The (Automotive) Bucket List
 |
Let's say Grammy just clocked out, and left you $250,000. After taxes. A quarter of a million bucks is about to be yours, with one stipulation: You must spend it on cars, trucks, bikes, Winnebagos, tractors, a tank, whatever. Seems the old girl was a founding member of an SCCA region, dated a driver or three prior to meeting Granddad, and was there cheering when Mario won Indy in '69. The money is yours -- but not to spend on wine, women, and song. Vehicular things only.
While this aspect of her will was clear, she did not, however, specify or limit what or how many vehiculars you must buy. If you want to toast it all on one $250,000 dream machine, like the Ferrari Daytona has become for me (yes, that's Yours Truly, age 17. And, I promise, the guy at Newport Imports said it was okay to lean on it. Hey, I was a kid. I didn't know better. Won't happen again.) Or a trio of new GT-Rs if that's what you desire. If you're the kind of person who likes thousand-dollar beaters, you can now buy a football field full of them. Use the money to build up a hot rod, see how many Minis will fit in your garage, and restore the '57 Bel Air. Racers. Classics. New cars for all your buds. It's up to you.
Please share with us your Automotive Bucket List and how much you realistically believe you'll have to spend on each one, in as much or as little detail as you want. I can't wait to see what you're thinking.
Ferrari Magic India Discovery: Hyderabad to Vizag
 |
Cruising into Hyderabad, also known as Cyberabad for its software technology park, I'm sweating. The temp is 90, the humidity is high, and the 612's air conditioning is blowing nothing but hot air-great for inflating balloons but not for driving an exotic in India. Fighting the muggy conditions all week, the A/C's been working overtime, and it apparently wants a day off. Andrea, a Ferrari technician and project manager for the 612, performs an inspection and discovers that the air con's filter is all filtered out. After installing a new one later that evening, he assures us that the system can once again negate India's most stifling conditions.
The next day, after a short stop at Ramoji Film City, the largest film studio complex in the world according to Guinness, we pay a quick visit to the toy town of Kondapally, where local families produce hand-painted puniki wood models. One hundred miles completed and twice as many to go until Vizag, our final destination, the four-lane divided highway meandering through the countryside is affording me one of the few opportunities to really test the 612. Simply put: traveling on these freeways is a never-ending exercise in overtaking slow-moving vehicles and animals, calling for the repetitive cycle of using 100-millisecond redline shifts to spur 540 prancing horses, only to rein them in with the carbon ceramic brakes every time a bike, bull, or bus occupies the lane ahead. On a few occasions, I'm able to get into somewhat of a rhythm, and it almost feels like I'm lapping at a racetrack -- wide-open throttle in second gear, a rapid 2-3 upshift, quick left then right steering inputs, a stiff stomp on the aluminum brake pedal, and then all over again. One big difference, however, is that, since I'm piloting a left-hand-drive car in a right-hand-drive country, I have to rely on my co-driver, Piet, a journalist from Belgium, to let me know when the coast is clear. With this in mind, the overtaking is a quasi combo of road and rally racing. "Cow!" "Bike!" and "Truck!" are Piet's most common warnings, while "Okay, you can go," is the most welcoming. The worst? "Okay, clear... Wait, a family of four on a bike!"
Seriously, the one predictable trait of India is its unpredictability. What's around the next bend? What's going to jump out from those bushes? What are those 20 million motorcyclists thinking? Why is that 12-ton bus going the wrong way? You never know. Staying alert and on your toes is the name of the game. Relax, and it could be game over.
Luckily, my trip ends without incident. No dents or scratches or scars or bruises, just incredible moments, unforgettable memories, and one curry dinner cum praying to the porcelain god. Unpredictable, for sure. With that in mind, Ferrari's India Discovery tour actually makes some sense; after all, who would have predicted that two $300,000 612s would amass more than 8000 thousand miles plodding around India? Magic, indeed.
Ferrari Magic India Discovery: Bangalore to Hyderabad
 |
Bangalore, a busy metropolis of around seven million people, is known as the Silicon Valley of India, what with its booming IT sector that includes the likes of Infosys and Google R&D. Further, Bangalore is residence to Kingfisher Airlines—major sponsor to the Force India F1 team—a growing carrier that has plans to fly the colossal Airbus A380 between its hometown and San Francisco. Evidently, Bangalore is not a city on the decline.
Our gala dinner at the fancy Taj West End hotel, where that evening Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia was holding his wedding reception, provides further evidence that Bangalore is brimming with rupees. Most of the attendees are local elite and two of the not so bashful, who apparently had no plans on being shown up by a pair of Scagliettis, arrive in matching F430 Spiders—an interesting phenomenon seeing that there is, let’s see, not one Ferrari dealership in the entire country (Is the India tour Ferrari’s way of laying groundwork?) “I had to import mine from Singapore and he brought his in from London,” one tells me. But after two days behind the wheel, in which triple-digit speeds proved as accessible as Tri Tip, I felt obliged to ask, “But where can you ever really drive an F430 here?” After all, hustling a Ferrari around India makes about as much sense as Paul McCartney passing on a prenup. “On Sunday mornings we take them to this empty highway where we go 280,” he boasts. That’s kilometers per hour, but, at around 170 mph, still damn fast.
The following morning we depart Bangalore at seven, a time when the city is still waking up, treating our convoy to light traffic that feels as normal as snow in L.A. En route to Hyderabad via Kurnool, a town in the west-central part of Andhra Pradesh, several sections of the two-lane are under construction, so it is slow going due to myriad dirt detours pockmarked with stones and divots. Much of the 400-mile stretch is made up of hilly terrain drenched in hues of creamed coffee and olive green, an otherwise drab, arid vastness of rocks and sparse vegetation. Construction, of both highways and bridges, turns out to be the theme of the day, and a definite sign of impending progress and growth as well as potential demise of the rice fields, small lakes, and roadside villages that we pass along the way.
Ferrari Magic India Discovery: Chennai to Bangalore
 |
My first day of action does not get off to a good start-not for me, personally, but rather for the entire Ferrari crew. The original plan was to depart at 9 a.m., but a revised schedule was dispersed the previous evening, highlighting a notable change at 10 a.m. the following morning-F1 race in Melbourne, Australia. It's all about priorities at Ferrari, and, let's face it, Formula 1 is priority No. 1. Sadly, when the first race of the season saw the checkered flag flutter through the air, Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa had recorded a DNF and Kimi Raikkonen had placed eighth, the latter based on the 90th percentile rule; in other words, he didn't actually finish the race, completing only 53 of 58 laps. To pour salt in the wound, former four-time Champ Car champion Sebastian Bourdais of team STR was on pace to grab fourth place in his F1 debut, only to place seventh after an engine failure-a Ferrari engine failure. Of course, none of these results takes into account the fact that Ferrari's archrival, McLaren, finished first and fifth. But the beauty of racing is that there's always the next race, and lucky for the group that would be the Malaysian Grand Prix only a week away, which meant another troop viewing.
Out of Chennai, I hopped on a two-lane road positively bustling with action-pedestrians, scooters, bulls, Toyotas, pot holes the size of Guam-you name it, I had to honk at it, avoid it, and shake my head at it. Eventually, though, the action subsided, the cityscape behind me keeping it contained, and I began to relax a bit, noticing that the topography around me had transformed to lush, rocky hills strewn with emerald palm trees and brown boulders the size of Escalades. Some of the rock formations seemed right out of a Star Trek episode-you know, one of those chapters in which the crew lands on a planet in search of something unknown but significant. I could almost hear Shatner over the two-way: "Spock ... this looks ... a lot like ... India."
Star Trek set in the rearview, the next backdrops were small villages comprised of dwellings, schools, factories, missions, hospitals, all of which looked simple, worn, and tired, but perfectly functional and content. Because many of the locals had never seen a Ferrari, they gazed at the 612s, well, as if they'd never seen a Ferrari, staring at the two machines like they were spaceships, their mouths agape and eyes wide open; ultimately, though, they just smiled, knowing they had seen something special. The children, naturally, were a bit more active, running beside the cars, following along, yelling and screaming, tapping the aluminum panels as if to say hi. To return the greeting, I stopped, grabbed the two steering wheel-mounted shift paddles to put the car in neutral, and then tap danced on the throttle, bringing to life the Ferrari's 540 horses, much to the kids' delight. Jumping and yelping ensued.
As the number of lanes increased, from two to six, so did my speed, now registering between 50-80 mph. This was good news, mostly because I'd barely made a dent in the 200-mile stretch to Bangalore. But the bad news was that those road hazards-the canines and bovines and buses and tuk-tuks-now became 50-80 mph moving chicanes, and dodging them was like avoiding curry at a local buffet. I felt like Ricky Hatton trying to elude left jabs and right hooks from Floyd Mayweather Jr. Like in boxing, though, one can only escape the punches for so long. At one point I saw the aftermath of a nasty highway collision in which a Toyota Innova wagon struck a cyclist. With a crowd of travelers all around the injured man, I could only see the bent bike lying off to the side. It looked like a pretzel. If the man weren't dead, he likely wished he were.
Another monsoon let loose as I entered Bangalore, unleashing a wiper-defying downpour whose intensity proves blizzard-like with every flash of sky-illuminating lightning. Confined to the 612's cozy cockpit, with every inch covered in soft hide befitting a Balenciaga handbag, I was thankful to be in such a lovely cruiser. With a suspension that pampers the posterior, a V-12 that seduces the senses, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel that tangos with the fingertips, the 612 delivers good vibrations for both the mind and body.
Ferrari Magic India Discovery: Arrival day in Chennai
 |
When I arrive in Chennai, my taxi driver, Arun, informs me that monsoon season may have arrived a bit early, the sheets of heavy rain blanketing our car providing some compelling evidence. Trying to peer through the windshield, the wipers of the Tata unable to dance to the quick beat of the downpour, it's hard for me to disagree. The locals seem rather unaffected, though -- one motorcyclist wears a plastic bag over his head, another's passenger holds an umbrella, shielding both riders from the wet. Indians, obviously, don't suffer from a lack of improvisation.
After only a mile on the road, I realize I'm in for a week of utter mayhem. The traffic is heavy, seemingly without rule, and of, well, a diverse variety. Naturally, there are the usual suspects, i.e. cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, and buses. But in India an array of other vehicles, including tuk-tuks (three-wheeled, motorized rickshaws), motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles -- all of which toot their horns and ringers as if performing Beethoven's Fifth -- transform the streets into a mosh pit of wheels. Add in throngs of pedestrians and a potpourri of on-the-loose animals -- dogs, cows, goats, and pigs, to name a few -- and what you get is a blend of traffic jam, walk-a-thon, and zoo. Making things worse, there appears to be no right of way on the road; rather, it's first come, first go, be it on two, three, or four wheels, or two or four legs.
As we near the hotel in Fisherman's Cove, a lovely stretch of beach along the Bay of Bengal, the city landscape proves equally incongruous. Shacks and tents and dilapidated dwellings mix with brand-new factories and car dealerships, well-kept colleges, and pristine pharmaceutical plants. The scene looks like a tornado ripped through, scattering trash and damaging buildings, sacrificing only the ones the wealthy constructed. Arriving at FishCo, as the locals call it, I begin wondering, What will it be like to drive a $300,000 Ferrari through these towns, villages, and cities where conditions are a striking juxtaposition of future and past, first-world and third-world? Only one way to find out.
Dining on 900 miles of India in a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
 |
Just last year, Ferrari celebrated its 60th anniversary, a commemoration that included some of the world's most seductive and imposing road and racecars. From such production models as the 375 MM, 365 GTB4, Testarossa, and 599 GTB Fiorano to such race venues and series as Le Mans, Daytona, IMSA, and Formula 1, Ferrari has had a memorable and triumphant six decades. Suffice it to say, it is an automaker rich in tradition.
It should come as no surprise, then, that, following its China 15,000 Red Miles tour in 2005 and Panamerican 20,000km slog in 2006 -- a trek that stretched from Brazil to New York -- Ferrari would keep alive its tradition of expeditions. The P.R. journey for 2008? None other than South Asia, namely the Magic India Discovery Tour, an 8200-mile journey that starts in Mumbai on February 25 and, after 12 stages, 50 journalists, and 74 days circumnavigating nearly the entire country, will return to Mumbai.
We're invited along for stage five, a leg that spans the states of Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh, covering 900-plus miles of southern India. Our journey begins in the coastal city of Chennai, India's fourth largest metropolis and one that nestles against the Bay of Bengal, about 200 miles due north of Sri Lanka. After departing Chennai, we'll head inland to the hustle and bustle of the IT mecca of Bengaluru and then north to the city of Hyderabad before making our way back to the eastern seaboard, to the coastal town of Vishakhapatnam.
And the transporter? A 612 Scaglietti, Ferrari's most luxurious Gran Turismo. Freshened for 2008 with a panoramic electrochromic glass roof, an F1 SuperFast gearbox, and a revised steering wheel adorned with an engine start button and a three-position manettino switch -- the latter to adjust the transmission and stability-control system -- the 612 received minor but vital alterations for duty in India. The modifications include a slightly raised suspension -- about 0.6 inch -- to withstand the rough and bumpy roads; a 4mm-thick aluminum underbody protector to guard the mechanicals; and a fine-mesh grille to shield the radiator from debris. Other than that, the two 612s relegated for the undertaking came as stock as those in Beverly Hills and Miami showrooms.
So if you're ready to explore the magic of India behind the wheel of a Ferrari, please join us for this unforgettable ride. And don't forget to check back for updates, replete with photo and video highlights.
Toyota announces natural-gas Camry hybrid
The first alternative-fuel car of the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show has already been announced; Toyota will combine natural-gas and hybrid power in its CNG (compressed natural gas) Camry hybrid concept. (Camry SE shown.)
While natural-gas cars get roughly equivalent fuel economy as those powered by gasoline, the key difference is that emissions are cleaner. Plus, natural gas is clean-burning and in abundant supply in North America. However, tanks to hold natural gas are very large and hold relatively little fuel. Thus CNG-fueled cars tend to have a fairly modest driving range. And with only about 500 CNG stations nationwide open to consumers, the short range is a big problem. The hybrid system helps alleviate that somewhat. Our gasoline-powered Camry Hybrid had a range of 600 miles, so if the CNG version has conservatively half the range (roughly the same relationship of the Honda Civic Hybrid compared to the Civic CNG), it would be close to that in most gasoline cars.
In our testing of a gasoline-powered Camry Hybrid, we noted its relatively small trunk, worsened by constrained access resulting from the hybrid-battery cooling systems. With a large CNG tank, the trunk may be tiny. We’ll keep you posted when we see the car next month at the L.A. Auto Show.
For now, the CNG Camry Hybrid is a concept car; Toyota announced no plans to build more of them.
Look for live, daily coverage of the Los Angeles Auto Show starting November 19th.Hot Wheels: Ultimate Bling Thing?
 |
I was a Matchbox kid. I loved those beautifully detailed cars from Lesney and the cute little boxes they came in. I was smart enough to save most of those boxes (and the cars, too) and never set my Matchbox cars on fire, as many of my friends did. I loved cars too much to do that, even little scale ones that cost only 55 cents when my mom began buying them for me. By the time I was earning money and buying my own, they'd gone up to around 80 cents, but I digress.
Then, an aunt or an uncle or someone gave me my first Hot Wheels. They weren't as nicely finished as the Matchboxes were, but were painted groovy '60s colors, and some had an oversized supercharger sticking through the hood. But Hot Wheels' real appeal, of course, was that the slick black plastic tires looked like they were mounted on cool mag wheels, and man, did they spin around fast and for a long time. You could slide the cars across the floor (or race them on the bright orange plastic track you could buy) so much faster than a Matchbox. I used to oil the wheels and swap them around to get my favorite car to go faster than my buddy's. Yes, I blueprinted and race-prepped my Hot Wheels, but again, I digress.
In February 2008, in celebration of the company's 40th anniversary and the construction of the 4,000,000,000th (that's four billionth) Hot Wheels toy, Mattel and Beverly Hills jeweler Jason Arasheben have created what has to be the ultimate Hot Wheels toy (and the brand name is never written in the singular, by the way -- there is no such thing as a "Hot Wheel"), although it seems strange to call it that.
This one is the proper 1/64th scale, but it is crafted of 18K white and yellow gold, and carries 22.94 carats worth of diamonds, colored diamonds, and rubies. You read right: just a point or two south of 23 carats of diamonds and gems, some 2700 in all, in a variety of cuts. This star-studded Hot Wheels is stored in its own special carrying case -- duh -- adorned in another 40 bezel-set diamonds.
The little bling thing isn't crafted in the likeness of any one car model, but if anything it sorta kinda looks like a gen-one Firebird. It was originally unveiled at a major toy show by Nick Lachey (the lucky boy toy singer who used to be Mr. Jessica Simpson). The Jason of Beverly Hills Hot Wheels anniversary car is going to be auctioned by Bonhams this Saturday at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.
Does anyone really need such an extravagant bauble? No, but then a Porsche GT3 isn't required for human survival either. For those who've got to have the ultimate Hot Wheels, here's your chance. What will it go for? Who knows, but presale estimates floated by the auction house indicate that $20,000 shouldn't be a big surprise.
I guess your sig other could always wear it on a chain. Or someone could use it as a belt buckle. Having another one cast up and wear them as earrings? Ouch.
By the way, the little solid-gold wheels do, in fact, turn. Not as well as the ones on my original Hot Wheels Dodge Deora, perhaps. But I digress...
Bonhams' California Classic: A Sale of Important Motorcars, Motorcycles, and Memorabilia (Sale 16122)
October 25, 2008, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
The Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California
