OC Dream Garage

Happened to record a series on Discovery HD Theater about the 2009 Paris Retromobile Classic Car Auction and it was great looking at all the classics.

I'm a car nut, but I tend to focus on certain makes and models more than eras or classes. One nice thing about living in a city with a lot of very wealthy people is that the local car shows are filled with great cars of all types and eras and makes.

Being very wealthy himself, if Michele assembled a "Dream Garage", it would include:




2008 Bugatti 16.4 Veyron GranSport - Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson summed it up best when he said this car was a "Concorde Moment" - doing something just to push the edge of the envelope. VW loses something like €4 million on every one they sell, but it's a testament to automotive engineering that, like Concorde, will probably never be repeated in our lifetime.




1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spyder America - An absolute looker that would make even the beautiful cars of the 1960's stand up and take notice.




1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Cabriolet - Michele and Kara drove one in the Mille Miglia because I think it's a beautiful machine with clean, classic lines.





2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Spyder - Six decades later, Alfa still makes heart-breakingly beautiful cars.






1966 Ferrari 275 GTS and 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 - Sunny weather or cloudy, you'll always look good.





1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 "Daytona" - Considered somewhat of an a anachronism when launched, it's now a classic.





1955 Maserati A6G/54 2000 Zagato Spyder - Almost as beautiful as the Lancia B24S.





2009 Maserati GranCabrio - It's damn hard to top an Aston Martin DB9 Volante for both beauty and craftsmanship, but this Maserati does it. The DB9 will be smoother thanks to the V12 and automatic transmission, but this is bite-the-back-of-your hand beautiful.





2008 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder - Italian design and German craftsmanship - a marriage made in heaven.




Kara's idea of a "classic" is something made before 1995, so...




2009 Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce - The final curtain call for the last "Italian" Lamborghini. She'll miss the madness.





2002 Ferrari Enzo - The ultimate Ferrai, at home both on the track and off.





2006 Pagani Zonda Roadster F - Shares her last name and as Richard Hammond says - "It's pure pantomime, which is what a supercar should be."





2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano - When she needs to drive 1000km straight, Kara believes doing so in a car that comfortable, stylish...and fast enough to cover the distance in about three hours.





2010 Ferrari 458 Italia - Perfect for tight Italian roads...and straight Italian Autostrada.





2010 Ferrari California - Not the fastest roadster out there, but it's a Ferrari. Nuff said.

1966 Ferrari 275 GTS and 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 - Sunny weather or cloudy, you'll always look good.

- This one looks a bit for me.

emperor wrote:1966 Ferrari 275 GTS and 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 - Sunny weather or cloudy, you'll always look good.

- This one looks a bit for me.

Agreed. Very sweet.

PS: The 1955 Maserati is nice too.

When in the United States, these are Britney’s modes of transportation.



But when in Italy, it’s Biff’s Fiat…



…and Alitalia Airlines.



She even flies coach.

The Fiat 500 is a great car. I look forward to it's arrival in the US - especially if we get the Fiat 695 Abarth Tributo Ferrari which is having it's premiere this week at the Frankfurt Auto Show:



Kara does fly Alitalia on occasion, as her uncle (Michele's brother) is a 777-200ER pilot with them:



However, she prefers Air France's L'Espace Premiere:



to Alitalia's Magnifica Class:

Kiskaloo wrote:

...Six decades later, Alfa still makes heart-breakingly beautiful cars.

The man speaks truth.



Jethro doesn't own a lot of cars... he'd like to own a lot of cars but he a) couldn't afford it and b) can't quantify having them if he's not going to have the time to use them.

His (and Monty's since she doesn't drive... beyond being able to "Fire up the Quattro") work-horse is an Audi A4 Allroad estate... diesel:



It's comfortable, hardy, reliable, long range, has lots of space, handles resonably well and effectively fills every one of his needs except for being interesting.



Jethro also owns half a mk1 Ford Escort Mexico (add driving lights for effect) which he campaigned in amature rallys/nav-time trials (ie. what rally used to be back in the bobble hat days), motorkhana etc with a friend:



He used to own a whole Escort, but when it started looking like he wouldn't be home a lot he sold half of it to his regular co-driver so it would still be used rather than rotting away in a shed.


If the fratello needs to fly somewhere, Jethro'll take whatever ticket is first available... or whatever he can hire/steal at the time:



The Goose has been showing up in a few of my sketches of Monty and Jethro... will have to find a way to work it in properly.

Michele is a part-owner of a Piaggio P.180:

And from the OC Nightmare Garage, I give you a crime against Man, Nature, Style, Taste and Technology (at a minimum): 2010 Mansory Bentley Vitesse Rose.

It's so shocking, I can't bring myself to link to a picture.

Kiskaloo wrote:And from the OC Nightmare Garage, I give you a crime against Man, Nature, Style, Taste and Technology (at a minimum): 2010 Mansory Bentley Vitesse Rose.

It's so shocking, I can't bring myself to link to a picture.

*blink... for some reason I keep thinking that would have worked better as a Roller with an extra set of wheels at the front.
That said, I'll pass Some people need their heads checking.

Kiskaloo wrote:And from the OC Nightmare Garage, I give you a crime against Man, Nature, Style, Taste and Technology (at a minimum): 2010 Mansory Bentley Vitesse Rose.

It's so shocking, I can't bring myself to link to a picture.

What in the hell is that supposed to be?

Did some CEO's daughter want a Barbie Bentley of her own?

Why didn't they buy some a Lotus Elise and paint it?

This is why an aftermarket exists!

I mean...WTF!! And that's all I have to say.

I can't decide if it's worse than the pink Bentley Continental West Coast Customs did for Paris Hilton:


I gotta say, I think Paris' might be more tasteful...

West Coast Customs are a bunch of sell-outs. At one time they were the one of the more respected custom shops in LA. Now their work looks like something out of the Twilight Zone.

boomer_gonz wrote:West Coast Customs are a bunch of sell-outs. At one time they were the one of the more respected custom shops in LA. Now their work looks like something out of the Twilight Zone.

Every now and then I come across their show on Discovery HD Theater and I have to say they look like a bunch of clowns.

boomer_gonz wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:And from the OC Nightmare Garage, I give you a crime against Man, Nature, Style, Taste and Technology (at a minimum): 2010 Mansory Bentley Vitesse Rose.

It's so shocking, I can't bring myself to link to a picture.

What in the hell is that supposed to be?

Did some CEO's daughter want a Barbie Bentley of her own?

Why didn't they buy some a Lotus Elise and paint it?

This is why an aftermarket exists!

I mean...WTF!! And that's all I have to say.

Why not an Elise? Because if it was a CEO's daughter then the Bently's easier to drive The Elise, particularly the S1 (before they reworked the suspension and put skinner rear tyres on for the S2) can BITE.

On a more personal level, as horrible as the whole thing is, I'd far prefer to see the Bently done up like this than a Lotus.

...ugh. if you're dealing with some CEO's spoiled daughter, get a Mazda Miata, paint it pink, and get a professional bodywork guy to rework the lines and badging to make it look a little like a Porsche. She'll never know the difference, and she'd be less likely to kill herself (wait, is that actually a positive point?)

...I can't believe I just recommended that...

fuck it, give her a Mercedes CLK roadster tuned to the gills. The world will be better off with the two of 'em wrapped around a tree.

LoC978 wrote: fuck it, give her a Mercedes CLK roadster tuned to the gills. The world will be better off with the two of 'em wrapped around a tree.

This thinking I like

SECONDED!!

The National Geographic Channel's series Ultimate Factories showed the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars facility in Goodwood, England last night.

To quote Neo from The Matrix - "Woah!"

I found it fascinating on a number of levels - as a car enthusiast, as an aficionado of Rolls-Royce (I thought the new Phantom ugly when it first came out, but it's grown on me over the years), as a craftsman and as an engineer. The level of craftsmanship and the engineering and systems developed for assembly were jaw-dropping.

If you get NGC and find engineering interesting, you might want to check it out. I believe there are a few more repeats scheduled.

Next week is the Camaro, which I expect will be a very different production process.

I think a Phantom Drophead Coupé would look nice in the garage:

What's in the OC garage? No-brainer.

As if Laine would drive anything else but an American muscle car.

Alpha would have 1 or two in his garage...if parts weren't so hard to come by in Europe.

boomer_gonz wrote:Alpha would have 1 or two in his garage...if parts weren't so hard to come by in Europe.

That's what the Mafia is for.

that's also what the internet (and an American friend with an APO address) is for.

@Kisk... never could get the hang of the drophead coupe myself... think it's the windscreen surround that does it...

Of course, for Ultimate Q-car appeal: VW Kombi

Alfisti wrote:@Kisk... never could get the hang of the drophead coupe myself... think it's the windscreen surround that does it...

Well it does suffer somewhat from the "huge coupe" effect - taking what is in effect a four-door sedan and just giving it two larger doors.

There is one at the local Roller dealership that they bring out with the Bentley Azure and Continental GTC on sunny days, but I have only seen one close-up in San Diego while I was at the Hard Rock Cafe and I have to say it looked pretty sharp, though I'd probably take the Azure for the "classic" look and certainly the GTC for a "modern" one.

Kiskaloo wrote:Another Crime Against Taste

There should be a law against such things.

Kiskaloo wrote:Another Crime Against Taste

Matt black I can deal with... my old man and a friend campaigned a matt black RS2000 Escort with resonable success in the Targa NZ a few years back.

Pink interior however... that's a different story.

Kiskaloo wrote:Another Crime Against Taste

Kids dying their hair blonde (even if it's just the tips)...

All the good music being left OFF the radio...

Bullshit catchphrases (emoticon speak is fine for the webz, but if I hear someone say "OMG" or "LOL" just once today so help me)...

And now this.

I have denied it for years, but I now concede. The 80's have returned.

boomer_gonz wrote: I have denied it for years, but I now concede. The 80's have returned.

I try not to think about it... seriously, whoever looked back to that decade and thought "lets do that again" should be shot.

Amen on the "LOL" thing as well... anyone who uses "LOL" in everyday conversation should have to forgo their right to use the English language.

Suffered a massive failure of motivation today and picked up an old EVO mag. So now on Jethro's wish list: the "suprisingly practical" Bowler Nemisis!



"I’m not sure if it’s the mud, the race livery, the sheer size of the
thing or the exhaust sounding like the outbreak of war, but driving a
full-on Dakar desert racer to a local supermarket certainly gets the
attention of your fellow shoppers. Parking is straightforward enough,
although reversing is made a little tricky by the lack of rear
visibility since I have just the two door mirrors to work with and
they’re covered in mud. "

Rest of EVO's always entertaining review here

Alfisti wrote:Suffered a massive failure of motivation today and picked up an old EVO mag. So now on Jethro's wish list: the "suprisingly practical" Bowler Nemisis!

Hamster sure loves those things.

Motorstorm decal FTW!!!!

boomer_gonz wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:Another Crime Against Taste

Kids dying their hair blonde (even if it's just the tips)...

All the good music being left OFF the radio...

Bullshit catchphrases (emoticon speak is fine for the webz, but if I hear someone say "OMG" or "LOL" just once today so help me)...

And now this.

I have denied it for years, but I now concede. The 80's have returned.

If....

Spoiler:

What do you get the person who has everything but taste? The £1million Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition SUV.

Gold-plated windows, pure tungsten exhausts, and speed gauges encrusted in diamonds is a good start. And throwing three bottles of Russo-Baltique vodka makes the car a great deal, since a single bottle retails for £790,000.

Weighing four tons and powered by a V8 engine capable of 450 horsepower, the Pombron's maker also claim the car is 'rocket grenade proof'. I expect it could give the great Canyanero a run for the money.

Do note that the whale-penis leather interior on the display model will not be available for customer vehicles. Environmentalists and Pamela Anderson (?!) blew a gasket about it.

of course ol' Pam doesn't want whale penises skinned... she likes 'em with the skin still intact...

...something about the concept sitting on penis leather just makes me vaguely uncomfortable.

So it has nothing to do with the vehicle in question being completely and utterly tasteless?

I like fancy automobiles too, but c'mon... there's a certain point at which bling for the sake of bling gets to be in really poor taste.

that too...
kinda reminds me of one o' these (and since we're on the subject anyway):

Piero wrote:I like fancy automobiles too, but c'mon... there's a certain point at which bling for the sake of bling gets to be in really poor taste.

Well you have to cut the Russians and Arabs and US corporate CEOs some slack. They are all nouveau riche and when you suddenly end up with hundreds of millions of dollars, you need to spend it on something to show you "have arrived" to your peers - all of whom are also worth hundreds of millions.

So you get things like million dollar cars or million dollar bottles of vodka or two million dollar bottles of cognac and one hundred million dollar penthouses in London.

Now, there's a sunset cruise I wouldn't mind joining

As long as the topic seems to be unrealistic dream rides I offer this...


The Caterham 7 R500. It's only got a 263hp Ford 4-banger, but since it weights less than 1150lbs that's more than enough to blow the doors off almost anything on the road (it is street legal).

Here's the lap time list from Top Gear...the R500 is 5th.
Stig's fast laps

Alas, it's too small to carry diving gear, so my OC, Elio, had to choose a boring BMW M3 instead.

I thought about building a Caterham 7 once, but I had to abandon the project, partially because I knew that if I did I'd only waste whole weekends pretending I was No. 6!



"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own. I resign!"

If nothing else, it'd cost me an absolute fortune in saucers by play-acting the opening sequence fifty times a day...

Professor Voodoo wrote:As long as the topic seems to be unrealistic dream rides I offer this...


The Caterham 7 R500. It's only got a 263hp Ford 4-banger, but since it weights less than 1150lbs that's more than enough to blow the doors off almost anything on the road (it is street legal).

Here's the lap time list from Top Gear...the R500 is 5th.
Stig's fast laps

Alas, it's too small to carry diving gear, so my OC, Elio, had to choose a boring BMW M3 instead.

Ahh, a man after my own heart Personally I'm quite a fan of the boggo 125 Roadsport as well (though part of me wonders how much shit I'd cop for rocking up at the club without a "real" Seven, I already cop enough for having the Alfa).

Well, there's a little space behind the rollbar (and above the fuel tank )... there's quite a good picture of one of these with all four wheels off the ground in an EVO mag somewhere.

The race to build a Caterham Seven in Scotland before the Stig could drive one there from the factory in Surrey in Series 8, Episode 7 was classic Top Gear.

Robert Frazer wrote:I thought about building a Caterham 7 once, but I had to abandon the project, partially because I knew that if I did I'd only waste whole weekends pretending I was No. 6!

I say go for it! Who needs all that needless fluff in a car like a radio and doors?

By the way, Alfisti, that video you posted with the VW Bus at Spa-Francochamps is friggin' insane! I got to run a few laps of that track 10 years ago (on a bike) and anyone who could pull off a pass going down hill into Eau Rouge has serious cojones no matter what they're driving.

Personally I wouldn't mind owning a Caterham 7 JPE.

Damn! Somebody actually made a Canyanero!



Freightliner Sportchassis P4XL

well, if you're going to have a pickup or SUV, it may as well actually be capable of hauling more than a minivan (if it's not an offroad vehicle, that is).

Professor Voodoo wrote:...anyone who could pull off a pass going down hill into Eau Rouge has serious cojones no matter what they're driving.

Serious cajones... or be batshit insane. Considering that we're talking about someone who apprently decided that turning a Kombi Van into a race car was a good idea...

Well I'm tempted to go with option "b" =P


In other news, perfectly suited for use in the Bahamas:



One of dad's mates once had one of these with a Cooper S motor in it... not the safest combination ever if I'm honest.

So we can expect Jethro and Monty to be tooling around with one of those when in the Islands?

looks a lot safer than most mokes I've seen. at least it has seat belts and seat cushions. Just imagine one with bare metal seats and a stage 3 kit on its 998...