Jaguar has been, over the past five years, transformed dramatically. What was once a struggling, traditional English luxury car company with limited cash from a cash-strapped Ford Motor Company has been injected with fresh funding from Tata Motors and fresh talent from all over the industry. This half-decade has turned the brand into a styling powerhouse, with more than just a few great models on their stage. The XJ has been turned into a sleek animal of a flagship sedan, where a stodgy and outdated sedan once stood. The rise of the F-Type coupe and roadster mark the end of the line for the XK series, which despite its best efforts was always rather second fiddle to the king of its segment (I think it begins with the letter P). Finally, the XF has exorcised the demons of the frumpy and unappealing S-Type, for better much than for worse. However, I’m here to talk about the car that I think is going to bring the Jaguar name from an afterthought to the front of our minds: the new XE. Continue reading The Jaguar XE might be one of the most important launches from the brand in decades.→
When it comes to a Dodge Challenger, it doesn’t take a lot to get my attention. This particular Sam Posey ex-Trans Am 1970 racer had all the right bits to make me keep my eyes peeled for it. The lime-green paint scorched more than the 80+ high temperature of the day, while the fantastic side pipes, hooked up to a sweet-sounding Mopar small-block V8 provided a thundering soundtrack that added plenty of depth to the bellow of Trans-Am race cars that dominate the track at the end of the Saturday racing sessions at Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Although this car was here last year (and is apparently a regular visitor to the track during Monterey Car Week), it’s always a welcome sight, especially for a Mopar maniac like myself. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Sam Posey’s 1970 Dodge Challenger at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2014→
A Delage at Pebble Beach, to the seasoned, is not a surprise, nor is anything bodied by Figoni et Falaschi. The design house mixed with that automobile manufacturer is a match truly made in heaven, like mixing the best Chardonnay with the perfect high-end French meal. Delage is a well-known brand among the prewar automotive cognoscenti and the D6-70 shown here has a rich history. This is a car that may have won a concours event when new in 1936 and its unique coachwork and body style, coupled with the fetching paint combination, convinced me to stay a bit and take some photos. I wasn’t the only one captivated, either–the judges awarded this D6-70 the French Cup award and a Second In Class trophy for the European Classic Early class. It’s not the enormously entertaining D8-120, but it’s pint-size charm still holds plenty of classic appeal. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1936 Delage D6-70 Figoni et Falaschi Milord Cabriolet at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance→
Recently, I featured “Dodgezilla” on Mind Over Motor. Well, here’s another 1968 Dodge Charger, but this one is a completely different animal. It’s tame, bred in captivity, as opposed to being fed steroids through a funnel down the carb. This ’68 is a regular Charger with the 383 big block V8, a four-speed manual transmission, and all of the lines that made the ’68-70 a heartthrob both then and now. This white example sported a red interior–a bit unusual for a Charger, but considering that this one was restored as more of a cruiser than a bruiser, that’s perfect. This was a brutally cool car in its day, and the Charger’s aura has aged well, rather like a fine wine. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1968 Dodge Charger at the New Hope Car Show→
When it comes to four-door hardtops, General Motors had a good set of candidates even as the era wound to a close. In 1971, GM redesigned their entire full-size lineup, from Buick’s Electra series to the big-dog Cadillac Fleetwood 75. Sitting near the top of the throne, although not at the top, was the Cadillac DeVille. Packing some smart styling to hide its hulking dimensions and high weight, these were the last of th truly “big” Cadillac sedans, and they went out with a bang. The ’71 packs a 472 cubic inch monster of a V8, with enough torque to tear the Death Star in two pieces. This particular gold example is all-original and has been in the same family since new. The owner inherited the car from a relative and has kept it in original working order. Although it was sitting near a gorgeous ’53 Eldorado convertible, it had a charm and an imposing figure all its own. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1971 Cadillac Sedan De Ville at the New Hope Car Show→
This past week, Nick and I became familiar with how certain cars will show up almost everywhere. Alex Roy, the owner of a Citroen SM, and as a result a man with impeccable taste, was in Monterey all weekend, and we first saw his car parked in the parking lot at The Quail on Friday evening. The next day, Nick and I were looking for a parking spot after spending the entire day at Laguna Seca. We spotted Roy’s SM once again before coming across Michael Musto’s (of /DRIVE’s Big Muscle series) slick black 1968 Dodge Charger, in all of its glory with chrome rims and red Bumble Bee stripes. After taking photos until the sun came down, Nick and I walked down the street and ran into Mike Musto, who we began talking to, until Alex Roy sprinted up the sidewalk at breakneck speeds. When Alex returned and told the two of us possibly the most hilarious pair of stories I’ve ever heard, we spoke to the two of them and found that these two chaps are incomparably hilarious car guys with plenty to say and great taste in automobiles. Enjoy the photos of the Charger and the SM. Continue reading Alex Roy’s Citroen SM and Michael Musto’s Dodge Charger spotted in Carmel, CA→
At Pebble Beach during Monterey Car Week, the adage I tend to go by is “Expect the unexpected.” This is never more clear when I’m spotting cars with Nick around Carmel or in the Pebble Beach Golf Links complex itself, as was this particular case. While walking around the street and shooting cars, I spotted this unusual white Ferrari convertible trundling down the lane. It was too wide to be a 348, being a convertible, I thought to myself “There’s no way Ferrari ever did a Testarossa Spider.” Turns out, that’s only partially true–Ferrari did make one Spider from the factory as a test car, Pininfarina and a few other coach builders stepped into the void and created customer cars during the Testarossa’s run. As a result, we have this Testarossa Spider, which was rather unusual and most definitely got our attention. There will be much more from Pebble Beach in the coming days. Continue reading Ferrari Testarossa Spider spotted in Pebble Beach, CA→
I’m a sucker for the second-generation Dodge Charger. Produced for a scant three seasons, it’s a representation of the Charger at its very best–a bruising, but sexy muscle car with equal parts testosterone and paunch. It’s difficult to improve these cars…but the owner of this absolutely evil ’68 has managed to do it. With its dark green finish and matching interior, the lines were well-represented on the exterior, but the lack of a hood belies this car’s true intentions. The owner calls it “Dodgezilla”. I couldn’t agree more, especially in green. In the place of a small-block V8 typical to this particular car lies a stomping 440-cid V8, with twin carbs and a high rise intake below the enormous hood scoop. This is not a Dodge for the faint of heart. It may not be terrorizing Japanese workers and tearing down buildings, but it’s green and looks like it’s up to no good anyway. It’s not Godzilla. It’s Dodgezilla. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Say hello to “Dodgezilla”, everyone, the monster of the River Edge Car Show.→
Nick’s gotten his posts up, so I’m going to show you what I think. Four and a half million dollars. I”m going to say that again. FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. I can’t even imagine that amount of cash fitting in a standard sized suitcase. The Veneno’s nice and all, and it is a tantalizing machine…but I can’t justify that price. It’s got the Aventador’s engine and a body kit (I know I’m oversimplifying things here). That’s enough for a house and a good number of very nice cars. However, this is about just cars, and the 24 cars listed below will do the trick perfectly for me. There’s a lot of overlap and a few of these cars are probably better off as trailer queens, but I plan on driving what I picked, whether it be to the grocery store, the track, or to work. There’s 24 cars here, and I’ve got a reason for choosing each of them. Here we go! Continue reading What would you buy for the price of a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster? Well, this is what Al thinks of that.→
The early Ford Thunderbird was a completely different animal to the four-seat tanks that followed it which launched the personal luxury coupe industry in 1958. The first three years of the Thunderbird were a small two-seat convertible that was aimed right at the Corvette. Why Ford ever changed it is beyond me, and my favorite example, the 1957 model, was right here for the taking at the 2014 River Edge Car Show. I was pleasantly surprised to see one in this gorgeous dusk rose color, despite the lack of a hardtop and the lack of the standard wheel covers. In fact, the Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels with tri-star knockoff caps on the centers looked excellent in the cloudy July sky. As the sky cleared up, the metallic paint finish became a blinding source of simple beauty. Ford knocked one right out of the park in ’57 and then, despite making a more profitable model in 1958, ruined the potential of having a true Corvette competitor. As a result, the 55-57 Thunderbirds are worth a large amount of money, and it’s pretty easy to see why. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1957 Ford Thunderbird at the River Edge Car Show→
When it comes to making a car more than the sum of its parts, luxury brands like Infiniti and Audi do a very strong job. The Q60, formerly known as the G37 Convertible, is one such example. Despite having been on the market since I got my driver’s license (which feels and is a long time ago at this point), they’re still selling it and people are still enjoying new ones as if they have had them for eons. The IPL model is supposed to be a hot version aimed at the older M3, which was the benchmark at the time. Nick and I both drove it, and I wrung it out around the streets of the Seventeen-Mile-Drive to find out what this svelte convertible was capable of. I got quite a few answers, some of which were expected, some of which were desired, and a few of which were not at all what I saw coming.
After a day at work in Somerset NJ, I went out with a few co-workers to relax and enjoy the beginning of the weekend at The Stage House just around the corner. While parking my car, I saw this orange Mustang backed into a prime parking spot right up front. As I was taking pictures, my manager, Martin, who purchased a Deep Impact Blue 2014 Mustang GT last year, met up with me and said “I parked and just had to go and look at this.” It’s pretty clear–the Mustang, especially those from the Sixties, are consistently crowd-pleasers. This one, with its flashy orange paint and black torque-thrust style wheels, looked fantastic. The interior looked rather original too and was pretty much unmolested save for a set of speakers and a new head unit. In all, this is a great example of a Mustang that someone can drive a bit more often with a good sound system and grippier tires for unexpected weather. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1969 Ford Mustang Notchback spotted in Somerset, NJ→
Mind Over Motor 