My buddy Steve's new 911 Carrera S

So my buddy Steve upgraded his Boxster S to a new 911 Carrera S cabriolet a couple months back, and he was so excited that he brought it over for a mini photo session...in my garage. Sorry the lighting wasn't the greatest, but his white Carrera stood out fairly well against the gray industrial background. Nice looking car, the small subtle styling changes nicely enhanced the overall look and presence of the 997, and is a significant improvement over the 996.

I like the traditional look of the 911 and this car is more reminiscent of those lines. Circular headlights, flatter horizontal taillights, etc., give it a clean look. The LEDs are a nice touch both front and back, and Steve switched out the side indicators with smoked/clear ones that go well with the white color of the car. The best feature on this 997, however, has to be the wider stance from the rear.

I only got to drive this thing from the street to the garage, thanks a lot Steve!

Porsche Porsche Porsche!

Porsche always has a separate hall just to itself at the LA Auto Show as far as I can remember, and they do a great job of creating an experience rather than just a show booth. The entrance hall feels more like a theme park attraction entrance, with Porsche engine revving sounds playing and a classic Porsche at the end of the entrance foyer(a 718/8 W-RS Spyder this year to coincide with the introduction of the 2011 Boxster Spyder). Inside the hall there’s a maddening array of shiny Porsche models on display. There’s the Panamera, which actually looks better in person than on paper. More striking is the GT3 RS with bright orange accents and rims, but the star of the show is definitely the new Boxster Spyder. The new lightest production Porsche has differences from the standard Boxster and Boxster S on the inside and out, but the most remarking is the one-piece aluminum cover that replaces the engine/tonneau cover and rear trunk lid with two convex fairings behind the headrests. It’s a great variation on the Boxster and the improved power-to-weight ratio should make it a hell of a driver as well.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from eBay Motors on posterous...shh, don't tell our PR guys

I dig the new 2009 Ferrari California!

The Ferrari booth at the LAAS was one of my favorites, for obvious reasons - the cars are simply awesome! I was delightfully surprised when they let us sit in the cars (I love press days!). I made a beeline for the new California roadster.

The Good - The folding hard top of the California is so beautifully crafted that when it's up, you can't tell it's a convertible. It looks even better than the folding hard top on the new BMW 3 series convertible. The LED lights in the headlight assembly look great and add a high-tech feel to the car. I also like how the front corners of the car are chiseled and point towards the classic Ferrari grill. The proportions of this front-engined GT are also very classic, unlike that of the Porsche Boxster. Me likes.

The Bad - What is up with the side vents? They look very plasticky and cheap. The shape is awkward too on the fender, I don't like it.

The Ugly - Here's the worst part - yep, you guessed it, the vertically stacked double tail pipes. Need I say more?

Overall the Ferrari California is well-designed, a modern interpretation of the classic Italian Grand Touring coupe. I'll take one, but probably not in powder blue.

2003 Porsche Boxster S is pretty cool

So my friend Steve brought his Porsche Boxster S over today so I decided to review it on the blog.  

Although there's a new Boxster on the scene right now, it's really hard to tell them apart.  Steve begs to differ, he can easily tell the new one from the old.  He's smoking crack.  There's almost no perceptible differences between the two.  This 2003 Boxster was the first year they made it with a glass rear window, so you don't end up with a completely clouded out plastic window in 2 years.

The Good - The Boxster looks way better than a 911. Period. It also is one of the best looking roadsters with the top down. It's the least chick roadster of them all, way better than a Miata or a VW EOS.  Dig the red Brembo brake calipers you find on the Carrera, part of the package you pay the extra 20 grand for on the S.  I also like the whited-out blinkers on the tail lights, much classier than the amber ones. Steve swapped out the amber front side turn signals with darkened white ones.  The centrally located twin tail pipes are also a nice touch.  Also like the integrated fog lights.

The Bad - when the top's up.

The Ugly - when the top's up.  And the fact that the front wheels are so far back from the front end of the car.  There's simply too much overhang on the front end, they should've pushed the front wheels to the corners.

In conclusion, there's really not too much to pick with on the Boxster S.  It's almost as great looking as my 2005 Infiniti G35 S sedan!