Renault Alpine A110 Photo Gallery... Beautiful Blue Coupe!

If Given One... I'd Surely Love It... 2018 Lexus LC 500h Review | Digital Trends

Tons of drive reviews and videos out for the new Lexus LC 500h coupe right now... and I'll admit, it's one sharp car - but I don't love it. Now, am I the target market for this car... Regular car guy who likely will not get to own or drive one of these puppies in the near future, or typical Lexus/Infiniti buyer who wants something a little sportier than the "regular" up-brand import SUV/crossover/sedan? 

If you fall into the latter demographic, this car may be everything you could ever want... Don't get me wrong, as I said I'm sure it's a dream to drive and has luxury and power to spare - the basic design just sort of falls flat for me. The angular treatments at the corners remind me just a bit too much of the current down-market (at least from the Lexus lofty areas) Toyota Prius. 

The Digital Trends article mentions the car drew plenty of attention compared to a bunch of Porsches and Ferraris - but is that simply because it's a different design - not necessarily better, or newer? 

If I were given the chance to drive one, or long-term test one (hint-hint) - I'm sure I'd love it... but check out the full article below - including the "terror handle" inside! And I don't think they were bowled over by its looks either... 

2018 Lexus LC 500h Review | Digital Trends

16min of Sports Car Audio Bliss! - A110 Exhaust Note

Alpine's YouTube channel has been kind enough to share a 16min video of the new Alpine A110 driving, along with some of the sweetest sports car growling you're ever going to hear!

Alpine A110 Engine Sound - A110 Exhaust Note

My New Favorite Shade of Blue... New Alpine A110 - Vive La France!

Unfortunately, this beautiful blue coupe, the new Alpine A110 (of French descent) - will NOT be coming to America, and that is a crying shame! This has to be one of the prettiest coupes I've ever seen... and this truly is my new favorite shade of blue!

 At some level I understand the economics of international car makers... Sometimes given a certain market's regulatory requirements, sales projections, and the simple cost of doing business there - can be prohibitive. But man, this one hurts!

Road & Track article:
The Alpine A110 Packs 250 Horses, Good For 0-60 in 4.5 Seconds

Power, Beauty, Technology... WOW - The 2017 Bentley Continental Supersports

Yowza.. This thing is HOT. Check out more pics at Motor1.com

Checking out this first-drive report on Motor1.com, for the 2017 Bentley Continental Supersports, it's hard for a car-loving guy like myself to not start drooling uncontrollably. I mean - look at this red beast! (There's lots more pics at the article link below!)

It boasts 700hp... 750 lb-ft of torgue... and a top speed of 209MPH. To call this a "car" while at the same time calling all the other more pedestrian (no pun intended) "cars" out there by the same name... seems like a stretch!

Sharp New 2019 Ford Focus (Rendering)

This looks like a miniature Ford Fusion to me - and that really makes sense if you think about it. Definitely a more upscale look than the current Focus!

Can't wait to see what the '19 Fusion hatch design brings!

Check out the complete article, plus spy shots of heavily camouflaged vehicles:
2019 Ford Focus Sedan Render Proposes More Upscale Design

Love That New Car Smell? Not So Much, in Chinese Market!

Who would have thought? For as long as I can remember, I've always loved that particular smell of a new car... I think most people do!

But, it turns out in China that the new car smell is NOT a good thing. Due to their sensitivity over air pollution, they pay particular attention to the smell of a car when they're car shopping. Too much "new car" smell - not a good thing! Ford takes steps to REMOVE the new car smell from its models in China!

Read more on Mashable:
Ford scrubs its cars of their new car smell, for a sensitive-nosed Chinese market

Wanted: Car(s) to Long-Term Test - Sign Me Up!

First thought is... When did Mazda quit calling this car the Miata? This is labeled as the Mazda MX-5 RF, and basically whatever it's called, it is one pretty car. 

This long-term test article in CAR Magazine says it's "designed to be thrashed" - and cheers to the lucky guy who got to/gets to test this puppy! Where do I sign up to be a long-term tester for cool cars like this?? 

Check out the full article here... And if you own one of these, is it as fun to drive as it looks? Drop me a comment below!

Our Mazda MX-5 RF long-termer: it's not hard to like by CAR Magazine

YouTube Vloggers - check out Corvettes918

I've been a fan of some of the YouTube car-related vloggers for a while now. I follow Streetspeed717, TJ Hunt, Cletus McFarland, and a few others. Some of these guys have a half-million, up to three-quarter million, followers.

Some have fewer, like Tall Guy Car Reviews, he's around 40 thousand I think by now. I just discovered a new one, Corvettes918... check it out! He "only" has 5K subscribers, but I'm sure that's bound to change.

Makes me think if I shouldn't jump in this game too...?

Why Does Europe Get All the Fun Hot Hatches? - Supercharged Yaris Coming!

I have been a fan of "hot hatches" or "pocket rockets" - whatever you may call them - ever since the sub-category of cars was invented by the original VW Golf GTI, way back when! My own daily driver is not necessarily a hot hatch, but it's a 2012 Chevy Sonic LTZ, with a 1.4L turbocharged engine that's quite fun to drive - for my needs.

Someday I'm going to get myself a GTI, but I like to follow this genre of cars, as it puts fun-to-drive and not-too-expensive vehicles within reach of normal folks, like me. Not everyone has a superbly popular money-making YouTube channel chronicling their Lambo's and Corvettes -right?

I love this category, but I hate reading stuff like that, that a new supercharged Toyota Yaris - will be available only in Europe! Just like the Hyundai i30N I posted about last week - it too is destined only for the other side of the pond.

I've never driven a Yaris, supercharged or otherwise, but they look like they'd be fun to drive, especially the supercharged variant, which is supposed to have 205hp! Yowza!

Read more about this 205hp hot hatch over at AutoWeek:
Toyota Yaris GRMN is a hot-hatch good time as long as you live in Europe

ALL CARBON! Jay Leno's Garage takes on the SpeedKore Mustang GT350R

The name of the game with exotic and sports cars these days (for all days, really, since the dawn of the automobile) is to save weight. The less weight the better, allowing your engine and its horsepower rating to feel stronger... 

Estimates vary as to how much weight can be saved - and I'm going to research this to see if I can find the answer - but I'm curious as to how much this beautiful all-carbon fiber body panel Mustang from SpeedKore weighs - compared to a stock Mustang on which it's based. 

I once toured a weapons manufacturing facility, and was lucky to see the process by which helicopter rotors are spun using carbon fiber... and I would love to see the same process for this Mustang!

Check out Jay's tour of the SpeedKore Mustang GT350R...
Jay Leno's Garage takes on the SpeedKore Mustang GT350R

Not Your Father's Buick!

As I get older, it seems that many of the things I say and write - tend to date me. As does the title of this post - Not Your Father's Buick! This is an homage to the "Not Your Father's Oldsmobile" campaign that debuted in 1988. Read all about that campaign at the link provided.

For some readers, you might not even know what "Oldsmobile" is - haha. Look it up kids!

And back to the reason for this post - I really like the looks of the new Buicks over  the last few years. And this new 2018 Regal GS (Chinese model shown) just continues that trend. It looks REALLY sharp in my opinion!

Read more about it over at Motor1.com:
2018 Buick Regal GS First Official Images Are Out

Mazda RX-9 Coming 2019, Debut At Tokyo Motor Show New Rumors Say

Mazda RX-9 Concept and 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport

Is this the next generation in Mazda's RX line?

Mazda RX-9 Coming 2019, Debut At Tokyo Motor Show New Rumors Say

The Z06 Is GONE. **But the C4 Build Has BEGUN!** - YouTube StreetSpeed717

Still can't  believe he paid less than $2500 for that C4!

Refreshing or Revolting: 2018 Honda Accord - Motor Trend - I Say A Bit Revolting

Overall I like the look of the new 2018 Honda Accord, but as I've mentioned previously, I am NOT a fan of the Honda-style wide "bar" grill that they debuted in '16 (or was it '17?). Now it's even wider, extending above the smaller headlights. 

Aside from the grill, this new design says "Hyundai Sonata" to me more than "new cool Accord."

Refreshing or Revolting: 2018 Honda Accord - Motor Trend

The Beautiful - but Unreliable! - Alfa Romeo Giulia!

Man, this is one beautiful car! But it sounds about as reliable as my old 200,000mi Subaru Legacy that died on me last year! 

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Is The Perfect Unreliable Italian Car We've Always Dreamed Of

One Ugly Car - the 2017 Honda Civic Type R

I have to admit - I've not seen a new 2017 Honda Civic Type R in person. "Regular" non-Type R's? Sure, I've seen plenty of new 2017 Civics, and the other '17 Hondas that share some of the same design cues. The chrome "band" across the grill that lives on the Accord, CR-V, the new HR-V - I don't personally care much for it. 

Replacing My GTR With This...? - YouTube TJ Hunt

The latest from TJ Hunt... I'd love a chance to drive that GTR, and sure wouldn't be selling it!

Takata Airbag Recall... Affected Makes and Models

There are potentially 42 million vehicles affected by the faulty Takata Airbag problem... They can explode spontaneously, creating deadly shrapnel from metal and plastics that house the airbags. This issue has cause numerous injuries and some deaths.

Following is the list of makes and models in the US that may be part of an active recall to fix the Takata Airbag problem.

AFFECTED VEHICLES (total U.S.-market number in parentheses, if known):

Acura: 2002–2003 3.2TL; 2003 3.2CL; 2003–2006 MDX; 2005–2012 RL; 2007–2016 RDX; 2009–2014 TL and TSX; 2010–2013 ZDX; 2013–2016 ILX (including hybrid)

Audi (more than 387,000): 2004–2009 A4; 2005–2009 S4; 2003–2011 A6; 2006–2013 A3; 2006–2009 A4 cabriolet; 2007–2008 RS4; 2007–2009 S4 cabriolet; 2007–2011 S6; 2008 RS4 cabriolet; 2009–2012, 2015 Q5; 2010–2011 A5 cabriolet; 2010–2012 S5 cabriolet; 2016–2017 TT; 2017 R8

Massive Takata Airbag Recall: Everything You Need to Know | News | Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog

If your car or truck is on this extensive list, get it checked out - and soon - to see if you're part of the recall. Just a few days ago I read about an automotive tech dying from the shrapnel created by one of the Takata Airbags deploying while he was working on a car.

Massive Takata Airbag Recall: Everything You Need to Know | News | Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog

Selling My Z06... It's Time For a Change. - YouTube

Will he actually that Z06?? He ought to get rid of that wing IMHO! Wrecks the lines of that Vette!

Here's Why the Ferrari 430 Scuderia Is Worth $250,000 - YouTube

A very cool but quirky Ferrari.

Aston Martin DBS in Florence Wallpaper

I first found this wallpaper, it has to have been - around 15 year ago! I lost the image somewhere along the way, but when I Googled "aston martin budapest" today - this image was the first result! Turns out the city is Florence, not Budapest - but still - go Google! You can find the original 1920x1080 image at 1FreeWallpapers.com.

New Audi A8 2018 - does it make a Mercedes S-Class seem old tech? | Top10s - YouTube

The new 2018 Audi A8. Looks big, and we are definitely living in the Age of Big Grills!

She Almost KILLED Us.. NEVER Text and Drive - YouTube

One of my pet peeves - and oh so dangerous! Drives me crazy to see people driving, staring down into their phones/laps! When will people learn?

All-New Hyundai i30 N (or GTI?) – Reveal - YouTube

Seeing it in motion, this Hyundai i30N looks quite a bit like a VW GTI.

2018 Hyundai i30 N: Hyundai Cuts The Bullshit And Builds A Real Hot Hatch

Too bad this puppy is ONLY available in Europe... The Hyundai i30N looks like a super fun hatch.

2018 Hyundai i30 N: Hyundai Cuts The Bullshit And Builds A Real Hot Hatch

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