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.
A Prius, a Veyron, and an MP4-12C walk into a bar…
Posted: February 22, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: 0-60, 12C, 458, acceleration, audacious, Birdman, Bugatti, Car, Celebrity, Chris Harris, Cruise, culture, dollars, Driver, fake, Ferrari, hired, Horsepower, Italia, Mclaren, million, Mind, motor, MP4, MP4-12C, mpg, Nick, numbers, ostentatious, Over, Pop, Price, Prius, review, ruin, speed, Sport, Status, sticker, Super, Symbol, Tom, top, Veyron, Walker, Window 1 Comment »
Tom Cruise and his Veyron on the red carpet
That is a silly title, I know, but it does beg the question as to why I would put those three specific cars together at all? The answer lies in how they all have a similar reason for their existence, to be a number. Each was meant to achieve some specific measure of performance that would define the car to the world. While all three have been successful in achieving their tangible goals they have all wound up becoming relics of a more regimented and boring existence. They all cater to an increasingly soulless and superficial world where people judge everything from a bunch of numbers on sheet of paper or a computer screen, and not so much from actual experiences. Read the rest of this entry »
Calling out Hennessey’s absurdity
Posted: January 10, 2012 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 000, 1000hp, 1300hp, 235, 8, 800hp, dollars, Engineering, GT, Hennessey, HPE, HPE800, Jeep, John, million, Mind, Mind over motor, motor, off, Over, Performance, priced, rip, SRT, supercar, Texas, Venom, Viper 2 Comments »
Hennessey Venom GT
I first learned of Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) as a kid when my ultimate dream car was the Dodge Viper. Back then they made the baddest Viper around, the 800 Twin Turbo, and it took the spot at the top of my wish list for a time. Since then, HPE continues to build the craziest Vipers around, and has branched out to build modifications for many other types of cars as well. They have made quite a name for themselves in the aftermarket industry, surely as one of the best in the business. Recently though, they released their first car of their own, the Venom GT, and this is where I started to see some issues that needed to be called out. Read the rest of this entry »
