This is one of those insane racecars from the dawn of the automotive era. It’s got a 9.5L inline 4 from a period fighter plane stuffed under its hood, and not much extra car around it. This is a racer from an era when the drivers had some serious stones because the speeds were very real and the safety measures were nonexistent.
-Nick Walker
We spotted this rich red McLaren 12C Spider while out and about in Carmel, CA during Car Week.
-Nick Walker
This legendary Japanese sports car, the Toyota 200GT, was one of the stars of The Elegance at Hershey. Its sleek sports car shape is timeless, and its classic reputation will endure as a part of the history of the automobile. It’s always awesome to see this car in person. Enjoy!
It’s been a while since we featured something antique and swoopy. This is one of the early Lincoln V12s, and it wears a unique and beautiful body. It was one of the stars of the Radnor Hunt Concours this year.
Enjoy the gallery!
Continue reading 1932 Lincoln KB Boattail Speedster, by Marcel DeLay
Saturday was an unbelievably gorgeous day, and there was the promise of a torrential downpour on sunday. What better day to go for a drive?!
Being that it was also Halloweekend, I decided to wear my costume for the drive and have my buddy, Pat, shoot some photos. Boba Fett was going to take Slave 0.5 out for a nice spin, and confuse a lot of other motorists in the process!
For those of you wondering, yes, I could see just fine out of the zip-up hoodie.
We had a great drive, and I’m really happy with how the photos turned out. It’s always fun getting some action shots.
Happy Halloween, everyone! Stay safe and enjoy!
Continue reading Boba Fett takes Slave 0.5 out for a spin. Happy Halloween!
The new 991.2 GT2 RS may have just crushed the Nurburgring production car lap record, but this, the previous gen 997 GT2 RS is still the big daddy of desirable Porsche 911s in my book. The new GT2 RS has 700hp, but it’s also totally loaded with tech to help it be as fast and as controllable as possible. This car has 620hp, but requires the driver to shift their own gears and control the flow of all that torque to the rear wheels. There’s a lot less tech in the 997 than in the 991, and I think that makes it a more timeless experience in the long term.
This is still very much a widow-maker 911, and it’s the ultimate turbocharged 911 yet to be offered with a clutch pedal. The new one is cool, but for me, the 997 is what dreams are made of. Enjoy!
The BMW Z8 is such a handsome car with its classico-modern BMW 507 homage design. The right interior sets the look off even more, and this Z8 at the Misselwood Concours had it. Silver is a rather dull color, but with a bright red, black and silver interior, it was a total head turner. Business on the outside, party on the inside.
The BMW Z8 is one hell of a roadster. It has the 4.9L V8 from a BMW M5 underneath its classic looks that sends power through a proper manual gearbox. It’s a total dream car, and that’s why its value has either held or exceeded its original MSRP of $128,000 over time. Right now asking prices range from as much as $300,000 for top examples down to around $130,000 for cars with some miles on them. Buy at the right price and a Z8 is a car you can drive and enjoy and it won’t really cost you anything over time.
It’s always a pleasure seeing a Z8, especially in such a scenic place as this. Enjoy!
Continue reading A BMW Z8 with a killer interior combo at the Misselwood Concours
Italian cars are frustrating. Their good aspects are beyond wonderful, as in they will genuinely make your life worth living. The problem is, there’s always a catch, some significant issue (usually “issues”) that counter-balance the positives to such a massive degree that buying one is often a bad idea if you’re thinking rationally. Italian cars are made to give you an in-depth emotional experience, but like people, the great times come with the hardships. The Italians have always built cars this way, and it has always made their cars intriguing because they seem like so much more than cold machines. It makes them feel genuinely alive.
Because of their unpredictable nature, there’s always something daring about buying an Italian car. It’s not a sure bet, but the rewards are so immense when things are going well that it always seems it may be worth the risk. A test drive in an Alfa will make you ask yourself deep philosophical questions like, “Am I really living the sort of life I want?”
Playing it safe works, but are you really living, or do you just merely exist? There’s a big difference between the two, and that’s what Alfa Romeo is all about. It’s the sort of car that will give you a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and will have you lusting all day for your drive home.
I literally fell in love with the Alfa 4C Spider when I drove it because it spoke deeply to my inner desire. How can an object make you feel so fulfilled and so happy to be alive? It was insane.
The Alfa 4C is an impractical sports car, though. Meant to be a second car for the weekends, it’s Italian imperfections are more tolerable than they would be in an everyday sedan. That brings us to the Giulia Ti you see here. It is an everyday luxury sport sedan, here to take on the BMW 3 Series and the Audi A4. There’s surely less room for error in this market of everyday sedans.
That brings up my big question: Has Alfa kept the Italian magic alive in the Giulia sedan, and how much Italian “character” is tolerable to sedan buyers? Have they watered it down in an attempt to compete for the mass market?
I had heard good things about the car, but many people seem to let the car’s shortcomings overshadow its strengths. Knowing the risks of reliability and build quality, I wanted to know if the upsides were worth the the gamble on this Italian 4 door.
Continue reading Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti AWD: Is an Italian Daily Driver a Good Idea?
Mind Over Motor 