Showing posts with label Design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Design. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Acura NSX--The New Benchmark

Acura NSX GT3 spins out at Laguna Seca Raceway.

We got to drive the new Acura NSX this weekend. The 1990 NSX redefined what a supercar could be. The 2017 NSX does it again--the new benchmark. It accelerates like a racing bike, sips fuel like an Accord, eats any piece of pavement with great style, comfort and ease.

We got an extended test drive in the mountain roads near Laguna Seca Raceway during the Pirelli World Challenge as the Acura NSX continued its awesome rookie year in GT3 against Aston Martin, Audi R8s, BMW, Cadillac , Corvette, Dodge Viper, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes Benz, Nissan GT-R and Porsche.

Art St. Cyr, President of Honda Performance Development, and John Watts, Sr. Manager for NSX Performance Team, chatted with us over lunch about the car and successes they've had so far (most laps led of any manufacturer, 5th place finish in its very first race and ranked well in virtually every race.)

Is there a flaw with the NSX? Maybe it is too good. . . it makes even me look like a brilliant and ridiculously fast driver. I want this car!

Thanks to Kobi Eshun for great photography.

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Acura NSX road car at Hospitality Suite, Laguna Seca Raceway.

Acura NSX road cars at Hospitality Suite, Laguna Seca Raceway.

Porsche 959 parked in the paddock, Lagona Seca Raceway, Oct. 15, 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017

Laguna Seca Endurance October 2017


Friday, April 1, 2016

The Worst Car In The World



Happy April Fools Day! This car really exists! The 1951 Hoffman. A 1935 Hoffman featured an X8 engine (as opposed to a V8) in a slightly more traditional chassis.

1951 Hoffman at 2012 Hilton Head Concours courtesy as shown in The Motoring Journal
1951 Hoffman at 2012 Hilton Head Concours as shown in The Motoring Journal 

1935 Hoffman X-8 at Pebble Beach Concours from Hemmings.com
1935 Hoffman X-8 at Pebble Beach Concours from Hemmings.com

Friday, March 18, 2016

Herd of Miuras

Herd of Lamborghini Miuras by Steven Haas
Herd of Lamborghini Miuras by Steven Haas
Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance 2016

Steven Haas sent us this amazing photo from this year's Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida. He says, "It's like a bag of M&Ms spilled into the grass." I doubt the Lamborghini factory could have had this many completed Miuras at one time when production was in full swing (early 1970s.) At roughly $2,000,000 each, this photo contains $12+ Million worth of Lamborghini Miuras plus a little more for rounding error in the form of a blue Aventador in the background.

I had the pleasure of attending the Pebble Beach Concours with Steve a few years ago. This gentleman knows cars and seemingly every living soul in the auto business: executives from major auto manufacturers, the writers and editors of all the car magazines, the people who restore & insure classic cars. He is currently Director, Financial Services at Hagerty Classic Cars so look him up to protect your valuable classic.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Alfa Romeo 4C Visits Shop

Alfa Romeo 4C visits Almost Everything Auto Body

Almost Everything's Car of the Day is a 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C. We're car guys here so our hearts skipped a beat when this Italian beast pulled up. It was brand new and thankfully there wasn't a thing wrong with it. One of our long-time customers just purchased it and knew we'd enjoy being some of the first people in the USA to see one. I love Alfas and am excited that we are finally getting to taste them again in the United States.

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C visits Almost Everything Auto Body

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C--Quick

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C--Light

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C--Lithe

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C--Exotic

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C--Art

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C--Design

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C--Sex

2015 Alfa Romeo 4C--Desire

Thursday, February 26, 2015

ZZ chop: The FORCE

Almost Everything customer Billy Budde famed for his custom choppers & revolutionary motorcycle design
Almost Everything was honored to have had the one & only Billy Budde in the shop today. Billy is no longer building motorcycles and his Suburban needs a paint job. So he was here for a quote.

Billy is a local hero. His San Leandro motorcycle shop anchored the custom scene in California long before places like Orange County Choppers and Jesse James Choppers existed. Click the links below for vintage article and current discussions about his revolutionary designs.

Almost Everything customer Billy Budde famed for his custom choppers including "The Force."

ZZ chop: The FORCE: ... is very strong in this one. Built by Billy Budde's from san Leandro, CA. Great idea for paint I must say, the marbelizing effect is ...

1978 Street Chopper magazine cover featuring Billy Budde's "Sweet Suzanne"

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Jaguar F-Type Coupe Coming Soon

Jaguar will introduce coupe version of F-Type Nov. 20, 2013

Almost Everything received a press release this afternoon. We drove the new Jaguar F-Type a few months ago and are fans. We just thought that it should be available as a coupe as well as a convertible. Apparently Almost Everything has more pull with Jaguar than we realized!

Here's what Jaguar announced today:

"The highly anticipated 2015 F-TYPE Coupe will  be officially unveiled on November 20, 2013 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The all-aluminum F-TYPE Coupe delivers on the promise of the C-X16 Concept Car, which won Autoweek's Best in Show award at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. “We've been overwhelmed by the positive reaction to the F-TYPE Convertible, says Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design, “But for me the purity of creating a sports coupe is a uniquely satisfying process. I know that both visually and dynamically, F-TYPE Coupe raises the bar yet again.”

We agree.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Electric Car? We Won't Tell!

Who knew venerable Consumer Reports tested cars like this?! We are impressed with their video of the Tesla Model S. We're also impressed that the Model S goes like stink, looks & feels like the finest luxury car, uses half the fuel of a Prius, has 2 huge cargo areas and can drive 200 miles between "fill-ups." Who cares if it's powered by electricity, gas or Spam?! These stats are damned hard to argue with. We'll take one in burgundy please. Oh, what the hell, give us one in midnight blue too!





P.S. MotorTrend named the Tesla Model S the 2013 Car of the Year. Consumer Reports gave it the highest score of any car. . . ever.

For more recent news on the Tesla Model S:
consumerreports.org
cnn.com
usatoday.com
cnbc.com
latimes.com

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Lamborghini's 50th Anniversary

Almost Everything Auto Body Repair & Paint celebrates the 50th anniversary of the October 30, 1963 founding of Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. We've collected photos of some of our favorite Lamborghinis. Some have been gorgeous cars. . . and some we would be hard pressed to call beautiful but were none-the-less brutally fast and always fascinating.
Progression of Lamborghinis from 1960s to 2000s
Progression of Lamborghinis, Photos by en:Wikipedia user Nrbelex
1964 Lamborghini 350 GT photo by  Simon Davison
1964 Lamborghini 350 GT photo by  Simon Davison
Lamborghini Miura 400S
Lamborghini Miura 400S, photo by Alfvan Beem
Lamborghini Espada
Lamborghini Espada, photo by Mobius
Lamborghini Aventador on the 50° Anniversario ‘Grande Giro’
Lamborghini Aventador on the 50° Anniversario ‘Grande Giro’
Lamborghini Aventador on the 50° Anniversario ‘Grande Giro’
Lamborghini Aventador on the 50° Anniversario ‘Grande Giro’
Ferruccio Lamborghini didn't make his fortune by selling exotic sports cars. He made it selling these. . . 
1951 Lamborghini Tractor
1951 Lamborghini--really!

. . . and the sports cars came later!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Video of 2013 Ferrari "LaFerrari"



Beautiful car. Dumb name. Ferrari has unveiled the successor to the GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo and is calling it "LaFerrari." Which as far as we can tell is universally derided. Still, we wouldn't turn one down if offered to us. . . or if we had the $1.3M needed to buy one.

It's a hybrid and the most outrageous Ferrari to date:

  • 0-60 in less than 3 seconds
  • 220 mph top speed
  • 0963 HP
  • 665 lb-ft (900+ Nm) torque.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Thursday, December 29, 2011

1930 Packard 740 Straight Eight 20 Years Younger Than Owner




Thanks to Fabrizio Costantini, Channon Hodge and the New York Times for this great video of Margaret Dunning, who looks & sounds much younger than her 101 years and the gorgeous 1930 Packard roadster that she bought in 1949 and has driven ever since.

For the complete article, more photos and the original visit:
NYTimes.com/2011/07/10/automobiles/packard-81-is-a-youngster-to-its-driver
video.nytimes.com/two-classics-one-car.html

Friday, December 2, 2011

1930s BUGATTI ROYALE. . . TRAIN

Bugatti's production of the largest, most luxurious cars in the world ended in 1933 as a commercial disaster in the Great Depression. Of six Type 41 "Royales" completed only 3 sold. With 23 huge engines remaining Bugatti decided to build a high speed train. The Bugatti Autorail set a world speed record of 122 mph (196 kph.) French National Railway ordered 79 Autorails with 2 to 4 engines each and they remained in regular use for over 20 years.

Bugatti Autorail Railcar photo by Ignis
Bugatti Autorail Railcar photo by Ignis
Bugatti Autorail Railcar photo by Ignis


1929 Bugatti Type 41 "Royale" Coupe Napolean photo by Ignis
Bugatti Royale flies First Class, of course

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