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.
Concours d’ Elegance of America: Lancia Stratos HF
Posted: August 21, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, EVENTS / PLACES, SHOWCASE | Tags: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 2012, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, America, Championship, Concours, d', Detroit, Dino, Elegance, HF, Italian, Lancia, MI, Michigan, Mind, motor, of, Over, Plymouth, Rally, Stratos, V6, World Leave a comment »
Lancia Stratos at the Concours d’ Elegance of America outside Detroit. The Stratos is a rare Italian rally homologation from the 1970s.. Its striking design was penned by Bertone, and its power came from the same 2.4L Ferrari V6 found in the 246 Dino. Weighing just 2100lbs it made the most of its 192hp, with racing versions winning the World Rally Champioship in 1974, 1975, and 1976. A total of 492 Stratos’ were produced in total. This is only the 2nd one I have ever seen in person, enjoy the pics.
Front wheel drive BMWs mark the end of an era
Posted: August 2, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: 1, 1M, 3, 5, 7, an, Auto, BMW, brand, compromise, Drive, end, era, front, FWD, image, M, M1, M3, M5, M6, Mind, motor, of, out, Over, Paris, Reputation, ruined, sell, show, wheel, X3, X5, X6 4 Comments »
The sun sets on the legendary M5
By now most of us car folks know that BMW has been working on a line of front wheel drive cars, but today it has basically become official. I saw on Jalopnik that BMW will launch their first front drive car at the Paris Motor Show later this year. For me this marks the end of an era for BMW because they have finally made the commitment to stray from the ideals that made their great name. This is on top the fact that their entire line of cars has been getting bigger, heavier, and softer in recent years. In my opinion there are also no “true” M cars right now either, as all of the current ones put luxury as the priority over proper driving dynamics, when traditionally it was the other way around (see the fake engine noises in the M5). BMW has been going soft for some time now, whilst catering to the yuppy, poser crowd that just wants a status symbol in their driveway; the same people who buy X6s, X3s and whatnot. I see this as the end of an era for BMW because by making a front drive car they are showing their priority commitment to this plastic sort of customer at the expense of the brand’s own established identity and their previous customer base. BMW has always been about driving pleasure, now they are more about being a fashion accessory; going a similar route Toyota did back in the early 00s with the “green” stuff. They will likely be financially successful, but the BMW brand will have lost its significant reputation, in favor of becoming a cliché trademark of superficial and insincere culture. Cherish the memories folks, as there were some really great times over the years.
PS: Buy late model M cars soon because they will likely all be appreciating within a few years. I could’ve had an E30 M3 for 7k when I first got my license, now I’m kicking myself.
-Nick
How the cars of Forza Motorsport 4 are made
Posted: February 15, 2012 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: 4, Cars, Forza, Making, Mind, motor, Motorsport, of, Over, testing Leave a comment »Here is a look inside the process of making a car as realistic as possible in the virtual world of Forza Motorsport. As an avid Forza player myself I found this very cool. Enjoy.
-Nick
Maybach: Time to hit the old dusty trail (Nick’s Take)
Posted: November 29, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 5th, bankrupt, Benz, business, Dead, Discontinued, fail, finished, gear, Limo, Luxury, Maybach, Mercedes, Mind, motor, of, out, Over, Rolls, Royce, turbo, Twin, ultra, V12 Leave a comment »
The Mercedes Maybach in all of it's exuberant glory
I have always been a fan of the Maybach since Mercedes brought the brand back in the early 2000’s. I much preferred it’s sleek design to the over bearing brick that is the Rolls Royce Phantom. I liked the limitless options list, and the fact that the 62’s rear seats could be fully reclined (still the most comfortable car I have been in by far). I also loved that the car was offered in two tone color schemes; something there is not enough of these days. Evidently I am in the minority though, because Mercedes has just announced this week that they will be ceasing Maybach production after the 2013 model year. This news came as an initial shock to me, largely because I like the car so much, but I have given some thought as to why it has failed. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, Nick’s Take
Posted: October 6, 2011 Filed under: High End & Exotic, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: Beach, BMW, boy, British, California, Carmel, Concours, Convertible, Coupe, d', Drive, Drophead, ecstasy, Elegance, elite, english, Expensive, Luxury, Mind, Monterey, motor, of, Over, Pebble, Phantom, play, rich, Rolls, Royce, spirit, Standard, Status, Symbol, Test, the, toy, vert, World 1 Comment »
Phantom DHC
This is the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, it is hard to even say it’s name without sneering a bit. It’s big, it’s expensive, and it tells you right away that it’s better than you. This car has always been peculiar to me for a variety of reasons because it is just so over the top, and lacks any tangible point in its existence. Needless to say though, when I was handed the keys to this half-million dollar land yacht I was beyond thrilled to be given the privilege to take it for a spin. Read the rest of this entry »
The 2011 Radnor Hunt Concours d’ Elegance
Posted: September 26, 2011 Filed under: EVENTS / PLACES | Tags: 100, 2011, 365, 500, Aventador, Bentley, Cars, Competizione, Concours, d', E-Type, Elegance, Ferrari, Hispano, Hunt, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mind, Mondial, motor, of, Over, PA, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Radnor, XJ220, XK120 Leave a comment »
We were in attendance for this year’s Radnor Hunt Concours d’ Elegance outside Philadelphia, PA. It was a great turnout and there were some very stunning cars there as always. Radnor Hunt is a beautiful setting to hold a Councours. It is set in the beautiful PA countryside and the elegance of nature shows off the beauty of the cars quite well. Read the rest of this entry »
Obscure Autos: Ferrari 456 Venice variants
Posted: September 19, 2011 Filed under: Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE | Tags: 456, Autos, Brunei, Cabriolet, custom, Estate, Ferrari, GT, Mind, motor, Obscure, of, Over, Saloon, Sedan, Spyder, Sultan, Venice, Wagon Leave a comment »
Ferrari 456 variants
The Ferrari 456 is a member of a long line of Ferrari grand touring cars. It had a sleek, pure shape to it and was one of the last production cars to feature pop-up headlights. A good many of the standard 456s were produced during it’s eleven year run, and today they are even among the more affordable used Ferraris out there. There were, however, a few other variants of the 456 produced for customers (mainly the Brunei royal family) upon special request. These custom built examples are quite rare and are among the most unique cars around. Read the rest of this entry »
Evolution of the Porsche 911, introducing the 991
Posted: September 3, 2011 Filed under: Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE | Tags: 911, 991, evolution, Mind, motor, of, Over, Porsche, video Leave a comment »This video shows the evolution of the Porsche 911 from the 1960s all the way up to the new 991 model. The greatest sports car in history just keeps improving.
-Nick
Why Lincoln is in serious trouble
Posted: August 17, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: action, Auto, bad, be, business, Car, Cars, course, dealer, demise, difficulties, done, failing, Ford, Lincoln, Luxury, Mind, MKS, MKT, MKX, MKZ, motor, Navigator, of, Over, Problem, Sales, should, Town, What, woes 2 Comments »
Is a joke
Ford has made some great improvements over the past few years, however they have still not gotten it through their heads that Lincoln, their “luxury” division, is in need of a serious overhaul. Ford killed the Mercury brand last year, a great move in my opinion because Mercury was 100% pointless in the market. Lincoln is in a similar situation though, a luxury brand that doesn’t have many relevant cars. The auto industry is rapidly globalizing, and with that comes standards in each segment, as of right now Lincoln meets none of them in the luxury segment. Read the rest of this entry »
The Clutch Pedal’s Decline
Posted: August 2, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: 5, 6, 7, an, automotive, Balboni, box, clutch, decline, Drive, driving, DSG, end, era, Evo, evolution, F1, Ferrari, fun, gear, Lamborghini, Lancer, manual, Mazda, Miata, Mitsubishi, MX5, of, paddle, pedal, purist, sequential, shift, skill, SMG, speed, technology, to, Transmission 1 Comment »
For the entire existence of the automobile, the manual transmission has been the choice for maximum performance and efficiency. It was the enthusiast’s choice because it gave the driver much more control over a car than did an automatic. The manual transmission has served the same function for around a century, but now things are changing big time. Read the rest of this entry »
