It doesn’t get too much more offbeat than a front wheel drive sports car with a two-stroke engine, and that is exactly what the Saab Sonett is. Petrolicious, as usual, has produced an incredible motion picture that will make you lust over a car you may not have considered before. I swear, if they did a video on a four cylinder Toyota Camry, I would probably want one quite badly after viewing it. Enjoy.
-Nick
We attended the 2014 Festivals of Speed at Amelia Island. There were some major cars in attendance with flavors to suit all tastes, everything from classic Ferraris to slammed VWs to the Batmobile you see above. These are the highlights of the event, and there is a lot more where this came from. Enjoy!
This is an Alpine A110 1600S, often referred to as the “Renault Alpine,” though Renault did not actually own Alpine until 1978. The Alpine A110 was produced from 1961 to 1977, and saw major rally success in the early 1970s. In fact, the Alpine A110 holds the honor as the first World Rally Champion, winning the inaugural WRC season in 1973.
The “Renault Alpine” designation comes from the fact that Alpine used Renault engines in the A110. The top-spec 1600S model you see here had a 1.6L inline-four producing 138hp. That may not sound like a lot, but at just around 1,600lbs the A110 1600S was capable of doing 130mph. Keep in mind, this is a rally car, not a supercar, and 130mph is a lot of speed on a winding rally stage.
We caught this classic french rally car at the cars and coffee event held during the Amelia Island car weekend. This car actually flew past us the night before, but all we could see then was its yellow headlights and enjoy the sound its lovely engine echoing off the trees as it disappeared into the dark abyss. I was thrilled to see the Alpine in daylight the next day, and it was great to get some shots of it. Enjoy!
Here is the second part of our highlight reel from the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. It includes everything from the magnificent Ferrari 330 P3/4 you see above to the brand new McLaren P1 and Lamborghini Huracan. Also featured are the best in show award winners, a Horch 853 and a Scarab Mark II. The cars at this year’s show were truly incredible, and we literally were shooting photos from sunrise to sunset.
Enjoy the photo gallery.
Continue reading Highlights from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (Post 1950)
We attended the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance last weekend and were absolutely blown away by the quality of the cars that were present. This post is a highlight feature on the pre-1950 era cars that caught my eye at the show. The post-1950 era highlights will go up on Friday and there are many more individual features to come.
Enjoy gazing at these magnificent automobiles.
Continue reading Highlights from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (Pre 1950)
We had a fantastic time at Amelia Island this weekend. We attended both the Festivals Of Speed event and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, and the cars were nothing short of incredible. We have a lot of content lined up to share with you, so keep checking back for more.
Consider this a taste of what’s to come…
Many cars at auto shows are displayed on a stage, high off the ground. Most folks don’t give a second thought to the logistics of it, but if you think about it, something as low as a McLaren P1 can hardly be “wished” into perfect position. We caught the McLaren team in action setting up the mighty P1 hypercar at their stand at Amelia Island. I love the garbage bag trick!
Stay tuned for more fun from this weekend!
-Nick
Our first day at Amelia Island has been great. Here is a quick glimpse of the McLaren P1 hypercar that will be on display. Check back for more!
-Nick
What is the Jaguar F-Type V8 S?
This is Jaguar’s return to building a true sports car. For a long time, under Ford, Jaguar really only built luxury sedans and coupes. You could maybe get away with calling the early 2000s XKR a grand touring car, but it wasn’t even remotely close to being a proper, driver-focused sports car. Much of Jaguar’s brand image has been built on racing success, and building iconic sports cars, such as the E-Type, so the new F-Type is a much needed return to form.
There were over 700 Lamborghini Miuras produced over a period of six years, but the car you see here is the one and only roofless example. Built by Bertone for the 1968 Brussels Auto Show, the Miura Roadster may well be the most stunning Miura of them all, with its vibrant, sparkling aqua-blue paint job.
We had the unexpected privilege of seeing this car up close at last year’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. The Miura Roadster was in attendance as a part of Lamborghini’s 50 year anniversary celebration, and it even took the first place prize in the Lamborghini judging class. I had actually seen the car once before at Pebble Beach in 2008, but this time around I was able to get far better photos.
The one-off Miura Roadster set the precedent for the roadster versions of the Diablo, Murcielago, and now, the Aventador. Open-top V12 motoring is something we should all be glad exists. Enjoy the photos!
Continue reading Lamborghini Miura Roadster at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
With new cars like the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari hitting the streets now, the question of what raises a supercar to the level of hypercar is at the forefront of the minds of car enthusiasts all over the world. Drive’s video on supercars vs hypercars last week got me thinking, so I decided to weigh in with my thoughts on the issue with a video of my own. Let me know your take in the comments!
-Nick
This episode of After Drive delves into the question of, what is the difference between a “supercar” and a “hypercar?” Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and expect a further post from us on the subject soon.
-Nick
Mind Over Motor 