Throttle Weekly Issue 35: Ford's Bronco Recall, Norris Wins Hungary, and a Matched Range Rover Pair
Ford recalls 565,691 Broncos, Subaru revives its performance office, Norris wins in Hungary, IndyCar reveals the lighter IR28, and a restored Range Rover is paired with a future SV Ultra for Monterey.
The week in one pass
Ford has recalled 565,691 Broncos over a wiring-harness fire risk, Subaru has created a home for future manual performance cars, and Lando Norris has finally won in 2026. The week also brought a new IndyCar chassis, a pair of throwback Porsche racers for Road America, and one of the stranger Monterey auction lots: a restored 1993 Range Rover bundled with an as-yet-unbuilt 2027 model.
Industry news
Ford's Bronco recall is about chafing wires
Ford is recalling 565,691 Broncos from the 2021 through 2026 model years, a population that covers nearly every U.S.-market Bronco sold since this generation began. The defect is in the engine-compartment wiring harness: movement against nearby parts can wear through its protection, expose the circuits, and create an intermittent short. The resulting arc or heat can ignite material in the engine bay. 1
Ford said it knew of 15 field fires as of July, including seven involving Bronco Raptors. The Raptor's greater harness movement may explain its share of the incidents, although Ford also found chafing on non-Raptor vehicles. Dealers will add convolute sheathing and abrasion tape at no charge. Recall notices are expected to reach owners by August 28; smoke from the vents or a warning message may be the only warning before flames appear. 1
Subaru makes room for faster, more manual cars
Subaru's new Sports Vehicle Planning Office sits inside its Product Innovation Division and is intended to rebuild the performance side of the Japanese lineup. Three new manual performance cars have already been announced for Japan. The company says stronger hybrid and EV sales have eased fleet-fuel-economy pressure, making it easier to consider more powerful engines and manual gearboxes again. 2
The office is not a U.S. product announcement. Subaru has not confirmed those cars for America, but the existing U.S.-market WRX still gives the idea a plausible landing place. Road & Track reports that the old TY85 manual transmission tooling remains available, that the gearbox can handle more than 440 lb-ft of torque, and that it should accept more horsepower than the current WRX's CVT. 2
Trackside and community
Norris takes Hungary while Antonelli keeps the lead
Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix for his first victory of 2026. Max Verstappen finished second, 15.080 seconds back, and Kimi Antonelli recovered from a penalized seventh on the grid to finish third. That result extended Antonelli's championship lead to 50 points, while Norris became the fifth different winner in the last five races. 3
The other notable thread was reliability. Oscar Piastri retired with a gearbox failure after contact and a difficult second stint, while Cadillac lost both cars to mechanical problems, including Valtteri Bottas's brake fire. 3
Porsche brings two history lessons to Road America
Porsche Penske's No. 6 963 borrows the Sunoco-inspired colors of the 1973 Porsche 917/30, while the No. 7 pays tribute to the Porsche RS Spyder that Penske ran from 2005 to 2008. Both cars are scheduled for the six-hour IMSA race at Road America, a new endurance event on this year's calendar and part of the series' Endurance Cup. 4
The liveries are more than decoration: the older Porsche-Penske programs won championships, and the RS Spyder scored an overall victory at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring. The cars will be easy to identify when the Road America weekend begins on July 30. 4
Explainer: what IndyCar's IR28 changes actually do
IndyCar has run the same basic chassis, first called the DW12 and later known as the IR18, for about a decade and a half. The IR28 ends that chapter. It remains a spec Dallara chassis, so Chevrolet and Honda entries will share the same basic car while using different 2.4-liter V-6 powertrains. The important changes are underneath the bodywork and in the way the car manages air. 5
- Aero: The car was designed around its full aerodynamic shape, from the front wing to the rear, to reduce the disturbed air that makes it harder for a following car to corner close behind. IndyCar also keeps movable wing elements out of the design.
- Weight and suspension: The IR28 is claimed to be 100 pounds lighter than the IR18. A shared damping architecture is intended to give teams setup flexibility without returning to completely open-ended damper development.
- Hybrid system: The current supercapacitor-based system gives way to a battery-based unit with approximately 14 times the storage capacity. The new hybrid package is also 20 pounds lighter, while the Xtrac transmission drops another 25 pounds.
In plain terms, IndyCar is trying to make the car lighter, easier to follow, and less compromised by the hybrid hardware added to the previous generation. Whether the aero changes improve passing will only be clear once the car races in 2028. 5
Collector corner
Range Rover is sending a matched pair to RM Sotheby's Monterey auction: a fully restored 1993 Range Rover Classic and a 2027 Range Rover SV Ultra. The older truck has received more than 2,000 hours of work, a rebuilt 182-hp 3.9-liter V-8, and a four-speed automatic. Its newer styling details include Titan Silver Metallic paint, 16-inch wheels, and an interior trimmed to match the future SV Ultra. 6
There is a catch to the pairing: the 2027 SUV has not been built yet. The long-wheelbase SV Ultra is expected to use a 4.4-liter BMW twin-turbo V-8, and the first U.S.-market example will be built to match the restored Classic. The two will cross the block without reserve on August 14, with a presale estimate of $750,000 to $950,000 before the buyer's premium. 6
Hagerty's wider Monterey preview has plenty of oddball company for it. A 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa once used by the Dutch traffic police is estimated at $125,000 to $150,000, while a one-off 1999 Vector SRV8 with 864 miles carries a $350,000 to $450,000 estimate. 7
The Range Rover pair is scheduled for August 14, the Porsche 963s for Road America's July 30 weekend, and the IR28 for the 2028 season. Those dates are the useful dividing lines in a week that mixes an immediate owner-facing safety issue with long-lead car culture.
References
- 1Ford Recalls Over 500,000 Broncos For Potential Engine Fire
roadandtrack.com
- 2Subaru Is Dedicating a Team to Making Its Cars More Fun
roadandtrack.com
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