Woodward Dream Cruise: Ariel Atom
Posted: December 5, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: America, Ariel, Atom, Cruise, Detroit, Dream, Michigan, Mind over motor, spotted, Woodward 1 Comment »
This was the first Ariel Atom I’ve ever seen in person. It looks really far out amongst normal traffic, and I wasn’t under the impression it was actually legal for US roads. That said, I saw many cars in Detroit this summer that are not supposed to be driving on our roads either, so by the Dream Cruise nothing surprised me. I love the mechanical beauty of the Atom, everything is right out there for you to see and every bit of the car is entirely functional. This is motoring in its purest form, and I love it. Enjoy the photos.
Concours d’ Elegance of America: Porsche Carrera GT
Posted: December 3, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: America, Carrera GT, Concours, Detroit, Elegance, manual, Michigan, Mind over motor, Porsche, V10 Leave a comment »
I love the Carrera GT. It is one of the last truly raw supercars, on that requires a skilled driver to even operate. It is also one of the best sounding cars ever made in my opinion, with its racing-derived V10. Leave it to Porsche to make something absolutely epic in an era where safety and electronics were taking over the supercar realm. It is always a treat to see a Carrera GT in person because, aside from its performance, it is also a classically beautiful car with nice curves and proportions. The more time passes, and the more new cars come out with all sorts of complex technology, the more I find myself drawn to the Carrera GT. In hindsight it is likely one of the last “pure” supercars to be produced, and for me that makes it more appealing than an Enzo or SLR Mclaren (top competitors of the 2000s supercar boom). This one was at the Concours d’ Elegance of America in Detroit, Michigan. Enjoy the pics.
Concours d’ Elegance of America: Jaguar C-Type
Posted: November 26, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: America, C-Type, Concours, Detroit, Elegance, Jaguar, Michigan 1 Comment »
Another of the legendary Jaguars seen at the Concours d’ Elegance of America in Detroit, MI. C-Types were successful racing cars of the early 1950′s, winning the 24 hours of Lemans twice. It is always a treat to see one of these rare Jags in person. Enjoy the photos. Read the rest of this entry »
Concours d’ Elegance of America: 1948 Daimler DE 36 Drophead Coupe by Hooper
Posted: August 24, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, EVENTS / PLACES, SHOWCASE | Tags: 1948, 36, 48, 5.4, 8, America, Benz, Britain, British, Concours, Convertible, Coupe, d', Daimler, DE, Detroit, DHC, Drop, eight, Elegance, engine, England, english, Head, Hooper, Inline, Mercedes, MI, Michigan, Mind, motor, of, Over, Plymouth, Red, Straight, tone, two, UK 1 Comment »
This DE 36 DHC is not a product of the German parent of Mercedes Benz. The Daimler name was actually shared by two separate companies for a period of time, one the German company we all know and the other the oldest automotive marque from Britain. This car is the latter, and is one of just 6-7 DE 36s built. Under the hood lies a 5.4L straight 8 with 150hp, and at around 3 tons the DE was most certainly meant for relaxed cruising in style. This DE 36 DHC recently sold for a little over a half-a-million dollars in 2010. It was brilliant to see in person this summer, literally stopping me in my tracks when I saw it. Not many cars can outshine a Bentley S1 or various Rolls Royces that were around it, but this Daimler succeeded. This is automotive art like we no longer have today. Enjoy the pics.
Concours d’ Elegance of America: Lancia Stratos HF
Posted: August 21, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, EVENTS / PLACES, SHOWCASE | Tags: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 2012, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, America, Championship, Concours, d', Detroit, Dino, Elegance, HF, Italian, Lancia, MI, Michigan, Mind, motor, of, Over, Plymouth, Rally, Stratos, V6, World Leave a comment »
Lancia Stratos at the Concours d’ Elegance of America outside Detroit. The Stratos is a rare Italian rally homologation from the 1970s.. Its striking design was penned by Bertone, and its power came from the same 2.4L Ferrari V6 found in the 246 Dino. Weighing just 2100lbs it made the most of its 192hp, with racing versions winning the World Rally Champioship in 1974, 1975, and 1976. A total of 492 Stratos’ were produced in total. This is only the 2nd one I have ever seen in person, enjoy the pics.
Test Driven: Mercedes Benz C180 Blue Efficiancy Estate
Posted: July 19, 2012 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.8, 2.0, America, Austria, autobahn, Automatic, Benz, Blue, C180, C250, cylinder, Drive, efficiency, engine, Estate, EU, European, four, Germany, limiter, Mercedes, Mind, motor, Over, rear, Rental, review, speed, Trip, turbo, wheel 1 Comment »
Mercedes C180 Bluet Efficiency Estate
My family and I had this Mercedes C180 Estate for two weeks during our recent trip to Germany. Here in America we have the Mercedes C class, but we do not have the wagon version nor the C180 model, so it was cool to try something a bit different. I have driven a few previous generation C classes over the years, however this was my first experience with the current generation, and this car was fitted with many of Mercedes’ newer gizmos and gadgets. So all in all this C180 offered many new things for me as an American driver, including driving in Germany for the first time. Read the rest of this entry »
GM: Greatness is just a few good decisions away
Posted: April 30, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 3.6, 6.2, America, Australia, Caprice, Car, Charger, Chevrolet, Chevy, come, Commodore, Dodge, G8, General, GM, Holden, HSV, Impala, LSA, Maloo, Mind, motor, Motors, Muscle, new, Nick, Over, Pontiac, Supercharged, to, USA, Ute, V6, V8, Walker 3 Comments »
It's a Pontiac G8, but with a Chevy badge
Ever since Pontiac was killed off as a result of the financial crisis, GM has not had a proper American sedan to compete with the successful Dodge Charger. The Pontiac G8 had been in this segment, but it came out right as many people became wary of buying GM products, due to their economic uncertainty at the time. A replacement for it has not yet been seen, although there has been talk of it coming back as the Chevrolet Caprice. I think this would be a great seller now, if GM’s lineup were structured properly, because they have basically recovered at this point and have been doing great things. Read the rest of this entry »
Some thoughts on the past year’s sales.
Posted: February 22, 2012 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2011, 2012, America, Annual Data, Cars, Chrysler, Ford, Germany, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Industry Talk, Japan, Mind over motor, Sales, Sales Results, Toyota Leave a comment »
Once again, I give you the bestselling vehicle in America--the Ford F-150.
On January 3rd, all the sales results for each major car brand sold in the United States were made public for the month of December, and consequently, the entire previous year. For the most part, 2011 was an excellent year for sales in the auto industry, a big step in the right direction since the turmoil of 2009. There were of course, some nasty issues that clearly affected sales across the board, but this year, only a select few CEOs should really need a drink today. So, let’s take a look at these numbers and see what falls out of the tree. Read the rest of this entry »
Dodge Dart SRT-4, part of “Second Half America”
Posted: February 14, 2012 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2012, 2013, 2014, 300, 4, all, America, AWD, competitor, cylinder, Dart, Dodge, Drive, Evo, front, FWD, halftime, hp, Mind, motor, Over, Sedan, SRT, SRT-4, STi, turbo, wheel, WRX Leave a comment »
Motor Trend's rendering of the Dart SRT-4
Chrysler’s Superbowl ad with Clint Eastwood was a nice way to incite faith that the American auto industry will recover. Chrysler has shown much improvement in the last few years, and as soon as I saw the new Dodge Dart I knew they were on the right track. It is based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, meaning its European roots should make it much more attractive than the Civic or the Corolla, which are both shamelessly boring at this point. There is however another market segment that exists with cars in that segment, one where engines are turbocharged, suspensions are stiffened, and priority is given to high MPH over high MPG. Dodge has competed here before with their SRT-4 Neon and Caliber, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the Dart SRT-4 in the next few years. Prior SRT-4s were relics of first half America though, the one that had to be bailed out, so the question is now, what should the SRT-4 of the second half be like?
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Pagani Huayra debut in California this past summer
Posted: November 14, 2011 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE, USER SUBMITTED | Tags: America, and, California, Cars, Coffee, Debut, drake, Horacio, Huayra, Irvine, Mind, motor, Over, Pagani, video 1 Comment »
Our friend Drake was lucky enough to catch the Pagani Huayra at one of the events on it’s American tour. It is a truly stunning car, and Mr. Pagani was there himself to show off the car. Supposedly Pagani has already recieved 12+ orders for the Huayra from American buyers, so keep you eyes peeled on the streets for one once they are allowed into the country.
Check out Drake’s youtube channel here
-Drake
The new Fiat 500, bombshell or bust?
Posted: July 25, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK, USER SUBMITTED | Tags: 500, America, American, Car, Chrysler, Fiat, Hatchback, Italy, marchionne, Mind over motor, sergio, Small 2 Comments »
Fiat 500C
Compact Cars: Has America turned the corner?
Posted: July 14, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: America, Car, Change, Chevrolet, Chevy, Compact Cars, Cruze, Elantra, Focus, Ford, Germany, GM, Japan, Jetta, Mind over motor, SFE, Shift in Trend, Small Cars, TDI, Toyota, VW 2 Comments »
Chevrolet Cruze LTZ. Meet the top of the line version of America's best selling car in June 2011.
Gas prices. Armageddon. Peak oil. We all hear about it in the newspapers, on the Internet, and on the radio. And America has been addicted to cheap oil and sizeable cars for as long as the automobile has been around. However, thanks to recent events across the globe, that’s about to change. Read the rest of this entry »
