Jason Cammisa’s first video with MT is here, and he’s got a Porsche Cayman GT4, and lots of time on his hands. I’ll miss watching Carlos–but Jason’s really excellent, and his wheelman skills are prevalent. Watch this–the Cayman GT4 is an excellent car, and here it gets its due.
-Albert S. Davis
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Armstrong-Siddeley is a brand that not a lot of people in America are familiar with. I can put myself in that category as well. The Star Sapphire was one of the last products the company made, a full 55 years ago. The conservative, held-back styling is a penchant of British tastes after the end of the Second World War, and it has aged rather well. This is the newest of all Armstrong-Siddeleys, and that is only because this was also the final Star Sapphire ever produced. Continue reading 1960 Armstrong-Siddeley Star Sapphire Saloon at the 2015 Elegance at Hershey
It’s late July. You’ve just gotten back from the latest business meeting, and the Mets traded for Cespedes today. You’ve got five hundred bucks burning a hole in your pocket, and a friend says, Odds are 100-1 on the Mets being in first place within a week of the trade. And because you won the bet, you’ve got $500,000 to spend on some cars. But, since you work full time, you’d better buy one car for each day of your work week. New cars and used are allowed–but used cars need to be within 200 miles of Central Jersey. Here’s the answers, both from me, and from Nick. Continue reading The Price Game: Mets Extra Edition!
It’s kind of difficult to find nice cars in Long Beach Island, where I was all week last week. But, my patience eventually paid off. I like old Jeeps–they’re often modified so finding an un-molested one like this was a bit of a treat. I was eating ice cream when I saw it, and hastily finished my patriotic-sprinkled Cookie Dough waffle cone in time to shoot some photos of this before heading down the island for dinner. This CJ5 looks quite spiffy with its solid-white-letter tires, pristine softop and soft-doors, and full wheel covers. If anyone can spot the year, hit the comments and tell us!
-Spotted by Albert S. Davis
Until last month, I’d never been to Detroit. Nick kept telling me as we got closer and closer to the Motor City that the cruise-in scene on weekend nights was absolutely my sort of thing, and I was stoked. Of course, Mother Nature had other ideas. After Nick, Shane, and I got drenched in a freak thunderstorm that gave us the best rainbow I’d seen in a decade, I looked around at the cars that did manage to show up–and I wasn’t disappointed. Continue reading Royal Oak Shell Cruise-In, July 25, 2015.
The BRZ and the new Miata are similar in that they are both bona-fide sports cars for less than the cost of a well-optioned Toyota Camry. They’re also both blessed with four cylinders, rear-wheel-drive, and a sporting chassis with good build quality. Carlos Lago takes both of them to the streets in this episode of Head 2 Head. Notable as well is that this was Carlos’s last film work with Motor Trend–he’s outdone himself. Then, he hands the narration off to Randy Pobst. Take 25 minutes on your lunch break, and watch this–but listen to what both have to say. I’m revealing nothing. I still want to drive both back-to-back myself, but this taught me a lot of what the ND has to offer against the BRZ.
-Albert S. Davis
The 1955-1957 Thunderbird was the first and last of its kind amongst Ford’s flagship. Ford chased after the new Corvette and didn’t do a bad job at all at first, but then suddenly changed course. After 1957, Ford went to the Squarebird, which stretched out to become a four-seater and lost the style and panache of the first-generation model. Arguably the cleanest lines of the bunch belong to the ’57, which eschewed the continental kit and rocket-style taillights for a cleaner tail, and did the same to the rocket-style bumper enhancements up front. This red one, seen in Warren last month, really is one of the cleanest examples I’ve seen, with its stunning Jersey tomato red finish and off-white steel wheels. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1957 Ford Thunderbird in Warren NJ Cruise-In
When I say Kammback, the Pontiac Firebird is not a car anyone thinks of. People will think of it if I say phrases like “Screaming Chicken”, “Mullet”, “Eighties”, and my personal favorite, “Drunk Teenager Crashed It Into a Telephone Pole”. Well, this one lacks the drunken teenager and the Screaming Chicken, but it makes up for it with much added Kammback style. Nick and Shane took one look at this thing and said “Albert, this one’s all yours.” I gladly obliged. Continue reading 1985 Pontiac Trans Am Kammback at the 2015 Concours of America
As all of you know, Nick, Shane, and I were all out having a road trip through Detroit, MI this past weekend for the Concours of America at St. John’s. Before we did that, though, Nick saw the Cadillac CT6 pre-production car drive past our dinner spot at Duggan’s on Woodward Avenue. After checking out the car scene on Woodward later that evening, we drove over to Birmingham and looked for something to do. As it turned out, there was a camouflaged Chevrolet sitting on Martin Avenue, by the park. After shooting it, I took some time to figure out what it might be, and based on the size and shape of the windows, and the grille inserts, I’m pretty sure that this is the new Cruze. Considering GM’s headquarters is just less than 20 miles from where we were, it’s a safe bet that this is probably the Cruze. Continue reading 2016 Chevrolet Cruze SPIED in Birmingham, MI!
Monday morning, I go out to start the Subaru Legacy GT, back in early December 2014. It’s cold outside and I’m in no mood to deal with things going wrong. I’m greeted by an angry-looking little red light on the dashboard shaped like a battery. When it’s getting colder outside, this is the one light I wish didn’t exist. Too bad. My alternator had started to fail, and fail it did, just 12 hours later. I got a tan Forester as a loaner, which was miles better than calling a cab that smelled like pee for five days. Continue reading 2015 Subaru Forester Reviewed (Grade: B)
Miuras are gorgeous cars. When it launched, nothing else on the road could possibly hope to catch it on a top-speed run. This was a car capable of over 180MPH in 1968, which no other car came close to at the time. This 1969 model was here in all its Bertone-bodied glory at Hershey last month. Continue reading 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400S at the Elegance at Hershey, 2015
My brother Matt and his fiancee Rachel saw this parked in the fire department’s garage on Balboa Island, in Newport Beach. It’s a 1920 American LaFrance fire engine in absolutely beautiful condition. While it’s not up to the task of fighting fires anymore, this stunning fire engine is probably a massive hit with the little kids and kids at heart at every parade in town. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1920 American LaFrance Newport Beach Fire Engine spotted in Balboa Island, Newport Beach
Mind Over Motor 