Scuderia SouthWest Cars and Coffee- August 2017

This month's Scuderia SouthWest Motorsports gathering had a German car theme, and boy were they out in force. Porsches, Mercedes, Audis, and BMWs covered the theme row as well as the rest of the parking lot, showing the best Germany had to offer, ranging from modern day exotics to priceless classics. 

The ASU FSAE team also brought our Formula car out to display. This is the first show SDM17 has been to, and it certainly won't be the last. Since we're an American university, we parked in the American car rows, and we even got a spot next to Bondurant, one of our sponsors who let us use their autocross track for testing. It was a pretty good day; we drew quite a few crowds and talked with a lot of people. We even recruited some new members to the team that day; it's no surprise a lot of ASU students come to these shows. 

Of course, my GT-R friends came out to the show and got their usual spots, which are coveted because they're one of the few spots in the area with shade. There was also a strong JDM showing as well, although on the other side of the parking lot. It was cool meeting some people in person finally after following them on Facebook and Instagram, as well as meeting with the usual Cars and Coffee peeps. 

And of course, there were exotics. Scottsdale McLaren brought out quite a few cars, and some privately owned McLarens came and joined them to form quite the row. There were also some surprises as well, including the 50th Anniversary Aventador and a Liberty Walk Huracan. 

Despite the heat, it was a good show. A lot of cars and people came out, and it's only going to get larger from here as vacationers come back to the Valley and the temperatures cool down.

Cars and Coffee- July 2017

July 4th is America's Independence Day, and to celebrate that Scuderia Southwest made this month's Cars and Coffee American themed. More specifically, it was themed so that cars would park in a red-white-blue color to match the order of colors on the America flag. Plus, to add more detail to it, SSW wanted to have a diverse range of American cars and asked for different years of the same makes to line up for photos. It definitely paid off as the show-row was spectacular looking.

In addition, Lexus' corporate branch brought out the LC500 for people to test drive. Of course I signed up to test drive one, and I have to say the car is amazingly balanced. The 50/50 weight distribution really shows since it felt incredibly planted and stable when turning. And while I always thought it was a little down on power for the price/class, it certainly moved well.

Of course, Scottsdale McLaren came by to spoil us with a brand new 720S. I really did not like how it looked in the initial photos (mainly the front area due to the headlights), but it did begin warming up to me in person. It's definitely a car to look at in real life rather than photos to full appreciate the design. 

Despite the 'Murican theme, there were of course the usual European luxury, super, and classic cars. Again, I've been experimenting with compositions and different angles to change up my photography a little. I'm still a sucker for sunrise-lens-flare-exposures though, as you can see here. Honestly the AMG GTS looked like a shot out of GT Sport.

It was also interesting seeing a Ferrari FF and a Ferrari GT4 Lusso parked next to each other. Side-by-side you can really see the differences between the old and the new. Like every new Ferrari for me, it took seeing the GT4 Lusso in person for me to like how it looks (although I did see it in Monterey last year, so I've had time to warm up to it). The new grin is a different beast compared to the FF.

And, of course, there was a Japanese presence. Godzillas made their usual appearance, as well as some very nice looking NSXes. There was also an immaculate Supra present. 

However, it was extremely hot, and there is now another Cars and Coffee in Chandler at the same day and time. Thus, turnout wasn't as large as it had been. Whether or not this will change next week for August is to be determined. But, as usual, I look forward to seeing what shows up.

Bugatti Chiron

Living in Arizona has its perks, especially as a car person. Scottsdale is home to all kinds of amazing cars and car events, all of which I had no idea existed three years ago. The wonder never ends, as I would have never guessed that I would be able to come face-to-face with the Bugatti Chiron, fresh from Geneva and resting before Pebble Beach.

To the uninformed, the 2017 Bugatti Chiron is the successor of the Bugatti Veyron, the poster-car for "fast car" since its release in 2005. How do you top a 1000+hp, 250+mph, $1,500,000 USD hypercar? Take everything that was excessive and turn it up to 11.

A quick-run down of the specs. The Chiron will cost you $2.6 million dollars, if you somehow get your hands on one of the already-sold-out-500 copies to be produced. The engine now pumps out 1500 horsepower and 1200 lb-ft of torque from a revised quad-turboed W16 engine, venting all of those burned dinosaurs through six exhaust pipes, four out the rear and two out the underside of the car, creating a blown diffuser, the same technology that was banned in Formula One. In a world where the "Holy Trinity" have turned to creating hybrid hypercars, Bugatti stuck with time-old-tradition and kept the car with a gasoline engine only, using sheer force of engineering, displacement, and boost to crank out the power. With all of that power, it seems a little disappointing that the top speed is only 261 mph. However, this isn't it's final form. The 261mph top speed is "limited", since its record-setting top-speed attempt will attempt to crack 270mph. 

There will be no shortage of options, either, to make sure each car is unique. After all, if you're paying for the price of six Lamborghini Aventadors, you want to make sure that the Cars and Coffee meet you roll up to doesn't have a Chiron with the same grill-color, a $6,800 option. This is a steal compared to the bare carbon fiber option, which is $289,000, enough to buy a McLaren 650S with $24,000 left over. Or, if you aren't feeling up to completely exposed carbon fiber, a partly exposed carbon engine cover is a mere $17,000, which is perfect since this is the same price as the sports seats, so you can go even faster. Or, tl;dr, everything is expensive, but luckily, there is a four-year service plan that will cover all maintenance on the car, making it more affordable!

There's no need to go on about big the numbers on this car is, because they're massive.  Rather, lets talk about the design of the car. Now, this is completely objective, but when there is so much press over all the numbers I just quoted, personal opinion is always interesting to hear. I know many people who think the Chiron looks ugly, but I disagree. The Veyron was nice looking, but, dare I say it, it was a little "bland", since it was mostly made of basic, round shapes. As an engineer, I appreciate the engineering beauty of the Veyron, but I felt the aesthetic beauty was a bit lacking. The Chiron, however, is completely different. There are aggressive character lines all over the car, giving it the aggressive, assertive look it needs to say "Hey, you wanna race? Cuz you'll lose" to the face of P1s and LaFerraris, the current definitions of hypercars. The long taillight, and the angular rear that juts out, housing red taillights with beautiful geometry inside, is a sight to behold that no picture can do justice to. It captures the imagination as it looks like an impulse engine that belongs on the Enterprise in Star Trek rather than a car that sits in front of me. The massiveness of the wing on the back lets you picture the air rushing past it when the Chiron is racing at full speed. Those LED DRLs on the front of the car give an unmistakable, angry look, befitting for the rest of the front fascia. And the width, my God this car is so wide, it looks like it will not hesitate to eat small children and compact cars for breakfast. As an engineer, I love all of the vents and scoops, as it affirms my belief that form follows function, that engineering is beautiful, that engineering can be an artistic masterpiece. To think of how much air and fuel the engine eats at full-throttle, how the air moves around the body at Vmax, and how everything inside the car manages to not spontaneously combust is a beautiful thought in my head.

But the one obvious styling detail that i absolutely love is the characteristic 'C' line throughout the car. It's present on the side, acting as the dividing line between the two-tone color scheme. It splits the car in half, forming a crease on the hood that becomes pronounced on the roof and becomes a bridge overlooking the engine. The seats of the interior are bisected by a 'C', swooping gracefully through the cabin. In a world where extreme design is the norm, the Chiron nails it with unique styling elements that will make it to the walls of five-year olds and thirty-five year olds everywhere. 

Will the Chiron be able to define this generation of hypercars like its predecessor did, especially with fiercer competition in the guise of the Koenigsegg Agera R/ One:1/Regera, Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren P1, and Ferrari LaFerrari? Only time will tell.

Am I fanboying over this car? Possibly. But when it's a car designed to define a generation like its predecessor did, it's hard not to be overwhelmed and infatuated at first-sight. Or second sight. Or third. The Veyron was an engineering marvel. The Chiron is this plus a work of art. It'll be great to keep this rosy image of the car in my head, as it is highly likely this will be the only time in a long, long while I will ever see this car. But, I hesitate to say "ever". After all, this is Scottsdale. Who knows what will show up next?

EAWraps Grand Opening

Back on April 24th, Echelon Autosports hosted a grand-opening event in Scottsdale. Being the choice of many nice cars for wraps and other services via Vault Motorsport Group, the turnout was immense. There was a massive line of cars parked on both sides of the street, and within the limited parking inside the shop's property, every space was filled with tasteful eye-candy. 

Inside was no different. Their entire garage was open for everyone to eat and talk to people, with some of their projects proudly on display. It was a great way to meet old friends and make new connections, as well as see the various projects that were ongoing that would soon hit the streets.

The main indoor attraction was the raffle, which was handing out prizes such as coupons for Vault Motorsport work to passes for No Fly Zone. However, these drawings were every 5 minutes, allowing for plenty of time to wander outside. 

It's good that there was plenty of time to wander because the event went on for most of the day. Thus, people came and went, meaning the cars in the parking lot and cars that parked outside kept changing. It was a "best-of" opportunity for the automotive community. 

It was a great experience, finally being able to see EAWraps after seeing so many of their cars, as well as getting to know some of the people behind the wheels of them. 

Porsche North Scottsdale

Last weekend was the final weekend for the Barrett Jackson auto auction, which, if you don't know what it is, is one of the largest automotive auctions in the world. While I'm not sure about the rest of the week, that weekend, all of the North Scottsdale car dealerships had some of the most enticing cars on display to draw people in. One of the dealerships, Porsche North Scottsdale, had an especially attractive lineup. 

One of the cars they had, although not on public display, was a Porsche 918 Spyder painted in Acid Green. I was told that the green is even more vibrant, with a shimmering effect, when clean (the car had a layer of dust on it from being stored), however, the color was still extremely intense. It's a unique color for a unique car, and I hope to see it again. The garage setting, I think, really suits it well for photos.

Back outside the dealership, a Porsche 911 GT3RS (991) painted in Ultraviolet was parked next to another Porsche 918. The position the two cars were parked in made for some great shots of them together. The sales manager of the dealership, Marcus, told me that for every one Ultraviolet GT3RS sold, there are 10 Lava Orange models sold. So, not only is Ultraviolet striking, it's also one of the rarer colors. It truly is an in-your-face color, and in my opinion, with a car like the GT3RS, you should have a color that loudly declares your presence.

This 918 (the 911 picture thrown in this gallery is present because I had nowhere else appropriate to put it; I didn't want to make a new gallery for it) is special. The 918 is already an endeavor in performance, technology, and hearts, but this car takes it to the extreme. The matte color you see here is not paint. Instead, it's a wrap, straight from the factory. Why a wrap? By wrapping the car instead of painting it, 13 pounds (5.9 kilograms) was shaved from the total weight. While that may not seem like a lot, when you're trying to create the ultimate performance car, every milligram counts. This philosophy is transferred to the wheels, which are a $50,000 magnesium alloy option (although Road and Track is saying it's $32,500, but hey, what's that compared to a million dollar car?), which saves 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) per wheel over the standard wheels. Hence, while the 918 is a special car, this car is even more special, being one-of-one with the equipped options. 

Having spent way more time at all of the dealerships, I told myself that I was done and I would go home like I said I would two hours ago. Except, this Lava Orange GT3RS caught my eye due to its positioning on the sidewalk. So, I snapped some more quick photos of it, overlooking the dealership. 

To be honest, I was never a fan of Porsche as a child, most likely because my father isn't a fan and Porsche was only in EA racing games like Need for Speed, not any others like Gran Turismo (which I played a lot of). However, after seeing the duo of 918s and 991s, you can say they've grown on me. Here's to one day seeing the other three 918s in the Valley that I have not yet seen!