After a day of walking around the Quail, driving Porsches, Jags, and a bunch of other great things, the day was not yet over. As we drove into Carmel for some spotting on Ocean Ave, I caught this little Toyota 2000GT out of the corner of my eye sitting in a side street. I scampered out of the rental car and after finishing with taking pictures of it, I later caught up with Nick on Ocean Avenue and continued spotting cars. I’ve never seen one before on US roads, and it looks just as fantastic in person as it does in any publication. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Spotted! Toyota 2000GT, Carmel, CA→
Back in 2011, this Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster didn’t start when it was supposed to arrive at the podium to recieve an award. I’d forgotten about this until Nick reminded me of it upon seeing it in Maryland at the end of September. Looking clean as ever, this 300SL is even more special than it normally should be. It is, in fact, one of the last crop of first-generation Mercedes SLs to roll off the line. According to the official record, this car was made on the very last day of production and is one of the last six 300SLs made. At this point, Mercedes-Benz was desperate to clear out the lots of this outdated model (at the time) in favor of the new Pagoda series. Its interior is completely original, as are the mechanical components. The paint is new after a fender-bender damaged the rear of the car. Other than that, though, the car’s original. The white paint looked beautiful against the clear Maryland sky, and the red interior, combined with this car’s optional hardtop, looked very professional. All of the original paperwork and luggage was on display too–even the toolkit was there. This is among the most complete of any 300SL I have seen at a show, and I was elated to have seen it at the St. Michael’s Concours this fall. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance: 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster→
I’ve talked about Barry Wolk here on Mind Over Motor before. He brought a stunning 1956 Continental Mark II convertible to the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours, and a month later, I ran into him again with this Porsche at Radnor. He collects exclusively automobiles which carry the Continental name. The story of the Continental series is quite unusual. Max Hoffman, Porsche’s USA importer at the time, convinced the top brass in Germany that the 356 would sell better if it used a series name rather than an alphanumeric one. Porsche obliged and attached the Continental nameplate to the 356 series. However, Ford intervened and complained that the Continental name was theirs and theirs alone, forcing Porsche to cease using it. As a result, the Continental name was only used on any Porsche products in 1955. This pretty little Turkish Red Cabriolet brought Barry the Porsche Radnor Award by the end of the day. Congratulations to you Barry–it’s a striking and rather rare Porshe 356. Enjoy the photographs. Continue reading Radnor Hunt CDE: 1955 Porsche 356 Continental Cabriolet, owned by Barry Wolk.→
On my way home from Pebble Beach, I met this guy named Ron Schotland. He and I got to talking and we both realized that we lived in the tri-state area and had both attended the Pebble Beach Concours. He showed me a few pictures of his XK-120, which I was delighted to see in person at the St. Michael’s Concours down in Chesapeake, MD. In fact, I wasn’t the only one who was elated to see this clean and well-cared-for little cat–the car won 1st in its class that weekend over a 1953 model. The deep maroon finish over natural leather looked stunning against the chrome wire wheels and brilliant sunshine. Enjoy the photographs. Ron, congrats on your award–we hope to see your car at many more events in the near future. Continue reading St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance 2013: 1954 Jaguar XK-120→
Drive’s Chris Harris gets his slide-happy paws on Jaguar’s very limited XKR-S GT. Evidently, it is much more than just a standard XKR-S with a big wing strapped to the back. Enjoy the video.
We attended the Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance last weekend. As always it was a wonderful event with a fantastic turnout, and the Fall leaves beginning to turn just made the pictures that much better. I’ll let the photos from the event do the talking from here. Enjoy.
As soon as I arrived for the second day of the New Hope Auto Show, I found myself face-to-face with this little Porsche. I happen to love the 356 Speedster, and it’s not often that I see one in original condition. This 1954 or 1955 pre-A model was a sight to see and kept my attention for a solid amount of time among the other early Porsches around it. Less than 1300 of the pre-A Speedsters were made until 1955 and they tend to sell high at auctions–in fact, don’t be surprised to see one sell for over 200K. A red 1955 model sold by RM went for more than $250,000 at an auction this past May. This one, with its light blue exterior and timeless bathtub looks, grabbed everyone’s attention effortlessly. Enjoy the photos.
Waves crash into the rocks of the shore. There is a thick wall of fog that lingers out over the water, but the sun beams down brightly at the coast. A sustained sea breeze rustles the branches of crooked Cyprus trees, and a ribbon of asphalt winds gracefully along the perimeter of the rocky cliffs that overlook the sea. There is no traffic to speak of, only me at the helm of this bright-orange Jaguar F-Type.
The wind plows through my hair, as I rush through the glamorous scenery, as if in some sort of hurry to leave this oasis of Heaven I’ve found on Earth. Loud barks and crackles emanate from the high-strung V6 engine, echoing back to my ears off of the trees as I fly by. The high-pitched whine of a supercharger joins in as the revs charge toward redline, and the speed piles on at an exhilarating rate. I touch the brakes for an upcoming bend, and turn in at what should be highway speed. The F-Type clings to the road as if with mighty claws, completely at home with the rapid pace I have set. Getting back on the gas, I shoot out of the corner with haste, now staring right into the face of the massive expanse of ocean and fog. It feels as if I am about to charge into the abyss when the road turns me back toward the sun and the trees. As I continue forth, I just can’t help thinking “what an unbelievable experience this is.”
The Motorsports Reunion at the famed Laguna Seca racetrack in Monterey during Concours weekend is a place where the phrase “expect the unexpected” is more true than anywhere else in the car world. This is a place where it’s no surprise to see a older Formula One car, a Porsche Le Mans racer decked out in the classic orange Jagermeister livery, and a Trans-Am era Chevrolet Camaro in the same place. However, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to see a pristine Ferrari 250GT SWB in the paddock. Nonetheless, this bright yellow piece of Italian craftwork sat in the side of the paddock, sharing space with a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster. Against the gray sky and flanked by a blue Porsche racer, calling it a standout would be a bit of an understatement. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 2013 Monterey Motorsports Reunion: Ferrari 250GT SWB→
This comes on a similar note to the Lincoln Indianapolis Boano Coupe we featured a few weeks ago. This 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Rondine was created by, Italian design house, Pinninfarina for the 1963 Paris Auto Show. Those of you who know Corvettes know that 1963 was the first year of the iconic C2 Sting Ray. While I personally believe the Stingray is the best looking Vette of all time, especially the ’63 split window coupe, the Rondine’s Italian style is breathtaking.
The Corvette Rondine was the top-spec Sting Ray underneath, with the fuel injected 327ci V8 under its hood making 360hp. There is one key difference, though, and that is the body of the car. The Rondine had a steel body whereas the Sting Ray’s was made of fiberglass. This resulted in the Rondine being a bit heavier than the standard Corvette, however I’d say it is worth it for those beautiful curves.
The Corvette Rondine marks another fantastic example of an American car being fitted with Italian styling. Whether the Rondine looks better than the Sting Ray is entirely subjective, but it certainly is a unique and interesting automobile. The Corvette Rondine recently sold for a hefty $1.6 million back at the 2008 Barret Jackson Auction, and its value is certain to keep appreciating. It is always a pleasure to see such a stunning car as this, and the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance was the second time I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this car in person. Enjoy the photos.
Mind Over Motor 