Saturday Morning Motorvation: Vintage Porsche

Kim gets his cars back

After fighting with US and New Zealand law enforcement for more than two years, Kim Dotcom will be getting his cars back. He is a big petrol head and has quite the collection as well.  In celebration, here is his ring video.

F1 - A guide for Americans

    F1 has always had a large following in almost every country but the united States.  The lack of races in the US  and no American teams or drivers has contributed to this. If you want to be an F1 driver, you probably need to be the son of rich European parents. There are a few exceptions to this (Senna) but even those probably had very wealthy parents and started racing go karts while still in diapers. But just because you won't be a millionaire driver yourself, you can still enjoy F1 (Quick joke - How do you become a millionaire race car driver? Start with a billion dollars.) It's like NASCAR but better because the cars are faster and they turn both left and right. No,  not really but that just emphasizes the stereotypes that keep gear heads from enjoying all forms of racing. In order to bridge the gap, let's start with the basics to understanding F1.

  The season;  The 2014 season started on 14 March in Australia and finishes on 23 November with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.  There are a total of 19 races scheduled, each in a different country.  While eight of the races are in Europe, there is one scheduled for the United States from 31 October to 2 November in Austin, Texas.  There have been discussions and rumors of a race in New Jersey but it doesn't look like that will ever happen.

  The tracks;  The majority of the races are held on purpose built circuits but there are a few still held on public roads which are temporary converted into race tracks.  The most famous of which is the Monaco Grand Prix.  This is also one of the most prestigious events in the F1 calendar and the expense and extravagance surrounding this event is beyond belief.  During practice runs, many of the drivers have unofficial agreements to leave as much rubber on the road as possible in order to burn off the layer of filth left by the previous night of partying.

Grand Prix De Monaco 2014

  The cars; The single seat, purpose built, open wheel cars are the fastest multi-turn circuit racing vehicles in the world. On the faster tracks, the cars reach speeds over 200 mph and up to 5 g's of force in turns.  During the race, cars will make several pit stops to change tires and make basic repairs.  Since 2009, there is no refueling during the race.  An F1 pit stop is an incredible coordinated event involving upwards of 30 people and should take less than two seconds for the top teams.

Sebastian Vettel

  The teams and drivers:  There are a total of eleven teams for the 2014 season.  Mercedes, Red Bull,
Ferrari and Lotus are the most popular and well known.  The top drivers to keep an eye on this year are Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.  Vettel, racing for Red Bull, has won the championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.  He is one of the most successful F1 racers of all time.

  Where and when to watch;  CBS Sports Network airs most of the races live and frequent replays the following day.  The replays are extremely helpful unless you want watch live in the middle of the night.  Just make sure if you are watching the replay to avoid spoilers on Facebook.

Bernie Ecclestone

  Bernie; While not critical to understanding F1, no guide would be complete without mentioning Bernie
Ecclestone. Bernie, who is now 83 years old, became a key player in F1 for many years, turning it (and himself) into billion dollar industries. He is a very savvy businessman but may soon be a prisoner in Germany.  His trial started on Thursday, 24 April 2014 in Munich.  The charges, of bribery and incitement to breech of trust, stem from a 44 Million dollar payment to a German banker named Gerhard Gribkowsky to facilitate the the sale of F1 Group to a buyer of Ecclestone's preference.  Gribkowsky has already been found guilty and is serving an eight and one half year sentence.  If convicted, Ecclestone, even if only receiving a fine, would be forced to finally step down from F1.

Hopefully that's enough to get you started.  We'll be posting throughout the season and providing a few more guides on the car details and drivers as the year goes on.

Saturday Morning "Motor"vation; The most difficult turn in racing

This week's "motor"vation is a little peak into "the most difficult turn in racing". Enjoy...

Saturday Morning "Motor"vation: Boxster GTS

Here's your weekly dose of "motor"vation, courtesy of Porsche and their newly announced Boxster GTS.  Look's like they are finally starting to let these mid engine machines stretch their legs.

Saturday Morning Motorvation: Top Gear Sabine Schmitz's Nurburgring Van Challenge

2015 Porsche 911 Turbo S Review: Video Game Fast - XCAR

Great review of the current Porsche 911 Turbo and history on the evolution of the turbo in the Porsche line up.

Car Show Visitors Guide AKA getting all up and in those fancy cars

  If you've ever been to one of the public days at the Paris, Frankfurt or Detroit Auto show, you know first
hand just how hard it is to get up and personnel with the high end cars.  I've had the opportunity to visit a few of the major auto shows and have developed a few tricks to make for a more enjoyable experience. Here are my top tips;

Crowds at the IAA Frankfurt 2009

Press Days - If you have the chance to go during a press day vice public, definitely do it.  There are obviously ways that an average guy could get into one of the press days, but for most it's not practical.  If you are able to get in during a press day, you will find a much smaller crowd, no barriers and easier access to the vehicles.  The manufactures want to make sure the press gets the best photos, videos and impression of their vehicles.  Most of the major manufactures will also hold press conferences during these days and freebies.

Frankfurt 2011 Crowds at the Mercedes Demo

Plan your trip - This is especially important if press days are not an option.  Hit up the show's website, print the floor plans, exhibition hall layouts and all the info you can.  If you are patient and can avoid opening day you will save yourself some frustration.  After reviewing all the info, develop a solid list of the top cars you want to experience and where they are located.  If you can purchase and print tickets online, do so as this will save some precious time and get you ahead of those less organized than you.

Porsche GT3 RS Premier at Frankfurt IAA

Dress the part - While you should dress practically for a long day of standing and walking, you also need to have a look of money about you.  It might be tempting to go with the running shoes and track suit for comfort but dressing like that will get you no where with the reps at the booth.  You also do not want to over dress as they will see right through this as well.  The key is to dress like you have money, will be comfortable throughout the day but also that aren't trying to impress anyone.  Avoid running shoes, hiking boots and stick with some simple leather shoes.  A nice button down shirt with dark blue jeans or slacks will complete the look and depending on the weather a simple sport coat or leather jacket will complete the look.  Don't forget to ditch the timex digital watch for something a little more upscale as the details matter.  Make sure the wife, girlfriend or kids that are with you also dress the part.  The kids can be another great tool to help get past the booth bouncer and up close with the car.

Just an average day at the auto show, Frankfurt 2009

Day of the show -  You'll want to get there about thirty minutes before the gates actually open and make sure you have your plan all mapped out.  The goal is to be one of the first to the cars you are most interested in.  Don't get distracted by the booth babes next to the new Honda, keep pushing straight to the Aston Martin or Lambo booth. The average visitors will simple go for stand to stand, you want to get out ahead of them.  When you do arrive at the booth of your dream car, step right up with confidence and ask to take a closer look.  The "bouncers" manning the velvet rope are just there to keep the rift raft out, not high class potential buyers like yourself.  It helps at this point if you know a little more than average about the product and can ask at least one technical question.  Once past the bouncer, there will be multiple employees eager to show you their newest cars.  Take your time, ask questions and play the part.  Don't forget to act a bit indifferent about the whole affair or they may become suspicious.  Feel free to take a few photos as well, just don't make too big a scene out of it or ask the employees to take them for you.

After finishing with one of your dream cars, head straight to the next one and you'll still be ahead of the crowds.  If you plan your trip out correctly within the first 60 minutes of being at the show, you'll have already been up close and personnel with the Astons, Ferraris, Lambos and Porsches before the swarming masses have descended.

Once the crowd's start to build at the super cars, you can transition over to checking out some of the not so expensive options or even call it a day.  By mid afternoon the area surrounding the super car booths will be a complete shoulder to should mass of people anyway.

Wilmington Cars and Coffee Saturday 5 April

The next Wilmington Cars and Coffee meeting is this Saturday 5 April.  The event will be going from 9 am until 12 and featuring free donuts, coffee, free raffle for discounts and prizes.  Chili's is also offering a discount to all participants.  This will be the first Cars and Coffee of the spring and they are expecting a large showing of over 300 cars from all makes, models and years.

E Bay Motors; Find of the Day, Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Here's our random ebay motors find of the day.  One of only two Aston Martin V12 Zagato's in the United States, this model was released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original DB4 GT Zagato.  This is a rare opportunity to own a very limited production hyper car for a low low price of half a million.  Even if this one is way outside of any of our price ranges, it's still worth the look just for those photos.  Check out that headliner, and those seats.  If any of you do decide this is the car for you and that you have a half million or so dollars burning a hole in your pocket, feel free to invite us over to help with the pre-purchase inspection. We promise not to drool too much.  Check out the full listing here with all the photos and info. Just make sure to act fast, the auction ends on 9 April.

A Visitors Guide to the Audi Museum and Forum in Ingolstadt, Germany

 The Audi Museum, located in the town of Ingolstadt in Bavaria, Germany was opened in 2000 and is co-located with one of their main assembly plants. This is also the same location where many new Audi's are delivered to their owners.  Any American Audi owner will be intimately familiar with this facility if they selected the European Delivery option.  I had the change to visit this museum a short while ago and though I'd take a moment to share my experience to help others interested in going.  Before visiting, I checked out the official website as well as some blogs but didn't seem to find all the info I was looking for and hope this post answers those questions for others.
  The closest major airport to  Ingolstadt is Munich, which is approximately 70 kilometers and an a little less than one hour's drive away.  Once outside of the city limits of Munich the highway (autobahn) leading to Ingolstadt will have those famous circular white signs with three gray diagonal lines indicating an unrestricted zone.  If you are unfamiliar with those signs or driving in Germany the best thing to keep in mind is stay to the right.  If you are not passing, get out of the left lane.  Those HID daytime running lights may look really far behind you, but believe me, when they are moving two times your speed, will be on your rear bumper in seconds.   On these unrestricted sections of the autobahn, most cars in the middle and left lanes will be travel around 120 miles per hour (around 200 KPH) but there are always a few that will be closer to 180 mph (290 KPH).    Don't bother trying to catch them or keep up with them and just get out of the way.  German drivers are not competitive like American drivers and do not feel slighted or superior based on their highway speed.  If there is slower traffic in front of you, just be patient as they will move over to the right as soon as possible.  Do not attempt to pass them on the right or you could end up paying some hefty fines in addition to the scorn of all the drivers on the road.
  Once at the museum, there is a small outdoor parking area and a larger parking garage accessed through an underground entrance.  A small parking fee is charged for utilizing the parking area, however when you purchase entrance tickets to the museum, you can have your parking ticket validated.  However, we attempted to use this service during our visit but ended up stuck at the exit to the parking lot because our ticket would not raise the gate.  It took a quick run back to the parking payment machine with euro in hand and a few honks from the cars waiting behind us to finally get the gate open.
  While slightly smaller and older than the Porsche, BMW or Mercedes Museum, the Audi facility is worth a visit especially if you are a fan.  Some of the highlights of the museum include the history of the four rings and the Auto Union,
  After touring the museum, it's worth taking a few extra minutes to head into the building located to the left of the museum.  This is the Audi Forum, where a large percentage of new vehicles are delivered to their owners.  It's an interesting site seeing all the new cars lined up under the bright lights ready for their owners.  A mildly amusing game can be made of trying to pair the new car with the guests in this area.  Is it the young 20 something guy with wife and kids in tow picking up that new RS7 or the 60 something retiree and his wife.  The Audi shop is also located in this building and has options for every buyer and price range.  All the standard branded items from pens, hats, jackets to model cars are available.  While the prices were similar to what is found in the Audi catalogs from any stateside dealer, there were a few discounted and discontinued items available during our visit.
  While there are factory tours available, we were not able to take advantage of that opportunity during this visit or find out much information about booking a tour.  Maybe next time.
  The museum is open Monday through Sunday 9 am to 6 pm with a 4 Euro entrance fee.  Check out their official website here.

Saturday Morning Motorvation: Top Gear Bugatti Top Speed Test

Saturday Morning Motorvation: Lamborghini on fire — Top Speed Record

Car and Driver's Ring Guide for First Time Visitors

Car and Driver magazine has just published a short but interesting article on a first timers trip to the ring.  There is some great info contained in this article for anyone planning a trip to the ring.  Especially take note of the need to rent a car for the ring from a track oriented rental agency.  Many Americans run afoul of the law by taking the car they rent at the airport on the track.  The majority of the German rental agencies specifically ban the use of their cars on the ring and in all probability had you sign a document agreeing to such.  It's not worth the risk, that armco barrier is very expensive and the the rental agency will be even more so.  Check out the full article here and let us know what you think.  Also, as frequent visitors to the ring, if you have any questions about planning a trip to the ring or traveling around Germany, hit us up.

Saturday Morning Motorvation: BMW unscripted. Sabine Schmitz.

Schumaker's Family Confident He Will Wake Up

 According to articles published today in several German newspapers.  Michael Schumaker's manager has released a few statements indicating the family is confident Michael will awake from his coma.  Michael has been in a medical induced coma since December and numerous rumors have been spread regarding his condition and potential for recovery.  Best wishes for him and his family.

Double Parker Revenge AKA Stay Between the Lines

As a car fanatic, I am always searching for the perfect parking spot.  You know the one, at the end of the row, away from the cart return and other cars, slighting wider than the rest because one side is against the grass or planter.  And of course uphill so as to prevent the chance of any stray shopping cart from rolling into the car.
  But I always park in one spot and only one spot.  If the spot is against the grass or a striped no parking area, I will definitely ride the line on that side because it offers some extra protection without infringing on any other spots.  That's probably one of the fastest ways to upset other drivers and incite anger against your car.  Just don't park across multiple spots, even at the very end of the lot where no one else is parked.  You never know what could happen...

Saturday Morning Motorvation: RUF Yellow Bird

The following video is one of those epic car videos that anyone claiming to be a petrol head must watch.  If you haven't seen it, watch it and if you have watch it again.  It's an amazing display of car control, track knowledge and 10/10ths driving on the edge.

North Carolina Police Officers Caught Speeding

Guess the laws don't apply to everyone.

Saturday Morning "Motor"vation: Maximum Reduction Porsche 911

Saturday Morning "Motor"vation: Maximum Reduction Porsche 911