A lot of you may think the mighty McLaren P1 is the ultimate McLaren to have, if money were no object. Maybe you’d be right, but maybe you’d be wrong. You see, driver satisfaction goes a lot deeper than just raw speed and lap times. Is it possible that the “baby” McLaren 570S may be more fun than it’s faster siblings?
See what you think after watching this video from Motor Trend. For my money, an afternoon out driving is usually more fun in a more playful car.
-Nick
Some more shots from the Paddock of Laguna Seca during Monterey Car Week, here is a gallery of awesome racing cars, old and new.
I always love seeing the old pre-war racecars sitting right next to more modern racecars, like Group C, because it really puts in perspective how far the automobile has come in just a few decades. That said, the drivers of those older racing cars were men among men. Those cars were not especially slow at all, reaching over 100mph, but with very primitive technology.
Enjoy the spectacle!
Continue reading Various Racing Machines in the Laguna Seca Paddock
Sir Stirling Moss will always be among the most revered racing drivers in history. His story is nothing short of miraculous. He danced with death every time he got in a car, and he’s lived to enjoy his golden years as a hero of the motoring community.
Moss experienced the greatest victory, unfathomable fame, the most beautiful women, the fastest cars, and the most treacherous of wrecks. And through everything he has always kept his hysterical sharp wit and uncompromising sense of class and sportsmanship.
His story is truly remarkable, and I had the honor of seeing Sir Stirling Moss speak a few years back at Lime Rock.
Enjoy his fascinating story!
-Nick
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Over Thanksgiving weekend this year, I finally got to cash in my birthday present from last year–my brother Matt agreed to take me to the Los Angeles Auto Show if I’d come visit him. I decided that it would be foolish to say no–after all, I’d been going to the New York Auto Show for a decade and a half, and I’d never seen the show in Los Angeles. Sorry, New York crew–but the LA Auto Show is indeed better. It’s cleaner, the city doesn’t smell like a New Jersey sewer, there’s real parking (and they charge only twenty bucks, whereas New York charges whatever they darn well please), and there’s even some ride-and-drives (which I did only two, but will definitely drive one of those two cars again soon). Continue reading 2015 Los Angeles International Auto Show General Gallery
Who doesn’t love a good old woody? (we’re talking cars here…)
This 1948 Bentley Mk VI bodied by by Harold Radford is a magnificent example of just how elegant an old British woody can be. Known as the “Mk I Countryman” to Harold Radford coach builders, this Bentley represents just a handful of “Town and Country” type Bentleys built in the immediate post-war era.
Keep in mind, the first Bentley Mk VI was delivered just 16 months after the allies won the war in Europe. Built in the smoldering remnants of war-torn, bombed-out Britain, the Bentley Mk VI stands as a symbol of British prevalence after the war.
God save her majesty, and enjoy gazing at this beautiful car.
-Nick
After long last, we now have the hypercar comparison test we’ve all been waiting for!
Porsche 918 vs. Ferrari LaFerrari vs. McLaren P1
Chris makes sure to show how they went about the test using the proper methodology, in an effort to produce fair, uncontested results.
The video is around 50 minutes, but well worth the time. So sit back and enjoy this ultimate hypercar showdown!
-Nick
Jay gets to have a go in 007’s new Aston Martin DB10, which will be featured in the new movie, Spectre.
Based largely on the V8 Vantage, the DB10 is an interesting new look for Aston. And the God it comes with a manual gearbox!
Enjoy!
-Nick
In 1995 the McLaren F1 GTR dominated the 24 hours of Le Mans, beating out purpose-built prototype cars for a 1st overall victory. This feat has never been accomplished since by any road-car-based GT class car. And when I say McLaren “dominated” Le Mans that year, I mean they finished 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 13th positions overall. Not bad for a modified version of a road-going supercar, which was never initially intended to go racing.
With that huge victory, the folks at McLaren were inspired to give the F1’s racing their all. That meant the car needed to be lightened even further and optimized for racing duties. Aerodynamics were key, and they wound up elongating the F1’s shape into what became known as the “Longtail.” McLaren also managed to take another 135kg out of a car which was already absurdly lightweight. The F1 GTR Longtail was quite an accomplishment, no doubt, and went on to be quite successful in the 1997 season.
In order to compete in racing, McLaren had to build a road-going version of the Longtail, dubbed the “McLaren F1 GT.” Just three F1 GT’s were built, the green prototype (seen here), a red one, and a black one. The green prototype, “XP GT”, has been retained by McLaren themselves, while the other two F1 GTs currently sit in private collections.
McLaren was kind enough to let the world see XP GT at this year’s New York International Auto Show. For me it was a dream come true because I’ve been lusting over this very car since I was a kid. It simply is gorgeous in person.
For a deeper dive into the F1 GT, and every other McLaren model, check out the McLaren Website, they have some great information.
To see more of the F1 GT at NYIAS see the video below from our friends at NJExoticSpotters on YouTube:
-Nick Walker
This is one of the more entertaining review videos I’ve seen, especially when they race the Range Rover Sport SVR against an Alfa Romeo 4C at the track.
The SVR is quite a machine, there’s no denying that!
-Nick
Not sure much else about the Morgan 3-Wheeler from this video because Matt Farah and Alex Roy were just giggling the whole time, but maybe that says all that needs to be said about this car.
All I know is, I want one….
-Nick
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Armstrong-Siddeley is a brand that not a lot of people in America are familiar with. I can put myself in that category as well. The Star Sapphire was one of the last products the company made, a full 55 years ago. The conservative, held-back styling is a penchant of British tastes after the end of the Second World War, and it has aged rather well. This is the newest of all Armstrong-Siddeleys, and that is only because this was also the final Star Sapphire ever produced. Continue reading 1960 Armstrong-Siddeley Star Sapphire Saloon at the 2015 Elegance at Hershey
At first sight I could’ve sworn this was a Delahaye, with its swoopy art-deco-looking lines. But no, it was indeed a slightly post-war Bentley.
More specifically, it was a Bentley Mk6 Convertible. One of the first cars to be built in the post-war era, a few Bentley Mk6s were fitted with custom coachwork, picking up the same approach as luxury cars before the war. This Bentley was styled by renown French design firm, Franay, and was featured at the Paris Auto Show in 1947. This Bentley was also the first car to win a major Concours d’Elegance after the war, as well, and went on to win many awards in the years since.
Imagine being in Paris in 1947, still surrounded by the carnage of WWII recovery, and seeing a car like this… it must have inspired people with an immense amount of hope. The world had gotten as dark as it had ever been in the years prior, but now thing were moving on, out of the catastrophe, to create a wondrous new world.
This might be the most unique-looking Bentley I’ve come across. French styling on a British car, it somehow really works!
-Nick Walker
Mind Over Motor 