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Ford's new Le Mans Hypercar has left the workshop for the first time. Six weeks after its naturally aspirated V8 first fired up, the ORECA-built prototype completed its maiden track test at Circuit Paul Ricard, with Porsche factory driver Matt Campbell and Ford's own Logan Sargeant sharing driving duties. Tom Blomqvist and Mike Rockenfeller are next in the seat, ahead of Ford's planned return to the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027.

From 1 September 2026, Flanders moves its car inspection from once a year to once every two years, aligning Belgium with most of Europe. Paperwork is cut, the insurance certificate is no longer needed at the test, and the window to repair a serious defect grows from 15 days to two months. A planned reform would also scrap the mandatory second-hand inspection for domestic sales.

Under France's 1991 Lalonde law, any car advertising showing a vehicle off public roads, on grass, sand, rocks, in a forest or a river, is illegal, and that includes Instagram and TikTok posts. It even applies to images shot abroad if they are visible in France. In January 2025 Jeep and 42 dealers were ordered to pay 250,000 euros, with fines reaching 7,500 euros per image.

Hiroshi Okuda, who led Toyota as president and then chairman from 1995 to 2006, has died at the age of 93. The first person outside the founding Toyoda family to run the company in a generation, he modernised its culture, expanded it worldwide and championed the hybrid Prius. His influence on the modern car industry is hard to overstate.

LeBron James has curated a bespoke Mercedes-Maybach S 680 through the brand's MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure programme, unveiled at Pebble Beach. Two identical cars were built, one for his own collection and one to be auctioned for the LeBron James Family Foundation in Akron, Ohio. It swaps the V12 badge for his crown logo, a first for Maybach.

Kugelwerks, a Los Angeles coachbuilder, has revealed the One Eleven, a restomod of the 1960s Mercedes-Benz W111 coupe. It uses the running gear of the previous Mercedes-AMG C63 S, including its twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with 510 hp and 700 Nm, driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic. Production is limited, deliveries start in September 2026, and prices open at 480,000 dollars.

Stellantis has told the union Unifor it is seriously considering closing or selling its Brampton assembly plant in Ontario, which has been idle since late 2023. Around 2,200 workers have been on layoff since it was retooled for the Jeep Compass, before that production was moved to the United States. The union calls it a gut punch and points to US auto tariffs as a key factor.

The buyer who paid 40 million dollars for the first Ferrari Luce at Monterey has been named as Dr Herbert Wertheim, a self-made billionaire, inventor and philanthropist who created the first UV-absorbing dye for plastic eyeglass lenses. A keen Ferrari collector, he bought a Tailor Made Daytona SP3 for 26 million at the same event a year earlier. All proceeds went to The Ferrari Foundation.

Totem Automobili, known for its restomodded Alfa Romeo Giulia GT coupes, has revealed its first in-house platform, the Tiziano, at Monterey Car Week. It uses a carbon monocoque and a naturally aspirated V12 from Italtecnica paired with a six-speed manual, and will spawn three T12 body styles. A running chassis is promised for 2027.