All posts by Albert S. Davis

Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

Ferrari 458 Italia Review, Al’s Take (GRADE: A)

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Ferrari 458 Front Angle

At the end of the morning after the Fourth of July, the mercury was slamming 112 degrees outside of Las Vegas, and it was nice and somewhat cool inside the tent with all the exotic cars I’d been driving.  After prepping myself with a drive in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, I had one car left.  Thanks to the heat, the F430 Scuderia I’d wanted had gotten sunburned and whimpered back to its lair, but the newer 458 Italia in the tent was just tanning in the searing sun, ready for me to drive it.  Of course I obliged, and found out what’s possible with a 562bhp V8 stuffed a few inches behind the back of my ears, other than making me nearly go deaf. Continue reading Ferrari 458 Italia Review, Al’s Take (GRADE: A) →

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1958 Scarab: Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

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The other Best of Show award at Amelia this year was designated as the Concours d’Sport, an award to go to the best racing car on the field that day.  I wasn’t sure what had the chops to sway the judges this year.  While I was taking pictures along a wall during the awards ceremony, this blue 1958 Scarab destroyed my eardrums and stole my attention for a little while.  Little did I know until I saw it waiting on the side that it was to recieve a Best of Show.  My eardrums were again destroyed, but this time, I was fine with it.  This little Scarab deserved its win and looked head and shoulders above much of the other racers in the field this year.  Enjoy the photos.

Continue reading 1958 Scarab: Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance →

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1938 Horch 853 by Voll & Ruhrbeck: Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance at the Amelia Island Concours

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This year, two awards for Best of Show were given out at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.  The best race car received the Concours d’Sport (a 1958 Scarab), and the best classic recieved the Concours d’Elegance.  The Elegance award went to this absolutely stunning 1938 Horch 853 Cabriolet, which came all the way from Sparks, Nevada, owned by Bob and Ann Brockinton Lee.  The silver-gray paint was immaculate and the restoration was top-rate.  The 853 was a car of the aristocracy of Europe for some time before WWII and is sought after today as a great example of German craftsmanship from the Thirties.  This one is one of only two ever bodied by Voll & Ruhrbeck, and was fully restored recently to an incredibly high standard.  The chrome was second to none, the accessories looked better than new, and no stone was left un-turned.  Despite the fact that I had other favorites and somewhat overlooked this car at the show on Sunday, I can see why the judges made their decision and I am inclined to agree about its high standard.  Enjoy the photos.  The Scarab will be posted to the site in the coming days.

Continue reading 1938 Horch 853 by Voll & Ruhrbeck: Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance at the Amelia Island Concours →

Cars We've Seen

1968 Dodge Dart GTS 383 Spotted in Lower Manhattan, NYC

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While on a mafia history tour of what used to be Little Italy, I got temporarily distracted by this post-apocalyptic 1968 Dodge Dart GTS 383 hardtop.  Not only was it a GTS, but it was marked as (and the VIN tag corroborated) a 383ci V8 equipped car, so I felt obligated to stop and take a shot of it before we moved to the next set of streets.  This particular area of Manhattan used to be a hotbed for Mafia activity, featuring murders, speakeasies, alcohol stowaways, and plenty of other illicit activities.  The area’s been cleaned up over the years but near where this car was parked is the KGB bar, one of only a select few speakeasies still operating in Lower Manhattan, on West 4th Street near 1st Avenue.

Spotted by: Albert S. Davis

Car Shows, Motorsport

Presenting a selection from the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA.

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A couple of weeks ago, I spent the weekend in Boston visiting my cousin and her husband.  While I was up there, I revisited the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline just outside of town.  I hadn’t been there in more than 4 years, so I was excited to come back and see what had changed.  Here is a selection of what was at the museum at the time I was there, including a 1953 Corvette, a prewar Bugatti four-door cabriolet in beautiful shape, a Mercer runabout, a selection of classic racers from the 50s and 60s, and a pristine Corvette Stingray in the back room.  The museum has a smorgasbord of prewar cars on display both upstairs and in the family’s personal collection, located in the basement.  This is definitely a great place to go if you like smaller car museums with an eclectic and ever-changing display set.  Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Presenting a selection from the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA. →

Car Shows

1954 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible and 1955 Packard Four Hundred Hardtop at the Scarsdale Concours

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Most cars of the Fifties are celebrated after 1955 or so, with some exceptions.  The 1954 Cadillacs, in my opinion, get a bit overlooked by the elegant 1953 models and the ostentatious, outrageous late Fifties cars, because they’re in that bridge year between the introductory Eldorado, and the Fab Fifties era.  This black one happens to be a very straight and shined-up Series 62 convertible, and in its tuxedo over red combination, it looks great here on the Scarsdale street corner.  Just a few feet away sat this breathtaking soft-yellow 1955 Packard Four Hundred hardtop–a car overlooked because of the famous Packard Caribbean.  Well, I decided not to overlook either of the two, and now, nor will any of you.  Enjoy the photos.
Continue reading 1954 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible and 1955 Packard Four Hundred Hardtop at the Scarsdale Concours →

Cars We've Driven, Road Review, Used Car Gems

2008 Subaru Legacy GT – Al’s Daily Driver (GRADE: B+)

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Considering the time frame I had to buy a car back in May 2012, I lucked out rather well.  After narrowing down my choices of chariot to just two cars via figuring out that a Pontiac G8 GT would bankrupt me in fuel costs and a Dodge Charger was too much to insure, I was stuck between two cars after driving plenty, including a Volkswagen R32 (which turned out to be a dud with repairs needed immediately) and this black Subaru.  I almost didn’t even look at it.  It took a win by the New York Mets (yup, those 2012 Mets, not the 1986 squad) and some poking and prodding by my brother Matt, who knew I was still looking into this very car, to even dial up the dealership.  In the end though, the rest was history, and now, more than 18 months later, I’m making payments on this black bundle of joy and driving it constantly.  These are my thoughts.

Continue reading 2008 Subaru Legacy GT – Al’s Daily Driver (GRADE: B+) →

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at the New Hope Classic Car Show

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Early Rolls-Royces were out in full force on the second day of the New Hope Car Show, which is normally reserved for European classics.  Behind the high school that the show uses as its venue, there were Rolls and Bentley classics parked as far as the eye could see.  Luckily for my bad right ankle, this Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, in a very fetching eggshell-white paintjob with wire wheels, was parked right next to the wall of the school, making for some great backdrops.  Of course, my camera packed up on me at this very moment, and the zoom stopped working while I was taking shots of this Ghost.  Luckily, the photos survived for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at the New Hope Classic Car Show →

Car Shows

1966 Ford Mustang GT Coupe at the Radnor Hunt Concours, 2013

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The original Mustang is a shape that’s known worldwide as one of the first affordable sports coupes that was accessible to everyone.  I’ve always been a fan of the first generation model, ever since I helped a friend of mine tear down a moribund ’66 model in his garage as a kid.  This black 1966 model is a hardtop–not the most desirable body style, but it was clean and very straight.  This one’s fitted with all the right accouterments from the era, including the imitation mag wheels, red line tires, a black vinyl roof, and red stripes to set off that raven-black paint.  The interior looked strong as well, with full instrumentation, a four-speed manual transmission, and a full center console with the top-line trim.  I’m always a fan of the early Mustangs that have been kept clean and have been well-looked-after, and this one was a great example of what I like to see.  Enjoy the photos.
Continue reading 1966 Ford Mustang GT Coupe at the Radnor Hunt Concours, 2013 →

Car Shows

1971 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda at the New Hope Classic Car Show

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While waiting for the awards ceremony to start at the New Hope show this summer, I was “stuck” staring at a particuarly straight Mercedes-Benz.  I’ve always respected the 280SL Pagoda, as it was the second generation of the SL series, one of the most famous models that Mercedes-Benz has produced over the years.  Even in its final years of production, the Pagoda model was elegant as ever.  It’s an old favorite of mine and I wish more of them were at classic car shows.  This navy blue example with alloy wheels was a later model, and likely a 1971 model based on the presence of the alloys and whitewall tires.  The ski rack bolted to the hardtop looked very smart and set the navy blue paint off very well.  The entire package looked rather youthful and presented a nice alternative to the white example seen in one particular photo.  Enjoy the shots.
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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars, Luxury Cars

Jaguar F-Type V8S Review, Al’s Take (Grade: A)

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Considering how much I enjoy the V6S version of Jaguar’s F-Type sports car, dropping a supercharged V8 engine in it reminds me of what Carroll Shelby used to say, “Too much is just enough.”  He was right.  But, just to be sure, I took the wheel of this Polaris White 8-cylinder out on the same roads as the black V6S, a few days after taking the other car out for a spin, to get a closer look at the top engine offered in Jaguar’s newest chassis. Continue reading Jaguar F-Type V8S Review, Al’s Take (Grade: A) →

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1941 Lincoln Continental by Durham at the Radnor Hunt Concours

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Raymond Leowy is a name known very well by a lot of car enthusiasts.  He penned, among others, the Studebaker Avanti, the bullet-nose Studebaker Commander and Champion of the postwar era, the 1946 Lincoln Continental, the Hillman Minx, and the Sunbeam Alpine roadster.  He had an eye for style and flair, and also was the pencil behind plenty of contemporary designs of today, including even the US Postal Service logo still in use.  However, in 1941, he bought a brand-new Lincoln Continental coupe and had it sent off to the coachbuilder Durham for modifications.  By the time the craftsmen at Durham were finished with the Lincoln, it looked strikingly different.  The grille and hood were reshaped, the front fenders were shortened, and the bumpers were customized up front.  At the rear, a fin was added in the center, and an opera window and plexiglass roof were added to the top.  It was, in the end, quite a unique Continental and I had a hard time ignoring it when it was sitting at the entrance of the show this year.  Enjoy the pictures.

Continue reading 1941 Lincoln Continental by Durham at the Radnor Hunt Concours →