Tuesday, December 17, 2019

NRING Has New Shoes


NO- These are not my tires- wish they were.  They go to an LMP1 Peugeot 908!


New Michelin Super Sport Tires



Tecnico Wheels


                                                   Before Powder Coating Gloss Black


Here's the latest modification for my Giulia NRING Quadrifoglio.  I purchased a set of used factory, Tecnico wheels and a new set of Michelin Super Sport tires that are a nice way to improve the wet traction and increase the 'wearability' of the car's tires.

In the process I also had the wheels powder coated gloss black at AB Powder Coating in St. Petersburg, FL  and an alignment check by our local dealer, Maserati- Alfa Romeo of St. Petersburg.
I am fortunate to have good places like AB Powder Coating and Maserati-Alfa Romeo of St. Petersburg to work on my car, as I am very particular about who does anything with the car.

I can say I'm extremely pleased with both for this project and the car is even more phenomenal with this mod.  The forged Tecnico's are about 5 pounds per wheel lighter than the Alfa signature five whole wheels and I just love the look.

Here's some pictures of the beautiful shop at the dealership and some pictures of the final product.

































































Sunday, December 15, 2019

Peugeot 908 Wins Sebring

Congratulations to David Porter - his Peugeot 908 won the 12 Hour Classic at Sebring last weekend, adding to his recent win at Daytona in November!



Many readers of this blog may not remember this work of art and amazing piece of engineering. Here again for your viewing is a video about it:

Peugeot 908 Returns To Britain


So here's a few more images of this masterpiece that I was lucky to see in my viewfinder, along with a video clip done by my friend Roland Westerdal.  See more of his work at www.sportsandexocticcars.com.

Listen To That Diesel!










Hope you enjoyed seeing this - and my next post will feature Don Ondrejcak with his Porsche GT3 and Alex Job Racing.

Brought to you by Paul Ziegler,  Author of  "Echoes From The Glen".
 See more on Instagram  @wownowpics and  past blog posts of carcamerastory.com


Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Why You Should Buy An Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio



                                                         In Honor of Our Veterans


If you look back a couple of posts on this site you will see a comparison review of my Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Sport and my Alfa Romeo NRING Quadrifoglio. You can read my impression of the two, but I came across the attached video this week with way more detail about the Quad and encourage you to take a look.

It is part of a series of videos under the name AutoFanatic and the guy knows his cars from what I can see.  I grew up in the car business , my dad being a Chevy, Olds, AMC and Dodge dealer over the years. I spent 19 years working as a part time detailer and minor wrench turner as I went from high school to college to a career in banking. My roots were always grounded in the car business and I can relate to what he's saying, having worked on thousands of cars myself over the years.

Sit back, grab a drink and enjoy.  The lead in is long so you may want to fast forward to the four minute mark. The part I like to hear is when he says this car IS a four door Ferrari!   Click Below:


Buy This Car Now!





Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher carcamerastory.com and author of "Echoes From The Glen"   Follow on Instagram @Wownowpics



Friday, November 1, 2019

Must See Video: Peugeot 908 Returns




There's a well produced video that I recommend you see about the rescuing and resurrecting the incredible Peugeot 908.  It is a story that will warm your heart and make you feel good, but I must explain something.

Being an Alfa Romeo guy; why am I writing about a Peugeot?  There are a couple of reasons.  I'm drawn to the subject because of a chance lunch meeting with one of the players in this incredible story and at the same time, only 24 hours ago an announcement- Fiat Chrysler is merging with Peugeot.  That certainly brings images of racing DNA getting blended together as in Alfa Romeo and Peugeot.

I'm fortunate to live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida because of the beautiful weather which is a perfect environment to own and drive a nice car. And the proximity to the fabled race tracks at Sebring and Daytona.  As a result, a lot of car enthusiasts come to Florida at this time of year to take advantage of the weather and be near some of racing's best tracks.

This melting pot of race tracks, sublime winter weather and a bunch of retired folks with cars generates quite a few 'car clubs'. One such club is Tampa Bay Café Racers that is really an assemblage of guys and gals that enjoy a good meal and conversation. That's it, but oh, what good conversations and what a diverse assortment of 'members' we have.

It was through this 'club' that I got to meet David Porter, who is the epitomy of understatement. A very good race car driver indeed, but you would never know it just sitting and having lunch with him. He's a real gentleman, never bragging about his immense accomplishments. Last winter at one of the lunches I enjoyed talking with him comparing techniques for trimming our hedges as well as getting his opinion on how he liked driving the Watkins Glen International track, where I often attend IMSA  and Vintage races. We had a good conversation about each topic.




But what I'm very appreciative of is when I asked David if he would review my book "Echoes From The Glen" and give me his thoughts. He graciously provided me a nice testimonial that is now on the back cover of the book.    Having set the stage for the video- Here's how I discovered it:

Last night I received an e-mail from Roland,  another of our Tampa Bay Café Racers members reminding everyone that David will be racing the Peugeot 908 at  the HSR Classic Daytona November 7-11th  and at the Sebring 12 Hour Classic December 4 - 8th.  Roland attached the following link to the really interesting video that I hope you will watch. David Porter is seen in the video near the end, about 20 minutes into the story.

Bringing The Peugeot To Britain

And in the news:

Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Agree on Merger

Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher Carcamerastory.com and author of "Echoes From The Glen"



Monday, September 30, 2019

Comparison Review - Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti vs Giulia QV



Here you have it- straight from the owner's experience of a 1330 mile road trip in the above beautiful Alfa Romeos.  On the left we have an ultra rare, 2019 NRING Quadrifoglio in Circuito Gray.  Car #07 of only 55 made for the US market.  Delivered to your writer on September 7, 2019.  (Alfa Romeo of Rochester, NY)  And on the right we have a 2017 Giulia Ti Sport in Alfa White with red interior. Purchased on April 12, 2017 from Sunset Alfa Romeo of Sarasota, FL.

I must say, the team at Alfa Romeo USA of Rochester was super to work with, always client focused and they pay attention to the details.  I dealt directly with Matt Sherman and if Matt was busy and I had a question, team members Bobby Carlin and Ian Phillips were always there to help. Matt was reliable and always followed through during my wait for the car to arrive.  And the day it arrived, Matt personally accompanied me in 'unwrapping' the new delivery.  I'll post a video and story on the 'birth of the NRING' at Alfa Romeo of Rochester soon.  My buying experience was a pleasant one. and although I'm not in Rochester for most of the year, I will make it a point to stop by and say hello to the guys when I'm in town.

Now on to the cars:

At first glance the outward appearance is pretty similar, but looking closer, the NRING is smothered in carbon fiber, including front splitter, hood, roof, rear spoiler, door sills, mirrors,  rocker panel trim, steering wheel, console, dash, and door trim.

Trim is trim- other things that make the performance stand out on the NRING include the huge brake discs, wider P Zero Corsa tires, fully functional hood, fender and front and rear brake cooling vents and a massive rear air dam.  If you look under the NRING you can also see several subtle air flow diverting fins that were developed as a result of hours in Ferrari's wind tunnel.  This and the Ti Sport both benefit from the one time collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Ferrari engineers when the cars were designed.

But the biggest difference in the punch in the back upon acceleration is the Ferrari derived 2.9 Liter V6 in the NRING Quad vs the 2.0 Liter 4. It translates to 505 horses under your foot as opposed to a herd of 280 in the Ti.  Don't get the wrong impression about the Ti Sport. It is very quick.  But the NRING is scare you to death fast, especially in RACE mode.  You had better hold onto the reigns of those 505 ponies when you hammer the throttle.

Here's my thoughts as they flow onto the paper after having made the NY- Florida trip on the same route with each car. And to give you a visual or two, a picture here and there is added to keep it interesting.   For example, here's a picture of my Ti Sport after climbing two miles uphill heading south out of Williamsport, PA.  A brief stop at the scenic overlook gave me and the car a chance to rest.



So how do they compare in the real world of driving as in a road trip from New York to Florida in 20 hours or less? One of the best ways to see the difference in the cars' performance is in the hills of Pennsylvania on RT 15 between Mansfield and Williamsport.  The road south towards Williamsport is made for a Grand Touring car. There are miles of four lane, divided highway that are surprisingly smooth and curve around, up and down mountains. Or large hills if you compare it to the Rockies.

The Ti Sport handles them with ease and because the car is lighter than the NRING by around 350 pounds it is quite nimble, especially around the tighter bends.  Consider that you a doing 80-90 around bends that look more like corners at that speed. It has plenty of pull up the long hills, although you are into the turbo a lot of the time.

 The NRING Quad on the other hand is on another level.  Getting to 100 going uphill is nothing for this twin turbo beast and  I really had to be careful to stay out of the throttle as the car wanted to give you more and more speed when you didn't want or need it. I would never attempt it on a public road in the US, but I can see this car cruising comfortably, as if sitting in an easy chair at 120-130.  It is that stable and glued to the road. The Ferrari wind tunnel testing proved its worth in the final product! The Quad version is also the only sedan with an active aero front spoiler that lowers above 71 MPH to give an added 200+ pounds of downforce to the front end.
As you can see here in the showroom that black, carbon fiber active front wing.  Good they thought of that as the car really benefits from it.  And if you consider the car has a top speed of 191 MPH, it become essential for stability.

At Watkins Glen International For The US Vintage Grand Prix Races

That brings me back to the Ti Sport.  The word stability.  That describes the Ti's strength.  It is lighter than big brother, but it feels incredibly well balanced and planted on the road at Interstate highway speeds of 70-80 MPH. And it keeps its feeling of stability in the rain, inspiring confidence when driving it.

Both cars benefit from the ZF 8 speed automatic. The guys/ gals that programmed that need to get an award. Each car feels the same- hit the throttle and the gear you want is right there- no need to paddle shift to get there (Unless you want to play around with the gigantic paddles for fun).   I had a Porsche Cayman with the 7 speed PDK automatic and it never was in the gear I wanted, largely due to a sweet 6 that needed to be above 3500 rpm's to make any kind of power. But the two Alfas are lower revving, torque machines that just catapult you forward any time you press the pedal down. It's intoxicating- almost like an electric golf cart when you feel that initial acceleration- only these two keep building speed until you cry uncle and get off the gas!

So in summary, each Alfa has its strengths. The steering on each is phenomenal. That has been reported in every road test I've seen on these cars. (Try driving one and you will see)   The Ti is lighter, slightly more nimble due to a smaller turning radius and it gets better gas mileage, of course. It is a fantastic car to drive long distance and the sport seats (the same as in the Quad/ NRING) are super comfortable over hours of driving.

The NRING/ Quad is everything the Ti Sport is and more.  It is actually quieter in everyday driving and it has a slightly smoother ride, if you can believe it- certainly surprised me.  But I think that is due to the extra weight it is carrying. The V6 is so smooth, and with the twist of the dial to Dynamic or RACE modes, the car becomes a beast.  Like having two completely different cars. The speed this thing builds will make you pay attention to what's going on.


In the two years since I purchased the Ti Sport there have been some refinements too. I notice that the AC fan control works easier on the NRING/ Quad- you turn one click and the fan speed changes- in the 2017 Ti Sport you turn one click and it displays the speed setting, then you turn a second time and it changes the fan speed.  A small detail but a big improvement.  Another observation, the headrest in the NRING/ Quad is much softer and more comfortable to put your head back to relax.  The Ti Sport's headrest is hard like a board. A small detail but again when you drive 20 hours it makes a big difference. I also noted the AC fan speed reduces automatically in the 2019 when the car shuts off via the Stop function at a stop light. This is very good when you live in Florida and its 95 degrees out.  The cool air runs out quickly if the fan is blowing on high.  I manually turn my AC down every time I stop with the 2017 car.  Again small details that add up.

I hope you have learned a little about these two cars. Each one is a superstar in its own right. Both are tremendous values for the dollar. They are, simply put, four door Ferraris. And the NRING/ Quad is honestly a four door supercar! It is an astounding value for the money.

Here's a few more pictures of this incredible machine:






From New York to Florida, what a car to take a road trip in!

Alfa Romeo NRING Quadrifoglio- unmatched by any four door sedan.  Fastest four door sedan to lap the Nürburgring at the time of its introduction.  7 Minutes 32 seconds.

Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher  of Carcamerastory.com and author of "Echoes From The Glen"        Follow him @wownowpics                                                                                                                                        












Saturday, September 14, 2019

Blancpain Challenge To Vintage Grand Prix

From the Blancpain GT World Challenge America/ TC America Championship series at Watkins Glen, to The US Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen to the Oswego Classic, I've just returned to Florida with memories of races still swirling in my head.  I had three weeks of incredibly refreshing, cool weather in Upstate New York to accompany three exciting racing events. It can't get better that that.

This blog is an overview in pictures of these events- way too many racing stats and details to include here but the pictures speak for themselves.  Every race way a joy and a pleasure to be at, with the highlight for me being the Coffee & Donuts with Watkins Glen track president, Michael Printup on Saturday, the 7th. I got to talk with many fans at this gathering in the infield that have been attending races at the Glen for decades. I met some interesting people with lots of stories and it's a nice touch to have Michael Printup there to greet fans. One of the folks I met while having coffee was automotive artist, Harold Zabady. Check out his paintings at www.HZabady.com.  Very cool work!

I also held a drawing to give away my new book "Echoes From The Glen".  A little thank you from me back to WGI International for all the years of  top notch racing events they provide for us fans and for all the free coffee and donuts I've enjoyed.

As a bonus I picked up my new, 2019 Alfa Romeo NRING on Saturday, September 7th after the races. It arrived via transporter from San Diego in time to drive it back to Florida on Tuesday, the 10th. It was a sign of good luck because my car bearing the famous Alfa Romeo cloverleaf is #7 of the 55 Alfa produced of this special edition, and I picked it up on the 7th. ( I'll do my next post on the arrival and delivery of the car)

Starting with the Blancpain GT World Challenge America/ TC America Championship - I hope you like the photos:








And then the next day, Sunday, September 1st it was off to Oswego, NY with friend Jeff Washburn:

Totally different world of racing on a short track oval!













And Finally, The US Vintage Grand Prix weekend starting September 6th:
The Trans Am is always exciting - Fire breathing monsters and then as shown in the next few shots banging and rubbing door handles. How there wasn't a NASCAR type pileup??? They kept going!


 



And then there's all the older cars- mind blowing numbers of different cars!












And the MG's/ Triumphs can get feisty too!

This just scratches the surface of all that I saw,  hope you enjoyed the pictures and keep checking back for more posts in the near future. And if you would like to see what racing was like at the Glen 40-50 years ago, check out my book "Echoes From The Glen".

Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher www.carcamerastorycom and author of
"Echoes From The Glen"    You can also follow me on Instagram   @wownowpics