Lamborghini LM002 Spotted at the Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island

Lamborghini LM002 Amelia Island 3

Lamborghini once made an SUV/Truck for the Italian military. This is the street version, the Lamborghini LM002. Think of it as a Humvee with more style, fine Italian leather, a manual gearbox, and the V12 from the Lamborghini Countach supercar. Yes, this is a V12 Lamborghini off-roader, and it’s badass as hell.

We caught this very rare green LM002 outside the Ritz Carlton, host to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. We were in a hurry to get to an event, so I only shot it as we walked past, but it was unbelievably cool.

Dads, keep your daughters away from any guy who pulls up in one of these…

-Nick Walker

Lamborghini LM002 Amelia Island 2 Lamborghini LM002 Amelia Island 1

1990 Toyota Century at the 2016 Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island

Toyota Century Front Doors Closed

At Amelia, there’s quite a lot going on and if you blink, you will miss a lot. The show over at one of the other large hotels, the Festivals of Speed, was in full swing on Saturday afternoon in the ultra-strong Florida sun, and I discovered a few cars at the show which I’m unlikely to ever see again. One of them was a 6×6 Mercedes-Benz, which I will cover at a later date. This car, however, is one that almost no one has ever heard of, unless they’ve lived in Japan and had some obscenely wealthy friends (or friends in the Yakuza). Meet the Toyota Century–or the Japanese equivalent of a Maybach, from the Eighties. Continue reading 1990 Toyota Century at the 2016 Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island

Aston Martin DB AR1 Zagato at Amelia Island

Aston Martin DBAR1 Zagato Amelia Island 4

This beautiful Aston Martin DB AR1 by Zagato is definitely the modern Aston I’d most like to have in my own garage. It’s not the fastest Aston money can buy, nor the best built, and it’s definitely not the newest, either. But it is one of just 99 in existence, it’s beyond gorgeous, it’s a drop-top, and it has a sweet V12 engine that’s hooked up to a manual gearbox. In short, the DB AR1 Zagato is everything I want in my Aston Martin experience.

Even though there are only 99 of these things, we actually manage to see them fairly often. I guess DB AR1 owners just tend to enjoy going to concours events. This silver DB AR1 stood out to me on the show field at the Amelia Island Cars and Coffee. It’s an interesting color combo of bright pearlescent silver over a deep green leather interior.

I saw this same DB AR1 Zagato go by on the road the day before, and I went nuts. I just never get tired of looking at them for some reason.

Enjoy the photos!

Continue reading Aston Martin DB AR1 Zagato at Amelia Island

Mosler MT900S at Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island

Mosler MT900 S Festivals of Speed Amelia Island 3

This rare bird caught my eye right away when I arrived at Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island, and not just because it was bright flaming orange. It’s a Mosler MT900S, an American supercar of which only around 35 road-going examples exist.

Mosler went bankrupt a few years back, but their US-bred supercars are well respected and sought after in the car community. These were genuinely racing cars for the street, hardcore performance machines to the bone. In fact, Mosler built more MT900 racecars than they did roadcars.

The MT900S was built from 2005 to 2011, and featured 5.7L or 7.0L V8 engines sourced from General Motors (ie the Corvette). I’m not sure which motor this orange MT900S had in it, but Car and Driver had an MT900S test car with a 600hp supercharged 5.7L V8. In their testing it ran 0-60 mph in just 3.1 sec, 0-100 mph in 6.5 sec, and did the 1/4 mile in 11.o sec @ 135 mph. Now that’s a decent kick in the ass, I don’t care who you are.

This Mosler was orange, and it was awesome. Enjoy the pics!

Also, check out our gallery of the one-off Mosler Raptor GTR, SSC UltimateAero, and other fun American things!

Continue reading Mosler MT900S at Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island

Volkswagen T2 Mark I 21-Window Bus spotted in Fernadina Beach, FL

Volkswagen Type 2 Mk1 21-Window

While awaiting my turn to take the new Alfa Romeo 4C for a spin around Amelia Island, Nick walked on ahead as I took in the scenery for a very brief second. Said scenery was very hippie-tastic, in the form of this stunning old VW Bus. The Volkswagen Type 2 has exploded in popularity over the past few years and the 21-window variant pictured here is the real showstopper of the entire line, with an airy cabin and groovy paint. While it certainly won’t keep up on the road with similar-era Porsches or Mercedes, it will certainly grab equal attention in the valet lot at dinner–and it can definitely be the life of the party, both when you arrive, and on the way home.

Spotted by: Albert S. Davis

2017 Mazda ND Miata RF, a Skeptical Reaction

2017 Mazda ND Miata RF

The Mazda Miata is now a hard-top targa, complete with flying buttresses!

Mazda calls it the Miata RF Hard Top Convertible, with RF standing for “Retractable Fastback.” Essentially they looked at the Porsche 911 Targa, thought it was a good idea, and here we are.

But is this really a good idea?

Continue reading 2017 Mazda ND Miata RF, a Skeptical Reaction

1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 2016 Amelia Island Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance

1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Front Right'

Yesterday, Nick posted the Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, at Amelia last week. Today, we have the other Best of Show winner from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. This is the Concours d’Elegance Best Of Show winner–a stunning Rolls-Royce Phantom II. I’ve been across a very large amount of prewar Rolls since I started covering Concours events in September 2010, but nothing quite like this monster. Continue reading 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 2016 Amelia Island Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance

1952 Pegaso Z-102 Cupula Coupe, 2016 Amelia Island Winner

1952 Pegaso Z-102 Cupula Coupe Amelia Island 6

During the 1950’s Spanish auto manufacturer, Pegaso, built a line of world-class sports cars, the Z-102. With powerful engines, a racing-derived chassis, and cutting edge technology for the time, the Pegaso Z-102 was a serious contender. Top Z-102 models, equipped with a 360hp supercharged V8, were capable of 155 mph, making them the fastest sports cars in the world for a time. A bonafide supercar, top-spec Pegaso could out-run the Ferraris of the era, and even the mighty Mercedes 300SL.

Just 86 Pegaso Z-102 sports cars were produced between 1951 and 1958. The cars were built on a “cost no object basis” alongside the larger Pegaso production of other types of vehicles. As you might expect, the sports car program quickly became a financial drag, and had to be shut down at a certain point.

The jaw-dropping 1952 Pegaso Z-102 “Cupula Coupe” featured here is one of just two examples built, and the only one known to survive. It won Best in Show, Concours de Sport at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, and it absolutely stunned the crowds.

The color scheme seems inspired by the condiments at a hot dog stand, a mustard yellow exterior, a relish green interior, and ketchup red-wall tires. Yes, I said red-wall tires. IT HAS RED-WALL TIRES!!!!

Continue reading 1952 Pegaso Z-102 Cupula Coupe, 2016 Amelia Island Winner

2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Gallery 1

Amelia Island Concours Hans-Joachim Stuck Porsche 962

Here is our first round of highlights from the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. There were so many incredible cars, of various eras, present that it’ll take a few of these galleries and numerous individual features to cover them all.

Racing legend, Hans-Joachim Stuck (pictured above), was the guest of honor. He rolled up during the award ceremony at the wheel of the Porsche 962 in which he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was epic!

Best in show awards went to a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Town Car with some fancy coachwork (see below), and also to a 1952 Pegaso Z-102 Cupula Coupe, which was my personal favorite car at the show, as well. The Pegaso had a unique color scheme of bright yellow with red-wall tires and a pea green interior, and it’s striking curves and crafted details definitely made it the sight to be seen.

Enjoy this first highlight reel, and stay tuned for much more to come!

Continue reading 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Gallery 1

Janis Joplin’s Porsche 356 at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

Janis Joplin Porsche 356C Rear

Of all cars at the Amelia Island Concours, celebrity-owned cars get a good share of attention. However, a hippie-themed old Porsche was grabbing more attention than other cars it sat among. This 1964 356C was custom-painted and themed by Joplin over the years to describe better her artistic style within her own life as well as within her music. After her death due to a heroin overdose in 1970, the car was passed between a few different individuals, before ending up in the posession of her manager. The car spent a period of time at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recent years, and was sold to a private collection late last year. Out on the show field, this particular 356 had onlookers gaing at its incredible detailing and one-of-a-kind finish. I don’t expect to ever see anything like this car again for some time, and people asked questions about it non-stop. Enjoy the photos of this timeless legend. Continue reading Janis Joplin’s Porsche 356 at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 Review: Turbocharged For Your Pleasure!

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I’ve been waiting for the Japanese luxury brands to go turbo for a long time now. They’ve been keeping their cars pretty simple for years, and that’s great for reliability, but in the end, the turbo European cars were faster, a lot faster.  Well now it seems the tables have turned. Infiniti has finally joined the turbo game, and they’ve brought a ringer.

Their new 3.0L twin turbo V6 comes in two flavors, one with 300hp and one with 400hp. The first will compete directly with the existing sport sedan pack, and the second will blow them away. Even with the German’s conservative horsepower claims, none of their offerings reach the 400hp mark. That means the high-output Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 I drove here is some very serious business.

Continue reading Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 Review: Turbocharged For Your Pleasure!

2017 Ford GT at Amelia Island

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The new Ford GT was on display at the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island this weekend. It’s one hell of a machine in person. We can’t wait to see what it can do on the move!

-Nick