A rather shiny Dodge Viper GTS spotted in Sherman Oaks, CA

March 31, 2015 Albert S. Davis 3 Comments

My brother, Matt, sends us stuff for the site all the time, and usually, I unfortunately have to decline it because it isn’t showy enough. This time, though, he knocked the ball out of the park, over the back fence, and into the Pacific Ocean. A while back, he shared with me this majestic (but rather clapped-out) 1959 Cadillac that he saw in Los Angeles while he bought himself beer-making supplies. This time, he was out with his girlfriend, Rachel, eating lunch in Sherman Oaks, a posh suburb of L.A. I can see why this caught his eye (other than the scintillating finish)–he’s a big Viper fan, and this would absolutely qualify for him. The company of the wrap, StickerCity, makes a product that shines great in the strong SoCal sun. Enjoy the photos. Thanks for sending this in, Matt. Continue reading A rather shiny Dodge Viper GTS spotted in Sherman Oaks, CA →

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Chris Harris Takes Us Through Living With a McLaren P1

March 31, 2015 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Ever wonder what it’s like to actually live with one of the world’s ultimate hypercars? Well here is a good look at it from Chris Harris, with no less than a McLaren P1.

Enjoy!

-Nick

Car Shows

1954 Desoto Adventurer II Ghia Coupe At Hershey

March 30, 2015 ndubs77 1 Comment

Following up our Corvette Rondine spot is another Italian-American beauty, this 1954 Desoto Adventurer II Ghia Coupe. This is one of the cars that stole the show at The Elegance at Hershey last year, and I certainly had to pick my jaw up off the ground when I caught my first glimpse of it.

Styled by Italian designer, Ghia, this Desoto Adventurer II is a one-off concept car done as a design exercise. The idea was to make a European-style grand touring car on an American platform… too bad they only made one. Beneath its swooping lines Adventurer II is based on a the Desoto Firedome Sportsman, and gets its power from a 276ci (4.5L) Hemi V8. It also has a 2 speed transmission, which is quite exotic today.

The car was fully restored in 1988, and now appears at concours events like The Elegance at Hershey. This was stunning car in a beautiful venue, and we’re glad we can share it with you all. Enjoy!

-Nick Walker

Cars We've Seen

THE Corvette Rondine Spotted in Greenwich, CT

March 28, 2015 ndubs77 3 Comments

While walking around after the Greenwich Concours last year, we noticed a certain blue car off in the distance at a local collector car dealer. That certain blue car turned out to be THE Corvette Rondine, as in the only one built. We’ve seen this car before on a few occasions, but seeing it out on public streets was insane. I mean the Rondine is the only one of its kind!

Underneath that beautiful italian bodywork by Pinninfarina lies a 1663 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with a 327 V8 under its hood. The Rondine is a beautiful Italian-American hybrid, a lot like Marisa Tomei!

-Nick

Car Games

Configurator Fun: Ferrari FF

March 27, 2015 ndubs77 2 Comments

I’ve always loved the Ferrari FF. I think it’s shooting brake design is ideal for a luxury grand tourer, and it’s all wheel drive bodes well for its purpose. I mean, why shouldn’t you be able to go skiing in your Ferrari?

I decided for this week to play around with the Ferrari FF, and see how I’d configure mine. I’ve always loved the four seat Ferraris in Tour de France Blue, so I went with that over a Brown and tan two tone interior. I also fitted a few carbon fiber accents around the car, namely on the steering wheel and the wheel center caps.

Ferrari doesn’t “do” pricing on their website, because if you have to ask, then you can’t afford it. Hey, lets all just be grateful that Ferrari even has a Configurator for us pleabs to fool around with.

All I can say when looking at my digital Ferrari FF is, “I’d so rock that, if it were real!” One day…

Lets see your Ferrari FFs!

-Nick

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 at the Boca Raton Concours

March 26, 2015 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

Grabber Green might be one of the best colors Ford put on the Mustang in the early Seventies–and they couldn’t sell it. The Boss 302, a homologation special for Trans-Am racing, was a screamer of a car–the small-block V8 Ford developed was capable of winding up to 6,250RPM, quite high for the time, especially for an American V8. A four-speed manual, special suspension, and all sorts of racing goodies rounded out the package under the skin, with plenty of trim pieces to make the package tasteful. Unfortunately, they only sold it for two years.

In 1970, the Boss improved a bit–the new look of the ’70 model Mustang gave the Boss 302 a reskinned and more mature look. The stripes were unchanged, and the offer of a few new colors made sure people kept on buying them. When all was said and done, the changes did indeed pay dividends–after only selling a bit over 1500 units in 1969, Ford moved more than 7000 of these in 1970. Unfortunately for those of us who love bright green, not many left the factory in Grabber Green–only 352 were painted that way, and according to the placard, only 111 were equipped with the manual gearbox in that color. Therefore, this Hurst-equipped Green Monstah is a seriously rare machine. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 at the Boca Raton Concours →

Cars We've Driven, Luxury Cars

2015 Cadillac CTS Vsport Review

March 25, 2015 ndubs77 7 Comments

This is effectively an incognito BMW E39 M5, only even more well-rounded. It is the Cadillac CTS Vsport, not to be confused with the CTS-V, which is Cadillac’s full-throttle, “still hard as a rock after 4 hours” experience.

The CTS Vsport is very much its own thing, not just some “Diet CTS-V” with less calories. If the CTS-V is a big honking hamburger, then the CTS Vsport is grilled salmon filet. It is an entirely different flavor from the V, so get that comparison out of your head from the get-go.

Continue reading 2015 Cadillac CTS Vsport Review →

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1956 Cadillac Eldorado at the 2015 Boca Raton Concours

March 24, 2015 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

Elvis Presley might be one of America’s greatest icons–and he was a Cadillac man. So is Ralph Marano, the well-known and well-respected car collector based in Union County, NJ. He brought a few cars to the Boca Raton Concours this year–and while I’ve become familiar with his excellent collection of Packards (which were featured at Amelia Island last year), I wasn’t as aware of his taste in Cadillacs.

This 1956 Eldorado might be one of the best mid-Fifties Cadillacs I’ve ever laid eyes on, with a gorgeous, deep shine on all panels and an incredible reflection across the chrome. This pink Cadillac is 100% original–and has only 27K original miles. Thanks to the polish, it looks like it should share space on the showroom floor with any other new car, it’s just that stunning. Wayne Carini was more than happy to talk about it, and I found him doing a short feature on it just as I was taking my pictures. Enjoy the photos of this large and in-charge American classic. Continue reading 1956 Cadillac Eldorado at the 2015 Boca Raton Concours →

Car Shows

Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale at Amelia Island

March 23, 2015 ndubs77 2 Comments

We, regrettably, did not make it down to Amelia Island this year. But our photographer friend down there, Nathan Corry, did make it over on Saturday to get some shots, and he has been kind enough to let us use them.

The car you see here is a 1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale, and it is one of my all-time favorite automobiles. I still have yet to actually see one in person, though. So when I say photos of this one at Amelia this year, I was extra pissed that I couldn’t make it this year. Naturally, when Nathan offered to let us use his photos, my first question was, “OMG DID YOU SHOOT THE ALFA TIPO 33?!!!!” Nathan had, and here are his beautiful photos of it.

I consider the Alfa Tipo 33 Stradale to be the first incarnation of what we all know today as the “hypercar.” Hypercars sit above the level of mere supercars in their technology, performance, or sheer exotic appeal, and they usually cost obscenely more than an obscene amount of money.

The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale was the road going version of Alfa’s Tipo 33/2 racing cars. It shares the same advanced 2.0L V8 as the racing versions, but the engine was detuned from 270hp to around 230hp in the road car. That engine revved all the way up to 10,000 RPM, and it sent power through a 6 speed transaxle gearbox. The Tipo 33 also still only weighed just over 1500lbs in road form, with the same basic suspension as the racing Tipo 33/2. It could see 160mph, and go 0-60 in 5.5 sec, fast numbers today, but in 1967 it was the record holder for the standing kilometer. So all in all, the 33 Stradale was a technical masterpiece in it’s day, literally a racing car for the road.

Adding to it’s advanced technical design, the Tipo 33 Stradale was also arguably the most exotic car in the world in 1968. It was the first road car to feature gullwing doors, which featured a unique curved glass window as well. It’s price in 1968 was close to $20,000, or a little more than the price of a Lamborghini Miura. But with only 18 examples built, each Alfa Tipo 33 Stradale is worth many millions today, probably tens of millions. So if you love modern hypercars like Paganis and Koenigseggs, then recognize this stunning Alfa as the “Original Gangsta” that it is.

I firmly believe the Tipo 33 Stradale is one of the most beautiful road cars ever built, and it happens to be a technical masterpiece too. You can find more info about it in a previous article I wrote. I still look forward to the day I get to see one in person, but I’m thrilled that Nathan was able to supply us with his photos so we can share this one with you. Check out his photography portfolio and his services on his website.

Also, if you’re reading this, and you own a Tipo 33 Stradale. I’d be happy to buy your car from you, provided you can accept my everliving soul as payment.

-Nick Walker

Cars We've Seen

Mercedes 300 SL Roadster Spotted in Greenwich, CT

March 21, 2015 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Out walking around in Greenwich, CT we found this beautiful classic Mercedes 300SL Roadster parked outside of a luxury car dealership in town. Gotta love that hip line!

-Nick

Car Games

Configurator Fun: Mercedes GLA45 AMG

March 20, 2015 ndubs77 1 Comment

The Mercedes GLA45 AMG is basically the luxury rally-ish car of your dreams. That is to say it’s a small all wheel drive car with nimble handling that has a turbocharged 4-banger which puts out entirely too much power. Yea, I know all about the CLA45 AMG, but I’d rather have this thing with the added suspension travel.

The base price of the GLA45 AMG is $48,300

Mine cost $63,350 spec’d out how I’d want it.

I saw a GLA45 in brown with the brown interior at Pebble Beach this summer, so I had to go with that. I love that you don’t usually see such a combo on an AMG.

As far as options, I got the carbon fiber aero package, but without the ricey spoiler that I hate. I also forwent the Driver Assistance Package, where the car basically drives for you, because I can drive myself, thank you very much.

I did spring for the Premium Package and the AMG Driver’s Package for the nice features they include, as well as the Panorama Sunroof.

So that’s the GLA45 AMG that I’d have. Feel free to configure your own here, and share in the comments. I’d love to see what you all come up with!

-Nick