AlphaCars & Ural of New England Official Blog
Archive for the ‘Car Brands’ Category
BMW M Sport
Tuesday, October 30th, 2018
May of ’72 racing history was taking leaps and bounds with BMW Motorsport. With the cooperation of several Italian automotive companies including Lamborghini and Giugiaro, BMW began taking charge of racing. With the collaboration in place and the first product rolling onto the track, BMW’s racing legacy had begun. During the beginning years the Motorsport series (later changed to ‘M’ series) was only for racing. They had built the most powerful engines of all time with 100 horse power on a single engine without any turbo added. Truly an amazing accomplishment.
Today BMW’s M series is still one of the most powerful engines available for consumers. Even better, these race cars are now street legal and can accommodate any amount of passengers needed; from SUV to sedan the ‘M’ engine remains the same. These days the engines are turbo charged for the maximum amount of speed capability. BMW keeps true to their roots by using the logo on all ‘M’ vehicles. The blue stripe represents BMW and the Bavarian region. The red stripe represents Texaco who partnered with BMW at the beginning of their racing endeavors and the purple stripe signifies their partnership together. Making something great and building history even today.
Current BMW M Sport Inventory<– Check out what we have in stock right now.
Ford GT40
Wednesday, April 11th, 2018
I feel the most American when I sit in my rust bucket car in a Walmart parking lot, eating fast food, because I’m too anxious to eat around people. It is when I am most conscious of my American ways. What would make it better is if I was sitting in one my dream cars, the Shelby-Ford GT40, which is like me, American made. Whenever it passes by me on the street I watch it wistfully drive by. It’s the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen. I was watching a documentary the other day and the GT40 was one of the car featured in the film and I decided it can’t be my favorite car until I understand the history.
Like all good stories it begins with revenge. Once upon a time, Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II were under negotiations for Ford to buy the Ferrari brand. Things were going well until the realization that if Ford bough Ferrari then the decision on which races to enter. The idea of not having total control of what he loved most made Enzo question his decision to allow Ford to purchase Ferrari. The Italians also pressured Enzo to keep Ferrari completely Italian and keep it a part of their culture. When time came to sign the agreement with Ford’s lawyers, Enzo sent them away refusing the deal. Ford was livid. He felt betrayed by Ferrari and decided to hurt him where it would the most. Ford told his engineers to build a car that would beat Ferrari at the 24 hour Le Mans race.
The engineers worked tirelessly to make Ford’s desire to beat Ferrari a reality. It was quite a hurdle to jump since Ferrari had been reigning champ for
the last few years at Le Mans. In 1964 the first GT40 rolled onto the road for it’s first race. Things were going really well until a couple laps in and Ford had to pull the vehicle from the race due to suspension failure. The engineers reworked the car then entered it into Le Mans 3 weeks later with 3 other GT40’s. All three of them received an incomplete. The season continued downhill to Ford’s dismay. He had millions of dollars wrapped up into the project to beat Ferrari. The last straw for Ford was at the Nassau race when they lost again. That’s when the program was then given to Carroll Shelby. The cars were packed up after the race, not even bothering to clean or maintain them before the transport.
Right out of the gate Shelby gave results at the Daytona 500 with it’s very first victory. However, the rest of the season didn’t go so well, frankly, it was a disaster. Ford was running low on patience, but all things in life that are worth something take effort. With each loss the team gained experience. When Le Mans came back around in 1966 Ford was ready. They entered 3 GT40’s and by the time the race was over they had received a 1-2-3 finish, beating Ferrari for the first time in history. Ford became the first American manufacturer win Le Mans. Their win sealed relations with Shelby and gave way to a new bright future for Ford.
Fun Facts:
- “GT” – Grand Touring “40” – representing overall height of 40 inches
- Ford was the only automaker out of “the big three” (Ford, Chrysler, and GM) to refuse government bailout money in the 2009 auto industry crisis
- Ford models compete in stock car racing, F1 racing, rally events, touring events, and sport car racing events
- 1st manufacturer to automate production with assembly line, pay workers a fair wage, produce a vehicle for the mass-market everyday consumer
Porsche 911
Wednesday, March 21st, 2018Racing has been a large part of the human culture. The most famous races in ancient Rome that spurred the sport forward even more. Today, racing cars is still a smashing hit. From Rally Races to Formula 1 there’s something about the speed that catches the breath. In all of this, there is a car that has risen above the rest and has become a benchmark. In every race it has entered it has won most all of them. Incredible in design and leading the pack, it is, the Porsche 911.
Beginnings
It all started in 1961 in Stuttgart, Germany as the Porsche 901. When the first few began to roll out of the factory, Porsche realized they had ruffled a
2007 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet
few feathers with their new model. The problem was in the name Porsche had used. A French car manufacturer called Peugeot, had complained about their exclusive rights to use 3 digit and a 0 in the middle model numbers. Before any intense legal fights could begin, Porsche added a 1 to it’s newest model and thus creating the Porsche 911. Only 82 Porsche’s 901’s were built, before the name change in 1964.
The Porsche 911 is a German sports car that has remained true to it’s roots after all the years of change and advancement. It has continued to be a benchmark for other sport car designers and racers. The 911 could arguably stated as Porsche’s most important release in their history. It came at a rough time in the world and in the economy. They built the legend, because they needed a legend to be born. The world was going through a recession and in order to stay in business Porsche knew they needed to come up with something that could keep them afloat. It was their decision to not go down without a fight that pushed their brand to the front of the pack and inspired later models.
Racing
911 R 2,0 Coupé, Gerard Larrousse at the ‘Tour de France,
Since the Porsche 911 is a sports car it’s no surprise when you see one race. What is surprising is what happened in the 70’s when Porsche really began to take off. The beautifully designed 911 won its first World Championship for Makes in 1976 and continued on as the reigning champ to 1979. Each win was with a 911 derived model and proved just how powerful they were. The World Championship wasn’t the only race that the 911 won. In 1970 the 911 Carrera RSR won Targa Florio and 24 Hours of Daytona. It were these races that made the legend what it is today. These races are what built the 911 reputation and caused envy in many drivers. In fact, when Porsche introduced the 911 Carrera 4S (4 because it has 4-wheel drive) other racers got very upset. They said it was an “unfair advantage” to their own vehicles and attempted to disqualify the Porsche.
The Porsche 911 has accomplished many things. It has become a symbol of greatness and speed. It is important to highlight the vehicles that make big changes or big statements to the rest of the world. Porsche certainly did so when they created the 911. If you’re interested in taking a look at a legend or test driving one we have two in stock right now, click the links below for more.
Porsche 911’s currently for sale at AlphaCars
1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet
Fun Facts
Value: The value of a Porsche 911 is different than most sports cars. They depreciate the least. This is because of the 911’s longevity, durability, and its steady demand from the general population all over the world.
Popularity: The Porsche 911 is the most popular vehicle Porsche sells.
Colors: Red, black, and white is the is the most popular color scheme.
Name: Porsche, pronounced “Por” “Shuh”
Mercedes-Benz AMG
Thursday, February 22nd, 2018As a rule I despise the Prius, I just do, and no, I don’t have any logical explanation for this. It’s probably better for the environment, probably decent to drive, and it’s most likely affordable; all things that make up a car I need. I don’t know the history, I don’t know what genius stayed up late working on the model or pitching the idea, I literally know nothing. What I do know is that there are a LOT of people who drive a Prius, it’s everywhere in case you haven’t noticed. In fact, it’s a best seller as a hybrid car according to Business Insider here in America. Even looking that simple fact makes me doubt my instinct to dislike the Prius, but only doubt. I’d have to take a long look at a Prius and it’s history before deciding if I actually like it.
2003 Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG Hard Top Roadster
On the other hand, if so many people are buying it, it must be doing something right. If a simple fact can have a small effect on my thinking, what will learning about a car’s history do? Let’s make this a little more relevant to a prominent brand we sell here at AlphaCars, Mercedes. I know your next question is, do I dare to detest this beautifully designed and well loved high end vehicle? Yes, yes I do. Again, there is no real logical reason other than the fact that I am a broke millennial who doesn’t get nice things. Mercedes is one of our specialties and now we shall dive into its interesting and complicated history. Are you ready?
AMG Beginning Years
Originally, AMG was a higher performance firm founded by Hans Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher that worked specifically on race engines. They were known then as AMG Engine Production and Development and worked independently from Mercedes. It wasn’t long until Mercedes wanted a piece of what AMG had to offer and so AMG worked on unofficial upgrades to various models that Mercedes would come out with. The most popular models to be modified were the Mercedes R107 and C107 (1971-1989), W116 (1972-1980), and the W123 (1976-1985) just to name a few. Customers would have to custom order their Mercedes-Benz with the AMG enhancements. Having the upgrade was great for the most part, but the downside was that they had to wait a little longer for their vehicle to be ready.
2015 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
AMG stands for Aufrecht, Melcher, and Großaspach (Aufrecht’s birth town). That last bit I’m sure Melcher had an issue with, but let’s not stop there. Business was booming and the partnership with AMG and Mercedes had undergone some major accomplishments. With its accomplishments came those who wanted a piece of the money makin’ pie. After a long, complicated, and drawn out power struggle AMG ended up being owned by an entity of Mercedes. Within that power struggle the main location for AMG split in two. The original location stayed in Burgstal, Germany where they continued to work on the racing engines. The second location moved to Affalterbach, Germany where it worked with Mercedes permanently. Within that split, Melcher split as Aufrecht’s business partner and instead became an employee at the Burgstal facility while his former partner moved on.
AMG Today
Mercedes-AMG models have come a long way since their beginning days, veering far from their racing roots and focusing more on mastering the most luxurious, ferocious looking vehicle in the market. Some say that compared to BMW M, Mercedes-AMG is “less narrow in its sporting focus, yet still combining sledgehammer performance with relaxed handling, cultured comfort, and practicality.” There’s no denying how well they’ve done and how comfortable it is to be behind the wheel of a Mercedes, particularly the Mercedes-AMG. Some people, like the new AMG chairman, are urging the company to focus on building sports cars. Even so, Mercedes has a great presence in both racing and the consumer market.
2011 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Engine
I feel like I have a much better understanding of where Mercedes-AMG is coming from, don’t you? It’s definitely better to have the history of the vehicle rather than the statistic like we had for the Prius. Having this knowledge under my belt I feel two things. One, like a major car nerd, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Second, it makes me feel like I should test drive a Mercedes-AMG. I appreciate the high performance of the AMG, the noise it makes when you start the engine, and the slight smile that is instinctual when you press on the gas. Yes, I think I could learn to love this vehicle, or at least wish upon it as it drives gracefully and powerfully by.
Below is a link that will direct you to our website so you can schedule a test drive and showing of one of the AMG’s we currently have in stock.
Current Mercedes-AMG’s in Stock
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