An Ariel Atom casually parked curbside will cause a double take, even in LA. Very close to the top of my wish-to-drive list, every sighting of an AA brings to mind images of Jeremy Clarkson’s face flapping in the wind as he flies around the track, thoroughly enjoying the car’s insane power-to-weight ratio and Enzo-rivalling performance.
The dented rear fender from prom night ’77. The cigarette burn from a drunken night at the disco on new years ’80. The scratch down the passenger door from shopping kart bowling on a warm night in ’83. The stories these survivors tell through their scars and battle wounds get silenced during a restoration, and the soft whispers of debauchery fall on deaf ears under a glossy coat of candy.
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Our industry-obsessed friends at Autoblog recently compiled their top 100 tastiest pictures from 2009. Considering the absurd number of choice rides the Autoblog scribes have had the privilege of driving over the last 12 months, you can be assured of some premium eye candy (like this image from Executive Editor Chris Paukert). Be sure to check out all 100 images in their high resolution glory.
[Source: Autoblog; image used with permission]
We’re not naïve to the fact that advancements in comfort, safety, reliability, performance and quality inevitably add heft and complexity to vehicle designs over time. And we know new cars are worlds apart from the classics in every measurable way. With that being said, today’s Mercedes SL550 sure has come a long way since the days of this 1960s 230SL we spotted on West 23rd in Chelsea. Outside of modern gadgetry like a retractable hard top, Active Body Control and the multifunction COMAND interface, it’s about 10 inches longer, nearly 1,400 pounds heavier and cost about $80,000 more than the pretty little roadster produced from 1963 to 1967.
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And you thought Lieutenant Bullitt was the only bad ass who could pull off a green muscle car. Well this Firebird is more of an emerald than dark Highland Green but let’s not split hairs. It seems New Yorkers have an affinity for Firebirds painted in bold colors.
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