Stories Published in Highline Autos

Lexus LC500 & LS500

Highline Autos, February 2019

We particularly enjoyed the Lexus LC 500 luxury coupe for a weeklong test drive a couple of months ago. The company flagship brought thumbs-up signs with its potent 5.0-liter normally aspirated DOHC 32-valve V-8 producing 471-horsepower/398 lb/ft-torque engine. We were especially impressed with the car’s graceful 10-speed automatic transmission and wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The powertrain delivers 0-to-60 mph runs of 4.4 seconds. The LS500 is equipped with a 3.5-liter, twin turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6, also paired with the 10-speed automatic. The family-oriented sedan is not quite as quick as the two-door LC, but you’ll still handle most of life’s road challenges very capably with 4.7-second 0–60 times. The LC500h Hybrid completes the line-up of fine 500 models.

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Michael Furman: Cars and Classics

Highline Autos, August 2018

Michael Furman is one of the world’s premier studio car photographers, that is, for showcasing stationary classics in garages and museums. But, because of his skill and perspective, his cars seem to move. I knew Michael when we were growing up in the Philadelphia area almost a half-century ago. Even then, he had a camera, and you knew what his life focus would be. Even among quality photographers, his work stands out. Look at the Horch and the Delahaye, even the Scarab, in the story: They have a motion and life even in park or neutral. Great car museums such as the Simeone in Philly and the Mullin in California have turned to him to celebrate their stellar collections. And, he was just honored to discuss his work during Monterey Car Week 2018 in California. Please enjoy his superlative work, as I have. His images, indeed, are worth a thousand words.

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Terry Larson: Jag Joy

Highline Autos, May 2018

Terry Larson knows how to take care of historic Jaguars. For moving on five decades, he has restored, raced and stewarded examples of the great marque with finesse and passion, in recent years from his hand-crafted garage in the foothills of Mesa, Arizona. He and his wife Darlene have a 1938 Jaguar SS 100 3 ½ litre; an XK120 roadster; a 1952 Hangsen Jaguar; a 1952 C-type; a 1958 ‘Knobbly’ Lister that was a factory team car; two XKE roadsters and a coupe; a few Italian cars; and a 1967 Corvette. The couple are also proud of their motorcycle collection, highlighted by a 1924 Brough Superior SS80 purchased new by the founder of Jaguar, William Lyons, which he raced on English beaches. “These cars are an important part of automotive history, and, as owners, we are their caretakers,” Larson says.

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Barrio Queen

Highline Autos, April 2018

Scottsdale restaurateurs Linda Nash and Steve Rosenfield opened their first Barrio Queen in 2011 in Old Town Scottsdale, bringing authentic southern Mexican cuisine and culture to the Valley. They now have three locations and are planning Tempe Marketplace and Queen Creek restaurants. “We have always enjoyed going to Mexico but for years we couldn’t find good Mexican food here at home. You’d find an American version instead,” Linda says. Signature dishes available at all three for lunch and dinner are the Chiles En Nogada, the Azteca Burrito and the Enchiladas Suizas. One guest recently said, “We haven’t had food this good since my grandmother’s.” So bring grandmom, and gramps, too!

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Mark Kramer Celebrates 70 Years of Ferrari

Highline Autos, December 2017

Mark Kramer, Phoenix, loves his Ferraris. His teenage heart leapt up when he saw his first Prancing Stallion, a 250 Spider, in Rome, and he’s been looking in his GreatGarage since, morning, noon and sometimes just before sleep, for quick-paced stylish dreams. Last year, 2017, was the 70th anniversary of Enzo Ferrari’s first supercar, the Ferrari 125, powered by a 1.5-liter V-12 engine, producing 118 horsepower. That won its first race out of Enzo’s Workshop and by the end of the year had secured five more victories. Kramer’s joys are a 1972 365 GTB/4 “Daytona”; 1981 308 GTSI; 1984 512 BBI “Boxer”; 1995 F512M; 1996 eight-cylinder F355 GTS; 1999 550 Maranello and 2003 575M; 1995 308 GTS QV; a 2009 California, with an automatic. Wish list? A California Turbo, an F430 16M, 458 or a 488 Spider. “And, I always wanted a 275 GTB4 and could have had one once for $30,000. I just love everything about it, especially the sound. You know when you hear one coming.”

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