march 18, 2015

Elon Musk. Editor-in-Chief's Note: If I hear one more rationale as to how the autonomous cars movement will ultimately prove beneficial to driving enthusiasts I am going to scream.This is what Elon Musk had to say at a tech conference in San Jose yesterday, according to Automotive News: “In the distant future, I think people may outlaw driving cars because it’s too dangerous,” Musk said at the conference held by graphics chipmaker Nvidia Corp. “You can’t have a person driving a two-ton death machine.” Musk backed away from that statement on Twitter later in the day by saying, “To be clear, Tesla is strongly in favor of people being allowed to drive their cars and always will be,” he wrote. “Hopefully, that is obvious.” No, Elon, it isn't obvious and I'm not buying it for a second. Musk's fundamental loathing for everything to do with the passion of the automobile shines through with every new foot-in-mouth pronouncement. The aim of Musk, the Patron Saint of the anti-car intelligentsia, and others of his ilk is to eliminate hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of cars from America's highways and byways and remove the human element from the driving equation all together. In every way imaginable it is a giant, steaming bowl of Not Good. - PMD

(BMW)
“Seventies style - the jetset is back” is the theme for the 2015 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, on Lake Como, May 22-24. Historic cars and motorcycles with a fascinating past will do battle in a number of competition categories on the grounds of Villa Erba in Cernobbio. Rolls-Royce Phantoms from various decades will also be competing in a special class for the coveted Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este trophies, on the occasion of the model's 90th Anniversary. In addition, the Concorso di Motociclette has established itself as one of the highlights of Day 2. The grounds of Villa Erba will also be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. This year’s special exhibition in the rotunda at Villa Erba is devoted to the BMW Art Cars that captured the imagination of art and motor racing fans alike in the 1970s. These works of art by Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Alexander Calder will be joined by the BMW M3 GT2 Art Car created by Jeff Koons. The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is considered one of the world’s most exclusive and tradition-steeped stages for historic cars and motorcycles. The event in the northern Italian town of Cernobbio was first held in 1929 as an exhibition for new creations from the auto industry, but since the 1980s it has majored instead on the history of motoring itself.