This video from Forbes takes a look at what hackers can do with a car. If you are familiar with modern cars, you know that literally every part of a vehicle is run by computers. That makes all of those parts hackable. Now this isn’t meant to scare you — Not everyone on the sidewalk holding a cellphone is trying to shut off your brakes — but it is definitely an interesting thing to consider for the future.
-Nick
This is meant to be a simple post. I saw this beautiful Alfa Romeo Montreal at the Newtown Classic Car Show this past weekend. Just take in its beauty.
Continue reading Newtown Classic Car Show: Alfa Romeo Montreal
Drive’s Mike Musto takes out one extremely mean ’31 Ford. I just love rat rods like this because they embody everything that is fun about cars…. breaking the rules. Enjoy.
-Nick
Yesterday we attended Waterfest 19, in Englishtown, NJ. It is one of the largest gatherings of Volkswagen and Audi lovers in the country. While a large portion of the show consists of modified slammed cars, there was a wide variety of other things as well, including a few exotics and an Audi R10 Le Mans car. Waterfest is always a wonderful event, with drag racing and autocross supplementing the massive auto show. Much can be said about this particular crowd of car enthusiasts, but they are definitely an interesting bunch. I usually find one-make car shows boring because everything looks the same, but somehow many of the cars here managed to stand out, even if they are the same make and model. A little dab of creativity does wonders. Enjoy the gallery.
I stopped by Bimmerfest 2013 in Aberdeen, MD to see one of the largest gatherings of Bavarian automobiles in the eastern US. I must confess I was only able to catch the afternoon portion of the show, but there were still plenty of cars left. There was a wide variety of cars present, everything from the latest M-Cars to classics to slammed late model 3 Series’. Enjoy the photos.
This fascinating video from Drive shows the efforts Aston Martin is willing to go through to preserve its historical cars for customers. Definitely worth 14 minutes of your time to watch. Enjoy.
-Nick
Going to all of these concours events I’ve had the privilege to see some of the most glorious prewar luxury cars imaginable. Packards, Duesenbergs, Delahayes, Bugattis, the list goes on and on. This got me thinking about how most of these wonderful cars haven’t survived the ages, and it begged the question, why?
Recently we attended a Porsche Club of America meet in Mendham, NJ. It was a nice evening and some fantastic cars showed up. I was able to take my dad’s 996 Carrera, and I had a nice drive up with some family friends in their bright blue 914. Enjoy the photos.
Most of the cars we feature are quite special, but this Delage D8 120SS Aerodynamic Coupe is a special sort of special. This car is the only one of its kind, a unique short wheelbase variant of the D8 120S Aerodynamic Coupe. Going off of what I’ve found about this car, the 120SS shares the same 4.7L inline-eight cylinder engine found the D8 120S. Producing as much as 160hp, this motor gave the car quite a large amount of punch for its day. Its top speed was said to be in excess of 115mph.
Originally the D8 120SS was a commission order for some European prince, but after World War II it wound up in the Gerry Albertini collection in London. Today it has been recently restored by RM Restorations, and is poised to be a major contender in the concours circuit.
This is one truly stunning automobile, likely my personal favorite from The Elegance At Hershey this year. We wound up only having a short time to get our photos this year, on account of bad weather, so I hope to see the car again soon to capture even more of its details. That said, I am happy with the photos I got, so enjoy.
Continue reading The Elegance At Hershey: 1937 Delage D8 120SS Aerodynamic Coupe
The Lincoln Motor Company has been in rather sorry shape as of late. The 2008 economy crash hit them hard, but even before then their products were struggling to compete in the luxury market. I myself have criticized them, even going as far as to say that Ford should kill them off, completely restructure their lineup, and then bring them back as a new, reborn Lincoln. When I think Lincoln, I still think of the 1960s Continental, and we are quite far from the days now.
In recent decades, Lincolns have just been rebadged Fords with leather seats. During the majority of this period, Ford’s products were, quite frankly, pretty bad. The foundation for Lincoln’s products was a major weak point, and slow sales have reflected it. However, there is a bit of bright light now, with Ford’s new “One Ford” policy. America will finally get the great european Ford models that we have been so deprived of over the years.
In 2012 the new Ford Fusion came out, and this time it was simply an American version of the highly acclaimed Ford Mondeo from Europe. It is this well-proven platform on which this new 2013 Lincoln MKZ is based. It seems we now have a Lincoln model with some solid foundations, so the question now is, does it compete?
Continue reading Test Driven: 2013 Lincoln MKZ 2.0 Ecoboost AWD (9.5/10)
That’s right. We are headed back to what is arguably the greatest automotive event on earth, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
There is something uniquely wonderful about Car Week on the Monterey Peninsula. From the moment you get there you are literally engulfed by incredible things. Every event has so much to offer that when you get there it’s hard to decide where to even begin. I always feel the same sense of excited confusion that a dog feels when his master throws not one, but two!, tennis balls into the yard.
The fun doesn’t end after the events either. There are droves of incredible cars just roaming the streets all over the place. In 2011 we were greeted by a pack of 12 Bugatti Veyrons, and a few seven-figure vintage Ferraris. We always wind up standing in the middle of the street (on the median) in Carmel, trying to get every spotted shot we can. It is both frantic and fun.
By the time the actual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance happens on Sunday, we are overcome with exhaustion, our feet are pounding with pain, and only adrenaline seems to keep us going. This event is an unbelievable amount of fun if you’re a gear head. It is a place where we get to see, and maybe even get to drive, some of our dream cars. By the time it is over, and we get on the plane to go home, it is like waking up from the most wonderful dream….. one that actually finished, and doesn’t wake you up right as Jessica Alba is undoing her bra.
Needless to say we are unbelievably excited. Mid-August can’t get here soon enough!
-The MoM crew
Mopars are definitely my favorite cars from the muscle car era, and the Woodward Dream Cruise is always full of them. This awesome 1968 Plymouth GTX caught my eye in a special way, though, because of its rare teal color. I love when cars are painted in uncommon tones because it makes them stand out, especially in a traffic jam like this, with literally thousands of cars in it. Enjoy.
Mind Over Motor 