Recent Articles
Keeping It “Low Key”: New S550 In Lieu of a Phantom?
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG RR NA and MBUSA
APPEARANCES, it would appear, still matter.
And in such times when the public’s hatred toward banks takes on visceral tones, those loved ones at home who benefit from such banking largesse (read: bonuses) are keen on moderating their former flamboyance.
Take, for example this tasty tidbit from McClatchy that hit the web today:
With many formerly high-flying residents still out of work, there are signs that the financial crisis has chastened Greenwich, but they’re subtle.
“Modesty is in, for the first time in a while,” said Ron Arbusman, who runs Viggi, one of about a dozen jewelry shops along the avenue.
One of Arbusman’s clients buys his wife a Rolls-Royce every few years, and she was angling for a new one. “But he did not want to be flashy,” Arbusman said. The woman settled for a Mercedes S550 sedan, which starts at $91,600
“Settling” never sounded so good.
Cruel Joke of the Day: Toyota’s Unintended Acceleration
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG via email (not actual ad)
MOVING forward, unintended, is a major source of Toyota’s current recall frustrations. So, leave it to some smart a$$ to circulate a joke that kicks the auto giant when it’s down.
Yours received the above fake advert via email recently.
As snarky as this macabre spoof may seem, there are reports to suggest that Toyota execs knew about the gas-pedal-leading-to-firey-crash issue; possibly as far back as 2005.
So, kick away folks and keep the jokes commin’.
info [at] automobilesdeluxe [dot] tv
Super Bowl XLIV: Man’s Last Stand Charger SRT-8 Commercial Fumbles Badly
By Gunnar Heinrich | YouTube
MAN’S Last Stand is a commercial narrated by Michael C. Hall that aired during Super Bowl XLIV to showcase the Dodge Charger SRT-8. The spot is spectacularly awful in concept, if competent in technical execution.
In the time it takes to whip a Bud Light at the flat screen, Dodge’s marketing team takes another stab at what it means to be a man in a world of mealy limpness. Their solution? Be a sycophant in your life and take vengeance behind the wheel of a Charger.
As if the world weren’t full of tools in crisis who’ve all got something to prove on the highway because they can’t control a damn thing in their own lives.
You buy this car, this ad, and its sad message, you’re buying into (or falling prey to) the worst kind of stereotype since the days when men who drove Porsches were rumored to be “compensating”.
Bloody awful – takes the sex appeal right out of what should be fly ride.
2010 SLS AMG Mercedes-Benz Video
By Gunnar Heinrich | YouTube
IS the jury still out on the 2010 AMG SLS or have we reached a verdict on Mercedes’ Gullwing redux? Perhaps this flick will help you render…
eBay Watch: 1985 BMW 735i
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG eBay Motors
FINDING an 80s BMW 7-Series whose very tyres haven’t seen their last millimeter of tread scrubbed is, sadly, a challenge.
This is especially true of the great e32 gen. (1987-1994) which have largely led very hard lives judging by the sickly, three digit dogs that proliferate the Internet.
Truly sad.
That’s what makes this mint Californian example such a find. A 1985 BMW 735i, it’s part of the original e23 generation 7’s that the Bavarians sold from 1977 through 1986.
As some of you recall from our filmed road test of the 733i from 2007, the classic e23’s road manners seem downright wooden by today’s highly assisted standards. And yet, a well maintained example exudes a classic Black Forest charm that is, to many, the very heart and soul of the roundel.
Considering that this particular sedan hails from (typically) dry California, has only 154K miles on the odometer, a loved interior and exterior, plus the original radio (!), and is selling for a reasonable buy-it-now price of $3,995, this seems an offer too good to be true.
Apparently others agree, as the vintage 7er has 15 bids as this post goes to post. As always, caveat emptor. Any car with low miles can suffer from a slew of problems that are every bit as detrimental to the vehicle’s welfare and – your wallet – as those that are driven hard.
Driving In The City In The Roaring 20s Was Far More Perilous Than It Is In The Cantakerous 10s
By Gunnar Heinrich
CREDIT Jalopnik’s Jalops for finding archival footage of London in the roaring 20s. The City on the Thames appeared a far more civilized venue for automotive travel than the Big Apple.
Which brings us nicely to this film. It’s comedic satire on what it meant to try and get somewhere uptown inside a New York minute.
You and everybody else, pal.
Mind the flapper music and vaudeville-esque gags.
Is that the Babe @ 1:40? Why, yes it is!