McLaren 650S Spider: 5 Years as my Daily Driver
Last week the transporter from McLaren Boston trundled up our driveway to drop the McLaren 650S Spider off from its 5th annual service. If you follow a number of YouTube and social media influences you would probably expect that the 650S Spider would have caught fire at least a dozen times by now, trapped me in the car for weeks…
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
The Ferrari 360 Modena
I recently realized that the one car we owned for multiple years that I’ve never really written anything about is the Ferrari 360 Modena. We had the 360 for almost 3 years and during this time it served as an occasional daily driver while getting pressed into duty for multiple highly memorable road trips. For its entire life with us,…
- 5
- Karenable
McLaren Senna Year 1
Exactly a year ago we collected our McLaren Senna from the McLaren Dallas Service Center. I had asked for the handover to be done at the service center as it was a more private location than the dealership. I wanted to avoid the spectacle of doing the handover in public. Whereas all of our other McLaren handovers, excluding the P1,…
- 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 – 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
Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren Update Q 2 2020
Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren Business Update Q 2 2020 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). At that time most of the world was just several weeks into a lock down that would ultimately bring large parts of the global…
- 5
- Karenable
Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren Business Review
Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren’s Challenges Last week I posted an update on the outlook for the Supercar Market which briefly touched on the health of a few of the manufacturers. Writing that article prompted me to go look a bit more deeply into the health of several of the larger supercar manufacturers to try and understand their current situations as…
- 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
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…
- 5
- 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
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
The Ferrari 360 Modena
I recently realized that the one car we owned for multiple years that I’ve never really written anything about is the Ferrari 360 Modena. We had the 360 for almost 3 years and during this time it served as an occasional daily driver while getting pressed into duty for multiple highly memorable road trips. For its entire life with us,…
- 5
- Karenable
Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren Update Q 2 2020
Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren Business Update Q 2 2020 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). At that time most of the world was just several weeks into a lock down that would ultimately bring large parts of the global…
- 5
- Karenable
Maintenance Costs – The Ferraris
Maintenance Costs – The Ferraris Recently I asked for ideas for future articles, I got a lot of requests about maintenance costs. I believe at the time I replied that it was a highly dangerous topic given Mrs. SSO does read all the articles I post. However, I’ve decided to take the risk and will do so in several parts. …
- 5
- Karenable
Man Math & Ferrari V12 GTs
Man Math & Ferrari V12 GTs Recently there have been a number of front engine Ferrari V12 Grand Tourers that have appeared on different online auction sites at very tempting prices. I have to confess that every time one of these pops up, the man math and garage space games start. The purpose of this article is actually to remind…
- 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
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
Jaguar XJR-15: Driver’s Seat
Based on the Le Mans winning Jaguar XJR-9, the XJR-15 did not stray far from its roots. The XJR-15 is raw and quite brutal. Far more a Le Mans race car than a road car, it is completely lacking in creature comforts. When driving an XJR-15, full concentration is required at all times. Just getting into the XJR-15 is an…
- 5
- Karenable
McLaren 650S Spider: 5 Years as my Daily Driver
Last week the transporter from McLaren Boston trundled up our driveway to drop the McLaren 650S Spider off from its 5th annual service. If you follow a number of YouTube and social media influences you would probably expect that the 650S Spider would have caught fire at least a dozen times by now, trapped me in the car for weeks…
- 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
McLaren Senna Year 1
Exactly a year ago we collected our McLaren Senna from the McLaren Dallas Service Center. I had asked for the handover to be done at the service center as it was a more private location than the dealership. I wanted to avoid the spectacle of doing the handover in public. Whereas all of our other McLaren handovers, excluding the P1,…
- 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
Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren Update Q 2 2020
Aston Martin, Ferrari, & McLaren Business Update Q 2 2020 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). At that time most of the world was just several weeks into a lock down that would ultimately bring large parts of the global…
- 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
Micro Supercar & Hypercar Manufacturers
About a month 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 Apollo & De Tomaso, ATS, SCG, Brabham, and Gordon Murray Automotive. In that article I picked the winners and losers in terms of…
- 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
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
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
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
Road Trips & Driving Talent
Road Trips & Driving Talent About six weeks ago Mrs. SSO and I started planning a road trip to Scotland. The route was planned, and hotels were booked in both London and Scotland. Two weeks ago, we cancelled our plans with the hope that we might be able to reschedule in the fall. McLaren had extremely generously offered to lend us a car…
- 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
Great Supercar Buys 2020
2019 has not been a particularly kind year to the car market. If 2014 was the year that the bubble really inflated, 2019 represented a return to earth. I would not call it a market crash but more a returning to a more sensible reality. Some very deserving cars, like the Ferrari F50, have held value well, while others that…
- 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
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
SCG 004 – Update
In April 2019, we put down a deposit on a Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 004S. At the time the SCG 004 (Decision Time 004S) was not much more than a CAD render but with over 7,500 hours of engineering design and simulations behind it. Last week all that work came to fruition and the SCG 004 is now a running prototype and has…
- 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
