Auto racing in the United States is a mess, blogs Stephen Cox.
NASCAR has peaked. Their response to dwindling attendance has been new cars and fuel injection. In Indycar, the barriers to entry eliminate all but the uber-wealthy from competition. Tony George was the only guy willing to take a risk and try to solve open wheel's problems. He had the right idea at the wrong time. Now it's road racing's turn to try and recapture lost glory. And I wonder if they're the ones who will get it right.
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Author: MartynL
HISTORY OF THE AUTOMOBILE: 60 CARS!
The Hampton Court Concours of Elegance will showcase 60 of the rarest cars in the world to tell the story of the automobile.
This year’s Hampton Court Palace Concours of Elegance promises 60 of the worlds most exceptional, rare and desirable motorcars. These concours cars will be supplemented with hundreds of the very best cars from a wide variety of car clubs, as well as the very latest bespoke sports cars and luxury models from a number of prestige car manufacturers.
The story of the au...
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2015 MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS: COUPE DE THRILL!
Gone is the vanilla styling of the old CL; Mercedes’ swoopy new S-Class Coupe truly defines ‘gorgeous’, writes Road Test Editor Howard Walker.
Maybe it’s the 47 Swarovski crystals in the headlamps. Or the glass roof that goes from clear to dark at the touch of a button? Or the total, utter jaw-dropping beauty of its lines? Trust me, Mercedes-Benz’ new S-Class Coupe is traffic-stopping stunning. This new Benz flagship-of-the-fleet has its world premiere at next month’s Geneva auto show - yes,...
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McLAREN 650S: COUPE OR SPIDER!
Designed and developed to deliver the ultimate in luxury and excitement, the new 650S will be available in fixed-head coupe or electrically retractable hardtop. It will be its fastest, most engaging, best equipped, and most beautiful series-production supercar yet.
The 650S joins the McLaren line-up as an additional model alongside the 12C and sold-out McLaren P1, and learns from both models as well as 50 years of competing in the highest levels of motorsport. It promises to redefine the hig...
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GRAND PRIX MERCEDES: RACE OF THE CENTURY WINNER!
Amelia Island Concours to host winner of the 1914 French GP. It’s the centerpiece of a special display presented by Mercedes-Benz and car owner George Wingard.
A team of five Mercedes Grand Prix racers traveled to France for the Grand Prix of the Automobile Club of France, less than one week after the assassination of the Archduke
Franz Ferdinand which led to then start of WW I. It was a time of political turmoil
and accelerating technological progress.
At 8:00 a.m. on July 4...
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SHELBY COBRA DAYTONA COUPE: FIRST IN HISTORIC VEHICLE REGISTRY!
Designed by Peter Brock and developed by Shelby American in 1964, the Cobra Daytona Coupe helped USA capture first and only FIA world championship.
The prototype Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (CSX2287) is the first automobile recorded under the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Heritage Documentation. The Historical Vehicle Association announced that honor recently, unveiling the car in its “survivor” state at a press conference in Washington DC. At the Simeone Foundation Auto Museum...
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THE WAR ON DRIVING: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU!
Stephen Cox blogs about black boxes that tell all.
To no one’s surprise, U.S. Deptartment of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced at a press conference this past week that in addition to surveillance cameras, traffic light cameras, license plates, roadside still photo speed traps and a national driver’s license database, American drivers would soon be subjected to yet another tracking system. This time the system will be embedded in your car. And there is no opt out. New car buyer...
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’66 SHELBY GT350 MUSTANG: RARE PONYCAR!
With a paper trail from Day One, this Shelby Mustang has covered just 35,397 documented miles since new. And, it’s for sale.
Shelby Mustang GT350, #SFM6S439, was one of 1,365 built in the 1966 model year as a standard "Normal Street Specification for Retail Sale & Road Registration" model. Built in early-1966 for internal Shelby American Inc. use, the Mustang was initially invoiced to Shelby's lawyers, Scott, Rifkin & Wilson, Inc. It was then re-invoiced to Scott Rifkin/Rappaport I...
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’14 RANGE ROVER SPORT: LESS IS MORE!
‘Shedding weight has helped create a new Range Rover Sport that drives like a sports sedan,’ writes Road Test Editor Howard Walker.
Eight hundred pounds. That’s a couple of Sumo wrestlers on a Brie and burger diet. Or a Budweiser Clydesdale, plus a keg or two of the famous brew. Or the heft of an aptly named Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. Eight hundred pounds is also the considerable poundage that Land Rover has shed from its Range Rover Sport luxo-4x4 to create this all-new sexy version. That...
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CARROLL SHELBY’S V8: THE GREAT STOLEN ENGINE CAPER!
Stephen Cox blogs about stolen Shelby engines and the one in Brad Brooker’s GT350 Mustang racer that almost led to an arrest!
A good Shelby-built 289 engine was a coveted item in the mid-1960s. Many were stolen out of the legendary Hertz Shelby GT350-H “Rent-a-racers.” They left the rental lot on Friday with a High-Performance 271-horsepower 289-cubic-inch V8 and returned on Monday with a garden variety 289 that appeared nearly identical. Rumors also abound of Shelby engines that were ordere...
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