Tag Archives: Sports Cars

Porsche 911s beautifully reimagined by Singer at Amelia Island

Singer 911s Amelia Island 2

Singer 911s are truly works of art on 4 wheels. Based on the the classic recipe of the greatest sports car on Earth, Singer Vehicle Design brings an incredible level of bespoke craftsmanship to the classic 911 package. Driving wise, their cars are built to be the greatest hits album of the air-cooled 911, with modern bits where it really counts, like in the suspension or the carbon fiber bodywork.

These 911s are as special as cars come, with Pagani levels of detail, but the classic 911 experience. They are the ultimate version of a classic driver’s car, made brand new for those with a few hundred grand to burn for the pleasure.

Enjoy the gallery!

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Sponsored: Driving with K40 watching my back

K40 RSL2 Radar Detector

When you’re a performance driving enthusiast, you may find yourself at odds with law enforcement from time to time. As long as there have been speed limits, and cars that are capable of exceeding them, this cat and mouse game has been played between the cops and joyriders. You could say it is an integral part of our way of life.

The way I see it, getting a speeding ticket every so often is just a cost of doing business if you want to drive fast on the road. It is totally impossible to enjoy a sports car within the posted speed limit, so you either have to bend the rules a bit, keep your fast driving 100% to the occasional track day, or give up and find a new hobby. I’m far to passionate about cars to just give up the lifestyle, and unfortunately my ass isn’t tightly wound enough to keep things only to the race track, so yes, I speed on the road, and I accept the risks of doing so.

I think the key to having fast fun out on the road and staying both safe and ticket-free is picking the time and place you speed wisely. Don’t be hooning around in towns, don’t fly past an obvious police hiding spot, and most importantly, don’t put other people at risk. There are plenty of opportunities to go as fast as you want, when the conditions are right and the road is open, so there’s no need to force the issue when it isn’t.

That approach alone will save you from most tickets, but there are those random, out of nowhere, cases where you are surprised by the police at a very inopportune moment. To help guard, you need equipment to detect the police on the prowl where you cannot see.

Enter K40 Electronics, and their world class line of police detection equipment. They sent me their portable RLS2 Radar Detector, and I’ve been using it every day for the last few months, sometimes on spirited drives, but mostly going to and from work. So far it has had me covered in both.

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The new 991.2 GT3 looks to be a masterpiece

We’ll see how if fares with the manual transmission soon enough, but so far so good. Also, quite smart for Porsche to release the PDK version first and keep us waiting for the stick-shift. It will double their media exposure.

Enjoy the sound of 4.0L at 9,000 RPM!

-Nick

Taking a spin in a BMW E86 Z4 M Coupe (it’s for sale!)

BMW Z4 M Coupe E86 1

A “special” car will keep your attention long after you’ve left it parked. It’s one thing to have a car you want to look back at as you walk away, but it’s a whole different level when you spend all day looking forward to your drive home. A car that has both the looks to make you turn around and the driving experience to keep you craving is a car that is truly remarkable, indeed.

“Special” is the single most important aspect of an enthusiast automobile, it’s what makes it much more than a mere transportation appliance. “Special” cars come in all shapes and sizes, and you can find one whether your budget is $10 grand or $10 million.

For a budget around $30 grand, an E86 BMW Z4 M Coupe is one of the most “special” sports cars you can buy. It has speed, style, and rarity. The Imola Red car you see here has just recently gone on the market for $33,500 with only 33,000 miles on the ticker.

I was offered a chance to take a spin in the car for this article, and how could I say no? I’ve been wanting to get behind the wheel of a Z4 M for quite some time now, and a more perfect example would be difficult to find. My impressions of the car are as follows…

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A pristine Mercedes 300SL Gullwing in Scarsdale

Mercedes 300SL Gullwing at Scarsdale

Many of you see an old antique Mercedes here, but I see the first supercar. The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was a car that moved the bar for performance to an entirely new level in the 1950s. It was the first road car capable of reaching 150 mph, and it was raced extensively all over the world. The coupe version of the 300SL also had the fabulous gulling doors you see here, which really set it apart from anything else on the road.

Yes, today it is a classic, maybe even a museum piece, but I hope anyone lucky enough to own one of these cars has the dignity to let it stretch its legs, at least once in a while.

-Nick

Ferrari 166 MM at Amelia Island

IMG_8547

This immaculate Ferrari 166 MM is one of those restorations that almost certainly looks better today than the day it left the factory. Keep in mind, these cars were originally built for sports car racing, and the MM in the name stands for Mille Miglia – arguably the most insane road race of all time. Beauty was secondary to the this Ferrari’s original function, but now that it’s a classic, worth millions of dollars, beauty has become its primary purpose. Given that change, it makes sense that the workmanship would take a step up during the restoration. Racecars are mean to be pushed to destruction in the pursuit of victory, show cars are meant to be a timeless spectacle for the eye.

Looking at these photos, it seems this Ferrari 166 MM has made that jump, and they did a spectacular job with it.

Enjoy!

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Are Electric Cars REALLY the Future for Driving Enthusiasts?

Watching the first episode of the new season of Top Gear, and Chris Harris made a comment about the Ferrari FXX K possibly being the last gasp of the combustion engine. It’s a comment we’ve heard before, and I’m sure it’s a comment many will continue to make. But I don’t buy it for a number of reasons.

Sure, I do think electric cars, specifically self-driven electric cars, are the future for mass independent transportation. I think so many people out there have so little interest in driving that they’re a danger to themselves and everyone around them when they get behind the wheel. Those folks should leave the driving to the machines, the world will be a much happier place.

But what about those of us who live to drive for recreation, just because driving is so much fun? Obviously you can totally forget the self-driving cars, but are electric cars even that desirable to us?

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Jay Leno drives the Callaway Corvette Aerowagen

Now why wouldn’t you want your Vette to be a wagon?

-Nick

An Aston Vantage with a nice stance

Stanced Aston Martin V8 Vantage 4

This handsome Aston was at First Class Fitment this year. It’s amazing how the right wheels and a drop in ride height can make a car look 10x better. It also sounded great as it left too.

Continue reading An Aston Vantage with a nice stance

Petrolcious shows us the Toyota 86’s special sauce

When Toyota does things right, they really nail it. Supposedly, there are many more good things coming soon.

-Nick