Taking out this Audi RS6 and IMMEDIATELY swapping the 5 spoke wheels for the goldline wheels. Still rolls well and is all set to have a track day out on the Nurbirgring! Pictures with original wheels towards the end.
Far from the path of totality in Finland, I planned to capture the sun and moon together against the granite tower of Kultaranta: the Finnish Presidential Residence. I did a couple of rehearsals the week before the eclipse to get the location, angles and timing right. The clouds were always an uncontrollable factor (this is by the Archipelago Sea) and almost threatened the plan. But they turned out thin enough to photograph through during the eclipse. The image was shot from a DSLR with a 100-400mm lens at max zoom, on a static tripod, just one frame from a timelapse sequence that I have yet to compile into a video. I had envisioned the building to have the Presidential Standard flag up, but it was lowered at 21:00 , about 20 minutes before this image.
With a wheeswap 👀 I can never resist a mainline with front and back tampos (a la Factory Fresh). This RS6 is no exception. The 5SP were traded for gold line mesh wheels to suit the muted gold paint on the car. How would you rate it?
That's the sound of the Police! EraCars Audi A6 of the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland). Adorned in the blue and fluorescent yellow 'Battenburg' pattern: a high-visibility, checkerboard-style vehicle marking primarily used by police and emergency services. The pattern was created in the UK in the mid-1990s: the alternating two-row design maximizes daytime and nighttime safety, allowing vehicles to be spotted from up to 500 meters away. The name Battenburg came due to its similarity to a style of layered cake with the same name. The casting itself comes with EraCars standard: opening parts, lensed lights, rubber treaded wheels and a nice interior. Case-in-point: the Audi logo on the steering wheel in #4.
How many of you know the Mitsubishi GTO/ 3000GT (and rebadged as the Dodge Stealth)? Featured advanced-for-its-time tech including full-time All-Wheel Drive (AWD), Four-Wheel Steering (4WS), Active Aerodynamics (auto-adjusting front and rear spoilers), electronically controlled adaptive suspension (ECS) and variable active exhaust 🤯 While this one is an older release by Para64, keep your eyes open for the Matchbox variant (in all white)!
I captured yesterday's partial solar eclipse against the central granite tower at Kultaranta, the official summer residence of the President of Finland in Naantali.
I captured yesterday's partial solar eclipse against the central granite tower at Kultaranta, the official summer residence of the President of Finland in Naantali. The last image is what the tower looks like in daylight. The Presidential Standard of Finland (the flag) is flown over the tower when the President is in attendance. However, it was lowered by 21:00, twenty minutes before the first image is captured.
From atop the VanhaLinna hill near Lieto, the following images are presented in the order they were shot in. Chronicling the Golden hour, a sundog, the sunset and the clouds throwing in drama.
The Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06 is a high-performance, track-focused variant of the sixth-generation Corvette, built around an aluminum frame and a race-bred naturally aspirated engine 7 LITRE V8. If there was any question of when Corvette's philosophy shifted from a muscle car to a super car, this would be a prime contender for the transition point. Casting by Johnny Lightning, featuring treaded tyres, impressive detailed base, but only painted lights.
Source: Confirmed Leaks from HW Collectors Convention
Personally loving the special mention of MOTORSPORT in Car Culture in Slide 2. C9 Sauber, 499P and Alfa 155 return. But also PORSCHE 919 HYBRID?? And the '84 LeMans winner 956? 😍 We are eating in 2027. If anyone finds these images in better quality, please add them in the comments. And yes, that's a Ferrari 812 in the Silver series box set.
Got my hands on my favourite generation of the Corvette. It was the first Corvette since 1962 to feature fixed headlights, abandoning the popup headlights of previous generations. This Z06 came with a roaring 7L V8 and plenty of weight saving measures which cemented its move from Muscle to Supercar genre.
Casting by Johnny Lightning, painted head- and taillights but rubber treaded wheels and impressive detail on the metal base.
The 1987 Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) is a legendary American muscle car built as the ultimate, limited-edition swan song for the G-body Buick Regal. Finished exclusively in all-black with flared fenders, front-fender air vents and minimal badging. Factory-rated at 276hp (though actual output was closer to 300+hp), it launched from 0-100 in almost equivalent times to contemporary supercars like the Ferrari F40. The car has been reproduced really mostly well in this casting by M2 Machines. However, I did notice that the vents above the front fender are missing.
The 1987 Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) is a legendary American muscle car built as the ultimate, limited-edition swan song for the G-body Buick Regal. Finished exclusively in all-black with flared fenders, front-fender air vents and minimal badging. Factory-rated at 276hp (though actual output was closer to 300+hp), it launched from 0-100 in almost equivalent times to contemporary supercars like the Ferrari F40. The car has been reproduced really mostly well in this casting by M2 Machines. However, I did notice that the vents above the front fender are missing.
In frame: #5 Subaru Impreza WRC, driven by Richard Burns and co-driver Robert Reid, which went on to win the '99 Rally Australia in the famous gold on blue color scheme! Model by MiniGT. Found some cliff-like rock formation by the coast to stage this set.
A simple Matchbox mainline for a simple man. Presenting the Austin Mini Cooper paired with a 1:64 figurine from Cartrix. Being a mainline, the car is just tampoed on the front and top, Austin Motors badge visible. However, the actual car in the show was a '77 Leyland Cars Mini 1000 Mk IV, painted in the same color as this: Austin Citron Green, with the bonnet painted matte black. Close enough for me!
Freshly shipped from the far east! The Jags had been a long time 1:64 holy grail items! Sad that there're no original SilkCut decals on the XJR9 but it is what it is . . . Carrera GT has an accurate (photo etched?) engine grill whose texture you can feel running a fingernail on it. The LMR isn't the #15 '99 winner but the #17 sister car which was leading for most of the race before the stuck throttle caused a crash. Last but not the least, the factory black (Nero) Ferrari Enzo is one of the rarest color specifications for Ferrari's iconic V12 supercar.
These guys need no introduction I'm sure! Just a simple Matchbox mainline for a simple man and his little friend. Figure by Cartrix.
Some say it is the most iconic, beautiful and valuable car in automotive history. I got it as the 250 GTO is a homologation spec for the 3 times consecutive winner of the World Sportscar Championship (GT Class). A lot of minute details are paid attention to in this diecast: Prancing horse on the steering wheel, chromed bonnet latches, quad exhaust, blue bucket seats with embroidery like pattern on the 'leather' elsewhere, wireframe wheels with modelled centre lock... Another Ferrari out of the park by Centuaria.
Presenting the Ferrari Testarossa: Designed as a 12-cylinder, mid-engine supercar; ended up becoming a defining symbol of pop culture. Designed by Pininfarina, its most recognizable features are the wide rear track and the side strakes, which channeled air into side-mounted radiators to keep the cabin cool. This casting by Centuaria captures the essence of the car everywhere it matters. Two tone interior, Pininfarina badge on each side, just a single side mirror (early models had just 1) and the fitting 5 spoke wheels.
For context: Testarossa literally translates to "red head" in Italian, referencing the red-painted valve covers on its engine.