1968 Dodge Charger at the New Hope Car Show

August 28, 2014 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

Recently, I featured “Dodgezilla” on Mind Over Motor. Well, here’s another 1968 Dodge Charger, but this one is a completely different animal. It’s tame, bred in captivity, as opposed to being fed steroids through a funnel down the carb. This ’68 is a regular Charger with the 383 big block V8, a four-speed manual transmission, and all of the lines that made the ’68-70 a heartthrob both then and now. This white example sported a red interior–a bit unusual for a Charger, but considering that this one was restored as more of a cruiser than a bruiser, that’s perfect. This was a brutally cool car in its day, and the Charger’s aura has aged well, rather like a fine wine. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1968 Dodge Charger at the New Hope Car Show →

Car Shows

Highlights from the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Part 1

August 27, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

Here is the first batch of our highlights from the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It was a great year this year, with loads of unique automobiles in attendance, including 16 of the 17 remaining Ruxtons (shown above). Maseratis were also featured this year for the marque’s centennial, as well as a stunning showcase of Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas, and some truly beautiful machines with coachwork by Darrin.

This is rolling artwork at its finest, so enjoy the photos. There’s much more to come!

Continue reading Highlights from the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Part 1 →

Car Shows

1971 Cadillac Sedan De Ville at the New Hope Car Show

August 26, 2014 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

When it comes to four-door hardtops, General Motors had a good set of candidates even as the era wound to a close. In 1971, GM redesigned their entire full-size lineup, from Buick’s Electra series to the big-dog Cadillac Fleetwood 75. Sitting near the top of the throne, although not at the top, was the Cadillac DeVille. Packing some smart styling to hide its hulking dimensions and high weight, these were the last of th truly “big” Cadillac sedans, and they went out with a bang. The ’71 packs a 472 cubic inch monster of a V8, with enough torque to tear the Death Star in two pieces. This particular gold example is all-original and has been in the same family since new. The owner inherited the car from a relative and has kept it in original working order. Although it was sitting near a gorgeous ’53 Eldorado convertible, it had a charm and an imposing figure all its own. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1971 Cadillac Sedan De Ville at the New Hope Car Show →

Cars We've Seen

Porsche Carrera GT spotted in Carmel, CA

August 25, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

While we remain busy catching up from our time California, we’ll continue to bring you some of the awesome sights from the streets around the Monterey area during car week. Downtown Carmel, CA is sheer craziness on Friday and Saturday evening, with stunning supercars everywhere you look.

We caught this Guards Red Porsche Carrera GT cruising down Ocean Avenue in the thick of the insanity. The Carrera GT is still one of my favorite modern supercars because its V10 engine sounds magnificent and it may well represent the pinnacle of the manual transmission in a high performance car.

Enjoy!

Continue reading Porsche Carrera GT spotted in Carmel, CA →

Cars We've Seen

Alex Roy’s Citroen SM and Michael Musto’s Dodge Charger spotted in Carmel, CA

August 21, 2014 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

This past week, Nick and I became familiar with how certain cars will show up almost everywhere. Alex Roy, the owner of a Citroen SM, and as a result a man with impeccable taste, was in Monterey all weekend, and we first saw his car parked in the parking lot at The Quail on Friday evening. The next day, Nick and I were looking for a parking spot after spending the entire day at Laguna Seca. We spotted Roy’s SM once again before coming across Michael Musto’s (of /DRIVE’s Big Muscle series) slick black 1968 Dodge Charger, in all of its glory with chrome rims and red Bumble Bee stripes. After taking photos until the sun came down, Nick and I walked down the street and ran into Mike Musto, who we began talking to, until Alex Roy sprinted up the sidewalk at breakneck speeds. When Alex returned and told the two of us possibly the most hilarious pair of stories I’ve ever heard, we spoke to the two of them and found that these two chaps are incomparably hilarious car guys with plenty to say and great taste in automobiles. Enjoy the photos of the Charger and the SM. Continue reading Alex Roy’s Citroen SM and Michael Musto’s Dodge Charger spotted in Carmel, CA →

Cars We've Seen

A purple Jaguar F-Type R Roadster spotted in Pebble Beach?

August 20, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

We’re not sure if this is for real or not, but if there were any place to see a pre-production version of a car out and about Pebble Beach is it. Officially Jaguar does not make a roadster version of their F-Type R yet, and they also haven’t released this ultra-shagadelic purple paint job on any of their other models. The high quality of the paint and the common sense that Jaguar would produce a topless version of their 550hp F-Type R both point to the possibility that this is indeed a pre-production car that one of their executives brought along to troll spotters like us.

Then again, it could just be some poseur F-Type V8S owner who got themselves a fancy paint job and a couple of R badges on Ebay…. who knows!

Let us know what you think!

Continue reading A purple Jaguar F-Type R Roadster spotted in Pebble Beach? →

Cars We've Seen

Ferrari Testarossa Spider spotted in Pebble Beach, CA

August 19, 2014 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

At Pebble Beach during Monterey Car Week, the adage I tend to go by is “Expect the unexpected.” This is never more clear when I’m spotting cars with Nick around Carmel or in the Pebble Beach Golf Links complex itself, as was this particular case. While walking around the street and shooting cars, I spotted this unusual white Ferrari convertible trundling down the lane. It was too wide to be a 348, being a convertible, I thought to myself “There’s no way Ferrari ever did a Testarossa Spider.” Turns out, that’s only partially true–Ferrari did make one Spider from the factory as a test car, Pininfarina and a few other coach builders stepped into the void and created customer cars during the Testarossa’s run. As a result, we have this Testarossa Spider, which was rather unusual and most definitely got our attention. There will be much more from Pebble Beach in the coming days. Continue reading Ferrari Testarossa Spider spotted in Pebble Beach, CA →

Cars We've Seen

BMW i8 Spotted in Monterey, CA

August 15, 2014 ndubs77 2 Comments

We are currently out at Monterey Car Week having a blast. We know we’ve missed a few posts in the last couple days, but that’s because we have been quite busy gathering all sorts of fantastic content, so fear not friends!

Just so none of you feel neglected, here is a BMW i8 we saw out and about tonight. There has been a few of these things running around the Monterey area, and we’re hoping to do a more proper shoot of one before the weekend comes to a close.

We are seeing, and even driving, all kinds of awesome things out here, and we will be sharing it all with you in the coming weeks. Be excited!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Say hello to “Dodgezilla”, everyone, the monster of the River Edge Car Show.

August 12, 2014 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

I’m a sucker for the second-generation Dodge Charger. Produced for a scant three seasons, it’s a representation of the Charger at its very best–a bruising, but sexy muscle car with equal parts testosterone and paunch. It’s difficult to improve these cars…but the owner of this absolutely evil ’68 has managed to do it. With its dark green finish and matching interior, the lines were well-represented on the exterior, but the lack of a hood belies this car’s true intentions. The owner calls it “Dodgezilla”. I couldn’t agree more, especially in green. In the place of a small-block V8 typical to this particular car lies a stomping 440-cid V8, with twin carbs and a high rise intake below the enormous hood scoop. This is not a Dodge for the faint of heart. It may not be terrorizing Japanese workers and tearing down buildings, but it’s green and looks like it’s up to no good anyway. It’s not Godzilla. It’s Dodgezilla. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Say hello to “Dodgezilla”, everyone, the monster of the River Edge Car Show. →

Cars We've Seen

Ferrari 458 Speciale spotted in New Hope, PA

August 11, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

I spotted my first Ferrari 458 Speciale yesterday in New Hope, PA while walking back to my car from the New Hope Auto Show. The show this year was somewhat mediocre compared to last year, and many cars driving by, like this Speciale, actually topped many of the cars inside the show. I thought I’d have to wait until later this week out in Monterey to see one of these new Ferrari track monsters, but I was stoked to see this one appear out of nowhere on public roads. Gotta love it!

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Jay Leno Takes The Challenger Hellcat For A Spin!

August 8, 2014 ndubs77 1 Comment

Jay gets his hands on Dodge’s new beast, the Challenger SRT Hellcat. Feel the fury of 707hp!

-Nick

Opinions

Paul Walker’s soul wants you to sign this petition so the US can have Nissan Skylines

August 7, 2014 ndubs77 4 Comments

Petrolicious has put forth a petition to get the American government to change the DOT/EPA’s import rule from 25 years to 15 years. What this means is that instead of just being able to import R32 generation Nissan Skylines right now, we would be able to import all of the R32 and R33 generation Skylines, and even some R34 generation Skylines… as seen in The Fast and Furious movies. The rule goes far beyond Nissan Skylines, though. Just think of all the awesome cars in Europe that haven’t made their way over here to the States…. Audi RS2, soon to be Audi RS5 (B5 gen), BMW M5 Wagons, all of those wonderful hot-hatches, and even a first-generation PAGANI ZONDA.

This is really a petition to change a stupid law that needlessly infringes upon the freedom of American consumers to purchase whatever vehicle they want. It serves absolutely no safety purpose, given that all cars from 15 years ago are way less safe than newer cars. Even if you personally would not import a car, you should sign the petition out of good will to your fellow car-lovers, and in return, you will have the pleasure of seeing more beautiful Alfa Romeos roaming the streets. This change will only serve to improve everyone’s lives!

You can sign the petition HERE. All it requires is your name, email, and zip code. It take 2 seconds.

Let’s all use the power of social media to make the United States a better place!

-Nick