Bertone Pirana - British Cat in an Italian Suit

In researching the history of the Lamborghini Espada, I was surprised to discover that it was not based solely upon the famously outlandish Marzal concept car, which was built on a stretched Miura chassis for the 1967 Geneva Motor Show. In fact, there was another less famous Bertone show car built for the 1967 Earl's Court Motor Show in London, which even more closely presages the Espada.  It was constructed by Bertone directly over a Jaguar E-type 4.2 Liter 2+2 chassis provided willingly(!) by Jaguar.  I think most observers would agree that Marcello Gandini's design doesn't hold a candle to Malcom Sayer's iconic feline curves, but the result is an fascinating historical footnote that is worth remembering, and puts the Espada into context. Does anyone know where this one-of-a-kind car ended up? I was unable to find any modern photos of the Pirana online.

By the way, don't you love the lightweight Dunlop alloy wheels?

Lamborghini Espada - Wafer Thin sports sedan from the Space Age

For a long time I thought the Espada was an ugly car, but I gotta say, it has really aged into a unique and fascinating time capsule that has to be seen in person to be believed.  And thanks to its strange looks, Espadas are still relatively attainable exotics.  This weekend, I had the pleasure of inspecting this particular metallic green example up close. It needed a ton of work, but I was just blown away by the amount of awesome design details packed into the exterior and interior by Bertone's designers back in the late 60s - under Gandini's direction. The Espada was produced for about 10 years, and was praised for its road manners by magazine testers. If you want to buy this car, check it out here!

The hexagonal, stacked instrument cluster is a work of art that is strikingly contemporary today.

The interior's chrome accents are tasteful and look amazing in person.

At just under 4 feet in height (!), this compressed 2+2 looks like it is hurtling towards you even when it's wedged into the corner of an overcrowded lot in Queens.

The three-pronged knockoffs are pure Italian exotic.

SPICA the devil

Say what you will about the reliability of Italian fuel injection. I just think the plaque on the Montreal engine is pretty darn sweet.

Rat Rods invade Brooklyn!

Today was the 10th annual "Kustom Kills and Hot Rod Thrills" show, organized by the Rumblers NYC Club. The venue was really fitting for this type of car: The show is held underneath the BQE (Brooklyn Queens Expressway) in Williamsburg. It sort of looks like the kind of place the Sharks and Jets might have had their rumble in West Side Story. The predominant color for cars and for attire (preferably leather) was matte black. Most of the 100 or more custom cars in attendance were sinister looking rat rods rather than Kandy Kolor Kustom Konfections that one might associate with Biggy Daddy Ed Roth or George Barris. There were tons of chopped and channeled coupes, and many had elaborate pinstriping that was really impressive to see up close. People were really dressed the part too. Plenty of Jesse James lookalikes and Betty Page wannabes. I found the number of tattoos a tad excessive, but then I am more used to the concours crowd with their tight asses and straw hats. The best part though was that there was a Rat Rod barber who had set up shop amidst the cars, and you could get a ducktail haircut right on the spot if you wanted! There were plenty of custom bikes in attendance and there were folks of all ages, from the local hipsters to older guys who probably built some of the original rat rods back in the old days. It was a lot of fun, and the sounds of burnouts and drivebys reverberated under the expressway every few minutes! Click the pic below for the whole badass gallery!

The Automobiliac Proposes Vol. # 3: Acura ZDX

I saw the new Acura ZDX on the street last month and I have to say they did a really nice job with it. I think the surfacing is lovely, and the front end design is quite fetchingly proportioned. While the Acura sedan offerings have gotten increasingly aggressive and brutal lately, this car has a really pleasing, lyrical flow to it. The only problem with it is that it is not a car -- it's a stupid car-based SUV "crossover" mutant.  Basically, I wanted to see what would happen if someone took the best elements from the ZDX and made a really sweet grand touring 2+2 with them, along the lines of the Aston Martin Rapide.  I hope you enjoy the result! Acura, stop with the mutant crossovers! Get back to making really nice sport sedans like the original TL!