2018 AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS: THE BEST GETS BETTER!

Posted on March 15, 2018March 15, 2018 by MartynL

Bill Warner and his team continue to raise the bar; the 23rd annual Concours d’Elegance does not disappoint…even when rain is in the forecast. In a world that appears dedicated to instant gratification, for anything to endure 23 years, let alone thrive and prosper, is unusual to say the least. But such is the case with the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. For nearly a quarter century it has been treating aficionados to all forms of automotive wonderment in a beautiful setting. This year was n...

CLASSIC AUTO SHOW: MOTORS & MYSTERY IN LA!

Posted on March 9, 2018March 10, 2018 by MartynL

The ‘Mystery’ is the mysterious Mysterion and Mike Brewer’s two different shoes, reason enough to keep checking the latest at http://CarGuyChronicles.com , blogs Jim Palam. Taking inspiration from the UK’s Classic Motor Show, the US Classic Auto Show was promoted as “The largest three-day indoor classic car show in the U.S.” My hopes were high as I escalated to the second floor of the LA Convention Center and got a friendly wave from Wayne Carini, star of Chasing Classic Cars. This was the seco...

INDYCAR: WHAT’S MISSING AT ST. PETE?

Posted on March 8, 2018 by MartynL

Stephen Cox examines the decline in overall entries at Indycar events over the years and looks at what, if anything could or should be done about it. Qualifying for an Indycar race is no longer considered an accomplishment of any value in the auto-racing world. Of course, qualifying well is still valued. But qualifying itself is not, because every team that shows up automatically makes the race! This is one of the unspoken differences between Indycar racing today and Indycar racing of the...

’66 PLYMOUTH STREET HEMI: BONNEVILLE TO SUBURBIA!

Posted on March 2, 2018 by MartynL

After setting the B/Production Flying Mile record of 156.35 mph at the Salt Flats, I daily-drove and drag raced the 426 Street Hemi in around New York City. Bob Summers’, left, pre-production ’66 Plymouth 426 Street Hemi registered a top speed of 160.82 mph and set a USAC-FIA two-way Flying Mile record of 156.35 mph. It also set the two-way Flying Kilometer record of 155.30 mph. The B/Production records had been “owned” for years by factory Pontiacs prepared and driven by Mickey Thompson. I had...

LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN PERFORMANTE: FAST & FURIOUS!

Posted on March 1, 2018 by MartynL

Just one year from its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the Huracán Performante has already taken the production car lap-time records on eight international circuits. The record times were set during press trials carried out by prestigious magazines on their circuits of choice: 03/07/2017 Vairano (Quattroruote) –1’09”.43 03/08/2017 Balocco (Auto) –2’38”.07 29/08/2017 Contidrom (Auto Zeitung) –1’29”.6 25/09/2017 Mira (Autocar) –1’05”,03 28/09/2017 Wroughton (The Gr...

N.A.R.T. CORVETTE: STINGRAY FOR LONG HAUL!

Posted on February 24, 2018 by MartynL

The Chinetti connection put a red-white-blue Corvette on the field at Le Mans in 1972. You can see it at the 23rd Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance on March 9 to 11th. Luigi Chinetti's New York-based North American Racing Team is internationally famous as Enzo Ferrari's UNOFFICIAL western outpost. Yet right in the middle of the cars in the 23rd Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Cars of N.A.R.T. class - surrounded by a fleet of exotic and historic Ferraris - is a pure red-white-and-blue Corvette...

ALFA ROMEO TZ3: AMERICAN MUSCLE; ITALIAN SUIT!

Posted on February 20, 2018 by MartynL

Built by Zagato to celebrate its centenary, the Stradale TZ3 is built on an SRT Viper platform. This one is Number Nine of Nine constructed. Under the TZ3 swoopy carbon fiber body rests an 8.3-liter, 600 Horsepower V-10 that can propel it from a standing start to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The first custom-bodied Italian-American Alfa, showcases graceful lines, a blunt Kamm-style rear, Zagato signature double-bubble roof and other unique Zagato styling cues. This rare 2010 Stradale TZ3 is th...

MARIO’S MONOPOSTO: PROJECT STALKERATI REDUX!

Posted on February 18, 2018 by MartynL

Mario Parker’s one-of-one Stalker/Maserati Project has been completed and is ready for road & track. The street-driven Stalkerati (Stalker/Maserati) showcases period styling cues that support the marriage of a modern chassis and powertrain with the look of a classic 1950s-1960s Monoposto (single-seat) racecar. Style and functional features include exhaust routing over the rear wheels, engine-turned dashboard, twin curved windscreens, single roll bar, vintage side view mirrors, flip-top gas ...

‘18 MERCEDES-BENZ E63 S: AMG STREET FIGHTER!

Posted on February 18, 2018 by MartynL

Mercedes-Benz unleashes a 603-horsepower family four-door thrill-ride. Road Test Editor Howard Walker tries his best to tame the beast. Wiktionary defines a blunt instrument as a heavy object, without sharp edges, used as a weapon. Or an imprecise or heavy-handed way of doing something. A perfect description, no less, for the new Mercedes-Benz E63 S, a 603-horsepower, twin-turbo'd V8 blunt-instrument rolling on Darth-Vader-noir 20-inch forged cross-spoke rims. How else could you possible des...

MARK II: CHEVY’S MYSTERIOUS 427!

Posted on February 15, 2018February 15, 2018 by MartynL

The real 427 Mystery Motor, unlike the Z11, was not available in a car, or to the public. You had to have serious NASCAR cred to get one of the 20 built. In the 1960s, Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen always seemed to be one step ahead of GM Chairman Fred Donner’s anti-racing missives. While running Pontiac, he had supported the Super-Duty Group that later, after he left, managed to get 421 Catalina Lightweights to drag racers before the axe fell. Then he moved on to Chevrolet in 1961 and supported the R...