The Ferrari 456 is a member of a long line of Ferrari grand touring cars. It had a sleek, pure shape to it and was one of the last production cars to feature pop-up headlights. A good many of the standard 456s were produced during it’s eleven year run, and today they are even among the more affordable used Ferraris out there. There were, however, a few other variants of the 456 produced for customers (mainly the Brunei royal family) upon special request. These custom built examples are quite rare and are among the most unique cars around. Continue reading Obscure Autos: Ferrari 456 Venice variants→
At Pebble Beach this year I was lucky enough to have a private run through of Mercedes-Benz’s new Android-based technology package for the SLS AMG. It is a really cool system they came up with. Basically it is as if the car is an Android but then also has some car specific features as well, such as the ability to link up to race tracks on GPS and receive detailed telemetry on your laps. The video is a bit long, but if you watch it through you will find the system incredible.
This is a model Lamborghini Aventador made of carbon fiber and diamonds. It costs 3.5 million euros which is funny because the actual Aventador car itself costs only around 300,000 euros, so you could have 11 or 12 real ones for the price of this model. Models are for people who cannot afford the real thing. Something like this is just absurdly ostentatious, and if you ask me whoever buys it should have all their assets seized on the spot and should be forced to check into a mental institution. Look I’m not against spending money in crazy ways, I’m even a little elitist at times myself, but there is a line and this sort of thing way over-steps it.
This is a display of Porsche's simplicity and beauty at its finest. I love these cars.
I’ve been a fan of the Porsche 356 since I was at least 9 years old, after seeing one in a buyer’s guide. This particular example is a 1949 356/2 Coupe, one of the first 50 built, handmade in Gmünd, Austria in 1949. In this particular color, it looks positively breathtaking. This one is owned by Ferry Porsche’s son, Hans-Peter Porsche. It won Best in Class this year, in the Postwar Sports Closed Class, at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours. Enjoy the photos.
This is one of those cars that is basically a racing car but has somehow found a way to get number plates. I know the terror I personally have unleashed on little old ladies in my Subaru, but I can only imagine what would happen if I came screaming up behind them in this thing.
Some people wanted to find out how fast the LP-640 would go so they went out and did some things nobody should try at home; unless of course you live on a 5 mile long runway.
This car is linked heavily with the Bugatti EB-110 covered previously. B. Engineering, an Italian firm made up of many ex-Bugatti engineers, designed a chassis based on the design of the EB-110 in order to make an extremely exclusive supercar that would commemorate the turn of the 21st century. They called their car the Edonis, and while it did share its chassis design with the EB-110, major changes occurred everywhere else. Continue reading Obscure Auto: B. Engineering Edonis→
The Crossfire was probably one of the more visible results of the DaimlerChrysler conglomerate. Born as a concept around 2002, it garnered immediate applause among the automotive faithful for being a strikingly beautiful car with the potential to break Chrysler into an entirely new market. Continue reading Secondhand Saint: Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6→
The Fisker Karma is for people who would buy a Chevy Volt…. if they were poor. It offers the same sort of hybrid setup as the Volt just with alot more power (around 400hp and 960tq, look at that torque figure again), alot more luxury, and looks that are breathtakingly beautiful. The Karma is well explained here except for when he tries the launch from a stand still. The Fisker’s traction system will not allow all 960ft/lbs to reach the road from a dead stop for safety reasons. If you want to experience that savagery, then you need to punch the throttle from probably 50 or 60mph. It is quite a cool car though, and hopefully it will open up a new luxury market segment.
Since it’s mandatory for a car site to feature Ken Block’s videos, here you go. Its a good one, by far the most theatrical yet. We have also decided to feature the other 3 Gymkhanas, and one good spoof, below so you can see where all of this has come from. In my opinion these videos were much better when he was driving a Subaru, but I’m biased as hell. Enjoy watching.
Mind Over Motor 