Categories
Luxury

2012 Rolls Royce Ghost: A BMW 760Li in Disguise

LOCATION SPOTTED: HESS FUEL STATION (Wainscott)
LOCATION SPOTTED: HESS FUEL STATION (Wainscott)

Performance:

  • Acceleration 0 to 60: 4.8 sec
  • Braking: 60 to 0: 124 feet
  • Quarter Mile: 13.2 sec
  • Slalom: 66.4 mph
  • Skid-pad: 0.86 g

The Rolls Royce Ghost does have huge presence on the road (or indeed in the HESS parking lot). However, when you peel back its stunning sheet-metal and find out what’s underneath, you will be much less impressed. Well, actually the car that lies beneath this one is still mighty impressive, the BMW 760Li, a $139,000 super-sedan. The one thing that I can’t seem to justify, is spending $250,000 on a Rolls Royce that shares a ton of components with a BMW that costs a $100,000 less.

The whole point of a Rolls Royce is that it is supposed to be a completely bespoke, handmade car. The bigger, more expensive Rolls Royce Phantom (MSRP $382,000) is just that. It features a much more impressive interior and a completely original chasis, engine and original sheetmetal that is different from any and every other production car.

Are there good things about the Rolls Royce Ghost? Yes. The Ghost shares its powerplant with the 760Li, it’s been bored out to 6.6 liters up from 6.0, making 565 horsepower. So yes, it is way faster than the Phantom. It is also much smaller and therefore much sportier and, unsurprisingly, it handles like a BMW 760Li, oooooooh wow shocker!

I think that the Rolls Royce Ghost misses the mark of what a Rolls Royce should be. It should be relaxed, comfortable, and suprememly luxurious. The Ghost is all of those things, but it has a hard, high-performance nature about it that holds it back from being a true Rolls Royce. All it is, is a dressed up BMW 760Li.

Categories
Exotic Luxury

2012 Ferrari FF: 208 mph For Four

LOCATION SPOTTED: Harbor Marina (East Hampton)
LOCATION SPOTTED: Harbor Marina (East Hampton)

Performance:

  • Acceleration 0 to 60: 3.5 sec
  • Braking 60 to 0: TBD*
  • Quarter Mile: 11.4 sec
  • Slalom: TBD*
  • Skidpad: TBD*

*There are literally almost no track statistics on the internet about this car yet

The new Ferrari FF has got to be the most complete supercar ever made. There are very few automotive tasks that this car can’t perform. The Ferrari FF goes in the snow. It can carry four people in sublime comfort. It has a larger cargo capacity than a Ford Focus hatchback, and if that’s not enough, it can also go 208 mph!

The looks will grow on you; this car is striking in person. It is admirable not only because it is so capable, but because it comes off as such a different looking vehicle than any other supercar. In the United States, there are very few high-performance station wagons sold; the Cadillac CTS-V and the Mercedes E63 being the only ones. But when you look at the Ferrari FF with it’s provcative curves and two door “shooting brake” hatchback design, it’s truely hard to not admire this amazing automobile.

 

 

 

Categories
Luxury Performance

2010 BMW M3: Nothing to say except “Benchmark”

LOCATION SPOTTED: Newtown Lane by Cittanova Restaurant (East Hampton Village)
LOCATION SPOTTED: Newtown Lane by Cittanova Restaurant (East Hampton Village)

Performance:

  • Acceleration 0 to 60: 3.9 sec
  • Braking 60 to 0: 100 ft.
  • Quarter Mile: 12.5 sec
  • Slalom: 73.3 mph
  • Skidpad: 0.95 g

The BMW M3 (E92 body) has become one of the most accomplished sportscars in recent years. It has won almost every single if not every single comparison test it’s ever been in. There are honestly too many things to talk about on this car, so yea, THE END really…

 

…Until the new F30 M3 comes out in 2014.

Categories
Luxury Performance

Rare 2012 Mercedes E63 Wagon: Fastest Station Wagon sold in America

LOCATION SPOTTED: Newtown Lane by Cittanova Restaurant (East Hampton Village)
LOCATION SPOTTED: Newtown Lane by Cittanova Restaurant (East Hampton Village)

Performance:

  • Acceleration 0 to 60 mph: 3.9 sec (3.8 sec with AMG Performance Pack)
  • Braking 60 to 0 mph: 105 feet
  • Quarter Mile: 12.1 sec
  • Slalom: 71.2 mph
  • Skidpad: 0.93 g

It may be hard to believe, but this car is the rarest Mercedes you can purchase in the U.S. and it’s the fastest Wagon in North America. The latest iteration of the E63 is far more powerful and technologically advanced than any of its predecessors. Now that Mercedes has switched to a twin-turbo setup in its cars from a naturally aspirated one, it not only makes the car faster, but also more efficient 16/24 mpg city/highway is impressive even for cars with 100 or so less horsepower.

The big question that most enthusiasts will ask is how does it compare to the only other high performance wagon sold in the U.S.; the Cadillac CTS-V wagon. In a straight line, the Cadillac is killed by the big Merc. But when analyzed from a handling perspective, the advantage favors the Cadillac, due to it’s “magnetic-ride” suspension and tighter steering geometry.

In a nut-shell, if you care about drag racing the Mercedes E63 is the best choice. But if your daily commute consists of winding canyon roads, the Cadillac CTS-V is better. Who would’ve thought looking back, that an American car would ever out-handle its European counterpart?