Kurt Ernst, Contributor
Articles
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Unless you follow endurance racing, the name Allan McNish may not be all that familiar to you. If you’re a fan of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, you probably know that McNish won the race in 1998 and... -
Tesla Expands Dealer Network In Preparation For Model S LaunchLast Friday, Tesla opened its first new retail outlet of 2012 in New York’s affluent Westchester County. Tesla Westchester will boast a Model S Design Studio, a hands-on a Model S drivetrain and an interactive display touting the benefits of going electric. There are also four Model S Betas...
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Aston Martin Debuts AM 310 Concept At Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d'EsteRemember that Aston Martin DB9 / DBS successor we’ve been telling you about for the past two years or so? The one that’s been repeatedly spotted in camouflage, until we brought you some clearer spy shots last week? Aston Martin picked last weekend’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa...
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Ferrari, Maserati and Ducati Halt Production In Wake Of Latest EarthquakeA new earthquake struck northern Italy this morning, killing 15 people and toppling buildings in the Emilia Romagna region. The quake, which measured 5.8 on the Richter scale, hit the Modena province at 9 a.m. local time. Bloomberg News reports that the quake was centered near the towns of Cavezzo...
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New Supercar Coming From Dutch Firm VencerConcerned that there simply aren’t enough low-volume, hyper-exotic supercars on the market to choose from? Fear no longer, because your shopping list is about to grow by one, assuming that the Dutch firm Vencer puts its Sarthe into production. Named, we presume, for the Circuit de la Sarthe...
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1929 MG 14/40 Mk IV Redefines 'Barn Find'The term “barn find” generally applies to cars found in barns, garages and outbuildings, not buried beneath them. Necessity is the mother of invention, though, prompting one doting MG 14/40 Mk IV owner to dismantle his car and bury it beneath a newly-constructed cowshed, rather than...
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BMW opted to unveil its latest design concept, the BMW Zagato Coupe, at the prestigious Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. Equal parts sculpture and automotive engineering, the Zagato Coupe has... -
Is A BMW 1-Series Sedan In The Works?The BMW 3-Series sedan, like many of us, has picked up a few additional pounds and inches over the years. Since its launch in 1975, the BMW 3-Series has grown by over 10.5-inches in length, over 8-inches in width and nearly 2-inches in height. That makes the current 3-Series larger than the E28...
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Epic Barn Find: 1961 Corvette, Parked Since 1968Barn finds are often the stuff of urban legend, and tales usually begin with, “I knew a guy who knew a guy who had a friend with a 13 mile 1978 Corvette parked in his garage since new.” Connecting the dots to find the car often proves to be impossible, or the tale has been handed down...
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Custom 2013 Shelby GT500 Hits The Block For CharityWhen it comes to special editions, it doesn’t get any rarer than one of one. In an auction to support the Henry Ford Health System, a unique 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, custom designed by Ford stylist Melvin Betancourt, will be sold to the highest bidder. The charity car features a white exterior...
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2013 VW Beetle Convertible Launching With Three Special EditionsThe newly redesigned Volkswagen Beetle relies on nostalgia for much of its appeal, so what better way is there to promote the new Beetle Convertible than with special editions that honor the car’s formative years? Set to be launched at this fall’s Los Angeles Auto Show, Car and Driver...
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Judge Rules That Flashing Of Headlights Is Free SpeechIn most states, it’s common practice to flash your headlights to warn of road hazards ahead. The warning can apply to a wide range of dangers, but it’s most often used to warn oncoming motorists about police speed enforcement. In a perfect world, law enforcement would support this...
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Airbags inside of automobiles are nothing new, and have saved thousands of lives worldwide since being put into widespread use. Volvo, always at the forefront of vehicle safety, believes that airbags... -
Driven Tours The McLaren Technology Center: VideoPerhaps the most noticeable thing about McLaren’s state-of-the-art Production Center, where the MP4-12C supercar is assembled, is how little it resembles an automotive assembly plant. Sure, there are racks of components and cars in various stages of assembly, but what’s absent is the...
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A Night Lap Of The Nürburgring In A Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: VideoDriving a racetrack you know intimately in the dark is a very humbling experience. Even in an endurance race car, there’s barely enough lighting to cope with the kind of speeds typically encountered on a track. Putting together a fast lap, then, requires more than vision. It’s as much...
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Stage Two Of Nissan's Crowd-Sourced 370Z: VideoWhen you want to promote the launch of a refreshed sports car with a near-rabid worldwide following, what better way is there than turning over the design of a one-off build to your Facebook fans? To promote the refreshed 370Z, that’s exactly what Nissan did, crowd-sourcing the build options...
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Porsche Motorsport North America Relocating To Los AngelesPorsche is sparing no expense on building its upcoming West Coast Experience Center, which will be located in Carson, California just minutes from Los Angeles International Airport. When completed, the facility will have a test track, a handling course, an off-road area and surfaces that can...
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Is Mercedes-Benz Planning An Entry-Level E300 For The United States?If you’re shopping for an E Class Mercedes sedan in the U.S., your least expensive option is the E350, which carries a starting price of $51,365 before you check off a single option box. If you’ve got your mind made up to buy a new Mercedes, the price is what the price is. If...
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If you assume that a V-8 engine or even a lot of horsepower is necessary to do a proper burnout, you’d be incorrect. As this video demonstrates, all you need is a current Ford Focus, a set of... -
Congress (Again) Ponders Military Sports Sponsorship BanThe United States Army and the National Guard, in the eyes of the Pentagon, are brands that requires ongoing promotion to raise public interest and awareness. One of the most cost-effective ways of doing this, in terms of media exposure and number of eyes-on, is via sponsorship of professional...
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Porsche Models Coming To Forza Motorsport 4 After AllLast August, we broke the bad news to you as gently as we could: thanks to licensing restrictions, the Xbox 360 racing simulator Forza Motorsport 4 would have to make do without any models from Porsche. The problem was a legal one: the rights to use Porsche vehicles in video games were held by EA...
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Ferrari Racing Days Visits Laguna Seca: VideoFerrari’s Corse Clienti program visited California’s storied Laguna Seca circuit last weekend, tied to the Ferrari Challenge North America race. The event drew some uncommon Ferrari models, such as the 333 SP seen in the video above. Released in early 1994, the Ferrari 333 SP heralded...
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Buick Regal GS Takes Second In Nevada Open Road ChallengeLast week, we told you about Bill Rietow and John Townsend, a pair of Buick engineers who believe in practicing what they preach. Rietow and Townsend have a hobby that may not be shared by many other Buick owners: they race a Buick Regal GS in open road rallies. In September 2011, the duo ran the...
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MINI Roadster Designed For 2012 Life Ball Makes Its DebutMINI has been a part of the Life Ball charity event since 2001, and a string of designers have given various MINI models a high-profile make over. Through the years, MINIs have been restyled by the likes of Diesel, Versace, DSQUARED², and The Blonds for Katy Perry. This year, a MINI Roadster...
Kurt Ernst