Car Club Blog

It is one of the seminal moments in one of the defining films of my generation.  The year was 1986 and the film was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

The particular scene involved a distraught Cameron lamenting his loveless relationship with his father who, according to Cameron, loved his small collection of exotic cars more than he loved Cameron.
 
As any distraught son in an 80s John Hughes film would do, Cameron blew a gasket and took out his frustration on his father’s cherished Ferrari 250 California Spyder, eventually sending the classic Ferrari careening into a ravine 50 feet below its elevated garage.

Oops.

Car fans can take great joy in two things:  First, the California Ferrari destroyed in the movie was a replica and second, Ferrari is set to introduce a new California Ferrari very soon.
 
Surprisingly done just a few months prior to the Paris Auto Show, Ferrari leaked out several photos of the 2009 Ferrari California.  Special thanks to Matthew Phenix at Wired Blogs for the tip.

At first glimpse, the new Ferrari takes styling cues from the 612 Scaglietti, but don’t think for a minute that this car is just a cut and paste job.

For starters, the 2009 Ferrari California will boast the company’s first retractable hardtop.  And don’t think that just because the Ferrari California looks like art, it won’t perform like a Ferrari.
 
Word is that the newest front engined V-8-based Ferrari will boast 450-plus horsepower and get from zero to sixty in four seconds or less.  That compares extremely favorably to my Honda Civic’s 110 horsepower engine that requires a minute hand to clock!

“It has always been our experience that Ferrari doesn’t do anything half way with their cars.  A Ferrari’s performance is every bit as immaculate as their styling and our customers always cherish their time driving a Ferrari,” says Dallas small business consultant Ron Sturgeon.
 
Sturgeon operates an exotic car club in Fort Worth TX that allows its members to use a fully stocked exotic car garage at their whim.  By utilizing a tier points system with different levels of membership, DFW Elite Car Club provides members the exotic car driving experience at a fraction of the cost and hassle of direct ownership.

Additionally, Sturgeon operates a company that specializes in luxury car rental in DFW. DFW Elite Auto Rental.com helps car buffs to get their hands on luxury car rentals for weddings in Dallas, classic car rentals for Dallas high school reunions, trade shows or other business events.
 
Finally, Sturgeon oversees an exotic car tour business that treats participants to a full eight-hour day of driving five different exotic cars throughout Texas’ most driver-friendly roads.

“We’ve got several Ferraris, and knowing me I won’t be able to resist the new California model for long,” claims Sturgeon.  In the meantime, I’m sure his clients will find special joy in driving the newly arrived 2008 Lamborghini and 2008 Dodge Viper.  And I’ll keep hoping someone gives me a exotic car rental gift certificate from DFW Elite Auto Rental.

Written by G.D. Gregory.  If you are interested in having me write stories for you or seeing my portfolio, please contact me at ggpsu@yahoo.com. 

The F2007 is the fifty third single-seater built by Ferrari specifically to compete in the Formula 1 World Championship.The project, known internally as the 658, represents the Scuderia’s interpretation of the technical regulations that apply for 2007, with changes principally concerning safety, through the introduction of more stringent front and rear crash tests and the addition of a composite material structure to provide lateral protection to the sides of the driver.

These modifications have led to a significant increase in the weight of the car, in the region of just under ten kilogrammes.The F2007 chassis has been significantly modified when compared to the 248 F1. The design was revised to accommodate a new front suspension that represents a major conceptual innovation, mainly in terms of aerodynamics. The shape of the side-pods and their openings are also revised, based on modifications to the cooling system, which also implies exits for the radiators on the upper part of the bodywork, while the engine air intake is also substantially different. The car has a longer wheelbase than its predecessor. The rear of the car is much narrower, taking advantage of the more sculpted shape of the gearbox housing, which again this year is made from carbon fibre. The gearbox itself, which is still mounted longitudinally, is fitted with an innovative quick-shift system (seven plus reverse). The rear suspension is similar to that on the 248 F1, but a significant development programme is planned in this area, in order to get the most out of the system, based on making progress in understanding the behaviour of the 2007 tyres. The front and rear aerodynamic configuration is also expected to change considerably before the start of the World Championship. The position of the rear view mirrors seen on the 2006 car remains unchanged and the same goes for the exhaust system.

Mix five parts Bentley, one part Bugatti, one part Ferrari, and stir. Then dump your $356,000 exotic down the drain. What you see here is a Bentley Continental GT featuring a Bugatti hood and horseshoe grille shoved between Audi Q7 headlights, with Ferrari-like rear end grafted on for good measure. LEW’s 100-horsepower boost for the Conti’s W-12 can’t outrun this car’s ugliness. Unveiled at the Essen motor show, the car-called Big Bang-will cost European buyers 270,000 euro, or approximately $356,000

After wrapping this beautiful Modena, a 360 Spider to be precise, into a lamp post at an intersection in Perth, Australia you begin to wonder about the which side of the road you should be driving on. By the looks of things, it was just the front end that was wrapped around the pole, while the rest of the car looks fine. But there’s bound to be some structural damage to the 360’s aluminum frame, and you can try to fix that, but she’ll never be the same.