The Logonda Taraf is a million dollar cherry on top of the Aston Martin pie. It’s a Rapide underneath, but they’ve done a lot to make it more “special.”
I think it’s pretty sharp, definitely a head turner for the handful of owners to show off to their friends.
-Nick
The Ariel Atom is hopelessly impractical, ah, but there is a solution!
Now you can tow your own trunk, and carry all kinds of do-dads everywhere you go.
Things for the home, things for the track, hell, you could probably even tailgate with this.
Now you have one less excuse not to drive an Atom every day!
-Nick
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
This beautiful Aston Martin DB AR1 by Zagato is definitely the modern Aston I’d most like to have in my own garage. It’s not the fastest Aston money can buy, nor the best built, and it’s definitely not the newest, either. But it is one of just 99 in existence, it’s beyond gorgeous, it’s a drop-top, and it has a sweet V12 engine that’s hooked up to a manual gearbox. In short, the DB AR1 Zagato is everything I want in my Aston Martin experience.
Even though there are only 99 of these things, we actually manage to see them fairly often. I guess DB AR1 owners just tend to enjoy going to concours events. This silver DB AR1 stood out to me on the show field at the Amelia Island Cars and Coffee. It’s an interesting color combo of bright pearlescent silver over a deep green leather interior.
I saw this same DB AR1 Zagato go by on the road the day before, and I went nuts. I just never get tired of looking at them for some reason.
Enjoy the photos!
Continue reading Aston Martin DB AR1 Zagato at Amelia Island
Yesterday, Nick posted the Best of Show, Concours d’Sport, at Amelia last week. Today, we have the other Best of Show winner from the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. This is the Concours d’Elegance Best Of Show winner–a stunning Rolls-Royce Phantom II. I’ve been across a very large amount of prewar Rolls since I started covering Concours events in September 2010, but nothing quite like this monster. Continue reading 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 2016 Amelia Island Best of Show, Concours d’Elegance
Here is our first round of highlights from the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. There were so many incredible cars, of various eras, present that it’ll take a few of these galleries and numerous individual features to cover them all.
Racing legend, Hans-Joachim Stuck (pictured above), was the guest of honor. He rolled up during the award ceremony at the wheel of the Porsche 962 in which he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was epic!
Best in show awards went to a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Town Car with some fancy coachwork (see below), and also to a 1952 Pegaso Z-102 Cupula Coupe, which was my personal favorite car at the show, as well. The Pegaso had a unique color scheme of bright yellow with red-wall tires and a pea green interior, and it’s striking curves and crafted details definitely made it the sight to be seen.
Enjoy this first highlight reel, and stay tuned for much more to come!
Continue reading 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Gallery 1
The DB4 GT Zagato is one of the most beautiful Aston Martins of all time. Swooping Italian lines over a capable British GT racing-developed chassis, it is a sublime combination!
With its 314hp straight-6, the DB4 GT Zagato was one hell of a performer in the early 1960’s. It was capable of 0-60 in around 6 seconds, and could top 150 mph. It also had a lightweight design and a capable chassis, so it was very much an all-round performer. Even today, it would still roast many respectable cars.
The big draw, on top of this Aston’s styling and performance, is its rarity. Only 19 of these DB4 GT Zagatos were produced, and they are worth many millions of dollars today.
Amelia Island was actually the second time I’ve seen this one. I saw it a few years ago, where it was the star at a local cruise night in Hopewell, NJ, where it was being worked on.
The Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato is one of my favorite classic cars, period, let alone Aston Martins. I was so privileged to have some quality shooting time with the car after most of the show cleared out. It even had it’s own design plans on display in the trunk this time.
I hope you all enjoy the gallery!
Continue reading Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato at Amelia Island
First impressions. How you make your entrance sets the tone for how you’ll be perceived, as well as the context for every subsequent action.
Well if looks can kill, call me dead and buried because this 2017 Aston Martin DB11 is beyond pretty. When I think of automotive beauty, the first car that pops into my mind is an Aston Martin. They’ve always been beautiful, but somehow Aston has kept upping the ante over the years. Modernity is treating them well.
So when a car’s first impression looks like the DB11, I almost wouldn’t even care if it had a lawnmower engine under the hood. But thankfully, that’s far from the case. The DB11 has a twin turbo 5.2L V12 lurking beneath its lusty lines, and it’s said to be in the neighborhood of 600hp. With that kind of thrust, top speed should easily be north of 200mph, unless the gearing is too short.
Aston Martins have never been all about the numbers, though. They’re way too cool for that. What really matters is the style, the craftsmanship, and the experience of the drive. As a grand tourer, it’s not just a car, it’s a substitute for a plane ticket. Aston Martins are for the type of person who appreciates that the journey is often preferable to the destination.
So I look forward to learning more about the DB11 this week, as the 2016 Geneva Motor Show brings all sorts of excitement to the car world. Everything I’ve heard of this new Aston so far has been great; it may even have the option of a manual gearbox (fingers crossed). Now that we’ve laid eyes on the DB11’s full form, I think we can be confident Aston Martin is on the right track.
-Nick Walker
The Philadelphia Auto Show was lively this year, with many of the newest releases on display.
I must admit that I am completely in love with the blue Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio you see above (it’s stick too). I also got my first look at the new Fiata (124 Spider), Cadillac XT5, Honda Ridgeline, and the oh-so-sleek Volvo S90. I also got a good look at the new Toyota Prius, which was regrettable on the eyes.
There are a lot of great new cars to be excited about!
Enjoy the gallery.
-Nick
Continue reading Highlights from the 2016 Philadelphia Auto Show
Which six-figure sports coupe is better, the Mercedes AMG GT S or the Jaguar F-Type R?
Motor Trend finds out which is the winner, but honestly I’d recommend each of them to anyone.
Enjoy!
-Nick
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In the parking lot, Nick and I spotted a clean example of one of the more obscure sports cars from the early 1980s–the Lotus Esprit Turbo S3. This car looked like it had been taken right out of the Bond film For Your Eyes Only, except not blown to pieces. Any Esprit from before the 1990s is a rare sight in the Northeast today, so this was quite a cool little cap-off to our coverage at Radnor Hunt, until we tried to get Nick’s Volkswagen to slide down the hill (which failed hilariously). Enjoy the image of this svelte, old-school British wedge.
-Albert S. Davis
Some things just need to be built. Even without a practical purpose, some things must exist because they will make the world a better place. Inspiration is a powerful force in our world, and things that are born out of passion serve to inspire further passion in others. If that isn’t a worthy cause, then I don’t know what is.
This is the Thunderbolt, a custom built Rolls Royce Boat Tail Speedster with a fire-breathing WWII tank engine under its massive hood. It is the embodiment of childhood dreams, and an homage to a more elegant time, when cars were truly works of art and craftsmanship.
The Thunderbolt’s mighty engine is a 27 liter Rolls Royce Meteor V12. It produces 600-700hp and over 1,600 ft/lbs of torque. The Meteor engine was the tank derivative of the famous Merlin engine used in the Spitfire fighter plane. And when the owner says to be careful when starting the car, he means because it literally shoots 5 foot flames out the side exhausts (See the video).
Continue reading The Thunderbolt, a Custom Rolls Royce with a WWII Tank Engine
Mind Over Motor 