All posts by ndubs77

A quick take on the 2014 North American International Auto Show

January 17, 2014 ndubs77 5 Comments

The 2014 North American International Auto Show has been going on this week in Detroit, and there have been a number of interesting car debuts. The internet is full of all the minute details, and plenty of long-winded coverage about cars that nobody has driven yet. I have seen the details, and sat through much of the coverage, and now I want to bring you my concise, informed take on the cars that have debuted at NAIAS 2014. So here it goes.

2015 Acura TLX:
Pretty much unsurprising, but it’s good Acura consolidated the TL and TSX into one model. They should throw the 370hp hybrid drivetrain from the RLX into this car and have a legitimate Audi S4 competitor.

2015 Audi A8:
What exactly is different again?

Audi Allroad Shooting Brake Concept:
The Allroad Shooting Brake could be an incredibly badass modern rally car for the road. 402hp and 479ft/lbs of torque are some serious figures, and the hybrid drivetrain could prove interesting in a car such as this. My guess, though, is that this will remain a concept.

Continue reading A quick take on the 2014 North American International Auto Show →

Car Shows

Le Mans Winning Porsche 935 K3 Coupe at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

January 15, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the only Porsche 911 based car to have ever won the infamous Le Mans 24hrs. It is a 1979 Porsche 935 K3 Coupe, and the king of the “whale tail” era of classic Porsche racing cars. Because of its significant achievement, many people consider this specific 935 K3 to be the most significant 911-based car of all time.

We caught this legendary Porsche 935 K3 Coupe at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The car was, of course, totally swamped during the show, but we, being the clever and relentless folks that we are, waited by the exit after the show had ended to get fantastic, unobstructed shots of most of the cars in the show. I am extremely happy with how this set of photos of this 935 K3 Coupe turned out, and what’s more, we got to snack on lots of leftover gourmet food while we shot our photos. We literally had our cake, ate it too, and got to be up close and personal with some of the most epic automobiles of all time. A great day this was, to be sure.

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Opinions

Looking at the Toyota FT-1 Concept as the next Supra

January 14, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

Toyota has stunned the entire automotive world at the 2014 North American International Auto Show with their new concept car, the Toyota FT-1. Car enthusiasts have immediately seen it as a sign that their prayers for a new Toyota Supra have been answered, and everyone seems to be going nuts with speculation.

The video from Motor Trend above gives us an inside glimpse at the design process of the Toyota FT-1 Concept. I must say, I think the FT-1 Concept is “take your breath away” gorgeous. It’s design is unmistakably Japanese, and extremely modern, but it definitely does make some nods back to Toyota’s past as well. Looking at the FT-1’s headlights, and the way they mesh with the larger design, I can’t help but feel that the FT-1 has a strikingly similar “look on its face” as the Mk4 Toyota Supra. Also, that rear wing, when it’s up, definitely evokes the shape Supra’s rear spoiler. As a design piece, the Toyota FT-1 is an absolute masterpiece, and I really hope they change nothing about it in production form.

Having said that, we can get as excited as we want to, but the fact remains that the Toyota FT-1 is really just a design study at this point. I speculated a while back about what the new Toyota Supra should be, and here in 2014, we’ve only come as far as an outrageous, sure to be watered down concept. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t love what I’m seeing from Toyota here, but all this means is that now they really cannot afford to drop the ball.

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Car Shows

Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina at The Quail

January 13, 2014 ndubs77 7 Comments

We saw James Glickenhaus’ Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina when we attended The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering this summer, during Monterey Car Week. I will be honest, I’ve been eagerly waiting to see this car in person for quite some time now. Al and I go to many of the same shows Mr. Glickenhaus attends, and we’ve had the pleasure of talking with him a few times (he’s a real nice guy). That said, until The Quail, we had to make due with seeing the other incredible cars he brought to each show (woe is us…right?)

The Ferrari P4/5 is a one-off vehicle commissioned by Mr. Glickenhaus from Pininfarina. Underneath its bespoke body work it is a Ferrari Enzo, but the design has been overhauled to be more reminiscent of the classic Ferrari P3/P4 racing cars of the late 1960s….. Mr. G owns one of those too by the way.

The P4/5 has gathered a lot of fame over the years, and it was beyond thrilling to finally get see it with my own eyes. It is a stunningly beautiful machine, and it seems Ferrari’s designers may have even taken a little inspiration from it when they penned the LaFerrari. The Ferrari P4/5 is literally an Italian Supercar like no other. Even amongst the impressive automotive elite at The Quail event, the P4/5 still managed to attract quite the crowd. Subtle it is not.

Enjoy the photos, and let us know what you think in the comments!

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Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Motor Trend Pits the Audi RS7 Against The Porsche Panamera Turbo

January 10, 2014 ndubs77 5 Comments

Motor Trend’s Jonny Lieberman instigates some in-fighting between members of the VW Group: Audi’s RS7 takes on Porsche’s Panamera Turbo. Both are all wheel drive, four door sedans, and both have turbocharged V8 engines. The similarities are numerous, but in the end, the differences do show.

PS: I absolutely love the Porsche’s purple paint job, which Johnny says he hates more than a few times throughout the video. It is a provocative color, and one that lends itself well to the relatively “sleeper” Turbo model.

-Nick

Car Shows

1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider Zagato at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

January 8, 2014 ndubs77 3 Comments

Among the droves of classic Alfa Romeo 8Cs present for the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, this 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider Zagato stood out in particular. The Alfa Romeo 8C was the definitive Italian sports and racing car of the pre-war era, and the 8C 2300 featured here has had a beautiful body draped over it by legendary Italian design house, Zagato. That is why it caught my eye at this most prestigious of automotive events.

From what I understand, this unique 8C 3200 was originally commissioned by a famous Italian boat racer named Ambrogio Castiglioni. Its creme white color and swooping, art deco lines make it stand out tremendously among other Alfa Romeos of the era, which were often styled pretty sparsely in order to save weight for racing.

At Pebble Beach, the 8C 2300 Spider Zagato was beyond elegant. The grand finale of Monterey Car Week, their Concours d’Elegance is probably the most prestigious such event in the world, so for a car to be eye catching there, it must be pretty special. Enjoy the photos of this magnificent machine.

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Cars We've Driven, Cheap Fun Cars, Luxury Cars, Road Review, Used Car Gems

Nick’s 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Review

January 6, 2014 ndubs77 11 Comments

It has been nearly three years since I began working on Mind Over Motor, and for some reason I have not gotten around to reviewing the car I know the best in the world, my 2004 Subaru WRX STi.

For most, it would’ve been the very first car to review, but I wanted to focus more on finding ways to get other cars and setting our foundation around that. Having said that, I do think it is high time that I do a proper article on my beloved Subaru, and what better way to begin 2014?

Incidentally, this article will also debut a new style of car review for me, on Mind Over Motor. It is one with a question and answer structure that will hopefully be more conversational in feel. Let me know what you think of the new style, and any suggested improvements you may have in the comments.

So with that, lets start talking Subaru.

Continue reading Nick’s 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Review →

Cars We've Seen

Mind Over Motor’s Best Car Spotting of 2013

January 3, 2014 ndubs77 4 Comments

Pagani Huayra Carbon Edition spotted in Monterey, CA

Car spotting is a sport that many of us car enthusiasts play, literally, everywhere we go in the world. This is a photo gallery of our best car spotting from our travels during 2013. Some of the cars are very exotic, while others were just too cool to pass up capturing in the setting they were in. What they all have in common, though, is that they all managed to grab our attention. Click on the photos to see the complete gallery of each car featured. Enjoy!

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Cars We've Driven

Nick’s Top Car Reviews of 2013

January 1, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

Ferrari 458 Italia Reviewed by Mind Over Motor at Exotics Racing

Happy 2014 everyone! We continue our week of recapping the fun of 2013 with a conglomeration of the best cars I have reviewed during the past year.

I don’t think it is any secret that car reviews are my favorite thing to do for Mind Over Motor. Getting behind the wheel of different types of cars is something that I live for, and putting together these articles allows me to utilize a wide range of creative skills and concepts that I really enjoy. I won’t lie, it takes a lot of time and effort to produce these articles, but it is worth it for me because I get to have fun while also helping and entertaining people with the final product.

While I enjoy reviewing cars of all types, 2013 sort of became dominated by high end cars (not that I’m complaining, of course). We were fortunate enough to be given lots of opportunities to drive some very nice, and often very expensive, vehicles, so naturally we weren’t going to turn them down. Because of this, the High End & Exotic section has been split up into multiple sub-sections, so that I can fully represent my favorite drives of the year.

Here are the top cars, from each category, that I drove during 2013. Click the title links to see the full review articles. Enjoy!

Continue reading Nick’s Top Car Reviews of 2013 →

Car Shows

Mind Over Motor’s 2013 Event Recap & Highlights

December 30, 2013 ndubs77 3 Comments

2013 Events We Attended (click title links for the full galleries)

–Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

Here we are in the last few days of the year 2013, and this whole week we will be recapping what we’ve done over the past year with a few epic conglomerations of drool-worthy automotive content! First up is a recap of all the events we’ve attended this year.

2013 has been an interesting year for us at Mind Over Motor. They say that the third year of any venture is often a test, and it has been so for us as we continually try to balance our efforts toward growing the site and creating new content with the demands of our everyday lives. Many of you who’ve been following have probably noticed some changes we’ve made in the past few months, and there are more changes coming (for the better, of course!) in the new year as we continue to grow and find more fun things to share with all of you.

We attended some incredible car shows this year, and we saw some really fantastic cars. We compiled loads of content from each event, much of which we has shared, but a lot of which is still yet to come. So without further adieu, here are the event highlights from 2013, as well as a gallery of some of our favorite photos from each event. There are a lot of them, so please keep scrolling down. Enjoy!

Concours d’Elegance Events (continued):

–The Elegance at Hershey

–Festivals of Speed at Amelia Island

–Greenwich Concours d’Elegance

–Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

–The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering

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Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Photographer surprises his dad with dream car for Christmas

December 28, 2013 ndubs77 7 Comments

This is a heartwarming video in the spirit of the holidays. The owner of Fstoppers.com surprises his dad with his ultimate dream car, a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, on Christmas morning.

Enjoy the video.

-Nick

Cars We've Seen

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Spotted in Carmel, CA

December 27, 2013 ndubs77 3 Comments

While out car spotting in Carmel, California during Monterey Car Week we caught this striking Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione lurking amongst traffic. As an object unto itself, the 8C Competizione is a design masterpiece, but getting to see this very special Alfa in the context of the real world, surrounded by mundane normal cars, made it all the more special. I was able to get a few shots of it as it passed by, and I think I captured the 8C’s contrast well. Enjoy the photos.

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