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| |  | | Autoweek In Review | | Friday, November 01, 2019 | | | | | | | | RACING LINES Formula 1 will not get to test out a new qualifying format during 2020, at least in part due to Mercedes’ no vote. A unanimous vote was required to make the change, and two nays at the final approval meeting killed the plan. Who was the other no? F1 isn’t making the vote public, but Ferrari is suspected. Texas Motor Speedway boss Eddie Gossage is mad as hell at F1 for staging its U.S. GP in Austin the same day as NASCAR’s Cup race in Fort Worth, just three hours apart. Gossage told the Autoweek Podcast, “I think it’s an absolute insult, lack of respect, lack of professionalism on the part of Formula 1 to schedule a race on the very same day, three hours away from a NASCAR Cup race.” And we know how disrespect gets settled in these parts ... | | | | | CAR NEWS AND NOTES With the demise of its platform-mate, the Ford Taurus, not to mention sales running around 20K per year, we knew the Ford Flex wagon was on its last legs. Still, it’s sad to see any longroof bite the dust, and despite some packaging weirdnesses, the Flex was a quiet, comfortable family cruiser and the closest thing to a Country Squire Ford produced in the last 20 years. RIP, Flex. The Francophiles among our staff get giddy at even the slightest whiff of a rumor that French cars could return to U.S. shores. The news that Fiat Chrysler and PSA, parent company of Peugeot and Citroen, have taken the first steps toward a merger has us speculating about what awesome verboten machinery we might finally get our hands on. Now we just have to hope the whole thing doesn’t get scotched by some misbehaving CEO ... | | | | | WHAT WE’RE DRIVING
Jake Lingeman started the week hanging on to the wheel of Ford’s insane new 760-hp Shelby GT500. Despite the absence of a manual transmission and a curb weight well over 2 tons, the latest GT500 proved itself a stellar track performer for those willing to spend near-six figures on a Mustang. Jay Ramey spent some time scaring his neighbors with Mercedes’ AMG GLC63 super-ute, which is quite possibly the quickest way to make your prep-school drop-off run. Yes, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 is outstanding in this application, as always, but there aren’t that many places to let this beast stretch its legs. | | | | | MOSTLY ODDS, SOME ENDS What’s your house’s roof doing right now? Just sitting there, baking in the sun, not generating electricity, we're guessing. Elon Musk (who else?) wants to change that and put your shingles to work. Solar Roof v2 is now available, and it’s both more attractive and less expensive than the original version. Regardless of how you feel about Mr. Musk and Tesla, taking advantage of all the sunlight that’s just wearing out your asphalt shingles has a lot of appeal. Need a 1,000-hp supercharged Hemi crate engine for your ’74 Dart Hang 10 restomod? Of course you do, and Mopar has had your solution in its Hellephant ever since announcing it at SEMA last year. Thing is, there were some durability issues that had to be worked out, but shipments have reportedly begun. Get your $30,000 check to Ma Mopar and keep an eye on the mailbox. | | | | | WHAT'S AHEAD Stay tuned to autoweek.com all weekend for the latest racing news and notes from the best motorsports team on the web! --Andrew Stoy, digital editor | | | | | | | | | | | Subscribe Today | | Car news, reviews, motorsports, auto shows, and stunning photography delivered right to your mailbox | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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