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Cars We've Seen

The Lamborghini Centenario LP-770-4 is unbelievable in person

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Lamborghini Centenario 2

This is the ultra-exotic Lamborghini Centenario LP-770-4, one of just 20 that will grace this Earth. For me it was a surprise star at the Greenwich Concours because I hadn’t heard it would attend, and I certainly hadn’t seen one before.

The Centenario is a special edition Lamborghini for people who don’t want a “typical” Lamborghini, and who can afford to have something more. It looks absolutely outrageous, even though underneath the fancy body it’s basically just a slightly upgraded Aventador SV. For around the price of three or four Aventador SVs, you get to be in the 1 of 20 club, and have a Lambo that is extra extra insane looking. You also get to be ahead of the curve, as the Centenario paves the way for the next generation of Lamborghini styling. It is a very exclusive experience to be sure.

I must say, I first saw the Centenario and went, “Meh…” because I knew it was just an Aventador SV in a different, albeit awesome, outfit. I think the Aventador is one of the best looking cars out there right now, and the Centenario initially didn’t impress me much by comparison. Seeing it in person changed my mind, though. The carbon fiber details are exquisite, and it seems another notch or two up from an Aventador. As an object to behold, the Lamborghini Centenario is a whole new level of Lamborghini.

It was incredible seeing this car in the flesh, and getting to shoot it. It puts on one hell of a visual show. For me though, I still have a lot of trouble getting past its Aventador underpinnings when it comes to the $2 million question. The Aventador SV is such a show-stopper in it’s own right. I saw an SV parked at another even a few days later, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Money-no-object, I think I’d still take the SV over a Centenario.

The Centenario represents one of the ultimate collector Lamborghinis ever made. It’s an impressive showpiece for a billionaire who wants to impress other billionaires. I just find its purpose to be too superficial for my own taste, though. Frankly, if I’m looking for a car in the seven-figure range, it won’t be a six-figure car with a body kit.

The Centenario is an incredible work of art. I appreciate the hell out of it, even though it’s not really my taste. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing and photographing this one, and I hope you enjoy the gallery.

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Car Shows, Cars We've Seen

Some Highlights From the CF Charities Supercar Show in Philadelphia

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Lamborghini Aventador

We attended the CF Charities Supercar Show at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia this weekend. This was the first year for the event in Philly, and we liked the new venue a lot. There were some truly incredible cars, and there’s a lot more to come, but here are some highlights for starters.

Enjoy!

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Auto Idolatry, Automotive Lifestyle, SHOWCASE

Doug Demuro says what needs to be said about the Porsche 996… it’s great, forget the haters.

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I’ve been saying 996 hate is largely unfounded for years. My dad bought a 1999 Carrera back in 2007, and here we are 10 years later, over 100,000 miles on it, and it’s still great. He did the IMS bearing when he did the clutch within a year of buying the car, and he hasn’t had to do anything but basic maintenance since.

It’s a phenomenal car to drive as well, a real pure 911 experience. 300hp, 2,900lbs, a crisp six speed manual, sharp steering, and rear wheel drive with a limited slip differential, what’s not to love about that? If you’re a hater you either haven’t driven a 996, or you’re a car snob with far more access to fine cars than the average person could ever hope for. Sure, if you’re accustomed to driving a 997 GT3 RS all the time, then a 996 Carrera is a few steps backward. But for most drivers the basic 996s are a phenomenal sports car experience, and I think they should be recognized as such.

-Nick

 

Cars We've Seen

Lotus 340R at the Greenwich Concours

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Lotus 340R at Greenwich

The 340R is what happens when Lotus decides to make a limited edition hardcore track day toy. Only 340 were produced in the early 2000s, making this a very special sight.

(Oh yea, and how about that Porsche 918 in the background there?)

-Nick

Cars We've Seen

Bugattis In The Rain

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Bugattis In The Rain 2

For the last 3 or 4 years, it has absolutely poured rain on the Sunday of the Greenwich Concours. This year kept that tradition alive, but I always stay out there, getting soaked, so I can shoot these priceless cars in the wet. Cars worth hundreds of thousands, or millions, of dollars are seldom taken out in wet weather, so it is an opportunity to snap some unique photos.

Bugatti was the featured marque this year, so I decided it was fitting to feature them as they were… all wet.

Enjoy!

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Uncategorized

The Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina at the Greenwich Concours

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Ferrari P4-5 Greenwich 3

Cars don’t get any rarer, or more majestic, than this. This is not a Ferrari P4/5, it is THE Ferrari P4/5 because there isn’t another one on this little green planet of ours. It was commissioned by James Glickenhaus, and seems to have helped inspire him to go and found his own racing team and car company, Scuderia Cameron-Glickanhaus (SCG for short).

Underneath P4/5 began as a Ferrari Enzo, but it was totally overhauled by Pininfarina and is officially recognized as a model of its own by Ferrari, the “Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina.” Upgraded from the Enzo, P4/5 is supposedly capable of reaching 233 mph (over the Enzo’s 217 mph). It also has an extremely loud top-exit exhaust that has no mufflers whatsoever. It is surely a sight to be seen, and a sound to be heard.

What I love most, though, is that Mr. Glickenhaus actually drives this one-off hypercar on the road. It’s not just for looking at in his garage, and there are many photos of it out and about on the roads of Long Island. You gotta love when someone actually uses a car like this, and if you’ve ever had the chance to talk to Jim, you know he’s as cool as car guys come.

This was my second time seeing the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina in person, but my excitement was just as severe as the first. Plus, this time I had a little more time to shoot it. Enjoy the gallery of this most-special machine.

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Cars We've Seen

Check out the incredible spec on this Rolls Royce Dawn

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Rolls Royce Dawn at Miller Motorcars

After the Concours on Saturday, we spent the evening walking around Greenwich having some cigars, getting dinner and some coffee. We made our way over the check out Miller Motorcars’ strip of insane highest-of-high-end dealerships. When we reached the Rolls Royce dealer, this Dawn with an unbelievable spec was lit up in the showroom.

It’s looks black in the photo, but it was actually dark midnight blue, and yes that is an orange leather interior with a matching pinstripe. I couldn’t get enough of it, and I hope I didn’t leave too much drool on the window.

Stay tuned for more of our fantastic weekend at Greenwich to come!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, Automotive Lifestyle, SHOWCASE, Uncategorized

Mazda Miata RF vs. Toyota 86

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Call me biased, but I think the Miata is a way better car than the Toyota 86.

Let’s see if Motor Trend agrees…

-Nick

Cars We've Seen

Mégane II Renault Sport Spotted in Nashville, Tennessee

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Megane II Renault Sport Tennessee 2

On this week’s episode of “Things That Shouldn’t Be Here,” we have a very hot, very yellow Renault. This French hot hatch was never sold here in the US, but there it was, staring me in the the face deep in the American South. I had to do a double take.

Now, to be fair, it was parked outside the Lane Motor Museum, where they have all sorts of interesting cars, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected. It was cool to see that it had a Tennessee plate on it though, and it surely gets driven around on local roads.

It’s always awesome to see cars we don’t get here out and about on our roads.

Enjoy!

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Opinions

The new BMW 8 Series Concept looks incredible

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The old BMW 8 Series was many things, good and not so good, but it was most definitely sexy as hell. This is BMW’s concept for a new 8 Series, and I think they’ve managed to capture the sexy very well so far. We’ll see how much makes it to production.

This car is supposedly set to replace the current BMW 6 Series, which I had said was already basically filling the shoes of the old 8 Series. I’m all for this, and I hold out some hope that we may also get a genuine 6 Series again, you know, one that isn’t based on the 7 Series platform. One step at a time, though.

I love what I see here so far.

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, Automotive Lifestyle, SHOWCASE, Uncategorized

Motor Trend’s very honest look at the new Lexus LC500

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I’m a big fan of the new Lexus LC 500, but we all need to remember that it’s not a high performance F model, at least not yet. This is the best review I’ve seen yet.

Also, it weighs a hell of a lot more than I expected, almost 4,400 lbs. I hope they find a way to take some weight out when they do make the F version.

Enjoy!

-Nick

Opinions

Ford GT: The Half-a-Million Dollar Question

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With the release of press all over the internet and the first cars making their way into customer hands, the hype surrounding the new Ford GT is at maximum right now. The first 500 owners of the total 1,000 cars have been selected by Ford, with the next round of selections coming in a few months time.

The big question everyone seems to be asking is, is the Ford GT worth the $500,000 asking price? Those already on the list certainly hope so, and those who will apply for the second half of production are frantically trying to figure it out.

I was very skeptical when I first heard Ford was going to charge over $400,000 for the new GT. But I also expected the general formula for the car would be similar to that of the previous car, just updated for 2018. What has become abundantly clear, though, is that Ford has taken a totally fresh approach in developing the new GT, and that does change some things.

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