Auto-Salon Singen Virtual Tour
Posted: May 6, 2013 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: Auto-Salon Singen Virtual Tour, Classic Cars, exotic cars, Germany 4 Comments »
Take a virtual tour of Auto-Salon Singen, one of the biggest collector car showrooms in the world, in Germany. You will be drooling as you look through their inventory. Few places on earth can you see so many such cars in one place, so it is definitely worth taking the tour if you have some free time. Enjoy.
-Nick
Mercedes-Benz Museum: Mercedes-Benz 710 SSK
Posted: March 27, 2013 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: Germany, History, Mercedes Benz Museum, Mercedes Benz SSK, photos, Stuttgart 1 Comment »
Mercedes Benz SSK
Designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, the SSK was Mercedes’ racing powerhouse from 1928 to 1932, winning a long list of significant victories, including the 1931 Mille Miglia in the hands of legendary driver Rudolf Caracciola. It also broke the pace record for the Mille Miglia at the time with an average speed of 62mph(101km/h). The SSK was seriously fast, in fact it was the fastest car of its time. Its top speed was 120mph (~190km/h), and the performance from its 7.1L straight 6 engine is still decently impressive by today’s standards. The key was its supercharger, which engaged via a clutch when full throttle was used. This design gave the power when it was needed (especially at higher altitudes, where air is thinner), but also helped keep the car reliable by not having the blower stressing the engine all the time. From what I’ve read, around 170hp was available before the supercharger engaged, and 225hp hit when the boost came on. I have also seen some reports of SSKs making as much as 300hp, so maybe in different specifications were used for different races. The car also had a massive amount of torque, with as much as 500ft/lbs available on those highest spec’d cars. Keep in mind, all of this performance is in a car with 1920′s technology, so tires, brakes, suspension, etc were all nowhere near the level of a normal modern car, and the SSK weighed nearly two tons. Racing back then took some serious bravery.
The SSK you see here was on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, during my trip to Europe last year. Regrettably, I don’t have too many details on this specific SSK because I was so focused on taking photos that day that I didn’t bother reading the signs. I do know there were only 30-35 SSks built, so it is very rare, and definitely worth a few million dollars.
I love looking at early racing cars because there is so much crude genius. All of the performance aspects of a modern car had to be developed, usually through trial and error, and driven by competitive spirit. The SSK was the pinnacle of automotive technology in the late 1920s, and it marks a significant moment in racing, as well as in the development of the automobile itself. Enjoy the pics.
BMW Museum: 1938 BMW 327
Posted: February 14, 2013 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 1938, BMW 327, BMW Museum, Germany, Mind over motor, Munich 4 Comments »
This beautiful black and red 327 was on display at the BMW Museum in Munich, Germany. The red carpets surrounding the car made for a nice reflection in the black paint, giving it even more of a black/red color combo look. That happens to be my favorite color combo on a car, so I was stoked. The car itself has a very clean design, and was probably fairly common looking in the 1930s. Here in 2013, though, this 327 is something to behold in our era of cookie cutter car designs. Enjoy the pics.
BMW Museum: 507 and Z8
Posted: January 15, 2013 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 507, BMW, design, factory, Germany, Mind over motor, Munich, Museum, Sports Car, Z8 Leave a comment »
Two great BMW sports cars of the same lineage. The 507 came about in the mid 1950s, and its legendary status was achieved in hindsight, after its short production run had ended. The Z8, a halo sports car for the millenium, was a retro throwback to the 507, designed by Henrik Fisker. It is always interesting to see a classic design that has been modernized, and both of these cars are quite sexy. BMW had them displayed together at their factory museum, so visitors to compare for themselves. Enjoy the pics. Read the rest of this entry »
Mercedes Benz Museum: The Beginning of the Automobile
Posted: November 21, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: Automobile, Benz, Daimler, Early, first, Germany, Mercedes, Mind over motor, Motorwagen, Museum, Stuttgart 4 Comments »
I stopped at the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart during my trip to Germany this year. It is a fascinating facility in every respect, but the display of early automobiles is truly something to savor. Daimler (Mercedes Benz today) invented the motor car, so the museum is able to show the progression of the automobile quite actually from Genesis. These cars set the stage for every car we know and love today. In this feature you will see Daimler and Benz cars, the Mercedes name was added later on for added appeal. You will see the development from the crude origins of the automobile to where Daimler-Benz cars began to resemble the luxury objects that they are today. Enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »
Spotted! Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Munich, Germany
Posted: October 25, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, SPOTTED! | Tags: Aston, Germany, Martin, Mind, motor, Munich, Over, spotted, V12, Vantage Leave a comment »
I found this beautiful V12 Vantage was parked in front of a fancy hotel in Munich during my visit this summer. I have only seen a few of these, and I think this is the only one I’ve seen on the street. It is always a good thing when a company puts its biggest engine into its smallest car.
When a supercar goes rallying: Porsche 959
Posted: October 17, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 959, B, Car, Germany, Group, Mind, motor, Museum, Over, Paris-Dakar, Porsche, race, Rally, Road, Stuttgart 1 Comment »
In the 1980s Porsche decided to take the most advanced supercar they had ever made and go rallying with it. While original designs were for Group B, the car never actually partook. The 959 did win the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1986 though, coming in with a 1-2 victory. There were a few 959s at the Porsche Museum, in Stuttgart, the day I was there, including one of these rally monsters. Check out the comparison between the road car and the rally car, and just imagine seeing a monster-truck 959 barreling up behind you on a dirt road….. you’d move.
Spotted! Porsche GT2 RS, Stuttgart, Germany
Posted: October 16, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, SPOTTED! | Tags: factory, Germany, GT2, Mind, motor, Over, photos, pics, Porsche, RS, spotted, Stuttgart 1 Comment »
Spotted this GT2 RS near the Porsche factory in Stuttgart. I saw a few of these during my recent trip to Germany, but this was the only one I managed to get on film. The king of 911s is obviously quite badass, and it was awesome to see this 620hp monster in person. Read the rest of this entry »
Lime Rock Park and BMW Museum: BMW 3.0 CSL “Batmobile”
Posted: October 8, 2012 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 3.0, Batmobile, BMW, built, CSL, Epic, Festival, Germany, Historic, inline six, Lime, Mind, motor, Munich, Museum, Over, Park, Rock, sound, stroked 1 Comment »
This summer I was fortunate enough to see two of these 3.0 CSL “Batmobiles”. One was on display at the BMW Museum in Munich, Germany, and the other was actually racing at the Lime Rock Historic Festival. The one in Germany was the first of these “Batmobiles” I had ever seen, and I was nothing short of blown away. I spent around an hour and a half just taking the car in, and I was almost late for my factory tour because of it.
On the track this car sounds phenomenal, I could literally hear it all around the track from one location at Lime Rock. I was told the car that was racing had a 480hp, fully built naturally aspirated inline six, and a only weighed 2300lbs. It was absolutely flying around the track, passing the competition left and right.
Check out the sights and sounds from the track, and see more photos from the museum below. This is a truly stunning car, enjoy.
Spotted! Rare BMWs, Cochem, Germany
Posted: September 10, 2012 Filed under: Classics, Exotics, SPOTTED! | Tags: 2002, 2500, 507, BMW, Cochem, Convertible, CS, Germany, M1, Mind, motor, Over, spotted Leave a comment »
My first day in Germany earlier this year I was treated to these fine sights before I even had a chance to sleep off my jet lag. Evidently a BMW club was having a meeting near Cochem so there was some very interesting stuff rolling around this famous medieval city. There were others driving around but I found the M1, 2002 convertible, 2500 CS, and pair of 507s stood out the most. I had never seen a 507 in person before, and here I saw two of them go by on the street within minutes of each other. The thrill of seeing these cars helped me stay awake for quite a while before we finally rested. Read the rest of this entry »
Obscure Auto: 1939 BMW 328 Buegelfalte Roadster
Posted: July 27, 2012 Filed under: Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE | Tags: 1939, 5.84, Auction, Auto, BMW, Buegelfalte, Germany, History, Le, Lemans, Mans, Miglia, Mille, million, Mind, MM, Monaco, motor, Munich, Museum, Obscure, Over, Pre, replica, Roadster, Soviet, Story, Tourist, Trophy, Union, War 1 Comment »
BMW 328 Buegelfalte Roadster
The 328 Buegelfalte Roadster is one of those legendary cars that is so coveted by modern collectors, that in 2010 it sold for $5.84 million at RM auctions in Monaco. Those who are unfamiliar with the car may believe it to be some highly successful vintage racecar, but actually it’s racing history was fairly mediocre. It is likely the car’s beauty and rarity, being the only one of its kind, that make it such a sought after machine. The Buegelfalte also has a rich story behind it as well, one that parallels that of 20th century Europe. I will tell you now that the car you see in these photos is actually a perfect replica of the Buegelfalte Roadster commissioned by BMW for use at corporate events. I took these photos during my recent visit to the factory museum. Even though the car is a replica it still has the same beautiful form as the original, which now resides in a private collection.
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 »
