Category Archives: Cars We’ve Seen

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

Car Shows

When a supercar goes rallying: Porsche 959

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In the 1980s Porsche decided to take the most advanced supercar they had ever made and go rallying with it. While original designs were for Group B, the car never actually partook. The 959 did win the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1986 though, coming in with a 1-2 victory. There were a few 959s at the Porsche Museum, in Stuttgart, the day I was there, including one of these rally monsters. Check out the comparison between the road car and the rally car, and just imagine seeing a monster-truck 959 barreling up behind you on a dirt road….. you’d move.

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Cars We've Seen

Spotted! Porsche GT2 RS, Stuttgart, Germany

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Spotted this GT2 RS near the Porsche factory in Stuttgart. I saw a few of these during my recent trip to Germany, but this was the only one I managed to get on film. The king of 911s is obviously quite badass, and it was awesome to see this 620hp monster in person. Continue reading Spotted! Porsche GT2 RS, Stuttgart, Germany →

Car Shows

First Class Fitment 2012

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We were in attendance for First Class Fitment 2012 in Princeton, NJ this past weekend. Loads of slammed and stanced cars came out for the show, and the airport was filled to capacity. There are always a few very interesting cars mixed in with the more generic crowd at events like this, and that is why I go to them. Honestly, I am not the biggest fan of the stance movement because I think it gets taken a bit far sometimes, and I cannot stand when people ruin the handling of high performance cars like Evos, STis, M3s, Porsches, etc. That said, I do like a nice clean, flush stance on most cars, so long as the suspension is still able to function, and there were many such well done cars at this event. I got some great photos, so whatever your taste in cars you should enjoy.

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Cars We've Seen

Spotted! Ferrari F430 Scuderia, Zurich, Switzerland

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One of many Ferraris I saw while in Zurich this summer. So many that I actually lost count. Great city.

-Nick

Car Shows

Lime Rock Historic Festival: RAUH-Welt Begriff Porsche 993

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RAUH-Welt Begriff (RWB) makes aftermarket body kits for Porsches. They have developed a bit of a cult fan base with the advent of the stance movement, and largely fit that emphasis on style for style sake. Many RWB Porsches are indeed highly modified monsters, but RWB only offers things relating to appearance; body kit, wheels, and a lowered suspension. Each RWB car is made unique for the owner, so between the kit itself as well as the other performance modifications fitted by the owner no RWB Porsche is exactly the same. The car you see here looked stunning, and called all sorts of attention to itself during the Concours at Lime Rock Park. I did however make the mistake of looking through the vents into the engine bay, only to find that underneath this car was a bone stock 993 Carrera. Shattered were my hopes of finding a monstrous 750whp, twin GT30R turbo setup, as I have seen on other 993s. The car did still look the absolute business though, and unless you really looked you couldn’t tell the car was all show and no go. Either way I was thrilled to have finally seen one of these demonic looking Porsches up close, it surely leaves quite the impression. Enjoy the gallery.

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Car Shows

2012 Lime Rock Historic Festival: 1936 Delahaye 135S

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Delahaye sare true works of art, quintessential examples of French Art Deco era automobiles. This sinister black and red car was present for the Concours d’ Elegance  during the Lime Rock Historic Festival. I’m not sure how it did in judging, but it sure stole my eye. The owner had just restored it and had a sale pending for somewhere in the seven figure range. This car was absolutely stunning, enjoy the photos.

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Cars We've Seen

Alfa Romeos from Europe: Can America please have Alfa back….PLEASE?!!

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While over in Europe this summer, each day was made a little brighter by the fact that I got to see Alfa Romeos everywhere I went. Alfa Romeo hasn’t been in the US for quite some time now, so seeing all of the modern Alfas was a real treat for me. I particularly loved the Giulietta (shown above), but all of them are basically akin to rolling sculptures. The Italians really know how to style a car. I have heard varied things about the way many new Aflas drive, but as a spectator I was smitten with them. I am hoping and praying that the rumors of Alfas return to the States are true, because I could easily see something like a Giulietta in my driveway as a daily driver.   Continue reading Alfa Romeos from Europe: Can America please have Alfa back….PLEASE?!! →

Cars We've Seen

Spotted! ’30 Ford Rat Rod, Woodward Ave, MI

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Every dad dreads the day that some other man will come to pick up his daughter for the first time. Now usually a guy in a Mustang is bad news, but if he rolls up in this thing then a father’s worst nightmare has become a reality. This 1930 Ford has obviously had a lot of custom work done, slamming it to within a few millimeters of the pavement, but it has retained its original body and frame from the Prohibition Era. Powering this ominous carriage is a 302ci Ford V8 with an Offenhauzer intake, and with those short, terminating headers it makes quite a racket. This is a really badass car, one that draws attention in any crowd of cars. Its edges are rough as hell, but there aren’t too many cars out there with more in the way of character and personality. Here comes Trouble!!!  Continue reading Spotted! ’30 Ford Rat Rod, Woodward Ave, MI →

Car Shows

2012 Lime Rock Historic Festival: Some shots from the paddock

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We were in attendance for the Lime Rock Historic Festival earlier this month. It was actually my first time at Lime Rock, despite having lived in the Northeast US for my entire life. It is a fantastic facility with great views of the track all around. I have loads of photos from the weekend, but here are a few varied shots from around the paddock. More to come.   Continue reading 2012 Lime Rock Historic Festival: Some shots from the paddock →

Car Shows

Woodward Dream Cruise: VW Beetle Rat Rod

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This incredible rat rodded Beetle was out for the Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan. It is an entirely custom built car with the engine actually hanging off the back. I have seen many customized air-cooled Beetles over the years, but nothing quite like this car. One really cool feature is the car’s shift lever, which is actually a titanium hip replacement that has been repurposed for changing gears. I was assured the artificial hip was not a used part, but one of those usually costs around $14,000 when being used for medical purposes. Among the thousands of cool cars in the area during the Cruise, this Beetle was one of the ones that stood out the most to me. This is a very different kind of slammed car for the Volkswagen community. Enjoy the gallery.

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Car Shows

Klub Vintage: Getting rolling

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Klub Vintage is a shop near Hopewell, NJ that is owned by my friend Adam. Those of you who follow the site closely may remember my review of Nick C’s BMW E21 Alpina clone, Adam is Nick’s brother and the E21 was a product of Klub Vintage in its earlier stages. Adam has been building cars and bikes for over 15 years now, and has recently procured a much larger, more prominent space on RT 518 near Hopewell. He has some big plans for things to come in this new location.

Lots of effort is being put into developing the space, so please realize that what you see in these photos is a work in progress, and the finished product will be featured here later on. That said, it did make for a nice setting in which to shoot Adam’s BMW 2002. The car is quite rough around the edges at the moment, and a full restoration is in the works, but honestly there is something about the car, as it sits, that just pushes all the right buttons for me. It has a patina to it that is irresistible, and of course those turquoise wheels help quite a bit. To me it looks like a 2002 rat rod, the likes of which is not often seen and I think it suits the car quite well. I guess I’ll have to see what I think when the car is finished though, before I can truly compare.

Adam has a lot planned for Klub Vintage, far more than just BMWs. He works on all makes of vintage cars and motorcycles, with experience in minor fixes, full rebuilds, engine swaps, modifications, and all sorts of other custom work. I am looking forward to seeing Klub Vintage progress, and I look forward to sharing what they are doing with all of you. Enjoy the pics, this just the beginning.

Visit their website at Klubvintage.com
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Car Shows

Radnor Hunt CDE: 1931 Cadillac V16 452A All-Weather Phaeton by Fleetwood

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This is the height of what made a Cadillac a Cadillac. These V16 powered land yachts were the epitome of style and status during Prohibition-Era America. Everyone’s favorite movie stars and gangsters had flashy cars like this, and this Caddy the 452A was the pinnacle of the Cadillac lineup. This specific car features a full sedan convertible design, something far too cool to be allowed today, and looks to have all the bells and whistles available at the time. The owner was very proud of the car and had restored it himself. He told me he had changed the color, and while that won’t help the car win at a Concours, I like the look of this dark blue a whole lot more than the car’s previous black. Even with all the curvy Italian cars just up the hill, this Caddy really caught my eye at the show. When I think of Cadillac, this is what I think of. I just wish the people actually running Cadillac even knew cars like this were once built under the Cadillac nameplate. This truly was “The Standard Of The World” at its time.   Continue reading Radnor Hunt CDE: 1931 Cadillac V16 452A All-Weather Phaeton by Fleetwood →