On Wednesday, May 12, Citrus County Fire Rescue responded to an emergency call about a vehicle up in flames outside of a Citgo gas station in Homosassa, Florida. The vehicle in question was a Hummer H2, which almost burned to the ground after a man attempted to transport four five-gallon containers of gasoline.
In what appears to be an act of panic buying due to the fuel shortage along the East Coast, the occupant managed to escape with non-life-threatening injuries. According to the Citrus County Chronicle, the injured man refused medical attention against EMT advice. The call reporting a vehicle on fire near a Texaco Food Mart at South Alabama Avenue and West Grover Cleveland Boulevard came in at 10:52 a.m. Citrus County Fire Rescue arrived on the scene at 10:59 a.m., extinguishing the engulfed H2 by 11:09 a.m.
Based on the photos released by Citrus County Fire [...]
Historically-informed one-off custom cars are a bit of a thing recently. Ferrari’s Omologato 812 Superfast from last year, the absolutely bonkers ’80s-tastic Aston Martin Victor, the Atlantic-inspired Bugatti La Voiture Noire, and so on. Add Alfa Romeo to the list with their Abarth 1000 SP, a tribute to the 1966 original with the same name. But while those sports cars were customer orders, this creation is the work of Centro Stile Fiat & Abarth, looking to do something special on the 55th anniversary of the original.
The original 1000 SP was a small sports prototype racer, wearing the sort of elegantly simple lines that the period was known for. Built for FIA Group 4 competition, its 1.0-liter engine made about 103 horsepower—enough to see some success in international racing. That successful competition history, the car’s tidy proportions, and its distinctive details—the oval hood louvers, [...]
This bright blue 1992 Geo Metro Convertible was the headliner of RM Sotheby’s “Handle With Fun” online auction that ended today. The time-limited auction featured a variety of rare and vintage collectibles and memorabilia, including several gumball cross-country racing machines, but this humble subcompact stood out. How could it not? It just seems so wonderfully incongruous with the silver-spoon RM Sotheby’s auction house handling the sale.
The Geo was listed for sale for $3,700 (there was no reserve) before bidding opened. It belonged to a single owner in California—think about that! It’s a 1992 model. After 31 bids, the cute bite-sized convertible moved on to owner number two for only $4,000. The well-preserved topless two-door came with a clean Carfax report, and according to the listing, it had only been driven fewer than 39,500 miles.
It might come as news to those less familiar with BMW’s past that the 8 Series is actually a 30-year-old nameplate. First launched in 1990, the original 8 Series was similar in concept to the current coupe that shares its name. Alas, unlike today’s car, BMW’s M division never laid its hands on the original 8 Series. Or maybe we should say that M never managed to leave its mark on a saleable 8 Series model.
The little-known M8 prototype was never given the green light for production, but it is still a remarkable feat of engineering. Credit the 6.1-liter V-12 under this big coupe’s hood, which, according to the video above, is just one of three such engines to exist. With 640-hp (more than the current BMW M8), the rear-drive BMW M8 prototype was surely a rocket. Plus, with a six-speed manual on board, it was definitely a hoot to manhandle, too.
BMW’s [...]
Having worked for Daimler AG for 26 years, seven of them as the successful CEO of the company’s in-house hot-rod shop, Mercedes-AMG, it’s fair to say that running storied British sports car brand Aston Martin was not a career move Tobias Moers had ever considered. But when billionaire Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll—who was assembling a consortium to buy the 16.7 percent stake in the troubled automaker that would make him executive chairman—called Moers in January 2020 to discuss the idea, the German was intrigued.
“How many brands are there that are still independent, where you can create something more sustainable, build something better?” says Moers of Aston Martin, which despite struggling in the aftermath of an unsuccessful IPO in 2017, was still producing fast, good-looking cars with unique character and charisma. “And I thought,‘Yeah, why not?’ ”
Moers arrived at Aston headquarters in Gaydon, England, in August [...]
