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.

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!

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

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