I’m not a Mercedes-Benz guy, and I never have been. Sure, its cars can be nice to look at and comfortable to be driven in, but very few of the tri-pointed star’s automobiles make my hormones sit up and beg. The exception to this rule has always been the Mercedes-Benz Black Series. Read More…
The Zenvo ST-1. Image: Gaurang Patkar
If I had to name one of the most expensive and powerful supercars you’ve probably never heard of, I’d likely choose the Zenvo ST-1. Designed to be a supercar you can still drive every day, the ST-1 boasts an 1100 horsepower V-8 and a price tag of $1.8 million. If you want one, you’d better act quickly, since only three Zenvo ST-1 50S models will be brought into the United States.
Since you’re probably tired of football by now, and about to slip into a tryptophan induced-coma from eating too much Thanksgiving turkey, enjoy the video from Jay Leno’s Garage below. It’s as close as most of us will ever come to seeing a Zenvo ST-1. Read More…
The Ferrari 458 Italia may be both the best looking and most drivable sports car in the world. Its new sibling, the 458 Italia, ups the ante by going topless but retaining a folding had top for chassis rigidity. Unlike some cars that simply look wrong in ragtop form (like the 370Z, for example), the 458 Italia is even better looking in its Spider variant. It’s the first Ferrari since the 288 GTO that’s made my hormones sit up and beg, and I suspect that Ferrari will sell all the 458 Italia Spiders they can build. Read More…
Let’s say you have eleven of the best driver’s cars in the world in your possession and a REALLY wide runway to play with. Assuming you could herd up ten friends with a death wish, what would you do with all that iron? If you’re like us (or Motor Trend, in this case), you’d pit all eleven cars against one another in a knock-down, drag-out grudge match to see which is fastest in the quarter mile. Read More…
Image: Mercedes Benz
I’ve never been a Mercedes-Benz guy, simply because its cars have generally been geared more toward luxury than sport. They’re superbly engineered, and some have genuine sports car capabilities, but these come slathered in burl walnut and tied to an automatic transmission. In short, I can admire Mercedes-Benz automobiles, but I’ve never really lusted after them. Read More…
In preparation for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Hennessey Performance Engineering recently brought their 1,200 horsepower Venom GT to the UK for testing. The unholy marriage of a stretched Lotus Exige chassis and a tuned, 6.2-liter Chevy LS-2 V-8, the Venom comes with traction control and ABS, and that’s bout it for safety and stability systems. If that’s still too much, owners can turn off the traction control completely, although we’re not sure that’s a good idea in a 1,200 horsepower car that weighs just 2,700 pounds. Despite the impressive job of suspension tuning done by development driver John Heinricey (who also helped develop the Cadillac CTS-V and set the record Nürburgring lap), the Venom GT requires your full attention behind the wheel. Make a mistake, and the Venom GT is ready, willing and able to ensure it’s your last. Read More…
These two things are more alike than you realize...
I’ve been married for a long time, and yes, it’s to the same woman. In my case that’s a good thing, since she puts up with all my bad habits and we seem to get along just fine. I’ve also been driving cars for a long time, which makes me something of an expert on both cars and relationships. I won’t call myself an expert on women, because the most important rule you can learn as a guy is that particle physics is far more understandable than women. Try to picture rebuilding a six speed gearbox blindfolded, with your toes, while shocked at random intervals by a cattle prod, and that should give you an idea of the average woman’s complexity. Read More…
Image: Mercedes-Benz
If you were one of those kids in high school in high school who got picked on for being smart, and never got to date a cheerleader. chances are good you applied yourself in college to become a successful lawyer, doctor or accountant. Chances are also good that you’ve managed to balance your finances well, and now that your 20th high school reunion is looming, you’re looking for the ideal ride to show up with your former-supermodel-wife in. Look no further, because nothing says “I’m more successful than you” quite like the roadster version of Mercedes-Benz’s SLS AMG. Read More…
The McLaren MP4-12C. Image: McLaren Automotive
As the saying goes, it ain’t a party until something gets broken, and Mc Laren just kicked off the festivities. During a durability test run on Germany’s Nürburgring circuit, an MP4-12C prototype lost control and impacted a roadside barrier. According to reports, the car was damaged but repairable, and the unnamed test driver walked away without injury. It isn’t know if the crash was caused by track conditions, driver error or mechanical failure. Read More…
Over the last ten years or so automobile manufacturers have been jumping on the retro bandwagon. Volkswagen kicked things off early with the release of their retro Beetle back in 1998 and since then others have followed. Ford for example released the beautifully restyled retro Mustang in 2005, Dodge then followed suit in 2008 with the redesigned Challenger, and then in 2009, Chevrolet hit us with the new Camaro. Now while all these new versions of our old favorites are wonderful, there is still something to be said about owning an original. There is however one caveat to this… that being, the old muscle cars from the late 60′s and early 70′s were simply horrible to drive on the open road. Manual drum brakes, a lack of power steering and horrible fuel economy were just some of the issues, so to combat this, those of us who wanted new age performance in an old wrapper went the pro-touring route. Nowadays it’s not uncommon to see 1968 Camaros running around sporting LS7′s and Z06 brakes, or 1969 Dodge Chargers being motivated by new 6.1 or 6.4 liter fuel injected HEMI’s with 6-piston calipers, full suspension work and enhanced safety features. Granted these cars take time and money to set up properly, however when complete, the results can be simply fantastic. Below are 15 examples of pro-touring cars done right – click through and enjoy.
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