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Amphibious cars have never really taken off, and amphibious trucks are mostly limited to the military, but amphibious ATVs were once the core of the market. Before the seminal Honda ACT90 and later four-wheelers, six wheels and the ability to float were quite normal. So seeing this Ate 6×6 on Facebook Marketplace is kind of like seeing a dinosaur.

Offered with a $3,000 asking price by an Oklahoma seller, this ATV isn’t just cool because it has more than the typical number of wheels and can drive through water. The seller claims it also has a four-stroke Honda engine, which means it should be very reliable as well. This may not have been a factory option—Attex seemed to use a mix of engines from U.S. and Canadian manufacturers—but it definitely sounds like an improvement.

Whether it’s in a car, motorcycle, or ATV, a Honda engine is a good bet when it comes to reliability. This one sounds like it has plenty of power too. The seller claims “you can spin a 180 on a trail in no time” and that they use the Attex to move trailers and boats. Like most other six-wheeled ATVs, you steer by braking the wheels on one side like a tank, which also makes it easier to maneuver in tight spaces. Side-by-side seating was also a big advantage when Attex was in business, but modern UTVs offer that with even more space nowadays.

According to current ATV manufacturer Mudd-Ox, which has dedicated part of its website to defunct ATV makers, Attex was founded in 1967 by David McCahill, heir to the Maytag washing machine fortune. McCahill wanted to start a business selling the Amphicat ATV but couldn’t get inventory, so he designed his own ATV with friend Roger Flannery.

That first Attex was allegedly something of a knockoff of the Amphicat, but the company gradually became more ambitious, competing in the NORRA Baja 500 and designing a range of two-stroke and four-stroke models, as well as an electric model called the Electrica that was available by-order only. It also built a prototype dually called the Spirit, and supplied an 8×8 to the U.S. military to train tank drivers.

The double whammy of Honda’s arrival on the ATV scene and the 1973 oil crisis affected nearly all U.S. ATV manufacturers—including Attex. Two years later the company also lost access to the Borg-Warner T-20 transmission that it and many other 6×6 makers had been using when the rights were purchased by rival firms Recreatives and Hustler Corporation. The company was sold multiple times, allegedly selling a few vehicles into the early 1990s before disappearing like so many other of its contemporaries.

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Volvo’s 2030 EV Goal Suddenly Looks More Real

Volvo’s initial plan to become a fully electric automaker by 2030 once seemed overly ambitious, especially in markets like the United States, where gas-powered SUVs still dominate sales. But comments from Volvo’s chief engineering and technology officer, Anders Bell, suggest the company has already moved much further away from internal combustion than many expected.

Speaking with CarBuzz, Bell revealed that Volvo no longer operates factories dedicated to producing combustion engines.

Bell said combustion engines are “not part of our core technology anymore,” adding that former engine plants have either been sold or converted to produce electric motors. The statement reinforces Volvo’s earlier decision to stop investing in new combustion engine development. Even though the automaker still sells hybrids and gasoline-powered models today, its manufacturing strategy now appears heavily centered around EVs.

Volvo Stays Committed Despite Europe’s EV Uncertainty

Volvo’s comments come as several European automakers push for softer emissions rules and adjustments to the European Union’s planned 2035 combustion-engine ban. Slowing EV demand and concerns about charging infrastructure have caused some manufacturers to reconsider how quickly they can transition away from gasoline-powered vehicles.

Volvo, however, seems committed to staying the course. Bell acknowledged that combustion-powered vehicles will remain necessary in the U.S. for the near future, but he said future Volvo hybrids will deliver a more EV-like driving experience. He also confirmed Volvo is willing to rely on outside partners for combustion engine technology rather than restarting internal ICE development programs.

The Lowdown

European automakers have increasingly warned regulators that forcing a rapid EV transition could hurt competitiveness. Still, some countries already show how quickly the shift can happen. Norway recently reached roughly 96 percent EV adoption in new-vehicle sales, effectively making gasoline-powered cars a shrinking niche.

Volvo appears convinced that global markets will eventually follow that direction. The company is not only reducing investment in combustion engines but actively restructuring factories and engineering teams around electrification.

That confidence also explains why Volvo leadership has expressed openness to building lower-cost Chinese-developed EVs in the United States if market conditions make sense. While many automakers continue to balance gasoline, hybrid, and EV programs, Volvo increasingly looks like one of the few traditional brands fully committed to an electric future.

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A Tough Naturally Aspirated V6

The Frontier’s V6 isn’t new, but it’s earned its stripes the hard way: by taking a beating and coming back for more. Nissan put the 3.8-liter V6 through brutal tests before it ever saw a customer, including running it flat-out at redline for 300 hours straight just to see what would break.

This engine is built in America, and now it’s the face of a big milestone for Nissan. The 20 millionth engine from Decherd is a VQ-ZV9 V6, and it’s going straight into a Frontier – one of Nissan’s toughest trucks getting one of its toughest engines.

Nearly Three Decades of Engine Building

Decherd opened its doors in 1997 and has been cranking out engines ever since. It’s one of Nissan’s oldest US plants and supplies powertrains for vehicles all over North America.

Nissan has poured about $2 billion into Decherd over the years, out of a $14 billion investment in US manufacturing. So this isn’t just another engine plant – it’s a key piece of how Nissan builds cars for North America.

David Sliger, vice president of Regional Powertrain Operations for Nissan Americas, said the 20-million-engine milestone reflects more than output numbers. According to him, it represents the craftsmanship and long-term dedication of the workers in Decherd, many of whom have spent much of their careers there.

The plant isn’t just about engines. It supports jobs all over Tennessee, especially in Franklin County, and has become a fixture in the local community. Some families have had more than one generation working there, which gives the place a real hometown feel.

Preparing for the Next Phase

Even as the 20 millionth engine is a classic V6 for a truck, Nissan is already thinking about what comes next. Nissan’s US production has jumped from 40 to 60% in just a year, with a goal of hitting 80%. The idea is simple: build more cars where people actually buy them.

That means Decherd isn’t just about gas engines anymore. The plant is gearing up to build both traditional and electrified powertrains for future Nissan and Infiniti models in the US – including the upcoming Xterra, which will get a V6 Hybrid.

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Chevy’s Small Block

What we refer to today as the LS family of engines usually refers to the third and fourth generations of Chevrolet’s small-block V8. But to understand the relevance of these engines, and what makes them so special, we must look back to where it all began. The year is 1955, and General Motors has just revealed one of the most influential internal combustion engines ever built — the first generation of Chevrolet’s small-block V8 engine platform. It was slated to power the Corvette, the brand’s first true sports car, launched two years earlier with a lackluster inline-six under the hood. The switch to the 265 cubic inch (4.3-liter) V8 transformed the Corvette’s performance and reputation, turning it from experimental exotic to the brand’s halo performance car. 

This original small block was a class leader in its time, compact, powerful, and easily scaled up, eventually evolving into the 283, 327, and 350-cubic-inch versions through its almost half-century production run. In an effort to meet emissions, efficiency, and weight requirements in the 1990’s, Chevy introduced the second-generation small block with the LT1 and high-performance LT4 engines, but these 350-cubic-inch motors were largely based on their predecessors and struggled to be competitive against more modern powerplants. 

Looking To The Future

As the turn of the century approached, parent company GM realised that this ageing architecture needed a complete, ground-up overhaul, and began working on the third-generation Chevy small block. But first, the company had to decide whether they would be sticking with the previous generations’ pushrod-operated overhead valve layout or switching to the more modern DOHC heads. The decision, believe it or not, was left to blind testing of cars by a large group of GM’s own executives.

Pushrods vs Overhead Cams

By the 1990s, overhead valve (OHV) pushrod engines were already considered archaic and outdated, with most manufacturers having moved on to overhead camshaft (OHC) designs. After all, OHC engines could spin faster, make higher peak horsepower, and offered less valvetrain inertia by having the camshafts placed directly above the valves. They could also have four or more valves per cylinder, while OHV engines usually had to make do with just two, operated by a single camshaft within the block. On the other hand, OHV engines could be more compact and are better at producing torque earlier in the rev range. Even as Chevy introduced the second-generation small block in early 1992, they knew they had limited time to figure out the future development direction of their Corvette V8. And this brings us to May 1992 and the blind test.

The Blind Test

A group of GM executives was made to drive two seemingly identical black Corvette C4s at the company’s Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan. One of these cars was powered by the existing OHV LT4 motor, and the other by a modern, DOHC, 32-valve V8 developed by Lotus. While the newer engine may have revved higher and made more power, the test subjects unanimously preferred the instant torque delivery and snappy throttle response of the ‘outdated’ pushrod OHV engine. And so the decision was made to retain the pushrod architecture when developing the third generation of the small-block V8s, the first of which was the 345-horsepower 5.7-liter LS1 in the 1997 Corvette C5. 

Creating the LS

The LS1 motor was designed to overcome the weight, efficiency, and emissions limitations of the second-generation small block, while staying true to its lineage. The all-new engine may have shared its predecessor’s 5.7-liter displacement, although with slightly revised bore and stroke dimensions and absolutely no shared components. It got an all-aluminum construction to save weight, more closely spaced cylinders for a smaller footprint, a revised cooling system and valvetrain geometry, and traded in its distributor for a more modern coil-on-plug ignition system. 

The LS1 in the 1997 Corvette made 345 horsepower at just 5,600 rpm, with a healthy peak torque of 350 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm — both figures marginally more than the 330 hp and 340 lb-ft of the outgoing LT4, but achieved at slightly lower rpm to provide an even more intense shove off the line. And this was achieved with an engine that was physically smaller, weighed about 100 lbs less, and was more fuel efficient. The LS1 was very well received at its launch, and laid the foundation for an entire generation of LS-based V8 engines that would go on to dominate performance cars, motorsport, and the global engine swap scene for decades.

LS Evolution 

The LS1 was just the beginning, and formed the basis of the modern LS platform, vaunted for its compact dimensions, durability, and tuning potential. Noting the positive reception it received, GM were quick to expand the platform into a wide range of variants to suit different applications. The LS1 evolved into the LS6 in 2001, a high-performance variant powering that year’s Corvette Z06. Updates included better-flowing heads, sturdier valvetrain, higher compression, and more aggressive camshaft profile.

GM also brought back iron block variants of the third-generation small block in the form of the LM7, LQ4, and LQ9 motors, specifically designed for trucks like the Chevy Silverado. These iron block small-block V8s proved to be extremely sturdy and durable, and are the preferred engines for high-boost, high-horsepower builds to this day due to their availability and affordability. 

The fourth-generation small-block V8 engines were revealed in 2005, with more modern technology and larger displacements. Popular were the 6.0-liter LS2 and the 6.2-liter LS3, which made upwards of 400 horsepower and were used to power cars including the Corvette C6 and fifth-generation Camaro. 2006 brought us the most powerful naturally-aspirated LS engine yet, the 7.0-liter, 505-horsepower LS7 under the hood of the C6 Corvette Z06. This motor got titanium rods, a dry-sump design, and could rev to over 7,000 rpm — unheard of for a pushrod OHV engine. But GM wasn’t done yet, and in 2009 gave us the supercharged 6.2-liter LS9, powering that year’s Corvette ZR1. Producing 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque, this was the most powerful production engine ever created by GM at the time. 

Tuning Potential

One of the defining characteristics of the LS platform, and the reason for its widespread popularity in the tuning scene, is just how well it responds to modifications. Relatively simple upgrades like intake, exhaust, and camshaft mods could unlock substantial gains, while forced-induction setups could easily take peak power to well over 600 horsepower on stock internals. Fully-built engines with forged internals regularly made over 1,000 hp, making them a popular choice for drag, drift, and time-attack builds. Consequently, we have a thriving aftermarket scene around the LS platform today, with parts easily available and tuners with the know-how to squeeze power out of them, without affecting reliability.

The King of Swaps

Today, the LS V8s are among the most desirable engines for swaps across the world, and can be found under the hood of everything from classic American muscle cars to tiny Japanese sportscars like the Mazda Miata. It isn’t uncommon to see an LS engine even being used in off-road builds. The secret to this adaptability lies in the LS platform’s ‘outdated’ pushrod design, which makes these engines much more compact and shorter top-to-bottom than OHC engines, allowing them to fit where larger, more modern engines could not. Add to that its modular architecture and interchangeability of components across several variants, and you have the ideal motor for enthusiasts seeking reliable and affordable performance. 

The Legacy Continues 

Although GM has now moved on to newer generations of the small-block V8, the LS platform from the third and fourth generations is still extremely relevant. They are widely used in motorsport, are the preferred choice for swaps for a wide variety of builds, and are still offered as crate engines. Few engines can boast this blend of simplicity, durability, and scalability, which is why the LS platform has achieved legendary status among the enthusiast community. Its success proves that with the right engineering, even an outdated design can be transformed into a modern icon. 

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It was 22 degrees where I live last night, making it very tempting to give my car a few extra minutes to warm up this morning before driving my kids to school. It’s also easy to find someone sitting in their car with the engine running in almost any major parking lot, but that’s not the activity of a driver who wants to save fuel costs. Idling, which is when you let your engine run when you’re not driving the vehicle, uses more fuel than you probably think, and it generates a load of nasty emissions in the process.

How Much Fuel Does Idling Actually Use?

The U.S. Department of Energy states that idling can use one-quarter to one-half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on the vehicle and the use of accessories (such as air conditioning). With climate controls turned off, idling could cost you up to $0.03 per minute. That might not seem like a lot at first, but consider how many times you’ve started your car 20-30 minutes before leaving the house in the morning or how long you’ve waited in the school pickup line with the engine running. The costs add up more quickly than you think.

Idling Is a Big Problem in the U.S.

While we’re mainly here to talk about fuel consumption, the cumulative effects of idling personal vehicles are staggering. The more than 250 million cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs on American roads burn 3 billion gallons of fuel and generate 30 million tons of CO2 each year, just by idling. We admit that there are situations when it’s necessary to leave your car running, but reducing idle time would have the same fuel-saving and emission-reduction effects as taking millions of vehicles off the road. 

You Could Get a Ticket

Depending on where you live, idling may be illegal. Several states and cities have banned idling, including New Jersey, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Maryland, and others. New York City and parts of California also have regulations that prohibit idling in many situations. 

Learn more about fuel economy and gas prices.

Tips to Reduce Idling

We aren’t telling you never to let your car idle, but there are several things you can do to reduce the time your car sits with the engine running.

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