Category: Drive Time

Tomorrow’s post is going to be about cars, but so that I don’t have to get into a long and detailed preamble for the thing, I’d ask y’all to do just a little homework first, and read this article, then this one, and finally watch a short EeewwChoob video about Jeremy Clarkson on cars.  (It’s not by Clarkson, but it’s an excellent analysis and summary of the Greatest Living Englishman’s opinion of how cars and their manufacturers have fucked up an industry and pastime that so many of us — like me — used to love, but don’t so much anymore.)

Then with that premise taken care of, we can content ourselves with looking at some exquisite cars and wrangling amongst ourselves about the minutiae — something I enjoy perhaps even more than writing the posts themselves.

See you tomorrow.

Iain Tyrrell talks about one of my favorite cars of all time, the Lamborghini 400GT.

Here’s my take.  Lamborghini, when it popped the Countach cork, went off to some kind of schoolboy fantasy design trip, and they’ve stayed with it ever since.  I know, there’s a market for that kind of thing because clearly there is a vast customer market of men with small penises.

But their first cars — the 350GT and the 400GT — were the closest to old man Ferruccio’s original plan for his cars:  fast, reliable and comfortable tourers:  the antithesis of the capricious and unreliable Ferrari sports cars, in other words.

Now watch the video and listen to that glorious V12 pushing the back of the car down as it accelerates.

Want.

I’ve ranted before about the foolishness of men who would drop half a million bucks on a car, and I still feel that way.  But I might just make a teeny exception for a 400GT (because that’s what a well-restored one of these goes for, if you can find one).  The one that Tyrrell’s driving would be worth far north of that sum because of the custom-built pistons, amongst other delicious things, that he and his team of automotive wizards has put together.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and check my lottery tickets.

I know, I know… $160 grand for an old Jag is sick — California pricing for an antique is just wrong.

But have mercy:

Talk about getting wood:

…and with its pretty little hat on:

Then there’s that 140hp 3.4-liter six-cylinder power plant, in case you weren’t already persuaded.

Want.

Yeah, so Ferrari’s not-so-little Duracell car has been widely panned, e.g.:

..which is kinda what they did, I think.  (No pics because I refuse to be party to mass vomiting, y’all.)

Best comment is from a former Ferrari honcho:

“At least the Chinese won’t copy this car.”

As someone commented underneath:  “Somebody call the burn ward.”

For those looking for relative values:

And yes, I know they probably did it to bypass the EU’s version of our awful CAFE nonsense.  Don’t care.  The Loo-chay looks like shit — about the same as the new Jaguar Faerie model — and who the hell wants an overpriced kitchen appliance anyway?

I bet they sell a jillion because it’s Ferrari, and the tifosi arrivisti  have never been renowned for their brains.  They’re welcome to it.

Here’s the thing.  If someone pointed a gun at my head and said “Here’s half a million-odd euros, but you have to spend it on a Ferrari or we’ll kill you”, I’d spend it gladly.

But it would have to be a creditable threat.

In Comments:  which Ferrari would you buy under those circumstances?  (And for the last time:  I don’t care about your fucking ’64 F-100 or 2003  Adam  Toyota Corolla.  Play the game.)