Concours d’ Elegance of America: 1948 Daimler DE 36 Drophead Coupe by Hooper
Posted: August 24, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, EVENTS / PLACES, SHOWCASE | Tags: 1948, 36, 48, 5.4, 8, America, Benz, Britain, British, Concours, Convertible, Coupe, d', Daimler, DE, Detroit, DHC, Drop, eight, Elegance, engine, England, english, Head, Hooper, Inline, Mercedes, MI, Michigan, Mind, motor, of, Over, Plymouth, Red, Straight, tone, two, UK 1 Comment »
This DE 36 DHC is not a product of the German parent of Mercedes Benz. The Daimler name was actually shared by two separate companies for a period of time, one the German company we all know and the other the oldest automotive marque from Britain. This car is the latter, and is one of just 6-7 DE 36s built. Under the hood lies a 5.4L straight 8 with 150hp, and at around 3 tons the DE was most certainly meant for relaxed cruising in style. This DE 36 DHC recently sold for a little over a half-a-million dollars in 2010. It was brilliant to see in person this summer, literally stopping me in my tracks when I saw it. Not many cars can outshine a Bentley S1 or various Rolls Royces that were around it, but this Daimler succeeded. This is automotive art like we no longer have today. Enjoy the pics.
Spotted! Nissan R34 Skyline GTR V-Spec, Woodward Ave, MI
Posted: July 9, 2012 Filed under: Exotics, Modded, SPOTTED! | Tags: Ave, Avenue, Birmingham, Car, Detroit, DETT, GTR, import, Inline, Japan, legal, MI, Michigan, Mind, motor, Motorex, NISMO, Nissan, Oak, OBD2, Over, R34, Rare, RB26, registration, Royal, six, Skyline, Spec, spotted, Test, turbo, Twin, US, V, wheels, Woodward 4 Comments »
Nissan R34 Skyline GTR
This is a genuine R34 Skyline GTR spotted on US soil. I saw it drive by while I was in Birmingham, and then I was able to find it later on Woodward Ave. It has a legitimate US registration and was imported legally through Motorex while they were still in operation. It has remained a US legal car because it was used as a test car for updating Skylines to OBD2 specifications. This may well be the cleanest R34 Skyline in the United States, certainly the cleanest one I have seen in person. The owner was very cool and happily showed me around the car. It also has only Nismo modifications on it, so this R34 is the equivalent of a numbers matching muscle car for Skylines; very special these days when everyone wants too much horsepower at the expense of all else. It attracted a decent amount of attention, but not as much as I would have figured because most folks around here are all about muscle cars. I was fortunate enough to have some unobstructed photo time with this beautiful R34, so I got some great shots (the fact that it was sunset helped too). Enjoy the pics.
Test Driven: Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Turbo
Posted: May 11, 2012 Filed under: Green & Economical, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.4, 1.8, Abarth, back, Chevrolet, Chevy, Compact, Cooper, Drive, Fiat, four, front, General, GM, Hatch, Hot, Inline, LTZ, manual, Mind, Mini, motor, Motors, Over, review, RS, S, SONIC, Test, Transmission, turbo, wheel 1 Comment »
Chevy Sonic LTZ Turbo
The Chevy Sonic comes from a line of shamelessly terrible econo-boxes. The first generation Aveo made car lovers cringe every time they saw one, and the Sonic is its replacement. So, things don’t look good for the Sonic if its family tree is anything to go by, but thankfully it seems the Sonic was adopted. Up front I will tell you that this car is a vast improvement, and tangible evidence of GM’s improvement over the last few years. I had seen the Sonic at a few car shows, and I thought it was pretty cool for what it was, but other than that I never gave it too much consideration. Then I recently started seeing comparison tests in magazines pitting the Sonic against the Fiat 500 Abarth and the Mini Cooper S, which peaked my interest big time. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 1979 BMW E21 Alpina Clone
Posted: March 8, 2012 Filed under: Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1979, 2.8, 3.2, 6, 733i, Alpina, BMW, Classic, Clone, Drive, E21, German, I6, Inline, L., Luxury, M30, Mind, motor, Over, review, six, Sport, Test, USA 1 Comment »
BMW E21 Alpina Clone
When you drive a lot of modern cars it is cool to also try out some of the older cars that preceded them. Doing this allows you to appreciate where everything in the newer cars has come from over time. My friend Nick C is very into older BMWs, and he has a pretty unique 1979 E21 3 Series Alpina Clone. It has been a bit of a project for him, but once he got the car running right he agreed to let me take it out for a spin. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Volvo S60 R
Posted: February 3, 2012 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 2.5, 300hp, 5, advice, all, AWD, consumer, Drive, Inline, L., manual, Mind, motor, Over, owned, Pre, R, review, S60, Sedan, stick, Swedish, Test, turbo, Used, V70, Volvo, wheel Leave a comment »
Volvo S60 R
The first time I heard about the Volvo S60/V70 R was at their factory in Gothenburg, Sweden back in 2003. My family and I were there on a European delivery trip to pick up my Mom’s new Volvo S80 Executive. The Volvo representative showed us this beautiful turquoise V70 R with a stunning oxblood interior and informed us of its impressive details. I remember being thrilled to hear that Volvo was going to be making a legitimate performance car that would take on Audi and BMW. So, in 2011 with Mind Over Motor up and rolling, I decided it was time to go try out an S60 R and see what it was like from 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 »
Road Review: Nick’s 1993 Mazda MX5 Miata
Posted: December 15, 2011 Filed under: Photography by Dan Valanzola, Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.6, 1992, 1993, 4, 92, 93, Beat, Car, Cat, catback, Convertible, Cruising, driving, exhaust, Flyin, four, full, fun, girly, great, handling, HFC, Inline, joy, magnaflow, Mazda, Miata, Mind, mine, motor, my, N1, NA, Over, own, photos, racing, review, Roadster, Sport, Sports, stage 2, Suspension, Test, Thoughts 1 Comment »
My ’93 Mazda Miata
The Mazda Miata is, in many ways, a controversial car among auto enthusiasts. On one hand it has a huge enthusiast following and is one of the best selling sports cars of all time, and on the other hand there are many people who wouldn’t call it a sports car at all. The later often likes to stigmatize the Miata as a “girls car” that is more of a fashion accessory than a driving machine. For a while I was one of those people, I thought the Miata was too slow to offer any excitement. However, a few years ago, I got my hands on EVO Magazine’s piece on the 100 greatest driver’s cars of all time and I was shocked to see the Miata in the top ten. I read their reasoning on their choice, and their general thoughts on the car. They said it was like many faster sports cars, but the whole experience is in slow motion, and that it really allows you to both savor the experience of driving and work on your technique. My mind was forever changed about the Miata, so much so that I decided to buy one a few months later to have as a fun second car. I have now owned it for around a year and a half, and have tried to sum the car up for you below. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR
Posted: October 27, 2011 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 10, 4, 4B11, aftermarket, all, Car, charged, cornering, cylinder, DCT, Drive, evolution, four, Inline, Lancer, Mind, Mitsubishi, modifications, motor, MR, Over, paddle, Rally, review, Sedan, shift, Test, turbo, wheel, x 3 Comments »
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR
The great Evo in all of its glory, is not a car most dealers will let people test drive. I however lucked out and played the situation to my advantage and was able to get behind the wheel of a gorgeous dark gray Evo X MR equipped with the Dual Clutch SS-T transmission. This particular Evo also had some light mods including a gutted cats and a chip, but was otherwise stock. Read the rest of this entry »
Stagnant products, not lack of demand
Posted: August 30, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 348, 911, 964, Acura, appeal, demand, engine, Esprit, Ferrari, Honda, I4, Inline, lack, Lotus, manual, Mazda, Mind, model, motor, NSX, Over, Porsche, Roadster, Rotary, RX8, S2000, trnasmission, unchanged Leave a comment »
All of these great cars share a common problem.
With the Mazda RX8 being phased out this year for reasons concerning a “lack of demand”, one must wonder what has gone wrong. The RX8 is a car that had some pretty decent sales numbers early on. Its sports car dynamics with a practical twist gave it much appeal for many people. Yet, today, in 2011, the demand has fizzled out, and I expect the reason is similar to two past offerings from Honda that shared a similar fate. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2007 Honda S2000
Posted: August 11, 2011 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 237, 240, 247, 4, AP1, AP2, Car, Convertible, Drive, F20C, F22C, four, fun, Honda, hp, Inline, JDM, Mind, Mind over motor, motor, Over, Roadster, S2000, Sports, Test Leave a comment »
Honda S2000 (AP2)
When the S2000 came on the scene it was hailed by much of the media as being one of the best affordable sports cars money could buy. Having tried one out, I would have to agree wholeheartedly. The S2000 offers everything you would want from a pure roadster, a lot like a Mazda Miata, but it is a much more serious performance car all around. Honda has a long history of racing and when they decide to really make a proper car, it shows. It is just a shame they don’t make more cars like the S2000, and that they stopped its production altogether in 2009, with no successor yet planned. Read the rest of this entry »
Spotted! Lotus Esprit, Pennington, NJ
Posted: July 25, 2011 Filed under: Classics, Exotics, SPOTTED! | Tags: 007, 4, Bagel, Bond, engine, Esprit, experience, Inline, James, Jersey, Lotus, Mind over motor, new, NJ, Pennington, S1, S2, spotted 2 Comments »
Lotus Esprit
Seen outside Pennington Bagel Experience. Im not sure if it’s a first or second generation. I’ve had mixed opinions from the people I have shown, and I am not an expert myself in this case. Either way it is a truly stunning car. I saw the shape from across the parking lot and had to come take a look at it. The car was in very good condition too. Read the rest of this entry »
