Belated New York Auto Show Wrap-up

Better late than never.  Here is my recap of the New York Auto Show. Why is this review so late? Because nothing newsworthy took place this year in New York!

The event coincided with the 50th birthday of the Mustang (which I already covered) but the debut of the 50th anniversary edition of the new Mustang was somewhat underwhelming. The limited edition Mustang will be available in two colors, white or blue, and has chrome accents, louvered-style rear side glass, and other retro-themed touches......not exactly earth shattering.

Chevrolet debuted the convertible version of the new Corvette Z06. Very nice....but nothing we couldn't have created in Photoshop with a high degree of accuracy. This also held true for the debut of the drop top variant of the BMW M4.

Chrysler showed of a slightly evolved Challenger and a redesigned Charger.  While the notion of a re-skinned Charger seemed exciting when you realized that aesthetically its just a really big Dart the buzz quickly faded. The Charger's new look instantly triggered a hot debate pertaining to the product's direction.

For something that was exciting to see. Alfa Romeo showed off the beatuful 4C as the brand's reintroduction to America. However, the return of Alfa to the US is becoming an exercise in 'I'll believe it when I see it.'  Alfa failed to do it last year (as originally planned/announced)  and the 4C returns in the midst of rumors of Alfa reneging on its Mazda Miata partnership, announcing an all rear-drive strategy, and struggling sales in Europe.

Don't get me wrong, the autoshow did feature debuts that were significant to the industry.  Such as new versions of the Camry, Outback, Sonata and Murano.....but who cares.

As a side note, the Beijing Auto Show took place at the same time as the New York event.  The Beijing show seemed to feature the awesomeness (and weirdness) the New York show was missing. For instance, Audi showed off a neat TT Off-Road Concept and BMW wowed with their BMW Vision Future Luxury concept.

While VW showed off the production version of the MK7 Golf R in New York they premiered the Golf R 400 Concept at the Beijing show, and here’s why it’s awesome: Powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged EA888 engine tweaked to produce 395 horsepower, it can reach 62 mph in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph. Here’s why it’s double awesome: It’s going to be built!

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)

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.

A Day at the Park

Every Labor Day weekend I like to take the family to the park......Lime Rock Park that is.  In previous posts I've touched on my jealously of automotive enthusiasts who live in regions of the country that have thriving car scenes and/or rich rodding and racing histories like SoCal.  However, as much as I complain about being a car guy in snowy, salty New England there is one thing we have that should be on every American car guy's bucket list.

Recognized and revered for its scenic beauty and its place in motorsports history, Lime Rock Park is one of the oldest and continuously operated road racing courses in the country. Since it opened in 1957, Lime Rock Park has played host to nearly every great road racing driver, car and series, establishing a rich tradition as the Road Racing Center of the East.

Lime Rock’s history is inextricably entwined with that of sports car racing’s. In its 55-year existence, almost all of the sport’s greats have raced here: Andretti, Moss, Gurney, Posey, Rodriguez, Hobbs, Hill, Donohue, Ward, Fitch… the list of great drivers who’ve raced here is literally endless, from the drivers in the industry changing Formula Libre race of 1959 through the stars of the 1960s, 70s and 80s in Can-Am, Camel GTP, F5000, Trans-Am and Atlantic.

Lime Rock is not your typical motorsports venue...to call it a 'race track' is a horrible injustice.  Lime Rock Park rests on 350 acres of rolling Berkshire Mountain foothills creating a natural amphitheater, delivering a truly unparalleled experience for viewing world-class racing. Lime Rock Park is just that - a park. Fans are encouraged to bring their picnic blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the grassy hillside viewing, an attribute unique to Lime Rock. Without being restricted to grandstand seating, fans take full advantage of its complete access.

Labor Day weekend hosts a very special event at Lime Rock Park.....the Lime Rock Historic Festival. With over 300 historic cars and a top-notch concours (with over 1000 cars), the Lime Rock Historic Festival is one of the premier auto events in the country. Noted not just for close racing, the festival brings together a wide variety of cars and historically significant cars.  For instance, a few years ago the event hosted a 1939 W154 Mercedes Silver Arrow that had not seen a track since 1939!!!

Half the fun of going to the Lime Rock Historic Festival is the ride there. Nestled in the northwest corner of Connecticut in the rolling Litchfield hills the venue is surrounded with everything one would associate with the iconic New England countryside. For instance your route may take you over the the picturesque covered bridge in Cornwall a few mile south of the track. What makes the approach to the event so interesting is its pretty typical to come upon (or they may pop up in your mirror) some vintage or exotic sports car as you wind through sinuous roads cutting through colonial era towns and farmland.  I can write for ever about how strongly I feel about Lime Rock Park.....but honestly, one really needs to experience it to appreciate what has been called "the secret valley of racing."

On track action at Lime Rock Park:

Short video discussing the historic festival:

Some of my photos:

Shiny, Fast and Loud!

Historic racing action!

Authentic Smokey Yunick Camaro

No grandstands at this 'track'

open access to the paddock

BMW display in paddock area

Real Corvette Gran Sport (Chassis #004)

The scene walking around the paddock

For all of my photos view my gallery.

A Side Note: The newly released 2014 Corvette Stingray will be available in a hue that Chevrolet has called 'Lime Rock Green Metallic'

 

Where did the summer go?

In the blink of an eye a month has gone by since my last post! And in that same blink, a chunk of prime New England summer has flown by.  Soon enough the days will be getting shorter and the leaves will be changing .  I realized I have spent the bulk of the summer wrestling with the suspension on my Cougar rather than driving it.  I actually had to replace the front coils again since the set I cut (twice) kept unseating themselves on test drives.  I think I eventually traced the issue to the tired 1 inch spring insulators a the top of each coil.

Anyway, the car is just about road worthy again and now the goal is to drive it and attend as many local shows and event as I can while the weather cooperates.  Yesterday was a local event called the 7th Annual Sgt. Jeffrey Boucher Memorial Auto, Bike and Truck Show. This show really has become one of the best in our area for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, the show is for a great cause and completely backed by the local Police department and as a result the debauchery that ensues is sanctioned by the boys in blue. For instance, the event features a burnout contest, rock crawling course and even mud pit racing.  The venue this year was at our local municipal airport so the event even offered helicopter rides. 

The show is a free for all! Every faction of automotive enthusiast is represented. There is no 'hot rod' club frowning down on every post 1949 vehicle on display. There were vintage muscle cars, new muscle cars, hot hots, low riders, imports, lifted trucks, slammed trucks, sport bikes, choppers, military vehicles, etc!

The organizers of the event did a great job. I hesitate to call it a 'car show' since the rock crawling and mud racing made it feel more like a competitive motorsports event that happened to have a couple hundred cars on display as well.  My 8 year old son, upon entering the gate and looking around, asked me if we just arrived at a fair.  When I said it was a car show he replied to me with certainty 'No, its a fair.'

Irregardless, the event provided the motivation to get the Cougar out to upcoming events.  More to come....and enjoy what's left of the summer.