprisingly upscale.

We sent two editors to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and they had different experiences—but both agree, Le Mans rocks.

The big kahuna rides again.

The T Type was Buick's attempt to go Euro.

Cadillac is making its second attempt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in as many years and is about to release a documentary about the event.No Perfect Formula is a full-length film that showcases the automaker’s V-Series.R as it competed in the 2023 endurance race.Viewers can see the full documentary starting on May 31 via Samsung Galaxy apps, Samsung Smart TV, and online.A new documentary on Cadillac’s most recent racing effort, slated for release at the end of May, is about two roads: one real and…

The 771-hp Bentley Continental GT Speed is a smooth brute that goes 208 mph.

Fighting the good fight.

Every vehicle that Car and Driver tests and reviews is given a rating on a one-to-10 scale based on how good it is at its mission—the job it’s designed to do—compared to its direct competitors. The rating for each model is prominently displayed on its own make-model page. (Here is an example of a make-model page with its rating.)What Our Ratings MeanWe rate vehicles on a 10-point scale to determine the best in their respective segments. For example, we compare mid-size SUVs to other mid-size SUV…

We sample several of BMW’s most memorable race cars, and make a few memories of our own.

I’m blazing down Homestead-Miami Speedway’s front straight in a BMW M8 GTE race car, chasing factory driver Bill Auberlen, who’s in a BMW M3 GT race car—and I can’t catch him though I’m in the far faster car. That’s not surprising; Auberlen has been a BMW factory race driver for 28 years and has amassed 65 International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) wins, more than any other driver. He hurls the M3 racer off the banked front straight into Turn 1 at about 130 mph, but I don’t dare do that in th…

Despite the hefty out-of-pocket expense, we’ll be sad when it’s gone.

Every now and again a sports car manufacturer builds a model so hard-edged and uncompromising that it seems to have shaken off its race-car war paint at the end of pit lane and escaped to the street. Porsche’s GT3 RS is exactly that sort of machine. So, how close is it to Porsche’s factory 911 GT3 R race car? To answer that question, we invited Porsche racer Patrick Long to hot-lap the GT3 RS on VIR’s 3.3-mile Full Course, where GT3 Rs compete in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA…

From the March/April 2024 issue of Car and Driver.Lap Time: 2:45.9Class: LL3 | Base: $122,085 | As-Tested: $147,815Power and Weight: 655 hp • 3947 lb • 6.0 lb/hpTires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ZP; F: 275/30ZR-20 (97Y) TPC, R: 345/25ZR-21 (104Y) TPThe E-Ray is no stranger to VIR. During its gestation, the C8 development engineers thrashed it at America’s Nürburgring on several occasions. In the process, they learned how to extract the quickest lap time from it, and we were glad they were on-site t…

I love VIR. I hate VIR. I love VIR. Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course does not open itself up to you easily, even in a relatively slow car like the Subaru BRZ that I drove this year. No other track in America throws this variety of corners and speeds at you. At the infamous dip in the middle of the uphill esses, for instance, the BRZ is doing 120 mph, the ground drops out from under you, and the car wants to lurch sideways across the track. Corners like that are why we value VIR, and…

From the March/April 2024 issue of Car and Driver.Lap Time: 2:56.9Class: LL2 | Base: $63,195 | As-Tested: $67,745Power and Weight: 453 hp • 3857 lb • 8.5 lb/hpTires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S; F: 275/35ZR-19 (100Y) ★, R: 285/30ZR-20 (99Y) ★Racetracks are truth serum for cars. Pushing a vehicle to its limits can surface personality traits normally hidden on the street—which is what we experienced in the new M2.Our first laps felt like driving on a Slip ’N Slide. Powering the M2 are 453 of the most…

Car and Driver editors have a special relationship with 200 mph. Thanks to our jobs’ proximity to racing, land-speed record attempts, and insanely powerful production and tuner cars, several current and former editors have had the opportunity to blast through the 200-mph barrier. Patrick Bedard did it when he raced in the Indy 500. Don Sherman exceeded the double-hundred on the Bonneville Salt Flats and two times as part of our Gathering of Eagles Ultimate Top Speed Shootout back in 1987. I hit…