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Insider: Tips for Starting a Successful Car Collection

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There are lots of things that you may want to collect in your life. Some people will collect toys, others ornaments. It might not be the most obvious collection to start, but, if you are looking for a collection that is definitely a little more on the luxurious side, then you can start a car collection. Do you dream of a car collection of your own? If you do, but you are not sure exactly where to start, then we have the helping hand that you may need. To ensure that your collection gets off to the right start, we …

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2018 Range Rover VELAR World Debut w/Video

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Hey handsome! Check out the latest and greatest Range Rover in history: the new VELAR!  The RR Velar is another genius product that fits the five-seat super-sport SUV niche.  Yes, there was open space for new customers above the Evoque bu below the seven-sear Range Rover Sport. This Velar is set to hoover them up.  Next-gen powertrains and tech abound – but there’ll be time for all that later.  First things first: how gorgeous is it? VERY!     An ultra-streamlined new aesthetic for the bodywork hugs the ground like no Land Rover before.  The ultra wide track appears straight …

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Design Analysis – 2016 Alfa Romeo DISCO VOLANTE SPYDER By Touring Superleggera + 1952 C52

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It takes a master designer to reinterpret a retro model in a desirable, futuristic modern car.  The fail count is much larger than the short success list of the New Beetle, Ford GT and perhaps MINI. Fails?  Fiat 500, Lamborghini Miura, Ford Thunderbird, Chevrolet HHR, Plymouth Prowler, etc. etc. Among supercars, it is even harder to continue designs from so long ago.  Why? The designs were always extra wacky, with limited appeal even in their original iterations. In addition, supercar shoppers are always craving the next hotness.  The unattainable, never-before-seen machines that will bring traffic to a halt around you. Therefore, Touring Superleggera struck a …

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BMW Art Car Collection Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Fresh Museum Display + World Tour (125 Photos) 117

BMW Art Car Collection Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Fresh Museum Display + World Tour (125 Photos)

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Who would have thought that a custom CSL in 1975 would become such a core element of the BMW legacy. 17 models so far have been made over in the BMW Art Car program, with the majority pure racecars — but not all. In fact, each car’s birth is quite a story in itself. The inspirations and visions of the artists involved are as varied as the subjects themselves. But as each car is unique, along with each artist — one core theme comes through from at least half the artists: speed whipping the paint back and up the lines …

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Mecum Kissimmee 2015 Preview – 1996 Dodge Viper GTS

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  The time has come. Charger-palooza today with eight back-to-back posts of some of the amazing Mopar machines liberated from the Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection. Liberated? Just kidding. These cars lived a happy and pristine life in the Wellborn Museum. As true collector pieces, though, they may not have been doing as many stoplight dragraces as the badges intended. Sunny conditions and cost-no-object acquisition and restorations by the Wellborn Collection means that these Chargers are arguably the world’s finest. Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection   If you fall in love with one of these, know you might never find a better …

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Mecum Kissimmee 2015 Preview – 1971 Dodge Hemi Charger RT – Lot R216

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  The time has come. Charger-palooza today with eight back-to-back posts of some of the amazing Mopar machines liberated from the Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection. Liberated? Just kidding. These cars lived a happy and pristine life in the Wellborn Museum. As true collector pieces, though, they may not have been doing as many stoplight dragraces as the badges intended. Sunny conditions and cost-no-object acquisition and restorations by the Wellborn Collection means that these Chargers are arguably the world’s finest. Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection   If you fall in love with one of these, know you might never find a better …

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1971 Dodge Hemi Super Bee - Lot R212

Mecum Kissimmee 2015 Preview – 1971 Dodge Hemi Super Bee – Lot R212

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  The time has come. Charger-palooza today with eight back-to-back posts of some of the amazing Mopar machines liberated from the Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection. Liberated? Just kidding. These cars lived a happy and pristine life in the Wellborn Museum. As true collector pieces, though, they may not have been doing as many stoplight dragraces as the badges intended. Sunny conditions and cost-no-object acquisition and restorations by the Wellborn Collection means that these Chargers are arguably the world’s finest. Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection   If you fall in love with one of these, know you might never find a better …

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Mecum Kissimmee 2015 Preview – 1970 Buick GSX

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Switching it up briefly — this fly-yellow Buick GSX stunner also lived in the Wellborn stables… A note here about “badge engineering.” Sure, badge engineering got a bad reputation and still has one in the auto business. But it was not always about shameless profit-seeking. It was about dealerships demanding a cool their-brand version of whatever popular car came out of these companies. This stemmed ultimately from buyer’s outcry for the same thing. In a time of fierce brand loyalties among whole families, they were much less likely to jump ship to a Dodge if they had traditionally owned Buicks. …

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1970 Plymouth AAR Cuda

Mecum Kissimmee 2015 Preview – 1970 Plymouth AAR Cuda

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  The time has come. Charger-palooza today with eight back-to-back posts of some of the amazing Mopar machines liberated from the Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection. Liberated? Just kidding. These cars lived a happy and pristine life in the Wellborn Museum. As true collector pieces, though, they may not have been doing as many stoplight dragraces as the badges intended. Sunny conditions and cost-no-object acquisition and restorations by the Wellborn Collection means that these Chargers are arguably the world’s finest. Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection   If you fall in love with one of these, know you might never find a better …

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Mecum Kissimmee 2015 Preview – 1970 Dodge Challenger TA

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The time has come. Charger-palooza today with eight back-to-back posts of some of the amazing Mopar machines liberated from the Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection. Liberated? Just kidding. These cars lived a happy and pristine life in the Wellborn Museum. As true collector pieces, though, they may not have been doing as many stoplight dragraces as the badges intended. Sunny conditions and cost-no-object acquisition and restorations by the Wellborn Collection means that these Chargers are arguably the world’s finest. Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection If you fall in love with one of these, know you might never find a better one offered …

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1969 Dodge Hemi Charger 500

Mecum Kissimmee 2015 Preview – 1969 Dodge Hemi Charger 500

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The time has come. Charger-palooza today with eight back-to-back posts of some of the amazing Mopar machines liberated from the Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection. Liberated? Just kidding. These cars lived a happy and pristine life in the Wellborn Museum. As true collector pieces, though, they may not have been doing as many stoplight dragraces as the badges intended. Sunny conditions and cost-no-object acquisition and restorations by the Wellborn Collection means that these Chargers are arguably the world’s finest. Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection If you fall in love with one of these, know you might never find a better one offered …

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1967 Dodge Hemi Charger Show Car

Mecum Kissimmee 2015 Preview – 1967 Dodge Hemi Charger Show Car

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The time has come. Charger-palooza today with eight back-to-back posts of some of the amazing Mopar machines liberated from the Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection. Just kidding. These cars lived a happy and pristine life in the Wellborn Museum. As true collector pieces, though, they may not have been doing as many stoplight dragraces as the badges intended. Sunny conditions and cost-no-object acquisition and restorations by the Wellborn Collection means that these Chargers are arguably the world’s finest. Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection If you fall in love with one of these, know you might never find a better one offered for …

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Update2 – Best of Awards – Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo

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  We did not know what to think of the first teaser images of the Chevy Chaparral Gran Turismo prototype. Sure, the idea of leveraging Chaparral’s Chevy engines connection was fascinating, but would the vision of GM Design really capture the innovative spirit of these amazing namesakes? After the official reveal in LA last night – we can only say Yes. In many ways, the Chevrolet Chaparral Vision Gran Turismo is the best-yet of the 20-strong fleet of racing prototypes developed for the legendary GT6 racing game. It is one of the only to actually throw out all conventional limitations …

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Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo Is Exciting Next-Chapter Concept Racer

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  Thrilling news from Chevrolet! The GM Design entry to the Vision Gran Turismo series will be a Chaparral-inspired racer called the 2X VGT. Set to debut in LA on Wednesday of this week — we are thrilled to see how Chevy has evolved the Chaparral racers’ world-beating aerodynamics for the 21st century! Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo Previews CHEVROLET TO SHOW CHAPARRAL VISION GRAN TURISMO CONCEPT 13/11/14 Boundary-pushing, Chevy-powered race cars changed motorsports design DETROIT – When racers Jim Hall and Hap Sharp founded Chaparral Cars in 1962, few could have guessed how they would shake up the …

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New Paris Art Museum from LVMH’s Arnaud Shows Progress in Gehry Design Aesthetic

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Part of the grandeur of the world’s best art museum’s comes not from the collections inside or troved away in the basements – but the designs of the buildings themselves. This latest Parisian masterpiece is called the Fondation Louis Vuitton, named and housing the art collection of Bernard Arnault – the leading man behind LVMH, a luxury powerhouse owning brands far beyond the Louis Vuitton, Moet and Hennessy its name includes. Initially, the space will house the permanent collection of Arnault himself – consisting of thousands of precious artwork so far invisible to the public. Arnault is set to become …

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2015 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Edition 35 Celebrates Otto’s 500K Mile World Tour

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  One of the best parts of any trip is the momentous return home. A place you never knew you missed until seeing and feeling all those familiar sights through a dusty windshield up ahead. In the case of ‘Otto’ the 300GD Mercedes-Benz, the journey has been 26 years, 216 countries and 900,000 kilometers in the making. The photos of Gunther and Christine Holtorf’s long, long journey home to Swabia from Germany are absolutely miraculous. The map of their travels is completely unbelievable! The red lines below are not borders — those are their routes! Along the way, Otto and …

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Travel Adventures – Aviation Hall of Fame – U2 Spy Plane and D-21 Recon Drone

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PART TWO – The U2 and D-21. In the days before satellite imagery, broadband and digital photography — it was all about actual aerial photographs in the military planning and intelligence worlds. The Blackbird program was accelerated and approved for use largely as a result of a U-2 being shot down and its pilot captured in the USSR. The U-2 was designed to fly higher than any Soviet missile could reach. It moved slowly, like today’s surveilance drones, because the thinking was that its altitude would protect it from any attack. Flying slower also allowed the Kodak large-format camera systems …

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Travel Adventures – Aviation Hall of Fame – 2,193MPH Lockheed SR-71A and SR-71B Blackbirds

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PART TWO – The Blackbirds. Has there ever been a plane more enigmatic and also enchanting in its design and capabilities? The Lockheed Blackbird is a true icon for the ages. Included below are two of the only SR-71 Blackbirds that are viewable by the public – anywhere on Earth. The first is the world aviation speed record-holder, and the second the SR-71B double cockpit model. They are both housed inside giant museum buildings, making photographs tricky. The lighting is atrocious, but their impact up close is unforgettable. Why inside? Well, despite having their engines removed and on display, these …

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Travel Adventures – Robins AFB Aviation Hall of Fame – B1 Bomber

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PART ONE – B1 Bomber There are a few signs you see on a road trip that are usually worth taking the next exit. One of those is an AFB Museum. Without any prior planning or knowledge of the Robins Air Force Base Museum on my way to Atlanta today, we pulled off the highway ASAP and set the navigation with this new destination. 24 minutes off the highway, and we are staring head-on with a B1-B Lancer and a Warthog A10 out front. This is the second amazing detour for an AFB museum — the other being in Kalamazoo, …

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1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Streamliner is One-Off Coupe With Wrap-Around Glass and Aero-Smooth Design

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Mercedes-Benz was coupe-focused at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours – with a number of sexy back catalog models reinforcing the gravitas of the just-launched S-Class Coupe and S63 AMG Coupe’s on display. These can be called “Coupes” but they are fancier and more fun as “Coup-pays” — pronouncing the accent over the “e” like the Europeans do. None drew more stares than this one-off 1938 540K Streamliner, which feels many years younger than its 1938 build date would suggest. The most striking elements of the hyper-flowing panels are: — the sheer scale of the machine from tip to tail, and …

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Atlanta Dream Cars – 1935 Bugatti 57S Competition Coupe Aerolithe Wears Gorgeous Elektron Magnesium Panels

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This Bugatti’s name really rolls off the tongue quite nicely – even without much car for the accents and the pronunciation. Perhaps that is because the principles of speed competitions, swoopy two-doors and lightweight, low-drag machines are so important today. Those last two really nail the brilliance of this one home. Light and smooth was the goal of this shape, in an era when most cars (and drivers!) would be terrified above 30-mph. This car could easily double that, and perhaps go on to about 75-mph before the tires and brakes became a serious liability. My apologies that these photos …

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Atlanta Dream Cars – 1951 General Motors LeSabre XP-8 Struck Gold With Yank Tank Ethos of 1950s

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I usually formulate a rough outline of what I want to say about a car while cropping and straightening out the photos beforehand. In the case of this 1951 LeSabre, I wish you could have seen my face recoil in horror at all the tacky, gaudy details on this car up close. Thus, my theory was initially that the LeSabre showed General Motors the good and the bad of design. The good is that it can excite you in ways that will open wallets and checkbooks by the millions. The bad is that certain elements would need to be explained …

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Atlanta Dream Cars Showcase – 1959 Cadillac Cyclone XP-74 Is Rocket Nose and Tailfin Bliss

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This 1959 Cadillac Cyclone is really a light-hearted take on the dream cars ethos. Here is a car with giant nose cones like a rocket, tail fins as well as aileron side stabilizers out back. Hidden lamps are so far from prominence that they slink under the hood nearly a foot behind the black rocket-bra-like protrusions ahead of the machine itself. Sexiness was key to this shape, which also has tail-lamps in a bright machined shroud — looking like they could also blast out hot propellent as they light up red under braking. 1959 Cadillac Cyclone XP-74 Of course, there …

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See The Authentic Chaparral 2H and 2J Racecars at the Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas

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Not just these two icons: the Petroleum Museum in Texas has seven amazing Chaparral racecars in their collection. These are the Chevrolet-powered racecars that changed the face of racing forever: the ideas and innovations represented by Chaparral in its relatively short run at the top of pro racing are still extremely influential today. The ideas seem simple – but are near-impossible to deliver in full race-winning form. Jim Hall’s Ideal Chaparral Racecar: Light weight + High downforce – with wings attached directly to the suspension versus to the bodywork + Huge power via reliable engine + Massive grip on long-lasting …

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Porsche Caps 50 Years of 911 Sportscars with Martini Racing Carrera S Special Edition

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50 years of one sports car. One badge, one mission. It is almost hard to believe that the 911 is still not just thrumming around the worlds roads and tracks — but dominating the mid-premium supercar segment in sales as well. For 2014, Porsche UK is offering a Martini-liveried 911 Carrera S — which seems like the perfect crowning paintjob to celebrate past and future glories. What about the 1978 911 SC Safari? Gorgeous example of Martini Racing livery, just included here for fun. That is, after all, what the 911 is all about. The below image is 5MB of …

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Atlanta Dream Cars Showcase – 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt Is Aero Convertible Coupe

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I can hear your thoughts right now, saying… “How is that giant brick of a car an aero coupe?” It really is. Versus its contemporaries, the 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt was quite innovative in many ways — mostly having to do with shrouding and aero-smoothing any turbulence-inducing surfaces. 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt – INNOVATIONS — This meant the entire front grille of the 1930s Chrysler Airflow had to go, in favor of a mouth-breather setup wherein the engine gets its cooling air from below the front bumper. 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt — Shrouding also extended to the headlamps, where were one of the …

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Car Museums Showcase – 1937 BMW 328 and R60 Sidecar Motorcycle

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The 1937 BMW 328 is a little-seen roadster gem from BMW that was, perhaps, the firm’s most advanced and sophisticated achievement outside of aircraft engines at the time. 1937 BMW 328 and R60 Bike in Spartanburg, SC Seeing one so close in the flesh really rings home how advanced this 328 was versus its contemporaries from Aston-Martin and Jaguar — two much-better-known sports-car innovators (and competitive benchmarks) of the time.   Where those cars both still wore giant flat fenders, the 328 is completely smooth in all areas. This aero-led thinking was surely a testament to BMW’s aeronautic history until …

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Atlanta Dream Cars – 1955 Chrysler Streamline X Gilda by GHIA is Turbine Aero Ideal

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Man, when your iPhone comes home with better photos than your Nikon — you know you were in the wrong settings. Very, very strict photo protocols were in place at the Atlanta High Museum of Art’s Dream Cars installation — which is a shame, really. It turns out, after speaking with the very kind, smart and helpful media liaison upon my return to Charleston Monday morning — that the concern was not about photos of the cars at all. No one told he gestapo of hourly blue-coats, however, who were incredibly irritating. In fact, the entire photo ban was to …

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Atlanta Dream Cars Showcase – 1970 Ferrari 512S Modulo by Pininfarina

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As wild as Ferrari production cars are – you might notice that the brand releases almost no pure concept cars. Why? Because people want to buy them off the auto show floor! And so Ferrari must be exceptionally careful about what they show the public, especially if the car itself is too wild to ever be sold. One of the great concept Ferrari’s of all time is the 512 S Modulo. It takes the same ultra-aerodynamic goals as the Lancia Stratos HF Zero to an altogether different conclusion. But while the Lancia Stratos HF Zero looked vaguely production-feasible, this 512 …

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Atlanta Dream Cars Showcase – 1970 Lancia Stratos HF ZERO by Bertone

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1970 Lancia Stratos HF ZERO by Bertone The Dream Cars exhibit this summer at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta is a thrilling ride through automotive history that every car lover will adore. The collection might be far smaller than most auto shows, but the impact of every car will leave your feet cemented to the floor. And your jaw? It will often be on the floor as well. How to rewrite that introduction? It certainly applies to this next car: the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF by Bertone. Sitting beside the 1970 Ferrari Pininfarina 512 S Modulo, these cars …

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Atlanta Dream Cars Showcase – 1953 Firebird I XP-21 By General Motors

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If the Dream Cars exhibit at the Atlanta Museum had to be condensed into one machine that can turn grown men and women alike into giddy kids again, it is surely the Firebire I XP-21 by General Motors. The machine’s 1953 roll-out illustrates how fast technology was progressing from thec lose of WWII and into the early 1950s. Where the TASCO is blunt and tall in its profile, the XP-21 looks like it is from another galaxy altogether. Imagine its impact on 1953 Motorama attendees if it can still stop your brain sixty years later! What is it? Why is …

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Atlanta Dream Cars Showcase – 1948 TASCO Shows Propeller-Aircraft Influence Zenith

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The Dream Cars exhibit this summer at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta is a thrilling ride through automotive history that every car lover will adore. The collection might be far smaller than most auto shows, but the impact of every car will leave your feet cemented to the floor. And your jaw? It will often be on the floor as well. No other recent collection spans the time and space of automotive evolution and design quite as thoroughly. Every car in the collection is marvelous. The TASCO opens the gallery and its design is certainly one that sticks …

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National Corvette Museum Racecars! 1963 Z06 Excited For New NCM Race Track

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There are more than a few hundred stop-and-stare Chevrolets at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.   But isn’t the NCM all closed up following a natural disaster the other week? No sir. The museum itself consists of six or seven distinct buildings, 90% of which are still open to the public. Every day, all year long. Business as usual for this all-star local attraction. This is a big summer for NCM already: the 20th anniversary celebrations fill the summer calendar here. This article focuses on two things: — introducing the soon-completed NCM Motorsports park directly across the …

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Bluebird V and Bluebird CN7 Reunited and Viewable by Public at Beaulieu National Motor Museum

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    What is all the passion around the Bluebird legacy of World Speed Record achievements? Just take a few long looks as these masterpieces, and you will be moved. They are quite exciting to behold, even in photographs, but now are also together in one place for the public to see their grand scale up close. The Beaulieu National Motor Museum would be one of my first stops when visiting the UK- as it also houses a wide array of fantast car and speed goodies from across the world. The CN7 streamliner is particularly magnificent, and achieved a 403-MPH …

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$10M Cars? Original 1925/34 Rolls-Royce Round Door Coupe vs Modern Vision by Dutch Designer Ugur Sahin

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THE WHAT The thing with one-off cars made by coach-builders is that the bodywork typically has no blueprints. No panel molds or industrial stampings to use thousands of times. There is no way to even think of creating another example of a car like the 1925/24 Rolls-Royce Round Door Coupe – with its panels and every aesthetic piece made on a one-0ff basis, often by hand. And why might anyone try such a daunting task! The original chassis was completed in 1925, but it took another nine years to fabricate and complete the body — hence the 1934 tag that …

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Honda Heritage Celebration — Official Togichi Museum PhotoSpheres — 71 Honda-isms and Milestone Achievements Since 1936

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Auto Museums are super cool. Even if your eyes glaze over at the thought of visiting a dark and endless art museum — if you like cars, you will be ecstatic the moment you walk into any car museum. Why? The cars are there because they are objectively so, so important. So important that they cannot even be stored in the basement archives of the car company — but need to be proudly displayed for both internal teams and the public to admire. Another amazing reason car museums should be on your radar? These collections are expertly-curated and laid out …

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Iconic Classic: 1938 Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza H6C Xenia at Mullin Automotive Museum

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Orig Published on: Nov 5, 2013 @ 13:12   If it seems like we have an unhealthy fascination for the Mullin Automotive Museum, you might be right. The cars inside this Oxnard, California collection just… write their own stories. I have a dozen more that I would like to feature, but we must start at the true nexus – or “Xenia” perhaps – of the art of French coach-building by Jacques Saoutchik and his contemporaries. How all these cars got to sunny California is no accident. In many cases – the cars in the collection were painstakingly built – sometimes …

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Speculative Renderings – Future Corvette Z51 Speedster and Z06 Spyder

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INTRODUCTORY CAVEAT: I hope these do not irk General Motors too much. They are all labeled as ‘speculative renderings’ — in case the dismal quality of these Photo”Chops” did not make that clear already to everyone. It is harder than it seems to achieve anything like photo-real results. To avoid any confusion among buyers is my goal in labeling everything as renders, but also to explore these ideas visually. A separate (and amazing!) article coming in a few hours will be a thorough, real-life buyers guide to the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible’s trims, wheels, colors and options later this afternoon. …

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1928 BMW Dixi Roadster – Zentrum Museum

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Okay!  Final roadster article from the BMW Zentrum Museum and delivery center in Spartanburg. The Z3, Z8 and Z4 Alpina and many others are featured in this mini museum, but these three are stand-outs for me in how the each speak to their respective decades so effectively. What do I mean? Well, the 1928 Dixi is far ahead of its time versus the heavy and getting-heavier American cars of the period, which were anything but sporty in corners. Or the slow-coaches of England, for that matter, where 5-mph was generally “too fast.” for urban areas or rural routes.   The …

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Car Museums Showcase – 1937 BMW 328 and R60 Bike in Spartanburg, SC

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The 1937 BMW 328 is a little-seen roadster gem from BMW that was, perhaps, the firm’s most advanced and sophisticated achievement outside of aircraft engines at the time. Seeing one so close in the flesh really rings home how advanced this 328 was versus its contemporaries from Aston-Martin and Jaguar — two much-better-known sports-car innovators (and competitive benchmarks) of the time.   Where those cars both still wore giant flat fenders, the 328 is completely smooth in all areas. This aero-led thinking was surely a testament to BMW’s aeronautic history until this point, but also a deep bow to the …

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Pre-War Rolls-Royce Showcase — Phantom II Henley Roadster A Sweet, Smooth Operator — Gooding & Co. Amelia Island 2014

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It was convertible Rolls-Royce season down in Florida last weekend!   Three exceptional pre-war Rollers were in proud residence, with both soft-tops bringing in far more cash than the single hardtop: the 1929 Phantom I Newmarket. All are exceptionally-desirable, but clearly some more than others. Results for the cars featured here are included with headers noting which is which. The real star of the show was the Henley Roadster, but the 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Three-Position Drophead Coupe has many merits of its own. One quick one? This was the firm’s official 1933 Paris auto show car. A running, bespoke concept …

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Travel Adventure Series — Dog Sledding in Colorado

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Here is the second part of the dogsledding photos from yesterday’s status update post! Just shared a fresh batch of vacation photos with Facebook.com/Carrevsdaily — and want to highlight this fun outing here as well. Dog sledding? YES! It is a hilarious way to spend a few hours when your legs are noodles from days of hard skiing. There are numerous tours in almost every ski town — usually advertised in all the local glossy magazines somewhere. It is pretty cheap. About $50 a person in Breckenridge, and a bit more in Beaver Creek. [Lift tickets are about $99 per …

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Corvette Museum — The Racecars! 58 High-Res Photos — Plus NCM Motorsports Park A High-Speed Dream

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There are more than a few hundred stop-and-stare Chevrolets at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.   But isn’t the NCM all closed up following a natural disaster the other week? No sir. The museum itself consists of six or seven distinct buildings, 90% of which are still open to the public. Every day, all year long. Business as usual for this all-star local attraction. This is a big summer for NCM already: the 20th anniversary celebrations fill the summer calendar here. This article focuses on two things: — introducing the soon-completed NCM Motorsports park directly across the …

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Update1 — What Would Zora Do? Corvette Godfather and Guardian Angel — The ZAD Playbook to Greatness

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Update1 — Chevrolet has thrown its support behind the Corvette Museum, and will oversee the restoration of all sunken Corvettes via the General Motors Design Center in Warren, Michigan. Zora smiles. What would Zora do? Is this a silly question for a man who lived from 1909-1996, and retired with a custom 454 automatic Corvette C3? No. He was the go-to guy for all the toughest Corvette problems challenges over the years. What would Zora do now? He would be very emotional, try to get the the cause of the sinkhole a few buildings away from his eternal resting place. …

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1963 Corvette GS Chaparral by Dick Coup at National Corvette Museum

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The Corvette Museum faced a big setback this week: a giant sinkhole under the museum’s grand pavilion caved in, taking eight Corvettes into the deep soil underneath in the process. Bowling Green is quite nearby to Mammoth Cave, and the geology of the region is tricky to build on. So, is it curtains for this Bowling Green landmark just before the huge 20th-anniversary celebration this fall? Absolutely not. First off, the Corvette Museum owns hundreds of acres of land. The new motorsports park across the road has plenty of room for a ne location, or the current spot could simply …

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Update2 — Breaking News — CNN Reports Huge Sinkhole at Corvette Museum

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As if the world were not scary enough — It seems even our cherished Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky is facing a huge disaster today. A sinkhole in the grand pavilion appears to have swallowed a number of Corvettes whole. I guess we know what the Devil’s sports car choice is? Our thoughts are with the Corvette Museum team. We will rebuild. Stronger, better, faster – like all next-gen Corvettes. The Zora spirit still shines brightly on Bowling Green. Image: CNN Official details from the Corvette Museum below. Sinkhole Collapses at National Corvette Museum We received a call at …

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1968 Corvette ASTRO and ASTRO II Concepts at the National Corvette Museum + Ferrari and Bugatti-style Concepts 8

1968 Corvette ASTRO and ASTRO II Concepts at the National Corvette Museum

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The Corvette Museum is fantastic. So much so that reviewing my visit’s 350+ photos is a bit mind-boggling. Organizing the coverage into topic chunks seems most logical versus one massive article. The below video highlights these Astro concepts briefly… before my iPhone conked out of battery life mid-filming. Good times. Let’s dive in to these exceptional concept Corvettes in the Engineering and Prototype room. The Astro and Astro II are both from 1968, and show the deep divide over where to take the Corvette C3 in its 1970’s iteration. They show a wild expression of streamlined principles across the board, …

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2014 Corvette Stingray IVERS Prototype at Nat'l Corvette Museum 21

Video: 2014 Corvette Stingray IVERS Prototype at Nat’l Corvette Museum is Rare Snapshot of C7 Pre-Production Engineering

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The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky was a brilliant way to spend a Friday morning last week. This museum is huge and stocked with some of the most unique Corvettes ever made. But more likely — not ever made. America’s Sports Car has undergone seven drastic re-births in its 61-year lifespan. In order to ensure the next-gen Corvette’s success through the years, hundreds (if not thousands) of one-off prototypes and concepts were crafted to evaluate big ideas before series production. The museum charmingly covers the entire Corvette story since 1951 or so when Zora sent his famous letter …

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About Zaha Hadid from 1000 Museum on Vimeo. Zaha Hadid Promo by Catapult 13 for One Thousand Museum

1939 Delahaye 165 V-12 Cabriolet at Mullin Auto Museum18

Iconic Classic Car: 1939 Delahaye 165 V-12 Cabriolet at Mullin Auto Museum

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Only at the Mullin Automotive Museum could a car as brilliant, unique and influential as this Type 165 Cabriolet be summed up as “Car 30.” Amid the world’s finest collection of all-things pre-war and coach-built, the Oxnard, California Mullin Museum is a must-visit for all car fans. Those with a special passion for classics will find none other than 90-plus completely one-off models in the astounding collection. Housed in a glamorous stage-type museum building, the mood is right for period flashbacks with a recreated LeMans pit area real enough to be a fire hazard. Everything is magnificent about the museum, …

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Iconic Classic: 1938 Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza H6C Xenia

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Iconic Classic: 1938 Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza H6C Xenia If it seems like we have an unhealthy fascination for the Mullin Automotive Museum, you might be right. The cars inside this collection just… write their own stories. I have a dozen more that I would like to feature, but we must start at the true nexus – or “Xenia” perhaps – of the art of French coach-building by Jacques Saoutchik and his contemporaries. How all these cars got to sunny California is no accident. In many cases – the cars in the collection were painstakingly built – sometimes from only drawings – …

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