Pop culture would have you believe that The King drove only in big pink Cadillacs. After a recent visit to Graceland I was pleasantly surprised that this could not be further from truth. It turns out that Elvis was quite the carguy and his wealth allowed him to purchase some exotic and rare machinery.
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Remember the Volvo 245 from the BABE Rally spotted by a friend of mine some time ago? Through the miracle of internet I was able to connect with the previous owner of the car, the rally participant himself. Turns out the car has a very colorful story, albeit with a bland ending. Sean was nice enough to write me a book of an email about the car and their adventures with it during the BABE Rally. Sean has also provided a ton of pictures not only from the rally but also from the preparations and their drive back to New York.
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The sad part is that Sean actually really liked the Swedish wagon but has reluctantly, and regrettably, decided to sell it. The new owner, who is a semi-internet-famous-carguy, decided to use it in an online video show. Having seen part of the video, I found it trying to mimic one of the TopGear races but failed miserably. The show was neither entertaining nor funny.
Let’s skip the nitty-gritty. We all know that I am talking about Nordschleife, the 13-mile, 160-turn, widow-maker which Sir Jackie Steward nicknamed The Green Hell. A mere mention of this place can quickly raise a gearhead’s heart rate. Built in the 1920’s; it is still used today for sports car racing, predominantly the 24 Hours Nürburgring. Most of the time however, it is simply a public toll road accessible to anyone with a car, 22 Euro and a pair. … Continue Reading
My whole family likes to travel. Both of my parents have been all over the world. My wife and I met in China (no, neither one of us is Chinese) and since then we have traveled together to India, Costa Rica, and all over Europe. When I was 13 and my brother 3, our parents packed up our ’84 Buick Regal sedan and drove cross-country for a period of almost four weeks. When I was 20 I spent five weeks in Southern Africa riding around in a Land Rover 110 TD5 ( I need to find and scan the pictures from that trip). In the summer of 2009 my mother, her husband and my sister-in-law along with a group of thirteen other people spend four weeks in southern Russia and Mongolia, and here is a bit of car-related photo-journalism from this trip. … Continue Reading
The recent Jaguar event I attended was held at the Monticello Motor Club, which a new private race facility located in Monticello, New York. It is a lot more than just a track, one can think of it a country club for car lovers. The idea behind MMC is combine a race track with the luxuries and amenities of an exclusive club.
Laid out over 175 acres, the focus of MMC is the 4.1 mile track which can be divided into three sections allowing for 12 configurations. The track has over a mile and a half of straights, 22 turns, and substantial elevation changes. Extras include two pit facilities and a skip pad area. Safety is addressed with generous run-off room and almost F1-like fencing and barriers. The track was not designed for spectator racing per se, but rather for more private gentlemen races (think Ferrari Challenge), along with the usual schools and various driving events, including winter events.
In addition to just the use of the track, membership perks include track-side car storage in climate-controlled garages with general maintenance services, instructors, and a car rental programs which will feature not only the latest and greatest in exotics but also open wheel and vintage racers. Once completed, the Club House will offer a restaurant, day spa and a number of other similar amenities. … Continue Reading
French cars; some say they’re ugly, some say they’re beautiful, all agree that they’re unreliable. However, there is something about them that makes you want to look. These pictures were taken in March of 2007, my wife’s and mine last trip before the birth of our daughter. Selected for your viewing pleasure are not only pictures of cars in Paris, but also the environment in which they’re in. … Continue Reading
Do you think your ’02 Chevy Tahoe with 170k miles is at the end of its life? Try driving a ’55 Suburban that you inherited from you father. This is a gallery of car pictures from Cuba, where the only way to have a car is to keep the one you have running. Here are 70 images of what you could be driving if you were born in Cuba. … Continue Reading
I’ve spotted this awesome looking Unimog in Boston’s Government Center after the recent MBTA trolley accident. I might as well add the Unimog to my favorite vehicle list. … Continue Reading
This is the first of three articles on Rally Racing. I intend to cover car set-ups, driver training, different classes, and whatever else I may come upon. This part will show a built of an Open Class rally car, which is …
I still remember the day I saw the first one. It was a nice early spring day in 1997 and I was in walking around near Battery Park in downtown Manhattan. There in the corner of my eye I saw it; …
I have recently had the opportunity to drive the new Jaguar XFR on the road and on a race track. With the XFR competing directly against the BMW M5, which I have also had the opportunity to drive on the track …
While you may have already read a thing or two about BMW’s new compression ignition offerings, you may not have heard all the details, and you may have some questions. I sure did, and I did my best to answer them …
French cars; some say they’re ugly, some say they’re beautiful, all agree that they’re unreliable. However, there is something about them that makes you want to look. These pictures were taken in March of 2007, my wife’s and mine last trip …
Do you think your ’02 Chevy Tahoe with 170k miles is at the end of its life? Try driving a ’55 Suburban that you inherited from you father. This is a gallery of car pictures from Cuba, where the only way …
When you spend around six figures on a car these days, manufacturers tend to do something nice for you, for instance: flowers, shirts, watches, chocolate, new transmission, ipods, umbrellas, key chains, etc. It varies by the price of the car, how …