RideLust

Some of you may laugh, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Pontiac Trans Am is an icon of American pop culture. From its humble beginnings as a Trans Am series race car, to its starring role in Smokey and the Bandit, the Pontiac Trans Am is the stuff that childhood dreams are made of. Over the years the Trans Am went through a bunch of different changes. In the late 1960′s it was released as Pontiac’s answer to the then new, Chevrolet Camaro. Then in the early 1970′s it evolved into a full blown stump pulling muscle car, with models like the 455-SD Trans Am and Formula 400. By the time the 1980′s came around though, the Trans Am was slow and running on borrowed time. Designers tried everything to keep the public interested, but alas, in 1981 the beloved second generation Trans Am took its final bow and called it quits.
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Walter Röhrl knows a thing or two about car control, having won the WRC title in 1980 and 1982. A senior test driver for Porsche, Niki Lauda once called him a “genius on wheels”, and Italy elected him the “rally driver of the century”. Not to be out-done, France turned around and elected him “rally driver of the millennium”, after which a panel of motorsports journalists awarded him the title of “best rally driver ever”. In other words, no matter what set of keys you toss him, Röhrl can drive the car at 10/10ths. In this case the car in question is a 1965 Porsche 904 GTS, and it’s one of about 30 made with a flat six engine. It’s also owned by a member of the Porsche family, so it’s definitely a car you don’t want to stack into the tire barriers at the Mallorca circuit. Video below. Read More…

The Mormon Meteor, a 1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster

This year’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance honored Duesenberg as their featured marque. Allard and Kurtis were also honored, but it’s virtually impossible to win “best of show” awards when you’re competing against Duesenberg. When you invite Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance winning cars to the party, it should be no surprise when they take the ribbons in Florida as well. Such was the case in this year’s show, where a 1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster, nicknamed the “Mormon Meteor” took top honors in the Concours De Sport class, with a 1933 Duesenberg SJN Arlington Torpedo Sedan taking top honors in the Concours De Elegance class. Read More…

Old cars are finicky beasts. They have personalities, tempers and a presence that new cars can’t hope to emulate. When they run great they’re wonderful and can provide their owners with countless years of enjoyment. Keeping them running though is another story entirely and is one that requires time, money and most of all, parts. Over the years I’ve built up quite a stockpile of extra parts for my 1968 Dodge Charger. Taillight lenses, fenders, transmissions and interior parts. You name it and I have it, or least I used to have it. Over the past year I decided to sell off many of the old parts that I’ve collected in an effort to free up some space in the ole’ garage. Some have been sold at swap meets, others on the internet and yet others still by word of mouth. This past weekend I was fortunate enough to lighten my load yet again and in the process make a little money on the side. What amazed me though is the distance that the purchaser traveled.
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There have been no shortages of customized factory Ram trucks over the years. Trucks like Dodge’s SRT-10 Ram, the Rumble Bee or the Daytona truck all have somewhat of a following amongst Ram truck lovers. There is now a new kid on the block, but this time it’s being customized not by a team at Chrysler, but by the legendary boys at Hurst Performance Vehicles. Autoblog is reporting that Hurst will be starting with a 2011 Regular Cab Sport R/T RAM 1500 and then fitting it with a bunch of cosmetic and performance go fast goodies to create a limited edition truck that is sure to get Ram fans all hot and bothered. Performance enhancements include a supercharger for the Ram R/T’s already stout 390 hp HEMI, as well as a performance exhaust to help it breathe a little better.

Exterior enhancements include a barrage of Hurst graphics on the front fenders, bed, doors, grill and tailgate with the factory 22″ wheels receiving the Hurst treatment with custom spokes and new paint. The cabin of the new truck should also be as enticing as the exterior with red top-stitching on the seating surfaces, embroidered Hurst logos in the headrests and a Hurst Pistol-Grip shifter replacing the standard shift knob. As of right now there is no word on power or price, but expect both to be up there. Hurst is said to be making only 50 Hemi Hauler’s per year, which is just enough to make it a really nice collectible truck.

Believe it or not, but there was a time when Cadillac was the premier brand not only in the United States, but in the world. Their cars were hand crafted, interiors hand stitched and owning one meant that you had officially made it to the big time. It wasn’t until the mid-1970′s until their image began to get tarnished due to shoddy workmanship, emissions and government regulations. Nowadays Cadillac is back in the saddle with some amazing models, but the one you see here, the 1966 Cadillac DeVille, takes us back to a time when these road beasts still roamed the streets. The 1966 DeVille was powered by a 429 cubic-inch V8 that made around 340 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. It ran a 3-speed transmission and cruised down the open road like you were riding on a cloud. Inside there was real room for 6 adults and a trunk that would hold the contents of a New York City apartment. In short, these cars were big, beautiful and made in a time when Cadillac was still the King of the road. Long live the King…

When most people hear the name De Tomaso, they immediately think of the Ford powered, mid-engined Pantera. Its sleek wedged shape design is timeless and with a blend of Italian style and American firepower under the hood, it’s thought by some to be one of the easiest of the classic super cars to own and operate. Unbeknown to some however, there was a predecessor to the flying wedge in the form of the De Tomaso Mangusta. The Mangusta is a car that made its debut in 1967 and is, in my opinion leaps and bounds ahead of the Pantera in terms of sheer looks and desirability. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the car looks like an organic cross between a manta-ray and a great white shark.
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If you were born within the last 100 years then you’ve got no excuse for not participating in this. I was thinking back to the different cars I’ve had over the years and began to wonder about the cars produced in the year I was born. For some of us, this means going back along way, but for others, hell, you could have been born in 1994 and still qualify. I popped into this world in 1972, a year that marked the beginning of emissions control, higher fuel costs and low horsepower ratings. That meant that even though it was the beginning of the end for the high-horsepower muscle cars, there were still some rockin’ exotics out there roaming the streets. One car that I’ve been infatuated with since I popped out of the womb was the 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV, a car that when new sold for the low low price of $23,000 (that’s $119,982 in today’s economy).
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Back in 1969 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz came out with a concept car that was simply jaw dropping. Called the C111, the car was an experimental coupe that pushed the boundaries of both design and engineering. It utilized a slippery wedge shape, gull-wing doors and was powered not by a traditional V8 engine, but a Wankel Rotary that produced 280 hp. This was good enough to rocket the car to a top speed of over 160 mph and from 0-60 mph in about 5-seconds. Alas the C111 was never meant to be, as Mercedes-Benz only utilized the car as a study for future technologies such as glass-fiber-reinforced plastics and aerodynamics.
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When I first laid eyes on this rendering of a post-apocalyptic 1969 Dodge Daytona, my jaw dropped. First off it’s simply cool as hell, and second it makes me want to go out and buy a jet turbine to stuff in the back of the one we built. This creation was done by 3D artist Márk Mészáros and was inspired by the cars of the Fallout video game series, as well as those from the Mad Max trilogy. By utilizing such graphic programs as Lightroom, V-Ray and Photoshop to create this masterpiece, Márk has manage to take one of the coolest cars on the planet and make it even better. What’s truly amazing though is the level of detail that has been integrated into this piece. Whether it’s the “EL CHORRO” pin-up art on the door, the tire tread on the old school BFG Radial T/A’s, or the worn out “Happy Face” sticker on the back of the fuel tank. This bad boy is one of the coolest rides I’ve ever seen.

Source: Deviantart.com