On New Year’s Eve, while shopping for clothes, I saw this Corvette roadster out for a drive. What a strange thing to see this late in the year, and it seems to be in decent shape as well.
Spotted by: Al
Test Driven: 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SEL
As some of our readers might know, my very first post on Mind Over Motor was about the upcoming diesel option on the new Volkswagen Passat. Well, it’s here. And, somewhere along the way, the Passat won Motor Trend‘s 2012 Car of the Year award, one of the most prestigious in the business. This was likely due in no small part to the new diesel model, among other things. But, I had to find out for myself just what else makes this new Passat “Car of the Year”. A local dealer had one ready for a drive, so I took the opportunity and drove it around to find out. Continue reading Test Driven: 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI SEL
Some hooning in the hills of Malibu
Some great cars and a few morons thrown in make this a funny and exciting video to watch.
-Nick
A look back at 2011
2011 will be remembered as many things by many people, but one thing it will not be seen as is a boring year. So much happened this year around the world, from terrible cataclysms to amazing and inspiring revolutions. Obviously being a car site, we want to focus more on the auto industry, but it would be a great injustice not to first acknowledge the events of this year that have changed the lives of millions of people around the globe. Now as for the auto industry, many great things have happened as well as a few that are not so great. Continue reading A look back at 2011
Test Driven: 2011 SAAB 9-3X SportCombi
On December 18th, Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy, bringing its 64 year offbeat history to an unfortunate end. Saab enthusiasts are some of the most vocal and most possessive of their brand, and undoubtedly, they will mourn the loss of this name. Around Thanksgiving weekend, I decided to add another car to my wagon test–Saab’s own wagon, the 9-3 SportCombi. At the moment, it’s the only wagon Saab sells in the United States, and when I got to the dealer, the car I drove was already discounted by $9,000. This amount is no misprint–and any new car marked down this much is either a demo, or the dealer seriously needs it off the lot (in this case, the latter). But, when I started the engine, I forgot about Saab’s financial woes, and asked myself this question: Despite all the gloom and doom, is this car actually worth buying right now? Continue reading Test Driven: 2011 SAAB 9-3X SportCombi
Porsche GT3 RS 4.0: Top speed 193? More like 205
Porsche claims the top speed of their GT3 RS 4.0 is 193mph, but this owner posted a video of him cranking his 4.0 up to 331km/h (205mph) on the Autobahn. So there you have it, the greatest modern 911 to date will crack 200mph without the help of a turbocharger. Fantastic stuff.
-Nick
Test Driven: 2012 VW Beetle Turbo vs 2012 VW GTI
I first saw the new VW Beetle up close at the New York International Autoshow this past year. I was very excited to see that the new version had become more of a sporting machine and less of a decorated flowerpot. On the surface the Beetle is on the same chassis as the Golf, and the one I was interested in, the Beetle Turbo, basically has the same mechanics as the famed GTI. This made me wonder how similar they really were to each other because I know VW would not want to steal sales from themselves. I decided to go try them both out back to back and compare. Continue reading Test Driven: 2012 VW Beetle Turbo vs 2012 VW GTI
Because we love Paganis so much
Here is a video of a Zonda S 7.3 partaking in an event in France. Just listen to that glorious V12.
-Nick
Meme Dashboard
Found this on 9GAG and found it quite funny. Those of you who know what the different Memes represent should see the humor.
On a different note, we apologize for things being a bit slow this week, we are in the midst of our final exams for the semester so our concentration is largely elsewhere. We have some great stuff in the pipeline though so don’t worry and keep checking back.
-MoM
Obscure Auto: Delorean DMC-12
Back in the Sixties, John Z. Delorean was one of the greatest men working at General Motors. But, by the middle of the Eighties, that all came to a crashing end in a federal courthouse. Most of us know what happened. But, what about the car he badly wanted to put on the market? The DeLorean DMC-12 is still known by most of the public as a time machine, but its own story is a look back at one of the most famous storylines of all time in the small-manufacturer books. Continue reading Obscure Auto: Delorean DMC-12
Donkervoort GTO, this is what the Lotus Seven has come to
The Lotus Seven offered a bare, simple design for a sports car, even by the standards of the 1950’s, when it came out. Many companies still build Seven based cars, and I must say that this Donkervoort D8 GTO is one of the most far out iterations of the design I have seen. It is powered by the 5 cylinder turbo motor from the Audi TT-RS, and comes in either 340hp or 400hp trims. That is plenty for a car like this, and the whole package seems really well done. Check out the video of the making of the D8 GTO inside. Continue reading Donkervoort GTO, this is what the Lotus Seven has come to
Test Driven: Rolls-Royce Ghost, Al’s Take
Rolls-Royce, unlike Bentley, was a single-model brand, using a single chassis and creating derivatives of it for years. The Phantom, Phantom Coupe, and Phantom DHC were all based off of the same platform, but R-R recently put out a new, “entry-level” model, called the Ghost. So, with one available for test drives at the Pebble Beach Concours this past summer, I set out to see if the entry-level model was as good as its older, bigger brother, the Phantom. In a nutshell, it does a great job. Continue reading Test Driven: Rolls-Royce Ghost, Al’s Take
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