Cold but not bitter. It is a quiet winter’s day on Seven Lakes Drive in Harriman State forest. Ranked high on the short list of favorite local roads, it rewards the driver with a well paved two-lane that snakes through dense woodlands and past picturesque lake panoramas. This day few takers appear interested in sampling its pleasures. Then, faintly at first distinctive exhaust notes announce the arrival of a small but decidedly interesting trio of sports cars.

Behind the wheel of a time machine

Displaying a vibrantly rich and original Guards Red paint, the 1986 Porsche 911 grabs your eye as it flashes across the winter gray brown forest backdrop. Downshifting, it takes Kanawauke circle in its stride emitting the distinctive Porsche flat-six engine timbre and moves east.

Close behind sounding like a Spitfire going up over the English Channel to shoot down “Jerry,” a black 1953 Jaguar XK120mc approaches the circle. Seeking to purchase a firm grip with its slender 6.00X16 bias ply white walls, it exhibits decidedly more caution than the 911 as it downshifts into the curve then barks defiantly as it exits the circle.

Lastly, a Rapid Blue 2020 Corvette, the extroverted long awaited mid-engine high value performance beast, simply proceeds through the circle with a rumble and unruffled nonchalance, then, like that, It’s gone.

Jaguar XK120, Porsche 911 and the new Corvette, a visually striking threesome of iconic sports cars spaced decades apart. Clark Gable posed with a Jag, Steve McQueen with a 911 and today, eager buyers wait for their new Stingray.

It took little coaxing to motivate my friends and lifetime “car guys” Peter Desbets with his Porsche and Bill Whited with his new Corvette to join me in accepting mother nature’s gift of clear, dry roads and a sunny 40 degree day in January.

Framing each of these iconic sports cars in their period of dominance reveals a striking kinship in their perceptions by the public in general and automotive enthusiasts in particular. Each embodies a high level execution of refined engineering for their time. Their strikingly handsome designs made all three highly admired and desired. However, their ability to deliver winning performance served to position each in the public eye as far more than a pretty face. In their time all raced and won at Lemans, Sebring and in myriad competitions around the world. Each projected […]

Especially for guys alive when the Jets last won a Super Bowl, identifying future stewards of car enthusiast culture represents a real concern. There exists a certain uneasiness as they straddle the intersection of history and hope.

From time to time Drivin’ News enjoys exploring exciting and positive examples of the hope. Some weeks ago teenage demolition derby driver Christian Farquhar spoke about his passion for smashin’.

Now, comes the story of two inspired and talented young racing enthusiasts. Partnering in a shared unconventional vision with a shoestring budget, these BMW aficionados plan to intrude on the local JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) dominance in drifting with a worked 1990 BMW E30 coupe.

Meet Dominick Carluccio and Jamie Cooper.

Wurst Käse Motorsports

Left: Jamie Cooper      Right: Dominick Carluccio

In their mid-twenties, whip smart and quick to laugh, both Dominick and Jamie speak fast car fluently with a distinct euro-performance accent.

The whole drifting thing had not been the inspiration for their initial 1990 E30 coupe project. Dom bought the car simply because he liked it. However, the car itself inspired the drifting dream. Dom says, “We were amazed by how well it handled and the power from that 2.5-liter inline 6.” Clearly they felt the E30 had the bones to make a hell of a drift car. Seeing is believing and what they were about to see set their smoking wheels in motion and gave birth to their joint venture, Wurst Kase Motorsports.

Jamie says, “It all came together about a year or so ago, Dom and I went to a drifting event at Virginia International Race Track and by chance connected with drifting team “Insane Wayz.” “Insane Wayz” campaigns on the Professional Formula Drift (Formula D) circuit with a BMW E30 powered by the original M20 engine hooked up to a turbo diesel Cummins turbo. Accepting a generous offer from an “Insane Wayz” team member, they received a full tour of the car. Both Dom and Jamie took notice of how well everything fit together and functioned.

Rear clip of E30 4-door

Dom says, “We’re just sitting there reviewing all the modifications and we are going ‘we could do that and we could do that. Yeah, we could do it!” Returning home they immediately bought two 1990 E30s with a vision of turning them into one badass […]

Even before Covid, the internet expanded the scope of car enthusiast interactions to a global scale. BaT, blogs, forums, etc. profoundly extended our reach. At times far beyond our grasp. Covid simply doubled down on our reliance on the Web as our personal intermediary in conducting transactions especially those involving purchasing things like vintage cars. What could go wrong?

“A lot,” says friend of Drivin’ News, Tom LoRusso.

Singing the CarGurus no title blues

Tom LoRusso with his untitled 2001 BMW 740i Sport

Titanium Silver Metallic 2001 BMW 740i Sport with Gray leather interior, Tom LoRusso knew exactly what he wanted. Over time he had missed a couple of opportunities. Undeterred, he soldiered on. In late February of 2020 an apparently beautiful example popped up on Cargurus.com. It was a California car. Tom, an experienced mechanic in a earlier life, conducted his due diligence. Photos looked great. Carfax produced no red flags. Next step would put him in touch with an experienced BMW mechanic in California to do an onsite PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection). The report back confirmed that Tom had found a sweet example of his heart’s desire. Tom pulled the trigger.

With a price agreed, and the broker’s confirmation of title, Tom arranged shipping and transferred the money.

Before shipping, the broker emailed all the paper work for Tom’s electronic signature. He confirmed the title would be coming. Tom had emphasized that he would not take the car without a title.

It took a week or so to ship the car to Tom’s home in New Jersey. A brilliant spring sun gave life to the well preserved silver metallic paint as the BMW eased down the carrier ramp. It displayed the condition and quality Tom had expected. Two days later the ownership paperwork came in the mail. Right about this time Covid-19 became news and went viral, so to speak. Tom accepted that Covid would complicate matters and prepared to patiently await his opportunity to register the BMW in New Jersey. During that time he would drive using the temporary California tags. As the lockdown dragged on past the 30-day limit of his California tags, Tom felt significant relief with news that, due to Covid, New Jersey had extended the legal life of temporary tags. Then, in July, long awaited relief arrived.

News reports announced that the […]