Speed Demons and City Cars

McLarenF1

Back in 1992, Gordon Murray and McLaren Automotive made the fast production car in the world.  The McLaren F1 was, and still is the fastest normally aspirated production car in the world.

I remember it like it was just yesterday.  I was in London in March of 1998 and the news channels were buzzing with the story –  The McLaren F1 became the fastest production car with a top speed of 240 miles per hour.  That was straight from the factory with no mods.

Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to see a few of these cars in person.  The picture here is one that Turner Motorsports brought every year.  There was also another one that came to Lime Rock that had raced in the 24 Hours at Le Mans.  That was a serious privilege.  Not many people get to see a car with that kind of history.

One day at the track, I saw a lucky reporter get a ride in the McLaren.  It was every car lover’s dream.  If you’re not familiar with the McLaren, the driver seat is actually in the middle.  There are two seats that are set back on either side of the driver’s seat.  The three seats sort of look like a triangle.  That reported climbed in, got buckled, and probably got the ride of his life.  I was very envious that day.

I wanted to write this story because Gordon Murray has just released his T25 concept “city car“.  It is smaller than a Smart ForTwo and has the same seating setup as the McLaren F1.  It is a 51hp car that is said to get 61.9 miles per gallon.  That is impressive!  One of his main purposes for designing this car was to cut down on congestion and being able to park 2 T25s in a single parking space.

Their new MP4-12C looks like it has a Ferrari front end and roofline, paired with a Lamborghini lower half and vents on the side.  Not an original design if you ask me.  But with 600hp, I bet it’s a blast to drive.

My Follow Friday List – Peeps and Tweeps pt. 3

I am following up on a previous blog I wrote about some of the people I interact with on an almost daily basis. Some of these you will have seen before, but I have added a few others to the list that I have met over the last month or so.  I read a post a few months ago that said instead of clogging up Twitter with the #ff’s, make a list in a blog and have people follow from there.  So, here ya go…

The coolest of the cool

Dom P. – One of the funniest guys I know.
Jerry P. – Dom’s brother and the other funniest guy I know.  Check out his blog.
Cassie – Organizer extraordinaire of the Albany Tweetup.
Kelly – See Kelly for special ‘meat’ sales.
Emily – Kelly’s co-worker and photographer. Check out her blog.
John J. – Albany’s own celebrity. Everyone knows John.
Bill – Beer guru and tech dood.
Keith – Web designer and all around good guy.
Andrew – Code guru and blogger.
Rose – My honey. She also has a blog.
Brian – Shoots video like a pro with his Canon 7d.
Humbearto – Reporter for the Times Union. Moved to Seattle and Albany misses him greatly.
CuteElla – Heart of gold and she also has a blog
Jim – Phish fanatic
Stickfigureman – awesome Stick Figure posts
Angelos – Beer and wine brewer
Amy – PR, Social Media consultant and blogger
Kevin – No nonsense, tell it like it is kinda guy. He has a blog too. Also a self proclaimed “sex symbol”.
Terri – Our favorite Realtor. She is the best. Her blog rocks too.
Sue – Local 911 dispatcher.
AllOverAlbany – Great blog and good people.
John G. – Producer and voice actor in Albany
Tony – Web designer.
Irisira – Blog
Jaci Sabolsky
Jennifer McIntosh
Katie the Intern
Kate Birch
Trish – Painfully shy chick.  Go say hi and make her come out of her shell
Mike Bucc – News junkie and really funny
Di – Bangin’ Canadian and my 90s hip hop buddy
Roz – My source for good information
Goose – Entertainer extraordinaire and funny guy.
Mike Keane – Great guy.  Funny too!
Sue – Helped me in a huge way with the pool!
GoldWing987 – A fellow rider

Here’s a few categories of people or companies that I follow and interact with on a regular basis. Feel free to follow them if you’re interested.

Photography

Scott Bourne – Photofocus blogger and photography pioneer.
Trey Ratcliff – AKA Stuck in Customs. Some of the most amazing HDR I have ever seen.
Amazing Pics – They pick out great pics and share them.
Nikon – The best cameras in the world.
Alex Suarez – Photography and technology blog.
Adorama – Photography supplies.
Fluck – Photography blog
Canvas On Demand – Site for great canvas prints. I had them print a 16×20 for me and it was gorgeous.
Peta Pixel – Awesome blog with tips and tricks for photographers.

Motorcycles

Harley Brother – Harley events
Joe Rocket – A motorcycle junkie with some great links
Harley-Davidson© – The motorcycle company, silly.
Kurt Sutter – Executive Producer of Sons of Anarchy.
Motorcycle Fans – Awesome news and a daily photo blog

News

Kristi Gustafson – Times Union’s OTE blogger.
Amanda Talar – Times Union’s East Greenbush blogger.
Naomi Seldon – Times Union’s Simpler Living blogger.
Mike Huber – Times Union’s Interactive Audience Manager
Channel 10 News
Metroland

Cars

Top Gear
Keeler Motor Car

Blogs (Those not mentioned previously)

Rude Cactus – Blog
GreebleMonkey – Photoblog
WordPress – Blogging platform
Christa Watson – It’s Like Christ with an A
Albany Insurance – Albany Insurance Professional
Rob Madeo – Man of a Certain Age
Kari VanAlstine – Chronicles of Chronic Pain and Wreckless Abandon
Jen Hernandez – Sweetly Tart

Miscellaneous

Uncommon Grounds – Coffee house in Albany and Saratoga
Price Chopper – Grocery shopping
511 Traffic – Local traffic
Boob Emancipate – Who doesn’t like boobs?
InTune GP -My cousin’s husband. He makes guitar picks for a majority of the rock bands out there.
Newegg – Computer parts at great prices.
Woot – Daily deals.
Wootoff – Crazy specials.
Shawn King – Your Mac Life
Alyssa Milano – Yes, the actress from Who’s the Boss.  She has some really great Tweets.  I really enjoy reading them.

That’s quite a few of the people I follow. I know I have missed a bunch, but this is a good start.  Please feel free to add people or businesses that I missed or that you think would be good to follow. Please follow me at TCRPMG and subscribe to this blog. See ya soon!

**Image borrowed from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/ ***

Back in the day…

As I was mowing the lawn yesterday, something hit me and made me think.  I know, it doesn’t happen very often.  Anyway, I was thinking about growing up as a kid on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  I thought back to mowing the lawn since I was old enough to safely push or ride the mower.  My  grandfather worked on mowers in his spare time and we were always testing them out when he was done to make sure they worked properly.  The best part was when he would fix go-karts and we could test them out.

I can remember one day he fixed a go-kart and I was testing it around the yard.  I was ripping along at a good pace for the first lap or two, slowing down for the corners and accelerating in the straights.  By the second or third lap, I was all out coming through the corners and sliding the back end around, steering through the corners.  Well, I made it maybe two more laps around the yard before I heard “the whistle”.  When he put two fingers in his mouth and made that whistle, you knew you were in trouble.  Without hesitation, my foot came off the gas pedal and I slowly crept back to the garage.  I was scolded a little for tearing up the lawn when I slid the back end around the corners, but it was more like a life lesson.

We also had a mini-bike back then.  I can remember riding it around the yard and the neighborhood when I was young.  I even remember one time when my brother was riding around the yard and the throttle got stuck.  I can see the grown ups like it was yesterday, chasing hims as fast as they could run.  They caught him eventually and all was well, but it was a little scary and quite humorous.

I remember my Aunt and Uncle coming down from Massachusetts on their motorcycles and my uncle taking us for rides.  It was the best.  When I was 16, my grandfather had an old Suzuki automatic (650 LA perhaps?) that he let me take down the road one day.  That was all she wrote.  Since those days of go-karts, mini-bikes and motorcycles, I have been a motorcycle lover.  I love the freedom and the instant speed.  A lot of sport bikes I have ridden will do 0-60 in under 3 seconds.  That’s faster than a Ferrari.  Now you see why I love riding.  And it’s not just the speed.  It’s the fresh air in your face, the smells, the freedom.  I love it.

So, a big thank you goes out to my grandfather.  He was like a father to me and taught me great things I will never forget.  He also taught how to treat and respect a woman.  He and my grandmother were married for 54 years before he passed away.  They just don’t make them like him any more.  I miss him very much.

See ya soon!

I do love redheads…

As some of you may know, I am a huge car freak. I love high end sports cars. Ferrari is my favorite exotic car marque of all.  I even have the tattoo to prove it! Whenever there is a car show that may have high end sports cars in the area, I grab the camera and head off to get some pictures and see some works of art.

Two summers ago, the Saratoga Automobile Museum hosted the Fall Ferrari Festival on their grounds. The weather was not ideal for Ferraris, so i did not expect a great turnout. It was a gloomy, overcast day in the Saratoga area. The rain was threatening to dampen our spirits, and our souls. A few brave souls came out despite the showers and showed us their amazing automobiles. All in all, I would say there were about 10 Ferraris that made an appearance. Mostly F430s and 360s, but a few older cars came as well. A special treat was the Ferrari SuperAmerica. I hadn’t seen one of these in person, so I was quite happy.

Ferrari SuperAmerica

There was even a Ferrari Testarossa there.  In Italian, Testarossa means ‘Red Head’.  In Ferrari’s case, it refers to the red-painted cam covers on the engine.   As I wandered around the show, taking in all of the sights and got this shot with an F430 in the foreground and a Testarossa in the background.  Both of them are shown in front of the Saratoga Auto Museum.

It may have been raining that day, but in my mind it was beautiful out.  Any day that you get to spend in the presence of Ferraris is a great day in my book.  Here are a couple more I took that day.  Enjoy!

See ya soon!

Peeps and Tweeps pt. 2

I am following up on a previous blog I wrote about some of the people I interact with on an almost daily basis.  Some of these you will have seen before, but I have added a few others to the list that I have met over the last month or so.

The coolest of the cool

Dom P. – One of the funniest guys I know.
Jerry P. – Dom’s brother and the other funniest guy I know.
Cassie – Organizer extraordinaire of the Albany Tweetup.
Kelly – See Kelly for special ‘meat’ sales.
Emily – Kelly’s co-worker and photographer.  Check out her blog.
John J. – Albany’s own celebrity.  Everyone knows John.
Bill – Beer guru and tech dood.
Keith – Web designer and all around good guy.
Andrew – Code guru and blogger.
Ellie – Loves her parakeet and her blog.  Self proclaimed techy geek.
Rose – My honey.  She also has a blog.
Brian – Shoots video like a pro with his new 7d
Humbearto – Reporter for the Times Union.  Moved to Seattle and Albany misses him greatly.
CuteElla – Heart of gold and she also has a blog
Jim – Phish fanatic
Stickfigureman – awesome Stick Figure posts
Angelos – Beer and wine brewer
Amy – PR, Social Media consultant and blogger
Kevin – No nonsense, tell it like it is kinda guy.  He has a blog too.  Also a self proclaimed “sex symbol”.
Terri – Our favorite Realtor.  She is the best.  Her blog rocks too.
Sue – Local 911 dispatcher.
AllOverAlbany – Great blog and good people.
John G. – Producer and voice actor in Albany
Tony – Web designer.
Irisira – Blog
Jaci Sabolsky
Jennifer McIntosh
Katie the Intern
MetalFrog – Web site guru

Here’s a few categories of people or companies that I follow and interact with on a regular basis.  Feel free to follow them if you’re interested.

Photography

Scott Bourne – Photofocus blogger and photography pioneer.
Trey Ratcliff – AKA Stuck in Customs. Some of the most amazing HDR I have ever seen.
Amazing Pics – They pick out great pics and share them.
Nikon – The best cameras in the world.
Alex Suarez – Photography and technology blog.
Adorama – Photography supplies.
Fluck – Photography blog
Canvas On Demand – Site for great canvas prints.  I had them print a 16×20 for me and it was gorgeous.
Peta Pixel – Awesome blog with tips and tricks for photographers.

Motorcycles

Harley Brother – Harley events
Joe Rocket – A motorcycle junkie with some great links
Harley-Davidson© – The motorcycle company, silly.
Kurt Sutter – Executive Producer of Sons of Anarchy.
Motorcycle Fans – Awesome news and a daily photo blog

News

Kristi Gustafson – Times Union’s OTE blogger.
Amanda Talar – Times Union’s East Greenbush blogger.
Naomi Seldon – Times Union’s Simpler Living blogger.
Channel 10 News
Metroland

Cars

Top Gear
Keeler Motor Car

Blogs (Those not mentioned previously)

Rude Cactus – Blog
GreebleMonkey – Photoblog
WordPress – Blogging platform
Christa Watson – It’s Like Christ with an A
Albany Insurance – Albany Insurance Professional
Rob Madeo – Man of a Certain Age
Kari VanAlstine – Chronicles of Chronic Pain and Wreckless Abandon
Jen Hernandez – Sweetly Tart

Miscellaneous

Uncommon Grounds – Coffee house in Albany and Saratoga
Price Chopper – Grocery shopping
511 Traffic – Local traffic
Boob Emancipate – Who doesn’t like boobs?
InTune GP -My cousin’s husband.  He makes guitar picks for a majority of the rock bands out there.
Newegg – Computer parts at great prices.
Woot – Daily deals.
Wootoff – Crazy specials.
Shawn King – Your Mac Life

That’s quite a few of the people I follow.  Please feel free to add people or businesses that I missed or that you think would be good to follow.  Please follow me at TCRPMG and subscribe to this blog.  See ya soon!

**Image borrowed from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/ ***

Honest Scrap

Honest Scrap

My friend, Cassie, tagged me in a post the other day and I figured it would be a fun way to start off the week.  I have to post 10 facts about myself that you don’t know  and tag 6 other bloggers.  This is a great idea.  I would love to do it!

1.) Most people see me dressed up or wearing a shirt with sleeves long enough to cover some pretty big tattoos.  I have 5 tattoos, but one of them has been covered up with a new tattoo,  so technically 4.  The one on my left arm has a globe, eagle and anchor to symbolize the Navy and Marines.  It also has the initials of my father and grandfather in it as they both served in the Navy or Marines and have both passed away.

My tattoos

2.) A lot of people that don’t know me well don’t know that I love motorcycles.  I get on the bike and just ride for the day to clear my head.  It is the best therapy out there.

Our bikes

3.) I love a lot of different music.  Lately it has been leaning a little more towards rock, but for a large portion of my life I have been listening to r&b and hip hop.  I am especially partial to 90s hip hop.

4.) I created the Capital Region Photography Meetup group here in Albany to help others grow their passion for photography.

5.) Winter time is really rough for me.  I can’t ride the motorcycles, and I lose my desire to take pictures.  From late fall after the leaves fall until early spring when things start to bloom again, I get into a slump and don’t shoot much.

6.) I don’t drink alcohol very often.  Because of the migraines I get, I barely ever drink.  It’s not that I don’t like drinking, I just get headaches so frequently that I don’t want to give myself one intentionally.

7.) I am a LOST junkie.  I have seen every episode in Seasons 1-5 a minimum of 3 times.  Very sad to see it end this year.

8.) I am a huge Ferrari fan.  Actually, most high end sports cars.  I fell in love with them in the late 90s when I started visiting Lime Rock in Lakeville, CT.  I have been obsessed with them ever since.

Ferraris at Lime Rock

9.) I am a water rat.  Growing up, I spent my summers in the pool from morning til night.  I can spend hours in the pool.

10.) I have spent the last four years with the most amazing woman.  She treats me like a king, and she loves riding motorcycles as well.  I am very lucky to have her in my life.

Dozenroses13

Now, I have to tag six bloggers…

1.) Rose – Dozenroses13’s Blog

2.) Kat Cee- Katmasutra

3.) Trey Ratcliff – Stuck In Customs

4.) Chessie – 365 Degrees, Photos from each day

5.) Pam Lee – Pam is Trying

6.) Scott Bourne – Photofocus

Did you say Nintendo?

Growing up, we had some pretty cool video game systems.  I can remember the Atari pretty well, among a few others.  Sure, I may be dating myself with this statement, but my favorite game console, then and now is the Nintendo.  Yes, I said now.  I have loved playing Super Mario Bros since it came out back in 1985.  It is still as much fun today as it was back then.  I even was asked to bring it to a friend’s house Superbowl Sunday.  We played it before and after the game.  Personally, I would have been happier playing the Nintendo than watching the Superbowl.

Nintendo

Over the last twenty plus years, I have played on many of the different consoles.  I am not a huge gamer, but I do enjoy racing games.  I can remember when Gran Turismo came out for the Playstation.  A bunch of us got together and played day and night.  It was so addicting.  Then Gran Turismo 2 came out and it started all over again.

A few years later, I got an Xbox.  They don’t have Gran Turismo for that platform, but they do have Project Gotham Racing.  I have played all three PGRs and loved everyone.  There also was Need For Speed.  I don’t know how many of those came out, but there’s been a ton, and I have played a bunch of them.  My most recent was Need For Speed: Shift.

Now, I have the Nintendo (of course) and an Xbox 360.  I really like the Xbox 360 for it’s graphics and Xbox Live capabilities.  I can play games on it, and watch Netflix Streaming with it.  It’s a great system.  I have both Guitar Hero and Rock Band for it and really enjoy playing them as well.

The reason I am writing this tonight is to ask everyone’s opinion on gaming.  Here’s a few questions for you…

• Do you play video games?  If yes, how often?
• What type of games do you like?
• What console do you like to play on?
• Do you think the Guitar Hero/Rock Band type games are encouraging kids to learn to play instruments, or just video games?

If nothing else, they make for some great pictures…

Drums

Guitar

Playin' around with the camera

Speed is what you need…

So, as I continue this new quest of blogging, I thought I would share a little more about me.  My real passion in life is exotic sports cars.  Yes, Ferraris, Porsches, and Mercedes, oh my!  I am not really sure when this obsession started, but I do know that it grew rapidly in the late ’90s.

I was living in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts,  not very far from the Connecticut countryside.  I found out about a racetrack called Lime Rock in Lakeville, CT. I had been a car lover previously, but this put me over the top.  I remember going to the track with my camera and not knowing what to shoot first.  Some of the rarest cars in the world would be there.  Cars I never knew were in the States.  Bikes that you had heard of, but never thought you would see in your lifetime.  It was my Mecca.  I was hooked.

There were usually four or five main events throughout the year that were open to the public.  My favorite was the Ferrari Challenge.  I remember as a child I had a Ferrari Testarossa radio controlled car.  Maybe that’s where it came from.  I can see it like it was yesterday.  Ferraris in many colors, engines screaming around the track at high speeds.  Brand new Ferraris as well as vintage works of art.

Other weekends brought out different events and cars.  I can remember the weekend they introduced the Bugatti Veyron to the public at Lime Rock.  What a beautiful machine.  Quad turbo, 16 cylinder engine producing 1,001 horsepower.  I think top speed is around 253 mph.  Insane!  That same weekend, I got to hang out in a Rolls Royce Phantom, as they were introducing it to the public as well.  I love that place.

Mercedes has always been a car I loved as well.  I especially love the lines of these cars.  The Germans sure can shape a car.  I have always wanted to own an S-Class.  Such a big, beautiful car.   The SL and the CL are also works of art. Especially when you put the AMG package on them and toss that huge motor in.  Gorgeous!

Porsche has a great quality as well as design.  I was fortunate enough to be at Lime Rock  one Summer when a huge Porsche event was going on.  I was fortunate enough to see the Porsche 959, a very special Porsche that I never dreamed I would see in person.  What an honor that was.

As I grow in my photography, one of my goals is to do some exotic shoots.  I really would like to find people with high end sports cars that would let me shoot them, fulfilling both my passion for photography and the cars as well.  So, if you know someone with a great car, that will let me take some pictures of it, please let me know.  This is something I must do, and I hope this year is the year.

I will do some digging on some old hard drives and see if I can find some of these cars from my early days of shooting and show you what I have seen.  Thank you Lime Rock for fueling my passion.  And thank you for reading my blog!  Here’s a pic I took at Lime Rock a few years ago.

Ferrari Enzo and Challenge Stradale