Car Club Blog

One thing parenting has taught me is the importance of incentives.  Indeed, I would guess that my wife and I have pretty much incentivised everything from “going potty” to good behavior at a restaurant. 

I thought I had become quite the negotiator, but the folks at the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team have taken this incentive concept to a whole new level. 

Ron Dennis, the chairman and CEO of McLaren Automotive of which the Formula One team is a subsidiary, has promised Lewis Hamilton one of the McLaren F1 LMs if he wins the next two Formula One crowns. 

Why is this such an incentive?  The McLaren F1 was designed to be the ultimate road car and, in fact, was the fastest street legal production car in the world from 1994 to 2005.  Only about 100 F1s were made with 64 of those street versions, 5 LMs, 2 GTs, and the rest GTRs. 

The LM models hit top speeds of 225 mph and go from 0-60 in a blistering 2.9 seconds.  “The LM has always been my ultimate dream car since I first saw it when I was 13,” declared Hamilton. 

And with a price of about 2,000,000 pounds (just under $4 million), who wouldn’t want one.  “There’s not a whole lot of things that I wouldn’t do to get my hands on a McLaren F1, LM,” says Ron Sturgeon.  And this is a man who knows his cars.

Sturgeon, a self-made millionaire from Texas and avid exotic car collector has established several exotic car businesses that showcase his personal collection. 

Members of his Dallas exotic car club can actually access a collection of over 25 exotic, cars for their driving pleasure. Exotic car sharing clubs have become extremely popular in the last several years as a means of enjoying a variety of the latest cars without the expense of ownership.

“With the number of cars on my driving wish list,” said Fort Worth-based audio engineer D. Chase, a longtime member, “it just makes sense to belong to a car sharing club.”

As for whether Sturgeon would make the LM available for daily rental at his DFW Elite Auto Rental, “I’d have to think pretty hard about that,” he says laughing. “It certainly would be a one of a kind exotic car rental in Dallas to have a McLaren F1 LM,” said Sturgeon. “I’m sure that such a car would be a great addition to our drive your dream fantasy car driving tours as well,” said Sturgeon.

Read the rest of this story on our exotic car rental headlines page.

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.

 

Collectibles are hotter than ever, if the first two days at the Barrett-Jackson collector-car auctions near West Palm Beach are any indication.Combined sales from Thursday and Friday totaled nearly $10 million — and memorabilia sales up almost 50 percent from last year, Barrett-Jackson reports. Attendance numbers at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds climbed nine percent from last year, they said, with around 33,300 visitors.

Barrett-Jackson reported that 1/2 of all bidders were 1st timers.  Could this be a growing trend of ultimate car-enthusiast, new collectors. 

Not only is the auction and displays the ultimate car-enthusiast’s playground, so is DFW Elite Toy Museum and DFW Elite Auto Rental.  Both with showrooms full of eye popping exotics.  

 

In 2006 Dutch exotic car builder Spyker didn’t do very well financially, the company reported losses of 1.3 million euros for that year. But that amount seems positively cheery when compared against news coming out of the company today, which had Spyker reporting a loss of over 72 million euros in 2007.

The automaker fully admits that it made mistakes last year; the biggest and most costly of which had to have been its involvement in Formula One racing. CEO Victor Muller called 2007, “A dramatic year, the likes of which the company had never seen before and which we would like to leave behind us as soon as possible.”

2008 seems to have a much better outlook for Spyker (it could hardly be worse), the company has been infused with capital from Snoras Bank in Lithuania, and is ready to start producing its C8 Aileron model in Q3. The company produced 18 cars in the first quarter of 2008, selling 12 of them. Spyker is also seeking an “aggressive expansion” to its dealer base in preparation for the launch of its D8 Peking-to-Paris model (in the gallery below) in 2009.

Spkyer keeps plugging along.  I still love this underdog.  Can’t wait to see whats new for them.

I always enjoy when challenges come about.  Challenges help inspire automotive art and design.  Hot Wheels does this inspiration great justice,  check it out. 

Hot Wheels design director Alec Tam said Hot Wheels designers have long copied real cars, such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, for their 1:64 scale die-cast models. But this year, the 40th anniversary of Hot Wheels, marked the first time non-Hot Wheels designers were invited to participate. Tam said he was thrilled with what automotive designers came up with when they didn’t have to think about practicalities like roadworthiness and air bags.

“They took some chances on design and did things they are unable to do in their day jobs,” he said. “Hot Wheels is one of the few places where a car designer can not only be a kid but can really realize the vision of their design.”

Tam said the contest was so successful he’d like to see it happen every year.

Tam said each car had to capture the Hot Wheels core values — speed, power, performance and attitude — as well as reflecting the distinctive look of each automaker. Each car also had to be able to perform a loop on a Hot Wheels orange track.

Talking about catching core values — speed, power, performance and attitude in a vehicle try the new 08 Dodge Viper STR-10. This hot wheels is available to drive at DFW Elite Auto Rental. 

WHAT THEY SAID

‘We are not on the prowl to acquire other car companies or add brands. we won’t be going on a spree.’
Ratan Tata, Tata Motors chairman

‘Tata has expressed confidence in the team that has delivered significant improvements in Jaguar Land Rover’s business performance. We feel confident that we can forge a strong working relationship with our new parent company, and we look forward to a bright and successful future for Jaguar Land Rover.’
Geoff Polites, Jaguar Land Rover, chief executive officer

“It’s another sad day in the demise of the British car industry… at this stage Jaguar and Land Rover cars will be still be built in the UK, but I’ve been in this game for long enough not to rule out the possibility that manufacturing could move abroad in the future. It can’t be a good day for UK industry when two such iconic brands are sold off.’
Tony Woodley, Unite union general secretary

‘The price paid is surprisingly high… It seems logical for Tata to lock in supplies of engines and transmissions for several years. It is only with the introduction of new models that Tata can meaningfully change the cost structure of the company.’
Jeremie Papin, Lehman Brothers in London

‘This is a good agreement. It provides the Jaguar Land Rover management team and employees with the assurances needed to maintain their focus on delivering the best results for the business. I am confident that, under its new owner, Jaguar Land Rover will continue to build upon the significant improvements and product successes it has achieved in recent years.’
Lewis Booth, Ford executive vice president, responsible for Ford of Europe, Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover

By Tim Pollard

Spyshots

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Audi will next year launch this open-top version of its R8 supercar. The Spider is one of a growing choice of R8s – buyers bored of the default 911 will soon be able to pick between two petrols and a V12 diesel, plus coupe or targa bodystyles. It’s typical of a car maker not exactly afraid of baffling buyers with extensive choice of engine/gearbox/driven wheels even in its most humdrum ranges.

It’s also a logical step as Porsche makes plenty of capital out of the 911 soft-top versions – and the R8 is aimed squarely at that domestic rival. Our artist’s impression has been built using the exclusive sketch CAR smuggled out of Ingolstadt last year (image, middle right) and isn’t mere fantasy. Expect to see twin speedster humps sprouting above the mid-mounted engine and a subtly truncated aluminium blade ahead of the rear wheels.

Sources in Germany suggest that the roof of the Spider will be a removable targa affair, with detachable panels rather than a canvas hood or folding hard top.

Engines galore for the Audi R8

Audi has halted R8 development of the higher-powered twin-turbo Lambo V10 from the RS6; there have been fires in prototype development and other options – namely a naturally aspirated V10 – are now most likely. This year’s V12 diesel concept car (image, far right) points to the likelihood of a derv sports car, powered by the 6.0-litre bent twelve delivering a traction-troubling 493bhp and 738lb ft. Sounds mad, but Audi is deadly serious about putting this into production.

A diesel Audi sports car that can reach 62mph in 4.2 seconds and top 180mph? Who’d have thought it! But in this marketing-led age, it makes perfect sense: the perfect complement to Audi’s racetrack activities and a sop to the eco-brigade (of sorts). It’s not going to challenge your A3 TDI for emissions, but the R8 derv concept did have AdBlue technology to clean up its emissions.

This makes me excited about Audi and what they will provided for out driving pleasure.  Check out DFW Elite Auto Rental later this year for their new Audi R8 to arrive. Until then choices of other supercars are available.

Neil Winton: European Perspective

One headline made me do a double-take at the annual Geneva Car Show early in March.

“Geneva 2008: Bentley to go 120 G/km by 2012″

Let me try and explain some of that gobbledygook. “G/km” is short for grammes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometre. That’s European shorthand for how much a car apparently threatens the climate with its emissions of CO2. This formula is simply a more opaque way of expressing a more familiar measurement of miles per gallon. After quickly consulting my conversion table I can tell you that 120 g/km is really 46 miles per U.S. gallon.

Perhaps my astonishment is becoming clearer.

Neil investigates the European Union political emission rules in his article. He also covers the industries rage over this. His thoughts are provoking read further to see if radical change is needed. He ended his article with some statements from Autopolis’s Wormald (an activist? for hybrids and the emissions rules).

“The car will no longer be seen as a success icon.

“Luxury vehicle sales will be reduced and there will be a change of attitude to motoring and the use of cars; no more using cars as a prestige and status symbol,” Wormald said.”

I say PoPPyCock! to Mr. Wormald statement! I’ll will still want to drive one of those success icon such as the Bentley and Aston Martin. And DFW Elite Auto Rental will be the place for those success icons availability.

I have a passion for classics that have history and a story behind them.

The 6.8-liter S-type was produced in four series from 1927 to 1930, with a total output of some 170 cars. This car is from the original 1927-28 series, of which just 26 were built. It was ordered new from Mercedes-Benz Inc. in New York by Mrs. Charles Levine, believed to be the wife of the millionaire Charles A. Levine, backer (and passenger) of aviator Clarence Chamberlain, who flew the Atlantic in 1927 shortly after Lindbergh had made his successful solo crossing.

Mrs. Levine opted not to have the standard factory bodywork on her car, choosing instead a daringly low-slung “Torpedo Roadster” body by Saoutchik of Paris, France’s most fashionable coachbuilder. The Mercedes was fitted with one of Jacques Saoutchik’s finest creations, whose long bonnet and short rear deck make the most of the dramatic proportions of the chassis. Subtle chrome (actually nickel) spears accent the sweeping curves of the fenders, while a daring break with tradition was the lack of running boards.

Nevertheless, when the Mercedes arrived in New York, Mrs. Levine failed to take delivery, apparently because the style and color of the car did not appeal to her “irascible, pompous, difficult” husband. Whatever the reason, the S-type remained in the New York Mercedes-Benz showroom until an enterprising salesman persuaded an existing Mercedes owner, Frederick Henry Bedford Jr., a director of the Standard Oil Company, to buy the car. It remained with his family until 2006, when it was purchased by the current owner.

Romance was in the air for Frederick Bedford, too: when he drove his S-type to Pittsburgh, he met a young lady named Margaret Stewart at a party at the Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier. She abandoned her date, accepted Frederick Bedford’s offer of a ride home in his Mercedes-Benz that evening, and they subsequently married. Perhaps because of its romantic associations, Bedford never sold his Mercedes; he kept it until his untimely death in 1952, after which it was laid up in the family garage.

It remained there for almost 30 years until 1980, when his widow was about to celebrate her 75th birthday. Her granddaughter baked a special cake shaped in the image of the Mercedes, which was delivered along with a poem about the car.

This inspired Margaret Bedford to commission a restoration by Gus and Rich Reuter, who had been maintaining exotic European automobiles since 1929. After two years, the S-type emerged from the Reuter shop, carefully restored in its original livery of cream with dark red frame and suspension, red leather interior, and tan cloth top. The only departures from the original specification were the substitution of leather upholstery for the original reptile skin and the omission of the discs that had covered the original wire wheels.

This car is a great work of automotive art.  If you enjoy head turning automotive art check out the DFW Elite Toy Museum which is housed among one of the largest rental fleet of exotics. DFW Elite Auto Rental houses one of the best toy museums around.

Collector car auction coming to Rogers

ROGERS - Rocky Santiago, a collector car specialist, will present a collector car auction at the John Q. Hammons Center on Friday and Saturday.

Classic cars from the’30 s, ‘ 40 s, ‘ 50 s, ‘ 60 s and’70 s, as well as street rods and highperformance exotics, will fill the event.

Santiago expects more than 200 classic muscle cars, street rods, vintage pickup trucks and exotic cars to cross the auction block. Most of the cars are from Arkansas, but there will also be cars from Alabama, New Mexico, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Canada.

“Collector cars are a prime asset that not only hold their value, but can appreciate each year. “Santiago said in a news release. “You not only have a secure investment, but also something you can drive and enjoy.”

Some of the auction’s featured cars will include the following • The only 1961 Export Corvette sold new in Germany, and fitted with rare options • Corvettes, such as a 1967 427 / 390 coupe • A 427 Shelby Cobra Continuation car built in aluminum • Early American cars such as a fully restored 1914 REO Touring car • 1950 s and’60 s American cars, such as a completely restored 1957 Chevy Bel Air and a 1961 Buick LeSabre convertible • European classics, such as a completely restored 1960 Porsche 356 Roadster and other Austin Healeys, MG’s, Mercedes, Ferraris, Rolls Royces and Jaguars • Several 1968 and 1969 Camaro RS’s, SS’s and Z 28 ’s and a big-block SS • Other muscle cars, such as a 1970 Chevelle SS 396; and • Vintage trucks, including a 1947 Ford and a 1951 Chevy.

Well all these cars up for grabs, I will stick with joining a Car Club.  DFW Elite Car Club has a wide selection of exotics and classics to drive.  And the great thing is I don’t have the cost of up keep.