By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Is there such thing as a “practical” exotic that you could run as a driver, or at the very least do something with besides polishing it with a microfiber and driving 20 miles a year to snooty concours shows? For me, practical exotics are the only ones I’m even remotely tempted by–I mean, if it’s so expensive and temperamental that you can’t even drive it to work, what’s the point? I’ve been totally hankering for a Pantera–I’ve always loved the incongruous combo of a thoroughbred-looking Italian car with this burly American-muscle burble coming out of it. The run-of-the-mill Ford 351 is a snap to find parts for, the rear engine compartment offers scads of room for wrenching, and the entire setup seems unfussy and accessible. Yes, I’m sure there are some hassles associated with owning a Pantera, but what do you expect? As exotics go, it seems infinitely doable. My runners-up for practical exotics would be a DeLorean (if that counts as any kind of exotic, it’s got low maintenance costs and great aftermarket infrastructure) or a Ferrari 308 (you can find them in the $20′s, and John from Autosport daily-drives his in the summer and does his oil changes on his lunch break: total rockstar).  What am I missing? What attainable exotic have you had an eye on?

By Ben Schaffer

The Real JDM

To my friend John Sibal – You’re taste in cars is phenomenal. I usually don’t like to feature much content from other blogs but you leave me no choice with your latest post. This car needs to be seen! It is everything that is right about JDM hardcore tuning ethos, yet it is not JDM (by literal definition). This is a great example of what I was talking about a few years ago when I wrote a two part series on the redefinition of JDM tuning as a philosophy. Part 1 Part 2

Check out John’s blog for more pics of this car.

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

After a quick 11-hour hop across the Pacific, I’m back here in the land of small cars and funny soft drinks. I’ll be in Japan for a couple weeks, visiting the in-laws and of course doing some Speedhunting along the way. I’ll try to post as much Japan material as I can, but before that I want to post a few photos from a show I attended right before I left – the Belmont Concours d’Eleganza back home in good old Fresno, California. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Mike Garrett

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

A lot of us at CarDomain are unapologetic fans of unexpectedly pink cars, and when this bubble-gum-hued Pantera turned up on eBay, I couldn’t help but share it with you all. Panteras are cool at the best of times–there’s just something about a refined-looking Italian exotic with that burly muscle-car chortle coming out of it–but this one, with a shot of nitrous running through its 351 Cleveland, is awesome enough to get away with just about any color scheme it wants. The two-tone is a bit My Little Pony, but whatever. Check out the auction here.

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 Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Nick and Matt guessed correctly that the Pantera was going home last week. So who goes home this week? First three CarDomain members to correctly guess who gets eliminated in episode three before the show airs get CarDomain beanies!

By Mike Musto

RideLust.com

Episode II of Bullrun aired last night and although I still don’t like the new format, the show is getting better. The participants are beginning to come out of their shells and tensions seem to be heating up. Most of that heat, though, is directed towards the EVO. So far, aside from Chris being overly obnoxious, I really don’t find them that bad, in fact I kinda’ like them for the sheer entertainment value they provide.

Elvis and Steve from Team Strange are also up there on my fun to watch list, as Steve is just plain funny in a very understated way. Elvis, well… I just have to respect a guy who doesn’t give sh*t and flips the bird to conformity. I really hope these guys hang in there for awhile. Then there’s Brooke and Amanda, the two cuties from Arkansas. Brook swears like a NYC dock worker which is funny as hell, and Amanda knows her way around a map, which is why Team Lexus won last nights stage. I’m diggin’ these two chicks.

Continue reading after the jump.

Continue reading "BULLRUN Episode II" »

By Mike Musto

RideLust.com

It’s been two years since the first season of Bullrun aired on Spike TV. It was met with mixed emotions by car enthusiasts. Some thought it was kind of goofy for a car show. Others, however, loved it. I have a soft spot for it because, well… I was on it. From an experience standpoint, it was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. From seeing parts of the country that I never dreamed of, to doing things to my car that I NEVER thought I would do, to simply experiencing how a big budget TV show is made. All of it was a great experience.

I just finished watching the first episode of the new season on Speed TV and it looks as though some things changed for the better and some for the worse. First off, there’s WWE superstar and Bullrun host Bill Goldberg. In Season 1 of the show I think everyone felt that Bill was WAY under-utilized. He just didn’t have enough participation in the show and with the cast. This season it seems as though he’s more involved in the action, which is a really good thing. Bill is a no BS guy who just tells it like it is. If you screw up, he’ll tell you. If he doesn’t like you, he’ll tell you. And if he REALLY doesn’t like you, well, then you’d better move far away.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Bullrun Season II First Impressions" »

German designer Stefan Schulze has come up with a concept for a modern Pantera, and while it looks hot, the idea that the car would utilize Gallardo running gear leaves me cold. One of the sweetest things about the original cars was that they were powered by Ford’s burly and easy-to-service 351 Cleveland, so  remaking the marque as a Lambo appearance package seems a little weak. via Autoblog

This ’72 Pantera was shipped all the way from sunny SoCal to its new home in Norway, and it made the trip without incident. Since Panteras were never officially sold in that country, along with the usual resto gremlins, new owner Ketil will have to do some bargaining with the bureaucrats to get his baby on the road. He’s already gone ahead and gotten independent safety info from TUVRhienland, and is in the process of making sure the lights, seat belts and bumpers conform to Norway’s standards for the model year. Of course, one look at some of the creations on his ride page makes it clear he’s up to the challenge. Check out the stripped-down snowmobile he built, and don’t miss this video of his Pantera running for the first time in over a decade! Good luck with the project Ketil!