Our 1st McLaren 720S Spider Road Trip
Last Saturday we took the McLaren 720S Spider on its first road trip. It was a mini one-day trip and covered 350 miles. As its 2020 with Covid-19 raging again across the US, this is about as adventurous as we are getting these days. The catalyst for the trip was a property that recently came up for sale in the…
5- Karenable
Porsche Carrera GT to a Beneteau Oceanis 51.1
A Porsche Carrera GT has been near the top of my bucket list for quite a few years now. This year, for the first time in a while, the stars all started to align, and it looked like it might actually happen. Then Covid-19 hit, lockdowns were imposed, social distancing became the in trend for 2020, and the Carrera GT…
- 5
- Karenable
McLarens & Reliability Nov 2020 Update
As it has been year since the last McLaren reliability report, I thought it would be a good time to post an update. 2020 has certainly been a very challenging year all around and COVID-19’s impact cannot be underestimated. It has certainly changed our lives and as part of that it has certainly changed the way we have used our…
- 5
- Karenable
Ferrari’s Q3 2020 Results
In the last two weeks, both Aston Martin and Ferrari have reported their respective Q3 2020 results (McLaren does not report until the end of November so we will come back to them later). The article on Aston Martin's Q3 Results & Mercedes Deal was posted last week and in summary: To say Stroll, Moers, and their teams have their…
- 5
- Karenable
Aston Martin’s Mercedes Deal & Q3 2020 Results
Aston Martin announced its Q3 2020 results this week. The release was pulled forward by 10 days to coincide with an announcement of a new strategic technology agreement with Mercedes-Benz and new financing. Management also started to articulate Aston Martin’s 2025 goals and strategy. Needless to say, there is a lot to unpack here. We basically have hope for the…
- 5
- Karenable
Aston Martin’s Mercedes Deal & Q3 2020 Results
Aston Martin announced its Q3 2020 results this week. The release was pulled forward by 10 days to coincide with an announcement of a new strategic technology agreement with Mercedes-Benz and new financing. Management also started to articulate Aston Martin’s 2025 goals and strategy. Needless to say, there is a lot to unpack here. We basically have hope for the…
- 5
- Karenable
Supercar Market Update – Q3 2020
Back in July, I summarized the situation among supercar manufacturers (Supercar Market Q 2 2020) as: So where are we three months later if we look at the manufacturers, future limited-edition supercars, and both the main and high end of the supercar market? Starting with manufacturers, all have cut volumes through both Covid-19 driven manufacturing plant closures and planned voluntary…
- 5
- Karenable
Aston Martin & Ferrari’s Q2 2020 Results
Aston Martin & Ferrari’s Q2 2020 Results In the last two weeks, both Aston Martin and Ferrari have reported their respective Q2 2020 results (McLaren does not report until the end of August so we will come back to them later). Normally in these types of articles I spend quite a bit of time going through the financial results and…
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- Karenable
If I Ran Aston Martin
If I Ran Aston Martin In early April I posted an article on the challenges Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren were facing in light of the Coronavirus (Aston Ferrari McLaren Challenges). I then then put together an update in May once each company’s full Q1 results had been released. (Aston, Ferrari & McLaren Challenges Update). In both these articles I…
- 5
- Karenable
Supercar Market Update – Q2 2020
In the Q1 2020 supercar market update (Supercar Market Update Q 1 2020) I summarized the situation as: In summary, right now we have a market that is basically frozen. The situation isn’t likely to change for at least another month or two, and perhaps much longer. The Coronavirus is causing a global tragedy and economic meltdown unlike any we have…
- 5
- Karenable
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…
- 5
- Karenable
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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- Karenable
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…
- 5
- Karenable
Ferrari’s Q3 2020 Results
In the last two weeks, both Aston Martin and Ferrari have reported their respective Q3 2020 results (McLaren does not report until the end of November so we will come back to them later). The article on Aston Martin's Q3 Results & Mercedes Deal was posted last week and in summary: To say Stroll, Moers, and their teams have their…
- 5
- Karenable
The Hybrids are Coming.……and I not excited
The age of the supercar with either just a natural or blown aspiration engine is coming to an end very shortly. All the major manufacturers are indicating that the next generation of models will be hybrids with Ferrari first out of the gate with the SF90 Stradale. McLaren is slated to follow up early next year with a twin turbo…
- 5
- Karenable
The Low Mileage Tyrants
A few weeks ago I wrote an article on The Tyranny of Low Mileage which discussed several different types of car collector/enthusiasts, their mindsets, and the impact this has on the supercar market. The summary of that article is: While I personally believe the fixation on mileage is a horrible thing and leads to both a distortion of the market…
- 5
- Karenable
Supercar Market Update – Q3 2020
Back in July, I summarized the situation among supercar manufacturers (Supercar Market Q 2 2020) as: So where are we three months later if we look at the manufacturers, future limited-edition supercars, and both the main and high end of the supercar market? Starting with manufacturers, all have cut volumes through both Covid-19 driven manufacturing plant closures and planned voluntary…
- 5
- Karenable
Covid Killed My Daily Driver
One of the unexpected impacts of the current Covid-19 pandemic is that my traditional idea of a daily driver is currently dead. There is a chance that it might get resurrected at some point in the future but right now it is gone. With most offices still closed, and likely to remain so well into 2021, my daily commute has…
- 5
- 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…
- 5
- Karenable
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…
- 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
Airlines & Airport Lounges
I travel on business, a lot. Last year I flew enough miles to have gone around the world ten times. The year before was about the same and the year before that was even more intense. Karen has often joked that I should write a guide on airlines and airport lounges. Personally, I can think of nothing more depressing given…
- 5
- Karenable
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…
- 5
- Karenable
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…
- 5
- Karenable
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…
- 5
- Karenable
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…
- 5
- Karenable
Summer Car Recommendations for Every Budget – 2019 Edition
For us, the end of ski season this weekend marks the beginning of the driving season. Hence it’s time to update our summer recommendations for 2019. For this year I have changed the criteria a bit. The new cut off for consideration is 1990 (vs. 1970 in 2018). The budgets are all in US $ and I have given a few more American…
- 5
- Karenable
Our 1st McLaren 720S Spider Road Trip
Last Saturday we took the McLaren 720S Spider on its first road trip. It was a mini one-day trip and covered 350 miles. As its 2020 with Covid-19 raging again across the US, this is about as adventurous as we are getting these days. The catalyst for the trip was a property that recently came up for sale in the…
- 5
- Karenable
McLarens & Reliability Nov 2020 Update
As it has been year since the last McLaren reliability report, I thought it would be a good time to post an update. 2020 has certainly been a very challenging year all around and COVID-19’s impact cannot be underestimated. It has certainly changed our lives and as part of that it has certainly changed the way we have used our…
- 5
- Karenable
The Hybrids are Coming.……and I not excited
The age of the supercar with either just a natural or blown aspiration engine is coming to an end very shortly. All the major manufacturers are indicating that the next generation of models will be hybrids with Ferrari first out of the gate with the SF90 Stradale. McLaren is slated to follow up early next year with a twin turbo…
- 5
- Karenable
The Low Mileage Tyrants
A few weeks ago I wrote an article on The Tyranny of Low Mileage which discussed several different types of car collector/enthusiasts, their mindsets, and the impact this has on the supercar market. The summary of that article is: While I personally believe the fixation on mileage is a horrible thing and leads to both a distortion of the market…
- 5
- Karenable
Supercar Market Update – Q3 2020
Back in July, I summarized the situation among supercar manufacturers (Supercar Market Q 2 2020) as: So where are we three months later if we look at the manufacturers, future limited-edition supercars, and both the main and high end of the supercar market? Starting with manufacturers, all have cut volumes through both Covid-19 driven manufacturing plant closures and planned voluntary…
- 5
- Karenable
Porsche Carrera GT to a Beneteau Oceanis 51.1
A Porsche Carrera GT has been near the top of my bucket list for quite a few years now. This year, for the first time in a while, the stars all started to align, and it looked like it might actually happen. Then Covid-19 hit, lockdowns were imposed, social distancing became the in trend for 2020, and the Carrera GT…
- 5
- Karenable
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…
- 5
- Karenable
21st Century 3 Seaters: McLaren Speedtail, SCG 004, & the GMA T.50
In the first 127 years of the automobile, there were 108 three seat central driving position supercars produced. Ferrari manufactured two 365Ps as show cars in the mid 60’s and McLaren built 106 F1s in the 90’s. While there were several other three seat cars produced over the years, they were configured with three front seats in a row with…
- 5
- Karenable
Super & Hypercars: Who Lives, Who Dies?
Several months ago I posted an article on the saturation of the Hypercar Market (Too Much of a Good Thing). In the article I mentioned a number of micro manufacturers who have jumped into the hypercar market recently including De Tomaso, Pininfaria, SCG, and Gordon Murray Automotive. This is on top of a number of hypercars that have been announced…
- 5
- Karenable
What to Watch, Who to Listen Too
What to Watch, Who to Listen Too So, as a car enthusiast in lock down, how do you spend your time? It’s a question a few of my friends have been asking each other over the past couple of months. The hope behind the question is always that someone has discovered some new exciting show, vlog, or podcast to pleasantly…
- 5
- Karenable
Porsche Carrera GT to a Beneteau Oceanis 51.1
A Porsche Carrera GT has been near the top of my bucket list for quite a few years now. This year, for the first time in a while, the stars all started to align, and it looked like it might actually happen. Then Covid-19 hit, lockdowns were imposed, social distancing became the in trend for 2020, and the Carrera GT…
- 5
- Karenable
The Hybrids are Coming.……and I not excited
The age of the supercar with either just a natural or blown aspiration engine is coming to an end very shortly. All the major manufacturers are indicating that the next generation of models will be hybrids with Ferrari first out of the gate with the SF90 Stradale. McLaren is slated to follow up early next year with a twin turbo…
- 5
- Karenable
The Low Mileage Tyrants
A few weeks ago I wrote an article on The Tyranny of Low Mileage which discussed several different types of car collector/enthusiasts, their mindsets, and the impact this has on the supercar market. The summary of that article is: While I personally believe the fixation on mileage is a horrible thing and leads to both a distortion of the market…
- 5
- Karenable
Covid Killed My Daily Driver
One of the unexpected impacts of the current Covid-19 pandemic is that my traditional idea of a daily driver is currently dead. There is a chance that it might get resurrected at some point in the future but right now it is gone. With most offices still closed, and likely to remain so well into 2021, my daily commute has…
- 5
- Karenable
Supercar Market Update – Q2 2020
In the Q1 2020 supercar market update (Supercar Market Update Q 1 2020) I summarized the situation as: In summary, right now we have a market that is basically frozen. The situation isn’t likely to change for at least another month or two, and perhaps much longer. The Coronavirus is causing a global tragedy and economic meltdown unlike any we have…
- 5
- 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…
- 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
McLaren 650S Spider Road Trip to Houston
By Karen Our weekend road trip to Houston was inspired by SSO finding out that a Yauatcha Restaurant (a sleek, modern Chinese resturant serving spectacular dim sum) had recently opened. Yauatcha is one of our favorite restaurants in London, so we thougth it well worth a trip to Houston to check out this new location. I had no issue making a…
- 5
- Karenable
It Lives – SCG 004S
Back in early March, I posted an update on the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) 004s’ development (Update on the SCG 004S). At that point in time, SCG had just built the first SCG 004 prototype. It was the competition version of the SCG 004, the SCG 004C, and it had just completed a shakedown test in Northern Italy. Based on…
- 5
- Karenable
21st Century 3 Seaters: McLaren Speedtail, SCG 004, & the GMA T.50
In the first 127 years of the automobile, there were 108 three seat central driving position supercars produced. Ferrari manufactured two 365Ps as show cars in the mid 60’s and McLaren built 106 F1s in the 90’s. While there were several other three seat cars produced over the years, they were configured with three front seats in a row with…
- 5
- Karenable
Supercar Market Update – Q2 2020
In the Q1 2020 supercar market update (Supercar Market Update Q 1 2020) I summarized the situation as: In summary, right now we have a market that is basically frozen. The situation isn’t likely to change for at least another month or two, and perhaps much longer. The Coronavirus is causing a global tragedy and economic meltdown unlike any we have…
- 5
- Karenable
Super & Hypercars: Who Lives, Who Dies?
Several months ago I posted an article on the saturation of the Hypercar Market (Too Much of a Good Thing). In the article I mentioned a number of micro manufacturers who have jumped into the hypercar market recently including De Tomaso, Pininfaria, SCG, and Gordon Murray Automotive. This is on top of a number of hypercars that have been announced…
- 5
- Karenable
Supercar Market Update – Q1 2020
Supercar Market Update – Q1 2020 As a follow up to the Q4 2019 car market article (Market Update Q4 2019) I’ve continued to track the Ferrari F355, Porsche Carrera GT, and the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, as I believe these are good bellwethers for the market in general. On occasion, I also take a glance at Koenigseggs, the McLaren P1,…
- 5
- Karenable
