EMPTY STANDS: IS AUTO RACING DOOMED?

Posted on October 23, 2017 by MartynL

Stephen Cox blogs about the good old days and bringing fans back to tracks. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2014 The past few years have brought every gimmick imaginable to auto racing. NASCAR holds races that three people can win. The ever-changing playoff system (a gimmick in itself) functions like an automotive version of musical chairs! Indycar's gimmicks are even worse. They tried mandating overpriced “body kits” to make their field of 33 identical Dallara chassis look like some...

’17 FORD GT: AMERICA’S SUPERCAR!

Posted on October 17, 2017October 17, 2017 by MartynL

Designed, engineered, powered by Ford and built by Multimatic, this very-limited production Supercar is a kick-ass racecar with license plates. From Ford’s unique customer vetting process, contract-build by one of the most respected racecar shops in North America and proven Le Mans performance to the GT’s ultra-limited production and unique concierge delivery process, the GT program represents a first for any domestic carmaker. Proposed production is tagged at 250 GTs per year over a four-year ...

RINGLING COLLEGE: WARREN REINECKER AUTOMOTIVE ART!

Posted on October 10, 2017 by MartynL

Artist Warren Reinecker spent his entire career working for General Motors, retiring in 2006 as the lead Corporate and Brand Identity designer. This unique show includes recent acquisitions of his work. Curated by GM’s Design Archive & Special Collection, WARREN REINECKER GENERAL MOTORS AUTOMOTIVE DESIGNER showcases the evolutionary creative process of automotive design. Included are original futuristic Concepts from the 1950s-1960s, plus logo and badging designs for production automobiles....

ST. MICHAELS: CONCOURS ON THE BAY!

Posted on October 5, 2017 by MartynL

As Summer fades into Fall, the St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance stands as a closing bookend to the 2017 automotive show season. The Concours stretched across the manicured grounds of the Inn at Perry Cabin by Belmond and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, under sun filled skies. This year’s event welcomed participants, spectators, judges and volunteers alike to the start of its second decade; its show field and docks were packed with automotive and marine finery. Every time you look at Eric...

SOUTHERN CHARMS: 2017 ATLANTA CONCOURS!

Posted on October 4, 2017 by MartynL

The second running of the Atlanta Concours d’Elegance on the manicured lawns of Chateau Elan saw over 200 primped and preened classic cars, sports cars, trucks and bikes on display. Our Road Test Editor Howard Walker picks out nine of his favorites. 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Winner of ‘Best of Show - European’, this mighty Merc is the star of Missouri-based Evergreen Historic Automobiles’ 600-car collection. After its 2016 nut and bolt restoration, it’s now one of the best 540Ks around. Trivial ...

MONTECITO MOTOR CLASSIC: LESS IS MORE!

Posted on September 29, 2017September 29, 2017 by MartynL

The Montecito Motor Classic is not a big car show – but it is a great show, blogs our West Coast photojournalist, Jim Palam. What better way to salute Ferrari than a lineup of fabulous Ferrari Classics on Coast Village Road – starting with Ron Hein's sexy and swift '62 250 SWB. There's the beauty of its coastal location in magnificent Montecito, CA, the allure of featured marques like this year's salute to Ferrari and Camaro, and its relaxed style and pace – perhaps best represented by its hon...

COUGAR: THE BEST BUY IN MUSCLECARS!

Posted on September 28, 2017 by MartynL

Stephen Cox blogs about affordable musclecars that have slipped under the radar. A sharp 1970 Chevelle LS6 can set you back $75,000 or more. It’s the same for a Boss 302 Mustang. A 1969 Plymouth GTX four-speed can run over $40,000, which is still not affordable for many car enthusiasts. You don't even want to know what freshly restored Dodge Daytona would cost. The plain fact is that most fast, sporty cars from the peak of the musclecar era remain beyond the reach of the average working man. Bu...

FOR SALE: FORD TUNGSTEN & HERITAGE GTs!

Posted on September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 by MartynL

Limited-edition '06 Ford Tungsten & Heritage GTs celebrated iconic wins at Le Mans for Ford and rarely come up for sale. Here’s a pair that have hardly been driven. Bill Kolb, Jr. has for more than half-a-century been involved in the carguy world as a hot rodder, drag racer, innovator, new car salesman and Ford and Subaru new car dealer. During the 1960s he was best known for campaigning Ford factory racecars: A 427 Galaxie Lightweight, followed by 427 Thunderbolt. Working with Carroll Shel...

ENVISAGE: JAGUAR XKSS CONTINUATION!

Posted on September 22, 2017 by MartynL

Rare old-world craftsmanship is key to the creation of the iconic Jaguar XKSS ‘Continuation’ sportscars. Envisage Group Ltd, one of the world’s fastest growing engineering services company, has played a key role in the creation of nine new XKSS continuation models, replacing those lost in the Jaguar Browns Lane factory fire of 1957. Often referred to as the world’s first supercar, Jaguar originally made the XKSS as a road-going version of the Le Mans winning D-type, and cars built in ’57 wer...

CAR STORIES: DOWN THE ROAD & BACK!

Posted on September 21, 2017 by MartynL

David Featherston, editor and publisher of the award-winning BONNEVILLE, A CENTURY OF SPEED, draws on his decades of automotive writing and experiences in his latest book. In CAR STORIES, Fetherston brings together a slice-of-life collection of funny automotive tales from his own experiences as well as those he has heard along the road. These conversational stories relate to any number of wheeled-vehicle adventures in Australia, New Zealand, America, Italy and Asia over the past 50 years. S...