Be seeing you! A 1965 Mini Moke used in the classic British cult TV show The Prisoner goes to auction in England later this month, where it is expected to bring up to $20,000. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ NASCAR legend Buddy Baker, son of Buck Baker and the first stock car driver to exceed 200 mph, has succumbed to cancer at 74. More at NBC Sports.
+ The United Auto Workers union has pledged to “negotiate smart” in its current contract talks with Ford, favoring job security over wage hikes. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ Mazda is teasing a rendering of the Koeru concept, a midsized seven-passenger crossover, in advance of the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. More at UK Autocar.
+ The family of Kevin Ward Jr. has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, one year after the 20-year-old driver was killed in a sprint car mishap involving Stewart in New York. More at ESPN.
+ California Air Resources Board (CARB) chief Mary Nichols hopes to have only zero-emission vehicles on sale in the state by 2030. More at Autoblog.
+ The slump in the retail auto market in China has driven down the share price of Bitauto, the formerly high-flying Chinese car shopping website, for the eighth straight week. More at Bloomberg.com.
+ The Illinois car mat manufacturer WeatherTech will replace Tudor as the title sponsor for the IMSA SportsCar Championship at season’s end. More at Fox Sports.
+ To ease production bottlenecks, Ford has retained a second supplier of steel chassis frames for its 2016 Ford pickup, assembled at the Dearborn Truck Plant. More at MLive.
+ A 1965 BMC Mini Moke that reportedly appeared in the British TV series The Prisoner will be the star attraction at the The Classic Car Auctions CarFest South sale in England on Aug. 29. More at Hemmings Daily.
+ The Verizon IndyCar series will return to the historic Road America road course in Wisconsin in 2016, while a date at the Milwaukee Mile is tentatively confirmed as well. More at the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal.
+ Volkswagen has cut the price of its 2016 Touareg crossover by $2,000 to $43,615 and will discontinue the expensive ($67,905) hybrid model. More at AutoGuide.
+ The Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) is fighting off a challenge from International Speedway Corp. to maintain its management concession at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. More at Racer.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from August 7 here.
Photo courtesy of Classic Car Auctions.
I’ve seen what WeatherTech charges for a rubber mat and it doesn’t surprise me that they can afford to sponsor a racing series. Two thousand dollars for a Mini-Moke used on The Prisoner? Totally worth the $1500 premium.
Does ISC have to control everything? Why would they even want to muscle in at Laguna Seca? It seems like they just don’t know when to stop.