The Rake Magazine

The once again iconic Fiat 500

I usually hate these articles in car magazines. However, there is a little car (accent on small) that is currently taking Italy by storm and threatens to topple the Mini, Peugeot, and everything else in its path once it is exported.

With this kind of success and with the resurgence of Fiat (now run by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the best CEO on the planet--from Ferrari), it may only be a matter of time before you see it here.*

The car is the much beloved Topolino/CinqueCento, now called the Nuova 500. This little thing makes women melt and men wish they had its mojo. It is so hot in Italy right now that they cannot even export it, so I hear. It is designed by Frank Stephenson (almost as cool as Luca), who previously penned the first generation Mini for BMW.

* You can't buy this car, yet, but you can probably buy Fiat as an ADR on the NYSE. I did this with Toyota eighteen months ago and it has treated me well. So I recommend you buy the ADR, wait two years, and then allow your stock appreciation to pay for the car. Worth visiting the "Street" Rake, eh?

The amount of Italian iron in the Twin Cities never ceases to amaze me. I was once again stunned by the annual Wheels Of Italy Show that took place at Lake Calhoun this weekend. Good thing I had my plane to take this aerial photo (so its from two years ago but the picture just keeps improving, trust me.)

I only wish I had my Alfa buffed in time for the show. Italian cars are usually female and look great in red with the exception of mine--he is black like the night. His name is Fabio. He was named for me before I could put down my Grappa and fight about it.

While some people ditch downtown for their cabins during August, others attend a car show jam packed with more bling, chrome and new 24's than a Lil' Wayne video. I am talking about the 7th annual Dub Magazine Auto Show & Concert that rolled into the Minneapolis Convention Center this weekend.

D.A.D.'s 300,000 crystal-encrusted Mercedes-Benz SL 600

Proof, I guess, that there are Dads and then there are Sugar Daddies pimping for crimping and a cruise. Wanna try it?, check out a few more rides right here/

The Ferarri 430. From a modern master.

I have split this into two posts to help you recover from the shock of my headline. The hero-worship of Frank is so strong amongst my nascent readership that they asked me to break this into sections so as to dole out the criticism in little bites.

So, as I was saying, I arrived in Buffalo late last Friday night and checked into one of the top five boutique hotels in America according to Zagat and CondeNast (no small feat). This hotel is called The Mansion, and I have rarely spent an evening in a building that lifted my spirits more.

The late 1800-building is designed in the Second Empire style--thus high ceilings, perfect proportions, and ornate woodwork. This alone makes it special. What makes it peerless is the modern day interior design executed by some genius out of Atlanta. The icing on the cake is a staff of butlers that will iron your underwear at no charge, should you so choose.

In short, the proportions are perfect--from the design of the space to the precision allocation of the service.

Better yet, the mansion is a perfect place to spend a night before you take a tour of Buffalo's significant buildings in the morning. Buffalo is a city still trading off its glory days 100 years ago but appears to be undergoing a small artistic resurgence. (I hear ArtSpace from Minneapolis is now buying in Buffalo.)

This overlooked aspect of Buffalo, I reckon, tends to prevent numerous turn-of-the-century masterpieces from being torn down. I won't go into all the buildings you can see in a morning, but they include Wright's Darwin Martin and Graycliff homes that are boffo' prairie pieces.

I find both houses to be confining (as I have others). I am offended that he made his hallways small, forcing me into his "great rooms," and that he made his ceilings only tall enough to accommodate his own shrimpy stature. In other words, the proportion of his spaces seems best suited to him (and not the other guy like me).

OK, so Graycliff and other houses are interesting and probably worth being preserved, but not to the exclusion of overlooked masterpieces like the hotel I stayed in for one unforgettable night.

I feel the same way when I take the wheel of a modern day masterpiece like the Maserati Quattroporte (Giguaro), the Ferrari 430 (Pinnifarina), or even the occasional Pantera (Tjdara) when it starts. While these cars may not be buildings, they remain masterpieces of proportion designed to please both the eye and the soul. (Check my author's links for these designers.)

While Frank Lloyd Wright was known for many things (including architecture), he was also soulless in his dealings with any human being besides himself. It stands to reason, therefore, that he might get some things wrong, while buildings like the Mansion and cars like Maserati will remain so very right.

(Posted by Brenda "BMW" Langton)

OK. I MUST SAY CALLING AROUND TO CAR DEALERS AND SPEAKING WITH USED CAR SALESMEN IS NOT MY CUP OF TEA. So, after much reading online and Consumers Report on cars I have narrowed my search for my next used car.

It has to be a luxury sedan that is all wheel drive and has a black interior...I can be flexible on the color of the car but I will not give in to ONE MORE ugly beige or light gray interior!! Honestly, could someone please figure out some sexy interior colors of cars for the love of GOD!!! It’s like everything else about cars has evolved except the beige and gray interiors.

I have come down to three cars...the BMW 3 series, Infinity G35 or Audi. I ruled out the Audi, I've had too many problems with them in the past and it gets very bad ratings (new models are much better now), even though it is a beauty and performs well.

The Infiniti G35 is too loud and has more muscle than I need. I feels like like more of a man's car to me. The interior also lacks sex appeal and the brakes were super touchy. I found it odd, for example, that when I test drove it the salesman in the backseat alerted me to the brakes, perhaps he had some previous driver launch him into the front seat.

Later in the night I drove the BMW which was lovely, it won hands down over the Infiniti. The interior was really snazzy, it had a very smooth and peppy ride and the brakes were a breeze--what a difference.

Buying a used car of this caliber is the only way I can justify/afford this kind of luxury. And while it is commonly known that the the 2005 BMW 3 series received great reviews, it has been challenging to find one that is coming off lease. Till now, that is.

That makes right now the right time to buy.