Lotus Europa Snorkel Car

For sale for 175,000 GBP here.

For sale for $50.95 here.

Incidentally, scalecars.com is having a "close out sale" starting August 26.  I hope they are just clearing inventory and not closing down for good.  In any event, you might be able to pick up a few bargains.

2010 Laguna Seca Monterey Historics parking lot photos

Paddock photos here.

I stand by my assertion that at car shows, the cars of the spectators are just as interesting as what's in the event.

This Porsche 928S with a Nurburgring sticker was the first cool car I saw parked.

Ford GT with Gulf Oil livery in dirt lot.

Exhibit 1: Evidence of hoonage.

Lotus Esprit.

This is the first Opel Monza I have ever seen in my life.

Aston Martin V8.

Aston Martin DB5.

Sunbeam Tiger.  The reason why I came.  More later.

This specific Mercedes 500E I spotted inspired this piece back in 2007.  The giveaway was the license plate frame.

Ferrari F40.

F40 exhaust.

This Fiat 124 coupe certainly was not the fanciest at the lot, but I was drawn to it.

Ferrari 288 GTO.  I rest my case.

F1 Lotus T12 and T127 photo picture

Lotus is celebrating their 500th race this weekend in Valencia.  They brought out the first Lotus F1 car for a photo shoot.

Lotus promo, or how an Esprit is made, circa 1984

Best Motoring Convertible Battle

The weirdest lineup you'll ever see. Hint: Don't root for the Cappuccino.

Old School Ski Racks

During my trip through the Sierras, I saw an old rusty Porsche 924 parked on the street with a ski rack. Only the sub-arctic weather and my hunger and exhaustion prevented me from whipping out my camera to take a picture.

The first thing that came to my mind was my Hot Wheels Porsche 944 with removable plastic skis.

The second thing to come to my mind was Roger Moore's Lotus Esprit with a ski rack in For Your Eyes Only.

I wonder what happened to the rear mounted, angled ski rack. I haven't seen one of these set-ups in decades. There aren't that many hatchbacks now, but I don't even remember seeing these on 300ZX's or RX-7's in the 1990s.

Is it because they hurt the aerodynamics? Or is a rear wheel drive two seater not the first choice for people when they head to the mountains to go skiing?

Car Themed Notepads

I may have gone a bit overboard. I was at the gift shop at the National Auto Museum. On a rack were notepads with pencil drawings of cars on top. They were $1 each, or six for $5. So I bought twelve of them. I need to increase the frequency of writing notes and shopping lists.

What got me interested were the cars that Reno artist Laura Lea Evans chose. There are no Mustangs, Porsches, or VW Beetles. No. All of her subjects are obscure cars that I like. What are the chances?

Lamborghini Espada.

Lotus Europa.

BMW M1.

Lamborghini 350GT.

Maserati Mistral.

Alfa Giulia SS.

Aston Martin Lagonda.

BMW 6 series.

Ferrari 400/400i/412.

Aston Martin V8.

Maserati Biturbo.

Alfa Romeo GTV.

Emme Lotus 422T: The Brazilian Lotus Saloon

I've been dealing with a bout of writer's block lately. I'm working on something interesting for tomorrow evening (fingers crossed). In the meantime, take a gander at this oddity, the Emme Lotus 422T.

Only about a dozen of these Brazilian sedans with Lotus engines were built. The little 2.2 liter turbocharged four scooted this monstrosity to 60 in less than five seconds.

This 1998 Emme Lotus looks strangely similar to the 1992 Volvo ECC concept car, which later became the S80.

Here is a video by Flavio Gomes, who has a blog and is an avid fan of Warsaw Pact automobilia. Jump to 1:15.

Matchbox Transporter

For the collector with discriminating taste. From top left, clockwise: Austin 1800 Pininfarina, Lamborghini Marzal, Citroen SM, DAF truck, Lotus Europa, Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

Photo credit

2009 Orinda Car Show

These are my favorite cars from today's show.

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione: This is the first one I've seen in real life. It is as beautiful as the pictures I've seen.

Lotus Esprit Turbo: Wedge, squared.

Lotus Europa John Player Special: Party up front, business in the back.

Old Bentley