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Entries from April 19th, 2010

Greystone Mansion Concours d'Elegance – Beverly Hills, CA

April 19th, 2010 by Mike

The funny thing about most car shows is the car people. I’m blown away by the irony of walking through a lot full of incredible cars so tastefully kept (or restored) and then meeting the owners, dressed in Mom jeans and ergonomic sneakers, sporting wet-gelled hair.

Personally, I prefer to live in a fantasy world where every dude who drives an Aston Martin chooses his clothing and cocktails using the same discrimination with which he chose his vehicle.

Taking the shuttle bus up to Beverly Hills’ Greystone Mansion and walking onto the Concours d’Elegance grounds was like stepping into that fantasy world. The inaugural event, produced in conjunction with Gooding & Company, featured more than 100 cars and motorcycles. Fred Astaire’s 1927 Rolls-Royce and Rita Hayworth’s 1953 Cadillac were among them. I hope you enjoy the photos and video as much as we enjoyed the catered food and champagne, mansion tour, fashion show and best of all, the gentleman with the grey beard and leather jacket who hand-cranked his vintage Rolls Royce to a roaring start during the show, to much enthusiastic applause.

Photos: www.tigertigerphotography.com

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Under the hood: David Lyon

April 16th, 2010 by Austin

Pictured: GM Executive Director of Interior Design David Lyon inside the 2011 Buick Regal

GM gave us an advance preview of their new Buick Regal before it hits dealerships this May. We weren’t able to drive this particular pre-production unit for fear of the wheels rolling off into Park Avenue traffic, but the sporty-looking sedan definitely has some curb appeal – taught surfaces, an athletic stance, upscale styling cues and a level of interior refinement that goes beyond hard plastic and faux chrome accents. Overall, the aura (no pun intended to Saturn may they R.I.P) is decidedly European, which makes sense considering the Regal started life in Germany as an Opel Insignia [GM’s German subsidiary]. The Insignia has been on sale in Europe for about a year, where it sold more than 140,000 units and nabbed European Car of the Year honors. GM tells us it is often cross-shopped with the Audi A4…not too shabby for a brand that was selling rolling barcaloungers not too long ago. The Regal is also sold in China where Buick has achieved unprecedented sales success and possesses an almost Rolls Royce-like status in terms of prestige.

GM is down to its core brands after laying Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Oldsmobile to rest and selling off Saab to the Dutch. So it seems Buick is more important than ever for the GM brand portfolio. But as any auto marketer will tell you, there is no greater challenge than bringing a once great brand like Buick back to life. If Cadillac stands for luxury and Chevy for mass market quality and affordability, that leaves Buick square in the near-luxury segment currently occupied by the likes of Acura, Lexus and Infiniti. Fresh product and contemporary design seen in Buick Lacrosse and Enclave certainly aren’t hurting their chances based on the younger wave of buyers flocking to Buick dealerships. We caught up with 20-year GM vet David Lyon to get his take on things. Dave currently oversees interior design across all of GM’s brands and was formerly Executive Director of GM Asia Pacific Design where, among other projects, he oversaw the design of the utterly gorgeous Buick Riviera concept. More pictures and a Q&A after the jump.

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Long Beach Grand Prix Kick Off – Hollywood Blvd, LA

April 15th, 2010 by Stu

Festivities for the 36th annual Grand Prix of Long Beach kicked off today. In case you’re not familiar with the race, it’s the one that runs through closed off city streets! The party started at 11am with the induction of race legends Michael Andretti and Danny Sullivan into the Long Beach Motorsports Hall of Fame. In true Hollywood fashion, each racer was given a star sidewalk plaque on the Pine Avenue walkway just in front of the Convention Center. The party extended all the way to Hollywood Blvd (at Highland) where IZOD IndyCar closed things off for some Formula Drift demos and performances by DJ Prostyle and the band CAMP FREDDY. Be sure to check out the races this weekend – here is the schedule. Nasty drift video after the jump…

Thanks Matt!

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Mystery Ride – Boonton, NJ

April 14th, 2010 by Stu

This turquoise gem from yesteryear was snapped inside Fred Kanter’s massive car palace in Boonton, NJ. People have said that our last few mystery car posts were a bit too easy. So today we’ll try something more obscure on for size. And, to make things even more difficult, I am only showing you pieces of the car (rear shot after the jump). Let’s see what you got…weigh in below for your chance at a free, pre-shrunk Man on the Move T-Shirt.

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Citroen 2CV – 35th Ave S & Colfax, Minneapolis

April 12th, 2010 by Emir

Likely the subject of a recent resto, this handsome 2CV from the City of Lakes appears better than new. We spot our share of junkers and clunkers left to rot in driveways and scrapyards across the country, so it’s refreshing to run into well-maintained classics like this once and a while. The paint, body and trim pieces all look great and I really dig the aluminum fender skirts front and rear. Here’s to keeping this ugly duck alive for another 40 years.

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BMW 550i Gran Turismo – East 51st Street, NYC

April 9th, 2010 by Stu

I love spotting new product – its akin to a rookie actor’s first appearance on a well known TV show. You are watching to see how good (or bad) they look on camera and what the dynamic is with other cast members. Do they add something to the show? Detract from it? It’s no different for new cars. BMW, in this case, is the well known, award winning show and 5-Series GT is the unknown player greeting customers in showrooms. I have seen pictures and renderings of the wagon/crossover mash up in various auto mags, that’s like Page 6 for car guys, and I must say it looks much larger in person. Chalk that up to the tall roofline and XL chassis shared with BMW’s flagship 7-Series. That might translate well inside with ample head and legroom but it makes for some awkward proportions outside. 5-Series GT’s intention also seems a bit confused next to other BMW models like X5 and X6. After all, how many 4-5 passenger crossovers can one manufacturer make? This particular example is fitted with the company’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8, good for 400hp and 450 ft-lbs of torque. In a puzzling move, BMW released this nearly $64,000 rear wheel drive V8 ahead of the six-cylinder and AWD versions that are hitting dealerships as you read this. The only overly positive thing I can say at this point is that I would take one over a Mercedes R-Class – itself a confused station wagon.

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Ford Thunderbird – West Broadway, NYC

April 8th, 2010 by Ian

Anyone looking to scoop a cool Sunday cruiser?  This ’56 T-Bird, which was stopping everyone in their tracks on a beautiful afternoon in Soho, is for sale. The “peacock blue” paint job was so immaculate, it looked like it was still drying. We also dig the continental-style rear bumper they offered in ’56 despite the steering problems it caused because of the extra weight. Here’s how the for sale sign reads…

FOR SALE- 1956 Thunderbird Roadster: Frame off show quality restoration on a rare peacock blue rust free bird.  Great options include: large show detailed 312 motor with factory dress up kit and automatic transmission, fiberglass hard top, continental kit, signal seek radio, Kelsey Hays real wire wheels, all matching numbers.  Car runs and drives perfectly!!  $37,000.  call 917-509-6249

Just mention Man on the Move, and you’ll get a 20% discount…not really

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Under the hood: Fred Kanter

April 7th, 2010 by Austin

Pictured: Vintage auto parts giant, eccentric car collector and Packard maniac Fred Kanter with his current daily driver, a two-tone 1979 Buick Electra Limited

We arrived at Fred Kanter’s massive Boonton, NJ warehouse early on a Sunday morning. I had seen the old building a million times before while speeding past on nearby I-287 and was always intrigued. You can’t really miss the place – it has a massive Packard sign affixed to the side as if the iconic, and now defunct, automobiles were being manufactured inside. But Fred, an engineer by trade, is in the business of preserving old cars not building them new. Along with his brother Dan, the Kanter bros started their first automotive business, Kanter Auto Parts, in 1960 when they were teenagers. That company is now the world’s largest supplier of new, used, and reproduction parts for vintage American cars.

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Mystery Ride – Vista Street, West Hollywood

April 6th, 2010 by Mike

I’ll give you a hint…it was only sold on these shores for one year and needed to change its name as not to conflict with one of the General’s popular models. Weigh in below with a make and model for your free Man on the Move t-shirt.

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Mercedes S400 Hybrid (Burberry Edition?) – 69th & Mad, NYC

April 5th, 2010 by Stu

This S400 Hybrid is decked out in plaid just in time for the Spring fashion season. We suspect the Burberry-esq livery is a wrap of some kind, not an actual custom paint job. Either way, it’s not doing any favors to the ordinarily handsome S-Class silhouette. We suspect the vehicle transformation was made for marketing purposes (Mercedes sponsors fashion week) and not out of sheer bad taste on the owner’s part. Either way, it’s butt ugly.

Thanks Jared!

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