Tag Archives: Performance Cars

Why would you buy a new Porsche 911?

Porsche 911 Carrera with options

In every segment there seems to be one car that sets the bar, the standard by which every other car like it is judged. For the white-collar sports car enthusiast it has long been the Porsche 911. For thinking buyers, however, that may no longer be the case.

I’m not going to complain about the 911 in the way most Porsche purists do, I’m fine with the electric steering, I’m fine with it being water cooled, and I’m even fine with it gaining some size. My gripe really only concerns what buyers get for the price. The car itself is fantastic, but now you’re paying a lot more money for something that really hasn’t changed all that much over the years.

Frankly, the Porsche 911 has become boring and cliche. They don’t even turn too many heads anymore because it feels like there’s a 911 everywhere you look. Maybe it’s the fault of the Cayenne and Panamera for making the Porsche brand more commonplace, or maybe it’s the fact that so many people have bought 911s because it is such a great car. Either way, though, the basic 911 just doesn’t seem worth the kind of money Porsche is asking these days.

Continue reading Why would you buy a new Porsche 911?

1957 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet at the Bonhams 2014 Quail Lodge Auction

White Bonhams Ferrari Front Angle

White and Ferrari sometimes goes really well together, and other times doesn’t. Luckily for us all, this time, it goes incredibly well together. Clearly, it goes so well together, someone was willing to pay more than fifteen times as much my parents’ house’s worth in northern New Jersey for this magnificent convertible 250. Only 40 of the Series 1 Cabriolets were made, and this one, chassis 0759-GT, is the eighth one out of the factory and was featured at the Turin Auto Show in 1957. It made its way initially to Venezuela, but eventually was added to the Maranello Rosso collection (a feature at the Bonhams auction this year at The Quail) in 1991. The final sale price was a cool $6.9 million dollars–quite a sum for a non-California Spyder droptop 250, but a price well-paid. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet at the Bonhams 2014 Quail Lodge Auction

1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Scaglietti Spyder at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa Front Angle

When it comes to the low and lithe 250 Testa Rossa, few other Ferraris have the same combination of sex appeal, speed, and freakish good looks. Paint one yellow and red, and a Concours judge will pay attention for quite a while. It got my attention too, considering I had to fight people tooth and nail just to get a few good snaps of this one. Pebble Beach was happy to feature the 250 Testa Rossa this past year and dedicated the end of the 17th fairway to a fleet of them for all to see and adore. This yellow and red example owned by Harry Yeaggy and Willis Murphy, Jr won 2nd in class and had ownership of an incredible history–this was a customer car, raced for an extensive period of time. It lost its engine and had to race with a Chevy V8, but 19 years ago was reunited with its original engine, which is now back in the car for the first time since this Testa Rossa was delivered in 1958. “Stunning” isn’t the right word. “Terrific” better covers it. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Scaglietti Spyder at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

How does the new Ford Mustang stand up against the Chevy Camaro?

It’s an age-old American civil war that continues to be fought on the asphalt. Mustang vs Camaro, who will win?

-Nick

Matt Farah drives the Audi RS5 Cabriolet

Sweet sounding machine with no roof to quiet it down. Enjoy!

-Nick

The demise of Lotus?

Lotus Evora S

A few weeks back I was at a cruise night event in Hopewell, NJ and I was perusing around the Lotus dealer in the middle of town. There was free beer and a great spread to go with the sexy cars they had on display. I made my way over to a gorgeous dark red Lotus Evora S, remembering well my drive in one a few years back at Pebble Beach. It was an extremely entertaining car to drive, a sort of mini-supercar by today’s standards. 345hp may not sound astronomical at this point, but the Evora isn’t all that heavy at under 3000lbs. It has plenty of punch, and when you mix that with the Evora’s sublime handling you definitely wind up with a huge grin on your face. The Evora is a wonderful car, and quite a looker as well, but then I made the mistake of looking at the price tag…

$94,000!?!?! And I thought Porsche’s were a overpriced!

Continue reading The demise of Lotus?

Motor Trend tests the new Challenger Hellcat

Motor Trend’s Carlos Lago gets behind the wheel of the new Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. He also puts it on a chassis dyno where it puts down some very consistent numbers over multiple runs….. the magic number, around 670rwhp. So, either the folks at Dodge have found a way to break the laws of physics with a miniscule 5% drivetrain loss through an automatic gearbox, or the Hellcat may be a little underrated, even at 707hp. But hey, I don’t think anyone will complain.

The Hellcat seems an outstanding machine. Enjoy the video!

-Nick

Autocar tries out the new Lexus RC F

Autocar’s Steve Sutcliffe takes the new Lexus RC F for a spin. Looks like a lot of fun!

-Nick

Ferrari Testarossa Spider spotted in Pebble Beach, CA

Ferrari Testarossa Spider Front Angle

At Pebble Beach during Monterey Car Week, the adage I tend to go by is “Expect the unexpected.” This is never more clear when I’m spotting cars with Nick around Carmel or in the Pebble Beach Golf Links complex itself, as was this particular case. While walking around the street and shooting cars, I spotted this unusual white Ferrari convertible trundling down the lane. It was too wide to be a 348, being a convertible, I thought to myself “There’s no way Ferrari ever did a Testarossa Spider.” Turns out, that’s only partially true–Ferrari did make one Spider from the factory as a test car, Pininfarina and a few other coach builders stepped into the void and created customer cars during the Testarossa’s run. As a result, we have this Testarossa Spider, which was rather unusual and most definitely got our attention. There will be much more from Pebble Beach in the coming days. Continue reading Ferrari Testarossa Spider spotted in Pebble Beach, CA

Say hello to “Dodgezilla”, everyone, the monster of the River Edge Car Show.

1968 Dodge Charger Front Side

I’m a sucker for the second-generation Dodge Charger. Produced for a scant three seasons, it’s a representation of the Charger at its very best–a bruising, but sexy muscle car with equal parts testosterone and paunch. It’s difficult to improve these cars…but the owner of this absolutely evil ’68 has managed to do it. With its dark green finish and matching interior, the lines were well-represented on the exterior, but the lack of a hood belies this car’s true intentions. The owner calls it “Dodgezilla”. I couldn’t agree more, especially in green. In the place of a small-block V8 typical to this particular car lies a stomping 440-cid V8, with twin carbs and a high rise intake below the enormous hood scoop. This is not a Dodge for the faint of heart. It may not be terrorizing Japanese workers and tearing down buildings, but it’s green and looks like it’s up to no good anyway. It’s not Godzilla. It’s Dodgezilla. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Say hello to “Dodgezilla”, everyone, the monster of the River Edge Car Show.

Jay Leno Takes The Challenger Hellcat For A Spin!

Jay gets his hands on Dodge’s new beast, the Challenger SRT Hellcat. Feel the fury of 707hp!

-Nick

Paul Walker’s soul wants you to sign this petition so the US can have Nissan Skylines

Paul Walker Nissan Skyline

Petrolicious has put forth a petition to get the American government to change the DOT/EPA’s import rule from 25 years to 15 years. What this means is that instead of just being able to import R32 generation Nissan Skylines right now, we would be able to import all of the R32 and R33 generation Skylines, and even some R34 generation Skylines… as seen in The Fast and Furious movies. The rule goes far beyond Nissan Skylines, though. Just think of all the awesome cars in Europe that haven’t made their way over here to the States…. Audi RS2, soon to be Audi RS5 (B5 gen), BMW M5 Wagons, all of those wonderful hot-hatches, and even a first-generation PAGANI ZONDA.

This is really a petition to change a stupid law that needlessly infringes upon the freedom of American consumers to purchase whatever vehicle they want. It serves absolutely no safety purpose, given that all cars from 15 years ago are way less safe than newer cars. Even if you personally would not import a car, you should sign the petition out of good will to your fellow car-lovers, and in return, you will have the pleasure of seeing more beautiful Alfa Romeos roaming the streets. This change will only serve to improve everyone’s lives!

You can sign the petition HERE. All it requires is your name, email, and zip code. It take 2 seconds.

Let’s all use the power of social media to make the United States a better place!

-Nick