What will always strike me about Lancia is just how good they look, even as a normal sort of car. This ’68 Fulvia sat next to a contemporary Ferrari 330 2+2, and still held its own for styling. This isn’t a supercar. It’s not even really supposed to be a sports-styled car of its era. But the eggshell white paint, tasteful minimum of chrome trim, and pert headlights and taillights accent the sharp body lines and bring out the best of the flair that the stylist of the Fulvia put in place. Of all the Italian cars in attendance at Scarsdale last week, this one was my #2, behind the silver 275 GTB (more on that next week) sitting down the street. Enjoy the photos of this offbeat Italian classic. Continue reading 1968 Lancia Fulvia Series 1 at the 2016 Scarsdale Concours→
In the video we feature here today, the former Top Gear hosts return to the screen in a preview for their new show on Amazon Prime, called The Grand Tour. This will definitely be a great show–with more freedom of creativity given to the presenters and less regulation on what they can say, I fully expect mayhem. Here, each one takes a C7 Corvette around the track and answers trivia questions while behind the wheel. Every wrong answer results in a 1 second penalty. Watch to find out who wins!
At Lime Rock this year, I had no idea what to expect, this being my first time attending. What I really didn’t expect was to see a slick black ’57 Cadillac sitting on the field, much less one owned by Skip Barber. This being an enormous, fab-Fifties convertible, it doesn’t make much sense to me that Skip would own one of these, but I’m glad he does, since this car is very tasteful. The black paint and red leather seats go together perfectly, while the parade boot adds a touch of pomp and circumstance–exactly what every 50s Caddy needs. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz at the 2016 Lime Rock Concours→
In this newest episode of Ignition, Jason Cammisa nails it yet again–this time with the new Porsche 911R. It’s not as fast as a GT3, it costs as much as three Dodge Challenger Hellcats, and it’s already completely sold out. It’s not the most methodically quick 911 around–but it has the cojones where it counts, and exists to thrill its driver to the core. It may lack the insanity of the GT brothers and sisters in its own lineup, but it makes up for it by being a complete party animal. It’s like the class clown who gets A minuses and B plusses in class, but buys a round of drinks after final exams and graduates with honors. In other words, this 911R is a true class act.
Bright yellow works on a good many cars. But eye-scorching, retina-searing yellow works even better on the Shelby GT500KR. This is one of the most over-the-top garish colors I’ve ever seen, and in the sunlight it pops like nothing I’ve seen in some time. Packing a 428 cubic inch big-block Ford V8 coupled to a four-speed heavy-duty manual transmission, the GT500KR was an expensive thrill ride for the fortunate and knowing few who could get their hands on one. I imagine whoever first ordered this car had zero shame and feared no one. Enjoy the photos of this gorgeous old-school rock star car. Continue reading 1968 Shelby GT500KR at Lime Rock→
On our way home from Lime Rock (where Nick saw yesterday’s featured Purple People Eater Hellcat), Shane and I were right behind him and saw this mean triple-black 1971 model, featuring massive tires and an exhaust note that could drown out a jungle cat. I may like the Hellcat, but I prefer the classic E-body to the newer designs.
A Dodge Spirit does not belong in a Concours. It belongs in a Cars and Coffee if and only if Grandma Mildred or Grandpa Irving need to make a morning run to the local Pathmark to get fresh bread before the grandchildren show up. However, what you’re staring at today is not a normal Dodge Spirit. Carroll Shelby (may he rest in peace) got ahold of this one, and managed to turn a pereniall snore-mobile into one of Chrysler’s more eclectic fast sedans. Continue reading 1991 Dodge Spirit R/T at the Radnor Hunt Car Corral→
Just as I was leaving the Radnor Hunt Concours this past sunday, this brown V8 Camaro was sitting beneath a far tree at the end of the lot. Sometimes, a randomly parked classic car can create its own backdrop, and this is definitely a strong example of such.
Jason Cammisa doesn’t skip a beat from the downbeat on this bass-addled (the music is excellent in this episode of Ignition) comparison test. The Miata and its new, somewhat attractive sister, the Fiat 124 Spider, are put against one another to figure out which is a superior product. I personally love the ND Miata so I would rather have that–but here in the USA, we have freedom of choice. So, which one is really best? Take a little time and have a watch.
According to the salesman at your local Chevrolet dealer, this car officially does not exist. Of course, if you asked the right questions and greased the right palms, anything was possible back in 1969. According to the options lists, a Camaro could not be sold with any engine larger than 400 cubic inches. But, thanks to the Central Office Production Order system, anything was possible back in the day. The result was this monster, the COPO Camaro, as it came to be known. Continue reading 1969 Chevrolet Camaro 427 COPO at the Lime Rock Concours→
While riding home from Lime Rock, Shane and I spotted this little white sports car about to exit Interstate 287 near the local rock quarry in Pompton Lakes. This is a late Seventies era Lancia Scorpion, which was a poor seller in the USA and therefore hardly-seen. It was at the show earlier in the day–but for some reason my camera’s watchful eye failed to catch it. Enjoy the shots of this late-era Italian classic.
Seen by Michelle Eilers, my brother’s girlfriend, on the campus of Princeton University, this black-and-white photo is actually an orange Lotus Elise she came across while out on a walk. Nice spot, Michelle!
Mind Over Motor 