We've all been there. You're enjoying a beer with pals at the local pub while a band plays silently in the background. You don't take notice until they start rocking a tune that makes your ears perk up. If the talent of the hired hitmen is above par, your attention will most likely be gained. Your brain starts firing on those rock 'n roll cylinders. Your mood shifts into reminiscing mode as the once invisible on-stage rockers start flooding the crowd with hits from your younger days. This is Dean FM and that sequence of events is what they do best.
Read MoreMeet the Month: George's Jag Pounces Ferociously on February.
We are already 1/12 of the way complete with 2016 and it's that time where the month's cover car is introduced by its proud owner. February showcases the 1968 Jaguar E-Type of George Sweeper, who's owned this Series 1.5 OTS (open two-seater) for just about 45 years. That's a mechanical companionship that not many of us can brag about and George shares his with such humbleness. Please enjoy the following Q&A regarding his relationship with one special Jag.
Read MoreSpots of Color on an Otherwise Grayscale Horizon.
Winter.
I have no use for this season. I don't ski. I don't snowboard. And there is no longer the need for the $15 I made from shoveling my elderly neighbor's driveway. The bitter cold doesn't excite me. My car doesn't look better on winter wheels and snow tires. Worst of all, there are minimal car shows. The colorless frontier spells perennial depression for some, while turning others into seasonal hermits.
Read MoreMeet the Month: January and Ian's Tesla Roadster.
Please take a moment to allow January's cover car, a 2011 Tesla Roadster, to be introduced by its proud owner.
For calendar inquiries and orders, please email me at beardedmugmedia@gmail.com.
Read More2016 Bearded Best Calendar Available NOW!
Ladies and gentlemen. This is the moment you've been waiting for.
After liking and sharing, voting and promoting, choosing and losing, I am ready to reveal the lineup for the 2016 Bearded Best wall calendar.
Read MoreA Wedding, A Calendar and Photo'd Shows on the Back Burner.
There are big things brewing with Bearded Mug Media. It has been a great year for me, both personally and professionally, and I am excited for what the future brings to the brand. First and foremost, I am marrying the love of my life today. She has been extremely supportive of this venture, especially since I've been galavanting to car shows nearly every weekend over the summer.
Read MoreElectrical Surge in NJ as EVs Storm Morristown, Madison Events.
Fear not, dear weather-loving friends and those without proper surge protection. The type of electrical swell I am referring to is the vehicular kind. You know, the ones you don't hear coming. Or leave a carbon footprint. Or even emit the slightest bit of smugness that the second-gen Prius was so prone to doing (Toyota is still hesitant to offer a recall for this issue). I'm talking about EVs, more specifically the folks from the Electric Auto Association and their participation in National Drive Electric Week!
Read MoreGallery: Just a Fraction of the Action from the Lime Rock Historics.
It's been almost a month since the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival 33 has been in our rear view mirror. The memories are still fresh in my brain, but it doesn't hurt to have a few things to look at while I assemble my words for the official blog post. There are over five thousand (that's 5,000) images to sift through that I captured over a three day period, and I promise you, it will be worth the wait! A cross section of Saturday and Monday's racing and the Sunday in the Park Concours and Gathering of the Marques is all represented.
For now, please click HERE to enjoy this small teaser gallery as a hint of things to come!
Don't Let Ein Falscher Apfel Spoil the Whole Volkswagen Bunch.
I love my Volkswagen. I've been the custodian to several of their offerings and my current 2010 GTI is the best car I've ever owned. I can rattle off random facts at will and have their logo discreetly tattooed on my person. I will not hesitate to suggest the Jetta or Passat to someone in the market for a quality sedan, including the color I think suits it best (toffee brown, night blue, respectively). I met a lot of my close pals through VWs and have made fantastic memories (some of which I cannot share here) at events that catered particularly to the German autos. To simply summarize, I have to thank Volkswagen for being such an integral part of my life.
Read MoreAlthough this image is from 2014, the impact is no less profound.
The Raw Files: Focusing On Other Subjects.
It seems I've pictured myself into a corner. My tagline is "Where the Shutter Meets the Road." My business card describes me as an automotive photographer. And if you have seen my Facebook feed, you can see there is more than a lion's share of car pictures being posted.
Let's face it, I enjoy shooting all things automotive.
Read MoreMighty Mopars Mosey in Lowe's Lot for a Midweek Meet.
You ever get the feeling that you've arrived at a place where you don't belong? Like a 10-point buck waltzing into a backyard BBQ sponsored by Cabela's. Or perhaps a little German car parked on the perimeter of a strictly American modern muscle meet, more specifically a Mopar-only mass. It was Wednesday night and there I was showing up at the North Jersey Mopar meet. In my Volkswagen. With an 8380 Labs VW t-shirt on. What was I doing here?
Read More1973 Lotus Elan +2 takes the ethos of Colin Chapman's original idea and adds a roof.
Hemmings Show Brings Splendor and Sports Cars to Saratoga Springs
The blue moon was no match for the sun's ability to caffeinate the sky, providing ample light to kickstart the morning proceedings. It was just after sunrise and I was well on my way to Saratoga Springs for the 10th annual Hemming's Sports and Exotic Show, the real life interpretation of their fantastic monthly magazine.
Read More1932 Plymouth PB showed that a little splash of color can go a long way.
The Grass Is Always Greener at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance.
Metaphorically speaking, of course. This year, the lawn under the show cars was a duller shade of drab, no doubt attributed to a relentlessly burning hot sun and a clear lack of rain. It didn't matter though, as people's eyes were affixed to the machinery that treaded on the turf instead. And what machines they were.
Read MoreDead Battery Kills Coverage of Ferrari Concorso & Friends.
This story, as do most of my entries, starts with an alarm chiming at a time that mere mortals would prefer doesn't exist on weekend mornings. The Ferrari Concorso and Friends charity event takes place on LaSalle Road, in West Hartford, CT, which is approximately 2.5 hours north of me. Therefore, if I wanted to arrive when or before the cars did, which was predicted to start at 6 a.m., my alarm needed to grossly betray my sleep pattern. And it did.
Read MoreMama Mia! Caffeine & Carburetors Makes It a Memorable Mother's Day.
For 2015, the Caffeine & Carburetors schedule was reduced to just four occurrences, two in the spring and two in the fall, with each season splitting the venue between Pine and Elm streets and Waveny Park. In theory, less gatherings should equal higher quality turnouts and the inaugural event proved positive. Having never been to the park setting, and with the second visit to Waveny not scheduled until October 18, it was pertinent that I did everything in my power to make an appearance. My mission, which I chose to accept, was to somehow peel myself away from the grandeur that is Caffeine & Carburetors and return to New Jersey in time for 11:00 a.m. brunch. Contrary to the popular song, time was not on my side for this Mother's Day observance, held on the beautiful grounds of Waveny Park, in New Canaan. But I was sure willing to bribe it to the best of my ability.
Read MorePower to the Porsches as Paul Miller Delivers Killer Grand Opening C&C.
Before the days of social media, the highest quality advertising was concocted in closed-door boardroom scenarios. It was Mad Men brought to real life, creating content that returned a high ROI for their clients. There were clever clips, memorable catchphrases, and tactful taglines. These days, with Instagrammers and Facebookers the prevalent force at social gatherings, the advertising dollars are best spent elsewhere. If you play your cards right, as Paul Miller did by hosting a Cars & Coffee style event, you can be sure that there will be a colony of eager beavers providing countless images of your unofficial ribbon-cutting, often for little more than a shoutout on their selected social media site.
Read MoreCaffeine & Carburetors Delivers Concours-Quality Panoply of Joy.
Within the first few scenes that is the 2015 Caffeine & Carburetors 4-part season, it was very apparent that somewhere along the way this production has transformed more into a Concours Parade than a traditional C&C. Not that there's anything wrong with that, because I assure you there isn't.
Read MoreA Closer Look at Bentley's EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept.
Shown at a pop-up Bentley gallery during the New York International Auto Show, Bentley's EXP 10 Speed 6 concept is a pretty good indication of the future styling direction of the boys from Crewe.
Read MoreNYIAS: New Traditions Born, Old Traditions Continued.
Ever since I was a young boy, I've always looked forward to Easter time, not because of the guaranteed Silly Putty I would receive in my basket, but because that's when the New York International Auto Show would roll into town. It took over every floor of the Jacob Javits Center, all four levels of it, and then some. As a car guy, this was my kid in a candy store moment. Besides, who needs chocolate from an oversized rabbit?
Read MoreSunshine Overshadows Plentiful Picture Taking.
The seesaw struggle continues. The sunnier the day, the less favorable the pictures. This past Sunday's C&C was a sunny, albeit chilly, spring morning. The thermometer walked the straight and narrow along the 37 degree path, never quite wavering to one side or the other. This didn't stop anyone though, as the cars came out in force.
Read More