Love that color. Lots of great information in this video, and of course, eye candy (no, not Jay).
Reader submission
•November 14, 2012 • 9 CommentsHappy to hear some of our readers getting in on some nice fall driving action— David in DC submitted the following:
We have a small informal group of mid-30ish guys here in town with some 912s. We’ve been trying to get together for a drive and this weekend finally made it out to Skyline Drive. I thought the drive was the most normal thing in the world until I looked at the photos and reflected on how surreal it must have been to see four 1966 912s (fourth guy peeled off to go hiking) blasting up the road.
Thanks for sharing, David! And of course, as a general note to all, we encourage use of the MCB Google group for this very sort of thing— connecting with other like-minded drivers in your respective areas and so on.
Enjoy in good health, everyone.
Postscript: E28 versus W123
•November 13, 2012 • 5 CommentsGuest contributor Rob Richardson offers the following thoughts on the BMW E28 vis–à–vis the W123, having owned both:
They are both brilliant cars, but your choice should come down to this: do you want to go fast or do you want to go far? If you require any level of dynamic performance get an E28. I’d say from a handling and performance point of view the E28 has it covered; I mean who doesn’t want to drive a 3.5 6-pot fast!?
The W123 on the other hand, for me, will only ever be a Gentleman’s express: point it where you want to go, sit back, relax, and effortlessly cover vast distances.
Rob’s E28.
Abarth 500 Esseesse, Warsaw
•November 9, 2012 • 5 Comments
Our friends at the Polish motoring blog Motore recently had the pleasure of testing a Fiat Abarth 500 Esseesse (pronounced “SS”), Europe’s version of the US Fiat 500 Abarth. Here are some of their impressions.
Warsaw holds the infamous “most congested city in Europe” 2012 record. Drivers struggle not only with heavy traffic but also with the recently started second metro line construction, which will paralyze the city centre until late 2014.
A sensible and reasonable logic would force the average Polish motorist to leave his Skoda Octavia or Volkswagen Passat in the garage and instead take public transportation: even though Warsaw boasts only one metro line, the network of above-ground tramways and suburban trains compensates well for the lack of underground solutions. On the other hand, a not-so-sensible and not-so-reasonable logic forces the Polish petrolhead to leave the Maserati Granturismo/Nissan GT-R/vintage 911 (choose one, or all) in the garage, and take… well, a small car with sufficient horsepower, the ability to seat four, and one that is very maneuverable and would be able to jump through traffic with the grace of a ballerina.
Enter the Abarth 500 Esseesse. This fantastic little car is actually manufactured in Poland (unlike its US-spec counterparts), so using it to brave Warsaw’s traffic makes even more sense for us from that standpoint. The premise of the Esseesse kit is to give the already sporty Abarth 500 more punch. The engine is remapped and boasts 160 horsepower, the exhaust is taken straight from the racing 500, and the suspension tuning lets you feel every imperfection in the road.
After a week behind the wheel, you tend to love this car for its Abarth everything – we didn’t mention yet how gorgeous the exhaust sound is above 3500 RPM, and hate it because it is still a 500 with its imprecise steering, and where you have to sit on a footstool— no bucket seat can help you. Still, the positive qualities of driving a small street hoonigan in Warsaw far outweigh those of any of its imperfections— qualities we’ll take each and every time. 
With special thanks to Michał Wróbel, Antoni Walkowski, and Bartek Lichocki of Motore.
See the original full feature (in Polish) here.
Period photoshoot: E34 M5
•November 8, 2012 • 5 CommentsPhotographer Henk van den Hurk of Dutch automotive publication Autovisie apparently thought at the time that it would be a good idea to take an E34 M5 to Paris and photograph it in the style of classic French street photography— that is to say, in black-and-white (film, natch, as digital would still be years away), using what was probably a 35 or 50mm prime (fixed focal length) lens, and with the City of Lights as the M Cinq‘s backdrop.
And you know what? It was. Coming across his results for the first time twenty years later is a bit of an eye-opener, as they are so completely and refreshingly unlike anything you would see in a car magazine today. We only wish he could have seen more of it. Bravo, Meneer van den Hurk.
The Autovisie article can be found here (if you can read Dutch).
(Hat tip to TuningHistory)
Fifty years of Bond cars
•November 7, 2012 • 2 CommentsYou probably already saw this, but it’s still worth posting.
Jump to 3:50 (DB5), 13:30 (2000GT), 25:29 (Esprit), 35:55 (GTV6— not as exotic as the others perhaps, but no less deserving of being here), 38:28 (V8 Vantage Volante), and 48:20 (DBS) for the tasty bits.
Warning: Skyfall spoilers contained therein. Also lots of vehicular carnage.
Hat tip to Spannerhead!
Officine Autodromo raises the bar— again
•November 6, 2012 • 4 Comments
Just when we thought these watches couldn’t get any nicer, Autodromo has raised the bar yet again with the release of the exquisite, limited edition Monoposto, their first automatic mechanical watch. (Autodromo is, of course, the creation of industrial designer and MCB friend Bradley Price, he of Automobiliac fame.) From Autodromo:
Autodromo has released their very first automatic watch, named Monoposto. This limited edition timepiece is powered by a robust Miyota 821A self-winding movement with calendar complication. The polished stainless steel case is 43mm in diameter, and features an exhibition caseback, etched with the Autodromo logo, through which the mechanical movement can be viewed.
The rugged, full grain leather strap is equipped with a polished roller buckle just like the hood straps on a vintage racing car.
Monoposto is Italian for “single-seater,” and the watch is accordingly inspired by dashboard gauges from 1950s-era grand prix racing cars. It was common practice for racing mechanics in the 1950s to paint a red line onto the glass of the rev counter so the driver would know when to shift. The Monoposto makes reference to this practice with a distinctive red line applied to the inside of the proprietary 40mm domed crystal.
Now, to choose between Black and Silver dials, both of which look superb (as we’re sure many of you will agree, whether you count yourself as a watch aficionado or not). Decisions, decisions..
Make the jump to see the Monoposto and the rest of the Autodromo collection:
Guest contributor: Rob Richardson on his 1984 Mercedes-Benz 200 (W123)
•November 2, 2012 • 14 Comments
We’ve always been big fans of the W123 Mercedes-Benz, and blogger Rob Richardson’s example is as gorgeous as any we’ve ever seen— we love, love, love the color on his car. Rob was nice enough to chat with us and answer a few questions.
MCB: Why the W123?
RR: I wanted a daily driver classic and these cars are famed for their reliability, engineering, and ability to cover distance. I have a pretty long motorway commute to work so the old Benz is perfect for wafting along and soaking up the miles whilst reclining into an armchair. It’s basically like being in my front room, but with a steering wheel.
Motoring Con Brio 