Ford Focus ST (2013-)

The Ford Focus ST is one of my favorite hot hatches. It's pretty quick for a hot hatch and it is a blast to drive. The Focus ST is also very practical. Power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder churning out 252 HP and 270 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed manual. At the Geneva Motor Show, Ford unveiled the revised 2015 Focus, which looks pretty nice. This means that the Focus ST is due for a refresh very soon, in about a few years' time.  It's likely that there will also be an RS variant of the new Focus. In addition, there was a recent rumor that Ford is planning a diesel-powered Focus ST, but I didn't hear too much about that. Speaking of hot hatches, they are a popular segment in Europe that hasn't quite caught on here in the U.S. The only other hot hatches I am a fan of are the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, previous-gen Ford Focus RS, and the new Opel Astra OPC Extreme, which all three are forbidden fruit stateside. I don't like hot hatches as much as other performance cars because in general, they tend to be underpowered. Overall, hot hatches make excellent daily drivers and are fairly inexpensive compared to other performance cars. The fourth one in this set was taken in early February while the last one was taken approximately three weeks ago.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let me pause for a moment to share some of the questions I get asked quite often from viewers. Some of you viewing my blog at this current moment in time, especially those of you who live outside of the U.S.. may be wondering the same exact questions, so pay close attention below.

Q: Do you take all these photos yourself?

A: Yes. There may be a few instances where I may borrow a photo from the Internet to use in a post, but that doesn't occur very often.

Q: Do you publish every photo you take?

A: No. It is up to me to decide what photos I would like to publish. The posts I publish on this
website are mostly according to my personal tastes in automobiles.

Q: Where do you take most of your pictures?

A: If you didn't know already, I am from California, so I take most of my pictures there. I will also feature photos from out-of-state and out-of-country trips I have taken or plan on taking.

Q: What do you use to take your pictures with?

A: I mainly use my phone to take pictures, which is an iPhone 6. I also have a Canon Eos Rebel T3, which is one of those fancier cameras. I don't use it that much, but I will eventually use it more often, once I can get a taller lens for it.

Q: What is your favorite car(s)?

A: I have a ton of favorites, but these round out the top ten:

1) Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series
2) Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
3) Koenigsegg Agera R
4) Pagani Huayra
5) McLaren P1
6) Chevy Corvette C7 Z06 & C6 ZR1
7) Ferrari F40
8) Mercedes-Benz S63/S65 AMG
9) Rolls-Royce Phantom
10) Lamborghini Miura/SV

Honorable Mention: Ferrari 599 GTB/GTO, Porsche 918 Spyder, Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, Pagani Zonda Cinque, Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, McLaren MP4-12C/650S, Lexus LF-A, Ferrari 458 Italia/Speciale, Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series, McLaren F1, Ford GT40, Tesla Model S, Ferrari 250 GTO, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Aston Martin One-77, Gumpert Apollo, Chevy Corvette C2 Stingray, Hennessey Venom GT, Lamborghini Murcielago/SV, Lamborghini Gallardo

Q: What is your favorite car brand(s)?

A: My favorite car brands include Mercedes-Benz, Lamborghini, McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Audi, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, Pagani, Ford, Tesla, and SRT.(For those of you who don't know, SRT is Chrysler's in-house performance division and stands for Street Racing Technologies.) Also, being a fan of the brands listed above doesn't mean that I like every one of their cars (i.e. Jaguar X-Type, Chevy Citation, Cadillac Cimarron, Ford Aspire).

Q: What is your least favorite car(s)?

A: There are lots of cars out there that I don't like, but I dislike these ten the most:

1) Yugo
2) Mitsubishi I-MiEV/Peugeot iOn/Citroen C-Zero
3) Geo Metro
4) Suzuki X-90
5) Citroen 2CV
6) Ford Aspire/Festiva
7) Mitsubishi Mirage
8) Suzuki Esteem
9) Geo Prism
10) Scion/Toyota iQ, Aston Martin Cygnet

Honorable Mention: Smart Fortwo, Toyota Prius C, Nissan Leaf, Citroen C1/Peugeot 107, Renault Twizy, Renault Espace/Grand Espace, Dodge/Plymouth Neon, Dodge Caliber, SsangYong Rodius, Toyota Previa, Toyota Paseo, Volkswagen New Beetle, Saturn Ion, Pontiac G3, Pontiac Aztek, Renault ZOE, Rover CityRover, Reliant Robin/Kitten, Fiat Multipla, Chery Amulet, Dodge Stratus, any car from Soviet Russia, Chevy Chevette, Citroen C3/Picasso, Dodge Avenger, Chevy Spark EV, Hyundai Stellar, Kia Soul/EV, Merkur XR4Ti, Kia Sephia, AMC Gremlin/Pacer, Ford Pinto, Paykan, Tata Nano

Q: What is your least favorite car brand(s)?

A: My least favorite car brands include Citroen, Peugeot, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Fiat, Volkswagen, Kia, Renault, Dacia, Nissan, Lincoln, Isuzu, and Scion. Disliking these brands doesn't mean that I don't like every model they produce (i.e. Nissan GT-R, Nissan Z, Lincoln Continental except from 1980's & 1990's, Scion FR-S, Kia K900, Volkswagen CC).


Q: If you could create your ultimate dream car, what features would it have? What materials would it include?

A: First off, it would be a coupe or sedan that looks good and goes fast. It would have an aluminum chassis and bits of carbon fiber on the outside. Inside, it would have either leather or racing seats and alcantara would adorn the dashboard. My ultimate dream car would have either a naturally-aspirated or turbocharged V8, V10, or V12. It would produce at least 500 HP. 0-60 mph would be in the three-second range or better and top speed will be around 200 mph or greater. It would come with a manual or dual-clutch transmission and be rear-wheel drive or rear-biased all-wheel drive. Notable features it would also receive are a dual-exhaust setup, traction control, launch control, and carbon ceramic brakes. Finally, it would have an approximate ten-second quarter mile and a sub-7:30 Nurburgring lap time. I could go on all day about my ultimate dream car, but I'm just going to end the details right there.

If you have any other questions that you need me to clarify, feel free to ask me in the comments section below. I will be more than happy to answer them once I get a chance to read them.

2014 Porsche Cayenne

When the Porsche Cayenne was introduced in 2002, brand purists were not pleased with the final result because they feared that it would ruin Porsche's reputation. The Cayenne may not be a 100% true Porsche, but it's pretty nice for an SUV. The first two pictures are of a Turbo/S model, which has a 4.8-liter turbocharged V8 producing 500-550 HP and 516-553 lb-ft of torque. The second two pictures are of a GTS model. The one in black was in Downtown L.A. early January while the one in brown was in Beverly Hills mid January. It has the same V8 engine as the Turbo/S but only makes 420 HP and 380 lb-ft of torque. Apparently not very many Cayenne owners would take their SUV to the race track or off-roading. The Cayenne, along with the Panamera, sells better than other Porsches and is a huge money-maker for the brand. Overall, I would choose the Cayenne over the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7, but not over any competition from Mercedes-Benz (G-Class, GL-Class, M-Class) or Cadillac Escalade.

2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

This is my all-time favorite Mustang, the '14 Shelby GT500. It has a 5.8-liter supercharged V8 producing 650 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque. All that power is mated to a 6-speed manual and top speed is 200 mph. The Shelby GT500 has a starting price of $54,650, while the convertible has a starting price of $59,650. It has one of, if not, the most powerful V8 engines on the planet. Also, I love the way it looks. Unfortunately, the Shelby GT500 will be discontinued after the 2014 model year. There are still a few of these on dealer lots, so if you're in the market for a new Shelby GT500, get one now while you can. Pictured below is a 2011-12 Shelby GT500 that I saw last month.