I sold the Miata to Nick because I had started looking at American cars with a muscle flavor that were in my price range, since I was always into old-school power. This car wants to run for President, and it was made right here in the United States. Continue reading Nick bought my Miata. So I bought a piece of American history. Say hello to the U.S.S. Lincoln.
Dear Grandma,
As you know, I took home a 1993 Mazda Miata on January 14, 2015. Everyone in the family loved the car, and I was a happy man, learning the tricks to the trade of owning an older car and learning how to some small work on a car instead of relying on the dealers and mechanics around the area. On April 16, 2016, that came to an end when I sold it to Nick, who you never met but knew as someone who was a mirror image of your car-addicted grandson. But this is not the end of my letter. It is merely the beginning. Continue reading My 1993 Mazda Miata: Saying Goodbye To “Sara”
Festivals of Speed is a fun little event that happens just down the road from the Omni at Amelia Island. The cars that show up at this event are quite varied and this year ranged from a tasteful Toyota Supra Turbo to a truly mental Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG 6×6. Luckily for us, there was plenty of cars to go around. Drawing my eye cooking in the Florida sunlight was a drop-dead stunning old Ford. Continue reading 1954 Ford Sunliner Custom at the 2016 Amelia Island Festivals of Speed
As all of you know, Roadkill is basically what happens when two guys who know old cars have money to burn and too much free time on their hands. After a few months off, Roadkill is back and this time, Finnegan and Freiburger travel up to Colorado to pick up a custom-built Ford tow truck with a big block V8, converted 4WD, and plenty of floor holes. They then learn what happens when snow packs up a radiator and disallows the engine from warming up. Welcome back, Roadkill. We missed you. I do hope to see this new tow truck appear in more episodes–it’s quite a cool piece of engineering.
-Albert S. Davis
Richard Petty truly is the King. Say what you want about King George, or King Midas, or King Felipe VI. But, to me, Richard Petty will always be The King. Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Chrysler Corporation ruled NASCAR with a lethally fast combination of the aero-bodied Charger 500, Superbird, and Charger Daytona, all of which were powered by the unstoppable 426 Hemi. They were so dominant, in fact, that in 1971, NASCAR handed the boys from Auburn Hills an ultimatum–either get rid of the aero body or drop the Hemi. Chrysler responded accordingly, by putting the 426 in the newly-rebodied Road Runner and Charger for the 1971 season. Petty, as per tradition, took the keys to this #43 Corporate Blue Road Runner and drove it for the entirety of that season. Continue reading 1971 Plymouth Road Runner, raced by Richard Petty, at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours
The New York Auto Show finished its run on Sunday evening and was home to a multitude of concept and full debuts, including Lincoln’s Navigator concept (complete with a massive gullwing door) and Mazda’s MX-5 Targa Retractable. This year, the show wasn’t nearly as glitzy as previous years, but I had an enjoyable day all the same. Although I wasn’t intent on taking as many photos (as I had spent a massive amount of time at L.A. a few months back), there was still plenty to see. Fiat showed off the new 124 Abarth, and Porsche had the 911R on display for all to see, just ahead of the new 718 Boxster roadster. Enjoy the brief gallery of what was on display this past week, with some more to follow. Continue reading New York International Auto Show General Gallery
When it comes to Trans-Am racing, the first car most people think of isn’t what you’re staring at right now. In fact, it’s usually a blue and yellow Chevrolet Camaro, which is of course one of the most highly celebrated Trans-Am cars of all time. If you think of a Mopar, a Challenger may come to mind before one of these. However, Dan Gurney and his cronies crafted three ‘Cudas–and this one is one of those three, and after some further research, this is a car with some technology that could rival the infamous Smokey Yunick. Continue reading Dan Gurney’s #42 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours
At Amelia, there’s quite a lot going on and if you blink, you will miss a lot. The show over at one of the other large hotels, the Festivals of Speed, was in full swing on Saturday afternoon in the ultra-strong Florida sun, and I discovered a few cars at the show which I’m unlikely to ever see again. One of them was a 6×6 Mercedes-Benz, which I will cover at a later date. This car, however, is one that almost no one has ever heard of, unless they’ve lived in Japan and had some obscenely wealthy friends (or friends in the Yakuza). Meet the Toyota Century–or the Japanese equivalent of a Maybach, from the Eighties. Continue reading 1990 Toyota Century at the 2016 Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island
While awaiting my turn to take the new Alfa Romeo 4C for a spin around Amelia Island, Nick walked on ahead as I took in the scenery for a very brief second. Said scenery was very hippie-tastic, in the form of this stunning old VW Bus. The Volkswagen Type 2 has exploded in popularity over the past few years and the 21-window variant pictured here is the real showstopper of the entire line, with an airy cabin and groovy paint. While it certainly won’t keep up on the road with similar-era Porsches or Mercedes, it will certainly grab equal attention in the valet lot at dinner–and it can definitely be the life of the party, both when you arrive, and on the way home.
Spotted by: Albert S. Davis
Yesterday, Nick posted the Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, at Amelia last week. Today, we have the other Best of Show winner from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. This is the Concours d’Elegance Best Of Show winner–a stunning Rolls-Royce Phantom II. I’ve been across a very large amount of prewar Rolls since I started covering Concours events in September 2010, but nothing quite like this monster. Continue reading 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 2016 Amelia Island Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance
Of all cars at the Amelia Island Concours, celebrity-owned cars get a good share of attention. However, a hippie-themed old Porsche was grabbing more attention than other cars it sat among. This 1964 356C was custom-painted and themed by Joplin over the years to describe better her artistic style within her own life as well as within her music. After her death due to a heroin overdose in 1970, the car was passed between a few different individuals, before ending up in the posession of her manager. The car spent a period of time at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recent years, and was sold to a private collection late last year. Out on the show field, this particular 356 had onlookers gaing at its incredible detailing and one-of-a-kind finish. I don’t expect to ever see anything like this car again for some time, and people asked questions about it non-stop. Enjoy the photos of this timeless legend. Continue reading Janis Joplin’s Porsche 356 at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
I don’t go to nighttime car meets that often, only because I’m not a big part of the scene in my local area. Luckily, it seems that the scene is more noticable south of my area than it is near where I live, and the Old Bridge car guys organized a great meet right by a good friend’s house. This meet had a little bit of everything, from a restored 1966 Chrysler Newport to a Buick Grand National, to a Hellcat, to a pair of very loud (and rather fun) old ex-police Crown Vics. Much fun was had, even though I couldn’t get dinner at Friendly’s due to the line and the fact that the Old Bridge PD shut it down after about 3 hours. I’ll definitely show up to the next event, and hopefully the Miata’s top will be replaced after the rear window exploded. Enjoy the short selection of photos from the event.
Mind Over Motor 