Archive for Ed Kemper

Car columnist

Maserati GranCabrio

NOTHING LIFTS ONE’S SPIRITS like some top-down driving on a beautiful, sunny Hawaiian day, with the burble of a powerful V-8 and music from a great stereo in a shapely convertible. And so it is with this brand new for 2010 Maserati exotic.
By taking the GranTurismo coupe, chopping the top and reinforcing the chassis, Maserati [...]

June-July 2010 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued

Porsche Panamera

A new four-door sports sedan takes to the road
The Porsche faithful may think the newest Porsche Panamera has gone off-course, just like the Cayenne SUV.
Why, you ask? Unlike the tried-and-true Porsches of the past, the Panamera is not a sports car with two doors, a rear air-cooled engine and a true stick shift.
But fear not, [...]

February-March 2010 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued

Speed Racer

Get in gear with Ferrari and Mario Andretti driving schools
Some think that race car driving is not a tough sport, since the driver is seated and the car is doing all the work.
But as one race car driving instructor said, “Anybody can get into a car on a long straightaway and jam the accelerator to [...]

October-November 2009 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued

Cruising California

Experience Ferrari’s luxury Formula One cruiser
In the recent past, Ferrari has emphasized rear- or mid-engine cars with sleek, low bodies by following Formula One racing technology. With the brand-new Ferrari California, which is a remake of models produced in the 1950s, Ferrari has hit upon Formula One performance and features in a practical and luxurious [...]

October-November 2009 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued

Audi R8

Entering the ultra-performance car league
With the introduction of the super high-performance exotic R8, Audi has literally moved into almost every automotive niche. Now Audi dealers can satisfy virtually everyone from the economy car customer (albeit with some flair) to the thrill-seeking driver.
Fresh from a number of wins at Le Mans and other major sports car-racing [...]

August-September 2009 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued

Mercedes SL 63 AMG

Returning to a fast, sexy sports car
One of the landmark cars in automotive history was the Mercedes SL sports car of the 1950s. It was clearly a timeless design with its gorgeous shape, gull-wing
doors, a three-pointed star centered in the grill and tremendous racing history. None of the later versions of the SL, although attractive, [...]

June-July 2009 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued

Super Garage

Bill Bartenstein creates the ultimate car pit stop in Kailua
The evolution of Hawaii’s home garage is straightforward. First, houses were built with a carport, essentially a covered lanai for, in most cases, a single automobile. Next came the enclosed garage with a manually opened door. Finally, the powered garage door arrived, with a remote opener [...]

June-July 2009 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued

Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

Power and fuel efficiency combine in this luxury SUV
Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
Engine: 6 liter, V-8 cylinder with additional electric motor, 332 horsepower
Acceleration: 0-60: 8.8 seconds
Braking: 4 wheel disc brakes, ABS, twin-piston calipers
Sound system: Bose stereo 6 CD changer with 10 speakers, Bluetooth System
Gas Mileage: 20 City/ 21 Highway EPA rating
The roomy, large, tall, boat-hauling SUV hardly [...]

April-May 2009 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued

BMW M6 Coupe

Muscle and maximum performance from the luxury car line
In the BMW lexicon, “M” is not the supervisor of James Bond; rather, it’s the letter affixed to BMW’s super-massaged cars.
Initially, only the smallest of the series imported to the U.S. – the 3 – received the M work over. Over time, however, the “M” magic has [...]

February-March 2009 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued

Lamborghini Gallardo Lp 560-4

Take a ride in the sleek and speedy Italian sports car
The legend is that Furruccio Lamborghini, a highly successful Italian tractor manufacturer, was an owner of Ferraris in the 1960s. Upset with some minor complaint about his Ferrari sports car, he confronted founder Enzo Ferrari. When Mr. Lamborghini suggested to Mr. Ferrari how the next [...]

December-January 2009 | Ed Kemper | 0 comments | Continued