Auto Idolatry

Autocross: It’s for any car, and any person.

Leave a comment

This man here, Dick Eytchison, is probably the coolest AARP member in the state of Colorado.  This is his blue 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu 4-door sedan, and he’s autocrossing it.  He’s recovering from open-heart surgery and he’s been married for 46 years.  If this doesn’t prove that autocrossing is pretty much for everyone of all ages, I don’t know what does.  Great video, and yes, you’ve got 5 minutes to watch it.  This was posted on Jalopnik yesterday afternoon and I feel that it’s definitely worth watching again, what a fantastic example of how the love of automobiles doesn’t go away as one gets older.

-Albert S. Davis

Car Shows

Lime Rock Historic Festival: RAUH-Welt Begriff Porsche 993

Leave a comment

RAUH-Welt Begriff (RWB) makes aftermarket body kits for Porsches. They have developed a bit of a cult fan base with the advent of the stance movement, and largely fit that emphasis on style for style sake. Many RWB Porsches are indeed highly modified monsters, but RWB only offers things relating to appearance; body kit, wheels, and a lowered suspension. Each RWB car is made unique for the owner, so between the kit itself as well as the other performance modifications fitted by the owner no RWB Porsche is exactly the same. The car you see here looked stunning, and called all sorts of attention to itself during the Concours at Lime Rock Park. I did however make the mistake of looking through the vents into the engine bay, only to find that underneath this car was a bone stock 993 Carrera. Shattered were my hopes of finding a monstrous 750whp, twin GT30R turbo setup, as I have seen on other 993s. The car did still look the absolute business though, and unless you really looked you couldn’t tell the car was all show and no go. Either way I was thrilled to have finally seen one of these demonic looking Porsches up close, it surely leaves quite the impression. Enjoy the gallery.

Continue reading Lime Rock Historic Festival: RAUH-Welt Begriff Porsche 993 →

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Chris Harris snags a ride in the Porsche 918

1 Comment

As much as I agree that car reviews from the passenger seat suck, and I generally refuse to do them, there are some cases where you take what you can get. This would be one of them, given how much buzz there is around the Porsche 918 at the moment. This video sheds a lot of light on Porsche’s new hypercar, and turn up your speakers for the part where they kick it out of “electric mode” because they engine is pure savagery.

On another note though, they do say this car will weigh 1700kg (3700lbs). While I absolutely trust Porsche in everything they are doing, there is a bit of me that has to look back at the Carrera GT with a sort of somber admiration for its comparative simplicity. It was a light car with a glorious engine, and a clutch pedal of all things; the epitome of a pure Porsche supercar? The 918 is awesome, but seems so complex by comparison. We will see if that is a good thing, and I have high hopes, but the V10 will be tough to beat.

-Nick Walker

Car Shows

2012 Lime Rock Historic Festival: 1936 Delahaye 135S

Leave a comment

Delahaye sare true works of art, quintessential examples of French Art Deco era automobiles. This sinister black and red car was present for the Concours d’ Elegance  during the Lime Rock Historic Festival. I’m not sure how it did in judging, but it sure stole my eye. The owner had just restored it and had a sale pending for somewhere in the seven figure range. This car was absolutely stunning, enjoy the photos.

Continue reading 2012 Lime Rock Historic Festival: 1936 Delahaye 135S →

Cars We've Seen

Alfa Romeos from Europe: Can America please have Alfa back….PLEASE?!!

Leave a comment

While over in Europe this summer, each day was made a little brighter by the fact that I got to see Alfa Romeos everywhere I went. Alfa Romeo hasn’t been in the US for quite some time now, so seeing all of the modern Alfas was a real treat for me. I particularly loved the Giulietta (shown above), but all of them are basically akin to rolling sculptures. The Italians really know how to style a car. I have heard varied things about the way many new Aflas drive, but as a spectator I was smitten with them. I am hoping and praying that the rumors of Alfas return to the States are true, because I could easily see something like a Giulietta in my driveway as a daily driver.   Continue reading Alfa Romeos from Europe: Can America please have Alfa back….PLEASE?!! →

Cars We've Seen

Spotted! ’30 Ford Rat Rod, Woodward Ave, MI

1 Comment

Every dad dreads the day that some other man will come to pick up his daughter for the first time. Now usually a guy in a Mustang is bad news, but if he rolls up in this thing then a father’s worst nightmare has become a reality. This 1930 Ford has obviously had a lot of custom work done, slamming it to within a few millimeters of the pavement, but it has retained its original body and frame from the Prohibition Era. Powering this ominous carriage is a 302ci Ford V8 with an Offenhauzer intake, and with those short, terminating headers it makes quite a racket. This is a really badass car, one that draws attention in any crowd of cars. Its edges are rough as hell, but there aren’t too many cars out there with more in the way of character and personality. Here comes Trouble!!!  Continue reading Spotted! ’30 Ford Rat Rod, Woodward Ave, MI →

Opinions

Why young people aren’t buying cars, debunking the hysteria

3 Comments

There has been tons of talk lately about young people, or “millennials”, and their lack of interest in cars. This summer I was working on some aspects of the Chevy Spark launch, and all we talked about was how to make the car appeal to fictional young people whom nobody has ever met. As an actual member of the “millennial generation” I can tell you that this is all extremely frustrating; a bunch of idiotic older people trying to read all sorts of fantastical reasons into an answer that is really quite simple. Now, I am obviously a car enthusiast so my own tastes are not representative of my whole generation, however many of my friends fit the norm much better. I will try and make things clear, from the perspective of someone who is actually a part of the generation in question, and not some foolish marketing person in a panic.   Continue reading Why young people aren’t buying cars, debunking the hysteria →

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Chris Harris drives the Le Mans winning Porsche 962

1 Comment

Some things just need to be reposted when I see them, and this is one of those. Yet another truly epic video from the folks at Drive. The cars Chris normally tests are incredible, but this Porsche 962 is straight up Biblical.  Keep it up, we all love it!

-Nick

Car Shows

2012 Lime Rock Historic Festival: Some shots from the paddock

2 Comments

We were in attendance for the Lime Rock Historic Festival earlier this month. It was actually my first time at Lime Rock, despite having lived in the Northeast US for my entire life. It is a fantastic facility with great views of the track all around. I have loads of photos from the weekend, but here are a few varied shots from around the paddock. More to come.   Continue reading 2012 Lime Rock Historic Festival: Some shots from the paddock →

Car Shows

Woodward Dream Cruise: VW Beetle Rat Rod

1 Comment

This incredible rat rodded Beetle was out for the Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan. It is an entirely custom built car with the engine actually hanging off the back. I have seen many customized air-cooled Beetles over the years, but nothing quite like this car. One really cool feature is the car’s shift lever, which is actually a titanium hip replacement that has been repurposed for changing gears. I was assured the artificial hip was not a used part, but one of those usually costs around $14,000 when being used for medical purposes. Among the thousands of cool cars in the area during the Cruise, this Beetle was one of the ones that stood out the most to me. This is a very different kind of slammed car for the Volkswagen community. Enjoy the gallery.

Continue reading Woodward Dream Cruise: VW Beetle Rat Rod →

Opinions

Jalopnik: Small Vans for Gen-Y

Leave a comment

I don’t normally like to repost articles without attaching my own opinion on here, but this article just posted on Jalopnik hits the nail on the head I think. I spent my whole summer working on the PR for the Chevy Spark, and the talk was about how to get young people interested in cars. I was a huge fan of the VW Bulli when the concept was released, and I still think it would be quite successful. Give this article a read and see what you think.

-Nick

Car Shows

Klub Vintage: Getting rolling

Leave a comment

Klub Vintage is a shop near Hopewell, NJ that is owned by my friend Adam. Those of you who follow the site closely may remember my review of Nick C’s BMW E21 Alpina clone, Adam is Nick’s brother and the E21 was a product of Klub Vintage in its earlier stages. Adam has been building cars and bikes for over 15 years now, and has recently procured a much larger, more prominent space on RT 518 near Hopewell. He has some big plans for things to come in this new location.

Lots of effort is being put into developing the space, so please realize that what you see in these photos is a work in progress, and the finished product will be featured here later on. That said, it did make for a nice setting in which to shoot Adam’s BMW 2002. The car is quite rough around the edges at the moment, and a full restoration is in the works, but honestly there is something about the car, as it sits, that just pushes all the right buttons for me. It has a patina to it that is irresistible, and of course those turquoise wheels help quite a bit. To me it looks like a 2002 rat rod, the likes of which is not often seen and I think it suits the car quite well. I guess I’ll have to see what I think when the car is finished though, before I can truly compare.

Adam has a lot planned for Klub Vintage, far more than just BMWs. He works on all makes of vintage cars and motorcycles, with experience in minor fixes, full rebuilds, engine swaps, modifications, and all sorts of other custom work. I am looking forward to seeing Klub Vintage progress, and I look forward to sharing what they are doing with all of you. Enjoy the pics, this just the beginning.

Visit their website at Klubvintage.com
Continue reading Klub Vintage: Getting rolling →