Wait, didn’t he just buy an old red Miata? Why the hell would he buy a new red Miata now?
That is the question everyone around me has been asking all weekend. Yes, I went and bought this beautiful 2014 Mazda MX5 Miata Club Edition this weekend, and no I’m not crazy, although it may seem that way to many people around me right now.
Here’s why I went and bought this car, as best as I can explain it right now.
The Porsche 356 might be one of the most well-regarded early German sports cars ever. Since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to have one in my driveway, simply because of their honest styling and fantastic sense of adventure. This little white Speedster is the last of the pre-A series cars, making it an early model combined with the most desirable body style. The Speedsters are extremely valuable–and this one, being an early one, is a prime example of how Porsche got popular in the States. Max Hoffman hit the market perfectly and the Speedster, which was a cheaper convertible 356 aimed at competition markets, was a massive home run at the time. Continue reading 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours
Everyone sharpen your pitchforks and light your torches! Porsche has gone and changed the 911 again, and this time we’re gonna burn Stuttgart to the ground! They won’t get a way with it this time!
Wait, what? What’s that you say? Porsche has turbocharged all of the 911 Carrera models, and now they’re actually improved? You say Porsche has secretly answered our purist prayers and we don’t even know it? How can that be?!!!!
Well it’s true, folks, all of it. Porsche has made all of their 911s into 911 Turbos, although they’ll surely hate me for saying it that way. The way Porsche would want me to say it is, “911 Carrera and Targa models all now have a 3.0L Twin Turbocharged Flat-Six engine, but they are not “911 Turbos” because the 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S each have a 3.8L Twin Turbocharged Flat-Six engine.” See what I mean?
There are a few ways to look at this new 991.2 generation Porsche 911. I’m going to go through the way I see the car now, after taking it for a spin recently.
I’m not going to waste our time talking much about the aspects of the 911 that haven’t changed much. Just know that it’s still a wonderful handling car, it still has the best electric power steering in the business, it’s still of top-notch build quality, and PDK is still among the best dual-clutch trannies around.
Alright, now let’s talk about that new turbocharged engine, and what it does for the 911 as a car…
Continue reading Porsche 991.2 Carrera S Review: Do Turbos Make a Better 911?
While waiting for the shuttle to check out the auction at the Omni at Amelia Island, Nick and I caught a somewhat familiar sight of a slantnose Porsche rolling through the quiet streets. However, this was not a Porsche. This is a RUF BTR, the first of the line for the RUF series of modified Porsches. This is one of less than 35 made and it looked pristine. The paint simply stuck out like a sore thumb among the endless sea of beige and silver trucks and rental cars scattering the landscape. Plus, how often is it that anyone sees a RUF, of any kind, running around? This is pretty much like seeing Keith Richards or Mick Jagger in person at a grocery store for Porschephiles. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading RUF BTR Slantnose spotted in Fernadina Beach, FL
Over the last few months, Al has been constantly talking about the idea of selling his Mazda Miata and buying some cool old American car. He’s been on craigslist like crazy, and has been continually messaging me and many of his other friends asking our thoughts on the possibilities.
I recently got a great new job, which brought with it a nice little pay increase, so naturally I’d been thinking of getting some new wheels. I’ve been missing my old Miata like crazy since I sold it a few years back. It’s like there’s been a hole in my soul that can only be filled by one thing. I needed to get myself another Miata!
So, a week or so ago, when Al sent me some links of cars he was looking at, I floated the idea. I said, “You keep talking about selling your Miata to get something else, and now I’m looking to buy a Miata. Let’s make something happen here.”
Al brought the car by on Saturday morning. I took it for a quick drive, looked it over, and I was sold. We went to the DMV and did all the paperwork.
I paid Al with cash money, but he wasn’t about to go to the bank. No, we were going to check out a car right away. I’ll let him tell the rest tomorrow.
I’m going to live with my new Miata for a few weeks before I do a proper article on it, but so far, so fun. It sure as hell isn’t perfect, but it isn’t trying to be, and that’s the whole point.
It is a delightful little machine!
-Nick Walker
Many times the best drives come completely unplanned. There are no cameras rolling, nothing even remotely contrived. Often times the reason for the drive is even purely functional.
Last night was one of those awesome spur of the moment car experiences for me and my buddy Shane. That’s why the pics are crap, and this article, written in immediate hindsight, may be a little wonky. But it was one of those great drives I know I’ll remember long into the future.
Matt Farah shows us the new turbocharged Porsche 718 Boxster S in action. It seems very impressive, but it will also definitely be divisive.
To start with, it sounds like a Subaru. Whether that’s a good thing or not will be hotly debated. I, for one, kind of like it.
Regardless of your opinion on the new four-cylinder Boxster, there’s no denying that it has some serious performance. The base model 718 Boxster has 300hp now, and the S has 350hp. With tuning options soon to come, these things should be insane.
I like it.
-Nick
The Ariel Atom is hopelessly impractical, ah, but there is a solution!
Now you can tow your own trunk, and carry all kinds of do-dads everywhere you go.
Things for the home, things for the track, hell, you could probably even tailgate with this.
Now you have one less excuse not to drive an Atom every day!
-Nick
We got our first, in-person look at the new Porsche 911R at the 2016 New York International Auto Show. With its 500hp 4.0L engine hooked to a manual gearbox, it’s definitely a proverbial golden calf for us Porsche enthusiasts.
Porsche is only building 991 examples of the 911R, so it won’t ever be a common sight. These cars are also so heavily sought after that those lucky 991 buyers will likely be able to flip their 911Rs (if they want to) for a healthy 6-figure profit.
The good news for everyone not getting a 911R is that Porsche has confirmed that the next 911 GT3 will come with the option of a manual gearbox. It would seem the clear demand in the secondhand market has gotten through to Porsche management, and they’ve realized the mistake they made with the first 991 GT3.
Despite the coming manual 991.2 GT3, the 911R will remain the only manual 991 equipped with the monstrous 4.0L flat-six, shared with the mighty GT3 RS.
There is no doubt that 911R values will be sitting up with the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 and GT2 RS on the secondhand market. This is a stratosphere Porsche to be sure.
-Nick Walker
Supposedly it drives like a truck, but those looks are timeless.
-Nick
There is absolutely no substitute for seat time when judging a car. I thought Alfa Romeo had sold themselves out when they built the 4C without the option of a manual gearbox. I mean, who on earth would want a light little sports car without a clutch pedal and a gear lever? But the truth is, building a good car is a lot like cooking a good meal. Each ingredient must be executed well in its own right, but then the most important thing is how it all comes together as a whole.
The Italians are known for treating their cars exactly as they treat their food, as works of art. Alfa Romeos, in particular, have always had a sense of living soul, even if, at times, there wasn’t much else good about them. My friend, Evan, had an old Alfa Spider that only ever worked properly when he was taking a girl out on a date in it – now, isn’t that the most Italian thing you’ve ever heard?
Alfa Romeos are cars built on an ideology of passion and emotion first, and everything else second. Sure, in the past that has sometimes meant questionable dependability, but at least they never committed the atrocity of making life boring or mundane. Life is worth more than just living, it’s worth enjoying, and that is what Alfa Romeos are all about.
This white 4C Spider is actually the first Alfa Romeo I’ve ever driven. It marks the return of Alfa Romeo production cars to the USA, and will be soon followed by the new Giulia sedan. Being my first Alfa, I admit that I had underestimated the way they can make the ingredients of a car come together into one delicious masterpiece of a machine.
I quickly realized that the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider has something very special about it. I drove 8 very cool cars in the same weekend, including a Ferrari and some Porsches, but this Alfa 4C was the one I just couldn’t stop thinking about. Here’s why…
Continue reading Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Review: A Recipe Perfected
The Mazda Miata is now a hard-top targa, complete with flying buttresses!
Mazda calls it the Miata RF Hard Top Convertible, with RF standing for “Retractable Fastback.” Essentially they looked at the Porsche 911 Targa, thought it was a good idea, and here we are.
But is this really a good idea?
Continue reading 2017 Mazda ND Miata RF, a Skeptical Reaction
Mind Over Motor 