Slammed VW Karmann Ghia at Festivals Of Speed, Amelia Island

March 18, 2015 ndubs77 1 Comment

This slammed Volkswagen Karmann Ghia managed to draw people’s attention away from all of the exotics at Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island. When it comes to slammed cars, I am only a fan of some, but this is surely one of them. This Karmann Ghia was extremely well done, and it really popped with its sparkling brown-orange paint job.

Karmann Ghias are such high-style items these days, and I do think being slammed adds to that appeal. I wish Volkswagen could find a way to bring this sort of style back into their modern cars, but I know that is unlikely.

Enjoy the photos of this lowered beauty!

-Nick Walker

Cars We've Seen

1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray spotted in Carmel, CA

March 17, 2015 Albert S. Davis 4 Comments

When Nick and I start spotting in Carmel after a long day of chasing exotics and shooting ultra-rare machines in static settings all over the area at shows every day, we sort of drift around Ocean Avenue and side streets, often splitting the area. My preferred zone is a spot right in the middle of Ocean Avenue, near the top of the hill. While Nick was busy shooting exotics, I was focusing primarily on any offbeat car I could find, or whatever American classic happened to show up. Luckily, it wasn’t long before my patience was rewraded by this fetching blue Stingray.

The young adult driving this ’69 Stingray seemed affable–and he was rather proud of this machine. With clean lines and a classic soundtrack, the C3 Corvette was the last of the muscle car-esque Corvettes, and would be the last to offer a big-block V8 as an option. This one didn’t have a rat motor (it was powered by a 350 small block) but still grabbed everyone’s attention, including mine. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray spotted in Carmel, CA →

Car Shows

Audi LMP Cars At The Radnor Hunt Concours

March 16, 2015 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Audi brought two of their diesel LMP racing cars to the Radnor Hunt Concours this year. With all the emphasis on making supercars into “racing cars for the road”, why haven’t we seen a diesel supercar yet? I mean over the last decade Audi has dominated the 24hrs of Le Mans with these TDI prototype cars.

We’d sure love a diesel Audi R8?

-Nick

Car Shows

Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 at Laguna Seca

March 13, 2015 ndubs77 Leave a comment

If you love cars, then you have to love old Alfa Romeos. The Tipo 33 was a legendary racing platform for Alfa Romeo, and this Tipo 33/2 lit up the track at Laguna Seca this past summer. Such beautiful lines can indeed be functional for speed.

Enjoy!

-Nick Walker

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1968 Cadillac Eldorado at the Boca Raton Concours

March 12, 2015 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

I took extra time to take particular photos of some of the more interesting Cadillacs at the Boca Raton Concours this past winter, and the effort paid off. The first car I took a closer look at is sitting right here–it was in the back of the program, parked amongst its peers from the Fifties and Seventies. This ’68 Eldorado was the second year of the new-shaped model, an innovation machine on wheels of its time. Cadillac took their first stab at front-wheel-drive with these beasts, and laid on the swagger and chrome as if it was going out of style.

The late Sixties Eldorado is a snake charmer. It’s a massive car–the 120-inch wheelbase underpins a car that stretches out to 221 inches total–that’s less than 8 inches shorter than a new Rolls-Royce Phantom SWB. Despite being FWD, the engine is still laid out front-to-rear, a unique arrangement that Cadillac would use until 1985. Powering the beast is a 472 cubic-inch V8 hooked up to a Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission–but the real jewel of the Eldorado, especially this one, was its condition. Shining paint, and gorgeous interior appointments, are the norm at a Concours–however, the real prize was inside the interior. This one happens to have an 8-track player, a novelty in the late Sixties, and a telephone. Bluetooth not required, nor needed. Enjoy the photos of this luxurious beast. Continue reading 1968 Cadillac Eldorado at the Boca Raton Concours →

Car Shows

1938 Bugatti Type 57 Stelivio at Bonhams Auction

March 11, 2015 ndubs77 2 Comments

While perusing through the field at the Bonhams Auction at the Quail Lodge, we were stopped in our tracks by this incredible 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio. Red and Black is one of my personal favorite color combinations on a car. That mixed with the swooping Art Deco lines of this vintage Bugatti made it just perfect.

This Type 57 was actually pretty powerful back in its day, with a 170hp supercharged inline-8 engine. If a Bugatti represents the utmost in luxury automobiles today, it was surely just as true back in the pre war era.

This stunning Type 57 Stelvio was coach built by Carrosserie Gangloff of Colmar, France. And what a magnificent job they did with it!

This Bugatti is exactly the sort of thing I look for in an Art Deco era luxury car. It has all of that swoopy style you could want, and it had some high technology and performance for its time. You can get more info on this car here.

Enjoy the photos of this immaculate machine!

-Nick Walker

Auto Idolatry

Chris Harris Makes Us Want A Porsche Cayman GT4 Even More

March 10, 2015 ndubs77 Leave a comment

I said in a post last week that I’d rather have the new Porsche Cayman GT4 over either a Porsche 911 GT3 or GT3 RS, solely because of it’s manual gearbox. Well, this week, Chris Harris has gotten his hands on a Porsche Cayman GT4 and he has confirmed its awesomeness. That said, he did mention that he wouldn’t sell a 911 GT3 to have a Cayman GT4. I’ll be curious to see what he says about the new GT3 RS, and then what he says in a few years time about the Cayman GT4.

Enjoy!

-Nick

Cars We've Seen

Mercedes SLS AMG Spotted In Carmel, CA

March 9, 2015 ndubs77 2 Comments

The Mercedes SLS AMG is quite a beast of a car with it’s snarling 570hp 6.2L V8. It’s actually quite a nice sports grand touring car as well, and it will always draw a crowd with its epic gullwing doors. We caught this gray SLS AMG out prowling the streets of Carmel, California during Car Week this summer. Great car!

-Nick

Opinions

Why Do I feel So “Meh” About The 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS?

March 6, 2015 ndubs77 32 Comments

The new Porsche 911 (991) GT3 RS officially dropped at the Geneva Motor Show this week after much anticipation. As you might expect, many in the automotive journalism world sound 100% excited about this new “raw” 911. I am not someone who merely reports the figures, though, anyone can do that. I do this blog so that I can offer up my genuine honest opinion on cars and the auto industry. And, frankly, as cool as the new GT3 RS is, I feel a bit let down by Porsche. Here’s why…

Continue reading Why Do I feel So “Meh” About The 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS? →

Cars We've Seen

A Pair of Ferrari 458s spotted in Boca Raton, FL

March 5, 2015 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

On my first full day in Boca Raton a few weeks ago, my first order of business was to take the rented Camaro convertible I had and drive around, getting some sun and getting in a bit of time on the golf course by my grandmother’s apartment. Later, I took the Camaro for some sightseeing at Mizner Park, the high-end shopping district a mile or two away from the beach. While I was there, sightseeing cars was the order of the afternoon, especially once I saw a few Ferraris parked outside the shops on the street. One was parked outside a high-end jewelry shop, while the other was parked outside a coffee shop down one alley. The one outside the coffee shop had a dark gray finish which showed up green in the sunlight–combine that with the palm trees and stone flag streets, and the Ferraris look like they belong as if no other car does. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading A Pair of Ferrari 458s spotted in Boca Raton, FL →

Opinions

Meet The Gorgeous New Baby Bentley Concept

March 4, 2015 ndubs77 4 Comments

Yea I saw the new Porsche GT3 RS and yea I saw the new Lamborghini Aventador SV. For each I saw the photos and details and though, “Ok, next!” But then I saw this new Bentley sports car concept, and I still have yet to pick my jaw up off the floor. It is nothing short of magnificent!

It’s called the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept, and it aprears to be a brand new entry-level model. If it makes it to production, which I imagine it will, it looks like it will take on the Jaguar F-Type, Porsche 911, Aston Martin Vantage, and Mercedes AMG GT. In short, the Speed 6 will be a Bentley Sports Car, and that’s not something they’ve made before.

What I’m really hoping for in the Speed 6 is a traditional Front-engine RWD architecture. VW doen’t currently have such a RWD car in their lineup and really could use one in my opinion. If there winds up being both RWD and AWD versions of the Speed 6, then I think Bentley will have another home run on their hands.

The engine is rumored to be a six cylinder, given the Speed 6 nameplate. I suspect it could likely be the twin turbocharged 3.6L V6 found in the Porsche Macan. The base model will probably have around the same “400hp” as the Macan Turbo, and the higher model Speed 6 will likely have over 500hp so it can run with the V8 F-Type.

We’ll see for sure if/when it makes it to production. But forget the numbers, and just look at the thing, it’s incredible! I sincerely hope that Bentley doesn’t water down the design and the fine details for the production version. This will be a six-figure car, and I think that wood grain, and those headlights will help it stand out from even the posh crowd at that level.

I think the Bentley Speed 6 will be a fantastic addition to the VW Group lineup, assuming they build it, of course. Let’s all just hope, and enjoy the photos for now.

-Nick Walker

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1958 Tatra 603 Aerodynamic Saloon at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours

March 3, 2015 Albert S. Davis 3 Comments

Tatras are machines of wonder and amazement, despite not being an exotic by definition. The rear-engined design dates back to the Great Depression, and they were quite radical. Eight cylinders mounted behind the rear axle, air-cooled, and styled as if in a wind tunnel, they were ahead of their time in a few ways. When the Nazis invaded the Czech Republic in the 1930s, production slowed until the war was over. Unfortunately, they were never sold in the USA–as the company produced cars from behind the Iron Curtain.

The 603 series was very popular with high-ranking officials in the USSR, and even Fidel Castro sported one (painted white, for some reason). They were sleek, had classy styling, and distinctly American motifs everywhere. Some of those motifs included contrasting roof/body color combinations (like the red and white on this particular example), lashings of chrome down the sides and around the windows, and heavy, chrome-plated bumpers. This particular car even included a bed, which could be set up by simply folding the front bench seat back. The general public was not able to purchase cars like this in the Soviet Union–these were reserved, similar to the GAZ Chaika, for high-ranking public officials and Communist Party members. This particular car hails from the Lane Motor Museum of Nashville, TN and was for exhibition only, but still looked stunning amongst its peers–as the Tatra model series was a feature at Pebble Beach last summer. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1958 Tatra 603 Aerodynamic Saloon at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours →