Tag Archives: Exotic Supercars

The crown jewels of the car world

Test Driven: Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera (10/10)

Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera at Exotics Racing
Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera at Exotics Racing

There is a special tingling sensation that runs through your body when you know that you’re about to go flat out on a racetrack in the ultimate version of the Lamborghini Gallardo. It is the same sort of nervous excitement you experience before getting on a big roller coaster, except here it will be you that is tasked with controlling the thrill ride. Knowing the responsibility you are being entrusted with only adds to the anxiety because the price of a mistake could top a quarter of a million dollars. But nothing could make you turn back at this point. You have been handed the key that will fulfill a dream. So as the engine erupts into life with a loud, satisfying bark, you decide to rise to the occasion, grab on to the bulls horns, and prepare to face its fury head-on.

It has been about a decade since Lamborghini first released the Gallardo. It was a “baby Lambo” model designed to topple the Ferrari 360 in its final years and lock horns with whatever replaced it. A brainchild of Audi, the Gallardo was supposed to widen the appeal of the Lamborghini brand, targeting people who want a car that fits within a single lane of traffic, and who like to be able to see while they drive. Many Lamborghini die hards scoffed originally at the idea of a more sane Lambo, but the end result has been by far the best selling Lamborghini model of all time.

Continue reading Test Driven: Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera (10/10)

CF Charities Supercar Show: Porsche, Rossion and Mclaren

Porsche Carrera GT and Rossion Q1

We attended the CF Charities Supercar Show in Warminster, PA last weekend. There were some really nice cars there, but the grand entrance made by a Porsche Carrera GT accompanied by a Rossion Q1 was a moment that stuck out. I’m told both cars are owned by the same person… must be wonderful. There was also an artist at the show who was doing paintings of cars for owners who had donated money at a benefit held the night before. While I was there he was doing a nice job with a Mclaren MP4-12C. Great event. Enjoy the photos.

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CF Charities Supercar Show: Campagna T-Rex

Campagna T-Rex

 

I always love seeing a Campagna T-Rex, so I was ecstatic when this thing rolled in to the CF Charities Supercar Show this past weekend. Great color too. Enjoy the pics.  Continue reading CF Charities Supercar Show: Campagna T-Rex

Chris Harris drives the new Porsche 991 GT3

It seems Drive has gotten a world exclusive on the car everyone wants to know about, the new Porche 991 GT3. Enjoy.

-Nick

Spotted! Ferrari Enzo, Greenwich, CT

Black Ferrari Enzo

We were out walking around Greenwich, car spotting after the Concours event. We hadn’t seen too much worth shooting, and were heading back to the car to leave, and we came across this sinister black Ferrari Enzo, just parked on the street amongst normal cars. I found it interesting to see this $1.3 million dollar car sitting right next to an old Nissan Pathfinder that was probably worth $3 grand on a good day. I have seen Enzos before, of course, but seeing them out in the wild really highlights the car’s dramatic presence. It looks especially awesome in black, like an F117 stealth fighter randomly parked in public. Enjoy the photos and the video with some great V12 sound (at bottom). Continue reading Spotted! Ferrari Enzo, Greenwich, CT

Lamborghini’s 50th by Evo

Evo Magazine celebrates Lamborghini’s 50th Anniversary.

-Nick

Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance: Jaguar XJR-15

Jaguar XJR-15

The XJR-15 is one of the rarest Jaguars in existence, and I was fortunate to see it for the first time at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance. Jaguar won the 1988 24hrs of LeMans with their XJ-9 Group C racing car, and decided to produce the XJR-15 as a limited production supercar to commemorate the victory. Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), a racing subsidiary of Jaguar, developed the road-legal XJR-15 directly from the XJR-9 racing car. Around 50 XJR-15s were sold from 1990-1992, before it was succeeded by the legendary XJ-220, at a price of $960,000. Power came from a 6.0L V12 making 450hp. That may not sound like a lot these days, but back then it was a ton because the XJR-15 weighed in at just 2300lbs.

It was intended to be a racing car for the road, like many of the supercars of its time, but that may have hindered the car’s appeal. While the XJR-15 obviously had awesome performance, it was a notorious handful to drive and not very comfortable for use on public roads. It was also succeeded by the mighty XJ-220, which broke the production car speed record and was much better tailored for road use. That said, the XJR-15 is a much rarer find these days, and for me occupies a sort of “unicorn” segment of low number hypercars built in the 80s and 90s. As I said before, this is the first and only XJR-15 I have seen in person, and it was quite a thrill when I came upon it in the Jaguar tent. Enjoy. Continue reading Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance: Jaguar XJR-15

Chris Harris gets his hands on the Porsche 918

Drive’s Chris Harris tests the Porsche 918 on the track in its final stages of development. He also brings up some good points about technology, and what it means for a hypercar.

-Nick

Hopewell Cruise Night: Nissan GTR… con verde caliente

Green Modified Nissan GTR

Saw this very intense Nissan GTR at the Cruise Night in Hopewell, NJ last Friday. It certainly turned heads when it rolled up, and to my knowledge it belongs to Interstate Motorsports, a new exotic car dealer in the area. I’m not sure exactly what has been done to this GTR modification wise, but it definitely doesn’t seem stock. One thing I must point out though, is the Ferrari badge on the back… it nearly ruined the car for me because it is entirely tasteless. The sweet color and wheels saved this GTR, but there is really no excuse for being fake, especially at this level. That said, it was comical hearing people walk by and say “nice Ferrari” while I was taking these photos. Enjoy.

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Chris Harris on Cars: Porsche Turbo S vs Audi R8 V10 Plus vs Tuned Nissan GTR

In this segment of Drive’s Chris Harris on Cars, Chris pits the Porsche 997 Turbo S, the new Audi R8 V10 Plus, and a Litchfield tuned Nissan GTR against each other on the road and track. Enjoy.

-Nick

2011 Concorso Italiano: Ferrari F50 GT

Ferrari F50 GT

I was fortunate enough to see this mighty Ferrari F50 GT at the Concorso Italiano back in 2011, during the Monterey car week. The F50 GT is a Ferrari racing car that never came to be. It was developed to take on the likes of the Porsche 911 GT1, Mercedes CLK GTR and McLaren F1 LM, but it never made it past the prototype stage. Along with the prototype, two F50 GTs were built for customers. This is one of those customer cars, and it was the first one I’ve seen in person. There was a normal F50 right beside it, and the GT makes the standard car look puny by comparison. The performance of the F50 GT is also extremely massive. The car itself weighs in at just 2,005lbs and its 4.7L V12 has 750hp and 383ft/lbs of torque on tap. 60mph comes in under 3 seconds, the 1/4 mile is dispatched in 10.2 sec, and it tops out at 235mph, presumably when the aerodynamics are set up for top end speed.  This is a racing car, make no mistake. These photos are a few years old, and I have learned much about photography since, but I think they came out pretty well. Enjoy.

Continue reading 2011 Concorso Italiano: Ferrari F50 GT

Auto-Salon Singen Virtual Tour

Auto-Salon Singen Virtual Tour

Take a virtual tour of Auto-Salon Singen, one of the biggest collector car showrooms in the world, in Germany. You will be drooling as you look through their inventory. Few places on earth can you see so many such cars in one place, so it is definitely worth taking the tour if you have some free time. Enjoy.

-Nick