These are some of the classic European cars at the 2014 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. Everything from legendary sports and racing cars to iconic luxury cruisers were present, there was a great turnout.
Enjoy the gallery!
Continue reading Classic European Cars at the Greenwich Concours
Hello everyone, and welcome to Independence Day. On this day in 1776, our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia to mark the birth of our great nation, the United States of America. And on this day in 2014, I would like to feature some of the best burnout pictures we have from the CF Charities Supercar Show last month in Warminster, Pennsylvania–just a stone’s throw from Philadelphia. The burnout may not be distinctly American, but few other automotive gestures are quite as fitting in this great nation as stepping up to the plate and spinning the rear tires into a pulp of rubber, smoke, and mayhem. These great citizens, some of which brought a few foreign cars (this cementing this American smoking institution as a great melting pot), were more than happy to show off their tire-shredding skills. Everything from a slightly crunchy BMW E36 coupe to a hard-boiled Ford F-350 dually packing a 7.3L PowerStroke turbo diesel V8 (with copious amounts of added diesel soot) took part, and much fun was had by all. Enjoy the photos, and happy Fourth of July. Continue reading Happy Birthday, America! Today, we celebrate burnouts.
It’s America’s birthday this week, and to celebrate Chrysler has released the glorious details on their new 6.2L supercharged Hellcat V8 engine. Commies run for cover!
In a stroke of PR genius, their previous release had said that the new engine would produce “at least 600hp,” but when they announced the real number it was a massive 707hp! This comes as a massively pleasant surprise from Chrysler as their product line has been a bit lacking in recent years compared to rivals from Ford and GM. But just as we thought the horsepower wars might be tapering off for a while, as focus turns to lighter weight, Chrysler launches their long-awaited counter-offensive, and it’s about damn time!
Continue reading The Hellcat Challenger is here! Fathers, hide your daughters.
When it comes to sports sedans, BMW has always been the brand on top since the 1980s. Sure, there have been some companies to equal them on a few different fronts, but the 3-Series has been the king in terms of sales and profitability for its manufacturer for as long as I can remember. When the F30 series launched in early 2012, I was very skeptical and didn’t like the sedan I took out for a drive. In fact, I found the 328i wagon I drove a few months before that to be more fun to drive. Worse, when I was at Pebble Beach last summer, I got stuck behind a new 435i which couldn’t be bothered to go the speed limit, and thus ruined my test drive of the Rolls-Royce Wraith. At Greenwich this year, I was presented with the opportunity to allow this new model to redeem itself. I found myself standing in front of this 428i coupe with keys in hand and a jonesing to go for a drive and see if I could find something to like about the new model. Here’s what I found. Continue reading 2014 BMW 428i Reviewed (Grade: B)
Everyone who attended to 2014 New York International Auto Show was treated to a very special surprise in the form of this stunning Koenigsegg Agera R. Koenigsegg is a Swedish supercar manufacturer that ranks among the top tier of the automotive elite, building just a few cars per year, each with seven figure price tags.
The Agera R is one of Koenigsegg’s most astounding creations, and until the recent unveiling of their One:1 Megacar, the Agera R was the marquee’s flagship. With 1140bhp available while running on E85, the Agera R has performance that will embarrass a Bugatti Veyron. In fact, the Agera R still holds the world record for 0-300km/h and 0-300-0km/h at 14.53 sec and 21.19 sec respectively. Top speed is a theoretical 273mph, but has yet to be verified.
This is one of those hyper-exotics that will make a Ferrari Enzo or Porsche Carrera GT seem tame. Even the new hybrid hypercars will only hang on to the Agera R for so long before falling back. It was truly a sight to be seen, and it stunned the crowds of people at NYIAS. In fact, most people had no idea what it was. I must’ve heard, “Wow, is that a Ferrari?” uttered about 50 times during the 20 minutes I spent looking at the car. A Koenigsegg is an exotic among exotics.
Enjoy the pics!
A reader submission from my friend, Zach. He caught this McLaren 12C roaming the streets of NYC, and sent it over to me. Nice spot!
-Nick
This is the new Subaru WRX, and it is the one without a clutch pedal. As if that doesn’t seem bad enough, it doesn’t have a dual clutch gearbox or even a traditional automatic, no, this WRX has a continuously variable transmission (CVT), like the one you might find in a Toyota Prius or a Nissan Versa. And, you know what, it’s pretty damn good.
You might think I’ve lost my mind here, but let me set things straight with a little context. I am not going to say that the CVT WRX is better than the manual WRX, because it surely isn’t for hardcore driving enthusiasts. So let’s get that out of the way right from the start. Subaru still makes a manual WRX for their existing customers, and now it finally comes as a 6-speed (Hooray!). That, however is a fairly boring story to write — the manual WRX is a lot of fun, and the Pope is still Catholic.
I wanted to drive the CVT automatic because the 2015 WRX is the first WRX to be offered without a clutch pedal since 2008, and most of us know the 2008 WRX was a total embarassment. In fact, throughout the entire history of the Subaru WRX, there hasn’t been a decent automatic version… ever. So I had a fundamental question that needed to be answered: Is the new CVT automatic WRX any good at all?
Continue reading 2015 Subaru WRX CVT Automatic Reviewed (9.5/10)
Right about now, the Dodge Challenger is playing third fiddle to the current Mustang and Camaro. It’s not selling as well as its competition, it’s not as fast, and it’s quite a lot heavier. However, there are a few things it does better than the other two pony cars on the market, and the same was true 44 years ago when the Challenger first launched in 1970. It looked more aggressive and had slick lines for its era, and offered style that the Camaro and Mustang couldn’t match. Today, the same is true–the Challenger, despite its oversized dimensions now, has strong lines, just like this sexy convertible. Retina-searing orange, black stripes, and a black interior never looked so strong in the sunshine.
Clad in Hemi Orange paint, this 1970 convertible looks like a high-class, high-speed machine of the early Seventies, and that’s exactly what it was for. The Challenger never sold as well as the Mustang or Camaro, and the convertible is quite a rare machine, especially in eye-catching R/T trim. This one in particular sports the same engine as the black Road Runner I featured here a few weeks ago–the rip-snorting, eardrum-liberating 440 Six Pack V8. Unlike that Road Runner, this Challenger is controlled by the timeless four-speed manual transmission topped with the Hurst Pistol-Grip shifter. This is quite a rare combination–according to the Standard Catalog of Chrysler, only 61 R/T convertibles were equipped with this engine and transmission combination out of 1,070 R/T convertibles. As a result, KBB lists the value of this particular car at close to six figures. I’m not at all surprised–although values of muscle cars have stabilized, Challengers, and especially ones of this pedigree, are still worth an absolute suitcase of money and I can see why. I haven’t seen too many Challengers, especially 1970 models–but this might be one of the best convertibles that’s not at an auction right now. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Six Pack Convertible at the Greenwich Concours
We found this demonic Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 Edition running around Carmel, CA during Monterey Car Week last summer. It came as a nice cap for our week of incredible car spotting, and is definitely the choice color combo for the SLR 722.
We look forward to more fun like this in August because we will be heading back to Monterey Car Week for the 2014 festivities. The excitement is starting to build!
Enjoy the photos of this SLR 722, there should be plenty more where this came from!
Continue reading Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 Edition spotted in Carmel, CA
Anyone who has read up on their European history over time has probably heard of the Rothschild family. They’re known today as being much more low-profile than most would expect for being as wealthy as they are (the family is supposedly worth 500 billion dollars), but their control over the world’s wealth is known as a staggering truth. However, I’m not here today to talk about the entire family’s history. I just want to talk about this absolutely stunning car. This is a Cadillac–but it’s not just any old pre-war Cadillac. This particular French-market Cadillac 353 Cabriolet was owned by Baron Edmund James de Rothschild for a number of years. This custom-bodied behemoth is a four-door cabriolet with a full-folding roof, in separate sections for the chauffeur or the passengers. These versions are known as closed car (both sections closed), sedanca de villa (front section open), or an open tourer (all sections open).
Cadillac sold 14,995 cars in 1930, but less than one percent of them were bodied by custom coach builders (less than 150). This car is an aluminum-bodied, long-wheelbase, three position double cabriolet, a truly unique body style. The bodywork was performed by Georges Kellner et Filis and is the only known Cadillac he penned. Unfortunately, the Baron passed away just four years after the car was ordered, and it was kept thereafter at one of the chateaus owned by the family and used just for special occasions. In 1969, a noted collector named James C. Leake purchased it and had it restored ten years later. The current owner, the Richard Driehaus Collection, has not changed the car since acquiring it in 1998. Despite being an older restoration, this Series 353 looks absolutely stunning on the field at Hershey and I would be overjoyed to see it again soon, whether that be this year or in the future. Enjoy the photos of this legendary automobile. Continue reading 1930 Cadillac Series 353 Cabriolet at the Elegance at Hershey 2014
We made it out to The Elegance at Hershey 2014 in Hershey, PA where Hershey’s chocolate is made. It is a great event at a wonderful venue, the five star Hershey Hotel. With beautiful gardens and fountains supplementing all of the stunning cars, it is surely a great place for photos.
There were many rare cars this year, everything from a French-market Cadillac built for the Rothschild family to the best-in-show winning Duesenberg “Mormon Meteor” Speedster. Enjoy the highlight gallery of the event and check back for features on some specific cars.
Continue reading Highlights from The Elegance at Hershey 2014
Fiat has been doing a pretty good job of marketing whatever new product they have. They have come a long way from the cringe-inducing “Jenny From the Block” ads that were running a few years ago, to running ads with P.Diddy and a little kid to advertise their newest creation. The 500 was a hit for them worldwide and in America, they’re certainly selling pretty well. In fact, there’s been a new kid on the block for them in the past year or so now, the 500L, a four-door model designed with the small family in mind. Fiat needs all the sales it can get right about now, as the 500L is in a tough marketplace and has not been getting a good amount of positive press. I decided to take myself to the local Fiat showroom a few miles away and see what the fuss was all about. Continue reading 2014 FIAT 500L Trekking Review (Grade: C+)
Mind Over Motor 