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

Automotive Lifestyle, Opinions

Buying Smart: Porsche 718 Boxster S

December 2, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

Porsche’s are easy to “buy stupid” because their options are so cool, but are also extremely expensive. If you don’t watch the price tag, and add everything you never knew your heart desired, you can quickly wind up spending six-figures on a Boxster that will be worth 1/4 of that in 5 or 6 years. My point is that most of those fabulous Porsche options add very little, if any residual value to your car. So, if you don’t like lighting your money on fire, it’s best to go about configuring your Porsche intelligently.

I’ve been greatly intrigued by the new Porsche 718. It’s a mid-engine roadster with Porsche driving dynamics, and a hefty 350hp to propel it’s relatively light 2,900-ish pounds. The 718 is also now turbocharged, so 400+hp should be an easy ask with some light tuning. It’s a very ideal sports car package, but what’s it really worth in today’s market?

Continue reading Buying Smart: Porsche 718 Boxster S →

Automotive Lifestyle, CARS 101

Drive a Stick? Here’s What You Shouldn’t Do

November 22, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Engineering Explained takes us through what you should not do in a car with a manual transmission.

-Nick

Cars We've Seen, Obscure Autos, Opinions

The Magnificent Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe at Amelia Island

November 21, 2016 ndubs77 3 Comments

I’m sure many of you know about the most expensive car on Earth (arguably), the 1936 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic Coupe. Well, this Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe was the show car that inspired the Atlantic’s design. At the 1935 Paris Auto Salon, the Aerolithe was had a striking and divisive effect on the crowd. It was unlike any car ever seen before because of its swooping coupe shape and also because its body was made entirely of electron magnesium, a metal nearly impossible to work with. It was aptly dubbed the “Electron Coupe.”

Despite initial mixed opinions in Paris, the Bugatti Aerolithe went on to inspire many other French car designs to come during the Art Deco era, including the famed Type 57 SC Atlantic. Interestingly, though, the Aerolithe vanished shortly after the Paris show, and has never been seen again.

Continue reading The Magnificent Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe at Amelia Island →

Opinions

So, Alfa Romeo Is Making an SUV

November 17, 2016 ndubs77 2 Comments

This is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, more specifically the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, a.k.a the fast one you really want. That’s right, Alfa is getting into the SUV/Crossover market, which is the most obvious and expected move for them. I must say, though, the Stelvio looks pretty damn good.

The Stelvio Quadrifoglio definitely seems like a serious contender with its 505hp 2.9L twin turbo V6, shared with its Guilia sedan sibling. The difference in the Stelvio is that you get all wheel drive to help put all that horsepower to the ground. I see it likely being the most fun one can have in a crossover, but with the usual Italian car frustrations.

Look, I trust Alfa Romeo to deliver an emotionally riveting driving experience in any vehicle they make. They could make a pogo stick, and I’m sure it’d get me all hot and bothered. I’m also someone who genuinely enjoys the current crop of fast SUVs, so I see no reason why the Stelvio won’t be phenomenal from a driving perspective.

The question here for me will be more the in the Utility end. Obviously it’s going to be practical in terms of space, but can the Italians really pull the functional details together enough to satisfy the daily user? SUVs are daily drivers, and everything needs to work, and stay working, day in, and day out. Fiat-Chrysler hasn’t had the best track record for that lately, and Italian cars haven’t had a great track record for that in… um… ever.

A few technical flaws in a weekend sports car come off as endearing because driving a car like that is solely for enjoyment. However, with a daily commuter, every flaw is going to annoy the owner, and that frustration will add up over time. I really hope Alfa Romeo has put in the work to make the Stelvio as reliable as can be. It doesn’t need to rival Lexus, but it does need to be on par with Audi, Jaguar and BMW.

The Stelvio’s first impressions are great as far as I’m concerned, though I don’t see any reason why it won’t be the same old Italian car story, only this time as a crossover.

-Nick Walker

Auto Idolatry, Automotive Lifestyle, CARS 101, Random Cool Stuff

Koenigsegg Freevalve: The Next Step For The Internal Combustion Engine

November 17, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Koenigsegg, maker of Swedish Hypercars, is also working to revolutionize the internal combustion engine. Engineering Explained explains…

-Nick

CARS 101

Engineering Explained: 5 Things You Should Never Do In A Brand New Car

November 7, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Literally everyone asks car enthusiasts about how to break-in a brand new car. Here’s a great answer from Engineering Explained.

-Nick

Car Shows, Obscure Autos

1991 Dodge Spirit R/T at the Radnor Hunt Car Corral

September 20, 2016 Albert S. Davis 3 Comments

A Dodge Spirit does not belong in a Concours. It belongs in a Cars and Coffee if and only if Grandma Mildred or Grandpa Irving need to make a morning run to the local Pathmark to get fresh bread before the grandchildren show up. However, what you’re staring at today is not a normal Dodge Spirit. Carroll Shelby (may he rest in peace) got ahold of this one, and managed to turn a pereniall snore-mobile into one of Chrysler’s more eclectic fast sedans. Continue reading 1991 Dodge Spirit R/T at the Radnor Hunt Car Corral →

Car Shows, Obscure Autos

Consulier GTP at the Lime Rock Sunday In the Park: EDIT – Warren Mosler Responds

September 19, 2016 ndubs77 8 Comments

The Internet is a funny place, folks. Sometimes you write something about an obscure car you saw at a car show, and then get a response from the very person who created that car. Well that’s exactly what happened here.

I saw this Consulier GTP at Lime Rock over Labor Day weekend, and I wrote the segment below after some quick research for context on the car. Evidently, Mr. Mosler had some issues with what I found, and hey, who else would know better than him, right?

I haven’t altered anything here. I wanted to let the man himself say his piece about the car he created. I have left my original words intact below along with his responses.

Read it for yourselves, and see what you come away with:

Continue reading Consulier GTP at the Lime Rock Sunday In the Park: EDIT – Warren Mosler Responds →

Auto Idolatry, CARS 101, SHOWCASE

FWD vs RWD vs AWD: Know How to Handle Your Junk! – The Racing Line

September 9, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Opinions

Why I Hate Concept Cars: A Rant

April 4, 2016 ndubs77 2 Comments

Lincoln showed off their fancy new Navigator Concept at the 2016 New York International Auto Show to much acclaim. It was all over the news, and people were going mental over it. I mean, what’s not to love about a sparkly blue SUV with massive gullwing doors and fine wooden steps up to its luxurious cabin?

Yes, if it were real, the Navigator Concept would be a game-changer in the SUV market, but it isn’t real. People often miss the word “Concept,” and I must’ve had around ten people ask me if I had seen the incredible new Lincoln Navigator, as if it were actually the new production car. Sadly, I then had to break all of their hearts by telling them it was just a pipe dream that would never come true. An automotive strip-tease with no happy ending.

Continue reading Why I Hate Concept Cars: A Rant →

Opinions, Uncategorized

The Tesla Model 3 looks promising if promises are kept

April 1, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

I was sold on the electric car the second I experienced 0-84mph in a Tesla Model S P85D. It’s not just brutal acceleration, it’s brutal acceleration you can actually use from any speed, available immediately. Even just squirting from 0-30mph off a city stop light is a total riot. It is the kind of enjoyment you can only have in an electric car. There is no engine, no gears, and no delay. Thrills come simply at a push of the button, or pedal, in this case.

I thought Elon Musk summed up Tesla’s path brilliantly. Prove electric can be fun with the Tesla Roadster, then prove them practical and desirable with the Model S and Model X. But now comes the make or break moment for Tesla Motors, a truly affordable, mass-production car, the Tesla Model 3. It must be practical, it must be dependable, and it must be quite desirable to out-compete fierce competition.

Only time will tell for dependability, an issue that Tesla has been working on. Any new car company should expect some bumps in the road, it’s how they deal with them that counts. This factor gets greatly amplified as you move into the mass-market realm.

What we did find out last night in the short part one of the Tesla Model 3 reveal is that the car will be quite desirable and quite practical… so long as Musk’s promises are kept.

Continue reading The Tesla Model 3 looks promising if promises are kept →

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1990 Toyota Century at the 2016 Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island

Gallery March 29, 2016 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

At Amelia, there’s quite a lot going on and if you blink, you will miss a lot. The show over at one of the other large hotels, the Festivals of Speed, was in full swing on Saturday afternoon in the ultra-strong Florida sun, and I discovered a few cars at the show which I’m unlikely to ever see again. One of them was a 6×6 Mercedes-Benz, which I will cover at a later date. This car, however, is one that almost no one has ever heard of, unless they’ve lived in Japan and had some obscenely wealthy friends (or friends in the Yakuza). Meet the Toyota Century–or the Japanese equivalent of a Maybach, from the Eighties. Continue reading 1990 Toyota Century at the 2016 Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island →