Test Driven: 2012 Mazda Mazdaspeed3
Posted: August 30, 2012 Filed under: Cheap Fun!, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2.3, 240, 263, 3, 4, 5, back, Car, compare, cylinder, door, Drive, driving, dynamics, Evo, Fast, four, front, fun, FWD, Hatch, hp, Japanese, Liter, manual, Mazda, MazdaSpeed, Mazdaspeed3, Mind, moded, Modified, motor, new, Nick, Over, pleasure, practical, Ralliart, space, speed, Sport, STi, stock, Transmission, tune, tuning, turbo, Used, vs, Walker, wheel, whp, WRX 1 Comment »
I have yet to meet an owner of a Mazdaspeed3 (MS3) who didn’t legitimately love their car. Something about the car seems to inspire people, they always have that “I know something you don’t” smirk on their face. Mazdas have always had a good sporting dynamic to them, but the enthusiasm that owners seem to have about this car goes beyond that. I have always known about the MS3, but somehow, while I’ve been out driving all sorts of fun cars over the years, it has eluded me. So recently, I decided it was time I take one out for a spin to see what these owners are so smug about. Read the rest of this entry »
Matt Farah reviews a 700hp Supra
Posted: August 28, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: 700, Drive, Farah, florida, hp, Matt, Mind, motor, Network, Orlando, Over, supra, Toyota, tuned, TV Leave a comment »Matt Farah drives a 700hp Toyota Supra on his Drive show Tuned. Looks like a good time.
-Nick
Spotted! 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (Split Window Coupe), Woodward Ave, MI
Posted: August 22, 2012 Filed under: Classics, Muscle, SPOTTED! | Tags: 1963, 2nd, 327, 360, 63, Ave, Birmingham, C2, Chevrolet, Chevy, Ci, Corvette, Coupe, cubic, Fuel, generation, GM, hp, inches, injection, MI, Michigan, Mind, motor, Oak, Over, Royal, Split, Stingray, Window, Woodward 2 Comments »
The ’63 split window Stingray is the most beautiful Corvette of all time in my opinion. I liken the Stingray to being the “American E-Type” because it was of the same generation as the Jag and had a similar significance on car design. The 1963 model was the only year to feature the split rear window design, and after seeing it all of the subsequent Stingray coupes look a tad awkward without it. The car you see here was the top of the line ’63 Vette with a fuel injected 327ci (5.4L) V8 that produced 360hp. It was a brilliant machine, seemingly in Concours condition, and the owner had parked it in a great spot for photos. Enjoy.
Spotted! Ferrari FF vs Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Detroit, MI
Posted: August 8, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, SPOTTED! | Tags: 532, 612, 650, Belle, brake, Car, Comparison, design, Detroit, Ferrari, FF, four, Gran, grand, hp, Island, lot, MI, Michigan, paddle, Park, Prix, Scaglietti, seat, shift, shooting, Tourer, Turismo, V12, vs 1 Comment »
These two Ferraris were in the car park at the 2012 Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Island. This is the first FF I have gotten up close with, and it just happened to be parked next to the 612 that it replaced. The owner was very cool and was happy to open the car up and let people sit in it for a few minutes. It was cool to see the FF right next to the 612 Scaglietti because it really let me appreciate the leap in design that Ferrari has taken with the FF. See for yourself, and enjoy.
Road Review: 2004 Volvo S80 T6 Executive
Posted: July 26, 2012 Filed under: Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2004, 268hp, Car, chassis, comfort, Driven, dvd, entertainment, European Delivery, Executive, Fast, Gothenberg, hp, I6, Luxury, Mind over motor, Nick, program, rear seat, review, Road, S80, Saloon, Sedan, surprising, Sweden, T6, Test, TV, twin turbo, Volvo, Walker 3 Comments »
Volvo S80 T6 Executive
This is my Mom’s Volvo S80, and it seems very boring. It is beige, one of a few selectable shades of beige, and it looks just like every other Volvo on the road. Volvos are known for very solid build quality as well as their huge emphasis on safety; they are great cars but they generally aren’t synonymous with the term “exciting”. Looking at this S80 you can see the design is very conservative, and while it does have clean lines it is still basically the same exact car Volvo has been making for years. It would seem then that this S80 is just a continuation of mundane motoring from Volvo, and hardly worth a second look. However, after 9 years with this car, I can tell you that is definitely worth a second look because this beige Volvo has some extra tricks up its sleeve. Read the rest of this entry »
Spotted! Audi RS5, C6 RS6, and B5 RS4, Zurich Switzerland
Posted: July 17, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, Modded, SPOTTED! | Tags: 375, 450, 571, all, Audi, B5, C6, Coupe, Drive, German, GMBH, hp, Mind, motor, Over, Quattro, RS, RS4, RS5, RS6, spotted, Switzerland, turbo, Twin, V10, V6, V8, VR6, wheel, Zurich Leave a comment »
Audi RS5
While in Zurich it seemed as if the Swiss did not buy any non-RS Audi models, they were literally everywhere. I know many of our European viewers may find these cars a bit normal, but we don’t get these RS models in America so it was quite a thrill to see them for me. Hopefully Audi will wake up and realize they could sell double the number of RS models if they would just offer the full line of them on the US market. Either way it was cool to finally see the V10 RS6 up close, as well as the RS5, and B5 RS4; epic cars. Enjoy the pics.
As a car site we are basically obligated to post this: Gymkhana 5
Posted: July 11, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: 5, 650, Block, Car, DC, Fiesta, Ford, Francisco, Gymkhana, hp, Ken, Mind, motor, Over, Rally, San, Shoes Leave a comment »Maybe the best one yet just because of the location. We’re a little late posting it, but its just good to have. Ken does some pretty extreme stuff in this, including a jump-drift. Enjoy if you haven’t seen it, and enjoy it again if you have.
-Nick
BMW M6, a valid point made
Posted: July 10, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS, SHOWCASE | Tags: 2012, 2013, 4500lbs, 552, 560, BMW, Cabriolet, Convertible, Coupe, heavy, hp, Luxury, M6, Mind, motor, Motortrend, Over, power, Trend, turbo, Twin, V8 Leave a comment »This new M6 is the very essence of the trend for modern cars; heavier with more power. BMW has gone a bit too far this time I think because the M6 now weighs 4500lbs, and that is nearly as much as a VW Touareg. This sort of weight is not really what comes to mind when I think of a sports car, and it renders the car’s 560hp far less impressive than it suggests. I am not a fan of this new M6, and I am someone who covets the previous M6 with the V10. A GT car should have some solid weight, but it should not be bordering SUV territory; enough is enough. Carlos hits the nail on the head at (3:27-3:35), saying he can respect it but he doesn’t desire it. That is the problem I see too, and it is one that I see shared by the Bugatti Veyron and other cars like this. Sure companies can engineer a heavy car to perform well on paper, some of the numbers the M6 achieves are staggering (especially considering the weight), but at the end of the day heft is heft when the laws of physics step in. There is an answer somewhere for making cars faster and more efficient, and adding weight like this is not it. Motor Trend hit it on the head in this vid.
-Nick
Spotted! 1989 Porsche 911 (930) Speedster; Stuttgart, Germany
Posted: July 3, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, SPOTTED! | Tags: 1989, 250, 6, 89, 911, 964, Flat, Germany, hp, manual, Mind, motor, Over, Porsche, Speedster, spotted, Stuttgart 1 Comment »
Saw this beautiful Porsche parked in the middle of its hometown, Stuttgart. It is one of just 800 speedsters made, and features the “turbo look” package that was popular. The speedster design adds a nice bit of sleekness to the shape of a Carrera Cabriolet. Awesome car, enjoy the pics.
Test Driven: 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Posted: June 28, 2012 Filed under: Cheap Fun!, Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2.0, 237, 270, 275, 280, 4B11, baby, clutch, cylinder, DCT, different, Drive, Dual, Evo, evolution, four, How, hp, Japanese, Lancer, Liter, Market, Mind, Mitsubishi, motor, Nick, Over, owned, Pre, Ralliart, review, SST, Test, Transmission, turbo, Used, Walker, whp, x Leave a comment »
The Lancer Ralliart is the second born of the Mitsubishi clan, overshadowed in many ways by its older brother the Lancer Evolution. The Evo has made a huge name for itself in automotive performance over the years, and the Ralliart is clearly riding that wave in the market. It is placed to compete with Subaru’s WRX, but Mitsubishi waited 3 model generations into the US market before they finally produced a true, turbocharged competitor for the highly successful Subaru. What you see here is that car, the supposed “baby Evo”, but I will tell you right up front, that the Ralliart is far from that. It is something all its own, and it should be more widely recognized as such. This Ralliart belongs to my friend Josh, and he agreed to let me take the wheel for an afternoon to discover what it’s all about. Read the rest of this entry »
Obscure Auto: Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale
Posted: June 27, 2012 Filed under: Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE | Tags: 18, 1967, 1968, 1969, 2.0, 230, 254, 270, 33, Alfa, Article, Auto, Autodelta, built, Car, curves, door, first, Fuel, Gull, hp, information, injection, Italian, Liter, made, Mind, motor, Nick, Obscure, Over, produced, Production, racing, Rare, Red, Road, Romeo, sexy, specs, SPICA, Stradale, Tipo, V8, Walker, wing Leave a comment »
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale
This is the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale, and I’m sure your eyes have already informed you that it is one of the most beautiful cars ever built by anyone. The word “Stradale” of course means that it is street version of a racing car, and it is indeed. The Tipo 33 Stradale was made in 1967 as a road going version of Autodelta Alfa Romeo’s Tipo 33/2 racing car. Only 18 Stradales were ever built, making it one of the rarest, most sought after cars in the world. One that just gets more and more interesting with every new detail you uncover. Read the rest of this entry »
Spotted! Wiesmann GT MF5, Zurich Switzerland
Posted: June 22, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, SPOTTED! | Tags: 500, 507, BMW, Europe, GT, hp, M5, M6, MF5, Mind, motor, Over, spotted, Street, Switzerland, V10, Wiesmann, Zurich Leave a comment »
Wiesmann GT MF5
This is a Wiesmann GT MF5, and it is truly an epic car to spot on the street. We don’t get these at all in America, so it was an even bigger deal for me. This is the first Wiesmann I have seen, of any sort, and it also happened to be my favorite one. The GT MF5 V10. That is right, tucked into that tiny little car is the 5.0L V10 from the BMW M6, producing around 500hp. This was definitely one of the V10 models, I could tell from the sound, but the second generation GT MF5s have the new 552hp twin turbo V8 from the current BMW M5/M6. Honestly though, I much prefer the glorious V10 in a smaller car like the Wiesmann, so Im glad I saw that one. Sorry about the blurry pics, but it was worth posting anyway. It was getting dark and I was shooting from on top of a building, so I did what I could. Hopefully next time I will be able to get up close with one. Great car.
-Nick
