Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Motor Trend snags some numbers from the McLaren P1

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Motor Trend got some brief quality time with the McLaren P1 hypercar at the Top Gear Test Track recently, and they managed to get some performance numbers that we’ve all been eagerly awaiting. Watch the video for the full effect, but they measured 0-60mph in 2.6 sec, 0-100mph in 4.7 sec, and the 1/4 mile in 9.8 sec @ 148.9mph.

So basically, to put things in perspective,  the McLaren P1 does 0 to 100mph in the same amount of time it takes for a Subaru STI to reach 60mph, and it reaches the STI’s claimed top speed in around 10 seconds. There are fast cars, and there are hypercars. DAMN!

-Nick

Car Shows

1967 Bizzarrini Spyder S.I. 5300 Targa at Hershey

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Bizzarrini Spyder SI 5300 Targa at Hershey 1

This gorgeous 1967 Bizzarrini Spyder S.I. 5300 Targa was present for The Elegance At Hershey last Summer. It is one of just three Bizzarrini Spyders built, and the second I’ve been lucky enough to lay eyes on in person. I saw the 5300 Spyder Prototipo at the Concours d’Elegance of America in Michigan back in 2012.

Another result of Enzo Ferrari pissing people off, these Bizzarrinis are breathtaking automobiles that utilized the knowhow of one of the foremost automotive engineers of the era, Giotto Bizzarrini. Before founding the company bearing his name, Giotto Bizzarini masterminded the Ferrari 250 GTO and designed the Lamborghini V12 that was in use until 2011.

These Bizzarrini 5300s were serious performers of their day. When a Ferrari 275 GTB had a 330hp, these Bizzarrinis made use of a 420hp V8 sourced from the Corvette Stingray. This is Italian and American work in perfect harmony. Enjoy the photos.

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Opinions

VW, we beseech thee, give us the Golf TDI Sportwagen 4Motion!

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Golf Sportwagen TDI 1

This may well be the perfect daily driver. It’s got wagon practicality, all-wheel drive safety and control, the wonderful fuel economy of a diesel engine, and the driving enjoyment of a manual gearbox. This is the new Volkswagen Golf TDI Sportwagen 4Motion, but the one you see here is just a “concept.” That means the corporate big-wigs may water it down quite a bit before it reaches showrooms, which would be most unfortunate.

The biggest question mark is the 4Motion all-wheel drive, a feature that is worth its weight in gold for those of us living in places where it snows. The bean-counters at VW may not think that enough units will be sold to justify offering 4Motion as an option, so they put this “concept” together to gauge if us Americans would be interested.  

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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars, Luxury Cars

2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, The Driver’s Review (Grade: B+)

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Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II Front Angle Left

Rolls-Royce has every reason to act pompous about their cars.  The Phantom, their current flagship, has been on the market since 2003, and just this year, has been restyled as the Series II, which includes a large number of under-the-skin changes and a new front fascia. While at Pebble Beach, Nick and I had just enough time to review this classy chariot, but not enough time to take turns driving it. As a result, this review will concern what the big Phantom II is like from the driver’s point of view. Continue reading 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, The Driver’s Review (Grade: B+) →

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

The LaFerrari reviews are finally here! Here’s Autocar’s…

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Autocar’s Steve Sutcliffe is the first journalist to wield the new LaFerrari, and he brings up some very good insights about the car. I’ve seen a few of the other reviews now, as well, and the consensus seems to be that the LaFerrari feels a lot like a 458 Italia with an extra 360 Modena under the hood… just take a second to digest that.

I’ve been lucky enough to sample both a 458 and a 360, and both were quite rapid in their own right. Imagining the LaFerrari as being the sum of both is just mind-boggling to me. It must be an unbelievable experience. Enjoy the video!

-Nick

Car Shows

Lamborghini Aventador at Amelia Island

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Lamborghini brought this snazzy red Aventador to the Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island for test drives. As you might imagine, the list was pre-booked, but we got ourselves on the waiting list in case someone decided they didn’t want to have an awesome day. Well, nobody skipped their drive, but I still needed to find a use for the photos I took of this stunning car, so here they are!

I maintain that the Aventador is the best looking Lambo since the Miura. There is just something ohh so right about its sculpted, angular shape that will make a Murcielago seem obese by comparison. Red is also a fairly uncommon color on an Aventador, so as it sat there, looking like a luscious red pepper, I was compelled to snap a few pics of it. Enjoy!

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Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Rolls-Royce Silver Spur IV Mulliner Park Ward at Festivals of Speed Amelia Island, 2014

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It’s not often that I see a Rolls-Royce Silver Spur in a color as noticeable as this one.  Most of them are muted grays, blues, or black, or a nice off-white.  Not this one, though.  This rather rare Mulliner Park Ward model is a crisp Carmine Red with a gorgeous magnolia white interior featuring offset piping.  I spoke to the owners, who had on display their red daily driver, a St. James Red Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed.   Red chairs, red Bentley, red Rolls, red shirts, red shorts.  I’m not sure what their favorite color was, but I’m sure it’s not British Racing Green.  Among the few Spurs I have seen in my years, this Silver Spur V looked fantastic and the red paint shined brightly in the blue, sun-kissed Florida sky.  With blinding chrome, classic whitewall tires, and gorgeous solid wood trim on the inside, this Spur looks ready for the spotlight.  Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Rolls-Royce Silver Spur IV Mulliner Park Ward at Festivals of Speed Amelia Island, 2014 →

Car Shows

Saleen S7 at Hopewell Cruise Night

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Saleen S7 in Hopewell 6

Everyone attending the Hopewell Cruise Night this past weekend was treated to the awesome spectacle of this Saleen S7. The car belongs to a local exotic car dealer who routinely spices up cruise nights with the jewels from their inventory. The owner was nice enough to stop in traffic for me to get a few pictures, even opening one of the S7’s flamboyant gullwing doors.

I caught up with the car later after it had been parked, and it was covered in people. A car like an S7 has a special effect on the mood of an event, turning a “good” evening into a “great” evening. It is one of the few proper American supercars out there, and it took on the likes of the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT when it first came out. This particular car  also happens to be one of only four naturally aspirated S7s outfitted with Saleen’s performance competition package, which adds another 100 horses to its stampede of speed. A very rare car, indeed.

This cruise night could’ve been a forgettable one because the weather deteriorated about halfway through the evening, but this Saleen S7 made sure that wasn’t the case. Check out the photos for more info!

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Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Purple People Eater 1959 Corvette at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, 2014

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Purple has never looked this intimidating before. This 1959 Corvette, in its purple and white paint job and black interior, was a mainstay in the SCCA-B Production racing class during the late Fifties and early Sixties. With mechanical fuel injection and a 283 sitting under the hood, this racer won all but one of the events it was entered in 1959. Nickey Chevrolet, a performance mainstay of the time, fitted the Corvette with heavy-duty racing parts such as a larger fuel tank, safety chains, and a roll bar, along with a smaller windshield. However, the rest of the car is as it was out of the factory, with factory stock heavy-duty suspension and the (by the end of that very season) race-proven Rochester fuel injection. It shined brightly amongst its ‘Vette companions at Amelia Island, with the purple paint job being about as subtle as a smashed grape on a white kitchen floor. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Purple People Eater 1959 Corvette at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, 2014 →

Car Shows

Highlights from the 2014 New York International Auto Show

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Lamborghini, Lotus, and Bugatti
Lamborghini Aventador, Lotus Evora S, and the obligatory Bugatti Veyron, of course.

We made it out to the New York International Auto Show to see some of the new cars that have come out recently. The industry has been very exciting in the last few years, as we move out of the global recession, with many great ideas taking shape, as well as a few that leave us scratching our heads.

Check out the gallery below, and let us know what you think of the new style we are trying out with some of our photos. Enjoy.

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Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Drive looks at the epic wheels on the Koenigsegg One:1

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Drive takes us inside Koenigsegg, this time giving us a look at the design and process behind their new One:1’s special carbon fiber wheels. As stated in the video, the wheels are one of the most important parts of a car to make light, but they also require a lot of strength. Carbon fiber seems the perfect material then. Enjoy.

-Nick

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona at Amelia Island

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Few cars can match the romance, beauty, or allure of the Ferrari Daytona.  I have seen a select few of these over the years and this wasn’t the only one in the area that weekend last month at Amelia Island, but it was the first car that I found myself actually chasing down all weekend.  The Daytona came rumbling out of the parking garage while Nick was busy driving the Viper, so I had nothing else to do but watch the streets for interesting cars.  I’d say it was worth me breathing like a pack-a-day smoker to get some pictures of this classic V12 coupe.  It was a balmy 49 degrees while I was gaping at the Daytona, so the engine was putting out smoke and making everything smell nice and old.  The yellow color especially set this car off from the gray skies and the gray backdrops of the parking lots and the Ritz Carlton.  There’s no reason not to want a car as pretty as this in any weather, anywhere. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona at Amelia Island →