Jason Harper

I got back from South Tyrol, Italy, days ago, after testing out the new Ferrari FF. A full review will be forthcoming, quickly. In the meantime, how about a few pics.

BLOOMBERG March 24, 2011

Bat front! The original 1960s Batmobile

This is every kid’s dream. I’m sitting in the Batmobile, a gonzo fantasy car with parachutes and fins so big they look like wings.

I’ve arrived at a custom-car garage in North Hollywood to meet two automotive legends — the original car from the 1960s Batman TV show (“Pow!” “Zap!” “Kaboom!”) and its creator, 85-year-old George Barris.

I’ve even been promised a drive in the Caped Crusader’s cruiser…if only it will stop raining. (more…)

BLOOMBERG March 17, 2011

What a difference a year makes. Just take a look at a 2010 Ford Explorer parked next to a totally redesigned 2011 model.

The one to the left is dingy, broken-down, a half-rusted tailpipe sticking out. Body panels don’t align and the sad faux- wood plastic on the dash is peeling off. This example is a rental, but still. Tragic.

On the right is the newly invigorated Explorer, sheathed in curving metal and black glass. Wider, curvier, sophisticated. The digital controls on the interior look as if they could operate the space shuttle. (more…)

BLOOMBERG March 10, 2011

Big on Baja: The buggy

I’m blinking sand from my eyes, rocketing down a dirt road off the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.

A hill looms ahead and my co-driver yells for me to gun it. I do, and all four of our dune buggy’s wheels quit the ground.

Now we are in the air, flying — control ceded to gravity — then snap back to earth.

“Do it again!” my buddy Boyd shouts. That went okay, so why not?

We’re in a $100,000 dune buggy, a race-built machine without doors or windshields, on a driving tour through the Baja California peninsula. Every few minutes the surreal beauty alternates with “am-I-gonna-survive-this?” adrenaline. (more…)