The Flighter

Automotive

VW’s First Electric California Arrives With a Mattress, Two Chairs, and a Power Outlet

By Jackson Chung August 28, 2026

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles spent years teasing an electric California and even paused the project once over weight and demand. ID. California Cruise now sits on the show floor at Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf as the first factory all-electric member of that family. It is an ID. Buzz Pro in short or long wheelbase form, dressed with California lettering on the liftgate, Cruise decals along the sides, and exclusive Miwo seat covers that carry the California wordmark. First deliveries are scheduled for early 2027 and German pricing starts at €60,761.

Automotive

Porsche’s $275,000 911 Challenge Turns a Familiar GT3 Into a Ready-to-Race Machine

By Bill Smith August 26, 2026

Porsche just opened a new door into factory-backed racing with the 911 Challenge, a track-only car built from the current 911 GT3 and priced at $275,000 including import and delivery to the United States. That figure lands well below the 911 GT4 R and the latest 911 Cup, which is why Porsche is calling it the most affordable competition car in its current lineup. The car is aimed at the 2027 season of Porsche one-make series and also at private track days later that year.

Automotive

Ten Tiny Pistons, One Big Wing, Inside LEGO Technic’s Dodge Viper GTS-R

By Jackson Chung August 26, 2026

LEGO Technic Dodge Viper GTS-R Sports Car 42234 Set
Dodge never made another Viper quite like the GTS-R. Chrysler showed the race car at Monterey in 1995 as a limited GT weapon for the world’s endurance circuits. Bob Lutz called it a no-holds-barred competition car. An 8.0-liter V10 made more than 700 horsepower in race trim. Oreca prepared the European cars. Side pipes returned from the original RT/10. By 1998 the GTS-R had a class win at Le Mans. In 1999 Vipers locked out the first six places in class at the same race. In 2000 an Oreca entry won the Rolex 24 at Daytona outright, outlasting prototypes and the Corvette C5-R. That is the car LEGO chose for Technic set 42234.

Automotive

Green, White, Red, and 907 Horses, Lamborghini’s Temerario Tricolore Returns

By Bill Smith August 24, 2026

Fifteen years after the Gallardo LP 550-2 Tricolore last carried the name, Lamborghini brought it back during Monterey Car Week. Unveiled on the brand’s stage at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, the Temerario Tricolore is a single, fully bespoke car created by Centro Stile working with the Ad Personam team. It sits alongside the world premiere of the Revuelto SV yet steals attention through its own quiet declaration of Italian identity.

Automotive

Widebody Ambition Meets Ferrari’s Electric Luce Outlier in Digital Form

By Jackson Chung August 23, 2026

Photo credit: Ildar Project
Ferrari’s first fully electric model arrived this spring and immediately divided opinion. Critics called the Luce everything from bland to unrecognizable as a product from Maranello. Sales still moved quickly, and the very first chassis later sold at auction for forty million dollars. Into that mix steps a digital designer known as ildar_project, who has produced a series of rendered images that stretch the car into widebody territory and set it against the sand and sky of Dubai.