Drive Wire: December 16, 2015

Jaguar’s race announcement, a smaller GMC, a great barn find, a portable coffee maker, and huge trucks riding dunes.

byThe Drive Staff|
Drive Wire: December 16, 2015
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Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson and this is Drive Wire for Wednesday, December 16th.

Jaguar is entering the world of stealth racing. The automaker will be fielding a team in Formula-E for the 2016 season. The electric open-wheel series already features automakers Audi, Peugeot and Renault, so it seems this grid is heating up. Jaguar’s technical partner for the series will be British Racing firm Williams. Good luck to all involved and let’s hope the crowds aren’t as quiet as the cars.

Turning to the oh so interesting world of market segments, GMC chief Duncan Aldred says his division needs a subcompact SUV to stay competitive. Although Aldred did not actually claim his company was making a competitor to the Jeep renegade and its like, he openly questioned why his truck-centric brand did not have an entry in the fastest-growing part of the SUV market. We remember GMC’s Granite concept from a few years ago looking as stout as a bulldog. We’ll be curious to see if this concept transforms into a potential production model.

In barn-find news, a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona that sat in an Alabama barn for decades will go on the block at Mecum Auctions next month. The car is unrestored and unaltered, except for a bad flame job by its previous owner, but its 440-inch magnum big block and torque-flite transmission are all there. The Charger is expected to go for a cool 150 to 180 thousand dollars. Seems steep for a car that may need work just about everywhere, but this is the Dodge version of the Superbird, after all, one of about 400 left, and they’ll never be cheaper than this one. Be our hero – buy it, get it running, hose it off and drive it as is, and we’ll buy you a beer.

Everyone loves a fresh-brewed cup of coffee but hates the work involved to make one. Today’s gear pick is the Mojoe, a mug that’s also a portable coffee-maker. The Mojoe uses a proprietary system to brew coffee on-the-go from any temperature water and doesn’t need special K-cups. There’s still time to get in on the Kickstarter and then you can brew as you drive. Live the dream while you wake yourself up!

In today’s ridiculous video, we watch the Russian truck manufacturer Kamaz barrel through the unrelenting deserts of South America. These massive diesel warriors are easily the weirdest things that run the nearly two week long Dakar rally. Watch as they practice and prepare for the world’s toughest race this January.

That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.

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