Category Archives: Uncategorized

Cars We've Driven, Luxury Cars, Uncategorized

A BMW 528i is a Superior Rental Car That Will Spoil You

September 28, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

Rental cars, they’re usually total crap that you’re only willing to put up with for a few days because they serve a purpose. Some trips can really use a bright spot, though, and for us gearheads a car can be just the thing to brighten up life.

I lost both of my grandmothers this summer, within a month and a half of each other. What can I say, it hasn’t been ideal. It was just my mom and I going on the trip, out to Tucson, Arizona last weekend. My dad was away singing in China, and my girlfriend had her busiest work weekend of the year. We were flying out to Phoenix, and then driving 100 miles, or so, down to Tucson. While we were definitely looking forward to seeing my mom’s side of the family and catch up with everyone, it was still a trip meant for saying goodbye to my grandma, Jody, who we all hold very dear in our hearts.

This trip was definitely one that needed as many bright spots as we could give it. So, when the rental car lady told us we could have a BMW 528i for only $20/day more than the Chevy Malibu we had booked, we were like, “Oh hell yes!” If we were going to be cruising through the desert at high speed, we might as well aim to be as comfortable as possible.

I hadn’t even planned to do an article on this trip, but when life hands you a Bimmer….

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Car Shows, Uncategorized

1966 Porsche 906/Carrera 6 Racecar at Radnor Hunt

September 23, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

The Porsche 906 comes from the end of the era when racing cars really could be used on public roads. I mean, imagine a LeMans LMP car blitzing past you on the highway today. It’s a pretty incredible thought, and that’s exactly what the Porsche 906 was.

Just 50 Porsche 906s were produced, and they’re all worth millions of dollars at auction today. I haven’t seen one since my visit to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart a few years ago, and this was really the first time I’ve looked closely at one.

Like so many Porsches over the years, the 906 won’t shock you with its raw numbers. It’s 2.0L flat six produces 220hp, or a little less than a modern Honda S2000. Not too crazy, right? Well, when you consider it also only weighs 1,280lbs, you’ll find the 906 has a better power-to-weight ratio than the current 991 GT3 RS, even with its mighty 4.0L engine.

Ah, the merits of lightness…

Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows, Uncategorized

The Paddock at Lime Rock: Ferrari 250 TR and Maserati 300 S

September 14, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Well, this one is worth that, plus around $30-40 million. These two legendary Italian racing cars sat side together, waiting to greet us as we began our day at the Lime Rock Historics. It’s great to see they’re still being used as intended after all these years, even despite their substantial value. Racecars should be raced, plain and simple. They aren’t meant to be paperweights.

-Nick

Uncategorized

Miata…or Fiata? That, is the question!

September 13, 2016 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

Jason Cammisa doesn’t skip a beat from the downbeat on this bass-addled (the music is excellent in this episode of Ignition) comparison test. The Miata and its new, somewhat attractive sister, the Fiat 124 Spider, are put against one another to figure out which is a superior product. I personally love the ND Miata so I would rather have that–but here in the USA, we have freedom of choice. So, which one is really best? Take a little time and have a watch.

-Albert S. Davis

Car Shows, Uncategorized

RUF CTR3 at the Greenwich Concours

September 2, 2016 ndubs77 8 Comments

“Hey, sweet Cayman you got there, dude!”

That’s not what you say to the owner of one of these insane machines. This is no mere Cayman, my friends, this is a RUF CTR3. Sure it’s made of Porsche bits, like all other RUFs, but this is a car they made themselves. The front of the car comes from the Porsche 997 GT3 RS, but the whole rear structure is bespoke, and not from a Cayman as you might expect.

The CTR3 is the ultimate RUF Supercar. With around 700hp coming from its twin turbocharged, 911-derived 3.8L Flat-6, it was one of the fastest cars on the planet when it hit the streets in the late 2000’s. In a time when the 1,001hp Bugatti Veyron was still outlandish, the CTR3’s 3.1 sec 0-60 sprint and 233mph top speed was rivaled by very few. It’s still damn fast today, we just now live in a world where people in Teslas everywhere can run 0-60 in 2.7 sec, and it’s totally crazy.

This is the first and only RUF CTR3 I’ve ever seen in person. RUF planned a max production run of just 50 units, and I’m not sure they ever completed it, so it’s is extremely rare.

Enjoy the pics!

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Uncategorized

A Demonic Black Porsche 918 Spyder at the Greenwich Concours

August 29, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Can we please talk about how awesome the Porsche 918 Spyder is?

For whatever reason, this car is just more my thing than the LaFerrari or P1. Maybe it’s the fact that Porsche set the bar on the Nurburgring and weren’t afraid to post it’s time, a blistering 6:57. Maybe it’s the fact that its hybrid technology has already found its way into other VW Group models, bringing the automobile forward as a whole. Or, hell, maybe I just like it the best because it’s a convertible.

As an show of what the modern automobile can be, I think the Porsche 918 stands ahead of its peers, all things considered. It also absolutely looks the business, especially this one in black. It is a hell of a machine, a 21st century engineering marvel for sure.

Enjoy gazing at it!

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Car Shows, Uncategorized

Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

August 3, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

A stunning example among the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas that were featured at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. I was looking back through my photos, and it managed to catch my eye. Surely one of a number of gems we have yet to post from our past endeavors. Much more where this came from.

Enjoy!

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Car Shows, Uncategorized

A very blue Pagani Huayra at the CF Charities Supercar Show

August 1, 2016 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Paganis are always a sight to be seen, and luckily for us, there are more to be seen in America now than ever!

-Nick

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

Infiniti QX80 Limited Review: The Plush Utility Vehicle

July 29, 2016 ndubs77 1 Comment

I believe the term is “Land Yacht.” A massive, expensive way of getting from place to place for people who like to take up their slightly-more-than-fair share of space in the world. It also works great if you have a large family, although, most forms of birth control are a lot cheaper than this $90,000 behemoth.

Either way, if this is the way you want to get around in the world, then the Infiniti QX80 Limited will do a lot to float your boat. Maybe a Cadillac Escalade is too “Tony Soprano” for you. Maybe you’d like a Mercedes GLS, but, unfortunately, your local dealer just sold their last one to another real estate agent who’s drowning themselves in payments trying to “project an image of success” to their clients. Have no fear, the QX80 is here to save the day, and you just might be glad you didn’t get the others.

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Uncategorized

Dune buggies are supposed to be usable on the road and off of it. Someone forgot to tell this one.

July 28, 2016 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

used to love dune buggies as a kid. Their carefree looks, futuristic styling, and feel-good ideas were ideal for anyone stuck in the late Sixties who wanted to go surfing or to the beach but wanted to look glamorous along the way. Well, when Fred Williams tries to do it, he fails spectacularly, and it’s to our benefit. Watch what happens when him and a friend drag one out of mothballs and desperately make it run, then fail, then run, then fail again. Will they ever make it to the beach?

Automotive Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Farewell Miata, I enjoyed our short time together

July 27, 2016 ndubs77 2 Comments

Yesterday I parted ways with my (formerly Al’s) 1993 Mazda Miata. It was my second Miata, and it directly lead to my third, Ace.

There really is something special about these little roadsters, something that always manages to make you smile. They don’t seem to take themselves too seriously, and that helps you loosen up as well when behind the wheel.

I bought this Miata off of Al this past spring. Al wanted something new, and I had just landed a new job with a nice pay bump, so I figured a Miata would be fun for the spring.

This thing was fun, so much fun that it made me decide I wanted a Miata in my life for the long haul. I looked around, and found Ace, my 2014 Miata Club Edition. Things got off to a rocky start with Ace, having an accident just 4 days after I bought it. But the repairs have been made now, so it was time to let my ’93 Miata go.

I can only hope this Miata inspires its new owner as much as it inspired Al and I.

-Nick Walker

Uncategorized

Pro Street Chevy Nova at the CF Charities Show, 2016

July 26, 2016 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

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Compact cars were new in the 1960s, but hot rodding had been around for at least a few generations. Of course, once people figured out how light the compact car they owned was, it was only a matter of time before they got rid of whatever economy engine was occupying the valuble real estate under the hood, and squeezed into said real estate a fire-breathing monster of an engine. This Pro-Street-esque Nova has all the right credentials–shined up paint, slicks and skinnies, chrome everywhere, a custom interior, and a shined-up engine topped off with a massive supercharger and dual quads. Enjoy the photos of this genuine mean machine. Continue reading Pro Street Chevy Nova at the CF Charities Show, 2016 →