By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Wow, our friends across the pond get some seriously badass funeral coaches. This one was spotted on a hauler near Modena. No word on where it was headed or whose lucky stiff it was slated to haul. Via Carscoop.

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

No, you’re not seeing things. That’s a Maserati Gran Turismo used to pull a camper. Even if the vehicle can take it, this is just wrong! It’s only a matter of time before something breaks, and it won’t be cheap to repair. Learn more about this atrocity at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Cash for Clunkers is over and the government and many dealers proclaim it as an overwhelming success. But at what cost? Many rather unusual and possibly valuable cars were sacrificed during the program; a few that will make the car enthusiasts among us cringe.

There were a number of questions raised when scanning through the list published on September 9th by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To be eligible for the Cash for Clunkers program, vehicles were specified to only get 19 miles-per-gallon or less, measured by their previously published EPA rating. Yet a few vehicles that were submitted generally get better fuel mileage than the benchmark set by the program rules.

As troubling as that was, it is underscored by the list of truly desirable enthusiast cars that were traded in as clunkers. This raises some troubling questions as to the reasoning behind the transaction. Scanning through the list, here are 12 different vehicles that should have been saved from their eventual fate of being scrapped. These 12 cars will be met with the usual questions as to how this was allowed to happen in the first place, or what kind of person would trade such a vehicle, replacing it with a Hyundai or a Toyota? Continue reading about the “Dirty Dozen”, with details about each one at Automotive Traveler.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

With an attained 202MPH on the Salt Flats in Utah, Jerry Hathaway’s Maserati-powered race car is the fastest Citroen SM in the world. Hathaway has been fascinated with Citroens for 35 years, and while he’s unquestionably proud of the record-setting racer, he’s actually more pumped about the matching car and trailer he build to tow it. The workhorse CV lost its rear seats in favor of a pickup bed, and the trailer uses Citroen hydraulic components to allow it to be towed empty without bouncing around. Oh, and they’re both completely gorgeous in a ’60s spaceship kind of way. The whole set-up will be on display at the La Dolce Vita Automobili at Black Horse in Monterey on August 14th, so if you’re nearby, go check it out. Two more pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Jerry Hathaway’s Wicked Citroen SMs" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

My buddy Tom was out for lunch yesterday when he spotted this seriously pissed-off Maserati owner downtown. It’s not clear exactly what happened, but we do know that the other vehicle was a taxi cab—which was moved clear of the intersection before Tom could snap a picture—and that repairing the Italian Stallion is not going to be cheap. Obviously, it’s sucks that this Gransport got bashed up, but I can’t see any reason the owner shouldn’t get it the hell out of the intersection. Sure, it’s a fancy Italian sports car, I get that. But it’s not like fancy Italian sports cars block  intersections less efficiently than say, clapped out Camrys. Maybe he wants the cops to investigate the scene so he can sue the pants off the Taxi company? Your guess is as good as mine. Two more pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Taxi Ruins Maser Owner's Day Downtown" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

So there aren’t any examples of gratuitous law-breaking, crashes, or police in this clip, but I can assure you it’s Gumball related. When the rally was passing through Anaheim, the contenders stopped by the D1GP and did a slow parade for the fans. Fortunately, StreetFire was there to get it on tape. While there’s obviously a grip of exotics—including an XJ220!—one car that’s conspicuously absent is Richard Rawlings’ Escalade-powered, breakdown-prone ’78 Chevy Caprice. It’s apparently giving him a hell of a time, just like it did on Bullrun last year.

By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

Coming of age in the Pacific Northwest during the Ford, Carter and Reagan administrations, exposure to Italian cars came in small and sporadic doses. Sure, there were the less-than-rare sightings of Fiats and Alfas, but the only Lancia I remember was my third grade teacher’s blue Beta Coupe, there was a kid at school whose father had a grey Ferrari 308 GTS, and I once – just once, I saw a white Lamborghini Countach driving up Clyde Hill driving home from high school.

This makes the phenomenal turnout at the Fiat Enthusiasts Northwest club’s annual All-Italian show at the XXX Rootbeer in Issaquah, WA more amazing. With 100 beautiful Italian machines congregating in one Seattle-area suburb, it’s proof that world has changed drastically in just a few decades.

Fiat, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, De Tomaso, and Lamborghini were all well-represented. Ferrari had the best showing with nearly a third of the total field wearing a prancing horse badge.

And, of course, the color of the day was Rossa Corsa. Between the cars and clothes, there was more red at the show than in all the Tarantino movies combined. Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Speed and Beauty on Display at the 2009 All-Italian Show" »

By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

Too many car enthusiasts stand on the sidelines thinking that classic ownership is out of their means. This is especially true of those whose primary automotive dream is limited to exotic brands. The fact of the matter is that you don’t need a trust fund or an AIG-style bonus to buy and maintain a sports car or luxury GT capable of gaining entry into exotic marque ownership clubs. Sometimes all you need is about a grand, some patience and luck.

And before you think this is like my college roommate’s favorite party mantra of “set your sights high and keep your standards low,” the following affordable exotics actually are cars you can be certain will not only appreciate in value, but also be enjoyable and reliable. Sure, most of these cars are the whipping boys and joke magnets, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad – it just means that other cars from the marque are better.

Since not all of us can afford the best, I’ve put together a list of five inexpensive options for those wanting to own an example from great brands. See the full list after the jump!

Continue reading "Five Inexpensive Ways To Qualify For Exotic Brand Ownership Clubs" »

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

The new Maseratis are cool, but this beautiful old Indy car stole my heart. It won the 1939 and 1940 Indianpolis 500 for Boyle Racing Headquarters, driven by Wilbur Shaw. I love it when the OEMs bring out the heritage iron. The heat bluing on the exhaust is awesome! Check out two more pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Maserati No. 1 Boyle Special" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Maserati brought three cars to NAIAS: a silver GranTurismo, black Quattroporte Sport GT S and a white Quattroporte. A ton more pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Maserati at NAIAS" »