We had a great time at Lead East this year, and we have dozens of incredible photos to share with you.
Here is round 2. Enjoy!
All posts by ndubs77
Porsche 356 Speedster Spotted in Frenchtown, NJ
Never know what gems you’ll see when you’re out cruising around on a beautiful day. If it’s real, this Porsche 356 Speedster is pretty darn rare. Enjoy!
-Nick
2016 Toyota Prius, Designed By The Blind, For The Blind
I’m all for equal opportunity employment, certain issues may hinder some people from doing certain jobs. At Toyota, it would seem that their design team is entirely made up of people without eyes, and they have brought us this hideous new Prius for 2016.
But what about sales, surely they expect people with eyes to buy the new Prius, otherwise it would be a total market failure. But I doubt anyone blessed with the gift of sight would want to be seen in something like this. So with that, I will have to assume that anyone driving a brand new Prius is in fact blind, and I will be sure to notify the authorities at once!
Look, I’m all for Toyota employing blind people, just not in the design department. My guess is the same person who designed the new Prius also brought us this automotive abomination:
Seriously, though, how on earth did either of these designs make it through quality control. They are both utterly hideous, and if the designer isn’t actually blind as a bat, they should be fired and encouraged to pursue a new career path.
-Nick
Porsche Gives All 911s Turbos, What To Make Of This Move
Porsche has just announced that all 911 Carrera models will be getting new turbocharged engines. There is much to be happy about here, but as with any change Porsche makes, there will surely be lots to gripe about. My take on this is as follows…
911 Turbos for everyone!
Both Carrera and Carrera S models get the same 3.0L flat 6 with twin turbochargers. Porsche says the tune in the Carrera makes 370hp with 330ft/lbs of torque and the tune in the Carrera S makes 420hp and 368ft/lbs of torque.
These are some substantial power numbers, especially considering how German companies always seem to underate their numbers on paper by 10-20%. Sure, maybe a Carrera S will make 420hp at high altitude on 91 octane in Denver, but you can bet it’ll be more than that at sea level with better fuel.
What’s more, all of these modern German turbo engines have proven to be absurdly tune-able. I’ll be surprised if the Carrera S won’t see over 500hp with just an ECU reflash. Maybe 450 or so for the Carrera, assuming there are some tangible differences with their turbos, engines, or fuel systems.
What this all means, though, is that we are ushering in an era of monsterously fast Porsche 911s. It should be a lot of fun, and thankfully, Porsche still offers the option of a proper manual gearbox.
Continue reading Porsche Gives All 911s Turbos, What To Make Of This Move
Happy Labor Day: First Photos From Lead East
We hope you all have had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend! We attended Lead East on Saturday, and caught some seriously sweet metal on display. We have much more to come from the show, but here is a first taste.
Enjoy!
Continue reading Happy Labor Day: First Photos From Lead East
Better than an M3? Motor Trend pits the Cadillac ATS-V against the Mercedes-AMG C63 S
My pick in this one would be the Cadillac all day long. Johnny Lieberman disagrees, though, in favor of the Merc for some very subjective reasons. That’s the name of the auto journalist game, though. But for me, the Caddy’s more nimble handling, better performance measures, and $15,000 savings make it the obvious choice here.
Having said that, between the BMW M3, Cadillac ATS-V, and the Mercedes-AMG C63 S, there is no bad choice at this point. These are all phenomenal cars.
Enjoy!
-Nick
Frankenstein Volvo, A Hillbilly Hot Rod
Sometimes fun isn’t pretty, it’s vile and blemished, with a crooked smile.
This hooptie-looking Volvo belongs to my buddy, Matt. He calls it his Frankestien Volvo, and it’s a sort of “Hillbilly Hot Rod.” With approaching a build like that, it’s hard to go wrong.
You see, perception is largely based on our expectations. If you expect a car to be flawless, then any scratch, any imperfection can ruin it. But if you go in expecting a car to be ghetto as hell, then that leaves you open to be pleasantly surprised by any redeeming qualities.
Matt’s Volvo is clearly a car who’s hair has been let down for the duration.There’s no room for high and mighty expectations to come along for the ride because the back seat has been thrown out. The interior is largely bare, with lots of open metal and wiring. The front seats are the stock volvo pieces, which are comfortable, but a little loose on their mounts. Oh, and there weren’t any seat belts either…
Maybe I was stupid for taking this deathtrap of a car out for a spin… surely from a mother’s perspective I was. But the character of the car, built by Matt (who is a mechanic, among other things), is that of care-free living, and it sort of captivated me in that moment. If it were a Nissan 350Z without seatbelts, I would’ve declined the drive… but not this. Continue reading Frankenstein Volvo, A Hillbilly Hot Rod
PT Cruiser Monster Truck at Hopewell Cruise Night
Clearly this just needed to be posted. It’s a PT Cruiser gone PT Bruiser!
We caught this at the last Hopewell Cruise Night, down the road from most of the action. There were a few other such vehicles with it, but the PT Cruiser has a place close to my heart… it was my first car in Gran Turismo 3 as a kid, mostly because I knew what it was at the time.
This thing is a beast!
-Nick
1960 Chevy Impala Spotted on Woodward Ave
This beautiful 1960 Chevrolet Impala is a regular at the Woodward Ave Cruise Nights. I love its Marvin Martian details as well.
As a boulevard cruiser, things don’t get much better than this.
Enjoy the pics!
-Nick
The Morgan 3-Wheeler will make you laugh uncontrollably
Not sure much else about the Morgan 3-Wheeler from this video because Matt Farah and Alex Roy were just giggling the whole time, but maybe that says all that needs to be said about this car.
All I know is, I want one….
-Nick
Alfa Romeo 4C Spotted on Woodward Ave in Michigan
We went out to eat right on Woodward Ave at Duggan’s Irish Pub, and this brand new Alfa Romeo 4C pulled in. This is the first 4C I’ve seen out in the wild, but it was unsurprising in Birmingham, MI with an Alfa dealer right up the street.
The Alfa Romeo 4C is basically a miniature Italian exotic, with a mid-mounted turbocharged 1.7L four cylinder engine on tap. That may not sound impressive, but 237hp grants plenty of performance in a car that weighs just 2400lbs. It’s also quite fuel efficient for a high performance car, capable of an EPA-rated 34 MPG on the highway.
The 4C’s one big drawback is that it only comes with a dual-clutch paddle shift gearbox. For me, not having a manual takes a lot away from the experience of a lightweight sports car, and it could be a deal-breaker if I’m ever in the market. That said, I have hear the dual-clutch trans works pretty well, so it’s at least worth a test drive.
Although it isn’t perfect, we should all be very glad the Alfa Romeo 4C exists. It is the car that is bringing the Alfa name back to the US, soon to be followed by the new RWD Giulia sedan. The 4C is quite a pleasant sight in person, too, with a lot of design inspiration coming from the legendary Alfa Tipo 33 Stradale.
Enjoy the photos!
Continue reading Alfa Romeo 4C Spotted on Woodward Ave in Michigan
Lamborghini Diablo GT at the Concours of America
For Lamborghini buyers wanting a racing car experience on the road, the Diablo GT is the daddy of all Diablo models. Changed and upgraded in almost all ways pertaining to performance, the Diablo GT was basically a road-going version of Lamborghini’s Diablo GTR.
Of note, its V12 engine was enlarged to 6.0L from 5.7L, and power increased to 575hp from 530hp. The Diablo GT is rear-wheel-drive to save weight, and features a stripped-down interior. Power reaches the wheels via the same 5 speed manual transmission found in other Diablos, but buyers had the option to customize their gear ratios.
Lamborghini only built 80 Diablo GTs, making this a very sought-after car. The car was never actually sold here in America, so it made seeing this one at the Concours d’Elegance of America very special – this is the first Lamborghini Diablo GT I’ve ever laid eyes on.
What I really like about the Diablo GT is that it was a Lamborghini racing car for the road in the era when that still meant something serious. Today Lamborghini makes similar such models, SVs and Superleggerras, but they’re really more marketing gimmicks than actual racing cars that demand sacrifices from their driver. All it really means today is that there is carbon fiber on the door, instead of leather, and that some of the excessively artificial understeer has been dialed out of the handling. Oh, and if you want to row your own gears, you can forget it, paddle-shift is the only option.
I don’t want to knock the current Lambos too much here, though, because they are incredible machines. But incidentally, a Diablo GT was recently sold for $475,000, right around the same ~$500,000 that a new Aventador SV will set you back. So with that in mind, and a half-million dollar hole burning through your pocket, which extreme Lambo would you spend the money on?
I’d go for the Diablo GT over the Aventador SV without question. Maybe its because of the clutch pedal, or maybe its because only 80 Diablo GTs will ever exist to the Aventador SV’s 600 units. But really, I just find the Diablo GT to be more bad ass because it’s a purer driver’s car with less reliance on fancy technology.
Enjoy the photos of this most epic Diablo!
Continue reading Lamborghini Diablo GT at the Concours of America
Mind Over Motor 