Category Archives: Automotive Lifestyle

What does a car-enthused lifestyle look like?

Automotive Lifestyle, Car Games

Our Picks, the $40,000 question

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In today’s market, $40,000 marks a sort of barrier between “normal” cars and “luxury” cars. You can basically find any sort of car for under $40 grand, so it can be argued that nobody needs to spend more than that unless they’re interested in fluff. It is a realistic budget for many middle class Americans, and that is why we have chosen to kick off our new “Our Picks” segment with it.

We will give our picks for two $40,000 budget scenarios, one as an only car, and the other as a second car. We will also give our second choices for each. Keep in mind, this is how we would spend our own money, with our rather discerning tastes in cars, and not necessarily our recommendations for more average buyers.

Continue reading Our Picks, the $40,000 question →

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1957 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet at the Bonhams 2014 Quail Lodge Auction

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White Bonhams Ferrari Front Angle

White and Ferrari sometimes goes really well together, and other times doesn’t. Luckily for us all, this time, it goes incredibly well together. Clearly, it goes so well together, someone was willing to pay more than fifteen times as much my parents’ house’s worth in northern New Jersey for this magnificent convertible 250. Only 40 of the Series 1 Cabriolets were made, and this one, chassis 0759-GT, is the eighth one out of the factory and was featured at the Turin Auto Show in 1957. It made its way initially to Venezuela, but eventually was added to the Maranello Rosso collection (a feature at the Bonhams auction this year at The Quail) in 1991. The final sale price was a cool $6.9 million dollars–quite a sum for a non-California Spyder droptop 250, but a price well-paid. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet at the Bonhams 2014 Quail Lodge Auction →

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Rockefeller’s Imperial Limo at the 2014 Radnor Hunt Concours

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Rockefeller Limo Front

When it comes to the Rockefeller family, it’s hard not to think of money, prestige, fame, politics, and limousines. This particularly extravagant limo is a 1960 Imperial with a body by Ghia and an interior to die for. 17 of these Ghia-bodied limos left the factory in 1960 and this is the only one ordered without the third set of rear-side windows (making this a 5-window model as opposed to a 7-window). Nelson D. Rockefeller ordered this car when he was elected Governor of New York back in 1960 and outfitted it with emergency lights, a fabric rear seat, and vinyl half-roof. Governor Rockefeller rode in genuine style from his inauguration in 1960 (in this car) and until the end of his time in Albany, and had a penchant for Imperials, using this and another later model in the late Sixties. To make this an even more exclusive type of vehicle, there was actually a sister Ghia-bodied limo like this one, but it was owned by the one and only Jacqueline Kennedy. Rarefied air, indeed. It’s fit for a Rockefeller, it’s fit for a Kennedy, it’s probably even fit for royalty. Enjoy the photos of this regal official car. Continue reading Rockefeller’s Imperial Limo at the 2014 Radnor Hunt Concours →

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Scaglietti Spyder at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

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1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa Front Angle

When it comes to the low and lithe 250 Testa Rossa, few other Ferraris have the same combination of sex appeal, speed, and freakish good looks. Paint one yellow and red, and a Concours judge will pay attention for quite a while. It got my attention too, considering I had to fight people tooth and nail just to get a few good snaps of this one. Pebble Beach was happy to feature the 250 Testa Rossa this past year and dedicated the end of the 17th fairway to a fleet of them for all to see and adore. This yellow and red example owned by Harry Yeaggy and Willis Murphy, Jr won 2nd in class and had ownership of an incredible history–this was a customer car, raced for an extensive period of time. It lost its engine and had to race with a Chevy V8, but 19 years ago was reunited with its original engine, which is now back in the car for the first time since this Testa Rossa was delivered in 1958. “Stunning” isn’t the right word. “Terrific” better covers it. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Scaglietti Spyder at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance →

Auto Idolatry

How does the new Ford Mustang stand up against the Chevy Camaro?

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It’s an age-old American civil war that continues to be fought on the asphalt. Mustang vs Camaro, who will win?

-Nick

Auto Idolatry

200mph Drag Race: McLaren P1 vs Porsche 918 vs Ducati 1199 S

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Autocar brings us an incredible race between three of the fastest vehicles on the planet, the Mclaren P1, the Porsche 918, and the Ducati 1199 Superleggera. Imagine having all of those vehicles together with a runway at your disposal, just epic!

Check out what happens!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry

Matt Farah drives the Audi RS5 Cabriolet

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Sweet sounding machine with no roof to quiet it down. Enjoy!

-Nick

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1929 Ruxton C Baker-Raulang Roadster at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

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1929 Ruxton Front Angle

Ruxtons were a featured marque this year at the Pebble Beach Concours, and what a great brand to feature at a show like this. These cars were built-to-order in a shop in Philadelphia and were incredibly expensive to buy. As the first front-wheel-drive American automobile for sale, these were exclusive in their era and very innovative for the late Twenties. The brand would sadly fail in 1931, but interest in the cars has been high in the recent past as orphan marques become more noticeable at Concours events. This particular Ruxton is the fifth Roadster built and features a truly breathtaking pink paint finish, something unique and stunning on a car from the Roaring Twenties. This car now resides in the Petersen collection and was right at the front of the line of Ruxtons in the middle row at Pebble Beach–a fitting location for such an eye-catching automobile. In terms of striving for attention, it does not get any better than this Ruxton for 1929. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1929 Ruxton C Baker-Raulang Roadster at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance →

SHOWCASE

Subaru gives Roadkill some money…chaos ensues.

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When it comes to making lemons out of rotten lemons, Roadkill does quite a job. From supercharging a Chevy-powered Jaguar early on, to doing an engine swap on a ’68 El Camino in a parts-store parking lot in Reno, to dumping a motorhome-worn 440 Chrysler V8 into a rusted-out Dodge Charger shell, David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan work for Hot Rod Magazine and Subaru brought them a few Legacy sedans to compete against in three separate contests–a barrel race vs a beat-up Ford Ranchero, a rallycross race between a Legacy 3.6R and the “General Mayhem” (a beat-up 1968 Dodge Charger with a smog-choked 440 and worn-out axles), and a road race through an abandoned neighborhood against a turbocharged, Chevy V6-powered Datsun 240Z with more rust than sheet metal. I don’t want to reveal the ending–the video is worth watching. Go ahead, take an hour, and watch the video, it’s worth the time spent.

-Albert S. Davis

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Motor Trend tests the new Challenger Hellcat

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Motor Trend’s Carlos Lago gets behind the wheel of the new Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. He also puts it on a chassis dyno where it puts down some very consistent numbers over multiple runs….. the magic number, around 670rwhp. So, either the folks at Dodge have found a way to break the laws of physics with a miniscule 5% drivetrain loss through an automatic gearbox, or the Hellcat may be a little underrated, even at 707hp. But hey, I don’t think anyone will complain.

The Hellcat seems an outstanding machine. Enjoy the video!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Autocar tries out the new Lexus RC F

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Autocar’s Steve Sutcliffe takes the new Lexus RC F for a spin. Looks like a lot of fun!

-Nick

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Sam Posey’s 1970 Dodge Challenger at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2014

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1970 Sam Posey Challenger Front

When it comes to a Dodge Challenger, it doesn’t take a lot to get my attention. This particular Sam Posey ex-Trans Am 1970 racer had all the right bits to make me keep my eyes peeled for it. The lime-green paint scorched more than the 80+ high temperature of the day, while the fantastic side pipes, hooked up to a sweet-sounding Mopar small-block V8 provided a thundering soundtrack that added plenty of depth to the bellow of Trans-Am race cars that dominate the track at the end of the Saturday racing sessions at Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Although this car was here last year (and is apparently a regular visitor to the track during Monterey Car Week), it’s always a welcome sight, especially for a Mopar maniac like myself. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Sam Posey’s 1970 Dodge Challenger at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2014 →