Tag Archives: car

Senna!

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Exotics@RTC brings plenty of jazzy cars including lots of McLarens as I posted here.  The one car I was hoping to see at some point was a Senna.  I figured with all of the IT cash floating around the area, one was bound to appear at some point.  I rode my bike down to Redmond to have a look one Saturday.  My jersey only had small pockets so I left all cameras behind except my phone.  Guess what car showed up as soon as I had no proper camera? 

I didn’t see it initially.  All I saw was a large crowd of people around one car.  This is always a sign of something special and there, within the crowds, was a black car with a huge rear wing.  The Senna had arrived.  Getting clean shots of it was almost impossible given the number of people milling around but the wide angle lens on the phone was a benefit for once as it meant you could get closer and grab some shots.  Quite a mean looking machine and one I might have to save up a bit in order to buy.

Automated Chevy Bolt

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The Chevy Bolt is not the sort of car that would normally grab my attention.  This one did though.  It was at The Henry Ford (even if it is a Chevy) and it is tricked out with all sorts of sensors.  I assume it was some sort of development tested for automated vehicles.  I could have made the effort to go and read whatever was written next to it but that seemed far to much like hard work.  I guess I am the sort of person an automated vehicle is designed for if I can’t be bothered to even do that!

Ferrari F40

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Super cars have come a long way.  Now they are ridiculously powerful and also very technologically advanced.  A supercar from the 80s has a very sparse feel to it in comparison.  Coming across a Ferrari F40 was quite a throwback for me.  I saw my first F40 when I was a student.  It was parked in a mews street in Kensington near a pub I used to frequent (that doesn’t narrow it down much).  I was shocked to see one then and I still am a little shocked now.  This one was not getting as much interest as I thought it was due but I was happy not to have it surrounded by people.

One of My Dream Rally Cars

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The 80s was a time of some crazy cars in the rally world.  Rallying was a big deal in those days and the impact it had on car sales was significant.  The hot hatches were heavily influenced by rally based marketing.  One car that was a big success in WRC was the Lancia Delta Integrale.  The road cars that came from homologation of rally cars were hot property.  Coming across one now is even more exciting than it was back then.  This Integrale was part of Exotics @ RTC.  It wasn’t getting a whole lot of attention (plenty of supercars on display to attract the visitors) but there were probably a few guys my age that recognized it and appreciated what it was.

Some Old BMWs

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My visits to Exotics@RTC provide an interesting mix of different vehicles.  On one Saturday morning, there were a few older BMWs on display.  I have never been particularly interested in owning BMWs but the old ones catch my eye, probably more for nostalgia than anything else.  The simplicity of them compared to the modern vehicles is striking.  The hard edges, the bumpers, the sparse interiors – it is so far from what you get now.

Of particular interest was a racing 6 Series coupe.  This was tricked out with all the normal accoutrements of a racing car of that vintage but it looks positively gentile compared to a modern racing car.  The details in the rear wing were very cool and the finishes looked very well taken care of.  I wouldn’t say it was a good looking car but it was definitely noteworthy.

Whose Trains Are These?

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Chicago was a stop off on a work trip.  We were on final approach to O’Hare and I was looking out of the window at the industrial areas that surround the airport.  There are rail tracks scattered throughout these areas so seeing trains is not a surprise.  However, I was a little caught out by what appeared to be some old Metra commuter cars parked up in one space.  They have clearly been out of use for a while.  If anyone knows who they belong to, please let me know.

Mustang No. 1

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Since The Henry Ford is a museum founded by a Ford, it is no surprise that they have some significant Ford vehicles on display.  This includes the number one Mustang.  It looks quite different from what followed it, an example of which is not far away on the display.  It seems quite light and small compared to what followed and definitely compared to the current incarnation (like the pun?).  It’s is always cool to see something that is historic, irrespective of what the subject may be.  This one definitely led to an iconic brand.

Icy Wing Mirror

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Winter frosts can produce some great patterns of ice on objects. This shot was taken of a wing mirror of a car that had grown some lovely looking ice crystals.  RAW can be your friend in situations like this because the reflectivity of ice can glare detail out and RAW gives you the latitude to pull back some of the details.  This was taken on the phone, but the detail survived quite well.

Gull Wing Mercedes

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Here is one for those of you that know your vintage cars.  How much is a Gull Wing Mercedes worth?  This one is kept in the Lyon Air Museum in California.  It seems to be in great condition and I assume it is worth quite a bit but I have no idea how much.  It was tucked in amongst lots of valuable aircraft so is not the most expensive thing on display.  Since the planes are generally airworthy, I would guess this is a runner too.