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CAR Most Wanted of 2014: Mazda MX-5

By the CAR editorial team First Official Pictures 03 January 2014 18:30 It’s still the ultimate sun-loving, value-packed roadster that’s untouchable this side of a Porsche Boxster. The rear-drive, two-seat MX-5 is an icon and, frankly, fans cringe that it’ll be messed up, such is its consistent excellence.  Mazda’s SkyActiv philosophy should keep standards up, by bringing the 2014 roadster’s weight down. Mazda’s ethos is to optimise every component, from chassis architecture to drivetrains, to boost efficiency and driveability.

Hertz brings back rent-a-racer program with Dream Cars

In 1966 -- at the dawn of the horsepower wars -- Carroll Shelby made a deal with the Hertz Corporation to produce a line of Shelby GT350 Mustangs for rent. Later, the cars would be refreshed and repurposed for sale as GT350-H models. Just as the horsepower wars have returned, so has Hertz' rent-a-racer program.

New York City Taxi of Tomorrow plans hit a roadblock

New York City administration's plan to replace current taxi cabs with the specially developed Nissan Taxi of Tomorrow has been stymied by a recent legal decision, the Wall Street Journal is reporting. The New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan (it's a bit confusing, but this is actually the on the level of the lowest state courts in New York state's court system) has issued a decision which determined the project to be an overreach of executive authority, siding with taxi magnate Evgeny Freidman and the Greater New York Taxi Association. The court stated that city's Taxi and Limousine Commission lacked the authority to compel cab companies to purchase the any particular vehicle -- in this case, the Nissan NV200 Taxi, which was slated to hit streets just a couple weeks from now on Oct.