Dallas Cars and Coffee - January 2014 (part 2/2) January 08 2014
Continued from part 1. To view part 1, click here.
The BMW E46 M3 (foreground) is the predecessor to the BMW E92 M3 (background). The E46 has a 3.2 liter inline 6 pumping out 333 hp, which is a big number for the size of the engine. The E92 M3 was given a 4.0 liter V8, cranking out 414 hp. Both engines generate over 100 hp per liter, illustrating the technical prowess of BMW in building high performance engines.
This race prepped 911 was driven to Cars and Coffee, meaning that this beast is street legal.
Vintage Mustangs have such a cool vibe to them and this one was no exception.
This car just oozes character.
The small details add so much to the car.
Chevy Nomad in a gorgeous purple.
Love it or hate it, this Camaro was very attention grabbing. The owner obviously put a lot of work into his whip.
Whatcha know about rollin' on 24's? We know he needs to upgrade those tiny brakes though.
Vipers also had a strong showing. These V10 beasts are known for their huge displacements and raw handling characteristics. No traction control to control slides, and no flappy paddles to do the shifting for you. At Texas World Speedway, a Viper passed our BMW E36 M3 like it was standing still.
We're not experts when it comes to off roading rigs, but this Suzuki Samurai looked really fun.
The back of the rig was completely replaced with a tube frame. We wonder how much this Suzuki weighs.
The white Nissan 370Z in the foreground is the successor to the black Nissan 350Z next to it. For the past couple of decades, almost all manufacturers have made each successive generation of their cars slightly larger and slightly heavier. It was refreshing when Nissan bucked this trend with the 370Z. Slightly smaller, slightly lighter, and with slightly more power than the 350Z. We hope that other manufacturers take note.
One of the most unique, if not weird cars of the meet was this Citroen SM. Built from 1970 to 1975, they had lots of features that were ahead of their time. Self-leveling suspension, variable assist power steering, rain-sensitive wipers, and composite wheels were just some of the available features.
The shape was very aerodynamic, and small touches like tucking the rear wheels under the bodywork helped to achieve that.
This was another Porsche 356 that was restored to show condition. The car is hopelessly photogenic.
The 356 is regarded as the first real production car that Porsche made.
It had a range of engines from a 1.1 liter producing 40 hp to a 2.0 liter producing 130 hp.
How cool is the gas cap in the hood? We can only imagine the difficulty of having to keep the gas station fuel hose off the bodywork while filling up, but I'm sure the trouble is worth it.
Though softer and rounder than the Porsche 911, you can easily see the family resemblance.
This VW had a bunch of fun details added.
A heat shield for the intake was crafted out of a mini keg.
A flapper on the exhaust pipe was an interesting touch.
This BMW E28 535 looked awesome. We might be a little biased, but we love the classic, boxy look of this generation of 5-series.
Mini Coopers are absolutely tiny cars, but that is part of the appeal. Light cars are just plain fun to drive.
We liked the care that had gone into meticulously restoring this car.
We also appreciated the tastefully mods done to this car, such as the aftermarket fender flares and wheels.
It's only appropriate to have a car like this painted in British racing green.
A Lotus Exige with a Gulf livery inspired paint job made an appearance. We have always thought that this color combination works well.
A few years ago, an article was written in a magazine, comparing some of the best handling cars, and trying to define what made them feel so good to drive. Surprisingly, the Lotus had the most body roll in the group, but it also put up some of the best numbers and was the most predictable at the limit. It was declared the overall winner.
This Austin Healey has those classic long-hood, short deck roadster proportions.
The interior is small and austere, but has an awesome, gritty, mechanical feel to it.
Continuing on with our streak of British cars, this Morgan is just plain cool. The cars are still hand built to this day, and wood is used in a large part of the body work.
A pair of BMW 2002's were hanging out together. The 2002 was the predecessor to the 3-series. There was a turbocharged version called the 2002 tii that was Europe's first production car to be turbocharged.
Similar to the Gulf liveried Lotus Exige, this Mazda MX-5 was also wearing the Gulf colors.
MX-5's definitely aren't the fastest cars out there, but they are one of the most fun. The light weight and the quick steering rack make the steering ultra responsive. The handling at the limit is very predictable at the limit, and you can bring it back from a monstrous slide with a flick of opposite lock. The shifter is tight and precise. The steering is perfectly weighted. The suspension consists of double A-arms at all corners. They are relatively inexpensive to maintain and modify, and there is large and passionate community built around it. What's not to love? Chassis flex and an adequate, but unimpressive engine.
Despite the cold, we still had a great time at Cars and Coffee, and we hope that you enjoyed it too. Like us on Facebook to get updates on the latest articles. Follow us on Instagram to see extra photos not shown here.
Related Articles:
Cars and Coffee - October 2013
