Caffeine and Carburetors

Yesterday was the first Caffeine & Carburetors event of 2014.   Caffeine & Carburetors is a gathering of automotive enthusiasts that meets in New Canaan, Connecticut about six times a year.  The home base for the event is  Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee. Doug Zumbach began hosting these gatherings in 1995. These Sundays start around 8 am to gather and enjoy a cup of coffee followed by a leisurely drive through the countryside.

This event is definitely gaining popularity. Between the buzz leading up to the event and being blessed with a sunny, crisp Spring day after a long cold winter over 700 cars turned out for a great automotive exhibition.  The town of New Canaan also did a great job to embrace and support the event.

So what makes Caffeine & Carburetors so special (compared to other shows and cruise nights)?  First of all the focus is enjoying the cars (i.e. driving). There are no sponsorships or awards. Furthermore, while C&C does have an an emphasis on foreign sports cars, everything in the automotive world is represented.   So you will come across everything from a Model A or 1920's Rolls Royce to the latest Ferrari or Lamborghini.

The remaining events for 2014 are scheduled for :

• May 4
• June 15
• September 7
• October 5
• November 2

Here are just a few photos I took from the event:

Dyson Porsche IMSA 962 (The first customer Porsche 962, chassis number 962-101)

Cool Porsche Carrera 3.2 Teardown

Just saw this really cool video on YouTube.  It is an animation of the tear down of a Porsche Carrera  3.2 engine.  I wonder how long it took to make this.

The producer of the film posted a teaser for the rebuild which should be appear here at some point.

My Detroit Autoshow Rant

Time for me to chime in on the 2014 North American International Auto Show. Honestly, I didn't feel that this year's show made for 'must see TV.'  There were some very significant debuts but I think that the trend of manufactures 'leaking' photos via social media outlets in the days and weeks leading up to the show somewhat takes the fun out of the event itself. Essentially, the overall anticipation is somewhat diminished as cars/concepts are really being debuted rather than revealed.

So lets start with the highlights....

I'm not a huge fan of concept cars. They tend to all look the same and rarely ever translate into something I'd actually want. For instance, this year Kia showed off a cool concept called the GT4 Stinger. As interesting as it is, its hard to get excited about it because at the end of the day you know Kia will never produce anything that remotely resembles the Stinger.

There was one concept car that was fantastic! The Toyota FT-1 Concept is what concept cars should be all about.  It sends a message that Toyota is not all about the Camry and Corolla.  It says that the stunning Lexus LFA is not the epitome of what they are capable of......its just the beginning.  This concept may never go into production but it makes you want to write letters and beg Toyota for the next Supra.

Now onto the debuts of 'real' cars. You know your car show is somewhat dull when the most significant reveal is the new Ford F-150. With that said, it may be the most important vehicle Ford launches this decade. The interesting thing here has been all the talk about the truck's aluminum body....which I think is cool. I actually find it bizarre when I read in blogs and forums filled with so-called truck enthusiasts complaints about the use of aluminum. The implication being that it is a weaker or inferior substitute for tried and true steel.......what a bunch of idiots. The biggest problem with the F-150 reveal was that Ford declined to reveal specific data about the F-150's power, towing or fuel economy...so who cares if you shaved 700 pounds by switching to aluminum if you cannot illustrate what that translates to in specs.

The C7 edition of the Corvette Z06 debuted. I'm not going to delve into the new Z06 since there are only two things you need to know about it:

1. The Corvette Z06 will have a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 producing at least 625 horsepower.

2. It looks like this....

There were other cool performance related cars like the Lexus RC F, the MK7 Volkswagen Golf R, the BMW M3/M4 and the Subaru WRX STI (it still has a big wing, blue paint and gold wheels).

I think the biggest news might be the big misses....

Porsche introduced a 911 Targa which seems way too complex. The way the rear glass lifts and the silver roof portion changes shape to make way for the retracting top just seems to be asking for mechanical problems.  It also seems heavy,appears to take up valuable space and ultimately I'm not even sure if it actually fits the official definition of a targa top. What's wrong with a couple of latches that you turn with your hand?

But the big winner (or loser) and honestly the only reason I wrote this post was the abomination known as the Equus Bass 770.

The Equus Bass 770 is touted as an American-made homage to iconic American muscle cars leveraging today's technology. The Americana motif even went as far as having three Bass 770's on display (a red one, a white one, and a blue one).  The designers claim that the car includes design elements influenced from all the icons such as Camaro, Challenger, Charger, GTO, and even Marlin.

When I look at the Bass I see a blatant act of automotive plagiarism that would be better suited as a Chinese made knock-off. You know what I'm talking about....like the  'high quality' Adadis sneakers and Calvim Klain clothes you find at your local flea market.

The designers can site all sorts of 'influences' but in reality the car is 90 percent 67/68 Mustang. It also features a Charger tail light panel and a Roadrunner grill.

Equus Bass770

67 Mustang in 'Eleanor' body kit

Equus Bass770

Charger

Equus Bass770

Roadrunner

The cheap imitation gets even worse. 

Next there is the 'Bass' name.....and obvious rip off of Ford's 'Boss' moniker.

Then take the contorting horse emblem.....out of the entire wild kingdom they had to pick a horse?

Then there is the 770 in the name.  770 what? It sure hell's ain't cubic inches (since the power plant  is sourced from GM) but rather 770 cubic centimeters per cylinder!  Meaning 770 times 8 = 6160 cc's....meaning 6.16 liters....which rounds up to 6.2 liters

But the real insult is the price! At least when you buy knockoffs at the flea market you are paying a quarter of what the real McCoy would sell for.  Equus plans of selling the Bass for a quarter of a million dollars!!!!!!!!

So let me close with this simple question. You have $250,000.00 burning a whole in your pocket. Do you buy a Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo LP640, Audi R8 V10, the newly shown Corvette Z06 or the next ZR1, the next Mustang Cobra, or a Equus Bass 770?  End of rant.

Porsche Returns to Le Mans in 2014!

If you haven't heard, Porsche is on a mission to return to Le Mans in 2014 with a LMP1 prototype.  With an amazing history in the endurance race I simply can't wait. Porsche has put up a Mission 2014 micro site with tons of awesome videos and news.....see you all next year!

90 Years of Le Mans

Am I the only guy this happens to? When I walk by a magnum of champagne in a liquor store I immediately have visions of shaking it and spraying it all over the place? I can't be just me! This silly tradition started (or at least was popularized) at Le Mans!  The 24 Hours of Le Mans was the venue for the first known instance at a major race of a winning driver celebrating by spraying champagne instead of drinking it. When Dan Gurney won the 1967 race with co-driver A.J. Foyt, the two drivers mounted the victory stand and Gurney was handed a magnum of champagne. Looking down, he saw Ford CEO Henry Ford II, team owner Carroll Shelby and their wives, as well as several journalists who had predicted disaster for the high-profile duo. Gurney shook the bottle and sprayed everyone nearby, establishing a tradition re-enacted in victory celebrations the world over for the next 40+ years. Gurney autographed and gave the bottle of champagne to a Life photographer, Flip Schulke, who used it as a lamp for many years. He later returned the bottle to Gurney, who keeps it at his home in California.

Another silly thing Le Mans gave us. The races traditionally began with what became known as the Le Mans start, in which cars were lined up alongside the pit wall. The starting drivers would stand on the opposite side of the front stretch. When the French flag dropped to signify the start, the drivers would run across the track to their cars, which they would have to enter and start without assistance, before driving away. This became a safety issue in the late 1960s when drivers would ignore their safety harnesses, a recent invention. This starting method inspired Porsche to locate the ignition key switch to the left of the steering wheel. This allowed the driver to use his left hand to start the engine, and his right hand to put the transmission into gear.

June 22 will mark the 90th year of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 Heures du Mans in French). With the the current cable providers, streaming over the internet, and social media it shouldn't be difficult to follow the race.  Just like with the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans is more than just a race.  The machines, location, history and pageantry make it an event.

How cool is this guy?

Massive cool garage, awesome collection of Porsche 911's, driving like a maniac, dreadlocks and the first name 'Magnus'......how cool is this guy?

The Porsche 911 is an icon. If you didn’t want a 911 before watching this video, you certainly will afterwards.

URBAN OUTLAW is a portrait of Magnus Walker, the rebel Porsche customizer who turned a hobby into an obsession, and an obsession into a successful business. From a workshop in downtown Los Angeles, Magnus obsessively harvests fragments from donor 911s, grafting them onto vintage frames to create one-off automobiles with the spirit of Ferdinand Porsche but an ethos entirely his own.