Up for sale at the inaugural Gooding & Company auction on Amelia Island is this 1931 Voisin C20. Considered a hallmark of Gabriel Voisin’s design and engineering talents, the car is powered by one of five 12 cylinder Voisin sleeve-vale engines built. Voisin’s early career was spent designing aircraft; after World War 1, Voisin was convinced that both military and civilian demand for aircraft would wane. He focused his attention on the luxury automobile market, applying lessons learned from building aircraft. His automobiles were among the first to utilize aluminum and other lightweight alloys in their construction, and his vehicles typically included far more instrumentation than other high end automobiles.

Photo: Gooding & Company

A 2009 Best of Show winner at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, the Voisin is one of a kind and immaculate in every sense of the word. Pre-auction estimates are that the car will sell “in excess of $2 million”, and there seemed to be quite a bit of interest in the Voisin while I was in the Gooding tent. The downturn in the economy has not impacted the level of buyers seen at the Amelia Island auctions.

At least it doesn't have gold emblems.

I’m a pretty easygoing guy, and I’m generally not one to lecture on wrong versus right, especially when it comes to issues of style. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and nothing says that louder than the car you drive, how you treat it and how you customize it. There are a few sins I can’t forgive, because everytime I see them it’s like nails across a chalkboard inside my head. Please, people, for the love of God, don’t do any of the following to your car.

Cheap Tires On High End Sports Cars

Nangkang tires on a Boxster? That'll end well.

Nothing says “I’m a poser who really wanted a Camry, but my wife insisted on this damn Corvette Z06” more than no-name tires on a late model sports car. If you’ve got the coin to drop on a ‘Vette, or a Porsche, or anything aimed at above average acceleration, braking and handling, don’t cheap out on tires. Buy name brand tires from a reputable manufacturer like Bridgestone, Yokohama, BF Goodrich, Goodyear, Pirelli, et cetera. Cheap tires not only limit the car’s performance; they positively identify you as someone who bought the car only to look cool. They’re a clear indication that you know nothing about driving and rarely exceed the speed limit.

Spinner Wheels

Spinners - just say no.

Here’s one automotive fashion statement that I was glad to see die an early death. Why would you possibly want to double the weight of a car’s wheels? Do you like increased stopping distances, slower acceleration and worse handling? Do you like driving a car whose wheels feel perpetually out of balance? Maybe if I was smoking chronic and sucking down a few 40s (or some gin & juice) I’d get it. Since I actually like driving, it just escapes me.

Regular Gas In ‘Premium Only’ Cars

RTFM and do what it tells you.

There’s a reason, and a good one, that your manufacturer tells you what level of gasoline to use. Yes, you CAN use regular gasoline in a car designed for premium, but why would you want to? It reduces performance (since engine timing must be retarded to compensate for reduced octane levels), reduces MPG and risks engine damage if your knock sensor isn’t working. I want all the performance I can get out of a motor, and you can’t get that by reducing octane below what the manufacturer recommends. Don’t buy the car unless you can afford the gasoline it’s supposed to use; we’re only talking about fifty cents more per tankful, people.

Ignoring Oil Changes

This is what going 65,000 between oil changes looks like. Really.

Regular oil changes (at 3,000 mile or six month intervals) are the best way to ensure your motor lasts a long, long time. I’ve seen motors in new cars put a connecting rod through the block, because the owner didn’t know they still had to change the oil. This is basic stuff, people – if you can turn a wrench, you can change your own oil in an hour or less. Not comfortable doing it yourself? Take your car to a reputable garage instead of a “quick lube” place. There’s a reason that those guys are the cheapest in town.

Portholes, Fake Badges, And Other Farkles

The horror. Firebombing this car would an act of mercy.

Portholes were cool on vintage Buicks, just like STi badges are cool on real STis, Type R badges are cool on real Integra Type Rs, and BMW M badges are cool on real M series cars. If your car didn’t come with it from the factory, don’t add it.

On the other hand, I’m all for shaving badges and making your Dinan supercharged and nitrous injected M3 look like a simple 328i. Q ships (Google it if you don’t know the meaning) are inherently cool; poseur cars are not.

Steering Wheel Covers

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Not to brag, but I’m a pretty confident guy. It takes quite a bit to get me rattled, and I’m pretty comfortable in my ability to deal with whatever fate has in store for me. Still, few things send chills up my spine and trigger my flight reflex quicker than a leopard skin or fleece steering wheel cover. Beware, folks, because it says the driver is unpredictable and is far more concerned with applying lip gloss, drinking their mochachino and eating their triple bacon cheeseburger than they are with driving. Like a springbok who spots a lion on the African plain, a steering wheel cover is your signal to get the hell out of Dodge, and do it quickly.

Rear Wings On FWD Cars

More weight, less speed, less traction? Sounds good to me.

Mike already covered this, so I’ll keep it short: don’t do it. Less traction over your drive wheels, at high speed, in a corner is never a good thing. Trust me on this.

Bad Body Kits

No, seriously. You paid money for that?

Well designed body kits cost good money. They’re made to fit specific years, makes and models and offer tangible benefits such as increased downforce. Generally speaking, you won’t find them on eBay for $100.

If you opt for a cheap body kit, chances are good it was designed to fit more than one make, model or year. Chances are even better that all the Bondo your local auto parts store has in stock still won’t make it fit properly, or look good. Or eliminate that annoying whistle you get at any speed above 30 mph.

Put the money you would have wasted on a body kit into something that increases your car’s performance, like tires and wheels, stiffer springs, thicker sway bars, better struts or intake / exhaust parts. None of these require Bondo, and all of them make your car go faster (something a cheap body kit won’t do).

Grapefruit Launcher Exhausts

Three inch exhaust, one inch feed. Yeah, that'll work.

I’m not slamming aftermarket exhausts, as long as they produce tangible benefits without creating too much noise. Somewhere along the line, however, low buck tuners got the idea that “bigger is always better” and started producing exhausts with ridiculous diameters and obnoxious, bleating tones. There is a science behind creating horsepower, and an unrestricted exhaust will create top end power at the expense of low end and midrange power. This is fine for use on a racetrack, but not so good for use on the street.

Also, ask yourself this: If the exhaust pipe diameter is an inch and a quarter from the manifold through the (stock) catalyst and into your new exhaust with a six inch diameter tip, how much of a gain are you really going to see?

Gold Emblems

You actually pay money for these?

I don’t know why this trend, like vinyl roofs, refuses to die a quiet death. Nothing says “cheesy” quite as loudly or effectively as a gold emblem on a car. It screams, “I want you to notice that I’m driving a Cadillac / Camry / Geo Metro that’s DIFFERENT. Just like everybody elses.”

One of these days I’m going to start a campaign to rid the world of gold emblems once and for all. Under cover of night, our shock troops will set out with rolls of dental floss (to shave the emblems), cans of silver spray paint and bottles of contact cement to re-affix the properly colored emblems. I’m counting on an army of volunteers, because we have so much tackiness and so little time.

After a long winter without open wheel racing, the F1 and IRL seasons both kick off this weekend. The F1 season opens in Bahrain, and Sebastian Vettel (driving for Red Bull) has put his Renault powered car on the pole. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) has the outside of the front row, followed by Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes) and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) to round out the top five. Rosberg’s teammate, seven time world champion Michael Schumacher, qualified in seventh spot, followed by current world champion Jenson Button in eighth.

I’ve been saying for years that Michael Schumacher’s best talent was being in the right place at the right time, so it will be interesting to see how he fares against the new generation of star drivers like Hamilton and Vettel. My call? Hamilton takes the championship, followed by Massa and Vettel. If Schumacher completes the season, he’ll be lucky to crack the top five.

In the U.S. Market , the race airs on Speed TV at 7:30 A.M. ET.

Ok, so you’ve got this car in your garage that you’ve done a butt-load of bodywork to. It’s straight as an arrow with a quick primer coat on it. The interior and gauges are installed and mechanically your baby is ready to roll. There is however one small problem. You’ve put so much money into the car already to get it to this point that you don’t have the capital for the paint job. Now it’s springtime and the car you thought would be ready will now just be taking up space in the garage unless you find an alternative.

A good paint job, at least up here in the Northeast is going to cost you at a minimum, $10,000. Now I know some of you will read this and say you have an Uncle that has a barn in a field where the uni-bomber was found and that he could do the job for $6.99… and that’s great. Here in good ole’ NYC a good painter charges big money, it’s just the way it is, so lets not argue about it.

If you don’t have the funds for paint keep in mind that there may be an alternative. Vinyl wraps on cars are nothing new. They’re relatively inexpensive (2-3 grand) and have a pretty extensive lifeline… somewhere in the neighborhood of about 5 years or so. You can get any design or color and have the whole thing done in about 3 business days. From 3-feet away onlookers will have no idea that what they’re seeing is not paint. In fact 99.9% of the population won’t no. Is it an ideal situation? Well, it really depends on how you look at it. You can either drive around for the next 5 years in a primer gray car or wrap it so that it looks pretty damn good to the untrained eye… who knows, it may just be something to consider.

Maybe you’ve been looking for something different. You know, that certain car that will stand out in the crowd of Camaros and Coronets that clog-up your favorite Friday night car show. You want to be noticed, regarded and most of all talked about. Well then, look no further because your old friend Mr. Angry has found the car for you.

This hulking mass of macho metal started out almost 100 years ago as an American Lafrance fire truck and over its lifetime has seen some modifications. The biggest one is obvious, as it’s no longer a fire truck but a dual chain driven speedster. Hell, the stats alone will make you chuckle.

ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS: 14.5 liter, 820 cubic inches, 105 hp and it’s a 6-cylinder T-head! Not that I know what that is…

I would love to own something like this, as it is such a unique piece of automotive history. This baby also has to be an absolute hoot to drive. Just imagine rolling into your local car show behind the wheel of this mastodon. You’d immediately be the star, you’d stand out above everything else and I can almost guarantee that your ego will be completely satisfied.

Take a look at the auction on eBay as this puppy really is a treat for the eyes.

I’m generally not a big fan of police pursuit videos, because I’ve seen about a million of them. Something about this one stands out. Maybe it’s the driver, who actually stops at one point to yell at police. I’m reasonably sure she’s insane, or tripping her face off. Or insane and tripping her face off.

Maybe it’s the car, because I sure as hell wouldn’t try to outrun anything in a Scion Xb. The driver does a fair job of it, though. Who knew a Scion Xb was so nimble?

Or it could just be that it’s Friday, and I was looking for any excuse to put off redesigning the cover sheet for my TPS report. The weekend’s here in a few hours, so enjoy the vid.

Ok, I’ll admit it – I’ve tried repeatedly to emulate the sound of a big block V8 or import tuner by using nothing but my vocal cords. It is unfortunate, but I am generally unsuccessful and my impressions are more are less mistaken for a bad case of gas than anything even remotely automotive. This guy however has his shtick down pat and is rolling with some mad vocal skills. Hondas are no problem and dirt bikes are a cinch. Hell, he’s even managed to make Subaru’s sound better than they do in real life. The absolute best part though is the shifting… seriously; if you don’t laugh at this there is something seriously wrong with you.

Ever hear the old saying: “If you love what you do you’ll never work another day in your life.” Well, we here at Ridelust.com pretty much fall into that category. We wake up every morning, make some coffee and then get to write about our passion – Automobiles. We are not beholden to anyone so for us the freedom to express our true feelings about what goes on in the auto industry is a Godsend. If we don’t like something then we’ll tell you. If we think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, then hell, we’ll say that too. One thing we won’t do is feed you bullshit opinions, that’s just not the way we operate.

We also wanted everyone out there to understand that we really do live this stuff. Maybe it’s because we didn’t have a big enough sand box when we were kids or that our Hotwheels and Matchbox cars didn’t fill our automotive needs. All we know is that now, as adults, we’ve made it our business to do what we’ve always wanted to do… play with cars. We also wanted to thank all our readers for the emails and comments that you provide us with on a daily basis. It keeps us rolling.

• Mike Musto: Editor-in-Chief

“Life is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna’ git.”

Such is the story of Mike Musto’s life. With expertise in such fields as Clam Digging, Corporate Web Design and White Collar Espionage, Mike Musto possesses a skill set few can rival.

His life experiences are those not of novel proportions, but of smaller, non-proof read periodicals. He is a real life race car driver in the land of make believe and his brain contains a wealth of knowledge that can only rivaled by the 1983 Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. This knowledge based helped Mike Musto secure his seat as the Editor-in-Chief at Ridelust.com.

• Kurt Ernst: Lead Writer

Some babies had rattles and mobiles to play with in the crib, but Kurt Ernst had ratchets and combination wrenches. He spent his formative years working in the family garage, thriving on a steady diet of used motor oil, carb cleaner and asbestos-laden brake dust.

Post college, he spent a year racing only to find he was neither fast enough to get rich nor rich enough to get fast. After spending far too long in international business, eating unfamiliar food at strange airports in the middle of the night, Ernst had a revelation. While driving a car load of terrified colleagues through the Alps at triple digit speeds, in the dark of night, in a torrential downpour, as the GPS barked incomprehensible instructions in German, he realized that his life’s calling was to be an automotive journalist. Years of rejection slips and death threats followed, but he was eventually welcomed with open arms to RideLust.com.

Willing to ride or drive anything on two, three, four or ten wheels, Kurt remains free of felony convictions. Armed with a rapier like sense of wit, he routinely pours through thousands of pages of content to weed out the nasty bits so you don’t have to.

• Dustin Driver: Contributor

Dustin Driver was incubated in the cylinder bore of a big-block Chevy and raised in a fleet of rusty, primer-dusted, sputtering project cars. He lusts for gears, wears used transmission fluid as aftershave, and has a tattoo of a Citroën DS on the roof of his mouth. His favorite car was his father’s primer-gray ‘55 Chevy. He worked as a lackey in a transmission shop and has been a journalist and marketing writer for more than a decade.

There’s gotta be something good you can say when the cops pull you over, right?