Never A Bad Day When A Lamborghini Shows Up!

 

 

     Imagine you are cutting your grass one day and you get a text message from a friend saying they are bringing a car over for some pics. Imagine that five minutes later, a Lamborghini Gallardo is parked in your driveway. Pretty crazy, huh? Yeah, that happened. More on that later. That was my short intro.

     If you grew up in the 80s, and you were a car fan, the Lamborghini Countach was the supercar that you dreamed of owning. I am guessing that it was also the best selling car poster ever made as everyone had one. I actually had the pleasure of sitting in one at a car show many years back, and even though it was almost 20 years old, it was still a sight to see. That car will never age in my opinion. It is still one of the most unique and futuristic body styles ever designed. If you are a real car fan, you have most likely seen the Cannonball Run movies, with the last installment being "Speed Zone." If you saw the movie Speed Zone, you know what I am talking about. If you haven't, watch this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YyHgHBNPow

 

 

     Fast forward a few more years, and yes, I am going to bring up Playstation again. On the second Need for Speed created, a new prototype Lamborghini was present,the Cala. It never made it to production but if you watch this video, you will know this spawned the birth of the Gallardo, well I at least think so. Notice the similarities?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m7BjoJVU1c

    

     Now the Gallardo has always been known as the baby Lambo. Missing the typical V12 in the older generation cars, there was now a V10. The car was noticeably smaller than the Countach and Diablo. It was more nimble, more user friendly, and based on what Underground Racing is doing with them now, loads more tunable. This car in stock form is fun, quick, and seriously good looking in my opinion. The Gallardo has been out for some time now but just like the Countach, it seems to stay young and vibrant. I can bet that 90% of the people reading this right now want a Underground Racing Gallardo. They are seriously insane. Ok, Ok..... a few more videos. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgk61cxfbrU  (I am responsible for 10k of the views it has)
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep6KTK5ub60

     Who wouldn't want 1500 + horsepower in their Lamborghini, right? Well, maybe someday I will have the chance to drive a UGR Gallardo, I hope. But think about it..... this car has taken exotic tuning to a whole new level. The Gallardo shows you what an exotic car can do that older generation exotics couldn't. Take a Supra for example. You can get insane power from a big turbo Supra but trying to drive it is a different story. They are raw and scary. The Gallardo is more of a daily driven exotic. It is easy to work with. It has air pump in front to lift the car when pulling into a shady driveway. It is not brutal like the Countach was. This car has also taken Lamborghini to places I am sure they didn't expect. Sales skyrocketed and the Gallardo kept getting better and better.

     When the car showed up, I really was blown away inside. Sure I did not show it but inside, I was glowing with excitement. A Lamborghini in my driveway. This with the Ferrari 458 are two cars that I never expected to stop by. The owners are extremely kind to let me take pics and I really appreciate them for coming over. Yes, I went from yard work to looking at a Lamborghini in my driveway. A Lamborghini in my driveway.... hahaha! What an awesome start to this blog this season. Exotics galore coming over to show off a bit! Works of art that I someday hope to own. Someday.


     Again, thank you to the owner and the friends who brought it by. You know who you are. I can't say enough how much of a joy it is to meet the people that drive these cars. Back when I was a kid, I thought only lotto winners and CEOs had cars like these and I always imagined they would be very closed off when asked about them. These owners are the exact opposite; willing to share stories and chit chat away, and it makes me happy that I actually started this journey.

   Thanks for reading... more cars to come. Please share with friends and have them like the FB page. And please comment on your thoughts or what you would like to see in the future!

A Fine Wine Is Like An Acura NSX..... Better With Age!

 

    Who remembers when Playstation 1 came out?  I don't either. Our family didn't get one. When we were younger, we played outside. My automotive knowledge came from car magazines and Indy races on TV. Now around my junior/senior year in high school, Playstation was on the rise, as was the internet. A few friends had them and there were two games I wanted to play, and two games ONLY! The first one was Resident Evil. For those who remember that game, it was incredible, new age, and it would scare the living poopoo out of you. The only other game I cared for was the first Need for Speed. This game took driving simulation to a whole new level. It had stats, pictures, and best of all.... VIDEOS! Not some cheap computerized video, I'm talking real life videos of the cars. I could not stop watching them. They gave a young kid like me the first glimpse of cars in action, not just dreaming about them in car magazines. Here was my favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq-trf0d8b0

     These were short little clips put together in the game to highlight the car. To this day, I still watch them on YouTube. Sad, I know. No mention of NSX yet? Don't worry, it's coming. I have to set the NSX up properly without sounding like a stuck up little kid. Now remember, I was car magazine junkie, and what do you see in magazines that always gets your attention? A red Ferrari. Or a Lamborghini (which was also in the game). I will be honest, the NSX video was nothing to write home about and because of that, I never really drove it. Here.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIVD58ZGkf0   I always wrote it off even though I read about it in magazine and it was an amazing car. Again... young.... Ferrari... dream car!

     It wasn't until I got a little older and finally sat down and watched Pulp Fiction that the NSX became "The Wolf!" If you have seen the movie, you know who I am talking about and why the NSX was the perfect car in that scene. If you don't remember, stop reading, go watch, and come back to finish. As I got older and grew out of my muscle car obsession, I started to enjoy the luxury aspect of cars and prefer them over the sports cars. I preferred class and style over balls to the wall speed. I didn't need the fastest car or the most expensive. I wanted something I would enjoy in and out.

     When the owner and I scheduled to have the car over, I started to do more research on the NSX and I went back to YouTube to watch that NSX skit even though it had been about 10 years since I saw it. Something clicked..... the video finally made sense to me, I was just too involved in the other cars to notice it. Sure the NSX wasn't the fastest or best performing. The NSX was the car that I could see myself buying now because of many reasons. 1. It still looks menacing and sleek. 2. It still performs well and interior doesn't look too dated. Most importantly, 3. The NSX isn't your typical sports car that has a thirst for maintenance. This car can be a daily driver yet still throw down on a road course whenever you wanted, then be driven home from said course without a 15k dollar service. This car keeps getting better with age and the values hold extremely well. You ever see a Ferrari on the road and say, "Oh wow look! A Ferrari!" I have as well. Want to know what I say when you see a NSX? Same thing followed with, "You don't see those everyday!" They are still a sight to see. Rare, good looking, and still holding its own. This one in the pictures is no different. It is stunning in person. It is clean in person. It looks like it is ready to pounce! IT'S THE WOLF!

     One more video game reference. Before Playstation was Super Nintendo. Now I am going back a bit. Well, my favorite game on there was the original Mario Kart. You had 8 characters to choose from and two of them were always the best. Koopa and Toad. Why? Well, the were the NSX of the group. They weren't the fastest or the quickest to accelerate, but they handled better than any of the others and still had good speed. They were the all around best you could get. Of course you could get the faster karts but they were hard to handle, and in that game, being all around good was key. That explains the NSX exactly. I had the chance recently to play the new version on Wii and guess what? Toad was still there and I chose him. Just like the NSX, the game and Toad got better with age!


     Here are a few more pics of the car for you to enjoy and then below, read on for additional funny story. Thank you to the owner and the others that stopped by. It was a great night and I had a blast.

     This adventure with Cars In My Driveway was just a way to get some awesome cars to stop by and take a few pics. It has already surprised me with the support and comments I have received so Thank You to everyone who has liked the page and feel free to share it. The more viewers the more comments, and I enjoy chatter on the page. I don't make money on this page so don't think I am trying to sell it here. haha Well NSX owner brought over another buddy who will be in an upcoming episode as well and we were all chatting away. Even the wife and my little son stopped out to hang. It was a nice night. Recently with the shoots, it has started to bring out everyone in the surrounding area and it becomes a small party in the driveway. I think at one point, there were 15 people out talking and just enjoying the small talk and the nice cars. It suddenly got a lot more interesting as I am only going to let the pictures do the talking. The pictures are in order of how I took them so make of it as you will. Very interesting and fun night that was all summed up by one of the guys saying, "I am moving to this neighborhood!" haha

See you all next week!
















 

 

 

Honda Fan Boys Take Note... This Is How It's Done!

    

     When I was younger, and actually legally allowed to drive on the road.......... well, I won't lie, I had a blast. :) When a kid that is obsessed with cars finally gets his drivers license, watch out as hell is about to break loose. I wasn't breaking any laws ;), but I was always safe and to this day, 18 years later, I have never had a speeding ticket. I am actually really proud of that. Part of the reason was because if I ever needed to take my rage out on something with four wheels, it was at the local go kart track. Back in my time, places like Full Throttle (local kart track with fast ones!) were not around and I had to settle for what I call "Slow Karts." They were your typical slow, family style karts that you usually see at places like Gatlinburg or Disneyland. My friends and I straight up thrashed them. No bumping? Yeah right. It was PIT maneuver city when we were there. (google Police PIT maneuver if you are lost)

     Now get in the Delorean and come back to the present time. Times have changed. A place called Full Throttle opened up in Cincy area and karting took a huge turn. There were a few other fast karting places around the area but Full Throttle opened their doors with leagues, endurance events, and anything you can think of when it comes to blasting around in a 40 MPH kart. In this type of racing, bumping is not only a big no-no, it is flat out dangerous. Tapping somebody's rear in a corner at full speed can get you really hurt. This type of racing is about as close as you can get to racing in a real car...... or is it????

     When I started stepping up to big boy rides, no matter the model, I would at some point take it to its limit. Drag strips, autocross events, and even the occasional back road, I enjoyed driving my tanks. They were heavy, but fun.  But take a look at this little car. Before I get into details, a little funny story. A neighbor who I met when I first moved in was obviously a car guy and had some neat rides in his garage. While chatting one day he told me he couldn't wait to get the Mini out. Not seeing one in the garage, I ask where was it at, assuming some storage place. Nope.... in his basement. Haha. I was stumped until he showed me.

Stats

1960 Austin Mini
Originally a Right Hand Drive model

98 JDM Integra TypeR motor
LS transmission
Torsen LSD

And now the best part......

1500 LBS!

     For you Honda fans, imagine your dream Integra Type R with 1000 less pounds. This ride is the next step up from a go kart, although slightly different when it comes to the driving aspect. This car although, is the cleanest go kart you will ever see. It is literally spotless. A few friends have seen it as well and the look on their faces is priceless. Once you get past the small stature of the Mini, you start noticing all the details as well. I would also have no problem eating spaghetti off the engine and licking the plate clean. I will let the pictures do the talking here.

     Many years ago I was at the Cincy Concours show and actually saw a completely stock Mini like this and one thing stuck out, how small the wheels were. I really think the go karts we race now have larger wheels than the OG Mini. This example has larger wheels, although still very small compared to my tank, and everything on here is pretty much custom except for the body. For those who religiously read this blog, the S4 wagon owner owns this as well and if you remember how clean that car was and the attention to detail, then you will understand how this kart.... I mean car, is. The owner may get mad at this but it will prove my point. When he pulled in, the car had a little tinkle on my driveway. A steel braided line sprung a leak and the very next morning, a new one was bought and installed. Haha. This car is taken care of, and that's an understatement.

     Again, I appreciate the owner bringing this sweet ride by and enjoy the neighbor magnet that it is. Just an FYI, many people awoke from their hibernation to come outside during a very nice Spring evening and just chat for a few hours. Enjoy a few more pictures here and look forward to your responses on our FB page.

New episode already complete so see you all next week for a very interesting one!