manonthemove.com » mid engine

Ferrari F40 – Monterey, CA

Emir — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:12:02 +0000

I spotted this larger than life Ferrari F40 in Monterey, after all the Pebble Beach fanfare had come to a close. Meant to serve as a tribute for the brand’s 40th anniversary, F40 was actually the last car commissioned by Enzo before his death in 1988. The slippery, Pininfarina-designed body, whose advanced aerodynamics helped it to become the first road legal production car to break the 200 MPH barrier, is every bit as captivating as it was back in 1987 when F40 debuted as the brand’s unabashed halo car. Yes, after more than 23 years, F40 still manages to look more exotic and progressive than many of today’s exotic sports cars. The owner of this beautiful example was a little squeamish when I approached, camera in hand. He wasn’t too interested in talking shop with me, which in my experience makes him a rare exception to the rule when it comes to owners of exotic, highly collectible cars like this. But I managed to fire off a few shots before the twin-turbo engine roared to life and peeled off, leaving only the sounds of a hand-built Italian V8 in its wake.

Audi R8 – East 37th St. @ 3rd Ave, NYC

Stu — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:01:45 +0000

Look closely and examine the interaction between the Ibis white Audi R8 and Chrysler 300 limousine pictured here, just where the mid town tunnels spills out into Manhattan. The best part is the dude in the limo, smiling for the camera as he passes off the bottle of bub to the people in the R8. Apparently bridge and tunnel people like to party.

Mystery Ride – Vista Street, West Hollywood

Mike — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:04:53 +0000

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.

Bertone X1/9 – Great Jones and Broadway, NYC

Stu — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:05:43 +0000

We don’t pass by too many cars with a Bertone badge on the hood. While Turin’s legendary design house has skinned its fair share of production and concept cars over the last century, it was usually because they were contracted to do so by another automaker. But Fiat relinquished control of these capable little mid engine sports cars in 1982 after they decided to exit the US market – all manufacturing duties subsequently shifted to Bertone from that point forward. They even hired Malcolm Bricklin, the Yugo man himself, to distribute the X1/9 in America. However dated it may look now, the X1/9 is handsome little car in a Pontiac Fiero meets Porsche 914 sort of way. Too bad there are no affordable little mid engine sports cars like this now. That is until VW brings their hot BlueSport to market.

Thanks for the great images Dave!!

Lamborghini Murcielago – East 59th Street, NYC

Stu — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:50:50 +0000

Monday morning signals a return to the daily grind. For some people, that means climbing aboard the city-bound train from the suburbs. Others ride the bus or subway. But this commuter prefers the smell of hand stitched hides and the scream of a 571 HP V12 on his way into the office. Can you blame him? Seen here in a red hue that Lamborghini calls Rosso Andromeda, this Murcielago appears to be one of the gen 1 examples produced between 2001 and 2006. And despite the considerable power increase that came in 2007 with LP640 and the raft of limited production models, like Versace and SuperVeloce editions, the long-in-the-tooth flagship will likely undergo a considerable redesign in 2012. Expect parent company Audi to donate more parts this time around.

Ford GT – Staple Street, NYC

Ian — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:01:10 +0000

Unlike marine biologists studying Great White Shark movement and migration, we at ManOnTheMove cannot tag our vehicle subjects for tracking purposes. And owners of fine rides like this Ford GT thoroughly appreciate that. But this particular piece of American exotica looks familiar, like we have spotted it before. We usually don’t like to snap the same ride twice, but exceptions can be made for something as sexy as this.

Rossion Q1 – Southampton, NY

Ian — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:23:58 +0000

One of our trusty field snappers caught this ultra-rare, Sarthe Gray Rossion Q1 in Southampton over July 4th weekend. We know what you’re thinking – “what the hell is a Rossion Q1?”. The funny part is that this South African-built, mid engine, ultra light component sports car is based heavily on yet another obscure model called the Noble M400. Compared to the no frills British track rat to which it is based, the Q1 is visually differentiated inside and out and has more luxury baked in. Lucky for owners, it manages to squeeze even more gut wrenching performance out of M400 thanks to remapped engine software that brings power to ludicrous levels (450 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque) for a car that weight s shade over 2,400 pounds. Just so we’re clear on what ludicrous means, the Q1 will catapult to 60 MPH in 3.3 seconds (100 MPH in 8 seconds) and will reach a top speed of 185 MPH. Quite a sighting considering that plans call for building just six to eight cars per month for the U.S. market.

Thanks for the tip Mike

Ford GT – Avenue of Americas, NYC

Ian — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:39:41 +0000

Neck snapping looks aside, exotic vehicle sightings are ultimately special for their infrequency. Ford only made about 4,000 of these thoroughly exotic GT supercars between 2003-2006 so it’s not everyday that we spot one parked on Ave of the Americas. People often confuse the modern iteration, seen here sporting white racing stripes over Midnight Blue Clearcoat Metallic, as being the original 1960s racer that 4-times dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1960s . There was even a Heritage Blue with Epic Orange-striped paint scheme offered in 2006 that paid homage to the 1968-1969 JW Automotive/American Gulf Oil-sponsored Le-Mans-winning Ford GT racer.