Hot Import Nights - Seattle - 8/2/2008 - 5pm - MIDNIGHT

http://www.hotimportnights.com/events/event.asp?id=694 has the ticket info, directions, event flyers, and more. It will be held this Saturday at the Qwest Field Event Center. You can have your fill of some hot cars, or not, just ask Scott... :) [image source - hotimportnights.com]
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Porsche 911 GT3

There's a great overview of the dizzying array of 911 models here - http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/. The 911 GT3 is an amazing car with likewise performance. Check out these stats: 415 hp @ 7,600 rpm, 0-60 mph: 4.1 sec., Top Speed: 193 mph. It has a base price of $107,500 USD which is roughly $75,000 less than the GT2! They could just be playing games with us though to make us think it's a good deal... :) See it in action here - http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/911-gt3/indetail/drive/. Cheers. [image source - Porsche.com]
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AutoTrader Classics

AutoTrader Classics seems to be relatively new. It looks like it has a fair number of listings already though. For example, if you're looking for a classic BMW for under $5,000 check this out. Later, dudes and dudettes. [image source - AutoTraderClassics.com]
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Carbon8 Magazine

Carbon8 Magazine is a cool import tuner mag. One sweet thing is that it's free and you can download each issue. They feature modded cars, events, girls, wallpapers, videos, and have contests to win widgets of car goodness too. Cheers. [image source - Carbon8mag.com]
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Lotus Evora

The marketing slogan for the new Evora is, "True character in a faceless world." Hmm... Anyway, the car itself looks pretty cool. Their web site is a bit short on details as far as performance figures go. The do share that it has a sub 5 second 0 - 60 mph time and apparently it'll hit the showroom floor in the summer of 2009. I was talking to someone this weekend that was speculating that here in the USA it might have a price tag of around $80,000. Cheers.
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C'etalt un Rendezvous

This is a truly amazing short film of a guy that raced through Paris. He did it without approval, early one morning. It was filmed in 1976 but is timeless in my view. Ciao. [video source - YouTube]
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Coffee & Cars - Bellevue, WA - 7/26/2008

There was a good turn out this week. It was great to see 3 Italian hotties lined up on the street. All of them were yellow too. There was a 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo, a Ferrari 430, and an old school Ferrari 308. I also saw an Audi S5 there this week plus lots of other great cars. Click the photo above or the ones below to jump to more. Cheers.

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Seattle Lamborghini Club

There's a new Lamborghini club in the Seattle area - Seattle Lamborghini Club. I'm not an owner but am certainly a Lambo enthusiast and am a new member. Check it out :) Hopefully, I'll own a used Gallardo in five years maybe if I work on my investing foo.
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1st Annual Hold'em for Hooters Poker Run- 8/02/08

1st Annual Hold'em for Hooters Poker Run- 8/02/08. I received a flyer for this in Leavenworth (part of the 2008 Leavenworth Drive) and couldn't help but laugh. It's a funny name for a poker run. It's for a good cause though - Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk. As they put it, "Take part in encouraging Hooter Health and Boobie Preservation!" Hmm... Yes. Right. The route goes from Lynnwood to Snohomish, then to Warm Beach, next to Chuckanut Dr., and then ending in Fairhaven to lay down your cards.
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Nissan GTR brings it with supercar performance for luxury car price

The Nissan GTR brings it with supercar performance for luxury car price! It may not be pretty as a Ferrari 360 but it sure can go, and apparently stop too (search for Top Gear crash involving GTR and an Audi). It has a whopping 480 hp, top speed of 193 mph, starting price of $69,850 (USD), and a very impressive time of 7:38 at the ever challenging Nurburgring. [image source - gtrnissan.com]
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the-winding-road.com has a good listing of driving tours

One of my colleagues, Kristopher, runs a site called the-winding-road.com, not to be confused with windingroad.com/Winding Road magazine. It has a good listing of driving tours in the Seattle area, maps, and other goodies. Apparently a site facelift is planned. Peace out.
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Kirkland Classic Car Show - 7/20/2008

The car show in Kirkland was a lot of fun. There was a great variety of cars there from classics to newer model cars. I saw everything from hot rods to Mustangs to Exotics. The announcers helped keep it fun with music and funny contests like the hottest legs where some hairy legged old guy even jumped in. :) Click the photo above or ones below to jump to more.

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Coffee & Cars - Bellevue, WA - 7/19/2008

Once again at the bright and early time of 7 am to 9 am there were some great cars on the West side of Main Street. I had the joy of following two Lamborghinis afterwards too! My slightly modified BMW 318i was barely keeping up at some points and they were probably hardly on the gas. :) It was great to hear the roar of the Gallardo Spyder and the Murcielago going through downtown Bellevue. Click photo above or the ones below to jump to more.

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Giro Lamborghini 2008

Giro Lamborghini 2008 is an event for those fortunate enough to own a Lamborghini and have some extra cash too.

Here's the low down from https://www.giro.lamborghinievents.com "The resonating sound of Lamborghini challenges Nature at every turn. The audacity to command one of these Italian-bred beasts at the Giro Lamborghini 2008 belongs to a discerning few – a mere 50 individuals hungry enough to take on Nature's uncertainties with heart rates and redlines rising. If you’re up for the challenge, a journey across California awaits, complete with awe-inspiring coastal scenery and demanding mountain climbs.

Only 50 spots are available – you don't want to be left behind. Register now for what will undoubtedly become the drive of a lifetime."

It looks like it's four days of great driving, staying in nice hotels, and meals for you and your lucky guest. Thanks to Steve at Lamborghini Bellevue for the tip. [image source - Lamborghinievents.com]
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FORMULA 1 is coming to Germany on July 20th

FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2008 - FORMULA 1 is coming to Germany. According to http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/germany_796/circuit_diagram.html the race starts Sunday 5 am Seattle time. I might just head down to a local pub to watch the race from DVR. http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/germany_796/event_artwork.html has a cool banner graphic for the race. [image source - wikimedia.org]
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Jay Leno checks out the 2008 SSC Ultimate Aero - the world's fastest production car

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2009 Gumball 3000 rally route announced

According to http://www.gumball3000.com/rally/news/28, for 2009 the rally will head from Los Angeles to Miami! Apparently, it's been six years since the rally route has been in the USA. According to Gumball3000.com, it has "...key check-points and parties on route in Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Dallas, and New Orleans, the 2009 event will combine automobiles with music, film, and entertainment throughout the 3000 miles, closing the streets in each city to create a full-on Gumball festival!" It sounds like a lot of fun. You may be asking what's the cost to enter? Well, it's not cheap. 60,000 pounds for new gumballers and 50,000 for alumni. [image source - wikimedia.org]
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Spyder Road Show 2008 - Snoqualmie, WA - 7/14/2008

I was lucky enough to get invited to test drive a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder today. Wow! It was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. It meets my definition of a super car for sure. It is incredibly fast, handles quite well, and stops rather quickly. I thought the new M3 was fast but this car is a whole different breed entirely. Some of Lamborghini's marketing voodoo talks about bringing back souvenirs from hell. I didn't get any creepy vibes from this car but it sure can drive like a bat out of that nether region. Kevin, a former racing driver, took me out through some twisty roads near Salish Lodge and then we hit I-90. He schooled me in just how fast the car can accelerate in sport mode and just how quickly those branded Brembos can stop it. Then it was my turn to drive. I used the e-gear to pop it into 1st and then gingerly eased into the road. I got on the gas heading toward I-90, then I let her rip on the on ramp. It was awesome hearing the engine climbing quickly to 7000 RPM and then smoothly shift into the next gear. Bursts of acceleration were fun too on the twisty roads, as was down shifting and then putting it under load going under overpasses. Ah, what a thrill! It was quite the adrenaline rush indeed. Click the photo above or the ones below to jump to more. Here's a brief video of the three Spyders too - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xBL03sI6H0 .

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Lamborghini Tech Session - Lamborghini Bellevue - 7/12/2008

Lamborghini Bellevue hosted an awesome tech session yesterday afternoon. A big thanks to Shahin, Steve, and James for putting this together. I did the easy part of inviting folks from a certain large software company in Redmond. A good time was had by all. Shahin gave us the lowdown on Lamborghini history, some gearhead details about the cars, and some entertaining highlights. James, the service manager, gave us more info about the cars and talked about the maintenance costs which actually don't sound too bad. They let us take photos, sit in the cars, and they started and revved the engines too! Here's a video of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 revving in fact - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2nVTUIqThg. Click the photo above or the ones below for more photos.

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Coffee & Cars - Bellevue, WA - 7/12/2008

It was another super dee duper morning at Coffee & Cars. Millions of dollars in autos lined the West side of Main Street (near 102nd, I think). The turnout was much better this week than the day after the 4th last week... Yes, 7 am is early to go see cars but it's worth it. Click the photo above or the ones below to see more.

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In car camera of Corvette ZR1's record lap on the Nürburgring

Development engineer Jim Mero sports some pretty dandy driving. I heard a fair amount of tire chirping but I have to remind myself that he wasn't using racing tires, just the stock ones supposedly. I wonder if GM will offer a paddle shifter option to the ZR1 or not... The Nürburgring is such a fun track to watch drivers on. [video source - GMnext.com]



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Land Rover's Portraits of Adventure to be displayed at the Royal Geographical Society

Land Rover's Portraits of Adventure to be displayed at the Royal Geographical Society. Apparently there are 60 images in all. I didn't know that Marilyn Monroe owned a Land Rover. Hmm... Those are interesting driving shoes too. [image source - TopGear.com]
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Versus: Winding Road puts the Mini Cooper Clubman S in a cage fight against the Mazda Speed 3

Versus: Winding Road puts the Mini Cooper Clubman S in a cage fight against the Mazda Speed 3. Who do you think will come out on top? To me, the Cooper Clubman S looks like an ugly, overweight version of the Cooper S... As for the Mazda, the last Mazda I drove was my 1989 323. It was reliable but drove like a turd on four wheels. I've heard that the Mazda Speed 3 is not at all like a turd and drives nicely and is engineered well too. http://windingroad.nextautos.com/windingroad/200808web/?folio=59 has the low down. [image source - http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu]
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eBay find of wonder: 2004 Ferrari 360 Challenge

A beautiful 2004 Ferrari 360 Challenge is up for sale on eBay. Current bid is the low, low price of $151,100 USD. I just saw a yellow 360 Challenge for less the other day... Hmm... I wonder what the Blue book is on these models. [image source - photos.ebizautos.com]

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KTM X-BOW - Is it your next track toy?

KTM X-BOW. Yes, it's X-BOW not XBOX. Although, this little bastion of speed might remind you of video game driving feats. It zips from 0-60 in just 3.9 seconds and weighs in at just 790 kilos. This car looks like loads of fun but with a base price of $70,000 USD it's no ordinary track toy. The fine fellows from Top Gear did a feature on these cars being used for racing - http://www.topgear.com/content/features/stories/2008/06/stories/16/1.html [image source - ktm-x-bow.com]
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Coffee & Cars - Bellevue, WA - 7/5/2008

Even after folks' late night on the 4th, it was another good showing for Coffee & Cars. More friendly people with great cars came out despite a slight drizzle. Once again there was a great variety of antiques and exotics. Click the photos to jump to more photos. Here's a link to a short video of a Lamborghini Murcielago too - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAJlgbv6vd8.


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Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! As an American, I'm thankful for our country's independence.

I'm hopeful that some day we'll have energy independence as well. Here's a link to spur thought and debate :) http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=independence+from+foreign+oil&btnG=Google+Search
[image source - Wikipedia]

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Pacific Northwest Historics Vintage Races benefiting Seattle Children's Hospital

Pacific Northwest Historics Vintage Races benefiting Seattle Children's Hospital are taking place this 4th of July holiday weekend. If you want to get in FREE, I've heard that they're still looking for volunteers. More info about everything is on their web site. [image source - northwesthistorics.com]
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