Test Driven: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Posted: May 9, 2013 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 2012, 6.2L LS3 V8, automatic transmission, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Mind over motor, Modern American Muscle Car, modifications, rental car, Road test review 4 Comments »
At the airport terminal, having just arrived in Jacksonville Florida for our weekend at Amelia Island, we came to the the point in our travels where it was time to rent a car. The attendant asked us, in an ever so friendly manner, “Now, what are you boys in town for this weekend?” We told her about the car shows on Amelia Island, and a smirk came to her face. She had us right where she wanted us and she damn well knew it. “Well, have I got something extra special for you then. Are you Ford or Chevy fans?” We opted for Chevy. “Well guess what. I just happen to have a pretty little yellow Camaro SS on the lot for you”. We exchange glances, and then she said, “It’s normally pretty expensive, but I can give it to you for an extra $20 a day.” Considering we had booked an economy car, liable to be a Chevy Spark or some other gutless mode of transportation, it was a very solid offer. We accepted, and went out to the parking lot to see if the car was actually an SS. To our surprise it was, bright and yellow as described, with a big V8 under the hood. So with that we loaded up our bags, and set off in our 400hp rental car.
Lime Rock Historic Festival: Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0
Posted: January 23, 2013 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 2012, Connecticut, GT3 RS 4.0, Historic Festival, Lime Rock, Mind over motor, Porsche, spotted, White 2 Comments »
This isn’t exactly historic… well at least not yet anyway…. but it was present for the Lime Rock Historic Festival this past September. This is the most extreme GT3 Porsche has yet built. It may well go on to be one of the most valuable Porsches in the future, if Porsche does indeed make all future GT3s as PDK only. The RS 4.0 is an incredible car, and I had the distinct pleasure of hearing one go past me at full throttle while I was in Switzerland last summer. This one managed to stay stationary for me, so I was able to get some solid pics. Enjoy.
Woodward Dream Cruise: Morgan 3 Wheeler
Posted: January 16, 2013 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 2012, 3 Wheeler, A10 Tiger Livery, Detroit, Michigan, Mind over motor, Morgan, Woodward Dream Cruise Leave a comment »
This was the first new Morgan 3 Wheeler I saw in person. It was in attendance for last year’s Woodward Dream Cruise, and spent time both cruising and parked on the sidelines. I really loved the flying tiger fighter plane inspired livery, this car is about fun and this look adds a level of badass appeal. The 3 Wheeler is very cool to see on the road because it is so unlike anything around it. Hopefully I can find a way to drive one soon for a review. Enjoy the pics. Read the rest of this entry »
Scarsdale Concours d’ Elegance: Ford Rat Rod
Posted: December 31, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 1930s, 2012, Ford, Mind over motor, Rat Rod, red wheels, Scarsdale Concours, Supercharged V8, whitewall tires Leave a comment »
This epic Ford rat rod was at the Scarsdale Concours d’ Elegance. It was very well done, with a brutal supercharged V8 powering it. One has to wonder why someone would give it all that power with such skinny rear tires, but hey, it sure caused a scene amongst high society. This glorious rat rod stood in stark contrast to the high dollar luxury cars that filled the streets that day. It was a big calloused middle finger to the Rolls Royce crowd, with their pocket watches, and yippy appetizer dogs. This thing added a bit of flavor to this year’s event that is not normally present at a Concours, and for that I loved it. This is one of the coolest rat rods I have ever seen, the supercharged V8, the red wheels on whitewall tires, everything about it screamed “F**k you society!”. And at the end of the day, that is what a rat rod is supposed to say, so it is quite proper. Enjoy the pics. Read the rest of this entry »
Radnor Hunt CDE: 1967 Fiat Abarth 1300OT
Posted: December 18, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 1300, 1300OT, 1967, 2012, Abarth, Concours, Fiat, Mind over motor, OT, Radnor Hunt 1 Comment »
This Abarth 1300OT carries #021 in the original Abarth registry, and is one of less than ten such cars in the US today. It is powered by 1.3L four cylinder with 75hp, and was the last Abarth model to utilize a Fiat engine. Abarths of old are always such interesting cars, sort of like the Italian version of Lotus with their emphasis on lightness and handling over raw power. They also happen to have one of the most bad ass logos around, the scorpion. Enjoy the pics.
Scarsdale Concours d’ Elegance: Morgan Aeromax
Posted: December 10, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 2012, Aeromax, Concours d' Elegance, Mind over motor, Morgan, NY, Scarsdale, spotted, US 3 Comments »
To my knowledge this car is not officially imported into the United States, so seeing one in person here was a real treat. Morgans are extremely cool cars, and I think the Aeromax is their best design yet. It has a unique mix of nostalgic appeal and modern design. Like many of the 1930′s Art Deco Era cars, the Aeromax’s swooping lines make it seem like it is going 100mph even when it’s sitting still. Unfortunately, the owner of this car was a typical rich jerk, and the first thing he told me about the car was how much he paid for it and then how he had scammed his way out of paying taxes on it….. great guy. Needless to say, taxes on a $150,000 car are a decent bit of money, but if you can afford to spend that much on a car, then not paying your taxes on it just makes you a deadbeat low-life. Too bad, because I really loved this car, and it would be nice to see it in the hands of a more worthy human being. Either way, owner aside, the Aeromax looks stunning in these photos, so enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2012 Jaguar XFR
Posted: November 29, 2012 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2012, high performance, Jaguar, Mind over motor, review, Sedan, Supercharged, Tata, Test Drive, V8, XFR 3 Comments »
The family sedan is the average car meant to suit the needs of average people. In fact it is much like the average person, exuding an inoffensive image that is considered acceptable by all parts of society. Sedans are the standard of the automobile, and today there are a host of cookie cutter options available from every manufacturer. The term “typical” comes to mind when looking at a sedan, everything normal, and going as planned in life. So what happens when one of these typical looking fellows goes mad behind the scenes, and starts mutilating innocent people? Meet Jack The Ripper, aka the Jaguar XFR.
Radnor Hunt CDE: 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
Posted: November 19, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 1957, 2012, 250, Classic, Concours, Elegance, Ferrari, Italian, Mind over motor, Radnor, Testa Rossa, TR, V12, vintage 3 Comments »
When it comes to Ferraris things do not get much better than this. The 250 Testa Rossa is one of the most legendary cars of all time, and this was the first one sold in the United States. Owned by the Simone Museum in Philadelphia, we were fortunate enough to be able to see this car up close at this year’s Radnor Hunt Concours d’ Elegance. The design of the Testa Rossa is nothing short of breathtaking, with its voluptuous Italian curves. It is a work of functional art rivaled by few other objects on Earth. While visually beautiful, it remains a race car in purpose, so it was built to be as light and simple as possible. Under the hood there is a V12 engine, which is beautiful enough in its own right. Even going to car events all the time, I don’t get to see too many of these, so I ate up my time with this rare Ferrari (likely worth around $20M) by taking tons of photos. I hope you enjoy them; if this isn’t “Art”, then I don’t know what is.
Greenwich Concours, Day 2 Gallery
Posted: October 29, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES, SHOWCASE | Tags: 2012, Artwork, Austin, Best of Show, BMW, Concours, Concours d'Elegance, Connecticut, Day 2, Events, Ferrari, Foreign Automobiles, Greenwich, June, Lamborghini, Mind over motor, Photo Gallery, Porsche, Rain, Rain or Shine, Rolls-Royce, Showcase Leave a comment »
Here is Day 2 of the Greenwich Concours, which was reserved for foreign cars. Day 2 was nearly a washout when a freak rainstorm put everyone under the tents, but by the time the rain ended, the awards ceremony started and all was well again. There were a few frankly gorgeous cars at the show that day, and the clouds made them stand out even more than usual. Enjoy the gallery–Best Of Show is also included, a stunning 1938 Horch. Read the rest of this entry »
2012 Scarsdale Concours d’ Elegance
Posted: October 23, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 2012, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Concours, Corvette, DBAR1, Elegance, Fall, Ferrari, gallery, Lamborghini, Mclaren, Mercedes, Mind, Morgan, motor, Mustang, New York, Nick, NY, Over, Packard, Photo, Porsche, Rat, Renntech, Rod, Rolls-Royce, Scarsdale, SLR, Stingray, Walker, Zagato 2 Comments »
We were in attendance for this year’s Concours d’ Elegance in Scarsdale, NY. This show is one of my favorites because the venue and time of year are just perfect for this sort of event. The Fall air is a bit crisp, the trees are turning all sorts of beautiful colors, the town is quite nice, and the cars are incredible. This is an overview gallery of the event, and certain cars will get their own features later on. Enjoy.
First Class Fitment 2012
Posted: October 15, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 2012, Airport, Class, first, Fitment, Flush, Mind, Modded, motor, NJ, October 13, Over, Princeton, show, slammed, Stance Leave a comment »
We were in attendance for First Class Fitment 2012 in Princeton, NJ this past weekend. Loads of slammed and stanced cars came out for the show, and the airport was filled to capacity. There are always a few very interesting cars mixed in with the more generic crowd at events like this, and that is why I go to them. Honestly, I am not the biggest fan of the stance movement because I think it gets taken a bit far sometimes, and I cannot stand when people ruin the handling of high performance cars like Evos, STis, M3s, Porsches, etc. That said, I do like a nice clean, flush stance on most cars, so long as the suspension is still able to function, and there were many such well done cars at this event. I got some great photos, so whatever your taste in cars you should enjoy.
Greenwich Concours, Day 1 Gallery
Posted: October 3, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 2012, American, Classics, Concours, Day 1, event, gallery, Greenwich Concours, June, Luxury, Mind over motor, Muscle, Postwar, Prewar, Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, Weekend Leave a comment »
It may have been a few months ago, but the Greenwich Concours of 2012 was a big change over 2011, with a rain delay in the second day. That said, it did not stop people from enjoying themselves for the entire day. The caliber of the cars at the show this year was nothing short of spectacular, with a great showing of American iron on Saturday, and a true show of European flair on Sunday. This gallery is simply Day 1, with Day 2 coming at the end of this week. A special set of photos may follow for Best of Show.
