Category Archives: Exotic Supercars

Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars, Luxury Cars, SUVs and Crossovers

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Review, Al’s Take (Grade: B)

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Out at Amelia Island, ride and drives last year were few and far between.  Luckily for me, SRT was there and proudly offering a few cars to test.  The Chrysler 300 SRT was available, but as most of our readers know, I tested that last summer and found it underwhelming.  On Nick’s persistent recommendation, I took the the other option they had, this Billet Silver Metallic Grand Cherokee and asked myself this question: What makes this better than the Chrysler, and what elements does this vehicle have that I want to see in others?  The surprisingly substantial drive I took allowed me to answer more than just those questions.
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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

Rolls Royce Phantom II, The Chauffeured Review (7.5/10)

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Rolls Royce Phantom 1

Having a nice dinner with a good bottle of wine is a good thing, but having a nice dinner with a well-aged bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an occasion to be savored. 

But what is really the difference? If you just gave most people a glass of nameless wine, even if it were something like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, then it either tastes good or it doesn’t. But knowing that you have something very special changes the experience entirely. The focus of the aforementioned dinner becomes all about appreciating the wine, with the food as a secondary concern. In reality, it may well be somewhat of a placebo effect, but it makes you feel special, and that is something people crave. This is precisely the appeal of the Rolls Royce Phantom. 

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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars, Luxury Cars

2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, The Driver’s Review (Grade: B+)

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Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II Front Angle Left

Rolls-Royce has every reason to act pompous about their cars.  The Phantom, their current flagship, has been on the market since 2003, and just this year, has been restyled as the Series II, which includes a large number of under-the-skin changes and a new front fascia. While at Pebble Beach, Nick and I had just enough time to review this classy chariot, but not enough time to take turns driving it. As a result, this review will concern what the big Phantom II is like from the driver’s point of view. Continue reading 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, The Driver’s Review (Grade: B+) →

Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

SRT Viper Review (7.5/10)

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SRT Viper Review 1

What is it?

The SRT Viper, formerly known as the Dodge Viper, is the iconic American sports car for people looking to get more out life than a Mustang or a Corvette can offer.

Intended to be a modern incarnation of the legendary Shelby Cobra, the Viper was developed by Chrysler with the help of Carroll Shelby to try and decimate the Chevrolet Corvette in the early 1990s. Where the Corvette of the time had a 300hp V8, the Viper went for the jugular with a 400hp V10. That was just the beginning, and as you will see, things have gotten even crazier since.

But has the Viper become too crazy for the times? Those of you who follow the car industry will know that Viper sales are in the toilet, so much so that Chrysler has actually had to halt production and even pull its Vipers out of racing competition. The Viper could have a serious problem here, and its survival may well be on the chopping block as we speak. Having finally sampled a Viper for myself, I will will use my experience with the car to muse on why it is that the sales of this beast are struggling.

It may seem cold and heartless to us car enthusiasts, but sales are the end-all-be-all in the car industry, especially for low volume production cars such as this. Ferrari and Lamborghini no longer offer manual transmissions in their cars because, plainly, nobody bought them, and now the Viper may be facing a similar situation.

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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

Ferrari 458 Italia Review, Al’s Take (GRADE: A)

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Ferrari 458 Front Angle

At the end of the morning after the Fourth of July, the mercury was slamming 112 degrees outside of Las Vegas, and it was nice and somewhat cool inside the tent with all the exotic cars I’d been driving.  After prepping myself with a drive in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, I had one car left.  Thanks to the heat, the F430 Scuderia I’d wanted had gotten sunburned and whimpered back to its lair, but the newer 458 Italia in the tent was just tanning in the searing sun, ready for me to drive it.  Of course I obliged, and found out what’s possible with a 562bhp V8 stuffed a few inches behind the back of my ears, other than making me nearly go deaf. Continue reading Ferrari 458 Italia Review, Al’s Take (GRADE: A) →

Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

Jaguar F-Type V8 S, Nick’s Review (9.5/10)

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Jaguar F-Type V8 S

What is the Jaguar F-Type V8 S?

This is Jaguar’s return to building a true sports car. For a long time, under Ford, Jaguar really only built luxury sedans and coupes. You could maybe get away with calling the early 2000s XKR a grand touring car, but it wasn’t even remotely close to being a proper, driver-focused sports car. Much of Jaguar’s brand image has been built on racing success, and building iconic sports cars, such as the E-Type, so the new F-Type is a much needed return to form.

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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars, Luxury Cars

Jaguar F-Type V8S Review, Al’s Take (Grade: A)

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Considering how much I enjoy the V6S version of Jaguar’s F-Type sports car, dropping a supercharged V8 engine in it reminds me of what Carroll Shelby used to say, “Too much is just enough.”  He was right.  But, just to be sure, I took the wheel of this Polaris White 8-cylinder out on the same roads as the black V6S, a few days after taking the other car out for a spin, to get a closer look at the top engine offered in Jaguar’s newest chassis. Continue reading Jaguar F-Type V8S Review, Al’s Take (Grade: A) →

Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

2014 Jaguar XJR LWB Review (10/10)

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2014 Jaguar XJR reviewed by Mind Over Motor

Say you have been very successful in your chosen career, and you are ready to treat yourself to a really nice set of wheels. Many die-hard car enthusiasts, like myself, would rather have a collection of a few different cars on a six-figure budget, but many folks still opt for just one car to suit all of their needs and desires. In truth, if you have a high-level executive job, you probably don’t have much spare time to spend cruising around just for fun in multiple, superfluous cars, so having one car that really knocks the ball out of the park is the only way to go.

Obviously, with such a large budget, you can basically have anything you want from a car without even straining yourself. That said, such a budget does allow you to get yourself something that is truly extraordinary, should you so wish. This is where a car like the new Jaguar XJR comes in.

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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

Test Driven: Jaguar F-Type V6S, Al’s Take (Grade: B+)

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Jaguar’s F-Type is a car that has taken a lot of thought out of me.  When I was at Pebble Beach, it was already on sale, and I’d already had some seat time in one back in June 2013 on a parking-lot racetrack in Queens, NY.  However, due to the limited amount of time I’d had with it, I was looking forward to taking another crack at this little sports car in the Golden State.  I got my wish when I strapped myself into this sleek black beauty, and took it for a rather educational drive around the Seventeen Mile Drive.
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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

Test Driven: Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, Al’s Take (Grade: A)

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I don’t like the phrase “lame-duck.” It implies a constantly negative connotation. I don’t like negative connotations when it comes to anything that’s orange, Italian, and far too loud. Despite that, the Gallardo, one of Lamborghini’s most successful models, is indeed on its way out. This particular orange Italian screamer was the third car of four that I drove in Las Vegas last summer and, thanks to the scorching temperatures, the one I was the most fearful of not being able to drive. Luckily, this Lamborghini stayed cool in the heat, while I roasted in the sunlight before taking the wheel. It didn’t disappoint.

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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars, Luxury Cars, SUVs and Crossovers

Test Driven: 2014 Range Rover Supercharged (Grade: B)

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The Range Rover is a hard vehicle for me to place sometimes.  It has the trappings and the appeal of a luxury car, but can tackle off-road trails like nobody’s business.  This year, Land Rover did a ground-up redesign of the old girl and at Pebble Beach, I took a chance on this big black beast after taking a Rolls-Royce out for a spin.  Now, I drove an older one on a short off-road course last year and it was a rather eye-opening experience, where I learned just how capable the old one was.  This time, though, there was no rock-crawling or dune-smashing.  It was just me, a representative, and the 17-Mile Drive.  After I shut the door, I had some interesting things to ponder. Continue reading Test Driven: 2014 Range Rover Supercharged (Grade: B) →

Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

Test Driven: Aston Martin V8 Vantage S, Nick’s Take (7/10)

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Aston Martin V8 Vantage S

The raspy echo of a snarling V8 carrying over the desert sand is usually something that would conjure up thoughts of American iron and righteous lawlessness. The movie Vanishing Point comes to mind, and the Dodge Challenger is just the car I would normally think of when the topic of V8s echoing over desert sands arises. But in this case, what I am describing is not a muscle car, but a suave British exotic, fresh from the pages of a novel by Ian Fleming. I am of course talking about an Aston Martin, the V8 Vantage S to be exact, and no, I cannot promise that will be my last James Bond reference because such cliches are obligatory when a journalist drives an Aston, of course.

My drive took place on the racetrack at Exotics Racing in Las Vegas, Nevada. I doubt many Aston Vantages see track time in the hands of their owners, but it was very interesting to get to know this little car in a setting where I could actually explore a good bit of its potential. Exotics Racing had unfortunately unhooked all of the machine guns and the oil slick from the car (things that come standard on every Aston), but on the positive side, that made the car lighter.

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