Magnus is like no other and the same goes for his cars.  And those cars!  As you can see, they are unlike others that you’ve seen on the road as they bear his character (and what a character) and his DNA. He truly is one of a kind and he has the wheels to prove it.

At more than 150 miles mostly north of London, about 30 miles north of Birmingham and about 40 miles east of Manchester, Sheffied is an area of northern England perhaps best known for steel. Stainless steel and cutlery, specifically, brought renown to the area. Coal also was big business there, at least for a while. Born in this area in the middle of the 1960s, Walker seemed destined to be some type of rocker. One of his earliest business forays was creating a rocker’s clothing brand, Serious, but he never lost his childhood fascination with Porsche cars. Out of this crucible of steel, coal, rock and fashion arose Walker, one of the most well-known Porsche collectors and builders of the iconic brand, focusing mostly on 911s. It almost seems like he was predestined to work with metal in some way but few would have foreseen the sleek, fast metal missiles which were to come, much less the transition from a gritty town in northern England to the rather posh life in Los Angeles – that chapter began in the mid-1980s.

Many people got to know the US version of Magnus (who became an American citizen in 2019) from the documentary, “Urban Outlaw” a decade ago. The film’s director, Tamir Moscovici, came up with the moniker. A man who would look good in a rock band (he was with both punk rock and heavy metal bands and he does play electric guitar) or, with his long hair and long beard and his ubiquitous Bowler hat, as a character actor, he decided to throw his lot in with those in the Porsche business. His work has become legendary. 

Walker has been featured in TedX talks and innumerable television and radio interviews. He has an impressive number of Hot Wheels cars in his signature line at Mattel (over 25 so far) and currently has an exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum. The exhibit in the Museum’s “Legends of the Vault Gallery” features ten of Magnuis’s outlaw Porsche cars as well as some special objects he has selected. It runs through Jan. 31, 2023. Highlights include Walker’s Porsche 924 Carrera GT, a Porsche art car and his famous red, white, and blue Porsche “277” as well as several others.

Here is some additional information about what you will see in the exhibit: 

• 1965 Porsche 911 

This is a very early example of Porsche’s iconic sportscar–it is the 310th 911 ever made. 

• 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo 

This is the first Turbo sold in the USA as documented by The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. 

• 1967 Porsche 911 SRT 

An R-inspired sport-purpose build commenced in 2010, this car appears in Urban Outlaw painted in primer with a black hood and orange bumper. This is the first Porsche 911 ever to bear hand-stamped louvers on the front fenders.

• 1971 Porsche 911 T #277 

The most famous Magnus Walker car, “277” started its life as a gold 911 T before Walker bought it at the Pomona Swap Meet in 1999 and transformed it into his signature street race car.

• 1973 Porsche 914 

This stock 1.7-liter 914, decorated thanks to a few cans of spray paint and a creative mind and made without photoshop or computer graphics. 

• 1978 Porsche 911 SC Hot Rod 

The budget-build, sport-purpose hot rod shows that a sport- purpose streetable 911 built on a budget can be an exciting, capable track car. 

• 1980 Porsche 924 CARRERA GT 

One of just 406 built. 

• 1990 Porsche 964 

Completed in 2015, this is Walker’s most performance-oriented build to date. 

• 1995 Porsche 993 RS Look 

A model Walker often described as “the Cadillac of 911s” 

• 2004 Porsche 996 GT3 

Often quoted as saying “we need both air and water to survive,” Walker took his own advice and purchased his first water-cooled 911 in 2016. The 2004 Porsche 996.2 GT3 is one of Walker’s all-time favorite Porsche cars that he has ever owned. 

The Petersen Automotive Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. www.Petersen.org  

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Visions of the future (as conceptualized in books, movies, and television shows, in any case) are often divided into either post-apocalyptic dystopias or Shangri-las of cutting-edge technological conveniences. When it comes to the vehicles of tomorrow, they have almost always fallen into the latter category, with predictions of personal space planes and gravity-defying hovercrafts.

While there are a few “flying cars” and “automatic drones” being proposed, we aren’t quite there yet. For one, we seem to still have enough trouble with the two-dimensional world of forward, back, left, right – without adding the third (up and down). 

And to that end, a host of automakers are incorporating technologies in their current fleets that would have seemed unimaginable only a decade ago. Here we take a look at the latest advances in safety, efficiency, communication, navigation, and emergency services to aid us in our 2D world.

We’re familiar with the term “Driver Assistance,” which can be anything from warning the driver of a mechanical issue to controlling the car when the driver apparently is making a mistake. Many cars now offer (at least as an option) lane-keeping assistance and are programmed to keep the car between the lane markers. Some have a little difficulty with that task when the roads are wet or especially when there’s snow, but they generally do a good job. The new all-electric Hummer EV offers GM’s “Super Cruise,” a self-driving mode that even changes lanes upon the driver’s command with a touch of a button.

“Active Cruise Control” not only allows the driver to pick a speed but also to select the space the driver wants to leave behind the car in front. These devices can keep the car at a set speed, whether going uphill or down, and also slow the car to a complete stop and then resume when the traffic starts moving again. Many new cars offer this feature, including the ground-breaking Mercedes-Benz EQS.

Automatic braking is often included as part of the driver assistance network, but it has a special place on the list, as many car makers offer this option, and sometimes it’s even standard. If the vehicle senses that the differential between the speed of one’s car and the speed of another object (a fixed object or even another moving car), it can audibly warn the driver and also can apply the brakes, either softly or very swiftly, depending upon the level of urgency it senses. These systems can help make “rear-enders” a thing of the past and enable insurance companies to offer a discount to drivers whose cars have such systems in place. The new Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, a 660+ horsepower six-speed stormer, has this feature (and many more).

But of all the new Driver Assistance developments “Safe-Assist” systems might be the most exciting and underrated. Monitors at the back of the car warn drivers when opening the door is unsafe due to approaching traffic, including a nearby cyclist. Some cars flash the lights in the driver’s side mirror quickly, and some initially disable the interior door handle, so the driver has to pull the handle twice to get the door to open (presumably to signal the driver to check the mirror to find out why it didn’t open the first time). The high-performance all-electric, exotic Audi RS e-tron GT offers the flashing mirror lights and the temporary door release disconnection.

The latest cars now employ multiple cameras (the new Hummer EV has enough to offer 18 different camera views) and computer systems that “stitch” the images together to give any number of options, including a “blimp shot,” as if viewing the car from a blimp hovering above. It allows for much safer backing up, parking and pulling out into traffic, especially on those cars which have “cross-traffic warnings,” which alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the left or right front of the car or the back. The Hummer’s cameras are perhaps the most numerous, in part because two of them are below the truck, to be sure that any obstacle a driver is about to go over is not too tall (and those underbody cameras have their own remote-controlled washing system).

As far as navigation is concerned, it’s hard to believe that “OnStar” was introduced by General Motors in 1996. GM touts it as the industry’s first built-in system of “telematics” (monitoring vehicles using GPS engineering and on-board computerization to show the vehicle’s location and movement on a computerized map). It was designed to provide both an automatic crash notification and security system. When a car’s airbags deploy, the built-in OnStar module immediately connects to an Advisor who relays the information to emergency responders. That same system can allow the OnStar operator (once given permission by the police) to locate and then to slow down or even stop a car, a terrific service for recovering stolen cars without the need for high-speed chases.

 Automakers have for years now accepted that the age of the smartphone is here to stay, and they have continued to expand technologies to make it easier and safer for drivers to use them with less distraction. For example, Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay app mirroring and phone integration systems, which allow you to transfer navigation routes from phone to car and stream music through the car’s audio system, are now widely standard (in fact it’s easier to find new cars with this tech than without it). But both Google and Apple continue to expand capabilities on these platforms. The latest version of Android Auto will feature “Fast Pairing,” which wirelesssly syncs phone and car with a single tap. The new BMW iX EV will be among the first to debut this feature. Apple introduced its upgrades to its CarPlay iOS earlier this year, and among them is a function called “Driving Focus” mode that reduces notifications while the app is active or when it senses that you are driving. 

Phones may have replaced cameras, wallets, and maps, and soon keys will be a thing of the past. Many car manufacturers now include the ability to lock, unlock, and even charge electric cars and other features, which allows drivers to use their phones for tasks which previously required being in the car and using a physical key. The technology is quickly advancing. With secure authentication offered with Bluetooth connectivity, automakers like Ford and Hyundai are using complex encryption tech to further boost security. One day soon car owners will be able to grant access to others to enter vehicles to retrieve items or give permission to drive, then rescind after the tasks are completed–all from across town or the globe with no keys required to change hands.

While notions of intergalactic travel and teleportation still remain firmly in our collective imaginations, the practical necessity of getting from point A to point B is in fact becoming easier and safer. Who knows what the future holds? One thing is certain, with the continued merger of cars and tech, it’s definitely something to look forward to.

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The Courier’s Fine Autos Contributor Tim Lappen is the Fine Autos Editor for Haute Living, Haute Time, Haute Residence and Haute Auto and a partner in a Century City law firm where he chairs his firm’s Family Office Group and the Luxury Home Group. He can be reached at TLappen@gmail.com and his website is www.LifeInTheFastLane.org.

To anyone with a birthyear that begins “19” and then has any number lower than 7 in the third position, the “Deuce” is forever burned into the cerebellum as the quintessential American hot rod. “What’s a Deuce,” you ask? It is the shorthand reference to a Ford built in 1932 (the “2” qualifying it as a “Deuce”), and it will be celebrated heartily on June 11 and 12.

The Petersen Automotive Museum will honor the 90th anniversary of the 1932 Ford with a new national holiday, “Hot Rod Day,” on June 11, and celebrate the special day with the Museum’s new “Ford Fever: The Deuce Turns 90” exhibit in the Ross and Beth Myers Gallery. Opening to the public on June 11, the new exhibit includes a definitive collection of groundbreaking 1932 Fords, such as Doane Spencer’s historic Highboy and the influential McGee Roadster.

Stars of “Ford Fever: The Deuce Turns 90” include the famous McGee 1932 Roadster. Originally owned and built by Bob McGee, it paved the way for hot rods by combining speed and beauty with its shaved door handles, welded decklid, louvers and seamless look. McGee’s Roadster would later make appearances in a host of television shows and movies, including “Hot Rod Gang” and an episode of “Happy Days,” before being showcased on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Another icon on display is Doane Spencer’s 1932 Ford Highboy, which won several show awards in the 1940s. Bored with the show circuit, Spencer took his Highboy to race at El Mirage and extensively modified it for Mexico’s Carrera Panamericana road race. Other iconic 1932 Fords on display include the coupes of Doyle Gammell and Andy Kassa and the roadsters of Ermie Immerso and Ray Brown.

On the evening of June 11, the Deuce Gala will recognize luminaries in the hot rod world. Guests will include ZZ Top front man and hot rod enthusiast Billy F. Gibbons as well as Henry Ford III. Gibbons will perform and will also be honored with the Hot Rod Icon Award. The event also features a live auction.

On June 12 at 9 a.m., the annual Deuce Day Cruise-In will take place on the roof of the Petersen Automotive Museum’s parking garage. The Cruise-In will feature many of the museum’s greatest hot rods, including several AMBR winners and is slated to be one of the largest gatherings of 1932 Fords in Southern California.

“The 1932 Fords are marquee vehicles synonymous with the origins of hot rodding and worthy of an extended celebration,” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “The exhibit, gala and Cruise-In will pay tribute to the Fords’ legacy, and how they continue to captivate automotive and hot-rodding enthusiasts 90 years after debuting on the market.”

“Ford Fever: The Deuce Turns 90” is scheduled to run for several months. The Petersen Automotive Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. Additional details about the exhibit, gala and Cruise-In are available at the museum’s website https://www.petersen.org/events.

The post Petersen Automotive Museum Celebrates Iconic Ford Anniversary appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

The Courier’s Fine Autos Contributor Tim Lappen is the Fine Autos Editor for Haute Living, Haute Time, Haute Residence and Haute Auto and a partner in a Century City law firm, where he chairs his firm’s Family Office Group and the Luxury Home Group. He can be reached at TLappen@gmail.com, and his website is www.LifeInTheFastLane.org.

“May you live in interesting times.” Based on your age and where you went to school, that phrase can mean several different things. But it’s used here to reflect that we are on the cusp of a new age, a time when “electric car” or even “hybrid” doesn’t mean “counterculture” or “eco-freak” or any of the many slightly pejorative connections which these cars may have had in the past. Today’s offerings include hyper-luxury and ultra-sophisticated options which can meet, and even exceed, what the best of the “normal” ICE (internal-combustion engine) choices can provide.

This piece covers some of the newest and most-sophisticated cars around and includes several vehicles which are fully–or partially–motivated by electricity. And note they come from a disparate group of manufacturers worthy of a United Nations meeting: America, England, Italy and Germany. And, when you consider from where some of their major components were sourced, even more nations are at the party.

Here are six of the latest and greatest worthy of your consideration. And to make things easier for you, most of these cars have Westside showrooms so you easily can stop by and see them for yourself.

Lucid Air – Lucid is a relatively new entry to the car world. Originally a battery-manufacturing firm, it morphed into a car company and, most recently, had a public offering. Based in Newark (Northern California), this firm decided that having the first vehicle be a luxury version, called the “Air,” was the way to go. Four variants have been announced–the Air Pure, the Air Touring, the Air Grand Touring and the Air Dream–and their base prices range from just over $77,000 to about $170,000. With a projected range (depending on battery, body size, etc.) of up to a whopping 520 miles, they aim to make “range anxiety” a thing of the past. Lucid opened a sales office on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills to show the world that they, indeed, had a real car for the real world. The electric motor can produce up to 1,111 horsepower (not a typo) and can move one model of this luxury car from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds (yes, that’s quick!) on up to a top speed of a reported 186 mph. (Put that in your hemp pipe and smoke it!) Battery charging has been improved, too, so you can add about 300 miles of driving with a high-speed charger in about 20 minutes. (Note that, with electric cars, range, performance, charging speed and other metrics can vary depending upon a variety of issues, including choice of battery, temperature, driving conditions and type of charger used.) The Lucid Air definitely is a four-door sedan worth checking out.

McLaren Speedtail – The McLaren brand, as an automotive manufacturing company, only dates back some 30-plus years, but they were involved with the industry long before that. New Zealander Bruce McLaren started his eponymous company in 1963 as a racing team. In the mid-1980s, McLaren Cars (later McLaren Automotive) was formed and that led (to the delight of hypercar aficionados everywhere) to the 1990 creation of the F1, a supercar that sold for close to $1 million (back when that was a lot of money for a car) and which today can fetch in the $20 million range. A few McLaren supercars have shown up since (here’s looking at you, P1 and Senna), but the Speedtail is considered the worthy mantle-wearer to the F1’s crown. A hypercar with both gasoline and electric motors to get it going, it boasts a total of 1,036 horsepower (!) and has the street cred to back it up. With 0-60 in 2.8 seconds, the top speed is 250 mph, all at a price of over $2 million. Just a glance at the extremely-long rear tail and the fully covered front wheels gives you an idea that this is a car going places, and quickly. While some of the other cars in this article are a little more about Point A-to-Point B driving, perhaps even spiritedly, the Speedtail is about Point A to anywhere with lightning speed and razor-sharp handling.

Cadillac LYRIQ – This definitely isn’t your father’s–or anyone else’s–Cadillac as it’s not yet available, but it will be soon–an all-electric Cadillac four-door crossover starting with the 2023 model year (though deliveries are scheduled to commence during the first half of 2022). Reservations opened in September and sold out in 10 minutes! Why? Well, it’s great looking, has a ton of special features and people (finally) are loving (or at least are accepting) fully-electric cars. The specs–a Cadillac-estimated 340 horsepower and a Cadillac-estimated over 300 miles of range with a full charge. With high-speed DC fast charging for properly equipped public stations, owners can add an estimated 76 miles of range in about 10 minutes of charging time and with home charging, it offers a segment-leading 52 miles of range per hour of charge. Special features? Here’s a teaser: Available Super Cruise, the industry’s first true hands-free driver-assistance technology for compatible roads; a brilliant 33-inch-diagonal advanced LED display with the ability to emit over 1 billion colors; Cadillac’s next-generation Active Noise Cancellation system; Slim-line LED headlamps with choreographed lighting sequence; and an AKG Studio 19-speaker audio system with headrest speakers. Sound good? Get to your local Cadillac dealer.

Maserati MC20 – Many of us have seen the two and four-door Maseratis around town, mostly the Quattroportes, Ghiblis and Levantes. However, the far rarer MC20 is right at home with its supercar competition. Developed with a mid-engine twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 developing 621 horsepower, 530 pound-feet of torque, the MC20 knocks off 0-60 in under 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 202 mph. A hand-built production supercar, it gets its name from “Maserati Corse,” which means “Maserati Racing” in Italian. Twenty have been built so far and deliveries are scheduled to start right around the date you’re reading this. Pricing starts at $212,000, but the typical U.S. buyer adds the carbon fiber package and a few other options, bringing the average sales price to about $275,000. So far, the most popular color combination is the launch color, which is Bianco Audauce (“Bold White”), a special matte warm white with a blue mica iridescent sheen, which gives the car the look of a marble when sun hits it.

Mercedes-Maybach S580 – You may recall the Maybach (pronounced “My-bach”) name from when, in 2002, Mercedes decided to create an upmarket sub-brand, perhaps to compete with the BMW/ Rolls-Royce family of vehicles. However, that foray was not overly successful and production stopped a few years later. Then, a few years ago, Mercedes brought back the name (it’s the last name of William Maybach, Mercedes’ chief designer in the early years), and the model profiled here is the Mercedes-Maybach S580, a high-end S-class (and they also are offering a Mercedes-Maybach GLS, a very high-end SUV). With a price starting at $184,900, it’s certainly near the top of the S-class sedan price range, but the creature comforts available on this car – fully-reclining rear seats, wine refrigerator, crystal goblets, etc. – put it in a class by itself. Its closest competitor would be a rolling palace. As expected, it drives like a dream, rides like a cloud, and coddles the occupants.

Ferrari Purosangue – Last but certainly not least (and certainly not yet here), this latest offering from Maranello is so new that it’s really little more than a well-leaked secret. There’s no official photo or drawing, and the only available pictures are ones created by artists (and we can’t use those here). The company’s leadership was famous for saying that Ferrari never would create an SUV, but time changes (and pronouncements sometimes pass with their proclaimers). The luxury-SUV segment of the industry has been a huge success for Porsche, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Rolls, Range Rover, BMW, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, so it seemed inevitable that Ferrari would join this rolling party at some point. The rumor is that the Ferrari Purosangue (which literally means “pure blood” but colloquially means “thoroughbred”) will arrive late in 2022 or in 2023 with a price in the mid-$300,000s. It presumably will be an all-wheel drive SUV (as most of today’s SUVs are) with a front-engine, possibly with a hybrid component but likely to have a Ferrari V8 or even V12 to motivate it (and also to provide a soundtrack that Ferraristis have come to know and love). That’s all we have so far, but at least you now know that it’s coming to a driveway near you.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed this little sojourn into the land of luxury and exotica. If you hurry, you may be able to have your holiday dream delivered on time to enjoy it for the New Year.

Photos courtesy of Lucid Motors, McLaren Automotive, Cadillac/General Motors, Maserati North America, and Mercedes-Benz USA

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I was lucky enough to have a pre-opening private preview of the newest exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum, an incredible display of over 20 screen-used vehicles from many James Bond 007 films over the past six decades.  I have to say that, especially after viewing the seriously thrashed Aston Martin DBS from “Quantum of Solace” and then taking in the beauty of the Aston Martin DB10 (a model only made for the Bond film “Spectre”), the experience left me both shaken and stirred.  (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

First, an admission – I love the James Bond stories and started reading them not that long after Ian Fleming started creating them in the early 1950s. Bond was like Superman to me but, of course, the cars were far better. The stories were fantastical, for sure, but the special effects of the films – well, the opening credits alone were worth the price of admission.

But even with today’s computer-generated images (“CGI”), some of the best effects come from at least some of the scenes being generated IRL (in real life).  And the newest Petersen exhibit shows us some pretty amazing vehicles, which mostly were created solely so that they could be used in (and often destroyed by) the making of the movie.

The Museum’s exhibit, which is being billed as “The Largest Official Bond Car Display!” is entitled “Bond In Motion.”  It is the official collection of original James Bond vehicles and is produced in collaboration with EON Production and the Ian Fleming Foundation. It is scheduled to run through October 20, 2022. Museum visitors can experience the exhibit without any extra charge over and above their entrance ticket.

And what a terrific assemblage of special vehicles it is (no surprise there). Most of the cars are Aston Martins (again, not a shocker) with a smattering of others, like a few BMW cars and bikes, plus a Jaguar which was driven by the bad guy (“Zao”) in “Die Another Day,” in the incredible chase scene across a frozen lake. Luckily (especially for the audience), both Bond’s Aston and Zao’s cars had special weaponry, like rockets, a Gatling gun and more. There was one very special trick –Bond’s Aston featured a disappearing technique that allowed the car to become invisible as long as the option was enabled.  Who wouldn’t want that on occasion?

A big part of what makes this exhibit so special is that each vehicle (there are also some motorcycles, boats, submersibles and those flying machines that enabled 007 to engage in all of those chases and escapes) is accompanied by a repeating loop of film in which the vehicle was seen. These terrific visual components help even those of us who were and are big fans remember how the vehicle was used in the movie.  It’s a great feature and makes the exhibit really interesting.

Of course, no article about the Bond cars would be complete without a big mention of the 1964 Aston Martin DB5, which made its debut in the movie “Goldfinger.” The unprecedented gadgetry includes gun barrels which could be used after flipping down the front turn-signal indicators, a three-way revolving license place, a smokescreen generator, an oil slick creation device and a bullet shield behind the rear window. The main attraction in this car–and the feature which ushered in major trickery and cleverness in the Bond franchise –was the ejection seat which, when one flipped open the gearshift knob and hit the button, launched the passenger into the wild blue yonder.

Want to see the latest and greatest Bond vehicles?  The 25th film in the James Bond franchise, “No Time To Die,” is now showing. 

The Petersen Museum is right on the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax Boulevards, literally across the street from the just-opened Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Here are some of the many vehicles featured in this special exhibit but the show is so grand that only a part of the exhibit could be showcased here. 

All photos by ted7

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A century later, today’s electrics literally can run circles around many of today’s gas-fired sportsters while others have longer ranges and different tricks not possible with “normal” cars.  This article explores three recent entries into the e-world.
A short fiscal note – most electric cars qualify for federal and even some state rebates or tax credits, most notably the federal $7,500 tax credit.  However, different companies’ abilities to offer those credits, and different cars qualifying for different credits and different owners qualifying the certain credits mean that you should confirm with the dealer and your CPA which tax breaks you will get with an electric car.  Also, be sure to check if your intended vehicle qualifies for HOV (carpool) lane passes as those rules have changed and for sure will change again.

2021 KARMA GS-6

The Karma GS-6 may look familiar to you. Henrik Fisker started his eponymous car company in 2007 and called his flagship vehicle the Karma. Some were sold, but the car had problems and also suffered from too-slow adoption by the market. Not long afterwards, the perhaps prophetic Hurricane Sandy took out about 320 of the Karmas on standby in a storage lot, causing a loss of about $30 million. Then the battery supplier, A123 Systems, filed bankruptcy. Fisker closed and then also filed for bankruptcy. In 2014, China’s Wanxiang Group purchased the remaining cars, the plant, tooling and designs and, in 2016, rebranded the company as “Karma” and came out with their new iteration, the Rivero. Priced in the $150,000 range, it didn’t sell all that well, either. So, with Karma 2.0 (or is it 3.0?), the new Karma is (finally) a winner. And, to the surprise of some, it’s assembled right here in Southern California.

Karma offers two basic models: an all-electric (called the GSE-6); and a hybrid, called the GS-6.  Of those hybrids, they also offer a luxury model (GS-6L) and a sport model (GS-6S).  All of the hybrid versions have been upgraded with a range-extender using what basically is the same engine as in the BMW i8 (3-cylinder, twin turbo).  I was lucky enough to have the luxury GS-6L for a week this summer.  

Like some other hybrids, the car can be driven some distance in “stealth” (electric-only) mode (for 60-80 miles) and the amount of regeneration (using the motor to both slow the car down while charging the battery) can be adjusted using the paddle shifters. I like heavy regen so those driver options were great for me. With the range-extender operating, the batteries are charged on the fly (and also can be charged via a plug-in charger). The fully charged batteries and the range extender together can move the car over 360 miles before needing to be refueled (gas for the motor) and/or recharged at a charging station or at home (electricity for the batteries). Note that the gas motor only charges the batteries as the car only moves with electric power – the three-cylinder turbo is a battery charger, pure and simple.

“My” luxury-edition Karma had a base price of $93,900 (the standard GS-6 stars at under $86,000) and options of about $20,000, like special grey paint ($2,000), carbon fiber trim ($2,200), special 22″ custom wheels (a must-have option, at $9,900), cross-drilled brake rotors ($1,200) and yellow brake calipers ($1,200).  All in all, I thought it was a great-looking package (though I am partial to grey cars).  

How was it to drive?

I loved my time with this car.  It was fast, comfortable, much quieter than most gas-powered cars and it was unique (which I also like). It has a very long wheelbase so the car really did smooth out the road.  With the hybrid powerplant, which creates 536 horses and an impressive 550-ft. lbs. of torque (there’s even more with the GS-6S sport version), this 5,000-pound car can accelerate from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and run on up to a top speed of 125 MPH (it’s electronically limited).  And when the accelerator is floored, the gas motor comes on to provide more torque and there’s a satisfying roar that accompanies the acceleration.  It’s on sale now.

2021 MUSTANG MACH-E

Next up: the Mustang Mach-E. No, it doesn’t really look like any Mustang before it, but the nameplate was too popular for Ford to resist using it for their latest and greatest. The Mach-E is Ford’s all-electric crossover and it does look more like a station wagon-meets-SUV than a sedan. No worries, though, as its looks belie the performance that this car has to offer.

“Mine” (for a week) was the “California Route 1” version. Other available models are the “Select,” “Premium” and the “GT” (Personally, I want the one-off tricked-out version that was in an early Mach-E ad – the “Mach-E 1400” with [you guessed it] 1,400 horsepower and an incredible 2,300 pounds of downforce at 160 MPH. Talk about the quick trip to the store!). The bases prices run from $42,895 for the Select up to $59,900 for the GT. The differences?  Different batteries (which can increase both range and performance) as well as rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.

My California Route 1 had a base of $50,400 but, as it was a pre-production model, the options were not priced out on the window sticker. It came standard with an extended-range battery (with an EPA projected range of 305 miles) and rear-wheel drive. It had “Star White” paint and gloss black 18″ wheels and trim with a black interior and I really liked the looks. 

I also liked the way it drove, especially the acceleration (0-60 in 6.1 seconds), thanks to 290 horsepower and 317 ft.-lbs. of torque. For comparison’s sake, the fastest Mach-E is the GT and it does 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, has all-wheel drive but the range drops by about 35 miles. It was quiet, like you would expect, with a good ride and great creature comforts and an excellent interface with the infotainment system.

As a charter member of the Analogue Racing Club (where, as Jay Leno would say, anything that rolls, explodes or catches fire is fine with us), I do miss the V-8 roar of my Mustang in the 1970s. But the Ford people were nice enough to add a “soundtrack,” which the driver can switch on or off, where those inside can hear a rough approximation of a performance motor accelerating when you quickly push down the right pedal on the Mach-E.  Sophistry?  Of course.  But for those times when you really must have some aural feedback, at least it’s an option . . . and there’s no major fuel-use surcharge for the joy.

This five-passenger hauler can handle most any chore, from commutes, shopping and even lumber and other household and work supplies.  The acceleration is nice and the interior very comfortable and well laid-out.  And perhaps the coolest feature of all (no pun intended)?  The front trunk (“frunk”) is made with a plastic lining and a drain plug so the tub can be filled with ice for a great tailgate (frunk-gate?) party center.  The Mach-E is on sale now. 

2021 VOLKSWAGEN ID.4

Now let’s take a look at the Volkswagen ID.4. The name comes from their Intelligent Design factory, and it’s VW’s take on the state-of-the-art, all-electric, smaller car. But VW is no Jürgen-come-lately to the electric car world, as they built some concepts (like the 1972 Elektro Bus) and a limited number of prototype vehicles (like the Golf and Jetta CitySTROMers in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s) but their first high-production all-electric car was the e-Golf in 2013.

The “ID” moniker came more recently and may be familiar to you due to the Volkswagen ID.R smashing the performance record at the Pike’s Peak Hillclimb in 2018, knocking a full minute off of the previous record (that’s a lot of time since most record-breakers turn in times which are seconds faster than the prior winner).  Considering that VW basically got its start with the plain Beetle in the late 1930s, they really have come a long, long way. The Beatle started with about 25 horsepower and a top speed of just over 60 MPH but the ID. R showed the world that VW could create its first all-electric motorsport vehicle with some 670 horsepower and in a package weighing a bare 2,400 pounds, it could break records wherever it went (Goodwood Hill Climb, Nürburgring, China’s “Heaven’s Gate” – need I say more?)  So, proof of concept, an all-electric VW vehicle that could perform?  Done!  

The ID.4 is the brand’s first big foray into the ID sub-brand’s commitment to offer a number of models, all of which will be fully electrified (not hybrids– no gas needed).  The ID.4, which VW terms a “Compact SUV”, eventually will have three basic options – “Base”, “Pro” and “1st Edition,” with base prices starting at about $35,000. Only the Pro is out now (the two others are slated for 2022) and that’s what I had for a fun week’s use.

The Pro’s base price is just under $40,000. “Mine” was a beautiful “Dusk Blue” but, as it was a pre-production model, the pricing of the options was not available. The dark blue color was a perfect offset against the front light, which wrapped all around the nose of the car and was a terrific accent line, as were the black 19″ wheels and black roof rails.  While not the top-of-the-line ID.4, the Pro is good looking and very pleasant to drive. The performance was less than the above two cars (0-60 is about 7.5 seconds), which felt darn right frisky compared to some hybrids of the recent past. With 201 horsepower (the dual-motor all-wheel-drive version has 302 horsepower) and a pretty heavy car (about 4,600 pounds, depending on number of motors, batteries, etc.), it still can tow about 2,700 pounds but you won’t be winning many (any?) stop-light grands prix.

Bigger than the early Golf sorties into electric-land, the car looks like it’s aimed to compete with BMW’s i3, and with four doors, seating for five and a hatch-back, it succeeds.  I liked the styling and the details so I’d say that VW really hit the mark.  It’s on sale now. 

The Courier’s Fine Autos Contributor, Tim Lappen, also is the Fine Autos Editor for Haute Living, Haute Time, Haute Residence and Haute Auto magazines and online and a partner in a Century City law firm, where he chairs his firm’s Family Office Group and the Luxury Home Group. He can be reached at TLappen@gmail.com and his website is www.LifeInTheFastLane.org.

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The Tour brought many smiles per mile all along the course, as these amazing machines wended their way north of Wilshire, through residential sections, and then back into town, along several streets (including Rodeo Drive, of course) and finally stopping at City Hall.

Here is a fairly complete list of the participants’ steeds though some owners declined to be identified for the article and others could not be located by press time in order to provide consent:

1. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO (owned and driven by Tom Price)

2. 1929 Bentley 4.5 liter Tourer By Vanden Plas (owned and driven by Bruce Meyer)

3. 1912 Ford Model T Roadster Pickup (owned and driven by Urban Hirsch)

4. 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero (owned and driven by Phillip Sarofim)

5. 1951 Hudson Hornet (owned and driven by Jay Leno)

6. “Lost In Space” Chariot (owned and driven by Jeff Dunham)

7. Maserati MC12 

8. Lamborghini Sián

9. Lamborghini Centenario

10. Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada

11. 1969 Ford Bronco “Big Oly” (another great part of Phillip Sarofim’s collection, driven by Dusan Miletich and his son, Vel–Vel is eight years old and was the announcer who commenced the drive with a hearty “Gentlemen, start your engines!”)

12. 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 “Birdcage” (owned and driven by Jeff O’Neill)  

13. 1965 Bentley S3 Continental convertible (owned and driven by Terry and Carrie Sullivan)

14. McLaren Senna GTR

15. 2021 McLaren Elva 

16. Lamborghini Countach (owned and driven by Matt Farrah)

17. Lamborghini Miura

18. 1935 Packard Dual Cowl Phaeton by Dietrich

19. 2021 McLaren Speedtail (driven by Beverly Hills exotic car magnate, Tom O’Gara)

20. 1963 Bentley S3 Convertible (ferrying star Realtor Tracy Tutor)

21. 1960 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud convertible (owned and driven by star Realtor Josh Flagg and co-piloted by Tori Spelling)

22. Porsche 911 (owned and driven by famous Porsche aficionado, collector and “Urban Outlaw” Magnus Walker and co-piloted by noted automotive, travel and culture journalist Hannah Elliott)

23. Ruf Porsche 993 BTR (owned and driven by Estonia Ruf)

24. 1947 Delahaye 135 MS Vedette Roadster by Chapron (owned and driven by Jim Hull and co-piloted by Brandon Adrian)

25. 1950 Studebaker

26. 1961 “Bugeye” Sprite (owned and driven by Caitlyn Jenner)

27. Several Chevy Low Riders (1958 and 1964 Impalas and 1983 Monte Carlo)

28. 1957 Dual Ghia Convertible

29. 1968 Mustang “Wasteland” and a VW “bug” à la Mad Max

30. 1929 Ahrens-Fox Fire Truck (driven by members of the Beverly Hills Fire Department)

31. 1939 Bugatti Type 57C by Vanvooren (the “Shah Bugatti”) (it was ferrying Kathy Gohari, the President-elect of the Rodeo Drive Committee. This truly spectacular car is owned by the Petersen Automotive Museum and it was driven in the Tour by Dana Williamson, Conservator of the Collection at the Museum)

32. 1939 Auburn Boattail Speedster Custom 

33. 1953 Chrysler Parade Phaeton (also owned by the Petersen Automotive Museum)  

34. DeLorean Time Machine “Back to the Future” (on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum)

35. The unmistakable yellow Chicken Car (driven by racing champion Tommy Kendall)

36. 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon (owned and driven by landscaper Sheridan Kahn and her husband, PR maven Dan) 

The Tour was meant to provide a special Father’s Day experience in lieu of the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance, which was canceled last year and this one due to the pandemic. The Tour was such an incredible event, one would hope that it would be repeated again. Having the ability to see, hear and even smell these cars pass by is a very unique experience, one not available in almost all other high-quality car events so maybe, if we’re lucky, it will be repeated every five years or so, just to add that extra dimension to the experience of a special Father’s Day adventure. A big thank you to all who were involved in this momentous occasion. 

All photos courtesy of David N. Banks 

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Thanks to numerous sponsors, this fun and free event supports the Beverly Hills Police Officers Association and the Beverly Hills Firefighters’ Association – non-profit charities that provide assistance to first responders injured in the line of duty, maintain scholarship funds for their children and provide other support.

As of press time, the following is a sampling of the Tour d’Elegance entrants:

• 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO (this likely will be the most-expensive car in the Tour);

• 1912 Ford Model T Roadster Pickup (the oldest car in the Tour);

• 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero (this is the amazing “flying wedge” you may have heard about but not yet seen);

• Maserati MC12 (only 50 were built in 2004 and 2005; Maserati’s answer to the Enzo Ferrari, which basically has the same chassis);

• Lamborghini Sian (the newest exotic offering from this special brand, their first production hybrid and their most-powerful road car ever – V12 engine plus electric motor bring the total to over 800 HP at a starting price of around $2,600,000);

• 1969 Ford Bronco “Big Oly” (one of the most storied off-road racers in history, owned for over 50 years by Parnelli Jones until a recent auction at a reported $1,870,000 a few weeks ago);

• 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 “Birdcage” (this car will travel the farthest in order to participate, coming from Sonoma, CA – the complex space-frame tube-chassis is what gave the car its moniker, but it likely will have the body on during the Tour so you’ll have to use your imagination);

• 2021 McLaren Elva (one the company’s newest offerings and its lightest now available, it has a unique offering – an optional windshield.  At a base price of about $1,700,000, it’s likely to be a crowd-pleaser);

• 1935 Packard Dual Cowl Phaeton by Dietrich (I love a car with two windshields! Maybe it could loan one to the McLaren Elva);

• 2021 McLaren Speedtail (this is tied with the Sian for the fastest accelerating car on the Tour but with a higher top speed, of 250 MPH – I hope that they put it up front. The base price is about $2,100,000);

• Several Chevy Low Riders (1958 and 1964 Impalas and 1983 Monte Carlo – always a delightful part of the show);

• 1957 Dual Ghia Convertible (the “it” car in Hollywood in that era);

• 1968 Mustang “Wasteland” car (think “Mad Max”);

• 1929 Ahrens-Fox Fire Truck (driven by our own Beverly Hills Fire Department, we have this truck to thank for the annual Rodeo Drive Concours. In the early ’90s, Beverly Hills had a fire truck that they had no money to restore, but it was an original Beverly Hills fire truck.  Bruce Meyer helped create a group of supporters put together a car show and to raise money to restore the antique fire truck);

• 1939 Bugatti Type 57C by Vanvooren (the “Shah Bugatti” – one of my personal favorites – I have a model of this car on my desk); 

• 1939 Auburn Boattail Speedster Custom (some car designers really loved their boats) and

• 1953 Chrysler Parade Phaeton (the kind used by President Eisenhower).

It will surprise no one that the driving force (so to speak) behind the event is Bruce Meyer, organizer extraordinaire, car collector par excellence and all-around good guy. Meyer brought the cars together; he made the connections with the city and he conceptualized the event (as he has with the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance for over 25 years). He truly is the ringmaster of the event.

Other key movers (so to speak) include Kathy Gohari of the Rodeo Drive Committee, who worked behind the scenes to get the event off the ground early on, Mayor of Beverly Hills Robert Wunderlich and Vice Mayor Lili Bosse, who have given nothing but enthusiastic support to the event. Tom O’Gara of O’Gara Coach committed to be title sponsor of the event and will join the Tour in a McLaren Speedtail. Of the many sponsors, notable are Hagerty, Auto Vault Storage, GEARYS Beverly Hills, Two Rodeo Drive, Rodeo Drive Associates and the Beverly Hills Historical Society.

This historic drive begins at 10 a.m on June 20. The parade route travels up San Vicente Boulevard and turns left (west) on Burton Way. It then will turn right and go north on Rexford Drive for a block, to Carmelita Avenue, and then turn left and go two blocks over to North Canon Drive. They then turn right and will follow Canon up to the Will Rogers Memorial Park (just below Sunset Boulevard) and then turn left and go right back down (south) on North Beverly Drive all the way to Wilshire Boulevard. They will turn right and go west one block to Rodeo Drive, turn right again and go north to “Little” Santa Monica, turn right and go two blocks to Canon Drive, turn right (south) again on Canon Drive and go to Dayton Way. The parade then will turn left, go to Crescent Drive and turn left. (The route is subject to change so please check the event website the morning of the event for possible updates:  https://rodeodrive-bh.com/fathers-day-automobile-celebration.

Note: There is no plan for viewing at the start or at the finish of the Tour as people are asked not to congregate at either end.  However, your opportunity to see, hear and, yes, even smell these icons of iron is a once-in-a-lifetime experience (bring your photo and video equipment!).  Most people will never have seen photos; some will have seen the photos but not the cars and a few will have seen them but not in action.  You will get to experience them all in their native habitat – the roads of Beverly Hills. And mark your calendars for Father’s Day 2022, when the Concours d’Elegance on Rodeo Drive is scheduled to return.

The post Tour d’Elegance is Coming to Beverly Hills on Father’s Day appeared first on Beverly Hills Courier.

Just to whet the appetite (and who doesn’t like a whetted appetite for the summer?) we are looking today at some serious iron, each of which just happens to have an open-top option, beauties from Aston, Bentley, Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche and Rolls.  These aren’t your father’s (or grandfather’s or almost anyone else’s) convertibles in the way that they were created yesteryear. The dreamboats of the 1950s and 1960s were canvas-topped luxobarges, by and large (emphasis on “large”), but the ones that we’ll view today either are full-on performance cars or hyper-luxurious cars which still perform amazingly on the road and–yes–even on the track.  

We’ll meet them in alphabetical order so as not to offend anyone. I had to drive them before writing about them (as I almost always do), so I hope that you appreciate the great efforts that I have gone to in order to bring you this report. Lucky me, as I love all of these cars and would be happy to have any one or all of them for my own. Their base prices total about
$2.5 million so be sure to bring your checkbook to this summer party.

Aston Martin Vantage Roadster

Aston recently redesigned the Vantage and they did a terrific job. The lines are even more sinuous; the rear (especially the taillight) is quite sculptural and very attractive and the sound is terrific (unless it’s your neighbor’s Vantage, which might not be as welcome).  With an interior befitting a luxury car, the Aston is a joy to drive (and a delight to hear), with performance to match, with 0-60 MPH in 3.7 seconds.

Bentley GTC Mulliner

I have driven most of the Bentley models from the past decade or so and I have to say–the GTC (aka GT Convertible) Mulliner is ne plus ultra!  No part of the car has been left unadorned, with stitches, inlays, intarsias and other upgraded designs.  The result is sumptuous! Coupled (as “mine” was) with a W12 engine pumping out 650 HP and 635 lb.-ft. of torque, this 5,300-plus drop top can lay down 0-60 MPH in 3.7 seconds.  A gorgeous performer.   

Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

The new Vette really is a paradigm shift for Chevy as it incorporates
a mid-engine design. There is a lot to love here, as both technology and style abound. Though the power output is under 500 HP, it feels extremely quick and rips off 0-60 MPH in 2.9 seconds. A comfortable, quick and European look from Detroit (actually, it’s built in Bowling Green, Kentucky), passersby constantly mistook it for a Ferrari or a McLaren. 

Ferrari 812 GTS Spider

Ferrari showed up at this summer soiree with some serious ammo–the 812 GTS is the newest front-engine V12 from the Maranello Masters.  With just under 800HP, a top speed of over 210 MPH and a 0-60 time below 3 seconds, there are few cars–and fewer convertibles–that can keep up. I love the sounds of V12 Ferraris, top up or town.  Will you mess up your hair driving with the top down? The answer is blowing in the wind.

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster

As is their wont, Lamborghini showed up at this picnic with a spiky haircut, a chain-link necklace and a switchblade! Don’t agree? Maybe it just feels that way to me as this is an angular bugger with a screaming motor and performance to match its major swagger, with 0-60 MPH in 2.9 seconds, not too surprising since it boasts almost 760 HP.   

McLaren 720S Spider

McLarens have a certain feel (and this is going to sound like Goldilocks) but it’s not too noisy, not too stiff a ride, and not hard to live with. It is really just right, unlike so many supercars of the past. A highly refined car, the 720S Spider provides comfort, luxury and speed. The 720S is the only drop-top in McLaren’s Supercar Series, and like many exotics of today, it can be driven in quiet or loud mode, with 0-60 MPH in 2.8 seconds

Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

This is Porsche’s fastest 911 convertible, though it’s also really comfortable and elegant, both slightly surprising for a sports car which can hurtle from zero to 60 MPH in 2.7 seconds.  It possesses the ability to be a quiet and comfortable two-seater (you can’t really count the back seats!) and quickly transform into a real stormer. 640 HP does the trick.  

Rolls-Royce Dawn

Finally–yet in no way least–we come to this stately participant. The term “stately” applies to the looks but “wow” applies to the performance, even the handling. “Handling” used in a Rolls-Royce article?  Abso-Roycen-Lutely.  Rolls-Royce’s smallest (and for now, only) convertible is capable of handling everything you throw at it, from a night on the town to a run through the hills. Driving a Rolls is like taking a break from the daily world, with 0-60 MPH in 4.9 seconds.

I hope that you have had a good time on this quick visit with eight of the most special convertibles around.  All deserve your consideration so if you’re in the market, have a look, drop the top, take it for a spin and enjoy! 

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On hand to accept the award, Tom O’Gara, CEO of the company founded in 1976 said, “Despite the hurdles presented to us by 2020, I am proud that my Rolls-Royce team has earned this award. Taking care of some of the most demanding and discerning clients in the world wasn’t easy managing a virtual relationship, but my team adapted new skills and processes to ensure acquiring a previously owned Rolls-Royce was just as much a luxury experience as acquiring and owning a new one.” 

In town to present the award was Martin Fritsches, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars North America, who added, “With more than a century of history for the brand, and with more than three of every four Rolls-Royce cars ever built still being on the road provenance is critical to the brand. The Beverly Hills team understands that finding that second home for a Rolls-Royce commission is important to maintaining and growing the brand. We started 2021 with the strongest quarter of new commission deliveries, we have also seen the highest level of Provenance deliveries during the same period.” 

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The Courier’s Fine Autos Contributor, Tim Lappen, also is the Fine Autos Editor for Haute Living, Haute Time, Haute Residence and Haute Auto magazines and online and a partner in a Century City law firm, where he chairs his firm’s Family Office Group and the Luxury Home Group. He can be reached at TLappen@gmail.com and his website is www.LifeInTheFastLane.org.

Someone once said, “It’s better to be lucky than smart.” That may not have been the most intelligent phrase ever uttered but it came to mind when the Fates smiled on me and I had the chance to drive two of McLaren’s wonderful creations, about a week apart, So, like a good Angeleno, I decided to ask McLaren if I also could cover a third McLaren, which wasn’t yet in production, but which did exist as a full-fledged rolling exhibit.  

To take a step back–McLaren is a supercar company founded by a famous New Zealander, Bruce McLaren, who was an accomplished racer in the 1960s. He won his first Formula One race at the age of 22, the youngest winner ever at that time. He founded the car company soon thereafter. From 1992 – 1998 the company built 106 cars called an “F1,” which was the fastest production car of its time (over 240 mph) and was sold for a then unheard-of price of over $800,000. They have now obtained legendary (even cult) status as one variant sold for close to $20,000,000.

Fast forward to 2010, when McLaren became a car manufacturing company in its own right. Over the winding, high-speed and banked road of the past ten years, McLaren has created some of the most desired cars on the planet. 

This piece is about two of those successes (and the third one not out yet, but with pre-orders predicting success). Luckily, I recently had the pleasure of experiencing all three – driving two (the GT and the 720S Spider) for a week each in the area around my home and, of course, through Beverly Hills. I attended the press launch of the third (the Elva) at a luxury home which had just hit the market in . . . Beverly Hills.  I see a pattern developing here.

The McLaren GT

The first of the cars we’ll discuss today is the GT, the most “usable” of the McLarens in that it is designed to accommodate passengers and luggage for grand-touring ride out of town and even across the country. The concept was to reimagine what had mostly been a rather heavy car used for touring, a two-door of some length and heft which helped it smooth out the road’s imperfections. McLaren’s guiding principle was to create a commodious supercar (as “oxymoronic” as that may sound), with the power and agility to hang with the best of them and yet allow the driver and passenger to arrive after a long drive feeling fairly refreshed and happier for the experience. How did they do that?

Well, first off, McLaren knew that the suspension would be key and, given that McLaren built a solid reputation on suspension engineering, they were up to the task. The McLaren “Proactive Damping Control” suspension analyzes the road conditions and adapts rapidly so as to provide the GT with the ride which this car requires. Secondly, like all recent McLarens, the center cockpit is a “MonoCell II T” carbon-fiber tub (chassis), which results in a huge weight savings and provides exceptional rigidity (non-flexing) to the center of the car. Add to that the increased ride height, to allow better ground clearance and more room for the suspension to travel and thereby absorb whatever the road throws at it.

At under 3,400 pounds the GT is well below the weight of most grand touring cars, yet it doesn’t scrimp on power. Its twin-turbo V8 pumps out about 620 HP and does it with 465 lb. ft. of torque so that’s good enough to hit the top speed of over 200 MPH after running 0-60 MPH in about 3.2 seconds. Yes, this is a car that can turn in blistering performance while coddling the occupants . . . and their luggage.  

Pity that my time with the car didn’t allow a jaunt from L.A. to S.F. or a road trip of epic proportions in a blast to New York. However, I truly enjoyed my time behind the wheel of the GT and I have no doubt that either of those experiences would have been great fun and allowed me to prove McLaren’s marketing tag line about the GT: “Time for what you love, space for what you need.”  While not as radical as some of the other McLarens I’ve driven (I am looking at you, Napier Green 675LT), it wasn’t designed to be. This is a touring car, as noted, so it’s meant to provide a comfortable ride with a sound that is pleasant but not disruptive, yet the McLaren DNA was ever-present, and I mean that in a good way.  Pricing starts at about $210,000.

The McLaren 720S Spider

Aside from the GT, McLaren creates cars under three other main banners – the “Sports Series”, the “Super Series” and the “Ultimate Series”. The 720S coupe and Spider and the 765LT (for “long tail”) are the only models in the Super Series. More powerful than the GT and the Sports Series of cars, the 720S Spider relies on a V8 twin-turbo motor boasting 720 HP and 568 lb. ft. of torque, which motivates this fast drop-top to a 2.9 second 0-60 launch on the way to a 212 MPH top speed (slightly slower with the top down).

With a dry weight of under 3,000 pounds, this truly is a svelte car, which is apparent when pushed through the canyons and up through the twisties. And that is what this car is all about–great comfort and fun with the top down on a sunny day, when out for a cruise, then startling quickness which seems to come out of nowhere to propel the car faster and faster, which then can be reined in on demand with excellent brakes.

Not sure you want the top up or down during the drive?  It needs only eleven seconds to go from up to down or vice-versa, it also can be done while underway (up to about 30 MPH) so changing your mind often is allowed. 

Also, the car is a stunner with the top up or down, especially as the roof cantrails (the length of metal supporting the outer edge of the roof) are visible whether the top is up or town, and they’re now even glazed so you can see through them.  There’s no lack of visibility when driving this car in either configuration.

Driving impressions?  WOW!  This car is English but it’s a plate full of Huevos Rancheros. The speed is one thing, but the feeling of that speed can be quite another and, as with other super-quick McLarens I’ve driven, it feels even faster than it is (not that 0-60 in under three seconds isn’t quite rapid, in and of itself). This car felt like I was wearing it, so amazingly responsive with just the right soundtrack coming from the tail.  It was a wonderful experience, my favorite McLaren yet (I’ve driven most of the other models, other than the F1, P1 and Senna). What’s not to like? Pricing starts at about $315,000.

The McLaren Elva

Finally, but certainly not least, is the Elva, a beautifully designed car born of the wind and, along with the McLaren Speedtail and the Senna, a member of the elite McLaren “Ultimate Series”. (“Elva” means “she goes” in French and was the name of the company which made Bruce McLaren’s open-top racers in the 1960s.) The Elva uses the wind for interesting purposes, even channeling it through and below the hood and then back up in front of the cockpit to create an air dam of sorts, obviating the need for a windshield. It’s about as close as you can get to the feeling of riding a high-performance motorcycle while seated next to a passenger.   

Utilizing the newly anointed Active Air Management System (“AAMS”), the airflow is directed up and over the cabin to provide an unusually un-turbulent calm for the driver and passenger. McLaren describes it as providing all of the adrenaline without any of the distraction. Unfortunately, the car shown at the launch was not available to drive, but  I will take their word for it as everything I’ve read about McLaren’s promises have come to fruition.

I haven’t even heard the motor yet –a V8 with 804HP and over 590 lb. ft. of torque–but it boasts a new exhaust system, utilizing four pipes (two pointing higher than the other two), with each pair given a different tuning to provide a harmonious symphony compared to other McLarens. I hope that they release it as part of a mixtape. When fitted into the Elva, the lightest road-going McLaren yet (not formally announced but said to be less than the McLaren Senna, which weighs about 2,650 pounds!), the Elva is reported to hit 125MPH in about 6.7 seconds (which used to be a rare performance time for 0-60MPH!).  

I hope to update this article with driving impressions but until then, I will have to dream about the Elva like the rest of you.  And, did I mention, production is limited to only 249 units and the pricing in the range of $1,700,000.

There’s a certain trait which I think is woven into the DNA of McLarens–they all feel faster to me than they are, and as they are very quick in their own rights, that feeling is highly addictive. If the “thrill of high-performance motoring” is something that you likewise crave, I commend you to try out one of their models, which run from the lower $200,000s on up into the multiple millions (for the cars currently being made–some older McLarens can be way more expensive than that).  To me, the nicest thing about McLarens is that I never want to give them back at the end of my allotted time. “Yes, I know that I promised but that’s before I had so much fun.” Besides, my trips through Beverly Hills were so limited by quarantine-related regulations, mostly picking up take-out food and a few in-person meetings, I think that they should let me have the GT and 720S back for do-overs, plus give me the Elva, once the quarantine is over and I can make proper use of the cars.  Until then, you and I will have to make do with what we have. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading about these machines as much as I enjoyed driving and then writing about them. 

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Depending upon your age, your vision of the future could be Buck Rogers or George Jetson or even Marty McFly, but vehicles always feature prominently in those visions. When it came to the cars of the future, like Marty’s hoverboard and George’s transport, they clearly were going to levitate – “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!”  However, we’re still (mostly) earthbound and roads are required. Nevertheless, the exotic cars on the near horizon are pretty spectacular conveyances and, for your holiday viewing pleasure, here is a sampling as we go to press.  As befits a car of the future, many of these are motivated in full or in part by one or more electric motors.

I’ve set them out alphabetically, which works out well in part due to my personal affinity for Aston Martins and in part in an homage to the recently departed Sean Connery, the quintessential James Bond who, when true to his Ian Fleming roots, always drove an Aston.

Aston Martin – For a relatively small company, Aston Martin consistently punches well above its weight. Its partnership with Red Bull Racing has brought incredible performance and design to an already-accomplished company and the upcoming Valhalla is Exhibit A.  Slated for 2022 production (if 500 cars is a “production”), the naturally-aspirated (no turbo, no supercharger) V-12 is a mid-engine two-seater which can achieve the once-mythical 1:1 power ratio (a car whose weight and which horsepower, expressed in kilos and brake horsepower, is one kilo per one horsepower). Expected to cost in the range of $1,300,000 (each, not for all 500), the Valhalla will be available in both street and track-only versions.

Bugatti – My earliest memories of this storied brand were as a child, seeing a neighbor’s Type 35B Bugatti drive by. The sights, the sounds and especially the smells were memorable as those cars did burn off quite a bit of castor oil, which fragrance lingered long after the car was out of sight and earshot.  Today’s excitement focuses on the Centodieci (Italian for “110” in honor of the marque’s recent 110th anniversary), a 1,500hp W-16-motored beast of a car of which only ten will be made (sorry, all are sold) at a projected 8 million euros (about $9.3 million as of this writing).  A gorgeous car that shows both its Bugatti heritage and its forward-thinking futuristic design, I hope that at least one of these beauties makes it to California.

Ferrari – An atelier whose founder, Enzo Ferrari, was born to create fast cars, even Enzo’s name sounds fast! And their newest creation does not dissappoint. Behold the Ferrari Omologata (which means “homologated” or certified for competition – it’s the “O” in “GTO”). This V-12 stormer was commissioned by a discerning customer and created as a one-off coach-built aluminum touring car which is equally at home on the track. A two-year process resulted in this sinewy and slippery vehicle that is destined to slice though the wind for its lucky owner. Starting as an 812 Superfast, the transformation is truly spectacular. Price and horsepower haven’t been disclosed, but fortunate are the few who will see it in “person.”

Koenigsegg – Never heard of it?  I’m not surprised. This stealthy Swedish supercar company has created some of the most amazing cars on the planet as it has incredible productivity for a company of its size.  Want an example? The new Gemera (from Swedish words meaning “give” and “more”) and billed as the first “Mega-GT,” this four-seater can run circles around many two-seater exotics. With three electric motors and a twin-turbo three-cylinder gas engine, the combined output is over 1,700hp, good enough for 0-60mph in 1.9 seconds and a top speed of around 250mph, this baby is expected to set you back around 1.9 large (as in millions of dollars – price does not include speeding tickets or bail).

Lamborghini – Anyone who has seen a Lamborghini in its natural habitat (on the road) knows that this is a brand which likes sharp creases and big angles. The limited-edition Sián Roadster is a chip off of a very angular block.  With a big motor (the most-powerful V-12 that they’ve made to date) and high-tech hybrid motivation assistance (with an unusual super-capacitor system), the Lambo pumps out a total of 819 horsepower, enough for 0-60mph in about 2.9 seconds and a top speed is over 215mph. The design is roofless, no doubt so that the occupants can commune with the heavens, and with all of that performance, it’s clearly able to dodge the occasional raindrops in Los Angeles. It’s no wonder that the production run of 19 units already is sold out.

Mercedes-AMG – New arrivals to MB-land may think of the Mercedes brand as luxury cruisers and, of course, they’d be right but there’s so much more to the brand, including Formula 1 racing.  Many of the company’s AMG-branded cars are real screamers and the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series is a case in point. Running with Mercedes’ most-powerful AMG V-8 of all time (720hp twin-turbo), 0-60mph takes 3.1 seconds and the top speed is 202mph. The power is about 100hp greater than the “regular” AMG GT 63 S Coupe. Pricing is not yet announced. This definitely is not your father’s (or grandmother’s) Mercedes Benz.

McLaren – McLaren (founded by New Zealand-born race driver Bruce McLaren) was satisfied for many years to make components for other car manufacturers and then racing cars but, turned to making their own road-going cars, first in small quantities, like the universally-adored F1 of the 1990s and then to large numbers starting with the MP4 12C. The latest from this fun factory is the Elva, a spritely two-seater whose DNA apparently is traceable to a sports car, a motorcycle and a fighter jet. With no windscreen, the body was designed to divert airflow in order to create a “wind curtain” in front of the cockpit. The lightest road car McLaren ever has produced, it sports an 800-plus horsepower twin-turbo V-8 motivating it to 60mph in under three seconds. Only 249 of these cars will be made, at prices starting at $1.69M.

Pininfarina – A car company based in both Germany and Italy – what’s not to like? Owned by Mahindra & Mahindra Company (a motor vehicle company based in India), they licensed the name from the famous Italian design studio Pininfarina, who designed the sleek and sexy car named Batista, the company’s first offering, which will be limited to 150 vehicles. Interestingly, Pininfarina turned to Rimac, the motor and control company in Croatia, to create the electric motor and associated components. The Batista is the first vehicle to be sold under the Pininfarina name as the design house had heretofore focused mostly on designing exotic cars for the likes of Ferrari. Slated for first deliveries by 2022, and with a price of about $2,500,000, the Batista is projected to use its 1,900 horsepower to go 0-60mph in under two seconds and top out at about 250mph.

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Internal-combustion engines are fine, as far as they go, but they do exhale exhaust fumes and their fuel is a finite resource–they aren’t making many dinosaurs anymore so the days of oil are numbered (though experts disagree on exactly how numbered they are).  The car manufacturers highlighted in this article are on to the Next Big Thing, which is being fully powered by electricity, in whole (battery for fuel cell) or in part (hybrid, typically with both an electric and a gasoline component to move the car).  Being cutting-edge and all, this article focuses only on the latest and greatest vehicles with some–or all–electric motivation and they’re coming to a showroom near you.  No disrespect intended for the others who have terrific electrified offerings–but this time, we only are highlighting the more unusual cars which you may not know about yet, so those brands, and the boutique builders, are not mentioned here.

Ford Mustang Mach-E   

Ford announced that it was creating an all-electric car some time ago. To the surprise of many, the SUV-resembling vehicle was badged as a “Mustang,’ even though it bore scant resemblance to the “pony car” which arrived in the mid-1960s.  Called the “Mustang Mach-E,” with a base price a tad under $43,000, the four-door five-seater hatchback has an estimated range of about 210 miles (about 300 miles on an upgraded variant – there are four Mach-E models), a 0-60 time for the quickest model in the mid-three second range and an onboard fast charger that, if you can find the requisite DC charging station, will give you about 60 miles for every ten minutes of charging. I’ve driven many Mustangs, and even owned one, and they’re fun and fast. The Mach-E promises to retain that fun and add a lot of practicality to the package.

Polestar 1 

Polestar is a new car company, heralded as a “Sino-Swedish automotive brand” jointly owned by the Swedish car company, Volvo, and the Chinese car company, Geely (which also owns Volvo). After spending time with the Polestar 1, I can tell you that this is the best idea since someone combined Swedish meatballs with hoisin sauce.

The Polestar 1 is the top-of-the-Polestar-line model, a high-performance hybrid.  The Polestar 2 is a mid-priced all-electric performance fastback and the Polestar 3 (still in development) will be their high-performance SUV. Only 500 of the 1s will be made each year for three years, and of those only about 150 each year are coming to the U.S. With a price starting at $155,000, it will be fully equipped with a great sound system, supple leather and a glass roof covering almost the entire cabin. With a twin-turbo and supercharged gas motor assisted by three electric motors, the 1 has over 600HP (!) and is expected to hit 0-60 in about four seconds. I loved my week with this car.

Volkswagen ID.4 

When it comes to language, context is  important. Take “Unlike anything you’ve seen before.” Were that on a dating website, you’d like swipe left (so I am told) to look at the next listing. But when Volkswagen uses that to advertise its new all-electric ID.4 , they hope that you will swipe right, as I did. With a base price of just under $40,000, this four-door hatchback seats five, has an estimated range of 250 miles and can be ordered in three different basic variants–1st Edition (sold out), Pro and Base. Although VW is taking orders, not too much more is known about the car yet, which is due out late in 2020 or early in 2021.  Suffice to say, VW’s tagline of “The heart of an EV. The function and size of an SUV” sounds appealing.  On the other hand, if you wait another year (estimated), the all-electric ID.BUZZ, Volkswagen’s take on the Paisley Period’s favorite, is due out then.

Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce has been teasing about an electric car and a few years ago showed the world this one-of-a-kind model, an all-electric Phantom Experimental Electric/102 EX. To the world it looked like a Phantom with some different touches, but hardly groundbreaking. It was really an  exercise to see how they could create an electric car.  I had the chance to drive it and found it impressive, especially as it was a one-off vehicle.  Rolls then introduced us to its Vision Next 100 design , which was completely revolutionary, and to see it in person was a great experience. A concept car which was not likely to be produced in quantity, it really exploded the mold of what a car should look like. However, the company now promises a new all-electric car during this decade, and some rumors indicate that it most likely will be similar to the Wraith or the Dawn (which are somewhat like what a two-door coupe Ghost or a convertible Ghost would be like, respectively). No photos are available yet but we expect it to be stately, uncommonly quiet and worthy of the Rolls-Royce motto,  “Take the best that exists and make it better.”

Lucid Motors

Based in Silicon Valley, Lucid Motors has declared that its mission is to greatly advance luxury EVs.  With a car which is just being exposed to the world at press time, I can’t add any driving impressions yet, but it’s clearly a looker with high-end finishes. The Lucid Air will be available in various fittings with the most-powerful version having close to . . . 1,100 horsepower (not a typo!), 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and the ability to run the quarter-mile drag race in under ten seconds and hitting 144MPH, but also provide up to 517 miles of range on a single charge. The high-tech touches abound, with a gazillion (estimated) sensors for things like vision, radar, ultrasonics and even LIDAR to give the Air a big head-start in the Level 2 and Level 3 autonomous driving race.  Even the headlights are futuristic, and can “steer” the light to enhance the visibility and overall safety. There are four basic models of the Air, with base prices beginning in the $80,000 range and topping $160,000 for the Air Dream Edition. Lucid’s newest showroom is in . . . Beverly Hills. You’re welcome.

I hope that you have enjoyed this trip to the future. If so, go check out these companies’ websites and, in some cases, go see these cars at the local dealership.  All likely will qualify for the $7,500 tax rebate which currently is available as well as a permit for the HOV carpool lane. You can be styling and saving time while avoiding gas stations or visiting them less. What’s not to like?

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