So, Buick has this great advertising line with some doddering old ladies, where one of them says to the other, “That’s not a Buick!” and the other retorts with simply “That’s what I told him!” Well, let’s be honest here–that’s a comment which hasn’t held water well in the past three years, as the current lineup still has a resemblance to teh products on the market as late as 2007-2008, which weren’t any good. The design was stale, the platforms were outdated, and, other than the new (at the time) Enclave SUV, the appeal was rather limited. Luckily, I think now that advertisement has finally come to fruition, and the new Avista proves that the new design language is here to stay. Continue reading The Buick Avista–That’s definitely not a Buick!→
Last year, Buick launched a concept car that my buddy Chris and I spent a long time staring at. Its name was the Avenir, and we were convinced that we’d never see the company ever put its design language on the street. Luckily for us, Buick put its money where its mouth is, and gave us the new LaCrosse this year. Continue reading 2017 Buick Lacrosse at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show→
Six months back, Nick, Shane, and I were all in attendance at the 2015 Concours of America, over in Plymouth MI. Nick’s shown us all the highlights and I’ve done a few features on one or two muscle cars and a set of dry-lake race cars, as well as a very unique Corvette. However, nothing gets in front of Best of Show, and at this show, one award is given to the best American car, and one is given to the best imported car. The winners this year genuinely embody the best of what the pre-war world of cars had to offer 80 years ago. Continue reading Best Of Show Winners from the 2015 Concours of America at St. John’s→
Feast your eyes on the king of Plymouth stock cars. Back in 1970, Plymouth was racing in NASCAR, and the Dodge Charger Daytona was winning big the previous season. Of course, they wanted in on all the fun, and the top brass was only more than happy to oblige, gifting them the Superbird. The nose cone, massive rear wing, and flush rear window all contributed to a massive aerodynamic advantage at the time–allowing these cars to break to nearly 200 MPH on the oval tracks of the day when equipped with the 426 Hemi. They were so dominant that NASCAR got sick of seeing Mother Mopar basically destroy everybody every Sunday afternoon, so 1971 brought in a rule change that forced Plymouth and Dodge to either ditch the aero body or ditch the Hemi–effectively dumping cold water on the party. Continue reading 1970 Plymouth Superbird at the 2015 Concours of America at St John’s→
Roadkill is probably my favorite YouTube show at this point–and even when the post a video on Christmas Day, people still watch it. This time, they take the stock car that’s been hinted at for the entire series on-and-off (which their lawyers refused to let them put on the street for very obvious legal reasons), and make a “street legal” car out of it, by way of using a body with a VIN and a license plate, and dropping it on the chassis. They then take it to a dirt track–but I’m going to say no more so you, dear viewer, can find out what happens.
The new Giulia is probably Alfa Romeo’s most important product launch of the past decade. Twenty years ago, Alfa left the American market, and for the first time, there’s hope that the brand is back and can compete on a mass-market level with this product. The Giulia shown at L.A. was the top of the line Quadrifoglio series, complete with a snarling V6 (they wouldn’t start it up for me, but we’ve heard it before on spy videos and it does sound great), six-speed manual, and stunning styling. I can’t wait to see this at dealerships, and I can give a full guarantee that I’ll do whatever is necessary to get behind the wheel of one when the chance arises. Until then, enjoy the photos–Alfa is back and they mean it. Continue reading Alfa Giulia at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show→
Being at Lead East for the first time in 3 years was a great experience, even if I eventually ran out of steam and had a few issues getting good pictures thanks to the glare around the show. Luckily, that didn’t affect my chances of shooting this 1968 Plymouth Road Runner. Continue reading Sox and Martin 1968 Plymouth Road Runner Replica at Lead East, 2015→
On our way home from Radnor, Nick and I were looking for anything interesting on the highway, and this old Nova turned up making quite an entrance. I’m a sucker for the compact Chevy from the late Sixties and early Seventies–because of their low weight, a built small block or most mild big blocks can turn a rather ho-hum little car into a terrifying little rocket of a car. This brown one packed a loud V8 and traction bars underneath the leaf springs, as well as some sweet torq-thrust wheels and nicely-done white letter tires–all in all, a clean looking old Nova packing some punch. I genuinely wish I saw more of these.
At some point, I’ll make my way out to Las Vegas and attend SEMA. I’m a sucker for any well-modified car, and SEMA has morphed into a showcase for not only aftermarket, but also for OEM folks to show off their best ways to mess with the showroom guys. Mike Finnegan shows us his favorites, then goes out for a shootout between a few awesome classic Datsun 240Zs.
I’ve featured quite a few Chargers here at Mind Over Motor over the years, but I think this one might be the best one I’ve seen over my life. In 1968, Dodge took their Charger fastback coupe and gave it exclusive Coke-bottle styling, a tunneled rear window and grille, hidden headlights, a flip-top gas cap (taken right from the racing circuit), and a mean bumblebee stripe down the back. This one’s packing the baddest engine on the block–the 426 Hemi. Continue reading 1968 Dodge Charger R/T Hemi at the 2015 Radnor Hunt Concours→
Check out that 4×4!
Yup, you know what it is. I know what it is. For anyone who was a huge fan of Back to the Future, this car is a massive treat. Back in 1985, Marty returns to his present day after getting his parents back together, and returns to a wealthy family instead of his old lower-middle-class status. Much to his surprise, he opens the garage door and the very 1985 Toyota SR5 4×4 extended cab he sees at a gas station at the beginning of the movie is sitting right in front of him. Toyota used this car in October to help launch the new Mirai (which was also accounted for at L.A. this year), and made a total of 3 custom Tacomas to mark the day when Marty shows up in 2015. It certainly doesn’t fly–but Toyota nailed the modern execution of the old mini-truck. Continue reading Back to the Future Toyota Tacoma Custom at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show→
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