We have a thing for STi-y Foresters, as you may recall. The matte treatment we can go either way on, though quite frankly, we prefer Subie’s World Rally Blue. The Volk RE30s? Icing on the cake.
Via tcl.
E12 E3
•April 20, 2010 • 7 CommentsHow fantastic do these cars still look, even in stock form?
This photo also dovetails nicely into this recent Jalopnik piece.
Edit: no, no it doesn’t- because it’s not a 5-Series! More on the “Senior Six” here.
Hat tip to IEDEI for setting the record straight.
Image: Brian Sparks
Spyker: the ultimate poseurmobile?
•April 20, 2010 • 5 CommentsAn intentionally provocative statement, yes. Yes, they saved Saab. Yes, they have a history in aircraft. Yes, they briefly fielded an F1 team (however short-lived). But when we see garish examples like this, or contemplate its average customer, or look inside their cabin, we can’t help but wonder. What do you think?
Image: Sytse Dijkstra (syts.nl)
The Karussell
•April 20, 2010 • 1 CommentThis is one of the more impressive Karussell images we can recall ever seeing- brilliant use of tilt.
More on the Karussell, for those who missed it.
Image: Alex Willems
Sa Majesté
•April 19, 2010 • Comments Off on Sa MajestéThe funky and peerless Citroën SM, ladies and gentlemen. Just wonderful- for reasons we cannot fully explain or comprehend. Anyone not yet converted, watch and prepare to be slowly won over.
(Via Jalopnik)
Porsche 959
•April 19, 2010 • Comments Off on Porsche 959John Glynn and James Lipman are back, this time doing an Edmunds piece on the stunning, timeless Porsche 959.
Interesting tidbit:
Billionaire Bill Gates was one of the first Americans to put up his hand for a Porsche 959, so news that the car would not be allowed in the USA did not go down well in the Microsoft camp. Nevertheless, Bill and his associate Paul Allen shipped their cars to the West Coast, where their contraband was soon impounded and reportedly confined to a California warehouse for more than 10 years.
Anyone imagining this machine as overweight and out of date had better think again. The exuberant supercar revels in a run among the redwoods. It charges through the gears like a drag bike, then brakes and corners with such heroic poise that it’s hard to believe the speedometer needle.
Via Edmunds Inside Line
Assorted grab bag of stuff we like
•April 19, 2010 • 4 Comments
The cinematic cars taxis of "Night on Earth" (1991)
•April 18, 2010 • Comments Off on The cinematic cars taxis of "Night on Earth" (1991)[Though they may occasionally show up, this segment is not necessarily about “car movies” (which would not only drastically shrink the pool of films from which to choose, but also all but ensure that most of the selections stink); rather, it’s more like carspotting at the movies. You can see older posts here.]
Some of the cabs in Jim Jarmusch’s “Night on Earth”- an offbeat, endearing, oddly watchable pastiche of sketches in the best Jarmusch tradition.
People either love this sort of stuff or don’t. Us? Tom Waits, Jim Jarmusch, Roberto Benigni- naturally, we love it.
Chevrolet Caprice:
Peugeot 504:
Volvo 144:
Fiat 128:
Warning- colorful language within:
2010 track season has commenced
•April 16, 2010 • Comments Off on 2010 track season has commenced
We recently rang in the 2010 track season at the Monticello Motor Club, where we enjoyed its fine road course (our second tour, though our first on the big track) and drank up the sights and sounds of the fine machinery that tends to show up at these things.
What’s the MMC? A primer:
- A ~ 3.5-4.2 mile road course (configurable to shorter north and south courses) with ~ 18-20 turns and 450 feet of elevation changes, about 80 miles northwest of New York City
- Originally intended to be a private “motorsports country club” for high net worth club members (e.g., Jerry Seinfeld)
- After the global economic crisis of 2008 (we suspect), opened up to other driving clubs and schools- commoners, if you will. As recently as last year, opportunities to drive the full course were about as rare as hen’s teeth; now it’s a given, a way to get more students and car club members (read: $) through the wrought iron gates (adorned with signs stating that entry is “by appointment only”)
- Architected by Bruce Hawkins and Brian Redman
- More here, here, here, and here
Inside the MMC clubhouse (which has been reduced to little more than a tent in this economy), we were amused that no one had bothered to wipe off the whiteboard that was evidently put to use in last year’s GM CTS-V Challenge, prompting our classroom instructor to unceremoniously take a cloth to the names of Siler, Baruth, et al. (in what appeared to have been run group assignments) to launch into a prosaic illustrated discourse on the driving school line.
We didn’t take a lot of photos, but here are a few vignettes of stuff that caught our eye.
The weather was perfect. New mods for the season – a set of camber plates, a more aggressive brake pad compound – felt great. The steed performed admirably, although – in the presence of GT3s, Bentley Continentals, and myriad M3s of all stripes – very few were impressed (including slow-moving P-cars not wanting to yield out on the track).
Driving well on the track – by which we mean smoothly, not fast (though speed will come naturally with smoothness) – is so incredibly pleasurable, it reminds us why we love cars (and fine-handling, well-balanced cars especially) in the first place. It is just a joy utilizing lots of track, placing the car where it needs to go, and getting into a nice groove of clipping apexes one after the other. Tracking really is driving nirvana.
Next stop: Thunderbolt. Can’t wait.
Striped 2002
•April 16, 2010 • Comments Off on Striped 2002Digging the stripes and rally lights on this one.
Image via tcl.
Motoring Con Brio 