Motor Trend tests the Pagani Huayra BC
Tag Archives: Italian Cars
Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti AWD: Is an Italian Daily Driver a Good Idea?
Italian cars are frustrating. Their good aspects are beyond wonderful, as in they will genuinely make your life worth living. The problem is, there’s always a catch, some significant issue (usually “issues”) that counter-balance the positives to such a massive degree that buying one is often a bad idea if you’re thinking rationally. Italian cars are made to give you an in-depth emotional experience, but like people, the great times come with the hardships. The Italians have always built cars this way, and it has always made their cars intriguing because they seem like so much more than cold machines. It makes them feel genuinely alive.
Because of their unpredictable nature, there’s always something daring about buying an Italian car. It’s not a sure bet, but the rewards are so immense when things are going well that it always seems it may be worth the risk. A test drive in an Alfa will make you ask yourself deep philosophical questions like, “Am I really living the sort of life I want?”
Playing it safe works, but are you really living, or do you just merely exist? There’s a big difference between the two, and that’s what Alfa Romeo is all about. It’s the sort of car that will give you a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and will have you lusting all day for your drive home.
I literally fell in love with the Alfa 4C Spider when I drove it because it spoke deeply to my inner desire. How can an object make you feel so fulfilled and so happy to be alive? It was insane.
The Alfa 4C is an impractical sports car, though. Meant to be a second car for the weekends, it’s Italian imperfections are more tolerable than they would be in an everyday sedan. That brings us to the Giulia Ti you see here. It is an everyday luxury sport sedan, here to take on the BMW 3 Series and the Audi A4. There’s surely less room for error in this market of everyday sedans.
That brings up my big question: Has Alfa kept the Italian magic alive in the Giulia sedan, and how much Italian “character” is tolerable to sedan buyers? Have they watered it down in an attempt to compete for the mass market?
I had heard good things about the car, but many people seem to let the car’s shortcomings overshadow its strengths. Knowing the risks of reliability and build quality, I wanted to know if the upsides were worth the the gamble on this Italian 4 door.
Continue reading Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti AWD: Is an Italian Daily Driver a Good Idea?
Fiat Abarth 750 GT Coupe Zagato at Radnor Hunt
This adorable little firecracker is a Fiat Abarth 750 GT Zagato. It’s a Fiat 600 chassis underneath, but turned up to 11 by Abarth. With an extra 150cc under the hood, it has all of 43hp to move its scant 1250lbs. That may not sound like much today, but these were serious racecars back in the 1950s and 1960s.
I bet a racing series with a bunch of light nimble machines like this would be an absolute riot. But it’s about more than just speed. This little Abarth has so much flavor, so many fine details that give it such a classic Italian style. Any car Zagato touches becomes a masterpiece. I just love it!
Enjoy the gallery.
Continue reading Fiat Abarth 750 GT Coupe Zagato at Radnor Hunt
Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition at Driven by Purpose
This has to be the most pristine Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition I’ve ever seen in person. It had just 2,000 miles on it, and was brought in on the back of a truck. I normally roll my eyes when people don’t drive their cars to shows, but given that this has become a classic, and has such low mileage, I give it a pass.
This Lambo looks great with NYC. Enjoy the pics!
Continue reading Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition at Driven by Purpose
This dark gray LaFerrari was lurking at the Scarsdale Concours
I haven’t been genuinely excited to sit in a car in quite a while, but certain cars still bring out that same childish excitement. The owners of this sinister gray LaFerrari were nice enough to let people sit in their $3.5 million dollar holy grail of a car. It made every kid’s day, and even some of us who used to be kids.
The LaFerrari rolled in late and it absolutely stole the show, like it had its own gravitational pull or something. Gray is not that flashy of a color, but the car’s low dark shape moving through the crowd made everyone do a double take before they realized exactly what it was.
Sitting in the LaFerrari feels a lot different from sitting in a 488, more like the cockpit of a fighter jet than the cabin of a car. Everything seems tighter, and more focused. I was kind of surprised, but then again, you wouldn’t want your seven figure Ferrari to feel exactly the same as your six figure Ferrari now, would you?
This was actually the third LaFerrari we saw that day. It was the only one at Scarsdale, but there were two that were trucked in for the meet at Garden State Plaza in NJ. The owner of this gray LaFerrari actually drove his car to and from the show, so by that alone he’s infinitely cooler in my book. Let alone the fact that he and his wife let people sit in it. This is hypercar ownership done right, and all you stingy billionaires should take notes.
Enjoy this gallery of THE Ferrari.
Continue reading This dark gray LaFerrari was lurking at the Scarsdale Concours
Some Highlights from Cars and Caffe at Garden State Plaza
Cars and Caffe at Garden State Plaza was incredible yesterday. I hadn’t been before, and I didn’t really expect it to be quite as big an event as it was. There were thousands of people, and hundreds of cars, many of which were top-tier hypercars. The Holy Trinity was in attendance, as well as 2 Paganis, 4 or 5 Carrera GTs, an F50, Ben Chen’s Panda Bugatti, and Team Salamone’s incredible Avantador SV. Also of note, I finally got to see my first Callaway C12 Corvette in person, after having the AutoArt model on my shelf for years.
There were some great sights and sounds throughout the day, and I was blown away with the turnout. It’s kind of crazy to see people rolling up in a cars like a Ferrari 488 and barely being noticed. The rest of the parking lot was a sea of Ferraris, McLarens, Lamborghinis, and Porsches. I will definitely plan on attending the events next year, and I urge everyone in the Tri-State Area to do the same.
Enjoy these highlights. There’s a lot more to come!
Continue reading Some Highlights from Cars and Caffe at Garden State Plaza
Lamborghini Huracan Performante at Driven By Purpose
Lamborghini’s recently dethroned (but still insanely awesome) Nurburgring champ was at Driven By Purpose last weekend. Lamborghini corporate was kind enough to lend the car for the event, and people loved it. White and black is always a stunning combination on an angular Lamborghini shape, and I love the tricolore stripes down the side.
-Nick Walker
Lancia 037 Rally Car at Radnor Hunt
The Lancia 037 is one of the most legendary rally cars of all time. We were privileged to see this one, dressed in stunning Martini livery, at Radnor Hunt. I love how extreme the 037 is, I mean it’s a supercharged exotic rally car, and in the most Italian way possible.
Pagani Huayra BC at the Greenwich Concours
I could not take my eyes off of this Pagani Huayra BC at the Greenwich Concours this year. Maybe it was the fact that this was the first Huayra BC I’d laid eyes on in person, or maybe it was the fact that it was my ideal spec for a Huayra, but something about this particular car just wouldn’t let me walk away. In all I took over 300 photos of it, whittled down to 40 or so for this gallery.
The Huayra BC is the hardcore Pagani Huayra turned all the way up to eleven. Not only has Pagani turned the boost up for 789hp over the standard Huayra’s 730hp, but they’ve also dropped the BC’s weight to just 2,685 lbs. That’s like four Toyota 86’s in a car weighing 100lbs less than a Toyota 86. In fact, the Huayra BC is so light compared to its hybrid hypercar rivals that it’s power-to-weight ratio is actually superior to that of the Porsche 918, McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari.
The Huayra BC is an unbelievable machine, a dream car among dream cars. Like all Paganis, it’s full of immaculate fine details, from every minute bolt up to those jaw-dropping gullwing doors. I could not take my eyes off the car because there was just so much detail to to take in. Now I invite you all to share in the wonder that is the Pagani Huayra BC. Enjoy!
The Cannonball Run! (sort of) at the Greenwich Concours
No matter what your fancy is, some of the best cars from the famous Cannonball Run were on display at the Greenwich Concours this year. Whether it’s the homage #144 Polezei BMW M5 driven by Alex Roy some years ago across America (a world record winner), the Chevy Malibu police car (my personal favorite), or the Dodge Tradesman ambulance, there was a smorgasbord in attendance. They even had Dan Gurney and Brock Yates’ Ferrari Daytona in attendance–the winner of the second race, and one of the more infamous cross-country cars still around. These cars were true crowd-pleasers, and even Nick, who normally laughs at Malaise-Era stuff, found the Dodge to be amusing (especially when the open exhaust announced the sound of a completely un-muffled small block Dodge). Enjoy the photos of these offbeat rides. Continue reading The Cannonball Run! (sort of) at the Greenwich Concours
What the Pagani Zonda tells us about the future of the sports car
Pagani said the Zonda would be finished after 2013. AMG stopped producing the V12 at the heart of it, and well, the whole world was going turbo, right? Even so, there’s been at least one or two new Zondas produced every year since it’s production was supposed to stop. People have actually been willing to pay AMG to custom fabricate the V12 engine, paying astronomical sums that make a mere Huayra seem affordable. Prices of pre-owned Zondas are also through the roof at multiple millions, depending on model and spec.
It seems pretty clear that the market still has quite an appetite for the Zonda, and what’s more, many of them being ordered even have a true manual gearbox.
The Zonda you see above is the Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta, revealed just this past weekend at Pebble Beach. It looks pretty fantastic for a car that was originally designed in the early 1990’s, and that finished production four years ago. I know there is word going around that the three Pagani Zonda HP Barchettas may in fact be the last three Zondas, but I think that would be a big mistake on Pagani’s part.
Continue reading What the Pagani Zonda tells us about the future of the sports car
Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina spotted in Greenwich, CT
Even as you leave Greenwich, you’re bound to see some nice cars on the way home. This time, I only had to walk a few feet from the car to glimpse one of the finest looking sedans of the 1960s. This little Alfa 1750 was taking up space, and time, in the parking deck, and showing off its best lines while I took a few pictures. It’s a shame that they don’t make cars like this anymore. Enjoy the photos.
Mind Over Motor 