Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. I just throw in a little opinion of mine because I can. This week:

• Nissan releases single-cab Titans for commercial fleets

• Bristol Cars is back in business with the Bullet

• Ford Performance releasing emissions-legal Mustang GT power packs

• Infiniti finalizes Q60 pricing, car launches this September

• Catch the 96 Hours of BS (Blipshift) sale!

• What’s your automotive news?

Nissan Titan Single Cab

Believe it or not, there are still truck buyers out there who don’t need or want a crew cab truck with enough cabin space to comfortably seat five construction workers and their entire families and everything they’ve ever owned. Those buyers just want the towing and hauling capabilities that come with a truck and would rather forgo the huge cab in favor of a longer bed. The new Nissan Titan Single Cab is the Titan for those kinds of buyers and it’s coming this fall.
Single cabs are already an integral part of other truck lines because of how insanely popular that configuration is with fleet truck buyers, but this is actually a first for the Titan. The first single cab Titan will go after a pretty lucrative section of the light truck market with a reconfigured Titan designed specifically as an affordable yet rugged entry-point in the commercial fleet/work truck market.

It’ll be available as a standard Titan or the heavier-duty Titan XD. The main difference between the two is the XD has a higher payload and towing capacity and has the option of a Cummins 5.0-liter turbo-diesel V8 with 310 horsepower and 555 lb.-ft. of torque paired with a six-speed Aisin automatic transmission. Both the regular Titan single cab and Titan XD single cab will also get the 5.6-liter Endurance V8 good for 390 horsepower and 394 lb.-ft. of torque and paired with a seven-speed automatic. The non-XD Titan will also be offered with a V6 at a later date.
Some other vital specs for those interested:

	Titan (gas)	Titan XD (gas)	Titan XD (diesel)
Payload (lbs)	1,930	2,910	2,420
Towing capacity Trailer (lbs)	9,730	11,590	12,640
Towing capacity Tongue (lbs)	973	1,159	1,264

Perhaps most importantly, the single cab Titans will all feature eight-foot beds which puts them right in line with similar offerings from Chevrolet, Ford, and Ram. Other options buyers will have is a choice of 4×2 or 4×4 drive configurations, S and SV grade levels, and a number of other equipment packages. There aren’t any details on what all is going to be offered yet, but as you can see from the images here, you’ll be able to have a bare-bones work truck or one with a touch of luxury.

The single cab Titan is the second cab variant to be added since the truck got its major overhaul last year. Nissan ultimately plans for three cabs, three bed lengths, three engines, and a variety of other trim levels to round out the Titan and cover about 85% of the light truck market. They’ve technically got a lot of that already, so it’s really just the third cab variant and some of the higher trim levels that we’re waiting for.
Pricing hasn’t been announced.
[Source: Nissan]

Bristol Bullet

Remember Bristol Cars? British readers certainly would, but for everyone else, Bristol is one of Britain’s oldest “luxury motoring” companies with a rich 70 year history. That almost didn’t last as they nearly went under in 2011 until a new investor rescued them from insolvency. But on their 70th anniversary, Bristol is back with the all-new (mostly) Bristol Bullet speedster.
I say mostly new because work on a Bristol speedster was underway at some point just before they ceased production five years ago. The new owners found the body of a speedster-like car decaying under a dusty tarp at the old factory. Rather than sell it for scrap, they took that design and turned it into the car that’s now being used to re-capture and celebrate everything that made Bristol special.

As you can see, it’s an interesting result. The design of this two-seat speedster invokes classic Bristol styling cues, including subtle hints of their roots in early aviation. It’s by no means old-fashioned, however. That body is made entirely of carbon fiber for increased rigidity and less weight.
Lurking beneath the carbon bonnet (as they call it) is a BMW-sourced 4.8-liter V8 which has been reworked by Bristol and dubbed “Hercules”. The name comes from one of Bristol’s old fourteen-cylinder radial engines which produced 1,300 horsepower. Sadly, the name is the only thing shared with the V8 so buyers will have to settle for 370 horsepower and 370 lb.-ft. of torque instead. On a car weighing just over 2,400 pounds, that’s enough power to help it scoot from 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds and reach a (likely limited) top speed of 155 mph. A manual and automatic gearbox will be available but they didn’t go into specifics about gearing or who manufactures them.

Its cabin is also more modern than you’d expect with digital radio and smartphone connectivity going through an integrated touch-screen display. There’s also built-in WiFi powering a screen-mirroring capability (with compatible devices) which allows drivers to use their preferred navigation apps and stream audio directly to the touchscreen.
It’ll be quick, it’ll be reasonably comfortable, and it’ll look like nothing else on the roads of the UK. And unless it sells really well, it’s definitely a European exclusive.
Fun fact: Bristol’s first car, the 400, was built in collaboration with Frazer-Nash and BMW in 1945. Frazer-Nash Research is the group that rescued Bristol in 2011 and now they’re building a car with a BMW-sourced engine. The family’s all back together.
[Source: Bristol Cars Limited via MotorAuthority]

Ford Performance Mustang Power Packs

More power is always a good thing, especially if you happen to be the owner of a 2015-2017 Ford Mustang GT. The numbers those things produce from the factory are already impressive, but thanks to Ford Performance, owners will soon have three emissions-legal power packs to choose from. Each one is aimed at bumping those power figures even higher and adding in some welcomed extras along the way.
Each pack features calibrations which won’t fail state emission inspections, including California’s – they’re even compatible with 91 octane to account for their shitty gas, too. They also come with no-lift shifting capabilities, are compatible with both manual and automatic models, improve shift points (in automatic transmissions), improve throttle response, and allow for a gear ratio up to 4.09:1.
The first pack includes all of the above plus a high flow K&N air filter which is good for 13 hp and 16 lb.-ft. peak gains over stock but also a 40 lb.-ft. gain at 1,500 RPM. The price tag on this one is $539 and it’ll be available in the US and Canada on August 1st.
The second pack includes everything mentioned above but instead uses the same cold air intake with 87mm throttle body (and adapter) used on the Shelby GT350. That plus the Ford Performance calibration adds 21 hp and 24 lb.-ft. peak gains over stock and 40 lb.-ft. at 1,500 RPM. This one will go for $949 and should be available in September.
The third pack takes the second pack a step further and adds the GT350 intake manifold to go along with the cold air intake. That provides a 37 hp and 5 lb.-ft. peak gain over stock, but at 7,500 RPM it produces an extra 60 hp – also I guess it revs to 7,500 now. That kit runs for $2,395 and will launch in October.
[Source: Ford Performance via MotorAuthority]

Infiniti Q60 pricing

Infiniti’s long awaited Q60 sports coupe is finally going gold with an early September release date. It replaces the successful G37 which went on mostly unchanged for the better part of a decade and will try to bring some more fun back into the Infiniti lineup. Weeks before its launch, Infiniti has confirmed pricing info and a few incentives for going with the Q60 over the competition.
The base model Q60 2.0t will start at $38,950 and will include a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, rear-wheel drive, nineteen-inch wheels, LED headlights, Flexible Stop Position doors, eight-way powered  high backed bolstered sport seats, Bluetooth and streaming audio, and a government-mandated backup camera. The premium trim adds a power sliding/tilting moonroof, Bose premium audio, and more for $41,300.
Higher up the food chain is the Q60 3.0t Premium with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 producing 300 horsepower and loaded with everything the Premium package adds starting at $44,300. The Q60 will only be available with a seven-speed automatic. Rear-wheel drive is standard but all-wheel drive is a $2,000 option on all models.
Eventually the Q60 will be available with a 400 horsepower V6 courtesy of the Red Sport tune found on the top-of-the-line Q50 sedan. Look for more info on the Q60 Red Sport 400 in the coming months, maybe.
[Source: Infiniti]

BLIPS(hift)

Our pals at Blipshift are having another sale to promote restomod designs and a new addition to the store. The 96 Hours (technically 108) of BS Sale is on now and it’s your rare chance to buy more than one Blipshift shirt at once. They’re bringing back 20 of their favorite designs as t-shirts, long sleeves, hoodies, and prints for $15 each. Every five shirts nets you a voucher for a free tee to use after the sale and three items or more gets you free shipping.
New to the Blipshift store is a Formula Fridge Track Magnet Design Kit. Race fans finally have something to decorate the fridge with thanks to a 43-piece kit with various straights and corners so you can design some of your favorite tracks of create something new. Impress and/or frighten house guests by creating an exact replica of the Nordschliefe (probably) with these high-strength magnets or get started with an easier track configuration with their sampler kit, free with the first 500 purchases during this sale.

And when you’re done creating the track on your fridge, go see the real thing with discounted tickets when you purchase a qualifying item (any featured shirt or poster). Blipshift partnered with a few tracks around the country to earn you 25% off tickets to these events:

• Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – Pirelli World Challenge
  • Sunday Admission – 10/09/16
  • $30 with qualifying sale purchase ($40 reg)
• Virginia International Raceway – Michelin GT Challenge IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
  • Sunday Admission – 08/28/16
  • $40 with qualifying sale purchase ($55 reg)
• (TBD) Lime Rock Park – 2016 Historic Festival 34
  • Saturday Admission – 09/03/16
  • $35 with qualifying sale purchase ($55 reg)

Want in? The sale runs through Monday, August 1st till 11:59 PM EST. Head on over to Blipshift or click the banner up there^ to get started.
[Source: Blipshift]

What’s your automotive news?

That’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.
Have a good weekend.
[Image © 2016 Hooniverse/Greg Kachadurian]