Category Archives: Random Cool Stuff

This stuff isn’t our own work, but we found it cool so we wanted to share it with you

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 →

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

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Motor Trend tests the new Subaru WRX

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Motor Trend’s Johnny Lieberman takes the new Subaru WRX for a spin to see if it holds up to its lineage.

Enjoy.

-Nick

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1941 Lincoln Continental by Durham at the Radnor Hunt Concours

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Raymond Leowy is a name known very well by a lot of car enthusiasts.  He penned, among others, the Studebaker Avanti, the bullet-nose Studebaker Commander and Champion of the postwar era, the 1946 Lincoln Continental, the Hillman Minx, and the Sunbeam Alpine roadster.  He had an eye for style and flair, and also was the pencil behind plenty of contemporary designs of today, including even the US Postal Service logo still in use.  However, in 1941, he bought a brand-new Lincoln Continental coupe and had it sent off to the coachbuilder Durham for modifications.  By the time the craftsmen at Durham were finished with the Lincoln, it looked strikingly different.  The grille and hood were reshaped, the front fenders were shortened, and the bumpers were customized up front.  At the rear, a fin was added in the center, and an opera window and plexiglass roof were added to the top.  It was, in the end, quite a unique Continental and I had a hard time ignoring it when it was sitting at the entrance of the show this year.  Enjoy the pictures.

Continue reading 1941 Lincoln Continental by Durham at the Radnor Hunt Concours →

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

XCAR takes a ride with Horacio Pagani in his personal Zonda

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XCAR goes for a ride with Horacio Pagani in his own personal Zonda. Just watch this.

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Autocar pits the C7 Corvette against its European rivals

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The Corvette has always been an American hero, able to rival Porsches and whatnot in lap times and speed. However, by almost all counts, the Corvette was never on the same level in terms of its driving experience, when compared to the Europeans. The Chevrolet C7 Corvette Stingray is probably the best Vette yet in terms of driving dynamics, so Autocar decided to see how it stacked up directly to its fiercest rivals from across the pond.

Keep in mind, British journalists, especially, tend to be heavy critics of Corvettes. Maybe they feel threatened by such a great American icon, I mean, the Vette is basically “the George Washington of cars”, and that might bring up some of their cultural bad memories from the late 1700s. Either way, all pokes aside, the Brits seem to like the C7 Stingray quite a lot, and it seems it is finally able to take on the Europeans on their own turf.

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

-Nick

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1937 Cord 812 at the Radnor Hunt Concours, 2013

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It’s pretty clear that I hold anything with the Cord name in a good amount of regard.  They were innovators in the 1930s and were tragically out of business by 1938.  The 812 was one of the most advanced cars they’d ever made, right before the demise of the company.  The 812 included a supercharged straight-8 by Lycoming hooked up to a semi-automatic transmission, as well as a fully independent front suspension with front-wheel-drive–a first for anything built in America.  This was also the very first car from the States to utilize concealed headlights, which could be raised by a set of interior knobs.  Many other features, including a set of variable speed wipers and a concealed fuel filler, were also either not seen previously on other cars, or had not been a common feature at the time.  Unfortunately, Cord did not produce many and was not able to sell them well during the Depression, despite intense initial interest.  This butter-yellow convertible looked striking against the rolling hills and leafy trees of Malvern, Pennsylvania.  Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1937 Cord 812 at the Radnor Hunt Concours, 2013 →