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USA Today
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'I woke up in a new Bugatti': Explaining the resurfaced internet trend
A TikTok trend from a few years back has resurfaced with countless creators poking fun at its execution. The trend, known as the "Bugatti Challenge," features people sitting on the floor, pretending to drive a car as someone off camera pulls their feet to slide them out of the frame. Videos are set to Ace Hood's 2013 hit, "Bugatti," with the popular line, "I woke up in a new Bugatti." But the most-viewed videos in the trend are actually those that don't go quite right. One of these videos was posted by Austin Skovran and Tiffani Chance, known for her role in the reality television series, "Little Women: Dallas." In the TikTok video, Chance is seen wearing a helmet as she is wiped off camera by Skovran at lighting speed. But when its Skovran's turn, the two laugh as Chance struggles to pull him out of the frame quickly. "I knew that wasn't going to work," Skovran says, as Chance falls to the ground. As of July 14, the video had more than 23 million views. What we know: Did Trump strike a deal with China about TikTok? Who planned the trip? TikTok trend reveals the unsung heroes of vacation planning In another skit version of the trend, content creator Ross Smith pulls the legs of his grandma, affectionally known online as "Granny Smith." But instead of Granny being pulled out of frame, Smith edited the video, or used props, to make it appear that Granny's legs were just ripped off from the knee down. "You guys win! This trend is now over ... can't be topped," on TikTok user commented on the video, which had more than 4.6 million views, as of July 14. And in some videos, the narrative is lost altogether, as pets are seen in frame before being yanked off screen. When did the 'Bugatti Challenge' start? The trend dates back to 2023. While the origin of the "Bugatti Challenge" is unclear, a video posted in March 2023 continues to surface on TikTok. In the video, with more than 16 million views as of July 14, a toddler is seen sitting on the floor before she is yanked off screen when the chorus, "I woke up in a new Bugatti" plays. "She's ok," the TikTok user wrote in the video's caption. What is a Bugatti? Bugatti is a French automobile manufacturer that specializes in luxury sports cars. The company was founded by Italian automobile designer Ettore Bugatti in 1909. To get an idea of the price, the 2026 Bugatti Tourbillon is estimated to cost around $4.6 million, according to automotive magazine Car and Driver. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Man kills couple at home over muscle car, tries to fool cops, AZ officials say
A man accused of breaking into an Arizona couple's home and killing them over a muscle car has been sentenced to prison, according to prosecutors. Investigators say Alexander Lee Smith broke into Walter Mitchell and Susie Ephrem's Peoria home in November 2023 and fatally shot them, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said in a July 11 news release. The couple's 8-year-old grandson was inside the home but wasn't hurt, the attorney's office said. Mitchell and Ephrem were 52 and 42 years old, KSAZ reported. Ephrem called 911 and officers arrived to find her wounded, though she later died at a hospital, prosecutors said. Mitchell died at the scene. Prosecutors say Smith, who was 20 at the time, had been communicating with Mitchell about buying his Ford Shelby GT500 — which is essentially an upgraded, and much pricier, Ford Mustang. It's not only 'the most powerful Mustang — it's also the most expensive,' according to Car and Driver, with baseline models starting around $80,000 and higher trim levels climbing to nearly $130,000. Classic GT500s can list for much more. Messages between the men show Mitchell was going to sell the car to Smith but 'called off the deal because the wire transfer didn't go through,' prosecutors said. 'That same night, Walter traded the Mustang at a car dealership. He and Susie were killed the next morning,' according to prosecutors. But Smith wasn't ready to give up on acquiring the GT500, prosecutors say. The day after the killing, Smith went to the home and spoke to police, telling them he was there to pick up the GT500 that had been purchased by a car collector who he was working for. That apparently didn't work, so he waited a little while and tried again. 'More than two weeks later, Smith went to the Peoria Police station and asked to speak with detectives about getting the car,' prosecutors said. 'His story did not match what he told detectives at the crime scene the day after the shooting.' Investigation later revealed that police weren't the only ones Smith was trying to fool, according to prosecutors. 'Smith's phone records show that at the same time he was trying to buy the Ford Shelby GT500 from (Mitchell), he was also posing as the car's owner so he could trade it with someone else. Even after the deal had been called off, he told the third party he would trade the car the next day, which was the day of the murder,' prosecutors said. By then the car was already gone, as Mitchell had traded it to a dealership. Investigators found Smith's fingerprints on a door handle at the home, and GPS data shows he was nearby when the shooting happened, prosecutors said. 'This was an act driven by greed; even after taking two lives this defendant continued to lie to police to try to get the car,' Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. 'Thanks to Peoria Police and MCAO prosecutors, his story unraveled, and he will spend the rest of his life facing the consequences of his choices.' Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and one count of burglary, the prosecutor's office said. He was sentenced to two life sentences, plus 21 years, in prison. Information about his legal representation was not immediately available. Peoria is a northwest suburb of Phoenix.
Car and Driver
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
1981 Ford Escort GLX Test: World-Class Shrinky Dink
From the January 1981 issue of Car and Driver. The editorial we have been feeling the hot breath of America on the backs of our necks while working on this road test. Everybody right down to the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker has been looking over our shoulders, trying to get a rating on the new Ford Escort. No Ford in memory has produced such widespread interest ("concern" may be a better word). Some of the concerned are potential customers looking for the latest development in fuel-efficient cars: they wonder if the Escort is it. Others have a more academic question: is the Escort the long-awaited import fighter from Detroit? All that heavy breathing ruffling our collars tells us you really want to know. So let's get down to business. Conclusion No. 1: The Escort is indeed a world-class small car with a combination of interior space and fuel economy that should make it one of the top choices in its class. It may not have the most interior space, or the best economy, or the lowest trunk liftover height, or the highest marks in any other category of small-car virtue you might name, but it's competitive on every front. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver Conclusion No. 2: The Escort is the first small car from anywhere to offer Mr. and Mrs. America big-car comfort and luxury in a small package. Moreover, the long options list will make them feel right at home. This is a cushy car that just happens to be small. Conclusion No. 3: We don't want to sound elitist or anything like that, but we think Mr. and Mrs. America will probably be happier in Escorts than will car enthusiasts. This is no fling-about Fiesta, no rompin' Rabbit. There are no come-on-and-flog-me urgings coursing up the shift lever and the steering column. The Escort is just trying to be another nice car in the Ford family of nice cars—a mini LTD. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver Naturally, we would have preferred an Escort with verve, but the mini-LTD personality has a charm of its own. You find it strongest in the interior. The test car is a GLX in a range of models that starts with a plain Escort and moves up in steps called L, GL, GLX, and SS. So it's not the grandest, but it's right up there. And the first thing you see when you open the door is American Plush. The carpets are deep. The door panels are soft. The seats are foamy. The instrument panel is a big, bluff-faced molding just like those of the larger Fords, and it contains only a speedometer and a gas gauge, a layout also just like those of the larger Fords. And the luxo, poly-spoke steering wheel is outfitted with thumb buttons for the optional cruise control, just as the larger Fords are. Can Toyota and Volkswagen match this? No way. It's easy to be cynical about such frills, to say that if Ford had spent more time working on the basics like engine performance (which we'll get to later) instead of diddling around with the money-grubbing options, it might have produced a car we'd all be foaming over. But never mind. You can't get mad at the GLX when it's such a nice (well, it is) package. The seats are foam-filled, have adjustable recliners, and are as good as the best Detroit has ever made. The dash has four big, swiveling vents to move air in a hurry. The top of the dash has been molded into a huge travel tray for cigarettes, sunglasses, or in case you need some place to melt your Hershey bars. This is American-car comfort and convenience all the way. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver You also get gadgets to play with. The blue-glowing electronic digital clock has buttons for date, elapsed time, and time of day. A map light on a stalk swings down out of the ceiling and swivels around in case you want to check somebody's tonsils. The AM/FM-stereo has a little button hidden down by your knee marked "Amplifier On-Off," and when you give it a pull, a pilot light comes on and the music gets really wonderful. None of this stuff has anything to do with economy or efficiency or engineering for the Eighties. It's just that Ford always made LTDs this way, so it's making mini LTDs this way too. What could be more natural? Sure, you can have a hair-shirt Escort if you want one, but that sort of low-calorie aspiration is not what made Detroit great. The Escort is an American small car. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver Not that there hasn't been inspiration from elsewhere. You can tell that Ford designers have been combing over the Honda Accord, trying to steal the essence of that car, to transplant its considerable appeal into the Escort. But typical of Detroit, they saw only the gimmicks. Honda's most notable innovation in instrument-panel design is the "pictograph," a green-glowing outline drawing of the car styled along the theme of a directional gyro in an airplane. All it does is tell you when a door is open, the tailgate ajar, or the like. But it looks very space-age and makes first-timers say, "Oh, lookit that!" So Ford swiped the idea. If you go GLX or better, you get a little pictograph down by your ankle on the console with warning lights that glow red for low fluids or malfunctioning head, tail, or brake lights, and yellow in the case of low fuel. Honda also dazzled the industry with its coin trays for parking-meter money. Ditto the Escort. But getting back to the point, Ford wants you to open the Escort door and see American-style luxury and Japanese-style gimmicks (called "product content" in the industry): the best of both worlds, as they say. Thus overwhelmed, you then sign the check. The assumption is that Americans will buy comfort, they'll buy features, they'll buy flash, and they'll buy economy as defined by EPA mpg numbers. So those areas are where the design effort was concentrated. And in those areas the Escort does very well. But driving fun? What's that? View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver Just the way the clutch works says a lot about the direction of Escort engineering. The pedal has a rather long travel, but the machinery all hooks up in the space of about an eighth-inch: clunk. And pedal effort does not diminish in a predictable way as you let out the clutch either. You just have to feel it out, feel it out, feel it out: clunk. Mr. and Mrs. America probably won't notice, but you will. And you'll conclude that the Escort is transportation rather than fun. The numb-clutch syndrome is also apparent in the suspension. It acts as though it has very little free travel. A brisk boogie on an expressway ramp has it rocking laterally, feeling very much as though it was bouncing off the bump stops. Put a couple people in the car, encounter a modest chuckhole, and again it recoils off the bump stops. Even straight down the freeway it's a little bouncy ("vertically active" in engineer talk). The Escort's suspension just wasn't endowed with the resilience and precision an enthusiast hopes for. However, ultimate cornering forces are not bad at all for a front-drive car, particularly a new-generation Detroiter with tires optimized for low rolling resistance. The Escort circulated the skidpad at 0.71 g, which is a laudable accomplishment. Some of the credit must be given to the optional alloy wheels, which are 5.5 inches wide, up a half-inch from the optional steel wheels and up a full inch from the standard equipment. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver The Escort's 1600 cc hemi engine is another component that falls short of the enthusiast's hopes. Ford went to a lot of trouble with the hardware parts of this engine—an aluminum head, an electron-beam-welded intake manifold, a crossflow port arrangement with angled valves and fully machined combustion chambers—but then tried to get by without the sophisticated on-board computers that all GM and many Chrysler models are using to optimize fuel flow, spark advance, EGR, and the like. The results have been nearly disastrous. The Escort does reasonably well in economy—30 mpg EPA with a four-speed manual transmission and a short options list—but the sacrifices necessary to get economy and meet emissions without the aid of a computer have killed performance dead as a hammer. The car is very slow—zero to sixty in 14.6 seconds, standing quarter-mile in 19.4 seconds at 69 mph. This is more leisurely performance than even the Honda Accord's, which typically brings up the rear in small-car acceleration. Moreover, the Escort labors mightily to attain whatever speed it can. Under hard acceleration, the engine climbs through several stages of roar—like a Weed Eater progressing from quack grass through the petunia patch and into a stand of maple saplings. This mastication is accompanied by vigorous buzzings transmitted up through your leg by the accelerator. The sound-level meter reports 89 dBA at the driver's ear during such a forced march, and that is louder than almost any other small car in the class. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver Yet here's the contradiction. We think Mr. and Mrs. America will find the Escort a quiet car. For one thing, they won't run it to 50 mph in second gear in fits of enthusiastic driving. And that sort of flat-out operation is the only circumstance in which it is really noisy. Everyday driving for everyday citizens consists mostly of idling at traffic lights and constant-speed cruising at speeds below 65 mph. Here the Escort is quieter than most of the competition. And this, in turn, means that one of the main annoyances associated with travel in small cars—the auditory assault factor—just isn't a problem in an Escort. The other problem with small cars on long trips—lack of interior space—is also handled nicely in the Escort. The hatchback lifts to expose an uncommonly deep trunk, the sort of compartment that allows you to stow suitcases vertically; and if this isn't enough, the rear seat folds flat in typical hatchback style to open up just over 30 cubic feet of luggage space. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver If your cargo is just people, they fare well too. The universal standard for people packaging is the VW Rabbit. We find the back-seat room of the Escort to be even better. Headroom is slightly less, but still good enough for six-footers, and the Escort has better knee clearance. The VW achieves much of its comfort with "chair-height" seats and a high roofline for head clearance; the Escort provides a similar feeling in a lower car by depressing the floorpan in the area a back-seat passenger uses for footroom. This is an old Detroit trick, done for years in low-roof coupes, and usually the depressions were about the size and shape of dishpans and just reinforced the feeling of cramped quarters. But for a small tunnel, the Escort has a low floor from sill to sill. Your feet are treated to as much room as the rest of you, which is to say, a very generous amount for such a small car. So much for the coach-class passengers. Those up front have royal treatment, at least in a GLX-trim car loaded with options. On the surface, however, this complement of extras seems contradictory to the concept of a small car. How are we going to know if the Escort is successful as an import fighter when we're looking at an example loaded like the typical domestic? View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver Let us answer this way. First, the Escort isn't really intended to be a bottom-of-the-market economy car. The Honda Civic, Toyota Tercel, Toyota Starlet, and Datsun 210 come in under it. And second, we suspect the real role of the Escort is less to fight imports and more to provide a next step for Americans who wish to downsize. These motorists are accustomed to a certain level of comfort and luxury; the Escort offers it in a smaller package with better fuel economy. In this regard, the test GLX is enormously successful. And for that reason, we're going to keep it around for another year as a long-term test car. We'll report back to you from time to time on its durability and on how well it adapts to life in a changing America. Watch this space. Counterpoints Do we have an irreversible inferiority complex over here? The home team has again failed to grasp the importance of building good small cars. Ford, oblivious to better examples, has fallen into the trap of building merely small cars, thinking that would be good enough. This Escort should have been called the Squirrel. Its handling and braking are thoroughly unpredictable, having been rubbered to death by the ride brigade. Performance is anemic, and mileage is nowhere near the best. The steering is wishy-washy on the highway, the clutch snaps over center with a clunk, and the shifter plings like a fingernail on a tin can. And Ford should get some sort of perpetual prize for coarse engine harmonics. High marks (these are compliments, now) for seating comfort, driving position, roominess, and outward visibility. Too bad you have to go inside the cheap-looking interior to find a few high points. Fortunately for Ford, the low points will probably creep right under the noses of a multitude of Escort buyers, who will go home thinking they're safe for the winter, nuts gathered by Ford's Squirrel. —Larry Griffin Somewhere in the management ranks of Ford Motor Company North America there must be a man who gets paid a lot of money to insist that Americans will be most comfortable with little cars designed to be just as out of touch as the big cars they replace. If there is such a man, the introduction of the new American Escort is his finest hour. Our test car is well appointed, quiet, and comfortable at rest, but a sore trial in motion. It suffers from a nasty pitching moment, a fore-and-aft hobby-horsing that is guaranteed to bring back carsickness as an adult affliction. The little devil's engine and drivetrain would be delighted to cruise all day at 75 or 80, but the ride quality makes that almost unendurable. Europeans are now getting their first look at Escorts that go faster, ride more smoothly, handle better, and are infinitely more handsome than the one done up by the troubled technoids in Dearborn. My advice to the reader would be to go buy a Fiesta. My advice to Ford North America would be to call Ford Germany and ask Bob Lutz to come over and make our Escort as nice as theirs. —David E. Davis. Jr. View Photos Aaron Kiley | Car and Driver This is one unhappy little lump of a car. The fit and finish of the interior are below par. The engine drones. The steering is rubbery. The ride is undisciplined. The tall gearing works against the engine. In general, the Escort reminds me of an adolescent, all awkward and self-conscious. All of this tells me that Ford's American design team cut too many corners, thinking the masses wouldn't notice, or that the product planners misjudged what America expects of an econobox, or that the engineers simply lacked the know-how to create a world-class world car. This is not to say that the Escort is without merit. The overall packaging is excellent. Rear-seat comfort is exceptional. And its gas mileage is good as well. So the Escort should do well enough in the workaday world, serving people who think of cars as nothing more than travel appliances. All of the ingredients for a sparkling small sedan are here—on paper at least. Let's hope Ford management has a change of heart and sees fit to finish what it started. —Rich Ceppos Specifications Specifications 1981 Ford Escort GLX Vehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door hatchback PRICE Base/As Tested: $6476/$7789 Options: air conditioning, $524; aluminum wheels, $183; cruise control, $128; AM/FM·stereo radio, $100; rear wiper·washer, $94; premium sound system, $91; power brakes, $76; tinted glass, $70; cloth and vinyl upholstery, $27; heavy-duty battery, $20. ENGINE SOHC 8-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head Displacement: 97 in3, 1600 cm3 Power: 69 bhp @ 5000 rpm Torque: 86 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm TRANSMISSION 4-speed manual CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/struts Brakes, F/R: 9.3-in vented disc/7.1-in drum Tires: Goodyear Arriva P165/80R-13 DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 94.2 in Length: 163.9 in Width: 65.9 in Height: 53.3 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 47/39 ft3 Trunk Volume: 16 ft3 Curb Weight: 2140 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 14.6 sec 1/4-Mile: 19.4 sec @ 69 mph 80 mph: 31.8 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 15.2 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 20.4 sec Top Speed: 87 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 217 ft Roadholding, 282-ft Skidpad: 0.71 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 24 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 33/28/44 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lexus LFA Successor Makes First Official Outing on Goodwood Hill: Video
The upcoming LFA successor, which will possibly be called the LFR, made its first official public appearance this week. The new supercar can be seen—and heard—making a parade lap up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. After being spotted testing at several tracks around the world, Lexus's GT3 race car twin made the parade lap alongside the road-bound model. Three years ago, Toyota introduced the world to its GR GT3 race car concept. In the years since, we've seen that original concept develop into what appears to be a Lexus LFA successor and a racing version that looks poised to replace the aging RC F GT3 car. We've caught spy shots of the pair testing around the world. Last month, we even had one Car and Driver reader send in some shots of the road car testing in Southern California. Now, the pair has made their first official public appearance. Joined by a heavily camouflaged version of the race car, the upcoming supercar made a parade run up the hill at this week's Goodwood Festival of Speed. While some manufacturers attack Lord March's driveway with a vengeance, the Lexus twins maintained a more leisurely pace. There still hasn't been any official confirmation from Toyota or Lexus about what the new supercar is hiding under its hood, but the exhaust heard in the video seems to confirm the rumors of a hybrid twin-turbo V-8. As we've seen in previous spy shots (pictured above), the road car was equipped with a prominent duckbill rear spoiler, while the GT3 car sported a kitchen-counter-sized wing. Given that the supercar has been testing on public roads, we think it's a safe assumption that the car will debut as a 2027 model. That theory is supported by the fact that the Lexus RC F is homologated for GT3 racing through the 2026 season. If Lexus wants to make the transition seamlessly, it'll need to launch the car sometime next year. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Car and Driver
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
Lucid Air Grand Touring Sets World Record Drive on a Single Charge
Lucid set a new Guinness World Record for the longest drive on a single charge by any electric vehicle. The record was set by a Lucid Air Grand Touring, which covered 749 miles between St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Munich, Germany. The Air Grand Touring already held the record for the longest drive on Car and Driver's 75-mph real-world highway range test. Lucid has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest drive on a single charge by an electric vehicle. According to Lucid, Umit Sabanci, a London-based entrepreneur, set the record in a Lucid Air Grand Touring. Lucid Starting in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and ending in Munich, Germany, Sabanci's drive totaled 749 miles (1205 kilometers), exceeding the previous record of 649 miles (1045 km) by exactly 100 miles. According to the automaker, the route included alpine roads, highways, and surface roads. While considerably shorter, the Air Grand Touring became the champion of Car and Driver's 75-mph real-world highway range test back in 2022, when we achieved 410 miles on a single charge. Official estimates from the EPA put the Air Grand Touring's range at 516 miles when it is wearing its standard 19-inch wheels and all-season Pirellis. Lucid While the new feat is certainly impressive, we should point out a few caveats. First, the elevation change. Nestled into the southern slopes of the Alps, St. Moritz sits at roughly 6000 feet above sea level. Munich, on the other hand, is located at approximately 1700 feet above sea level, or 4300 feet below St. Moritz. In 2021, we made a similar descent (closer to 6000 feet) from the summit of Pikes Peak to downtown Colorado Springs in a Porsche Taycan to prove just how much gravity helps regenerative braking. Spoiler: it's a big help. Lucid Lucid also neglected to highlight the average speed of the drive. While normal routes between the two cities average around 220 miles, Lucid's drive was closer to 750—leading us to believe that the automaker selected a very gradual descent down the north side of the Alps. Still, even with potentially low top speeds and a net downhill route, 750 miles on a single charge is nothing to scoff at. Jack Fitzgerald Associate News Editor Jack Fitzgerald's love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn't afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. Read full bio
