2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale A Review

    I know that so far, Ferrari's "most extreme" road-going car is the LaFerrari, a mid-engine hypercar capable of reaching speeds of over 217 mph. But, even if the LaFerrari is Maranello's most "extreme" road car, it doesn't necessarily make it its most special. 
     In my opinion (along with Evo, Car & Driver, and Top Gear magazine), the 458 Speciale is what Maranello is really all about. It is powered by a more powerful version of the 458 Italia's 4.5 liter naturally-aspirated V8, which tops out at 597 horsepower (35 more than the 458 Italia) and 398 pound-feet of torque. These massive numbers, combined with the massive amounts of carbon-fiber weight saving, let the car reach 60 mph in 3.0 seconds flat. They also allow it to reach speeds of over 200 mph. Like I said earlier, the 458 Speciale uses lots of carbon-fiber, and is much lighter than the 458 Italia. Unfortunately, the interior is also more "stripped-out," and loses amenities such as navigation, heated seats, and so on. But, at the end of the day, the 458 Speciale is an incredible driver's car, and in my opinion, more exciting than the prancing horse with almost 300 more horsepower. 

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The Lenco BearCat: Heroic or Hysterical?

   One of the most commonly discussed problems right now is the militarization of police departments across the. U.S.. It's a huge problem, and is resulting in incidents like unnecessary police shootings across the county. One of the reasons police departments are getting things like armored trucks and assault rifles is because a lot of these resources are left over from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and are being reused by the government.

     A fairly common vehicle that is being donated to local police departments is the Lenco BearCat, a 17,000-pound armored assault vehicle that can withstand shots from an AK-47. This 8.5-ton trucks used by many police departments countrywide, and has been used in a multitude of attacks since it's debut in 1999. Some features include a ridiculous roof-mounted machine-gun hatch, side gun ports, and a CS (tear gas) deployment nozzle. I find this vehicle to be one of the worst ways to spend out tax dollars, and it seems like a complete waste to spend $250,000 on a truck that a police department will probably never use. It's insane that this is what is being given to local police departments, along with assault rifles and riot shields. The idea that a police force needs a truck like this is completely, absolutely, 100% absurd. 

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Here's the BearCat in action at the Boston Marathon

2015 Aston Martin Lagonda Review

    In the 1980s, Aston Martin sold a luxury sports sedan called the Lagonda. That car had lots of "high-tech" features, and was one of the most luxurious and advanced cars of the time. But, sooner or later, it had to go, and went out of production in the early '90s. 

    Then, in 2009, A-M unveiled a new Lagonda SUV concept at the Geneva Auto Show, but wasn't very popular with the public, due to its "unfortunate" styling and close to zero reasoning behind it. 

    But now, after many years of absence, the Lagonda name is back. Sadly,  it will only be available in the Middle East. Thankfully, it will be a sedan, just like the original, powered by Aston Martin's classic 5.9 liter V12, producing 550 horsepower. The interior, however, is the main focus of the car, and is probably the only thing that all of its oil-sheik clientele will take any notice in. As you'd expect in an Aston, the interior is "top-notch" (as they would say overseas), and just as in the old model, includes lots of "high-tech" features. Some include a rear-seat cool-box (for carbonated rose-water, of course), hand-quilted leather seating, and an optional carbon-ceramic braking system for enhanced stopping performance. 

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