ES350 handsome blend of luxury, elegance You’d have to be crazy or lacking in the ability to physically feel anything to not enjoy riding in the new Lexus ES350. This is a fine front-drive mid-size luxury sedan, with a restyled grille and lines that give it a somewhat more interesting look. At least you notice... Continue Reading →
Slot car: Slot.it 10th Anniversary Audi R8C
Special Audi LeMans racer looks great, fast on track! I first ran into Slot.it racers in while walking the exhibits at Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, 10 years ago and was impressed with the firm’s detailed car bodies. But I have to admit, at the time I thought, “Good luck. Hope you make a go... Continue Reading →
Die-Cast: Auto World Funny Cars
L.A. Hooker, Don Garlits dragsters flat out racy Everything in the racing world just seemed better in the 1970s, and in the drag racing world Funny Cars were the rage. They looked, well, funny, sort of like souped up street cars with a LOT longer hoods and a giant air scoop sticking out of the... Continue Reading →
2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Veloster Turbo rocks the entry-level market Hyundai wasn’t happy to leave well enough alone, so it went and added a turbo to its sporty coupe/hatch, the Veloster. Yes, you’ll still hear jokes about the name and its similarity to the famous dinos in “Jurassic Park,” but you won’t care. You’ll have a sporty car with... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: 1956 Maserati 300S
CMC nails sporty ’56 Maserati racer Maserati is just slightly below Ferrari on the ooh and aah list of exotic Italian cars that car lovers and race car collectors recognize. So when CMC, the premier 1:18 die-cast car modeler, rolls out a stunning red Maserati 300S, serious collectors will take note. Back in the 1950s... Continue Reading →
2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK350
GLK350 laddles on the luxury Small luxury utes are nearly as plentiful as entry-level small utes, and sometimes I wonder what you get for that extra $15 grand. But a week in the Mercedes-Benz GLK350 reminded me what it is, luxury looks, feel and ride. A bunch of the little luxury utes handle pretty well... Continue Reading →
2013 Audi S5 Cabriolet
Convertible adds fun to fast, sure-footed Audi What’s more fun than a sports coupe? Well, a convertible version of a sports coupe with a supercharged V6 and all-wheel drive, to be sure. That’s what you get with Audi’s S5 Cabriolet Quattro, compared with its standard A5 coupe. The S5 comes as either a coupe with... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Replicarz Marmon Wasp
Final look before the real deal hits I know I’ve been teasing you a bit with updates on the new Replicarz 1/18 die-cast model of the 1911 Marmon Wasp, but this one promises to be a winner. Well, it already was the winner of the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. (Uh, the real car, not... Continue Reading →
2013 Honda CR-V
Upon further review ... solid, but bulbous and not as refined as expected Every once in a while I get to test a vehicle twice in a single year. It’s rare, but this week I had the 2013 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with navigation, just one model year newer than the CR-V I had tested early... Continue Reading →
2013 Volkswagen CC Sport
Streamlined CC Sport shows what VW can do When Volkswagen launched its sporty CC in 2009 it went head-to-head with its own Passat, at the time a dowdy midsize sedan that was in need of a restyling. Now, Passat is coming off a facelift last year to thin it’s body to blend more with the other... Continue Reading →