Aston martin japan

Villa d’Este brings up all those romantic images of Italy. The villa itself is 145 years old and surrounded by a private park and overlooks Lake Como—you know, the place where George Clooney has a house. It’s all very fancy like and the perfect place for a “competition of elegance,” a Concours d’Elegance, if you will. There are three main Concours d’Elegance held every year: Amelia Island, Pebble Beach, and this one at Lake Como. They’re all pretty similar but each has its own unique take on things. Each event is where the best of the best are gathered together to be admired and judged the best in their respective categories. In Italy, this year’s theme was “Hollywood on the Lake,” with a lot of nods to famous automotive film stars. But instead of getting a special appearance by the aforementioned George Clooney, we got a Darth Vader instead. If you even have an ounce of gasoline running through your veins this is … [Read more...] about Inside The Best Car Show In The World

In Japan, the festival for all things cars at the foot of Mount Fuji is quickly becoming one of the must-see events on the motoring calendar, right up there with the Tokyo Auto Salon and the Suzuka Sound of Engine. That event, the Motor Fan Festa, was a lot like last year’s—only a lot better. Part track day, part auto show and part car meet, it’s a whole day of embracing all the things we love about cars. If the Fuji Super Sports Day is an casual day out with friends, the Motor Fan Festa is up there with the big leagues of track days at Fuji Speedway. It’s organized by a bunch of magazines with the cooperation of manufactures, dealers, and clubs for the purpose of bringing all sorts of motoring fans together. For a relatively new event, this year being the third one that’s been held, word has gotten out quickly as crowds filled up the paddocks and most of the parking lots at Fuji Speedway. As you’d expect from an event of the magnitude traffic was an … [Read more...] about One Of The Best Reasons To Visit Japan Got Even Better This Year

Following all the cars I saw on the road in Melbourne and beyond, I had some time to kill after the Pagani rally wrapped up. So in between sightseeing and visiting some art galleries, I went around some of the showrooms in the city. As great as it was to see some of the local culture out in the wild, the best stuff are always hidden inside showrooms. It’s just a matter of finding them. I had a basic idea of where to go from what I’d seen on the internet before this trip. By which I mean a quick scroll through Instagram on various car pages based in Melbourne. Swan Street in Richmond seemed to be the place to go, it was literally just a whole road full of car dealers. Most were operated by Zagame Automotive Group. If there’s a car you want to buy chances are these people sell it. It’s almost offensive how many brands they have under them. There’s Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Audi, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lotus, Abarth, Fiat, and … [Read more...] about The Amazing Hidden Showrooms And Garages Of Melbourne

I knew the Nürburgring 24 Hours was a big deal before I got here. They’ve got 12.9 miles of track to run tons of cars at once, and regular enthusiasts routinely go door-to-door with Le Mans winners. But the sheer size and scale of this event is larger than I could have ever imagined, and the utter lunacy of racing here is why you should burn your weekend watching it, even from home. [Full disclosure: Porsche wanted me to check out the Nürburgring 24 Hours so badly that they paid for travel, lodging and snacks for this trip, and I am slowly recouping the thousands I’ve spent on 944 parts in little bowls of Haribos.] Several people this weekend have described this to me as Germany’s largest sporting event, and by the sheer numbers of participants alone, they’re probably right. One hundred and forty-six vehicles are on the final entry list for the main event alone, and over 500 drivers there are signed up to split driving duties. That’s not even … [Read more...] about The Nürburgring 24 Hours Is Too Incredible To Miss So Here’s How To Watch

What comes to mind when you think of Australia? Kangaroos, summer in December and doing the Locomotion, perhaps? For those not in the know, the car scene is probably not something that comes to mind. But after spending a week in Melbourne recently I found out it’s more than just utes and V8s—it’s just mostly just utes and V8s. But there’s other stuff too that is very good. The car scene in Melbourne, and I’d say for the rest of the country, is just as diverse and multicultural as everything else in Australia. There’s a lot of influence from Europe, America, and Asia. If I’m honest, that surprised me a lot. I was expecting 90 percent of cars would just be Fords and Holdens but there was a nice mix of fancy European cars, American muscle cars, and stanced out JDM cars. There’s no doubting the passion for cars in Australia. Having already seen the various local scenes in London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, I wanted to see how … [Read more...] about Here Are Some Very Excellent Cars I Found In Melbourne

Our first three Jalopnik Fantasy Garage residents possess on average the power of 477 horses. The 1969 Honda 1300 Coupe 9 has only 116 ponies at the ready. And its front wheels are of the driven persuasion. Still, I am advocating for the Coupe 9 to be included in our little 50-space Fantasy Garage. Why? Well, for one it is hella rare. Official numbers are hazy recollections at this point, but according to our research Honda built just over 8,000 Coupe 9s. The company built a lesser variant, the 100-hp Coupe 7, in greater number (about 38,500). More significantly, only 1,053 Honda 1300 Coupes ever left Japan, the bulk of which were the punier 7s. Almost all the Coupe 9s that escaped went down to Oz. But rarity does not a Fantasy Garage inductee make. As Diamond Dave would say, go ahead and jump to learn all about "what looks on paper to be the weirdest little motor car ever!" Let's start with that engine. One hundred sixteen horsepower doesn't sound like much until you realize the grunt … [Read more...] about Jalopnik Fantasy Garage: Honda 1300 Coupe 9