DeloreanUnless your movie’s a fantasy or set in a historical setting, it’s going to feature cars in some form or fashion. That’s just one of the many realities of cinema. And it’s not really that hard to figure out why that is when you think about it – movies are just a reflection of our daily lives, and in reality we use cars to get everywhere and do everything. Some countries, such as America (which, you know, produce 99.9% of all movies that the world cares about) rely so much on cars that public transportation is barely even mention! And since we, as human beings, have a tendency to like things which help us and we are exposed to often, is it any wonder why so many of us have a car fetish? Hollywood knows this perfectly well, and as such has attempted to turn certain cars into “icons” for quite a while, mostly for advertisement purposes. The majority of the time, their attempts are pretty laughable (yeah, take a shot whenever you watch a Marvel movie and see the characters driving a car with a very obvious logo on the front), but sometimes, in some very rare occasions, it actually works! Let’s take a look at the five most iconic vehicles from the big screen!

5. Herbie

Herbie is often considered to be the very first car icon of Hollywood, debuting in 1968 with “The Love Bug” and having a pretty successful career up until the modern day, with six movies under his belt. Of course, I’m referring to Herbie as a “him” instead of as “it” because he’s entirely sentient, capable of driving himself and even expressing himself! How is he sentient? Is it magic? Is it science? Is it the black arts? Is it the power of love? Is it bored Disney executives looking for a new live action hit? I don’t know! It doesn’t matter! What matters is that, through some unknown means, we got an unshakeable movie icons that made Volkswagen Beetles everywhere look just a little bit cuter. Herbie would go on to drive on the road to a love bug empire… Right up until a movie starring Lindsay Lohan put him in the scrapheap in 2005. We’ll never forget you, Herbie!

4. Bond’s Aston Martin

Bond has driven a whole lot of cars over his 24 movies – I mean, that’s kind of his thing! In every movie he’s got his toys, his girl and his car. The tradition has been going on since the 60s, so naturally, we’ve got a whole lot of toys, girls and cars to choose from when picking favorites. My personal favorites, in that order, are the crocodile suit from “Octopussy” (which was actually referenced with a very similar item in one of my favorite games, “Metal Gear Solid 3”), Pussy Galore from “Goldfinger” (because come on now), and, of course, the Aston Martin, which is so popular and so beloved that it has appeared in twelve movies in the franchise – that’s literally half! I’m not going to go into too much detail about it because I already wrote an entire article about it, but let’s just say, it’s a thing of beauty! If your heart didn’t skip a beat when Bond unveiled it again in “Skyfall”, you’re not a real fan.

3. ECTO-1

When there’s something straaaaange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Well, whoever it is, they better have a damn fine ride with which to arrive! Leaving the 60s for a little bit, we’re moving onto the 80s, which were another incredibly iconic decade for, uh… Practically everything, really. We got some of the best music, some of the best cars, some of the best music, some of the best everything in that decade! Honestly, when I think of the 80s, there’s two movies that pop into my mind, one of which we’ll get to a little bit later, and the other is “Ghostbusters”, the comedy that started a franchise… Which died pretty much instantly the moment the terrible sequel was released. Awkward. But hey, on the bright side, we got one of the coolest cars ever! In the movie, the Ghostbusters kind of cobble their equipment together from whatever it is that they’ve got available, and their vehicle really portrays that – the thing does not look safe to drive whatsoever, but at least it looks cool as hell!

2. The DeLorean

“The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” You know what, Doc Brown? I absolutely agree with you. When you hear the word “time machine”, what’s the first image that pops into your brain? I’m willing to bet that it’s either a blue police box or a silver car with gullwing doors! It’s definitely not… Whatever the hell they used in the 2002 movie “The Time Machine”. Can you remember without looking it up? I sure as hell can’t, because it just wasn’t as stylish as travelling back in time in one of the coolest cars ever invented! Indeed, the time machine from “Back to the Future” made DeLoreans so popular that they’re still the most sought-after cars out there, thirty years after the movie’s release! They’ve become a symbol of pop culture, appearing everywhere from books like “Ready Player One” to videogames like “Hotline Miami”. You can’t stop the DeLorean, and frankly, you shouldn’t. It’s the coolest car on the planet, and the best way to travel through time! But if the coolest car ever is only No. 2 on this list, what could possibly be No. 1?

1. The Batmobile

Yep, the top spot could only be taken by a car that is literally so cool it couldn’t possibly exist (because it’d cost roughly $10 million to construct). There’s no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the Batmobile is the most iconic movie vehicle ever! Which one? All of them! The 1960s car, as goofy as it was, was actually what gave food to the notion that Batman should have his specialized Bat-themed car (throughout his early history Batman just used whatever normal car he used). Then we have the Tumbler from “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”, which did what Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies did in general and brought a very goofy concept into a realistic setting by essentially turning the Batmobile into a Bat-Tank. But by far the best-looking one is the Tim Burton Batmobile, which looks stylish as hell. No other car has even come close to looking as remarkably good as that version of the Batmobile, and perhaps none ever will again. I can’t think of any other vehicle more worthy of the No. 1 spot!

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Aston Martin DB5 - The Iconic Bond CarWelcome back readers! Now as you may remember from my welcome post, I created this blog to talk about two topics that are dear to me. One being cars, the other being style. Now as you can see, cars have had the lion’s share of my attention so far on this site. Yet in this article, I want to give both topics an equal share of the limelight, and what better way to do so than with a piece on the cars of 007? After all, what says class and style better than Bond? I recently had the opportunity to visit the Bond in Motion exhibition at the London Film Museum in Covent Garden, and what I experienced was simply mind blowing.

The exhibit was full to the brim with actual vehicles from all 24 James Bond movies, which have spanned around half a century of cinematic history. This of course included the archetypal Bond car, the Aston Martin DB5, which we first saw grace the screens in the 1964 hit Goldfinger. With its distinctive silver birch, this classic car still oozes the same luxury and class today as it did upon its release almost 50 years ago. Speaking of Goldfinger, the unforgettable enemy’s majestic Rolls-Royce Phantom III also features, with all its grandeur and might proudly on display. And who could forget the Lotus Esprit S1 submersible car from The Spy Who Loved Me? Although clearly not one of the sleekest cars in the collection, it is the stuff of legend, and seeing it up close and personal sent shivers down my spine.

Another highlight of the exhibit for me were some of the classic beauties, such as the Ford Mustang Mach 1, which featured in my favourite Bond movie of all time, Diamonds are Forever. It was in this film that we first saw Bond, played by a young and debonair Sean Connery, place bets on black 17 at the roulette table. Needless to say this type of bet has become more popular than any other with roulette players throughout the world. I have to admit; I have opted for Bond’s bet of choice myself at plenty of casinos on this Top 10 list of online roulette sites.

The jewel in the collection for me was the Aston Martin DBS, which was originally unveiled to the world, along with Daniel Craig’s debut as Bond, in the 2006 film Casino Royale. Those film (or car) buffs among you will know that one of the most memorable moments of the film came when a high speed accident saw the car flip and roll seven times, which actually set a new world record. The film was also the first to feature two Aston Martin models, with the iconic DB5 also making an appearance.

All in all, across the Bond films, we have been treated to some of the best that the motoring industry has to offer. We see the most powerful and most stunningly beautiful vehicles ever created, plus, in the 007 films, we see the real thing. Forget computer generated images, all the cars and the many nail biting races have always been real. This level of authenticity makes the cars even more iconic and ensures that they will never go out of style.

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You know that feeling when you’re watching the races (even more so if it’s live), where you wish you could be driving one of those cars. Whilst becoming an F1 driver might be quite a task to achieve and not everyone is really made for it, there is a company who have been (for some time now) making It possible. Or at least as possible as it gets. “Your choice, your dream” as they say on their official site. Well, that would be true if you had a minimum of £300,000 sitting in your pocket for that particular dream. I am going to get you familiar with this not so widely popular but nonetheless – outstanding car – the Spanish Tramontana.

There are not many hand-made vehicles nowadays, so that alone makes it quite unique. The brand was spotted by our beloved Top Gear back in 2009 but officially launched in the UK only last year. High technology with top quality luxury materials for both, exterior and interior, no Tramontana is exactly the same. Just to give you a taste of it, imagine carbon fiber, titanium, gold and the best wood, aerodynamic leather seats, placed with ideal weight distribution in mind. And in that, you can race with the wind at the astonishing 325km/h. And the best part? It is road legal. Yes, that’s very much the spirit of it – bringing the race design and experience to the average driver (ahm…average, average…you know, half-a-million-euro-spare-cash kind of average but still).

Each car is tailored to its new owners’ taste – colour, materials, technical specs etc. The mid-range Tramontana XTR features the V12 engine aimed more at pure track performance. This particular model can reach 62mph in less than 3.3sec. Only 12 cars are produced each year.

All models are impressively light, given the technical specifications – produced with carbon fiber, they all don’t go above the 1350kg mark. The range-topping R model (currently the one available to UK audience) is available with two different engines. A twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 from Mercedes and pumping out up to 710 hp or the naturally-aspirated Audi-sourced 5.2-litre V10 engine with 592 hp. All cars are produced by a small team of Formula 1 engineers based north of Barcelona. An order takes between one and eight months to complete on average. The car is already sold across Europe, US and the Middle East. The design (as you may have already spotted) is a bit of a discussion point and I think very nicely covered by the head of UK development, Shami Karla – “It’s a Marmite car, you’ll either love it or you don’t. When you see it, you’ll be blown away. The cars will go to people who are complete petrolheads. Many of the supercars which are around the £1 million mark aren’t achievable for most people, whereas our cars at this price are. There’s nothing that’s so extreme for this price.”

The aim of the company is to bring the F1 experience and sensation to the regular drivers and in all fairness, design or not, they have achieved that. They are also toying with the idea to have electric models in the not too distant future and models that are fully and only for racing. Let’s wait and see. Ah, and before I leave you, let’s hear it purring.

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Vintage Shelby CobraFor the ones of you who may wonder what’s the jump there, let me clarify. You know I wrote about my favourite Chevrolet recently, well see, maybe some of you already know but let’s voice it for the rest – this is the car make that has won the most NASCAR races up to date. And that’s not a small achievement. And besides, in February this year, on the 21st to be exact, back in 1921, the National Association for Stock Car Racing (yep, NASCAR) was incorporated officially. So to celebrate the birthday I thought I will write up a post on the topic for my fellow car lovers.
Presently one of the most popular sports and a multi-billion-dollar industry worldwide, this started probably not the way you would imagine.

In Europe, Daytona Beach became known as the place to set world land speed records and the mecca for speed enthusiasts. In the States though, during roughly the same period, the Prohibition was forcing people to try figure out methods of delivering moonshine – a homemade type of whiskey. And as you can imagine, having a fast car that can beat anything the authorities can come up with was the way. The cars were quickly getting better and better, starting with (don’t laugh) engines from ambulances (that was the best the market had to offer!) and then building on and improving that until at some point the races between the performance enhanced cars became a source of pride, entertainment and yes, profit, themselves. Shortly after regulations and order was required as with any other activity for it to prosper and develop. A mechanic under the name of William “Bill” France Sr. (1909-1992) from Washington, D.C., who in the mid-1930s moved to Daytona, rose to the bait as he was getting tired of dishonest promoters and organisers. This is how the idea of NASCAR was born, with its official incorporation in February 1921. France was officially the first NASCAR’s president shaped and influenced the development of the sport over the next few decades. (I am pretty sure there was some betting going on as well, but I would need to look into this further…do people bet on car races nowadays? I’m curious now…another day, another post, let’s not digress).
The races quickly developed and evolved, in the 50s the first official tracks were opened in South Carolina and many more followed with thousands of happy races and sport enthusiasts and plenty of new records set.
In 1972, France’s son, William France Jr., took over the presidency of NASCAR as his father retired. To him we can safely give the credit for making NASCAR a global organisation, known and loved not just in certain areas of the USA but across the globe.
At present, as with everything it seems, races are even going digital – with the likes of iRacing – an online simulator for professional racers and driving enthusiasts. The platform partners with NASCAR and a number of other real-world racing organizations and series, creating a close to reality experience for players. Now this is something! Virtual reality is the next big thing with some of the latest devices being able to track and react to anything, down to your head movement and gaze! Sky is literally the limit here, so let’s all wait and see what’s on the line for us, moto fans, both on and offline!
Trust you had fun as always, see you soon!

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The gorgeous 2017 Chevrolet Camaro 1LE

Hey guys and gals! How have you been? Hope good! I’m gonna save you the sweet talk and jump straight to the topic, since this is some news I am quite excited about. The new V8 of Camaro 1LE, one of my most favourite car makes – the good old Chevy. Let’s have a look at it!
So yep, straight off the press, there is a new package based on the success of the previous generation 1LE. New things included – extra suspension tuning, Goodyear Eagle F1 tires and an estimated 0.97G in cornering grip. You can add the Recaro seats, if you are into more extreme lifestyle, so you are sure to stay firmly stuck in your place. There is a performance data recorder as well, so you can track and share your track experiences (those two are additional, so you’d have to pay extra to get them but hey, it’s worth it).
The new model has already been recognized – Camaro took home the 2016 Motor Trend Car of the Year and Car and Driver 10 Best awards.
In their own words “The Camaro 1LE packages follow a recipe any track-day enthusiast will appreciate, start with a lightweight, stiff structure and then add higher levels of suspension stiffness and damping, more aggressive tires, higher downforce, more powerful brakes and more cooling” commented Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer.
The Camaro LT 1LE was certainly built with an aim to be the most track-capable sports coupe in its price class. Let’s look at some of the main characteristics and compare the last two versions.

The 2016 edition was with a 3.6L V-6 engine, equal to 335 horsepower, six-speed manual transmission, Lightweight 20-inch forged aluminum wheels with Goodyear Eagle, standard track-cooling package, with engine oil, differential and transmission coolers, suede steering wheel and shorter-throw shifter, dual mode exhaust system, Camaro SS fuel system, satin black hood, front splitter and unique three-piece rear spoiler, unique high flow upper and lower grille with satin black accents. And the extras you can add I mentioned above.
Now the 2017 additions and improvements include: 6.2L LT1 V-8 , so 455 horsepower, and six-speed manual transmission, magnetic ride control, unique forged aluminum wheels, Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires with a compound and construction developed exclusively for the Camaro – offering exceptional grip on the track, Brembo brakes with new six-piston monobloc front red calipers, track-cooling package, with engine oil, differential and transmission coolers, suede steering wheel with shorter-throw shifter, dual mode exhaust system, Recaro front seats optimized for shifting and steering comfort, satin black hood, front mirrors and unique three-piece rear spoiler, satin graphite front splitter and rear diffuser.
And surely, I can’t get away without posting some pictures of that beauty. Enjoy! If you stick around you will soon find out this is one of my favourite brands, with history dating as far back as 1911, so you might be hearing about it quite often. Feel free to suggest your most loved car makes, I will be happy to dedicate them an article. Hope you enjoyed this read and see you back soon!

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old carThese days, it seems like you can’t turn around without seeing collectors exhibiting their classic cars, restored to their former glory, in parking lots or other places where they can be presented to the common folk for admiration. To many, these cars – many of which have been running for over 50 years – are a work of art, of equal value to the paintings found in museums. Hell, there ARE museums for old cars all across the world, further confirming their status as pieces of art, perhaps even further distinguishing them as unique objects since they were never originally designed to be works of art, but rather gained that status and recognition further on, way after the average lifespan of a car.

However, there’s also numerous people – equal, if not greater in number to the classic car lovers – who simply don’t see the appeal. After all, it’s just cars, right? Not only just cars, but old cars, cars that are overshadowed and outclassed in every single possible way by modern vehicles we currently have on the market which are a whole lot more affordable, objectively better and so much easier to obtain. So, why in the world would anyone want an old car? Honestly, the answer is complicated, and there may not even be a straight solution, more like a collection of factors which all weigh in. Many articles have been written on the subject, and ultimately, it boils down to pretty much exactly what you might be thinking – older cars are simply cooler.

You have to keep in mind that cars aren’t made the way they’re being made now. Back then, every different model was designed to be distinguishable from both its predecessors and every other brand out there. They had to be – otherwise, how would the brand sell if it didn’t look unique and intriguing and enticing? If you notice relatively new technology showing up, you’ll see that the exact same tricks are employed, with products and iterations looking very different as a marketing ploy. There’s also the fact that they’re quite obviously from a different time. They’re almost like living, breathing artifacts of days long gone, a reminder of just how different life used to be only half a century ago. Human memory is strange in that it mostly remembers the good things. If you could ask people during some of the worst times in human history, except 50 years after the fact, they would all say that life isn’t so bad. This works even if you don’t actually remember the time past, but only know about them from history. A brief visit on the Internet is enough to see people comparing the stylish suits of the 1960s with today’s clothing, or the parties from the past with those today.

There’s numerous reasons as to why people love old cars so much, so a definitive answer is likely impossible. But what do you think? Why do you enjoy them? Let us know!

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car-482683_640Is your car a friend of yours or just a functional machine? Well, to me, my car has always been a best friend to hang out with! I like cleaning it and watching flying along the road. Driving my car is one of the most relaxing activities, I’ve ever known and as you can guess – it is my hobby. I know that there are many people who are passionate about cars just as much as I am and share my interests and hobby. That’s the main reason I decided to start this blog and sort the crème of the crop of the world of cars.
My name is Lambert de Water, a student in finance from Belgium and the guy who stands behind this project and blog. My favourite hobby has shaped my ideas to start a personal blog about style and cars, with a slight accent on the classic, vintage cars. Well, unlike the majority of the blogs accent on the latest car releases, I will not neglect the beauty of the old vintage-style cars, that in my humble opinion are the most beautiful creations of the auto industry. Though, I will be also reviewing some of the latest cars releases, find the best budget cars for you and compare the latest deals on the auto market. However, I won’t discriminate the fans of the old beauties, too.
In my new blog I aim to share with you my own experience and will give you some tips on how to maintain your car. Or, if you’re interested in personalizing your car and make it unique, I will list some insider strategies to easily alter the overall look of your vehicle on your own. I’ve already made enough promises, so I will save you the time and jump straight to the main topic of the blog. I hope you’ll enjoy my posts and… Let’s talk about cars!

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