Photo: Nissan
Unfortunately, the summer is upon us - with record-breaking temperatures (because there is no such thing as global warming, of course), and the automotive industry is still backtracking from EVs because they say that few customers want them.
Ahem, that's mainly because when the folks wanted them, all carmakers slapped them with humongous MSRPs to profit as much as possible. Also, they haven't innovated a thing over the past few years – no SSDs, no huge charging networks aside from Tesla's, and especially they botched things even further for the normal people with stupidly developed software and many ideas about how to make subscriptions a normal thing in the car as well. As it turns out, people don't want big MSRPs on EVs; they don't want to be left stranded in the middle of nowhere with no access to charging, and they don't want their EVs to get bricked by improperly developed software. Go figure…
Anyway, such a rant about EVs and why they're faltering even as Tesla continues to support them with lower MSRPs is mostly universal in this day and age – even though just six months ago, all automakers were 150% invested into EVs and the Model Y crossover SUV was fighting to become the world's best-selling automobile, irrespective of the type of powertrain. Instead, since summer is upon us and we can always try to stand out during our vacations, let's discuss the propensity for great or not-so-great special editions. As it turns out, although it hasn't been long since summer started, they're all the rage over the past few weeks in America.
Everything started with Toyota's decision to "shake up" the Corolla lineup with the new Corolla FX special edition – an extremely subtle tribute to 1987's Corolla FX16 based on the Corolla SE grade with Midnight Black Metallic, Underground, and Ice Cap paint choices plus the debut of the Toyota Audio Multimedia packing a 10.5-inch screen in the family. It is very minimalistic - and luckily, the Ice Cap and Underground shades will be offered with a Midnight Black Metallic roof. Moving on to something tougher, the newly refreshed Jeep Gladiator Rubicon gets in touch with Mopar's factory customization program, and 250 examples became available for no less than $70,295 (excluding the $1,895 destination charge). That's a bit pricey, right?
Still with Stellantis, here's something chic for the ride downtown – the new Fiat 500e Inspired By Los Angeles is set to arrive on the US market with an exclusive Marine Layer Mist shade and not much else from $36k (plus $1,595 destination). The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD also debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside the Mustang GT3 and brought the news of the optional Carbon Series plus the new Performance pack. It looks stunning from the outside, but, unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the interior – which is screamingly cheap and uninteresting for a $325k vehicle that's rumored to cost up to $562k on the Old Continent! Didn't Ford know that the owners will also see it from the inside, not just from the outside – or are they betting it will be kept in a bubble in a climate-controlled garage to make sure its value soars in the following years?
Because summer is also a lot about travel, Bentley's bespoke studio, Mulliner, has created a new special edition for the Bentley Bentayga ultra-luxury SUV. It's called Extraordinary Journeys, comprises five specifications for each location (New Mexico, Scandinavia, China, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), and comes in the pursuit of the well-being that can only be achieved by people who belong in the one percent category of the one-percenters. Well, I still think that Bentley's Bentayga is one of the ugliest representatives of the ultra-luxury super-SUV division, and this stylish collection hasn't changed my mind. Curiously, though, Lexus thinks that it can follow in the footsteps of the aforementioned brand with a cool Monogram GX. However, since Monogram is a luxury appliance brand, the result is a bit funny – it's a concept "for culinary, wine, and spirits aficionados." Some might say that it's basically like a 'wife on wheels.'
While the name Hispano Suiza Carmen has a decidedly European resonance, the company will soon expand into the United States, so the new Sagrera special edition not only celebrates the automaker's 120th anniversary but also announces cool things for America – a retro-looking EV with up to 1,100 horsepower and a new 103 kWh battery pack that gives it more than 250 miles of range. Speaking of Europeans, Maserati recently proposed the MC20 Icona and MC20 Leggenda, two new special series devised to pay tribute to the passing of 20 years since the Trident returned to motorsport competitions after a hiatus of almost four decades. However, the special editions that impressed me the most, until now, come from Nissan. More precisely, we are talking about the 2024 Z Heritage Edition, the 2024 GT-R T-spec Takumi Edition, and the Skyline Edition.
At long last, the closing chapter for the R35 iteration of the flagship Japanese sports car takes place in America with these two special editions – one bringing the iconic nameplate from overseas to the United States from $131,090 and the other celebrating the takumi master craftspeople responsible for making the GT-R's VR38DETT beating heart. Hopefully, when the R36 arrives in America, it will be called the Nissan Skyline GT-R once again, just like many of its predecessors. As for the 2024 Nissan Z Heritage Edition, it pays homage to the S30-generation Datsun 240Z, introduced no less than 55 years ago in 1969, and is based on the Z Performance featuring the bespoke New Sight Orange paint, a double-opening rectangular grille, 19-inch alloy wheels, a black hood decal, plus exclusive elements from $59,135. Seeing it, I am beginning to wonder if I shouldn't consider it cooler than the refreshed 2025 BMW M2, which kicks off at $64,900 + $1,175 destination and handling but also comes with more power – now at 473 horsepower.
Anyway, such a rant about EVs and why they're faltering even as Tesla continues to support them with lower MSRPs is mostly universal in this day and age – even though just six months ago, all automakers were 150% invested into EVs and the Model Y crossover SUV was fighting to become the world's best-selling automobile, irrespective of the type of powertrain. Instead, since summer is upon us and we can always try to stand out during our vacations, let's discuss the propensity for great or not-so-great special editions. As it turns out, although it hasn't been long since summer started, they're all the rage over the past few weeks in America.
Everything started with Toyota's decision to "shake up" the Corolla lineup with the new Corolla FX special edition – an extremely subtle tribute to 1987's Corolla FX16 based on the Corolla SE grade with Midnight Black Metallic, Underground, and Ice Cap paint choices plus the debut of the Toyota Audio Multimedia packing a 10.5-inch screen in the family. It is very minimalistic - and luckily, the Ice Cap and Underground shades will be offered with a Midnight Black Metallic roof. Moving on to something tougher, the newly refreshed Jeep Gladiator Rubicon gets in touch with Mopar's factory customization program, and 250 examples became available for no less than $70,295 (excluding the $1,895 destination charge). That's a bit pricey, right?
Still with Stellantis, here's something chic for the ride downtown – the new Fiat 500e Inspired By Los Angeles is set to arrive on the US market with an exclusive Marine Layer Mist shade and not much else from $36k (plus $1,595 destination). The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD also debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside the Mustang GT3 and brought the news of the optional Carbon Series plus the new Performance pack. It looks stunning from the outside, but, unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the interior – which is screamingly cheap and uninteresting for a $325k vehicle that's rumored to cost up to $562k on the Old Continent! Didn't Ford know that the owners will also see it from the inside, not just from the outside – or are they betting it will be kept in a bubble in a climate-controlled garage to make sure its value soars in the following years?
Because summer is also a lot about travel, Bentley's bespoke studio, Mulliner, has created a new special edition for the Bentley Bentayga ultra-luxury SUV. It's called Extraordinary Journeys, comprises five specifications for each location (New Mexico, Scandinavia, China, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), and comes in the pursuit of the well-being that can only be achieved by people who belong in the one percent category of the one-percenters. Well, I still think that Bentley's Bentayga is one of the ugliest representatives of the ultra-luxury super-SUV division, and this stylish collection hasn't changed my mind. Curiously, though, Lexus thinks that it can follow in the footsteps of the aforementioned brand with a cool Monogram GX. However, since Monogram is a luxury appliance brand, the result is a bit funny – it's a concept "for culinary, wine, and spirits aficionados." Some might say that it's basically like a 'wife on wheels.'
While the name Hispano Suiza Carmen has a decidedly European resonance, the company will soon expand into the United States, so the new Sagrera special edition not only celebrates the automaker's 120th anniversary but also announces cool things for America – a retro-looking EV with up to 1,100 horsepower and a new 103 kWh battery pack that gives it more than 250 miles of range. Speaking of Europeans, Maserati recently proposed the MC20 Icona and MC20 Leggenda, two new special series devised to pay tribute to the passing of 20 years since the Trident returned to motorsport competitions after a hiatus of almost four decades. However, the special editions that impressed me the most, until now, come from Nissan. More precisely, we are talking about the 2024 Z Heritage Edition, the 2024 GT-R T-spec Takumi Edition, and the Skyline Edition.
At long last, the closing chapter for the R35 iteration of the flagship Japanese sports car takes place in America with these two special editions – one bringing the iconic nameplate from overseas to the United States from $131,090 and the other celebrating the takumi master craftspeople responsible for making the GT-R's VR38DETT beating heart. Hopefully, when the R36 arrives in America, it will be called the Nissan Skyline GT-R once again, just like many of its predecessors. As for the 2024 Nissan Z Heritage Edition, it pays homage to the S30-generation Datsun 240Z, introduced no less than 55 years ago in 1969, and is based on the Z Performance featuring the bespoke New Sight Orange paint, a double-opening rectangular grille, 19-inch alloy wheels, a black hood decal, plus exclusive elements from $59,135. Seeing it, I am beginning to wonder if I shouldn't consider it cooler than the refreshed 2025 BMW M2, which kicks off at $64,900 + $1,175 destination and handling but also comes with more power – now at 473 horsepower.
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