My aunt saw this in Boca Raton, FL while buying groceries for the house she and my uncle have recently purchased there. If this is just a preview of what they’re seeing in Boca in May, then the rest of the year should be just fine. Nice spot, Aunt Randi!
Spotted by: Randi Paul-Heskins
-Albert S. Davis
The BMW M4 is already a very fast high performance sports coupe, more than enough for most people. There are always those who want more, though, and for them BMW has now made this, the M4 GTS.
The M4 GTS has an extra helping of boost with special tuning to be a total track weapon. It comes as the latest member of BMW’s special M car lineup, which began with the 1990 E30 M3 Sport Evolution, and continued through the E36 M3 GT, the E46 M3 CSL, and the E92 M3 GTS and CRT. The M4 GTS, however is the first of these extreme BMWs that will be sold in the USA. That’s right, BMW is only building 700 M4 GTS units in total, but 300 of those will be making their way Stateside.
As you might imagine, prices will obviously be quite steep. When a loaded standard M4 costs around $80,000, the GTS has a base price of $133,000, and that number is very likely to go up on the secondhand market. So what makes the BMW M4 GTS so special compared to the standard M4? Well, BMW has boosted their claimed horsepower output from 425hp to 493hp via the implementation of a water injection system, which allows for more boost. They’ve also fitted some aero bits, a fully tunable suspension, and some nice wide sticky tires. All of this adds up to a Nurburgring time of 7:28, or “really freaking fast!” in layman’s terms.
We were lucky enough to catch this M4 GTS on display at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. These are going to be quite a rare sight when they hit the streets. Enjoy the photos!
Continue reading BMW M4 GTS at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
Bitchin!
-Nick
It’s not often that I feature a Mercury here, but the Turnpike Cruiser might be one of the brand’s best-kept secrets. Covered in chrome, good cheer, and lashings of paint, this was a car to be seen in during the late Fifties. Mercury made less than five thousand Cruisers that year and these are among the most sought-after Mercuries of the 1950s, with the early Fifties coupes usually bringing crazy money thanks to their custom heritage. Continue reading 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser at the 2016 Hollywood Wheels Auction, Amelia Island
This is a 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV. In fact, it is the first Miura SV, the one shown at the model’s debut at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. You sure wouldn’t know it was over 40 years old, though, because it looks like it rolled off the production line a few hours ago.
This iconic Miura is the first restorative masterpiece of Lamborghini’s new factory restoration program, PoloStorico. While down at Amelia Island this year, Lamborghini was kind enough to send us an invite to their unveiling event. There, among some wonderful complimentary glasses of wine, we got to see the work of PoloStorico up close, as well as the massive grin on the owner’s face when the cover came off.
What’s really striking about this green Miura is just how perfect all of it’s minute details are. There are many nicely kept Miuras out there, but this thing was absolutely flawless. I mean, Lamborghini even re-did the paint job in the absolute period-correct way.
Calling this a restoration is almost a disservice because it’s really more a Miura reborn, nurtured to perfection again by its own mother. I’m quite sure Ferruccio is proud, wherever he is.
Enjoy the photos!
Continue reading Lamborghini PoloStorico and This Brand New (Again) 1971 Miura SV
The void in all of our lives will soon be filled again, both through this new series of Top Gear and through the previous trio’s new Amazon show to come.
What a great time to be a car lover!
-Nick
The Porsche 356 might be one of the most well-regarded early German sports cars ever. Since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to have one in my driveway, simply because of their honest styling and fantastic sense of adventure. This little white Speedster is the last of the pre-A series cars, making it an early model combined with the most desirable body style. The Speedsters are extremely valuable–and this one, being an early one, is a prime example of how Porsche got popular in the States. Max Hoffman hit the market perfectly and the Speedster, which was a cheaper convertible 356 aimed at competition markets, was a massive home run at the time. Continue reading 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours
This is the ultimate badass Mercedes in my mind. The SL65 AMG Black Series is a twin turbo V12 beast that will haunt your nightmares.
-Nick
Remember that time Cadillac made the most epic luxury car in the world, and then left us all hot and bothered with our hopes crushed? This is the Cadillac Sixteen Concept, and it would have crushed the Rolls Royce Phantom back in 2003… if it had been real, but it wasn’t.
A nod to top-of-the-line Cadillacs of old, the Sixteen Concept was a functional prototype complete with a bespoke V-16 engine. That’s sixteen cylinders, displacing a massive 13.2L (830ci), that produce 1,000hp and and 1,000 ft/lbs of torque, all without the aid of any forced induction. There hasn’t been another modern production engine like it, and the probably won’t ever be.
Sure, this thing definitely looks a bit GM 2000’s-tastic when you look at it now, especially the interior, but it would’ve been a true Cadillac’s Cadillac at a time when the brand really needed such a flagship. Now, 13 years later, Cadillac is still in need of such a flagship for the brand to rally behind.
The Sixteen Concept is a wonderful embodiment of both the best and the worst of General Motors. They can make a wonderful, cutting edge car, but then their management all too often winds up getting in the way, and ruining all the fun.
Enjoy the photos of what could’ve been the most proper of Cadillacs.
In the Fifties, Ferrari began to become a household name. By the time the 250 launched, they were known on the track, and they were becoming better-known for producing exotic, alluring sports cars with an Italian flair and twelve free-breathing cylinders underneath the hood. The 250 series, of course, is a timeless classic at this point and now it’s an all-time great. Continue reading Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours
Everyone sharpen your pitchforks and light your torches! Porsche has gone and changed the 911 again, and this time we’re gonna burn Stuttgart to the ground! They won’t get a way with it this time!
Wait, what? What’s that you say? Porsche has turbocharged all of the 911 Carrera models, and now they’re actually improved? You say Porsche has secretly answered our purist prayers and we don’t even know it? How can that be?!!!!
Well it’s true, folks, all of it. Porsche has made all of their 911s into 911 Turbos, although they’ll surely hate me for saying it that way. The way Porsche would want me to say it is, “911 Carrera and Targa models all now have a 3.0L Twin Turbocharged Flat-Six engine, but they are not “911 Turbos” because the 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S each have a 3.8L Twin Turbocharged Flat-Six engine.” See what I mean?
There are a few ways to look at this new 991.2 generation Porsche 911. I’m going to go through the way I see the car now, after taking it for a spin recently.
I’m not going to waste our time talking much about the aspects of the 911 that haven’t changed much. Just know that it’s still a wonderful handling car, it still has the best electric power steering in the business, it’s still of top-notch build quality, and PDK is still among the best dual-clutch trannies around.
Alright, now let’s talk about that new turbocharged engine, and what it does for the 911 as a car…
Continue reading Porsche 991.2 Carrera S Review: Do Turbos Make a Better 911?
While waiting for the shuttle to check out the auction at the Omni at Amelia Island, Nick and I caught a somewhat familiar sight of a slantnose Porsche rolling through the quiet streets. However, this was not a Porsche. This is a RUF BTR, the first of the line for the RUF series of modified Porsches. This is one of less than 35 made and it looked pristine. The paint simply stuck out like a sore thumb among the endless sea of beige and silver trucks and rental cars scattering the landscape. Plus, how often is it that anyone sees a RUF, of any kind, running around? This is pretty much like seeing Keith Richards or Mick Jagger in person at a grocery store for Porschephiles. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading RUF BTR Slantnose spotted in Fernadina Beach, FL
Mind Over Motor 