As MotorFanatics, we are many things. We are enthusiasts, we are participants, and I believe the most important part, we are dreamers.  We dream of roads and cars, and that day in the future where our dreams will be reality.  Maybe we already have our dream car and we are dreaming of later that day, or maybe the scheduled drive next weekend.  Some of us dream of a 69 Camaro or a 32 Ford and cruising the old strip.  Others dream of high priced exotics that many have never seen in person.  Whatever your dream, we all share the common bond that is the automotive fantasy.  While most of us will realize our dream in one way or another,  there are a few companies out there who have decided to make your automotive dreams their business.  I know, how intrusive.  Over the last few years, I’ve had a chance to talk to a few of these outfits, and they offer a pretty interesting option for MotorFanatics of all types.   About 2 years ago, I was put to the task of creating a video piece for myride.com on this subject.  So we decided to head up to San Francisco to check out one of these businesses that prey on the dreams of  so many, Club Sportiva.  Here’s the resulting video. If your not ready to commit to a video…we understand.  I’ll just say Gallardo, F430, and Golden Gate Park.
Last year I also made a couple trips to New York and once again, I wanted to visit some purveyors of dreams on the east coast.  Both Gotham Dream Cars, and The Classic Car Club of Manhattan caught my attention.

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Back when I was 15, and I was tasked with putting a coat of wax on the freshly painted Pacer (more to come on that next week, I promise). I went to the local auto parts store, and looked to pick a wax.  Mother’s, Turtle, none I never really had experience with.  I mean come on, I was only 15.  I settled on the Meguiar’s Gold Class carnauba paste wax, and it gave an excellent shine.  Right, I’m sure you now start to assume that I’m on Meguiar’s payroll, but I assure you that’s not the case (though, I’d take it if it was offered ).  You see, after that I tried waxes from all the other companies.  Mothers, Turtle, etc all worked fine…until I tried Meguiar’s Tech Wax.

Back when it was brand new, I bit the bullet and took the plunge on a $12 (yes, I remember the price) bottle of wax and put a fresh coat on my 99 Grand Am after a complete wash and clay bar in the fall.  Those of you in Michigan are very familiar with the horrid weather that ensues after the fall and after routine quarter power wash after quarter power wash, the tech wax held up.  When the first thaw happened the spring after and my red Grand Am was as shiny as it was when I waxed it the fall before, I was sold.

I swear, this is the truth and when we received the below press release from Meguiars, I knew we had to share it with you.  These are some pretty neat facts from Meguiars.  Yea, they’re kinda skewed to benefit Meguiar’s, but from my experience, every one is true.  And again, no I am not on Meguiar’s payroll.  Check it out!
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Alright, I gotta lay my cards down here. As much as I would like to say this is Dan and I speed testing a ZR1 above 200mph, it’s not. Yes, this is the “drives” section, but we never specified that it had to be drives by us. Just like anything else we do, it’s just got to be a drive that kicks ass, and this drive certainly does. You probably saw this video circulating last year so you might be a little upset that we’re bringing you old news. Here’s our point: when is riding in a car going 207mph old news? Exactly, never.

To us, the best part about this video is it makes you feel giddy like a kid again. We’ve all dreamt of driving some super hot car on a closed track with the sole purpose of maxing it out, and this video gives you a tiny glimpse of what that might feel like. When the passenger gives the driver the go-ahead nod, we as fanatics can feel the driver’s anticipation and excitement. As the digital speedometer blurs to the 200 mark, the long white lines blur to almost a sold line. Passing cars that could very well be going faster than we’re legally allowed on public US roads like they’re standing still, this is the stuff motorfanatic dreams are made of.

So no, this isn’t Dan and I driving and yea, this video’s been out for a while. But it’s still rockin’, and I really think you owe it to yourself as a fanatic to get a glimpse of a 200+mph run. Check it out here

The Swedish super car maker, Koenigsegg, makes some of the most exclusive cars in the world. Not only are they deadly fast…but they are equally beautiful. Enjoy here.

Dan started talking about the new Toyota F1 car last week, and I wrote it off as another R8, 911, or Space Shuttle obsession (yea, these come and go by the minute).  Then he started talking specs, and it got me thinking.  Seriously, half the weight of a 911 and double the power?  Wow.  While most of us may never have the opportunity to drive one of those machines, it’s still awesome to think that this technology is possible.  As Dan put together a video for the Toyota F1 car program, we started brainstorming what other motor-powered things have that kind of power-to-weight ratio.  Using my primitive math and Microsoft Excel skills, I built a table in which we calculated the power-to-weight ratios for things from a Sidewinder missile to a 4-door Honda Accord LX.  Check it out below, and check out the F1 video here.  The results are a bit silly.

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We’re pretty lucky to have an office across the street from some silly rich guy’s car collection.  While some may argue that a car collection is a frivolous spend of money, we couldn’t think of a better way to blow a huge wad of cash.  Housed in a decent sized warehouse, we’ve seen everything from a Porsche 959 to a vintage racing Mercedes parked out front, and a little while back, on our way out to lunch Dan spotted a new Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione sitting out front.

On paper, the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione might almost look like a let-down.  Don’t get me wrong, 444 hp, 12.4 1/4mile, 0-62 in 4.2 seconds all wrapped in a package that weighs about half of my GTI is appealing, but the quarter million dollar price tag makes the dream car status even more lofty.  So for 250g’s, I can think of many other super cars that are in the 8C’s performance territory and are more readily available (less than 100 8C’s will touch US soil) for maybe even less money.  But none look anywhere near as good.  Just look at the friggen thing, it’s unbelievably gorgeous and that’s why it lands on the wish list.

Seeing the thing in person, in the real world, it’s ungodly.  Simply breathtaking, it was immediately evident that it was a wish list car.  Now, it’s at this point where you probably expect me to word vomit some adjective rich jargon attempting to explain the styling and striking presence of this car.  Not here at MotorFanatics, we put together a video instead…it speaks FAR louder than words.  Enjoy.

There are certain things in this world that are just the best. The ultimate in their world. True, the best is often subjective, and for me, it seems to change all the time. But one thing that continues to just be the best at what it is, is the Aston Martin. No, not the fastest, and not the prettiest, and frankly not the right car for the majority of drivers. But they are always the BEST cars. Confused? well I lost myself a little on that stream too…so here’s the photos of the Aston Martin One-77, take a look and you’ll understand my spinning head.

For those that want the technical stuff…here’s the press release from the brits themselves. Read the rest of this entry »