Weekly Sightings: November 24-30

So this week was much better in terms of finding interesting cars to look at - or, perhaps, the lack of seeing Ferraris on the streets in the cold weather made these otherwise 'regular' cars stand out in my mind :)

Last week I was visiting my parents and I got a chance to take my mother's black Audi A4 for a short drive - it is a HUGE change from the CR-V I drive on a daily basis - and it made me miss my beautiful Acura RSX. :(

On two separate days this week I saw a lovely 2000's Jaguar XKR convertible - in a dark blue colour with a matching roof and custom rims - very sporty looking and very well done with minimal changes from stock.

I also saw an expensive 2014 BMW 6 series cabriolet on the highway one evening while driving home from work, and the following day I saw a burnt orange colour BMW i3 - what an interesting looking car!!!!

In the morning I saw a sinister, metallic black Audi S5, which I think had been lowered, go flying down the street - it wasn't speeding actually, it was merely moving at a rapid pace - and it looked glorious doing so!

On Friday, I went out after lunch to grab a coffee and saw a lovely black Tesla Model S on my way back to the office - there are actually a LOT of Teslas around that I see all the time, despite there being no dealership/sales store in this specific area (there is a retail store at the Yorkdale Mall in north Toronto).

Lastly, I saw this...... 'vehicle' in the grocery store parking lot today......

I think this is meant to be an Optima RS - judging from the Ford RS badge... :P

So, two Jags, two Bimmers, an Audi and a Tesla - not a bad way to end the month! I wonder what sightings Santa will bring me in December :) Until next week, happy sightings and drive safe!

Star Wars vs. Cars

Anyone who knows me on a personal level is aware of my deep love of Star Wars - I grew up watching the original series on VHS thanks to my older siblings and I have a very early childhood memory of asking them to put on that crazy movie with the big music and the moving yellow words (at that time, Star Wars was to me only the opening crawl and after that I didn't care, but I was only 3 years old). This brings me to the announcement/teaser trailer for the newest movie due out in December 2015. This trailer hit the internet and select theatres only one day ago and it has already spawned countless discussions, excitement, disappointment and even spoofs (a fan version of the trailer re-created entirely out of LEGO has already been posted!). If you haven't seen the trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens yet, fan or not, go watch it now and then come back here :P

Now, the reason I mention this trailer is because of an excellent article published on Jalopnik today comparing the items, particularly the ships in the new trailer for the new Star Wars film against the same items from the original film from 1977 and showing how those items have evolved or changed in the 30 years or so of 'in-universe' time that has passed in the story. Tyler Rogoway smartly compares these items against real world air craft and items and also points out in what ways those things have changed in the 37 years since the original movie premièred and today.

The bonus on this article, and the reason I am mentioning it on my blog is a comment on the site from user thegregorius, who points out the discrepancies between the sleek designs of the prequel era ships and the original beat down, industrial looking ships from the original films. He or she smartly compares a Tatooine Landspeeder to a 1970s era Ford Pinto, and then contrasts this with the Naboo Royal Starship from Episode I to a modern Audi R8, for example.

A brilliant article about one of my all time favourite movie series, and an even better comment with great visuals. Check this one out FOR SURE!!!

Article:
Compared: Star Wars & Our Weapons Tech From New Hope To Force Awakens
And the comment:
thegregorius comment

Weekly Sightings: November 17-23

Well it's time for another weekly sightings post and I have almost NOTHING of interest to talk about. Grrrr, the weather being so cold and wet in the northern hemisphere at this time of year is a real car sighting downer.

The only interesting car I saw this past week was a first generation (early 2000's) Porsche Boxster - which was driving with its flashing lights on in the LEFT lane down a four lane road. I didn't understand that at all, as the driver didn't make a left turn the whole time I was around the car, and he or she was driving SUPER slowly due to some sort of problem. But that driver really was being unsafe and should have been the the slower right hand side lane.

Other than that, I seriously had NO good sightings this past week! Oh well, I'm a day late publishing this post and I already saw something interesting today so next week's update will hopefully be a lot more intriguing than today's (haha yes I'm cheating, too bad for you - this is my blog :P)

Till next week, take care and drive safe!

Weekly Sightings: November 10-16

Well it's another week crossed off the calendar! It was unfortunately another slow week as there were not a lot of very interesting car sightings, until the weekend that is.

Driving home from work on Wednesday, I did see a lovely late model Jaguar XK in the lane next to me - it was a great dark grey colour and it looked fantastic. It's nice to see the fancy sports cars of that type out and about even as the cold weather begins on this side of the planet.

By Saturday, the fancy car sightings went way up!!!! On the highway going eastbound, I saw a beautiful torro rosso (red) Ferrari 360 Modena Spyder. In the drive-through lineup for coffee, I saw a lovely new dark red Jaguar F Type Roadster - with the top down! I'm sure the heated seats and heated neck warmers were dialed up - the warm beverages must have helped too haha.

Finally, on the drive out to a work party Saturday night, I saw the distinctive headlights of a Ferrari California - it was difficult to tell if it was the first generation model or the newly updated California T since the headlights look similar. Also, it was night time and the car was driving in the other direction so it was a very brief glimpse but those vertical LED headlights certainly do stand out :)

2 Jags and 2 prancing horses - not too shabby :P :D

So, that's my review for this week! Happy sightings everyone!

TTTLL: Lexus LF-NX Concept and NX series vs. Transformers and Predator

So here is my first post where I compare a car (in this case, the concept and then the production version) to something else that it reminds me of. Enjoy! :D

First up, the Lexus LF-NX concept, which previews their new compact luxury crossover.

Hi there! (This manneqiun makes me think of a robot from the movie I:Robot but this blog is about cars!)

Now this is certainly a bold looking concept and it's meant to look a little bit outrageous - the actual production version of this crossover is toned down a bit. But before we get to that, what does this concept look like to you? To me, this reminds me of the evil Transformer Frenzy from the first live action movie (that was the little, spunky one).

Pictured here in toy format - it's the angular face especially is where I see the similarity.

Now I did say that the production version of the Lexus NX crossover is toned down somewhat from the concept pictured above and that's true, but...

... "toned down" may be a matter of perspective :P

So what does the less 'bling'-y production version of the Lexus NX series crossover make you think of? Well, that 'spindle' grille makes me think of:

Heeeeeere's Predator!!

Again, it's the angular shape of the grill, highlighted by the chrome surrounds, that makes me think of the Predator's jaws/fangs. And of course, there are the Nike 'Swoosh' inspired, check mark shaped daytime running lights as well.

Is it just me? What do the Lexus LF-NX concept and production series NX totally look like to you?

Weekly Sightings: November 3-9

So this week I did not have a particularly interesting week, car-watching wise. With the fall and the colder weather, a lot of the nicer cars are put away for winter. This week I literally saw nothing of particularly interest, despite going to a high end outlet mall and a wealthy area of Mississauga.

I saw some standard 'fancy' cars: Porches, Audis and BMWs and other cars of that type. But nothing super special or rare or interesting, unfortunately :(

I should've gone to Walmart instead! I have a track record from the past 2 weeks of seeing Bentleys there haha :P

But fear not, this blog will have some interesting posts coming up soon :D

Weekly Sightings! October 27 - November 2

Well time sure does fly doesn't it?! Another week gone, and we've set our clocks back an hour.

I didn't do a lot of travelling in the last week or so and as a result I only saw a few cars of notice. With the cooler weather of fall, the nicer cars are slowly starting to disappear, being put away into storage for their winter hibernation.

However, I was lucky enough to see a couple of nice black Mustangs - newer generations, as well as a 2014 5.0 in a striking silver colour!! The rear of this car with the blacked-out fascia really popped nicely.

I also briefly caught a glance of a bright red BMW Z4 as well - it was soooo shiny, like a bright red apple.

On Sunday when I was out and about running errands, I saw a very rare iridescent purple Lotus Esprit - what a classic car! Given the outrageous colour and the shape of the front windshield, I almost thought I was seeing a Diablo at first! It had a glorious engine note. I also saw a beautiful E92 M3 - my favourite generation - in a silver colour. I could tell it had been modified somewhat from the lowered stance and the exhaust note, but it was very tastefully done as it wasn't super loud and the overall appearance made it look very close to stock.

Lastly, and somewhat surprisingly, I saw ANOTHER Bentley near the local Walmart!!! This time, a dark grey coloured Continental Flying Spur. What are they selling at Walmart that attracts Bentley owners?! It makes me laugh, and of course, I love seeing those fancy rides :) In all likelihood, it's just a coincidence I'm sure, since that Walmart is right next to the highway.

And yes, in the future, I will try to get actual live photos of these sightings, as long as I am not driving - safety first!