Showcases of various cars for various purposes.
This is a classic Datsun Sunny 1200 pickup and it is a JDM wet dream.
It has a custom front clip, made to look like an original Skyline GT-R, and it has an SR20DET engine under the hood with a big ass turbo on it. In terms of “cool,” this Datsun is just dripping with it, and once again, Jay Leno proves he’s probably the luckiest guy on Earth.
Enjoy!
-Nick
Some things just need to be built. Even without a practical purpose, some things must exist because they will make the world a better place. Inspiration is a powerful force in our world, and things that are born out of passion serve to inspire further passion in others. If that isn’t a worthy cause, then I don’t know what is.
This is the Thunderbolt, a custom built Rolls Royce Boat Tail Speedster with a fire-breathing WWII tank engine under its massive hood. It is the embodiment of childhood dreams, and an homage to a more elegant time, when cars were truly works of art and craftsmanship.
The Thunderbolt’s mighty engine is a 27 liter Rolls Royce Meteor V12. It produces 600-700hp and over 1,600 ft/lbs of torque. The Meteor engine was the tank derivative of the famous Merlin engine used in the Spitfire fighter plane. And when the owner says to be careful when starting the car, he means because it literally shoots 5 foot flames out the side exhausts (See the video).
Continue reading The Thunderbolt, a Custom Rolls Royce with a WWII Tank Engine
A lot of you may think the mighty McLaren P1 is the ultimate McLaren to have, if money were no object. Maybe you’d be right, but maybe you’d be wrong. You see, driver satisfaction goes a lot deeper than just raw speed and lap times. Is it possible that the “baby” McLaren 570S may be more fun than it’s faster siblings?
See what you think after watching this video from Motor Trend. For my money, an afternoon out driving is usually more fun in a more playful car.
-Nick
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Feast your eyes on the king of Plymouth stock cars. Back in 1970, Plymouth was racing in NASCAR, and the Dodge Charger Daytona was winning big the previous season. Of course, they wanted in on all the fun, and the top brass was only more than happy to oblige, gifting them the Superbird. The nose cone, massive rear wing, and flush rear window all contributed to a massive aerodynamic advantage at the time–allowing these cars to break to nearly 200 MPH on the oval tracks of the day when equipped with the 426 Hemi. They were so dominant that NASCAR got sick of seeing Mother Mopar basically destroy everybody every Sunday afternoon, so 1971 brought in a rule change that forced Plymouth and Dodge to either ditch the aero body or ditch the Hemi–effectively dumping cold water on the party. Continue reading 1970 Plymouth Superbird at the 2015 Concours of America at St John’s
Roadkill is probably my favorite YouTube show at this point–and even when the post a video on Christmas Day, people still watch it. This time, they take the stock car that’s been hinted at for the entire series on-and-off (which their lawyers refused to let them put on the street for very obvious legal reasons), and make a “street legal” car out of it, by way of using a body with a VIN and a license plate, and dropping it on the chassis. They then take it to a dirt track–but I’m going to say no more so you, dear viewer, can find out what happens.
-Albert S. Davis
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The new Giulia is probably Alfa Romeo’s most important product launch of the past decade. Twenty years ago, Alfa left the American market, and for the first time, there’s hope that the brand is back and can compete on a mass-market level with this product. The Giulia shown at L.A. was the top of the line Quadrifoglio series, complete with a snarling V6 (they wouldn’t start it up for me, but we’ve heard it before on spy videos and it does sound great), six-speed manual, and stunning styling. I can’t wait to see this at dealerships, and I can give a full guarantee that I’ll do whatever is necessary to get behind the wheel of one when the chance arises. Until then, enjoy the photos–Alfa is back and they mean it. Continue reading Alfa Giulia at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show
At some point, I’ll make my way out to Las Vegas and attend SEMA. I’m a sucker for any well-modified car, and SEMA has morphed into a showcase for not only aftermarket, but also for OEM folks to show off their best ways to mess with the showroom guys. Mike Finnegan shows us his favorites, then goes out for a shootout between a few awesome classic Datsun 240Zs.
I’ve featured quite a few Chargers here at Mind Over Motor over the years, but I think this one might be the best one I’ve seen over my life. In 1968, Dodge took their Charger fastback coupe and gave it exclusive Coke-bottle styling, a tunneled rear window and grille, hidden headlights, a flip-top gas cap (taken right from the racing circuit), and a mean bumblebee stripe down the back. This one’s packing the baddest engine on the block–the 426 Hemi. Continue reading 1968 Dodge Charger R/T Hemi at the 2015 Radnor Hunt Concours
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Hot Rod Garage has morphed in a favorite show of mine over on YouTube, simply because of the subject matter covered, and the way in which it is covered. Here, Tony Angelo, proud owner of a matching numbers (same engine as what ended up in the car at the factory) 1971 Dodge Demon 340 in lime green, diagnoses why his engine seized up solid after attempting to break in a new camshaft. While this has never happened to me because I’ve never done serious engine work to a car in my posession, there’s a lot to learn here about what sort of places to look to find the causes of engine seizure, as well as how to make the right repairs. This show’s been going for a few years now from Hot Rod Magazine–and Tony’s a great host. So take a few minutes on your lunch break to watch–plenty to learn.
-Albert S. Davis
Jason Cammisa has been a great addition to the Motor Trend field of reviewers, and his take on the Shelby GT350 isn’t just a great watch, it’s pretty educational–then Randy Pobst turns up and shows us all what this brand-new, track destroying Mustang was built to do, in the best way possible. Turn up your speakers and take a lunch break, because you deserve it and need to hear this thing sing.
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And here, I present the only DeLorean I’ve ever seen that might have a decent shot at making it to 88 miles per hour before slamming into the front of the Twin Pines Mall. This is no ordinary DeLorean that I laid eyes on at the auction tent in Greenwich this past summer. I’d read up on this before turning up and I gleefully discovered that this one’s got a twin turbocharger on it. It’s not a factory part, of course (all DeLorean DMC-12s came from the factory with a genuinely anemic PRV V6, good for a pathetic 109 MPH thanks to emissions regulations and low power output), but the swap was there. Continue reading Twin-Turbo DeLorean up for auction at Bonhams Greenwich, 2015
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