Posts from ‘Ferrari’
An immaculately restored Mercedes 300SL is always a breathtaking sight.
Don’t look now, but summer is almost over. Labor Day has passed, and that means the summer cruise night season is soon to be ending in many parts of the country. Did you partake in one yet? If not, you should—either as a spectator or a participant. Most urban areas have weekly informal car gatherings; most are evening cruise nights, and some are early-morning weekend get-togethers (such as the “Cars and Coffee” show series), but all are great ways to enjoy cars without all the formality of an organized car show. The best part about these cruises is that you never know what rare or interesting vehicle might show up. The photos seen here were taken at the last two editions of the Monday Night Car Show, which kicked off this past June at the Westfield Old Orchard Mall in Skokie, Illinois. . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unscramble OZEN to determine the model name of this Ferrari.
Got your stopwatch handy? Good, because you have exactly 60 seconds to decipher the following 10 model-name anagrams. Know this: There’s nothing here especially tricky or rare, so you should know all the cars. Let us know how you do.
Ready? Scroll down and go!
1. VECHLLEE
2. OCACRD
3. ENR4UNR
4. RKAP UVAENE
5. TIARTNS TNNCOEC
6. NVACRAA
7. OZEN
8. ESADHR
9. ARVLSIEDO
10. BORCOAD
Answers
1. Chevelle
2. Accord
3. 4Runner
4. Park Avenue
5. Transit Connect
6. Caravan
7. Enzo
8. Dasher
9. Silverado
10. Cordoba
The “New Enzo” is expected to have a “three arc” profile similar to the Enzo-based P4/5 custom Ferraris (pictured).
The much-anticipated successor to the mid-engine Ferrari Enzo exotic sports car is speeding toward a public debut late this year as the first-ever hybrid from the Prancing Horse stable. Company chairman Luca di Montezemolo announced the timing in May without citing a specific date or introduction venue, but test prototypes spied in recent months suggest that the car is fast nearing completion. As a hybrid, the “New Enzo” will join a growing list of gas/electric “eco-supercars” that includes the BMW i8, the Porsche 918 Spyder, and the still-to-be-named retail version of Jaguar’s 2010 C-X75 concept. All are due to hit the streets in the next two to three years.
It’s understood the “New Enzo” will not reprise the first name of legendary company founder Enzo Ferrari. Some sources believe it could be badged F70, after the reported project codename. That would be a logical follow-on to the F40 and F50 that preceded the Enzo as Ferrari’s flagship road cars, but the ultimate choice could be something else entirely. Lately, Ferrari has been consistently inconsistent with its model names, what with the just announced F12 Berlinetta joining the AWD FF hatchback, mid-V8 458 Italia coupe, and front-V8 California hardtop-convertible.
2012 Maserati GranTurismo in Blu Mediterraneo, a super-pricey matte-finish paint
Everything is so darn expensive these days. When I was a kid, Earl Scheib promised to paint our rides for under 40 bucks. “I’ll paint any car, any color for $39.95,” his slogan went. “No ups, no extras.” Nowadays, a decent paint job will run you four figures.
At least when you buy a new car, you likely will find a color that meets your liking. The 2013 Dodge Dart, for example, comes in a dozen colors, including Citrus Peel, Winter Chill, and True Blue. Some automakers charge extra for “special paint,” but it’s usually reasonably priced—$500, for example, if you want your Dodge Challenger painted in Redline 3 Coat Pearl.
But I’m here to tell you one thing: If you’re in the market for an Italian sports car and want to jazz it up with a unique color/finish, expect to pay through the nose. Special paint jobs on Maseratis, Ferraris, and Lamborghinis are among the most expensive options in the automotive industry. To illustrate . . .
2012 Maserati GranTurismo
The GranTurismo S Automatic starts at $123,000, but matte-finish paint is an extra $20,500. Here it is in Grigio Granito.
Ferrari 456 GT
Most people look pretty good when they’re young, but, alas, beauty fades with age. And so it goes with cars—coupes especially. What was hot when new can pretty quickly look used and dated.
In rare cases, however, not only does that beauty not fade, it deepens. Truly beautiful women—I mean, honestly, naturally beautiful women—pretty much stay beautiful all their lives. I’m talking Grace Kelly beautiful here. And so it goes with a very rare collection of cars.
I have three examples here, all of which I saw on the road this past weekend. In each case, I thought these cars were fabulous new, and in each case I still find them gorgeous. Enough time has passed on each of these cars that it would be impolite to discuss their age. Let’s just call them “Coupes of a Certain Age.”
Note: While I was penning this blog post, managing editor Rick noted that any list of agelessly beautiful coupes would be flawed if it didn’t include the first-generation BMW 6-Series. Obviously, we’ll need to do a Part 2.
Ferrari 456 GT (1992–2003)
Future Car: 2014 Ferrari F12
Once again, Ferrari has outdone itself. Thanks to lighter materials and more power, the all-new 2014 F12 will be the fastest production Ferrari ever, with a claimed 0-62 mph time of 3.1 seconds! Chris Poole files a full report on the 2014 Ferrari F12.
The Game of the Name
The head-scratching badge of the 2011 BMW Z4 sDrive 35is
Maybe it’s just me, but carmakers increasingly are naming their products in ways that are confusing, cumbersome, unimaginative, and/or misleading. BMW manages to be a prime offender, but other manufacturers have much to answer for, too.
Exhibit A: “BMW Z4 sDrive 2.8i.” Just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? I can understand why Munich would want to highlight models with its all-wheel xDrive, but why call out plain old rear-drive (sDrive)? And xDrive could be signaled more simply with just a 4 or X. Okay, so “Z4 2.8i 4” might seem to mimic Porsche practice—e.g., 911 Carrera 4S—but it has the virtue of brevity. My suggestion also eliminates the numbing clumsiness of “X5 xDrive 50i.”
Exhibit B: What’s the difference between a Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XK? If you had to think about that for more than five seconds—or, worse, if you had to look it up (on Consumer Guide Auto’s main site, we hope)—something is wrong. But not with you. I’ve had conversations with fellow automotive journalists in which we somehow kept saying Jaguar XJ when we meant Jaguar XK. Or was it vice-versa? No wonder Jag is said to be working on new model-line nomenclature, though I wonder if it will be any clearer or more memorable.
New Review!
2014 Kia Sorento
Editors
Classic Cars
