Tag Archives: German Cars

Opinions

BMW: The Ultimate Something Machine?

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BMW 4-Series Coupe Concept - Front Angle, 2013, 800x600, 4 of 53
I’m just not impressed with the 4-Series. Want to know why? Read on below.

BMW has always held a special place in my list of carmakers. After the end of WWII, they were in tatters, like the other German car companies. But, in the 1960s and 1970s, their commitment to making cars that could make the driver grin endlessly (for a price) gave them a reputation of being a bit of an upper middle class car guy’s hero, in that for the price of a Cadillac or a Mercedes sedan, you could get a car that was capable of brightening your melancholy day with just a squeeze of the gas pedal and a turn of the wheel. But that was nearly 40 years ago, and based on what I’m seeing in the news (and what I’ve driven in the past year or two), I’m skeptical of their old motto. Continue reading BMW: The Ultimate Something Machine? →

Opinions

The new Mercedes E63: Just what the doctor ordered.

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Mercedes E63 AMG Estate - Front Angle, 2014, 800x600, 3 of 18Mercedes-Benz isn’t all what it seems.  While some may mock it for expanding the E-Class range to a coupe and a convertible, and some may question it for offering AWD on the AMG products, no one will see me on that side of the line.  In fact, I’m the one doing the slow clap.  Mercedes is taking a lesson from its rivals, Audi and BMW, and using the best of what it’s learning.  The German luxury market is changing, and Mercedes is keeping up with it in an exemplary way–but the new E63 is proof that they’ve got their ears to the streets and listening to the good word. Continue reading The new Mercedes E63: Just what the doctor ordered. →

Car Shows

Lime Rock Historic Festival: Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0

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This isn’t exactly historic… well at least not yet anyway…. but it was present for the Lime Rock Historic Festival this past September. This is the most extreme GT3 Porsche has yet built. It may well go on to be one of the most valuable Porsches in the future, if Porsche does indeed make all future GT3s as PDK only. The RS 4.0 is an incredible car, and I had the distinct pleasure of hearing one go past me at full throttle while I was in Switzerland last summer. This one managed to stay stationary for me, so I was able to get some solid pics. Enjoy.

Continue reading Lime Rock Historic Festival: Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 →

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Singer 911, the perfect Porsche

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Drive’s Chris Harris goes to Singer in California to see their bespoke built Porsche 911 and what goes into making it. The idea behind Singer’s car is that they have taken all of the best parts from every 911, and put them all into one car in an effort to make the perfect Porsche. All of the details are discussed in the video, but all I can say after watching it is “What a car!!!”. Yet another machine to add to my list should I win the Lottery. Enjoy.

-Nick

Auto Idolatry, SHOWCASE

Awesome BMW M5 drift video (but please don’t try this at home)

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This video is extremely entertaining, and it is good to see a proper driver driving a proper Bimmer (E34 M5) like he’s just robbed a bank or something. This video is just plain epic, but it is surely one of those things that walks a very thin line between awesome and insanely stupid. We don’t recommend any of you go and try this for yourselves, this guy was reckless enough for all of us, I think. Enjoy the hoonage.

-Nick

Cars We've Seen

Spotted! Porsche 997 GT2 RS, Newtown, PA

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This one is fresh from earlier today. I was out and about in the area, and upon coming into Newtown I saw this Demonic looking black Porsche. As it turns out, it just so happened to be the mightiest 911 of all, the GT2 RS. I saw this car fly by me once before a few months ago, so I was thrilled to be able to get some quality pics this time. It was kind of funny to see a car like this out on a day with such a marginal weather; overcast, intermittent drizzle, and around 48 degrees F. This is a truly awesome car, and it certainly made my day. Enjoy the pics, this GT2 RS turns the badass factor up to 11 for sure.

Continue reading Spotted! Porsche 997 GT2 RS, Newtown, PA →

Car Shows

Hopewell Cruise Night: Modified Porsche 928 GTS

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I have seen this awesome looking Porsche 928 around the area numerous times, but I finally got some quality photo time with it a few months ago during the cruise night in Hopewell, NJ. I am not sure exactly what has been done to the car mods wise, but it sure sounds good. It looks like it may be a Strosek bodykit, but I’m not certain. A 928 GTS is pretty darn quick to begin with, so I’m sure this car moves quite well. Enjoy.

Continue reading Hopewell Cruise Night: Modified Porsche 928 GTS →

Car Shows

Hopewell Cruise Night: Mercedes Benz 300SL Roadster

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This gorgeous, and freshly restored, 300SL Roadster showed up at the Cruise Night in Hopewell, NJ last spring. The 300SL is an icon of its era, and the gullwing version was even the fastest car in the world for a time. Today the car looks as classy as ever with its long hood and beautiful swooping lines. Enjoy the photos.

Continue reading Hopewell Cruise Night: Mercedes Benz 300SL Roadster →

Cars We've Seen

Spotted! Porsche 997 GT2, Zurich, Switzerland

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Spotted in front of the famous, and very beautiful, Zurich Opera House.  Supercars are often found in the presence of European cultural icons, creating a rich contrast of achievements, new and old.

-Nick

Opinions

2014 Audi RS6 released, now for some speculation

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RS6

The new Audi RS6 Avant has just been revealed online, and my how badass it is. However, me being the ever curious sort, I must wonder about the engine they have put in it. They claim it to be a 560hp version of their trusty, and ever underrated, 4.0L turbocharged V8.

Lets take a look back at Motor Trend’s Audi S6 test (from 3:57 to 5:36) from a few weeks back. On paper the S6 is a 4700lb, all wheel drive sedan with 520hp from its 4.0T engine. However Motor Trend’s tests yielded a 0-60 time of 3.5sec and a quarter mile run of 11.8sec @ 118mph, number that do not fit with the car’s on paper figures. They decided to test the S8 on a chassis dyno, and it put down 480awhp… translating to around 580hp being produced from the engine. Could this be the exact same version of the 4.0T that we are now seeing in the RS6?

If you consider the cost of developing even a moderately different version of an engine for a company like Audi, then it would make sense to use it in more than just one place. This is just a hunch, but it’s an educated hunch, and we will find out for sure when test of the RS6 come out. That makes the S6 an incredible value in its class, and the new RS6 exactly what we would like it to be. Despite the outright lying on their power claims, Audi is continuing to take the industry by storm.

We aren’t big on reposting dry press releases, so you can find the full list of impressive details on the new RS6 here.

-Nick

Car Shows

Mercedes Benz Museum: The Beginning of the Automobile

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I stopped at the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart during my trip to Germany this year. It is a fascinating facility in every respect, but the display of early automobiles is truly something to savor. Daimler (Mercedes Benz today) invented the motor car, so the museum is able to show the progression of the automobile quite actually from Genesis. These cars set the stage for every car we know and love today. In this feature you will see Daimler and Benz cars, the Mercedes name was added later on for added appeal. You will see the development from the crude origins of the automobile to where Daimler-Benz cars began to resemble the luxury objects that they are today. Enjoy.  Continue reading Mercedes Benz Museum: The Beginning of the Automobile →