CIZETA MORODER

Cizeta Moroder V16T goes up for auction

The unique Cizeta Moroder V16T supercar exudes the spirit of the 80s, and will be sold at Sotheby's auction next month.

The model was built in Italy in partnership with automotive engineer Claudio Zampolli and legendary music producer Giorgio Moroder, and it can be said that the V16T fully embodies the 80s, both its good and bad sides.

The 1988 Cizeta Moroder V16T bears chassis number #001 and is the first prototype built and the only one to bear Moroder's name.

The story goes that Moroder had a Lamborghini Countach serviced by Zampolli, who had previously worked for Lamborghini, but wanted to build his own supercar. Starting a joint project, they hired Countach designer Marcello Gandini to design the V16T, which was partly based on the Lamborghini P132 prototype, the car that also served as the inspiration for the Diablo.

With supercar proportions and a V16 engine mounted behind the driver, essentially two V8s from a Lamborghini Urraca, the V16T debuted in late 1988 after numerous delays. These delays led to Moroder pulling out of the project, leaving the remaining nine examples in production as the Cizeta V16T.

The chassis was constructed from elliptical chrome-molybdenum steel tubing, enveloped by elegant bodywork designed by Marcello Gandini—who had previously designed the Lamborghini Countach and several aerodynamic Maseratis—and Claudio Zampolli. The shape of the V16T's front end was derived from Gandini's original design for the Lamborghini Diablo. Initially, Gandini wanted to reuse the design he had created for the Diablo, but Zampolli was unimpressed with the rear section. Consequently, only the front of the car retained the original design, while the rear featured modifications made by Zampolli himself. In a notable design choice, the V16T is the only production car equipped with four independent pop-up headlights—stacked vertically in pairs on each side—while the taillights were borrowed from the Alpine A610.

Performance and production... The V16T achieved a top speed of 328 km/h (204 mph) and could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4 seconds.

Only one prototype bearing the Cizeta-Moroder name was built before the partnership dissolved. That car—finished in pearl white with a red leather interior—remained in Moroder's possession; it was fully restored by Canepa in 2018 and subsequently auctioned in January 2022.

In 1991, the list price of a Cizeta was estimated at US$300,000. Although production forecasts called for one car per month, only eight examples (including the prototype) were actually built between 1991 and 1995, before the company relocated its operations from Modena, Italy, to Fountain Valley, California. The financial slowdown in the mid-1990s, combined with the car's inability to meet US road-legal regulations and its high asking price, limited production to custom orders. Subsequently, three more cars were completed (two coupes and a spyder) in 1999 and 2003. The car built in 2003 was a convertible variant of the V16T named the Cizeta Fenice TTJ Spyder, completed at the special request of a Japanese client.

As of May 1, 2006, the car was still in production on a made-to-order basis, though the price was then $650,000—or $850,000 for the Spyder TTJ—excluding shipping, taxes, and extras. According to a 2018 interview, Zampolli considered the car theoretically still in production and available for purchase up until 2018, even though none had been built since the 2003 Spyder. Zampolli passed away on July 7, 2021, at the age of 82.

Chassis #001 was retained by Moroder himself, who parked it and later sent it to Canepa in California in 2018 for restoration, where the car was completely restored and upgraded by Porsche specialists. Moroder did not sell it until 2022 at an RM Sotheby’s auction, where it fetched $1,363,500.

Now, however, the car is set to change hands again next month, with the auction house estimating it could fetch between $1.4 million and $1.8 million.

Autonews

AUTONEWS

Will Mercedes' new 'Little G' SUV come from Hungary?

Almost three years after Mercedes announced plans for a more compact and affordable version of the G-Class, new information has emerged about its production location. Contrary to previous expectations, the so-called "Little G" or "g-class" will probably not be built in Germany. In order to reduce costs, its production could be moved to Hungary.

After the announcement at the IAA in Munich in September 2023, it was speculated that the smaller SUV would be assembled at the Rastatt plant in Germany, alongside the CLA model. This was a logical assumption, given that the "g-class" is expected to use the same platform. However, Automotive News Europe, citing sources familiar with Mercedes' operations, claims that the smaller G will be assembled at the Kecskemét plant. The decision is apparently motivated by lower operating costs in Hungary compared to Germany.

Before it can make any savings, Mercedes plans to make a significant investment. The company is investing €1 billion in expanding its Kecskemét plant to increase annual capacity to 400,000 vehicles, making it the largest in the European production network.

The Hungarian plant is expected to account for as much as 30 percent of Mercedes’ total European production, double its current share. Around 3,000 new employees will be hired to achieve this goal, bringing the total workforce to around 7,500.

Regardless of location, the new model is expected to hit the market in 2027. The original plan was for the G-Class to be produced exclusively as an electric vehicle, but US dealers have convinced the company to also offer a petrol engine. Although the price difference between the petrol-engined model and the electric vehicle is narrowing, the mild hybrid GLB is still around €4,000 cheaper in Germany than its electric version.

Production in Hungary could result in a lower retail price, but only if Mercedes decides to pass on some of the savings to customers. In terms of capability, one shouldn't expect the off-road performance of the large G-Class, but logic dictates that it will handle more demanding terrain much better than the similarly sized GLB. The two models may not be that closely related after all, as Mercedes boss Ola Källenius once said that "the G-Class is a completely new development".

In terms of price, it is expected to be significantly more expensive than the GLB, which starts at 46,868 euros. At the same time, it will remain well below the large G-Class, which costs 127,591 euros. If it is indeed an all-new model, as Mercedes claims, this will likely be reflected in a higher price compared to the existing compact car range, but without entering the territory of the G-Class.

The decision to relocate production should not worry potential buyers. Namely, the full-size G-Class is not built in Germany either. It is not technically manufactured by Mercedes, but by Magna Steyr at its plant in Graz, Austria. That hasn't hurt the vehicle's success, which saw record sales last year with demand up 23 percent to 49,700 units delivered. Cutting costs is common practice in the industry, and taking advantage of lower operating costs is a logical business move.

AUTONEWS

Hydrogen: clean fuel of the future — if we can find a cheap and clean way to ship it

Many experts refer to hydrogen as “the fuel of the future.” It is expected to help decarbonize the global economy in two main ways: burning it or feeding it into a fuel cell produces storable energy with no carbon emissions, just water. And it can be used in place of fossil fuels or as a chemical feedstock in hard-to-decarbonize industrial processes such as steel and cement production.

But for hydrogen to realize its potential, two challenges must be overcome. Researchers worldwide are now working to address the first: finding a method of producing pure hydrogen that’s both cheap and low in carbon emissions.

Just as critical is finding a good means of transporting and storing hydrogen. A team led by researchers at the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) has been tackling that less-discussed but important challenge. The location where the pure hydrogen is produced is likely to be far away from where it will be used, so moving it will be critical — and difficult.

The problem stems from two characteristics of hydrogen: It’s the lightest gas there is, and it has low energy density per volume. Therefore, delivering a given amount of energy requires a large volume of hydrogen and a container that’s sealed so tightly that the hydrogen molecules can’t escape. Suffice it to say, moving a liquid fuel such as gasoline is easier. And without a good means of storing and transporting hydrogen, it can’t fulfill its promise as the world’s clean fuel of the future.

In 2024, with funding provided by ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Co. through MITEI, a team of MITEI researchers and their Exxon colleagues began examining various approaches to transporting hydrogen. The researchers have now concluded that there’s no single answer; the cost and carbon emissions from a given transportation method will vary from one location to another. Therefore, instead of presenting a table showing the “best” outcome, the team created a tool that enables users to understand the various options and choose the best option for their particular use case. 

The study was led by former MITEI postdocs Gasim Ibrahim, now an R&D engineer/scientist at Honeywell, and Guiyan Zang, former MITEI group lead who is now an associate professor at Washington State University. Additional MIT co-authors include former postdocs Bosong Lin, Jacqueline Garrido, Woojae Shin, and Haoxiang Lai.

The hydrogen challenge and hydrogen “carriers” that can help...The team’s starting assumption was that for hydrogen to become a viable fuel for the world, it would need to be transported over long distances — specifically, overseas, across continents, or across large water bodies. Given the properties of hydrogen gas, it would be best to convert it to some liquid form before shipping.

There are known ways to do that, but what would be best for shipping? How much would various methods cost, and how much would they add to the carbon intensity of the delivered hydrogen?

“There hasn’t been a lot of attention paid to addressing those questions,” Ibrahim says. While some studies have been done, their conclusions are inconsistent and many uncertainties remain, both because the cost and carbon emissions will differ from place to place and because there’s not a lot of data to inform how the large-scale transportation of hydrogen will work.

“So we decided the best thing to do was to develop an adaptive tool that would enable users to perform their own assessments — a tool that could be updated very easily,” Ibrahim explains. “And we would make it open source, so anyone can see and update the numbers that we used in formulating and testing it. As the industry develops, and as scale becomes more a factor, the assumptions made in [our initial] assessments of the economics and the carbon intensity [of different shipping methods] will need to be updated.”

To focus on the transportation and storage issues, their model — called the Hydrogen Carrier Analysis Tool, or HyCAT — doesn’t consider how the starting hydrogen is produced, or how the hydrogen is used after it’s delivered. HyCAT focuses on determining the costs and carbon emissions incurred as the hydrogen is transported and delivered. In addition, while a full life-cycle assessment would include all environmental impacts, HyCAT focuses on emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

The tool is easy to use, says Ibrahim. Built into it is a user interface with drop-down menus for inputting assumptions, and results from an analysis are presented in simple bar charts that include links to tables presenting the details.

Ibrahim clarifies that, while HyCAT has a well-defined boundary — “incoming hydrogen to outgoing hydrogen” — in an analysis of a specific situation, the user will input various factors about the local situation, including the carbon intensity and cost associated with production of the incoming hydrogen. “So that will inform the final values that come out of a HyCAT analysis,” says Ibrahim, and in part explains why the results vary from place to place.

Based on the user’s assumptions, HyCAT calculates the cost and GHG emissions at five steps in the “supply chain”:

-converting the hydrogen into liquid form at the “export” terminal;

-storing the hydrogen-rich liquid;

-shipping it when an empty tanker becomes available;

-storing it at the “import” terminal; and releasing the hydrogen as a gas suitable for burning or being fed into a pipeline for distribution.  

Options for liquifying hydrogen gas...The main decision in analyzing the cost and emissions of a proposed hydrogen transport plan is how to convert the gaseous hydrogen to a liquid, and then how to recover the hydrogen gas at the end.

One approach is to simply change the gaseous hydrogen into an easily transportable liquid. But turning hydrogen gas into a liquid requires making it very, very cold. Indeed, notes Ibrahim, “you would need to consume about a third of the energy content of the hydrogen to make the gaseous hydrogen cold enough to liquify.” A further problem arises as the liquified hydrogen is being stored and moved. Unless the vessel containing the liquid hydrogen is properly insulated, the liquid hydrogen can re-gasify and escape. The upside of hydrogen liquefaction is that no chemical reactions are required.

Other options involve using a hydrogen “carrier.” Some liquid chemical compounds will absorb hydrogen atoms under certain conditions, and under other conditions will release them. Therefore, one approach to solving the hydrogen transportation problem is to make a carrier compound absorb the hydrogen where it’s made and then release it when it reaches its destination. This approach therefore involves two chemical reactions — one to bind the hydrogen to the carrier and the other to release it.  

In their demonstration runs, the researchers looked at the hydrogen carriers involving three potential compounds, each of which has known advantages and disadvantages.

One of those carriers is produced by adding hydrogen to toluene. That chemical reaction hasn’t been studied a lot, but there’s one known drawback: the source of toluene is typically the oil and gas industry, so the toluene itself has a relatively high carbon intensity when it picks up the hydrogen. Moreover, over time some of the toluene is lost, so more toluene must be added.    

The researchers also looked at “synthetic methane,” which is made by reacting hydrogen with carbon dioxide. That reaction has been known for some time. Ibrahim notes that making synthetic methane actually consumes carbon dioxide, often captured from the atmosphere. On the negative side, however, one of the products of the reaction is water, so some of the hydrogen is lost each time the reaction occurs.

The final option they analyzed is ammonia, which forms when hydrogen reacts with nitrogen from the air. That reaction is very well-studied and is used commercially. “We’ve been producing ammonia for a long time,” says Ibrahim. And the infrastructure for transporting and storing it is well established. While Ibrahim refers to ammonia as the “most promising option,” the reaction needed to release the hydrogen has not received much attention.

Varying conclusions and future plans...Based on their sample runs, the researchers observed that the best path to follow will vary from place to place and from situation to situation. “As we developed the tool, we saw that the ‘best’ carrier was very specific to the supply chain at hand,” says Ibrahim. “It’s a function of how far you’re trying to ship your hydrogen, energy and shipping costs at your exporting and importing countries, the capital cost of building the needed facilities at both ends, and more.”

Ibrahim and his team are now planning a follow-up study in which they use HyCAT to analyze specific supply chains under certain conditions. They’ll then select assumptions that are highly uncertain and look at the range of possible values for those assumptions. “Then we’ll be able to say, ‘under these conditions, this carrier is better than that one,’ or ‘this carrier is better at cost, but worse at carbon intensity,’” says Ibrahim.

For now, the main conclusion of the study, says Ibrahim, is that “there’s no conclusion.” He warns decision-makers not to assume that anything they see in the literature can easily be generalized or extrapolated to their specific conditions. Instead, decision-makers should use HyCAT to explore the options available to them. Guided by their results and the objectives and values of their company, they will be able to optimize their supply chains and make clean-burning hydrogen a reality.

Nancy W. Stauffer | MIT Energy Initiative

VELOCE MOTORCYCLES

Veloce Ethereal: new 145 hp two-stroke café racer

Two-stroke motorcycles continue to spark enthusiasm, and a new project aims to revive this philosophy using modern technology. Enter the Veloce Ethereal, a café racer powered by an engine rarely seen today: a 500cc, inline-four, two-stroke unit.

The engine was developed to deliver 145 hp—an output typically found in larger-displacement motorcycles. The project seeks to combine the performance characteristics of two-stroke engines with a chassis and aesthetic inspired by classic design.

The word "Ethereal," according to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), signifies something sublime, volatile, unreal, abstract, pure, elevated...A meaning that could well apply to the engine, which acts as a self-supporting element anchored to the multitubular chassis. We are referring to the 500cc two-stroke V4 engine, capable of delivering 145 hp at 12,000 rpm.

Veloce Motorcycles is not talking about a 500cc two-stroke V4 engine, but rather an L4: four cylinders arranged in two banks of two at a 90-degree angle. It utilizes two crankshafts—much like the Veloce Aperion with its X8 engine, which, naturally, has double the displacement. The Ethereal features a laser-cut aluminum 4-into-4 exhaust system optimized for the two-stroke engine. The single-sided rear swingarm, located on the left side, is machined from aluminum.

The Veloce Ethereal features café racer styling, including a half-fairing, a single-seat tail section, and a sporty riding position. The package is complemented by high-quality suspension and braking components designed to optimize the engine's performance.

The development of this motorcycle aims to demonstrate that two-stroke engines still have a place in high-performance projects, utilizing current technical solutions to meet modern demands.

For now, the Veloce Ethereal remains a project in development, with neither a launch date nor a price confirmed. However, its specifications and mechanical configuration make it one of the most impressive offerings in the classic-inspired motorcycle segment.

On the other hand, forget about traction control, anti-wheelie systems, slip management, and other safety features. Nothing has been specified in this regard. And sincethe Aperion doesn’t have any of these features despite its 280 ch, why would Veloce install them on a machine that’s half as powerful?

The Ethereal prefers to be equipped with more “tangible” features, such as a large inverted fork, a machined aluminum single-sided swingarm, large brake rotors front and rear, a very aggressive riding position, a radiator tucked away in the rear (like the old Benelli Tornados), laser-sintered alloy exhausts, and a minimalist steel-tube frame.

For die-hard enthusiasts only...The weight is unknown, but it won’t be heavy. Unlike the price, which is expected to easily exceed 50,000 euros. The brand has announced that the Ethereal will be slightly cheaper than its big brother, which costs nearly 90,000 euros.

In any case, when you love something...you go all out, right? Because once you’ve cleared the price hurdle, you’ll need to stay highly motivated: only 48 units of the Veloce 500 Ethereal will be produced, and they’ll be street-legal only in the United Kingdom. As for Euro 5+ emissions standards and rider-assistance features? It leaves them in the dust.

 

by Autonews

 

AUTONEWS

Alfa Romeo S.Z.

Presented in the Alfa Romeo stand at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show, the S.Z. was designed to amaze the public with its aggressive sporty profile, marked by low ground clearance, a high beltline and a wedge shape that conveyed grit and speed.

It was the result of the ambitious project called ES30 (for "Experimental Sportcar 3.0 litre"), an attempt by Alfa Romeo to reaffirm its tradition as a manufacturer of rear-wheel drive sports cars, but using new technology. The production of 1000 units was also commissioned to coachbuilder Zagato.

Besides its innovative composite fibre bodywork, the car was the first in the industry to be produced using computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems. The unprecedented use of this technology significantly reduced design lead times and, most importantly, the need for refinements and modifications during production.

The heart of the S.Z. was its impressive V6 “Busso” engine (named after the designer), which equipped the 75 3.0i Quadrifoglio Verde in 1987. It incorporated electronic injection and a three-way catalytic converter, delivering 185 hp and up to 204 hp in the S.Z. version.  The mechanics also included a 5-speed rear axle gearbox integrated with the differential, as well as suspension and brakes lifted from the 75 1.8 Turbo Evolution competition car. The chassis consisted of a steel underbody covered by a modern, composite-fibre bodyshell.

TATA MOTORS

Tata Sierra EV: A low-cost electric version completes the range(10,560 euros)

At the end of last year, the Indian company Tata Motors revived the Sierra name for its monocoque SUV, after producing the eponymous 3-door body-on-chassis SUV from 1991 to 2003. Even before the SUV's recent debut, it was announced that the Sierra would also be available in an electric version, which has now been launched on the market.

In 1991, Tata Motors launched the Sierra, an SUV sold until 2001. In November 2025, the Sierra was relaunched in India with gasoline and diesel engines; last week, the brand began sales of the electric Sierra.ev version.

The Sierra is equipped with a 105 hp naturally aspirated 1.5L engine, a 158 hp turbocharged 1.5L engine, or a 115 hp 1.5L turbodiesel engine, paired with a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission. The Sierra.ev features either a 238 hp electric motor, a 208 hp electric motor, or a dual-motor setup producing 349 hp; these are paired with 63 kWh and 75 kWh battery packs, offering ranges of 565 km, 665 km, and 624 km, respectively.

In terms of design, the resemblance between the internal combustion and electric versions is evident, with the main difference being a more minimalist front grille on the electric model. It features MacPherson struts on the front axle and a multi-link setup on the rear, disc brakes on both axles, and a Level 2+ autonomous driving system. Inside, it features a 10.25-inch instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch multimedia system, a 12.3-inch passenger display, a head-up display, and ambient lighting.

The internal combustion version comes in a total of 24 variants, priced between 1,490,000 and 2,219,000 Indian Rupees. The electric version offers 8 variants, priced between 1,879,000 and 2,599,000 Indian Rupees. Its dimensions are 4,340 x 1,841 x 1,750 x 2,730 mm (length x width x height x wheelbase), with a 622-liter fuel capacity.

The Tata Sierra EV differs only slightly from the classic model on the outside. At the front, under the narrow LED strip of daytime running lights, the black insert has been replaced by a smooth panel in the EV's body color. The bumper has also been redesigned, and the wheels are 18 or 19 inches in diameter, unlike the SUS model, which also offers 17-inch rims. The only change in dimensions is the increase in height from 1,715 to 1,750 mm, while the other measurements are identical – length 4,340 mm, width 1,841 mm, wheelbase 2,730 mm.

The interior of the electric SUV reflects the “traditional” Sierra. In the basic equipment packages, there are two screens on the dashboard: a 10.25-inch instrument panel and a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen. Higher equipment packages come with an additional 12.3-inch diagonal screen for the passenger. The basic model’s equipment also includes LED headlights, automatic climate control, a reversing camera and cruise control.

Higher equipment levels add a panoramic roof, ventilated front seats, a head-up display, wide-angle cameras, adaptive cruise control, automatic braking and lane-keeping assist. The boot volume of 622 litres, or 1,257 litres with the rear seats folded, is identical to the petrol and diesel Sierra. However, the Sierra EV has an additional compartment under the bonnet, with a capacity of 35 or 55 litres, depending on the version.

The electric SUV is offered in three modifications. The cheapest Tata Sierra EV 63 on the rear axle has an electric motor with a power of 175 kW/238 hp and a battery with a capacity of 63 kWh, offering a range of 535 km in the local cycle. The basic version before tax costs 1.879 million rupees, or 17,270 euros. The Tata Sierra EV 75 is also rear-wheel drive, with a weaker engine (153 kW/209 hp), but a more powerful battery, with a capacity of 75 kWh for a range of 665 km.

The top modification is the Tata Sierra EV 75 QWD with two motors and all-wheel drive. The front has an electric motor with a power of 103 kW (140 hp), the rear has a more powerful 175 kW (209 hp). As can be seen from the designation, the all-wheel drive SUV is equipped with a 75 kWh battery and offers a range of 624 km. This version costs from 2.648 million Indian rupees, which is equivalent to 24,335 euros. For comparison, the cheapest gasoline Sierra costs 1,149,000 rupees (10,560 euros).

Autonews

AUTONEWS

Is it a mistake to fill your tank to the top when it's hot? Here's what the experts say

With the arrival of summer and high temperatures, the advice that drivers often hear is becoming more relevant again - that during the heat you shouldn't fill your tank to the top because gasoline and diesel expand due to heat, which supposedly can pose a risk. But what is actually true, and what is just a myth?

The short and clear answer is - yes, you can fill your car or camper to the top quite normally, even in extreme summer temperatures. The key problem, however, lies not in the concept of a full tank itself, but in what drivers mean by "filling" and the dangerous mistake that many of them repeatedly make at gas stations, reports Autonews.

As long as you fill your car only until the pump nozzle automatically "clicks" and stops the fuel flow, you are completely safe - even if it's 35 degrees Celsius outside.

A serious problem and technical risk only arises when drivers, after that initial automatic shutdown, continue to manually squeeze the gun and “round up” the amount on the display, trying to squeeze in a little more fuel. Vehicle manufacturers, mechanics and technical institutes unanimously warn against this very practice, reports Feniks magazine.

3 Key Facts About Fuel Expansion During Summer Heat

Fuel is cold in the ground, it only expands in the car:

The biggest misconception is that gasoline or diesel heats up and expands inside the gas pump or in the hose. The truth is that fuel in underground gas station tanks remains relatively cool even during the hottest summer days. The process of volumetric expansion only begins after the fuel reaches your car’s tank, where it is quickly heated by solar radiation, hot asphalt and the heat of the engine itself.

What is the purpose of the expansion space:

The automatic closing of the fuel nozzle not only signals that the tank is full, but also ensures that there is exactly as much free space inside the tank as the car manufacturer intended for expansion. This empty safety part serves as a reserve for the accumulation of accumulated fuel vapors and for the inevitable expansion of gasoline or diesel due to an increase in temperature. When the temperature rises, the fuel can expand freely without leaking or overloading the ventilation system.

Pouring in “excess” destroys the filters:

If you continue to fill the tank after the first click, you gradually fill this strictly defined safety space. Depending on the vehicle model, up to 17 additional liters of fuel that should not be there can be squeezed into the expansion spaces and supply pipes. When the tank is so full that it heats up in the sun, the fuel has nowhere to go, so it starts to leak or goes directly into the evaporation system, which is designed exclusively for collecting gas vapors. This creates a huge load and permanently damages the activated carbon filter and other sensitive purification components.

Exactly how much do liters of gasoline and diesel expand in the heat?

That the expansion of liquids in the summer heat is not negligible is best shown by accurate physical calculations depending on the volume of the tank and the temperature jump in degrees Celsius.

Calculations show that in larger tanks of 80 liters (often found in large caravans, SUVs or campers), gasoline can expand by almost 3 liters if the temperature rises by 30 degrees. If you have eliminated the expansion space by manually filling the tank, this volume will create dangerous pressure. So, on your next summer trip to the coast, remember the golden rule: as soon as the nozzle makes the first automatic "click", refueling is finished!

Is it dangerous to fill up your car with petrol on a hot day?

Rumours online fanned fears that hot petrol tanks can explode if filled to the limit.

The message claimed five cars exploded in a week due to being filled up when the cars were hot.

But this was debunked as false, as experts confirmed there’s no danger in filling up your car with petrol on a hot day.

The message has reportedly been around for years, and simply re-emerges each time a heatwave hits.

What is the truth about filling your car up on a hot day?

Experts said there’s “no truth in this” rumour.

Fuel systems are designed to cope with vapour coming from the fuel and there’s no risk of an explosion.

Drivers shouldn’t worry about filling their tanks to the top.

And in fact, they’re advised to do so – as the danger of running out of fuel is greater than the car exploding on a hot day.

Rod Dennis, RAC spokesperson, said last summer: “There is no truth in this.

“All fuel systems on passenger vehicles are designed to cope with any expansion of fuel, or vapour coming from the fuel.

“There is no risk of explosion from filling up a fuel tank fully and drivers should have no concerns in doing so.”

The AA confirmed the worrying message was an old false story.

They revealed cars are tested in weather extremes to be able to cope with hot and cold temperatures.

But what can damage your car on hot days?

Extreme temperatures won’t just give you sunburn and melt roads, but they also risk causing severe damage to your car.

Easily maintainable car parts threaten to shut down under the sweltering sun as disinterested drivers fail to look after their motors.

Oil and engine coolant are also under threat from soaring heat while fuel consumption is likely to increase.

Overheating brakes – or “fading” – can increase stopping distances and in worst cases lead to total brake failure.

Driving on under-inflated tyres in high temperatures can accelerate the chances of a blow-out by 60 per cent, too.

And engine performance can dip by 15 per cent – even more if it’s running the air conditioning.

Yes, it is a mistake to force extra fuel into your car after the pump clicks off. "Topping off" fills the crucial air gap required for fuel expansion in hot weather. This can push liquid gasoline into the vehicle’s evaporative emissions system, causing hundreds of dollars in damage.

The automatic shut-off on a fuel nozzle triggers when the tank is full, but it deliberately leaves some empty space at the top. This space is essential because gasoline expands as it heats up or warms inside a hot vehicle.

When you bypass that automatic stop by "topping off," you risk the following:

Evaporative system damage: Liquid gas can flood into the vapor recovery system (specifically the charcoal canister), ruining the filter. This frequently triggers your "Check Engine" light and can lead to expensive repairs.

Fuel spills: Liquid fuel can expand and spill out of the tank, creating a fire hazard or damaging the vehicle's paint.

The "explosion" myth: While overfilling can cause damage or leaks, modern fuel systems are highly pressurized and sealed, meaning you do not need to worry about your gas tank exploding in the summer heat.