Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. This week, Porsche unveils a throwback Coca-Cola livery for Petit Le Mans, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus shows off latest rendering of 007 Hypercar, IMSA President Scott Atherton retires, Jessi Combs gets an exhibit at the Petersen, and Rivian scores big with an order from Amazon.

Porsche + Coca Cola at Petit Le Mans

As is tradition now, Porsche will run a special throwback livery for the IMSA season finale at Road Atlanta. Both Porsche 911 RSRs will run a very recognizable Coca Cola livery for the 10-hour Petit Le Mans, a race that takes place in the backyard of both companies. This isn’t the first time both companies have joined forces either, as Porsche explains:

Porsche racing cars flying the Coca Cola design have an illustrious history in the North American motor racing scene. In the 1980s, the Bob Akin Motor Racing squad first fielded the Porsche 935. The team claimed podium results with the vehicle decked out in the red and white livery, including at the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA), and scored first place in the GTP class in 1983. The following year, the team switched to the spectacular Porsche 962. The No. 5 vehicle sporting the Coca Cola livery quickly became a favourite amongst fans. The 1986 season yielded the greatest success, when the American team boss and driver Bob Akin joined forces with the racing legends Hans-Joachim Stuck and Jo Gartner at the Sebring 12-hour race and won.

The new livery looks absolutely killer and this Atlanta native is stoked. Come and see it race on Saturday, October 12th at Road Atlanta or online IMSA’s geoblocked stream. It will also be the last time the 911 RSR races with its current exhaust configuration, which sounds insane.

[Source: Porsche]

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 007 Hypercar

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has released new renderings of their 007 Hypercar Prototype which will do battle in the 2020/21 FIA WEC season in the new “hypercar” class. The new images show a car that’s one step closer to reality – production should begin by the end of the year and road-going examples will follow, and of course the car could continue to change by then after more modeling/wind tunnel testing.

We’re still about a year away from the car seeing the track for the first time so details are still a bit scarce, but they did share the new powertrain that will be used. A 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 from an unnamed manufacturer will be the car’s sole source of power. Given their previous partnerships with Ferrari, it could be something from them. Previous statements from Glickenhaus indicated they would have a KERS system on board, as is allowed by the hypercar regulations, but they seem to have scrapped that idea. A race-prepped twin-turbo V6 should have no problem hitting the targeted 750 horsepower the hypercar class allows for.

We’ll continue to follow this as they develop the car. It’s been 50 years since an American car won overall at Le Mans and SCG has every intention of changing that.

[Source: Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus via Racer]

IMSA President Scott Atherton is Retiring

The American sports car racing community got a bit of a shock yesterday. IMSA president Scott Atherton (right) announced he will retire at the end of the year. He’s held this position since November of 2013 and will remain on the IMSA Board of Directors after his retirement.

Atherton started his professional motorsports career as a sponsor marketing executive in the CART  (IndyCar) Series in 1985. He later served as president and general manager of Laguna Seca Raceway (now WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), before joining Penske Motorsports as president of Nazareth Speedway and then California Speedway (now Auto Club Speedway). He was president and CEO of Panoz Motor Sports Group for thirteen years before co-leading the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) through the merger with the Grand American Road Racing Association (Grand-Am) under the IMSA banner, at which point he was named to his current role.

“Scott is a racer at heart, but also a businessman and his dedicated, thoughtful leadership has positioned IMSA for continued growth as we begin the next 50 years of our racing heritage,” said Jim France, IMSA Chairman. “We are very grateful for all that he has done for the sport and wish him the absolute best during his well-deserved retirement.”

“As anyone involved in professional motorsports knows, it’s not a job – it’s a lifestyle,” Atherton said. “For the past 34 years it has been an honor and a privilege to work with some of the most iconic venues and personalities in the industry. I am thankful for the countless men and women I have worked with who enabled me to have a career that has far exceeded my wildest dreams. But I especially want to thank my family who have supported me every step of the way. IMSA is stronger than ever and I am confident it will continue to grow and prosper.”

The racing in IMSA has been fantastic and there are a lot of people to thank for that, and Scott Atherton is at the top of the list. The merger with ALMS and Grand-Am could have gone wrong in so  many ways but it somehow managed to work out and produce some of the best racing on the planet. It was a tumultuous start but they quickly gained traction and made it a better series.

Atherton’s most recent work saw him trying to convince the FIA/ACO to agree on a common prototype standard based on DPI 2.0, which didn’t exactly work out as they had hoped. But the DPI 2.0 regulations are still coming to IMSA in a few more seasons which will make things really interesting. And while the GTLM class is being cut to just six cars next season with Ford’s departure, GTD continues to attract teams and the new Michelin Pilot Challenge Series is off to a great start. While under Scott’s leadership, IMSA has produced awesome racing for the fans and are poised to continue that for a long time. Thank you, Scott.

[Source: IMSA]

Petersen Automotive Museum Honoring Jessi Combs Next Week

One of the best museums ever, the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, is honoring Jessi Combs with her own special exhibit starting this Sunday and running until next Wednesday. “Jessi Combs: Life at Full Speed” will feature several of her motorcycles, personal notebooks, memorabilia, and other items from her workshop and studio. It’ll offer visitors a small glimpse into the life of an amazing person and all around badass. “Jessi Combs was an inspiration to the entire automotive community,” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “This exhibit is an opportunity to move people, especially the future generation of women builders and enthusiasts, through Jessi’s incredible life story.”

If you’re in the LA area, do what you can to make it to this while you can. Admission to the exhibit is free but they’re taking donations for The Jessi Combs Foundation, whose goal is to “educate, inspire, and empower the next generation of female trailblazers and stereotype-breakers”.

[Source: Autoweek]

Rivian Gets Order for 100,000 Vans for Amazon

Rivian just scored another big win. The upcoming electric vehicle manufacturer which made a splash with a pickup and SUV concept at the LA Auto Show just last year has received an order from Amazon to produce 100,000 electric delivery vans by 2024. Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO and filthy rich guy, announced the deal as part of a plan to make the company carbon neutral by 2040 or sooner. First deliveries are expected in 2021 and production will take place at a former Mitsubishi factory in Normal,  IL.

Between this huge deal and the substantial investment Rivian has received from Ford and Cox Automotive, Rivian has raised nearly $2 billion in not a very long time. All that’s left for them to do is deliver.

[Source: Autoblog]

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.