Category Archives: Cars We’ve Seen

Cool and interesting cars that caught our eye either at shows or on the street.

1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider Zagato at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

January 8, 2014 ndubs77 3 Comments

Among the droves of classic Alfa Romeo 8Cs present for the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, this 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider Zagato stood out in particular. The Alfa Romeo 8C was the definitive Italian sports and racing car of the pre-war era, and the 8C 2300 featured here has had a beautiful body draped over it by legendary Italian design house, Zagato. That is why it caught my eye at this most prestigious of automotive events.

From what I understand, this unique 8C 3200 was originally commissioned by a famous Italian boat racer named Ambrogio Castiglioni. Its creme white color and swooping, art deco lines make it stand out tremendously among other Alfa Romeos of the era, which were often styled pretty sparsely in order to save weight for racing.

At Pebble Beach, the 8C 2300 Spider Zagato was beyond elegant. The grand finale of Monterey Car Week, their Concours d’Elegance is probably the most prestigious such event in the world, so for a car to be eye catching there, it must be pretty special. Enjoy the photos of this magnificent machine.

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Cars We've Seen

Spotted! Lamborghini Diablo, Carmel, CA

January 7, 2014 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

After Nick and I finished shooting the Aston Martin One-77 off of Ocean Avenue in Carmel the first full day were in California last summer, we thought we were done for the day in Carmel. We were a bit wrong about that. Once we got back to the rental car, a black Lamborghini Diablo was staring both of us square in the face, sharing its portion of the pavement rather reluctantly with a Ferrari F430 Scuderia. Of course we took pictures of it–why wouldn’t we? This is one of the slickest-looking Diablos I’ve seen, especially with the black Murcielago rims which give this example a most sinister look. Continue reading Spotted! Lamborghini Diablo, Carmel, CA →

Cars We've Seen

Mind Over Motor’s Best Car Spotting of 2013

January 3, 2014 ndubs77 4 Comments

Pagani Huayra Carbon Edition spotted in Monterey, CA

Car spotting is a sport that many of us car enthusiasts play, literally, everywhere we go in the world. This is a photo gallery of our best car spotting from our travels during 2013. Some of the cars are very exotic, while others were just too cool to pass up capturing in the setting they were in. What they all have in common, though, is that they all managed to grab our attention. Click on the photos to see the complete gallery of each car featured. Enjoy!

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Car Shows

Mind Over Motor’s 2013 Event Recap & Highlights

December 30, 2013 ndubs77 3 Comments

2013 Events We Attended (click title links for the full galleries)

–Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

Here we are in the last few days of the year 2013, and this whole week we will be recapping what we’ve done over the past year with a few epic conglomerations of drool-worthy automotive content! First up is a recap of all the events we’ve attended this year.

2013 has been an interesting year for us at Mind Over Motor. They say that the third year of any venture is often a test, and it has been so for us as we continually try to balance our efforts toward growing the site and creating new content with the demands of our everyday lives. Many of you who’ve been following have probably noticed some changes we’ve made in the past few months, and there are more changes coming (for the better, of course!) in the new year as we continue to grow and find more fun things to share with all of you.

We attended some incredible car shows this year, and we saw some really fantastic cars. We compiled loads of content from each event, much of which we has shared, but a lot of which is still yet to come. So without further adieu, here are the event highlights from 2013, as well as a gallery of some of our favorite photos from each event. There are a lot of them, so please keep scrolling down. Enjoy!

Concours d’Elegance Events (continued):

–The Elegance at Hershey

–Festivals of Speed at Amelia Island

–Greenwich Concours d’Elegance

–Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

–The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering

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Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1957 Ford at the New Hope Car Show

December 27, 2013 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

This past August, I was busy taking pictures with Nick at the New Hope Car Show, an event which, although not billed as a Concours, has cars that would certainly look at home in one. Day One, August 10, is reserved for American cars. This year, during the awards, we were taking detail shots when my eardrums on both sides of my head got a big jolt. I turned around, and there was this rather ordinary-looking 1957 Ford two-door sedan sitting in traffic idling behind me. However, the dog-dish hubcaps and rather loud shade of red spoke to something sinister–if there’s one thing I learned over my years, it was that this Ford, with its fetching red paint and rumbling exhaust, was hiding something wicked under the hood. After a quick chat with the owner, I was delighted to hear that this ’57 was packing some serious punch–in fact, this thing was running a supercharged 292 cubic inch V8 with 300 brake horsepower–a huge sum at that time, and even though I wasn’t sure if it was original, I certainly enjoyed the soundtrack and the straightness of the bodywork. I had not seen a ’57 Ford as clean as this one until that point, and I haven’t seen one as good cosmetically since then. Enjoy the photos.
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Cars We've Seen

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Spotted in Carmel, CA

December 27, 2013 ndubs77 3 Comments

While out car spotting in Carmel, California during Monterey Car Week we caught this striking Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione lurking amongst traffic. As an object unto itself, the 8C Competizione is a design masterpiece, but getting to see this very special Alfa in the context of the real world, surrounded by mundane normal cars, made it all the more special. I was able to get a few shots of it as it passed by, and I think I captured the 8C’s contrast well. Enjoy the photos.

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Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Trans-Am Mustangs and Camaros at Laguna Seca

December 24, 2013 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

Before seeing these classic American beasts roar their way around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Nick and I traipsed around the paddock and surveyed the potential field. While we were walking around, I took some snaps of some of my favorite Trans-Am racers, unsure if I would be able to see them on the track later. Luckily, I not only got these shots, but was able to see these beasts battle it out on the tarmac later in the afternoon in the blinding sun. After hearing these old muscle cars run, I was deaf for a few glorious hours. Searing color, searing sounds, and a thumping exhaust note–just about everything needed to enjoy an afternoon on the track. Enjoy the photos, and Happy Holidays. Continue reading Trans-Am Mustangs and Camaros at Laguna Seca →

Car Shows

Ford GT40s at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

December 23, 2013 ndubs77 7 Comments

The 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance featured a tribute to the legendary Ford GT40. I always say that many of the legendary cars we know and love today were originally created because Enzo Ferrari pissed someone off, and the GT40 is one such car.

Back in 1963 Ford went well into the process to purchase Ferrari, but Enzo pulled out of the deal at the last minute, after a lot of money had been spent by Ford to audit his company, because Ford would not allow Enzo continued total control over Ferrari’s racing division. Henry Ford II was infuriated by Enzo, and decided to get his revenge where it would hurt Enzo most, on the racetrack. With the help of Carroll Shelby, and many others, the Ford GT40 was born, and it unleashed a firestorm upon the Ferrari’s racing efforts, most notably winning the 24 hrs of LeMans four years in a row (1966-1969).

Seeing so many Ford GT40s in the same place was nothing short of an epic experience, and it made quite a good impression on my first trip to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. We look forward to returning this year, and can only hope for another display as spectacular as this one was. Enjoy the photos.

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Cars We've Seen

Spotted! 1972 Chevrolet K-5 Blazer, Carmel, CA

December 19, 2013 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

While walking around Carmel during the Concours weekend, I am always excited to see what turns up on the street. I’ll usually expect to see plenty of the newest and best of all exotics, along with a solid smattering of the greatest hits of most historic segments. Trucks, however, don’t usually cross my mind. However, when an example as good as this one was turned up right on Ocean Avenue, I stopped and took it in. It’s a ’72 Blazer, by indication of the main points (grille, body style, location of the rearview mirror) and although it’s not exactly stock with its ride height, I haven’t seen one this straight in my life. Therefore, I felt like it deserved some attention amongst the Ferraris, Lambos, and other exotics that pepper this very landscape in the third weekend of August. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Spotted! 1972 Chevrolet K-5 Blazer, Carmel, CA →

Cars We've Seen

Spotted! Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, Pebble Beach, CA

December 16, 2013 ndubs77 6 Comments

This was the second Ferrari F12 Berlinetta I ever saw on the street. The first was earlier that morning at The Inn at Spanish Bay, also within the Pebble Beach premises. Monterey Car Week is always a great place to see the newest exotic cars running around, and we saw a few more F12 Berlinettas running around over the course of the weekend.

I think this Ferrari F12 looked especially righteous in bright yellow because it gave the car a crisp appearance that contrasted starkly with everything else around it. As Ferrari’s newest grand touring car, the F12 is the latest in the lineage of my favorite type of Ferrari. It is an incredible sight in person with its scientifically sculpted shape, and with 730hp coming out of its 6.3L V12 engine, I’m sure it is a total beast to drive as well.

Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows, Motorsport

Alfa Romeos from the paddock at Laguna Seca

December 11, 2013 ndubs77 2 Comments

There were a number of truly righteous Alfa Romeos occupying the paddock at Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion this year. When it comes to vintage cars, Alfas are definitely among my personal favorite. They are some of the sexiest machines around, and back in the day, Alfa Romeo was a serious racing contender… before all of this Fiat Group hierarchy, everyone bow down to Ferrari, nonsense.

The Alfas in the pit lane were among the creme-de-la-creme of Alfa Romeos. We saw a Tipo 33/2 Race Car (pictured above), a TZ, a TZ2, and a very race-prepped Giulia Spider. For context, Alfa Romeo made just 112 TZs, and a scant 12 TZ2s. I’m not sure on the number of Tipo 33/2s that Alfa produced, but I’d bet it’s within the range of the TZ models.

Italian cars are able to make any setting look good. Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows

Greenwich Concours d’Elegance: 1974 BMW E9 3.0CSL

December 9, 2013 ndubs77 1 Comment

We saw this minty 1974 BMW E9 3.0CSL at the 2013 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance last Spring. E9s are some of my favorite BMWs of all time with their classy style and perfect proportions. The 3.0CSL you see here is a pristine example of the top-spec, road going version of the BMW E9. Those who know BMWs, of course, will know the racing, “Batmobile”, version of the 3.0CSL. The road version, like this one, was a lighter weight, more sporting version of the E9 rather than a detuned version of the racing car, similar to how the Subaru STi is to the standard Subaru Impreza today.

The 3.0CSL is one of the direct precursors to the range of BMW M cars that we all know and love today. It was a real treat seeing this immaculate example at Greenwhich this year. Enjoy the gallery.

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