Tag Archives: American Cars

Car Shows

A Prohibition-tastic Cord L-29 at Amelia Island

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1931 Cord L-29 Speedster Amelia Island 8

1931 was an interesting time. People were still riding the wave of craziness from the roaring 20’s in many ways, but there were more and more symptoms of the Great Depression popping up all over. It was a trying time, to be sure, and people weren’t even allowed to drink to cope with it all. That wouldn’t do at all, especially not if you were wealthy and flamboyant.

This flashy orange and yellow Cord came with just the solution, a full cocktail bar hidden away in a secret compartment in the passenger door. I mean, laws are for the working class, they shouldn’t be drinking because they have to be working. But when you’re rich and set for life, you play by a different set of rules. You should be able to have a drink while you’re out driving your sports car.

This 1931 Cord L-29 is actually a replica of a show car that Cord featured during the era to promote their brand. Needless to say, it’s quite striking, and getting these photos took lots of patience because people were swarming the car.

Enjoy the gallery!

Continue reading A Prohibition-tastic Cord L-29 at Amelia Island →

Automotive Lifestyle

Nick bought my Miata. So I bought a piece of American history. Say hello to the U.S.S. Lincoln.

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U.S.S. Lincoln

I sold the Miata to Nick because I had started looking at American cars with a muscle flavor that were in my price range, since I was always into old-school power. This car wants to run for President, and it was made right here in the United States. Continue reading Nick bought my Miata. So I bought a piece of American history. Say hello to the U.S.S. Lincoln. →

Automotive Lifestyle

Not a bad way to spend an evening

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Many times the best drives come completely unplanned. There are no cameras rolling, nothing even remotely contrived. Often times the reason for the drive is even purely functional.

Last night was one of those awesome spur of the moment car experiences for me and my buddy Shane. That’s why the pics are crap, and this article, written in immediate hindsight, may be a little wonky. But it was one of those great drives I know I’ll remember long into the future.

Continue reading Not a bad way to spend an evening →

Car Shows, Uncategorized

Classic Ford F-100 at Amelia Island

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Custom Ford F-100 at Amelia Island 7

This might be the cleanest custom Ford F-100 I’ve ever seen. The detail work on it is truly immaculate, right down to the rich wooden bed. It was featured in Classic Trucks Magazine, and the owner had the issue displayed proudly on the seat.

This is a spectacular work of automotive art. Enjoy the gallery!

Continue reading Classic Ford F-100 at Amelia Island →

Car Shows

1954 Ford Sunliner Custom at the 2016 Amelia Island Festivals of Speed

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1954 Ford Sunliner Front

Festivals of Speed is a fun little event that happens just down the road from the Omni at Amelia Island. The cars that show up at this event are quite varied and this year ranged from a tasteful Toyota Supra Turbo to a truly mental Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG 6×6. Luckily for us, there was plenty of cars to go around. Drawing my eye cooking in the Florida sunlight was a drop-dead stunning old Ford. Continue reading 1954 Ford Sunliner Custom at the 2016 Amelia Island Festivals of Speed →

Automotive Lifestyle, SHOWCASE

Roadkill gets a tow truck and learns what happens when snow hits the Rockies.

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As all of you know, Roadkill is basically what happens when two guys who know old cars have money to burn and too much free time on their hands.  After a few months off, Roadkill is back and this time, Finnegan and Freiburger travel up to Colorado to pick up a custom-built Ford tow truck with a big block V8, converted 4WD, and plenty of floor holes.  They then learn what happens when snow packs up a radiator and disallows the engine from warming up. Welcome back, Roadkill. We missed you. I do hope to see this new tow truck appear in more episodes–it’s quite a cool piece of engineering.

-Albert S. Davis

Car Shows

1971 Plymouth Road Runner, raced by Richard Petty, at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours

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1971 Plymouth Road Runner Front Angle

Richard Petty truly is the King. Say what you want about King George, or King Midas, or King Felipe VI. But, to me, Richard Petty will always be The King. Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Chrysler Corporation ruled NASCAR with a lethally fast combination of the aero-bodied Charger 500, Superbird, and Charger Daytona, all of which were powered by the unstoppable 426 Hemi. They were so dominant, in fact, that in 1971, NASCAR handed the boys from Auburn Hills an ultimatum–either get rid of the aero body or drop the Hemi. Chrysler responded accordingly, by putting the 426 in the newly-rebodied Road Runner and Charger for the 1971 season. Petty, as per tradition, took the keys to this #43 Corporate Blue Road Runner and drove it for the entirety of that season. Continue reading 1971 Plymouth Road Runner, raced by Richard Petty, at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours →

Car Shows

New York International Auto Show General Gallery

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Bentley Bentayga

The New York Auto Show finished its run on Sunday evening and was home to a multitude of concept and full debuts, including Lincoln’s Navigator concept (complete with a massive gullwing door) and Mazda’s MX-5 Targa Retractable. This year, the show wasn’t nearly as glitzy as previous years, but I had an enjoyable day all the same. Although I wasn’t intent on taking as many photos (as I had spent a massive amount of time at L.A. a few months back), there was still plenty to see. Fiat showed off the new 124 Abarth, and Porsche had the 911R on display for all to see, just ahead of the new 718 Boxster roadster. Enjoy the brief gallery of what was on display this past week, with some more to follow. Continue reading New York International Auto Show General Gallery →

Opinions

Why I Hate Concept Cars: A Rant

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Lincoln Navigator Concept NYIAS 2016

Lincoln showed off their fancy new Navigator Concept at the 2016 New York International Auto Show to much acclaim. It was all over the news, and people were going mental over it. I mean, what’s not to love about a sparkly blue SUV with massive gullwing doors and fine wooden steps up to its luxurious cabin?

Yes, if it were real, the Navigator Concept would be a game-changer in the SUV market, but it isn’t real. People often miss the word “Concept,” and I must’ve had around ten people ask me if I had seen the incredible new Lincoln Navigator, as if it were actually the new production car. Sadly, I then had to break all of their hearts by telling them it was just a pipe dream that would never come true. An automotive strip-tease with no happy ending.

Continue reading Why I Hate Concept Cars: A Rant →

Opinions, Uncategorized

The Tesla Model 3 looks promising if promises are kept

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photo Tesla Model 3 Front.jpg

I was sold on the electric car the second I experienced 0-84mph in a Tesla Model S P85D. It’s not just brutal acceleration, it’s brutal acceleration you can actually use from any speed, available immediately. Even just squirting from 0-30mph off a city stop light is a total riot. It is the kind of enjoyment you can only have in an electric car. There is no engine, no gears, and no delay. Thrills come simply at a push of the button, or pedal, in this case.

I thought Elon Musk summed up Tesla’s path brilliantly. Prove electric can be fun with the Tesla Roadster, then prove them practical and desirable with the Model S and Model X. But now comes the make or break moment for Tesla Motors, a truly affordable, mass-production car, the Tesla Model 3. It must be practical, it must be dependable, and it must be quite desirable to out-compete fierce competition.

Only time will tell for dependability, an issue that Tesla has been working on. Any new car company should expect some bumps in the road, it’s how they deal with them that counts. This factor gets greatly amplified as you move into the mass-market realm.

What we did find out last night in the short part one of the Tesla Model 3 reveal is that the car will be quite desirable and quite practical… so long as Musk’s promises are kept.

Continue reading The Tesla Model 3 looks promising if promises are kept →

Car Shows

Dan Gurney’s #42 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours

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Dan Gurney Cuda Front

When it comes to Trans-Am racing, the first car most people think of isn’t what you’re staring at right now. In fact, it’s usually a blue and yellow Chevrolet Camaro, which is of course one of the most highly celebrated Trans-Am cars of all time. If you think of a Mopar, a Challenger may come to mind before one of these. However, Dan Gurney and his cronies crafted three ‘Cudas–and this one is one of those three, and after some further research, this is a car with some technology that could rival the infamous Smokey Yunick. Continue reading Dan Gurney’s #42 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours →

Car Shows

Mosler MT900S at Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island

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Mosler MT900 S Festivals of Speed Amelia Island 3

This rare bird caught my eye right away when I arrived at Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island, and not just because it was bright flaming orange. It’s a Mosler MT900S, an American supercar of which only around 35 road-going examples exist.

Mosler went bankrupt a few years back, but their US-bred supercars are well respected and sought after in the car community. These were genuinely racing cars for the street, hardcore performance machines to the bone. In fact, Mosler built more MT900 racecars than they did roadcars.

The MT900S was built from 2005 to 2011, and featured 5.7L or 7.0L V8 engines sourced from General Motors (ie the Corvette). I’m not sure which motor this orange MT900S had in it, but Car and Driver had an MT900S test car with a 600hp supercharged 5.7L V8. In their testing it ran 0-60 mph in just 3.1 sec, 0-100 mph in 6.5 sec, and did the 1/4 mile in 11.o sec @ 135 mph. Now that’s a decent kick in the ass, I don’t care who you are.

This Mosler was orange, and it was awesome. Enjoy the pics!

Also, check out our gallery of the one-off Mosler Raptor GTR, SSC UltimateAero, and other fun American things!

Continue reading Mosler MT900S at Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island →