Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Pebble Beach Concours 2013: The Lincoln Continental and Zephyr

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I’ll be honest, I’m a complete sucker for the Lincoln Zephyr and the Continental of this era.  They get overlooked occasionally by Cadillacs and by independent marques of the Depression era, but their long-standing reputation of simple elegance, beauty, and dashes of brashness are symbols of what the Lincoln name used to mean.  They all pack V12 engines, they all have (except the ’42 model in this gallery) restrained styling, and each one was an excellent example of its year and body type.  This being a feature year for Lincoln at Pebble Beach, they had their very own class.  The cars within this class included everything from the classic 1938 Zephyr coupe in black, to an all-original 1940 Zephyr Continental Cabriolet, to a 1942 Continental Cabriolet (1 of 11 left in the world).  Some of them included all the original brass fittings in the interior, something I’ve never seen on a Lincoln.  The car pictured up top is a 1941 Continental Coupe which won the class.  In fact, for those of you with good memories (or those of you who can pair cars with movies as well as I can sometimes), that body style and year were featured in one of the most memorable mob movies ever, The Godfather.  Sonny Corleone, played by James Caan, drives a black 1941 Continental coupe to his grisly death in one of the most memorable scenes of the film.  If you don’t remember, I’ve included it at the end.  Enjoy the photos of these understated, elegant automobiles.

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Car Shows

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance: 1955 Lincoln Indianapolis Boano Coupe

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1955 Lincoln Indianapolis Boano Coupe

At the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, every car is nothing short of immaculate. However, even among the hundreds of exquisite automobiles, some find a way to stand out in the crowd. This 1955 Lincoln Indianapolis Boano Coupe does it with a stunning color draped over a sleek, if a bit peculiar, design.

Jalopnik even said they thought this car should have won “Best In Show”, but naturally they are always into the most offbeat thing present. While I don’t agree that this car should have won “Best In Show”, I really did enjoy getting to see this Indianapolis Boano Coupe in person. It definitely brings an event with it wherever it goes, and at a big car show such as this, that is what really matters.

Enjoy the photos.

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Cars We've Seen, USER SUBMITTED

Spotted! 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, Pasadena, CA

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My brother Matt sent this photograph and some others my way while he was out driving with his colleague Nick near Caltech over in Pasadena.  It’s quite a pretty area and there’s actually a good amount of older classics and quirky old cars running around (there are lots of hipsters in old Beetles there too, if I recall correctly). What’s strange about this example is that it seems to have had its louvers over the engine cover removed and replaced by Back to the Future style fins. Matt, thanks for sending this in.

-Albert S. Davis

Spotted by: Matt Davis and Nick Cowper

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance: 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom V State Landaulette by Mulliner Park Ward

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This particular Rolls-Royce Phantom V has quite a unique history.  That it’s one of five in its State Landaulette body from Mulliner Park Ward is just scratching the surface.  It was ordered by Communists, but was sold to an American for political reasons, who used the car for political purposes.   Continue reading 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance: 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom V State Landaulette by Mulliner Park Ward →

Cars We've Driven, Everyday Normal Cars, Luxury Cars

Test Driven: 2014 Infiniti Q50S Hybrid (10/10)

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2014 Infiniti Q50S Hybrid
2014 Infiniti Q50S Hybrid

Infiniti just seems to want to watch the world burn. For some reason they deemed it a good idea to rename their whole entire lineup, for no reason whatsoever. Every Infiniti is now named Q, with some meaningless number. The car you see here is the new Q50, the replacement for the current G37 sedan. As the replacement for the G, which is surely Infiniti’s best selling model of all time, the Q50 has big shoes to fill. This one isn’t an ordinary Q50, though, this is the much-anticipated Q50 Hybrid. So in addition to filling the G37’s shoes, the Hybrid must also make a case for itself in some new territory.

Briefly looking back, the G35 was the car that really launched Infiniti into what it is today. It was based on the same platform as the Nissan 350Z, making it a true 4-door sports car. What resulted was the car that gave the BMW 3 Series its most formidable challenge to date.

Boy has the world changed a lot since the G35 first came out. The emphasis in the luxury market is now on multitasking, both from the car and from the driver. A car needs to be comfortable, but also sporty enough for you to weave in and out of traffic at 90mph while you’re updating your Facebook status and texting your friends. The pure focus on driving is all but dead at this point, even BMW has made that obvious. While luxury cars must still be dynamically capable, and “fast”, the priority for most buyers is now on cool gadgets and hypothetical fuel economy numbers.

Looking at the Q50, especially the Hybrid, it is easy to see that it is a car built for our modern world. I must confess, that when I actually drove the car, I knew very little about it. Since my drive, I have been doing a lot of research to help with this article, and I am finding that the Q50 Hybrid may, in fact, be one of the most interesting cars on the market.

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Cars We've Seen

Spotted! Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster, Princeton, NJ

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Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster in Princeton NJ

I met some friends in Princeton for beers this past weekend, and I caught this sitting on a side street. Seeing any Lamborghini in the context of the real world is awesome, but this blacked-out Murcielago LP640 Roadster was especially bold. The only camera I had with me was my iPhone, but I think the pics came out well enough. Enjoy.

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Opinions

The Malaise Era: As bad as it gets, or misinterpreted?

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We all know how bad cars in America became after Nixon won a second term.  From that point until the end of Reagan’s second term, cars built here in America were, to most of the country, lacking in performance, quality, and innovation.  I understand the sentiment.  Looking into the cars built during the era, we see engines strangled by emissions regulations, stylists stymied by big safety bumpers and lighting changes, and salesmen who were stuck with cars that Americans didn’t want.  I do not want to go into any of  that today, however.  The reason?  I think the Malaise Era of the USA deserves another look, from a more universal perspective. Continue reading The Malaise Era: As bad as it gets, or misinterpreted? →

Car Shows, Opinions

Elmiraj, the Cadillac of Cadillacs

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Cadillac Elmiraj Concept
Cadillac Elmiraj Concept

We got to see Cadillac’s Elmiraj Concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and plainly, this is the sort of thing the Cadillac Brand needs right now. Cadillac has not been “the Cadillac of cars” since the mid 1960s in my opinion, and it’s about time they step up and reclaim their original status in the world.

The Elmiraj looks to be a grand touring car of world class standards. It’s design is unmistakably that of a Cadillac, but it has a nice sleek, modern shape. While I doubt it would make it to production in its current form, the Elmiraj’s interior is breathtakingly gorgeous, with gratuitous amounts of wood, leather and metal used throughout.

As far as what’s under the hood, I’ve heard rumors of a twin turbo 4.5L V8 with more than 500hp. That will most likely put the Elmiraj in competition with the Jaguar XKR, Maserati Granturismo, BMW 650i/M6, etc, in the price range around $100,000. That, of course assumes that Cadillac will ever have the guts to actually produce an ambitious concept car such as this.

I think with proper execution, a production version of the Elmiraj would do a lot to put Cadillac back where they need to be as a brand. The ATS, CTS, and the CTS-V have done a lot to show that Cadillac has potential, but they need a capstone, a mighty flagship to lead their assault. I know Cadillac’s track record with concept cars is awful when it comes to anything making it to production, but I am really holding out hope that the Cadillac Elmiraj is not indeed a mirage.

Enjoy the photos

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CARS 101

One of the best looks at speeding laws I’ve seen

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We all dread speeding tickets, yet most of us willingly speed everywhere we go. In truth speed limits, everywhere outside of towns and neighborhoods, are far too low. Cars have come a long way, and the government should, if they were concerned with actual public safety and social function, be doing studies to find the optimal speed limit for each road within their jurisdiction. In reality, though, governments, care very little about actual public safety or the practical functioning of society. They are far more concerned with preserving the massive revenue that is brought in by traffic fines. Because of this, the speed limits have remained too low, allowing the cops to literally pick any motorist out of the pack to get a citation.

While I doubt anything will be done about this issue soon, the above video, “Speed Kills Your Pocketbook”, makes a valid and intelligent point. Enjoy.

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1956 Continental Mark II Convertible by Hess and Eisenhardt, owned by Barry Wolk, at Pebble Beach.

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At Pebble Beach this year, Lincoln was a featured marque.  In my opinion, a celebration of the Lincoln brand is not complete without mention of the Continental.  To further that point, featuring the Continental name in any way is not finished without mention of the famous Continental Mark II of 1956-1957.  This particular car has a heck of a history to it.  Barry Folk of Farmington, MI collects cars with the Continental nameplate and owns this Continental Mark II convertible.  3 convertibles were built out of examples which were damaged during delivery.  Two of them were built by Hess and Eisenhart, and one other was built by Durham.  This particular car is one of the two Hess and Eisenhardt cars.  It won 3rd in class at the Concours (and I’ll be honest, I wanted it to win first place, it was a stunning example), and participate in the Tour d’Elegance as well, where I first discovered it while Nick was busy photographing the Ferrari 275 GTB NART Spyder.  Enjoy the photos of this unique Continental Mark II. Continue reading 1956 Continental Mark II Convertible by Hess and Eisenhardt, owned by Barry Wolk, at Pebble Beach. →

Cars We've Seen

Spotted! Ferrari Enzo and F50, Monterey, CA

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Ferrari Enzo and Ferrari F50

While checking out RM Auctions, we noticed these two “Super-Ferraris”, an Enzo and an F50, sitting in front of a hotel in Monterey, California. Naturally, photos had to be taken.

It is always awesome to see any of Ferrari’s ultimate creations on public roads, and we saw these two rolling around at various times throughout the weekend. Even with the new LaFerrari taking the throne, both the Enzo and F50 remain automotive royalty. Enjoy the photos.

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Opinions

Porsche 918: 78mpg and a Nurburgring time of 6:57

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Porsche 918 Spyder cutaway
Porsche 918 Spyder cutaway

Fuel economy isn’t usually a concern for supercars, but Porsche’s new 918 Spyder will supposedly show a Prius what’s what. Back when Porsche first released the 918 Spyder concept, they claimed it would be able to do 78mpg — the world laughed at the idea. Well now, with the production car finally released at the Frankfurt Motor Show , they are holding fast to that claim, so one must presume they have done a few tests that confirm it is possible.

The 918 Spyder can also produce 887hp, but certainly not at the same time it is doing 78mpg. Yes, the choice will be yours from the driver’s seat. While I’m sure that few will actually bother trying to best a Prius in MPG with that sort of power on tap, it is nice to know you can if you want to. The 918 Spyder allows you to have your cake and eat it too, and that is not something true of most similar such cars.

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