Did You See Anything Good Today? [Read First Post]

[usedHONDA]

I saw a club of about 10 Pontiac Solstices on the road.

 

[Rue]

Amazing sightings yet again, Doug! Wow! Coincidentally, I saw this today...

Ferrari 328 GTS

 

[1X83Z]

Thanks! And nice - looks like an odd place to see a Ferrari... 👍

 

[Tornado]

At first I thought it was a BMW M1. Oklahoma tags on this one, if you can believe it - not too incredible, but imagine driving a late-70s Esprit 1000 miles (EDIT: it's an Esprit Turbo, so it's at least a 1980).

Its a Turbo HCi, which means either 1986 or 1987.

 

[Revheadnz]

Thanks. 👍 You didn't do so badly yourself - aren't those SRT-10 Vipers gorgeous as hell? Red is the right color, too - I've seen them in white, black, and silver, and it's nowhere near as cool as in red.

Yea, the Vipers look even better comared to the all-too-common DB9s and 360s in NZ. I love seeing American cars because they're some of the most unusual cars on NZ streets. Anyone one with the stones to bring over a SRT10 should be congratulated

 

[GT4_Rule]

OMG, M5Power, your list is endless.

 

[JCE]

I couldn't get my cell phone out to take pictures of it but I saw a brand new Trailblazer SS black on black with limo 0% tint. And the best thing is the dude had a turbo installed. It was a interesting mix of V8 rumble with a whine of the turbo. I was in heaven...and I don't even like the Trailblazer. But this one looked bad ass.

*edit*
Oh and last week I got to drive an SRT-10 Viper and actually liked it. Even though the interior is rubbish and the headroom + horizontal torso room was pathetic the seat was rather firm but comfortable enough. And the transmission/clutch was very smooth. The ride is VERY harsh...and when I say VERY harsh I'm talking about Lamborghini Countach harsh (I've heard that this car is very bad). I've never driven a car that had this stiff of a suspension.

 

[1X83Z]

Its a Turbo HCi, which means either 1986 or 1987.

Thanks - you're definitely spot on - any idea how many were made?

OMG, M5Power, your list is endless.

👍 Thanks!

 

[Tornado]

Thanks - you're definitely spot on - any idea how many were made?

I'm not sure how many were made that were HCI in relation to normal HC (read, non-American) versions, but total for both for those two years was a paltry 573. My lack of knowledge as to what ones were American annoys me, so I will probably know by tommorow. This does, however, guarantee that it is one of the more rare versions of an admittedly rare car.
Had you seen a Sport 350 however, of which only 8 (!!!) were imported, with the U.K., Japanese and German versions of the cars (which combined and not including the American cars still only equal 42) being very much so illegal in the U.S. and as such probably not legal for import in the slightest.

 

[tabs]

Damn, those Z8s are sexy. Awesome as always, Doug.

I actually went out to specifically shoot cars today. I'll post the shots up in a little bit.

 

[tabs]

NOTE: Click thumbnails for larger pictures.



NSX – The same one I posted a few days ago. This was yesterday, though. I guess he works around here. And no, I’m not stalking him! I work in the same area.

Today was the first time I went out to specifically take pictures of cars (and to also get a haircut). Everything I posted before were just random sightings, I never really went out looking for cars to shoot. Anyway, here’s what I ended up with:



Cayman S



CL55 AMG



S4



Shelby GT-H

Ford introduced the Shelby GT-H version of the Mustang at the 2006 New York Auto Show in April 2006. Like the original GT350H from 1966, the GT-H features gold-on-black paint and will only be available at the Hertz car rental agency. A modest power bump over the regular Mustang GT results in 325 hp (242 kW) and 330 ft•lbf (447 N•m). Features include a 5-speed automatic transmission, and a package from Ford Racing including a 90 mm cold air intake kit, muffler kit, X-pipe, special performance suspension, and a cat-back exhaust. Just 500 will be built to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_Mustang#2006_Shelby_GT-H

Pretty cool, I think.



M5



Some BMWs. This wasn’t at a dealership. Maybe it’s car club or something, the last 3 are all M3s.



CLS63 AMG from….Texas?



Ferrari…Challenge Stradale? I’m about 99% sure.



Lotus Elise – Not sure about that wing, though.

After my haircut, I went out to my car and found these parked next to me:



Carrera 4S



Lexus IS – Nice car, but I mostly liked his wheels:



And finally…



Murciélago – Best I could do, it pretty much disappeared after the light turned green. It had some black wheels with an orange lip, very cool; my favorite one from today.

I also saw 3 Maseratis, but somehow managed to not be able to shoot any of them. And a champagne 360 Modena, who the hell buys a champagne Ferrari?!

 

[harrytuttle]

Infidel. Everyone knows it didn't get good until the 993.

What? The 1972 2.7RS is one of the greatest 911's ever! The early 911's are the epitome of what a 911 is all about. The delicacy, the lightness, the watch-the-taillights-beat-you-around-the-corner handling.... What could be more fun?

Quit taking pictures of Volvos!

I should, but when the S60 R was new, it was probably the first desirable Volvo I've seen since the P1800 series. So sometime last year I tried to get a photo of one. And it came out fuzzy. So did the next one. And every other one so far. Now it's become a quest....

How can you tell the Arnages apart? I've been having that issue as well. No badging - wheels can do the trick, but I'm not up on my Arnage wheels - and often, the wheels have been switched out for 22s. Any hard and fast rules? Air dams, etc.?

The wheels, mostly: red center caps mean Arnage R, black means Arnage T, and then there's the RL which seems to have red center caps also.... The Arnage T is missing a chrome strip on the top of its bumpers. And the RL is a long-wheelbase R (and keeps the red wheel caps & chrome trim from the R).

So my post was wrong. It was an Arnage R.

Oh, yeah, uh, I cheated: http://www.bentleymotors.com/Corpor...d=2&langid=2&cpflgs=1111&marketid=1&infid=161

Saturday afternoons are, from this moment on, reserved for car spotting. There will be no Saturday afternoon from now until school ends on May 14 in which I do not travel to Buckhead, specifically the corner of Lenox Avenue and Peachtree Street to spot cars, except when I'm back home in Denver. So folks - mark your calendars - Saturday nights/Sunday mornings are going to mean lots of cars in this thread.

Once again, I'm going to go in order, and once again there's a lot of stuff so allow images to load, etc. I hope (promise!) you appreciate it...

Wow. Just another boring, lazy Saturday I guess? This is harrytuttle's envy:

The V8 Vantage was my favorite (favorite Aston Martin ever), with the Esprit a close second. Yes, even over the XLR-V.

Ferrari…Challenge Stradale? I’m about 99% sure.

Yep. The spindly black wing mirrors and extended bottom edge on the front bumper give it away. The wheels, though, could have been aftermarket (not in this case, though). I've seen them on non-CS's. Do not rely on the top-center stripe, which was optional on all CS's.

Anyone out there care to shed some light on what exact model this might be?
All I know is that it was built by Saleen as the rear suggested and that it was a GT.

The S281. It's the only Saleen model for the current Mustang. Or it could be a GT with a Saleen body kit. If it still had 'Ford', 'Mustang', or 'GT' badges anywhere on it, it's not a true Saleen. Saleen cars have all standard Ford badges removed, replaced with various 'Saleen' and 'S281' badges everywhere. Whether it's a base S281 or the top-end supercharged one can be determined by what 0.5" by 3" badge sits under the 'S281' badge on the front wing.

I cheated again: http://www.saleen.com/s281_coupe.htm


Why don't people Google their own photos? I don't mind doing the research, but it only takes about a minute to check images.google.com. That, or the manufacturer's website (as in both examples above). But then I guess that would take a lot of the fun of arguing about it....

 

[GT Pro]

The S281. It's the only Saleen model for the current Mustang. Or it could be a GT with a Saleen body kit. If it still had 'Ford', 'Mustang', or 'GT' badges anywhere on it, it's not a true Saleen. Saleen cars have all standard Ford badges removed, replaced with various 'Saleen' and 'S281' badges everywhere. Whether it's a base S281 or the top-end supercharged one can be determined by what 0.5" by 3" badge sits under the 'S281' badge on the front wing.

I cheated again: http://www.saleen.com/s281_coupe.htm


Why don't people Google their own photos? I don't mind doing the research, but it only takes about a minute to check images.google.com. That, or the manufacturer's website (as in both examples above). But then I guess that would take a lot of the fun of arguing about it....

Yer, I was thinking that but I wasn't too sure and no, it didn't have any 'Ford' badging at all on it. I saw a genuine Saleen S281 in Aus, I feel proud.

Though, I've searched for rough numbers on how many have been brought into Aus but no luck.

 

[Sting]

o god i win!

Maserati, either the Coupe or GranSport. I'm leaning towards Coupe. Parked outside my neighbours house. Phone cam pic.

 

[1X83Z]

What? The 1972 2.7RS is one of the greatest 911's ever! The early 911's are the epitome of what a 911 is all about. The delicacy, the lightness, the watch-the-taillights-beat-you-around-the-corner handling.... What could be more fun?

Water cooling.

The wheels, mostly: red center caps mean Arnage R, black means Arnage T, and then there's the RL which seems to have red center caps also.... The Arnage T is missing a chrome strip on the top of its bumpers. And the RL is a long-wheelbase R (and keeps the red wheel caps & chrome trim from the R).

👍 Thanks - still doesn't solve my issue with the rappers and their damn wheel-switching.

The V8 Vantage was my favorite (favorite Aston Martin ever), with the Esprit a close second. Yes, even over the XLR-V.

Even over the 500E?!

Yep. The spindly black wing mirrors and extended bottom edge on the front bumper give it away. The wheels, though, could have been aftermarket (not in this case, though). I've seen them on non-CS's. Do not rely on the top-center stripe, which was optional on all CS's.

Alas - I have a photo of a CS without a stripe (it's posted elsewhere in this thread, but in case you missed it, here it is).

Maserati, either the Coupe or GranSport. I'm leaning towards Coupe

You're leaning right. Cool either way though!

 

[tabs]

Two randoms from today:

Crappy camera phone, sorry!

 

[1X83Z]

Hey tabs - can't see the last shot; I can just see the three upper NSX pics. Good sightings recently though - the Murcielago is a spectacular color, and the 360CS is a very, very rare vehicle. 👍

I'm not sure whether or not to consider the Mustang GT-H rare. When I first saw one on July 19, I was ecstatic and could barely keep my cool, since I knew only 500 were made and they were only distributed to a few select cities. Then I drove by the Hertz parking lot at the airport and saw nine. But I guess that's sort of akin to seeing cars at dealers or shows - it's definitely a fantastic sighting on the road. 👍

 

[Danny]

I came extremely close to an SRT/10 today. So close I fel the air-con unit come off in my hands.

No pics, I'm afraid.

 

[tabs]

Hey tabs - can't see the last shot; I can just see the three upper NSX pics. Good sightings recently though - the Murcielago is a spectacular color, and the 360CS is a very, very rare vehicle. 👍

Hmm, how about now?

I'm not sure whether or not to consider the Mustang GT-H rare. When I first saw one on July 19, I was ecstatic and could barely keep my cool, since I knew only 500 were made and they were only distributed to a few select cities. Then I drove by the Hertz parking lot at the airport and saw nine. But I guess that's sort of akin to seeing cars at dealers or shows - it's definitely a fantastic sighting on the road. 👍

I actually had no idea what the hell it was until I looked it up when I got home, haha.

What's cool about those sightings is the CL55 AMG, S4, Shelby GT-H, M5, the row of BMWs, and the CLS63 AMG were all in the SAME shopping center.

 

[McLaren]

Some BMWs. This wasn’t at a dealership. Maybe it’s car club or something, the last 3 are all M3s.

That's a M6 right in front of them too. Looks like a M6, 5 Series, modified 3 Series, and the 3 M3s, 1 of which sports Competition wheels.

CLS63 AMG from….Texas?

Wadda ya mean, from....Texas? Anyways, looks like a salesman took the car for a spin. Did you see what dealer that plates were from?

Ferrari…Challenge Stradale? I’m about 99% sure.

You are correct.

Lotus Elise – Not sure about that wing, though.

Looks like he ordered an Exige wing with his Elise.

 

[tabs]

That's a M6 right in front of them too. Looks like a M6, 5 Series, modified 3 Series, and the 3 M3s, 1 of which sports Competition wheels.

Cool. 👍

I would've gone in for a closer look, but I was in a hurry to get a shot of that CLS63 (it was parked about 20 feet away from the BMWs).

Wadda ya mean, from....Texas? Anyways, looks like a salesman took the car for a spin. Did you see what dealer that plates were from?

I just meant he's a long ways from home (I'm in Southern California). And nope, I didn't catch which dealer it was from (never thought to look).

Looks like he ordered an Exige wing with his Elise.

What's weird is I thought it looked kind of ricey (if that's the right word), but I loved it on the Exige when I saw it a few weeks back.

Anyway, last 2 for today (taken at school earlier tonight):

 

[Casio]

I saw a genuine Saleen S281 in Aus, I feel proud.

Though, I've searched for rough numbers on how many have been brought into Aus but no luck.

There is a gray Left-Hand Drive one parked almost everyday a couple of factories down from the Clark Rubber in Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully. (Haywood Road)

 

[1X83Z]

Wadda ya mean, from....Texas? Anyways, looks like a salesman took the car for a spin. Did you see what dealer that plates were from?

Is there any rhyme or reason why so many exotics have out-of-state or dealer plates?

 

[harrytuttle]

Water cooling.

Ah, yes, they were better cars in that they were more reliable and a lot faster, but sometimes 'fast' isn't everything. A 2001 Toyota MR2 isn't particularly fast, but it is the best drive from Toyota in decades. I wouldn't refuse any 993/996/997, but if I had to choose between a 996 Turbo and that '72 2.7RS...well, maybe I'm old in the head.

👍 Thanks - still doesn't solve my issue with the rappers and their damn wheel-switching.

That is definitely a problem. All aftermarket mods are, especially when the car is in motion. Telling the RL from the T & R should be easy enough from the side, and remember that the T does not have the chrome strip across the front.

Even over the 500E?!

I definitely respect the 500E, but the other two call out to me more than the pre-AMG E-class. It just blends in too much, although I guess that's the whole point.

Is there any rhyme or reason why so many exotics have out-of-state or dealer plates?

They're going so fast, by they time they realized where they are...




This trio of cars could be considered "A for Effort", because all the photos stink. I promise you, they are what they're listed as, but I won't contest any protests, not having much proof and all.

Bentley Continental SC - I thought it was some odd-looking Hyndai. Not sure if that's a comment on Hyndai or Bentley...
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon - this was the best shot out of 4, and I was right behind it at one point.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S - the BMW pulled in as the shot went through!

 

[1X83Z]

Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon - this was the best shot out of 4, and I was right behind it at one point.

Thanks so much for this picture - most of us will never see one on the roads, but it's nice to see the impossible every once in a while. 👍

 

[opendriver]

I always seem to find the odd but somewhat rare vehicles every time; I was riding through a parking lot and rode past a cavalier(sp?) and didnt think anything of it till I saw a badge that said "Z24" on it. Performance model?

First a lebaron turbo convertible, now a "Z24" cavaleir?

Whats next, a blown chevy vega? A fully restored one lives two blocks from me. try to get some pics



btw, I herd throug a few of my friends that some rich kids dad bough him a F50 for his birthday. Havent seem it yet, might be real, but very doughtful

 

[GT Pro]

There is a gray Left-Hand Drive one parked almost everyday a couple of factories down from the Clark Rubber in Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully. (Haywood Road)

Cheers, I'll be sure to try and spot it.

 

[Alex.]

here's some old ones:

the poreche and the bentley were at the Beatriz Palace *****/**** hotel i stayed at in february, the bentley i beleive) belonged to someone rich/famous, i was eating in the restraunt there and a few of the waiters were shaking this guy's hand, looked rich, could have been his.

porsche 911(looks like a CTR2, but it's not)


bentley GT




the hotel:

 

[1X83Z]

I always seem to find the odd but somewhat rare vehicles every time; I was riding through a parking lot and rode past a cavalier(sp?) and didnt think anything of it till I saw a badge that said "Z24" on it. Performance model?

Performance model, yes, but not uncommon - the Z24 came out in 1986 and wasn't discontinued until 2002. A good sighting would be not a Z24 but a Z24 convertible - obviously any Cavalier convertible is extremely uncommon, and the Z24 is arguably the least common, sold only from 1998 to 2000.

 

[CDailey]

Lotus Elise in the parking lot of Ruby Tuesday.

Owner was in his early 20s.