Throttle Weekly Issue 36: Mercedes Sets an EV 'Ring Record, Ram Recalls 1.5 Million Trucks, and a Volvo Goes to the Show (2026)

The week in one pass

Coverage: July 29–August 5, 2026.

Mercedes-AMG put a 680-hp electric CLA45 on the Nürburgring in 7:32.07, while Stellantis recalled more than 1.5 million Ram 1500s over second-row seat-belt anchors. Shelby answered the current horsepower arms race with an 810-hp Super Snake Sport, and BMW tested the limits of the connected car by putting a Spider-Man promotion behind an infotainment prompt. Away from the product news, a 1973 Chrysler New Yorker began a 2,500-mile Route 66 tribute, and a 1966 Volvo project car became a local car-show celebrity.

Industry news

Mercedes' CLA45 EV finds a very specific record

The first electric Mercedes-AMG CLA45 has set a 7:32.07 Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time in an official AMG record attempt. Its 680-hp tri-motor layout puts it one second ahead of the latest Audi RS3 in the subcompact four-door category. The car is not confirmed for the U.S. market. 1

The comparison needs a little care. A BMW M2 CS has run 7:25.5, so the CLA45 is not the quickest compact car around the circuit. Its claim is narrower: it is the record-holder for a four-door car of its size. That is still a useful marker for how quickly performance EVs are moving into categories once dominated by small gasoline sedans. 1

Ram's recall is a seat-belt attachment problem

Stellantis is recalling more than 1.27 million Ram 1500 pickups in the United States, covering 2019–2026 model years. The global population exceeds 1.5 million after vehicles in Canada, Mexico, and other markets are included. On some trucks, the second-row center and/or driver-side seat-belt buckle anchor may not be properly attached to the body structure. In a crash, the belt may not perform as intended, increasing injury risk. 2

White Ram 1500 RHO pickup truck parked outdoors — The pictured Ram 1500 RHO is a press image of the model line, not a diagnosis of any individual truck. The remedy for affected vehicles is a free dealer inspection and, if needed, proper attachment of the buckle anchor. 2

Road & Track reports one potentially related injury and no related fatalities according to Stellantis. Owners should wait for the manufacturer's notice and use the dealer inspection path described in the recall coverage rather than assume the truck is affected or unaffected from its model year alone. 2

Shelby's two-door truck goes past 800 horsepower

Shelby's 2026 Super Snake Sport turns a two-door Ford F-150 XL into a limited-edition street truck. The supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 makes 810 horsepower; a naturally aspirated version keeps the donor truck's 400-hp rating. Both use a 10-speed automatic and part-time four-wheel drive, with upgraded cooling, Baer brakes, King coilovers, and rear traction bars. 3

Shelby plans 500 units for 2026. The package starts at $115,795 including the 2026 F-150 XL 4×4 donor truck, and Shelby says the powertrain warranty remains in place alongside a three-year/36,000-mile Shelby-backed warranty. For perspective, the donor F-150 XL is listed at $42,380, while the 777-hp Ram 1500 Rumble Bee starts at $97,790. 3

Blue Shelby Super Snake Sport pickup with white stripes — The Super Snake Sport is limited to 500 trucks for 2026 and combines a supercharged V-8 with upgraded suspension and brakes. 3

BMW's Spider-Man promotion puts software in the driver's seat

BMW's current connected-car promotion places a banner on the infotainment screens of certain vehicles built after July 2020 in more than 70 countries. The campaign runs July 27 through August 10. Tapping the banner launches a full-screen Spider-Man commercial and takes over the car's audio system and ambient lighting. BMW describes it as an optional, limited-time themed experience rather than ordinary advertising. 4

Giant Spider-Man installation in a city plaza — Autoweek says the promotion has drawn criticism because BMW executives previously described the cabin as a private space and rejected dashboard advertising. The promotion does not charge owners or lock a vehicle function behind a subscription, but it shows how over-the-air features can turn a car's screen, speakers, and lighting into a marketing surface after purchase. 4

Trackside and community

A Chrysler New Yorker takes the long way to Monterey

Markku Jaakkola and Jacob Gilbert are preparing a 1973 Chrysler New Yorker for a 2,500-mile run from Detroit to Monterey. The trip honors their friend Hans Granberg, a lifelong Mopar fan who died in 2024. Granberg had bought the C-body in Kansas, driven it at the Woodward Dream Cruise, and stored it before returning to Finland; Jaakkola bought it in 2024 and took on the unfinished road-trip idea. 5

The car's preparation is the less glamorous part of the story. Gilbert serviced the fuel system, suspension, and steering, and the pair added air conditioning. They have been driving it a couple of hundred miles each week and are carrying a Mopar ignition module, ballast resistor, tools, and spare parts. A 440-cubic-inch V-8 is not a cheap engine to feed, but the goal is to get the car from Detroit to Chicago, across Route 66 to Los Angeles, and north on California Highway 1 to Monterey. 5

Two men standing beside a 1973 Chrysler New Yorker on the Route 66 centennial trip — The trip began August 1 at a Cars and Coffee in Detroit. The New Yorker is due at the Quail on August 14 during Monterey Car Week, turning a private memorial drive into a public car-culture stop. 5

Explainer: what a hybrid is actually doing

A hybrid pairs a gasoline engine with one or more electric motors. The battery is usually small and is charged by the car itself rather than a plug. The basic reason for the second power source is simple: an electric motor is efficient and responsive at low speed, while an engine can work efficiently once the car is moving steadily. A computer decides when to use either one or both. 6

The part that often sounds like magic is regenerative braking. When an electric motor drives the wheels, it uses electricity to create motion. When the car is slowing, the same machine can work as a generator: the wheels drive it, it resists that motion, and the resulting electricity goes back into the battery. The normal friction brakes still handle harder stops. 6

There are three useful labels:

Parallel hybrid: the engine and motor can each drive the wheels, separately or together. This is the common arrangement in many Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Lexus, and Ford hybrids, though the exact hardware differs.
Series hybrid: the wheels are driven electrically; the engine runs a generator when the battery needs energy. The extra conversion step can reduce efficiency, but it allows smooth electric drive at all speeds.
Plug-in hybrid: a larger battery allows meaningful electric-only driving, typically 20–50 miles in the examples described by Car and Driver. It still keeps a gasoline engine for longer trips.

A regular hybrid's battery is generally no larger than about 1 kilowatt-hour, roughly 1–2 percent of a full EV battery. That is why a hybrid does not need an EV-sized charging routine: it is constantly reclaiming small amounts of braking energy and spending them again when the car pulls away. 6

Collector corner

Sven becomes a car-show celebrity one repair at a time

Hagerty editor Eric Weiner's 1966 Volvo 122S, nicknamed Sven, is a good reminder that car culture is not built only from auction records. At a local show, a visitor recognized the Volvo and asked when the next project update would arrive. The latest installment covers a new exhaust, Minilite-style wheels, tires, and a connection to Weiner's father, whose Morgan wore similar wheels. 7

The exhaust job went wrong in ordinary ways: the first downpipe was incorrect, the new kit arrived without instructions, and one pipe initially sat too close to a brake line. After the system leaked at several joints, Weiner took it apart, applied muffler paste, and tried again. The final result was a sportier but not overly loud exhaust. 7