The Gumball 3000 Rally Has Begun!

This year's Gumball 3000 rally leaves on Sunday from Copenhagen and takes the drivers straight to the Koenigsegg factories in Angelholm, Sweden, before boarding a ferry to Finland. They've dubbed the first day "the best car display in the world" and they're not far off as this year features a host of prototypes.

I've been to about a handful of Gumball events in the past several years including Monaco, Paris, Toronto, and I've never seen anything like it. The only similarity to years past I guess is the fact that the rally will end in Monaco for the Grand Prix. People who drove Lamborghinis last year are driving one-offs, people who drove Veyrons are now driving Koenigseggs. Insanity.

One funny development so far, is that apparently Jon Olsson's Rebellion doesn't have a fan, AC or roll-down windows. This means him and his girlfriend personally boiled over while driving to the start grid. They ended up drilling a few holes in the windows to deal with this rather significant inconvenience.

For those of you who are interested, the best coverage of this year's race will likely be over athttp://gumball.betsafe.com since they have several cars in the running (Camaro, 997 Turbo, Rebellion) and are known for their quick turnaround videos of funny shenanigans and their photography.

Talking about funny business, here is IMHO the all-time craziest video of Gumball 3000:

Say what you want, but I'm jelly I'm not there. 

This year's Gumball 3000 rally has a massive range of interesting cars on register. Here are some worth keeping tabs on:

Team Galag's Tumbler, since it will a) break down in dramatic fashion, b) will be seized ASAP vis-a-vis not being regarded as road legal, or c) abandoned by the side of the road because it's a POS to drive.

Team Galag's less talked about car, the TG1. Similar to the Tumbler, this one's also a prototype/one-off and depending on the quality of the donor car, it will either be abandoned or not any fun.

The Canadian modified F12 (1 of 2 in the rally). Because entering Maranello's fastest, newest, most powerful stallion wasn't enough. No, it needed tuning, lowering, and a new set of wheels. 

By my calculations there are 5 Aventadors in this year's rally. No signs of the world's most stereotypical Lambo owner yet. There's also a Countach enrolled, an LP670-4 SuperVeloce, and a host of other LP640s and Gallardos.

Morgans. More specifically, three of them. One three wheeler, one Aeromax owned by the rally host, Maximillion Cooper (pictured above), and an Aero 8. They must be quite reliable since this is Max's third or fourth time in a Morgan, leaving behind his 3-time participant Jaguar XJ220S (each time in a slightly crazier wrap).

Fezza GTO. If I'm not mistaken, this one is owned by a distinguished older British chap who told me two years ago that it was his first Ferrari! If the license plate spells something along the lines of "Yellow" than I'm correct. If you see this car in person, ask for a blip of the throttle! There's another GTO in the rally that's black and red. 

Audi R8 V10 Plus. I'm a huge fan of the R8 lineup and I can't imagine the newest most powerful one to be anything but the perfect Gumball attack machine. Love the livery and the R8 GT circular pipes.

C63 AMG Black w/o the wing, which tells us the owner has taste. He's also Italian, and has it out for all Fezzas on the rally. In fact, he's explicitly stated that he's going to challenge all the Ferraris.

Other noteworthy cars:

• 3 Land Rover Defenders (90 and 110), 2 of them tuned by TWISTED.
• A Ferrari Testarossa owned by some Northern Europeans
• A Jaguar F-Type (promotional, I think)
• A Dartz Armoured Military Vehicle from England
• Koenigsegg CCXR driven by Norwegians (fingers are crossed for this team as about 10 years ago a Koenigsegg entered the Gumball with disastrous consequences).

That's it for now. Stay tuned for the next Gumball blog in a few days! 

The Last Analog Sports Cars.

An analog sports car is one that provides unadulterated thrills, void of electronic gadgets and computerized nannies. I'm talking about a high revving naturally aspirated engine, three pedals with a short shifting gearbox, rear wheel drive, two doors, and an unforgiving suspension setup. 

Unfortunately, analog cars dying an untimely death as a result of stringent emission standards and faster shifting automated gearboxes. The E9x BMW M3 and Porsche 997 GT3 are the last of a dying breed and in a few months time they'll be replaced by force fed turbo engines, electric power steering, dual clutch gearboxes, and a host of electronic aids that aim to put distance between man and machine.

More specifically, the 2014 M3/M4 won't be naturally aspirated and the 2014 GT3 will lose its bulletproof race bred Mezger engine and manual gearbox. No stick in a GT3? If early rumours can be believed that may very well be the case.

There's no doubt that the next generation M car will be lightning quick and very, very engaging. Forced induction allows for an earlier punch lower in the rev range and as a consequence requires less of the black nectar to reach peak performance. Turbo cars can be awesome too. Take the BMW 1M Coupe, although I've never had one on the track, I'll take people's word for it and call it perfect. And I'm sure the GT3's new dual clutch PDK will make you feel like you're driving for Team Manthey in an RSR at Fuji Speedway. But I can't help but sit here, only in my twenties, and already saddened by the end of an era.

I honestly believe I share a connection with the E9x M3 and GT3. Call me crazy, but after having raced both cars on a track, albeit the GT3 was a 996 body Cup car, and having rallied both the E92 M3 and 997 GT3 RS on the street, I have developed an emotional bond with both cars. Even though some of those experiences are from several years ago, I can still clearly recall the way their gearboxes shifted, and most importantly, what godly sounds they produced. Between 5 and 7,000 rpm, the M3 screams while the GT3 reaches another level altogether. They're what driving is all about, yet they're the last of a dying bread, and as of this writing, you can't order a fresh one from the factory anymore. But there's a silver lining! While the 997.1 GT3 hasn't depreciated much from original MSRP, a previously loved E92 M3 can be had for around $35,000 USD. For 6 grand extra you'll also be able to pick up a high mileage stick shift 997.1 Carrera S. I say act now before people catch on that an era has passed.

You won't be surprised then to find out that my dream garage's two youngest members are a Melbourne Red E92 BMW M3 Competition and a Signal Orange 997.1 GT3 RS. I don't want anything newer or more complicated as I can find everything I desire pre-2010. Just for fun, the rest of the lot include a Silverstone '02 E29 BMW M5, Royal Blue 1990 E30 BMW 325i Convertible, '07 E63 BMW M6, '04 Rosso Scuderia Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, Orancio Atlas Lamborghini LP670-4 SuperVeloce (pictured), '86 silver Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera, my current '07 Black Magic VW GTI Mk5, and an '03 E53 BMW X5 4.6is in Estoril Blue to haul tires to the track.

Dream big, my friends.

Thrilla in Manila.

As Muhammad Ali rhymed that it'd be a "killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get that gorilla in Manila" in 1975, the world was about to witness the greatest fight in boxing history between champions Ali and Frazier. As Ali rose to victory by TKO over Joe Frazier in the 15th round, halfway across the world from the Philippines, in Germany, another athlete was about to make his champion mark. Hans Joachim Stuck, son of the legendary Hans Stuck, spent the early 70s following in his father's footsteps as a Grand Prix driver, and in 1974 made his F1 debut. Hans eventually went on to be an even bigger succes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he won twice in a Rothmans Porsche 962 together with Derek Bell, the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring, which he won three times in various BMWs including a 2002ti in 1970, and the 1990 DTM Championship which he won outright. 

I admit the above is a rather lengthy introduction for a clip, but since it shows our hero at the wheel of an E46 BMW GTR absolutely terrorizing the ring, it may have just been worth your while. The video is regarded as one of the ultimate on board videos of the 'Green Hell', showing everyone "how it's done." So sit back and enjoy the lightning quick extended lap (Nurburgring + Nordschleife) and that straight-cut gearbox wine of the Schnitzer/ALMS developed Bimmer. Skip through to halfway for the insanely quick bits.



The next video I'm sharing with you is of a rare Porsche 997 GT2 RS crushing the mountain roads between the Italian Riviera and the Cote d'Azure above Monaco. The sheer quality of the video in HD together with the tight French roads and that lovely turbo noise make for one buttocks clenching experience. Once the ride is over viewers are treated to a lap of Monte Carlo, which includes the Casino Square, Hotel and Cafe de Paris, the Fairmont hairpin, and the stretch past the Ferrari dealer and towards Nikki Beach Club. I guess I should also point out that this type of driving style is reckless and no one aside from the participants in the annual Monte Carlo rally should attempt to replicate this video.



This last video has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. It has me instantly reminiscing back to my summer chasing the 2011 Gumball 3000 around the best part of Western Europe. For those of you unfamiliar with Jon Olsson, he's a Swedish skier, celebrity, and a marketing dream come true for all of his various sponsors. He's got an "All In" mentality, enjoys lightweight and super fast cars, and drove his fire spitting Lamborghini LP670-4 Super Veloce flatout in 2011. Without further ado, here's "Veyron Cruising" with a little Avicii thrown in for good measure.

The Billionaire Shop.

Yesterday I stumbled across a website called 'The Billionaire Shop.' It's unique in the sense that it allows you to purchase a helicopter, private jet, mega yacht, or Bugatti using only a laptop and a credit card. It's called "the final destination for winner" and seems to be aimed towards the insta-rich. In other words, people who won the lottery or received a massive inheritance and are actively in search of quick and easy ways to impulsively spend their not-so-hard earned dollars.

Unfortunately, the site isn't quite as all encompassing as I'd hoped. Only featuring a select few products, I quickly began to wonder whether I should just go down to my local Bugatti dealership, point at a Veyron, and go "that one." That doesn't seem like that much trouble right? What I did find very interesting is what the Billionaire Shop owner perceives as 'cars suited for the ultra-rich.' Take SUV's for example. Every billionaire needs one, but which ones are deemed fit for the ultra rich? Apparently only a trusty blinged out Range Rover or a Turbo S Cayenne will do the trick. There's no mention of a PPI Audi Q7, Lumma BMW X5, or bulletproof Dartz. Interesting.

When it comes to supercars the selection is both vast and limited. Yes, many brands are represented, but I'm really not interested in purchasing an off-the rack Koenigsegg. I'd like to meet Christian Von Koenigsegg, I'd like to see the ex-airforce base where my hyper car will be built, and I most definitely want to spec one out that will be completely unique. Anyways, I had my 2 minutes of fun, on to the next ridiculous web based startup idea.

2013 Trend Prediction: Brown Cars!

From wheels matched to exterior paint to wheels that spun at standstill, from all white to murdered out, and from matte anything to blinding chrome, in the past ten years we've watched rappers and celebrities do horrible horrible things to expensive cars.

Next to fashion, I'd be willing to bet that car customization is the runner-up most perpetually changing industry in terms of 'what's hot right now.' In terms of colors, white is completely played out, chrome plated wraps have only touched a sole Aventador and Fisker Karma, and it seems like slathering supercars with acres of reflection absorbing matte wrap is slowly coming to an end as well. And that's a great thing, because I can literally name only a handful of cars that looked better in matte. Larger supercars with razor sharp edges sometimes look good in it, like a Lamborghini Reventon or a Ford GT, but that's about it.

So what's next? Well, let me tell you. Brown. If you're not convinced that brown is indeed a desirable color, then allow me to produce some exhibits of cars so iconic they need no introduction.

While brown may seem like an off-putting color at first, some of life's greater indulgences are in fact brown. Think rich Belgian chocolate and a freshly roasted cup of Columbian coffee. Picture yourself in your living room, with your dark brown Lab resting on an age old Chesterfield couch in front of a fully stocked mahogany library, and your holding a smoldering Cohiba Robusto in one hand and twirl a class of 30 year old Cognac in the other, you've got nothing to do until you're called for supper and you're in heaven.

So on the right car and with the right mindset, brown can be cool. It's both mysterious and sophisticated, while if you decide to go for it on your next car purchase, the air of "je m'en fous" will have your neigbours thinking your're cooler than ice - ice cold. Now let's take a look at which brands have caught on.

My favorite colours are still Lamborghini's Monterey Blue, BMW's Silverstone, and Ferrari's Abu Dhabi Blue, but all of a sudden that Sepang Bronze M6 Convertible I saw for sale has become a whole lot more desirable.

What's the Deal with Tires?

Circa 2000. Classic Michael Schumacher victory dance. Legendary car.

Tires. Much like other purchases that you only need to make once in a while - buying a fancy pen, a bicycle, a fridge - they require you to temporarily become an authority on the subject in order to not look foolish. Or get up-sold into a fridge with a 19-inch TV and be a fool. It's a funny thing, because all the time spent in between these purchases, we'll gladly live our lives knowing nothing about Swiss pens and how to tell a soft nib antique from a chiseled nib retro.

If you've got some soul, like me, you'd rather spend your Sunday afternoon watching a re-run of the F1 race, maybe going for a steer, or I don't know, bang your head against the table. No really, anything but learning about fridges would do it for me.

In order to avoid becoming an expert about trivial, uninteresting things, I simply stay loyal to brands I know will sell me a good product that will last me a reasonable amount of time. When I buy a TV, it's a Sony Bravia. A computer? An entry level Mac. A pen, it's usually a free fancy hotel pen. A camera? Nikon, but never the very latest. Gin? It's gotta be Hendrick's. Jeans? Albertos, always. But when it comes to tires, I'm lost.

Witnessed this moment in person. 2009 Festival of Speed. Lewis Hamilton. Hoonage.

Because here's something that is such a significant component of my favorite hobby that I'm forced to take a closer look. I wish I had a favorite brand, but the truth of the matter is that not all cars can be fitted with a P-zero. And that's a good thing, or the entire world would be without rubber by Thursday. They're sticky and communicative, but you pay the price by becoming best friends with your local OK-tire franchisee.

Jon Olsson's ski transporter on winter tires via http://www.jon-olsson.com

I've sampled a great deal of the mid-range tire segment from Wrangler to Lexani on second hand cars I've purchased through the years. I've raced on Michelin Cup semi-slicks, road tripped on Conti Sports, and melted two sets of Michelin Pilot rears to the street. It's probably fair to say that I've sampled most performance tires on the market. However, the problem is that I've never paid a lot of attention to which tires were fitted to the cars I drive, which means I was completely useless today at deciding which set to get for my MK5 GTI.

Lexani Sevens.

The last owner fitted some Lexani's, a questionable manufacturer of blingy wheels that's decided to make some rubber too. The online forums aren't kind to Lexani tires, but oh-my-God do they ever make a beautiful thread pattern. Like a furious lion got at it, while on fire, and with forks for nails. I can't quite tell you if they're the best deal on the planet or absolute rubbish. I can only compare them to a similarly powered front-wheel drive Mazda 3 Sport I drove around for a while. But Mazda unfortunately designed the traction control on 'bring your kid to work day' as it felt elementary and at times, non existent. So as I went skidding about town, I learned many valuable lessons. Correct understeer by repeatedly turning out and into the skid, when you're heading for a curb, straighten the wheels to not crack your axle, and when you're not going anywhere each time you give it some poke in the wet, get out and walk, because this Mazda 3 was happy just endlessly spinning its front wheels.

Pitted for off-road tires as part of the JMB Racing 'cutting corners' strategy. 

So here I am, still nowhere near ready for a tire purchase. I may settle on some Bridgestone Potenzas because they seem to be good value and favorably rated. I'd like to go for the summer performance tire, but as I experienced two winters ago by driving into someone's front lawn, summer tires really, really, however gingerly you drive, don't work in the snow. Or maybe tires had nothing to do with it, maybe I hit some black ice, and if I hadn't I would of gotten home safely. Or perhaps it were the awful Lexanis that caused me to behead this nice man's shrubs. Or perhaps I should of kept her in 1st gear as the road was a suicidal amount of steep. Oh tires, what's your deal, I'll never find out.

Welcome to the Sunday Gallery.

There are a few pictures that I've come across in recent days that are too good to not share. Enjoy them, and take some time to visit or bookmark their sources which are a bundle of cult status blogs in the automotive hemisphere. In no particular order:

• Silodrome Gasoline Culture (all) - http://silodrome.com/
• The Chicane Blog (nostalgia) - http://thechicaneblog.com/
• StanceWorks (events, photography) -  http://www.stanceworks.com/
• Back Road Driving (pictures) - http://backroaddriving.tumblr.com/

"Take Your Wife To Work Day." #BMWMotorsport

Some days you just want to wake up and watch a Youtube clip of a super car smoldering a set of tires 'round a scenic racetrack at the hands of a great driver. Today was one of those mornings, and instead of clicking through to the usual suspects, ex-F1 RICCARDOOO Patrese scaring his wife round Jerez in a Honda Civic Type-R is fine example, I found these two gems. Both are courtesy of BMW (BMW Motorsport & BMW North America), both are equally 'train-wreck fascinating' and both feature impressive M cars. I've chosen the "DTM Driver scares soon to be ex-wife on the Nurburgring in a E92 BMW M3 Competition" over "Instructor scares politely scared lady round Coronado in a 2013 BMW M6 Convertible." Let's have a look.

Augusto Farfus is BMW's DTM driver who, like all DTM drivers, knows the Nurburgring from back to front and inside out. In fact, he's so at ease in the stock M3 that he manages to drive flat-out, at the limits of grip, while at the same time comforting to his wife as he pokes fun at other motorists on the 'ring'. Also note the desireability of the Alpine White M3 with its black painted Competition wheels, M decals, carbon fiber accessories, and Alcantara steering wheel. It makes my neighbours red E92 M3 look like jello.

The Funniest Car Complaint in History.

There really isn't much to say aside from that I haven't laughed this hard in weeks. Just give the video a listen and try and not fall off your chair laughing. Credit to my friend Tom for sending it over, and to 94.7 Highveld Stereo. Feel free to share it along.

Viva 458 Italia!

Words cannot begin to describe how infatuated I find myself to be with the Ferrari 458 Italia. It's a funny one, this one, since I'm not blindly in love. I understand that the steering wheel is a bit busy, and yes, the entire user interface is complete nonsense, yes it costs twice as much as it should, yes it spontaneously combusts, and YES the wiper blades are rubbish. And why stop there? Hell, I would probably feel completely bored behind its computerized gearbox once the blippety-brappity fun wears off. It isn't a perfect car, I know that, and I haven't even driven one.

But just look at it. In my opinion this is the greatest coming together of sweeps and lines on a car since never. Not an E-Type Mark I crashed sideways into an Aston Martin DB5 would match the sheer thrill and excitement that oozes from this car.

It also has more horses (562) than you'll ever need, it's also neater package than the FF brute or larger F12, it's only a fraction of a second slower around Fiorano than the godsend Enzo, it has revolutionary brakes that pre-load when you lift off, it is the most beautiful something I have ever seen at 3/4 front view, and its F40 homage triple exhausts sound so deeply aggressive that its sound will stay with you as if it was your best child hood memory. And don't even think about the less good looking Spyder, it's awesome, but the less showy and sleeker Coupe is the one to go for.

I've had the pleasure of taking in the sights and sounds of numerous 458s and from the stunning TDF blue one that went flat-out uphill past me last summer to the Rosso Mugello two-tone 458 Tiff Needell drifts around on Fifth Gear, every single interaction with the Italia has left me wanting one. Wanting one more than any other car I've ever lusted after. This means I'd rather have a Ferrari 458 than a, here goes,  Porsche 997 GT3 RS (for the simple mechanics, ultimate responsiveness, and hard manual labour), Lamborghini LP670-4 SV (for the theater, flaws, and POWERRR), BMW 1M Coupe (for the 50/50 balance, flickability, and usability), or Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster (for the art, rarity, and absurdity).

Unfortunately however, no matter what you say about the 458 you've just purchased, there will always be an elephant in the room. Let's call it the Challenge Stradale Elephant Scuderia. We all know it's coming, and we all know it'll make the 458 Italia look as soft as baby powder. And that makes me sad.

Nevertheless, here's how I'd have my 458. Rosso Mugello with a black roof, dark grey wheels, and a dark beige interior. Enjoy the extreme Fifth Gear review below (skip to 1:40), and for more epic 458 action click here, here, and here.

We're in the Golden Age of Rally Footage.

Jalopnik blogger Raphael Orlove recently informed his readers that "we are in the golden age of rally footage." And he's right, the current rally footage discoverable on Youtube in HD shot with catastrophically expensive RED cameras is beyond vivid. It's surreal how real it is. If Youtube would of existed in the 80's and professionals covered Group B rallying as well as they do WRC today, I would spend every living breathing second watching those very videos. Yet there's nothing quite like being there. I realized this when I watched the 2011 Monte Carlo F1 Grand Prix live after spending my childhood watching it on TV. To be honest, I had no idea what was going on since I wasn't presented with commentary, race standings, or instant replay like they do on TV. I could only see one turn of the track and it was the least interesting one right between the casino and the Fairmont hairpin. But what the corner lacked in excitement it made up for in noise. Each F1 car would downshift at least twice, with downright hurtful sounds coming out of their short exhausts. I imagine the only sounds that fall within the same category are the Big Bang and sticking your head up a Boeing 747's engine on take-off. It didn't help that I was watching the race without ear defenders, dangling off the top of a statue, and within feet of the passing race cars. I didn't have the slightest clue what was going on, but I loved every second of it. Would I do it again? No. I'd instead empty my bank account to get the smallest room in Hotel de Paris for one night and come Sunday, I'd make full use of their rooftop pool deck. Anyways, here's some epic rally footage. Make sure to full screen it and bump that sucker up to 720p.

Gumball 3000 Arrives in Toronto Bloor-Yorkville.

What an unbelievable night! It's past 4 AM and I'm exhausted but I wanted to quickly upload some raw images of the Gumball 3000 arrival in Toronto. Stay tuned for an epic video and more images.

Team Salamone's Chrome Plated "WINNING" Aventador. 

The first six cars to arrive. 

Chatted with Jon about his blog and his broken front suspension. 

Jon in full Storm Troopers uniform plugging Audi. 

Another view of the Carbon Fibre Audi R8 V10 PPI Razor tuned by Stasis. 

Jon's custom R8 interior.  

Caught up with the awesome guys from Team Autogespot in the Ferrari 599 GTO. 

Two stunning Dutch pit girls courtesy of Team Autogespot. 

My car of choice if I were to tackle the Gumball's 3000 miles. 

Another shot of the Autogespot 'Pic of the Day' wrapped 599 GTO. 

The Team Salamone Aventador in different lights - #1.

The Team Salamone Aventador in different lights - #2.

Interesting to see how different people choose different cars to tackle 3000 miles in style. 

Beautiful sights all around. 

SLS Team Toronto makes a compelling case for best car wrap.

Hands down the most striking car of the rally. Dutch Team Oranje does it again. 

Interesting color and spoiler choice on this GTR. 

A mesmerizing SLR that also laid down a near 100 meter burn-out. 

As extreme as an E46 M3 will ever get - driven by a professional drifter. 

Team White rolls in style in a Bentley Brooklands, Aston Martin DBS Volante and RR Phantom.

Team Malibu Most Wanted wrapped their 458 half chrome and half matte black. Gorgeousness.

Very creative wraps on this Aventador and SLS Roadster duo. 

Dutch Team Trust stole the show in their beautifully wrapped Veyron Grandsport. 

Random sight in Yorkville: two Balloon White Lamborghini Murcielago Roadsters. 

The Belgians from Antwerp arriving late and letting everyone hear that 8 cylinder engine!

Pure style as the last few Gumballers check into the hotel around 1 AM. 

There are no words. 

There's nothing quite like Yorkville when the Gumball is in town!

More pictures and tweets at http://www.twitter.com/alexotics_