See More Photos of the 2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

The C8 Corvette was a complete rethink, which naturally led to grumbling from people who don’t like change. One of the biggest sticking points with enthusiasts was the lack of a manual transmission. A clutch pedal and shift linkage would have been difficult to package in the mid-engine C8, and the performance and drivability benefits of the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission Chevrolet went with are undeniable. But with manuals making a comeback in limited-edition supercars, maybe there’s an opportunity to make something happen, at least on high-end versions of the Corvette? Tony Roma, executive chief engineer for the Corvette and performance cars at General Motors, explained on the latest episode of our show The Drivecast why manual-transmission diehards shouldn’t get their hopes up. Like so many other things in the auto industry, it’s mainly an issue of cost.

Before I had a job at Road & Track, before I made YouTube videos, before I ever called myself an automotive journalist, I found roads. As the co-founder of the New York Motor Club, I used early versions of Google Earth to find the best roads in our area for spirited weekend drives. Now I do the same job for R&T, planning the driving portion of our Experiences—events that you, dear reader, may come and enjoy alongside our staff. This story originally appeared in Volume 37 of Road & Track. When seeking the finest driving roads, it helps to have a strategy for where best to look. Tracts along and around mountain ranges are generally a good place to start browsing, as are areas with lots of lakes and rivers. Following this to its logical conclusion, where might we find the best of the best in driving roads? Around dams. You often find dams in mountainous regions, and dams turn cascading rivers into higher-elevation lakes. Their man-made, nature-conquering essence will almost always come with a garnish of fabulous driving roads. That’s the hypothesis, at least.

Helping a relative get out of jail, presumably, often comes with some hope that said relative’s circumstances will improve from there. According to authorities in Iowa, one family member instead found themselves almost immediately on the receiving end of another alleged crime, as the teenage relative they helped release is now accused of stealing their Chevrolet Corvette. One day after posting bond, he was headed back to jail following what authorities describe as a pursuit that exceeded 140 miles per hour. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office says Braiden Billings, 18, of Newton, Iowa had been placed in jail on an assault charge before a family member posted his bond on October 11. The very next day, at around 5:00 p.m., that same family member reported their very own 2007 Chevy Corvette as stolen. Just under three hours later, police spotted the sports car traveling west on I-80 near mile marker 150—about 15 minutes from where the car initially was before the alleged theft. A deputy tried to stop the car shortly thereafter, but whatever chance there was to calmly manage a roadside stop turned into what police say was a 140-mph pursuit.

Classic gems, tasteful customs, legendary supercars - for Silvian, they're all fair game. He's been in love with cars and motorcycles for as long as he can remember, so it made perfect sense to eventually turn that passion into a full-time writing career. Around six years and more than 3,000 articles later, he is still going strong and doesn't plan on hitting the brakes anytime soon. Brabus is so much more than a regular tuner in our day and age. It is a fully-fledged luxury lifestyle brand involved in a wide variety of pursuits not related to cars, including fashion, high-end real estate, and aviation. But to us car guys and girls, its core identity will always be rooted in car tuning and wild customization. The company’s partnership with Smart started more than two decades ago and is still going strong today, having yielded some fascinating results in the meantime. And with the tiny Fortwo discontinued to make way for the all-electric #2, you can bet your bottom dollar on this replacement getting the Brabus treatment.

It's wild how far we've come in automotive technology during the past couple of decades. Who in the '60s would've figured that we'd make 100 horsepower per liter, like with the Ford Mustang Dark Horse 5.0-liter V8, or that adaptive dampers would be common in the luxury market, including on the Acura Integra A-Spec (with Technology Package). Still, one seemingly overlooked aspect of automotive progress is how we actuate the clutch between an engine and manual transmission. While this area's workings have stayed relatively simple, moving from one form to another has improved daily driving in several ways. We're talking about transitioning from cable-operated to hydraulically actuated clutches.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is still one of the most luxurious off-road SUVs you can buy. It's also one of the most expensive, with the G550 starting at $153,900 (plus $1,150 in destination charges) and the price with options and AMG badges only going up from there. Still, the G-Wagon does stand out defiantly against the crossoverfication of the industry, with its upright boxiness remaining uncompromised from its launch in 1979 all the way up to today. It isn't just a look either. Underneath all the modern Mercedes-Benz luxury remains real ladder-frame off-road credibility, complete with a solid rear axle, mechanically locking differentials, and proper low range gearing. Fortunately, the G-Class doesn't have exclusive rights to the rolling brick aesthetic, and you can still get some portion of G-Wagon energy for less than a G-Wagon MSRP. From relative up-and-comers like the Ineos Grenadier or the Rivian R1S to historical direct competitors like the Land Rover Defender, you can absolutely capture some of that boxy magic without spending quite as much, and in some cases by spending $100,000 less.