Auburn boat-tail speedsters like this one are among some of the world’s most collectible prewar American convertibles, owing to their extremely low production, high price tag, and (for the era) blistering performance. This flawless black example showed up to the Pebble Beach Concours this summer, and I was fortunate enough to grab a few pictures of it. This one in particular is a 1936 Model 852, the final year of production for not only this car, but the Auburn name as a whole. It is a breathtaking car, and with only 1850 sold during 1936, this 100mph-plus roadster was a treat on the street in its day, and still is today. Continue reading 1936 Auburn 852 Boattail Speedster at Concours→
Since my grandpa got his first Mini Cooper in 2002, I’ve always looked at them with an air of respect. Mini has been trying to expand the brand out since 2008 when the Clubman came out, and now, the new Coupe is said to be the most hardcore chassis they put on the market. With all that in mind, I went to a local dealer and tried one out. This new black car was an interesting mix of things, but I stepped out of it at the end of the drive with a lot to think about. Continue reading Test Driven: Mini Cooper Coupe→
Although I was not in the country for this year’s NAIAS, I followed it closely from my phone when I was in Israel for the past two weeks or so. Overall, I have to say there’s a lot to look at this year, and the new model debuts give me hope that 2012 is going to be even more exciting than 2011 was. The market is changing fast, and as I watch everyone attempt to catch up, there are some clear indications that some brands in particular have most of their ducks in a row. Then again, there’s indications that some are definitely struggling to come up with new ideas. I’m going to go through each country, by major manufacturer, and discuss what I think are the best and the worst of this year’s show. Continue reading Some thoughts on the 2012 North American International Auto Show.→
I got bored watching the Detroit Lions get beaten to a sad, bloody pulp on Thanksgiving by the Green Bay Packers, so I decided to go take something for a drive. Thanks to a close friend of my uncle, I obtained the keys to his personal Mercedes E350 4Matic, a car that’s quite successful around my hometown in northern New Jersey. So, in the interest of asking why people love these cars so much, I took half an hour out of Turkey Day and had myself a drive of this black Benz. Continue reading Test Driven: Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic→
I’ve gotten used to hybrids in the four years I’ve driven them. They aren’t glamorous, they aren’t designed to make you feel like Ayrton Senna in the mountains, and they’re certainly not designed to tow a boat. That is, of course, until General Motors decided otherwise. Meet the Cadillac Escalade. It’s the most expensive, most blinged-out, and most conspicuous SUV GM offers, and it now comes as a hybrid. I wonder what Greenpeace thinks? Well, in reality, I don’t give a damn what they think, so I decided to see what this V8-powered mild hybrid, full-size, full-frame truck was all about at the Radnor Hunt Concours last September. Continue reading Test Driven: 2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid→
Nick and I saw this little Saab station wagon while walking around Greenwich on the first day of the 2011 Concours (June 4th). Strangely, this is a two-door station wagon that until a few years before it was replaced was capable of seating seven people. To be honest, I’d rather not try that today. Still, it’s a nice example and a reminder of what Saab used to be about.
We got a cah for every-body! Note: These are the guys you don't go to.
When I was a little kid, there were two different ways to buy a car. One would either buy new, or buy used. For the most part, the path of buying used was a spread of options, ranging from buying a used car at a new car dealership for a price that would often be too high for the market, buying from a shady dealer in an even shadier area (Big Paulie’s Used Car Barn! Everyone is approved! No credit? No problem! Right in Newark’s West Ward!), or buying from a private seller (which would often prove to be either the very best or very worst option, depending on the seller or the car). Now though, as has been the case for at least the past ten years, the “Certified Pre-Owned” programs are everywhere. So, what exactly are they? Continue reading Cars 101: “Certified Pre-Owned”→
On New Year’s Eve, while shopping for clothes, I saw this Corvette roadster out for a drive. What a strange thing to see this late in the year, and it seems to be in decent shape as well.
As some of our readers might know, my very first post on Mind Over Motor was about the upcoming diesel option on the new Volkswagen Passat. Well, it’s here. And, somewhere along the way, the Passat won Motor Trend‘s 2012 Car of the Year award, one of the most prestigious in the business. This was likely due in no small part to the new diesel model, among other things. But, I had to find out for myself just what else makes this new Passat “Car of the Year”. A local dealer had one ready for a drive, so I took the opportunity and drove it around to find out. Continue reading Test Driven: 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SEL→
On December 18th, Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy, bringing its 64 year offbeat history to an unfortunate end. Saab enthusiasts are some of the most vocal and most possessive of their brand, and undoubtedly, they will mourn the loss of this name. Around Thanksgiving weekend, I decided to add another car to my wagon test–Saab’s own wagon, the 9-3 SportCombi. At the moment, it’s the only wagon Saab sells in the United States, and when I got to the dealer, the car I drove was already discounted by $9,000. This amount is no misprint–and any new car marked down this much is either a demo, or the dealer seriously needs it off the lot (in this case, the latter). But, when I started the engine, I forgot about Saab’s financial woes, and asked myself this question: Despite all the gloom and doom, is this car actually worth buying right now? Continue reading Test Driven: 2011 SAAB 9-3X SportCombi→
The man with the car that made him famous (and brought him down). John Z. DeLorean.
Back in the Sixties, John Z. Delorean was one of the greatest men working at General Motors. But, by the middle of the Eighties, that all came to a crashing end in a federal courthouse. Most of us know what happened. But, what about the car he badly wanted to put on the market? The DeLorean DMC-12 is still known by most of the public as a time machine, but its own story is a look back at one of the most famous storylines of all time in the small-manufacturer books. Continue reading Obscure Auto: Delorean DMC-12→
Rolls-Royce, unlike Bentley, was a single-model brand, using a single chassis and creating derivatives of it for years. The Phantom, Phantom Coupe, and Phantom DHC were all based off of the same platform, but R-R recently put out a new, “entry-level” model, called the Ghost. So, with one available for test drives at the Pebble Beach Concours this past summer, I set out to see if the entry-level model was as good as its older, bigger brother, the Phantom. In a nutshell, it does a great job. Continue reading Test Driven: Rolls-Royce Ghost, Al’s Take→
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