Category Archives: Automotive Lifestyle

What does a car-enthused lifestyle look like?

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Custom Pickup Truck at the Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island

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Nick was far too busy photographing a nifty Volkswagen parked at the back of the show to take fair notice of something that was even cooler just next to it.  This custom pickup truck is too insane for words.  The frame is out of  Toyota Pickup, the engine is a Chevrolet LT-1 V8 from the early Nineties, and the interior is completely custom-made, with a No Smoking sign forming the backdrop panel for the radio and a custom instrument panel.  Meanwhile, the body is a cream-and-brown 1954 Dodge stepside regular cab, and the entire thing is fitted with an adjustable air suspension.  I spoke to some buddies of the owner who said that some passerby snickered and said “What’s this doing here?”, smirking the entire time.  In my opinion, the joke is on them–this is one of the coolest customs I’ve ever seen and absolutely belonged in the show.  Note some of the more quirky touches, such as the set of ratchet wrenches standing in for a gas pedal and a sculptured middle finger in place of a rear view mirror.  All in all, this custom pickup truck at the Festivals of Speed is one of the coolest customs I’ve ever seen.  Enjoy the photos.

Continue reading Custom Pickup Truck at the Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island →

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

KAZ: Pushing The Virtual Divide – Gran Turismo Documentary

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KAZ is an inspiring documentary on the story of the Gran Turismo franchise, and its creator, Kazunori Yamauchi. Gran Turismo 3 is the game that changed my life forever and catapulted me into my obsession with cars, so it was very interesting to see how Mr. Yamauchi’s passion in many was directly founded my own passion. It is contagious for sure.

The documentary is around two hours long, but if you have the time to watch it I promise you will be captivated and inspired. This is the sort of passion we should all pursue in our lives. Enjoy!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Petrolicious makes us all want a Saab Sonett

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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

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1958 Scarab: Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

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The other Best of Show award at Amelia this year was designated as the Concours d’Sport, an award to go to the best racing car on the field that day.  I wasn’t sure what had the chops to sway the judges this year.  While I was taking pictures along a wall during the awards ceremony, this blue 1958 Scarab destroyed my eardrums and stole my attention for a little while.  Little did I know until I saw it waiting on the side that it was to recieve a Best of Show.  My eardrums were again destroyed, but this time, I was fine with it.  This little Scarab deserved its win and looked head and shoulders above much of the other racers in the field this year.  Enjoy the photos.

Continue reading 1958 Scarab: Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance →

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1938 Horch 853 by Voll & Ruhrbeck: Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance at the Amelia Island Concours

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This year, two awards for Best of Show were given out at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.  The best race car received the Concours d’Sport (a 1958 Scarab), and the best classic recieved the Concours d’Elegance.  The Elegance award went to this absolutely stunning 1938 Horch 853 Cabriolet, which came all the way from Sparks, Nevada, owned by Bob and Ann Brockinton Lee.  The silver-gray paint was immaculate and the restoration was top-rate.  The 853 was a car of the aristocracy of Europe for some time before WWII and is sought after today as a great example of German craftsmanship from the Thirties.  This one is one of only two ever bodied by Voll & Ruhrbeck, and was fully restored recently to an incredibly high standard.  The chrome was second to none, the accessories looked better than new, and no stone was left un-turned.  Despite the fact that I had other favorites and somewhat overlooked this car at the show on Sunday, I can see why the judges made their decision and I am inclined to agree about its high standard.  Enjoy the photos.  The Scarab will be posted to the site in the coming days.

Continue reading 1938 Horch 853 by Voll & Ruhrbeck: Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance at the Amelia Island Concours →

Car Shows, Motorsport

Presenting a selection from the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA.

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A couple of weeks ago, I spent the weekend in Boston visiting my cousin and her husband.  While I was up there, I revisited the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline just outside of town.  I hadn’t been there in more than 4 years, so I was excited to come back and see what had changed.  Here is a selection of what was at the museum at the time I was there, including a 1953 Corvette, a prewar Bugatti four-door cabriolet in beautiful shape, a Mercer runabout, a selection of classic racers from the 50s and 60s, and a pristine Corvette Stingray in the back room.  The museum has a smorgasbord of prewar cars on display both upstairs and in the family’s personal collection, located in the basement.  This is definitely a great place to go if you like smaller car museums with an eclectic and ever-changing display set.  Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Presenting a selection from the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA. →

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Supercar vs Hypercar, what do you think?

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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

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Everything you want to know about the McLaren P1

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Capitalizing off of their immensely successful video review of the McLaren P1 last week, now over 750,000 views, Drive has released the full conversation between the always entertaining Chris Harris and McLaren Chief Test Driver, and extremely lucky bastard, Chris Goodwin. This is some hearty car nerd stuff for sure, but definitely worth the watch if you are into this stuff.

-Nick

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at the New Hope Classic Car Show

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Early Rolls-Royces were out in full force on the second day of the New Hope Car Show, which is normally reserved for European classics.  Behind the high school that the show uses as its venue, there were Rolls and Bentley classics parked as far as the eye could see.  Luckily for my bad right ankle, this Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, in a very fetching eggshell-white paintjob with wire wheels, was parked right next to the wall of the school, making for some great backdrops.  Of course, my camera packed up on me at this very moment, and the zoom stopped working while I was taking shots of this Ghost.  Luckily, the photos survived for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at the New Hope Classic Car Show →

Auto Idolatry, Opinions, SHOWCASE

‘Murica!!! The Hennessey Venom GT Hits 270mph!

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We want to throw out a big congratulations to Hennessey Performance Engineering on their record-setting, 270mph run in the Venom GT. The run was doused with an extra helping of awesome because it was held at the Kennedy Space Center’s 3.2 mile runway… you cannot get more ‘Murica if you tried!

For those unfamiliar, the Hennessey Venom GT is a million dollar hypercar produced in very limited numbers by Hennessey Performance Engineering in Texas. It is powered by a twin turbocharged V8 that makes 1244hp, and only runs on the finest concoction of Freedom and Liberty that money can buy. Computers have said all along that the Venom GT should be able to hit the 270mph mark, but now it has been definitively proven. In fact, Hennessey said that the Venom GT was still gaining 1mph second when it passed 270mph, and that means 280mph could be a possibility with another couple miles of straight, flat tarmac.

Now, they weren’t able to do a conformation run in the opposite direction, so the record doesn’t stand for the Guiness Book of World Records, but let’s all be real here, people, 270mph is 270mph. The Venom GT is now officially the fastest production car on Earth, at least for the time being, so let’s all give credit where credit is due.

I know I have been critical of the Venom GT in the past, and I still am to this day. There is no denying its awesome performance, though, and the scale of Hennessey Performance Engineering’s achievement. For all intents and purposes, what has happened here is a David and Goliath scenario. A small performance shop in Texas has succeeded in toppling the technological masterpiece, and flagship, of one of the largest automotive corporations in the world, Volkswagen, despite their comparatively unlimited resources.

Your move Germans…

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Chris Harris’ extremely thorough review of the McLaren P1

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If you watch just one review of the new McLaren P1, make it this one from the Drive Network. I know it is a half-hour long, but Chris Harris takes you through so many of the car’s different aspects, even sitting in traffic in Abu Dhabi. This P1 is clearly a game-changing machine, and if you love supercars, then this video is really worth watching to gain an appreciation for how the bar has been raised.

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

TFL Car tests the new 2015 Subaru STI

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Here is a great first look at the new 2015 Subaru WRX STI from TFL Car. While it certainly seems fun, my question of, “Is the new STI enough?” still very much stands. I’m looking forward to trying one out for myself at some point to see how it compares to my 2004 STi.

Enjoy.

-Nick