Drive goes to Fisker Automotive
Posted: October 10, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: automotive, Drive, Driven, Fisker, Henrik, J.F. Musial, Mind, motor, Over, video Leave a comment »Drive’s J.F. Musial goes to Fisker Automotive in California to try out the Karma, and get some fantastic insights from company founder, Henrik Fisker. Listen to what he says because he is absolutely right about the future of cars, and the need for something like the Karma to keep our roads interesting. Not to get all political, but Mitt Romney said Fisker was a failure, and seeing this I would have to ardently disagree. Enjoy.
Pagani Zonda: The last surviving member of a glorious age
Posted: April 27, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, MEDIA RESPONSE | Tags: 760, automotive, Diablo, Evo, Exotic, F1, F40, Ferrari, GTspirit, Harry, Horacio, Huayra, Insight, Lamborghini, Magazine, Mclaren, Metcalfe, Mind, motor, Nick, Over, Pagani, RS, supercar, turbo, V12, Walker, Zonda 1 Comment »
Pagani Zonda 760RS
There have been two videos in the past few days about Pagani. One was JF Musial’s visit to the Pagani Factory for his segment on the Drive network, and the other was EVO Magazine’s video of the Zonda 760RS. The Drive video was more like a documentary and featured an interview with Horacio Pagani himself, offering a lot of valuable insight into Pagani Automobili, their values, and their history. Evo’s video was more targeted toward the Zonda 760RS specifically. It was one of the typical, somewhat quirky, Harry Metcalfe videos that fans have come to know and love. But Harry did a fantastic job of showing us what the 760RS is all about, and he made sure we could hear the car’s glorious soundtrack. The mix of these videos started me thinking about the Zonda specifically, and its significance in the world of cars. Read the rest of this entry »
BMW and Saab, a match made in Heaven
Posted: February 27, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 1, 9-3, 9-5, 900, all, automotive, bankrupt, BMW, brand, Buying, combi, Coupe, Drive, Europe, front, German, Market, Mazda, Mind, Mini, motor, Niche, Nick, Over, purchase, rear, rebuild, resurge, Saab, series, Subaru, Swedish, turbo, Viggen, Walker, wheel, Z2 1 Comment »
BMW and Saab
Recently it was reported that BMW had expressed interest in purchasing Saab Automobiles. After hearing this news I found myself constantly pondering the possibilities of this acquisition and how BMW could make Saab work in the market where GM had failed. BMW will of course be in contention with numerous other bidders, however after much thought I see BMW as the most perfect match possible for the Saab brand and its resurgence.
Automotive Evolution: Series Introduction
Posted: November 28, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: Asia, automotive, Challenger, development, Dodge, Europe, evolution, Factors, History, Japan, Mind, motor, Nissan, Over, Porsche, Skyline, States, United, USA Leave a comment »
Porsche 911s old and new
There is a lot of bickering that goes on between car enthusiasts about cars of different regions, saying European cars are this, American cars can’t do that, Japanese cars are this, etc. With the advent of the Internet this bickering has only expanded and now people are arguing their views with folks all over the globe. While it is interesting to witness, there is a huge amount of ignorance and a lack of appreciation (on everyone’s part) for how different cars came to be the way they are. I am starting this mini series here to take a look at how the automobile developed in different parts of the world, and hopefully enlighten some of the very opinionated people out there so that they may at least respect cars from all regions and their purposes. Read the rest of this entry »
The Clutch Pedal’s Decline
Posted: August 2, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: 5, 6, 7, an, automotive, Balboni, box, clutch, decline, Drive, driving, DSG, end, era, Evo, evolution, F1, Ferrari, fun, gear, Lamborghini, Lancer, manual, Mazda, Miata, Mitsubishi, MX5, of, paddle, pedal, purist, sequential, shift, skill, SMG, speed, technology, to, Transmission 1 Comment »
For the entire existence of the automobile, the manual transmission has been the choice for maximum performance and efficiency. It was the enthusiast’s choice because it gave the driver much more control over a car than did an automatic. The manual transmission has served the same function for around a century, but now things are changing big time. Read the rest of this entry »
Spotted! Geo Prizm Art Car, step aside BMW
Posted: July 22, 2011 Filed under: SPOTTED!, Unique | Tags: Art, automotive, Brunswick, campus, Car, Cook, Douglas, Expression, Geo, Jersey, Mind over motor, new, NJ, painting, passion, Rutgers, spotted, University Leave a comment »
Art Geo
Saw this in New Brunswick, NJ. The car is crap, but I am someone who appreciates creativity. This car has been used as blank canvass for expression by someone, and couldn’t pass up checking it out. The details are incredible if you look closely. Read the rest of this entry »
Pagani, Above The Supercar Standard
Posted: July 15, 2011 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: 6.0L, 7.3L, Automobili, automotive, Cinque, Club, design, Exotic, Expensive, F, HH, Horacio, Huayra, Mind over motor, Modena, Pagani, passion, R, S, Sport, supercar, Tricolore, twin turbo, V12, Zonda 1 Comment »
Pagani Zonda S. other than 4 wheels this car shares nothing with the common cars you see everyday. Just look at those Gatling Gun exhausts and those wing mirrors. mmmmmmm
The purpose of a car is to serve as a form of transportation that can take people and their things hundreds of miles with ease. As a basic rule, the average person needs such transportation to be practical, affordable, and useful in all of their daily personal functions. So what happens when a car is none of these things? What happens when a car becomes more than a bunch of nuts and bolts and is liberated from the chains of mundane reality by the vision of a single man whose passion knows no boundaries? The answer is that the car itself becomes the focus rather than the destination of travel. When not governed by real world concerns a car is free to become a living, breathing work of art, more something to be experienced than a tool to be used. It ventures into the realm of the extraordinary in a world so held down by the lame nature of the masses. Read the rest of this entry »
Just Cruisin
Posted: June 26, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: automotive, Cars, Cruising, Drive, driving, enthusiast, Excitement, for a, fun, getting lost, going, great, Insights, Mazda, Miata, Mind over motor, MX5, pleasure, roads Leave a comment »
My Miata on a lonely back road
Today was one of those utterly free days where I could actually do whatever I wanted, so I decided, having just gotten my Miata back from a long stint at the shop, that I would take it out and just go on an aimless cruise to wherever the road took me. Read the rest of this entry »
The Turbocharged Revolution
Posted: June 25, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: automotive, boost, Cars, displacement, efficiency, engine, evolution, F40, Ferrari, M600, Mclaren, Modified, MP4, Porsche, STi, Subaru, Supercharge, technology, turbo, Turbo S, turbocharging, Value for money, WRX Leave a comment »
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, well over 400hp from only 2.0L thanks to modifications 
There are still some people out there who say “there is no replacement for displacement”, then when their large displacement V8 Camaro or Mustang gets blown away by a little 2-liter Lancer Evolution they have a bit of a hard time explaining themselves. The truth is that in the industry there is a very direct “replacement for displacement” and that is a turbocharger. The purpose of any form of forced induction is to give a certain sized motor the power of a larger one. It’s true that a larger motor will make more power than a smaller motor if both have the same turbo/boost level/compression ratio, but that is not how turbos are used in the industry. In reality, they are used to make cars with smaller motors give similar performance to cars with big motors. Read the rest of this entry »
Art of the Automobile: Can cars be “art”?
Posted: June 4, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: Art, automotive, be, beauty, Can, Can cars be art, Cars, design, experience, Mind over motor, sculpture 3 Comments »
Sergio's Masterpiece by Tom Montanari
In order to discuss this question we must first have a definition of “art” itself. The definition of art is largely personal will vary between individuals to some degree to be sure. There is some consensus though. “Art” consists of a deliberate action that is meant to evoke an emotional or sensual response, or meant to convey a message from the creator. It is a medium with which people may express themselves, and can really be anything at all. The factors defining “art” exist more in the reasons for doing something than the actual tangible result of such an action. This is because the motivation of the artist is what will ultimately determine the potency of their work’s effects on others. Read the rest of this entry »
