On Sunday I dropped by a little car show on the University of Washington campus put on by Mirrorworks Detail along with the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity as part of the 1st Annual SPE Karts Car Show benefiting YouthAids (there were also a bunch of soap box derby cars build by the sororities). The coolest car there was the Ford GT done up in the limited-edition blue and orange Gulf color scheme, but there were a smattering of Lambos, Ferraris, Loti and Porsches, and one or two street rods. A ton more pics after the jump.
What did you do this weekend?
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Here's another great photo shoot by Patrick Ernzen of Desert-Motors.com. This is a two owner 1973 Lamborghini Jarama GTS with just 5,975 miles on the clock. It is finished in Arancio exterior with Nero leather interior. Options include power steering and factory am/fm cassette mounted in the headliner area between the sun visors. Apparently there are fewer than 30 Jaramas in the US, and of the 327 Jaramas sold worldwide, only 150 were the GTS model. Full specs on the GTS here. More photos after the jump, or go to Desert-Motors.com for the complete gallery.
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The two coolest mid-engine exotics at the New York Auto Show last week were the Saleen Raptor and the Lamborghini LP560-4. The Saleen's supercharged 5.0 produces 650 hp, while the Lambo's 5.2 liter V10 makes a measly 560 hp. Saleen has not yet committed to building the Raptor, but if they did, which would you choose?
Batman Begins was one of my favorite movies of 2005, and I'm super pumped about the Dark Knight. Just look how awesome Heath Ledger—rest in peace—looks as the Joker! While no actual photos of Batman's new Lambo have surfaced yet, the toy has been released, and it seems pretty sick. The car appears to be a wildly modded Murcielago, and should look awesome on the big screen. Check out the video below for more info.
I guess I've just been asleep at the wheel—or not watching enough TV—but I had no idea one of my favorite songwriters is doing music for Volvo. Stephin Merritt is the uber-genius behind the Magnetic Fields, and he sings an interpretation of "Wheels on the Bus" in this ad for the XC. While there are plenty of idiots out there howling about how terrible this is, personally, I like it when musicians make money. Here's the news:
- Due to mounting debts, the Pininfarina family could lose control of the design house which bears their name. Now, I acknowledge that even really rich people can go broke, but I still can't say I understand it. Any way you cut it, this is sad. World Car Fans
- The credit crunch happening across the country is starting to have an effect on classic car prices. Of course, whether this is tragic or great depends on whether you want to buy or sell. Winding Road
- A fire at a Chrysler plant in Ontario has temporarily stopped production. Ok, first a fire at Porsche, and now this? Wow. It's only a matter of time before the Ferrari and Lambo factories go off like Roman candles. Automotive News
- The American Family Association has ended its boycott of Ford. But don't worry, I'm sure the group will find another way to promote its agenda of intolerance and bigotry. Detroit News
In this world we have many wonderful things. The sun, the moon and yes, we have eBay. eBay is an interesting place to visit because you just never know what's going pop up there. My favorite section is under automobiles, specifically the "Replica/Kit Cars" section. There are all sorts of interesting creations here. People try, but rarely succeed, to build a better mousetrap than some of the worlds best automakers. My favorites are the guys that try to duplicate the legendary Lamborghini Countach. I found this gem on eBay and honestly, it's just painful to look at. From its oversized BFGs on the rear to the "oh so tastefully done" diamond plate around the rear tail lights, this is a car that should be taken out to pasture and shot dead.
The amazing part is that there are quite a few bids on this travesty. What I want to know is: why? If anyone has ever built a kit car please chime in here and educate me. You KNOW it will never be as good as the original, and unless you're a mechanic, body man, glass guy and wiring specialist the car will most likely come out looking like this poor Lambo wannabe. What's the deal people?
As you'd expect, the members of the Scottsdale Exotic Car Club have some pretty tight rides. Just check out these awesome pics from Saturday's meet! Ace photographer Patrick Ernzen hooked us up with all these gorgeous shots, and while he said turnout wasn't great, the field is still pretty impressive. Since I'm completely in love with the Ariel Atom—every single piece on that puppy matters—I was stoked to see all the pics of this blue one, and this Gallardo completely reinforced why I feel Lamborghini orange is the world's most beautiful color. Check out the rest of Patrick's handiwork over in our events section!
The official unveiling of Lamborghini's LP560/4 isn't until tomorrow, but high quality pics are already circulating. Hey, if Lambo's brass really wanted to keep this baby a secret, they'd have put a cover on it! The next-gen Gallardo will come with a new 5.2-liter V10, and while exterior tweaks are minor, in my humble opinion, it looks wicked. More pics after the jump.
Asphalte via Jalopnik
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Remember slot cars? I've been obsessed since I was a little kid, and I think it's time to pick up a new track. Hey, I can't spend all my money at the bar. Here's the news:
- The idea of hydrogen-powered vehicles seems pretty promising. But a pilot program to run busses in Santa Clara off the future-fuel has been pretty disappointing. And by disappointing, I mean, really, really expensive. Auto Observer
- Memorial services have been arranged for famed hot rod builder Boyd Coddinigton. If you're in SoCal, you can swing by his shop and pay your respects. Hopefully, the garage will continue to produce beautiful cars. Godspeed Boyd! AutoWeek
- Honda is recalling more than a quarter million TLs. Turns out excessive heat in the engine compartment can cause a power steering hose to fail, leak fluid on to the catalytic converter and start a fire. I thought Lambos and Ferrari's were the only cars supposed go up in flames. Detroit News
- The automotive press has a big, fat crush on Chevy's new Malibu, and rightly so. But is the hybrid option worth it? Some reviewers don't think so. Washington Post
Writing snappy summations of hilarious news stories is one of the things which makes this job fun. Of course, it's important recognize when something is already perfect, like this headline from the Daily Telegraph: "A road rager who allegedly slammed on his brakes and got out of his car to confront a driver behind him was struck and pinned under a car sent flying by a truck." That's what he gets. Here's the news:
- Everything's gone green. While the focus at this year's Geneva Auto Show will be on environmental modesty, don't worry, there will still be some snarling V12s on hand. After all, Lamborghini will be there. Auto Express
- Kia is going to start making transmissions in Georgia. That's interesting and everything, but I'd vastly prefer to see somebody like Alfa-Romeo take advantage of our declining dollar. Automotive News
- On the heels of that huge Mustang recall, Ford is still facing heat from the Feds about a defective cruise control switch which can lead to engine fire. Hey, when you're hot, you're hot. Auto Week
- Fans of the Sopranos may not have been happy with the way that the series ended, but the character's rides will still probably command high prices when they hit Barrett-Jackson's auction block. New York Times
Doing a burnout or turning some donuts is one thing, but hot dogging in a 200 million dollar jumbo jet? That takes some serious balls. After taking delivery of a new Boeing 777, a pilot for Cathay Pacific buzzed the tower at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. What a bad-ass. Here's the news:
- More spy shots of Porsche's Panamera have surfaced, and this time the doors and truck are open. While the term ugly may be a bit of a stretch, let's just put it this way: it's no Quattroporte. World Car Fans
- Lamborghini's Gallardo is getting a new name and a burlier powerplant. Styling changes will be minor, but the LP560/4 will come with 60 more horses under the hood. What do you have to do to get a test drive? AutoWeek
- European regulators just crash tested a slew of pickups, and the results weren't terribly encouraging. Who knew they even had pickups over there? CarScoop
- Talk about a surprise! Workers at American Axle & Manufacturing didn't really like the idea of having their pay and benefits cut in half. Think upper management would take that deal? Freep
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy—whew, say that three times fast!—just released a list of the greenest and meanest cars in America, and on the green side, Toyota's Prius came up a big, fat loser. Sorry. It actually came in second, behind Honda's greener-than-Kermit-the-Frog-on-a-lilly pad Civic GX, which runs on compressed air. As expected, small cars and hybrids make up the remainder of the green list, and also as expected, the rides on the mean list look way, way more fun. The VW Tourage—with the CFC-belching diesel V10—took the top "honors," while dream machines like Bugatti's Veyron and Lamborghini's Murcielago came in at numbers two and six, respectively. Of course, neither one of those models probably sees 1/10 the annual miles a Ford Focus—number nine on the green list—does, so in reality, they probably pollute a lot less. But whatever, check out the full breakdown over at Wired.
