Category Archives: Opinions

Discussion of matters in the automotive industry and in car culture. Our opinions on what is going on, manufacturer’s products, etc

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1958 Scarab: Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

March 18, 2014 Albert S. Davis 3 Comments

The other Best of Show award at Amelia this year was designated as the Concours d’Sport, an award to go to the best racing car on the field that day. I wasn’t sure what had the chops to sway the judges this year. While I was taking pictures along a wall during the awards ceremony, this blue 1958 Scarab destroyed my eardrums and stole my attention for a little while. Little did I know until I saw it waiting on the side that it was to recieve a Best of Show. My eardrums were again destroyed, but this time, I was fine with it. This little Scarab deserved its win and looked head and shoulders above much of the other racers in the field this year. Enjoy the photos.

Continue reading 1958 Scarab: Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance →

MoM Vlog, Opinions

Nick comments on the Supercar vs Hypercar debate

March 3, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

With new cars like the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari hitting the streets now, the question of what raises a supercar to the level of hypercar is at the forefront of the minds of car enthusiasts all over the world. Drive’s video on supercars vs hypercars last week got me thinking, so I decided to weigh in with my thoughts on the issue with a video of my own. Let me know your take in the comments!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, Opinions, SHOWCASE

‘Murica!!! The Hennessey Venom GT Hits 270mph!

February 25, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

We want to throw out a big congratulations to Hennessey Performance Engineering on their record-setting, 270mph run in the Venom GT. The run was doused with an extra helping of awesome because it was held at the Kennedy Space Center’s 3.2 mile runway… you cannot get more ‘Murica if you tried!

For those unfamiliar, the Hennessey Venom GT is a million dollar hypercar produced in very limited numbers by Hennessey Performance Engineering in Texas. It is powered by a twin turbocharged V8 that makes 1244hp, and only runs on the finest concoction of Freedom and Liberty that money can buy. Computers have said all along that the Venom GT should be able to hit the 270mph mark, but now it has been definitively proven. In fact, Hennessey said that the Venom GT was still gaining 1mph second when it passed 270mph, and that means 280mph could be a possibility with another couple miles of straight, flat tarmac.

Now, they weren’t able to do a conformation run in the opposite direction, so the record doesn’t stand for the Guiness Book of World Records, but let’s all be real here, people, 270mph is 270mph. The Venom GT is now officially the fastest production car on Earth, at least for the time being, so let’s all give credit where credit is due.

I know I have been critical of the Venom GT in the past, and I still am to this day. There is no denying its awesome performance, though, and the scale of Hennessey Performance Engineering’s achievement. For all intents and purposes, what has happened here is a David and Goliath scenario. A small performance shop in Texas has succeeded in toppling the technological masterpiece, and flagship, of one of the largest automotive corporations in the world, Volkswagen, despite their comparatively unlimited resources.

Your move Germans…

-Nick

Car Shows, Opinions

2013 Pebble Beach Concept Lawn Part 1

February 19, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

Here we will be discussing the cars from the Pebble Beach Concept Lawn. Now that some time has passed since the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we can see a little more of what has become of some of these incredible machines, or in some cases, more accurately, these cool ideas.

Continue reading 2013 Pebble Beach Concept Lawn Part 1 →

Opinions

Ferrari California T, now with 200% more TURBO!!!

February 14, 2014 ndubs77 5 Comments

If the Ferrari California was broken in any way at all, it has now been fixed with a healthy spoonful of forced induction. That’s right folks, you are looking at the first turbocharged Ferrari since the mighty F40, and it comes to us in the package of the “baby” model for the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Well it seems that the baby has grown up because the California T’s new 3.9L twin-turbocharged V8 makes 552hp and 523ft/lbs of torque to the previous version’s 485hp and 372ft/lbs of torque…. if that isn’t a substantial increase, then I don’t know what is.

I drove the original version of the Ferrari California, the one with a measly 452hp and 358ft/lbs of torque, and I never once felt it was lacking for speed. This new California T is a major change, though, and not just because of the raw numbers. The real difference will be in the car’s drivability, now with all that extra torque available lower down in the rev range. It will be a Ferrari unlike any we have seen in quite some time, if ever.

Continue reading Ferrari California T, now with 200% more TURBO!!! →

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1941 Lincoln Continental by Durham at the Radnor Hunt Concours

February 11, 2014 Albert S. Davis 3 Comments

Raymond Leowy is a name known very well by a lot of car enthusiasts. He penned, among others, the Studebaker Avanti, the bullet-nose Studebaker Commander and Champion of the postwar era, the 1946 Lincoln Continental, the Hillman Minx, and the Sunbeam Alpine roadster. He had an eye for style and flair, and also was the pencil behind plenty of contemporary designs of today, including even the US Postal Service logo still in use. However, in 1941, he bought a brand-new Lincoln Continental coupe and had it sent off to the coachbuilder Durham for modifications. By the time the craftsmen at Durham were finished with the Lincoln, it looked strikingly different. The grille and hood were reshaped, the front fenders were shortened, and the bumpers were customized up front. At the rear, a fin was added in the center, and an opera window and plexiglass roof were added to the top. It was, in the end, quite a unique Continental and I had a hard time ignoring it when it was sitting at the entrance of the show this year. Enjoy the pictures.

Continue reading 1941 Lincoln Continental by Durham at the Radnor Hunt Concours →

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1953 Ferrari 340/375MM Berlinetta Competizione at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

February 3, 2014 ndubs77 5 Comments

1953 Ferrari 340/375MM Berlinetta Competizione at Amelia Island

Right at the entrance to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, last year, was an RM Auctions booth with this majestic 1953 Ferrari 340/375MM Berlinetta Competizione on display. It was a sort of tangible promotion for the auction they would be running in Lake Como, Italy later in the year, and what a way to draw attention! As a well-decorated classic racing car, this Ferrari 340/375MM Berlinetta Competizione just screamed top-dollar, and it wound up selling for around $13 million (9,856,000 Euros).

Many may wonder what makes this car $13 million worth of “special.” Just remember that cars have become like fine art at this point, and historical significance plays a huge role in these astronomical values. Most notably this car, chassis number 0320AM, helped to propel Ferrari to victory in the 1953 Manufacturer’s Championship. While it only took first place at the 12 Hours of Pescara, this 340/375MM managed to accrue many solid finishes that helped Ferrari earn valuable points. In particular, it placed 6th in the infamous Carrera Panamericana, and the car set a record over a stage of the race that has yet to be broken — averaging 138mph over 223 miles on public roads (yes there was pedestrian traffic during many races back then). Now just imagine trying that in even a fast modern car, let alone one with 1950s era technology, like this Ferrari.

Continue reading 1953 Ferrari 340/375MM Berlinetta Competizione at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance →

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1914 American Underslung 642 Roadster at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

January 24, 2014 ndubs77 5 Comments

This 1914 American Underslung 642 Roadster was my own personal pick for “best in show” at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey California. It just had that “wow” factor that took my breath away when I first saw it that day, and I still think it was one of the most beautiful cars on the field.

You might be asking yourself, right about now, “what the hell is an Underslung?” Incidentally, that was the same question I found myself asking that day. You see, these concours events are always a learning experience for me, as a member of the “millennial” generation. This is a car that was built when not my grandmother, but my great grandmother was just ten years old. Any memories of an Underslung, or any American automobile for that matter, are three generations back from me. Let’s think about that for a second, and consider just how special this Underslung is that it is still drop people’s jaws a century after it was created.

Continue reading 1914 American Underslung 642 Roadster at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance →

Opinions

The 2015 Subaru STI is still not living up to its name

January 22, 2014 ndubs77 19 Comments

The general package of a sharp handling, all wheel drive sedan with a healthy 300 turbocharged horsepower is still surely a very, very good thing. As an object unto itself, the new 2015 Subaru WRX STI continues to offer a fun and engaging driving experience, as it always has. The problem for me, and much of the Subaru-loving community, is that the STI has been exactly the same for over ten years now– to the point where it has gotten boring, and boring is the worst crime a car such as this can commit.

I’ve owned my 2004 Subaru STi for over seven years, and I’ve never, even once, wanted to “upgrade” to any newer STI. This is because ever since 2004 Subaru’s focus has been on softening the STI, and not making it faster, more hardcore, or better in any meaningful way. In fact, values of 2004 STIs are starting to increase now because enthusiasts have recognized the 2004 as being the pinnacle, so far, of the STIs available to us here in America.

So when I say that the new STI does nothing for me when I look at it, that poses a major problem for Subaru. I remember the excitement my 2004 STi brought me when I first got it, and I know it still brings that sort of excitement today. Whether it’s the looks or the performance, the 2015 STI cannot even come close to the level that my STi was on when it first hit US shores back in 2004. While the 04 STi was slaying the Porsche 911s, BMW M3s, Ford Mustang Cobras, and Pontiac GTOs of its day, the new STI is barely capable of out running the current V6 Toyota Camry.

Despite the old car and the new car having exactly the same sort of performance, side by side, in competition with other cars of their respective eras, the new STI is not even half the car that the 2004 STi was, and that is the big problem.

Continue reading The 2015 Subaru STI is still not living up to its name →

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

Presenting, the Lamborghini 350GTV

January 21, 2014 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

The Lamborghini 350GT is known by many as the first car to be sold bearing the Lamborghini name back in the Sixties. However, it wasn’t the first car the company built. That honor goes to the sleek green shape seen here. This is the Lamborghini 350GTV, a prototype that eventually became the basis for the 350GT. This car is the origin and the first use of the vaunted Lamborghini V12 engine that would later go on to power most of the lineup until today. The bodywork also contributed to the 350GT. It was featured at Pebble Beach this year in honor of Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary. I can honestly say that it doesn’t look too similar to any other Lambo I’ve seen, save for maybe the 350GT. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Presenting, the Lamborghini 350GTV →

Opinions

A quick take on the 2014 North American International Auto Show

January 17, 2014 ndubs77 5 Comments

The 2014 North American International Auto Show has been going on this week in Detroit, and there have been a number of interesting car debuts. The internet is full of all the minute details, and plenty of long-winded coverage about cars that nobody has driven yet. I have seen the details, and sat through much of the coverage, and now I want to bring you my concise, informed take on the cars that have debuted at NAIAS 2014. So here it goes.

2015 Acura TLX:
Pretty much unsurprising, but it’s good Acura consolidated the TL and TSX into one model. They should throw the 370hp hybrid drivetrain from the RLX into this car and have a legitimate Audi S4 competitor.

2015 Audi A8:
What exactly is different again?

Audi Allroad Shooting Brake Concept:
The Allroad Shooting Brake could be an incredibly badass modern rally car for the road. 402hp and 479ft/lbs of torque are some serious figures, and the hybrid drivetrain could prove interesting in a car such as this. My guess, though, is that this will remain a concept.

Continue reading A quick take on the 2014 North American International Auto Show →

Opinions

Looking at the Toyota FT-1 Concept as the next Supra

January 14, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

Toyota has stunned the entire automotive world at the 2014 North American International Auto Show with their new concept car, the Toyota FT-1. Car enthusiasts have immediately seen it as a sign that their prayers for a new Toyota Supra have been answered, and everyone seems to be going nuts with speculation.

The video from Motor Trend above gives us an inside glimpse at the design process of the Toyota FT-1 Concept. I must say, I think the FT-1 Concept is “take your breath away” gorgeous. It’s design is unmistakably Japanese, and extremely modern, but it definitely does make some nods back to Toyota’s past as well. Looking at the FT-1’s headlights, and the way they mesh with the larger design, I can’t help but feel that the FT-1 has a strikingly similar “look on its face” as the Mk4 Toyota Supra. Also, that rear wing, when it’s up, definitely evokes the shape Supra’s rear spoiler. As a design piece, the Toyota FT-1 is an absolute masterpiece, and I really hope they change nothing about it in production form.

Having said that, we can get as excited as we want to, but the fact remains that the Toyota FT-1 is really just a design study at this point. I speculated a while back about what the new Toyota Supra should be, and here in 2014, we’ve only come as far as an outrageous, sure to be watered down concept. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t love what I’m seeing from Toyota here, but all this means is that now they really cannot afford to drop the ball.

Continue reading Looking at the Toyota FT-1 Concept as the next Supra →