Auto Shows/Museums

Concours on the Avenue: rare cars, rare owners

Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar and Woodys, the classic surf cars, were featured among the rare cars  and unheralded automobiles Tuesday during the Concours on the Avenue on the streets of downtown Carmel. The first major showcase in the weeklong celebration of automobiles on the Monterey Peninsula progressed August 12 as it has throughout its now eight-year tenure. The crowd of humans and dogs was well behaved . . . perhaps only outdone by the enthusiasm of car owners. They polished their cars, revved their machines’ engines and eagerly talked about their prized possessions. Plenty of pristine Porsche 911 and 356s lined Ocean Avenue and side streets. There were enough Ferrari offerings to comprise a well-stocked dealership. TheWeeklyDriver appreciates Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar

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Free car giveaway: 2014 Custom Mustang GT

Modern Muscle Design (MMD) is offering the chance to drive away with its SEMA built, custom 2014 Mustang GT. AmericanMuscle and MMD collaborated on the custom design. It’s called Project MMD. Featuring more than $30,000 in aftermarket parts and the sleek, modern design MMD is known for this one-of-a-kind versatile Mustang. It’s a perfect show car or a daily driver. The winner will be selected on August 4, 20014 and will be handed the keys at the AmericanMuscle, the word’s largest all-Mustang show of August 16. Not only is this Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords (MM & FF) May 2014 Cover Car, it’s also the same build featured at Forgestar’s booth for the 2013 SEMA Auto Show. This giveaway car

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Rare vintage cars to rust buckets set for Oklahoma auction

Another stash of vintage cars and trucks, some left untouched for more than 50 years, will go on sale via auction in June in Oklahoma. And the cache of about 250 vehicles may generate a vast amount of attention — similar to a globally popular auction last year in Nebraska. The new auction is a graveyard of scrap metal compared to rarities in the Lambrecht family auction that featured many nearly new and rare vehicle models and attracted buyers worldwide. The auction was broadcast live on the internet. Still, the new collection of Oliver Jordon, all stored on a scrapyard in Enid, Okla., since 1945 and closed in 1953, includes some vintage cars and some expected high-priced sellers. The likely

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Bubba Watson and his controversial drive, a 1969 Dodge Charger

Bubba Watson, a golfer of emotion and a non-purist’s swing, won The Masters for the second time in three years Sunday on the storied layout at August National in Georgia. Watson’s second victory at the event showcased his aggressive style of play. But the golfer’s first win at The Masters also included a slight controversy. But how did a nearly 45-year-old Dodge Charger put a damper on Watson’s first victory? Watson’s skills and personality were captivating. But his choice of cars, a 1969 Dodge Charger named The General Lee that once “starred” in the Dukes of Hazard television program, isn’t exactly an image appreciated by NASCAR and likely not the PGA Tour, either. The General Lee was driven by Luke

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gluttonous sink hole eats eight rare Corvettes

Mother Nature has caused a lot of havoc, and her strange ways now include swallowing eight rare Chevrolet Corvettes formerly showcased peacefully in an automobile museum. The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., where the sports cars are manufactured, has reported a sink hole 40 feet across and as deep as 30 feet deep has caused what could a total loss of the cars. According to a museum spokesperson, here’s what happened: “We received a call at 5:44 a.m. from our security company alerting us of our motion detectors going off in our Skydome area of the museum. Upon arrival it was discovered that a sinkhole had collapsed within the museum. “No one was in or around the museum

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Rare VWs on display in Washington’s LeMay Museum

“VeeDub – Bohemian Beauties,” a celebration of Volkswagen history and innovation, will be featured Jan. 11 through April 5 at LeMay Museum, dubbed America’s Car Museum. The museum, located in Tacoma, Washington, will showcase 25 vintage models from both Volkswagen and local car collectors in the Seattle-Tacoma area. Known for its pairing of styling and technology, Volkswagen, which is German for the “people’s car,” embodies the self-expression of several generations of Americans. The brand’s approach to automotive technology has created an ideal platform for customization that eventually extended to buses, dune buggies, kit cars, and Formula Vee racing. As part of the partnership, Volkswagen has provided the following three rare vintage cars for display during the exhibit: * KdF-Wagen —

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2013 LA Auto Show: New cars, concepts, sexy women (video)

As it does every year, the 2013 LA Auto Show offers a sensory overload of new cars, wild concept cars and an impressive collection of pretty women, called product specialists, who work for the manufacturers to showcase the new vehicles. Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Land Rover, MINI and Nissan and Subaru combined will present 22 global debuts of vehicles at the show, which continues through Dec. 1 at the LA Convention Center. 2014 Porsche Panamera at the LA Auto Show. Image by James Raia/2013 World debuts include the NISMO JUKE RS and a NISMO Concept vehicle from Nissan, as well as four models from Mercedes-Benz, which will be unveiled alongside the brand’s North American introductions of

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Seven ugliest car colors at the 2013 LA Auto Show

New cars are rarely identified as simply painted blue, green, white, black or gray. The color names are most often embellished with fancy-sounding word combinations. It’s no different at the 2013 LA Auto Show. I recently drove the 2014 Nissan Versa Note. It had several rich exterior color options,  including an inviting shade of blue. It was called Metallic Peacock. At the LA Auto Show there are plenty cars with exteriors that simply could be called red, white or blue. But manufacturers and going to extremes not only to come up with fancy names for the colors of their cars, they’re introducing more colors, some not very attractive. Of course, the beauty of cars, like many things, is in the

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2013 LA Auto Show: Money, statistics, prices

The 2013 LA Auto Show presents a sensory overload of new cars: entry level Chevrolet and Toyota models to exotic models from Lamborghini and Aston Martin. But the auto show is also showcase for a varying array of auto industry statistics. J.D. Power, the automotive industry analysis company, annually presents the statistics at LA Auto Show. Here’s a varied list of the 10 most interesting statistics from 2013 LA Auto Show: 1. The current average new-vehicle retail transaction price is $30,205. 2. The average customer cash rebate amount on a new vehicle transaction is $2,362. 3. Fifty-one percent of new-vehicle transactions include a customer cash rebate. 4. The average of a vehicle traded in for a new model is 6.4

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Women of the 2013 LA Auto Show

As per tradition, the 2013 LA Auto Show open this week not only featuring about two dozen stunning world debuts and many North American unveilings, Toyota to Porsche to BMW, but the manufacturers’ equaling stunning product specialists. The automakers may not be willing to admit it, but the choice of models they choose to present their new products around the world may be as important as the cars presented. It all means one thing: pretty women. The history of the car show models is detailed in the 2008 book called “Sirens of Chrome” written by Margery Krevsky. The author owns an agency that books the product specialists and Krevsky also has extensive knowledge of the tradition of the models that

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History of the LA Auto Show: VW, Lincoln, Mini-me?

Product specialists at the LA Auto Show and other auto shows around the globe enjoy their work on serious and not-so serious occasions. Two women product specialists who had just met worked for Buick at the LA Auto Show in 2012. They looked like twin sisters despite a substantial height different. “Doesn’t she look like my personal “mini-me?,” one of the women said during the first media day and in a reference to the character in the Austin Powers movies. And when asked if she was prepared for the first public day of the show, she said: “This is my first show; Is there a difference?” The Product Specialist Tradition The product specialist concept dates nearly 90 years and it’s

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History of the LA Auto Show: Chrysler to Concepts

The LA Auto Show in 2012 attracted slightly more than 1 million visitors. They viewed 42 car brands, American mainstays General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to international heavyweights Honda, Toyota, Audi and Hyundai. Organizers have announced more than 50 global and North American debuts from nearly a dozen manufacturers for the 2013 edition and with a promise to “Blow Your Doors Off.” The multiple concourse convention center showcase is in the hub of the Southern California entertainment scene. Concerts and major sporting events are held nearby during the show at LA Live entertainment monolith and nearby Staples Center. For the past several years, the Moroccan-styled Figueroa Hotel, a few blocks away, has hosted the show’s kickoff party. Last year, while

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History of the LA Auto Show: Pretty Girls to Aston Martin

New and shimmering, value priced to vastly expensive, the auto industry shines when its machines are showcased on the yearly auto show circuit, particularly at the LA Auto Show. Under bright lights and spinning platforms, cars and trucks just don’t get any more awe-inspiring, unless it’s from behind the wheel. Nearly every carmaker, Audi to Volkswagen and Bentley to Volvo, displays its lineups at auto shows. Electric vehicles, family sedans, performance sports cars and futuristic concepts all have their place in auto shows from Los Angeles to Tokyo. It’s as if the vehicles are presented to the media and public for at least a week by one giant indoor dealership representing all manufacturers. Held throughout the year in major cities

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Toyota, BMW among 22 LA Auto Show global debuts

Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Land Rover, MINI and Nissan and Subaru will combine to present the global debuts of 22 vehicles at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. World debuts include the NISMO JUKE RS and a NISMO Concept vehicle from Nissan, as well as four models from Mercedes-Benz, which will be unveiled alongside the brand’s North American introductions of the GLA 250 and the S63. Porsche has added two new world debuts to its lineup, in addition to the previously announced Macan, the manufacturer’s highly anticipated SUV crossover vehicle. In addition to the roster of global premieres, a variety of North American debuts will be unveiled in Los Angeles,

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Rare 50-year-old Corvette set for pending Mecum Auction

A 1963 Corvette Sting Ray, one of only four ever made and given to automotive pioneer who brought the iconic sports car to the public’s attention, will soon be auctioned in Chicago. The Corvette, which features factory-customized side exhaust, is a longtime member of the Corvette Hall of Fame. The rare car, given to Harley J. Earl, will be among about 1,000 cars auctioned Oct. 10-12 by Mecum Auctions. Earl joined General Motors in 1928 and became the head of the GM design team before retiring in 1958. The 1963 Corvette will be auctioned in the final day of the three-day show. The auction will open at 8 a.m. daily with some of the auction broadcast live on Discovery’s Velocity

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Nebraska car auction broadcast live on Autoweek.com

The buzz surrounding the massive Nebraska car auction of nearly 500 new cars and vintage barn finds has gathered such international attention, it’s warranted a live broadcast. Autoweek is broadcasting the auction Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29 via a live stream. Click here NEBRASKA CAR AUCTION for the sale of the estimated 500 cars. According to the auction company, more than 300 of cars and trucks will be auction Sunday. The auction both days will begin at 9:30 a.m. local time in Pierce, Nebraska. The second day of the sale will feature numerous Fords, Pontiacs and Studebakers. Here’s additional information of the unusual circumstances and a link to several addition articles about the auction: * The Lambrecht Chevrolet

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