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Posts filed under ‘Media’

Driving the Only Left-Hand Drive
Mazda RX-7 Spirit R in the World

December 16, 2012 by Matt

As soon as I think I’m over my obsession with the 3rd generation Mazda RX-7, or FD, a clip like this pops up and reminds me of all the reasons I fell in love with the elemental sports car as a 15-year-old.

It does get talky in parts, and the host makes much the same point articulated more astutely by Chris Harris—pining for a lower-power, full-engagement sports car instead of the mega-horsepower digital “robots” de rigeur nowadays—but the shots of the Spirit R blasting along the California coast are worth the occasional superfluous foray into familiar automotive history.

To state the obvious, it’s an achingly beautiful car. I honestly can’t think of a lovelier vehicle to emerge from Japan, and the knowledge of its (considerable) capability only strengthens the pull of its lines. As much as I wish the FD had been offered in the US for longer than three model years, I wonder sometimes if the shortness of its production run coupled with the powder-keg nature of its twin-turbocharged rotary don’t actually enhance its appeal. It’s so ephemeral, so uncompromising, both in its looks and in its accoutrements vis-a-vis the driver, so utterly irrational… We need cars like this; cars that don’t make a lick of sense “in the real world.” As much as I appreciate what Mazda attempted to do with the RX-8, with its suicide doors and livable back seat, those very concessions to practicality turn me off to it. I would “use” the RX-8’s compromises exactly once: As talking points to convince my wife that the car wasn’t a completely frivolous expenditure, and then bemoan their presence for the rest of my ownership experience. No, even if I had to sleep on the couch for a couple of weeks, give me the FD RX-7. Its purity is worth the pain.

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Mazda RX-7 Spirit R in the World

Stunning BMW E24 “Intro” Video

December 9, 2012 by Matt

This was recently posted by a new member of an online forum for BMW E24 owners and enthusiasts. Needless to say, if every forum inductee could make a clip of this quality, the internet car enthusiast community would be a very nice place indeed.

The cinematography, the music, the editing… It’s breathtaking—and descriptive. My major beef with most amateur (or even professional) car videos is that they tend to be so obsessed with over-the-top “kinetic” camera movement that you barely have time to glimpse the actual car or linger over its lines, but the video above draws out the proportions and feel of the 6er in massive fashion. Full-screen it and turn up the volume. Well done.

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A Top Gear Take on Lancia

November 19, 2012 by Matt

Lancia Montecarlo Monte Carlo Scorpion Red

Really been jonesing for one of these lately. Maybe not a mid-engined Lancia Montecarlo (sold in the US as the Lancia Scorpion) as shown above, but for a Lancia in general.

What’s the appeal? Imagine a car with the cachet, élan and romance of a classic Alfa Romeo, but rare as hen’s teeth, and even less practical.

What’s attractive about an impractical car? Well, why are we often drawn to others so dissimilar to ourselves? Where’s the “practicality” in that kind of arrangement? Sometimes we just want the heartbreakers, and there are few marques able to break hearts quite as effectively as Lancia.

A few years ago, the Top Gear presenters asked themselves which automaker had produced the largest number of great cars, and after some deliberation, they (rather surprisingly) passed over such legends as Ferrari, BMW and Jaguar and settled on Lancia. The following couple of clips span only part of the show’s coverage of the brand, but they illustrate at least somewhat the cars’ appeal to obscure car nuts like myself, and if nothing else showcase some lovely shots of classic Lancias in motion.

Click here to view the video clips!

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Top Gear Explores 50 Years of Bond Cars

November 5, 2012 by Matt

In anticipation of the upcoming Bond film Skyfall, Top Gear has put together a fantastic retrospective of the history of James Bond’s wheeled vehicles, from Dr. No to the present day. Presented by Richard Hammond, the program covers a variety of topics, from Bond’s traditional association with Aston Martin, to the famous spiral stunt in The Man with the Golden Gun, through the “low point of Bond cars” when the British superspy drove BMWs for three installments, and on to the current Daniel Craig films.

The program also dovetails nicely with my previous post on the early Lotus Esprit, as it was a Bond car for two movies and transformed into a submarine for one. That last bit of trickery was depicted using models in the film, but for the show Hammond has an actual real-life Lotus reconfigured into a submarine, and tests it in a reservoir to examine whether that particular bit of Bond lore could really happen. Well worth watching if you have an hour to spare.

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The BRE Datsun 510 Racer In Action

October 8, 2012 by Matt

As evidenced by the above clip, British IndyCar driver Alex Lloyd clearly appreciates classic racing machinery. He puts the #46 Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) Datsun 510 through its paces around the Memphis Raceway, waxing lyrical about the rawness of the chassis and the glorious wail of the 4-cylinder L16 engine at high rpm.

I, too, smiled as I listened to the mechanical soundtrack. I’ll be the first to vouch for the fact that the Nissan L-series engine, an example of which resides under the hood of my 240Z, has an electrifying, distinctive, gritty sound at any speed, a quality that endears it to vintage car aficionados in spite of the L-series’ “disadvantages” such as a non-crossflow head and only two valves per cylinder. It produces a full-bodied, muscular sound all out of proportion to it displacement, and exhibits a flexibility and durability that have given it quite the racing pedigree.

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the #46 BRE 510’s history is that before being lovingly restored to its former glory, as you see it in the above clip, it was on the verge of being scrapped! Fortuitously discovered under a tarp at Nissan headquarters in 1984, enthusiasts recognized it for what it was and rescued it from destruction. Having been fortunate enough to drive it in anger, Alex Lloyd is understandably grateful for that turn of events.

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Jay Leno Pines for a New 240Z

October 3, 2012 by Matt

When it come to presenting a car show, he’s no Clarkson, Hammond or May, but Jay Leno still does a serviceable job paying tribute to the original Z-car, before visiting the Nissan factory and yukking it up with a creative exec and one of the designers. The clip features some nice footage of a Japan-only 240ZG, with the longer “G-nose,” fender extensions and mirrors. Personally, I think it looks chintzy in the worst Japanese way, but there are some who prefer the extra tacked-on bits. I’d much rather drive the white 240Z in the “top secret” design room.

Leno also speculates about what a future 240Z might look like. It’s an interesting question, given that the ’03-’09 350Z was supposed to be a “reboot” of sorts and return the car to its original formula. Its successor the 370Z has grown out of the low-cost / respectable performance niche somewhat, and is increasingly irrelevant, what with the pony car wars heating up and hogging the airtime, so to speak. So perhaps a viable direction for the Z is “down” into competition against the Toyota 86, which for its part has become the darling of the automotive press. The Z would become smaller, lighter, yet more raw and pure. Given the current Z’s identity crisis—not enough power to hang with the Mustang GT or Camaro SS, and too expensive and ponderous to make it as a cheap corner-carver—a more driver-oriented Z-car would be a welcome change of pace, and could revitalize Nissan’s icon.

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On Nature Versus Quantity

August 17, 2012 by Matt

“We need to get back to enjoying performance because of its nature, not because of its quantity.”

— Chris Harris

Is there an Automotive Quote of the Year™ award?

I wrote about this issue more than a year ago in my “Hoping for Détente” post. And it seems like, at least in the form of the Toyota 86 (the internal code for the car variously branded as the GT-86, Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S), that my hopes have been answered. Not fulfilled, mind you, but responded to.

Chris Harris would agree. In the clip above, the 86 emerges victorious in a three-way comparison test between it, the Nissan 370Z and a used Porsche Cayman. The reason the slowest, lowest-output car comes out on top? Harris boils it down to the accessibility of the 86’s handling limits, and the resulting driving enjoyment from steering with the throttle through turns without the danger of parking the car in the weeds. That responsive, interactive quality has been the secret to the Mazda MX-5 Miata’s success over the years (along with a myriad of classic sports cars), and Toyota/Subaru were exceedingly wise to adopt that formula rather than taking the all-to-easy route of building a Mustang GT hunter (are you listening, Hyundai?).

Interestingly, the clip dovetails nicely with another “experiment” Harris performed in which he fitted a 480-hp Mercedes C63 AMG with space-saver “donut” spare tires in order more easily induce oversteer. It was a stunt, to be sure, but he made a valid point: The loss of grip actually made the car more controllable, to a degree, simply because the handling limits were lowered into the driver’s normal sensory range. Appropriate, then, that the visuals of the C63 on donuts and the 86 driving away are so similar in that both cars seem “under-tired.” The Toyota’s tires, in particular, seem very narrow compared to the norm for its performance class. I wonder if, ironically, that isn’t one of the keys to its handling brilliance?

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Breathtaking Le Mans Classic Photos

August 15, 2012 by Matt

Laurent Nivalle Le Mans Classic 2012 Photos Photographs Images Pictures

If you have a few minutes, stroll through this collection of stunning Le Mans Classic photos taken by Laurent Nivalle at the 2012 event. Each one is poster-worthy.

The most amazing thing about them (in addition to the obvious artistry) is the photographs’ aged quality, which makes them look absolutely, perfectly “period.” Was there a more romantic time in racing than the ’60s through the early ’80s? The cars, at least, certainly exhibited more creativity, coming as they did in a myriad of shapes, as opposed to the computer-designed homogeneity on display nowadays on any given circuit on any given weekend. For that reason, among many others, we might well consider that time a golden age.

H/t to Ray at Core77 for the link.

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Ever Dreamed Of Weaponized F1 Cars?

July 19, 2012 by Matt

Codemasters’ upcoming F1 Race Stars game may make your dream come true.

On sale in time for Christmas for the PS3, XBox and PC, F1 Race Stars offers a cartoonish, amped-up, arcade-like take on Formula 1, wherein the average fan will be able to control their driver of choice (if their choice is Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastien Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Romain Grosjean or Bruno Senna, that is), take advantage of powerups and lob a variety of weapons at their preferred “villain.” And honestly, what diehard F1 fan hasn’t, on occasion, just wanted a giant boot to appear out of nowhere and clobber whichever driver is leading their hero? I know I have.

In any case, if the gameplay mechanics are good and the driver and car balance is just right, F1 Race Stars looks like it could be a fun game. If nothing else, it would serve as a good introduction for my kids to the world of F1 personalities. Watching an actual F1 race with Daddy on any given Sunday, there’s the potential they would be slightly less bored out of their mind if they could identify one or more of the top drivers. I think I’ll give it a try.

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