The meet is called Super Car Saturday, as in a Saturday meet filled with super cars; vehicles of the six figure price tag, low slung exotic, hyper space traveling variety. However, as the meet has evolved, one could read the title as Super, Car Saturday, as in a super Saturday filled with just great cars. That is precisely what you get with these meets, seemingly without fail nowadays. Sure you still have plenty of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches and their kind, but you get vehicles of all makes and eras that present something a bit more special than the average car on the road today. The likelihood of leaving a Super Car Saturday saying to yourself, "wow, I had never seen one of those in person before!" is incredibly high. Even if you frequent this meet, as I do, you still come across those kinds of moments more often than not. (For me this month, the Rossion Q1 checked off that box.) So, I set out again this month, in the early July heat, braving sun burn and a pint of back sweat, to deliver you the latest gallery of automotive hotness that is Super Car Saturday!
Let's get right to it, the Rossion Q1, have you ever seen one that was not on your TV screen while playing Forza Motorsport? Odds are pretty good your answer is no. This small exotic kit car maker essentially took the Noble M400, of which they bought the rights to, and made it into something more than just a spartan track day weapon. They injected some luxury into it. They also seemed to have massaged the body work into what I think makes a more handsome package. Without looking at specs, the wheel base appears shorter and the package is a bit smaller and tighter than the Noble M400 it is derived from. Like the Noble, this is ultimately a kit car. Think of it as a fully functional 1:1 scale version of a Revell model car you'd build as a kid. You buy the car in pieces/segments, and either assemble yourself, or have your cool uncle (or a professional shop) help you with the assembly. Some might balk at the less than sexy powerplant at it's heart, essentially a Ford V6 with twin turbos attached, but it's worked out pretty well for Ford's new GT. Besides, we are well into the new era of automotive performance, gone are the days where true exotic machines demanded 8 cylinders or more. In the end, you are left with what I think is a rather good looking car, that boasts of some impressive performance numbers. How impressive? According to Rossion, a top speed of 190mph, a lateral G capability well exceeding 1G, and 450 horspower of turbocharged V6 grunt in something that weighs less than the latest Mazda MX-5. Sounds like driving one would be quite the rush, something you'd never match with that old Revell model, no matter how much glue fumes you inhaled.
Speaking of exotics, it seems Mclaren is putting the world of exotics on notice, they are elevating the game. I have to admit, when I had seen many of the press photos of Mclaren's new 720S in reviews, magazines, and videos, the styling of the car really didn't appeal to me. I can't put a finger on why, but it just didn't feel like it had that "it" factor. However, seeing the pair brought out by Chicago Motor Cars in person, has caused me to do a complete 180 on that sentiment. The 720S is an incredibly beautiful and graceful looking car. The presence it has just sitting parked in the late morning sun, is palpable. I clearly wasn't alone in this assessment, as the pair on hand were nearly impossible to get a clear shot of, with throngs of admirers a constant presence. By all accounts the car's performance capabilities too, have proven to be next level, so Mclaren really has a hit here. I'm not sure why some cars need to be experienced in person like this to fully appreciate, but I am glad I finally got the opportunity. I thought the 570 was a phenomenal looking car, I still do, but the moment I saw the 720, the 570 immediately looked "old". It is that good. Actually, wait, no, I still don't care for the 720S, Mclaren if you're reading, I can still be swayed, just loan me one for a week or two.
When Ford decided to pay homage to the original GT40 back in 2004 with a new version of the Le Mans winner, in the form of a road car the now named GT, it was one of those rare instances where a car became an instant collectible. GT's sold for above MSRP, and instead of depreciating, seemingly appreciated instantly ever since. While your investment dollars would have gone further buying Google stock in 2005, in automotive terms the Ford GT has to be one of the top performing investments from that time period. Given their value, and relatively low production numbers, the Ford GT is a relatively scarcely seen car. No doubt many sit well sheltered and pampered by collectors, the equivalent of a kid keeping his 1979 Boba Fett action figure in it's original packaging and never playing with it. It might seem kind of sad to some, think of the joy you miss out on by never having played with that toy. What if I told you that Boba Fett figure could be worth what the 2005 Ford GT originally sold for? Doesn't seem so crazy or sad now does it? In any event, I am grateful that not one, but two Ford GT's made it out to Super Car Saturday this month. One, most notably, wearing full vintage Gulf livery...splendid. Time to crack open that Boba Fett and have him go toe to toe with Han to sort out who really is the galaxy's top bounty hunter! After all, it's only money.
Speaking of toys, let's talk Legos. I am certain many car enthusiasts share a common love of those little Dutch plastic building bricks, and grew up constructing countless play-sets or free-styled structures limited only by the imagination. What if you could integrate that love of Legos more completely with your love of cars? One man in particular did just that, with this faithful recreation of a Lego VW Beetle. Sporting the same exterior paint color, roof rack and surfing accoutrement, it really is a dead ringer for the play set it dons on it's front bumper. It's tough not to smile at the light little fun loving car that is the Beetle, but it reaches new levels of charm when mimicking a Lego set so well. This car perfectly exemplifies the kind of fun, non-super car type of stuff that also comes out to Super Car Saturday, and I love it!
The amount of special, rare, and fun cars on hand for any given Super Car Saturday never seems to disappoint. I mean that too, I've been to nearly every one of them in the last three years, and I am certain I've come away from each one impressed and seen something I had never seen before. What I post in my blog coverage is just a sample. The nature of the meet is that it is somewhat fluid, cars come and go throughout the morning, and I skip around quite a bit in an effort to cover as much ground as possible. As such, if all you see of Super Car Saturday is my blog coverage or even all the various local social media feeds, you are still probably missing quite a bit. If you have yet to make it to one of these meets, stop delaying, you've got two left this summer in August and September. First Saturday of the month, mark it on your calendar. No excuses, I'll see you out there!
-photos and writing: Robert Sixto
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