Aston Martin’s 1st Half 2021 Results
Aston Martin reported their 1st half results last Wednesday. Aston Martin’s results were broadly in line with expectation and the stock finished up just under 3% on the day the results were released. Aston Martin also indicated that they are on track to deliver their full year targets. This raises a few questions. Is Aston Martin back on track? Are…
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4 Days & 4 Hundred Miles with the Epic McLaren 765LT
Immediately after my Elva drive (see: Driving the McLaren Elva), I collected a McLaren 765LT that McLaren North America had dropped off for me to collect at McLaren Greenwich. Despite having seen multiple 765LTs at this point, this would be the first time I had actually driven one. Even better, the car was mine for the next four days with…
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Driving the McLaren Elva
This past Friday, McLaren North America invited me to test drive their new Elva. It was a typical late July, New England summer day. Sunny with the mercury hovering around 90F, a bit muggy, and the threat of thunderstorms later in the day. In many ways the perfect weather to see just how livable a McLaren Elva really is. McLaren…
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Update on the Saga of Stroll’s Aston Martin
Ten days ago, I posted an article on Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren (Catching Up on Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren). In the article I covered a number of the major challenges each has and is facing. By far the most challenged of the three is Aston Martin and their challenges extend over the entire scope of the business. In…
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- Karenable
First Impressions – The SCG 004S
Back in October 2020, I posted an update on the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) 004s’ development (It Lives - SCG 004). At that point in time, the SCG 004C had just completed the 24 Hours Nürburgring race where it finished a highly respectable 14th overall out of 74 classified finishers in its first 24-hour race. It was also at Nürburgring…
- 5
- Karenable
Aston Martin’s 1st Half 2021 Results
Aston Martin reported their 1st half results last Wednesday. Aston Martin’s results were broadly in line with expectation and the stock finished up just under 3% on the day the results were released. Aston Martin also indicated that they are on track to deliver their full year targets. This raises a few questions. Is Aston Martin back on track? Are…
- 5
- Karenable
Update on the Saga of Stroll’s Aston Martin
Ten days ago, I posted an article on Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren (Catching Up on Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren). In the article I covered a number of the major challenges each has and is facing. By far the most challenged of the three is Aston Martin and their challenges extend over the entire scope of the business. In…
- 5
- Karenable
Catching Up with Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren
It’s been a bit over a year since I did a general update on Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren. During this past year all three have undergone enormous changes. Two of the three had near death experiences and all three have new CEOs since the start of 2020. All three are still facing major challenges both internally and with the…
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- Karenable
Aston Martin Q1 2021 Results
Both Aston Martin & Ferrari reported their Q1 2021 results this week. Ferrari had an excellent quarter, even by pre Covid standards, and then was rewarded by a 10% drop in its stock price. Aston Martin also took a 10% hit to its stock price this week after reporting both a top and bottom line that beat analyst expectations. While…
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Does McLaren Really Have Too Many Models?
One of the better known Car Influencers, Doug DeMuro, recently did a video titled “McLaren Has Too Many Special Cars”. A number of people have sent me the video and asked me if I he has a point. To be able to properly answer that question, I had to sit down and actually watch the video, all 14 minutes and…
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Thoughts: Ferrari SUV, Aston Martin, SCG, GMA & More
I thought I would share a few thoughts and observations on a number of things that have recently caught my attention in the auto universe. None of these has enough depth for a full blog in their own right but thought they were still worthy of sharing. What the future will look like in six months is anyone’s guess but…
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Monterey Car Week Report 2019
This was our first time at Monterey Car Week. I would probably best describe Car Week as combination of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival spread out over multiple stunning locations and then supersized in the best American tradition. We arrived on Wednesday late afternoon and departed the following Monday morning (see: McLaren 675LT Spider Road Trip). In between, it was…
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Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible
Weekend With A Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible Courtesy of Park Place, our local supercar dealer, we recently spent a few days living with a Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible. Bentley is a brand that has been slowly growing on me over the last couple of months. This transformation started with the Mulsanne short termer we had last autumn. While…
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Bentley Bentayga
Weekend With A Bentley Bentayga We recently spent 36 hours living with a Bentley Bentayga. Our loaner car was a pearly white and instantly earned the nickname “Beluga”. Going in, it was a car I wanted to hate. It represents just about everything I try to avoid when choosing a preferred mode of transportation. It is huge, heavy, and about…
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Catching Up with Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren
It’s been a bit over a year since I did a general update on Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren. During this past year all three have undergone enormous changes. Two of the three had near death experiences and all three have new CEOs since the start of 2020. All three are still facing major challenges both internally and with the…
- 5
- Karenable
Joy of Driving: The F40 & 675LT Spider
This past Saturday was a glorious day. Not a cloud in the sky, temperatures in the mid 70sF, and with Mrs. SSO booked into a local spa for half a day of pampering, I was left with the perfect opportunity to pull a couple of cars out of the garage and just go enjoy a drive. First up was the…
- 5
- Karenable
The Ultimate Collector’s Automobiles: The “Club” Cars
A few weeks ago, I was having a very enjoyable and enlightening conversation with a gentleman who has forgotten more about cars than I will ever know. One of the topics we discussed was what made one car more valuable than another and what was that magically attribute that all the ultimate high value collector’s cars have in common. While…
- 5
- Karenable
Ferrari’s Q1 2021 Results
Both Aston Martin & Ferrari reported their Q1 2021 results last week. Ferrari had an excellent quarter, even by pre Covid standards, and then was rewarded by a 10% drop in its stock price due to announcing that they were pushing back the 2022 financial goals by one year. Aston Martin also took a 10% hit to its stock price…
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Does McLaren Really Have Too Many Models?
One of the better known Car Influencers, Doug DeMuro, recently did a video titled “McLaren Has Too Many Special Cars”. A number of people have sent me the video and asked me if I he has a point. To be able to properly answer that question, I had to sit down and actually watch the video, all 14 minutes and…
- 5
- Karenable
Planning Our 1st Epic Drive of 2021
I have hope that things will get better this year with the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccines and that by September or October a road trip will be possible. In great anticipation, I reached out to a group of friends with whom we have been doing road trips for over a decade now to gauge interest. It’s a great…
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- Karenable
To Cork or Not to Cork?
Editor’s Note: The following article was written by my brother, the Wine Collector (his wine cellar is probably worth more than my garage). The Wine Collector is a bit of a car enthusiast himself and he has owned a Ferrari 430 Spider for many years. Do screw cap wines and supercars go together? You don’t buy a Ferrari or a…
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Supercar Road Trip: Part 3
We recently moved from Texas back to near where I grew up in New England. As part of the move, Mrs. SSO and I decided to drive the Maserati Granturismo Cabrio and the McLaren 650S Spider respectively the 1,800 miles northeast. This would be the first time Mrs. SSO and I had done a road trip driving in tandem. As…
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Supercar Road Trip: Part 1
We recently moved from Texas back to near where I grew up in New England. As part of the move, Mrs. SSO and I decided to drive the Maserati Granturismo Cabrio and the McLaren 650S Spider respectively the 1,800 miles northeast. This would be the first time Mrs. SSO and I had done a road trip driving in tandem. As…
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Chicago
Chicago: A Great American City By Mrs. SSO While I normally write about Hotels, that was just a functional aspect of a recent trip to Chicago with Mr. SSO. Chicago is right up there with other great International Cities. It is so much more than being home to the Chicago Bears Football Team or the Chicago Cubs Baseball Team (although when you…
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The Use Case Rule of Car Collecting
Earlier this year I met a wise experienced car connoisseur over zoom (it is 2020). This gentleman has owned a number of cars that have also passed through our garage over the years (including a Ferrari F50, 16M, McLaren 675LT) along with at least one that I can only dream of (McLaren F1). He introduced me to the “Use Case…
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Our Other Sports Cars
Almost all of the articles I’ve written have been on the supercars we have owned over the years. Both before and alongside these cars, we have also owned a number of other sports cars over the years that have remained anonymous. I thought I would do a bit of a trip down memory lane on the rather eclectic group of…
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Ferrari F50 to the Jaguar XJR-15
Car Collecting Journey: Ferrari F50 to the Jaguar XJR-15 Recently I wrote an article on our experience owning a Ferrari F50 (The Ferrari F50). Looking back today, owning the F50 was a watershed experience in our car collecting journey. It both changed the direction, and has heavily influenced, all our car buying since. The F50 firmly cemented several critical attributes we look for in…
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Collecting Supercars
Recently I exchanged a few messages with a gentleman who was looking for a bit of advice on plans for his car collection. I quite enjoyed the exchange and hope I was able to provide at least a modicum of useful insights. I found the experience fascinating as it forced me to reflect back on our car collecting experiences over the last…
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Supercars We Have Sold
Supercar Ghosts With the McLaren Senna arriving shortly, I have been reflecting back on the different supercars I have owned over the years. They basically fall into three groups; missed and would like it back, enjoyed owning but it was time to move on, and thank god it’s gone. For the sake of brevity, I will only touch upon my…
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4 Days & 4 Hundred Miles with the Epic McLaren 765LT
Immediately after my Elva drive (see: Driving the McLaren Elva), I collected a McLaren 765LT that McLaren North America had dropped off for me to collect at McLaren Greenwich. Despite having seen multiple 765LTs at this point, this would be the first time I had actually driven one. Even better, the car was mine for the next four days with…
- 5
- Karenable
Driving the McLaren Elva
This past Friday, McLaren North America invited me to test drive their new Elva. It was a typical late July, New England summer day. Sunny with the mercury hovering around 90F, a bit muggy, and the threat of thunderstorms later in the day. In many ways the perfect weather to see just how livable a McLaren Elva really is. McLaren…
- 5
- Karenable
Catching Up with Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren
It’s been a bit over a year since I did a general update on Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren. During this past year all three have undergone enormous changes. Two of the three had near death experiences and all three have new CEOs since the start of 2020. All three are still facing major challenges both internally and with the…
- 5
- Karenable
Joy of Driving: The F40 & 675LT Spider
This past Saturday was a glorious day. Not a cloud in the sky, temperatures in the mid 70sF, and with Mrs. SSO booked into a local spa for half a day of pampering, I was left with the perfect opportunity to pull a couple of cars out of the garage and just go enjoy a drive. First up was the…
- 5
- Karenable
The Ultimate Collector’s Automobiles: The “Club” Cars
A few weeks ago, I was having a very enjoyable and enlightening conversation with a gentleman who has forgotten more about cars than I will ever know. One of the topics we discussed was what made one car more valuable than another and what was that magically attribute that all the ultimate high value collector’s cars have in common. While…
- 5
- Karenable
Boutique Hypercar Manufacturers: Outlook 2021
Back in October 2019 I posted an article on the saturation of the Hypercar Market (Too Much of a Good Thing). In that article I mentioned that a number of micro manufacturers had jumped into the hypercar market including De Tomaso, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG), Brabham, and Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA). Since then, Delage and Czinger have also joined this rather…
- 5
- Karenable
The Ultimate Collector’s Automobiles: The “Club” Cars
A few weeks ago, I was having a very enjoyable and enlightening conversation with a gentleman who has forgotten more about cars than I will ever know. One of the topics we discussed was what made one car more valuable than another and what was that magically attribute that all the ultimate high value collector’s cars have in common. While…
- 5
- Karenable
Thoughts: Ferrari SUV, Aston Martin, SCG, GMA & More
I thought I would share a few thoughts and observations on a number of things that have recently caught my attention in the auto universe. None of these has enough depth for a full blog in their own right but thought they were still worthy of sharing. What the future will look like in six months is anyone’s guess but…
- 5
- Karenable
Ferrari & Tesla’s 2020 Results
In the last two weeks, both Ferrari and Tesla have reported their 2020 full year results. This article is the first time I have analyzed Tesla’s results. I decided to do so alongside Ferrari’s as these are the two car companies that Wall Street values very differently from other car companies. Tesla’s current market capitalization of $820 billion is larger…
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Options for Buying & Selling Supercars
Recently I was having a discussion with a gentleman on the different options for buying a supercar, the benefits of each, the potential negatives, and the costs. Over the years I have bought and sold supercars through official dealers, brokers, independents, at auction, and privately. Each of these have there own positives and negatives. If you were going to plot…
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The Ones That Got Away: F1, Enzo, & a Carrera GT
When I was writing the article on the Ferrari 288GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, & LaFerrari recently, it got me thinking not just about the wonderful cars we have been fortunate enough to own over the years, but also about a few that got away. Of the many acquisitions we have made, there have probably been as many that didn’t happen…
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Supercar & Hypercar Market Update – January 2021
Back in October 2020, I summarized the situation among supercar manufacturers Supercar Market Update Q3 2020 as: So, how does this square with record levels of unemployment and economies that are officially in recession? When you stand back and look at both the actions governments have taken to date and the profile of the average supercar buyer, it actually makes…
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Planning Our 1st Epic Drive of 2021
I have hope that things will get better this year with the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccines and that by September or October a road trip will be possible. In great anticipation, I reached out to a group of friends with whom we have been doing road trips for over a decade now to gauge interest. It’s a great…
- 5
- Karenable
5 Supercars I’m Looking Forward to Driving in 2021
Sitting here on a cold wet Saturday morning with sheets of rain sweeping across the front lawn brings back fond memories of summer drives in Scotland. The potential that we might be able to take a long road trip or two later this year is incredibly appealing. With 2021 bringing hope that normalcy may return at some point, it has…
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- Karenable
The SSO Awards: 2020
As the final article of what has been an unprecedented year hopefully never to be repeated, at the goading of a good friend, I’ve put together a short 2020 awards list covering the automotive universe in general. In putting the awards list together, I would like to first acknowledge that I have no real basis to be doing so (that’s…
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The Bayside Restaurant: Home of New England’s Best Lobster Roll
This is actually the first standalone restaurant review we have ever done. All the prior one’s have been included in road trip reports. However when a restaurant consistently makes the best lobster roll in New England, it has earned the right to have its own review. The Bayside does, and it certainly has, for the two years since we first…
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To Cork or Not to Cork?
Editor’s Note: The following article was written by my brother, the Wine Collector (his wine cellar is probably worth more than my garage). The Wine Collector is a bit of a car enthusiast himself and he has owned a Ferrari 430 Spider for many years. Do screw cap wines and supercars go together? You don’t buy a Ferrari or a…
- 5
- Karenable
Supercar Road Trip: Part 2
We recently moved from Texas back to near where I grew up in New England. As part of the move, Mrs. SSO and I decided to drive the Maserati Granturismo Cabrio and the McLaren 650S Spider respectively the 1,800 miles northeast. This would be the first time Mrs. SSO and I had done a road trip driving in tandem. As…
- 5
- Karenable
Supercar Road Trip: Part 1
We recently moved from Texas back to near where I grew up in New England. As part of the move, Mrs. SSO and I decided to drive the Maserati Granturismo Cabrio and the McLaren 650S Spider respectively the 1,800 miles northeast. This would be the first time Mrs. SSO and I had done a road trip driving in tandem. As…
- 5
- Karenable
Chicago
Chicago: A Great American City By Mrs. SSO While I normally write about Hotels, that was just a functional aspect of a recent trip to Chicago with Mr. SSO. Chicago is right up there with other great International Cities. It is so much more than being home to the Chicago Bears Football Team or the Chicago Cubs Baseball Team (although when you…
- 5
- Karenable
First Impressions – The SCG 004S
Back in October 2020, I posted an update on the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) 004s’ development (It Lives - SCG 004). At that point in time, the SCG 004C had just completed the 24 Hours Nürburgring race where it finished a highly respectable 14th overall out of 74 classified finishers in its first 24-hour race. It was also at Nürburgring…
- 5
- Karenable
Boutique Hypercar Manufacturers: Outlook 2021
Back in October 2019 I posted an article on the saturation of the Hypercar Market (Too Much of a Good Thing). In that article I mentioned that a number of micro manufacturers had jumped into the hypercar market including De Tomaso, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG), Brabham, and Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA). Since then, Delage and Czinger have also joined this rather…
- 5
- Karenable
The Ultimate Collector’s Automobiles: The “Club” Cars
A few weeks ago, I was having a very enjoyable and enlightening conversation with a gentleman who has forgotten more about cars than I will ever know. One of the topics we discussed was what made one car more valuable than another and what was that magically attribute that all the ultimate high value collector’s cars have in common. While…
- 5
- Karenable
Thoughts: Ferrari SUV, Aston Martin, SCG, GMA & More
I thought I would share a few thoughts and observations on a number of things that have recently caught my attention in the auto universe. None of these has enough depth for a full blog in their own right but thought they were still worthy of sharing. What the future will look like in six months is anyone’s guess but…
- 5
- Karenable
5 Supercars I’m Looking Forward to Driving in 2021
Sitting here on a cold wet Saturday morning with sheets of rain sweeping across the front lawn brings back fond memories of summer drives in Scotland. The potential that we might be able to take a long road trip or two later this year is incredibly appealing. With 2021 bringing hope that normalcy may return at some point, it has…
- 5
- Karenable
