Obscure Auto: Lamborghini Miura Jota/SVJ
Posted: September 18, 2012 Filed under: Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE | Tags: Autos, Beach, Bob, Crash, Italy, Jota, Lamborghini, Mind, Miura, motor, Obscure, Over, Pebble, race, SVJ, V12, wallace 1 Comment »
The Miura Jota is one of those unicorn cars, one that everyone who knows about it wants, but that none will ever have. The Jota is a legend because it was the most extreme example of Lamborghini’s beloved Miura, the car that really put the marque on the map. The Jota has a particularly interesting story though, because its fame began with its own fiery death in 1972. The Jota had been a side project of famed Lamborghini test driver, Bob Wallace, and it was the news coverage of the car’s destruction that informed people of the project to build a faster, more racy Miura. The original Jota was damaged beyond repair, never to be rebuilt, but it did peak the interest of several Miura owners, and six Miura SVJs were created. These SVJs are probably the most valuable Lamborghinis around at this point, and they carry on the legacy of their doomed predecessor.
The Mclaren X1, I’m unimpressed
Posted: August 19, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: Beach, CA, Concept, details, gathering, Mclaren, Mind, Monterey, motor, Motorsports, Nick, off, one, Opinion, Over, Pebble, photos, pictures, Quail, released, Thoughts, Walker, X1 Leave a comment »
Mclaren X1, click for full gallery
Mclaren released their one off X1 at the Quail motorsports gathering in Monterey this past weekend. It is the culmination of “3 years of hard work” they said, and I have to ask for what? I find the X1 unappealing; it looks like its design is trying to hard to be extreme, and real supercar beauty usually comes from function and purity of design. There is also the obvious influence of elegant 1930’s French cars, and that sort of Cruella de Vil look does not work well on a supercar. The covered rear wheels take the car’s aggressive stance away as well, leaving us with an appearance that is just plain awkward. On top of this, that 3 years of work has only gotten the customer a normal 12C with an ugly body kit, so again I have to ask, why?
Looking at all the supercar news sources I can see the usual amount of oogling over this car. Most people only like this car, and cars like it, because they are rare, expensive, or just stigmatized as a “supercar”. That, to me, is mindless dribble. I will give credit where credit is due (like the Ferrari P4/5), but I am at a personal point now where I don’t care at all about a car being a status symbol. It must have its own legitimate merits to get my good graces, and this Mclaren falls way short. I saw a normal 12C go by tonight, and it looked brilliant. So why bother making this ugly thing if not only to use as another soulless status symbol by someone with far more money than self security?
Different is not always a good thing, and I could care less if the owner locks the X1 away for eternity. In fact, I kind of hope he or she does.
-Nick Walker
One year anniversary!!!
Posted: June 1, 2012 Filed under: WHO ARE WE? | Tags: 1, 250, anniversary, Beach, California, Carmel, Ferrari, GTO, Mind, Monterey, motor, note, Over, Pebble, Thank, year, you 2 Comments »
One of the most incredible moments of the past year was seeing all but one of the remaining Ferrari 250 GTOs lined up side by side at Pebble Beach. Thats $600 million in sexy, Italian automotive icons, all in one place.
Today is a special day for Mind Over Motor. Exactly one year ago our domain name was activated, and our site went live. In the past year we have gone from having no audience whatsoever to a consistent few hundred views per day, a rate that continues to climb as the site grows. The site has done many things for us, including receiving press credentials last years Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, where we saw and drove some really incredible cars. However, much of what we do are things most people can do, such as test driving cars, but it is the site that gives doing such things a true, functional purpose. We enjoy running the site because it is a fantastic outlet for our insights, and has helped us expand our perspective on cars, and the auto industry immensely; and it has only been a year! While we love doing the site, it also is not yet a money making venture for us. It remains a productive hobby at this point, and must still come after our jobs and schooling on our list of priorities, so just know we are doing the best we can to expand the site with the time we are able to give it. We have a lot planned for Mind Over Motor, ways to expand, events to be covered, content from new partners and readers, and new segments, so stay tuned. We send a big thank you out to all of our readers. It has been a fantastic year, and we are hoping for another to come.
Sincerely,
MoM
Obscure Auto: Zagato Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale
Posted: April 16, 2012 Filed under: Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE | Tags: 2011, ACR, Alfa, Auto, Beach, California, Dodge, Italian, Mind, Monterey, motor, Obscure, Over, Pebble, Romeo, Stradale, Style, TZ3, V10, Viper, x, Zagato 1 Comment »
The TZ3 Stradale is a limited production model that is actually a Dodge Viper ACR in Alfa Romeo clothes. It was built to showcase a collaboration between Chrysler and Fiat as a kickoff for future models. Mechanically it is all Viper with the same 640hp V10 as the Viper ACR-X, but with the sort of performance that Viper achieved I don’t hear anyone complaining. The design, done by Zagato, are a clear nod back to the legendary Alfa TZ and TZ2 racing cars of old. Just nine of these TZ3 Stradales will be produced making this one of the more exotic cars in the world. While at Pebble Beach this past summer we were surprised by this car while looking at a lineup of Bugatti Veyrons. All of a sudden there was this earthshaking rumble and then this astonishing car rolled out of the parking deck. It is an incredible machine to behold, and I think this Italian-American collaboration is just right. I must also say that the TZ3 Stradale is among the best looking cars I’ve ever seen. More pictures of the car below. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Mercedes CLS 63 AMG, Nick’s Take
Posted: January 12, 2012 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 63, AMG, Beach, California, Car, CLS, Coupe, design, door, Drive, Fast, four, German, Luxury, Mercedes, Mind, Monterey, motor, Over, Pebble, plus, review, Sedan, Sport, Test 1 Comment »
Mercedes CLS 63 AMG
Pebble Beach offers smaller publications like us a rare chance to try out some cars we would never be able to do at a dealership. The Mercedes CLS 63 AMG is such a car to be sure; with a price tag around $100 grand, 518hp on tap, and looks that could kill. It is one of those cars that is usually kept locked in showrooms and most require a large deposit to show genuine interest before they will allow a test drive. Knowing this when I signed up for a drive in the king of the CLS line, I felt both excited and privileged to be able to get behind the wheel. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Range Rover Evoque, Nick’s Take
Posted: December 30, 2011 Filed under: Off-Road Able, Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: all, AWD, Beach, beauty, California, Car, Concours, Cross, Crossover, cylinder, design, Drive, driving, Evoque, four, fun, Impressions, Inline, Land, Luxury, Mind, motor, off, Over, Pebble, Range, review, Road, Rover, Style, SUV, Test, turbo, Turbocharged, versitile, wheel Leave a comment »
Range Rover Evoque
As soon as I first laid eyes on the Evoque I knew it was going to be a game changer. It was a completely new formula for a luxury SUV that, not only, drastically redefined style, but also drivability and usability as well. Being the founding member of what seems to be an emerging segment in the high end market, the Evoque sets the precedents for future entries. I have pointed out this segment before in articles concerning the Nissan Juke and Mini Countryman, however the Evoque represents the first full on luxury offering of this sort. This past year, at Pebble Beach, Land Rover was holding Evoque test drives, so having been eager to try it out since I saw it, I signed the papers and took one out for a spin. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Porsche Cayman R
Posted: December 8, 2011 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2800, 3.4L, 330, 6, Beach, CA, California, Car, Cayman, Drive, engine, Fast, Flat, fun, H6, handling, hp, lbs, mid, Mind, Monterey, motor, Over, Pebble, pictures, Porsche, Quail, R, rear, review, RWD, six, specs, Sports, Test, video, wheel Leave a comment »
Porsche Cayman R
The Porsche Cayman has been heralded as one of the best handling cars money can buy. Sure it is the “baby” Porsche, but these days even the little ones have gotten pretty serious. The Cayman R is to the Cayman line as the GT3 is to the 911 series, so solid performance is a given. Porsche was offering test drives of various models during Concours Weekend, but once I saw the Cayman R on the list I knew where to place my priorities (Video after the jump).
Test Driven: Rolls Royce Ghost. Nick’s Take
Posted: November 10, 2011 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 563hp, baby, Beach, beauty, BMW, British, California, Carmel, Concours, d', doors, Drive, Elegance, German, ghost, LCD, Limo, Luxury, Mind, Monterey, motor, Over, Pebble, review, Rolls, Royce, RWD, screen, speed, Style, suicide, Test, twin turbo, UK, umbrella, V12 1 Comment »
Rolls Royce Ghost
I have never really been the Rolls Royce type as far as my outlook on both cars and life are concerned. I don’t like snooty, I’m better than you attitudes, and I don’t like relying on other people for getting around. Traditionally, Rolls Royces were the absolute embodiment stuck up, high society who were above having to drive themselves places. Maybe that is why I never really liked the Phantom, especially after I drove it. It is built more for the person riding in the back than for the person at the wheel, and to me that is all wrong. With the Rolls Ghost though, BMW has had more influence in the design, so the result is a car that is both knocked for sharing parts with lesser machines, but is also much better to drive. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Lotus Evora S
Posted: October 20, 2011 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 345, Beach, California, Car, Concours, d', Drive, Elegance, Evora, hp, Lotus, Mind, Monterey, motor, Over, Pebble, review, S, Sports, Super, Supercharged, Test, V6 1 Comment »
Lotus Evora S
Ever since I heard Lotus added some much needed power to the Evora I have been itching to try it out. The only real universal complaint about the standard Evora was that it was very underpowered. Lotus has added a supercharger to the Toyota V6 and power is now up to 345hp, in a car that weighs just 2700lbs. Needless to say, I knew this was going to be a lot of fun going in. Read the rest of this entry »
Some incredible cars from Carmel car week
Posted: October 18, 2011 Filed under: Classics, Exotics, SPOTTED!, USER SUBMITTED | Tags: Beach, Bugatti, California, Car, Carmel, Classics, Concours, d', Elegance, Exotics, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mclaren, Monterey, Pagani, Pebble, Porsche, spotting, week Leave a comment »This is a submission from our friend Drake who we met while out in California for this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. He found some great cars, many of which we did not catch out there. There is also some solid footage from the Quail event. It is a bit long, but you will be drooling the whole time. Solid spotting. Subscribe to Drake’s Youtube profile for more videos like this.
Spotted by- Drake
Test Driven: Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, Nick’s Take
Posted: October 6, 2011 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: Beach, BMW, boy, British, California, Carmel, Concours, Convertible, Coupe, d', Drive, Drophead, ecstasy, Elegance, elite, english, Expensive, Luxury, Mind, Monterey, motor, of, Over, Pebble, Phantom, play, rich, Rolls, Royce, spirit, Standard, Status, Symbol, Test, the, toy, vert, World 1 Comment »
Phantom DHC
This is the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, it is hard to even say it’s name without sneering a bit. It’s big, it’s expensive, and it tells you right away that it’s better than you. This car has always been peculiar to me for a variety of reasons because it is just so over the top, and lacks any tangible point in its existence. Needless to say though, when I was handed the keys to this half-million dollar land yacht I was beyond thrilled to be given the privilege to take it for a spin. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Jaguar XKR-S, Nick’s Take
Posted: September 22, 2011 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 550hp, Beach, British, California, Car, Concours, d', Drive, Elegance, Fast, GT, Jaaaag, Jaguar, Mind, motor, Over, Pebble, R-S, RS, Sport, Supercharged, Test, UK, XK, XKR-S 1 Comment »
Jag XKR-S
When I signed up to drive the XKR-S I already knew the basics about the car. Given the modern nature of Jaguar, I was expecting it to be fast but cushy with a bit more focus on luxury than on all round performance. The second I got in the car and felt that hard embrace of a racing bucket seat I knew it would be much different than I had expected. Read the rest of this entry »
