‘20 BMW M8: SUNSHINE SUPERSTAR

Posted on June 5, 2020 by MartynL

Think of the ‘20 BMW M8: SUNSHINE SUPERSTAR as a 600-horsepower tanning bed, writes Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Trust me, you don't need a BMW M8 Convertible. You don't need its 600 hellacious horsepower, or its ability to carve curves like Dale Jr. at Daytona. And while its ease at catapulting you from standstill to 60 mph in, gulp, three seconds may seem a great way of social distancing, it'll make no difference in a Starbucks drive-thru! But, but, if you have $145,000 searing a ho...

‘19 BMW X5 XDRIVE50I: DRIVING MACHINE!

Posted on March 31, 2019March 31, 2019 by MartynL

BMW proves again that a big SUV can move, handle and comfort like a luxury sports car, and sound great doing it – at a price, blogs Dan Scanlan. Yes, even a 5,617-pound BMW X5 xDrive40i sports activity vehicle is a driving machine. BMW installs a 3-liter twin-turbocharged inline 6-cylinder with 335 horsepower for its base X5, but gave our 50i a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 with 456 horsepower, with 8-speed Steptronic transmission and xDrive all-wheel drive. Yes, you can go econo with ECO PRO to ...

‘17 BMW 540i: A FIVE-STAR FIVE!

Posted on September 5, 2017 by MartynL

BMW’s seventh-generation 5-Series might have traded driving pyrotechnics for refined luxury, but it stills sparks passion, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Chances are you’ve never heard of the thirtysomething sultry songbird Beth Rowley. She’s the English jazz chanteuse who melts hearts in the 2009 movie An Education with her rendition of “You’ve Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger”. YouTube her, you won’t be disappointed. While in the film Ms. Rowley wraps a nightclub audience ar...

ROLEX REUNION: SHOWDOWN IN SALINAS!

Posted on September 6, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Tireless Mike Matune wraps up his Monterey Car Week coverage with action from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Every August brings the Granddaddy of U.S. historic racing events to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas, CA, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR). A celebration of the best in racing history captivates with four track days and a dazzling array of cars. The Penske/White Ferrari 512M, above, is certainly eye-catching. Finished to a very high standard, typical of Penske Racing, the...

MONTEREY MADNESS: SALES DOWN; EXHILARATION UP!

Posted on August 29, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Here are Jim Palam’s top ten picks, just a fraction of the magnificent exotica that populated the Monterey Peninsula during Car Week. 1953 Ferrari 250MM Vignale Spider ‘Pebble Car’ on Ocean Avenue in Carmel. If you were among the many thousands of automobile enthusiasts zipping around the auctions, races, shows and events in the Monterey Peninsula this August, you may have been struck by this of many befuddlements: $49 hotel rooms renting for $549! Plus Lengthy hikes from your car to e...

‘16 MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN: ROOM & ZOOM!

Posted on April 25, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

The bigger MINI Clubman may not be as much fun as its smaller siblings, but it’s an all-round sporty four-door with room, utility and a bit of Brit cheekiness, blogs Dan Scanlan. It is a question for the ages: Can a four-door MINI be as much fun as a two-door? And will a MINI Cooper S version with four doors be even more fun? The first Mini in 1959 started out as a tiny and economical family car, until people found out how much fun it was to play with. Then racecar maker John Coope...

2016 AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS: THE BEST GETS BETTER!

Posted on March 18, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Our intrepid photo-journalists at large - Maureen and Mike Matune – bring us highlights from one of the country’s premier shows. The Amelia Island Concours has grown to include events over several days. Friday brought the Reliable Carriers Eight Flag Road Tour where Concours participants exercised their mounts over local roads, ending up in downtown Fernandina Beach. Here is Mark Moshayedi’s ‘65 Shelby-DeTomaso P70 racer, above. Originally conceived by Carroll Shelby to contest the USRRC ch...

‘15 JOHN COOPER WORKS MINI: SIZE MATTERS!!

Posted on January 17, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

This is my favorite adult go-kart, but its price, and hard suspension on some surfaces on SPORT – not as much fun, blogs Dan Scanlan. When Alec Issigonis designed the first MINI in 1959, it was a tiny 120-inch-long coupe. Then racer and tuner John Cooper got hold of one in 1960 and made it a tiny terror on race tracks and rally courses around the world. Fast forward millions of MINIs later, and its family has grown in variety as well as size. But despite the MINI Paceman, Countryman and Cl...

‘16 JAGUAR XF: THE CAT CLAWS BACK!

Posted on January 6, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

It all happens for Jaguar in 2016. A new XE compact sedan. A stunning new F-Pace sports crossover. And it all kicks off with a transformed, aluminum-bodied XF, blogs road test editor Howard Walker You gotta love the lyrics. “On a morning from a Bogart movie, in a country where they turn back time, you go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre, contemplating crime.” And all together now: “In the year of the cat”. It was the soft-rock anthem of 1976 by that...

THE QUAIL: CROWN JEWEL OF MONTEREY MADNESS!

Posted on August 15, 2015May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Some of the world’s finest examples of automotive design and engineering were staged at this year's Motorsports Gathering at the Quail Lodge and Golf Club. “Among the many facets of the Monterey Classic Car Week, The Quail is the most exclusive taking as it does, the form of a very grand private garden party,” comments Rolex Watch USA President and CEO, Stewart Wicht. “As well as fine food, guests have the chance to view at leisure some of the finest examples of classic race and road cars who...