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
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
When it comes to the second-generation Chevrolet Chevelle, I feel that the ’68 is overlooked. Despite being the launch year, it’s not known for any dealership-modified specials (such as the Yenko in 1969) or the Hemi-eating LS-6 engine (such as the 1970), or even being the last of the era (the ’71-72). These were handsome intermediates for the era, and certainly looked a bit more upscale than the offerings from Plymouth and Ford during the same era. The fastback roofline looks very crisp, even though it blunts rear 3/4 visibility somewhat. Continue reading 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS-396 at Lead East 2015
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
Having a sibling that lives in Los Angeles has been good for car spotting. That said, it’s rather unusual that the cars that he and my other brother usually send to me which work end up being Camaros. I’m not going to complain when it’s a blue ’67 convertible like this one. Matt sends me stuff like this all the time, and I always feel terrible turning him down–but this time, the photos were absolutely usable and of what I could work with, they did a good job at least getting the photos. It’s not a Stickercity Viper or a spy-shot Camaro, but this’ll do. Nice spot, Matt!
-Albert S. Davis
Monday morning, I go out to start the Subaru Legacy GT, back in early December 2014. It’s cold outside and I’m in no mood to deal with things going wrong. I’m greeted by an angry-looking little red light on the dashboard shaped like a battery. When it’s getting colder outside, this is the one light I wish didn’t exist. Too bad. My alternator had started to fail, and fail it did, just 12 hours later. I got a tan Forester as a loaner, which was miles better than calling a cab that smelled like pee for five days. Continue reading 2015 Subaru Forester Reviewed (Grade: B)
Sunday was a long day for me, the 1993 Miata, and my sunburned skin. When it’s 90 degrees outside, the first thing into my mind is to run back inside and cower underneath my air conditioner, unless I’m at the beach. There is no air conditioning in the Miata anymore, and at this NASA/MSNE autocross event up at MetLife Stadium (home of the Jets and the Giants, and probably Jimmy Hoffa), it was hot enough to fry eggs on the street and fry my nose and forehead to a nice, golden brown (red). Shane turned up too, in his silver Miata which makes my car look concours-fresh. Continue reading Autocross and a random car show? Sounds like Sunday.
When it comes to large cars, everyone thinks that good old America is the king. Well, they usually are, until someone else finds a way to top them. Luckily, it doesn’t happen that often. Not so luckily, it’s usually something absolutely mind-stomping when it does. Say hello to this award-winning, Machiavellian, Super-Sized Daimler DE-36 drophead coupe, which won best of show at Hershey last month. Nick saw this at Pebble Beach when he was a teenager and immediately made mention of its show-winning cred on the West Coast. Continue reading 1948 Daimler “Green Goddess” DE36–Best of Show at Hershey, 2015
When only ten of a certain car are built, and 25 were to be made, the phrase “rarefied air” takes on another meaning. Back in 2013, Nick and I were fortunate enough to be within striking distance of two Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spyders, one that went across the auction block at $27.5 million, and another that stole the crowds at Pebble Beach just a few miles from the auction house. This silver one was at Pebble, but I was so busy staring at Testarossas that I managed to miss it.
Luckily, the “elusive” silver NART showed up at Boca this year, and I was fortunate enough to have seen it with my own sore eyes. I saw it from a distance and was unable to stay away from it for most of the afternoon. Although I’ve seen three of the ten produced already in less than two years, I cannot predict when I’ll see the other seven–although I’d love to be one to say that I have seen all of them. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Ferrari 275 NART Spyder at the 2015 Boca Raton Concours
When it comes to the Plymouth Road Runner, it’s hard for me to ignore even the ones that don’t look very loud–because the plain-Jane appearance of the ones that look quiet disguises the screamer that lies underneath the skin. The case of this triple-black ’69 model is a study in that field, as it packs the monster motor that muscle cars like me lust after–the 426 Hemi.
Plymouth had a hit on its hands with the Road Runner. It was rather inexpensive for its time (starting at around 3 grand, a low price for a muscle car) but offered the 426 as an option for those with the wallet and the guts to handle what Mopar guys have referred to as the “Elephant Motor”. This particular car was found as a race car and restored back to stock specifications. Not only that, but it won its class at Boca and looked pretty intimidating in the process. Enjoy the photos of this 4-speed equipped Hemi Road Runnner, one of only 234 two-door sedans equipped that way. Continue reading 1969 Plymouth Hemi Roadrunner at the 2015 Boca Raton Concours
The Beach Boys are a cornerstone of American pop culture. They recorded tracks about surfing, motorbikes, muscle cars, drag racing, beaches, meeting women on the beach, and were generally the representation of American pop culture for the early part of the 1960s. They sang about America in the same way the Beatles did so about England–and made a worldwide reach. However, one of their tracks, “409”, was the one that stuck into my head as a kid back in 2002. Continue reading 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS 409 Hardtop at the 2015 Boca Raton Concours
As most of you know, I bought a 1993 Mazda Miata a few months ago for dirt cheap, and I immediately joined a few groups to get into the community and meet other people who own Miatas. The first meet of the season for 2015 was last Sunday, and here’s my five favorite Miatas from the event. Many more cars were featured than those here–but these five absolutely caught my eye. Enjoy the short list–more photos from this event will be coming very soon. Continue reading A small selection of photos from the NJ Miatas Spring Meet.
While traipsing around Boca Raton, checking out Mizner Park, the high-end shopping district near the ocean, is always worth it. Whether you’re looking for a place to eat, a place to smoke a cigar and sip some whiskey, or just to chase down expensive cars (I was sort of doing all three), it’s got what you’re looking for. It definitely had what the owner of this eggshell-white G63 was looking for too. Enjoy the photos of this insane 4×4. Continue reading Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG spotted in Boca Raton, FL
Arguably the holy grail of classic Japanese cars, this Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R “Hakosuka” Race Car is so “O.G. JDM” that I can barely contain myself!
This was the first generation of Nissan Skyline GT-R, and a far cry from the modern R35 Nissan GTR. The “Hakosuka” Skyline 2000GT-R was extremely successful in racing, with over 50 victories in just 2 years. Then, in 1973, the Mazda RX-3 took the Skyline’s crown as top dog on the Japanese racing circuit.
“Hakosuka” Skylines are really gaining in value now, with a road version selling the same weekend at the RM Auction for $242,000. We saw a few other classic Skyline GT-Rs in Monterey this year, but this racing car in the pits of Laguna Seca really stood out for us. Along with the Toyota 2000GT, this is classic JDM royalty!
-Nick Walker
Mind Over Motor 