I had an opportunity to drive a Testerossa back in the 90's. This well to do friend of a friend had one, and friend told him I was a race car driver because I used to do a lot of DE days lol. So this guy wanted me to drive it and "show him what it could do". I was intimidated and around town it just felt kind of clunky and very wide. However, then we got out to some open twisty roads and with the owner egging me on I started pushing it more and more. The goal was to get it side ways around a couple corners to give this guy a thrill. What amazed me about that car was that the more I pushed it, the better it felt! The clunkiness around town was gone and the feel and responsiveness was perfect. It was the first time I had been in a car that gets better the harder you drive it. Up until that point it had always been the other way around, they feel sharp and responsive around town but then fall apart when pushed hard. So if you drove that car but didn't push it, you missed the best part of driving it.
I’m a pretty average guy with a slightly above average income. I had a Testarossa last year. Bought it in bad shape and went through the whole car. I’ve had 30+ special cars over the past 10 years and let me tell you. Nothing you can buy for less than the price of a house will ever be as special as that car. It blew me away. Reliable and comfortable somehow too. Who knew!
For me it was the 288 GTO, the pinnacle of Ferrari styling with those powerful rear hips and svelte waistline. For me, no other Ferrari looks as good as that one. This film made me emotional as I thought about all the reasons why I drive and love cars. And now I'm sharing it with my kids. Working on old Subaru's with my oldest son and taking epic road trips with my youngest son. The cinematography and story of this film is fantastic.
I took my daughter for a cruise in a Testarossa a couple weeks ago. It was a very special day, and that sound (while quieter than expected) is something I still hear in my mind when I'm lying in bed.
My inspiration, like MANY others.... I was 11 when Cannonball Run came out, and as we all know, that opening scene had most of us picking our jaws up off the floor. My realization... a black C6.
Right on! You have captured the essence of why car folks are car folks. Too many people think it’s all about image or creating an impression, when really it’s about how it makes you feel inside every time you look at it touch it or drive it.
I'm 52 years old but the car that does this for me is only 9 years old. I was always a "car guy" but never could afford anything I really wanted to drive until I bought a brand new 2013 Mustang Boss 302 at the age of 43. I ended up trading it in on a 2012 GT500, one of my biggest car regrets ever. Now I can drive pretty much anything I want (under 100k) but the car on my bucket list to own again is another 2013 Boss.
Great video gents! First year of the 928 was 1978, my friend’s Dad owned one. We snuck it out of the garage and took it for a late night spin (before we had our driver’s license). What a car!
I was that kid with the Testarossa poster on his room door and a 1:18 bburago testarossa on my desk ... but i fell in love with the mazda mx-5 nb when i was 10 on its release ... and now i'm a proud owner of an mx-5 nd
Paul nailed it when he said “buy one of these” I bought my boyhood dream car the Porsche 944 and I am enjoying the same experiences. It’s everything and more that I thought it would be!!! Great film guys!!!
The E Type is just perfection. I really don't care if a modern Mini-Van could kick it's ass in a quarter mile race, I know what I'd rather take on a long drive through the mountains.
Great video guys! For me it was always the Corvette (doesn’t matter what year really). Last year I finally took the plunge and bought a 1992 convertible with a 6 speed manual. I’m constantly wondering why I waited so long and and I can’t imagine ever not having one.
Thanks for this video. Brings back so many memories. In the early 80s when I was 17/18 years old my father had a wine red 67 Jag XKE Series II 4.2 liter roadster. Covered headlights and all with nerf bars on the front and rear just like your 68. That was a true 150mph sports car. My mother and father were separated at the time, but the car resided in the garage at my mother's house. My father asked me to get the car out from time to time and that was just an amazing experience as a 17 year old taking out a stick shift E type roadster. It had a profound impact on me as a car guy. An experience I will never forget. My father eventually sold the car, but I just melt when I see these cars today. Just so mechanical in feel and sound. Nothing else like it.
Sheer joy to watch you both drive the cars you love AND the icons you remember. I agree with the comments about the satisfaction of taking to the road just to put 100 miles on a car you love. A few weeks ago I treated my Boxster S to a new set of Michelin PS2's and drove 100 miles through the hills just to "scuff them up" a bit! One of my favorite days in recent memory. Perhaps my favorite comment was Todd noting that his son remembered the smell of his first Z when he got in the latest one...Like father, like son I guess. Thanks for all you both do...
It started for me when I was about 4 years old. My father owned a 1990 Toyota Celica GT-S Hatch with a manual transmission and I remember he would let me change gears for him while he operated the clutch (obviously). I would love to eventually get my hands on a Celica like my fathers, or maybe even an All-Trac if I could ever find one. It may not be a crazy exotic, but I don't know that I would have ever cared about any other cars if it wasn't for that experience as a child.
What is important is the connection that you establish between the car and yourself along with the enjoyment you get from it. These things are far more important than how exotic the car is (or rare, or collectible, or impressive to others, etc., etc., etc.). Hope you find one some day.
My brother-in-law used to fix up E-types: he'd buy them dirt-cheap in California, drive them to Utah, repair them, and sell them. "Car flipping" before it was a thing. How I wish I'd bought one!
I financed my final years of college flipping MGs. Then a friend found me a neglected E-type for $900. ( this was in 75, the car was a 63. Took a year working in my mom’s garage, some expensive parts, more bondo than I care to admit, and lots of hours. I traded it after graduating for a used Ford van and enough $ to pay off my student loans. The beauty of it was I could drive it harder than anyone would think of doing today.
I know that smell memory. Every 80s Chevy has a certain smell, and my dads cherry, bright red 82 z28 he bought when I was 11 awakened that sense in me. It was that car and that smell that made me want to get one, and I did pick one up for my first car. Nothing beats driving something you enjoy, and after years on other adventures I’ve returned to my roots and got another unloved muscle car to drive around. Puts a smile on my face everyday driving.
Nice Concept! Something a LOT of us can relate to. For me...it was a 1972 Pantera GTS in a beautiful dark metallic blue!!! I was 12 and it was 1984 and it made a permanent mark in my brain, seared in! Fast Forward almost 38 years and BAM 2021Corvette Stingray in Elkhart Lake Blue! Yup, I attribute this purchase with that Pantera. Good Show!
The E Type at least for me is the styling. So there is no substitute. Never will be able to own one. I do own a '65 Corvair convertible, no car is really like it. A very fun car to drive.
Awesome review fellas. All amazing cars. That jaguar review was just perfection! Too bad the Testarossa had on some funky aftermarket wheels. Though the 928 is cool looking, I can’t believe Porsche tried to replace the 911 with that. The Z is still one of the best designed cars ever, ahead of its time. So good Lamborghini stole the headlights.
An awesome film, and right to the heart of what makes a car guy (or girl) who they are... I found myself getting choked up watching you both drive your genesis of being a driving enthusiast. If I could find a copy of my first car, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. My mom loved E-types and that was her unrealized dream car. Today, we have two convertibles in the family and take them out every single chance we have.
Even with an unlimited budget, this just wouldn't be possible today as designers are so restricted by all of the various regulations now in place. The good news is that today's cars are definitely safer as a result. Sadly, I would be hard-pressed to come up with a car being made today that strikes me as a beautiful & timeless design for much the same reason.
Well Todd this is awkward... I was born in 85 so a 90's kid, the t-top Z32 was everywhere in my room. And my 'reality' car is a roadster Z33 HR now. Just couldn't find a TT Z32 in decent shape in Ontario/Quebec. Great video.
My 94 year old neighbor has a '65 Series 1 4.2 E-Type coupé but his kids won't let him drive it anymore. They allowed me to take their dad on a Sunday drive through the Valleys of Silicon Valley with it here in California. It is a lovely car to drive, steering is wonderful, engine has plenty of torque and it is not slow! The only problem is at 6'1" and 250# I just don't fit in it. Amazing experience and was so happy to see him smile as I broke the speed limit (just a little :-) ) I always wanted one, but now I'm happy with my Maserati GrandTurismo S and Cabrio S
You guys could do nothing but make videos about your passion and love for the 928 & 300zx, and I would never tire of watching them. Everything said about both of your feelings and priceless memories for those two cars... that's what it's all about! 😎❤ Not lap times, not power numbers, etc. Finding a car that you love, and can hit the open road with to "do 100 miles because it's a Sunday", there's just nothing better!
Glad this resonated with you. This is one of our all time favorite films, but as you can see, it's not the kind of thing that does very well on RU-vid. Very thankful to have you watching and enjoying!
I’ve been very fortunate to own my keep sake car since I was 19. Granted, at the time there were the untouchables. The Testarossa was an icon due to Miami vice. It was a Ferrari and since I was always into Ferrari’s, it was a must have. However, it really took over me in the 90’s. That’s when they introduced the F50. That is 1 of my unobtainable ones. I would love to have the opportunity to own one. The only other one was the McLaren F1. But again, who hasn’t pined over that one. Ps the owner of that Ferrari desperately either needs the original single lock wheels on it, or the updated 512tr wheels. The present ones are a crime on such an icon. 🙂
Loved the comments from others and their stories comparing dreams and realities. I don’t have separate dream/reality cars but a 1990 VW Corrado in the mountains of VA 10-years removed from owning a ‘77 Rabbit in the mountains of Western MA set me up for the car disease. Unfortunately for me, the disease was in remission for 21-years, life happens. Now it’s back, and I am looking for the next experience after 1-year of owning a 2019 Alfa-Romeo Giulia.
Wonderful review of these emotional icons of vehicles. In 1960 my father went to the London auto show and saw the E-Type for the very first time and said he sat there for an hour just looking at the car from all angles, memorized by the beauty. Both the Ferrari and Jaguar are fantastic cars, if you get the right one. Glad you were able to have such and awe inspiring day.
I used to have a testarossa car model when i was a kid, such cool looking cars. I love all cars.. my grandpa loved all kinds of cars and he worked on all kinds of cars at his house and thats how it all started for me
I was a car and motorcycle crazy kid as my dad loved both. 50 years ago I was 10 when I asked for a small book titled "The Golden Guide to Sports Cars" (published in 1968). I still have that book today and can look through it to see what cars I had marked as my favorites back then. My tastes have hardly changed. One of those eventually became my first car - a Triumph Spitfire that I bought used. Today I have a Honda S2000 - different car and driving experience, but the attraction is similar.
Over 40 years I have owned many Porsches. I found an '89 928 GT last year with 16 thousand miles on it, totally mint. Paid $89 thousand for it. The coolest Porsche I ever had. I also bough a '67 912 last year, also very cool because it's so primitive. Back in the day, maybe the 928 wasn't so popular but today that's not the case.
My English Dad would take me to car shows in the late 50s early 60s in Galveston/Houston where we lived. His British American friends had Sunbeams, MGAs, Triumph TR3s and one friend had an E Type. I got to sit in it, feel the leather seats, and I was a boy in love. Dad had 3 kids. So in 1961, the Houston Ford dealer began importing English Ford Anglias and Dad brought one. It was a little coupe that was his sports/family car. He loved it. They raced those in the UK. They quit making E Types before I graduated college in the late 70s. So I bought a 1976 MG and if I let my mind go, it was my E Type. I have a 2002 Camaro Z28 that I bought new. Sometimes, it’s my E Type.😎
Yes, I love the great cars you talk about, the narrative on every episode. I love that great and time consuming video production, always giving away glimpses of the winding roads and that beautiful countryside. But what I like best is the love for these cars and the enthusiasm you both have, the sheer enjoyment. Thanks again on the whole team, also those behind the camera's.
A great piece. I don’t know if it’s done intentionally but this thing really shows why you guys stands out. How genuine. For an idea of comparing dream cars and cars you guys actually owned and they are these fours? One of dream cars were type E and owned by the reviewer’ father twice and he compares z32 to it and he owned it twice as well and says great things about the car? It’s interesting I’ve had very brief exposures to both z32 and 928. Makes me appreciate how well the show is put together. It’s done by people who really knows great cars. People who are sensible enough to know there is more to life than just cars and modifications and really smart enough to know the great cars. It’s not accidents I know these cars mentioned above and I owned Elise, Mx-5 because I fit in them better and now the 86. It just proves the great ones are hard to come by for those who has life. The video impressed me so much I had to write. Thank you.
Thank you. Yes, we definitely wanted to share the genuine discovery and car love we felt in making this, and we’re glad it came across. Glad to have you watching!
I love these videos that take us down memory lane. Watching this took me back to when I was a teenager and discovered Corvettes. The C3 was my generation's Corvette, and for all it's faults and shortcomings (due to being born in the malaise era) it's still the one I want most.
As a fellow 928 owner, for me it is the Miura. I assume I just fell for the similar flat round headlight design and the long swooped hood. "Good" thing is that I will certainly never be able to own one of those.
Thanks for doing this. I have a scent memory of Z cars. The 300ZX came out my freshman year in college. I'm 51 now and I think they are just as gorgeous.
You two are the missing link between Automotive magazine and the modern day RU-vidrs: The convergence of serious car journalism and outright youthful enthusiasm. Thank you for this show, its iconic twisty roads and our dream cars. For me it was the Mitsubishi Starion, the 260Z, and of course the Testarosa in Miami Vice White or Baby Got Back Sir Mix A Lot Blacker than Black.
“I was right, my kid instinct were right” that’s sums it up! Great video guys! Excellent photography and audio capture and you definitely captured the essence of owning a classic Ferrari! I enjoyed watching your reactions to opening up the Testarossa. You nailed the key points of why an analog car is King. You want to feel the road through the steering wheel, you want to move the gated shifter… if you are a true Ferrari connoisseur. I just sold my 550 for a 1991 as I couldn’t hold out anymore. I have a 328 and it does all that you explained, but the Testarossa goes just the extra bit further into your heat. Or so I hope! I’ve yet to get it home but I can’t wait to experience on our mountain roads here in Austria! Really enjoyed this first episode I’ve watched. Look forward to watching more. Cheers Jason #jcr_cars
Love each of your videos. I have found my passion again for cars in my new 2021 Toyota 86. It was part from your videos and the way you each word things. So here I am, 45... in my new 86 just loving the shift of the gears and the exits of corners on windy roads in South Japan. Kudos Guys.
The moment I realised I loved cars completely was bringing home my dad's issue of Road and Track from the mailbox, with a bright orange Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 VT on the cover with the words "Faster than Hell!" Weirdly, my childhood bedroom poster car is a silver 996 Porsche 911 Turbo, and now, as an adult, I can't get enough of the 86 platform... Kids are somewhere on the horizon, and I want them to have some of the experiences you describe.
I used to write service for Nissan in the late 90's and early 2000's. The stock Z car wheels were designed like fans if you will. The slots I mean. They were designed so air would be sucked out from under the car at speed hunkering it down thus helping with grip and aerodynamics. Pretty cool for a car built way back 25 years ago.
My first car I bought in 1977 the year before I could legally drive. But to me, it was sheer magic to just caress it. I only paid $1,200 for it. And while it's not exotic in any way. It is today out of what I would pay for a car. I had no idea it would ever be that way then. It was a 1970 Dodge Charger RT/SE 440 Magnum in B5 blue. Six figure car today and I sold it in 1986 to pay for my last year of college for $2,000. But what awesome memories.
Thanks for reminding me there is no cure for our disease and keep doing what you're doing, I look forward to every episode on each platform and it was so nice to meet you both at Radwood Philly.
‘63 was the best time. E-type Jag. Porsche 911. Corvette Stingray. Most beautiful designs of the greatest cars. And of course, the year my wife and I were born 👍
Nicely done, gentlemen. How Todd managed to keep his hat intact while driving the XKE remains a mystery! It would sure be a hoot to go back and drive some reasonably intact versions of my early cars.
Four beautiful cars in a beautiful environment. I think you guys could review a Yugo and make it look desirable driving those roads with that scenery! :) I just drove through northern UT yesterday, coming back from CO through WY. I have a lot of dream cars from youth having been an avid reader of Road & Track and Car & Driver magazines. I think the one that I most lusted after was the Ferrari Daytona. When Brock Yates wrote about doing the Canonball in one with Dan Gurney, I was fascinated by the car and the article. I think that article was instrumental in my love of road trips to this day.
I had a '78 280Z with 5spd, it was a fun car and handled great, not so much on reliability at the time, with the basic fuel injection at the time. My dream cars, Ferrari Dino and the 288GTO, Porsche 550 Spyder and the 904.
Great video! My inspiration cars were air cooled 911s and the C3 Corvette. I now own and love a C6 Corvette which is technically better than the C3 in every measurable way, but the 911s of the 60's and 70's will forever be a dream and poster on the wall. Maybe one day I'll have a 1st gen Cayman.
Great video (again). So much passion for cars is transmitted by you guys! Love it. Just one remark: The pronunciation of Testarossa is wrong. You pronounce the "o" like in "roses", but it is more like the "o"in "obvious"..
Ive always loved cars from the time i was little, but in hs my friend got a hot rodded 57 bel air with a 383 stroker. Took me to one car show in it and that flipped my brain from casual fan to i HAVE to have one
I aspired to the late 60s exotics, but now I would say each of you had the better driving semi exotic car that can be driven all non-winter weather. Enjoy.
I love older cars for a variety of reasons, key among them is emotion. Our emotions are strongly tied to our senses. Sight, sound, smell and touch (feel) all come into play when we interact with cars. Older cars tend to really amplify such things, making them a hotbed for emotions. These aren't the sort of things reflected in a spec sheet. While today's cars offer superior levels of performance and safety, they are lacking in the sort of things that make driving cars like those in this video stand out.
Back in the days of Testarossa vs Diablo, I was on the Testarossa side, even though i don’t think i knew what the car was called, I was too little, I knew “ferrari” and “lamborghini” and “porsche” and “BMW” and the cars my family had, that was about it at that time. The supercar I remember most vividly is the Murcielago. The shape of that car is still amazing, but the funny thing is, now I would prefer the diablo first and the testarossa second, choosing between the three. Huh that’s an interesting track/daily/crush. Track the TR, daily the diablo, crush the murcie.
Great shots, excellent editing, amazing location as always, thanks. The car that started it for me was a 68 Corvette. I'm currently driving an ND Miata and have similar front-end vision.
I owned a matching numbers early 1962 3.8 fhc for 17 years at 6 ft 2 it was snug but not terrible, i think the fhc was better for taller drivers. I have no idea why it had to be a E-Type, i did own a V12 Series 3 convertible, but preferred the 3.8. I think it was my dads dream car and a step up from my first car a 1972 MGB Roadster. I also bought a new manual Nissan 300 zx twin turbo , it felt quick but heavy and the brakes couldnt handle brisk driving.. i sold it after a couple of years and bought a Honda Nsx 3.0 manual ... now that was a car! Still like the 928S and the 512 tr may be my next Ferrai
