Test Driven: Ferrari F430 Spider, Al’s Take
Posted: March 27, 2012 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: Exotic, F430, F430 F1 Spider, Ferrari, high end, Imagine Lifestyles, Italy, Millville, Mind over motor, Motorsport, New Jersey Motorsports Park, NJMP, review, Spider, Test Driven, Track Leave a comment »
Ferrari F430 Spider at NJMP
These past few months, I have been fortunate. And just recently, I took the wheel of a Ferrari for the first time in my life. Some words on the experience as a whole are on the way, but today, I want to talk about the first Italian supercar I’ve ever had the chance to drive. And to say the very least, even if the F430 is out of production, it’s still a fantastic car that merits much praise. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Rolls-Royce Ghost, Al’s Take
Posted: December 14, 2011 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 17-Mile Drive, BMW, British, Crewe, cruiser, Drive, England, english, Exotic, Expensive, fun, ghost, high end, Luxury, Mind over motor, money, Pebble Beach, Phantom, power, Rolls, Rolls-Royce, Saloon, Sedan, Test Driven, V12 Leave a comment »
Rolls-Royce, unlike Bentley, was a single-model brand, using a single chassis and creating derivatives of it for years. The Phantom, Phantom Coupe, and Phantom DHC were all based off of the same platform, but R-R recently put out a new, “entry-level” model, called the Ghost. So, with one available for test drives at the Pebble Beach Concours this past summer, I set out to see if the entry-level model was as good as its older, bigger brother, the Phantom. In a nutshell, it does a great job. Read the rest of this entry »
The Death of Maybach: Al’s Thoughts
Posted: December 1, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 57, 62, Automotive Insights, Bentley, cancellation, Excelero, Exotic, Germany, high end, Landaulet, Limo, Luxury, Maybach, Mind over motor, Rolls-Royce, Super Luxury, Ultra-Rich 2 Comments »
Maybach 62S at the Pebble Beach Concours.
So, Maybach, as of six days ago, is on its way out, according to Daimler-Benz. Although the cars are pretty overwhelming to behold and definitely showstoppers, I’m not shedding that big of a tear. Yes, I finally got to drive one a few months back, and yes, I did enjoy it. But, when I look at just how the marque has performed in the market over the past decade, my general feelings about the brand have become more evident. Mercedes-Benz was very ambitious in launching the Maybach name, but not every name can be successful, and here are my thoughts on why I don’t think it succeeded. Read the rest of this entry »
