An Evening at the 2016 Petit Le Mans

One of 1,963 50th Anniversary 911s built, this Porsche makes a statement overlooking turns 11 and 12 at Road Atlanta. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

Campground craft take multiple forms. As it turns out, one of these is a convertible Chevy sedan. There's no arguing; the patina is perfect. (Brooks Metzler 2016) 

A classic long wheel base Range Rover flexes for the camera in the Road Atlanta infield during the 2016 Petit Le Mans. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

Members of Ferrari team Risi Competizione stand on the pit wall, awaiting their turn in the 488 GTE. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

Ford Racing's team tent in the paddock on pit lane. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

A replacement front bumper for the Ecoboost Ford GT sits on top of a toolbox by the Ford team. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

An Audi R8 V10 pace car was the subject of a lot of attention at the far end of the paddock. (Brooks Metzler 2016) 

The No. 4 Z06.R of Team Corvette powers out of turn one at Road Atlanta. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

The No. 68 Ferrari 488 GTE of Scuderia Corsa, which went to take home 8th in the GTLM class. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

No. 8 Audi R8 LMS GT of Stevenson Motorsports negotiates turn 10 at Road Atlanta. Finishes 6th in the GTD class. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

Ford Chip Gnassi Racing's GT No. 67, which went on to finish 7th in the GTLM class. Its twin, No. 66, finished second in class, bested by Risi Competizione's Ferrari 488 GTE. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

An offering from local manufacturer Panoz at Road Atlanta. Out of frame, their DeltaWing prototype is loaded into the trailer. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

A BMW M4 GTS at the manufacturer's booth on vendor hill at Road Atlanta. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

BMW race cars line up underneath the vendor awning at Road Atlanta. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

A trio crosses under the bridge as the sun starts to duck behind the trees during the final hours of the 2016 Petit Le Mans. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

A group barrels down the hill towards the fast final corner at Road Atlanta during the 2016 Petit Le Mans (Brooks Metzler 2016)

Ferrari and Ford round the final corner before the straightaway. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

Change Racing's Lamborghini Huracan GT3 rounds turn three at Road Atlanta, followed by the red and silver Huracan of Paul Miller Racing, which ultimately finished ahead. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

A Chevrolet fan watches the 2016 Petit Le Mans action across from the grandstands on turn 10. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

The No. 66 Ford GT of Chip Ganassi Racing, which went on to finish second in the GTLM class. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

The No. 60 Honda HPD of Michael Shank Racing, which won first overall at the 2016 Petit Le Mans, while also setting the best lap time of the day, at 1:13.5. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

Team Seattle Racing's 911 GT3R and Change Racing's Huracan GT3 are door-to-door leaving turn one. (Brooks Metzler 2016) 

All four discs glow red on a Mazda Prototype as night falls on Petit Le Mans. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

Porsche North America prepares to pack up their 911 RSR early. They finished 10th in the GTLM class. (Brooks Metzler 2016)

A Fiat, a Land Cruiser, and a London bus in Chattanooga

Many exciting things can be found about 100 miles north of us in the border city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. My childhood is sprinkled with memories of being dragged through the aquarium, terrified in the caves of Rock City, and walking across the bridge over the Tennessee River.

This past Saturday, I stopped through on my way back home and discovered a few automotive gems in the city's River Arts District.

First of which was a nicely equipped Series 80 Toyota Land Cruiser. This Cruiser has an interesting double roof rack, obligatory brush guard, and bubbly clear coat. I'd be surprised and a bit disappointed to see an odometer reading below 250,000 on this truck.

Cross the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge to reach Chattanooga's North Shore neighborhood

The main attraction though lie in a parking garage in the North Shore area of Chattanooga. This part of the city enjoys a laid back, Main Street USA atmosphere, thanks to its relative detachment from downtown proper. A perfect spot, then, to discover an old Fiat 124 Spider. This car didn't (and still does not) enjoy even a microcosm of the success of its close cousin, the Alfa Romeo Spider.

Originally, the Spider came with a 1.4-liter, double overhead cam inline four. By 1970, it had become the 1.6-liter, found in this car. Fiat continued tinkering with the bore until 1974, when it bumped up again, this time to 1.8-liters.

However, discerning types still value its Pininfarina styling, penned largely by Tom Tjaarda. Throughout his career, which spanned nearly 48 years, Tjaarda had his hand in the designs of many icons. He worked on designs for the Lancia Flaminia Coupe, DeTomaso Pantera, Saab 900, and the Qvale Mangusta.

North American models first arrived in 1968. These cars came standard with four wheel disc brakes and a five-speed manual transmission. Original asking price for a 1968 124: $3,181; the Alfa Spider? $3,950.

The 124's strengths weren't just confined to its styling either. Its fantastic dual overhead cam four cylinder evolved throughout the car's first generation, growing from 1400 to 1900cc and 89 to 133 horsepower, respectively. This generation of 124 had an impressive 17 year sales run in the US. Now, we're eagerly anticipating the 124 Spider's return to American soil.

The AEC Routemaster isn't so much a bus, as it is a definitive symbol of England. Routemasters ran regular service in London from February 1956 to December 2005. "Heritage" routes 9 and 15 in central London still use Routemaster buses.

And then, a startle from an unfamiliar horn. It had to be taken straight from the pages of history, and surely enough, the clattering sounds and familiar smell of diesel smoke born an even more familiar image: a classic London bus. The last time I saw one of these, it had been turned into a coffee shop with an Asheville, North Carolina address. But that's the wonder of travel, you never know what you're going to see.

Caffeine and Octane Atlanta, June 2016

Caffeine and Octane was a quiet affair on this humid and overcast June morning. When I arrived at around 9:30, there were plenty of empty spaces, even inside the main show area. Nonetheless, there were quite a few people walking around, some holding umbrellas, most just taking refuge from the periodic drizzle underneath trees.

What was there looked pretty good, and since I took relatively few photos, I'll just post the majority of them below and let you see the show for yourself.