Posts tagged Morrie’s
What’s Going On 3/4-3/6
Mar 2nd
Tribute Night at Amsterdam Bar and Hall – Friday, March 4th
Unless you have a Delorean and can time travel back to the early nineties it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to hear Weezer’s entire Blue Album, Alice in Chains’ Dirt and Nirvana’s Nevermind performed live from start to finish. Fortunately, you won’t need Marty McFly’s help this weekend because all three albums will be performed atAmsterdam Bar and Hall’s Tribute night. All this for just $10.
MMA at Mystic – Friday, March 4th
The last fight we saw at a casino was between two seniors trying to stake their claim on a lucrative penny slot. This weekend you can witness more intense fighting when the MMA heads to Mystic Lake. We’re not big on fighting, but you probably knew that since we’re looking for a Volkswagen Hippie Bus.
Bedrace for bridging – Saturday, March 5th
There’s nothing quite like snuggling up in a warm bed — while hurtling down a snowy ski slope. If this sounds like your idea of fun you have to check out the Subway Bed Race for Bridging. This annual winter extravaganza pairs mattresses of all sizes with exuberant individuals looking for a different type of winter activity.
Minnesota Roller Girls Home Season Championship – Saturday, March 5th
Hell on wheels. That’s what we’d call our roller derby team if we had one. Alas, we don’t so we have to resort to watching others play. We’re in luck because theMinnesota Roller Girls Home Season Championship kicks off this Saturday.
An SUV with the Heart of an Italian Sport Car
Feb 20th
Italian automakers have historically produced some of the most beautiful and best sounding vehicles, but they don’t often make Sport Utility Vehicles. Maserati has been delivering fun to drive, gorgeous cars to showrooms for years and they are now taking that recipe to the SUV market with the Maserati Levante. They have carried over the company’s design language with an aggressive front end highlighting the tapered headlights. The signature styling continues past the grill feature with three iconic air vents and trapezoidal C-pillar. The underpinnings of the Levante feature sophisticated air suspension with air springs and controlled damping. The Q4 all wheel drive system similar to the Quattroporte and Ghibli is adapted for unparalleled on road performance and low grip off road situations. An 8 speed transmission has been specially calibrated for the new SUV attaching to the gasoline powerplant.
Five Automotive-Themed Watches To Keep The Car Lover On Your Gift List On Time
Dec 14th
Nobody likes being late and while anyone can check the time on their smartphone, it’s not a particularly elegant option. Watches have made a huge comeback lately (especially mechanical watches that don’t require batteries to run) and it’s easy to see why. With a style to fit nearly any wrist, there’s something cool about strapping a tiny little machine or supercomputer to your wrist. Being a bunch of car lovers here at Morrie’s, we figured we’d compile a list of our favorite automotive-themed watches to keep the car lover on your holiday gift list on time.
We’re big fans of Autodromo, not just for their watches, but also because the owner of the company is a big car guy. He races a vintage Alfa Romeo and creates some great driving gloves as well as sunglasses. Autodromo’s watches (ranging from $375 – $1,200) are offered in five styles, although we prefer the models that emulate the classic gauges of our favorite race cars such as the “Veloce”, the “Stradale”, and the “Group B”.
While Autodromo is a relative newcomer to watch world, Tissot has been assembling watches since 1853. While that was quite a while before the first cars (or horseless carriages) were ever created, Tissot has built a solid reputation for themselves with a line of automotive-themed watches. The range features both quartz (battery-powered) and mechanical watches with prices ranging from about $350 – $2,000.
For those that appreciate motorcycles, Tudor offers the Fastrider chronograph (about $4,000) in conjunction with Ducati. Available in three unique colors taken directly from the hot new Ducati Scrambler motorcycles, they also come with a really unique leather strap that reminds us of our favorite leather jacket.
One name synonymous with motorsports and cars in general is Steve McQueen. While Heuer (now Tag Heuer) has been around since 1860, Heuer went through a bit of a golden age when they began sponsoring motor racing events in the 1960s. That resurgence hit critical mass when Steve McQueen began wearing a blue and red Heuer Monaco at the track and on set while filming movies like LeMans. As such, that style of Monaco has been dubbed the “Steve McQueen” and now Tag Heuer is offering an updated version with their Caliber 11 movement for 2015 ($5,500).
One of the quintessential timepieces that harkens back to vintage racing is the Chopard Mille Miglia. Named after the famous 1,000 km street race through Italy, the Mille Miglia comes on a really cool rubber strap made from actual recycled tires and stamped with a cool vintage tire tread pattern. We especially like the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control ($6,640) model seen below because it features a power reserve indicator that looks just like a gas gauge to alert the wearer when the watch needs to be wound.
Those of you who attend our Formula One viewing parties at our Morrie’s Heritage Car Connection warehouse, you might’ve seen three-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton sporting his signature IWC Ingenieur Chronograph ($15,200) around the paddock. The titanium case, ceramic crown and chronograph pushers, and carbon fiber dial just scream motorsports.
But for those who aren’t part of the Lewis Hamilton Fan Club might want to consider something even more exotic: the carbon fiber-cased IWC Ingenieur Automatic Carbon Performance Ceramic. With a case made out of solid carbon fiber and accented with shiny and nearly indestructible black ceramic, this lightweight watch is just as much F1 car as it is a watch ($20,800).
OK, so that was more than five watches but with so many cool options out there, we didn’t like limiting ourselves, or you, from seeing some really cool watches. And since we already blew past our five watch limit, we’ve got one more holy grail of a watch to share with you…
The MB&F HM5 CarboMacrolon is a true piece of haute horology with a completely in-house designed movement and a sleek case that was designed as an homage to one of the most beautiful cars ever built: the Lamborghini Miura. Limited to just 66 pieces in each of three colors, we picked this version as the best of the bunch. What makes this watch so unique is the fact that this is a mechanic watch that displays the time in a digital way, showing the time in two little windows on the side of the watch. What would normally be the face of the watch is actually made up of intricate movable louvers that can be opened by the wearer to allow light to come through the watch and illuminate the time readout. But good looks don’t come cheap – the MB&F HM5 CarboMacrolon carries an eye-watering pricetag of $63,000, or about as much as this lightly used 2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4.
Aston Martin Vulcan leading the way for the future of oil changes
Nov 10th
Castrol is working hard to reinvent the oil change, which frankly sounds about as easy as reinventing the wheel. After a couple of years of developing what they are calling Nexcel, they have done something special. The Nexcel unit itself holds oil and the filter all in one container and simply fits into a base within the car’s engine bay. Once the recommended oil change interval is reached the Nexcel unit can be changed out in 90 seconds by simply lifting the unit out and replacing it with another one. The unit is sent back to be reconditioned for reuse and can be reconditioned 5 or 6 times before its service life is over.
We first found about this new product from an article on Autoblog.com and it peaked our interest that the Aston Martin Vulcan was going to be the first car to implement Nexcel. While the Vulcan is a track only car, Castrol UK worked closely with Aston Martin to develop Nexcel and test it in the real world, retrofitting Aston Martin’s cars with Nexcel and have been testing in England for the last couple of years. After talking to a representative from Castrol at SEMA we found out that other manufacturers are very interested, one being Ford as they get the street version the GT ready for 2017. There are also a couple of companies with fleets of long service life heavy duty trucks looking to retrofit this technology for their use as it would pay off over the life of the truck as they are in service for hundreds of thousands of miles.
James Bond: SPECTRE Premiere Event at The Loop and ICON Theatre
Nov 6th
Last night Morrie’s Luxury Auto hosted a movie premiere party for the release of the new James Bond movie “SPECTRE” last night at ShowPlace ICON Theatre at West End with a pre-screening happy hour at The Loop. Continental Diamonds came out to support the event with a range of Omega watches including the special edition Seamaster worn by James Bond in the movie. To mark release of the movie, we features three gorgeous new Aston Martins in front of the theater, including the new 2016 DB9 GT model in special Spectre Silver.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the event last night and we hope you enjoyed the film!
Artful Living Magazine’s Kentucky Derby Party presented Morrie’s Luxury Auto
Apr 9th
Join Artful Living Magazine for their first annual Kentucky Derby Party, presented by Morrie’s Luxury Auto. Sip on traditional cocktails, savor Southern fare, and enjoy great company while watching the live races. We’ll be there with a selection of Aston Martins, Bentleys, and Maseratis available for test drives. For tickets click here.
http://www.eventbrite.com/o/artful-living-magazine-8038693698
Aston Martin Unveils DBX Concept Coupe
Mar 3rd
Aston Martin has certainly been busy making headlines in recent weeks with the unveiling of new models such as the Vantage GT3 and the ultra-exclusive Vulcan, but apparently they had one more trick up their sleeve. Meet the first of its kind, all-electric, all-wheel-drive, Aston Martin DBX Concept Coupe. Making its debut at the 85th Annual Geneva International Motor Show yesterday, this is certainly a departure from what we typically associate with Aston Martin. Powered by electric, in-wheel motors, the DBX features drive-by-wire electric steering, carbon ceramic brakes, a KERS energy recovery system, and cameras where one would typically find actual mirrors.
In terms of design, there’s no doubt this is the brain-child of the engineers at Aston Martin. Featuring the signature wide-mouth grille, sleek, yet aggressive, body lines, and taillights similar to those found on Aston’s current line-up of luxury grand tourers one could argue that this is ready to join the current line-up as-is. Though we’d love to see this concept hit the road in all of its raw, concept glory, Aston Martin CEO, Andy Palmer, made it clear that this vehicle is far from production ready: “This is, clearly, not a production-ready sports GT car, but it is a piece of fresh, bold thinking about what Aston Martin GT customers around the world could request of us in the future.”
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the evolution of this beauty and we can only hope to see something street-ready in the near future. For all of the details surrounding the DBX’s debut, read the full press release below.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:
ASTON MARTIN DBX CONCEPT CHALLENGES CONVENTION
3 March 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin today challenges the nature of luxury GT travel in the 21st Century with the debut at the 85th Geneva International Motor Show of the innovative DBX Concept.
Created to defy conventional thinking about the luxury GT segment, the DBX Concept widens the appeal of the iconic British luxury brand and reaches out to a more diverse global audience than ever before.
Unveiling the concept, Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “The DBX Concept is a challenge to the existing status quo in the high luxury GT segment. It envisages a world, perhaps a world not too far away, when luxury GT travel is not only stylish and luxurious but also more practical, more family-friendly and more environmentally responsible.
“I asked my team at Aston Martin to expand their thinking beyond conventions, to explore what the future of luxury GT motoring would look like in years ahead, and the DBX Concept you see before you is the result.”
Dr Palmer added: “This is, clearly, not a production-ready sports GT car, but it is a piece of fresh, bold thinking about what Aston Martin GT customers around the world could request of us in the future.
“The DBX Concept is more than a thought starter for us and for our customers, though. We will, in due course, be entering a car into the new DBX space and I am very much looking forward to seeing how this concept is received not only here today, but also by our legion of existing loyal customers and by those potential customers around the world who have, to this point, yet to consider one of our cars.”
Harmonious design
Imagined by Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman and his team at the brand’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, the all-electric DBX Concept showcases not only cutting edge engineering but also a major evolution of the British brand’s world-renowned and highly-regarded design language.
Clearly signalling an extension to the brand’s existing model lines in the future, the all-wheel drive DBX Concept seamlessly combines traditional Aston Martin beauty with elegant new engineering that gracefully aligns form and function.
Capable of accommodating four adults in comfort, the DBX Concept also majors on day-to-day practicality. It offers generous luggage capacity by virtue of the fact that its rear trunk and forward load bay can both accept passengers’ belongings.
Opulence and cutting edge style go hand-in-hand in the DBX Concept thanks to a unique fusion of high luxury and advanced technology. These characteristics, allied to the ingenious use of unconventional materials and finishes inside and out, are calculated to further broaden the appeal of Aston Martin.
The concept’s exterior bright work emphasises the brand’s approach to the use of authentic materials, and is made up of machined billet aluminium with visible milling lines in a piece of exquisite craftsmanship intended to be seen as the car’s jewellery. The DBX Concept’s unique paint finish – Black Pearl Chromium – has been specially created to mimic the look of a genuine black pearl, and comprises a micro-fine layer of chrome to deliver a level of reflectivity that cannot be obtained through normal paint finishes.
Inside, the deliberate use of non-automotive standard materials generates a uniquely soft, cocooning ambience. The extensive application of velvet-like Nubuck leather contrasts with the concept’s hard, hi-tech equipment. The exposed leather reveals a sandwiched accent layer, more akin to high-end furniture, while the car’s interior bright ware matches that of the exterior with the addition of a gold ‘pin striping’ element on the edging.
Marek Reichman explained: “The exceptional craftsmanship, with detailing more typically seen on luxury consumer goods or fine jewellery, gives the DBX Concept genuinely global appeal.”
Experimental engineering
Embracing the very latest engineering techniques and theories, the DBX Concept needs no engine compartment thanks to its use of electric, inboard-of-wheel, motors powered by lithium sulphur cells.
Drive-by-wire electric steering, toughened glass with an auto-dimming ‘smart glass’ inter-layer, and bespoke driver and passenger head-up displays are further examples of its cutting edge technology.
Active LED exterior lights, carbon ceramic brakes with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and rear view cameras in place of conventional mirrors also underline the mould-breaking nature of this luxury GT concept.
Dr Palmer explained: “A concept car such as this should, in my view, challenge conventional thinking and explore the art of the possible. In the DBX Concept, I believe we have created a new type of luxury car that can not only broaden the appeal of Aston Martin to a whole new generation of customers, but sit with pride alongside the rest of our range.”
Aston Martin Vulcan Revealed
Feb 25th
Aston Martin has announced that it will be bringing its extensive racing heritage to Gentlemen Racers by way of the Vulcan. The Aston Martin Vulcan project was born to give the customer an experience of performance driving like no other. Ownership allows participation in many performance driving events worldwide, unlike programs from competing performance brands. And Aston Martin will work with owners to ensure they can take the Vulcan to the tracks they want to drive and that it will meet the various sound requirements. Once you have committed to ownership, Aston Martin invites you to Gaydon for a unique commissioning experience to select the colors and finish for the car. Additionally, they take measurements for seating, steering wheel grips and custom racing suit and helmet.
Prior to taking delivery, Aston Martin will offer intensive track training for each customer via their Fast Track Training program. Experienced professional racers will offer a chance to refine driving skills and technique through practical and theoretical training events using Aston Martin’s already extensive stable of performance cars like the V12 Vantage S, One-77 and the Vantage GT4 race car to further build the customer experience.
If you haven’t been impressed so far, lets cover the car itself: The Vulcan boasts some amazing features like carbon fiber removable panels surrounding a rigid carbon fiber tub. Power comes from a 7 liter V12 engine producing 800 plus horsepower which is set back behind the front axle line to ensure an excellent weight balance. All of this power is channeled to a six speed sequential gearbox mounted in the rear of the car by way of a magnesium torque tube housing a carbon fiber drive shaft. To tame all this power, the brakes are carbon ceramic racing discs with 6 piston front and 4 piston rear controlled by a driver adjustable Bosch anti-lock braking system. Push rod suspension is mounted to all four corners with 4 way adjustable DSSV dampers.
Safety is also very important to Aston Martin, so they have worked very hard to design the Vulcan with FIA race requirements. This will include Frontal Head Restraint, 6 point racing harness, roll cage, fuel cell and fire extinguisher. All of these safety features allow the Vulcan to run one-make races or other open races.
A Day with the Maserati Ghibli
Aug 4th
My name is Michael Ashby and I am the Service Manager here at Luxury Auto. I have been with the brand since 2010. When I am out and wearing our branded clothes the question I get asked the most is, “It must be cool to drive those cars?” In reality, I spend the majority of my time behind my desk finding solutions to our clients concerns. I have time behind the wheel of everything we service through quality control test drives and the random events I get invited to attend, but I have never used one of our cars the way an actual client would. This changed though when a few dates lined up perfectly. I had planned to attend the Vintage race weekend at Road America to watch our Marketing guru Ben Robertaccio race his Porsche 914-6. At the end of the week Maserati graced us with a Short Term Factory Demo Ghibli and I thought to myself, what a great opportunity to really experience life with a Ghibli.
The car in question was a gorgeous Blu Emozione Q4 with all the boxes ticked. With all our gear loaded up and my two daughters sitting comfortably in the back we headed toward the Wisconsin border to spend the evening by the river. After an overnight stay we awoke at 3:50 a.m. and under the cover of darkness my wife Angie, my Dad, and I eased stealthily out of the neighborhood. Once clear of the sleepy homes the Sport button was pressed, the car barked, and we charged toward daylight and a racetrack that was five hours away.
This was a great way of finding out how the car behaved on a road trip. My wife, Angie, deftly navigated the touch screen display and quickly paired our phones to the car. Road America was entered into the Garmin based navigation system with ease as we settled in for the ride. My Father is a gas mileage machine and sees it as a challenge to beat the manufacturer’s ratings on his personal car so after scrolling through the screen options we reset the mileage calculators to see how this car would fare. I was impressed with how well this car rode along the highway. We took it out of Sport mode for the lion’s share of the freeway slog as it benefits you none at all and it saves around 1500 rpm and a gear or two, the suspension soaked up the expansion joints with aplomb and for all the Sporting premise around the car the steering was well weighted and did not follow every groove on the road.
After a few hours we left the freeway and headed across Wisconsin and through some small towns, this is where we used Sport mode and employed the used of the aluminum shift paddles. Although the speeds were 25-30 mph, 1st, 2nd, 3rd gears were used to full effect and the exhaust sound of the twin turbo V6 echoing off the surrounding buildings and trees was extraordinary.
Sightlines around the car are fantastic, not really any blind spots which always make navigating unfamiliar towns easier. A quick stop for refreshments allowed Angie to use the cooled center console, complete with two cup holders, to keep the requisite road trip Red Bull cool for later consumption. After brief discussion, she also found the cooling vent inside the glove box and turned that on to keep the fun size M&Ms that I crave from melting. They may not melt in your hand but they don’t do well in a hot car on a hot day….
We arrived at Road America shortly after 9am and after reading the schedule for the day my eyes lit up when I saw there was track touring over the lunch hour. I signed up and paid the pretty ridiculous fee to experience the Ghibli on the track. I must admit that I am not unfamiliar with this track; I hold a pro level race license and currently compete in the Pirelli World Challenge Race Series. We had just raced here a few weeks prior so I was curious to see what it would feel like behind the wheel of a Maserati.
As we eased onto the track, along with four pace cars controlling the speed limit of 55 mph. I was able to give my wife, Angie, and my Dad a proper view of the track from a driver’s perspective. Although the speeds were much lower on the Straights than I would typically experience through some of the corners we were able to properly exploit the correct racing line. We of course selected Sport Manual mode with ESC, electronic stability control, turned off. I was genuinely impressed with how quickly the Maserati performed the manual shifts and the poise it showed through some of the most famous corners in Motorsports; Turn 5, the kink and the Canada Corner. As the session came to a close and the car count dwindled we found a few gaps to push a little faster, Turn 5 was attacked with a little more authority and the run uphill to the Corvette Bridge was done at full throttle and I am sure the roll bar equipped Miata in front did not expect a searing blue Italian Sedan to get through a corner so quickly and the pass was made as we entered turn 6. Angie and my dad were likewise impressed by the Ghibli. I think the noise it emits on downshifts and the burble on upshifts was the big winner, but they also commented on how flat it cornered and they both have laps on Race tracks with other cars as a comparison. We left the track and parked with some of the other participants, many of whom wandered over to discuss the car and comment on how unique it was. We spent the rest of the day watching the fabulous on track action and witnessed Ben set his fastest ever lap in his Porsche during a great race.
As the time came, we left with great memories and another long drive into the late evening. With the dynamically adjustable headlights piercing the night and the other occupants getting sleepy, I was left alone to draw some conclusions from what ultimately was eleven hours behind the wheel and a little over 600 miles. This car has the room to satisfy most families; I constantly got thumbs up and double takes wherever we went which shows that this car is special and rare. Once my phone was paired it worked flawlessly. I never had to select it and always picked it back as soon as we got in the car, something that may not be said of earlier models. The new system only made one mistake on the way to the track and the mistake was only to take two extra turns. We averaged 25.8 mpg for the trip, including 6 laps around the 6 mph over posted limits throughout the freeway stint and only used Sport mode on the track and short periods everywhere else, this was quite impressive considering this is a 410hp Twin turbo V6. The only real issue that I found with the car is now having a wife who wants one. …Not a bad problem to have really.
Morrie’s Luxury Auto at MN C&C
Apr 8th
We kicked off the first MN C&C event of the season this weekend at the Automotorplex and luckily most of the snow melted by Saturday morning! We were excited to launch our official partnership with Dogwood coffee to bring a better taste of java to MN C&C this year. The new coffee was a big hit, as we expected! To learn more about Dogwood Coffee Company check out our first blog post highlighting the partnership.
The turnout for April’s event was actually quite a success considering the amount of snow that fell the day prior. Our die hard enthusiasts set their alarms early and joined us at the Automotorplex to look at some exotic, classic and luxury vehicles. Make sure to check out our photos and our video from the event. If you didn’t make it out to the April event, don’t worry, we’ll be there all summer long! Look forward to seeing all of you next month.