Tag Archives: American Cars

Car Shows

Saleen S7 at Hopewell Cruise Night

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Saleen S7 in Hopewell 6

Everyone attending the Hopewell Cruise Night this past weekend was treated to the awesome spectacle of this Saleen S7. The car belongs to a local exotic car dealer who routinely spices up cruise nights with the jewels from their inventory. The owner was nice enough to stop in traffic for me to get a few pictures, even opening one of the S7’s flamboyant gullwing doors.

I caught up with the car later after it had been parked, and it was covered in people. A car like an S7 has a special effect on the mood of an event, turning a “good” evening into a “great” evening. It is one of the few proper American supercars out there, and it took on the likes of the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT when it first came out. This particular car  also happens to be one of only four naturally aspirated S7s outfitted with Saleen’s performance competition package, which adds another 100 horses to its stampede of speed. A very rare car, indeed.

This cruise night could’ve been a forgettable one because the weather deteriorated about halfway through the evening, but this Saleen S7 made sure that wasn’t the case. Check out the photos for more info!

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Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Purple People Eater 1959 Corvette at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, 2014

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Purple has never looked this intimidating before. This 1959 Corvette, in its purple and white paint job and black interior, was a mainstay in the SCCA-B Production racing class during the late Fifties and early Sixties. With mechanical fuel injection and a 283 sitting under the hood, this racer won all but one of the events it was entered in 1959. Nickey Chevrolet, a performance mainstay of the time, fitted the Corvette with heavy-duty racing parts such as a larger fuel tank, safety chains, and a roll bar, along with a smaller windshield. However, the rest of the car is as it was out of the factory, with factory stock heavy-duty suspension and the (by the end of that very season) race-proven Rochester fuel injection. It shined brightly amongst its ‘Vette companions at Amelia Island, with the purple paint job being about as subtle as a smashed grape on a white kitchen floor. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Purple People Eater 1959 Corvette at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, 2014 →

Car Shows

Highlights from the 2014 New York International Auto Show

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Lamborghini, Lotus, and Bugatti
Lamborghini Aventador, Lotus Evora S, and the obligatory Bugatti Veyron, of course.

We made it out to the New York International Auto Show to see some of the new cars that have come out recently. The industry has been very exciting in the last few years, as we move out of the global recession, with many great ideas taking shape, as well as a few that leave us scratching our heads.

Check out the gallery below, and let us know what you think of the new style we are trying out with some of our photos. Enjoy.

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Cars We've Seen

Ford GT spotted in New Hope, PA

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Ford GT NH

While out and about with my family on one of those beautiful spring Sundays, I caught this Ford GT rolling through New Hope, PA. The design is classic, and it never gets old seeing a GT in traffic.

-Nick

Car Shows

Chevrolet Nova SS-396 at the Hollywood Car Auction, Amelia Island

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Chevrolet Nova SS396 Front

At the same auction where the Hudsons were sold, this very clean 1969 Chevrolet Nova SS396 eagerly awaited a new buyer.  It looked smart and professionally restored, with a 396ci V8, manual transmission, gorgeous black interior, and a black vinyl roof, topped off with redline tires and Rally wheels.  Unfortunately, this Nova didn’t sell at the auction and at this time I am still unaware if the car has changed hands.  That said, this is one of the straightest, cleanest late-Sixties Novas I have seen in a very long period of time.  Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Chevrolet Nova SS-396 at the Hollywood Car Auction, Amelia Island →

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Three Hudsons, Auctioned Off at the Hollywood Car Auction Amelia Island

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Hudson Commodore Convertible Front
1949 Hudson Commodore Convertible (Front)

I’m a sucker for Hudson’s “Step Down” styling and engineering of 1949-1954.  These were some of the first American cars to utilize advanced body and chassis manufacturing techniques after the war was over and the effort paid off on the track.  In NASCAR’s early days, the Hudsons were almost utterly unstoppable thanks to their design.  The body and chassis were a semi-single unit and the floor was placed lower than the frame rails, which enabled passengers to “step down” into the interior (hence the phrase).  This saved weight and also lowered the vehicle, improving handling.  When paired up with the later “Twin-H-Power” straight-six engine, the later Hornets were unbeatable on the track in their day, dominating the field in the early Fifties, with 27 of 34 Grand National wins in 1952, 22 of 37 in 1953, and 17 of 37 in 1954.  Three of these Hudsons were up for auction at the Hollywood Car Auction at Amelia Island, and all three of them sold.  The yellow 1949 Commodore convertible sold for $73,000 before buyer’s premium.  The two Hornet sedans up for sale were later models (the burgundy is a 1953 model, while the black one was a ’52).  The black 1952 sedan sold for $62,000 and the burgundy 1953 sedan sold for $87,500.  Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows

1935 Duesenberg SJ553 at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

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Duesenberg SJ553 2

Lifestyles of the rich and the famous indeed. Back in 1935 this one-off Duesenberg SJ553 cost a hefty $20,000 at a time when the average car cost $625 and the average house cost around $3,400. Proportionally, something like this Duesenberg would cost nearly $1 million today, however luxury cars of this magnitude are a thing of the past. The closest thing still around would be a Rolls Royce Phantom, but even that costs about half as much as this Duesie would.

This SJ553 was commissioned by Mars Candy Company heiress, Ethel Mars, and served as the ultimate status symbol of its day. It was even featured in Time Magazine in 1936 being hailed as the costliest car in the United States. Similar to a Bugatti Veyron today, supercharged Duesenbergs were some of the most powerful cars of their era. This SJ553 is one of only 36 factory supercharged Duesenbergs built, with an impressive 320hp being produced by its 420ci (6.9L) dual overhead cam Straight 8 engine.

In addition to its staggering price and performance, the SJ553 was one of the most elegantly styled Duesenbergs around. Its sinister Art Deco bodywork appears to have been draped gently over the underpinnings of its massive frame. The SJ553 was a sight to be seen, even surrounded by other stunning Duesenbergs at the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Let it serve as a glimpse into the wonders of a bygone era of the automobile.

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Car Shows

1965 Chevrolet Corvette at the Radnor Hunt Concours, 2013

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American muscle cars were certainly well represented at the Radnor Hunt Concours late last summer, and this 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray coupe was a straight, well-kept example.  Despite packing the base 327ci V8, this black-on-red stunner featured a great assortment of options not often seen on mid-Sixties Corvettes, such as a power antenna, power windows, power brakes, and power steering.  The 1965 model also featured four-wheel disc brakes, a first on the Corvette as a standard item.  Purchased by a wife for her husband as a 65th birthday present, this gorgeous ‘Vette still looked a million bucks on the grass at Radnor.  Enjoy the photos.

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Cars We've Driven, Exotic Supercars

SRT Viper Review (7.5/10)

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SRT Viper Review 1

What is it?

The SRT Viper, formerly known as the Dodge Viper, is the iconic American sports car for people looking to get more out life than a Mustang or a Corvette can offer.

Intended to be a modern incarnation of the legendary Shelby Cobra, the Viper was developed by Chrysler with the help of Carroll Shelby to try and decimate the Chevrolet Corvette in the early 1990s. Where the Corvette of the time had a 300hp V8, the Viper went for the jugular with a 400hp V10. That was just the beginning, and as you will see, things have gotten even crazier since.

But has the Viper become too crazy for the times? Those of you who follow the car industry will know that Viper sales are in the toilet, so much so that Chrysler has actually had to halt production and even pull its Vipers out of racing competition. The Viper could have a serious problem here, and its survival may well be on the chopping block as we speak. Having finally sampled a Viper for myself, I will will use my experience with the car to muse on why it is that the sales of this beast are struggling.

It may seem cold and heartless to us car enthusiasts, but sales are the end-all-be-all in the car industry, especially for low volume production cars such as this. Ferrari and Lamborghini no longer offer manual transmissions in their cars because, plainly, nobody bought them, and now the Viper may be facing a similar situation.

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Car Shows

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 at Cars and Coffee Amelia Island

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1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 Front
1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396 Front

The day before the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, the Ritz Carlton on the island opened up their golf course for anyone with an interesting classic to show up and park among their peers across the fairway.  While talking to a few people and enjoying the sun-kissed weather, I found a car bathed in enough sunlight to make the world shine.  Enter this eye-catching yellow 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396.  This happens to be done up exactly how I’d want it on the outside.  The sunflower yellow paint was free of faults, and the whole package (with the Magnum 500 wheels and white-letter tires, along with the black stripe and shined up chrome) looked just as smart now as it probably did back in the days of Richard Nixon, Woodstock, and free love.  Of course, this car would be happier leaving tire tracks all over Main Street, USA than ferrying drugged up hippies to and from an enormous rock concert, but I bet it would be fun for anyone in the era.  I was glad to see one this nice that morning, and my eyes are still stinging from that yellow.  Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Custom Pickup Truck at the Festivals of Speed, Amelia Island

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Nick was far too busy photographing a nifty Volkswagen parked at the back of the show to take fair notice of something that was even cooler just next to it.  This custom pickup truck is too insane for words.  The frame is out of  Toyota Pickup, the engine is a Chevrolet LT-1 V8 from the early Nineties, and the interior is completely custom-made, with a No Smoking sign forming the backdrop panel for the radio and a custom instrument panel.  Meanwhile, the body is a cream-and-brown 1954 Dodge stepside regular cab, and the entire thing is fitted with an adjustable air suspension.  I spoke to some buddies of the owner who said that some passerby snickered and said “What’s this doing here?”, smirking the entire time.  In my opinion, the joke is on them–this is one of the coolest customs I’ve ever seen and absolutely belonged in the show.  Note some of the more quirky touches, such as the set of ratchet wrenches standing in for a gas pedal and a sculptured middle finger in place of a rear view mirror.  All in all, this custom pickup truck at the Festivals of Speed is one of the coolest customs I’ve ever seen.  Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows

2014 Festivals of Speed Amelia Island

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Tumbler Batmobile
The only street legal Tumbler Batmobile around. This one IS a car!

We attended the 2014 Festivals of Speed at Amelia Island. There were some major cars in attendance with flavors to suit all tastes, everything from classic Ferraris to slammed VWs to the Batmobile you see above. These are the highlights of the event, and there is a lot more where this came from. Enjoy!

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