“Well, you’re taller so I guess you’ll take the f*ckin’ Maserati and he’ll take the Ferrari.” I heard the words and just nodded and quipped back ” Okay, that works for me…” and like that, I was locked into my first drive in a Maserati, much less one a significant value and notoriety. Thankfully, I have an acquaintance who’s both trusting and a bigger car nut that I could probably ever be. Why was I driving a Maserati? The 2012 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance but more to the point, the Italian car show, the Concorso Atlantico, on the Saturday preceding the Concours. The car in question? A 1971 Maserati Ghibli Spider, 1 of 125 ever made.
Monthly Archives: March 2012
Moving…
After being on Blogger.com for a few years, I’ve grown tired of the fairly remedial interface and boring themes to choose from. As a result, here we are! I’ve begun the process of shifting everything over to WordPress to give myself a more familiar interface along with more options.
Thus eBrake will be fully transitioned over to FlatOutMotoring and going forward, FOM is the new site.
Please bear with me while we get stuff settled – any constructive criticism is appreciated, though!
2012 12 Hours of Sebring – Road Trip
If you’re a sports car or racing fan and you live within a few hours of Sebring, Florida then you have no excuse for having not attended this race. Seriously, go buy tickets for the 2013 race, disregard the fact that it has a yet-to-be-announced field. The race is a must-attend for anyone in North America who wants to see both the spectacle that is world-class racing and the spectacle that is the infield.
The 2012 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Photos
I was lucky enough to spend the entire weekend just 45 minutes North of Jax at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours. If you’re reading this – you probably know Vic Elford was the guest of honor and 10 to 12 of the Ferrari 250 GTO’s(nearly 1/3 of the word’s population of the GTO’s!) were present along with a handful of Shelby Cobras.
I also was lucky enough to spend part of the weekend cruising the island in a 1971 Maserati Ghibli Spyder – 1 of 125 produced. More on that later, though! Below are a few of my favorite shots from the Concours and Saturday’s Italian car show: The Concorso Atlantico. For those who haven’t been yet – the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is a massive event – Porsches, Chevys, Caddys, Bentleys, BMWs, Ferraris – you name it, they’ve got a historically important road, concept or race car to represent those brands! This is definitely one of the premiere events in North America for classic cars. We even had a chance to speak with Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars fame on the Velocity Channel. I plan to continue going every year!
You can find the full gallery here on Flickr.
The Times They Are a Changin’
For the last 12 years I’ve been a BMW nut. Big time. For the last 10 years I’ve had an E46 3 Series in various forms and even segued that into working for the incredible BMWBlog.com for the last nearly 4 years. After deciding that having a 110,554 mile old BMW might not be practical – it was time to find a new car.
After nearly pulling the trigger on an 2008 Melbourne Red E90 M3 with 48k miles and nearly no warranty left, the same weekend I managed to find a used 2007 Porsche Cayman at local Porsche dealer and race team Brumos Porsche. With the wife in tow, we went to check out the car on Saturday afternoon before shooting down to Daytona to take advantage of free tickets to the Bud ShootOut. In the brief test drive, one thing was readily apparent: the Cayman really is one of the best handling cars in the sub-$100k range and it’s a tight car in terms of steering and feel, showing me that the 3 Series is still a lot of fun but feels much more loosy-goosy in terms of the controls. Having a flat-six engine buzzing away over your shoulder is also quite an experience. The Cayman does manage to quiet down some once you’re into higher gears – but the noise it makes at 4,000+ RPMs will probably keep you from wanting to grab the next gear.
After a day to think it over, on Veteran’s Day I put in a full day at the office then headed back to Brumos that evening to pull the trigger on my first Porsche. The car itself was a 1 owner car with 43,905 miles when I picked it up. The Cayman is fairly stripped down with the only options being:
-18 inch wheels
- Colored Crests on the Center Caps
- Premium Sound Plus package
- Heated Seats
- 5 Speed Manual (Obviously!!!)
- Standard Black Paint over Sand Beige Leather Seats
The previous owner did quite a job on keeping the car both well-maintained and super clean. For a 5 year old car, the Cayman manages to hide its age on the outside while the interior feels basically brand new – I hope I can do it justice over my next few years of ownership.
So far over the course of the last three weeks the car has not disappointed. At just a hair over 2,900lbs and with Michelin Pilot Sports – the car’s rear does not relinquish grip one iota. Fuel economy seems to be estimated at an enthusiast rating by Porsche at 19 City / 27 Highway(I’ve averaged 25 MPG on the highway at best) but perhaps it’s my own prodigious right foot that’s killing the economy.
All in all, it was time for a change – let’s see if PCars will be as rewarding an enjoyable as BMW has been(and continues to be!) I’ve not left the BMW brand forever – but it was time for a change.
The Cayman will get it’s first big test this weekend on my commute to the 12 Hours of Sebring, a 4 hour, 229 mile jaunt from Jacksonville to a tiny speck on the map of Central Florida. Be sure to keep an eye out on BMWBlog for our coverage of the 60th 12 Hours of Sebring and some photos to make an appearance here.
