Christine Jones's blog

Have you ever heard of the Ultimate Aero supercar? I've got to admit, I had no idea this insanely fast hyper-car existed. I just watched a video of this production car - that's right, production car - blowing the doors off of the world speed record.

The Ultimate Aero took to the flatlands of Wyoming a couple months ago with representatives from Guinness World Records filming the whole run. This muscle-bound beauty was clocked at an astounding 256.18mph!

Manufactured by Shelby Supercars, this electrifying speed demon may share the legendary Shelby name, but it's no relation at all to Carroll Shelby or Shelby North America. In fact, Shelby Supercars is the brainchild of a guy by the name of Jerod Shelby.

The Ford GT40 was a high-speed monster that dominated the racetracks back in the ‘60s. Auto fans back then fell in love with its sexy, aerodynamic lines and that love affair hasn't cooled off yet.

Personally, the low-slung good looks of the GT40 are enough to get my pulse racing and my heart pounding.

I recently read an article about the SPF GT40 from Superformance, one of the world's leading component car manufacturers. Turns out that this particular component car's serial numbers are actually continuation numbers from the revered Safir GT40 Spares LLC out of Milford, Ohio.

I recently read up on the handcrafted cars offered by the Mullen Motor Company (www.mullenmotorco.com) out of Las Vegas. In particular, I was absolutely captivated by the Mullen M-11, which has a distinctively exotic look.

Turns out, the Mullen M-11 has an impressive pedigree. At an Association of Handcrafted Automobiles Show just a couple months ago, she was named winner of the Special Interest award, and then took the Kit Car Illustrated Editor’s Choice Car of the Show trophy as well.

Last month, I wrote about DJ Motorsports' Lotus 7-inspired DAX Rush. Now I'd like to tell you about another car manufacturer in England who also uses Colin Chapman's brilliant Lotus 7 design - Caterham Cars.

Caterham Cars has been manufacturing their version of the Lotus 7 since 1973. Lovingly called the Caterham 7, this very cool Clubman-style car can be purchased as either a complete kit or basic starter kit, and is even available as a "ready to hit the highway" factory-built beauty. Now, that's a nice range of choices!

But as all kit car enthusiasts know, the fun is in the build.

Don’t be fooled by its diminutive size.  This Porsche-inspired two-seater from Vintage Spyder is made for the adrenaline rush of speed and hairpin curves.

When Porsche first introduced the 550 Spyder back in the ‘50s, it was the manufacturer’s first effort at an all-out, “burn up the track” racecar.  Its low slung design and beefed-up engine made it a natural on the racetrack.  In fact, during its racing reign in the mid-1950’s, the 550 Spyder beat everything in its class and even some much higher-powered racecars. 

If you travel to another state or even another country, chances are you'll rent a car to get around while there. Now, car rental can be a great experience or it can be a hair-raising adventure. And with so many nondescript rental cars available, it's a real thrill when one actually adds to the fun of seeing new places.

I recently returned from a dream vacation in the Yucatan Peninsula area of Mexico. While there, I rented a car to take in some of the local scenery. What I ended up with was a smoking Geo Tracker (no, it wasn't smoking fast or cool-looking - the exhaust blew more smoke than my granddad's cigars). The floor of this thing was so rusted out I could literally see the road beneath my feet.

While surfing the Web, I came across the news of a brand new car that is so hot and so incredibly beautiful that I fell in love on the spot. The name of my new amore is the Galmer Arbitrage GT, and it’s drop-dead gorgeous.

Manufactured in Thailand, the Galmer Arbitrage GT features a carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Additionally, the majority of its body is carbon fiber, making it an incredibly lightweight car.

The designers of the Galmer Arbitrage GT took a “back to basics” approach, and as far as looks and functionality go, it definitely works. This GT is sleek, aerodynamic and its cockpit is roomy enough to comfortably seat a basketball player.

One of my favorite things in life is that "sun on my shoulders and wind in my face" feeling I get from driving an open cockpit car. And if the car happens to be an ultra-sexy Cobra replica, then life just doesn't get much better. However, if one lives in an area that has cold, inclement winters, hitting the highway in a Cobra-inspired kit car is definitely a seasonal indulgence.

If your Cobra replicar is a Dax Tojeiro, though, the days of waiting for the sun to shine are over.

DB Replicas has just announced the launch of their unique removable Le Mans hard top made specifically to fit the open cockpit Dax Tojeiro. One thing I really like about this hard top kit is that it actually compliments the fast, lean lines of the Cobra.

Recently, Classic Motorsports Magazine announced that racing legend Bob Bondurant will be honored as Grand Marshall of the upcoming Mitty 2008 Speedfest. The annual Mitty Speedfest will take place this year at Road Atlanta on May 2-4, 2008.

Bob Bondurant is certainly a familiar name to both the racing industry and racecar aficionados alike. A member of Carroll Shelby's history-making Ford Cobra racing team back in the 1960s, Bondurant made his mark as he won race after race in Europe. Today, he has gained international recognition as one of the world's leading authorities on driver training.

Like the entire hot rod community, I was stunned to read that one of the most ingenious designers of our time passed away suddenly on Wednesday. Boyd Leon Coddington, owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of the "American Hot Rod" reality show on the Discovery Channel was 63 years old.

Mr. Coddington started building cars when he was just 13 years old, and soon started shaking up the old standards of hot rod creativity. One of his most well-known designs was dubbed "Cadzilla," which soon came to be considered a design masterpiece. Cadzilla was a customized 1950 Cadillac that Coddington built for ZZ Top singer Billy Gibbons.