Jacksonville, FL, may not be the center of the car culture universe, but we still have some interesting rides down here. My buddy Malcolm owns Automotive Addicts and sponsors a monthly Cars and Coffee style meet, and it seems to attract a different crowd every single month. Sometimes it’s Mustang filled, other times the Minis seem to bring the biggest numbers. Ferraris usually abound, as do Lamborghinis. Unlike some other Cars & Coffee events, I’ve yet to see anyone bin their car exiting the parking lot. Anyway, here are some random photos taken at this weekend’s show, which was sparsely attended due to the opening of football season and events honoring the 9th anniversary of 9/11.
This Aston Martin DB-S was the most droolworthy car of Saturday’s meet, at least while I was there. The sound of the V12 on throttle is amazing, and J. Mays (head of Ford design worldwide) picked the DB-S as the car he’d most like to have in his garage. He readily admitted that the car works as good as it looks, and it looks pretty damn good.
Like Scarlett Johansson, the Aston Martin DB-S looks spectacular from any angle. I can’t afford either one, but at least I know well enough to accept that and move on.
The six liter, 510 horsepower V12 gets the DB-S to a top speed of 191 miles per hour. It may not be the fastest or best handling car on the market, but it may very well be the most elegant. I say all the time that cars can’t get you laid, but the Aston Martin DB-S may be the exception to my rule. If you can’t score behind the wheels of a DB-S; it’s a sign from God; join the priesthood, because you’re looking at a lifetime of celibacy either way.
A classic Ferrari 328 GTS. I actually prefer the looks of the earlier 308 GTS, which had a cleaner nose than the later 328 models, but the 328 was a better car in almost every category. Both the 308 and the 328 models have reached the point of affordability for many enthusiasts, but expensive maintenence is a fact of life on these cars. You can pay $5,000 for service now, or you can pay triple that for a motor rebuild if the cam belts snap. Even if you don’t drive it often, ownership is worth it for the sound of the Ferrari V8 alone.
This wide-bodied 280Z looked interesting from a distance. It was clearly a driver and not somebody’s idea of a show car. A closer look revealed….
Hey, wait a minute! That’s not a 2.8 liter inline six! Small block Chevy conversions were common on Datsun Zs back in the day, and I still have mixed emotions about them. Sure, they made the car faster, but they also changed the handling by quite a bit. I can appreciate them, I just wouldn’t want to own one.
The back of the lot was reserved for the best handling cars. The owner has this Lotus Exige up for sale, and $36k sounds like a reasonable price considering the work he’s put into it.
A VW bug Convertible, either a 1967 or a 1968. This car was a survivor, complete with the original (black) California license plate. The rust spots didn’t detract from the car at all; in fact, they added some personality to it. Restorations are one thing, but cars that have been driven, loved and maintained for better than 40 years are in a league of their own.