On this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Jay gets together with Magnus Walker and Alex Ross from SharkWerks and gets behind the wheel of their collaborative Porsche 997 GT2. It is CRAZY!
Enjoy!
-Nick
Petrolicious Looks At The Cadillac Ghia
This is one of the most beautiful Cadillacs ever made, and it’s one of just two produced. The styling was penned by Italian design firm, Ghia. I’ll let Petrolicious tell the rest of the story in the video. Enjoy this stunning automobile.
-Nick
1970 Hemi ‘Cuda at Hershey and the Quail
Just because we feature a car here on Mind Over Motor doesn’t mean its fifteen minutes of fame should end. A year and a half ago, a 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda with Chrysler badges was making its first-ever appearance at the Greenwich Concours, and took home the Chief Judge’s Award last year on its debut. Fast-forward a year, and the ‘Cuda was back in action, after spending a bit of time in France–the country where it made history.
This is not a normal Hemi ‘Cuda. Most of them are designed to look good and race along Main Street between Maple Avenue and Pine Street against a Chevelle SS-454 (and win). This one fought for space alongside Porsche 911 racers and BMW 3.0 CSLs all over France–one of just four E-body Chryslers to ever do so. Nowadays, it’s retired, but it spent time in France on some of its old tracks during the past year or so. I can only imagine the sound of that thundering big-block V8 ricocheting across the French countryside, both getting everyone’s attention and ticking off the locals, who probably would rather not see such a brash American messing around their French roads. I personally wish that it happen more often. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1970 Hemi ‘Cuda at Hershey and the Quail
1953 Ferrari 250 Europa Coupe at RM Auctions Monterey
“Classy” was the single word that came to mind when I came upon this stunning 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa Coupe at the RM Auction display in downtown Monterey. Classy on a level not seen in modern Ferraris, which are more ostentatious than anything at this point. I mean just look at the rich two-tone color scheme and that sumptuous interior, this is a 50s-era Italian car in its finest form.
The 1953 250 Europa Coupe was actually the first Ferrari to use the “250” nomenclature, which later would encompass the most sought after Ferraris of all time. It was also the first dedicated Ferrari road-car, the genesis for a lineage of Ferrari Grand Tourers that continues to this day. The Europa Coupe you see here is one of only 21 examples produced, and it recently won its class at the 2014 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
The 250 Europa Coupe’s performance was quite good in the 1950s and still would be respectable today. Its 3.0L V12 engine produced 200hp and was hooked up to a 4 speed manual gearbox. A Subaru BRZ or Honda Civic Si make the same amount of horsepower today, and those are pretty quick cars, but this old Ferrari is also lighter than both of them. So should any custodian of one of the 21 Europa Coupes like to use their car on the road, they will still find it easy to keep up with traffic. Stopping, however, is a different issue, as Ferrari was slow to adopt disc brakes. So yea, this thing has drums.
I remember seeing a 250 Europa Coupe similar to this one in a magazine as a kid. I was spellbound by its elegance and sheer beauty. It’s no wonder this classic Ferrari dropped the hammer at $2,750,000 this summer in Monterey. With Ferrari values going through the roof, this stunning example is likely to be a great investment. Read more on its history here.
-Nick Walker
Tesla Model S P85D Review
Tesla has taken the industry by storm, shattering all expectations and continuing to surprise everyone. I remember about a year ago when Tesla shares were around $120 and many analysts were saying that was far too high. Well guess what, today shares are selling for $218.
Elon Musk’s can-do spirit permeates through the Tesla brand. That charisma associated with the brand seems to appeal to many customers as much the car itself does. Lately, I’ve grown accustomed to seeing Teslas everywhere in my area. For a high-end luxury car, they are selling like hotcakes.
The Model S P85D is surely the most multi-functional vehicle that I’ve ever experienced, and that is what surprised and impressed me the most about it. In fact, I’d say it’s like having four distinct cars in one…
1957 Ford Thunderbird spotted in Carmel, CA
The day before the Concours at Monterey Car week is a busy day. Laguna Seca is running races all day, the Concorso Italiano is in full swing, and Nick and I are running around town covering as much as humanly possible before dropping on our faces at the hotel later in the evening. Luckily for the both of us, there’s plenty of great cars out there to satisfy even the most finicky car enthusiast.
Exotics are aplenty, but American classics are always out in full force–some, like this Skymist Blue ’57 T-Bird, are even for sale. This particular car is almost identical to a model of a ’57 that occupies some valuable real estate on my desk at my office. In fact, the only difference is that the toy I have has wide whites, while the car on the streets has skinny whitewalls. Either way, it looked rather handsome on the streets of Carmel in the evening hours. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1957 Ford Thunderbird spotted in Carmel, CA
Is The Cayman GT4 The Salvation Of Porsche’s Manual Gearbox?
In 2013 Porsche released the (991) 911 GT3 without even the option of a manual gearbox. They put all of their chips in the PDK basket, and then watched as the value of older manual-equipped 911 GT3s skyrocketed.
We’re talking $160,000+ for a 997 GT3 RS and over $300,000 for a GT3 RS 4.0.
Could Porsche have been wrong about the consumer’s desire for PDK? And does the new manual-only Cayman GT4 signify that Porsche may be back-pedaling a bit?
Continue reading Is The Cayman GT4 The Salvation Of Porsche’s Manual Gearbox?
The 2016 Ford Focus RS Done Right!
Don’t you just love when automakers don’t drop the ball at the last minute and disappoint everyone?
All too often car companies release products that just aren’t as good as they should be. They either don’t listen to what customers are asking for, or they think they don’t need to improve upon a good product (cough, Subaru, cough).
Today, Ford has released the details on the new 2016 Ford Focus RS, a rally-style hatchback aimed directly at the Subaru WRX STI. All of the details we were praying for are thankfully present and accounted for, namely all-wheel-drive a manual gearbox.
Gabriel Iglesias Visits Jay Leno’s Garage With His VW Samba
Funny and Fluffy man, Gabriel Iglesias, swings by Jay Leno’s Garage with his 1966 Volkswagen Samba Bus. If you have eyes and a heartbeat, then it’s very likely you love the style of those old 1960’s VWs. I know every time I see a vintage Bus like this one, I really wish that Volkswagen would still make cars with this sort of style.
Enjoy this hilarious episode!
-Nick
Autocar Tries Out The New Mazda MX5 Miata
Here is our first look at what the new 2015 Mazda MX5 Miata is like from behind the wheel. This is the 1.5L-equipped Miata, which will be a Japanese and European model only. Impressions on the US-spec 2.0L Miata are yet to come, but horsepower for the 2.0L SkyActive four cylinder has been announced at 155bhp. That’s not the 180-200hp that many of us were hoping for, but this is a Miata, so it doesn’t really matter that much.
In the video, he says the new car feels a lot like the original Miata, and I can think of no higher praise for this car than that.
Enjoy!
-Nick
Ferrari 458 Speciale Spotted In Pebble Beach, CA
We spotted this ominous black and gold Ferrari 458 Speciale while we were out and about in Pebble Beach. We saw a number of 458 Speciales during our trip, but this one was definitely a more uncommon color combo.
-Nick
Dodge Challenger Hellcat vs. Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
An epic showdown between two of the top-tier muscle cars. The 580hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was some tough stuff a few years ago, but can it match up to Dodge’s new 707hp Challenger Hellcat?
Motor Trend’s Johnny Lieberman finds out…
Enjoy
Nick
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