Lead East 2012
Posted: September 17, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: Big Three, Chrysler, Classic Cars, Clouds, Events, Ford, GM, Labor Day Weekend, Lead East, Mind over motor, Muscle Car, Parsippany Hilton, party, Rain, Route 10, Route 202, show, Storms Leave a comment »
On Labor Day weekend, Lead East held its 30th annual party in the Parsippany Hilton complex. Lead East is essentially a block party and a car show, as well as a 50′s revival, all rolled into one weekend. This year was the first time I have attended in quite some time (not since 2006) and this year, the caliber of automobiles was incredible. The vehicles in attendance were not quite concours quality but definitely represented a wide variety of American and a few foreign marques, with a heavy emphasis on muscle cars and vehicles from the 1950s and 60s, as well as some very offbeat rides. It rained, but the weather did little to dampen the spirit of the day–there was even one guy (the owner of an immaculate 1970.5 Ford Falcon two-door sedan) ripping around the parking lots in a golf cart for no apparent reason. Enjoy the photos, some features to come in the month to come.
-Albert S. Davis
The 2012 Radnor Hunt Concours d’ Elegance
Posted: September 12, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 166MM, 206 SP, 250LM, 250TR, 275, 365, 452A, 500TRC, Abarth, Auburn, Bertone, Bristol, Cadillac, Chrysler, Concours, Elegance, Enzo, F40, Ferrari, GTB, GTO, Hunt, Jaguar, Lancia, Mclaren, Mind, motor, Over, PA, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pierce Arrow, Porsche, Queen, Radnor, RS, Spider, Stirling Moss, V16, Weather, wood 1 Comment »
Ferrari 250TR, 500TRC, 250LM, and others
This is the 3rd year in a row we have attended the Radnor Hunt Concours, and it continues to blow us away each time. For me this year was especially interesting because Ferraris and pre-war Cadillacs were being featured. What you see above was the view as we entered the show, a row of Ferraris worth tens of millions of dollars alone. Most of these cars will be getting their own specific features later on so just let this be a nice preview of things to come. Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »
The 2012 Woodward Dream Cruise: General Highlights
Posted: August 20, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 2012, American, Auto, Birmingham, Cadillac, Car, Chevrolet, Chevy, Chrysler, Coverage, Cruise, Detroit, Dodge, Dream, Ferrari, Ford, gallery, Highlights, Hot, Jam, Lamborghini, Lincoln, Mercury, MI, Michigan, Mind, motor, Muscle, Oak, Over, photos, pictures, Plymouth, Porsche, Rod, Royal, show, Subaru, Toyota, Traffic, Truck, Woodward 2 Comments »
I was in attendance for this year’s Woodward Dream Cruise. This was my first time at the event, and it is by far the most epic traffic jam I have ever witnessed. The scale of the event is mind-boggling, with around a million people flocking to the Detroit area to see and show off cars of all types. I have a lot more material from the event, but this is a good overview of what was happening. Keep checking back for features on specific cars not shown here. Enjoy the gallery.
Test Driven: 2013 Dodge Dart SXT Multiair Turbo
Posted: August 9, 2012 Filed under: Green & Economical, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.4, 2013, 2014, 6, Abarth, Alfa, American, backfire, burble, Car, Chrysler, crackle, cubby, Dart, Dodge, Drive, economy, exhaust, Fiat, front, Fuel, fun, Giulietta, Italian, manual, Mind, motor, Multiair, Nick, Over, overrun, review, Romeo, seat, Sedan, speed, Sport, storage, Test, tune, turbo, under, Walker, wheel 6 Comments »
The new Dart is the first car to market that is truly a joint effort between Fiat and Chrysler. The chassis and mechanicals come straight from the European Alfa Romeo Giulietta, while the exterior, interior, and Tigershark engines are all American. This is a critical product for Chrysler, one that will serve as a first impression for their alliance with Fiat, and the things to come. I went in to find out for myself if this new car marked a positive beginning for “Second Half America”, or a fumbled, Frankenstein-like creation from two companies caught in their own financial struggles. In many ways I felt a lot was riding on this drive when I stepped into this hot blue Dart. Read the rest of this entry »
Spotted! 2013 SRT Viper, Woodward Ave, MI
Posted: July 30, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, SPOTTED! | Tags: 2013, Ave, Chrysler, Dodge, Mind, motor, on, Over, Pre, Production, public, roads, spotted, SRT, testing, the street, Viper, Woodward 1 Comment »
This is the fourth one I have seen cruising around, but the first one I have gotten solid photos of. It is a great looking car, very similar to the older Vipers in its appearance on the road. Enough so that it takes a sharp eye to distinguish one of these new ones from the scores of older Vipers running around during cruise nights. The LEDs give it away though. Enjoy the pics.
Some thoughts on the past year’s sales.
Posted: February 22, 2012 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: Cars, Honda, Germany, Chrysler, 2011, Mind over motor, Ford, GM, Toyota, 2012, Hyundai, Japan, America, Industry Talk, Sales, Sales Results, Annual Data 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 »
Test Driven: 2011 Jeep Wrangler Sport
Posted: October 18, 2011 Filed under: Off-Road Able, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 3.8, 4WD, Chrysler, Droptop, Jeep, JK, Mind over motor, NJ, Off-Road, Red, Rock Crawler, SUV, Test Driven, Truck, Wrangler, Wrangler Sport Leave a comment »
Jeep has the reputation that a good many other brands dream of–durability, reliability, and timeless appeal. The Wrangler is probably their best-known product, and having never driven one before, I took a chance and grabbed the keys to a brand-new, 2011 Sport model, in red. While the Wrangler isn’t for everyone, I’ve been appreciative of it for a long time now, and its appeal has not dropped that much even in these times of higher fuel economy and a high demand for safer cars. Read the rest of this entry »
The Chrysler-Lancia Connection needs to be reviewed.
Posted: September 19, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 200, 300, Badge Engineering, Chrysler, Flavia, Fulvia, Grand Voyager, Lancia, marchionne, Mind over motor, Minivan, Mistake, Sedan, Thema, Town and Country, Ypsilon Leave a comment »
There's one thing to separate this from the 300: The badge. The 300 is a great full-size car, but Lancia deserves better than an American transplant.
If there is one brand that does the best job of no longer resembling its roots, it is Lancia. Since the death of the Delta Integrale in the early Nineties, Lancia hasn’t really had a halo car, and has not been much more than a Fiat offshoot. Since Chrysler has come under the Fiat banner, Sergio Marchionne has announced a partnership between Chrysler and Lancia. Read the rest of this entry »
Lead East 2011
Posted: September 13, 2011 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 50's, 60's, 70's, Auburn, Barracuda, Bird, Cadillac, Camaro, Car, Chrysler, Classic, Corvette, Cuda, custom, Dice, Dodge, East, Flat, Ford, GM, Head, Hemi, Hot, knob, Lead, Lincoln, Mercury, Mind, motor, Muscle, Mustang, Nomad, Over, party, Plymouth, Rod, Shifter, show, Supercharge, T, Torino, vintage, Zephyr Leave a comment »
We were in attendance for Lead East 2011. It was my first time at this show and it did not disappoint. Good ol’ American metal in a nice heapin’ helpin’.
-Nick Read the rest of this entry »
Explaining the Death and Rebirth of the Wagon
Posted: September 8, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: Acura, Automotive Insights, Cadillac, Chrysler, Cool, Crossover, Death, Enthusiasts, Ford, GM, Market, Mind over motor, Minivan, Rebirth, Segment, SUV, USA, Wagon Leave a comment »
The CTS-V wagon, or the ultimate way of getting the kids to school.
Wagons have a pretty colored history here in America. For ages and ages, they were the ride of choice for the American mom, with long wheelbases, huge interior room, smooth styling, and excellent visibility. However, starting before the beginning of the SUV craze, wagons somehow became uncool among America’s mainstream car buyers. Read the rest of this entry »
Obscure Auto: Chrysler Turbine
Posted: September 1, 2011 Filed under: Obscure Autos | Tags: Abrams, Automobiles, Car, Chrysler, Jay Leno, Mind over motor, Obscure Auto, Sixties, Turbine, Turbine Engine 1 Comment »
Chrysler Turbine--a car ahead of its time, and ahead of ours.
In the 1960s, automakers were experimenting with all sorts of things. Some wanted to use space-age materials for interior design, while others became obsessed with the racetrack. Some tried hard to coax more power out of their engines, and others experimented with all-new theories–some worked (such as the independent rear suspension on the Corvette), and others did not (the “For Desert Only” switch on Ramblers). Chrysler, meanwhile, worked tirelessly to blow everybody out of the water with their newest idea–a turbine-powered car. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2003 Chrysler Concorde LX
Posted: August 31, 2011 Filed under: Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2.7L, big, Car, Chrysler, Concorde, DaimlerChrysler, driving, Full-Size, FWD, Mind over motor, NJ, seats, Test Drive, Trunk, V6 Leave a comment »
Concorde (Front) It’s not the plane, but it feels as big as one inside.
Back in the early 2000s, the domestic automakers still had somewhat of a foothold on the American car market, but it was starting to slip. Chrysler, for one, had been under Daimler’s control for a number of years by that point, and so far, didn’t have a lot to show for it, other than the Crossfire. The Concorde, its flagship, had benefited from some good styling changes and a few equipment modifications, but was otherwise unchanged from previous years. Read the rest of this entry »
