Car News Daily: Bugatti's Manual V16, Toyota's Inline-Four GR86, and a Talladega Thriller

A quick market watch for October 26, 2026 — the internal-combustion engine is refusing to die quietly, and motorsport delivered two finishes that reshape both championships.

Bugatti Might Pair Its V16 With a Manual Gearbox

The headline of the day: Bugatti is reportedly considering mating its next-generation V16 hypercar to a manual transmission — potentially ditching hybrid electric motors entirely for a pure-ICE, three-pedal setup (Motor1). If it happens, it would be a fascinating counter-programming move: while most of the industry chases electrification, Bugatti could double down on mechanical theater. A 16-cylinder engine with a stick shift is exactly the kind of halo product that keeps combustion culture alive.

Toyota Is Testing a New Inline-Four in the GR86

Toyota has put a newly developed 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four into an experimental GR86 race car (Motor1). The current GR86's flat-four is beloved, so this is worth watching — a turbo-free, compact inline-four could point to a future motorsport homologation special, or a lighter, cheaper track variant for the street car.

Safety Watch: Only One Crossover Passed IIHS's Updated Crash Test

In the more sobering category, only one model passed the IIHS's updated rear-seat belt crash test protocol. Tweaks moved the Nissan Kicks from Poor to Good, while the Audi Q3, Toyota RAV4, and Chevrolet Trailblazer still fall short (Motor1). If you're shopping for a small crossover, rear-passenger protection is about to become a real differentiator — and a resale-value factor.

Motorsport: Larson's Final-Corner Rally at Talladega

Kyle Larson rallied from eighth in the final corner at Talladega to win — one of his weakest tracks — extending his championship lead after a painful Phoenix finish (Road & Track). Meanwhile in Formula 1, Kimi Antonelli won the US Grand Prix from pole at Circuit of the Americas, but George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished close enough to keep the title fight alive another week (Road & Track).

Takeaway

Today's through-line: drivers still want involvement. Bugatti's manual V16, Toyota's naturally aspirated race engine, and a last-lap Talladega pass all celebrate mechanical skill over automation — even as regulators (see the NHTSA's proposed cyan lights for self-driving cars) prepare the infrastructure for cars that drive themselves. The next few years of car buying will be a tug-of-war between those two philosophies, and the market data will decide who wins.

Sources: Motor1, Road & Track, Electrek — October 26, 2026.