Showcases of various cars for various purposes.
In the Fifties, Ferrari began to become a household name. By the time the 250 launched, they were known on the track, and they were becoming better-known for producing exotic, alluring sports cars with an Italian flair and twelve free-breathing cylinders underneath the hood. The 250 series, of course, is a timeless classic at this point and now it’s an all-time great. Continue reading Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours
The Logonda Taraf is a million dollar cherry on top of the Aston Martin pie. It’s a Rapide underneath, but they’ve done a lot to make it more “special.”
I think it’s pretty sharp, definitely a head turner for the handful of owners to show off to their friends.
-Nick
Here’s Motor Trend’s test of the BMW M2, where they pit it against its bigger brother, the BMW M4.
Could the M2 possibly be better than the M4?
-Nick
Matt Farah shows us the new turbocharged Porsche 718 Boxster S in action. It seems very impressive, but it will also definitely be divisive.
To start with, it sounds like a Subaru. Whether that’s a good thing or not will be hotly debated. I, for one, kind of like it.
Regardless of your opinion on the new four-cylinder Boxster, there’s no denying that it has some serious performance. The base model 718 Boxster has 300hp now, and the S has 350hp. With tuning options soon to come, these things should be insane.
I like it.
-Nick
As all of you know, Roadkill is basically what happens when two guys who know old cars have money to burn and too much free time on their hands. After a few months off, Roadkill is back and this time, Finnegan and Freiburger travel up to Colorado to pick up a custom-built Ford tow truck with a big block V8, converted 4WD, and plenty of floor holes. They then learn what happens when snow packs up a radiator and disallows the engine from warming up. Welcome back, Roadkill. We missed you. I do hope to see this new tow truck appear in more episodes–it’s quite a cool piece of engineering.
-Albert S. Davis
At Amelia, there’s quite a lot going on and if you blink, you will miss a lot. The show over at one of the other large hotels, the Festivals of Speed, was in full swing on Saturday afternoon in the ultra-strong Florida sun, and I discovered a few cars at the show which I’m unlikely to ever see again. One of them was a 6×6 Mercedes-Benz, which I will cover at a later date. This car, however, is one that almost no one has ever heard of, unless they’ve lived in Japan and had some obscenely wealthy friends (or friends in the Yakuza). Meet the Toyota Century–or the Japanese equivalent of a Maybach, from the Eighties. Continue reading 1990 Toyota Century at the 2016 Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island
Yesterday, Nick posted the Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, at Amelia last week. Today, we have the other Best of Show winner from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. This is the Concours d’Elegance Best Of Show winner–a stunning Rolls-Royce Phantom II. I’ve been across a very large amount of prewar Rolls since I started covering Concours events in September 2010, but nothing quite like this monster. Continue reading 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 2016 Amelia Island Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance
Of all cars at the Amelia Island Concours, celebrity-owned cars get a good share of attention. However, a hippie-themed old Porsche was grabbing more attention than other cars it sat among. This 1964 356C was custom-painted and themed by Joplin over the years to describe better her artistic style within her own life as well as within her music. After her death due to a heroin overdose in 1970, the car was passed between a few different individuals, before ending up in the posession of her manager. The car spent a period of time at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recent years, and was sold to a private collection late last year. Out on the show field, this particular 356 had onlookers gaing at its incredible detailing and one-of-a-kind finish. I don’t expect to ever see anything like this car again for some time, and people asked questions about it non-stop. Enjoy the photos of this timeless legend. Continue reading Janis Joplin’s Porsche 356 at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
Gotta love those old Mopars!
-Nick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyuAXsqaqfA
When it comes to cheap speed, I’m all ears. I may not have the right tools or all of the necessary mechanical know-how (and I know in that regard I’m not alone), but I find myself to be a fast learner. Hot Rod Garage is now in a new season, and host Tony Angelo and new co-host Lucky take thsi episode to show us all what you need to look for and what some of the good ideas are to pick up a cheap car and make it fast on the dragstrip. All it took was a very straight late-Seventies Camaro coupe, an iron-block LS engine out of an Avalanche, and plenty of hop-up parts. Take the time to watch this video–it’s quite a good little crash course.
-Albert S. Davis
Only automobile aficionados know about Delahayes. But when anyone asks me who made the most beautiful cars of all time, I usually drop the Delahaye name. They are gorgeous, they are elegant, they are as French as French can be.
Any connoisseur of pre-war automobiles will know of all the stunning machines that came out of France in the early-mid 1900s. Many might argue that Bugatti or Talbot should hold the crown of beauty instead, but Delahayes have always dropped my jaw in a way that no other marque ever has. They are magical machines with the power to make everything around them disappear.
The 1947 Delahaye 135M you see here turned many heads at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. It is one of a few hundred 135Ms produced in the difficult post-war era. France was ruined and there wasn’t much room for ostentatious luxury cars as the country was being rebuilt. As a result, most post-war Delahayes were exported to wealthy buyers outside of France. Delahaye’s larger military contracting business kept them afloat until they lost a major contract with the French government, and went bust in 1954.
This beautiful black Delahaye 135M Narval was built for a wealthy industrialist in Ohio. It’s design was inspired by the elegant motion of aquatic mammals, specifically the Narwal. It was built for the President of The Prima Company Ohio, and was showcased in a magazine ad for “Covergirl Dress Flats by Prima,” hence the car’s nickname “Cover Girl.”
This Delahaye stands as a masterpiece of art on wheels. Enjoy the gallery.
Continue reading 1947 Delahaye 135M Narval “Cover Girl” at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
Which six-figure sports coupe is better, the Mercedes AMG GT S or the Jaguar F-Type R?
Motor Trend finds out which is the winner, but honestly I’d recommend each of them to anyone.
Enjoy!
-Nick
Mind Over Motor 