2011.09.03 Allure of the Automobile
1961 Ferrar: 250 GT (Short-WheelBase) Berlinetta
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Bravissimo.
1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Coupe
Cheerio. I'm an idiot for not getting a picture of the grille of this lovely thing.
1953 Porsche 550
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Schnell. You would not believe how tiny this toy is.
1957 Jaguar XK-SS Roadster
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Apparently this über-cool car was property of Mister Cool - Steve McQueen. And it seems that I was not the only fan.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR
Seeing this car makes many of the styling cues of the current SLS make sense.
1948 Tucker Model 48 Torpedo
Finally seeing one of these in person, and I can get a better feel for how easy it would be to think Tucker was a bit insane.
1959 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray
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Crazy awesome.
1931 Duesenberg
The origin of the expression "duesey" does not disappoint. And, for the record, pipes coming out of a straight-8 engine look awesome.
1938 Alfa Romeo
Alfa's have always been pretty, haven't they.
1937 Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza
OK, this one is just funny. It's gigantic, but has this tiny little aircraft-like cockpit, and even its exhaust pipes are formed to look aerodynamic.
1930 Bentley Speed Six (Blue Train Special)
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Awesome. This thing looks like an extremely comfortable tank, yet I happen to know that they were also stunningly fast in their era. This is a brutal piece of British Empire spitting blood on the ground, wiping its mouth with a silk handkerchief, and saying "that all you can do, laddie?"
1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante
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If there's a superstar car for all time, which all car aficionado's speak of in reverent tones, it might be one of these. So exquisite that even its genius-but-ridiculous aspects are fabulous. Pictures do not do it justice - it's just so pretty.
I'd rather have the Bentley, though.
1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow
HA HA HA. Sorry. I'm sure it's lovely. But the over-earnest archer hood emblem gets me every time.
1939 Talbot-Lago
Hmm. I kind of like that. In a "I'd be afraid of a Bentley blasting past me and tearing off my pretty fender" sort of way.
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Roadster
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Wow. This might be the definition of refinement in car form. You would feel like royalty riding in it. (As long as you averted you royal gaze away from the diminishing rear of the Bentley and ignored the dust.)
RatRod
Parked on the street outside, a cobbled-together Frankenstein of awesome.
Ultimate RV
This is like the motor home Jules Verne would have. I like the full-height staircase going up the rear, looking like something off the Nautilus, and the optional extended steering shaft that lets you drive from the top deck.
Monster Roadster
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I couldn't stop staring at this gigantic beast of a vehicle. Made out of an incredible mixture of heavy truck parts, custom sheet metal, gargantuan mechanisms, and weapons-grade awesome, I am left with one quasi-mythical impression: I Want To Make One Too.