Showing posts with label Most Beautiful Cars of All Time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Most Beautiful Cars of All Time. Show all posts

Monday, September 17, 2012

Ferrari F40 Destroyed

This is downright painful to watch. Video of Almost Everything's Wreck of the Day: a Ferrari F40. Created to celebrate the Ferrari company's 40th anniversary and designed to be the world's greatest supercar. Only 1,315 were made from 1987 to 1992. Buyers reportedly paid anywhere from US $400,000 to US $1,600,000 and the cars still trade for that much today. WreckedExotics.com reports that the Ferrari was returning from a car show in Vancouver, Canada when the driver lost control in the rain and hit a pole. The car is valuable enough that it will probably be rebuilt but the video shows that there is a lot of work that will need to be done.


Friday, May 13, 2011

1991 Toyota MR2 Complete Urethane Paint Job

Almost Everything Autobody car of the day is this 1991 Toyota MR2.
The customer came to Almost Everything Autobody looking to make his sports car shine in the summer sun.
He wanted something glossy that would last, stand up to the heat of the summer and would not fade or start cracking like the original paint. So Almost Everything Autobody offered him the Supreme single stage polyurethane with a 4 year gloss warranty and Almost Everything's Prep Plus.
Almost Everything Autobody also fixed some cracking in the rear bumper. This little sports car looks great. The customer was super happy and loves his car even more with a fresh new paint job. He is ready to hit the streets of San Francisco.                        

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Attrocity: 10 Mazda Cosmo Sports Dying in a Japanese Field

This horrifying photo is courtesy of Komin's Photo Blog. Komin found 10 very rare Mazda Cosmos lined-up in a field, rotting. The Cosmo was Mazda's first Wankel rotary engined car and the first production 2-rotor Wankel in the world. Almost Everything Autobody has listed it as one of the Most Beautiful Cars Ever Made. Mazda produced the original Cosmo series from 1967 to 1972 and a total of only 1519 were built. Only 2 exist in the USA, with Late Night Show's Jay Leno owning one of them. Someone needs to save what's left of these cars. If you can ship one to us, we'd be happy to help!

Photo of Mazda Cosmo by Taisyo via WikiMedia.org

Saturday, January 15, 2011

2006 Maserati Quattroporte with Auto Paint Service, Wet Sand & Polish

Today's Car of the Day is a 2006 Maserati Quattroporte that came in with scrapes & scratches plus some minor original paint imperfections. Almost Everything Autobody repaired the scrapes and painted the rocker panel using the same type of high quality waterborne finish used at factory. We then "cut and buffed" various panels to eliminate surface scratches and to provide a more premium gloss finish.

In-Process:

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Maserati Hood Emblem:

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Totalled Ford GT

Speaking of the Most Beautiful Cars in the World, Jalopnik is reporting a Ford GT that was wrecked by a tuner at a total loss (of a $200,000.00 car!) They include a really sad set of photos.

Totaled Ford GT, photos provided by Jalopnik

We were fortunate to have had a Ford GT at the shop a couple of years ago. The owner let the entire crew sit in it (which was a very big deal because we are a dirty bunch after sanding cars all day!)

Ford GT at Almost Everything Autobody
Ford GT at Almost Everything Autobody

Bumper Repair on 2003 Mazda Protege 5--Bumper Special Sale

Today's Car of the Day  s one of the many that comes to Almost Everything Autobody from San Francisco, about a 30 minute drive. These San Francisco customers must park on very crowded streets and their bumpers really take a beating. So for many the trip to Almost Everything Autobody is a yearly ritual. They gather a bunch of scrapes and parking "love taps" until the car starts to look worn. Then they take advantage of Almost Everything Autobody's Bumper Special. It's worth the drive because they typically save $200-$300 and don't have to live with a beat-up car. Plus we are always happy to provide free rides to & from BART

Before:
After:

Before:

After:
The Protege 5 is one of my favorite cars and is included in Almost Everything Autobody's list of Most Beautiful Cars. We know this will get some confused frowns & dismissive snickers. But I love the clean, simple, elegant design of the Protege 5. And it seems to be a perfect combination of good looks, sporty handling, economy and utility. Zoom-Zoom!-Frank

Thursday, December 30, 2010

2011 Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black

More from the boys at Top Gear, here's the new Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black. We need one of these too.

If you fancy the color (or colour), we can make your car look like this. . . well, we can paint it the same hue. It's a special metallic & pearl black and available in all of our paint grades from the least expensive to our finest and most durable high-solids base-coat clear coat.


For the humorous (or is it humourous in "British"?) commentary plus more pics visit: http://www.topgear.com/UK/aston-martin/dbs/road-test/carbon-black-driven?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitter

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Emerson's New Favorite Car--McLaren F1

Almost anyone who has visited our shop knows Emerson. One of our suppliers gave us a calendar and December had a car that he was unfamiliar with--probably because it went into production when he was a child. Still, it is to this day one of the fastest and even arguably THE fastest production car ever made (243 mph/372 km/h). And it is now Emerson's new favorite. We've told him to start saving his pennies.

We present, the McLaren F1.

McLaren F1 photo by robad0b / Robin Corps

Photo of McLaren F1 GTR by Przemek Jahr

Produced from 1992 to 1998. Only 106 were ever made. When new they were $1,000,000.00 each. They cost more now, a lot more, if you can get someone to sell one.

Here's a recent Automobile Magazine retrospective on the F1. . . we aren't the only ones who still think it is the next best thing to a ride on a space shuttle, or maybe better:
http://www.automobilemag.com/features/0809_1992_mclaren_f1/index.html

McLaren was formed in 1963 by racing driver Bruce McLaren. It is famous more for its decades of engineering amazing race cars. But McLaren also engineered and manufactured the 2003-2010 Mercedes Benz SLR and for those who missed out on the F1 and the SLR, McLaren recently announced plans for a new street legal supercar, the MP4-12C.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Maserati Wins 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship

Photo by FlashPhase
2010 FIA GT1 Champion Maserati Team & MC12s
Almost Everything Autobody celebrates Maserati's win in the FIA GT1 World Championship. GT racing is, in our humble opinion, the greatest racing in the world because it features cars that can actually be purchased and driven on real roads. Previously Maserati has won 5 consecutive FIA GT Manufacturers Cups from 2005-2009 with their dominating MC12. In 2005 Maserati beat 2nd place Ferrari by nearly 2x in the points standing! And now they have won the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship, beating Aston Martin (another favorite), Corvette, Ford GT (okay, they are all favorites), Lamborghini & Nissan GT-R.







Maserati is near and dear to the hearts of the crew here at Almost Everything Autobody for 3 reasons.

The first, of course, is that Maserati has produced some of the most beautiful and fastest works of art in the history of man (we'll excuse them for everything that happened in the 1980s & 1990s.)

Second, since 2008 it has been a dream and is actually written into the employee manual & the business plan that Almost Everything Autobody will procure a Maserati Quattroporte to use as a customer courtesy shuttle. It was supposed to happen in Dec. 2010 but the past couple of years have been economically tough for everyone in the world as well as us here at Almost Everything so the plan has been pushed back. 2011 looks to be a good year for business and we are hopeful.


Third, Frank Barnard, Almost Everything Autobody's President, bought a Maserati-engined 1973 Citroën SM as his second car. Citroën is the French auto manufacturer that owned Maserati in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The SM was Citroën's flagship as well as a platform for the Maserati Merak.
Citroën SM

Congratulations to Maserati, the Vitaphone Racing Team and drivers Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini for their fantastic achievement. You are all welcome to stop by the shop anytime!

For more on the story, visit the Maserati website: http://www.maserati.com/maserati/en/en/index/maseraticorse/gt1-world/races/san-luis-magazine-2010/race.html?uid=6048745088&mid=600317332

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Maserati MC12 Beats Ferrari Enzo


We have a soft spot for Maseratis at Almost Everything Autobody. A Maserati Quattroporte is on our wish list as a shop passenger shuttle (it's been on the wish list for 3 years and counting). The Maserati MC12 happens to be one of the most beautiful cars ever made. That it is also one of the fastest is icing on the cake. This video is from our friends at Britain's Top Gear. Enjoy.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Frank's Cars: #1--1969 MGC GT

Frank Barnard is the President of Almost Everything Autobody & Aene Automotive Corp. You may have already seen some of his cars on this blog (his 1964 Thunderbird has appear a few times during restoration & then at auto shows.) Frank has owned and driven some amazing cars. This is an occasional series that tracks his automotive history.

I had to get a job when I was 15 so I could buy my first car when I got my driver's license at 16. I was looking for an MGB, Triumph TR6 or maybe a VW Bus. I had never heard of an MGC and drove to San Francisco more out of curiosity than any thought of buying this car--it was too expensive. Driving with my father, we turned a corner and there she was, a mineral blue hard top with wire wheels. I knew it was the car I was going to buy from a block away. The owner admitted that a noise under the hood was the water pump going out. It had body damage from the hood flying open while driving. But it was a 3.0 liter straight 6 in a beautiful, lightweight Pininfarina body. And on my first test drive, in San Francisco, in the rain, the rear end broke loose. I applied opposite steering, the car tucked in gently and we all survived. I was smitten. The owner told me he'd named the car Catherine. My friends and I called her "Cathy." It's the only car I've ever had that had a name. She had so much torque and such a sweet transmission. I would shame my buddies BK (Bernhardt Karlgunter) Maier, in his Camaro, and Chris Holman, in his Mustang, by beating them up the long, steep hill on Ygnacio Valley Road between Walnut Creek and Concord, California. I owned that car for about 20 years--quite a few of those years she did not run. I miss her. And I still have the original "MG" key fob on my key ring today.

Disclaimer: Many of the photos in this series of posts are taken off the web. Sadly, we can't find many or in some cases any pictures of Frank's actual cars. So we've collected photos that look most like the cars he owned including, to the extent possible, correct colors & options. Thanks to the folks that posted these photos. If anyone objects to my use of them, please let us know and we will remove them.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Frank's Cars

Frank Barnard is the President of Almost Everything Autobody & Aene Automotive Corp. You may have already seen some of his cars on this blog (his 1964 Thunderbird has appear a few times during restoration & then at auto shows.) Frank has owned and driven some amazing cars. This is an occasional series that tracks his automotive history.

Disclaimer: Many of the photos in this series of posts are taken off the web. Sadly, we can't find many or in some cases any pictures of Frank's actual cars. So we've collected photos that look most like the cars he owned including, to the extent possible, correct colors & options. Thanks to the folks that posted these photos. If anyone objects to my use of them, please let us know and we will remove them.


2) 1973 Citroen SM (Maserati):
I was in college now. The MG had died, yet again, for whatever the week's electrical or mechanical gremlin happened to be (I'd replaced the entire wiring harness twice and rebuilt the engine after it seized.) One of my best friends, David Lehrer, was ferrying me around to look at used Hondas which, he was sure, would be a far better fit for me and my pizza delivering livelyhood. I was uninspired and a little depressed so to cheer myself up I suggested that we investigate a shop down an alleyway in Walnut Creek, California that sported a very unusual (for the USA) Citroen sign. And there, amidst a Series III Maserati Quattroporte and a Citroen CX Palais, under a lumpy tarp, sat the remants of a mighty Citroen SM, minus its Maserati V6 and parts of its interior. The shop owner, a very kind but harried Irisman named O'Sullivan, explained that the owner of the vehicle had embarked on a mechanical restoration of the car 2 years ago and had run out of steam. A brand new, factory engine sat in a crate waiting for installation and all of the parts for the car were there but everything needed to be put together. The shop owner suggested that if I made the car owner a reasonable offer of just six thousand dollars (in 1985), it could probably be mine. The engine alone was worth that. I didn't have anything near that much--I couldn't even afford to put my MG back on the road. So I offered the owner $2500 that I didn't have. To my amazement, he said $3500 and I think we settled on $3000. I robbed the college fund that my parents had set-up for me and several months later, with the help of a great Algerian mechanic, I had a fully functional Citroen SM with a brand new 3.0L Maserati engine. It was my daily driver for the next 4 years. It took me and my friends on road trips to Ensenada, Mexico in the summer and Lake Tahoe, California in the winter. Considering that it was a true exotic, it was pretty reliable. But eventually it started overheating regularly and the electrical system developed a problem that discharged brand new batteries. It was time for a Honda to use when the MG and Citroen were waiting for repairs.





3) 1988 Mazda RX7 GTU:
And so I went to the Honda dealer, checkbook in my pocket, to buy a brand new CRX. I couldn't get a sales person to look at me at Oakland Honda and when I finally asked one what it took to buy a CRX. He told me it wasn't possible. The waiting list lasted months. So I went a few blocks away and test drove what I was sure was too expensive for me (are you detecting a pattern here.) I wasn't in love with the shape of the RX7 but it was purposeful and in GTU guise it had some sex appeal. And my god, it handled better than anything I'd ever been in (and may still be my best handling car to date.) It was on sale. I drove it home. I fell in love. But it's 1.2L Wankle engine never had the grunt of the MG's 3.0L straight 6 or the Maserati 3.0 V6. I could out manuever my buddy Kobi in his Mitsubishi Eclipse AWD Turbo but he could always out accelerate me. So the obvious answer was to get an RX7 with more horsepower.

4) 1987 Mazda RX7 Turbo II:
Not. This was a mistake. I hated this car. It is the only car I owned for less than a year. I thought I would get used to the color. I didn't. I thought I would learn how to manage the horrendous turbo lag that allowed Ford Pintos and AMC Gremlins to pull away from me at stop lights. I didn't. I thought I could manage the onslaught of power when the turbo finally kicked-in. I couldn't. I bought this particular RX7 Turbo because it was more powerful and linear than so many of the other RX7 Turbo's I'd driven. I came to find that the reason for any low-end punch on this car was a huge turbo leak that relieved back pressure. It allowed the car to accelerate faster from a stop but created a huge dead spot in the torque curve and robbed it of power at the top end. A couple thousand dollars later, my turbo was fixed and my car was just as slow out of the gate as every other RX7 Turbo. But it certainly was not a slow car. . . at 2100 RPM all hell broke loose. . . usually on winding roads and freeway cloverleafs. About halfway through a turn, the turbo would wind-up and there would be a sudden, terrific rush of power. The back tires would break free and the car would try to spin you into the oblivion of a retaining wall or the opposite lane of traffic or a cliff. I sold it after 8 months, happy to be alive to see it go. I should never have sold the divinely balanced GTU version.


5) 1992 Subaru SVX
This was a great car. I miss it. Big (3.3L), strong, fast, horizontally opposed engine. Sophisticated all wheel drive. Giorgetto Giugiaro designed it to be a halo car for Subaru. The rear end was a but clunky but still exotic and the rest of the car was pure sex. The interior was sleak, luxurious and very modern. I loved the ultrasuede upholstery, the hidden control panels and the best climate control adjuster I've ever used. The top of the car seemed to be entirely made of glass and the side windows were set inside the larger windows of the door, like the Lamborghini Countach's and Maclaren F1's. The front headlights were in the thinnest slits of lenses. No one knew what this thing was. Mine was pearl white with a black roof and trunk lid. It was fast, silent and seemed to defy the laws of physics when I accelerated very hard into turns. Sadly, Subaru only sold them as automatics and my heart continued to yearn for a stick.


6) 1995 BMW M3



7) 1988 BMW 540i/6 speed




8) 2000 BMW 528iT

9) 1964 Ford Thunderbird






















10) 2006 Maserati Quattroporte










11) 1995 Infiniti Q45t


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