2008 Leavenworth Drive recap - fund raiser for Seattle Children's Hospital

My wife and I joined what some estimate to be around 639 cars on Saturday in the 2008 Leavenworth Drive. If the sources are right then participants helped raise over $6390 for Seattle Children's Hospital (minimum $10 donation for each car). It was a lot of fun. There were a few drivers that pushed it a bit trying to pass people but for the most part people drove carefully. Here are more photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/soupatthemall/sets/72157605880743358/detail/. My wife graciously attempted to shoot a video out the sunroof of my BMW too. Here it is - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpCtm6zElmk .
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Coffee & Cars - Saturday mornings in Bellevue, WA

Saturday mornings in Bellevue from 7 'til 9 some amazing cars line up along the West side of Main Street. Click the car above for more photos. I went for the first time this week and there were lots of nice cars and some friendly people too. Here's a link to the photos as well http://www.flickr.com/photos/soupatthemall/sets/72157605881704601/.

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Ferrari California

The Ferrari California is intriguing. I wasn't sure I liked the looks of it at first glance but the more I see it the more it's growing on me. It has a front-mid V8 direct gasoline injection engine. It is forged from aluminium and apparently has some new technological innovation goodness. The California outputs 460 hp at 7600 rpm and a top speed of 192 mph. The aerodynamics generate variable down-force as your speed increases. The weight distribution is pretty even with 53% rear and 47% front.

Ferrari is being a bit mysterious about this new model but you can check out http://www.ferraricalifornia.com for more information. According to their web site you'll be able to "feel" it in about 17 days. Can someone please translate that? [source]
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Leavenworth Drive 2008 - Saturday, June 28th

The Leavenworth Drive is coming up on Saturday, June 28th. It's an an annual event that draws hundreds of European cars and enthusiasts from all over the Northwest. Last year there were 350 cars and they raised $3500 for Seattle Children's Hospital. This will be my first year participating and it should be a good time. Here's a link to more info - http://www.leavenworthdrive.com/event-info.asp . [image source]

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Some people are parking their cars and hopping on scooters

With the skyrocketing gas prices, some people are parking their cars and hopping on scooters. It seems like it might be a good option for city dwellers or those that don't have to commute very far. I bet these little ones get good gas mileage but I wonder about the safety considering some drivers aren't the best at paying attention to others... Here's more about one reporters experience riding one. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/06/22/ciao_car_hello_vespa/

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Tony Hawk's Jeep is up for charity auction on eBay

Tony Hawk's Jeep is up for charity auction on eBay. The auction ends Jun-22-08 19:00:00 and it's already up to $45,700! http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=tonyhawkauction

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2 days until Top Gear series 11 starts!

It looks like those good ol' chaps at Top Gear are up to their crazy antics again. Skiers, RS 6, GT-R, bullet train, low budget police cars, and more... Check out some preview write ups about the series here. [image source - TopGear.com]
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2008 BMW Ultimate Drive fund raiser - Bellevue, WA

I went to the BMW Ultimate Drive fund raiser in Bellevue yesterday. It was a great time. Not only do you feel great about helping raise money for breast cancer research, you also get to test drive new BMWs. I test drove the 2008 M3, 135i convertible, Z4 coupe, and the 535xi wagon! Probably no surprise to you the M3 was my favorite. That car is simply amazing! It was my second time test driving it, and wow, what a blast! It has that race car type growl when you are rocketing through 2nd and 3rd gears. I say 2nd and 3rd because you can easily get up to 60 something mph in 3rd. On I-405 at 10:45 am or so there was loads of traffic and then on NE 70th there was a student driver three cars ahead of me... It was still fun though. It accelerates quite quickly from a stop sign or on ramp light.

The other cars were nice too. The Z4 was fun with its paddle shifters but it was a little cramped for me since I'm 6'6". The 135i was a really fun one too. 300hp in a little car...very nice. Surprisingly, the wagon was fun too. It had lots of power and was quite comfortable. Click the photo above for more photos.
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2008 Gumball 3000 Rally details announced

Entrants already include David Hasselhoff driving the legendary K.I.T.T. car from Knight Rider, famous drummer Travis Barker, MTV's Rob Dyrdek (Rob & Big) in a fully customized '69 Camaro as well as Johnny Knoxville and the rest of the "Jackass" guys...driving everything from Ferrari Enzos to Bugatti Veyrons, Rolls Royces, old Cadillacs, low riders and even a few electric cars. The 3000 mile rally starts in San Francisco, moves on to L.A., San Diego, Las Vegas. The participants then fly to Pyongyang, North Korea of all places. Next they fly to Hangzhou, China, and carry on to north to Shanghai and Xuzhou, before crossing the finish line in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Saturday, August 16, just in time for the Gumballers to watch a week of Olympic finals.

After the mishaps last year, I hope the drivers drive at 8/10 instead of 10/10. Maximillion Cooper, if you'd like another blogger a long for the ride I'm up for it. :) [source] [image source]
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Ever wonder how they build the 2009 Corvette ZR1?

This video shows the production process from start to finish. It's pretty amazing. The car itself isn't half bad either. It's engine produces 638 horsepower. The ZR1 is capable of 205 mph on the test track. The 6.2 Liter V8 with Eaton TVS Supercharger and intercooler produces 604 lb.-ft of torque. It also has rather large Brembo Carbon Ceramic Brakes to help you slow down from the mind numbing 205 mph.

Check out the video here. [source - GM]
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Honda's FCX Clarity hits the production line

Pretty cool but where does one fill up on hydrogen? Do you cruise over to your local University chemistry lab? Apparently California and Japan have some filling stations. [source - Fox News]
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You can now rent a Corvette from Hertz

You can now rent a Corvette from a well known rental car company! The price isn't too shabby either compared to those fancy pants sports car rental shops. Just $ 211.49 USD per day will get you 436 horsepower of pure fun. [source - Hertz]
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BMW 320 plus V8 equals one mean driving machine

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Danica Patrick is going to test an F1 car for Honda

Danica Patrick is going to test an F1 car for Honda according to EuroSport. Maybe she's had enough of the oval tracks and is ready for something a little more interesting... :) It would likely bring more fans to Formula 1. [image source - CNN SI]
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Top Gear - Series 11 Summer 2008 New Trailer

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Fail Blog - a good site for laughs, and sometimes they're car related

Fail Blog - a good site for laughs, and sometimes they're car related too. Maybe someone should post some images from the pit exit accident from the Formula 1 race on Sunday...
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2008 Lamborghini Gallardo SUPERLEGGERA and Gallardo Spyder

I just had the amazing opportunity to check out the 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo SUPERLEGGERA and Gallardo Spyder at Lamborghini Bellevue. Wow! They are truly bedazzling cars. The Gallardo Superleggera models are much lighter than my e36 BMW which should be no surprise but is still quite cool. They weigh in at 1260 kg and and are nicely adorned with carbon fiber. When you hit the gas, they go, I mean really go! 0 - 60 mph in a mere 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 196 mph. You might need to sell your house and live in a sailboat to buy one but hey it's a trade off right? I almost forgot to mention too that the design on these cars is really impressive. Photos don't really do them justice. I'd recommend checking them out in person sometime.

The Gallardo Spyder is quite quick as well with a top speed of 195 mph plus the added bonus of going topless. Click the photo above or on any of the thumbnails below for more detailed photos.

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wreckedexotics.com has some cool pics but...

wreckedexotics.com has some cool pics but it's not for the feint of heart. Take this jewel of a photo for example. This is taking a rollover accident to a whole new level! I wonder who was at fault here... [source]
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Cool car wallpapers from Top Gear

Looking for something to brighten the desktop of your PC or Mac? Look no further! Top Gear has a wide assortment of wallpapers for your car craving pleasure. They have everything good from F1 goodness, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Ferrari, to scenes from the show, to more everyday sleds like the Honda Civic Type R. Enjoy!
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FREE Car Magazines

Before you make another car mag purchase at a bookstore, you might want to consider one of these free online alternatives. Winding Road has been around since 2005 and offers a good variety of articles and test drive videos as well. I believe these next two are relatively new, and from the UK, Road magazine and Drivers Republic. Another one that I learned about a few months ago is interesting if you're into import tuners is Carbon8.

So, with the rising fuels costs on everyone's minds at least there's still a few things that are free.
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Ferrari F430

Weighing in at just over 3000 lbs is the Ferrari F430. This mobile work of art is amazingly beautiful and powerful all at once. 490 hp and 343 lbs/ft of torque propel this evenly weighted (front 43% / rear 57%) Italian supercar. Lucky shoppers will get a choice of either Manual transmission or F1 paddle shift. Its stats are impressive: 0 - 62 mph in 4.0 sec and a top speed of 196 mph. If you have enough cold hard cash for one of these you could buy carbon offsets too to offset the 420 g/km of CO2. The sound of F430 is unmistakably Ferrari too!
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Brutal Chinese truck crash test

Apparently, safety is not job one for this Chinese truck manufacturer. Can you say buyer beware?
- [YouTube]

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eBay find of wonder: 1975 BMW 2002 that looks like a space shuttle

Yes, you too can have your very own former rally car/space shuttle. No word on whether or not you need NASA clearance for take off. This little creature is currently listed on eBay for a starting bid of $500.

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