And They Say There Are No Good Cars in Raleigh!
Many people consider Raleigh to be somewhat of a dead town when it comes to exciting or interesting cars. But if you keep a sharp eye out, you occasionally find some gems in amoung the thousands of Camrys and Explorers. For instance:
This is Steve’s Audi RS6 sedan, one of about 6 in the Raleigh area. They’re exceedingly rare cars in the US (well, they’re rare everywhere. But really rather rare in the US.) It was Audi’s top-of-the-line A6 a few years back, and has a twin-turbocharged 40-valve V8 under the hood. This innocuous looking sedan puts 450 horsepower to the ground through all four wheels. Corvettes hardly stand a chance. Nice, isn’t it? Steve says this car replaced an E39 ///M5, and he much prefers the RS6 despite the automatic transmission. Can’t say I blame him.
Sadly enough, this is the first of these I’ve actually spotted on the road. That says something (in my eyes) rather negative about who buys these. Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang, supercharged 5.4L 32v V8 with a whopping 500 horsepower. I almost didn’t notice it, to be honest. What a beautiful car, though.
These two I spotted parked next to each other in downtown Raleigh last week. This first one here was once a nice, sedate Acura TL. Now it has a fully stripped interior with racing seats and a rollcage, and a Comptech Supercharger underhood. That’s what that big intercooler is for. Check out all the expensive-looking carbon fiber bits and pieces he’s stuck on the thing. Still, you have to give him some respect: if he can deal with the torque steer that car surely has, then he’s probably got big ol’ biceps and could beat you senseless if you didn’t.
Sorry for the crap-tastic flash; the camera can’t focus at night without it.
This one is a newer Lexus IS350. Fantastic looking car; it had a full Rotora big-brake setup with 6-piston front calipers, a full HKS exhaust (sounded quite nice), and perhaps the perfect wheel/tire fitment for the lowered suspension. Look at the lip on those suckers; and they sit perfectly flush with the fenders, tucking just a little bit. I very rarely see well-done Lexuses, (most in Raleigh are all donked up on some 26’s and slower than your average minivan - it’s sadly that kind of town) so this one was pretty exciting.
Seen any nice cars around RDU lately? Taken a picture! Send them on in! Go ahead.
Till next time,
-James